Pride of America Arrives, One Year Late

Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America was abuzz with activity on Friday afternoon in New York after its arrival from the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Germany. Although delivered about a year late, due to swamping in the shipyard itself during a storm while under construction, our feeling is that the ship is well worth the wait.

At one end of the ship were the inaugural festivities including Hawaiian dancers and the christening by US Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, and at the other end workers feverishly put the finishing touches on the outdoor stage to be used by the Live with Regis and Kelly show all this week. We asked one of the production crew what the rain plan would be, and he said, "seriously, umbrellas." Might be worth tuning in and checking it out.

Cruise-a-holics will remember that the first US-flagged vessel, Pride of Aloha, delivered disastrous onboard customer service when it was first introduced last year, due to difficulties in hiring and training the entirely new American crew members. So, frankly, the travel industry has been taking a wait-and-see attitude on this new ship. We're delighted to report that NCL had clearly learned from its past mistakes, with friendly and efficient service already up to a solid standard onboard Pride of America. We sought out several front-line crew members who had sailed from the beginning on both ships, and they agreed that there is no comparison.

One unique Pride of America feature designed for group corporate cruises is the spectacular in-the-round auditorium, suitable for large on-board meetings. The ship's US registry lends tax deductibility advantages for business meetings held onboard, and NCL clearly means to capitalize on this market.

Another emphasis found on both Pride ships is Norwegian's Hawaii Golf program, whose hub is the onboard pro shop. Golfers can pre-book Hawaii's top courses and have NCL take care of everything -- from club cleaning and storage or club rentals, to transfers to and from the golf courses, and of course arrangement of tee times compatible with the ship's schedule. Reduced-rate packages are available for those who want to maximize their time on the links.

If you're interested in seeing more of the ship, our Pride of America Photo Gallery is available and chock-full of images from the inaugural weekend.

After completing its introductory cruises around the continental US, the ship will begin its Hawaii cruises in July.

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$100 million lawsuit filed by "rogue wave" passengers against Norwegian

It had to happen. About 20 passengers who were onboard the Norwegian Dawn when it was hit by a 70-foot rogue wave on April 17 have banded together to sue Norwegian Cruise Line for $100 million, and they hope to get class-action status for all those who were aboard. The group alleges that the ship was unsafely rushing through the storm to New York for an appointment to appear on The Donald's hit TV show, The Apprentice.

Norwegian points to a report from the Bahamas Maritime Authority that forcefully absolves the captain and cruise line from any wrongdoing. But the passengers smell a cover-up, and plan to use the lawsuit to force access to Norwegian's records on the matter.

Four passengers received minor injuries and the ship diverted to Charleston, SC for repairs after the wave hit.

Sun-Sentinel (South Florida): Plaintiff in suit says 70-foot-high wave was like scene from Perfect Storm

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Onboard drug smuggling ring busted

In a news development that's shocking to us -- are we naive? -- the feds have busted a drug smuggling ring active on at least 20 cruise ships! News reports say that the ringleaders were recruiting shipboard employees and passengers to be drug mules for their brazen scheme. A partial list of victimized cruise lines includes Disney, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Carnival. Fifty-five arrests have been made so far, and these alleged knuckleheads are now eligible for well-earned hard time on federal charges.

NBC6 (South Florida): Smugglers move cocaine, heroin on cruise ships
Sun-Sentinel (South Florida): Drug ring sweep nets another 10

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Textbook case of making lemonade out of lemons

If your ship dinged the Panama Canal and knocked out a chunk of concrete, what would you do with the errant cement? If you're Disney Cruise Line, you would have the captain sign it, and sell it at the onboard art auction for $5,000. Talk about creative onboard revenue generation! Disney ships seldom transit the canal, of course, and did so on this occasion to reposition the Disney Magic for her currently sailing first-ever West Coast cruises from Los Angeles. Hopefully practice will have made perfect for the return trip at the end of the summer.

Los Angeles Times: Always alert to making a buck

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Carnival's Whittier labor dispute resolved

The odd Whittier, Alaska, luggage-moving labor dispute pitting Carnival Spirit vs. the longshoremen has been resolved, yet the resolution doesn't really clear up the nature of the original dispute.

Here's the thing. In US ports, longshoremen are responsible for moving luggage on the pier, and the cruise line's onboard employees, usually foreigners, move the luggage within the ship. And other Carnival Corporation lines have been coming and going from Whittier with no hubbub. No labor dispute of this type has erupted anywhere in recent memory, so the rules seem pretty well agreeable to both sides.

So what happened in Whittier? The best we can guess from published reports, since Carnival isn't really shedding a lot of light, is that a dispute arose over who actually would make the penultimate move between pier and ship (and vice versa). Was Carnival trying to prevent the longshoremen from setting foot on the vessel? Or were the union members unusually insistent about coming onboard? Who knows.

Anyway, given that Carnival remains mum other than to say that the issue is resolved, the union is claiming victory since they are now making the move of the baggage onto the vessel. We're just happy that the risk of passenger inconvenience has been eliminated.

KTUU-TV (Anchorage): Longshoremen claim victory in fight with cruise line

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Dueling Godmothers

OK, OK, the Godmothers aren't dueling, but today's cruise line announcements bragging about the Godmothers of their new ships seem to be. Who do you think would come out victorious in a fair arm wrestle, Carnival Liberty's Mira Sorvino, or Pride of America's Elaine Chao?

Norwegian Cruise Line's choice of Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao seems fitting, since Pride of America is the first newly-built ship to fly the American flag in 50 years. We'll be on hand to report back to you as Secretary Chao christens Pride of America in New York on June 17, during the vessel's tour of the east coast prior to heading for its permanent home sailing Hawaiian cruises.

Carnival, meanwhile, made no pretense of having actress Mira Sorvino fit a theme as Godmother of Carnival Liberty--they're just going for star power. Sorvino will have her chance to break the traditional bottle of champagne against the ship's bow in a naming ceremony in Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) on July 19.

As far as the arm wrestling? Our money's on Mighty Aphrodite.

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Port of Mobile closed due to Tropical Storm Arlene

Welcome to tropical storm and hurricane season. We've heard from Carnival Cruises that the Port of Mobile has been closed due to Tropical Storm Arlene, and as a result the 5-day Holiday cruise scheduled to sail June 11, is being switched to a 4-day cruise sailing June 12. Affected customers, who can cancel for a full refund or go ahead and sail with a credit for the missed day, should check Carnival's Web site for updates.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin this year, which runs June through November, with heaviest activity typically falling from August through October.

We're frequently asked whether we recommend cruising during hurricane season. Rest assured that no cruise line will risk safety. Unlike land resorts, cruise ships can simply sail elsewhere to avoid the brunt of a storm, making itinerary changes on the fly. For those relatively uncommon situations when a storm affects the turnaround port on turnaround day, ships can be diverted or rescheduled, as in this case with the Holiday. All travelers, whether cruise or otherwise, are strongly recommended to procure quality travel insurance to provide financial protection, and enroute live assistance, for covered trip interruptions and delays. But as with any travel, it is up to the individual to decide their own tolerance for weather-related inconveniences and time their trips accordingly.

National Hurricane Center Updates

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More and more people catch the cruise bug

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced strong passenger increases in the first quarter. Almost 9% more passengers sailed worldwide versus the first quarter of 2004, and almost 13% more sailed from North America, according to statistics from CLIA's 19 member cruise lines who make up about 98% of the cruise capacity marketed to North Americans.

Slowly but surely, more and more travelers catch the cruise bug every year. The cruise lines are doing their part by constantly raising the bar for their onboard product. After all, five years ago, who had heard of 10 open-seating restaurants onboard a ship? Or rock-climbing walls? Or enormous outdoor movie screens? Or Hawaii inter-island cruises on state-of-the art vessels?

Meanwhile, dedicated cruise enthusiasts like those of us at 02Cruise.com have been working hard to bust out-of-date cruise myths, the biggest one of which is that all cruises are pretty much the same. We don't care if you prefer Las Vegas-style action-packed electricity when you vacation, or white-glove Four Seasons relaxation--either way, we can recommend a cruise line you'll love.

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Luggage can't swim

We've been in this business a long time and thought we'd heard it all, but we were wrong. Our friend Chris Elliott, a widely published writer who we've found to be very even-handed in his commentaries on the travel industry, was contacted for help by a cruise passenger whose bags the cruise line literally dropped overboard.

You can read Chris' whole story at the link below, but the summary is that the cruise line acknowledged sending the passengers' luggage for a swim during disembarkation. The customers say they got verbal assurances that divers would retrieve the luggage and that, among other compensation, they would receive a free cruise. After months of run-around the passengers never got their luggage back, and received a paltry $500 in compensation and no free cruise.

We're sad to say we're not surprised at all to hear how poorly the cruise line dealt with this. While the cruise lines do a phenomenal job when it comes to delivering a wonderful on-board product, when a problem does crop up, especially if it pertains to a verbal commitment or something out of the ordinary, they revert to big-company run-around mode. This is one reason you should work with a high-volume reputable cruise specialist who can be your zealous advocate (check for starters your cruise specialist's record with the Better Business Bureau, and make sure they participate in the more-stringent BBB Online Reliability Program).

For example, in the very small percentage of our cruise bookings that have a problem, we will move heaven and earth on our customer's behalf to try to rectify it promptly. Everyone here, right up to the president of the company, will work our high-level cruise line contacts when it's needed. Plus, please, buy high-quality travel insurance!

MSNBC.com: Luggage goes diving on a cruise

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Longshoremen arrested in Whittier Alaska during protest against Carnival

Five longshoremen were arrested yesterday while trying to block a busload of passengers from embarking Carnival Spirit in Whittier, Alaska, in a protest over Carnival's use of lower-cost foreign onboard workers.

The precise nature of the dispute itself is hazy. Normally, unionized workers will unload luggage from vehicles curbside, and deliver it to the onboard cruise line employees for distribution throughout the ship. Carnival re-affirmed today its support for that arrangement. So where's the dispute?

Carnival said that its employees did move luggage outside the ship yesterday, but only because the longshoremen refused to do their usual work. Meanwhile the longshoremen suggest that Carnival was trying a new tactic in Whittier to replace the jobs normally done by union workers with its own cheaper labor. So, for the moment, who knows what's really at the crux of the matter.

KTUU: Longshoremen arrested in Whittier cruise ship protest

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Wait-time monitors to smooth Freestyle Dining on Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line's Freestyle Dining program, although very well reviewed overall, has occasionally annoyed hungry travelers surprised by a wait to dine. Norwegian is now installing flat-panel monitors throughout the ship that display the current wait time, if any, at each of the ship's restaurants.

With up 10 ten open-seating restaurants serving from 5:30 pm to midnight, from tapas cantinas to Teppanyaki, it was inevitable that occasional bottlenecks would occur. With the new monitors, starving passengers can make a beeline straight to an open table. After a trial run on Norwegian Spirit, the system will officially debut on the brand-new Pride of America,  then Norwegian Jewel, followed by the remainder of the fleet.

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Supreme Court hands Alaska a defeat in its battle for control over Glacier Bay

The Supreme Court decided against Alaska in the state's claim of ownership over Glacier Bay, maintaining the status quo of U.S. government control. The win for conservationists means that the federal ban on fishing in the bay, and limits on the number of permitted cruise ships, will remain.

Anchorage Daily News: Supreme Court rules against Alaska in Glacier Bay dispute

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Supreme Court: Americans with Disabilities Act applies to cruise ships

In a much-anticipated ruling that divided the court, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 this morning that foreign-flagged cruise ships calling at US ports are subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The precise impact remains unclear for now, since a lower appeals court will be working out the details of how the Act will apply onboard in what will likely be a lengthy process.

Cruise lines serving the North American market have made strides in accommodating passengers with disabilities, but until now their efforts have been strictly voluntary since their mostly foreign registrations had shielded them from mandatory ADA compliance. Because the ADA specifies that only "readily achievable" modifications must be made, exactly how ADA requirements will apply onboard a ship -- a more complex environment than hotels or other buildings -- remains to be clarified.

A bit of background on what "foreign" means in the context of the cruise industry. Mainstream press reports are misreporting this issue as relating to "foreign cruise lines." That's wrong...the current question is around "foreign-flagged ships," meaning those ships that are registered in a country other than the United States, regardless of where the cruise line is based. To avoid the expense of complying with US laws, notably related to nationality of onboard employees and minimum wage requirements, almost all ships owned by major US-based cruise lines are registered elsewhere, from the Bahamas to the United Kingdom. The only US-registered vessels are Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of Aloha, and upcoming Pride of America and Pride of Hawaii, which if not registered in the US, would have been forbidden under federal law from sailing inter-island Hawaii cruises without a time-consuming detour to a foreign port along the way.

Reuters: US disability law covers foreign cruise ships
Cruising with your wheelchair

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Two messages in a bottle in the same week -- what are the odds?

The time-honored message in a bottle has had a respectable week. On the one hand a group of 88 South American migrants trying to reach the US were abandoned at sea but then rescued thanks to a bottled help plea, and on the other hand a girl who tossed a note inside a wine bottle off a cruise ship just for fun received a response five months later.

The would-be immigrants from Ecuador and Peru were abandoned by their smugglers due to a leaky boat. The women in the group are credited with the idea of tying a note in a bottle to the line of a passing long-liner fishing boat, which was indeed discovered and acted upon by the fishermen when they later reeled the line back in.

The polite note from a 12-year-old girl on a cruise ship thoughtfully included cash for return postage and asked the recipient of the by-then barnacle-coated bottle, who turned out to be a kayaker, to get in touch. He did. We notice news reports describe the girl as "bored" on her cruise...this is a sure sign that her parents should have consulted with a cruise expert to pick a trip that would have been more fun for their daughter.

TheBostonChannel.com: Girl's message in a bottle gets response
TheBostonChannel.com: 88 stranded people rescued after sending message in bottle

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Dawn of a new Century

Celebrity Cruises has announced a major, $55 million makeover for the Century in April 2006, expected to take five weeks. The biggest structural change will be the addition of 314 verandas to current ocean view staterooms. The verandas truly are additions, meaning that the staterooms keep their existing square footage while gaining the extra balcony space.

Other cabin upgrades include 14 new suites, 10 new staterooms and an expanded number of upgraded-service-and-amenity Concierge Class staterooms.

New and improved public spaces will also be unveiled. A to-be-named elegant specialty restaurant will catch the trend of delivering truly gourmet fare to those willing to pay an additional fee. A spa cafe, like those on Celebrity's larger Millennium-class vessels, will deliver light and healthy spa cuisine.

A coffee bar modeled after Cova Cafe in Milan will please java junkies by day, while converting into a romantic, lamp lit wine bar at night. A new martini bar and outdoor bar, which will serve tapas during sailaway, round out the major additions.

Century will be returning to Europe in 2006, plus introducing shorter 4- and 5-night Caribbean sailings from Miami for the winter 2006/07 season. These itineraries go on sale shortly.

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