Loser cruise on Princess: "The Biggest Loser," that is

When "The Biggest Loser" was first announced for TV, we feared it would be an ugly reality program using overweight people as punchlines. But to the contrary, it's a positive show, encouraging participants and viewers to embrace healthy lifestyles and celebrate their successes. So we were delighted to hear an episode aboard a Princess cruise will air on October 4, 2006.

Today's cruise ships offer the full gamut of eating choices, from not-so-healthy comfort foods to tasty-and-wholesome spa cuisine. So in this new season three episode, the series' contestants sail aboard Sapphire Princess to test their ability to make healthy eating choices away from their homebase ranch.

As part of the show, contestants work out in the Lotus Spa gym, use the ship's pools and running track, and dine in the various Sapphire Princess restaurants. They even face off against the midnight buffet.

We'll all have to watch the show to see how they fared, but my guess is they did just fine.

Princess Cruises operates a fleet of 15 vessels, which sail to the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, and throughout the world. The 2670-passenger Sapphire Princess sails to Alaska, Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific. The "Biggest Loser" segment was filmed during the spring of 2006 aboard a Pacific coastal cruise.

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New life for the "death ship" S.S. Stockholm

The S.S. Stockholm, the ill-fated cruise liner that secured its place in infamy when it struck the Andrea Doria in the fog off the coast of Nantucket over 50 years ago, is back in service as the Athena. The 16,000-ton vessel made its first voyage in decades last week from Falmouth to New York City. According to a New York Times report, the mostly British passengers were aware, but unfazed by, the liner's macabre history.

The S.S. Stockholm, built in 1948, was traveling east from the United States towards Scandinavia on July 25, 1956 when its ice-breaking prow rammed into the starboard side of the Andrea Doria, mortally injuring that ship. The classic liner, Ile de France, which had passed the Andrea Doria earlier that evening, returned to rescue the Andrea Doria's 1,134 surviving passengers. Unlike the tragic sinking of the Titanic forty years earlier, all of the passengers not killed in the impact were evacuated from the sinking ship. Forty-six passengers and crew perished that foggy night.

The 550-passenger Athena is now owned and operated by British Classic International Cruises. The ship is currently making 28-day voyages roundtrip from Falmouth with stops in New York, Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax, and the Azores, among other ports.

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Celebrities cruise and lecture aboard Regent Seven Seas

Spending time with a favorite celebrity can really make a vacation magical, and now Regent Seven Seas Cruises has announced their line-up of celebrity lecturers for the coming months. Among them are actor Ernest Borgnine, newscasters Judy Woodruff and Garrick Utley, political satirist Mark Russell, and songwriter Paul Williams. In addition, ocean explorer and conservationist, Jean-Michel Cousteau will sail aboard the April 15, 2007 trip from Monte Carlo to Tenerife.

The speakers are part of Regent Seven Seas' 111-day World Cruise activities. The full world cruise on Seven Seas Mariner, which lasts from January 9 to April 30, 2007, sails from Fort Lauderdale to Hong Kong via Rio de Janeiro and Capetown, South Africa and returns to Fort Lauderdale via the Indian Ocean, the Suez Canal, and the Mediterranean Sea. Of course, shorter segments can be booked too. If anyone needs an added incentive to sail on one of these unique voyages, the diverse array of celebrities are sure to make the trip interesting and enjoyable.

For more information on Regent Seven Seas Cruises and their World Cruise, contact SureCruise today.

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Norwegian Cruise Line to unveil new identity

Norwegian Cruise Line, the cruise company that brought the cruise world "Freestyle Cruising," has decided it's ready to play with the industry's big boys, Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Since being acquired by Malaysian firm Star Cruises in 2000, Norwegian has busily added a fleet of spectacular new ships that can compete with its bigger neighbors who are also headquartered in Miami. To celebrate, NCL announced that it will launch a new marketing campaign, online presence, and brand identify to publicize the non-traditional, free-spirited approach towards cruising it pioneered.

Over the past couple of years, Norwegian executives have told us that historically they didn't have the modern product to compete head-on with Carnival and Royal Caribbean... but now they do. With 15 ships in service, Norwegian will take delivery on three new state-of-the-art vessels by 2007, giving the line the youngest cruise fleet in the industry. NCL's new marketing campaign emphasizes its youthful philosophy of cruising, which includes no dress codes, no rigid dinner hours, relaxed disembarkation routines, and 10 different onboard dining venues.

The new look, which begins on October 2, includes print, radio, and TV ads as well as a revamped website with many interactive elements.

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San Francisco scraps new cruise ship terminal

Citing the enormous cost of refitting the city's rotting piers, San Francisco has tabled its plan to build a $360 million state-of-the-art cruise ship terminal on piers 30-32. The new structure, which had been planned for more than six years, was to include a 100,000-square foot terminal as well as extensive retail and office space. It was to have been completed in 2011.

San Francisco hosts more than 80 ships each year and nearly 250,000 passengers. The city's existing dock space is inadequate for the new, larger cruise ships that are becoming the norm in the industry. Cruise terminal consultant, Philip Crannell, who has been hired by the city of San Francisco, told the San Francisco Examiner that it would need two 120,000-square foot terminals on piers 30-32 to handle the increasing size of cruise liners.

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Watch those ship railings!

In another incident at sea, a 36-year cruise passenger from Ohio is presumed to have fallen overboard last week during a four-day Mexican voyage on Carnival's Imagination. No one apparently noticed Tammy Grogan missing until the ship docked in Miami on Monday. Her family said they last saw her about 36 hours earlier. The Orlando Sentinel quoted FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela as saying, "we do not suspect foul play," in spite of the family's reporting delay.

Although such incidents are rare, especially compared to the millions of cruise passengers who sail annually, the Toledo woman's disappearance is not without precedent. In the summer of 2005, newlywed "missing honeymooner" George Smith IV vanished from a Royal Caribbean ship sailing the Mediterranean Sea. In May, another Ohioan, Daniel DiPiero, 21, fell off a Royal Caribbean ship in the Bahamas after a night of drinking. In the latter case ship security cameras recorded his fall.

The International Council of Cruise Lines reported earlier this year that 24 passengers have gone missing since 2003, which while 24 too many, does makes cruising a comparatively very safe vacation choice statistically speaking.

Meanwhile, travel columnist Chris Elliott is a friend of ours who asks what can be done to solve the man-overboard problem: "What would you do to prevent people from falling off ships? Cut back on alcohol? Install better rails? Keep people off the balconies?" If you have an idea, let Chris know.

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Cruising and "pot" don't mix: leave the drugs at home!

Although it might seem obvious, some unlucky people missed the memo: don't take your recreational drugs with you on vacation. Two passengers aboard Carnival Valor learned this the hard way when they were detained overnight last week in Grand Cayman for importing ganja. The pair of men in their twenties had purchased the drug in Miami and stored it in their cabin safe.

Authorities were alerted by drug-sniffing dogs at the dock when the Valor's passengers disembarked. Although the passengers had no drugs on their persons, the scent of their clothing gave them away to Detective Fido's sensitive nose nonetheless.

The men may have compounded their error by admitting having marijuana onboard, thus prompting the authorities to search their stateroom. After their night in the clink, they pled guilty, apologized to the court, and claimed ignorance that it was an offense to bring marijuana within 12 miles of Cayman's shore. In addition to their night in jail, the duo missed their ship's departure, and were fined $1,000 each... which to add insult to injury required a trip to the ATM. Some vacation!

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Hurricane Florence spares Bermuda... but Gordon is close behind

Hurricane Florence breezed by the British island chain of Bermuda early this week, knocking out a few windows and peeling off roofs, but leaving the colony largely unscathed, thanks to the island's long-time strict building codes. An employee at the cliffside Reefs resort reported an unworried atmosphere during the storm to the Associated Press, "We have a lot of repeaters in house, and they're having fun."

Only a few minor injuries and no deaths were reported as a result of the storm. Bermuda's International Airport and its ferries and bridges were back in operation on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Gordon, the seventh named tropical storm of the 2006 season, formed in the Atlantic northeast of the Leeward Islands and while headed in the general direction of Bermuda is expected to miss the island. Gordon is moving at a speed of approximately 8 mph and has sustained winds of near 60 mph.

Norwegian Cruise Line, whose Norwegian Crown and Norwegian Majesty cruise ships were en route to Bermuda at the time of the storm were delayed in arriving at Bermuda, as they took a southerly route as opposed to the usual direct route from the United States. After the ships' arrival, the itineraries were not expected to change. A statement from NCL restates the importance of passenger safety to the line and advices that the company will continue to monitor the progress of Hurricane Gordon.

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Cruise with big bands, comedy, and cabaret on Crystal in 2007

Big bands, comedy, and cabaret are just a few of the theme cruise sailings announced by Crystal Cruises for their 2007 season. Crystal, known for its onboard enrichment programs, offers 12 different theme cruise topics in 2007. Among them are...

• Big Band and Ballroom Dancing - a ten-day Trans-Atlantic cruise with dance instructors and lots of dance music, reminiscent of cruising's Gilded Age.
• Cabaret at Sea - celebrating the songs of great American composers
• Mind, Body, and Spirit - featuring guest instructor in yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, and overall wellness
• Comprehensive Creative Learning Institute - new study courses in language, art, music, and computers
• Crystal Comedy Club at Sea -– showcases talented comedians from America's top comedy clubs
• Film and Theatre Festival - a Trans-Atlantic film festival with guest speakers and film screenings.
• Golf -– sail with PGA instructors and golf celebrities as well as enjoy special golf outing on shore.
• Jazz -– enjoy a variety of jazz performers and experts as you sail through the Caribbean.
• President's Cruise -– a special Canary Islands cruise with Crystal Cruises President, Gregg L. Michel, and his family.
• Smithsonian Journeys - a five destination-rich sailing coordinated with the Smithsonian and featuring guest lecturers from the Institute.
• Tall Ships Cruise -– be part of the world's largest sailing event in Stockholm, which spotlights more than 80 tall ships.
• Crystal Wine and Food Festival - offered on 10 different voyages, this event features world-renowned chefs, wine experts, and lots of tastings.

Crystal Cruises operates the 940-passenger Crystal Symphony and the 1080-passenger Crystal Serenity, which sail throughout the globe. Crystal has been voted "The World's Best Large-Ship Cruise Line" by Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines for 10 and 11 years, respectively. Contact SureCruise for more information and to book! Crystal's theme sailings invariably sell out early, so act now.

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Are rogue waves the cruise lines' fault? Federal judge says no

You may remember the rogue wave that hit Norwegian Dawn in April 2005, causing a serious scare and superficial ship damage, but no major injuries. Naturally in our litigation-happy country, a class-action lawsuit was threatened, claiming that the episode was somehow Norwegian Cruise Line's fault... that the wave should have been foreseen and avoided. Well, US District Court Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga yesterday disagreed, by denying a motion for class certification.

Even applying the best science that's available today, rogue waves are just that: unpredictable surprises. Some research has suggested they're more common than sparse anecdotal evidence would have you believe, and studies are ongoing into how to predict them.

Giving a little Hollywood flair were accusations that the ship was rushing back to New York to appear on The Donald's hit Apprentice TV show, but that was not the case. In fact, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Bahamas Maritime Authority both concluded that the cruise line and the ship's captain acted properly in the incident. Though the rough water made the voyage unpleasant, no crew or passengers were seriously injured.

Norwegian Cruise Line's website quotes the company's president and CEO, Colin Veitch, as saying, "We are pleased and gratified with Judge Altonaga's decision."

Norwegian Cruise Line offers year-round seven and eleven-night cruises from New York City to Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean.

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Princess launches cruise eTickets

Some cruise lines have dipped a toe into the water of e-ticketing in the past, for example allowing last-minute buyers to have a version of their cruise tickets electronically delivered. But Princess Cruises just announced that they're the first to make a complete switch to e-ticketing, and doing away with the thick, expensive-to-mail, easy-to-lose document booklets so familiar to cruise passengers.

The whole concept of a "cruise ticket" seems antiquated, anyway. Especially with today's security requirements, the cruise lines know exactly who's supposed to be on board, they check your ID when you arrive at the pier, so who needs tickets? Many people may have already forgotten the concept of a "real" travel ticket, like an old-style printed airline ticket, where the actual paper document had value: it could be traded for refunds, and, if lost, you were out the purchase price. Those are 99% long-gone.

Princess "eTickets" will give cruise passengers round-the-clock access to their cruise details as well as the capability to print their own boarding passes. Princess claims that their new program will provide the earliest cruise documents in the industry, with documents available up to 75 days prior to sailing.

The "eTicket" program will begin fleetwide for most sailing departing on or after November 17, 2006. Initially, the program will apply to North American passengers only. Travelers without Internet access can receive their documents from their travel agent, who presumably will just go online and print them.

Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, operates 17 ships, which cruise the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Europe, and around the world.

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Take a cruise, and do your part to help the economy!

Not only is cruising fun, it's a great way to support your country. The North American cruise industry is responsible for over 330,000 jobs nationwide and added $32.4 billion to the US economy in 2005, according to an annual study by the International Council of Cruise Lines.

Despite challenges in 2005 presented by weather and new ship delivery delays, the spending figures reflects an increase of nearly 8 percent over the 2004 total. Cruise lines benefit virtually all 50 states from cruise passenger spending, shoreside staffing for US-based cruise lines, provisions for cruise ships purchased in the US, maintenance and repair operations, and payment for port taxes to US cities.

One hundred ninety-two vessels called at US ports in 2005, with a capacity of 245,755 lower berths. US ports handled 75 percent of all global cruise embarkations --– more than 8.6 million passengers. The top ten US cruise embarkation ports are Miami, Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale), Port Canaveral, Los Angeles, Galveston, Tampa, New York City, Long Beach, Seattle, and New Orleans.

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Swimming with stingrays: is it safe to go in the water?

Since "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin died tragically from a stingray barb while filming a documentary in Australia, many are wondering whether popular swim-with-the-stingray attractions such as Stingray City in Grand Cayman are safe.

In a word, "yes," according to the cruise lines that sail to the Caribbean and various tour operators that run trips to so-called Stingray City. "(Irwin's death) is one of the rarest occurrences you can possibly believe," Pat Kenney, diver manager for Red Sail Sports told CNN. "They're very docile creatures."

Statements released by cruise lines that operate in the Caribbean concur. "I think everyone understands that this is a rare circumstance," Royal Caribbean's Lyan Sierra-Caro told Cruisecritic.com. Similar sentiments were expressed by Carnival, Disney, and Holland America.

Experts seem to concur that the circumstances around Steve Irwin's incident, where he and his cameraman had unwittingly surprised and boxed in a "wild" stingray, are totally different than the nearly-tame stingray feeding enjoyed by tourists.

Stingray City, which opened in the mid-1970s, gives visitors a chance to walk amidst and feed stingrays attracted by the years of free food. The attraction greets an average of 600 visitors a day, none of whom have ever suffered "any serious injuries," according to Mark Button, an operator for Moby Dick Tours which has been escorting visitors to the site for over 20 years. The rays at Stingray City are free to come and go... and they choose to come since they've been hand-fed for so many years.

Stingray City is one of the most popular attractions for cruise visitors to Grand Cayman, and most cruise lines calling at Grand Cayman, including Carnival and Royal Caribbean, offer excursions to the site.

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Cruise Europe with Holland on five ships in 2007

Big plans are afoot for Holland America 2007 Europe cruises, committing five ships to a nine-month season from March through November. This increases the number of sailings by one third over 2006, with 46 different itineraries calling at 136 ports of call, of which 13 are new stops for Holland.

Cruising is, by far, the best way to experience what Europe has to offer. You can visit many of the most spectacular cities by cruise ship, cruising from Venice to Barcelona, since major cities hisotircally grew up around ports during the ocean-trading heyday.

"Our guests look forward to more time in port including late departures and overnights, fascinating excursions and the 'best overall cruise value' according to the World Ocean & Cruise Liner Society," added Richard Meadows, Holland's senior vice president of marketing and sales.

Cruise to the Baltic and European Atlantic regions, or sail to the Mediterranean, on Holland America in 2007 starting at $1,478 per person as of today.

The five ships are: 1,848-passenger Westerdam, 1,316-passenger Rotterdam, 1,258-passenger Veendam and Maasdam, and the more intimate 793-passenger Prinsendam designed for longer cruises. All ships are top-rated for "best overall service" by Porthole magazine's Readers' Choice Awards and have earned the International Five Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.

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