The right price…………………………………………………………………….……$459
February 27, 2011: 7 nights return to the Bahamas
Ship: Carnival Pride
Departure: Baltimore Ports: Port Canaveral, Nassau, Freeport
Bonus: Oceanview $529; Balcony $599 (all less $50 for 55+)
Contact: cruisestogo.com (fast deal #12815)
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It’s uncertain what makes you a casino company that specializes in services for upscale cruise ships, but whatever it is Century Casinos must know…When the Oceania Marina 
begins its “inaugural” voyage on Tuesday, from Miami to San Francisco — not to be confused with its “maiden” voyage (Barcelona to Miami) that ended this week — it becomes the line’s fourth ship…All of them have casinos operated by Century, which has a contract through 2016 with Oceania…By then there will be a fifth ship, the Riviera, due in the spring of 2012…That will give the company 13 casinos on cruise ships, all of them upscale.
A long-standing “bible” about cruising, the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships, has become an app — at half the price and to mixed reviews so far…The 2011 book is 700 pages and the app, at half the price ($12) is a pared-down version and a review of ships…Among the bugs to be fixed is the ability to search the sub-sections as well as the entire database…It doesn’t tell you where a ship is sailing nor allow a side-by-side comparison with another ship, yet has tons of trivia about cruise ships…The book has been published annually for 26 years.
A little strange that part of a downtown would complain because a cruise company was no longer dropping off its passengers for lunch, but that’s what Fairbanks, Alaska businesses are doing…Princess opted to take passengers to the Riverboat Discovery at lunch time, and the downtown business are worried about losing their “bread-and-butter” customers, who will now dine on the banks of the Chena River — or take a $5 shuttle downtown if they wish…Something about free enterprise here?
Mazatlan’s demise as a cruise port is not going to happen without a fight …Last week, state and local government and law enforcement officials, tourism executives and people from the port authority all met with cruise industry leaders to plead the case of safety…”Mazatlan plays host to nearly two million visitors per year from all over the world and the number has increased steadily for the past five years,” says Julio Birrueta of the Mazatlan Tourism Trust. “Mazatlan has hosted nearly 1.5 million cruise passengers since 2008 and is widely regarded as one of the safest destinations in Mexico”…Now that’s a tough sell these days.
We read this one online…Lorri Hafer, who with her husband worked as a musician on cruises for 10 years, has faced “norovirus, missed ports, mechanical trouble, political turmoil and rough seas.” Her advice on how to cope is philosophical: “In bad situations that you cannot control, as a wise captain once said to us, ‘You row with the oars you are given'”…Blogger Steve Read, who writes I Love Cruises, says a new cruise terminal will be built with private money in London, a half hour from the theatre district — the West End — and possibly in time for the 2012 Olympics…Until then cruise ships passing through the Thames Barrier will continue to tie up to a pontoon and passengers will continue to be taken ashore by tender.