Free Republic

Royal Caribbean seems to be ramping up its efforts to start sailing, and it looks like the cruise line wants to do this sooner rather than later. With an extended season in Singapore, due to the incredible success of Quantum of the Seas in the city-state and Royal Caribbean announcing this week it will homeport its newest vessel, Odyssey of the Seas in Israel, it looked like that would be it from the cruise giant. Not so. Cozumel’s mayor revealed some interesting news this week; in an article on Riviera Maya News, the major said Royal Caribbean is in negotiations...

Tourists taking the ferry from this tourist town to the island of Cozumel now walk down a wharf lined with police, heavily armed soldiers and bomb-sniffing dogs. Those safeguards came after a Feb. 21 explosion ripped through one of the ferries, injuring 24 people, including five Americans. Explosives were later found on another ferry owned by the same company.

COZUMEL, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexicans have set up a shrine at a plant pot on the grounds of a beach resort on the Caribbean island of Cozumel after an image said to depict Jesus appeared on it following Hurricane Wilma a month ago, A receptionist at the Occidental Grand resort noticed the image likened to Jesus' face as shaken guests emerged from a storm shelter after huddling for three days while the hurricane hurled rain and debris. Local media are calling it a miracle and draw a link between the apparition and the fact that none of the 200 guests...