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Powerful Hurricane Rick scatters cruise
ships heading to Mexico
A powerful Hurricane Rick is forcing cruise ships
heading to Mexico to change course as it barrels northward toward
Cabo San Lucas.
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The Carnival Splendor, which departed Long
Beach, Calif., on Sunday, will make an unexpected call in Ensenada
today instead of steaming southward toward the area of the storm. The 3,006-passenger
ship will visit Puerto Vallarta on Thursday and Cabo San Lucas on
Friday. A call in Mazatlan has been canceled.
The Carnival Spirit, which departed San
Diego on Sunday, is delaying a port call in Acapulco scheduled for
Wednesday to avoid crossing the storm's path. The 2,124-passenger
vessel instead will visit Acapulco on Thursday, and a call scheduled
for Thursday in Zijutanejo/Ixtapa has been canceled. The Spirit will
visit Manzanillo on Friday as scheduled and also make an unplanned
stop in Long Beach, Calif., on Oct. 25.
The Sapphire Princess, which departed Los
Angeles on Saturday, is heading north to San Francisco to avoid the
storm. The 2,670-passenger ship will spend the week visiting San
Francisco, Catalina Island, San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico instead of
a scheduled itinerary that included calls in Puerto Vallarta,
Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.
For more details CLICK
HERE
Carnival To Charge For Transfers
Effective October 3, 2009, roundtrip transfer
service will no longer be included in the Fly Aweigh air supplement
rates. Transfers will be available at an additional cost and
can be added to any Fly Aweigh booking. Transfers can be
purchased on a one-way or roundtrip basis.
This new option will ensure that our Fly Aweigh
rates are more competitive with other air fare options available in
the market. In addition, our transfers are very affordable,
easy to book and a convenient option for our guests.
Fly Aweigh guests booked prior to October 3, 2009
will be provided transfers.
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Carnival Ecstasy & Carnival Fascination
To Be Refurbished
We are very pleased to announce that the
Carnival Ecstasy and Carnival Fascination will undergo
multi-million-dollar renovations that include the addition of an
expansive new water park, an adults-only retreat, a new Circle
“C” facility for 12- to 14-year olds and a tropical-themed
redesigned main pool area, as well as 98 balconies added to existing
ocean view staterooms. |
Carnival Ecstasy will undergo refurbishment
during a 28-day dry dock that will be completed in October 2009 and
the Carnival Fascination will be refurbished in January 2010.
A signature element of the Fantasy-class upgrades
is Carnival WaterWorks, a fun-filled aqua park located on Verandah
Deck. It encompasses a 300-foot-long twisting, turning water slide
along with dual-lane 82-foot-long racing slides and a Splash Zone. In
addition, the main pool on Lido Deck will be totally transformed to
feature a distinct resort-style ambiance. Vibrant oversized
umbrellas, thatched roofing and colorful tile work will create a
decidedly tropical feel.
Carnival Ecstasy operates year-round four- and
five-day western Caribbean cruises from Galveston, Texas and the
Carnival Fascination offers four-and five-day cruises from
Jacksonville, Fla.
Court
papers recount drama of murder on Carnival cruise ship
The California
man accused of murdering his wife on a Carnival cruise ship this
summer had gotten "extremely intoxicated" in the hours
leading up to the incident, according to documents filed in federal court.
The San Diego
Union Tribune today reports court papers filed by prosecutors and
defense attorneys say Robert John McGill, 55, of Los Angeles and his
wife, Shirley, had gone drinking on July 14 with another couple
during a port call in Cabo San Lucas.
Just a few
hours later Shirley McGill was found dead in a pool of blood in the
couple's cabin on the 2,056-passenger Carnival Elation. The ship was
on a cruise to Mexico out of San Diego.
The Union
Tribune, citing court papers, says Shirley McGill's body was
discovered after the other couple became worried about her. The
couple allegedly had found McGill sitting on one of the ship's decks,
smoking a cigar, with a bleeding hand. When they asked about his
wife, he allegedly told them that she was "not OK," and
later that she was dead.
“She's
dead. I killed her,” McGill allegedly said, according to court
papers quoted in the Union Tribune. The news outlet says McGill also
allegedly later confessed to the ship's doctor, chief security
officer and captain, as well as the FBI.
McGill
allegedly said he didn't know why he did it, telling one Carnival
staffer that "life is a mystery." He's pleaded not guilty
to a charge of second degree murder.
The next
major cruise ship hub will be in ... Detroit?
Could Detroit
become a major cruise ship hub? That's the idea, say government
officials who visited the down-on-its-luck city Monday to talk up a
taxpayer-funded waterfront development.
The Detroit
Free Press reports that U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and
other leaders painted a vision of Detroit developing as a Midwest
cruise ship capital.
LaHood and
other politicians toured a $21 million port facility taking shape on
the Detroit River that is being partly funded with federal stimulus
funds. The facility will include a dock for cruise ships and water
taxis as well as a new customs facility. It's expected to be finished
in late 2010.
Strike
at Falmouth Halts Work on New Pier
Workers
building the long-delayed pier at Falmouth, Jamaica that will
accommodate Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas have gone on strike
and walked off the job yesterday.
The pier is,
of course, essential for Oasis of the Seas to be able to call at the
new Jamaican port.
Storm
Damages/Delays Brilliance of the Seas
A
Mediterranean storm blew out three stateroom windows and caused
damage to 26 staterooms aboard Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the
Seas, delaying the ship's next cruise from Barcelona this week.
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Boarding in Style
Work is nearing completion on Port Everglades' drastically-expanded
Terminal 18, which was purpose-built to accommodate Oasis of the Seas
and its sister, Allure of the Seas.
Because of their size, the Oasis-class vessels require some special
facilities, and one of those (actually two) installed at Terminal 18
are the FMT switch-back Mobile Elevating Gangways. |
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