Disney cruises to the Mediterranean in 2007

Disney Cruise Line, best known for its Caribbean cruising from Port Canaveral, has been branching out. So while last year's foray to the west coast seemed adventurous, it was merely a mouse-step compared to the cruise line's just-announced Mediterranean itineraries scheduled for 2007. Disney Magic will sail 10- and 11-night itineraries from Barcelona all summer.

The ship will get to and from the Mediterranean via 14-night trans-Atlantic cruises, eastbound departing Port Canaveral on May 12, 2007, and the westbound leaving Barcelona August 18, 2007.

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Carnival quarterly financials good, except for fuel cost

Yields are up, but earnings took a beating from higher fuel prices. Such is the good and bad news shared by Carnival Corporation when comparing its most recently ended fiscal quarter with the same quarter year-prior.

A 19% drop in net income for the quarter ended February 28 was driven by a 63% increase in fuel prices. Revenues rose 2.7% across all 12 Carnival-owned brands to $2.46 billion, with net income of $280 million. The net revenue per lower passenger berth per day , called net yield, increased 1.2%, suggesting strengthening pricing.

The executive summary? Cruising is growing, demand is up, the business is sound, but darn that OPEC.

The impact of the results on Carnival's stock was muddied since the fire onboard Star Princess was announced during the earnings conference call. Carnival's brands are: Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, Princess, Seabourn, Windstar, AIDA Cruises, Costa, Cunard, Ocean Village, P&O, Swan Hellenic, and P&O Australia.

Carnival's Earnings Announcement

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Carnival Sensation detained briefly due to safety problems

Getting ready to cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida, on its first trip since housing Hurricane Katrina aid and government workers, Carnival's Sensation was delayed by seven hours to fix mechanical problems found during a U. S. Coast Guard inspection on Thursday.

The Coasties presumably gave the ship an extra-thorough going-over after the vessel's six months tied up to a pier on hotel duty in New Orleans. They discovered problems, for example, with some fire doors and watertight doors. The fire doors are located throughout the ship to slow the spread of a blaze and can be shut automatically from the ship's bridge. The watertight doors, much heavier and sturdier, are located only on the ship's lower decks and can also be closed automatically in the event of an emergency.

On the one hand, the problems were quickly correctable and the ship did sail on its planned itinerary. On the other hand, we can imagine heads may roll onboard Sensation due to the deficiencies discovered by the Coast Guard, as Carnival takes safety and security matters onboard its ships very seriously.

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Star Princess fire: one dead, eleven injured

Fire broke out aboard Star Princess at about 3 a.m. local time as the ship sailed between Grand Cayman and Montego Bay, Jamaica. According to Princess, one passenger died from cardiac arrest, two suffered serious smoke inhalation, and nine had minor smoke inhalation symptoms.

The fire is out, its cause remains unknown for now, and the ship is docked safely in Jamaica where a full damage assessment is being done. The fire started in a passenger stateroom, which points to smoking as a likely suspect, and the blaze spread to adjoining cabins before the ship's crew brought it under control.

Passengers had been awakened by the ship's public address system and called to muster stations as a precaution during the emergency.

The ship had onboard 2,690 passengers and 1,123 crew members. It remains unclear at this moment whether the ship can sail or not without repair, whether all passengers onboard have been accounted for, and one unconfirmed report suggests a plan is underway to accommodate passengers in local hotels.

Immediate family members of passengers can call a special hotline set up by Princess at 800-693-7222.

UPDATE 3/23/06 1:45 PM: This was a major fire. Having seen photos of the ship at MSNBC.COM it is clear that about 100 staterooms were seriously damaged, and the ship will need time out of service to be repaired.

UPDATE 3/23/06 5:45 PM: One of our Blackberry-toting passengers onboard Star Princess reports that the crew is doing a great job taking care of everybody. Meanwhile, Princess has announced that the current cruise is being terminated, with the passengers being flown home over the next couple of days at Princess' expense. Most people will remain onboard the ship, while those in the damaged staterooms will be accommodated in hotels. The passengers will receive full refunds plus discount toward a future cruise. Star Princess' next cruise, March 26, is cancelled, with the status of cruises beyond that time to be announced later.

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Bus crash kills Celebrity Millennium passengers in Chile

Twelve passengers from Celebrity's Millennium, on a privately arranged tour in Chile, died Wednesday when their bus encountered an oncoming truck on a twisting mountain road, and plunged off the road down a 300-foot ravine.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone whose lives have been touched by this tragedy," said Dan Hanrahan, president of Celebrity Cruises. "We are devastated. We will continue to do everything possible to assist our guests and their family members."

The ship's departure was delayed to permit medical and other staff from the ship to assist two surviving passengers being treated at a local hospital, and Celebrity flew family members of those injured and killed to Chile. The fourteen passengers on the tour were from New Jersey and Connecticut, part of a larger 64-passenger group sponsored by B'nai B'rith.

Media reports state that the Chilean tour company's license was pending approval, and therefore the bus was not authorized to transport passengers.

While it's impossible to eliminate risk in life, this incident highlights one good reason to shun independently arranged tours in favor of the frequently more-expensive ship-sponsored shore excursions: the major cruise lines' risk management departments are more likely to thoroughly vet the local operators and hold them to a consistently high standard of safety and service.

Details of remarks from Dan Hanrahan, Celebrity's president

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Carnival Conquest rescues Cuban rafters

The Carnival Conquest on March 15 rescued 28 Cuban refugees on a raft off the coast of Jamaica. The new passengers were carried along with the ship as it cruised from Jamaica to Grand Cayman, where they remain onboard the vessel pending a decision on whether they would be delivered to authorities at the next port of call, Cozumel, or at the final stop in Galveston, Texas.

Although not regularly reflected in the news headlines, cruise ships regularly rescue mariners in distress, from pleasure boaters having engine problems, to cases like this one where refugees home-made watercraft fail to propel them to their desired destination.

Caymanian Compass: 28 Cuban migrants on cruise

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Holland America adds air fuel surcharge for European itineraries

Holland America notified us today that an air-fuel surcharge of $75 per person will be added for all those buying their airfare from the line to get to their European cruise.

This applies even to existing bookings where a deposit has been paid. Travelers can avoid the surcharge, however, by paying for their cruise in full by March 15.

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Norwegian Jewel to appear on The Apprentice

Since Melania Trump christened Norwegian Jewel on November 3, it seems fitting that the ship will be featured on The Donald's hit show The Apprentice on March 27. We'll be tuned in at 9 eastern just to see what over-the-top hyperbole The Donald uses to praise Jewel.

Norwegian seems to be betting its marketing budget on TV partnerships like this one, on the heels of hosting Good Morning America for a week aboard the same ship, and Regis and Kelly onboard Pride of America last year.

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Cruise slots tournament offers $100,000 in prizes on Carnival

Three preliminary casino slot tournaments, and one grand final event, have been announced for 2006 by Carnival's Ocean Player's Club, with total cash and prizes (including free cruises!) exceeding $100,000. Of that amount, $25,000 goes to the grand prize winner on the final cruise.

The preliminary tournaments will be held on several ships: the already sold-out Carnival Conquest's March 5-12 voyage from Galveston, Carnival Pride's May 14-21 cruise from Long Beach, Calif., and Carnival Legend's Sept. 9-17 cruise from New York. A "Grand Final Event" tournament will take place on the Carnival Victory's Nov. 12-19 voyage from Miami.

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