Packing for a Worry-Free Cruise Holiday

Cruise season is here again and there's nothing like a seemingly-endless parade of glistening cruise ships visiting ports all around Australia to prompt travellers to consider a cruise holiday.

For the first time cruiser, the thought of packing enough different outfits to last an entire holiday is always a major concern, so the International Cruise Council Australasia has come up with a simple guide to make cruise holiday packing that little bit easier.

General Manager Brett Jardine said the best way to ensure Australian travellers chose the cruise line to suit their lifestyle would be to first speak with a cruise expert, such as an ICCA-accredited travel agent.

"When you know you've picked the right ship and the right destination for you to enjoy a great holiday, everything else will fall into place," Mr Jardine said.

The first thing people think about is what to wear on board ships. Usually the dress code during the day is comfortable and casual so t-shirts and shorts, skirts and sun dresses teamed with sneakers, thongs and sandals are all good options. But note that swimmers and sarongs are fine around the pool but not in public or dining areas anywhere around the ship.

At night, most cruise lines offer a mix of formal, semi-formal and casual nights throughout a cruise with your average week-long cruise including at least two formal nights (usually on sea days), a couple of cocktail evenings and the rest smart casual.

Evening dress codes usually apply to restaurants and public areas from about 6pm but for those who don't enjoy formal nights, passengers can usually choose to dine in the more casual buffet alternative.

Double check the dress code information the cruise line sends with the tickets – it's the best way to ensure packing appropriately.

Apart from your wardrobe, there are a few other essential items:

• Passport with at least six months' validity after your return and any destination visas
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• Sufficient quantities of any medications you may need – these may be unavailable onboard
• Sunglasses, hats and sunscreen
• A camera for all those happy snaps as well as any cables you need to download shots onto Facebook to update family and friends
• Laptops or iPads – most ships have wi-fi connectivity to make staying in touch easier
• A good book or two – and there's always extras at the onboard library
• Any sporting equipment you can't cruise without – such as snorkelling gear in the tropics, you can often hire these onboard but it can be easier to carry your own.

A great final tip is to check the type of electrical plugs used on board – there's nothing worse than a camera that can't be charged without a US or European adaptor plug!

The International Cruise Council Australasia is a not-for-profit organisation formed in 1996, committed to training travel consultants and raising consumer awareness of cruising.

Tauck Sees Huge Growth in French River Cruising

Company's Bookings Jump 137% in Two Years as it Adds Ships and Itineraries on the Rhone, Seine and Saône

When Tauck's ms Swiss Emerald sailed on the company's first-ever departure of its new Rhone River family river cruise earlier this month, it was just the latest milestone in Tauck's rapidly increasing presence in French river cruising.  Although the Connecticut-based company (recently named the "World's Best River Cruise Line" by the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine) has only been operating on France's rivers for three years, it has already chalked up some impressive growth statistics.
 
Since its debut on the Rhone in 2011, Tauck's French river cruise bookings have increased 137%, and the company has gone from zero itineraries in France in 2010 to a total of seven for its 2014 operating season, including three popular specialty cruises for families, food lovers, and art aficionados.  The company will also deploy its ms Swiss Sapphire to sail on two new itineraries on the Seine next year, doubling the number of ships it has in France.  (The newly refurbished ms Swiss Emerald will continue to sail on the Rhone and the Saône.)  Tauck's success in France shows no sign of slowing, with pre-season bookings up more than 650% over the same time last year, and up nearly 1,300% over this same point just two years ago.
 
TWO NEW ITINERARIES ON THE SEINE
Helping fuel Tauck's incredible growth in preseason bookings are two new-for-2014 itineraries on the Seine.  The new "Cruising the Seine Plus Versailles, Paris & London" (from $6,790 per person, plus airfare) is a comprehensive two-week journey that begins with an included two-night stay in London at the landmark Savoy, featuring guided sightseeing plus a Tauck-exclusive lecture by Winston Churchill's biographer and granddaughter Celia Sandys.  After travelling via high-speed train beneath the English Channel to Calais, guests will board the ms Swiss Sapphire in Caudubec-en-Caux for a nine-day cruise along the Seine.
 
Highlights along the Seine will include an excursion to Normandy's D-Day beaches, an exclusive dinner with music at a private chateau in Rouen, and private tastings of absinthe in the Absinthe Museum in Auvers-sur-Oise and Calvados at Chateau du Breuil, a distiller of the spirit since the 1500s.  The journey continues in Paris, where the ms Swiss Sapphire will dock for three nights as Tauck guests enjoy an in-depth exploration of the city with included sightseeing.  After disembarking in Paris, guests will have their choice of a guided exploration of the city's colorful Montmartre district, or a guided visit to Louis XIV's palace at Versailles.  The 14-day itinerary concludes with a two-night stay in Versailles at the Trianon Palace Versailles, a Waldorf Astoria property, highlighted by an exploration of the Chevreuse Valley and a visit to the 12th-century Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay.
 
Tauck's second new French itinerary, "Rendezvous on the Seine," (ten days from $4,590 per person, plus airfare) also begins with an included two-night stay in Paris, at the Hotel Pullman overlooking the Eiffel Tour.  A subsequent seven-day cruise on the Seine includes ports-of-call at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Giverney (where guests will visit the home and gardens of Impressionist painter Claude Monet), Vernon, Les Andelys and Rouen.  Highlights include a farm visit and tasting of local farm-to-table specialties in Étretat, a visit to the seaside town of Honfleur, a lecture on the events of D-Day followed by a tour of Normandy's iconic beaches, and guided visits to historic abbeys and chateaux.
 
THE NEWLY REFURBISHED MS SWISS EMERALD
Elsewhere in France, Tauck's Rhone and Saône River cruises will sail aboard the newly renovated ms Swiss Emerald.  Launched in 2006, the ship received a makeover earlier this year when its décor was enlivened with new carpeting, new upholstery, new bedding and other enhancements.  The Swiss Emerald is one of four Tauck vessels in its Jewel Class of riverboats, along with the ms Swiss Sapphire, ms Swiss Jewel and ms Treasures.
 
Two new and larger Tauck riverboats, the ms Inspire and ms Savor, are currently under construction.  Set to launch next year, the 443-foot newbuilds will together comprise Tauck's Inspiration Class of ships.  Each will have twenty-two 300 square foot suites (a third of all cabins), as well as thirty-two 225 square foot cabins.
 
Eight of those 225 square foot cabins will be located on the lower (Emerald) deck, and they will feature an innovative "loft" design with a raised platform seating area.  Each seating area will have a table with two chairs, plus a raised ceiling that allows the use of a much taller window than can normally be incorporated into cabins on a riverboat's lower deck.  The upper portion of this window can be opened for fresh air, and being taller, the window will allow far more natural light to fill the cabin for a much brighter and more airy ambiance than can typically be achieved in lower level cabins.

ALL 2014 TAUCK RIVER CRUISES NOW OPEN FOR BOOKING

Each of the 19 European river cruises in Tauck's 2014 portfolio (on the Danube, Rhône, Rhine, Seine, Moselle, Saône, Main and Maas rivers) is now open for booking, and departure dates, prices and a host of additional information are contained in the company's new 100-page 2014 river cruise brochure.  Tauck has also debuted an expanded and redesigned section of its website at www.tauck.com dedicated exclusively to river cruising.  The new micro-site contains details on Tauck's river cruise itineraries and ships, a collection of nine new videos, the latest Tauck river cruise news, guest message boards, and more.

Tauck is also expanding its river cruising outreach to the travel agent community with the appointment of Mary Murrin as the company's first Business Development Manager – River and Small Ship Cruising.  A Tauck Cruise Director aboard the company's riverboats for five years prior to assuming her new role, Murrin is a travel industry veteran who has also worked with Ritz-Carlton and in events management.  In her new position, Murrin will focus on agent and consumer education, represent Tauck at cruise-related conferences and other events, and help Tauck maintain its leadership position within the river and small ship ocean cruising segments.

 ABOUT TAUCK

Tauck is a world leader in upscale guided travel, with nearly 100 land and cruise itineraries to some 70 countries and all seven continents.  The company has been named to Travel + Leisure magazine's list of the "World's Best Tour Operators & Safari Outfitters" in each of the past 15 years, and it has also been named to the magazine's list of the "World's Best River Cruise Lines" in each of the past four years.

ABOUT TRAVEL THE WORLD

Travel the World has been providing discerning travellers with unique luxury experiences for over 30 years. From premium cruise holidays with the world's best cruise lines to enriching cultural tours and indulgently luxurious resorts, Travel the World offers an exciting range of travel options beyond the predictable. The company has established new benchmarks of excellence in travel-related services to the Australian travel industry and consumers since 1977.

For further information on TAUCK please contact Travel the World on 1300 950 622 or visit www.traveltheworld.com.au

Uniworld launches 2014 Asia brochure

Experience China, Vietnam and Cambodia by land and luxury river cruise

 

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection has released its 2014 Asia Boutique River Cruise and Tour brochure showcasing 11 to 18 day itineraries throughout China, Vietnam and Cambodia. Additionally, it introduces the 12-day Treasures of China & the Yangtze cruise/tour providing travellers with a new luxury option to discover the glories of China's history and culture.

 

John Molinaro, General Manager of Australia, said: "We're delighted to have our new brochure on the shelves.  Our itineraries include a combination of land touring and cruising the Yangtze and Mekong Rivers. Onboard the Century Paragon and Century Legend guests stay in Uniworld Signature Suites with private balconies. On land they'll enjoy five-star hotels such as the Sofitel and Ritz Carlton in Beijing, the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai and the Intercontinental Hanoi and Park Hyatt Saigon.

"As with our European cruises, the culinary experience is key and the combination of cruising and city touring means we can incorporate special regionally-themed meals from a dim sum lunch in Shanghai, traditional dumpling and Tang Dynasty dinner in Xi'an, family-hosted lunch in a Beijing hutong and of course Beijing's signature Peking duck. In Cambodia a real highlight is the Apsara dance show accompanied by a traditional Cambodian meal.

 

"The Mekong and Yangtze are the lifeblood of these regions and our shore excursions provide guests an opportunity to see what life is like along the rivers. During the Mekong River cruise, guests can take a sampan among traditional floating markets to a village and fish farm while shore excursions along the Yangtze River include a smaller riverboat cruise to the exceptionally beautiful Lesser Gorges and visit to the landmark Shibao Pagoda. Of course there is also plenty of time just to relax on the sun deck and just watch as the scenery floats by" said Mr Molinaro.

 

River Orchid

• Guests on Timeless Wonders of Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong will navigate the Mekong on the French colonial River Orchid. With accommodation for 58 guests, the intimate ship provides an up close view of life along the river. Staterooms are designed with French doors that open to a shared promenade. Public areas include a panoramic restaurant, lecture and movie room, sun deck with full-service bar, and spa for massage treatments.

 

Pay in Full and Early Bird Savings

• Uniworld is currently offering Pay in Full savings of up to $1200 per couple on 2014 Asia cruises, valid until 31 October, 2013.
• Early Booking savings of up to $600 per couple are also available to guests who book 2014, simply book and pay a deposit at the time of reservation. Offer valid until 15 January, 2014.

 

Itinerary highlights

• NEW 12-day Treasures of China & the Yangtze – Shanghai to Beijing. Priced from $4290 per person twin share, cruise/tour. Sample China's top sights from Shanghai, Xi'an and Beijing as well as the Yangtze.  Price includes 4-night Yangtze River cruise and 7 nights in centrally located luxury hotels, all transportation throughout the trip, many meals, 10 days of fully escorted excursions with English-speaking local experts, the services of a Uniworld Cruise/Tour Manager and all transfers on arrival and departure days.
• 18-day Grand China & the Yangtze – Beijing to Hong Kong. Priced from $6465 per person twin share, cruise/tour. Discover both old and new China on this comprehensive journey to Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Hong Kong and the Yangtze. Price includes 4-night Yangtze River cruise and 13 nights in centrally located luxury hotels, all transportation throughout the trip, many meals, 16 days of fully escorted excursions with English-speaking local experts, the services of a Uniworld Cruise/Tour Manager and all transfers on arrival and departure days.
• 15-day Timeless Wonders of Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong – Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. Priced from $5614 per person twin share, cruise/tour. Experience the contrasts of Southeast Asia from the ancient Angkor Wat to the lively cities and floating villages of the Mekong. Price includes 7-night

Mekong River cruise onboard the River Orchid and 7 nights in deluxe hotels, all transportation throughout the trip, many meals, complimentary wine and beer with all dinners throughout the cruise, 12 days of fully escorted excursions with English-speaking local experts, the services of a Uniworld Cruise/Tour Manager and all transfers on arrival and departure days.

 

For more information visit www.uniworldcruises.com.au or call (02) 9028 5199.

Acclaimed Travel Expert Valerie Wilson Christens the Amaprima

APT and partner AmaWaterways Celebrate their Newest European Ship in Vilshofen, Germany

Award-winning river cruise lines APT and AmaWaterways celebrated the christening of their newest ship in Vilshofen, Germany, yesterday, amid great fanfare provided by dancers, singers, musicians, stilt walkers and other local performers. The highlight of the event was the traditional christening of the Amaprima by its honorary godmother, Valerie Wilson, founder, chairman and CEO of New York City-based Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc.

Wilson christened the AmaPrima in the time-honored tradition, breaking a bottle of Champagne against the ship's hull. Amid a chorus of cheers and applause, doves were released into the sky as the Vilshofen Fire Department sprayed a plume of water high over the river.

Other highlights included a special blessing of the ship by a local pastor, songs by soprano Heidlinde Schmid and an Indiana Jones-like whipcracking demonstration (a Bavarian tradition). Children from a folkloric club preformed traditional dances and presented the Vilsofhen flag to the AmaPrima's captain, Jan de Bruin, who also signed the town's ceremonial "Golden Book" along with other VIPs in attendance.

The tradition of christening a ship originated more than 4,000 years ago. A respected and well-known woman is selected to serve as a new ship's honorary "godmother," entrusted with blessing the vessel to ensure the safety of its passengers and crew. The Amaprima's godmother, Valerie Wilson, heads one of the largest privately owned and family-managed travel agencies in the United States. She has been honored with many prestigious awards, serves on numerous advisory boards and has shared her expertise with readers of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Town & Country and Travel + Leisure, among others. She is also the author of "Valerie Wilson's World…The Top Hotels & Resorts."

One of APT's Concerto class river ships, the Amaprima, a sister ship to the award-winning Amacerto (2012), is a deluxe 164-feet passenger vessel that incorporates such innovative design features as Twin Balconies (an APT and AmaWaterways exclusive) and spacious staterooms that measure up to 350 sq. feet. Guests also enjoy Chaîne des Rôtisseurs culinary creations with unlimited fine wine and beer, a choice of dining venues, a heated pool with swim-up bar, massage and beauty salon, fitness studio, and complimentary in-room Internet, Infotainment and Wi-Fi. The Amaprima even carries a fleet of bicycles on board so guests can enjoy Europe's picturesque riverside bike paths on their own.

The Amaprima will serve the Dutch and Belgium Waterways and the Danube and Rhine Rivers on 10 itineraries: Tulip Time Cruise; The Romantic Danube; Melodies of the Danube; The Legendary Danube; Blue Danube Discovery; Black Sea Voyage; Magnificent Europe; Grand Danube Cruise; Christmas Time Cruise; and Great Capitals & Vintages of the Danube.

To book an APT River Cruise onboard the Amaprima in 2014 call 1300 278 278, see www.aptouring.com.au or contact your local travel agent.

Royal Caribbean milestones for new ships

Excitement was palpable at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, earlier as Royal Caribbean International marked two important milestones in the development of its Quantum class of ships.

Quantum of the Seas, scheduled to be delivered in the autumn of 2014, received its first block as the keel was officially lowered and put into place. In conjunction, Anthem of the Seas, Quantum's sister-ship, had its first piece of steel cut, signalling the first step in the ship's construction.

"Today is a very special day in the development of our new Quantum class, as we are now two steps closer to delighting guests around the world with Quantum cruising," said Adam Goldstein, president, Royal Caribbean International.

"It's incredibly rewarding to see Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas coming together so well, and today we not only honour these two very important milestones, but also recognise the years of hard work and dedication from the team developing these ships." 

The keel laying marks an important milestone in the development of Quantum of the Seas as it signifies the beginning of the ship's physical construction.

During the ceremony, a 430-ton block measuring 59-ft by 75-ft was lifted into the building dock with an 800-ton crane.

Newly minted coins were placed under the keel which then stays in place until the end of construction.

Once the ship is nearing completion the coins are retrieved and presented to the ship's Captain and crew to be placed onboard the ship.

According to maritime tradition, the coins are said to bring luck to the ship during its construction and then to its Captain and crew when out to sea.

The groundbreaking Quantum class ships will debut new unprecedented features, such as RipCord by iFLY, the first skydiving experience at sea; the North Star, an engineering marvel that transports guests more than 300 feet above the ocean; transformative venues, such as The Sea-Plex, the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea with bumper cars, roller skating and more; and the cruise line's largest and most advanced staterooms ever, including the industry's first-ever Virtual Balcony staterooms, which offer expansive, real-time views of the ocean and exciting destinations for interior staterooms.

The Quantum class will debut in autumn 2014 with Quantum of the Seas, followed by her sister-ship Anthem of the Seas in spring 2015. 

Quantum ships span 16 decks, encompass 167,800 gross registered tons, carry 4,180 guests at double occupancy and feature 2,090 staterooms.

Rockefeller Tries To Tax Cruise Lines – Other Cruise News: Cruise Naysayers – Work Under Way on AIDA Sisters In Japan

 by Kevin Griffin

Sometimes there seem to be endless negative voices braying about the big, bad cruise lines and all the wrongs they do. But a quick investigation by The Cruise Examiner finds that this rump adds up to only two or three people, a senator, a university professor and a lawyer. In today’s lead story, we look at how that senator is trying to tax foreign-incorporated cruise lines trading from the United States, while in a follow-up story we look at the naysayers of the industry. Finally, we take a peek preview at two new ships now being built for AIDA Cruises of Germany by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

THIS WEEK’S STORY

Rockefeller Tries To Tax Cruise Lines

In filing a new bill last week that has the intention of taxing foreign-incorporated cruise lines that trade from and to US ports, Senator John D (Jay) Rockefeller IV of West Virginia made a case that lines should pay taxes as they benefit from the resources of the US Navy and US Coast Guard, as well as from the services of more than twenty US agencies and the infrastructure of ports and transportation. Rockefeller is the chair of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation.

Many of the largest cruise lines in the world are now headquartered in Miami, but incorporated overseas, meaning that they are not subject to US federal income tax because of an exemption in the tax code. This exemption was granted on the assumption that non-US corporations would pay tax on their international income in their home countries.

Of the big three, for example, Carnival Corp & plc is incorporated in Panama, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd in Liberia and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in Bermuda.

On Thursday, Rockefeller introduced a bill that would eliminate this income tax exemption for cruise lines and also impose a 5% excise tax on gross income if passengers embark or disembark in the US. The Rockefeller bill seeks to apply tax to cruise line income derived from cruises that embark or disembark passengers in the US. This income would be treated as subject to the US corporate income tax rate of 35%.

In addition to charging income tax, Rockefeller proposes a 5% excise tax on cruise industry income, which would be used to fund transportation infrastructure. The bill would impose excise tax on gross income from cruises embarking or disembarking passengers in the US. For cruises where a majority of passengers embark or disembark in the US, the full gross income from that voyage would be subject to excise tax.

For cruises that call at a US port, but do not embark or disembark a majority of the passengers in the US, half of the gross income would be subject to excise tax. According to Senator Rockefeller, his excise tax would be similar to passenger taxes in the aviation industry and gas tax for motor vehicles.

In a statement last week, Carnival Corp & PLC said that it pays nearly $1.2 billion to US federal, state and local agencies including port authority payments, government fees, dockage fees and payroll taxes. It also is subject to taxes and/or fees based on the guest counts, ship tonnage, ship capacity or some other measurement in “virtually all”port jurisdictions where its ships now call.

The way the bill reads, not only would cruises operating to and from US ports be subject to the excise tax, but so would ship operators from around the world when their ships call in the US. With the devices of Homeland Security and the Cruise Vessel Security & Safety Act of 2010 (“the peepholes act”) having already prompted about half of visiting foreign cruise ships to drop their calls in the US in recent years, it is likely that the other half will now look at joining them if no way can be found of avoiding this new levy.

After nearly thirty years in the Senate, Rockefeller is standing down from his seat and will not be running in the 2014 election. This will be none to soon for many, who regard Rockefeller’s recent efforts to give the US Department of Transportation oversight of the cruise lines as an unnecessary folly and a bureaucratic step too far.

OTHER CRUISE NEWS

Cruise Naysayers

There’s no doubt about it. We’re already there. We’ve gone past the barrier and hardly anyone has noticed, but a cruise is no longer desirable for all the public. To many, the ships have now got too large and too impersonal. But luckily, the market has also grown so much that there is a larger choice of cruises available than ever. Admittedly, some cruisers do not like big ships, but plenty of alternatives still remain.

Sadly, though, unlike in the past, some say they do not want to cruise again..

This first signs of pushback started when ships started getting bigger. The first 100,000-tonner was introduced seventeen years ago now when Lin Arison named the Carnival Destiny at Venice in 1996.

Carnival Destiny moored at Riva Sette Martiri,
Venice – October 1996 (Photo Stefano Fermi)

And the Grand Princess followed in 1997. These first 100,000-tonners brought real economies of scale to cruising but were not yet that different from the modern cruise ships that had preceded them. Ironically, the Carnival Destiny has just been rebuilt as the Carnival Sunshine and Lin Arison, widow of the late Ted Arison, will once again perform the honours.

It was really the arrival of the 1,000-footers that began to change the nature of cruising. The first, Royal Caribbean’s 1,020-foot Voyager of the Seas, of 1999, brought us a Royal Promenade, rock climbing walls and ice-skating. And in recent years, the trade has been deluged with bigger and bigger ships, culminating in 2009-10 in the 5,408-lower-berth Oasis and Allure of the Seas, which can carry 6,360 passengers when all beds are full.

It is now also possible to go surfing on board and to be visited by Shrek, the appearance of whom has probably also scared a good number of adult cruisers away from these ships as well.

Royal Caribbean now stand out as the builder of behemoths, giants and leviathans, now having produced ten ships in three different classes that carry more than 3,000 passengers since the Voyager of the Seas, plus planning three new ships of the Quantum class (4,180 passengers) and another Oasis. The interesting thing about these ships is that they are able to attract the custom, and they are able to do so at prices above the average.

Norwegian Cruise Line, on the other hand, has added a lot of extras too, but with its Freestyle Cruising, started in 2001, it has also been able to charge extra for many if not most of its alternative restaurants. In fact, Norwegian is probably better known than most other lines as a line where you will pay end up paying more for on board spend than on some others.

But while not all may like larger ships, the truth is that by the general public has welcomed these additional entertainment options and alternative restaurants. And, in the end, the real negativity is coming from sources outside the industry.

The first real negativity came about a dozen years ago now from a strange source, in the form of Ross Klein, a university professor in social work from Newfoundland. Just how many in this Canadian province of 515,000 actually take a cruise each year we don’t know, but Klein is not a Newfoundlander.

Although he had arrived in Newfoundland before he started his criticism of the industry, he had held junior teaching positions at Yeshiva University in New York, Syracuse University, Iowa State, State University of New York and Skidmore College before he became a professor at Memorial University in St John’s. And he has degrees from Arizona State University, the University of Maryland and Syracuse University.

Not long after arriving in Newfoundland, Klein started making a reputation for himself. In quick succession, he published four tomes on cruising.

In 2001, it was “Death by Chocolate: What You Must Know Before Taking a Cruise,” in 2003, “Cruise Ship Blues: The Underside of the Cruise Industry,” in 2005, “Cruise Ship Squeeze: The New Pirates of the Seven Seas” and in 2008 “Paradise Lost at Sea: Rethinking Cruise Vacations.”

The man has made a veritable industry out of making money from books that criticize the cruising industry and in getting himself hired as some sort of “expert,” especially at hearings convened by one Senator Rockefeller.

Indeed, Klein has made himself into such a celebrity that he maintains his own website at www.cruisejunkie.com, where one can find just about anything critical of the cruise industry. One of his speaking engagements biographies says, “as an outspoken critic of the industry, Klein’s is a unique voice,” but one must wonder why it is so unique.

Todd de Haven, in an open letter to “Cruise Mates” written in 2006, came up with his own theory:

“I believe … I may have found what ultimately could be the reason behind Klein’s crusade and if I’m correct, the reason is for me at least, incomprehensible. The start of his campaign against the cruise industry appears to correlate with the same time frame he received what he felt to be an unsatisfactory response to a complaint he made to an upscale cruise line about his perceived ill treatment by a bartender.”

Meanwhile, in 2005, another author no one had even heard of before, Kristoffer Garin, joined Klein, when he published an entertaining volume entitled “Devils on the Deep Blue Sea: The Dreams, Schemes, and Showdowns That Built America’s Cruise-Ship Empires.”

While sensational, Garin’s book carries a good story about the mergers and acquisitions activities of these lines. Washington-based Garin, now an investment banker, also co-authored the New York Times bestseller“Win Forever: Live, Work and Play Like a Champion” in 2010 with Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. But having written his first tome on cruising, although he has also written occasionally for Conde Nast Traveler, he does not seem to have returned to the cruising theme.

To its credit, Garin’s “Devils on the Deep Blue Sea” makes a very good read if you’re interested in boardroom shenanigans at the cruise lines during their various takeover attempts. And rather than lecturing in social work, Garin actually served as a petty officer in the Royal Norwegian Navy between 1997 and 1999.

Another frequent source of negative comment on the North American cruise industry is Walker & O’Neill, a firm of Miami lawyers who make their crust making claims against cruise lines on behalf of passengers and cruise ship crew members. Jim Walker even runs a website called “Cruise Law News” and is often to be seen being interviewed on US television. But one can hardly hold it against a lawyer that he tried to make a name for himself in order to maximize his fee billings.

More recently, in January of this year, came a company called Un-Cruise Adventures, really an amalgam of two previous lines called American Safari Cruises and InnerSea Discoveries. But this renaming was really aimed at conveying the line’s unique style of exploration cruising. And they were not the first to use this theme.

SeaDream Yacht Club had started using the tagline “it’s yachting not cruising” almost a decade before. These are hardly naysayers, however, but companies with products that they want to differentiate from mass market cruising.

Despite all this negativity that comes from only a couple of individuals, cruising is still an industry that is growing from strength to strength, mainly now in Europe and Asia. One can only hope that once Europe pulls into its full stride and becomes a mature market, we will not have naysayers like Senator Rockefeller and Ross Klein running their own sort of circus.

Neither has ever worked in the industry and it is actually rather unsightly, even to some fellow senators, to see the two of them gang up together in senate hearing after senate hearing.

Work Under Way on AIDA Sisters In Japan

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) has begun construction at its Nagasaki Shipyard of the first of two new-generation 124,500-ton cruise ships for AIDA Cruises, the German arm of Carnival Corp & plc. The two new ships, which will incorporate an array of new environmental technologies, are scheduled for delivery in March 2015 and March 2016

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) has begun construction at its Nagasaki Shipyard of the first of two new-generation 124,500-ton cruise ships for AIDA Cruises, the German arm of Carnival Corp & plc.

The two new ships, which will incorporate an array of new environmental technologies, are scheduled for delivery in March 2015 and March 2016.

The keel-laying ceremony to mark the occasion was recently attended by owner’s representatives including Pier Luigi Foschi, chairman of Costa Group, Michael Thamm, CEO of the Costa Group, Michael Ungerer, president of AIDA Cruises; and chairman Hideaki Omiya from MHI. The new ship will be the first of two vessels ordered by AIDA, each able to carry around 3,300 passengers capacity– and the largest ships ever for AIDA Cruises.

The order for the two follows the two highly successful 116,000-ton ships, Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess, built for Princess Cruises in 2004.

Sapphire Princess in Seattle

The new ships will incorporate all the various features to enable provision of AIDA’s unique style of cruising experience. Among the features already selected for installation is MHI’s proprietary technology to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through use of a layer of air bubbles along the vessel’s bottom.

This is expected to reduce fuel consumption by about 7%.

From the outside, however, the most interesting point is that the ship is introducing an entirely new form of bow for cruise ships. Instead of the usual clipper-style bow, it will consist of a form of inverted X-bow now common in new offshore vessels. The new bow is more efficient and provides seakeeping abilities equal or greater than a traditional bow.

It will also cause less stress and wear on the vessel as it slices through heavy seas instead of trying to part them and push them aside.

(Kevin Griffin is managing director of specialist cruise agency The Cruise People Ltd in London, England. For further information concerning cruises mentioned in this article readers can visit his blog)

HAL's Statendam rescues stranded passengers in Alaska

file image of vessel Baranof Wind

source: eGlobal Travel Media

Holland America Line’s ms Statendam has picked up 103 people from a sightseeing boat wallowing without power in frigid seas near an Alaskan glacier. Another Holland America Line cruise liner rescued passengers from the same sightseeing boat a year ago.

While leaving from Margerie Glacier to depart Glacier Bay on Friday, Statendam received a call for assistance from the 24-metre sightseeing vessel Baranof Wind. Mechanical troubles had cut all power on the Baranof Wind in the ice near John Hopkins Glacier.

Statendam lowered two tenders, which collected 102 tourists and one Glacier Bay National Park ranger, bringing them back to the ship, a company statement said. A Glacier Bay National Park ranger aboard Statendam helped coordinate the assistance from the ship’s bridge.

The sightseers were taken in the evening to Bartlett Cove, where the Baranof Wind’s excursion originated. Statendam then sailed for Seward, Alaska, where it is expected to arrive on schedule today.

“Statendam’s Captain Jochem Bakker and his crew responded quickly and professionally to assist the passengers of Baranof Wind,” said Richard Meadows, executive vice president marketing, sales and guest programs for Holland America Line. “We are proud of our officers and crew.”

Almost exactly a year ago, Baranof Wind, described as a high-speed catamaran, ran aground in Glacier Bay with 72 passengers aboard. It was on a day-time sightseeing trip that time, when it struck a rock, a report said.

On that occasion, Holland America Line’s ms Volendam was one of the first to arrive on the scene. Crew helped transfer passengers from the Baranof Wind to the Volendam, taking them to Bartlett Cove where they were transferred to Juneau by another vessel. The Baranof Wind was later towed back to port.

The US Coast Guard launched an investigation into the August 2012 incident and will no doubt investigate the latest episode as well.

Written by Peter Needham