Solemn Canada Day 2021

The 154th anniversary of Canada, July 1st, will be quite different than other celebrations. In addition to the concerns about containing the spread of COVID-19 via public celebrations, a recent discovery of hundreds of children’s remains discovered at former boarding schools for Indigenous children has led to calls to cancel celebrations. 

For the second year in a row many public celebrations will be replaced by virtual ones.  Some public celebrations are still scheduled at this time - please visit the official websites for any specific venue.  See websites below for some of the virtual activities taking place from coast to coast.

Canada Day, frequently referred to as "Canada's birthday", commemorates the joining of the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces (the Province of Canada being divided, in the process, into Ontario and Quebec) on July 1, 1867.

Canada Day is very similar to the  July 4th holiday in the United States.  Most communities across the country normally host organized celebrations for Canada Day, usually outdoor public events, such as parades, carnivals, festivals, barbecues, air and maritime shows, fireworks, and free musical concerts.

Canada Day Websites

• Official Website for Canada Day
• Canada Day at Home Calgary
• Canada Day City of Charlottetown
• Canada Day in Halifax Region
• Canada Day in Downtown Kingston
• Canada Day Celebration | Niagara Falls
• Canada Day | Ottawa Tourism
• Canada Day City of Pelham
• Canada Day Quebec
• Canada Day Vaughan
• Canada Day Victoria
• Canada Day Whiterock

Canada's ports and borders remain closed preventing Alaska cruises from calling at their shores.  Our hope is that the country soon is able to reopen so that the world can visit this marvelous country again.

We have had the pleasure of visiting several Canadian cities during our cruise vacations.  These included ports of call on multiple Alaskan cruises,  Canada and New England cruises, and even Transatlantic cruises.  One of the highlights was when we extended our Alaskan cruise with a pre-cruise exploration of the Canadian Rockies.

Have you ever ridden on a glacier?  You can while visiting the Columbia Icefield Glacier in the Canadian Rockies. Specially designed vehicles, Massive Brewster Ice Explorers, take passengers on a remarkable excursion onto the surface of the Athabasca Glacier.

Have you smelled flowers or gotten up close to thousands of unique flowers in bloom?  You can at one of Canada's botanical gardens such as the fifty acre Butchart Gardens located near Victoria, British Columbia. You'll see stunning floral show gardens and a National Historic Site of Canada.

British Columbia is known for floral gardens.  Minter Gardens, which has since closed, thrilled us with thousands of flowers and gardens.

Would you like to visit a fishing village, have some fresh lobster, or visit a lighthouse?  Nova Scotia has much to offer including the Bay of Fundy and many beaches where you can build sandcastles, fly kites, take a surf lesson, or just walk barefoot in the sand.

For the maritime lover, visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, where you can visit the Titanic ~ The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax, Nova Scotia exhibit and learn about the role the people of Halifax played that fateful day.

Would you like to walk where birds fly and squirrels hang out?  You can in Vancouver, Canada, at Capilano Suspension Bridge and Treetops Adventure.  I'm afraid of bridges, but I had a great time crossing a series of elevated suspension bridges, some reaching as high as 100 feet (30m) above the forest floor.

Capilano Suspension Bridge is one of Vancouver, British Columbia's most popular tourist attractions.  Odds are that unless you extended your cruise vacation in Vancouver, you probably didn't visit this attraction during your cruise vacation.

There is so much to see and do in Canada, I hope that you'll plan a visit in the near future and get to know more about this North American country.   We have only scratched the surface in this article.   There are other Canadian destinations featured in past blog posts and also on our Facebook Fan Page.

To help you plan your day, we are posting this early.  

To all our Canadian friends .... Happy Canada Day 2021.

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Can't Cruise Like a Norwegian in Tunisia

Future Port Calls to Tunisia CANCELLED

Norwegian Cruise Line began contacting their travel partners today to inform them that all future calls to Tunisia have been cancelled.

This action is in response to an incident that occurred this past weekend when Norwegian Jade called in the Tunis’ Port of La Goulette.  About 20 Israeli nationals and one American, who had a stamp in their passport for Israel, were not allowed to disembark the ship when it docked in Tunisia.   According to reports in the foreign press and travel industry news, there was no reason provided by the government for this action.

Travel Pulse reports that Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s CEO, condemned the “discriminatory act,” saying, “We are outraged by this act and the fact that we were not notified in advance of this practice. We apologize sincerely to our guests who were affected and want them to know that we have taken the appropriate action in response.”

The impacted passengers met with the Captain, but he was not able to provide them with a solution, so they had to remain on board the ship.  There was no mention of any reimbursement for this change in plans.

At press time, there hasn't been a response from the Tunisian government and the port calls have been replaced by a sea day.   We will provide updates in this developing story as information becomes available.

Explorer OTS Undergoes Deap Clean

Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas

Current Sailing Cut Short

Norovirus Outbreak

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has terminated the current 10-night voyage of the Explorer of the Seas two days early to allow the ship to undergo a "barrrier" cleaning at its homeport of Cape Liberty.  This follows several previous attempts to clean the ship in hopes of stopping the spreading of Norovirus, a gastrointestinal illness, that start affecting passengers and crew last week.  More than 500 people became ill.

Cruise Ships & Norovirus ...
Tis the Season

Norovirus is a very contagious virus that can infect anyone. You can get it from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed. This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up. 

Despite what the news media may lead you to believe, this isn't just a cruise ship issue.  We encourage you to read this entire article and refer to the links to be well informed.

CDC Featured Podcast

Dr. Aron Hall discusses six tips to help prevent the spread of norovirus. Listen To This Podcast (4:09)

Travel Pulse published a very informative article: 

Attention Media: Norovirus Isn't Just On Cruise Ships

Who is to Blame

The first inclination when you hear about an outbreak would be to blame the cruise line. Clearly, they have let you down - you expected a healthy cruise, and you got sick.  .

The cruise line is responsible - right?

The cruise line IS responsible  for cleaning the ship and providing the facilities for passengers and crew to maintain proper hygiene onboard the ship.   They do that - you'll notice signs posted in all the rest rooms and crew members pointing out sanitation machines, such as the one in the picture above posted outside the restaurant entrance.  

But, ladies and gentleman - I suspect that YOU share some BLAME.   Did you stop to wash your hands after using the bathroom?   Did you sanitize your hands every time you entered a restaurant onboard the ship.   Did you do so all but one time?   That one time would be enough to kick off this sort of outbreak.

On two recent cruises onboard Disney Dream and Carnival Sensation, we noticed the sanitizing materials and signs.  We also noticed many passengers disregarding the signs and avoiding the sanitizing of their hands before entering the restaurant.

Working together, the cruise lines and passengers could Prevent Norovirus!

USEFUL LINKS ABOUT NOROVIRUS

Facts About Noroviruses on Cruise Ships  -  gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses can be prevented

Wash hands often. Wash hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers and before eating or preparing food.  Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer along with hand washing.

Norovirus outbreaks, when they occur on a cruise ship, always make the news.  The truth is these outbreaks can occur anywhere there are groups of people in a small area such as nursing homes, restaurants, catered events, hotels, and cruise ships.

Vessel Sanitation Program - prevention and control of spread of gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses on cruise ships

Passengers to be Compensated

All Explorer of the Seas passengers will receive a 50 percent refund of their cruise fare, as well as an additional 50 percent future cruise credit. Passengers who were confined to their cabins by the illness also will receive a credit of one future cruise day for each day of confinement.

Royal Caribbean also will reimburse airline change fees and accommodations for passengers whose travel home was impacted by the ship's early return to port.

Fire Onboard Grandeur of the Seas

Grandeur of the Seas Fire     Courtesy Royal Caribbean

Current Cruise Terminated

Cruises Cancelled

Early Memorial Day morning, a fire broke out onboard Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas while it was sailing in the Bahamas.  The fire caused extensive damage to the aft mooring deck of the ship as you can see in this image courtesy of Royal Caribbean.

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the incident and the ship was diverted to Freeport in the Bahamas.   Passengers were awakened and instructed to go to their muster stations.   The fire broke around just before 3 AM and was completely extinguished around 5 AM.

Grandeur of the Seas was just refurbished last year.  You may recall that we were onboard the ship for a special Revitalization Debut last November  (search Grandeur of the Seas for articles)

We will continue to monitor this story and report any further developments.  

AP Image of Grandeur Of the Seas in Freeport after fire (click here) shows the extent of the damage.

Grandeur of the Seas Update May 29, 2013, 5:00 p.m.

Click this link for ongoing updates from Royal Caribbean

On Monday, May 27, Grandeur of the Seas experienced a fire in the mooring area in the aft of the ship. Unfortunately, due to the time needed to repair the damage caused by the fire, it is necessary to cancel Grandeur of the Seas' next six sailings. The ship is expected to return to service with the July 12 sailing. Grandeur of the Seas' cancelled sailings include: June 7, 2013 June 14 2013 June 21, 2013 June 28, 2013 July 5, 2013 We are deeply sorry for this unexpected development in our guests’ upcoming vacation. Royal Caribbean International will provide affected guests with a full refund of their voyage. For their convenience, all monies paid will automatically be processed back to the original form of payment within the next three weeks. Guests who are ready to rebook onto a future sailing, and prefer to reapply the funds prior to the refund process being completed, should do so prior to June 12. For guests or travel agents rebooking by June 12, please contact us at 888-824-0012. Otherwise, you may book at your convenience. Royal Caribbean International will also provide these guests with a future cruise certificate for 25% of the cruise fare paid. This certificate may be used for a future cruise on Royal Caribbean International. Guests that have booked with a travel professional should contact their original travel agent with any general questions related to the cancelled sailings. Guests who have booked directly with Royal Caribbean should contact us at 888-824-0012.

May 27, 2013, 8:00 p.m. EST

Grandeur of the Seas – Current Sailing Unfortunately, the damage caused by the fire on Grandeur of the Seas will require us to cancel the rest of the current sailing. We are currently working on making the necessary arrangements to return all guests to Baltimore, Maryland, tomorrow. Royal Caribbean International is deeply sorry for this unexpected development in our guests’ vacation. We understand that this may have been a very stressful time for them. And we also know that it has significantly impacted their vacation experience. We appreciate their patience and cooperation in dealing with this unfortunate situation. Grandeur of the Seas – May 31, 2013 Sailing Unfortunately, due to the time needed to repair the damage caused by the fire, it is necessary to cancel Grandeur of the Seas’ next voyage, which was scheduled to depart Baltimore, Maryland, on Friday, May 31. We are deeply sorry for this unexpected development in our guests’ upcoming vacation. A dedicated telephone hotline has been established for guests on these two sailings. Guests may call us at 1-888-824-0012 in the U.S. or +1-408-916-9000 internationally. We continue to assess the situation onboard Grandeur of the Seas and gather the necessary information in order to make a decision regarding future sailings. We encourage guests on future sailings of Grandeur of the Seas to monitor this website or our Twitter handle @RoyalCaribbean for an update on your voyage.

U.S. Coast Guard Response 

According the the USCG website:   The Coast Guard responded early Monday morning to a fire aboard the 917-foot cruise ship, Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas, 35 nautical miles northwest of West End, Bahamas. At approximately 3 a.m., Coast Guard Sector Miami received a report of a fire aboard a Bahamian-flagged cruise ship carrying 2,224 passengers and 796 crew en route to CoCoCay, Bahamas.

The fire began on the third deck of the aft mooring area of the ship and spread to the fourth deck crew lounge area. Around 5 a.m., the fire was reported to have been extinguished by the ship’s fire response crew.

Coast Guard Sector Miami issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast (UMIB) and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Cormorant, the Coast Guard Cutter Sitkinak, and the Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered to respond to the emergency. The Coast Guard also launched a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft and a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk to respond.

The cruise ship Carnival Sensation and a motor vessel from the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER), the Hagen, also diverted to stand by and assist if needed.

 The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are joining the flag state to begin conducting a joint investigation of the vessel to determine the cause of the fire.

More Engine Woes for Carnival

Emergency Diesel Generator
Malfunctions on

Carnival Dream

Just one month since the Carnival Triumph fire which left the ship without power and stranded passengers for days, Carnival Corporation has yet another problem with power onboard one of their ships.

Earlier this week, Carnival Cruise Lines President and Chief Executive Gerry Cahill had reported that a comprehensive review of its entire fleet had been launched.  Perhaps this test was part of that review, and unfortunately this backup generator failed.

Current Voyage Terminates Early

The Carnival Dream has a technical issue with the ship’s backup emergency diesel generator which our engineering team is currently working on. Yesterday, during regularly scheduled testing of the ship’s emergency diesel generator, a malfunction occurred. At no time did the ship lose power and the ship’s propulsion systems and primary power source was not impacted. The ship is at dock in St. Maarten. All guests are safe and comfortable. There were periodic interruptions to elevators and restroom services for a few hours last night. However, all hotel systems are functioning normally and have been functional since approximately 12.30am.

While personnel continue to work on the technical issue we are making arrangements to fly all guests home via private charter flights and scheduled flights from St. Maarten. Guests on the current voyage will receive a refund equivalent to three days of the voyage and 50 percent off a future cruise.

Next Voyage Cancelled
 
We are also cancelling the ship's next voyage which is scheduled to depart on Saturday, March 16. Guests scheduled to sail on this cruise will receive a full refund and 25 percent off a future seven-day cruise. Guests who re-book will have their current rate protected on the future sailing.
Additionally, any non-refundable transportation related expenses will be reimbursed.

Yesterday was a scheduled port of call visit to St. Maarten. Guests were able to spend the full day in port and have the option of continuing to do so until their scheduled return home. All of the ship's activities and facilities are fully operational.

We are very sorry for this disruption to our guests' vacation plans and extend our sincere apologies. We look forward to welcoming them back on another Carnival cruise.

The Carnival Dream was on the last leg of a seven-day cruise and was docked in St. Maarten when the technical problem arose. The ship is based in Port Canaveral, Fla.

Source: Carnival Facebook page

Viking River Cruises Longships Update

Setting a New Standard - Viking River Cruises Longships
Viking Freya, Viking Idun, Viking Njord, and Viking Odin

About a year ago, we wrote about Viking River Cruises plans to build four new river cruise vessels debuting Spring 2012 in Europe with six more ships planned to be built by 2014. The cost of those new ships for 2012 was $120M out of a total budget of $250M for the project.

(see:  Viking River Cruises 2012 Fleet Upgrades)

Viking Freya and Viking Njord Delayed

Viking had planned to release the four ships simultaneously this March, a very ambitious endeavor. Unfortunately, two of the ships, Viking Freya and Viking Njord, will not be ready until mid-April forcing Viking to cancel several sailings.

'Tulips and Windmills'  Sailings Impacted


Five 'Tulips and Windmills' round-trip sailings from Amsterdam on Viking Freya and Viking Njord have been cancelled as follows:

Viking Freya - March 22, 31, April 9        Viking Njord - March 28, April 6

Guests impacted by the delay are being offered the chance to rebook a similar itinerary on a different ship and receive up to a 50 percent credit on a future cruise booking; or if they choose not to rebook, a full refund.

Viking Idun and Viking Odin

The remaining two longships scheduled to be released in 2012, Viking Idun and Viking Odin, will be named on March 21st as planned.   Their sister ships will not have the same splashy launch party when they emerge in mid-April, but rather will start sailing their itineraries as soon as they are completed.  UPDATE:  Viking Longboats Christened

PHOTOS (Click links below):

Introducing for 2012, the Viking Longships

Sneak Preview: 3D renderings of the new Viking Longships, debuting in Europe in 2012. Viking Freya, Viking Idun, Viking Njord and Viking Odin.

THE NEW VIKING LONGSHIPS...IN 3D! (click here)

Watch this video to learn more about the new Viking River Cruises Longships... 
(click HERE to Start Video)

Parasailing Excursions Suspended

Cruise Lines 

Suspend Parasailing Excursions

A tragic accident, during a ship-sponsored shore excursion, has prompted a federal and local investigation and put the popular water excursion on hold.

A 60 year old female passenger was parasailing in tandem with her 34 year old daughter in St. Thomas, USVI, when she fell to her death.  Her daughter, who was also injured, is recovering in a local hospital.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, strong gusts of winds in the area may have contributed to the accident.  The local parasail company has suspended operations voluntarily until the investigation is concluded.

The passengers involved were sailing on Celebrity Eclipse.  Both Celebrity Cruises and parent company, Royal Caribbean, suspended all parasailing shore excursions in the Caribbean following the accident.  Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Lines followed suit, cancelling those excursions in St. Thomas pending the outcome of the investigation.  All lines took this action "in the abundance of caution".

Additional Resources:

Professional Association of Parasail Operators 

US Coast Guard Prevention Blog

Parasail Safety Council

Carnival Splendor Repair Status

Carnival Splendor Being Towed to San Diego
Photo courtesy John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Splendor Repairs Underway
UPDATE:

Carnival Splendor to Leave San Francisco and Return to Service

UPDATE:  NOW EXPECTED TO RETURN TO SERVICE FEBRUARY 20, 2011

Carnival Splendor Cruise Cancellations Extended

UPDATE:  JANUARY 19, 2011 (click following link)

Carnival Splendor Heads North for More Repairs

After Carnival Splendor arrived back in San Diego and the passengers headed for home, the long process of determining what happened and returning the ship to service began.   A joint task force made up of Carnival technicians, NTSB, Panama Government representatives, USGC and others descended on the vessel and started the process.

After an initial assessment, it was decided that cruises needed to be cancelled until January 16.  This left passengers and their agents, including yours truly, scrambling to reschedule stranded passengers who had planned holiday sailings on the Splendor.

You might recall that during the incident, Captain Cupisti had to order the release of CO2 in the engine room to distinguish the cables.  The fire crews had also used water to cool down the engine room.

Thus, the engine room must be cleaned up from the CO2 and water before the actual damage can be repaired.   As you might expect, this is a huge job.  We will bring you updates as we learn more about the cleanup and repairs.

Related Blog Posts:

Carnival Splendor Fire Investigation 
Assisting Carnival Splendor 
Carnival Splendor Without Power After Engine Fire
Carnival Splendor Cruises Cancelled until January 16

The Pictures Tell The Story

Assisting Carnival Splendor

101109-N-3570S-216 SAN DIEGO (Nov. 9, 2010) Sailors from Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 30 load meat, bread and plastic dinnerware into C-2A Greyhound logistics aircraft at Naval Base Coronado. VRC-30 is transferring the supplies to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), which will deliver them to the Carnival Splendor, a cruise ship stranded about 250 miles off California. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Petty Officer Jeremy M. Starr/Released)

Click for Additional Pictures courtesy of U.S. Navy

USS Ronald Reagan
Provides Assistance
to Carnival Splendor

At the request of U.S. Coast Guard District 11 in San Diego, 3rd Fleet has diverted USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Nov. 9 from its current training maneuvers to a position south near the Carnival cruise ship C/V Splendor to facilitate the delivery of needed supplies.

According to U.S. 3rd Fleet Public Affairs,"An expected total of 35 pallets of supplies will be transferred Nov. 9 from Naval Air Station North Island aboard Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 carrier on-board delivery aircraft beginning at 0700 PST to Ronald Reagan. Once aboard Ronald Reagan, the supplies will be delivered with a helicopter to C/V Splendor".

Carnival Splendor courtesy U.S. Navy

UPDATE NOVEMBER 9 (8:15 PM Eastern)

Carnival Cruise Line indicates that the first tug boat has reached the Splendor and towing operations have begun.

TOWING TO SAN DIEGO

Carnival has decided to take the vessel to San Diego where it is expected to arrive late Thursday.  Hotel and flight arrangements are being made for the ship's guests. If the ship is unable to maintain sufficient speed under tow, the original plan, to dock in Ensenada, could be reinstated.


The ship’s engineers were able to restore toilet service to most cabins and all public bathrooms, as well as cold running water.  Currently several key hotel systems, including air conditioning, hot food service and telephones, are not available.  The ship’s crew continues to actively work to restore other services. 

Guests are able to move about the ship and food and beverage service, along with some shipboard programming, including children’s activities and entertainment, are being provided. 


NEXT CRUISE CANCELLED


Carnival has also made the decision to cancel the November 14 seven-day cruise from Long Beach.  Guests scheduled to sail on this voyage will receive a full refund of their cruise fare and air transportation costs, along with a 25 percent discount on a future cruise. 


Carnival Cruise Line Update on Carnival Splendor



Related Blog:  Carnival Splendor Without Power After Engine Fire

Stay tuned for more updates as information becomes available