Independence of the Seas ahead of schedule.

Royal Caribbean has announced that the next "Freedom Class" ship, Independence of the Seas, will commence sailing two weeks earlier than originally scheduled. The ship was orginally scheduled to have it's maiden voyage on May 17, but the shipyard informed Royal Caribbean that they will be completing the ship ahead of schedule. Good news for RCI but not so good, I imagine, for those booked on the May 17th cruise hoping to be on the maiden voyage.

The new maiden voyage will be on May 2nd and those booked on the original date are being offered the chance to switch dates. Then, on May 6th, there will be an 11 night cruise to the Canary Islands.

That will conclude the current plan for the "Freedom Class" but I have heard rumors that there may be another in the series. Now the focus turns to the "Genesis" twins already under construction.

Genesis keel laid in Finland

Royal Caribbean execs and some select travel agents were invited to witness the ceremonial laying of the first parts of the structural backbone of what will be, by far, the largest, most expensive and most advanced cruise ships ever built, Royal Caribbean's 220,000 ton "Genesis" ships. They gathered in Turku to watch the 540 ton hull section lowered into place. According to tradition Royal Caribbean and shipyard execs affixed coins underneath the section as a good luck gesture.

The next big step in the construction will be about a year from now when the finished hull is floated once the drydock is filled. Between now and then there should be more and more info released regarding the ships including their official names. Royal Caribbean has confirmed that neither of the ships will be named Genesis of the Seas. Naming will probably take place around May 2008 and itineraries will also surface sometime next year.

Royal Caribbean's Genesis To Home Port in Ft. Lauderdale

Royal Caribbean announced that they are planning to home port their upcoming 220,000 ton Genesis ships in Port Everglades, FL. The press release that both of the planned ships will home port there with the first starting in 2009.

Here is the press release from royalcaribbean.com:

Royal Caribbean's Plans To Homeport Genesis At Port Everglades To Spark Incredible Growth In Greater Fort Lauderdale

FORT LAUDERDALE, December 4, 2007 - Broward County's Port Everglades will see significant economic and tourism growth with confirmation today that Royal Caribbean International, a cruise brand owned and operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE/OSX: RCL), will be homeporting its two new 5,400-passenger "Project Genesis" vessels in Greater Fort Lauderdale. The agreement between Royal Caribbean and Broward County is expected to be finalized by the cruise line company's Board of Directors and the Broward County Commission on or before December 19, 2007.

Royal Caribbean's Project Genesis ships will be the largest cruise ships ever constructed. The first of the 220,000-gross-registered-ton ships is scheduled to begin sailing year-round from Port Everglades in late 2009, with the second sister ship to begin year-round sailings one year later. Each Project Genesis ship, being constructed at Aker Yards in Turku, Finland, is projected to generate approximately 584,000 in passenger traffic annually at Port Everglades.

"We look forward to growing our outstanding relationship with Port Everglades," said Adam Goldstein, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. "It's very exciting to see our plans come together for these two amazing ships. The bold designs, daring innovations and technological advancements planned for these ships will thrill our loyal guests and help generate new devotees to our brand."

As part of the agreement, Royal Caribbean will reimburse up to $37.4 million in capital expenditures for expansion and related infrastructure needs of Terminal 18, which is already one of the largest cruise passenger terminals worldwide. Along with sister brands Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises, Royal Caribbean International will generate approximately 17 million in passenger volume (embarking and disembarking) at Port Everglades during the first 10-year term of the contract.

"Royal Caribbean has achieved great success with its year-round sailing schedule at Port Everglades," said Port Everglades Director Phillip C. Allen. "Now we can expect an average of 3.6 times more Royal Caribbean passengers, which is phenomenal."

An economic impact study conducted by Martin and Associates as part of the Port Everglades Master/Vision Plan, projects that homeporting the Genesis ships at Port Everglades will create more than 3,844 jobs, generate $172 million in personal income and $15.9 million state and local taxes. In addition, the analysis anticipates that more than 858 new construction jobs will be created during Terminal 18 expansion.

ABOUT BROWARD COUNTY'S PORT EVERGLADESAt 40 ships, more cruise ships are homeported at Port Everglades than any other port worldwide with an array of cruise vacation choices from the sunny Greater Fort Lauderdale area including everything from sampler-size day cruises to around-the-world cruises. Details on the latest cruise offerings are available on the Internet at www.broward.org/port.

ABOUT ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONALRoyal Caribbean International is a global cruise brand with 21 ships currently in service and three under construction. The line also offers unique land-tour vacations in Alaska, Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, South America and New Zealand through its cruisetour division.

Feeling Nostalgic

I decided to add a list of my cruises on my blog and in doing so I started thinking back to the earlier cruises I took as a child with my family. Cruising has changed so much in those 20 years, but that is where my love of cruising started.

My first cruise was back in 1984 and I was in my early teens. I was lucky enough to have parents who worked hard for what we had and my sister and I were able to do a decent amount of travel around the country. Mostly trips to places like California, Arizona, and of course Florida (Disney). My grandparents had been on a cruise in 1970 when they won a raffle for tickets on a Bahamas cruise on board the SS Oceanic. They always looked back on it as a really great experience and something they would like to do again. My parents decided that it would be a good idea to take a family cruise and we planned it on the very same ship, the Oceanic.

Along with my parents, myself and my sister, both sets of grandparents as well as my aunt joined us on the trip. It was really a great time. I still remember when I first saw the ship I was struck by the sheer size and how beautiful it was. We were leaving from Manhattan, and the ships dock bow in which basically puts the bow at the street where you drop off. I got out of the car and looked up at the bow towering over us and something came over me. I actually had a tear come to my eye. I'm secure enough in my manhood to write that here even though it does sound just a bit femme. The ship was just that amazing to me.

The Oceanic was and still is a beautiful classic ship. She was designed as an ocean liner but spent her life as a cruiser. Her classic profile was sleek with a long bow and low slender superstructure sporting a single stack. She was also fairly large for her day coming in at 774ft in length and weighing 39,241 tons. The cruise experience back then was much different than today. Cruising was still very much for an older crowd and perceived as a boring vacation. It had not yet become the mainstream vacation it is today. The ships were not the destination like many are today. The ship, while very nice, did not have the amenities of today's ships. On sea days there was pretty much nothing to do but head to the pool or play shuffleboard. About the most exciting thing I remember from sea days was the, now forbidden, skeet shooting off the aft of the ship. That was cool.



The real important thing back then was the food and service. Being that Home Lines was part Italian owned and fully staffed by Italians, the food was unbelievable. I still remember lunchtime by the pool where they had a pasta station set up where the chefs were preparing fresh pasta dishes and the smell of roasted garlic wafted all around. Really great stuff.

We did two more cruises on Home Lines on their new ship, the Homeric which was much more modern than the Oceanic and we had a great time on those as well. Sadly, in 1988, Home Lines folded and sold their ships. We were shocked and lost. There were no other lines leaving from NYC that we really wanted to go on beside Home Lines. Luckily a couple of years later, Celebrity Cruises was launched as an offshoot of the Chandris Line. Chandris sent their Galileo in for a complete refit and she emerged as the Meridian. We took a trip on the Meridian in 1990. Again, she was an older ship but quite nice. We followed up with another cruise on Celebrity's new Horizon in 1993. These were the last cruises I took with my family before starting a family of my own and introducing them to my love of cruising.

In all the cruises I've been on, I can honestly say that they have all been great. That first one on the Oceanic though is the one that started it all. It stands out in my memory most among the early cruises I took. Not only did I become addicted to cruising but I also became infatuated with the ocean. I really love the isolation of being out there with noting but water around. I loved it so much that at one time I thought about making a career out of it either by joining the Navy or going to a merchant marine academy and finding a job ultimately on a cruise ship. Neither of those teenage dreams came to be though.

Amazingly, the Oceanic has survived almost 45 years of sailing and she doesn't seem to be slowing down. She was sold by Home Lines to Premier Cruises in 1986 and renamed Star Ship Oceanic. She later came to be known the Big Red Boat with Premier until they folded in 2000 and she was sold to Pullmantur in 2001 who renamed her back to Oceanic. Presently she is still cruising in Europe. Pullmantur, of course is now part of my current favorite cruise line Royal Caribbean.

Part of me would love to take another trip on the Oceanic, but I think I would be a bit disappointed. Memories sometime are better left as such. I have been spoiled by the modern mega ships and everything they have to offer. Taking a trip today on the Oceanic would probably be like taking a trip back in time. I think I'll just hold onto my fond memories of that great ship.