Southwest Airlines and AirTran to Merge

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly says it’s “absolutely imperative” for his carrier to complete its planned merger with AirTran, according to various news stories today.  

Kelly’s comments came in testimony to the Senate Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights subcommittee during a Friday hearing in suburban Milwaukee.  The hearing was requested by Sen. Herb Kohl (D., Wis.), who acknowledged concerns about how the merger would affect competition in his state.  If the merger is successful, the “new” Southwest would likely become the top carrier at General Mitchell International Airport, Milwaukee Wisconsin’s busiest airport.

The creation of an even bigger Southwest Airlines that reaches into every major and secondary air travel market in the U.S. is not good news for its competitors.  Not only will the nation’s leading discount carrier grow by about 25% overnight with its acquisition of AirTran, it will gain or broaden access at a number of airports, including New York’s LaGuardia and Washington’s Reagan National airports, where carriers traditionally charge premium fares.

Southwest’s deal to buy AirTran is not likely to run into trouble with government regulators on antitrust grounds, analysts say. The Justice Department approved both the United-Continental merger and the Delta-Northwest merger with ease.

My Review of the Carnival Spirit

This was my 2nd cruise on Carnival and 12th cruise overall.  This cruise was an 8-day Mexico Riviera cruise round trip out of San Diego, CA.  I cruised solo on this cruise, as part of a travel agent FAM trip. 

Embarkation

I flew into San Diego the morning of the cruise.  I normally fly in to the departure city the day before, but since I was solo and the weather not usually an issue at this time of the year, I chanced it and just flew in on departure day.  No problems as I arrived at around 10:30 am and took a very short taxi ride to the pier.  Getting onto the ship was a bit of an adventure.  Because my taxi dropped me off outside the pier, I had a 15 minute wait in line to show my ID and Carnival boarding pass just to get on the pier.  After getting through the initial security, I had to wait in line again to drop off my bags to a luggage porter.  I then had to wait in line again and show my ID and Carnival boarding pass just to get into the building to check-in.  After this security line, as soon as I got into the building, there was a holding area and another line AGAIN for an ID and boarding pass check just to get access to the metal detectors and security which was yet another line!  I have now passed through 5 lines, including 3 to check my ID and boarding pass.  I have now stood in line for over an hour and I haven’t even made it to the check-in line yet!  After my check-in, I had to wait for my “boarding zone” to be called.  It turned out to be 6 lines, 2 holding areas and an hour and a half from when I arrived at the pier at about 11 am to my stepping onto the ship.

The Ship

The Carnival Spirit was launched in 2001.  The Spirit is a very nice and elegant ship.  She’s kind of a dark ship  with mostly dark brown and wood paneling like walls with not a lot of interior lighting.   The main decks are #2, #3 and #9, they run the length of the ship and most every public area you will want are on these 3 decks.  The main dining room is in the aft portion of decks 2 & 3, so unlike some other Carnival ships where the main dining room is in the middle of the ship, you can move easily around the ship without needing to go up or down decks to get from one end to the other.  There are 3 major pools with hot tubs nearby on deck 9.  A nice sports area complete with jogging track, mini-golf course, and an enclosed basketball court.

The crew is very good at cleaning and maintaining the ship.  Everything was kept clean and well maintained on the ship.

The Cabin

I had a roomy ocean view stateroom on deck 1.  My cabin had a nice picture window, a comfy queen sized bed, and adequate closet space.  The bathroom was a typical shower only with a shower curtain, not doors.

The Staff

The staff was the highlight of the cruise with their service.  Our room steward and wait staff were great, and all the crew and staff did a good job.  I was very pleased with the staff onboard.

Dining

While I enjoyed the food, the one complaint I have is way too much sea food on the menu, and very little basic meat and potatoes or simple pasta dishes.  I used the lido buffet for breakfast and lunch, and enjoyed the service and food.

Ports-of-Call

This was a not a port intensive cruise.  This was an 8 day cruise with only 3 ports.  All 3 ports are being dropped from future Carnival itineraries for the time being.  The 1^st stop was Acapulco, Mexico.  I took a short, half-day tour called “City Tour”.  I got to see the famous cliff divers, then we were shown around the city with stops for shopping and picture taking.  The 2^nd stop was in Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa.    Here I had secured a day pass for the Club Med in Ixtapa and spent the day enjoying the pool, drink and food of the resort.  The last stop was in Manzanillo, Mexico.  I exited the ship and just walked around the shopping district for an hour or so.  All 3 ports have rated so low by past Carnival passengers, that Carnival is dropping all 3 in favor of future stops in Cabo, La Paz, and Puerto Vallarta.

Entertainment

I absolutely loved the entertainment venues on the ship.  I only took in 1 production show, and enjoyed it very much.  However, the best was the Punchliner Comedy Club.  Carnival has a dedicated comedy club and changed out the comedians during the port stops to keep the shows fresh.  The other entertainment venues were also very good, but I spent a vast majority of my entertainment time in the comedy club.

Disembarkation

I decided to use the self-disembarkation for this cruise since I only had 1 piece of luggage and I had an early flight out of San Diego.  It was very easy; I ate breakfast in the lido buffet, and then left the cabin at 8:30 am with my luggage.  We were delayed in being allowed to disembark due to some non-US passengers that failed to report to the main theater with their passports to clear immigration.  US passengers were cleared quickly electronically, so we did not have to stand in any lines and go through immigration.  After about a 45 minute delay, the final non-US passenger was cleared and we were finally allowed to disembark.  I walked off the ship and after turning in my US Customs form to the US Customs inspector, I grabbed a taxi at the pier and went to the airport for the flight home.

Overall

I would rate this cruise a 7.5 out of 10.  I really enjoyed the ship, the entertainment, the food and staff was great, however the 3 ports-of-call were not that great and I can see why Carnival is dropping them.  My only other complaint is the fact that Carnival fails to enforce the dress code onboard.  I saw passengers come into the dining room wearing sleeveless tank top t-shirts, cut off shorts, baseball caps and so on. I even saw one man come in the dining room wearing a bathrobe with no shirt and just shorts underneath one day at lunch! In the buffet, I saw numerous people just wearing swim suits. Many times I saw men walking around with no shirt on inside the ship, I mean really, inside the promenade, the lounges and casino, put a shirt on! I was really disappointed. I thought the Carnival Spirit was a beautiful ship with a fantastic crew and staff, but it really cries out for a better clientele in my opinion. That reason alone will probably mean this was my last cruise on Carnival, which is sad because I really loved the ship.

Review of my recent European cruise aboard the Voyager of the Seas!

This was our 9th cruise on Royal Caribbean and 3^rd cruise on a Voyager Class Ship.  This cruise was a 7-night Western Mediterranean cruise on the Voyager of the Seas sailing out of Barcelona, Spain. 

Pre-Cruise Stay

We flew into Barcelona, Spain arriving on Saturday morning.  We stayed for one night at the Renaissance Barcelona Airport Hotel.  We took a taxi tour of the tourist parts of the city, including Sigrada Familia and the Las Ramblas area.

Embarkation

We caught the hotel shuttle to the Port for 10 Euros per person at about noon, and arrived at the pier in about 20 minutes.  Since we are platinum members of the Crown and Anchor Society, we did not have to wait in the long check-in line, and we were through and onto the ship very quickly.  Our cabin was ready at 1pm, so we had a nice lunch in the Windjammer and then went to our cabin.

The Ship

The Voyager of the Seas was launched in 1999, and was the largest cruise ship afloat at that time.  Although she has since been surpassed as the largest cruise ship, she still maintains a huge presence.  This beautiful ship doesn’t show any age or wear at all.  The crew has done a spectacular job of keeping her immaculate and clean.  The ship has 2 main pools and 4 hot tubs in the main pool area, and an adult’s only area just forward of the main pool with its own pool and 2 large hot tubs.  There is also a hot tub in the spa as well.  There is a Royal Promenade with shops and a pub.  The sports deck has a 9-hole mini golf course, a roller blade track, a climbing wall and an enclosed basketball/volleyball court.  Studio B on deck 3 has an ice rink, and the ship sports 2 specialty restaurants; Johnny Rockets and Portofino’s.

The Cabin

We had a category D1 balcony on deck 10, aft.  Our cabin is what I would call a “secret cabin” on this class of ships.  Our cabin was on the starboard side aft in the corner.  This meant a slightly larger room and balcony due to the curve of the ship.  We had a nice queen size bed with a pillow top mattress, plenty of closet space and the standard size bathroom and shower.

The Staff

The staff was again the highlight of the cruise with their service.  Our room steward and wait staff were great, and all the crew and staff did a good job. 

Dining

We enjoyed the food, the dining room food was good and plentiful, and we really enjoyed the Windjammer and Island Grill buffet.  The best food we found was at Portofino’s specialty restaurant.  The food and service in Portofino’s was spectacular!  Mere words cannot do Portofino’s justice.

Ports-of-Call

This was a very port intensive cruise.  After our sea day, the 1^st stop was Naples, Italy.  In Naples we saw some sights in the city including the 13^th century castle next to the port.  We also had some pizza for lunch and after some shopping, met our afternoon excursion to see the ruins of Pompeii.  The 2^nd stop was Rome, and we took a full day excursion called “Imperial Rome”.  We visited numerous ruins including the Roman Forum and the Coliseum in the morning.  In the afternoon, we visited Vatican City.  The 3^rd stop was Livorno, Italy where we took a full day excursion to Florence to see the city and its renaissance art.  We also visited Pisa on our way back and saw the famous leaning tower.  The next stop was Villefrance, France where we went on a morning excursion to Monaco and Monte Carlo.  We saw the Palace of Prince Albert the 2^nd as well as the Grand Casino.  Our last stop was in Toulon, France where we opted to just visit the city of Toulon on our own for some French dining, shopping and visited a French Naval Museum.

Entertainment

We didn’t take in too many shows or entertainment venues this cruise.  We saw the 2 production shows and the Welcome Aboard show, that was all.  For the 1^st cruise ever, there were no comedians at all in any of the shows.  We liked the productions shows, the singers and dancers were very good.

Disembarkation

We decided to use the self-disembarkation for this cruise since we only had 1 piece of luggage for both of us.  It was very easy; we left our cabin at 8am with our luggage, ate in the open seating dining room, and then walked off the ship with no delays or problems.

 Overall

I would rate this cruise a 9 out of 10.  We really enjoyed the ship, the ports-of-call, the food and staff was great.  I wish we could’ve seen and used more venues on the ship, but the ports-of-call kept us very busy and tired us out almost every day.  We loved this cruise, our favorite so far!

Not Your Grandparent’s Cruise Anymore

The cruise industry has changed a lot since it began almost 40 years ago.  The modern cruise industry evolved from the transatlantic ocean liners of the past.  However, with the advent of the jet airplane, the transatlantic ocean crossing was quickly becoming a thing of the past as more and more people decided that a 9 hour flight was better than a 2 week sail.  Without the need to ferry passengers back and forth to and from Europe, the ocean liners were put into service as cruise ships, now ferrying people between Caribbean islands instead.  The 2 major cruise lines of today, Carnival Cruiseline and Royal Caribbean Cruiseline, began their service in the late 1960s, and have grown into the cruise industry giants we see today. 

Should you have taken a cruise back when the industry was beginning, you would not recognize the cruise experience if you took a cruise today.  Like any industry, the cruise industry has evolved and changed over the years.  The biggest changes have happened in just the past decade from my point of view.  The cruise industry really exploded with big growth in the mid to late 1990s, and many innovations were integrated into the industry and the cruise experience.  Those innovations really took hold in the 2000s and the result has been new and innovated ships and cruise experience.  I have listed the top 5 changes I have seen and how it has innovated the cruise experience.

1 – Ship Size

The ocean liners and cruise ships that were mainstay of the cruise industry beginning in the 1960s, were typically between 30,000 – 50,000 gross registered tons (GRT).  Royal Caribbean International (RCI) introduced the sovereign of the Seas with great fanfare in 1988 at just over 73,000 GRT and was, at that time, the largest cruise ship in the world.  Many thought cruise ships could get no larger, they were very mistaken!  The 1990s and 2000s saw the largest jump forward in cruise ship architecture.  Newly built cruise ships in the last 10 years are typically upwards of 100,000 – 160,000 + GRT.  RCI again shocked the cruise industry when in 2009 it introduced the Oasis of the Seas at a whopping 220,000 GRT!

2 – More Balconies

The old adage “Give the people what they want” never rang so true.  With the explosion of people wanting to cruise in the 1990s, came the desire for balcony staterooms.  Cruisers were demanding cabins with more room and a balcony, and the cruise lines responded.  Cruise ships built from the late 1990s and onward have been built with upwards of over 50% of the staterooms with a balcony.   Some ships built most recently have over 80% of their staterooms with a balcony!

3 – Healthy Lifestyle

It was believed by many that the only reason to cruise was to overeat.  Another old adage was that cruising was for “the overfed, newly wed, and the nearly dead”.  This old adage certainly does NOT ring true anymore.  in the past, the buffet line was filled with fattening foods and lots of calories, now the cruise lines have introduced healthy food alternatives and strived to rid their food offerings of trans fats.  Also, the gym onboard was a single room, deep in the bowels of the ship with few excercise options, modern cruise ships have huge gyms and spas with hundreds of treadmills, workout machines, lifting weights, and upper decks have running tracks and complete sports and activity areas, including basketball courts and roller blade tracks!

4 – Water Activities

The pool, the mainstay of the cruise experience for so many years.  The picture most used by a cruise line brochure would be of legions of cruisers relaxing around the single onboard pool.  The initial increase in ship size brought about an increase in the number of onboard pools.  The significant increase in ship size recently has meant new and innovative water parks onboard.  Carnival Cruiseline ships have multiple water slides onboard, and RCI’s newest ships have H2O water parks with water cannons, water falls and even flowrider surfing simulators!

5 – Alternative Dining Options

Norwegian Cruiseline (NCL) was the pioneer in what is probably the single most innovative change that has been made to the cruise industry.  Set dining times and dining rooms was the staple in the industry going back to ocean liners crossing the ocean well before the modern cruise industry was born.  NCL set the industry on its head with the introduction of “Freestyle” dining.  The traditional dining times and dress codes were thrown overboard, and cruisers had the option to eat at their own leisure and where they wanted.  Virtually all the modern cruise lines have now introduced some form of alternative dining options.

Thanks and happy travels to you and your family!

Review of my recent cruise on the Ruby Princess

This was my 1^st cruise on Princess after 9 cruises on RCI and 1 on Carnival.  This cruise was a 3-night Caribbean Sampler cruise on the Ruby Princess to the Princess Private Island in the Bahamas and back from Ft. Lauderdale.  However, due to winds and choppy waters, our stop in Princess Cays was cancelled and we spent the cruise onboard.

Embarkation

We flew into Ft. Lauderdale on Wednesday and stayed overnight in a local hotel near Port Everglades.  We caught the free shuttle to the Port about 11am and arrived at the pier about 11:20am.  We checked in, had a short wait in the terminal and were onboard about 11:45am.

The Ship

The Ruby Princess was launched by Princess in 2008, so we were on a ship less than 1 year old.  The Ruby Princess is an absolutely beautiful ship.  The best way to describe it is elegance.  The tile work, the art work and the metal work all throughout the ship was spectacular!  The public areas and lounges were spacious and nicely decorated.  The lounges in particular had great chairs and couches, very comfy.  There are 3 main pools, 2 in the center of the ship on deck 15, and the adults’ only pool in the aft portion of deck 14.  This ship has the large movie screen and the “Movies under the Stars” is not to be missed!

The Cabin

We had a category BB balcony on deck 14, midship.  A nice queen size bed and a huge closet in the room.  The larger closet did take away from the living space and the bathroom.  Just a toilet and standup shower.  The balcony itself was nice and fit 2 chairs and a table very easily.

The Staff

The staff was very courteous, although they didn’t seem to be inclined to enforce the rules like dress codes or keeping kids out of the adults’ only areas.  The wait staff and room steward did good jobs and we were happy with the bartenders, lounge staff, shore excursion and pursers personnel.

Dining

We enjoyed the food, the dining room food was good and plentiful, and we really enjoyed the Horizon Court buffet.  The best food we found was the Crown Grill.  The food and service in the Crown Grill was spectacular!  Mere words cannot do the Crown Grill justice.

Entertainment

The highlight of this cruise was the Cruise Director and her staff.  We didn’t go to the production show, but the comedian and magician were great.  The Movie under the Stars we really enjoyed, as they put nice red velvet coverings on the deck chairs, passed out free popcorn and cookies and milk.  The cruise director staff put on some great activities, including trivia, funny games shows like the “Liars Club” and other great activities.

Disembarkation

We decided to use the self-disembarkation for this cruise since we only had 1 piece of luggage for both of us.  We had our last breakfast in the dining room and walked off the ship without any delays or problems.

Overall

I would rate this cruise a 7.5 out of 10.  We really enjoyed the ship and the entertainment, the food and staff was good.  We are looking forward to taking a 7 night or longer cruise on Princess Cruises.

Cruiselines launch new “ChoiceAir” option for Cruise Passengers

Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Azamara Cruises announced the joint launch of ChoiceAir, a convenient new way for guests to purchase air transportation to and from their cruise. With ChoiceAir, guests will enjoy greater peace of mind; be able to select their preferred airline and a specific itinerary; and shop for the best prices among published fares and exclusive ChoiceAir specials.Unlike traditional programs, guests will know their airline itinerary as soon as they are ready to choose it, and – as with traditional air programs – there is a support team available to support guests before, during, and after they travel. ChoiceAir will be available to guests from the US and Canada beginning August 3, 2009.

“The new ChoiceAir is a best-in-class program that will provide guests with convenience, flexibility, value, and support when it comes to the air transportation portion of their vacation,” said Doug Santoni, senior vice president of revenue management, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “Our guests and our travel partners have told us they value the support we provide as part of our traditional air programs, but that they would also like a full choice of competitive air fares and schedules, and to be able to select their itinerary at the time they book their cruise. With ChoiceAir, we are responding to our customers’ wishes.”

 

Guests will be able to purchase ChoiceAir through a travel agent.  A cost of $15 per person for domestic and $25 per person for international air travel will apply to ChoiceAir bookings, and will include access to the ChoiceAir support desk, aid in cases of flight delays, and assistance in making alternative flight arrangements in the event of missed embarkation. Guests’ cruise and air arrangements will both be present in a single consolidated booking record, creating greater convenience for travel agents, who would no longer need to manage two separate and independent bookings.

Great Deals Making Summer Travel Very Affordable!

This summer’s travel outlook is looking much cheaper and easier for the summer vacation traveler.  Huge price cuts by hotels, resorts, airlines, car rental companies and cruiselines during the current weak economy are creating very affordable summer travel opportunities.   

Vacationers have suffered several years of summer frustrations, from airline delays and hassles to last year’s staggering oil-induced price rises. However this year, the “stay-cation” may be  a thing of the past because the outlook for summer travel is smoother and cheaper than in recent years.  Gone are the fuel surcharges and higher prices from last summer, along with the fantastic deals from travel providers looking to fill hotel rooms, airline seats, and cruise ship cabins making prices this summer much more affordable for the summer traveler in 2009.  The grounding of airplanes has eased congestion and led to easier trips, with planes running on time more often and lines at airports reduced.  To fill seats, airlines are cutting prices drastically, and shoppers are being picky about what they pay.

Another way to make your summer travel better are by scoring some significant upgrades.  Upgrades are much easier to get these days with frequent-flier miles because airlines aren’t selling the seats, and some business-class fare sales are significantly lower.  Cruiselines are also playing the “upgrade” game to get consumers back onto cruise ships.  I’ve seen cruiselines offering as much as 2 catagory upgrades and significant cash back to lure vacationers. 

Luxury hotels have been hit hardest and have seen the sharpest price reductions, with room rates much lower than last year in the latest weekly survey. To stem further price reductions, some hotels are trying specials like buy two nights, get a third night free, or specials on show tickets, theme-park admission, room upgrades, free breakfast and other free add-ons.

Experts say summer vacationers are focusing more on domestic destinations, with international bookings dropping more sharply. Flu outbreaks and household penny-pinching have led more Americans to travel closer to home.  Although, this year may be a very good time to go to Europe if you’ve ever wanted to visit Europe.  The dollar has regained some strength against the Euro and the British Pound, and crowds will likely be a bit smaller because of reduced intra-European travel and fewer inbound travelers from Asia, Russia and other places hit hard economically.

Two major cruise companies will be debuting new ships this year.  Carnival Corporation is debuting their new 130,000 ton Carnival Dream in September 2009.  And Royal Caribbean will sail their newest mega-ship, the 220,000 ton Oasis of the Seas in December 2009.  This increase in capacity will mean great deals from the cruiselines to fill these new ships, as well as their current fleet of mega-ships.  These great deals are likely to extend through the summer and last well into the fall and winter as the US economy recovers.

This summer’s travel is truly going to be a “buyers” market for those travelers looking for bargins.  A close watch of the fares and rates by the savvy traveler can mean significant savings and upgrades this year.  Enjoy and have safe travels this year!

Airlines, Cruiselines and Tour Operators Respond to Swine Flu Worries

Though the US has not issued any travel warnings related to the swine flu outbreak in Mexico, several of the major legacy airline carriers are responding to customer worries by waiving fees for passengers who want to change their tickets to Mexico.

Continental Airlines said it will allow passengers to reschedule or reroute their travel, without penalty, if they are scheduled to fly to Mexico through May 6.

American Airlines also is allowing customers to change their flights without penalty if they are flying to Mexico through May 6.

United Airlines is issuing a travel waiver to customers traveling to, from or through Mexico through May 6. The waiver allows travelers to make one change to their travel plans without change fees.

Delta Air Lines is waiving the change fee for customers traveling to Mexico through May 4. New travel must originate on or before May 12.

US Airways will waive the standard change fee, advance reservation and ticketing requirements for customers traveling to Mexico through April 30. Customers can move their itinerary up to seven days before or after the scheduled origination date, or apply the full value of the wholly unused tickets toward the purchase of a ticket to an alternate destination (new travel must originate within seven days of scheduled origination date).

Funjet, Apple Vacations and Travel Impressions all announced that they are working to accommodate US tourist with vacations booked to Mexico. 

The Ministry of Tourism and the Mexico Tourism Board issued a press statement to reassure travel agents and travelers that travel and tourism to Mexico continues to flow as usual and, as of now, there are no restrictions or travel alerts related to the Swine Flu.

As if the flu scare were not enough for Mexico tourism, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit central Mexico some 50 miles west of ACapulco and 130 south of Mexico City. The government said there were no immediate reports of deaths or major damage.

According to the Mexico Tourism Board, both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed that any American planning to visit Mexico, for leisure or business, can do so without any restrictions. According to the Web site of the Centers for Disease Control, the CDC has NOT recommended that people avoid travel to Mexico at this time. The CDC advises travelers to follow its recommendations to avoid the flu. Visit wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentSwineFluMexico.aspx and www.travel.state.gov.

With no reports of Swine Flu yet reported on cruise ships, all major cruise lines are continuing with scheduled port calls to Mexico, although each line is closely monitoring the situation.

“Fortunately, there currently is no evidence of a swine flu pandemic and there have been no reports of guests exhibiting symptoms of swine flu on Carnival’s ships,” said a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line. “Please be assured that Carnival enforces the highest standards of cleaning and sanitation on all of our ships to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. We are monitoring the situation in Mexico… We do not anticipate that your cruise experience will be impacted by this type of illness.”

Michael J. Sheehan, associate vice president of corporate communications for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., said that the swine flu will not impact any RCCL cruise itineraries that include stops in Mexico.

Six Princess ships are currently scheduled for calls in Mexican ports, and according to a spokesperson, “As of now we have not made the decision to modify our itineraries, as no travel warnings to Mexico have been issued by the CDC.” However, Princess is taking some actions onboard its ship to ensure the safety of its passengers. The line is enhancing its screening practices for passengers and crew embarking its ships and are adhering to CDC guidelines for reporting and treatment of persons with suspect swine flu. Anti-viral medications that effectively treat the swine flu are currently available onboard Princess ships.

A Holland America spokesperson said, “At Holland America Line the safety, security and comfort of our guests and crew are our top priorities. There have not been any reports of people exhibiting symptoms of swine flu on any of Holland America Line’s 14 ships. No itineraries have been changed.”

A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line said the line has completed its Mexican Riviera season for this year, so is currently no longer making calls in Mexico.

Top 10 Silly FAQs for Cruise Ships!

One of my favorite parts of traveling, especially cruise travel, is people watching.  I am regularly fascinated by just sitting and watching people, especially people who are on vacation.  People on a cruise vacation tend to lose some of their inhibitions, and allow themselves a little leeway in having fun onboard, and why not, it’s not like they are ever going to see any of the people on the cruise ship again!  Except for the possibility of an embarrasing clip showing up on YouTube.com!

Not only do I like to people watch, I also like to “people listen”.  This doesn’t mean I eavsdrop on other people’s private conversations, but being on a cruise ship with a couple of thousand of my fellow cruisers, I can’t help but occasionally overhear peoples comments, complaints and questions to staff and crew when standing in a line or while siting at the bar in a lounge or public area.  I already told the story in a previous post about the woman I was standing behind in a line waiting to get off the ship on an Alaska cruise and heard her ask a crewmember where she could exchange her US dollars for “Alaskan money”!  You can’t help but chuckle a little!  So I thought I’d take the top ten silliest questions I have heard asked onboard a cruise ship, and try to answer them for you.  I was always told “There is no such thing as a silly question”, you might rethink that after you read some of these doozies!

Number 10 – Does the crew sleep onboard?

That would be one heck of a commute if they didn’t huh?  Yes, there are crews quarters onboard all cruise ships, but don’t expect to see them while on your cruise.  The crew’s quarters and crew areas are offlimits to fare paying passengers.

Number 9 – Does the ship generate it’s own power?

I don’t think they make extension cords long enough to reach all the way back to Miami!  In reality, cruise ships have multiple engines onboard, and run seperate generators that provide power to the ship.  Some ports, however, do provide shore power (at a price) to cruise ships while docked so the ship doesn’t have to run it’s engines and burn fuel.

Number 8 – Is there cable TV in my cabin?

Of course, the cable is attached to the extension cord that runs back to Miami.  Really, most ships do have some sort of TV entertainment in the cabins, be it onboard closed circuit TV or some TV channels through a satellite connection.

Number 7 – How do I know which pictures in the photo gallery are mine?

One crewmember I saw assigned to the photo gallery had a great comeback for this question.  He would hand the passenger a small mirror, and tell them to hold the mirror up to each photo, look at the photo and then into the mirror, if what they saw matched, that was indeed the passenger’s photo!

Number 6 – Do these stairs (or elevator) go to the front of the ship?

They really only go up or down, not side to side.  I’m sure what these passengers where really asking was if that particular set of stairs or the elevator was located in the front of the ship.  Larger cruise ships will have multiple banks of elevators and sets of stairs throughout the ship to allow passengers the ability to move throughout the ship easily.

Number 5 – How small does my head have to be to get the “mini-facial” at the spa?

I don’t think that is what the spa menu was referring to!

Number 4 – What does the crew do with the ice carvings after they’ve melted?

Where do you think they get the bottled water they sell you while you’re getting off the ship in port?

Number 3 – Is the water in my cabin toilet salt or fresh water?

I really don’t know, and I really don’t care!  If you are brave enough to find out on your next cruise, let me know and I’ll update this post.

Number 2 – What religion are all those people with the patches behind their ears?

I think they are called “patchies”!  If you want to convert, they give the patches away for free at the medical office or the pursers desk I believe.  For some reason or another, those “patchies” never seem to get sea sick!?

Number 1 – What time is the midnight buffett?

The key word in that question being “midnight” I believe!  In reality, most cruise ships have done away with the midnight buffett to save money and stop excessive food waste.  Those cruise ships that do still have them, usually start around 11:30pm.

All questions are just in the spirit of fun.  Enjoy your next cruise and happy travels to you!

Cruise Safety Bill Introduced in Congress

Congresswoman Doris Matsui, a Democrat from Sacremento, CA and Senator John Kerry, a Democrat from MA have introduced a new cruise safety bill in Congress this past week.  The office of U.S. Representative Doris Matsui released the following statement concerning the  Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009. “We have now held two House hearings and one Senate hearing on crimes aboard cruise ships, and this legislation will ensure that those who have bravely stepped forward to tell their story will not have done so in vain,” Matsui said. “For far too long, American families have unknowingly been at risk when they have embarked on what should have been relaxing sea voyages.”  The legislation would also mandate that guard rails reach 54 inches in height, and that entry doors of staterooms would have peep holes, security latches and time-sensitive key technology.  Ship owners would be required to implement technology to detect when a passenger falls overboard.

Why are Members of Congress bringing this subject up again?  Is it because there has been a dramatic rise in cruise ship crime since the hearings were held last year? No.  Is it because three past congressional hearings on exactly the same topics with exactly the same witnesses reciting exactly the same testimony is still not enough?  Gee, I hope not.

Is it because our nation has become so economically stable this year that regardless of a dropping stock market, record mortgage foreclosures, 8.1% unemployment, and as well as fighting 2 wars overseas that our lawmakers have plenty of time to devote to fine tuning every safety factor of world society – even those that happen far away from Congresswoman Matsui’s own district, actually in international waters? I’m sure that is a big NO!

Is it because Sacramento itself has become such a bastion of human kindness that Congresswoman Matsui deserves to serve as the world ambassador for freedom from societal crime? I haven’t been to Sacreamento for many years, but I don’t think so!

What is the basis for the statement “American families have unknowingly been at risk when they have embarked on what should have been relaxing sea voyages”?  I understand that members of Congress must respond to the needs of their constituents, and Congresswoman Matsui’s interest in this is due to one of her constituents who claimed to be sexually assaulted while on a cruise ship in 2006.  Some 36 million cruises have been taken in just the last three years by Americans alone. A number almost equal to the population of the state of California. Yet Congresswoman Matsui cites the same case from Feb. 2006 used in all of the previous hearings as the reason for bringing these hearings back yet again.  To be precise, this will be the fourth time this case has been cited as the main reason for holding Congressional hearings on cruise ship crime.   I don’t know about you, but I really don’t see the crime wave here.  Congresswoman Matsui did make this statement, “Going on a cruise ship is not like being at home in your city,” Matsui said. “Any person who goes on a cruise ship should feel as safe as they can be. We want to ensure that it really is safe.”

Well, let’s look at Congresswoman Matsui’s own home town of Sacramento, CA. In the three years 2006-2008 in her town of only about 455,000 residents there were 558 arrests for forcible rape. I’m no math genious, but it seems that the rate of rape is magnitudes higher per person in Sacramento than it is on cruise ships.

In Sacramento alone in 2006 she could have picked from any one of 196 rapes, from 2007 any one of 194 rapes, in 2008 any one of 168 rapes, in a town of only 455,000 residents.

Considering the statistical averages of about 190 rapes per year in Sacramento vs. a cruise fleet that carries 12,000,000 Americans each year shouldn’t there be tens of thousands of new cruise crime cases to consider? This is 2009, after all. Where are the new cases?  Where is the crime wave our Members of Congress are spending their precious time to hold hearings and craft legislation to stop instead of solving the serious REAL problems our nation faces?

The Cruise Lines International Association released the following statement in response to the proposed legislation: “The safety and security of cruise line passengers is the top priority of CLIA-member cruise lines. Serious crime aboard cruise ships is very rare, however, even one incident is one too many. We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to crime and have comprehensive policies and procedures in place to ensure that passengers are safe while enjoying their cruise vacation. The cruise line industry is required by law to report serious crimes if they occur. Additionally, the industry has an agreement with the FBI and U.S. Coast Guard to report all alleged crimes involving U.S. citizens while at sea. When an alleged crime is reported, highly trained security personnel of the cruise lines handle these situations with professionalism. Millions of passengers each year enjoy a cruise vacation, and while serious incidents are rare, we say again, one is one too many. In recent years, Congress has held numerous hearings on this matter. During those proceedings and still today, we remain committed to working with lawmakers to address this important issue. Cruise lines endeavor to make cruise ships safe and secure environments with 24-hour security personnel on duty who are trained to respond to a variety of emergencies or alleged crimes. Cruise ships are designed to comply with all federal and international passenger safety codes and regulations which maximize passenger safety and are subjected to oversight and inspection by U.S. federal agencies and others.”

Cruise vacations have been statistically proven to be the safest vacation possible.  Rest assured that while you are on your cruise vacation, you are safe.  That is not to say there isn’t crime on cruise ships, but most crime on cruise ships tends to be petty crime, like simple theft.  Common sense will keep you safe onboard a cruise ship.  Keep your valubles in your cabin safe, don’t wander off to unknown parts of the ship with strangers, make sure you know where everyone in your party is and they know where you are, and don’t get SO drunk that you lose your common sense or make yourself vulnerable and unable to defend yourself.

I believe Congresswoman Matsui and Senator Kerry would do well to serve our nation by focusing on the real problems we face in these troubled times, and leave the cruise industry alone.  As much as our leaders have tried to in other areas, you cannot legislate away stupidity.