Royal Caribbean Cruises

Barbie joins Princess Fiona and the "Shrek" clan as the latest kiddie character to invade Royal Caribbean International cruises. The iconic doll from Mattel will become the centerpiece of a "cruise experience" for girls 4-11 on the entire 22-ship fleet starting next year, the company said. The Barbie Premium Experience starts with staterooms decorated with Barbie pink everything -- pillows and blankets, toothbrushes and tote bags. Then there's a dress-up fashion show, mermaid dance class and a Tiaras & Teacups party featuring pink pastries and pink lemonade.

Barbie joins Princess Fiona and the "Shrek" clan as the latest kiddie character to invade Royal Caribbean International cruises. The iconic doll from Mattel will become the centerpiece of a "cruise experience" for girls 4-11 on the entire 22-ship fleet starting next year, the company said. The Barbie Premium Experience starts with staterooms decorated with Barbie pink everything -- pillows and blankets, toothbrushes and tote bags. Then there's a dress-up fashion show, mermaid dance class and a Tiaras & Teacups party featuring pink pastries and pink lemonade.

Central Park is moving to the ocean -- sort of. Royal Caribbean Cruises said that an area resembling New York's Central Park will be featured in the center of its Project Genesis ship when it is delivered in late 2009 as the world's largest cruise vessel. Spanning the length of a football field, Central Park will include lush foliage, quiet walkways, restaurants, boutiques, an art gallery and a moving bar. The area also will feature concerts and street performances, providing the feeling of an outdoor space.

Broadway is trying to find its sea legs. Two hours into the Tony Awards ceremony broadcast by CBS on Sunday night, actor-writer Harvey Fierstein -- wearing a tuxedo jacket, a blue plastic inflatable inner-tube hugging his stomach, pink swim trunks, and hoisting a cocktail glass sporting a tiny umbrella - waddled on stage. But rather than revealing who would win the next category, Fierstein instead introduced a commercial segment that promoted Royal Caribbean International's cruise lines that offer full-length Broadway shows onboard.

Carnival Corp. plans to give $40 million in refunds to customers nationwide who were assessed fuel surcharges after they booked their trips. It's the second cruise company to reach an agreement with the Florida attorney general's office, which received more than 300 complaints about fees added by several cruise operators last fall. Customers said the charge was tacked on after they made their reservations. The Carnival settlement affects more than 1.1 million bookings, but the precise number of people affected was not available.

Royal Caribbean Cruises, the world's No. 2 cruise line, pleaded guilty to falsifying records to cover up the fact that the crew of its Nordic Prince cruise ship had not properly treated oil and oil-contaminated waters generated on board. Royal Caribbean entered the plea during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall in Los Angeles, in response to a three-count felony indictment returned last month by a federal grand jury.

P&O Princess Cruises, the third-largest cruise operator, rejected a second increased hostile bid by No.1 cruise line Carnival Corp. as inadequate and reiterated its plan to buy Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises. The price of Carnival's latest proposal is "too low," P&O Princess Chief Executive Peter Ratcliffe said. London-based P&O Princess has rejected three Carnival bids, citing concern about regulatory approval, and is pursuing a $7.4-billion plan to buy No.2 operator Royal Caribbean.

Before the ship Costa Concordia ran aground off Italy's Tuscan coast with 4,200 passengers aboard, the cruise industry had been enjoying smooth sailing and a bright future. Now, safety concerns could cloud sunny industry forecasts. The $40-billion industry has been growing steadily over the last few years, thanks in part to an improving economy and the construction of new ships, including several "mega ships," complete with shops and nightclubs. The worldwide cruise industry carried an estimated 16 million passengers in 2011, an 8% increase over 2010, and is expected to grow 6% in 2012, according to the Cruise Line International Assn., a trade group for the world's biggest cruise companies.

One of the world's top cruise operators has agreed to reimburse passengers for fuel surcharges that were not adequately disclosed, Florida's attorney general announced Monday. The settlement with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. affects 300,000 bookings -- the number of customers involved was not immediately available -- and will return $21 million to people nationwide who made trip deposits as of Nov. 15. "There's gonna be a lot of happy cruisers," said Sandi Copes, spokeswoman for Atty.

P&O Princess Cruises balked Monday at a sweetened takeover bid by Carnival Corp., the world's biggest cruise ship operator, saying the $5-billion offer was still too low and likely to run into regulatory obstacles. Princess insisted it would stay on course with its own plan to merge with rival Royal Caribbean Cruises. After Princess turned down its original bid, Miami-based Carnival followed up Thursday with a revised cash-and-stock offer valued at 12% more.

Before the ship Costa Concordia ran aground off Italy's Tuscan coast with 4,200 passengers aboard, the cruise industry had been enjoying smooth sailing and a bright future. Now, safety concerns could cloud sunny industry forecasts. The $40-billion industry has been growing steadily over the last few years, thanks in part to an improving economy and the construction of new ships, including several "mega ships," complete with shops and nightclubs. The worldwide cruise industry carried an estimated 16 million passengers in 2011, an 8% increase over 2010, and is expected to grow 6% in 2012, according to the Cruise Line International Assn., a trade group for the world's biggest cruise companies.

Five of the world's largest cruise lines suspended all stops in Mexico on Tuesday because of the swine flu outbreak, dealing another blow to that country's battered tourism industry. The situation could mean additional cruise ship business at two Southern California ports of call, San Diego and Santa Catalina Island.

Central Park is moving to the ocean -- sort of. Royal Caribbean Cruises said that an area resembling New York's Central Park will be featured in the center of its Project Genesis ship when it is delivered in late 2009 as the world's largest cruise vessel. Spanning the length of a football field, Central Park will include lush foliage, quiet walkways, restaurants, boutiques, an art gallery and a moving bar. The area also will feature concerts and street performances, providing the feeling of an outdoor space.

Carnival Corp. plans to give $40 million in refunds to customers nationwide who were assessed fuel surcharges after they booked their trips. It's the second cruise company to reach an agreement with the Florida attorney general's office, which received more than 300 complaints about fees added by several cruise operators last fall. Customers said the charge was tacked on after they made their reservations. The Carnival settlement affects more than 1.1 million bookings, but the precise number of people affected was not available.

One of the world's top cruise operators has agreed to reimburse passengers for fuel surcharges that were not adequately disclosed, Florida's attorney general announced Monday. The settlement with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. affects 300,000 bookings -- the number of customers involved was not immediately available -- and will return $21 million to people nationwide who made trip deposits as of Nov. 15. "There's gonna be a lot of happy cruisers," said Sandi Copes, spokeswoman for Atty.

Call it the Princess' prerogative. After spurning Carnival Corp.'s aggressive courting for more than a year in favor of another, P&O Princess Cruises may now want to change its mind. On Friday, U.S. regulators cleared the way for both Carnival, the world's biggest cruise line, and No. 2 Royal Caribbean Cruises to pursue their respective bids for the No. 3 company, and the sought-after Princess quickly considered making the most of either deal, saying Carnival's didn't look so bad after all.

Royal Caribbean Cruises pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to three felony charges of making false statements to the Coast Guard about the discharge of oily waste water at sea. The Miami-based cruise line, one of the world's largest, faces fines of up to $1.5 million for the fabrication of a pollution treatment logbook by crew members of the luxury ship Nordic Prince. U.S. District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall will impose a penalty at a sentencing hearing June 28.

Call it the Princess' prerogative. After spurning Carnival Corp.'s aggressive courting for more than a year in favor of another, P&O Princess Cruises may now want to change its mind. On Friday, U.S. regulators cleared the way for both Carnival, the world's biggest cruise line, and No. 2 Royal Caribbean Cruises to pursue their respective bids for the No. 3 company, and the sought-after Princess quickly considered making the most of either deal, saying Carnival's didn't look so bad after all.

P&O Princess Cruises, the third-largest cruise operator, rejected a second increased hostile bid by No.1 cruise line Carnival Corp. as inadequate and reiterated its plan to buy Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises. The price of Carnival's latest proposal is "too low," P&O Princess Chief Executive Peter Ratcliffe said. London-based P&O Princess has rejected three Carnival bids, citing concern about regulatory approval, and is pursuing a $7.4-billion plan to buy No.2 operator Royal Caribbean.

P&O Princess Cruises balked Monday at a sweetened takeover bid by Carnival Corp., the world's biggest cruise ship operator, saying the $5-billion offer was still too low and likely to run into regulatory obstacles. Princess insisted it would stay on course with its own plan to merge with rival Royal Caribbean Cruises. After Princess turned down its original bid, Miami-based Carnival followed up Thursday with a revised cash-and-stock offer valued at 12% more.