Mar 18, 2010 by Elina Vaysbeyn - 1 comment
Amber Nolan is on deck with the latest cruise deals, industry news, ship reviews, and advice on finding the perfect voyage to suit your personality.
For John Phillip Struble, a paradise cruise to Mexico with his fiancé turned into a nightmare. On Valentine’s Day, the ship became the passenger’s holding cell after stolen drugs were discovered in his cabin. Struble was arraigned in court on March 8 for theft of a laundry list of sedatives, in addition to more than a few morphine syringes, from the medicine supply aboard the Carnival Paradise.
According to Southern California Public Radio, after receiving analgesics the night before from the onboard physician for alleged kidney stone pain, he was also sighted near the medical center in the early morning. Struble claimed he never breached the door and left empty-handed when he found it was locked.
Despite his testimony, he spent the rest of the cruise captive in Paradise’s brig, and was taken off the vessel and questioned by the FBI when he returned to Long Beach. At the arraignment, he pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles court. Struble’s trial is scheduled for April 6.
What degree of punishment should Struble receive? Should he have been prescribed painkillers on the ship?
A 26-foot wave pummeled the front of the Mv Louis Majesty yesterday, shattering glass windows while cameras were rolling. Frantic passengers fled the scene as water rushed into the ship, leaving two people dead and fourteen injured. The ship was carrying nearly 2,000 people and on its final day of a Mediterranean voyage when incident occurred. The Cruise Lines Spokesperson, Michael Maratheftis issued the following statement:
“The cruise ship returned safely to the port of Barcelona last night. Arrangements have been made for all passengers to fly home today. We cancelled the next cruise so as to enable for repairs to take place for the safety and comfort of our passengers. She will undergo these repairs the next couple of days in Barcelona. She will then sail to Genoa and on March 12th she will resume her normal operations.”
Click here to view the passenger footage. (The video will start following a brief advertisement.)
Unexpected wind gusts and bad weather conditions are reportedly at fault for the Costa Europa’s crash late last night, which left three crew members dead and three others injured. While in route from Dubai to Savona, the ship slammed into the side of a pier in Sharm El Sheik resort, Egypt. The tragic incident comes just days after Costa celebrated the launch of its newest ship, the Costa Deliziosa.
Although passengers have been evacuated and moved to hotels, some have already reported on various cruise blogs that the ship was “taking on water,” and has “suffered serious damages.”
On January 19, the Caribbean island of Antigua once again made headlines, when a female passenger aboard the Star Clippers’ Royal Clipper was found dead just a few steps from Pigeon Point Beach – a popular tourist refuge on Antigua. Shaken by the murder, Star Clippers announced on February 1 that the Royal Clipper will no longer be calling on the port. Instead, the 227-passenger cruiser will sojourn at the Caribbean island of Nevis until the end of the season.
After more than two years in service, Cunard’s youngest lady, the Queen Victoria has docked in San Francisco for the first time. Victoria arrived this morning at pier P35 South, and is expected to depart at 6 p.m. The visit to San Francisco is part of the ship’s circumnavigation of the globe, which will include ports of call in Hawaii, Sydney, Dubai, and 10 additional maiden calls. After wrapping up the world voyage, the 2,000-passenger ship will head to the waters of the Mediterranean for a series of fall sailings.
As the tragedy in Haiti has unfolded over the past two weeks, Royal Caribbean has stirred controversy by returning to its regularly scheduled cruises to Labadee, the cruise line’s privately owned “island” just 100 miles from Port-au-Prince. Just days after a major earthquake struck the nation, the Independence of the Seas docked offshore bringing both passengers and supplies. While some are applauding Royal Caribbean’s relief efforts (as well as a boost in tourism), others are disgusted that tourists are lounging with a tropical drink in hand just miles from the devastation that has claimed over 70,000 lives.
What do you think? Was Royal Caribbean right to bring tourism to Haiti, or should it be temporarily re-routing ships?
The devastating aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, wreaking havoc within one of our most beloved travel regions, has reminded us why we travel in the first place. At its heart, travel is all about the incredible people you encounter along the way – and right now, the people of Haiti desperately need our help. The extent of the destruction – in which 200,000 are feared dead and the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, was reduced to ruins – has rallied the world together in an unprecedented show of support. Millions of dollars have already been donated to emergency relief efforts – but Haiti still needs our help! We’ve compiled a list of 10 key organizations that are accepting donations for Haiti-specific campaigns. Donations are 100% tax deductible and, in almost all cases, go directly to relief efforts. Read the rest of this post »
Celebrity Cruises hosted a small gala at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City on the evening of January 7, with President and CEO, Dan Hanrahan, in attendance. The occasion? To unveil their new “Designed for You” brand platform and $200 million project list for the coming years, which includes refurbishing the entire Millennium-class fleet so it showcases the same unbelievable amenities and dining options as the cruise line’s most recent Solstice class.
The 20-year-old cruise line, which received 20 prestigious awards and allocades in 2009, announced plans to renovate one ship per year, and will start with Celebrity Constellation in April 2010 (they do not have firm dates for Infinity, Millennium, and Summit). According to Hanrahan, the restorations are estimated to take two weeks, and when the vessels return to the high seas after the dramatic facelifts they’ll look brand-new.
Last month, Silversea launched its newest luxury ship, the Silver Spirit. This ship is impressive and is the kind of cruise I like to take – a quality, all-inclusive experience that packages all of the amenities and services of a larger vessel into a smaller, more intimate setting (with only 540 guests). The ship has an Art Deco design that suggests an old world elegance circa 1930 and boasts spacious cabins that might trick you into thinking you’re floating at sea on a five star resort. Read the rest of this post »
Carnival has barely caught its breath after launching the Carnival Dream (which has officially settled into its new home in Port Canaveral), but the company is not slowing down. In fact, it just announced that it will be pushing forward on the construction of yet another ship that is scheduled to debut in spring 2012. (It seems like the major cruise lines have missed the memo about the recession.) The 130,000-ton ship will offer many of the same highlights found on the Dream like the WaterWorks aqua park and Ocean Plaza, the live entertainment venue. However, details have not yet been released on the features that will be unique to the newest vessel – which has yet to be named. Construction is also under way for a Dream’s sister ship, the Carnival Magic, which enters service in May 2011.
For more information, visit www.carnival.com.