Freedom of the Seas, the largest cruise ship ever built, is about to head out on it’s maiden voyage and enter service for Royal Caribbean International as it’s Flagship. The Freedom of the Seas is a spectacular vessel, with such amenities as a surfing pool, a skating rink, and a rock climbing wall. The picture on the left is the ship in Hamburg, Germany as the Freedom of the Seas finishes getting outfitted for its maiden crossing.

The Finnish-built vessel - flagship of Royal Caribbean International - will have a thorough check and final polish at Germany’s Blohm and Voss shipyard.
It boasts the world’s first on-board surfing pool, called “Flow Rider”, a skating rink and a rock-climbing wall.
It will take up to 4,375 passengers at a time on Caribbean cruises.
The 160,000-ton ship is 339 metres (1,112 ft) long, 56m (184 ft) wide and has a cruising speed of 21.6 knots.
The crew had to carry out a tricky manoeuvre in Hamburg, as the ship’s berth was only three metres wider and 12m longer than the ship.
The ocean liner Queen Mary II is six metres longer but 15m narrower than the Freedom of the Seas, which will be based in Miami, Florida.
The Freedom of the Seas will leave Hamburg on 25 April for a stopover in Oslo before crossing the Atlantic and starting Caribbean cruises in June. via BBC NEWS

When on a cruise, the biggest fear is having to dine with people who are less than thrilling. The cruise industry is recognizing this  difference and now is offering  more choices for dining, and working to provide personal and intimate options for the dining public. Carnival, Celebrity, Cunard, and Disney have all started offering more options for their passengers, but Norwegian Cruise Line was the originator of the trend.

The trend today is toward flexibility of dining times, variety of cuisine and premium dining in intimate restaurant settings.
The shipboard dining experience now prizes quality over quantity and frequency.
Norwegian Cruise Line is credited with pioneering the trend in 2000 with its launch of Freestyle Cruising. With a sweeping stroke, it did away with the large dining room, the two dinner seatings, the assigned table companions and the nightly dress code.
As others have rushed to mimic Norwegian’s model, dining space has been carved up into restaurant-type venues. Smaller galleys have been built here and there, particularly on the newer ships.

Visit  The Columbus Dispatch for more details on other cruise lines and their dining options.

With all that has been happening with the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, the unknown death of the Captain of the Monarch of the Sea is disturbing.

The 38-year-old captain of the Monarch of the Seas cruise ship died this week as the vessel steamed north from Mexico, just hours before it docked in San Pedro. Authorities said Capt. Joern Rene Klausen was found in his stateroom at approximately 4:15 a.m. Monday, according to a statement issued by Royal Caribbean International, which operates the 2,700-passenger cruise ship

The death appears to be from natural causes and authorities in Los Angeles will conduct an autopsy,” the statement said. A supervisor from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said late Tuesday that an examination had not yet been conducted and the office had no statement at that time. via the Daily Breeze.

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise lines will start allowing passengers to check through their luggage to their flights. Disembarking a Cruise ship is probably the worst part of the cruise, and this program will make the process much smoother for everyone by taking the pressure off of the baggage handlers.

The program, which began with ships based in Vancouver, B.C., in 2003 and costs $10-$20 per passenger, is rolling out this winter at five more ports — San Juan, Seattle, San Diego, Miami and Fort Lauderdale (the last three for Celebrity only). “Anything that makes disembarkation easier will be popular,” says Mike Driscoll, editor of Cruiseweek.USATODAY.com.