If you are  planning on going on a cruise, a new report shows you have a 1 in 20 chance of coming down with a diarrheal illness. This is an increase of 9 times over a previous study in 2001. While not thrilling news for cruise goers, the silver lining is showing that Cruise ships are doing a much better job keeping the ships clean with an average environmental score of 95 out of 100.

Researchers led by Dr. Elaine Cramer analyzed cases of gastroenteritis reported on cruise ships calling at U.S. ports during a four-year period.
The study showed gastroenteritis outbreaks per 1,000 cruises increased overall from 0.65 in 2001 to 5.46 in 2004. However, ship environmental inspection scores were high during the study period, with an average score of 95 on a 100-point scale.
Noroviruses are the likely suspects, said Cramer, medical epidemiologist with the Vessel Sanitation Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
‘We suspect that people are probably coming on board with the virus,’ said Dave Forney, chief of the CDC`s Vessel Sanitation Program. ‘On a cruise ship, people are out and about in very public areas, and so we have this depositing of the virus on various surfaces that then would be easily picked up by others.’ via Monsters and Critics.

In a sentimental exchange, the Queen Mary 2 sounded her horn 3 times in greeting to the Queen Mary as she pulled into the Long Beach harbor. The original Queen Mary responded traditionally and the two ships berthed in the same harbor for the very first time. The original Queen Mary was built in 1934 and was considered the most majestic vessel of her time. Since 1967 she has been a hotel and museum in Long Beach, California.

Now the Queen Mary 2 has the mantle of one of the most glamorous ships on the sea since her launch in 2004. What a glorious spectacle to see the two ships together.

“I love the sound she makes,” said Cynthia Chapman, 69, of Kent, England. “It’s really awe-inspiring.”
The world’s largest ocean liner entered the harbor surrounded by sailboats and yachts. Thousands of people lined the channel walkway and swarmed the decks of the old liner as its 21st century successor arrived.
The QM2 arrived a day earlier at the neighboring Port of Los Angeles. It was to depart later on a cruise to Mexico with about 2,500 guests.
Both Queen Marys were built by the Cunard Line, originally based in Britain but now located in Santa Clarita, Calif., and owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp.  via ABC News

Celebrity Cruises announces that that they have ordered a second new ship for a 2008 delivery to their fleet. The ship will be named the Celebrity Solstice, to reflect the naming of it’s sister ship the Celebrity Equinox.

Celebrity Cruises has exercised its option to order a second 118,000 gross-registered-ton ship today, reaffirming its commitment to innovative products and high guest satisfaction. German shipbuilder Meyer Werft will build the new tonnage, with delivery of the first ship planned for Fall 2008 and the second ship in Summer 2009. Celebrity also announced names of both new ships.

The first new ship will be called Celebrity Solstice, and the second ship will be named Celebrity Equinox. The new series of ships will be known as the Solstice class. Terms for the second Solstice-class vessel are substantially the same as those of the first ship.

Both new ships will be 2,850-guest vessels measuring 1,033 feet in length and 121 feet in width. Their added size will allow Celebrity to offer larger standard staterooms, a higher percentage of balconies and an exceptional range of guest-inspired services and amenities.

The combination of Nascar and Carnival Cruises are not what you would think would be a winning combination, but the Rusty Wallace Cruise is one of the most popular cruises the company offers.

The week-long cruise will operate round trip from Long Beach, Calif., Dec. 3-10, 2006. Featured ports include Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.Carnival’s “Rusty Wallace Cruises” began in 2001 and over the years more than 6,500 racing fans have enjoyed opportunities to meet and interact with the stock car racing legend, who retired from the active circuit late last year.

“Carnival’s ‘Rusty Wallace Cruises’ are among the most popular theme voyages in cruising and we’re delighted that Rusty has agreed to continue the series, this year aboard the Carnival Pride,” said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president and CEO. via  ThatsRacin.com

When on a cruise, the biggest fear is having to dine with people who are less than thrilling. The cruise industry is recognizing this  difference and now is offering  more choices for dining, and working to provide personal and intimate options for the dining public. Carnival, Celebrity, Cunard, and Disney have all started offering more options for their passengers, but Norwegian Cruise Line was the originator of the trend.

The trend today is toward flexibility of dining times, variety of cuisine and premium dining in intimate restaurant settings.
The shipboard dining experience now prizes quality over quantity and frequency.
Norwegian Cruise Line is credited with pioneering the trend in 2000 with its launch of Freestyle Cruising. With a sweeping stroke, it did away with the large dining room, the two dinner seatings, the assigned table companions and the nightly dress code.
As others have rushed to mimic Norwegian’s model, dining space has been carved up into restaurant-type venues. Smaller galleys have been built here and there, particularly on the newer ships.

Visit  The Columbus Dispatch for more details on other cruise lines and their dining options.

A Judge approved a vote on an ballot referendum on a tax on the cruise industry plus forcing the cruise ships to file paperwork on passengers behavior and pay  environmental impact fees. This is the same Alaska that gets a yearly check distributed to every household for their portion of gas revenue.

If approved by voters, the initiative would impose a $50 per passenger tax and a 33 percent tax on gross income from onboard gambling. It would also make ships get environmental permits and disclose how much the cruise companies make off shore excursions, and it would allow citizen lawsuits against ships that violated any of the measure’s provisions.
Geldhof predicted that most Alaska voters will support the initiative.
“We’re not some Park Avenue cocktail party group that loves wolves,” he said. via adn.com

If I was the cruise industry, I would avoid Alaska for a year. The greed shown by the people who are filing this proposal is amazing. I am sensing that it  is an anti capitalist petition as much as it is to  help regulate and tax the cruise industry.

There is a fun post over at the Washington Post about a mother and teenage son cruising onboard the Navigator of the Sea. It is a very interesting article and indirectly gives some great pointers on the what to do and not do traveling with teenage boys.

An excerpt:

My travel agent suggested bringing walkie-talkies, but a ship representative told her a limited number were available free on a first-come, first-served basis from Guest Relations.

As it turned out, the free walkie-talkies had been discontinued. I declined to purchase a $50 pair from the ship store, and we decided to wing it on our first night on the ship: Carter went to the arcade and a Teen Mix & Mingle, I headed for the casino and Promenade, a three-story shopping mall that serves as a floating Main Street. We planned to meet up in two hours, but he missed the teen welcome and sensibly headed back to the cabin. His crazy mother wandered the decks for an hour hunting for him before it occurred to check the room. “We’ve got to come up with a better system,” I muttered seconds before we both sank into a long, deep sleep. The next morning we devised a note-in-the-cabin method of keeping tabs, which we used exactly once before finding a noteless rhythm of designated meeting times and places.

Within 24 hours, we had settled into our temporary home. Our cabin was a small but comfortable interior room overlooking the Promenade. Hurricane Katrina was headed west, away from our scheduled path out of Miami, and the weather was sunny and warm.

Clipper Cruises are offering an amazing opportunity to travel back in history and see the historic World War II sites.

This year St. Louis-based Clipper Cruise Lines is offering three cruises recalling World War II and a new voyage that focuses on the Vietnam conflict. The first is “World War II–South Pacific Campaign,” a March 30-April 14 expedition to Guadalcanal and other sites in the Solomon Islands. It departs from Sydney and ends in Guam, with fares starting at $7,750.

Next is “World War II–Italian Campaign,” sailing from Malta to Civitavecchia, near Rome, May 17-26, with staterooms starting at $3,930.

Then there’s the May 29-June 12 “Tides of War–From the Spanish Civil War to the Shores of Normandy & England,” sailing form Lisbon to London, with fares starting at $6,450.

Finally, the Sept. 28-Oct. 12 “Return of the Gunfighters–Cruise to Vietnam,” travels from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, with rates starting at $5,590.

All cruises are aboard small ships with an onboard historian. Fares cover the cruise, meals, shore excursions, port charges and onboard gratuities. Air travel and some government taxes and fees are additional. (800-325-0010; www.clippercruise.com) via Chicago Tribune

When planning your dream trip, it always makes sense to book travel insurance in case of cancellation due to serious illness or other catastrophes. We so often expect all to go well, but when a crisis does arise it can save a great deal of grief and heartache if you have a policy that can help. The Houston Chronicle has an interesting article on travel insurance today. Here is an excerpt:

Travel insurance — specifically trip cancellation insurance, emergency medical assistance and medical evacuation coverage — can protect the costly investment a major trip can involve. It also can ensure that you and your family get good medical care if you get sick or injured while you’re away.
You aren’t likely to need travel insurance if your idea of a trip is piling into the car and driving 50 miles to grandma’s house. But if you’re planning a major jaunt, especially abroad, it’s something to consider.
“I think the longer you book in advance and the more expensive your trip, the more you should consider buying travel insurance,” said Tim Jarrell, publisher of Fodor’s, the guidebook company. “If it’s an expensive or once-in-a-lifetime trip, you should get travel insurance just in case the trip is canceled or something happens.” Read the rest at the  Houston Chronicle.