Cruise Travel & Vacation Tips & News

After a Shipwreck, Cruise Lines Try to Win Passengers Back With DiscountsNews from New York Times:
IT’S crunch time for the cruise industry. Following the Costa Concordia disaster, cruise companies have been aggressively lowering rates and ratcheting up promotions to lure back hesitant passengers.

The two biggest companies — Carnival Corporation, the parent of more than a half-dozen lines, including Princess and Costa Cruises, and Royal Caribbean — saw bookings drop by percentages in the midteens in the weeks after the Concordia ran aground off the coast of Isola del Giglio [...] Continue Reading…

Convoluted laws leave cruise-ship victims at seaNews from Canada.com:Redirect Notice
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Tahiti cruise ship undergoes major rehabNews from USA TODAY:
This item was written by Fran Golden, a cruise expert and Trip Coach for Budget Travel magazine. Golden is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away.
The 332-passenger Paul Gauguin, [...] Continue Reading…

Mexican port suffers loss of cruise shipsNews from USA TODAY:
MAZATLÁN, Mexico — Jorge Figueroa made a living offering tours of this fishing port to passengers from the cruise ships lines that arrived regularly.

By Dario Lopez-Mills, AP
Officers subdue a man in a neighborhood in Mazatlan. Many cruise giants have stopped calling on Mazatlan over safety concerns.

The guide and father would take tourists on shopping excursions, jaunts to Spanish colonial villages, zip line adventures and tastings at a distillery making a tequila-like liquor.
Nowadays he sits idle. Cruise ships stopped calling on [...] Continue Reading…

Lawyers: cocaine on capsized cruise captain’s hairNews from Palm Beach Post:
The Associated Press

ROME — A group representing survivors of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship say traces of cocaine were found on a sample of the captain’s hair but not within the hair strands or in his urine — which would have indicated he had used the drug.
Italian consumer protection group Codacons said Saturday it has asked prosecutors investigating Captain Francesco Schettino to order another test.
It says analyses show no evidence of cocaine in Schettino’s body. But Codacons says [...] Continue Reading…

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Declares DividendNews from Sacramento Bee:
MIAMI, Feb. 15, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ – The Board of Directors of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE, OSE: RCL) today declared a quarterly dividend of $ 0.10 per share payable on March 15, 2012, to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 29, 2012. 
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Club Cruises, CDF Croisieres de France, and TUI Cruises through a 50% joint venture.  The company [...] Continue Reading…

Advice on tipping, cruising, travel insurance, moreNews from NorthJersey.com:
Q. If you have pets in your hotel room, should you tip housekeeping extra? We are relocating and need to drive from our old home to our new one with our two cats. We will stop overnight in a pet-friendly hotel. I’ve never done this before, though. Do you need to tip extra even if you’re paying a “pet fee” on top of the regular room rate?
It depends on how much of a mess your cats make. If, when you leave, [...] Continue Reading…

Cruises big sellers despite ConcordiaNews from London Free Press:

Cruises big sellers despite Concordia
OUT TO SEA
By JIM AND BARB FOX, Special to QMI Agency
Last Updated: February 18, 2012 12:00am

In better times, the Costa Concordia is shown on its Mediterranean sailings. Costa Concordia had one of the largest spas at sea, with an expansive pool deck extending over two decks and a retractable domed roof.

To cruise, or not to cruise.
That’s a question even veteran cruisers are asking themselves with the shipwreck of the Costa Concordia off the Italian island of Giglio [...] Continue Reading…

Deal watch: Last cabins on Titanic cruise are half-priceNews from USA TODAY:
This item was written by Johanna Jainchill, who covers the travel industry for Travel Weekly. Jainchill is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away.
There are still cabins left on the second of two cruises that will mark the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking this April.
The first cruise scheduled, the Titanic Memorial Cruise, sold out more than a year ago. The second one, scheduled last September, leaves April [...] Continue Reading…

Gay Travel: Cruising From Rome to VeniceNews from Gayapolis:The traditional way to celebrate a 10th anniversary is to exchange gifts made of tin or aluminium, but travel company Source Events (www.sourceevents.com) had more ambitious plans. Having put together some extraordinary travel experiences for gay men and lesbians, from exploring the breathtaking ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru to wild safaris in South Africa, Source Events has amassed a faithful following over the last decade. So to celebrate this significant anniversary, they charted Windstar Cruises MSY Wind Surf for what [...] Continue Reading…

Celebrity Cruises Uncorks Full-bodied Onboard Wine ProgramNews from Sacramento Bee:
MIAMI, Feb. 15, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ – The exploration of wine, guided by knowledgeable sommeliers, is a hallmark of Celebrity Cruises’ modern luxury vacation experience. Now, Celebrity has expanded its wine program to illuminate an even more full-bodied slate of offerings representing the world’s most robust wine-producing regions, offering vacationers the opportunity to taste and learn about more wine than ever before. The updated program presents a comprehensive selection of wines from diverse regions and grape varietals, and a variety of [...] Continue Reading…