Royal Caribbean to send new ship to Persian Gulf in 2012

Despite this year's turmoil in the Middle East, Royal Caribbean on Tuesday announced it will return to the Persian Gulf for another season of cruises over the winter of 2012-13.

The line says the 2,114-passenger Serenade of the Seas will head to Dubai in December of 2012, taking the place of sister ship Brilliance of the Seas, which has been sailing out of the city during the winter for the past two years. Brilliance of the Seas will in turn be moving to the Caribbean for the winter of 2012-13, where it will take the Serenade of the Seas' place sailing out of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In short, the two ships are swapping spots.

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Royal Caribbean says Serenade of the Seas will sail 17 seven-night voyages out of Dubai from December 2012 to April 2013 that include calls at Muscat, Oman (with an overnight stay); and Fujairah and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Passengers also can book an 11-night experience that the line is calling the Arabian Explorer Cruise Tour -- a combination of a four-night escorted land tour in the region and a seven-night Serenade of the Seas' cruise.

Also planned are two 15-night Mediterranean and Suez Canal voyages at the beginning and end of the winter season as the ship works its way between its summer base in Spain and Dubai. The first of the trips departs on Dec. 2, 2012 from Malaga, Spain; the return trip to Barcelona departs April 15, 2013.

Fares for the seven-night Persian Gulf sailings start at $499 per person, based on double occupancy.

Cruise Loggers, share your thoughts below.

Royal couple cut tour retinue, but not hairdresser - Royal News Blog

This article entitled "cut royal couple turned away, but no hair" was written by Amelia Hill, The Guardian, Wednesday, June 15, 2011 18:20 UTC

For most people, distribution with a dresser and a personal companion for an official trip abroad do not count as the height of austerity. But it is the royal family - and the first foreign tour for his new member.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is an entourage of seven of their 11 days tour of Canada and the United States, beginning in late June, the Palace of St James said, taking care to emphasize the modest demands of honeymooners.

"Having done a pretty thorough analysis, we have kept as tight as we can," said Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, private secretary of the couple formerly known as Prince William and Kate Middleton.

As always with royal travel, caution is strictly relative. The duchess will still be taking along James Pryce, her hairdresser, although she has dispensed with an assistant to help with her clothes and an official companion, who usually collect flowers and gifts during walkabouts. Among other members of the slimline entourage will be Lowther-Pinkerton, his assistant and two press advisers.

American bloggers, websites and tweeters were buzzing within moments of the palace announcing the itinerary. A highlight will be a Bafta black-tie reception – where the couple will promote British creative talent from the worlds of film, television and video games.

The Hollywood Reporter predicted “the royal couple [will] mingle with the great and the good of Hollywood” at the Bafta dinner, and the website, entertainmentwise.com , predicted Kate would “look gorgeous during the trip”. But while backstagenews.com anticipated that “many eyes will be trained on what Kate wears”, the ears of her fans will have to wait a while longer: Lowther-Pinkerton praised the Duchess for her “incredible leaps and bounds” – but ruled out any immediate public speaking duties, saying: “There is a time and a place to introduce yourself to the world of speaking.”

Forty-two “Brits to Watch”, selected by a Bafta panel, will attend the 9 July dinner in Los Angeles. Their names will be revealed closer to the time.

There are good reasons to take along a dresser & a lady-in-waiting. It’s hardly practical for the Duchess to go rummaging through suitcases every time they check into a new hotel, trying to find all of the outfits for that day, making sure they are ironed, with no missing buttons, and making sure all accessories & shoes are ready to go. It’s hardly practical for a male assistant to accompany the Duchess into the ladies room, purchase sanitary products if needed and it will look silly for him to handle flowers. The Duchess should be overruled and a lady-in-waiting should be appointed who is familiar with royal etiquette. The Duchess needs to start learning that a royal lady does not show up alone, but is always accompanied by a lady-in-waiting. This is particularly important for a commoner, who will know nothing about how to act at diplomatic functions.

The Royal News, Buckingham Palace

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