The right price………………………………………………..……$169
January 24, 2011: 4 nights…….Ship: Norwegian Sky……..Departure: Miami return
Bonus: Up to a 4-category upgrade; balconies just $399………Contact: icruise.com
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Had we only known. One of us is celebrating a birthday in a couple of days. Instead of being wined and dined at home by the love of his life, he could’ve been on a Disney cruise ship. Not that there’s anything wrong with being wined and dined at home…
But had he (or we) known this…
On a website called River Cruises in Europe, we found a question from a 16-year-old who was planning to spend her birthday on a Disney ship, and a response from a travel agent with some advice for the teenager. The girl’s question: “I know tһаt іf you go tο tһе [Disney] parks on уοur birthday, уοu get free admission. Mу birthday falls on a day during tһе cruise. Would anything special happen [on a ship]?”
The travel agent’s reply: “Bring your birth certificate and driver’s license with you. I am not going to spoil the surprise for you. But, my best friend has taught me every trick there is about Disney. Disney treats you very special for your birthday. I flew down to Florida on my birthday and gave my birth certificate at the Disney Cruise Line Pier. They go all the way out and it is a well kept secret. But, I will give you a hint: Everything is free.”
File that one away for your next birthday!
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Aren’t pirates annoying? Long ago, they were recognized by the skull and cross bones hanging from the mast of their ships. Now they guide fishing vessels and sneak up on unsuspecting ships…just like terrorists could now be anybody walking down the street wearing bulky clothes.
The pirates of the seas off Somali continue to strike at any passing ship, including cruise ships. This week, 350 diners on Saga’s Spirit of Adventure were forced below — somewhere between the Coquille St. Jacques and the chocolate mousse — while the captain tried outrunning the pirates, who disappeared after 53 minutes of anxiety. Also this week, Regent Seven Seas re-routed the Voyager to pass Mombasa, Kenya and Zanzibar because it would have been too close to pirates-infested waters.
These are the latest incidents that are forcing cruise lines, in ever-increasing numbers, to skip that part of the world. So who wins here?
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When “Rod Stewart”, “Michael Jackson” and “Britney Spears” leave the Norwegian Epic next week, they’ll be replaced at the Legends In Concert show by “Neil Diamond,” Aretha Franklin” and “Janet Jackson.”
If we’d told you that John Anthony, William Hall and Katie Murdock were being replaced by William Paul, DeNita Asberry and Karen Lawson, you’d have had no idea what we were talking about, would you?
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In November, this ship was on every major TV network, and a lot of minor ones, and it became a flashpoint for safety in cruising. This weekend, it’s slinking along Pacific Coast waters and hardly anybody is giving it a second look.
Such is life for the Carnival Splendor, the ship that caught fire and drifted off the coast from Mexico for three days, without power, until a tug pulled it into San Diego. Now another tug is pulling it to San Francisco, where it will undergo engine repairs after arriving next Friday.
Why San Francisco?
The Splendor has to go into drydock for these repairs and San Francisco is the only West Coast city able to accommodate it. By the time it’s ready to resume cruising, the Splendor will have been out of service for three months. Passengers booked to sail on her during that time were given full refunds (including air transportation) and a 25% discount on another Carnival cruise.
The original re-sail date was tomorrow. Now it’s February 20. But, like many victims of fires, will her life ever be the same?
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That’s it, we’re done.