Cruise Holidays - Attheta Travel

Continuation of Cruise Log (see earlier post) Part 3 Our 2 sea days were filled with a variety of activities.  From playing pinochle, watching movies in the big theater (moved inside as it is cooler outside).  A few interesting lectures on places we are going to be visiting. We have so lucked out with great weather for both the Falkland Islands and cruising around Cape Horn on Sunday afternoon.  Saturday, when we arrived in Stanley on the Falkland Islands, we had no tour planned but we spent several hours walking the town and mailing post cards to ourselves as we forgot the address book, at home.  So will hand deliver as we see you upon our return home.!!!  Stanley has less than 2,000 people on the island, but with 2 ships in we tripled the amount of people to the island.  Very small but loved the laid back life style. Sunday was a lazy day (except for playing cards and eating) until around 5 PM when we started cruising around Cape Horn.  Very...

Part 1 Well, here we are cruising on our way to Montevideo, Uruguay after leaving Rio.  The journey to Rio was long, but it could have been much worse, both flights were smooth and ahead of schedule.  Customs went quick and easy, transport to hotel was as quick as it could be with all the traffic.  Our rooms were ready for us and it was before noon.  We didn't wander to far, but walked the beach area and local neighborhood, looking for tee shirts for the guys, (Fran and Bill).  We went the wrong way, but found them within two blocks the next morning.  On Friday afternoon we went on a tour to Christ the Redeemer, what a sight.  One of the 7 wonders of the world.  Getting on the Star Princess was long but once we had our keys, three of our four bags were waiting for us in our cabin.  We are all unpacked and ready for the next 2 days at sea. Didn't go down to the computer lab last night so this is  actually  our first day at...

Photos for the Nelson cruise, posted on 17 February 2012. Click link for blog article:  Nelson Cruise

While you may trade in your car every few years for a newer model, cruise lines build their ships to last for many years. Rather than trade them in, cruise lines continually refurbish and refresh their ships with new décor and new features. One of the major refurbishment projects currently underway is Carnival Cruise Lines’ “Fun Ship 2.0” initiative. Carnival will invest more than $500 million in new dining, bar, lounge and entertainment experiences for its guests. Carnival has forged new partnerships with popular celebrities, too. George Lopez is Carnival’s new creative director for comedy and will lend his expertise to hiring comedic talent for the line’s Punchliner Comedy Clubs. Food Network personality Guy Fieri will put his unique style into Guy’s Burger Joint, a new poolside dining venue. Celebrity Cruises has been busy “Solsticizing” its four Millennium Class ships, equipping them with some of the most popular features from its well-received Solstice Class. The “Solstici...

Southern Caribbean Medley Cruise Summary – Emerald   Princess January 17-27, 2012 Ned and Carolyn Nelson Flights to Fort Lauderdale             We flew Continental from Seattle through Houston because we wanted to stay away from the Midwestern winter problems .   Always a good plan. Princess Pick up and Transfer to Sheraton Ft Lauderdale             Princess Representative was waiting in baggage claim and had us 8 passengers on the bus in 20 minutes after our baggage was in hand.   Good Job   Sheraton- Ft Lauderdale             An older property but with a great location right on the beach and within a block of the intercostal water taxi.   The bed was very good. You have to pay $10 a night for the Internet and their food prices are really high.   All things considered, I...

If you plan to spend some time on shore during your next cruise, it’s a good idea to have a little cash in your pocket. There might be some small purchases that you don’t want to put on a charge card, or you may encounter shops, tour guides or local cafés that simply don’t accept charge cards. The question is, what type of currency will you need? In the Caribbean, the islands have a patchwork of official currencies. Some islands, including St. Lucia, use the Eastern Caribbean dollar. Some use the currencies of their sovereign nationals: for example, Guadeloupe uses the euro and the U.S. Virgin Islands use the U.S. dollar. Other islands – such as Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica – use their own currencies. However, you’ll find that the U.S. dollar is widely accepted throughout the Caribbean, even when it isn’t the official currency. Mexico has tightened its currency policies in recent years, and some tourists find that they need pesos in order to do b...

Since the early 1970s, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has helped the cruise industry fulfill its promise of clean, sanitary ships that minimize any risk of gastrointestinal or other communicable illness. Through the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program, every vessel that has a foreign itinerary, carries more than 12 passengers and calls on a U.S. port receives unannounced inspections twice a year. The cruise lines also work with the CDC on crew training and passenger education. Each inspection takes about five to eight hours and covers the ship’s water supply; the filtration and disinfection of spas and pools; the storage, preparation and serving of food; employees’ hygienic practices; and the general cleanliness and physical condition of the ship. Ships receive inspection scores based on a 100-point scale. To pass, a ship must receive a score of 86 or more. A ship that does not pass inspection will be reinspected within 30 to 45 days. The inspection process...

In the aftermath of the Costa Concordia tragedy, the cruise industry is addressing questions about cruise ship safety and doing its best to ensure the peace of mind of cruise enthusiasts and future cruisers around the world. What happened aboard the Concordia is extraordinarily rare, especially since the cruise industry has been hailed as the safest form of commercial transportation. Within days of the incident, Costa issued a statement saying in part, "While the investigation is ongoing, preliminary indications are that there may have been significant human error on the part of the ship’s Master, Captain Francesco Schettino, which resulted in these grave consequences." Costa has also stated, "The route of the vessel appears to have been too close to the shore, and the Captain’s judgment in handling the emergency appears to have not followed standard Costa procedures.” Current safety regulations The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), is the w...