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From the Blogs

Five Things You Missed About Cruising #2

Five Things You Missed About Cruising #2

Crystal Empire.

You can be forgiven if you might believe Crystal Cruises is seeking to take over the world around it. Since being sold to it's current owner, Genting Hong Kong, which owns Star Cruises and until recently a majority of Norwegian Cruise Line, Crystal has been planning a comprehensive array of services and ships.

The line has since the 2015 change in ownership, announced plans to add five more ships to it's operations. Were that all there were to the news it would hardly rate as news worthy. It is the types and history of the existing ships and the purpose of new vessels that is striking. In 2015 it added the 62 passenger mega-yacht "Crystal esprit" to the existing fleet of small sized 1,000 passenger luxury cruise ships. Among the new builds on-order an expedition ship intended for arctic cruising and three modern sized 117,000 GRT ships. Outside of the deep water ships five river cruise ships are also being built.

Beyond the new and existing ships, Crystal stunned the industry and ocean travel aficionados by purchasing the historic SS United States, long rusting after decades of inactivity and dubious attempts at restoration. Subject to a 9 month engineering survey said to be currently underway, Crystal may spend nearly one billion dollars on restoring the Unite States to new glory.

Yet the moves by Crystal and it's parent company have moved beyond simply running ships. Genting purchased three entire ship yards with an eye toward ensuring a preferred supplier for it's ships. The cruise line has purchased a Boeing 777-200LR and 787-8 Dreamliner which will be converted for customized VIP service across the world. These will join a Bombardier jet already in service.

As 2017 fades into 2018 the Crystal Cruises that began in 1988 as a Japanese company will have become part of a cruise empire for it's new owner in Hong Kong.

Star Clippers Grows

It isn’t a Dutchman, but the Flying Clipper will join her four other sail driven sisters in the Star Clippers fleet. Carrying an modest 300 passengers the ship will be the largest among the sailing ships the line offers. She will enter service in 2017.

The RCI Fan Blog

Oasis of Dreams Rehearsals - The Royal Caribbean Fan Blog.

When the ocming of Oasis of the Seas was announced to the world, one of the first features highlighted was the Aqua Theater. Situated at the very end of the ship, the seating bowl spills outward from the end of Boardwalk. The Aqua Theater hosts more unique features in one location than most new cruise ships do through their entire design. As the name implies the theater is centered around a large diving pool. Three tiers of diving platforms flank the pool on two sides. A trampoline emerges from the adjacent stage and adds a different dimension to what the show offers. A "fly gallery" allows actors to fly into and out of the area, even emerging from under the water. Under the water are three stage platforms. These rise above the water to allow for the entire stage space to be used or sink quietly for dramatic effect.

In our video here, you see the Aqua Theater from a deck ten stateroom balcony over Boardwalk. The cast is rehearsing a few hours before a show. The video screens were being replaced on this cruise so you might notice they are missing from the right side of the theater house. As a people watcher this view was one of the attractions of the cabin. Love Royal Caribbean?

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With headlines about Haitian boat people protesting local elections by blocking Royal Caribbean ships from docking at Labadee, I thought I would bump our VLOG about the port to the front of the line. Check it out and join our community to share your reviews and experiences at Labadee!

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Labadee, Haiti VLOG - Oasis of the Seas

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