Forbidden Household Items

Most cruise lines list on their information common house hold items that passengers should not bring on their cruise. These most often include coffee makers, power strips, candles, extension cords, regular irons, travel irons, and other items that might be deemed dangerous or hazardous. Any of these items could cause a heat or electrical related fire, and fire prevention is a high priority and safety issue on cruise ships.

Alcoholic Beverages

Some cruise lines do permit at least a  bottle or two of wine to be brought aboard for consumption, but nearly all cruise lines except the ultra luxury all inclusive lines, prohibit liquor and beer from being brought on board. The reason for this may not be as obvious as you would think. Conventional wisdom would say that they are prohibited because the cruise lines want maximize alcohol sales on board.  Beverage sales provide the profit margin for a cruise ship.  When a ship leaves port on the first day it is loosing money and the liner must make it up through all the extras it sells on board,  including alcohol.

However, I just read a report from a man claiming to be a former beverage manager with a major cruise line. He reported that the cruise line had tried an experiment with  strict luggage searches on one cruise and then let smuggled booze through on the next and so on.   The results were that the beverage sales remained the same, but the alcohol related problem incidents were significantly fewer on the cruises where the line confiscated smuggled booze.   Fewer complaints about loud passengers, fewer drunks falling down the stairs, fewer alcohol related assaults were reported on the cruises where the line confiscated smuggled alcohol.

He claimed that upon advice of their lawyers, cruise lines began practices like confiscating smuggled booze and training bartenders to cut off intoxicated patrons,  so that they that could  demonstrate that were attempting to control the amounts of alcohol that the guests consume.  These practices would serve them well in court when patrons who had gotten really drunk and injured themselves sued the cruise line.  If they demonstrated a concerted effort to avoid the situation, the suits would be less likely to end a judgement against the cruise lines.     Simply put, they could avoid or have dismissed many frivolous law suits by confiscating liquor.   He claimed that it is the legal department that recommended this policy rather than the revenue department.

Finding the Naughty Room

Most passengers find out about the naughty room when their bag with prohibited  or suspicious items doesn’t show up at their room. They usually inquire at the hotel desk and are directed to security. If one doesn’t notice the missing bag they might receive a note or phone message directing them to go to the security room.

How to Avoid the Naughty Room

Read the information provided by your cruise line regarding what to pack and what not to pack.

Here’s the list from my cruise line of choice, Celebrity:

For the safety of our guests and crew there are certain items that are not allowed on board. If these are found they will be confiscated. Alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, flammable liquids, explosives, and dangerous chemicals will not be returned.

Firearms & Ammunition, including realistic replicas
Sharp Objects, including knives and scissors*
Illegal Drugs & Substances
Candles & Incense
Coffee Makers, Clothes Irons, & Hot Plates
Baseball Bats, Hockey Sticks, Cricket Bats, Bows and Arrows
Skateboards & Surfboards
Martial Arts Gear
Self-Defense Gear, including handcuffs, pepper spray and night sticks
Flammable Liquids and Explosives, including lighter fluid and fireworks
HAM Radios
Dangerous Chemicals, including bleach and paint
Alcoholic Beverages**

*Personal grooming items such as safety razors are allowed. Scissors with blade length less than 4 inches are allowed.

**Two bottles wine per stateroom are allowed on embarkation day, subject to corkage fees.

Few, if any, cruise lines restricted any personal grooming items like electric razors, hair dryers or curling irons. Flat irons for straightening hair are also usually permitted. Many people pack power strips and I have heard some reports of these being confiscated, along with travel irons and some coffee makers. If you must make your own in room coffee from a special brew brought from home, Non-electric french press coffee makers that work with hot water from a porter supplied kettel are usually OK.   However, some of these item may have to be explained to the security personnel,  so they might land you in the naughty room for an explanation. If your household item is confiscated, they will label it and return it to you the night before your departure.  I get by with out an iron by either steaming clothes in the bath room or with my travel size bottle of Downy Wrinkle Release.   If those methods don’t work then I can send an item out to be pressed.

Diving knives are generally confiscated and held for you by security but you can pick them up before a diving excursion and then return them to security upon your return to the ship.   Celebrity’s guest conduct policy states the following:

Certain vacation related items such as dive knives may be allowed, but will be held
in safe custody by the ship’s Security Staff when not in use ashore.

Be sure to check out your cruise lines specific policy regarding how they handle dive knives.   (Keep in mind that the answer you get from Customer Service on the phone may be completely different from how security actually handles it on board, simply because all cruise lines seem to have a disconnect between the people who answer phones calls and the people who actually work on the ships.)  It is best to check with security when you are boarding if you have a dive knife so that you can check it in with them.  You can also research the issue on diving and cruise related message boards on the internet.

Liquids of any kind packed in your suit cases might also land you in the naughty room. Usually the cruise lines X-ray a bag and if they see something suspicious they will hold it for the owner to comes and explain what the suspicious item is. If you have packed your favorite bottled water, then you just need to explain what it is. If your cruise line permits wine, then you just to show them that your bottle is wine and not liquor. Some cruise lines might even require you to pay the corkage fee for the wine and then hold the wine for you in the dining room area. Be sure to read your cruise line’s policy so you know what is expected in regards to wine. Personally, I like to put my permitted bottles of wine in a carry-on.  That way I just show it to security as I’m boarding the ship and know that it won’t be broken through mishandling.

If you thought you could maybe sneak a fifth of booze on board and your line strictly prohibits it, they will most likely confiscate it and dispose of it. On holiday voyages like Spring Break, cruise lines are known to be especially vigilant when it comes to confiscating booze, and they reserve the right to kick you off the ship, though I have never heard of them actually doing this, just confiscating the booze.  Keep in mind that this policy differs from in port purchase liquor.   They usually reserve the right not to return to you your embarkation booze, even if they will hold and return to you booze purchased in port.

Closing Thoughts

Most people don’t like the idea that the cruise lines feels the need to restrict alcoholic beverages or certain house hold items. My initial reaction to these controls was that they were overstepping personal boundaries, however after much thought and reflection I have come to the conclusion that if it makes for a safer and less disruptive cruise, I support the policy. Nobody wants to board a life boat at 2:00 am because some idiot left an iron on and started a fire. Nor do I want to woken up at 2:00 am by some drunk yelling, falling, or knocking about in the hall way. Cruising is still one of the best vacation values even after paying a little extra to have a suit pressed or the ship’s prices for alcoholic beverages.

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

About 10 months ago we booked our cruise for 2013. It was to be a dream 20th anniversary cruise for my husband and I featuring a spectacular itinerary from Sydney, Au, to French Polynesia ending in Hawaii. However, we had been looking for a way to take the kids on a vacation too, since we haven’t had a true family vacation since 2009. With the kids’ high school schedule and extra curricular activities, we came to the conclusion that the best option was to cancel the dream cruise and book something that we could do during their two week spring break.

Cancelling a Cruise

One of the nice things about cruise vacation deposits, is that they are generally fully refundable outside a particular time frame. In most cases the deposit is fully refundable before the final payment is due. Usually, final payment is due 90 days before the cruise. One exception to this rule falls under Carnivals price protection program. Carnival offers cruisers the opportunity to book at a lower price and guarantee that price or lower, if they put $50 of their deposit at risk per passenger.

In my case, I had the first cruise booked with Celebrity. I simply requested in writing that my TA cancel the first cruise and then book me onto the new cruise. No fees or charges were involved.

My New Cruise

The new cruise will actually be back to back cruises on the Celebrity Silhouette. This brand new ship is the latest in the Solstice class of ships. It will feature many of the amenities offered on the original Solstice ship, with a few changes, particularly the Q-zine specialty restaurant and the out door steak grill specialty restaurant on the lawn club instead of the Hot Glass Show. The BTB itinerary will allow us the opportunity to visit both the Eastern Caribbean in the first week, and the Western Caribbean in the second week. This will be our first Western Caribbean cruise for all four of us and first Eastern Caribbean for the kids.

Cabin Selection

Cabin selection was one of the most difficult decisions. We had been wondering if we should book a less expensive inside or ocean view cabin, but ultimately decided to book a standard balcony. On the Solstice class ships the outside cabins are only 177 sq ft, while the balcony cabins are 195 sq ft. The obstructed balcony cabins might also be an option, but Celebrity only offered them for a few hundred less than the full balcony. We will be watching to see if if they go on sale. If we could save more than $1000 over our current price we might consider moving our cabin. We would have to take advantage of a price change before the 90 day window. After 90 days cruise lines often offer nice discount in order to sell out remaining cabins, but those discounts are not offered to previously booked passengers. Sometimes booked passenger could upgrade and keep their same price.

We wanted to reserve a cabin that had both an upper bunk and sofa bed in addition to the king bed. That way each of the kids gets his or her own bed. We also preferred to get the same cabin for the two consecutive cruises. It is simply more convenient not have to move on the turn around day. We were pleased that our TA was able to get us a cabin that met both criteria.

Compromise

We did have to make some compromises in order to fit a cruise into the kids spring break. First, we had to pay the premium price for two 7 day cruises instead of one 14 day, plus we also had to pay a premium holiday price for the second cruise as it falls during Easter week. Second we had to choose a standard balcony rather than the premium family cabins that we have enjoyed on many other cruises. The costs of the family cabins, with all the pricing associated with BTB and Holiday cruising, were just too high for us to consider. The itinerary will be nice, but certainly not as spectacular as our previously planned Australia to Hawaii cruise. However, the compromises are well worth it in order for us to spend quality family time together.

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

Top Decks to Feature First Five-Slide Aqua Park, Kids’ Aqua Park, Largest Ropes Course at Sea and New Mini-Golf

Miami   -    Apr 27, 2012   —   

Norwegian Breakaway will take recreation and outdoor fun to new heights when it launches in April 2013. The ship’s top decks will feature the first Aqua Park at sea with five full-size water slides, including twin Free Fall slides, the first ever at sea, and a three-story sports complex that includes the largest ropes course at sea, a nine-hole miniature golf course, basketball court, rock climbing wall and more. The line also announced that the ship will feature Nickelodeon experiences for the whole family and will include a Nickelodeon themed Kids’ Aqua Park.

“Norwegian Breakaway’s outdoor decks will offer spectacular fun and thrills for the entire family,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian’s chief executive officer. “As a sports enthusiast, I am so excited about the extraordinary recreation and the over-the-top ways to play on this incredible new ship. From the amazing Aqua Park to the thrilling ropes course with its ?plank’ feature, Norwegian Breakaway has been designed to ensure that our guests will have the time of their lives.”

Nickelodeon characters and themed activities will also be featured in Splash Academy, the ship’s two-story youth area offering merriment for kids ages three to 12.

Adult Only Areas
Norwegian Breakaway will also feature adult-only outdoor enclaves. Spice H2O, located at the back of the ship on deck 16, is an adult-only escape with contemporary Asian influences offering day-time relaxation and night-time exhilaration. A bevy of sun loungers surround a huge video screen, complete with two hot tubs and a soothing dual waterfall feature, perfect for cooling off from the sun. At night, guests can dance under the stars or chill at the bar with accompanying lounge area, featuring comfortable seating while admiring the ocean views.

On deck 17, guests ages 18 and over will have the opportunity to enjoy another private retreat – Vibe Beach Club – by purchasing an access pass. Complete with ocean views, an oversized hot tub, luxurious chaise loungers and a relaxing water feature, Vibe Beach Club will be the ideal spot for adults to relax and unwind in a serene, comfortable setting while soaking up the sun. A full-service bar, water spritzers and chilled towels complete the exclusive experience.

Casual Dining
When hunger strikes, while enjoying all the outdoor activities, guests can venture to the Garden Café, on deck 15, which will offer an abundant assortment of delicious menu items for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is Norwegian’s signature action station casual restaurant where chefs cook fresh, prepared-to-order food as guests watch, featuring seafood, pizza, fruit, soups, pasta, ethnic specialties, burgers and desserts; offering extensive and varied selections.

Currently under construction at Meyer Werft, Norwegian Breakaway will arrive in her year-round homeport of New York City in early May 2013. The ship will begin weekly summer seven-day cruises to Bermuda on Sunday, May 12, 2013. From October 2013 through April 2014, the ship will offer voyages from the heart of Manhattan to the Bahamas & Florida and the Southern Caribbean.

For more information on the incredible features and accommodations on Norwegian Breakaway, visit www.breakaway.ncl.com. To book a cruise on Norwegian Breakaway, contact a travel professional, call Norwegian at 800-327-7030 or visit www.ncl.com. Comment on today’s announcement on our Facebook page: www.ncl.com/facebook.

The Aqua Park is Norwegian’s biggest yet and features five multi-story water slides. Norwegian Breakaway is the first cruise ship to feature the Free Fall – two side-by-side slides where guests will stand up and have the floor drop from underneath, propelling them into a thrilling loop. Offering another first with a twist are two additional side-by-side twister slides – called The Whip — that deliver an unforgettable adrenaline rush as they plunge guests on a spiral race to the finish line. For those who prefer a more relaxing ride, there is a family-friendly open-flume body slide. The Aqua Park also features a Kids’ Aqua Park, two swimming pools, four hot tubs and the Breezeway Bar & Grill, a semi-open air eatery.

In the Kids’ Aqua Park, children can cool off with colorful, whimsical and larger than life Nickelodeon characters from Bikini Bottom, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick, Squidward and more. The tropical area will include a kid-sized pool and slide, along with multiple water features that squirt and shower guests with delight.

The three-story sports complex will be Norwegian’s largest and feature the line’s first ever ropes course, the largest one at sea. The ropes course with its multi-level structure will challenge guests to more than 40 different elements, including a zip track. For a thrill like no other, guests will confront The Plank, a platform that extends eight feet over the side of the ship. Those who choose to test their courage on The Plank will be rewarded by having their photo taken after conquering this heart-pounding, yet breathtaking, feat. Kids will be challenged as well with a special ropes course just for them. In another first for the line, the nine-hole ocean-themed miniature golf course is located beneath the ropes course, offering family fun with friendly competition. A rock climbing wall, bungee trampoline and spider web, a 24-foot enclosed climbing cage complete with a spiral slide, round out the activities.

Nickelodeon Experiences
Norwegian Breakaway will be the fourth Norwegian ship to offer Nickelodeon experiences, including the all-new Pajama Jam Character Breakfast, Dora’s Dance Party, where kids will have the chance to sing and dance to their favorite songs with Dora the Explorer and Team Nick; Nickelodeon Character Meet and Greets; Story Time with Dora; and Nickelodeon Arts and Crafts. Nickelodeon also hits the main stage with entertainment everyone can enjoy. In addition, Nickelodeon’s Splash Mobs add an element of surprise with spontaneous, impromptu games that are exciting for the whole family with pies, slime and other surprises.

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

Does the Costa Concordia Accident Impact Your Future Cruise Plans?

No, all travel has some risk, and these types of accidents are rare. (50%, 268 Votes)
No, I will still cruise, but will probably review evacuation procedures more closely. (26%, 136 Votes)
Yes, I will not cruise with Costa, and/or avoid megaships. (10%, 55 Votes)
Maybe, I need to see an industry wide response to make sure that this type of incident doesn’t happen again. (7%, 37 Votes)
Yes, I will never cruise again, too dangerous. (5%, 24 Votes)
Yes, I wasn’t sure if a cruise was right for me, and now I know I’ll never take one. (2%, 13 Votes)

Total Voters: 533

Be sure to check out our new survey on the announced Titanic replica commissioned to be built by an Australian billionaire. Let us know if you would cruise on her.

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

Palmer says that the ship will mimic the Titanic in lay out, design and room decor, but will feature modern safety, construction, and other innovations that would keep the ship from meeting the same fate as the original ship. The ship will also have more than enough life boats for all passengers and crew.

As a cruise lover I have to say that I have mixed feelings about the project. One the one hand the ship was known to be one of the most beautiful and luxurious ever constructed. The rebuilding of the ship would certainly be a fitting tribute to those who worked so hard to craft the original ship. Those craftsmen certainly would be proud to have their skill and artistry honored in this recreation. On the other hand, so many people lost their lives in the original disaster, recreating the ship that went down seems a bit grim. It certainly would be a ship that I would want to at least tour, but I am not sure that I would want to sail on her. Would you tempt fate in order to sail on her?

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

We have recently been re-evaluating our cruise choice for next year. We currently have a cruise booked for just my husband and myself that we know would be spectacular. It goes from Sydney to Honolulu with stops in French Polynesia. That one is on one of our favorite ships on our preferred line, Celebrity Solstice. However, parental guilt has set in and we are now looking into a cruise we could take over spring break with the kids rather than just a cruise for the two of us.

The requirements for my husband are that the cruise be two weeks long and that it fall completely into the two week window of our kids spring break. We found two cruises that fit that criteria: Back to Back cruises on the Celebrity Silhouette and a Carnival New York to Los Angeles cruise on the Carnival Miracle.

Obviously Carnival and Celebrity have different reputations but both are extremely popular cruise lines for different reasons. Since I’ve taken 7 cruises with Celebrity and I know I like the product all around, I didn’t need to research Celebrity. However, I have never taken a Carnival cruise so I posted on a few different cruise sights looking for both opinions and facts. In addition to a few posters expressing their positive reviews of Carnival, several very nice people were able to give me links to concrete information about Carnival. I’d like to share what I have learned and some of those links with our readers.

1. Food – One great sight I found featured the Carnival Magic bloggers cruise. This sight has many pictures of the food and also menus. While this ship is a different class from the Miracle on which I would be sailing, the food and menu pictures would apply across the line. The Carnival website also served as a great resource in researching food and dining options.

Carnival Bloggers Cruise 2012 on Magic

Carnival Cruise Lines Miracle Dining Options

After reading the menus, reviewing the pictures, and listening to others opinions I formed the following thoughts about the difference between Celebrity food and Carnival food. Both lines feature comfort food like burgers, dogs, and lasagna, and both lines features more gourmet items like prime rib, escargot and frogs legs. Both lines also features international cuisine in their buffet area. The main the difference I could discern is that the Celebrity menu is that it is slightly lighter, slightly more on the gourmet side, and less deep fried food.

2. Dress Code – I pretty much knew the dress code difference between Carnival and Celebrity. First, both cruise lines have problems with people showing up in clothing that doesn’t quite meet the dress code and nobody enforcing the code, but what was important to me was seeing what most people actually wear. Formal nights, per the written code are more formal on Celebrity with suits or tuxes most common for the men and very nice dresses or pants suites and even long gowns being worn by the ladies. For anywhere but the Main Dining Room (MDR) on formal nights, the prevailing evening dress code is Smart Casual and Above. For Carnival the most formal level of dress is Cruise Elegant where only a dress shirt is required, jacket is suggested, and tuxes and suits are welcomed. The ladies dress code for elegant is dresses or nice slacks, with gowns welcome. So both cruise lines have a minimum dress code for the MDR on the dressiest nights and casual alternatives to the MDR and through out the ship.

What I wanted to see was examples of what people actually wore in the evenings on Carnival. Again, the Bloggers Cruise pictures by ZydecoCruiser were very helpful, though a different ship and class. His blog features dining room, dance lounge, and late evening after dinner entertainment pictures. On Cruise Elegant nights, most people, with a few suits and gowns thrown in, were dressed like a smart casual night on Celebrity, and most people after dinner and on other evening were dressed in cruise casual, rather than smart casual. On Celebrity tuxes, and evening gowns are about 33%, suits and cocktail dresses are about another 33% and possibly up to about another 33% are people dressed in smart casual who choose alternative dining or slip into the MDR against the written code.

(ZydecoCruiser’s sight also features pictures on a Trans-Atlantic from 2009 where people do seem to be dressed up more than on the Bloggers Cruise perhaps it was because it was during an older revision of the dress code, longer cruise and a TA. Not sure how that would apply to a 2013 15 Night Panama Canal Cruise)

Bloggers Cruise Cruise Elegant Night

From these pictures I was able to discern that the Carnival evening atmosphere is more casual than the Celebrity evening atmosphere.

3. Itinerary – To compare itineraries, I simply utilized each cruise lines web site and looked at number of sea days, ports visited, and excursions offered. The Celebrity BTB option offers an Eastern Carribean on the first week, and Western on the second week. However both are port intensive and only feature 5 sea days between the two cruises. However, if you count the turn around day, a few of the ports we have already visited and would likely remain on ship, and a private island day, you could easily increase you number of “sea” days to 9, though the extras would not be true sea days. Those might be instead “relaxation days”. The Panama Canal Miracle cruise has 9 sea days. That includes the Canal Transit, which is the most exciting part of that cruise and a “Bucket List” item for me. As far as the ports and excursions offered, most of them offer beach and snorkel excursions which would be our first choice with the kids. The Celebrity cruise, though be it on a very long all day excursion, offers the opportunity to visit Mayan ruins, also a “Bucket List” item for me. Both itineraries are attractive.

4. Fellow Passengers – We have always found a fairly nice mix of families and very nice well traveled older couples on Celebrity for shorter itineraries. Longer cruises tend to be made up of very nice young at heart retired couples with a few old curmudgeons mixed in. Carnival has a reputation of attracting a party crowd for its shorter cruises and spring break cruises, but consensus among most knowledgeable cruisers has been that the 15 day Trans-Canal itinerary would attract a similar demographic as to what we have experienced on Celebrity, a few nice families and well nice traveled older couples. Perhaps the main difference would be that on the BTB Celebrity cruises there would be a near 100% turn over in fellow passengers from week one to week two. We have enjoyed making long term friendships on cruises and would hate to have to say good bye to new friends after only one week.

5. Wine List – My husband and I are quite the wine enthusiasts and we have enjoyed Celebrity’s extensive wine list over our many cruises with them. Here is where that ZydecoCruiser blog helped me tremendously. I was delighted to find that the list included many higher end wines at excellent prices. Often the price was not much more than the current retail price of the finest wines.

Bloggers Cruise Wine List

6. Activities – Having been on 7 Celebrity Cruises I have been very pleased with the variety of activities offered on Celebrity, though some cruises have had a better flow and timing of those activities than others. Thanks again to that ZydecoCruiser blog, I was able to review all the “Fun Times/Carnival Capers” for his Magic cruise from Galveston.

Fun Times from Bloggers Cruise

Lots of fun activities listed and a few that interested me were the afternoon Karaoke and comedy brunch. Similarly to Celebrity, many of the listed activities are actually sales pitches for goods or services. Both lines offer an extensive youth program, but only the Carnival offers a water slide and mini golf. After reading through the many activities offered by Carnival and reading reviews, I gave Carnival a slight edge in the activities, though we have always enjoyed a more laid back approach offered on Celebrity.

7. Ship Size, Lay Out and Accommodations – Both the Miracle and Silhouette are some what in the same size range with the Carnival ship being Panamax and the Silhouette only slightly bigger. They both carry about the same number of passengers at around 2200 double occupancy. The longer itinerary would likely have the Carnival ship booked at closer to double occupancy capacity, with the Celebrity ship likely to have more families sharing rooms, it will probably be booked much higher than double occupancy capacity. Crowd flow and feel might end up being about the same when you figure those factors into the mix.

One of the things we enjoy on the Celebrity ship is the observation lounge. During the day this is a a great place to enjoy panoramic views of the sea and at night it is transformed into a disco with moonlit views of the sea. The Carnival ship does not have such a lounge. Other than that aspect the lay out of the ships is very similar.

Regarding the state room size, the information is not easy to find on the Carnival site. As I write this article I can’t find it anywhere on the Carnival site, however I seem to remember that the Balcony state rooms are about 185 sq ft. The Celebrity site clearly states that their standard Balcony state rooms have 194 sq ft and the Ocean View state rooms have 177 sq ft. The comparatively the smaller Celebrity cabin with no balcony is the same price as the larger balcony cabin on Carnival. For 1600 more we’d get a larger cabin on Celebrity and a balcony.

8. Freebies – Since we have Elite Captains Club status with Celebrity, we get lots of freebies including a 2 hour free cocktail party almost every night, wine appreciation event, laundry, internet, and a few more. This would be our first cruise with Carnival, so we are not even eligible for the repeat customer discount.

***

So what to do? Choose a line with which we are unfamiliar and enjoy the Panama Canal? or go with a known product? We invite your opinions. Do you think my review of the facts has led me to correct conclusions as to the pluses and minuses of Carnival? We’d love to hear from you.

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

Latest Best Practice Identified Through Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review

— April 24, 2012 —

WASHINGTON, DC – On behalf of the global cruise industry, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the European Cruise Council today announced that the cruise industry has adopted three new safety policies which are to be implemented with immediate effect. The announcement was made by Chairman of the European Cruise Council (ECC) and Member of the CLIA Executive Committee, Manfredi Lefebvre.

Speaking at a major European Commission-organized Passenger Ship Safety event in Brussels, he outlined how these policies have been agreed to by the industry and represent the third such announcement arising from the cruise industry’s Operational Safety Review.

These three new policies, which go beyond even the strictest of regulatory requirements, address issues related to passage planning, personnel access to the bridge and lifejackets. Each of these three policies will be reported to the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) for consideration at their next session in May.

“As highlighted by these wide-ranging policies, we continue to take proactive measures to improve the safety of passengers and crew across the globe,” said Christine Duffy, president and CEO of CLIA. “We look forward to working collaboratively to identify any additional operational issues that will achieve our longstanding goal of continuous improvement and innovation in shipboard operations and safety.”

The three policies govern:
1) Passage Planning – Although cruise lines have followed IMO guidance on passage planning for many years, our policy now deems this to be a mandatory minimum requirement and enhanced by endorsement of the best practices contained in the International Chamber of Shipping’s Bridge Procedures Guide. Furthermore, under this policy each passage plan is to be thoroughly briefed to all bridge team members well in advance of its implementation and it is to be drafted by a designated officer and approved by the master.

2) Personnel Access To The Bridge – To minimize unnecessary disruptions and distractions on the bridge, we have adopted a policy that bridge access is to be limited to those with operational functions during any period of restricted manoeuvring or when increased vigilance is required.

3) Lifejackets – In addition to the statutory requirement of carriage of lifejackets for each person onboard, we have adopted a policy of carrying additional adult lifejackets onboard each cruise ship in excess of these legal requirements so that the number of additional adult lifejackets to be provided must not be less than the total number of persons berthed within the ship’s most populated main vertical fire zone. This ensures that the number of lifejackets carried is far in excess of the number of persons actually onboard the ship.

These policies were reviewed by CLIA’s recently-announced panel of outside maritime and safety experts who are evaluating suggested policy improvements as part of the association’s continuous efforts to review and improve safety measures by developing comprehensive best practices for industry-wide implementation and ultimately, formal submission to the International Maritime Organization, as appropriate.

Manfredi Lefebvre said: “Today’s European Commission event is in perfect alignment with our industry efforts to improve cruise ship safety. I am pleased to be given a chance by European Commissioner VP & Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas to outline how the industry and the regulators can move forward together in our common goal of preventing future accidents.”

He added: “The cruise industry is highly regulated and it is this regulatory regime, complied with onboard by our professional and committed officers and crews, that has given the cruise industry a truly remarkable safety record. But as the Concordia incident demonstrates, there is no such thing as perfect safety. We do strive for a perfect commitment to safety. And as part of our commitment to a safety culture, the industry – both individually as cruise lines and collectively through CLIA and the ECC – beginning January 27 launched an Operational Safety Review to learn the lessons from Concordia and to conduct a top to bottom safety review.”

He continued: “By bringing forward voluntary initiatives such as these, we significantly and immediately improve safety standards. These initiatives are, we believe, fully supportive of the Commission’s goal of re-launching their ‘Quality Shipping Campaign’ through voluntary partnership agreements with the shipping industry as set out in its Maritime Policy 2009-2018. Specifically, we very much hope that the results of the Operational Safety Review as they are delivered over the coming months will give us fertile ground to grow our partnership with the Commission”

He concluded: “We are convinced that this approach will achieve concrete, practical and significant safety dividends in the shortest possible time and fully reflects the measured and responsible progress on future safety initiatives by both the Commission and European Parliament following the Concordia tragedy.”

The new policies follow the industry’s announcement on January 27 of an Operational Safety Review in response to the Concordia incident and as part of the industry’s continuous efforts to review and improve safety measures, and represent the third such announcement. The previous two related to the new Muster Drill Policy (February 9, 2012) and Enhanced Reporting Requirements to Ensure Consistency, Transparency of Marine Casualty Data (March 21, 2012).
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2) Personnel Access To The Bridge – To minimize unnecessary disruptions and distractions on the bridge, we have adopted a policy that bridge access is to be limited to those with operational functions during any period of restricted manoeuvring or when increased vigilance is required.

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

Pick-Pocket Proof Pants

Clothing Arts,  has developed a line of pants and shorts that not only deter pickpockets but ease the process of obtaining your valuables when you need them.   Here’s what they have to say about their unique product:

 

 

Travel Pants Meets Money-belts: Pick-Pocket Proof Pants – P^cubed – represents the future of travel and the fusion of travel pants and the security of money-belts. Best described as, “gear masquerading as a pair of pants,” Pick Pocket Proof Pants are a true travel revolution and the result of years of travel knowledge and a first hand experience at the hands of a pick-pocket.

First we start off with an incredible pair of pants – then build all the functionality and security of 4 money-belts right at your fingertips!

Imagine no longer having to dig into your waist or pull your valuables out of your shirt… Pick-Pocket Proof Pants literally puts security back in the hands of the traveler and lets you choose one, two or even three layers of protection between your wallet and the world!

Zip the zipper to seal the pocket; secure the button flap for twice the protection; for even more security, lock whats most valuable in the triple secure hidden passport pocket… pick-pockets are looking for an easy target and in a pair of our P^cubed – Pick-Pocket Proof Pants – they’ll have to find another victim – and you’ll be free to enjoy the beauty of the world around you.

We offer two ruggedized P^cubed lines – catering to the specific needs of the Adventure Traveler (Cotton/Nylon Blend for Durability) and the Business Traveler (100% Cotton for Comfort).

Every Pick-Pocket Proof Traveler features:

• Advanced Dual Action DuPont™ Teflon ® fabric protector for “Wrinkle, Rain & Stain Resistance”
• All-around covered zippers and a 3x secure hidden passport/money pocket
• Dual smartphone/digital camera/business, bank or credit card pockets
• Expandable double thick double secure cut-resistant cargo pockets that grow to fit guidebooks
• Attachable 1/2 liter water bottle holding pocket to keep water close at hand.

Field Tested

I spoke with company owner and designer, Adam Rapp,  and inquired about the development and testing of the lines.

It has been a process of taking 5 years of travel experience and developing the system by which the traveler is able to decide how secure they would like to make their pocket at any given time.  We offer pockets within pockets and the ability to protect your wallet, passport, etc between 2 to 3 layers of security – and offer cut resistance (double thick extremely durable fabric) on all our cargo pockets.

A pickpocket is looking for a easy target and in our gear, you are anything but – they will move onto someone else rather than have to work harder and risk blowing their cover once they see that they can’t easily get at your wallet.  They might see the front logo on the flap and walk away, or once they’ve attacked, find that you have layers of protection on the rear pocket and disappear in to the crowds behind.  It takes a few moments for you to get into your pocket – it will take them far longer and by using both zippers and buttons, a smooth theft will be impossible giving you a chance to realize something is happening.

For an  independent review from a company that field tested the product visit the following website:

www.carryology.com/2012/03/16/road-test-clothing-arts-pcubed-adventure-pants/

For more information or to purchase their products please contact Clothing Arts.  Your can purchase their products directly at their website:

clothingarts.com/

Clothing Arts Ltd

835 Longview Ave

N. Woodmere, NY 11581

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

Different Zones

What you should wear in Alaska will depend on the visited region. In May, the Alaskan territory will range in temperatures depending on the regional zone. The region of Alaska is divided into four individual climate zones: the Southwestern Zone, Southeastern Coastal Zone, North Arctic Zone, and the Southern Zone. The temperature in May in the Southern Zone will average 54F during daily time and about 40F during nightly time. The Southwestern and South Eastern Coastal Zones will share average around 55F during the day and around 38F during the night. In addition, the Southeastern Zone will receive about 9 inches of rainfall during the fifth month of the year, while the Southwestern zone will receive little to 0. It isn`t uncommon for these different regions to reach sometimes into the 70`s. In May, the North Arctic Zone will average at around 24F. The nights will regularly drop in to the teens, and in certain situations, the temperature may drop below 0.

What You Should Wear Outside

The best possible advice for deciding what you should pack is to think in terms of variety. In May, Alaska` climate is pretty varied. Your suitcase should include clothes suitable for all temperatures. For those warm days, you can pack a lightweight pair of pants with a long sleeved shirt. A cruise to Alaska should include windbreakers. A thin jacket will offer warmth for moderate temperatures, and will help to keep wind from penetrating your clothes. Taking a few pairs of warm pants is essential as when on ports of call you may need to stay warm while visiting on shore. Layering shirts are also essential as they will offer extra warmth for those cold temperatures. When entering the frigid Alaskan ports, you may need a winter coat, wool hat and gloves. You might not be able to stay outside for too long in the North Arctic Zone, but having these warm clothes will offer you with warmth when being outside in the below freezing temperatures. Because the Southeastern Zone will receive pretty much rainfall, taking a raincoat or a umbrella will be highly advised.

What You Should Wear on board the Ship

When on board, you generally will not have to bundle up in too heavy gear for winter. For the time you will spend on board the ship, you make take some jeans with you, come lightweight shirts, as well as some comfortable pants. Also take with you some lightweight pajamas. Cruise vessels are pretty well known for having formal dinner events and to be able to receive access to such events you will need cocktail attire. Women will have to pack a cocktail dress with dressy shoes, as well as dinner party accessories. Men will have to pack a suit with tie and dress shoes.

John Mitchell is the Editor of the bestcruiseliness.com website

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

(Note the press releases are numbered but some of the releases were consolidated or deleted as more timely information became available, hence some of the numbers are missing)

Costa Allegra Update #1: Ships on the Way, Families Contacted
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (Feb. 27, 2012) (5:30 p.m. ET) — The first
boat expected to reach Costa Allegra during the next few hours is a
French-flagged, 295-foot-long (90 meters) ocean-going fishing ship.
Another ship of similar size currently is sailing toward Costa Allegra
and will join two merchant ships and two tugboats expected to arrive
Tuesday afternoon local time.
Upon arrival of the first ship, its captain will decide how to operate,
depending on weather and ship conditions, to best support Costa
Allegra.
Currently, Costa Allegra is steady and conditions are safe.
Costa Cruises is keeping in touch with guests’ families via their
emergency-contact numbers. As of 10 p.m. CET the line has reached
families or relatives of 402 passengers of a total of 627 (excluding the
nine Italian navy marines on board for security).
The line has contacted the families all of crew, most of whom are
Italian and eastern European, either directly or through its crew
manning agents.
Costa Allegra is in compliance with all certificates required by both
national and international regulations. Moreover, in October 2011 the
ship received its regularly scheduled maintenance in dry dock.
# # #

Costa Crociere Statement Regarding Fire Aboard Costa Allegra

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (Feb. 27, 2012) — Costa Cruises confirms that today
at 10:39 CET a fire broke out on board Costa Allegra in the electric
generator room. The shipboard fire-extinguishing system and emergency
procedures were activated promptly and special fire-fighting squads
extinguished the fire.
The fire did not spread to any other area of the ship. There were no injuries
or casualties. Inspections of the engine room are ongoing to determine when
the equipment can be restarted.
As a precaution, the general emergency alarm was sounded and all
passengers and crewmembers not engaged in the management of the
emergency reported to their muster stations.
Currently the ship is more than 200 miles southwest of the Seychelles and
approximately 20 miles from Alphonse Island. Tugboats and other naval and
aerial units have been dispatched to Costa Allegra.
According to standard procedures, Costa Allegra transmitted a distress signal
and the relevant authorities were alerted, including the Maritime Rescue
Control Center in Rome, Italy. Costa Crociere and the relevant authorities
are actively monitoring the situation.
On board Costa Allegra are 636 passengers of various nationalities and 413
crewmembers.
The ship departed Saturday, Feb. 25, from Diego Suarez, Madagascar, and
was cruising toward the port of Victoria (Mahè, Seychelles) where it was
scheduled to arrive tomorrow Feb. 28.
Costa Allegra was built at T. Mariotti shipyards in Genoa in 1992. The
28,597-ton vessel is 188 meters (617 feet) long with eight passenger decks
and 399 cabins. The vessel can carry a maximum of 1,400, including crew.
# # #

Costa Allegra Update #3: Ship Reaches Costa Allegra
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (Feb. 27, 2012) (7:30 p.m. ET) — The oceangoing
fishing ship reached Costa Allegra and the two Captains are in
radio contact. At dawn Costa will evaluate the assistance operations
the ocean-going fishing ship can provide.

Costa Crociere Costa Allegra Update #6*
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (Feb. 28, 2012) —1 p.m. CET — Costa Cruises reports
that in view of extensive collaboration with local maritime experts, in order
to ensure the safety of our guests, disembarkation at Desroches Island
cannot be performed, and therefore it has been decided that the ship will be
towed directly to Mahé, Seychelles.
The disembarkation at Desroches cannot be assured with adequate security
conditions for mooring the ship and guest disembarkation. In addition,
logistics and hotels on the island are not sufficient. Disembarkation at
Desroches would require an immediate transfer from Desroches to Mahé via
ferries after disembarking the ship via tenders.
The ship will be towed directly to Mahé instead. Also, the assistance of two
tugs that are approaching the ship will allow an increase in towing speed.
The arrival at Mahé currently is scheduled for 6 a.m. local time Thursday,
March 1. That is just a few hours later than if guests were disembarked at
Desroches and transferred to Mahe via ferries. Helicopters will ensure a
continuous supply of food, comfort items and flashlights in order to mitigate
guests’ discomfort given the difficult conditions on board.
Costa Cruises is working with all the authorities responsible for the
coordination of the emergency to ensure the best possible assistance to all
our guests and to make their discomfort as short as possible and to reach
their next destination as soon as possible.

* Updates four and five contained outdated information that could confuse
the message that the ship is going to Mahé, rather than Desroches.
Therefore, they are not available on the press area.

Costa Allegra Update #7: Tugs Reach Ship
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (Feb. 28, 2012) (3 p.m. ET) — This afternoon around
12:30 p.m. CET (3:30 p.m. Seychelles time; 6:30 a.m. ET) the two tugs and
a second ocean-going fishing vessel reached Costa Allegra to assist the ship.
Costa Allegra continues to be towed by French-flagged fishing ship Trévignon
and is maintaining a speed of about 6 knots. At the current speed and with
stable weather conditions Costa Allegra is expected to arrive at Mahé,
Seychelles, in the early morning of Thursday, March 1.
Wednesday Costa expects the arrival of a helicopter to deliver about 400
flashlights and fresh bread. There is sufficient food and other comfort items
on board. Also, thanks to the arrival of a small generator delivered by a local
Navy ship that is present on site, the ship’s crew is doing everything possible
to make the situation on board more comfortable by trying to restore basic
services.
Early this afternoon Costa Cruises’ Care Team arrived at Mahé. The group of
14 people includes executives and managers as well as specialized
technicians. The team is tasked with providing assistance to the ship, guests
and crewmembers on their arrival at Mahé.
Upon arriving Care Team members immediately met with local authorities
and those responsible for rescue coordination to arrange operational details
of guests’ arrival at the island. Top priority was given to securing necessary
accommodations at local hotels and organizing an efficient process for
making guests’ travel arrangements.
Eight members of the Care Team will board Costa Allegra tomorrow morning
via a local Navy ship to meet guests and discuss arrangements with them
and to assist the ship’s staff in thorough technical inspections. With the
Costa Care Team will be two officers from Seychelles Immigration to
facilitate customs procedures.
# # #

Costa Allegra Update #8: Care Team to Board Allegra Today
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (Feb. 29, 2012) (7.30 a.m. ET) — Following the
latest contact with Costa Allegra — currently under tow to Mahé,
Seychelles — Costa Cruises reports that the situation on board is
stable and weather conditions are good.
Arrival time of the ship at Mahé on Thursday, March 1, is subject to
change according to speed and sea weather conditions. Currently,
arrival is expected at 9 a.m. Seychelles time (1 a.m. ET). Costa is
constantly updating authorities involved in the operation following
each contact with the ship.
Within the next few hours Costa’s Care Team will reach the ship, and
team members will immediately begin working to achieve repatriation
of all guests. At the same time, members of Care Team based on the
island are organizing hospitality services for guests and arranging air
charter transfers.
Costa has optioned more than 600 airline seats to facilitate guest
travel and more than 400 hotel rooms have been reserved for guests’
accommodations needs.
On board soft drinks and cold foods such as fruits, cold cuts and
cheeses are being served. Mineral water is provided for personal
hygiene needs. Fresh bread is delivered daily via helicopter.

Costa Allegra Update #9: Some Guests Opt to Stay at Seychelles
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (Feb. 29, 2012) (12:00 p.m. ET) — Members of
Costa Cruises’ Care Team have reached and boarded Costa Allegra. Team
members met with guests to assess their needs upon disembarkation.
So far, 376 guests out of 627 have accepted Costa Cruises’ proposal to
continue their vacation in Seychelles. They will be accommodated at Costa
Cruises’ expense, in high-quality hotels on the following islands: Praslin, La
Digue, Silhouette and Cerfs.
Costa Cruises also will arrange homeward flights at the end of their vacation.
The remaining 251 guests decided to return to their homes on flights
arranged by Costa Cruises, departing Mahé Thursday evening, March 1.
# # #

Costa Allegra Update #11: Disembarkation, Compensation
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (March 1, 2012) (1 p.m. ET) — Costa Allegra, after mooring at
the dock at Port Victoria, Mahè, Seychelles, at 12 p.m. local time today successfully
completed disembarkation of guests and crew in approximately two hours. On
disembarking guests were attended to by the ship’s crew, members of the Costa
Crociere Care Team and assistance personnel provided by local authorities. Guests
and crew are in good health.
The number of guests who decided to accept Costa Crociere’s offer to continue their
holiday in the Seychelles has risen to about 70 percent out of a total of 627. Those
guests already have been taken to the hotels where there will spend one or two
weeks on holiday at the company’s expense on the islands of Praslin, La Digue,
Silhouette and Cerfs. Costa Crociere also will organize their return flights home after
their holiday.
The remaining guests who have elected to return home have been accommodated in
hotels on the island. They will leave in the evening on flights organized by Costa
Crociere from Seychelles International airport to Paris, Milan via Rome, and to Zurich
via Vienna. The flights are scheduled to arrive the morning of March 2.
The company has offered all guests a compensation package including:
* Full refund of the fare paid for the cruise and associated travel expenses
* Full refund of on-board expenses incurred during the cruise
*Indemnity equivalent to the amount of the fare paid for the cruise and
associated travel costs

Guests who decided not to continue their holiday in the Seychelles at the company’s
expense are to receive a voucher for the same value they paid for their unfinished
Costa Allegra cruise, to apply toward any Costa cruise departing within 24 months.
Costa Crociere expresses its gratitude to Master Nicolò Alba and all members of the
Costa Allegra crew, to the guests of Costa Allegra, to the master and crew of the
French fishing boat Trevignon, to the other naval and air units involved in the support
operations for Costa Allegra, to the Italian Harbour Office General Command, to the
local authorities of the Seychelles and Reunion Island, to the Italian Consulate and
Embassy, and to international diplomatic representatives.
# # #

Costa Allegra Update #12: 481 Guests Continue Holiday
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (March 2, 2012) (1:00 p.m. ET) — Costa
Cruises informs that out of the 627 guests on board Costa Allegra, 481
are continuing their holiday in the Seychelles in high-quality hotels on
the islands of Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette and Cerfs at the company’s
expense.
Costa Cruises also will organize their homeward flights at the end of
their holiday. The remaining 146 guests chose instead to return home
on three flights arranged by Costa Cruises to Paris, Rome/Milan and
Vienna/Zurich. The flights arrived at their destinations this morning.
The company, sincerely sorry for the discomfort caused to guests of
Costa Allegra, offered them a compensation package including:
• A full refund of the fare paid for the cruise and associated travel
expenses
• A full refund of on-board expenses incurred during the cruise
• Indemnity equivalent to the amount of the fare paid for the
cruise and
• Guests who have decided not to continue their holiday in the
Seychelles at the company’s expense received a voucher for the
same value as the unfinished Costa Allegra cruise to travel free
of charge on any Costa ship departing in the coming 24 months.
###

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

One contributor even posted her own family’s written contract with her children, and I thought it was such a good idea and included so many good ideas that I decided to create one of my own.   Most of these policies and ideas are ones that we always had a spoken agreement with our children, but I thought how much better to expand upon these ideas and put them in writing.

Our family will utilize the following contract with our kids/teens when we cruise with them in the future.  I have included the Celebrity Code of Conduct in my document, but a parent could substitute the appropriate cruise line in that section.  Please feel free to add any comments or suggestions in our comments section.

A Cruise Contract for Children/Teens and their Parents: 

Passenger  Code Conduct

The following rules are designed to keep me in compliance with the ship’s passenger conduct policy:

“A Celebrity cruise provides an ideal environment for partying, but Celebrity expects guests to be considerate of their fellow passengers. The cruise line doesn’t tolerate abusive language or harassment toward passengers or crew members and staff may cut off alcohol service to intoxicated guests. The ships only serve alcohol to guests over 21 and won’t tolerate attempts to use fake IDs or provide alcohol to minors. Passengers must obey the laws of all countries on their itineraries, and guests who bring illegal drugs on board are subject to arrest and prosecution. Celebrity may impose a range of sanctions on violators of its Guest Conduct Policy, according to the infraction’s severity, such as confinement to cabins or the ship’s holding cells, or removal from the ship at its next port of call.”

I will be respectful to fellow passengers:  this includes walking rather than running,  standing back to allow passengers to enter or exit doorways or elevators,   no loitering in hall ways or stair wells in the way of fellow passengers, and no climbing on any type of rail, furnishings, or any other inappropriate item.

I will not enter or disrupt areas designated as adults only or quiet areas including adult pools or hot tubs.

I will keep my voice at an appropriate level at all times so as not to disturb other guests.

I will utilize good manners in the dining room including good table manners and respect for other passengers who might be sharing our table or dining near us.

I will not play inappropriate games that would diminish the cruise experience for other passengers such as, but not limited to “Knock and Run”, pushing multiple elevator buttons, or misusing the ship’s phone system.

I will not splash any guests in the pool area or play games which would disturb others in the pool area.

I will be respectful and kind to crew members and staff.

I will not drink alcohol in violation of the ship’s policy.

I will respect the laws of each country I visit.

I will not be involved in any way with any kind of illegal drugs or prescription drugs not prescribe for me.

I will respect the ship’s curfew rules, and respect my parents curfew rules which will supersede any of the ship’s policies.   For example my curfew might be 11:00 pm when the ship’s rule says the curfew is 12:00 midnight.

 

Safety Rules

The following safety rules are designed to keep me safe in an emergency,  from assault or  misconduct by other guests or staff,  and to prevent accidents or even death: 

I will pay attention and follow all instructions during safety drills.

I will be aware of our muster station and will practice getting there on my own.

No other passengers or staff member may enter my cabin when I am present, especially but not limited to members of the opposite sex.

I will not enter any cabin other than our own unless accompanied by my parents.

I will not enter a balcony with-out a parent present.

I will not wander, loiter, or utilize open decks in the evenings or loiter in unsupervised locations during the evenings.

In order to prevent the possibility of a drug being slipped into my drink, I will not accept drinks from other passengers and will keep my own beverages with-in my sight at all times.  If I loose sight of my beverage I will order a new one.

According the ship’s policy I will not leave the ship without a parent.

According to ship’s policy I will not throw anything overboard.

I will not enter any staff only or restricted areas of the ship unless on an organized pre-approved  group tour.

I will not climb on any rail, or furniture anywhere near a railing, or any furniture at all.

When in my room alone I will hang a do not disturb sign so that staff members should not enter.  I will remove the sign upon exiting the room so that staff members may clean my room.

 

On Board Spending

The following rules insure that I am responsible for my finances.

I will remember my SeaPass with me at all times and guard it as I would both my house key and cash.

I have saved up __________ amount and my parents have given me an allowance of ___________.   I am not to exceed spending over this amount throughout the cruise.

I will save my receipts and reconcile those receipts with my parents spending account on a daily basis to insure I am not over spending.

Sanitation

The following rules insure that I am responsible for my own health the the health of others:

I understand that I could either spread or pick up NoroVirus and other infectious agents through poor sanitation habits.   I will wash with soap and water after all bathroom visits for 2 minutes while singing “Happy Birthday” twice to myself.   I will also wash before all meals, and utilize the hand sanitizer in a generous amount for at least 20 seconds when entering a dining facility or youth facility and be careful not to touch surfaces after washing.

I understand that spreading NoroVirus or other agents could result in serious illness or even death in other passengers with compromised immune systems.

Family Respect

The following rules insure that our whole family enjoys a stress free vacation:

I will always keep my parents informed as to my location.  Each day I will identify a schedule with my parents utilizing the youth schedule and the ship’s activity schedule.    If for some reason a planned activity is cancelled or plans change,  we will immediately report  our location to one another with an update on our activity.   Alternatively, if  we are unable to immediately locate each-other we will leave sticky notes in a prominent place in our cabin with our locations.

Our family will schedule pre-arranged check in times. I will wear my watch to stay aware of these times and the arranged check in location.

I will report each evening at the designated time to dress for dinner and attend any pre-dinner event with my parents.

I will dress according to the ship’s dress code every evening.

I will attend dinner with my family unless I have made pre-approved plans not to exceed more than 1 evening per 7 nights of the cruise.

I will be respectful at all times to my parents and show them how much I appreciate them taking me on this fantastic privilege of a cruise.

Consequences for Not Following This Contract

Depending on the severity of the rules violation parents or the cruise line may impose the following  consequences including but not limited to these punishments:

Loss of Sea Pass Beverage Privileges

This means that we will retain your sea pass card and you are limited to free beverages such as tea and juice for an appropriate period of time.

Loss of Youth Program or Teen Program and independent pursuits.

This means loss of independence and you would be required to remain with a parent at all times until the period of restriction expires.

In Cabin Confinement

 You would be restricted to your cabin for a period of time, possibly without TV privileges.

Loss of Future Cruise Privileges

This policy could be enforced by parents or the cruise line.

Disembarkation from the Ship.

For severe behavior violations, the cruise line reserves the right to disembark passengers at the next port with no refunds or assistance in returning home.
In signing below, I understand acknowledge that I have read the terms of the above contract and agree to abide by the rules and comply with the punishments should I be in violation.

Parent/Guardian_______________________________ Date_________

Minor Passenger_______________________________ Date_________

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

Focus and Expertise

Unlike the hastily produced sensational episode of 20/20 which aired on ABC, this documentary focused solely on the causes, mistakes and survival stories.  Just days after the disaster, the 20/20 episode aired about 15 minutes of information related to the Costa disaster and then spent the remainder of the hour showing videos of crew member parties and drunk passenger videos from cruise ships unrelated to this incident.    The Discovery Channel documentary focused on the facts of the incident guided by forensic analysis of maritime industry experts.   The producers also interviewed three sets of passengers offering differing perspectives of the disaster: a group from one of the first deployed life boats, a couple who had to jump into the water from the low side of the ship, and an entire family who was trapped on the high side of the ship.   The picture painted from the expert analysis and the passenger stories provided new and revealing information.

Two Shocking  Facts Brought Light

The show revealed  two important facts not brought to light in previous reports.   First, the  show featured an interview with a family who’s muster station was located on the high side of the listing ship.   They were loaded onto the life boats but because the ship was tilted past the 20 degree point, the crew could not lower the life boat.   The crew then ordered the passengers off the life boats and back onto the ship.  The passengers then tried to make their way through the hull of the ship to the down side of the ship.  But at that point that side of the ship had sunk below the water line.   They then became trapped, unable to climb up the steep angle.   Finally, someone lowered a rope ladder to them and they were able to climb out.   Once on the high side of the ship they then had to climb down another rope ladder and make a jump timed to the ups and downs of the waves, onto ta rescue boat.

Second,  the show explained how the ship ended up on the rocks close to land after the initial collision.   Most people had previously thought that the captain had intentionally steered the ship into the shallow cove near the island in order to keep it close to land to prevent sinking.   The show revealed that the ship had lost all power and propulsion minutes after ship hit the rocks which ripped open the bottom of the ship.   At that point it drifted out to sea on its previous momentum.   However as a stroke of luck, the winds in the Mediterranean were such that they blew the ship back towards the island and beached it on the rocks.     The closing moments of the documentary stated that if the ship had sunk in deeper waters, meaning completely, many more people would have lost their lives.   Perhaps even 100′s or 1000′s of people.

Err on the Side of Caution

As I was watching the show, I couldn’t help but think that the most grave error was that as soon as the crew learned that the ship was taking on water, they didn’t immediately ordered a precautionary loading of the life boats.    Outside observers already knew that it had taken over an hour from the time the ship hit the rocks till they decided to load the life boats.   The show revealed that the once the crew or captain gave the abandon ship orders, the list made doing so very difficult, and many passengers reacted in a state of panic.    Had the passengers be instructed to load the boats earlier as a precautionary measure, more lives could have been saved and the survivors could have been spared the terror of panic situation.

Learning from the Tragedy

With the announcement that all passengers must participate in a life boat/muster drill before the ship departs the embarkation port, the cruise line industry has already taken a first step in learning from this situation and insuring better safety standards.   My hope is that the industry will continue to look for better ways to handle emergency situations and more efficiently evacuate passengers.

The show will air at least two more times this week.
Feb 21, 10:00 pm and Feb 22, 12:00 am, all times Eastern, please adjust times for your time zone.

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

Each cruise line provides different information in terms of the details of the dress codes.   Cruise Talk has done the leg work for you and found the latest publish information on most of the major cruise lines.   We have updated our page to hopefully allow passengers to understand what they should wear during the day,  in evening in the main dining room, in other public areas of the ship, and in the casual and alternative eateries.

We hope that the new format will be easier to understand and allow perspective cruisers to choose the cruise line that best meets their needs in terms of dress requirements.     Please let us know if we have missed any important details.

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

Cruise Quality Elevated by the Information Age

With so many outlets where people can share their experience with a particular cruise line, what used to be “word of mouth” and information shared among acquaintances, now is easily be put in writing for all the world to see on websites like Cruise Critic, Cruise Line Fans, Cruise Mates and here at Cruise Talk.  While I’ve learned to read these posting with a certain amount of perspective, the fact that both negatives and positives can reach a broad audience very quickly,  has upped the game for the cruise industry.

The level of accommodations and amenities has certainly improved over the last 20 years.    When I compare my slightly upgraded, but very basic room on the Rotterdam in 1993 to my basic room on the Equinox in 2010, it is like to going from  third to first class.   Our “upgraded” Rotterdam room only held a queen size bed, two small port holes,  and armoire and a tiny bathroom.   The Equinox room had a king size bed, sofa, flat screen TV, larger bathroom, vanity area, extensive storage space and a balcony.

I remember the brochures that my father used to pick up for our cruises in the 70′s that featured stylized pictures of the largest rooms.   He would always warn us that our cabin would look nothing like that.  Often the the pictures were taken with a nearly fish-eye type lens which allowed the photographer to fit the entire room in the image, but also distorted the the image making it appear larger.   Today, with so much image sharing on the internet, consumers would likely not accept such minimalistic accommodations.   In the information age, even the odd room with a pole running through it or some other kind of weird lay out or obstruction gets exposed via the internet.

So too are grave customer service errors, safety, and poor food quality exposed on the internet.   While a few negative reports of problems in a sea of good reviews  won’t damage a cruise line reputation, consistently bad reviews particularly in  one area of the cruise experience, have often resulted in swift corrective action and responses to the issue from the lines themselves.   The most recent example of a massive response was the response of several cruise lines regarding the their own safety and muster drill procedures after the Concordia Disasters.    One of the first details reported in the Concordia disaster was that passengers who had embarked at ports other than the main port of embarkation had not yet participated in a safety drill.    Many people, including this blogger, wanted to see an industry wide response to the issue.   The SOLAS standard has always been  for passengers to participate in a safety drill with in 24 hour of embarkation.   Several cruise lines made press releases that about their own policy of always conducting the drill before the ship leaves the embarkation port, and then the Cruise Line International Associations released a policy that will now be followed by all members that includes all passengers participating in a muster/safety drill before they depart their embarkation port.

Cruise Talk took a look back at how we used to book our cruises and learn about them and compare them to how we complete that process now in this age of information.

20 Years Ago

As recently as just 20 years ago, like most people, we  still booked cruises the old fashioned way.   My husband worked with a travel agent to make all the arrangements for our honeymoon cruise to Alaska on the Holland America Rotterdam.  We had little information available to us on different cruise lines other than previous experience,  word of mouth, and travel agent recommendations.   My previous experience with Holland America and the prevailing word that Holland America offered one of the best products, led us in that direction.   Even though we suspected that  most other  cruisers would be in the 70-90 year old range, we decided to choose Holland America because of its superior reputation.   To book the cruise, my husband visited a travel agent, looked through printed brochures and selected the best room available for honeymooners.   Since the Rotterdam of that time was an older vessel, it only had a few rooms that didn’t have unmovable twin beds.     With his only guide being the help of the travel agent and the printed brochure he selected one of the few rooms with a queen size bed.      The travel brochure gave us the information we needed on the dress codes, so we knew what to pack.   We had no on board or excursions plans until the cruise was well under way.   During our first day we spent a good deal of time exploring the interesting public spaces  of the ship because the brochure had not really prepared us for what we would find on the ship.    We also didn’t book any excursions until the second or third day of the cruise.   We might have gotten some shore excursion information in our cruise documents, but I seem to remember my husband going down to the excursion office to learn more about what was available and to make his selection.    Years later we at Cruise Talk  selected that excursion, the Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter Flight and Landing, as the best excursion of all time.    Over all, that cruise was one of our favorites.   We enjoyed incredible service and a fabulous itinerary even though we went into the experience with only a basic knowledge of what to expect from the cruise.

10 Years Later

Our anniversary cruise in 2003 marked our return to cruising.    At the time we booked the cruise we were living in a small guest house while we built our current home.   Because of our temporary living situation we only had dial up internet.   Consequently most of my cruise research was done on the phone with a travel agent.  I did look briefly  for my choices of lines, ships, itinerary and pricing online.   I then called a two local travel agents and asked them to get ma pricing on the cruises.   Again, most of my decision making was made upon the recommendations of the travel agent and word of mouth.   Once I had booked with the travel agent, he then gave me the names of a couple of cruise review sites, including one of the largest, Cruise Critic,  with extensive pictures and information on the ship on which we would be traveling.   As you can imagine I didn’t do a lot of research because I only had dial up internet service, but did learn a bit more about the ship and the cruise line.

The cruise turned out to be even better than we expected, possibly because I had no idea what to expect.    We had all of our basic information such as itinerary, dress codes and ship board policies but hadn’t even looked into things like excursions, which nights were formal, menus, wine lists, or secret extras.    We simply booked the excursions on board and went with the flow on everything else.   We were also able to remain completely disconnected from the outside world.   I don’t think we turned on a TV news show and we certainly didn’t have any internet service.

Over the Last 9 Years

Over the last nine years, the amount of information on the internet and the amount of people using it has exploded.   I found myself spending more and more time in the cruise related internet chat rooms sharing cruise information with others.    I also used cruise line’s web sites more and more to  compare prices and itineraries and to select my cruise.   However, I still make a phone call to my travel agent, one that I started using after online recommendations, to book my cruises.

Cruise Selection, Excursions, and Pre-Cruise Arrangements

In preparation for my San Diego to Hawaii RT  cruise on the Celebrity Infinity,  I spent much time planning what we were going to do on each of the Hawaiian Island.   The cruise line offered some wonderful coach excursions, but I couldn’t see how bringing along a 7 and 9 year old would be a good fit.  Instead,  I found members in cruise related online chat rooms who lived in Hawaii who could give me details from the perspective of a local.    I utilized the internet to locate car companies from which to rent.   As a result,  I found many family friendly touring options including a visit to Poipu Beach, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, Volcanoes National Park, and  a wonderful family friendly snorkeling private tour in Kona.  I researched the best time to go to Pearl Harbor to visit the Arizona memorial and I even found a great little place to dine in Hilo.   After the cruise I  looked online for pictures of that restaurant and Thurston’s lava tube which I had neglected to photograph.   This cruise, possibly because of the fantastic itinerary – round trip from San Deigo to Hawaii, and possibly because it was our first with our children, is one of the most memorable cruises that we have taken.  Perhaps though, what made it so enjoyable was that I had researched many of my options and made choices which best fit my family’s needs.

In subsequent years, the internet played an even more important role in our preparations.   One of our biggest decisions was choosing between a large Mariner class ship, with all its bells and whistles,  and the the Celebrity Summit with its more intimate atmosphere.   Both ships had two week plus trans-Atlantic cruises leaving from Barcelona on close to the same day.   I prepared  an elaborate presentation on my lap top connected to the big screen TV for my family.   It featured information gathered online about both ships, details about the perspective state rooms, and pros and con’s for both ships.  We ultimately chose the slightly more intimate Celebrity Summit for its more intimate atmosphere and Family Veranda state room.   The details gathered from my web surfing provided us the data we needed to make an informed decision.

I also utilized the internet to plan for our three day pre-cruise stay in Barcelona and Rome.    Wanting to stay with-in a certain budget and struggling to find a hotel that would accommodate a family of 4, we chose the alternative accommodation of a vacation rental apartment.   This process too involved presenting the details of our options to my family via the lap top connected to the big screen TV.  I located several internet based web sites that specialize in vacation apartment rentals in Barcelona.  Ultimately, for our Barcelona stay,  we choose a Vacation Rental By Owner listing that had a excellent location for walking tours.  For our stay in Rome we chose a Rentals In Rome apartment located in the heart of historic Rome for our stay in the eternal city.

Ship Board Policies and Issues

Sharing information on the internet has also better prepared me as a vacationer for changes and improvements on the cruise lines.   I have kept in touch with the ever evolving and seemingly ever more relaxed dress code policies.  Also as Celebrity has introduced larger ships, I was able to get a feel for how that change would effect my over all cruise experience.   Sharing information from trusted sources on the internet chat rooms quelled some of my fears that the large size and capacity would loose some of the charm we had experienced on previous cruises.   Again, when Celebrity introduced Select dining with flexible seating and time, I was convinced that this change would adversely affect the over all dining experience.   However, it was again the sharing of information with trusted members that quelled my fears.

I’ve also gotten some pretty solid advice from others via the internet regarding resolving issues that have come up on our cruises.   We had an overextended wine steward on our first cruise with Celebrity and it was with the advice of those on some of the chat rooms that I learned to speak to either the Cellar Master or Maitre’d on the first day of the cruise.   It is also how I learned to meet with the dining room staff to arrange for a table for 4 for my family.   Finally on the advice of these friends, I decided to give select dining a try when late seating was moved out to 8:45.  I’ve also gotten great advice on room selection and excursion advice.  Often people post pictures of particular rooms to show how the drawing of the ship doesn’t quite fit the actual lay-out.  Some will have larger balconies for the same price as the standard size.   The internet has made that type of information available to the general public.

Staying In Touch

One of the most recent innovations has been the additions of computer centers and wifi on board cruise ships.   The ability to stay connected to life and home has advantages and disadvantages.    We can send e-mails and notes back and forth to our family at home.   At Cruise Talk we are able to offer a real time daily blog to our readers about our cruise experience.   Much like the hand written journals that my mother used to write when we traveled abroad, the daily blog posts serve as keepsake preserving the often forgotten details of the trip.     My husband also runs a part time internet based business and the ability to log on and resolve small issues certainly relieves some of his worries about being gone for so long.    In addition, he can also keep up with any emergency situations that could occur at his full time job.   However, the down side of that communication link is that when we go away we don’t completely escape the outside world.    There used to be a time when a cruise was a complete escape from the outside world.     I remember when we got back from several cruises in the 1970′s it was usually from our cab driver, while going to the airport, that we got caught up on the news of the world.  With the internet now at their fingertips, cruisers can worry about the same things on their cruise that they worry about on when they are at home.

Concluding Thoughts

Overall, I would say that the information provided to me as a cruiser has improved my over all cruise experience.   I love being able to visit the cruise chat rooms and get information and opinions from other cruisers.    I also like being able to research and price potential cruises over the internet.   However, I do still make a phone call and talk in person with my travel agent.   I have found that in addition to the welcome aboard gifts and on board credits that come with booking through a travel agent,  the knowledge of an experienced travel agent puts the finishing touch on my cruise selection decisions.

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

February 09, 2012 —

Best Practice Identified Through Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review

LONDON –The global cruise industry today announced a new emergency drill policy requiring mandatory muster for embarking passengers prior to departure from port. The new policy follows the industry’s announcement on January 27 of a Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review in response to the Concordia incident and as part of the industry’s continuous efforts to review and improve safety measures. The Cruise Lines International Association, European Cruise Council, and the Passenger Shipping Association put forward the new policy with the support of their member cruise lines.

The new muster policy, which has been voluntarily initiated by the associations’ members and is effective immediately, exceeds existing legal requirements by calling for the mandatory muster of all embarking passengers prior to departure from port. On rare occasions when passengers arrive after the muster has been completed, passengers will be promptly provided with individual or group safety briefings that meet the requirements for musters applicable under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). The formal policy is designed to help ensure that any mandatory musters or briefings are conducted for the benefit of all newly embarked passengers at the earliest practical opportunity.

Musters are mandatory exercises conducted on cruise ships to ensure passengers are informed of safety protocols while onboard the ship, including emergency evacuation procedures. Current legal requirements for conducting a muster of passengers can be found in SOLAS and mandate that a muster occur within 24 hours of passenger embarkation.

The Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review includes a comprehensive assessment of the critical human factors and operational aspects of maritime safety. As best practices are identified, they will be shared among cruise industry association members and any appropriate recommendations will be shared with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), European Union and other governmental authorities as appropriate. The industry’s efforts also are consistent with the framework and spirit of the International Safety Management Code. Recommendations resulting from the Review will be made on an ongoing basis.

A copy of the new muster policy can be viewed at: www.cruising.org/regulatory/cruise-industry-policies/passenger-muster-policy

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

The feature image to the left is actually a picture of me on my first cruise in the mid 70′s. I’m shaking hands with the captain as my sister in the overall turtleneck dress enters behind me followed by my Mom in a coordinated maxi skirt ensemble and my Dad in a very wide tie and collar. I chose that picture to illustrate that just as fashion has changed since the 70′s so too have cruise line dress codes. Cruises today have many more options when it comes to what they wear when they cruise.

Legitimate Reasons

First, I want to acknowledge that there are legitimate reasons for not following the dress codes. If a passenger has lost his or her luggage he or she would not have appropriate clothing unless they were able to borrow something from the ship. Also, a passenger may have some sort of health concern that would prevent them from complying with a dress code. Both of these issues could be addressed with management ahead of time so that they would not be reprimanded and the situation could easily be explained to others if they questioned the non-compliance.

Relaxation

Cruise lines have tremendously relaxed dress code minimums. Almost all cruise lines now allow jeans in the main dining room on casual nights. Carnival permits tailored shorts in the main dining room on casual nights and does not require a coat for their “Cruise Elegant” nights. With a few exceptions, (Cunard comes to mind) most cruise lines only require formal attire in the main dining room on formal nights. For example, on Celebrity, where formal attire used to be required in all public areas on formal nights, the specialty restaurants and all other public areas now require only smart casual attire even on formal nights.

Options

With so many options now available to cruisers there is really no reason, other than the a fore mentioned two, for not following dress codes. If the code for the dining room says khakis and a polo, it is insulting to the staff to show up in basketball shorts and a tank top. If a passenger doesn’t want to wear a suit and tie, tuxedo, gown or pantsuit on formal night, then it is pretty easy to choose a specialty dining venue, the casual dining area, or even in room dining for those nights. While the first of those options would be at an extra cost, the second two options are already included in the cruise fare. With so many different cruise lines appealing to so many different cruisers, it is pretty easy to find a cruise line with a dress code that makes sense to you. We keep a dress code table here at cruise talk and all cruise line publish their dress codes on their websites and brochure information. Cruisers will certainly find themselves less stressed about dress codes when they research them ahead of time and plan accordingly.

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

This week Princess took drastic measure to insure sanitation of one of their ships.   They announced they would be ending the cruise two days early the current cruise on the Crown Princess, issuing refunds to all passengers, and assisting with accommodations and airline change fees.   Ending this voyage two days early will allow them to sanitize the ship for two days before the next group of passengers boards the ship.  However with the CDC reporting outbreaks throughout the US, it will be hard to avoid new passengers boarding the ship carrying the virus.   They do screen for carriers, but not everyone is honest when questioned about such illness because they don’t want to be denied boarding.

Most importantly cruisers need to keep in mind that Norovirus is not unique to cruise ships, but as individuals they can take steps lessen their chance of getting it while cruising.     Most cases occur on land especially in institutional  settings like schools and nursing homes.

Simply stated, Norovirus  is a stomach flu that causes vomiting and diarrhea.  Usually, the infected person feels awful for about two days and then symptoms subside.   It can result in more serious symptom or even death, especially in the extremely young, elderly, or immune compromised.  However, even after the patient has recovered, the affected person may be contagious for several more days.

Quarantine Passengers?

There in lies the problem.  Cruise ship passenger who still want to make something out out of their vacation may want to get back to regular activities once they have no symptoms but are still contagious.  The same may be true for cruise ship employees who are eager to get back to work.

This puts the cruise line in a difficult position.   If the person has reported to sick bay to seek treatment and they are now feeling better, should the cruise staff still confine them to their state room?   Are they still contagious?  Maybe, Maybe not.   If they are thoroughly washing their hands after taking care of the “bathroom business” then they are probably not a danger, but is someone going to follow them around and make sure they wash their hands for 2 minutes with soap and water every time?  If the cruise line starts restricting infected people’s activity on the ship even when they are feeling better do they run a higher risk of a PR problem than they would if a few more people got sick?

I tried to look a for a better solution and I could see the dilemma that the cruise lines must be in.   If they confine infected passengers to their cabin even when they are feeling better, those passengers won’t be happy.   If they let them have full access to the ship they risk further spread.  Would a quarantine policy exasperate the problem with fewer people reporting their illness?  Many people don’t want to be restricted to their cabins if they are only having fairly mild symptoms, so those people would be less likely report their illness to the ship’s medical staff.   This might further result in more spread.

Preventing the Spread

Most cruise ships have adopted plans that are designed to lessen the likelihood of contamination spreading.    These measures include constant sanitation of surfaces with bleach and removal of shared items like serving spoons on the buffet and salt and pepper shakers.   When an outbreak begins they require gloved staff to serve items at the buffet rather than self serve.

I wondered if a further step could be offered such as compensation packages for those who become ill and agree to stay in their cabins for 5 days.   That plan sounds like an absolutely miserable way to spend a cruise, but might allow those who need to be isolated during this cruise the opportunity to cruise again at a reduced cost.

Because the virus is not airborne, the best way for cruisers to protect themselves is to eliminate direct or indirect contact with the virus.  This can be done by thoroughly washing hands with soap and water.   The soap doesn’t kill viruses but will wash them away.    Some of the recent news reports emphasized that alcohol based hand sanitizers, like Purell, will kill bacteria like e-coli, but are not effective against viruses.

Noro Specific Hand Sanitizers

However, those same reports fail to mention the sanitizers that DO kill Noro.  Germstar manufactures a hand sanitizer specifically designed to kill Norovirus called Germstar Noro.   This is the product you will find on your cruise ships at the entrances to the buffet and to the dining rooms.  If you visit their website, at germstar.com,   you will immediately recognize their product and the dispensers used on many cruise ships.   To make sure the product is effective in killing the virus, the manufacturer directs the use the product for at least 20 seconds.  They also have the product available in 6 2 oz bottles for $18.   Cruisers will want to generously use this type product before they dine, touch food or utensils, or even touch their hands to their mouths.  A person who has been recently infected, if they are not going to stay in their rooms,  should be extra vigilant about the hand washing and sanitizing so that they don’t spread the virus.      On many of my cruises, the cruise line has assigned  their friendliest waiter to greet guests by name and give them a squirt from the squishy bag of gel.  The friendly waiter helps passengers feel more comfortable with the process and makes sure that ever passenger is  sanitizing his or her hands.   For extra caution passengers may want to even get a second squirt after they have gone through the buffet line and touched other surfaces.

Concluding Thoughts

It seems the course of containment that is most effective is the sanitation of the vessel surfaces, avoidance of contact with serving utensils and condiment containers, and disinfecting of hands with a Noro specific solution.   Following these steps will slow and avoid the spread of the virus and make cruising a better experience for all.  We invite our readers to share their experience with such outbreaks or effective measures that they have observed in the prevention of the spread of this virus.   We’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on addressing this issue.

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

Understanding Types of Reviewers

There are many different types of reviewers.   If you can recognize the type you can decide how much credibility to give the reviewer.

Cheerleaders – These people love their favorite cruise line and will write glowing reviews about every aspect.    Sometimes when they go on another cruise line they can make nothing but negative comments about the other cruise line.  Be careful about reviewers who are already in love with another cruise line, because any thing different will not meet their expectations.

Grumpmeisters – This is our nickname for people who do nothing but complain 24 hours a day about everything.   They probably do this in their every day lives, at the bank, in the grocery store, at the church meeting, at the fast food place and the finest restaurant.     When they go on a cruise, nothing meets their expectations.  They are often rude and condescending to the staff and other passengers.  Their reviews often complain about relatively small matters that they turn into major issues.

The Grudge Holder – The person had a major problem on his cruise, perhaps a mechanical problem, norovirus,  or missed port.   They often will report the same review in as many sites as possible and repeat reviews under different user names.     Often he may be a Grumpmeister who did not get his issues resolved.  Many times they did not give the cruise line a fair chance to make amends, or when then cruise line did attempt to resolve the issues they were rude and inflexible.  I’ve even seen reviews trashing a particular cruise line when the poster was obviously guilty of egregious behavior in violation of the cruise line policy, for example cursing at an employee.   Quite often the details of their review don’t seem to make sense to a logical person as they are leaving key details out of their review.

Uninformed Traveler – This is someone who doesn’t travel much and didn’t do “due diligence” before booking their cruise.   They complain about the normal procedures like  assigned dining, dress code, price of drinks, and mandatory tipping.     I read a review once from a guy who won a free cruise and then trashed the cruise line because he had to pay tips.  He said he ate in the buffet and put a do not disturb sign on his room so that he would not have to tip waiters or room stewards.   His review started out with a statement something like “Such and Such cruise line rips people off.”

The Braggart – This person’s reviews are often filled with big flowing poetic words and tons of examples of how much better things were on their last cruise or when they traveled some where else.   This person is trying to show how their superior knowledge of the world gives him the right to criticize every minute detail.   This reviewer preports to know the difference between an excellent cruise and an inferior cruise and they are going to prove it to the rest of the world through their review.  Often they list many details on both the positive and negative sides, but give the overall experience a bad review.   I’ve read just the positives from some of these reviews and thought that it would have been a wonderful cruise for me.   I then read the negatives and thought “Is he really complaining about that?”

Experienced Helpful Traveler – These types of review probably make up about 50% of online reviews.   While this reviewer might mention past travel experience or previous personal experience it is not in braggadocios tone, but rather to provide back ground and context.   The reviewer provides lots of detail and specifics.  If they are trying a different cruise line they usually point out things they liked better on one or the other but don’t disparage either one.  If they have much experience with the particular cruise lines they will often point out things that were different from their last experience, for better or for worse,  either positive or a miserable experience, this cruiser lists specific about the foods, activities and features of the ship they enjoyed or disliked.  Quite often these reviews are over-all positive, though the details about the weaknesses might point you to a different line.

Throw Out the Highs and Lows

Probably the best plan in determining if a cruise is right for you is to read the balanced reviews.   The “all positive” reviews might be a bit to “Pollyanna”, and the completely negative ones probably originate from some of the nare-do-wells mentioned above.   This is not to say that an all negative and all positive review is completely invalid, but that the more balanced reviews will really help you better in your decision making.   Balanced reviews will list many positives and negative and  give you a balanced perspective to determine if the positives out weigh the negatives.  Generally most cruise reviews tend to be on the positive side because the competition in the industry keeps the quality and value of the product very high.

Volume

I recommend websites that specialize in cruising with many different reviews from experienced cruisers.   CruiseCritic.com  has over 60,000 user reviews.   Cruisemates.com has reviews of many different cruise lines including over 1000 reviews on Carnival cruises alone.   Other general review sites like Epinions.com also have cruise reviews but they are not as numerous  and as current as the a fore mentioned specialty sites.

When comparing different cruises, ships, or lines, it is important to get a variety of opinions.   The cruise lines serving the US market provide a quality experience, but not every one’s taste and preferences are the same.   Reading lots of different opinions will give you a broad spectrum.

You can also play the game of trying to identify the above personality types in the cruise reviews.   You’ll find many reviews will fall into the Experienced Helpful Traveler category, but when you find a reviewer that obviously fits into one of the other styles, you’ll know how to put that review into perspective.

Details

Highly detailed reviews provide the information for perspective cruisers to make their own judgment about which cruise line is right for them.    For example, because everyone’s taste in food is different, dining reviews can be really subjective.  If a review simply says that the food in the the main dining room was awful, that doesn’t tell you much.   However a detail like “the food was too high brow, all I wanted was a burger and fries with ketchup” provides more insight into the type of food actually served.   When another  reviews says “I loved the food, especially since I could get escargot every night” the burger lover might steer away from that line.

Details also make a difference in describing the type of activities on board.   One review might rave about the belly flop contest and another might disparage it.   What’s important is that the reviewer gave the specific detail of the belly flop contest.     On can decide for themselves if that would make or break their cruise.

Focus on the details that are important to your over all cruise experience.  When I read reviews, I look for details on customer service and dining experience, as they are the most important aspect of a cruise for me.  Others might have specific concerns about state room amenities or spa services.   Everyone has different expectations, details that praise or disparage those aspects of the total cruise experience provide the information to perspective cruises to find the best cruise for them.

One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure

I have looked at a reviews that have trashed everything about the cruise and come away with the thought that I might have actually enjoyed that cruise.   The reason is that all people like different things, and again the things that make one person happy might ruin another’s cruise.

Carnival is know for its fun activities,atmosphere and overall value.   I picked a random Carnival Ship, the Splendor, and read the online reviews looking for details on which I might share the reviewers thought or  take a contradictory position.     On the positive side many cruiser reported meeting great people, good night life and good shows, especially the comedians.  I do enjoy nice people and a good comedian, so that would be a positive.   On the negative side, many people reported bland food and lousy entertainment.   Good food is important to me so that might be an area on which I would have to do even more research.  Another example reported   “They only played old music in the disco.”  I  like to hear old favorites, so this would be a positive.   Another reviewer mentioned 24 hour pizza but since my husband and I  try to stick to a low carb diet, that wouldn’t be a plus for me specifically.      One review mentioned the wonderful steaks in the specialty restaurant.  That detail might help me in deciding if I  want to include specialty dining in my budget.

In almost any set of online reviews one can find positives and negatives.  Most of my recent cruises have been with Celebrity.   I would probably give all of my Celebrity cruises 4 1/2 to 5 stars on a 1-5 star scale.  However, online reviewers rate Celebrity any where from 2-5 stars, with the average probably being in the 4 1/2 range.     One of the first Celebrity reviews that I read  in preparing this article complained of “too many days at sea.”  That detail is important to me, but only because I love sea days and actually look for itineraries that maximize sea days.   One review talked about how boring their transatlantic cruise was.   The writer said that poor activities and a poor cruise director made the experience very dull.  She said that there was no night life after 11 pm.    Another review of that same cruise reported it to be her best cruise ever.  The second reviewer said she loved the lectures, live cooking demonstrations and the activities that involved some of the crew.   These two reviews provide different perspectives from different cruisers on the same cruise.   If you like lectures and cooking demos, then this was a great cruise, if you prefer nightlife, then this was not the most ideal cruise.  Every cruiser has different tastes and preferences.

Making the Most of Online Reviews

In summary, online reviews can be a good resource for determining which cruise to take if you utilize them correctly.   The can be most helpful when you first identify the writing style, throw out all the extremes, and focus on the details.   Once you have done this, you can make an informed decision as to whether or not a particular cruise line is right for you.   While no cruise lines can meet everyone’s needs, most cruise lines  often offer a wide variety of accommodations, food, services and activities to please a wide variety of customers.    Online reviews can be a useful tool in the decision making process.

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

When To Leave It Open

It is probably fairly obvious when to leave that option open: when you have booked the best cabin you could afford but really wanted some thing better.    For example if you have booked an inside cabin and really wanted an ocean view, or you booked an ocean view and really wanted a balcony.  Leaving that option open might result in a rare, but nice surprise a few weeks before your cruise or even when you arrive at the pier.   For example when we booked our Celebrity Infinity cruise to Hawaii, we were offered an upgrade to a balcony cabin at the pier.   We were hesitant to take it because we were cruising for the first time with our kids and the balcony cabin only had one upper birth, with the 4th bed being a sofa bed. However,  we decided that the balcony was a definite plus and took the upgrade.  Upgrades don’t happen very often, but if you leave the option open and are flexible with your cabin location then on that rare occasion you can get more than “what you paid for.”

When and How to Close The Option

There are times when you may want to close off that option .  If you have booked a particular cabin because of its location near the elevator or the center of the ship, then you may not want to risk the option of being moved to a “better” cabin in what would be a worse location for your liking.    Many people book near the elevators towards the end of the ship where they prefer to spend the most time.   Some families like to be at the same end as the kids program.   Others prefer a lower cabin near the center of the ship where they are less likely to feel the motion of the sea.    As mentioned in my above example, I had booked a cabin with-out a balcony with two upper bunks because I thought that would be the safest and most comfortable for my family.  As it turned out I was happy with the upgrade because I’m pretty flexible.

However, if you are certain that a particular cabin is the best for your circumstances, then you need to make sure that you mark you reservation “Do Not Upgrade”.   That way when certain categories are overbooked, the cruise line will skip over your reservation and offer an upgrade to another passenger for whom it might be a better fit.

Don’t Count on an Upgrade

Though they do happen, they are still pretty rare.  To avoid over booking of their lowest price cabin categories, cruise lines will sometimes offer specials on higher classes of cabin categories to encourage sales of those cabins.   They have precise reservation systems and it is very rare for cabin assignment mistakes.   If you really want a balcony, book one at the start.  Upgrades usually happen one cabin category at a time.  Examples might include inside to ocean view, ocean view to balcony, balcony to mini suite, mini suite to full suite.    It is highly unlikely that if you have booked an inside cabin that your would be upgraded to a balcony or higher.  Book the price cabin with which you’ll be happy and will meet your needs.

Plan Ahead

Perhaps the most importantly,  plan ahead when making your reservation.     Decide whether or not you would want to take a possible upgrade at the time you select your room.    That way, when you arrive at the pier the only surprises are good surprises.

©2012 Cruise Talk Central. All Rights Reserved.

First, I want to acknowledge the extent of the tragedy. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering of the families who lost loved ones in this horrible tragedy. I believe that this incident is the largest loss of life on a modern cruise ship. (Other maritime accidents have resulted in much higher loss of of life, even into the thousands, but most of those accents occurred on older ships or ferries, not modern luxury cruise liners. Wikipedia keeps a comprehensive list of Maritime Disasters. )

Modern cruise ships have many safety and navigational measures that should have prevented this type of accident. There are definitely quite a few questionable actions on the part of the Concordia captain and the delay of the evacuation of the ship. Perhaps most tragic is the fact that people were told to return to their cabins and that everything was under control. I speculate that passengers who could have been safely evacuated might have been sent below only to become trapped by the rising waters. We will learn more as the recovery mission continues.

Cruise Ships Still Very Safe

The main reason that I will still cruise is that cruise ships are still very safe.  Here are a few of the safety facts provided by the Cruiselines International Association:

• Cruise ships are comparable to secure buildings with 24-hour security. Every person on board a cruise ship, from the captain to the cleaning staff and all guests, are placed on official manifests. When sailing to or from U.S. ports , these manifests are provided to U.S. federal law enforcement officials – prior to the ship’s departure – to compare to U.S. databases.
• Guests should be very comfortable with the security measures they see during their cruise vacation. These include the screening of 100 percent of all luggage, carry-ons and provisions coming onto our ships. Screening is done with X-ray machines, metal detectors and human and detector dog searches.
• Passengers and crew may embark or disembark only after passing through security. Once a ship is underway, access is strictly limited to documented employees and fare-paying passengers.
• Each passenger is issued an identification card which contains their digital photo and personal identification information on a magnetic strip that he or she must present when entering or leaving the ship. This technology allows the ship to know which guests and crew members are on board and which are not.
• Each cruise ship has a dedicated security officer and staff whose sole function is the security of its passenger and crew. Typically, security staff personnel have former law enforcement or military background and are trained according to international security regulations.
• Foreign crewmembers on ICCL ships are required to obtain a visa issued by the U.S. State Department for entry into the United States. This visa requires the completion of a background check. In addition, cruise ship employees are pre-screened by recruiting agencies.
• Cruise lines operate within a legal framework under which international, federal and state authorities investigate crimes on board cruise ships. Unlike most instances of shore side crime, the FBI has the authority to investigate and prosecute alleged crimes in international waters involving Americans.
• The U.S. Coast Guard has jurisdiction for inspection and enforcement of international safety and security standards for all ships calling at U.S. ports. In a 1995 study, the U.S. Coast Guard determined that cruising was one of the safest modes of transportation available.

Look at the Statistics Objectively

It can be difficult to find unbiased information on the cruise ship industry online.   Websites with safety information seem to be run by either pro cruise industry associations like the CLIA, or by Attorneys who specialize in suing the cruise ship companies.  The media and litigation attorneys tend to portray cruise ships as unseaworthy disease ridden death traps.  My personal experience tells me that that nothing could be further from the truth.

Though Noro-Virus does strike some vessels, only about 1% of passengers come down with Noro-Virus, and most cases are transmitted among land based institutions.   Yet news media outlets will wait on the dock to interview passengers departing  on a ship that has been stricken with an outbreak.   Should nursing homes and elementary schools receive the same scrutiny when someone gets stomach flu?  Maybe they should, but you rarely heard about Noro other than cruise ships.

When an unfortunate incident occurs like a passenger  falling overboard, the media often sensationalizes the story.  While I don’t diminish the anguish of families who loose a loved one in this way, those who are considering a cruise need to put those incidents in perspective.       About 12 million people will take a luxury cruise in a year.   While no death or disappearance is ever a small matter, the statistics show that people who cruise are probably safer than they would be in any land based vacation or even their every day lives.    For comparison sake, in the United States there are 12 automotive related deaths per year per 100,000 people, and approximately 33,000 deaths per year.  Another statistic that puts the number of cruise ship deaths in perspective is that in a year, approximately 18000 of the 300 million Americans die in accidents in their own homes.  That is approximately 1 death for every 16,000 people.

However,   I find that even the large media outlets tend towards the sensational when it comes to reporting tragedies on cruise lines.      The 20/20 report that aired last Friday on ABC,  states that prior to the Concordia incident,  in the past seven a years, there have been only 16 maritime accident related deaths out of  100 million passengers on cruise ships.  However, even this report sensationalized some of those tragic cruise ship incidents.  The show aired a brief report on  Costa Concordia  and then showed unrelated videos and interviews that were supposed represent the typical issues and problems with the industry as a whole, wild parties and drunken out of control passengers.   It also included interviews with people who have lost family members at sea.  This report really seems to emphasize the negatives with interviews  with only a handful of sources.    In my opinion the report is not balanced, but our readers can watch it and judge for themselves:

abc.go.com/watch/2020/SH559026/VD55165067/2020-120-cruise-ship-confidential

Cruising Will Be Safer Following This Accident

I believe that the cruising industry will be safer following this incident.   The cruise industry responds to the demands of their customers.   Passengers will no doubt more intently pay attention during their muster drills and demand more specific information from the cruise liners about their evacuation procedures.   The lines will no doubt place more strict navigational requirements and enforcement of those rules.    Passengers can be diligent about observing the behavior of senior officers and reporting any perceived inappropriate actions to the cruise line.  The cruise industry will surely be more diligent in vetting their captains and insuring that those captains put passenger safety has their highest priority.

Cruising is Still My Favorite Vacation Option

I have been cruising for vacations since I was a child.    I love the sea, the vistas, the ever changing scenery, the excellent service, and the friendly fun atmosphere on board.    I have met some of the nicest people on cruises and made lifelong friends.   I can’t say that about any other type of vacation that I have taken.  I also realize that a cruise ship is a moving vehicle and has certain risks associated with the fact that it is a mode of transportation.  However, when I take a look at the objective facts, I come to the conclusion that cruising will always be my vacation of choice.    I may be accused of being a bit of a Pollyanna because I love cruising so much, but I do believe that it is one of the best vacation experiences available today.

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