As the week goes, not much news of note. Fuel continues to effect earnings in the industry. While Royal Caribbean was able to buffer some of the effect, Carnival saw its overall earnings more significantly impacted. Pricing for the Caribbean continues to pick up steam, following a long soft period.

What rates high on my list of interesting observations was related to the Genesis class. I had speculated earlier, on the Royal Caribbean Fan message board, that the rumored featured, said to be “something you wouldn’t expect on a cruise ship,” would prove to be live grass and trees. It seems I was right, if the little birdy from Akers yard is accurate in having seen illustrations of large scale drainage for the “Central Park” section of the ship.

Real grass, trees, all will help add an organic, and less steely feel to the ship. Where the current aesthetic tends to focus on colors, lighting, and appealing lines, this will bring something new to the industry. The only question in my mind, is when or if somebody will ask about airborne bugs and birds migrating between ports, using the newly established green space.

A few weeks ago, Royal Caribbean announced a joint venture with the major German cruise retail company TUI. This follows a move several months ago, to create a cruise brand for the French market. The moves come as most of the major lines have moved significant tonnage to the European market. Most of this should shock anybody. The U.S. dollar is much weaker than in recent decades, and the Caribbean remains soft in terms of prices. The moves come shortly after the formation of Azamara Cruise Lines, and the purchase of Pullmantur. That is six brand names, after having been tightly centered on the Royal Caribbean brand alone.

The moves have seen the announcement of several ships moving between RCCL fleets and the newer brands. The Empress of the Seas is about to leave the Royal Caribbean fleet, with Sovereign of the Seas ticking off her final days in the fleet. The agreement with TUI indicates a ship will be transferred from another brand to service the venture with RCCL in 2009. Logically Royal Caribbean fleet will be the source for some or all of the transfers.

The obvious choice to transfer out of the fleet are the remaining Sovereign class ships, Monarch and Majesty of the Seas. They are beloved, and from a physical standpoint have another 30 years of service left to them. However they very simply do not reflect the marketing for the Royal Caribbean brand. Not far beyond them however are the Vision class. Newer by as much as ten years, they remain smaller and will themselves fade from compatibility with marketing. With a new Freedom or Genesis class ship coming online every single year from 2009, it will be easy to replace the cabins lost as all of the pre-Voyager ships to be transferred.

The Vision class will serve several key purposes in the near-term. They are ideal ships to help open the Australian and Asian markets. Plus they can serve the short-cruise routes for years. Never-the-less, with expansion in other fleets, logically they’ll eventually find their way into other brands fleets.