Royal Carribean News

The main cruise ship operators in French waters have agreed on measures to limit pollution caused by their vessels, including hooking up to the power grid instead of keeping their engines running during stopovers.The "Blue Charter" agreement signed in Marseille by Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises, Royal Carribean Cruises and Ponant also pledged to use less-polluting fuel when manoeuvring in harbours as well as other measures to reduce emissions.The four signatories transport 95% of the passengers and account for 85% of the stopovers in Marseille…

Royal Carribean's Freedom of the Seas enters New York Harbor May 10. The Freedom of the Seas, a ship four times the size of the Titanic, has just completed its first trip across the Atlantic. U.S. Coast Guard Photo by PA3 Angelia Rorison

P&O Princess Cruises reported a widely expected slump in first-quarter profits, with earnings partly dented by lower cruise prices. Pre-tax profits for the three months ending March fell 64 percent from the same period last year to $18.9 million. Basic earnings per share for the company -- which was demerged from ports, logistics and ferry operator P&O last year -- fell to 2.6 cents for the quarter from 6.6 cents a year ago. Cruise operators such as P&O Princess, Carnival and Royal Caribbean have all felt the effects of the U.S. economic slowdown on their revenues and earnings. Royal Carribean, the world's second biggest cruise group behind Carnival, said on Wednesday that first-quarter profits nearly halved from early 2000 as U.S. economic weakness led to lower ticket prices.