Take a cruise, to Cuba!

Have you been itching to visit Cuba with our recent relations between the nations warming up?   You're not alone.  And Norwegian Cruise Lines is no open for booking cruise stops in Cuba.   Staring May 1st, the cruise line will debark out of Miami for a 4 day cruise that features an overnight stay in Havana!  

Take a cruise, to Cuba!  Norwegian is one of six lines that received approval from the Cuban government this month to begin sailing to Cuba early next year.   Visit them for yourself at https://www.ncl.com/cruises-to/cuba-cruises. 

3 cool things about Carnivals newest ship

Introducing Carnival Breeze, Carnival's newest 3,690 passenger, 15 deck ship that's now on water.  Here's three cool features about her...

#1.  Thrill Theater.  

Tucked onto Deck 4 near the Breeze's teen club, this new-for-Carnival, 24-seat venue offers a high-tech escape for adults as well as kids. Combining 3-D projection technology with motion simulation, it's home to short productions under 30 minutes. Moviegoers wear special 3-D glasses, and special effects include squirting water and blowing air. Tickets costs $7.95 per person for a single entry, but an unlimited entry ticket is available for $14.95.

#2. WaterWorks. 

You don't have to be a child to appreciate the appeal of this sprawling water play area -- one of the largest at sea. Looming above the ship's main pool deck, WaterWorks offers two water slides that rival anything found at a land-based resort: The scream-a-minute, 312-foot-long Twister and the towering, funnel-style DrainPipe. There's also two side-by-side miniature slides aimed at the littlest tots and a 300-gallon "dump bucket" that sends water cascading over a wide area when you least expect it. In short: Prepare to be soaked.

#3. SportSquare. 

As if WaterWorks wasn't enough deck-top fun for one cruise vacation, Carnival has devoted another generous chunk of the ship's exterior space to this smorgasboard of gee-whiz amusements. Among the attractions is a suspended-in-the-sky ropes course and an outdoor weightlifting area -- new-for-the-industry concepts that first debuted last year on the Carnival Magic. SportSquare also offers a two-level miniature golf course; a jogging track; Vita exercise course; ping pong and foosball tables; and a lighted multi-purpose court designed for basketball, volleyball and (so they say) soccer.

Learn more about Breeze here: www.carnival.com/breeze.

1/2 price cabins on Titanic cruise

"Cabins, get your cabins!  Half off, cabins!"  

This April will mark 100 years since the Titanic sunk in the frozen waters of the Atlantic.  To honor those who died, and to have an excuse to cruise, the 710-passenger Azamara Journey is hosting a Titanic cruise.

It's actually the 2nd of 2 cruises but the first one sold out over a year ago.  The second cruise still has rooms and since it's getting close to cast-a-way time, they're 1/2 off.   I checked their site, for the 8 night cruise you can now get a cabin from $1,999 and up.

If you do book you'll be leaving April 10th, 2012 from New York City, the same day the Titanic embarked on its doomed journey from Southampton, England, in 1912.   

  You'll first visit Halifax, Canada, where passengers can visit the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, the final resting place for many of Titanic's victims.  A few days later you'll be arriving at the exact site of Titanic's sinking on April 14, when memorial services will be held.

Check them out further at:  www.titanicmemorialcruise.co.uk.   And if you do book, please contact us, we'd love to do a follow up post.

Carnival Miracle introduces an adults only area

Carnival Miracle, the 2,124 passenger cruise ship built in 2004, has introduced an adults only area on their cruise ship.  Now, at the back of the ship, sits "Serenity", the new area that's free of kids.

No, you don't get the topless decks of old, but you chill without having 300 kids jumping all around you.  Also included is a full pool and bar just for the adults.  The ship also was updated with flat screen TV's in all cabins plus they updated a ship night club.  

Now 20 out of 23 Carnival ships have adult only areas on board.

Shipwrecked Costa Concordia has riches

Odd story here.  The Costa Concordia was a major tragedy and continues to be a problem.  More bodies lie in the ship, people are missing, families grieve.  Once this is all worked out, they'll be riches awaiting. 

Essentially, Costa Concordia was a floating luxury hotel.  And with the super quick departure of over 4,200 people, a lot of things were left behind.   The guests had fancy jewels and watches for dining out and the ship itself had shops selling high end jewelry products.  Also on board are over 6,000 fine art prints.  

(a diver searches the sunken Concordia)

Who can dive the ship when it's time?  Well after about 7 months, or longer, divers might be allowed to dive the ship, if it's safe.  Most passengers will have settled claims with both the cruise ship and their private insurance polices to cover their losses.  So once it'd diviable, it's first come, first serve.

For now...you'll have to wait.  The ship is surrounded 24/7 till the ship is free of bodies and deemed safe.

Fewer bookings for cruises post Costa accident

This story shouldn't be a big shocker, but Carnival Cruise Lines are reporting that their bookings are down in the "mid-teens" percentage-wise.  Carnival Corp is the parent company of other known cruise lines such as Costa, Carnival, Princess and Holland America.  

The drop in bookings was found in non-Coasta brands.  The Costa Brand is even worse but it's hard to judge their bookings with the disaster still in progress.  Recovery continues in Italy since the ship ran aground on January 13th, 2012.

It's amazing, one mans bad judgment can affect the lives of many and the bookings of cruise lines everywhere.

Did travel insurance work if you were on the Concordia?

If you had travel insurance and were one of the unlucky (but lucky to be alive) people to have been on the sunken cruise ship Concordia would your insurance plan have worked?   The short answer, YES.  

Leading travel insurance provider, Travel Guard, which had at least three customers on the Concordia, defiantly took care of their members.

While thousands of evacuated Concordia passengers waited for Costa Cruise Lines to offer assistance, the insurance company helped its customers with their individual requests to relay messages back home, replace ID (for those who left their passports on the ship) and get quickly on flights back home, Mueller says.

Travel Guard's most common Gold policy – priced at 5-7% of your trip cost – bundles coverage for trip cancellation and interruption, baggage protection, medical expenses and emergency evacuation.

If any of the Travel Guard customers on Concordia had been injured, reimbursement of medical expenses and emergency medical evacuation would have kicked in, Mueller says. The policy also includes $10,000 accidental death and dismemberment insurance.

I'm even going to give them a free link:  Travel Guard, jeez I'm nice.

A few random facts about Costa Concordia

Before the Italian cruise ship, Costa Concordia, went down in the cold Mediterranean , it was a pretty nice ride!  Christened in 2006, this 952 feet long, 17 deck cruise ship could zip along at 23 knots.  It mostly did cruises in the Mediterranean that ranged from 4 night quickies to 14 night longer vacations. 

(the Costa Concordia in better days)

She had/has 1,500 cabins - 505 of which have private balconies and 55 have direct access to Samsara Spa.  58 suites have private balconies and 12 have direct access to the spa.  Speaking about this spa...the ship has one of the world's largest exercise facility areas at sea, the Samsara Spa, a two-level, 65,000 sq. ft. fitness center, with gym, a thalassotherapy pool, sauna, Turkish bath and a solarium.  The ship has 4 swimming pools, 2 with retractable covers, 5 jacuzzis, 5 spas, and a poolside screen on the pool deck.

(the pool deck on a nice summer day, note jumbo TV)

When it came time to drink and eat, you were in luck there too!   Costa Concordia has 5 on-board restaurants, 13 bars, including a cigar, cognac, coffee and chocolate bar.   When you wanted to have fun you could have hit up the three-level theatre, casino, and a funky disco.

NOT ANY LONGER!   Now this 570 million dollar made ship lies half sunk off an island.  Will they be able to right-side the ship and fix it back up?   I have no idea, but it looks beyond repair at this point.  

A cruise ship in deep trouble in Italy

Check out the luxury cruise ship, Costa Concordia, as leans after it ran aground off the coast of Isola del Giglio island, Italy, gashing open a 160 feet on the hull and forcing some 4,200 people aboard to evacuate aboard lifeboats to the nearby Isola del Giglio island, early Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. 

About 1,000 Italian passengers were onboard, as well as more than 500 Germans, about 160 French and about 1,000 crew members.  Passengers described a scene reminiscent of "Titanic", complaining the crew failed to give instructions on how to evacuate and once the emergency became clear, delayed lowering the lifeboats until the ship was listing too heavily for many of them to be released.

To date it's being reported that 3 total deaths have occurred. 

Take a cruise in 1912 from NYC for $135

I found this cool ad in the Boston Evening Transcript in the January 26th, 1912 edition.  Located on page 15 is this ad that's pitching a cruise from New York to the Carribean and back for the low low price of either $135 for a 22 day cruise or $140 for a 24 day cruise.  How much is $135 in 1912 dollars?  Around $3,057 according to www.futureboy.us.

* click the photo to enlarge it

Still seems like a pretty good deal. 

Take a cruise on a freighter ship!

A lot travelers don't flying long distances, but for those needing to cross an ocean you do have other options other than a traditional cruise.  Sailing the seas on a freighter ship could be a great alternative and it's a lot cheaper than a passenger cruise.   But it's still unknown to many.  Some of the most common FAQs are answered online by Sea Travel Ltd., a British company that books freighter cruises.  But we'll try to cover the basics here.

 

How much do they cost?  Consider some recent freighter sailings offered by The Cruise People, and how such fares compare with more traditional travel modes.  A recent 13-day sailing from Amsterdam to Cleveland could be booked for $1,560 per person for single or double cabins. The lowest comparable airfares on that route were in the $1,100 range, but no passenger cruise line offered a similar itinerary, at any price.  

How do they differ from a passenger cruise?  Well, you're on a freaking freighter!  So don't be expecting the amenities of a passenger cruise ship.   You won't find parasailing, rock-climbing walls, casinos and big shows.  You will find plenty of sun and sea air, solitude, poolside sunning, ample reading time and casual/no black-tie dinners. So if you're down for a way different type of cruise, check it out.  I think I could handle about a week on the vessel then I'd be ready to get back to the "real world."

Random cruise ship facts

I would dare say that most people have taken a cruise or at least know someone who has.  It's turned into a viable option for many who want the room, the fun and the food all in one place - the ocean!   I took my first and only cruise back in the 90's and loved it, it's time to book another.   In the meantime, here's some random facts and figures about the cruise industry and the ships that carter to hundreds of thousands each year.

(Carnival's 2003 ship "Glory" in action)

• Nearly 13.5 million travelers worldwide enjoyed a cruise vacation in 2009
• There are over 2,000 ports of call around our planet that cruise ships can visit
• More people cruise to the Caribbean than any other destination in the world
• There are more than 300 sea-going cruise ships in the world at any given time
• The ships can cost a cruise line a half-billion US dollars before the 1st passenger boards
• Almost 90% of cruise tickets are sold through travel agents
• In a week most ships produce 210,000 gallons of human sewage
• Most cruise ships sail around 20 to 25 knots (23-29 mph)

 I'm getting exctied reading about these ships...perhaps we'll be on the sea before you know it.  I'm thinking an Alaskan cruise would be awesome in the fall of 2012, if we survive that whole Mayan calendar thing.  :-)

Rihanna vacation photos

Superstar Rihanna has posted some of her "behind the scenes" photos of her cruise this summer with her gal-pals in Italy.   It looks like they were having a blast on this private cruise ship.  Lucky girls!

* click any photo to enlarge it

(Rihanna and her tight little ass, I love it)

She, and her party friends, took this private cruise in late August of 2011.  They even got to dive Christ Of The Abyss statue in San Fruttuoso Bay, near Portofino, Italy.  One day she'll slow down, but for now, she's rich, popular, young and on the GO!

Take a cruise to Jamaica - in 1912

So I've been on a bit of a history kick lately in terms of travel, but it's so cool, so how can I not like it?   Do you all like this stuff?   Plus it's great when I run low on current travel topics to blog about.  I just hop in my virtual time machine called Google News Archives and travel back in time.  There's a ton of travel news that's interesting from years past.

So when I started cruising the archives for something to blog about I found this advertisement in the Boston Evening Transcript from May 28th, 1912.  It's an ad featuring a few cruise choices from the New York area into the warm waters of the Caribbean.  

(cool Caribbean clothes there family)

For the amazing low low price of just $140 you could have sailed from New York to the Caribbean and back on this 24 night steam ship cruise.   How much is $140 in 2011 money?  I found a site that has retro pricing, according to it, $3,243.  How much is a comparable 24 night cruise these days?   Around $7,613 for a 18 night Silver Sea cruise.  So it looks like deal of yesteryear was pretty good!  Pretty groovy huh?

BONUS LINK:   Hotel Myrtlebank Photos.

Stay longer on your Celebrity Cruise for $59

Celebrity Cruises is betting that some passengers will take advantage of their new program, ""Extend Your Stay."   The program allows cruise guests to stay till the afternoon instead of being kicked off early in the morning, like most passengers.

(stay later on your ship for $59 per person, kids are $29.50 each)

If you do choose this option you'll get access to a number of public areas including the pool, fitness center and spa but you still must must vacate cabins in the morning (by 9 am, one hour later than the standard time).  So if you're just not ready to end your stay on the cruise ship you can book the extended stay by signing up for it on-board ships at the guest relations desk.

A couple saw man jump from Carnival ship near Cozumel

A 39 year old married man was on a cruise near Cozumel when he was seen jumping into the ocean from the top deck of a Carnival cruise ship on Friday the 23rd.    The cruise ship hung out for a bit before a bunch of other boats started searching and Mexican officials took over.   The man jumped around 6:30pm in the evening.  Unfortunately, it's not that uncommon for people to commit suicide via jumping off a cruise ship.

(the man either jumped or fell from a Carnival ship like this)

All the passengers got a letter explaining the situation before the ship continued on it's 7 night cruise.   The ship captain, Antonio Sammartano, wrote to the other ship guests:  "We're sorry to say that at this time, the missing guest has not been located.  However, the Mexican navy remains on site and continues with the search," he wrote, "We continue to provide support to his family and friends during this difficult time. We ask that you please continue to join us in keeping them in your thoughts and prayers."

Norwegian Cruises return to Jamacia

Six years ago Norwegian Cruise Line sailed away from Jamaica, and now, they're back!   Two of Norwegian's ships, Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Sun, have plans in 2011 and 2012 to visit Ocho Rios.   If all goes well, they might just make Jamaica a permanent port once again.

I hope the port visits go well, it'd be nice to more cruise guests getting the opportunity to check out my favorite island, Jamaica.  Cruise visits to Ocho Rios have dipped about 25% over the last 5-6 years so Norwegian revisiting is a great sign.  It may be time for Ocho Rios to update their port and pier to lure even more visitors over.  Some reports have the port at Ocho Rios being "shabby."  And now there's Port Falmouth around the corner to compete for cruise ship traffic.

Let's see how this all pans out!

Take a 'Monsters of Rock' cruise!

This coming spring they'll be a 3 night cruise with a 80's hairband theme, complete with the bands.  Sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale this February 25th to the 28th, the Monsters of Rock cruise will host popular bands such as Cinderella, Tesla, KIX, Stryper, Y & T and Lynch Mob, among others.

(if the ships a rocking, don't come a knocking)

It all goes down on MSC Poesia, a 2008 ship that holds up to 3,605 passengers.  In addition to the hair bands you'll also have ports of calls in Nassau, Bahamas, and Key West.  The cost?  It starts out at $849 per person, double occupancy.   The best rooms still available today run $1,699 per person, double occupancy.

 

The cruise includes a kick off concert, a 1989-themed "Monsters Rock & Roll Prom," a "So You Think You Can Shred" competition, a "Shotgun Wedding" vow renewal, and artist meet-and-greet events.  

Check them out further at:  www.monstersofrockcruise.com.

The Titanic was a pimp ship!

Is there a person on this planet that hasn't heard of the Titanic?  I'm betting it's the most famous cruise ship that the world has ever known.  But do you really know that much about it?   Well...first off ship stats...

• It was built in 1909 to 1911 in Belfast, UK
• It's first and only voyage held 2,240 passengers
• The ship was 882 feet long and 9 total decks
• It cost around $7,000,000 in 1909 dollars to build
• The Titanic could cruise up to 23 knots (26mph)
• It put out 46k of horsepower pushing 3 propellers

But the Titanic was a ship of both mass proportions AND modern features.  You got to remember, this was back in the early 1900's yet the ship had a heated pool, a squash court, wireless radio, a library, an internal phone system, a barber shop, a Turkish bathhouse, a gymnasium and a Verandah Cafe!   

(The Titanic as she departs Queenstown on April 11, 1912)

Plus if you were one of the lucky 1st class passengers your suites included fancy wood panelling, expensive furniture and Café Parisien which served cuisine for the first-class passengers only in a sunlit veranda.  Also in first class were 3 electric elevators (plus a 3rd one in second class) and a costly message system that allowed passengers to send telegrams back home.

How much did it cost to ride in this high-tech cruise?   The most costly ride on the ship that sunk was $4,375 in 1912 money wish equals about $99,000 in 2010.   That was on the 1st class level in a parlor suite.  If you wanted to book something much cheaper you could have gotten in on a second class room for $60 ($1,390) and third class rides were $35-$40 bucks ($928).   All numbers are in 2010 US prices.

Of course none of this matters when you run into a iceberg at 20 knots.  Had the ship just ran into the iceberg head-on it probably would have survived the crash.  But since they tried to swerve around it the 'berg ripped a huge gash into the side of the ship and it slowly filled up with water sinking at 2:20am, after hitting the ice at 11:40pm.

A California man pleads guilty to dropping a cruise ship anchor

Do you guys remember the story of a drunken 45 year old California man who went into a control room on Holland's America's Ryndam and released an anchor while the ship was in motion?  Well, the dude did all of that November of 2011 and now he's facing up to 20 years in prison!

(Holland America's Ryndam on a better day)

Luckily nobody got hurt in his stupid stunt but homeboy could be thinking about pulling anchors for the next 20 years.  I feel that's a little too much (too much tax dollars locking up an idiot) but he should have some type of punishment.   Also lucky was the fact that the cruise ship avoided damage after the 18-ton stern anchor failed to reach the sea floor.   Idiot.