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All you could ever know about original reality series
We all know what they mean but we don't know whether we should like them or hate them. I recall an Original Reality Series named 'Candid Camera' few years ago. Some persons on the street(who had no idea there was a camera waiting to film them) were...
Film Financing - Can Film Graduates Take The Challenge?
Graduates from a Film Studies program have a new opportunity in film & video production. Of course, with every opportunity comes a challenge - and in this case, the challenge is to find financing for your, or your employer's, projects.
With the...
Let it Be, Naked
MUSIC REVIEW The Beatles; Let it Be, Naked – Released in Australia, January 2004. The Beatles; Let it Be, Naked is yet, another Beatles re-issue album containing recordings from the original Get Back/Let it Be sessions that took place in 1969. It...
"Sergio Leone and the Spaghetti Western"
Clint Eastwood should have thanked Italy's film industry when accepting his second Best Director Oscar for this year's critically acclaimed Million Dollar Baby, because without the advent of the Italian-born Spaghetti Western in the 1960s, Eastwood...
The plus point of free satellite TV deals
If you still have not subscribe to DirecTV or Dish Network deals, maybe you should take a look on this as satellite TV becomes the fastest selling products in U.S. history. The plus point of free satellite TV deals offered by Dish Network or...
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Schreiber, Johansson Build A 'Bridge' To A Classic
Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson are starring in a widely praised revival of Arthur Miller's <em>A View From The Bridge</em>. They tell reporter Jeff Lunden that as in all great tragedies, this one's clashes and catastrophes have something of the inevitable about them.
Stargazing At The Opera
The Hayden Planetarium in New York takes opera to the moon with a new production of <em>Il Mondo Della Luna.</em> Diane Paulus and Philip Bussmann talk about merging cosmos footage with music, how science can enhance the arts and the future of technology and theater.
Obama 'The Musical' Opens In Germany
A new theater production <em>Hope: The Obama Musical Story</em> opened this week in Frankfurt, Germany. It tells the story, in song and dance, of America's first black president. It is likely to be a big success in a country where President Obama is still immensely popular.
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A Cruise Through Royal Caribbean's History
Copyright 2005 http://royal-caribbean-world.info
* Introduction *
Ever heard of a luxury hotel that moves every half hour?
You guessed it: it's a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, a mass of
one hundred thousand tons, that glides on the ocean between
Florida and the islands of the Caribbean on a regular basis.
Royal Caribbean International is the second largest cruise ship
operator in the world with revenues in excess of $4 billion. It
owns 28 ships with more than 65,000 berths on them and is
growing. Here's their story.
Flash back to 1969. An idea suddenly struck Arne Wilhelmsen and
Edwin Stephan (Arne was a Harvard-educated investor and Edwin a
famous Floridian businessman). The idea was that there was a
large community of extremely wealthy Americans in Florida, and
that this community would put down top dollar for a short,
relaxing luxury cruise to the nearby Caribbean.
Arne and Edwin marketed this brainwave to some of the shipping
magnates in Norway who readily bought it and came up with large
investments. After a short gestation period, Royal Caribbean
Cruise Lines (and an entire new industry) was born.
By the next year (1970), the infant company could speak of it's
first possession: The SONG OF NORWAY, a splendid cruise ship,
weighing 18,500 tons and equipped for 700 passengers,
custom-built in Finland. The most stunning feature of it was a
cocktail lounge cantilevered around the smokestack (Edwin
Stephen got the idea from the Seattle Space Needle). This lounge
was built into many of the Line's later ships and became the
hallmark of the Company's fleet.
* Growth, Growth and More Growth *
The founders of the Company pursued their vision of achieving
market dominance through a continual program of adding ships and
services. A consolidated record of this, which is very difficult
to find elsewhere in the media, is presented below:
1971 Cruise ships NORDIC PRINCE and SUN VIKING arrive
1978 SONG OF NORWAY cut in half, 75-foot piece with 164 cabins
introduced in between
1980 NORDIC PRINCE augmented the same way
1982 SONG OF AMERICA arrives with a larger, more luxurious
lounge around the smokestack
1988 SOVEREIGN OF THE SEAS, the largest cruise ship ever built
at 73,162 tons for 2,276 passengers, arrives at a cost of $150
million
1990 - NORDIC EMPRESS arrives - The Company expands beyond the
Caribbean: Mexico, Alaska, and Europe are added as destinations;
- Industry's first computerized booking system introduced
1991 - MONARCH OF THE SEAS arrives, ready for 2,354 passengers
1992 - MAJESTY OF THE SEAS delivered, equipped for 2,354
passengers
1993 - The Company goes public
1995 - LEGEND OF THE SEAS arrives, built for
Idina Menzel: From Broadway To The Symphony
The star of <em>Rent</em> and <em>Wicked</em> is making standards and pop songs her own — with the help of symphonies around the country.
The Advantages of Satellite TV - A Biased Review
No, the title is not a typo. This is a biased review of satellite TV versus cable. This has to do with the fact that I am a happy satellite TV subscriber, and must admit, it was a smart move on my part.
After spending exorbitant amounts of money...
1,804 passengers
1996 - GRANDEUR OF THE SEAS arrives at 74,000 tons and for 2,440
passengers - SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS, in the same class as
GRANDEUR, delivered
1997 - Name changed to Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited (RCCL) -
RCCL buys Celebrity Cruises and its four working ships from
Chandris Lines at a cost of $1.3 billion - RHAPSODY OF THE SEAS,
at 79,000 tons and for 2,435 passengers, is delivered -
ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS, at 74,000 tons and for 2,440
passengers, arrives
1998 - Enter VISION OF THE SEAS, 79,000 tons and to carry 2,435
passengers - Joint ownership agreement signed with Chicago's
Pritzker family (that has $15 billion in assets) and Haifa's
Ofer family (that owns one of the world's largest shipping
companies, Ofer Brothers Shipping Co)
1999 - VOYAGER OF THE SEAS comes in at a whopping 140,000 tons
for 3,114 guests
2000 - EXPLORER OF THE SEAS arrives; in the VOYAGER class, it
has marine laboratories on board as well
2001 - ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS arrives: 3,114 passengers
accommodated per cruise - RADIANCE OF THE SEAS delivered: 2,100
passenger capacity at 90,000 tons, with gas turbines, it is the
first in it's class - The company buys 20% of UK tour operator
First Choice and launches a joint venture cruise line. It offers
land-based tours in Alaska through Royal Celebrity Tours.
2002 - BRILLIANCE OF THE SEAS, a vessel in the RADIANCE class,
arrives and is ready for duty
2003 - SERENADE OF THE SEAS, the third RADIANCE class vessel, is
delivered
2004 JEWEL OF THE SEAS, RADIANCE class, makes its debut
... and of course, more ships, even larger that the earlier
ones, are on order!
* Conclusion *
With revenues in excess of $4 billion, RCCL is a juggernaut
which will not slow down.
Its ships are floating cities, boast amenities such as rock
climbing walls, miniature golf courses, swimming pools, ice
skating rinks, sun decks, basketball courts, beauty salons,
exercise and spa facilities, gaming facilities, lounges, bars,
cabaret performances, cinemas, shopping arcades, multiple
restaurants and casinos.
Most importantly, when on a cruise, one experiences some
priceless bonuses: unpolluted air and a virtually noise-free
environment. These are truly, in the modern context, balm for
the soul.
If you can afford the entirely reasonable average fare of $400
per person for a 3-night cruise in a luxury stateroom... don't
think twice about it, sign up for a cruise and gain the
experience of a lifetime!
About the author:
Lucky Balaraman has a Master's degree from a prestigious US
university and writes on several subjects. To learn more about
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, please visit the website
http://royal-caribbean-world.info
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