Dominica's Tourism Minister, Ian Douglas, urged today to prepare and ensure security to address the 2013-2014 cruise season which begins in October. Dominica expects the number of visitors increase by 89,000 compared to the same period last year, said Douglas who was quoted by dominicanewsonline.com.

Spain's Pullmantur is making a big push to gain market share in the Caribbean cruise market. The cruise ship Monarch will be offering year-round voyages in the Caribbean from five ports, the company said. The Monarch has completed seven of the 53 voyages planned for the West Indies and southern Caribbean.

The company has taken the vessel out of service and expects that it will take approximately six weeks to complete the repair efforts. The company estimates that the direct financial impact of this event, net of insurance, is a reduction of $0.10 per share.

Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas was en route to CocoCay, Bahamas, from Baltimore, Maryland when the blaze ripped through Deck 3 at around 2.50am yesterday while the ship was still about 30 miles from land.