THE RIGHT PRICE…………….$469
September 18: New Orleans return, 7 nights, Carnival Triumph
Bonus: free upgrade within cabin type, some discounts for 55+ and past guests
Contact: VacationsToGo
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Here’s one of those right-place-right-time stories…
A passenger on Royal Caribbean‘s Oasis of the Seas went into cardiac arrest earlier this year, was resuscitated, taken to a hospital, underwent a stent procedure and when last seen was recovering nicely at home.
Here’s what makes the story even more interesting:
Another passenger who was in the ship’s buffet area when the guest collapsed happened to be a doctor. The physician called for an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), which was delivered by a crew member and used to shock the patient’s heart. The defibrillator, known as a Zoll AED Plus®, was on the Oasis of the Seas for the first time!
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Cabo San Lucas is one of those ports where, by the time your ship drops anchor and you tender to shore, there is never enough time to see it right. That message must have reached Carnival, because the world’s biggest cruise line is going to schedule two-day stops in the popular Baja California port.
Starting in December, the Carnival Spirit will leave San Diego on either 5-day or 9-day trips, both of which include two days in Cabo. Besides the usual stops along the way, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, the 9-day cruise is including another Baja port, La Paz, a first for Carnival.
One idea we filed away for future trips to Cabo San Lucas is you can get more bang for your buck by renting a car (we even have a contact) and driving around the southern tip of the peninsula. With two days instead of four or five hours, this is even more appealing.
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By the way, which of Mexico’s two dozen cruise ports do you think is the most popular?
If you said Cozumel, you win a free margarita the next time you see us watching a parade on the streets of the Yucatan port, which is what we did on our last visit.
According to statistics released by Mexico’s Tourism Secretariat, Cozumel is far and away the people’s choice. In second place is Costa Maya. Go figure. These ports are as different as tequila and iced tea. It is, however, easily explained. More appealing ports (our opinion) like Cabo San Lucas and Huatulco are on the Pacific side of Mexico, while Cozumel and Costa Maya are on the gulf side.
Simply, more ships in the area.
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Once you’ve been on two or three cruises, the lifeboat drill at the muster station — as necessary as it is — becomes a bit of a drag. Norwegian is changing the drill, and watch for other cruise lines to follow suit.
Instead of going back to your cabin, pulling out your life jacket and finding the muster station, Norwegian’s taking out the middle step. Now, unless you’re on Pride of America, NCL passengers go straight to the muster station from wherever you are on the ship, to see crew members demonstrate how to use the life jacket.
Kind of like the seat-belt drill on airplanes. Makes sense, yes?