Relaxing on Carnival Conquest

Looking for a Place to Relax

On Carnival Conquest?

One of the best things about cruising in the Caribbean is the time to enjoy the sun and warm temperatures on one of the open decks.  Carnival Conquest has two pools - the main pool has a water slide and is open for all ages.

The aft pool on Lido Deck is only open to adults.   There are four hot tubs in addition to the pool which were quite popular throughout the cruise.   There's a bar right there as well, so need to go far to get your favorite beverage (or you can order from the wait staff that comes around to check on guests).

If the weather doesn't cooperate, there is a sliding roof which can shield guests from the weather.   We had some light showers a couple times during the cruise and the top was closed. 

There are lounge chairs along both sides of the pool as well as tables for those that want to sit poolside and have some pizza or other refreshments.  You can relax in a lounge chair by the main pool as well, but expect a lot more activity with families enjoying the pool area.  We were blessed with beautiful weather during our cruise so the pools were always busy.

Carnival has a policy of not saving lounge chairs.  You can leave your belongings if you like, but they can remove them if no one occupies the chair for 45 minutes.   We didn't see that being enforced during our cruise and there were unfortunately some people not following the rules.

Click for Mini-Series Articles / Images

Tip: For prime lounge chair spot, eat your breakfast early and then go camp out at your favorite location.

We'll continue with St. Thomas and more about the ship in our next installment.   If you are just joining us, we have several articles in this mini-series already.   You can either page backwards or check our main article (click image).

Lifeboat Drill for Training

Updated Policy Life Boat Loading for Training Purposes

On behalf of the global cruise industry, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the European Cruise Council (ECC) announced that the cruise industry has adopted an additional safety policy. This policy, which exceeds current international regulatory requirements, addresses issues related to the loading of lifeboats by crewmembers for training purposes. It is an outcome of the Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review, which was launched in January 2012 following the Costa Concordia accident.

Life Boat Loading for Training Purposes Policy

• full loading of a lifeboat at least once every six months for crew training purposes
• the lifeboat must be filled to capacity with crew members
• maneuvered in the water to facilitate familiarization with lifeboat operations
• mandatory attendance for all crew members involved in operating or loading of lifeboats 

The new policy is for all oceangoing members of CLIA and ECC, and is effective immediately. Smaller ships with less than 300 crew members will conduct similar training as appropriate.

“The cruise industry continues to work on a global level to improve the safety of passengers and crew, which is our number one priority,” said Christine Duffy, president and CEO of CLIA.

“Since January of this year, and in keeping with our efforts to continuously improve operational excellence, the global cruise industry has voluntarily adopted seven wide-ranging safety policies. We remain fully committed to exploring further enhancements in a number of areas that will add to the industry’s excellent safety record.”

Commenting on the new policy Manfredi Lefebvre, ECC Chairman said:

“The Cruise industry’s Operational Safety Review demonstrates our on-going determination to ensure that cruise ships remain the safest vacation option and the safest part of the shipping industry. This policy, like all the policies that have already been developed by the Operational Safety Review, exceeds current international regulatory requirements and has been externally verified by world renowned independent experts.”

He added: “Our industry is committed to improving our safety performance in the short, the medium and the long term I believe our approach supports the goal of European Commission of re-launching their ‘Quality Shipping Campaign’ as set out in its Maritime Policy 2009-2018.”

Related Posts & Information:

Cruise Industry Adopts New Muster Policy  

Carnival Corp Taking Steps to Address Safety Concerns
Cruise Industry Safety Standards Changes

Life Boat Loading for Training Purposes policy (full version)
All CLIA Cruise Industry Policies

Carnival Announces More Changes

Carnival Cruise Line

Cracking Down on 

Deck Chair Hogs

It's a beautiful day at sea aboard your Carnival Cruise.  You have some breakfast, change into your bathing suit, lather yourself in sunscreen, grab a book, a hat, and your towel and head to one of the sun decks to catch some rays.

Experienced Cruisers - Does This Sound Familiar?

Upon arriving at the sun deck, you see row upon row of chairs lining the pool area.   Now, you just need to find that perfect spot to hang out for a few hours.   You survey the landscape and see towels, flip-flops, books, and all sorts of items on the chairs.  Someone has beaten you to that chair, so you move on, only to find all the chairs are already taken.

New Program Going Fleetwide

Carnival Cruise Line, responding to guest comments, has recently been testing a program on Carnival Breeze.  The program is designed to ensure that all guests are able to enjoy equal access to sun loungers by preventing seat saving in outdoor deck areas.

Outdoor deck area crew monitor sun lounger usage and when they see a seat that contains a towel or personal belongings that appears to be unoccupied, a notification sticker with the time of day is placed on the chair. If the seat remains empty for another 40 minutes, the contents are removed. 

Carnival says that the test program was well received by passengers, and they have decided to gradually roll the program out over the next several weeks with the entire fleet enforcing the new policy by mid-September.   Note:  other cruise lines have similar programs.

Hopefully, with this new program, the next time you are on a Carnival Cruise, you won't have the experience mentioned above, of not finding a sun lounger.

 Carnival Expands

All-You-Can-Drink Package

Now on

Carnival Splendor & Victory

UPDATE 9/15:  Carnival Spirit & Breeze Added

The trial program, "My Awesome Bar Program", debuted on Carnival Victory and has now been expanded to Carnival Splendor.

The per-cruise cost for the "My Awesome Bar Program"  is $42.95 per person per day, plus a 15 percent gratuity. 

Purchasers can partake of a wide variety of wine, beer and spirits, as well as sodas, bottled water and non-alcoholic frozen cocktails throughout their cruise.  Not all drinks are included in the program.  Specialty coffees are excluded, as are drinks that are more than $10.    Passengers participating in the program can get a 25% discount on bottles of wine and Champagne, as well as more expensive wines by the glass and cocktails.

There is a big catch, however.  If one passenger in a cabin wants to purchase the beverage package, then all passengers ages 21 years and up in the same cabin must also purchase the package. 

Once again, Carnival isn't the only cruise line that has beverage programs of one sort or another.  Some programs are restricted to certain ships and destinations.   It will be interesting to see if this program expands to more ships in the fleet.

We'd love to hear your reaction to these new programs ...

Do you think that this program would be for you?   Do you think the value is commensurate to the cost?   What do you think about requiring all passengers in the cabin to purchase the package?

Note:  For those that haven't cruised before,  as you can now see, alcoholic beverages, soda, and bottled water are extra cost items on the majority of the cruise lines.  For the most part, it's only on the luxury lines that you see the cruise cost include alcoholic beverages, for example.

 

Cruise Industry Adopts New Muster Policy

CLIA Announces New Emergency Drill Policy Effective Immediately

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.

Summary of Changes in Policy

• Mandatory Muster before sailing 
• Private drill for passengers arriving late 
• Exceeds current legal requirements
  

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.

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.

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.

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.

Read more about the IMO and various safety initiatives in our post:  World Maritime Day 2012

Muster Drill Variances

Even before the Costa Concordia accident, muster drills have been evolving.  With the latest technology, it is possible to scan the passenger's key card and compile a real-time list of passengers who have assembled at the muster station.   Even without automation, there is usually some sort of roll call made at the muster station during the drills.  The implementation varied by cruise line and possibly even the ship, based on available technology and other factors.  In all cases, the minimum requirements were met or exceeded.

The life jackets typically have the cabin numbers on them, which was often checked when passengers arrived at the muster station.  Cabin stewards would also check each cabin during the drill to be sure passengers had complied with the requirements.   All public areas are closed during the drill, so any stray passengers would be redirected to their muster station, which is also indicated on their key cards.

Recently, a Holland America passenger was disembarked before sailing for failure to comply with the mandatory muster drill.  Under the terms of the contract which is signed when passengers embark the ship, the cruise line can refuse passage or disembark passengers for failure to comply with instructions from the Master of the Vessel or other Officers of the ship.   The Muster Drill is under the command of the Captain (the Master of the Vessel).

Please familiarize yourself with the location of your muster station as soon as possible following your embarkation.  Safety is everyone's responsibility - not just the captain and crew.

The cruise industry will continue to review the safety practices and we suspect there will be additional changes in the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster.  We will continue our coverage of this very important undertaking.  

Royal Caribbean Drinking Policy Change

Minimum Drinking Age Changed to 18

Royal Caribbean Ships Sailing from

South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand  

In Spring 2012, new alcoholic beverage rules take effect for Royal Caribbean ships sailing from International ports (South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand). 

Currently, 18- to 20-year-old passengers cruising in the aforementioned regions are allowed to purchase alcohol onboard -- as long as their parents sign a waiver. Under the new policy, parents will no longer be required to sign the waver. 

The minimum drinking age on Royal Caribbean ships sailing from North America will remain at 21.

RCI says that the change is to "better accommodate the cultural norms in the regions of the world where Royal Caribbean ships sail." 

This change brings Royal Caribbean ships in line with its competitors. The onboard drinking ages generally reflect laws in the region in which the ship is sailing. For instance, the minimum drinking age for Costa Cruises is 18 for any vessel leaving from a non-U.S. port and 21 for any cruise leaving from the United States. Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines and others have similar policies.

While the policy gets parents off the hook for signing a waiver - it shouldn't get them off the hook for the actions of their children.  The last thing we want to be writing about in future columns would be any accident connected with the change in this policy.  Please drink responsibly and make sure everyone in your party, regardless of age, does so also.  

Carnival Corp. New Smoking Policy

Star Princess - Cigars Under the Stars

Carnival, Princess, and Holland America

Introduce New Smoking Policy

Carnival Cruise Line Policy - Effective June 15th:

• Cigarette Smoking in public venues restricted to Carnival's dance clubs and designated areas within the casino and casino bar
• Smoking (including cigars) permitted in designated exterior open decks (starboard side)
• Smoking allowed in jazz clubs:     

Carnival Destiny, Carnival Triumph, Carnival Victory, Carnival Spirit, Carnival Pride, Carnival Legend, Carnival Miracle, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Glory, Carnival Valor, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Freedom, and Carnival Splendor.

Carnival Cruise Line Policy - Effective December 1st:

• Smoking will be prohibited in all guest staterooms. 
• Smoking (including cigars) permitted outside - balcony cabins
• Spa staterooms remain smoke-free, including on the balconies:

Carnival Splendor, Carnival Dream and Carnival Magic

Holland America Line Policy - Effective January 15th:

• Smoking will be prohibited in all guest staterooms. 
• Smoking (including cigars) permitted outside - balcony cabins
• Smoking permitted in designated areas inside and on outside decks

Princess Cruises Policy - Effective January 15th:

• Smoking prohibited in all guest staterooms
• Smoking prohibited on balconies
• Smoking will continue to be allowed in the Churchill's cigar lounge, a section of the disco and casino and a portion of the open decks.

 In announcing the changes to smoking policies, Carnival Corporation, parent company of all three cruise lines, indicated that recent surveys indicated that only a small percentage of guests smoke.  Failure to comply with these rules could result in a $250 cleaning fee being added to your ship account.

 We just came back from our cruise on Star Princess to the Mediterranean.   It was interesting to see that on a couple nights, the casino was designated as smoke-free.   Also, in the picture above, special seating was available for cigar smokers the night of the deck party.


With the risk of fire on a ship, it makes sense to periodically review the current policies and make modifications.   For those that smoke, you'll still be able to do so in designated areas, while keeping the comfort and safety of others in mind.  

New Carnival Cruise Line Cancellation Policy

Carnival Cruise Line just unveiled a new Cancellation Policy for all new FIT and Group business effective September 11, 2010 whereby the cancellation penalty will be the higher of the two amounts between the deposit or 50%/75% penalty window.

When booking your cruise vacation, it is wise to also purchase travel insurance.   No one knows what the future may bring.   People get sick unexpectedly and have to cancel their trip.   The closer that happens to your cruise departure, the more you risk to lose as you can see from the following chart.

Always discuss your options with your cruise specialist.   We offer several polices and can offer guidance on the policy that is right for your circumstances.   Don't run the risk of losing your hard-earned money - travel insured.

	DAYS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE DATE	CANCELLATION CHARGE (Per Guest)
2, 3, 4 & 5 day Cruises	Up to 61 days	None (except Cruise to Nowhere and Early Saver Fares*)
	60 to 46 days	Deposit**
	45 to 30 days	Deposit or 50% of Total Fare, whichever is greater
	29 to 15 days	Deposit or 75% of Total Fare, whichever is greater
	14 days or less	100% of Total Fare
6 day or longer cruises (including Alaska and Hawaii)	Up to 76 days	None (except for Early Saver Fares*)
	75 to 46 days	Deposit
	45 to 30 days	Deposit or 50% of Total Fare, whichever is greater
	29 to 15 days	Deposit or 75% of Total Fare, whichever is greater
	14 days or less	100% of Total Fare
Europe Cruises & Panama	Up to 91 days	None (except for Early Saver Fares*)
Canal Cruises 7,9, & 12 day	90 to 56 days	Deposit
	55 to 30 days	Deposit or 50% of Total Fare, whichever is greater
	29 to 15 days	Deposit or 75% of Total Fare, whichever is greater
	14 days or less	100% of Total Fare
All Cruises purchased under the Pack & Go Program	Any time after booking	100% of Total Fare
*The deposit is non refundable.    **For Cruises to Nowhere, the cancellation charge is 25% of Total Fare.

Travel With Protection Against Unexpected

Purchase Travel Insurance 

for Peace of Mind

Since mid-April the volcanic eruption in Iceland has dominated the travel news as passengers became stranded across the globe.   For those with travel plans within or to Europe, all they could do was wait and see if they would be able to fly to their destination.  Many travelers were stranded for days. 

Unlike some other natural disasters, there was no advance warning that an ash cloud would develop and blow over the UK.   Because of that, travelers were caught off guard and unable to make alternate plans.  This is the perfect example of "the unexpected".

Along with unexpected events, come unexpected expenses.   In the case of the flight groundings due to the ash cloud, passengers were forced to stay at their current location and in many cases incur expenses for lodging, meals, local transportation, phone calls, and other unanticipated expenses.  We heard stories of passengers running out of money because they had already exhausted their vacation budgets.

For those that were just beginning their vacation, it would be cut short at the very least.  In other cases, they were able to join the vacation in progress if alternate transportation could be obtained at a premium price.   In still other cases, the vacation wouldn't occur at all.  All of these situations have a financial impact.   For the uninsured traveler, they had to bear the burden of costs completely alone.

The flight groundings had a ripple affect.  Cruise passengers were unable to get to the embarkation ports and those returning from cruises were unable to return home.   The cruise lines and airlines worked hard to try to assist travelers.    Their hands were tied by regulations that prevented flights from departing.

A logistical nightmare had unfolded on a scale not seen since the grounding of flights after the 911 attacks. The unsung heroes were customer service agents who were working with affected travelers providing assistance.  These included the agents manning the phones of the various travel insurance providers.

If you were to ask one of the stranded passengers that had travel insurance if they felt the premium was worth paying, I'd bet they would say that just the ability to get assistance during this crisis was worth the cost alone.   Of course, the real benefit is reimbursement for the unexpected expenses up to and including the trip cost.

For the uninsured traveler, they not only have a lost vacation, but they very well might not be able to reschedule the trip since they no longer have the funds that they had saved for the trip (due to the extra unplanned expenses).

Those that read my blog on a regular basis know that I always encourage the purchase of travel insurance.   I have had personal experience with needing to interrupt a cruise and fortunately had travel insurance.   We've also been on many cruises where passengers were evacuated to obtain additional medical attention.   The cost of medical transportation can be thousands of dollars. 

Read more about Travel Insurance and the coverages provided.

I'll leave you with these parting thoughts ....  Always purchase Travel Insurance and Purchase the Insurance Policy at the Same Time as Booking Your Trip.

The reason for the last statement is that effective dates of the policy determine if an event is covered.    Once an event has been declared,  policies purchased after that date are not covered until a new event were to occur.    Again, the ash cloud is the perfect example of how this clause could impact your coverage.

For peace of mind and so that you can truly relax and enjoy your vacation, budget for travel insurance when saving for your vacation.