Fuel surcharge intrigue continues

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.

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Carnival singer makes top 20 in America's Got Talent

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.

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

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."

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How to fall overboard from a cruise ship

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.

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Bogus bomb threat delays departure of Carnival's Sensation

Demonstrating that idiots don't only target phony bomb threats against airlines, Carnival's Sensation delayed its departure Thursday from Port Canaveral, Florida, after a threatening call was received by the Coast Guard during passenger boarding.

The nearly 3,000 passengers and crew were taken off the ship, and Coast Guard and Brevard County sheriff's officers spent two hours searching it before concluding the call was bogus.

Scheduled to sail at 4pm, the vessel's departure was delayed until 8pm.

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Missing person? No, accidental tourist

A cruise passenger reported missing in St. Maarten had merely missed her ship, then checked into a hotel for several days on the island, according to the St. Maarten Daily Herald, after Carnival Valor sailed without New Jersey resident Kathleen Feeney on March 1.

Meanwhile, while she was "missing," the newspaper reported that Feeney "loved her stay on the island," and "had a wonderful time." It seems Feeney was having difficulty managing the logistics of flying back to the United States without her passport, which she had left onboard the ship, and didn't know she was considered a "missing person."

While a passport is not yet required to re-enter the US from the Caribbean by cruise ship, it is needed to return by air, so special arrangements needed to be made.

The mystery was resolved after local residents recognized "missing person" photos of Feeney that had appeared in the local press, and notified authorities, who then verified that Feeney was well. Carnival's local agents also provided assistance, helping Feeney arrange her airplane ticket home and ending her accidental St. Maarten vacation.

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Carnival Freedom delivered in Marghera, Italy

Fincantieri shipyard yesterday delivered a big baby, 110,000-ton Carnival Freedom, to proud new parents Carnival Cruise Line, in Marghera, Italy. The vessel is the 22nd in Carnival's "Fun Ship" fleet.

Kathy Ireland, the ship's godmother, will deliver the traditional blessings at the naming ceremony in Venice on March 4, after which the ship will sail her inaugural Mediterranean cruise on March 5.

The ship's regular schedule will be 12- and 14-day Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruises sailing round-trip from Rome's port, Civitavecchia.

Carnival Freedom offers the same "drive-in movie" experience as sister line Princess Cruises, a poolside 270-square-foot LED screen showing movies and concerts, and the ship also has bow-to-stern wireless Net access and cellular coverage.

Most staterooms have either an ocean view or a private balcony, and every stateroom has Carnival's upgraded "Comfort Bed" sleep system, which we've tested and award a 2-thumbs-up rating.

Contact SureCruise.com for cruise rates and reservations.

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Bullets found onboard Carnival vessel

Two .22 caliber bullets were found in the Carnival Celebration's lobby by a passenger debarking Thursday morning. The passenger turned over the ammo to the information desk, who told the ship's security officer, who informed Customs and Border Protection, who involved the Coast Guard. Embarkation was then delayed by an hour while authorities searched the vessel from stem to stern--finding nothing else out of order.

The incident occurred in the ship's homeport of Jacksonville, Florida, and authorities verified that all metal detectors there were operating properly.

The question of metal-detector sensitivity is a recurring one wherever they're deployed, whether in airports or cruise ports. It's a subjective judgement. They can't be set to detect any metal at all, else the rivets in jeans would cause delays and screening would take forever. So does it surprise us that two bullets could slip through? Not really. Just so long as whatever gun they go with didn't come along with them.

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Windstar sold by Carnival Corp.

Windstar Cruises, one of our personal favorite cruise lines around here, is being sold by Carnival Corp. to Ambassadors International, the company that runs the Majestic America river cruise company. Pending regulatory approval, the sale will be complete quickly, by April.

Carnival's CEO Micky Arison explained that the company has had long-standing plans to exit the niche cruise market, and this divestiture fits with their strategy. Ambassadors, meantime, says they plan to maintain the unique, relaxed luxury of the Windstar experience.

Windstar's fleet includes three computerized sailing ships, two 150-passenger vessels and one accommodating 300. The deal was for $100 million, comprised of $19 million cash, $60 million financed, and $21 million of assumed debt.

Did we mention that we love Windstar? So listen here, Ambassadors, you better not mess up a good thing... we're keeping an eye on you!

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Senior citizens from cruise fight off would-be muggers, kill one

A group of Caribbean-cruising senior citizens, including a former Marine, turned the tables on three armed attackers Wednesday, scaring two off and killing the third.

After arriving in Limon, Costa Rica, onboard Carnival Liberty, the twelve seniors set out together to tour the area with a van driver they had hired independently. After one of the would-be robbers, reported as Wagner Segura, 20, pulled a gun on the group, the seniors jumped on him and--according to conflicting reports--either asphyxiated him, broke his neck, or both. The other two muggers fled.

Then the plucky seniors put Segura's body on their tour bus, and delivered him to the authorities. Police didn't detain the cruisers, concluding that they acted in self-defense, noting that Segura was a known criminal.

Carnival Cruise Line reports that, after learning of the incident, they dispatched a ship's officer to assist their guests and escort them back to the ship. The cruise passengers all elected to continue on with their vacation.

Carnival also pointed out that this group was not on a ship-sponsored tour.

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Carnival cancels New Orleans return for Triumph

Carnival will not be moving Carnival Triumph back to New Orleans in September as it had planned. Although the cruise line stated it had wanted to return the mega-liner to The Big Easy, weak bookings jinxed its plans. Carnival's Fantasy, already sailing from New Orelans, will remain.

Carnival said that travelers seem to still be taking a hesitant about cruising from New Orleans, undoubtedly driven by persistent reports of slow or stalled recovery efforts. We haven't been to New Orleans lately to judge for ourselves, but since the vast majority of cruise passengers simply "pass through" their embarkation city anyway, there seems to be no major reason to avoid the port.

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line also have vessels sailing from New Orleans already.

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Carnival Fantasy struck by barge in Mississippi River

Saturday morning, a rice barge sideswiped Carnival Fantasy on the Mississippi River near New Orleans as it returned from a cruise. Nobody was hurt, but the incident left a 30-foot gash, thankfully above the waterline, on the vessel's port side. The ship then docked at its pier without further incident.

No ships' services were effected, and Carnival optimistically boarded the next group of passengers for their cruise departing later in the day, clearly expecting that repairs would be quick. Unfortunately that optimism was misplaced, as the passengers were told later Saturday that the trip would need to be cancelled.

The guests were invited to remain on board Saturday night with the planned full slate of dining and entertainment. Carnival provided a full refund, credit on a future cruise, and credit for airfare change fees, which is fair given that the whole mess wasn't remotely Carnival's fault.

Although Carnival doesn't cancel many cruises on the day of departure, as luck would have it we personally experienced another such example back in 2000 on the Carnival Destiny sailing from Boston. The ship had been experiencing propulsion difficulties which Carnival expected to resolve within hours. In the end, the problems proved intractable, and we spent two nights onboard the ship tied up to the pier in Boston, enjoying all the same activities if we'd been at sea. Now it wasn't the four-night Canada cruise we'd been expecting to enjoy, but given the circumstances, we thought Carnival made the best of the bad situation.

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Two more cruise lines jettisoning trans-fats

Royal Caribbean's announcement a few weeks ago that it was moving away from unhealthy trans-fats in its cuisine spurred a response from Carnival, a direct competitor in the contemporary cruise market segment, and ultra-luxury line Crystal.

Carnival's press release is amusing, if you read between the lines. Its first sentence declares, "Carnival Cruise Lines, which led the cruise industry by initiating measures two years ago to remove trans fats from its menus, is taking that program to the next level." The clear message to the across-town rival? You kids at Royal Caribbean may have gotten press first on this subject, but we at Carnival were quietly way ahead--two years ago.

While both Carnival and Royal Caribbean have reduced trans-fats, and have plans in place to continually reduce their usage, Crystal is further ahead of the curve.

Crystal put an upscale twist on their announcement, saying not only that trans-fats are totally eliminated effective immediately, but also that a new "oil sommelier" will offer flavored, infused oils to diners to complement their meals. You know how a cruise ship wine sommelier will frequently wear their silver tasting cup as a necklace? What do you suppose an oil sommelier would wear?

Experts say that trans fatty acids are not required and provide no known benefits, increase LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), and also lower levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), increasing the risk of heart disease.

So, good riddance!

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Grand Cayman provides overpriced overnight accomodation -- behind bars

They never learn. Two Carnival Victory passengers came ashore with more than sunscreen and cameras last week in George Town Harbor in Grand Cayman. A drug K-9 alerted officers to the couple, who upon searching were found to be carrying marijuana, and admitted to having more onboard the ship.

According to Caycompass.com, the two were held overnight in jail, fined about $1,800 each in US dollars, and released, after having been threatened with more jail time. The magistrate said that while US prisons might not have room to accommodate drug users, than the Cayman Islands had plenty of space available and would be happy to use it.

We hear these stories regularly, fortunately not involving our customers--so far! Drug laws in foreign countries can be downright draconian, and it's simply not worth it to risk jail time in a faraway prison.

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Carnival Liberty suspected Norovirus outbreak sickens 700

In the largest case of shipboard gastrointestinal illness in our recent memory, 700 Carnival Liberty passengers and crew members fell ill during a 19-night trans-Atlantic voyage from Rome that arrived in Fort Lauderdale on November 19. The ship was then held in port for 2 days of intense disinfection, shortening its subsequent cruise.

The unusual number of ill people prompted experts from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to join the ship for its last leg into Ft. Lauderdale from St. Maarten. Together with Carnival, they were working to find out how the bug got onto the ship and whether any shipboard procedures were neglected or new ones needed to be introduced. While two passengers admitted having been ill prior to boarding the Liberty in Rome, they're not proven to be the cause yet. The cruise lines have an outstanding cooperative relationship with the CDC thanks to the industry's aggressive efforts to keep ships clean, healthy and safe.

The bug will likely turn out to be Norovirus, a super-contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea but generally runs its course within 24 hours will no lasting ill effect. Norovirus occurs everywhere, not just on cruise ships, but since only cruise lines are required to report outbreaks to the CDC, it's wrongly perceived as "the cruise ship virus."

Standard procedure in the cruise industry quarantines any crew member or passenger with Norwalk-like symptoms for about 24 hours in their stateroom to contain the problem. The ship also institutes stepped-up cleaning of everything from hand railings to casino chips. In the unusual extreme case like the Liberty's, the ship gets extra disinfection in port including fogging.

According to the CDC, people can afford themselves substantial protection by following a few simple steps:

• Wash hands frequently and thoroughly, especially after using the restroom and before eating or preparing food.
  
• Immediately remove and wash clothing or linens that were used during an episode of illness.
• Throroughly clean all surfaces that an ill person contacted with a bleach-based cleaner
• Keep the bathroom clean.
  

Also two passengers died during this ill-fated voyage, due to natural causes and not because of the virus, according to Carnival.

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Kathy Ireland named Godmother for Carnival Freedom

Carnival Cruise Lines has announced that successful businesswoman and former model Kathy Ireland will be Godmother to their new ship, the Carnival Freedom, which will launch in March of 2007. Among her duties as Godmother is breaking a ceremonial bottle of Champagne across the ship's bow at the naming ceremony on March 4, 2007.

The 110,000-ton Carnival Freedom will carry 2974 passengers and feature such state-of-the-art amenities as total shipboard wireless access, cellular phone service, 22 lounges and bars, four swimming pools, four restaurants, and a 1450-square foot spa. The Carnival Freedom will depart Miami March 5, 2007 on a nine-day cruise to the Mediterranean where it will operate a summer schedule of 12-day Mediterranean and Greek Island cruises.

For more information on the Carnival Freedom, or other Carnival Cruises, contact our cruise experts today!

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Cruise ship Webcams and Bridgecams: cruise live from your desk!

The ongoing Internet-enabling of cruise ships now brings live cruising to your computer. Many ships offer near-real-time Webcams and Bridgecams with views from their ships' bridges and elsewhere onboard.

Admittedly, port areas aren't always the most scenic part of cruising, but every once in a while you'll get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, or the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, or picturesque Villefranche on the French Rivera. It's a fun diversion for any cruise lover.

Among cruise lines offering Webcams are:

• Princess Webcams
• Crystal Webcams
• CostaWebcams
• Carnival Webcams (Liberty and Valor only)
• Norwegian Webcams (select ship of interest, then Webcam option)
• Cunard for the QE2 Webcams and QM2 Webcams
  
• Royal Caribbean only on Voyager of the Seas Webcams
• Celebrity Webcams
  

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Carnival Cruise Line cell phone rollout moving right along

Thought you were safe on a ship from having your cell phone ring? Well, those days are numbered.

Communication at sea has come a long way from the days (not too long ago) when you had to request a connection from the ship's operator and wait sometimes hours for the call to go through.

Carnival Cruise Lines, for example, which operates twenty cruise liners in the Caribbean, Mexico, and worldwide, is enabling cell phone access onboard its entire fleet. The system enables passengers with GSM-based cell phones (Cingular and T-Mobile customers, for example) to send and receive calls, emails, and other services of their personal cell phones while at sea.

Carnival's new wireless service has been implemented on the Carnival Conquest, Carnival Triumph, and Imagination. The line plans to add three new ships to the system each month, with the entire fleet completed by early 2007.

Wireless Maritime Services, a joint venture of Cingular Wireless and Maritime Communications Network, handles the deployment and offers low-cost roaming coverage for most of the world's cellular providers. Plans are in the works to upgrade that system to support higher-speed EV-DO services sometime in 2007.

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Sweet cruise Alabama! Set sail with Lynyrd Skynyrd

Recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, and classic southern rockers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, are headlining the "Gimme Three Days" cruise on the Carnival Fascination sailing January 5. The three-day cruise will feature performances by twelve bands, including Skynyrd, 38 Special, and Drivin N Cryin. The voyage will call at Nassau and offer a full day at sea to enjoy the amenities of the ship as well as a full schedule of concerts and other music events.

The 2052-passenger Fascination sails from Miami. Contact SureCruise for further information and for reservations.

As an aside, around here we recognize Skynyrd for their outstanding, rockin' Christmas album. Seriously. Check it out.

Lynyrd Skynyrd are best known for their hits "Freebird," "Gimme 3 Steps," and "Sweet Home Alabama," among others. The band 38 Special is led by Donnie Van Zant, the brother of Skynyrd leader Johnny Van Zant. Read more about Skynyrd on their official Website.

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Switcheroo with Carnival ships Miracle and Legend

Carnival Cruises announced that they will be shuffling the homeport assignments for their 2124-passenger sister ships, the Carnival Miracle and the Carnival Legend, beginning in the spring of 2007. Although the ships are similar, their individualized decor will give repeat passengers in their respective homeports a different cruise experience.

The Carnival Legend currently sails from New York and Ft. Lauderdale. She will be deployed to Tampa for year-round seven-night cruises to the Western Caribbean, beginning on April 15, 2007. The Carnival Miracle, currently based in Tampa, will be repositioned to New York, from which she will operate eight-day voyages to the Eastern Caribbean, beginning April 25. On October 22, she will move to Ft. Lauderdale, where she will sail alternate weeks to the Western and Eastern Caribbean.

Because the Miracle and Legend are sister ships, all passengers booked on cruises sailing after the switch will be accommodated on the new ship in the same stateroom as they had reserved on the original ship.

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Celebration still in dry dock; cruise shortened

Repairs on Carnival Cruise Lines' Celebration, in dry-dock in the Bahamas, have taken longer than expected. The ship, damaged August 15 when its propeller struck the bottom of the harbor while it was docking in Nassau, will resume service August 28.

The originally scheduled five-day cruise, which was to depart August 26, has been shortened to a three-day cruise to Freeport, Bahamas, departing August 28. Passengers booked on the truncated voyage will get a 50 percent refund as well as a certificate for a 50 percent discount on a future three to five-night cruise. Passengers also have the option to cancel or reschedule without penalty.

During the mishap, about 50 gallons of lubricating oil were spilled, and the ship was forced to skip Nassau, one of its two ports of call, annoying some passengers onboard.

The 1486-passenger Celebration regularly cruises from Jacksonville to the Bahamas on four- and five-night voyages.

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Halloween cruise happenings on Carnival's "Fun Ships"

Boo! Carnival Cruise Lines celebrates Halloween this season with a "Frightfully Fun" promotion. Guests sailing on a Carnival cruise between October 9 and October 31, 2006 will find a host of special Halloween events.

The festivities include costume contests, scary movies, ghost stories, and trick-or-treating. Crew members throughout the fleet will also be dressed in costume and guests can have their picture taken with their favorite M&M character. Young guests (ages 1-14) will be invited to go "trick-or-treating" throughout special stations set up in the public areas of the ship.

Carnival Cruise Lines has 21 ships, including the 2900-passenger Carnival Liberty, that sail throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, and the world. Carnival is known for its "fun ships" and its family-friendly atmosphere and activities.

You can browse current pricing and availability on qualifying Carnival Halloween cruises right here at SureCruise. If you haven't sailed on Carnival lately (or ever), check out our Cruise Video Library for a fun video that takes you aboard today’s Carnival ships and shows you everything they have to offer.

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Cruise ship cocaine smuggler busted

If you were going to smuggle drugs into the country, would you rather try to schlep across the Arizona desert before you dehydrated to death, or book a nice balcony stateroom on a cruise ship? We know our preference, but we're partial to cruising. According to authorities, so was a would-be mule named Dwight Whitehead whose luck ran out.

Dwight's alleged plan was to strap his duffel bag of drugs to a life preserver and throw it overboard from the Carnival Legend as the ship neared Fort Lauderdale, presumably so a confederate could scoop it up in the wake of the passing ship. Sadly for Dwight, the pilot boat (that delivers a local pilot to the cruise ship to navigate into its dock) found his goodies first.

Next, here's our dramatization of what may have happened after Columbo came onboard to crack the case:

- Officer: Did the ship's staff notice anybody behaving suspiciously?
- Carnival: Well, the guy in 6144 only left his stateroom once the entire cruise, in Panama. Is that the kind of thing you mean?
- Officer: Uh, yeah, anything else?
- Carnival: He watched the cabin steward like a hawk whenever he was cleaning.
- Officer: Let's go talk to Mr. Stateroom 6144, why don't we?

No word on whether Dwight was part of a larger cruise ship drug smuggling scheme like the one busted last year.

NBC2 Online: Man allegedly smuggled cocaine on cruise ship

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Secret swank ship suites?

Ask most cruise aficionados about the existence of secret VIP staterooms aboard cruise ships, and they'd say, "occasionally rumored, but where's the proof?"

After all, plenty of spectacular staterooms that qualify as VIP digs--like Queen Mary 2's 2-story duplex apartments, or newer Norwegian ships' 3000+ square foot garden villas--are well-publicized and can be purchased by anybody with the substantial means necessary. No secret there. But we recently got to experience an off-the-deckplan, can't-be-purchased accommodation firsthand, onboard Carnival Fascination.

While these two secret swank suites aboard select Carnival Fantasy-class ships are officially called penthouse 1 and penthouse 2, Carnival insiders refer to them as either owner's suites, or "Mickey suites," after Carnival Corporation chairman Mickey Arison. They don't appear on any deck plans, and they can't be booked at any price. Only senior executives of the cruise line or those lucky few with special dispensation can sail in them. A lot of Carnival employees don't know they exist.

The penthouses are hidden in plain sight, yet with blank-faced entry doors off the beaten path to give their occupants privacy. Beyond the wet bar in the foyer is an enormous, well-appointed living and dining room, a large bedroom, and in turn a marble-trimmed bath and walk-in closet. We were amused to find that enough fiddling with the veritable switchboard of lighting knobs next to the bed resulted in red mood glow on the ceiling.

And, apparently, the ship's staff was unaccustomed to having such lowbrow types as ourselves berthed in the penthouse, since whenever we tried to charge something to our shipboard account they refused to believe it was our stateroom and demanded proof.

Oh, and last but certainly not least, should they be reading this, we send a big thank-you to the Carnival people who arranged this major upgrade for us!

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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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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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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