Earlier Monday a fire broke out on the Carnival Liberty. The fire started in the engine room and was contained. The company reported no passenger injuries, though they did evacuate the ship on St. Thomas. According to Carnival the ship will sail again on Monday night. This was the second day of a cruise that left San Juan on Sunday.
It seems like there has been an increase of ship fires of late. Fortunately they've been handled well by the various crews. But this is another reminder to take all ship fire drills seriously.
Monday, September 7, 2015
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Porthole Magazine's mixes football and cruising
Football is back and just in time for those who miss the action and passion of the gridiron. But the long offseason doesn't have to be so long. As Porthole Magazine points out, there are plenty of opportunities for football fanatics to take their passion to the seas.
Their list includes theme cruises or trips that emphasize the sport. And unlike 15 or 20 years ago, now during the football season you can still catch the big game onboard. The bigger and newer ships have sports bars where all the best NFL games are available.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
PassPorterGuides looks at the Disney's Magic Porthole
One of Disney's nice touches is their Magic Porthole. In the video above PassPorterGuides gives example of how the "windows" work and what you can expect.
Friday, September 4, 2015
Cruise Needs' Tweets of the Week
Thank god I had the map #mojitosfordays #cruiselikeanorwegian by devitod http://t.co/CFZUmqOyAP pic.twitter.com/fKaxtQwmpU
— InstaWaikiki (@InstaWaikiki) August 30, 2015At sea slumber party! #disneycruise http://t.co/Ywr1YbXv1u
— Vera Sweeney (@VeraSweeney) September 4, 2015If other Caribbean countries were half as friendly as Dominican Republic, #cruise passengers would want to visit more.
— Stewart Chiron (@CruiseGuy) September 1, 2015As the sun goes down the jealousy factor goes way up-Totally want to be there right now
#SunsetSunday #CarnivalCruise pic.twitter.com/bkYioVE5yb
— Carnival Cruise Line (@CarnivalCruise) August 30, 201512 Rules of a Short Cruise - Cruise Radio http://t.co/AiikbQDwkP #carnivalcruise
— George Melendez (@gmelendez67) September 4, 2015Thursday, September 3, 2015
Carnival returning to Mobile
The Mayor of Mobile, Alabama announced an agreement for Carnival to return to the southern port. Specifics of the deal (when the sailings begin, what type of ship, etc.) will be announced later this month. But any news is good news as the Mobile Cruise Terminal has been mostly empty since Carnival left the city in 2011.
Mobile's roller-coaster history with the cruise industry is very similar to the travails of other non-traditional cruise ports. Cities all want year-round traffic, invest in facilities and tax breaks for cruise companies, do everything they can to get a ship and then worry about it leaving at the first sign of trouble. Regardless of little victories, the cities will always be at the whim of the cruise lines. Markets get bored or saturated. (How many times can cruise fans in the Gulf area sail the western Caribbean itinerary?) Very few secondary ports have the airports to support flights from around the country to feed the ships. And the drive markets tend to overlap. Mobile will probably get a multi-year run out of Carnival, but it won't last forever.
Mobile is a great city, so this boost is welcome. It will bring in more people to the downtown and will introduce the city to others. Let's hope this works and other cities have success with cruise too. It would be a win-win for civic and cruise leaders.
Mobile's roller-coaster history with the cruise industry is very similar to the travails of other non-traditional cruise ports. Cities all want year-round traffic, invest in facilities and tax breaks for cruise companies, do everything they can to get a ship and then worry about it leaving at the first sign of trouble. Regardless of little victories, the cities will always be at the whim of the cruise lines. Markets get bored or saturated. (How many times can cruise fans in the Gulf area sail the western Caribbean itinerary?) Very few secondary ports have the airports to support flights from around the country to feed the ships. And the drive markets tend to overlap. Mobile will probably get a multi-year run out of Carnival, but it won't last forever.
Mobile is a great city, so this boost is welcome. It will bring in more people to the downtown and will introduce the city to others. Let's hope this works and other cities have success with cruise too. It would be a win-win for civic and cruise leaders.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Cunard's Queen Victoria to sail the Amazon
As the lines continue to blur between river and ocean cruises, Cunard announced a unique itinerary for 2017. As part of a global cruise, the Queen Victoria will cruise down the Amazon River. It will become the largest ship to ever transit the river.
As interesting as this might sound, it probably won't spark a rush of ocean ships heading down the Amazon. The remoteness of the river is one challenge. And the size of other companies' ships is another. But for those lucky few that will be on the Victoria, this represents a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)