Cruise Ship News

June 15, 2011 – Carnival Cruise Lines has made changes to its smoking policy on board its entire fleet of 23 ships – and some changes take effect as early as today.

Starting today, Carnival is restricting smoking to designated open-deck areas, the Jazz clubs (only certain ships), and certain areas of the casino and casino bars.

After December 1st, 2011 – Carnival will prohibit smoking in all staterooms and assess a $250 cleaning fee if smoke is detected. Smoking on the balcony (unless you are booked in a spa suite) will still be permitted.

This is a great change, which means that effective today, cruisers can go the piano bar, wine bar, sports bar, and most public open-deck areas and not have to worry about breathing in cigarette or cigar smoke.

We’re proud of Carnival for making the change, even though it will undoubtedly upset some of their customers. Carnival believes that only about 10 percent of its passengers are smokers, though the debate raged with they did a trial run on certain ships which prompted this editorial on the matter.

Carnival sent an email discussing their reasons for the changes which we’ve included below. [...]

Local officials in Mobile, Alabama were “shocked” when Carnival Cruise Lines announced it was pulling the Elation from the port and moving it to New Orleans. Carnival at this point hasn’t made any plans to pull the Fantasy out of Charleston, but local groups are putting strain on the line and they may reconsider.

The Carnival Fantasy started docking in Charleston in May of 2010 – the only year-round cruise ship for the port.

Since then, there have been several sources of resistance:

National Trust for Historic Preservation
We know it’s important to preserve important sites in the U.S. that may otherwise not be if it weren’t for this group. However, the NTHP put Charleston on it’s “watch list” at the same time it released its 2011 most endangered sites, and blamed the cruise industry for the rating on the city.

The NTHP says:

In the case of Charleston, expanding cruise ship tourism could jeopardize the historic character of the city, historic downtown Charleston and its surrounding neighborhoods.

Since the cruise ships can’t park in downtown Charleston or “its surrounding neighborhoods,” it’s safe to say the NTHP is worried about an influx of people, and what that would mean for the city.

Other motivations appear to be at play (environmental? anti-cruise industry?) since the cruise industry currently only accounts for under 4% of the city’s 4.4 million annual visitors.

If the NTHP is truly concerned about the number of visitors to the city, perhaps they should be looking at all industries – but regulating 4% of visitors brought in by a single industry is the obvious work of special interests.

Southern Environmental Law Center

With anti-cruise industry mentality growing from the NTHP, the Southern Environmental Law Center decided to strike while the iron is hot by filing a lawsuit saying that the cruise lines aren’t operating within local zoning ordinances, causing traffic problems, and violating state environmental laws.

“Charleston relies on a careful balance between tourism and preservation that cruise ship interests shouldn’t overwhelm,” says Blan Holman, an attorney from the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Local Government
The mayor of Charleston says the lawsuit against Carnival is “bogus” and “rogue,” and cites the fact that cruise traffic is minimal compared to the cities annual tourism figures.

The chairman of the South Carolina Sate port Authority is calling the lawsuit “irresponsible.”

“Their goal is to cripple our port system to satisfy their anti-growth agenda. First it’s cruise ships, then cargo ships. Next it will be trucks and rails. They don’t seem to care that their agenda would irreparably damage economic development and kill jobs all across South Carolina.”

Mobile and Charleston

The local officials get it in Charleston, but it may not matter what they think in the end. Any port operator will tell you that vying to be a home port for a cruise ship is extremely competitive – especially with newer markets opening up and the ability for cruise lines to pack-up and move operations with relative ease.

When special interest groups force cruise ships into lawsuits that even the mayor thinks are bogus, they can increase a cruise line’s cost of operating in that port by millions of dollars.

One of the big reasons Carnival pulled out of Mobile, Alabama was they couldn’t raise profit enough to offset local environmental laws that are set to be in place by 2012, and calculated the ship would be more profitable in nearby New Orleans.

If Carnival decides its not worth the added cost and headache to do business in Charleston, we hope the local officials aren’t “shocked” – because the writing is on the wall today.

The Carnival Magic is just getting its sea-legs and wrapping up its first few voyages. USA Today’s cruise log says it looks like Carnival Magic is a hit – and we take a look at three reasons why cruising on Magic is different from any other Carnival cruise.

1) RedFrog Pub: Carnival is billing this as the first pub in its fleet and claiming it’s the brainchild of CEO Gerry Cahill (Whether it be Caribbean Pub or Irish Pub – what took so long??). Initial reports are that the new venue is always packed and even ran out of it’s signature beer, ThirstyFrog, on the maiden voyage. Perhaps some of the blame can be assigned to the fact one can order a 101oz tube of the brew for around $25. Appetizers and deserts are also available for a few bucks. Check out the full RedFrog Pub Menu.

2) Cucina del Capitano: The “Captain’s Kitchen” is an relatively informal Italian eatery that serves family style meals. In the evening, the venue has a surcharge of $10 for adults and $5 for kids – not bad considering the Signature Steakhouse option on some Carnival ships is double that. More and more we’re seeing a move away from traditional dining room settings to more niche venues – both more formal (steakhouse) and less formal (Cucina) – depending on what suits you. It’s worth noting that during the day, Cucina del Capitano offers pasta options for no additional fee. Check out the full Cucina del Capitano Menu.

3) Carnival Sports Square Ropes Course: A first for a cruise ship. While it may not be a ‘high ropes’ course, it’s located on one of the highest points of the ship and about 150 feet above sea level. It may not be looking down that gives you a dizzy feeling on this one – it’s looking OUT! Adrenaline junkies need look elsewhere, though – Carnival has designed it to be family friendly and kid friendly which suggests you’ll have to get your fix elsewhere. That said, it should get your heart pounding a lot more than shuffleboard or mini-golf.

There’s a handful of media and blogger types aboard Carnival Magic’s inaugural voyage, and among them is the crew from CruiseRadio.net – an entertaining group from Florida that puts out a weekly show on all-things cruise related.

Magic’s first voyage is a 9-day itinerary between Venice and Barcelona, and it will continue to serve the Mediterranean until November when it will make Galveston, Texas it’s home port and offering 7 day Caribbean trips.

Check out the pre-cruise video from Cruise Radio:

Taxi drivers are at it again – this time in Victoria, British Columbia. Upset about a $200 seasonal fee to pick passengers from the cruise terminal, taxi drivers have boycotted the first cruise ship docking of the summer season.

Just weeks ago, taxi-drivers in Phuket, Thailand interrupted the normal operations by blocking all passengers in port from leaving.

The ship affected this week is the Crystal Symphony, but many more are scheduled during the busy 5-month summer season for Alaskan cruises.

Disney Cruise Line, Carnival, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Regent Seven Seas, and Holland America all have planned stops in the terminal this season.

What do you think? Who’s being unreasonable here – is it the harbor authority charging $200 for the season or is it the cabbies who don’t want to pay for some of the easiest fares?

Source: USA Today Cruise Log

You’ve heard about plug-in electric cars like the Chevy Volt, but what about a plug-in cruise ship? Carnival Cruise Line is going to retrofit two of its ships to run on electric power next year….kind of.

Two ships, the Queen Mary 2 and the Caribbean Princess, currently dock at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal about 40 times every year, and while in dock, they run off power generated by the ship’s enormous diesel engines. By next year, Carnival will outfit them at a cost of $4 Million to run off “shore power” via what is basically a giant electrical outlet that will be built into the port.

The move comes after lobbying from local citizens that were concerned about the environmental and health risks of having ships idling in their community.

It isn’t the first time Carnival or Cruise Ship terminals have used the technology – power is available in Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles, and Carnival began using the technology 10 years ago in Juneau, Alaska.

Photo: NY Times

No matter what cruise line or destination, you can count on there being a photographer on board – and many times your first experience with said photographer will be before you even board the ship, as they start snapping pictures as you finish checking in and are walking to the ship! What are the pros and cons of buying pictures on cruise ships?

Pros:

1) Gear: The camera equipment used by the cruise lines is prosumer to pro-level gear. Even if you’re into photography and are bringing your DSLR, you’re probably not going to be bringing multiple flash stands, soft boxes, and umbrellas. In other words, their pictures will be much more professional looking than yours.

2) Convenience: You’re may not always have a camera on you, but the photographers do. You may not know when the waiters will perform at dinner and your significant other gets pulled into the conga line, but the crew does – and they’ll probably nail the shot.

3) Daily Deals: There are sometimes deals to be had on photos – but they aren’t always advertised. Ask the person working the counter if there are any current specials.

Cons:

1) Expensive: A 8×10 print will run you a little over $20 on average. Individually speaking, this may sound expensive for a single print – and it is. But when you figure in what you’re getting for that price (read “Pros”) – it’s actually not that bad.

We suggest you smile when the photographer comes your way – you never know how much you’ll like the photo and want to bring it home with you. If you absolutely know you don’t want any photos, kindly say “no thank you” when the photographer asks to snap a picture. If they’re extra pushy – take the photo with a ridiculous face – the other guests will appreciate the humor when they’re searching through the sea of photos.

Watch the video below to see Royal Caribbean’s photo operations:

In October 2010, divers doing homeland security safety checks beneath the cruise ship terminal made a startling discovery: Live ammunition between 20mm and 90mm in size.

The port was used as a munitions depot during WWII up until 1971, and the investigators explain that it isn’t necessarily surprising.

“Wherever munitions have been handled in the past, they have rolled off the pier, they’ve been dropped out of cargo net. It’s perfectly normal, it’s expected. What is unexpected is that there is a cruise ship terminal built directly above where some of these munitions are,” says one munitions expert.

As the cleanup continues, the crew has found 11 live munitions and hundreds of other “munitions related items.”

The 90mm size are the most concerning – as they are commonly used as anti-aircraft projectiles – and are also commonly used in tanks.

Experts say that while the cleanup is important, the items found pose a very low risk overall and shouldn’t be cause for alarm among those cruising from the terminal.

Currently, Holland America and Princess are among the largest cruise lines to sail from Seattle.

What are your thoughts? Would this report make you think twice about sailing out of Seattle?

Source: NWCN.com via Cruiselog

Following the lead of other luxury cruise lines, Crystal Cruises will include wine, liquor, and staff gratuities in the price of its fares starting in 2012 – making it an all-inclusive line.

Crystal Cruises only has two ships – the Symphony and Serenity, and the line’s president says the move is in response to “the desires of today’s upscale cruise traveler.”

Cristal Cruise Prices start at $3,650 on the Symphony and $6,445 on the Serenity.

All the normal cruise offerings are already included, like food, gym access. Currently Crystal Cruises goes a step further than most by providing round-trip airfare from major U.S. hubs or just an air credit.

While it says all-inclusive, it appears that excursions will still be on the passenger’s dime. Some lines, like Regent Seven Seas, have even begun including excursions in their fares and seen great success by doing so.

Phucket Taxi Drivers Negotiated with Bus Drivers for four hours while hundreds of passengers on the Silver Sea were blocked in port.

The Silver Spirit, Silversea’s newest ship, stopped in Phuket today as part of her inaugural 119-day World Cruise.

Basically, the taxi drivers feel that large tour bus operators are a threat to their livelihood. They probably are.

According to a local Phuket newspaper, taxi fares are on par with developed countries, but locally they do not service their vehicles often, have sub-standard conditions in the taxis, and most don’t have insurance.

The Silver Spirit docked at 8am with plans for 475 passengers to take buses to Phuket City and Patong. After four hours of bargaining, the bus operators agreed to let the taxi operators take 250 passengers.

However, the ship is set to sail at 2pm local time, so many opted to just stay on the ship while in port.

90% of the people on board are American. The U.S. Navy has a presence at the port but their role in the matter is unclear, if nothing else than to keep the peace.