The Navigator Cruise Blog

Dept. of Transportation grows teeth, fines airlines for trapping passengers

2009-11-24T21:49:00.003-05:00

If you travel to a cruise, you need to fly. If you fly, odds are good you've been inconvenienced by an airline. And the odds just went up a bit that when the airline really steps out of bounds, they'll have to pay.

You undoubtedly recall one or more of the several episodes of truly bad airline behavior, stranding passengers for hours on the tarmac trapped in stinky planes, sometimes within easy walking distance of a terminal. The Department of Transportation, for the first time, handed down substantial penalties of $175,000 to the airlines involved in one incident--Continental, Continental partner ExpressJet, and Delta partner Mesaba Airlines.

ExpressJet operated a Continental flight on August 8 that was diverted due to bad weather to Rochester NY. There it sat on the tarmac for almost six hours with its passengers unable to escape due in part to the non-cooperation of Mesaba, who was manning the airport terminal at that time of night.

The flight's captain does come out of the story smelling good, so to speak, having repeatedly pleaded for relief for the aircraft's passengers.

We all hope that this marks the beginning of a trend of the DOT smacking down airlines for bad behavior, as the airlines have proven time and again of doing the right things when left on their own.

"I hope that this sends a signal to the rest of the airline industry that we expect airlines to respect the rights of air travelers," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. We hope so too!

Relive the 80s: Cruise with Rick Springfield

2009-10-20T16:52:00.003-04:00

There's a theme cruise for everybody, including Rick Springfield fans. Remember Jessie's Girl? How about Waiting for a Girl Like You? Well, you can relive those highlights live and in person about the Rick Springfield & Friends Cruise aboard Carnival Destiny on November 12, 2009.

Rick told Oprah about the cruise recently, which will also include Richard Marx, soap stars Doug Davidson and Brandon Barash, and original MTV VJ Mark Goodman.

Since, as frequent cruisers are aware, only about half a ship's guests can fit into the showroom at a time, the big concert will be ashore at the Playa Mia Beach Resort. Plus, Rick says he'll do plenty of mingling with fans while aboard.

Sully suggests airline add the easy-find tabs back into the emergency procedures manual

2009-10-19T09:50:00.000-04:00

Did you know that, as a cost-cutting move, US Airways had removed the easy-find tabs from their emergency procedures manual? If you didn't catch Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's interview with Jon Stewart last week, it's worth the time.

The best part is at about 17:50 into the episode. Sully explains that as a cost-cutting move, the airline had removed the easy-lookup tabs from the emergency procedures manual. So co-pilot Jeff Stiles had to hunt, while the plane was heading for the Hudson River, for the section covering "oh cr*p we've lost both engines and are crash-landing in the water."

Jon also praised Sully for using his fame for the cause of good, improving air safety, as opposed to, say, Jon Gosselin's use for his fame.

Photo of Captain Sullenberger courtesy of Ingrid Taylar under Creative Commons 2.0

Gay cruise prods straight couple to sue cruise line

2009-10-16T08:55:00.000-04:00

An Italian husband and wife are suing Grimaldi Lines for a refund, reports The Daily Mail, after finding themselves aboard "Italy's first all-homosexual cruise."

It seems the unnamed couple booked the cruise direct with the cruise line, and were not informed of the theme for the 3-day trip from Civitavecchia (Rome's port) to Barcelona. The couple added that they ran into friends onboard whom they had not previously known were gay.

And we wonder what these gay friends thought when they saw this couple onboard?

Anyway, the public debate has the couple demanding compensation due to "lost satisfaction" caused in part by the media circus surrounding this cruise, whereas the cruise organizers claim that the couple is simply homophobic.

The original article is worth a look to enjoy the promotional photos from the cruise.

Daily Cruise Deal via Twitter

2009-10-15T14:05:00.002-04:00

Customers have been asking us how to see last-minute price drops on cruises, so we're happy to introduce our Daily Cruise Deal feed in Twitter. One day, one killer cruise deal. Follow us!

Every morning, we'll review over 30,000 departure dates from the major cruise lines and look for the ONE very best deal that's available, to Tweet in Daily Cruise Deal. These cruises will almost always cost less than $50 per person, per night, and sometimes under $30. Crazy good prices.

Twitter is the perfect communication avenue, since it's instant, and these prices frequently sell out in hours or days. Enjoy!

Titanic-themed cruise, anyone?

2009-10-14T09:10:00.000-04:00

Naturally the 100-year anniversary of the Titanic tragedy would be seen as a marketing opportunity, in this case to sell a "memorial cruise" sailing April 8, 2012 from Southampton, England. Is it just us, or is this cruise tempting fate?

A British travel firm offers this "voyage of a lifetime" following the original Titanic itinerary, arriving at the Titanic tragedy site on April 14th/15th for a memorial service, before continuing to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the original planned destination, New York.

The Web site also promises in the future to offer Titanic memorabilia.

Details emerge in killing onboard Carnival Elation

2009-10-13T15:35:00.000-04:00

Newly released court documents shed more light on the events leading up to the murder of Shirley McGill by her husband Robert onboard Carnival Elation in July. For one, Mr. McGill confessed repeatedly to both Carnival staff and the FBI, and for another, he was extremely drunk. Given the confessions, we're not thinking his plea of innocence is going to work out for him.

The Los Angeles couple had spent the day drinking in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, along with another couple from the ship, leaving Mr. McGill very drunk, according to the court filings.

Back onboard the ship later that night, the couple ran into Mr. McGill sitting on deck smoking a cigar, and noticed blood on his hand. This set into motion a chain of events where ship's security found Mrs. McGill dead in the stateroom bathroom, and Mr. McGill confessing to ship's security and then the FBI.

Mr. McGill's attorney has been rolling out the "he was drunk and wasn't responsible" defense along with the "his confessions shouldn't be admitted" defense.

More details from the San Diego Union Tribune.

Hey dad, sorry about the dent in the ship

2009-10-12T08:45:00.000-04:00

We thought it was bad to scratch the paint on the family car when we were kids. At least it wasn't a fender-bender involving two cruise ships. Carnival Legend, pulling out of Cozumel, hit Royal Caribbean's docked Enchantment of the Seas after being hit by a strong gust of wind. Nobody was injured.

The ships were both cleared to sail, and both continued their journeys and have since returned to their Florida homeport and started their next voyages. Visible damage was reported as relatively minor, broken glass and the like, and the passengers reactions seemed more excited that alarmed.

More details from 10connects.com.

United Breaks Guitars

2009-07-13T11:42:00.005-04:00

Most of us have no choice but to get in an airplane to reach our vacation or cruise destination. No other option. Have you ever felt powerless in the face of terrible airline customer service?

If so, then you'll enjoy the sweet revenge musician Dave Carroll has taken on United Airlines via a YouTube music video ("United Breaks Guitars" as you may have guessed) after they broke his beloved guitar, then gave him a year-long runaround before finally denying his claim.

I travel a lot. And I marvel that the same airline that has no problem delaying me for hours and hours on one day, refuses on another day to let me switch to a flight that's a few hours earlier or later with plenty of seats. Or that airline damaged-bag claim procedures are more labyrinthine than a cheese-hunt for a mouse in a maze.

So it's with great joy I see that Dave's video has been viewed over 2.5 million times in the week since he's posted it. Plus, he's been on major-network morning shows telling his tale, the media has picked up the now-amusing story, causing United far more trouble than a $1,200 repair tab would have cost them.

Do you think United is paying attention now? Oh yes. They suddenly saw the light and offered Dave compensation, which he suggested at this point they direct to charity instead. They've even asked Dave for permission to use his video in their customer service training. Ah so sweet! Read more about the story from Dave himself right here.

Finally, Dave promises that this is only the first of three music videos documenting United's bad attitude. Undoubtedly through their current brown-nosing, United hopes to influence the messaging of the upcoming videos! We can all look forward to the rest of the trilogy.

Costa Pacifica and Luminosa Dual Inaugural Tonight

2009-06-05T14:21:00.003-04:00

Costa Cruises welcomes its two newest ships to the fleet during inaugural festivities in Genoa, Italy, tonight at 10 pm local time (4pm US eastern time). In fact, Costa reports that the dual christening, of Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica, represents a Guinness World Record. You might even be able to watch live, except the Webcast seems totally overwhelmed in the hours leading up to the main event.

Both ships feature specialty restaurants with menus created by Ettore Bocchia, executive chef at Michelin-starred Mistral at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, Italy.

Costa Luminosa, the "ship of light," hosts 2,260 guests and is the first in a new class of ships for Costa. In addition to the standard features that are expected from today's newbuilds (like a terrific spa, and a ton of balcony staterooms), the ship offers some surprises:

A 4D cinema with touch and scent in addition to sight and sound to form a ultra-sensory experience for guests. Plus the seats roll in tandem with action as it unfolds onscreen.
Costa is also bringing Sony PlayStation onboard with exclusive dedicated areas equipped with PS3 consoles and the latest-generation videogames, plus in-stateroom PS3 access.
A roller skating track on one of the ship's top decks will allow guests to try roller skating with strap-and-go "Skorpion" skates that attach to your shoes.
Golf lovers get an 18-hole golf simulator with 37 virtual courses, while a putting green on one of the ship's top decks offers a real-life golf experience--both Costa firsts. For race car fans, the ship features a Grand Prix race car driving simulator.

Costa Pacifica, the "ship of sound," carries 3,000 guests and is a sister ship to the Costa Serena and Costa Concordia. A soundtrack created especially for the ship by the famed Italian composer Mauro Pagani offers a musical treat along with some other goodies:

A state-of-the-art recording studio allows guests to record their very own CD with the assistance of a special engineer. From what we've heard, it seems that the studio features advanced pitch-correction technology so even novices can end up sounding like a pop-star.
Each corridor on the ship has its own music by masters from Chopin to Beethoven while each lounge will feature its own international music, chosen by Pagani.
Similar to the Costa Luminosa, the Costa Pacifica also has Sony PlayStation areas, a Grand Prix race simulator and expansive lido pool area with a retractable dome extending over two decks.

Royal Caribbean goes hip-hop; guests star in onboard Gotta Dance show

2009-06-04T19:48:00.001-04:00

Putting guests in a hip-hop dance show!? We have to give Royal Caribbean credit. Ever since introducing their "Get Out There" tag line years ago, the cruise line has lived and breathed that brand essence, enabling adventurous guests to immerse themselves in out-of-the-box experiences during their vacation. First it was rock climbing, then surfing, boxing, zip-line excursions... you get the drift.

And the latest experiential innovation is a Hip Hop dance adventure open to all ages and skill levels, which will be fleetwide this summer. In Gotta Dance, based on the documentary film of the same name by award-winning director Dori Berinstein, guests let loose and 'wow' their cruisemates with cool new dance moves.

You probably haven't heard of the movie Gotta Dance yet, but you will. It's an award-winning documentary film hitting the big screen in July. Gotta Dance (www.GottaDanceTheMovie.com) chronicles the first-ever senior-citizen, hip-hop dance troupe for the New Jersey Nets Basketball Team. Just like the film, Royal Caribbean's Gotta Dance program will offer guests, from the young to the young-at-heart, a chance to grab their moment in the spotlight.

Kicking off each cruise will be a special screening of the film. Participants are divided into teams and, during their vacation, learn choreographed routines with a member of the Royal Caribbean dance team in sea-day rehearsals. Then the main event is a show on the cruise's last evening where each team performs in the ship's main theater. The routines were choreographed by New Jersey Nets Dance Coach Kimberlee Garris, who also appears in the Gotta Dance film.

Sounds like fun!

Swine Flu hysteria ebbs; cruise lines returning to Mexico

2009-06-03T11:25:00.004-04:00

As reason has gradually displaced the initial irrational hysteria about Swine Flu (yes, we know we're supposed to call it H1N1 Flu now, but choose not to), the cruise lines that had canceled their Mexico ports of call are now trickling back.

To be fair to the cruise lines, they really had no choice but to pull out of Mexico when the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended avoiding non-essential travel there on April 27.

But since then, as it became clear that Swine Flu has more in common with a garden-variety flu than some mutant killer disease, CDC rescinded its no-go recommendation and replaced it with the same common sense guidelines one should follow to avoid illness at any time. The #1 rule? Wash your hands often with soap and water. You can see the rest of the suggestions here. CDC still says that those at high risk for complications from any flu might want to avoid Mexico, like the very young or old.

At any rate, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line are already stopping in Mexico again, while other cruise lines will return throughout the rest of the year as ships are repositioned back into Caribbean or Mexican Riviera service for the fall and winter.

New Norwegian Epic breaks sales records

2009-06-02T19:20:00.003-04:00

Norwegian Cruise Line cheerfully announced that opening-week sales for its new Norwegian Epic--which sets sail mid-2010--broke all its previous records including those of its last two ships, Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Gem. Epic represents a new class of ship for NCL, purpose-built with cool features and amenities supporting the well-received Freestyle Cruising concept. More on all this in a minute.

We're glad to hear NCL meeting with success for two reasons: first, because NCL has done a great job with its stylish new ships; and second, since it supports our unscientific feeling that the worst of this recession is in the rear-view mirror (but, we're unabashed optimists, so don't reallocate your stock portfolios based on our gut reaction).

Epic promises to be even more enjoyable that the excellent Pearl and Gem. For one, Blue Man Group will be aboard spreading the wonderful drum-, paint-, and PVC-tube-driven chaos which has won them rave reviews worldwide. This show is a complete must-see. These guys are crazy-fun. "An absolutely ecstatic experience," agrees USA Today.

For another, Epic adds more of a good thing: bowling. Now, don't roll your eyes.

We're not really bowlers here, but we can tell you that the integration of bowling alleys into the nightclubs on Pearl and Gem (and now, Epic) is genius. At night-time, bathed with intimate mood lighting and tunes spun by a DJ in the ultra-plush lounge, bowling enters a new dimension. Been to a Lucky Strike bowling ultra-alley? It's like that, but even better. Anyway, Epic offers six lanes in two venues. Enjoy!

NCL also introduces the first "big top" at sea. In an intimate 265-seat theater-in-the-round, guests are treated to Cirque Dreams and Dinner. This "interactive theatrical dining experience" will be performed in the air, while juggling dinner courses, with music, mayhem and acrobatic imagination.

Nobody will go hungry or thirsty with fourteen restaurant choices-–the most at sea-–and 18 bars and lounges. Other goodies include unique nightlife options like an ice bar, Spice H20 with non-stop entertainment day and night, an Aqua Park with the only tube slide and largest bowl slide at sea, a 33-foot high, 64-foot wide extreme rock climbing wall and the first-ever rappelling wall at sea, and three separate kids' and teen activity areas and the first squash court at sea.

Click to browse Norwegian Epic pricing and itineraries or to see photos and details about the ship. At the moment you can come aboard for a week for less than $649 per person, double occupancy, plus tax.

New passport rules now in effect to enter the US via land or sea

2009-06-02T17:53:00.006-04:00

Finally! June 1st, 2009, marks the day when the final, much-delayed, phase of the new US passport requirements became effective. The short story is that US citizens traveling out of the country should now have a passport for re-admittance to the US from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean, where previously a passport wasn't required for land and sea border crossings.

The longer version of the rules is less simple, because in the time since 2004 when the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) was announced, lots of political wrangling and cruise industry lobbying added complexity to what initially was straightforward "passport now required" rule.

As a result, while a passport is still the recommended gold standard, US citizens re-entering the country via land or sea from one of the WHTI countries may also use a passport card, enhanced driver's license (if available from their state), or one of several other approved documents.

Plus there's one more loophole: if you're traveling on some but not all "closed-loop" cruises from the US, meaning a ship that sails from a US port and returns to the same US port, then US citizens can still get by with a certified birth certificate and driver's license for re-entry to the US.

Even so, bring a passport! What if, for example, you need to fly home in the middle of your cruise due to an emergency? Then you're re-entering the US by air and a passport would be required. Or what if you happen to miss the ship's sailing and need to fly to the first port of call to start your vacation? Again, you'll need a passport to make it happen. Just get a passport for crying out loud!

Fuel surcharge intrigue continues

2008-03-21T11:15:00.006-04:00

Back in November when Carnival Corporation announced the retroactive addition of fuel surcharges to existing bookings, we knew, first, that the rest of the industry would follow, and second, that there would be eventual pushback from customers or regulators. Nobody likes making a reservation, paying a deposit, and then being told sometime later that more money is due.

Sure enough, other brands owned by Carnival (like Cunard, Holland America, and Princess) added the fuel surcharge retroactively to existing bookings and, shortly thereafter, so did Royal Caribbean (and its siblings Celebrity and Azamara).

Meantime one cruise line, Norwegian, stands out as taking the most consumer-friendly approach to skyrocketing fuel prices. They added a fuel surcharge only for new bookings. Good for them!

Which brings us to earlier this month, and the regulatory pushback from Florida's attorney general Bill McCollum. The cruise lines had gotten themselves in hot water in Florida in 1997 over the issue of "port charges," since when ports were skipped (say, due to inclement weather), the "port charges" weren't reliably refunded. This resulted in an agreement between the cruise lines and the state requiring clear explanation of charges that make up the fare.

Apparently when Royal Caribbean was approached by Attorney General McCollum about whether, by adding retroactive charges now, they had run afoul of that 1997 agreement, the cruise line thought his argument was persuasive enough to cave in. So last week Royal Caribbean announced they're going to give back the retroactive charges, and clearly disclose the charges on new bookings.

Carnival, though, is resisting the idea of a rebate. Yesterday, Carnival Corp. dug in its heels on its quarterly conference call with financial analysts, falling back on its fine print which it said had mentioned for some time the possibility of future fuel surcharges. The attorney general disagrees that this constituted adequate disclosure, and it will be fascinating to see how this plays out over the next few weeks. We're thinking that kicking sand at their home-state attorney general will probably not serve them well in the long term.

Carnival singer makes top 20 in America's Got Talent

2007-07-25T13:55:00.000-04:00

The sometimes-maligned corps of professional cruise-ship entertainers got a boost from the success of Carnival vocalist Jason Pritchett at cracking the top twenty on hit TV show America's Got Talent.

Pritchett, of Kansas City, Mo., performs lead male vocals during two production shows each week on board Carnival Spirit, which is currently operating seven-day Alaska cruises through mid-September.

"We strive to find truly talented vocal performers for our production shows, which are a highlight of the cruise vacation experience," explained Carnival vice president Roger Blum. "Jason certainly personifies the exceptional talent our guests can look forward to when sailing with us, and all of his friends here at Carnival are cheering him on."

Created by Simon Cowell's production company, America's Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 pm eastern on NBC.

Norwegian Majesty crew clean up Bermuda

2007-07-23T13:38:00.001-04:00

Kudos to the crew of Norwegian Majesty, who were reported by the Bermuda Sun as having invested a day in picking up trash around the ship's port in St. George's, and planning to do so again regularly.

Bermuda has a well-earned reputation for being immaculate, so no doubt this effort on the crew's part is appreciated by the locals.

Majesty has spent every summer for many years sailing round-trip Bermuda cruises from Boston, and will keep visiting next year too, although from Charleston, Philadelphia and Baltimore. Norwegian Dream will take over in Boston next summer.

Liberty of the Seas first look report: surf's up!

2007-05-18T23:25:00.000-04:00

We had the chance to sail onboard Royal Caribbean's brand-new Liberty of the Seas recently from the line's artfully named Cape Liberty Port in Bayonne, New Jersey. Like sister ship Freedom of the Seas, Liberty is a home run for the target "active adventure cruiser" market. Take a look at our brand-new Liberty of the Seas photos, and previous Freedom of the Seas photos, to see what we mean.

Freedom and Liberty are the world's two largest cruise ships, weighing in at 160,000 tons and carrying 3,400 passengers. An evolution of the line's successful Voyager-class vessels, Royal Caribbean uses the extra space made available on these behemoths for eye- and adrenaline-popping additions like surfing and boxing, plus a general upsizing of popular Voyager-class features like the rock climbing wall, "main street" Royal Promenade, and ice skating rink.

Surely the catchiest feature remains the Flowrider surfing machine, surrounded by stadium seating for the less adventurous, on which intrepid guests can either bodyboard or stand-up surf.

Lest you think bodyboarding sounds less exciting, wait to pass judgement until you've mastered executing a barrel roll, 360-degree spin, or bodyboarding while standing on your head--all skills the staff there will be happy to demonstrate and teach. Speaking of whom, we tip our hats to the staff manning this attraction, who bend over backwards to make even raw beginners feel welcome and have fun while they learn. The fancy surfing hardware is not what makes the attraction a huge success--rather it's the terrific Royal Caribbean employees working there.

Liberty and Freedom now sail Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami. Contact us to book and for free bonuses with each booking.

We could go on and on about Liberty of the Seas, but a picture is worth a thousand words so check out our Liberty photos!

More details trickle out on Empress of the North grounding in Alaska

2007-05-18T20:10:00.000-04:00

The NTSB has released a few more details about the May 14 grounding incident involving sternwheeler Empress of the North, a riverboat operated by Majestic America Line. The crew was apparently trying to complete a turn, and failed, when the boat "raked across a rocky shoal" although still no word on why the turn failed.

After hitting the Rocky Island shoal about 25 miles southwest of Juneau, the boat drifted for two miles and came to rest on a reef, where the approximately 200 passengers, and many of the 75 crew members, were safely evacuated. The dual-hulled vessel's outer hull was badly damaged in the incident.

Empress of the North has since been towed to a dock for further analysis.

The next step for the NTSB is to analyze the ship's voyage data recorder, similar to an airplane's "black box," which hopefully will fill in the blanks as to precisely why this accident occurred.

NCL decision to move Pride of Hawaii to Europe justified by larger Q1 loss

2007-05-16T19:38:00.000-04:00

Norwegian Cruise Line just announced a wider first-quarter loss, $60.8 million versus $28.8 million a year earlier, that completes the picture surrounding the line's April decision to move Pride of Hawaii away from the islands and to the Mediterranean. At that time, NCL acknowledged the cause to be "downward pricing pressure in the Hawaii cruise market" caused by NCL's own capacity surge and new Hawaii competition from other lines sailing from the US west coast.

It is now surely a cruise buyer's market for those looking to sail to Hawaii, the Caribbean, and even Alaska to come extent.

Along with NCL's Pride of America and Pride of Aloha, Pride of Hawaii is one of only three vessels allowed to sail inter-island Hawaii cruises due to being US-flagged, whereas everyone else's foreign-flagged vessels must call at an inconvenient foreign port somewhere on their Hawaiian itineraries due to US federal laws.

In search of better pricing, Pride of Hawaii will be pulled out of service in February 2008, renamed Norwegian Jade, repainted, and switched into Mediterranean cruise service as part of the regular Norwegian fleet.

Celebrity gives birth to Azamara, a new "deluxe" cruise line

2007-05-15T18:11:00.000-04:00

It's rare for an existing cruise line to split itself in two, but that's exactly what Celebrity Cruises has done with its introduction of "deluxe" cruise line Azamara Cruises. "Azamara" is word invented for the occasion, from Romance language roots blue ("aza"), and the sea ("mar").

The new upscale cruise line will sail with two of the extremely popular midsize 700-passenger R-Class ships originally built for now-defunct Renaissance Cruises. One of these vessels, Azamara Journey, had been sailing already as Celebrity Journey and launched the Azamara brand in a re-inaugural voyage May 5. The sister ship, Azamara Quest, comes online in October.

Celebrity has emphasized that the Azamara brand stakes out a new "deluxe" territory between "premium" and "luxury" cruising. However, we would argue that the very successful Oceania Cruises, which has sailed with R-Class vessels since its inception in 2002, had already carved out this same niche.

Azamara Cruises President Dan Hanrahan, who also is president of Celebrity, said "Azamara Cruises is expressly designed for travel enthusiasts who appreciate what a cruise vacation has to offer, but are looking for something a little different, and a little more special. And what's special about Azamara Cruises is its distinctive combination of impeccable service, exceptional cuisine and off-the-beaten-path destinations, with truly immersive excursions."

Journey and Quest offer butler service in every stateroom and suite, as well as concierge-style amenities, including fresh-cut flowers, fresh fruit, Elemis toiletries, complimentary use of Frette cotton robes, two complimentary pairs of slippers, plasma TVs and plush European bedding.

The premium cruise lines like Celebrity have struggled for years to convince guests to pay a premium price over their "non-premium" competitors, so from the perspective of Wall Street, an effort like this one to deliver clearly enhanced benefits with separate branding, and command a higher per-diem price, will be most welcome.

Silversea offers MiG-31 flights in Russia

2007-05-14T14:38:00.000-04:00

Every guy dreams of piloting a fighter jet at one time or another. Well, that dream plus $29,815 will have you taking the controls of a MiG-31 Foxhound, Russia's most advanced interceptor, as part of a wild shore excursion announced by Silversea on select Baltic cruises this summer.

Silversea guests will have the chance to experience the incredible thrill of flying near the stratospheric border at 700 miles per hour as part of the new optional three-day overland tour offered from St. Petersburg, Russia.

While the adventure begins in Moscow, the actual jet flight takes place several hours away in the historic Russian town of Nizhny Novgorod.

"We tailor our shore excursions to fit a broad range of interests and our new MiG jet tour is obviously designed for the ultimate thrill-seeker," said Jim Droney, Silversea's director of land programs. "It definitely falls in the category of extreme adventures -- the kind that well-heeled, 'been there, done that' world travelers like to collect and brag about."

The new three-day, two-night "MiG-31 Foxhound" optional overland tour includes a business-class flight to Moscow, where guests have a chance to explore many of the city's highlights, including Red Square, the Kremlin and its cathedral, and the Metro, before enjoying dinner at the famous Writers' Club. The tour continues on a business-class flight to Nizhny Novgorod, where guests are accommodated for the night at a local hotel.

On the second day, guests journey to the airfield for flight training where they are issued a special flight suit that is theirs to keep as a trophy souvenir to show friends and family back home. After training, each participant boards a MiG-31 for an exhilarating one-hour flight, climbing to an altitude of 80,000 feet -- the edge of the stratospheric border. An English-speaking test pilot will assist in letting the novice pilot take the reins and perform basic maneuvers. The entire flight and ground preparations are filmed and presented to the guest. The tour concludes in the evening when guests board an express train for St. Petersburg, enjoying the cocooned luxury of a first-class sleeper cabin as they journey back to their Silversea ship.

The MiG tour is available on eight voyages this summer featuring three-day, two-night stopovers in St. Petersburg. Options include a series of seven-day cruises aboard Silver Shadow with departures from Copenhagen and Stockholm, and Silver Wind offers a ten-day voyage from London to Stockholm. Early Booking Incentive fares start at $4,925 per person, based on double occupancy.

New Carnival beverage policy prohbits bringing onboard... a bottle of water?

2007-04-04T11:28:00.000-04:00

Carnival has updated its policy, that till now had reasonably restricted bringing outside booze onboard, to oddly prevent bringing any non-alcoholic beverages onboard. A Carnival spokesperson declined to elaborate to us on the rationale behind the change, beyond saying that "there were some abuses of the previous policy." Now we can understand maybe preventing somebody from rolling up with, say, ten cases of soda. But even a single bottle of water?

That's right, the policy says that absolutely any soda, water, or any other drink, will be discarded without compensation if you try to bring it on a Carnival ship. The only exception is that you can bring aboard a single bottle of wine or champagne at initial embarkation.

This certainly smells like an onboard-revenue-protection plan more than anything else. Without knowing specifically what "abuses" have prompted this new policy, the plan is hard to fathom. If people were stockpiling soda and selling it onboard... then by all means Carnival should prevent it. But the draconian restrictions sure seem like using a chainsaw to cut butter!

Here's the actual text of the new policy:

Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages onboard. However, guests (21 years and older only) may bring one bottle of wine or champagne per person on board only during embarkation at the beginning of the cruise. A $10 corkage fee per bottle will be charged should you wish to consume this wine in the dining room or a $14 corkage fee per bottle in the Supper Club.
Any additional quantity of wine/champagne or any alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be confiscated and discarded without compensation. Guests may purchase a variety of beverages on board the ship. Alcoholic beverages will not be sold or served to anyone under the age of 21. We reserve the right to refuse the sale of alcoholic beverages to anyone. Alcoholic beverages purchased in the ship's gift shops or in ports of call will be retained by Carnival until the end of the voyage.

UPDATE: After a mere three weeks Carnival has rescinded the new policy as it pertains to non-alcoholic beverages... once again passengers can bring aboard non-alcoholic drinks like water and soda in "reasonable quantities."

Wii comes onboard Norwegian in new partnership with Nintendo

2007-04-01T11:43:00.000-04:00

Have you heard about the video game consoles where players get so involved and active that cracked TVs have resulted? Well, Norwegian Cruise Line announced that shortly all of its vessels will feature these addictive Nintendo Wii (pronounced "whee") games, displayed on huge screens in public areas, making them a good time for players and spectators alike.

The Wii has received a ton of news coverage lately as a triumph of great design over glitzy technology. While the expensive and feature-laden Sony PS3 was expected to be the new must-have gamer's toy, instead the technologically simpler and cheaper Wii seems to be triumphing thanks to its unique controllers that encourage players to take their best tennis, golf or baseball swing, or boxing punches and bowling moves.

And with all this swinging, that's how some folks have broken vases or TVs in their living rooms. Presumably Norwegian will position the games far from anything breakable.

"With its active, engaging and inviting game experiences appealing to every age from kids to parents to grandparents, the Wii is a natural fit for Freestyle Cruising," said Colin Veitch, NCL’s president and CEO. "Cheering, yelling and high-fives will be highly encouraged."

On each ship, Wii systems will be in the atrium and other public rooms allowing guests to gather and play against each other while viewing the game on large video screens. Each ship's Kid's Crew facility will also feature two Wii kiosks for kids-only fun. The ships will also host tournaments and other activities around the games.

How to fall overboard from a cruise ship

2007-03-31T11:36:00.000-04:00

Mainstream media has been agog the past few weeks about two bizarre man-overboard incidents, with some breathless coverage insinuating that taking a wrong turn on the way to dinner could land you in the drink. But in fact, getting over high cruise-ship railings takes work, frequently in combination with booze and imprudence.

The first of these oddball cases involved Michael Mankamyer, 35, who, following a an argument with his godson onboard Carnival Glory March 16, decided in an apparent fit of pique to disembark via a flying leap off a 60-foot-high ship’s balcony 30 miles from the coast of Florida.

Mankamyer turned up on Good Morning America last week and said he had been "ready to let loose and party," combined unspecified medicine and lots of alcohol, and didn't remember going overboard. Once in the water, he said he looked for dolphins to save him, but instead needed to wait eight hours, after drifting 20 miles, for the Coast Guard cutter Chandeleur. A Coast Guard helicopter dropped a rescue swimmer to assist Mankamyer into a basket for hoisting into the chopper. This guy should be playing the lottery with luck like that.

Wondering how the Coast Guard stumbled across this needle in a haystack 20 miles from the jump site? The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that a new computer system called SAROPS helped the Coast Guard successfully predict where the winds and tides had taken Mankamyer to narrow their search.

Some wags have theorized that Mankamyer, not a skinny guy, was protected from hypothermia, and helped to float, by his girth.

The second incident unfolded last weekend when a 22-year-old man and 20-year-old woman went over a Grand Princess balcony railing 150 miles off Galveston, Texas, in circumstances they've asked Princess not to publicize. The pair, who reportedly didn't know each other prior to the cruise, were fished out of the water naked over four hours later by the ship's rescue craft. After onboard medical treatment, the man continued on with his cruise, but the woman decided to cut her vacation short at the next port of call.

The happy endings of these cases are a testament to the sophisticated man-overboard procedures followed by cruise lines, and the search-and-rescue techniques implemented by the Coast Guard.

Meanwhile, what should somebody considering a cruise take away from all this ridiculousness? The answer is simple. Treat railings on a ship with the same care as a hotel balcony, and don't goof around near them. Maybe consider not overindulging in booze... or stay inside if you do. It takes work to fall overboard.

In the unlikely event you see somebody go overboard while on a cruise ship, notify a crew member or dial the emergency phone number noted on every phone so the bridge officers can mark the location, and toss some lifejackets or liferings overboard, since they dramatically increase an individual's visibility in the water.