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Carnival rolls out self-service check-in kiosks for cruisers in Miami
Industry giant Carnival is rolling out self-service check-in kiosks
at its Port of Miami cruise terminal.
In an announcement the world's largest line says the kiosks are
part of a pilot program at the Port of Miami and, if met with
positive response from passengers, will be expanded to the line’s
other year-round homeports. |
To use the kiosks, passengers must have pre-registered for their
cruise online and be a U.S. or Canadian citizen, or from a Visa
waiver country.
Passengers using the kiosks can access booking information and check
in by swiping their passport or the credit card used to pre-register
online, the line says. Once passengers check in, the station prints a
receipt and directs them to pick up cabin keys at a nearby desk.
The kiosks also will be able to accept cash deposits for passenger
shipboard Sail & Sign accounts.
Celebrity unveils major overhaul of Captain's Club frequent
cruiser program
Big news, Celebrity Cruises fans: The line is completely revamping
its program for frequent cruisers.
Celebrity today announced the three-tiered Captain’s Club
program is getting a top-to-bottom overhaul that will bring, among
other things, additional Internet and laundry benefits for frequent
cruisers. Additional new features will be introduced in intervals
over the course of the year.
“Our most loyal guests deserve our loyalty in return, so
we’re thrilled to offer them a vastly improved program,”
Celebrity Cruises President & CEO Dan Hanrahan says in a
statement. “Our new Captain’s Club gives them greater
recognition, exclusive benefits, and a number of new features
designed to make them feel like the center of our attention.”
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Holland America Line's Innovative Lanai Staterooms Prove a Big
Hit on ms Veendam
Holland America Line's latest Signature of Excellence innovation has
received rave reviews by guests on ms Veendam. Similar in size to the
premium line's spacious outside-view staterooms, the new, unique
lanai accommodations were recently added to the ship and feature
large sliding glass doors with direct access to the Lower Promenade
wrap-around teak walking deck.
A British Godmother for a British (Based) Ship
Celebrity Equinox will be named in Southampton on July 29 with a
bottle of champagne custom-made by the Corning Museum of Glass, the
same folks who will operate the glassblowing demonstrations on the
ship and its sister, Celebrity Solstice.
The ship will be homeported at Southampton for the European season,
sourcing most of their passengers from the UK, so that calls for a
British godmother.
A
New Twist on Something We've Seen Before
It's hard to
count all the "condominium-like" plans we've seen over the
years where an older cruise ship would be turned into condominiums
and sail around the world letting the owners come and go as they
please after a hefty one-time investment. They never quite seem to
come into existence, however.
There's a new
one that is now offering basically the same thing for sale, except
with two twists. It's not going anywhere (it will be more or less
permanently moored at Port Canaveral), and it will provide assisted
living for the elderly.
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QE2 may be on the move again
A Dubai company's grand plans to open the historic QE2 as a floating
luxury hotel in the city may be falling apart -- a victim of the
economic downturn.
The Associated Press reports the cash-strapped owner of the retired
Cunard ocean liner is weighing plans to send the vessel as far away
as South Africa as an alternative to financially struggling Dubai. |
"In
addition to alternative locations in Dubai, other ports in the Middle
East and Africa have also expressed an interest in hosting this
impressive maritime icon," a spokesperson for Nakheel tells the
news service in an email confirming the ship could move.
The
40-year-old, 1,777-passenger vessel, which retired in November,
currently is languishing at Dubai's downtown Port Rashid.
South
Africa's Business Day newspaper reports financially struggling
Nakheel has applied to anchor the ship in Cape Town. Nakheel, one of
the main developers responsible for Dubai's rapid growth in recent
years, has been laying off employees and canceling projects as the
economic downturn takes a toll on the once high-flying city.
Nakheel bought the retiring QE2 from Cunard for about $100 million.
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