2012 World Cruise on Pacific Princess

Princess Cruises Brings the World to You

2012: 107-day World Cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Venice. Experience the world’s treasured places on this magnificent sailing on Pacific Princess.® You’ll transit the Panama Canal, sail through the South Pacific, cruise New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — and visit Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Ahead lies even more, from ports like vibrant Hong Kong and dazzling Phuket to bustling Mumbai and thrilling Cairo, Egypt. You’ll visit some 40 destinations with maiden calls in Santa Marta (Colombia), Puerto Quepos (Costa Rica) and Manama (Bahrain) before your voyage ends in Venice. You can see even more with overland tours to such places as Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, China’s Great Wall and Ayers Rock in Australia.

Highlights of this New Route

• Maiden calls highlight 2012 World Cruise. Santa Marta (Colombia), Puerto Quepos (Costa Rica) and Manama (Bahrain) are included among the 38 destinations on the 2012 World Cruise sailing from Ft. Lauderdale to Venice.
• The 2-Day Experience. Overnight stays in Sydney, Hong Kong and Dubai give passengers ample time to explore these spectacular destinations.
• Segment voyages. Passengers can choose from segments ranging between 15 to 32 days for a taste of the world cruising experience.  Choose from Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego, San Diego to Sydney, Sydney to Singapore, or Singapore to Venice.

The first segment of the 2012 World Cruise begins in Ft. Lauderdale on January 13th.  There are special discounts and reduced deposits for past passengers of Princess Cruises.   For more information about Pacific Princess, click here.

Bookings are  being accepted starting June 17th 

And, don't forget, the 2011 World Cruise on Dawn Princess is already open for booking. The Aussie Experience awaits on this 104-day World Cruise, with 43 intriguing destinations, including Morocco, Singapore, Dubai and others.

U.S. Senate Passes Cruise Ship Safety Legislation

Legislation to Enhance Cruise Ship Safety

As discussed in previous blog post  Keeping Cruise Ship Passengers Safe, there are several safety measures in place today which were implemented by the cruise industry.   Legislators have been reviewing the existing measures and believe there is room for improvement.

The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed legislation by Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) to increase security, law enforcement, and accountability on cruise ships in international waters.

Sen. Kerry is a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which unanimously approved the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act in July 2009.  Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) is the sponsor of companion legislation, H.R. 3360, which has already been passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act will:

• improve ship safety by requiring forty-two inch guard rails, peep holes in every passenger and crew member’s door, on-deck video surveillance, and an emergency sound system;

• provide transparency in reporting by establishing a structure between the cruise industry, the FBI, and the Coast Guard, including requirements that each ship maintain a log book, which would record all deaths, missing individuals, alleged crimes, and passenger/crewmember complaints regarding theft, sexual harassment, and assault;

• improve crime scene response by requiring rape kits, anti-retroviral medications, and a trained forensic sexual assault specialist be aboard each ship; and

• establish a program designed by the Secretary of Transportation in consultation with the FBI to train appropriate crew members in crime prevention, detection, evidence preservation, and reporting of criminal activities in the international maritime environment. 

Senator Kerry commented on the legislation:

“The term ‘duty free’ does not apply to the safety of passengers." He continued “Murky lines of jurisdiction are no longer an excuse for risking the safety of millions of Americans who will board cruise ships this year. I applaud my colleagues for helping to ensure that security, safety, and accountability be strengthened to hold criminals accountable and end the cycle of serious crimes on these vessels.”

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) supports the legislation

“This legislation brings greater consistency and clarification to many industry practices and existing regulations, including a longstanding federal requirement to report to the FBI allegations of serious crimes occurring in U.S. waters or involving a U.S. national anywhere in the world. The legislation also establishes additional safety provisions,” CLIA said. 

“The safety and security of our guests and crew is CLIA's number one priority. The cruise industry has reported allegations of serious crimes to federal law enforcement agencies for many years and looks forward to continuing our longstanding work with the U.S. Coast Guard, FBI, and law enforcement both here and elsewhere around the world. The cruise industry has comprehensive policies and procedures that ensure guests are safe and secure while enjoying a cruise vacation. In fact, serious crime on cruise ships is rare, with millions of guests each year enjoying a safe cruise vacation.”

For more information, visit www.cruising.org or www.cruiseIndustryfacts.com.

Keeping Cruise Ship Passengers Safe

Cruise Ship Safety

We've talked about severe weather and how cruise ships avoid the storms, making itinerary changes if needed to keep passengers, crew, and the ship safe.   Weather is only one condition that the ship's captain, officers, and cruise line offices monitor and make decisions about on a daily basis.

Safety in Ports of Call

Besides storms, there are other reasons why a cruise ship might alter its itinerary.   Recently, Princess Cruises cancelled  a cruise call to Ashdod, Israel. Pacific Princess was scheduled to be there on June 2, but when the U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem and the U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv issued a travel warning to Americans to be alert for possible road blockages, demonstrations and protests as a result of the Israeli naval interdiction of a group (or flotilla) of ships attempting to arrive in Gaza, the ship's plans were altered in the interest of passenger safety.   For more information about why Princess Cruises cancelled the call in Israel, see A Letter to Those Concerned About Our Cruises to Israel.

For tips about traveling abroad, travel warnings, country specific information and travel alerts, visit the links on the International Travel tab. 

Safety Onboard

The picture above shows some of the monitoring gauges on a typical cruise ship bridge.   Probably the most devastating event that could occur on a ship would be a fire.   Each cabin and location on the ship is monitored by smoke detectors and other sensors.   When you take a hot shower, you could set off the alarm if you were to leave the bathroom door ajar during your shower.   If that happens during your cruise, don't be upset, but be grateful that someone is watching out for your safety.

Besides state of the art monitoring, a big part of keeping guests and crew safe rests with each and every passenger.   At the beginning of the cruise, a mandatory lifeboat drill is held.   Knowing what to do in an emergency is critical to your safety.   The captain will also provide additional safety information, such as locations of designated smoking areas, instructions about keeping balconies free from combustible materials, and not using certain electrical devices in your cabin.   Please listen to these instructions carefully and follow instructions of crew at all times.

During the embarkation process, passenger identities are verified and a screening of luggage and passengers is performed, just like at an airport.   Your photo will be taken and associated with your cabin key.   Every time you reboard the ship, you will encounter the same security screenings. 

All these measures are done for the safety of all.  Safety officers onboard the ship and in the cruise line offices may not get the recognition, but they are crucial to safe voyages.

66th Anniversary D-Day

D-Day      6 June 1944

Today marks another anniversary of D-Day, the day that the allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to begin to take back Europe.   The generation that fought that battle are slowly fading away, leaving only written accounts in their place.

As I've said in the past, we had the opportunity to visit Normandy, France in June several years ago and retraced the steps of those brave troops.   The beaches were quiet that day when we visited unlike the early morning hours in 1944.

I encourage you to include a visit to Normandy should your cruise call in LeHavre, France.  

The Landing Zones:

Utah beach    Pointe du Hoc   Omaha beach    Gold beach   Juno beach   Sword beach

Some D-Day References on the Web

Normandie Mémoire
National D-Day Mermorial Foundation
Previous D-Day Posts

 

Carnival Announces New Program

Cash Back Promotion

June 7 - 30, 2010

Book between June 7th-June 30th, 2010 and Carnival will load up your Sail & Sign® Card with up to $40 per guest for 3–5 day cruises or up to $80 per guest for 6–8 day cruises.  That's extra free money of up to $160 per cabin.   

Use the money anywhere on the ship or on a shore excursion.   If you don't spend it all, don't worry, it will be credited to your credit card at the end of the cruise.

Terms & Conditions

Cruise rates are in U.S. dollars, per person and based on double occupancy. No name changes allowed. Cash back offer is non-transferable. Cash back is provided as a refundable onboard credit to your Sail & Sign account of $40 per person up to a maximum of $80 per stateroom on select 3 - 5 day sailings and up to $80 per person up to a maximum of $160 per stateroom on select 6, 7 or 8 day sailings. If your Sail & Sign account has a cash balance at the end of the cruise after all authorized purchases have been applied to the account, any remaining unused portion of the cash back onboard credit will be delivered in check form to your stateroom on the morning of debarkation with your final Sail & Sign statement.

Cash back offer is capacity controlled and is not combinable with any other discount or promotional offer. Combinable with Fun Select rates only. Rates are subject to change at any time without prior notice. Category restrictions and exclusions apply. Minimum purchase of category 4A is required. Blackout dates may apply. Valid on new individual bookings made between 6/7/10-6/30/10. Promotion is applicable on select ships and departures between 6/16/10-2/28/11. Government taxes and fees are additional for all guests. Cash back may not be applied to cruise fare or government taxes and fees.

Carnival reserves the right to re-instate the fuel supplement for all guests at up to $9 per person per day if the NYMEX oil price exceeds $70 per barrel.

More Carnival Caribbean Specials

Hurricane Season 2010 Begins Today

Official Hurricane Season

June 1 - November 30

June 1st is the official start of the 2010 Hurricane season that runs through November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued its outlook for the Atlantic and E. Pacific Hurricane Season.  Hurricane Preparedness Week ran from May 24 - 29 with daily focus on different aspects of preparedness.  We devoted many column inches to this topic because we believe strongly that an educated public is the best defense against tropical cyclones.

Looking for current & past hurricanes?  Click Image or Here

To read the entire series, see 2010 Hurricane Preparedness Call to Action which summarizes the week's information and provides links to all the blog posts.  You can also select individual topics using the search feature of the blog or selecting an article from the blog archive.    We have a static tab, Weather,  which provides information and links for Hurricanes as well as Typhoons, Tsunamis, Tides & Currents; Volcano Eruptions.  Bookmark these two posts for quick reference to important links in the event of a tropical storm.

NOAA's Atlantic outlook calls for a 85% chance of an above normal season

The Caribbean is an area that typically gets impacted by one or more major tropical cyclones during the season.  With increased activity, the likelihood of landfall in a particular area is also increased.  It isn't possible to predict landfall probabilities in advance, so NOAA doesn't include that in their outlooks.

Does that mean that all travel to the Caribbean and other parts in the Atlantic Basin should be postponed until after November?   The ultimate decision will be up to you.  How much risk do you want to take?   Can you deal with change?   Are you hurricane prepared?    

I devoted an entire blog post to the question...  What happens if there's a hurricane predicted at the time of my cruise?   Read Hurricane Preparedness for Cruisers for the answer to that question. Then you should be able to decide if you want to cruise to the Atlantic during hurricane season or not.

As we have in the past, our blog will continue to provide updates on tropical cyclones (we've already had our first named storm in the Eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Agatha Forms in Eastern Pacific).   You'll notice that we have added RSS feeds to our navigation pane (left) for active tropical storms.  

Contact us if you still have unanswered questions relative to cruising during hurricane season.  

Memorial Day 2010

Click to View Entire Album  - American Cemetery Normandy

Over the years we have been to many military cemeteries, museums, and other sites during our cruise vacations.   One of our most memorable trips was when we visited Normandy, France during a British Isles cruise.  My father had been among the troops landing at the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He lived through that day and many other horrific days during the war.  Many of his fellow soldiers weren't as fortunate.  He returned to Normandy years later and stood on this hallowed ground.   He wept for his Lieutenant and comrades as he found their graves.

Related Blog Posts

Thoughts on Memorial Day
Normandy, France - Retracing History
Normandy, France - Retracing History (Part2)
Normandy, France - Retracing History (Part 3)

It is fitting that there is a day set aside to honor the war dead.   However, I suggest that we should remember them, and those that lived through the war and have now returned to their heavenly homes, at other times, not just Memorial Day.   

There are many opportunities while cruising to visit graves of the fallen troops.   I've already mentioned Normandy, France.   As expected there are many sites in Europe where you can visit graves and also learn more about the wars fought on that foreign soil.

Closer to home you could visit Arlington National Cemetery, before or after a cruise that departs from Baltimore.    On he west coast, you could visit Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery when cruising out of San Diego harbor.  Remember those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor while in Honolulu.

Plan a cruise to one or more destinations that tell the history of war.  Many cruise lines honor the active and retired military by offering special discounts.   Check with your cruise specialist for more details. 

Thank You to All the Military for Your Service