Carnival Splendor Cruises Cancelled until January 16

The Mexican navy vessel P110 holds position off the
port bow of the Carnival cruise ship C/V Splendor
(Photo Courtesy U.S. Navy)

Carnival Splendor Out of Service

Miami - November 16, 2010 – 11am

Carnival Cruise Lines has cancelled voyages of the Carnival Splendor through the departure of January 9, 2011, to allow time for repairs following an engine room fire last week. The ship is scheduled to re-enter service on January 16, 2011.

Guests who were scheduled to sail on these voyages will receive a full refund of their cruise fare and air transportation costs, along with a 25 percent discount on a future cruise.

Carnival Splendor was towed to San Diego following the fire which occurred off the Mexican coast on November 8. A team from the U.S. Coast Guard, NTSB and flag authorities, along with Carnival's engineers and technicians, is currently on board investigating the cause of the fire. Carnival personnel are being assisted by representatives of the shipyard that built the vessel and other manufacturers of engine room components in assessing damage and necessary repairs.

"We realize how much guests look forward to their vacations and know that they are very disappointed by this news. We too are disheartened that we are not able to fulfill the dreams of those who have entrusted us with their important vacation plans. We sincerely apologize to everyone who was scheduled to sail on these cancelled voyages and look forward to welcoming them aboard in the future. Now that we have a full technical team engaged in the assessment, we wanted to provide this information as quickly as possible," said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO.

Carnival is contacting travel agents and guests on the affected sailings and providing assistance in finding alternate cruises. Travel agent commissions on the cancelled sailings will be protected.

Please continue to check back here for updates. 

If you are affected by this, please click here for an important notice detailing your options.

Related Blog Posts:

Carnival Splendor Fire Investigation 
Assisting Carnival Splendor 
Carnival Splendor Without Power After Engine Fire 

Cruise Itinerary Changes Following St. Kitts Robbery

Photo courtesy of Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park

In the wake of Sunday's brazen robbery at gunpoint of a bus full of Celebrity Mercury passengers on a St. Kitts shore excursion, at least two cruise lines have canceled calls on the island.   Carnival Miracle, scheduled to visit St. Kitts  headed to Antigua, and Princess Cruises' Grand Princess will make a similar detour on Wednesday.

Two masked gunmen on St. Kitts held up 17 passengers from Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Mercury who were on a ship-sponsored tour, called "Essential St. Kitts", that includes a sight-seeing drive of the city of Basseterre.  The tour was headed to Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, a popular tourist spot.

According to police reports, the gunmen blocked the road with a fallen tree which prompted the bus driver to exit the vehicle to clear the road.   When this was done, the band of robbers emerged from the  bushes and robbed the tourists at gunpoint before disappearing back into the woodlands.  The passengers' cash, jewelry, cameras and other valuables were taken and fortunately noone was injured in the incident.

Celebrity Cruises has cancelled the tour indefinitely and indicated that it will closely monitor the safety situation in St. Kitts, but has yet to cancel any calls at the island.  They released the following statement:


"We are thankful that none of our guests were injured in this unfortunate event, and will continue to provide them any support they may need.  A vacation is supposed to be filled with fun, rejuvenation and relaxation. An act of crime should not be part of any vacation, and we regret our guests had to experience those events."

St. Kitts-Nevis Observer was told by a police spokesperson, "this tour bus robbery is an unprecedented incident in St. Kitts, where visitor safety is of the highest priority. Last year, over (500,000) cruise passengers safely disembarked in St. Kitts...we deeply regret any type of incident that might tarnish our visitors' experience."

It is believed that the recent surge in violence in the Caribbean is linked to an increase in drug traffic. Much of the cocaine headed for the U.S. and European markets from South America transits the Caribbean.

Watch here for updates from the cruise lines in reaction to this incident.  

Oasis of the Seas Meet Allure of the Seas

Oasis of the Seas Meets Allure of the Seas for First Time
Photo Courtesy Royal Caribbean

SISTERS MEET FOR FIRST TIME

It is common for two cruise ships to pass each other while at sea.   On Saturday, November 13th, a historic first occurred.   The two largest ships afloat met for the first time.   The Allure of the Seas just arrived from Finland to its home port of  Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Florida this week.

Allure's Captain Zini produced another video log capturing the moment.  He is very grateful for all the information that was shared with him from Oasis of the Seas first year in operation. 

Words can't express the scene, so I encourage you to view the video yourself.

Video:  The World's Largest Sister Ships Meet: OASIS and ALLURE together for the first time

The world's two largest and most revolutionary cruise ships, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas are together for the first time just two days after Allure of the Seas completes a 13-day trans-Atlantic journey from Turku, Finland. More than 8,000 guests and crew on Oasis welcome Royal Caribbean's newest ship in a unique moment at sea!

Disney Dream Conveyance

Disney Dream Conveyance  (Photos Courtesy Disney Cruise Line)

Disney Dream

Lights up the Sky

Fireworks filled the sky in Papenburg, Germany, as Disney Dream departed the Meyer Werft shipyard November 12th on its conveyance down the River Ems.  The ship's horns played “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” thrilling the thousands that had lined the banks to witness the ship's conveyance.

The conveyance process is a unique maneuver for ships built by the Meyer Werft shipyard, the only place in the world where this process occurs. The journey involves moving the ship some 26 miles down the winding River Ems.  In some areas, railroad bridges have been dismantled with sections lifted out to allow the ship’s passage. 

“With the conveyance of the Disney Dream, we have reached yet another milestone for the third ship in our fleet,” said Karl Holz, president of Disney Cruise Line. “It won’t be long before our guests finally experience the inspired innovation and extraordinary creative content that makes this ship so magnificent and so unique. From an exhilarating ride on the AquaDuck to dazzling stage shows and exquisite French cuisine at Remy, the incredible offerings on the Disney Dream will delight everyone who steps aboard.”

“All of us at MEYER WERFT and throughout the community of Papenburg are very proud to see this ‘Dream’ ship through its historic conveyance,” said Bernard Meyer, managing partner of MEYER WERFT. “As the largest ship this yard has built, our entire community feels a tremendous sense of achievement and a deep connection to this exceptional vessel.”

What dreams do you have?  If you are dreaming of far away places, warm breezes blowing as you recline by the pool, being able to see your favorite Disney Characters up close while sailing on the oceans...  Disney Cruise Line has probably already thought of a way to fulfill your dreams.   Even this sailing from Meyer Werft's shipyard had an element of Disney flair with the fireworks and music sounding from the ship's horns.   

With the passing of this milestone, Disney Dream is one step closer to completion and delivery to Disney Cruise Line and fans across the world.   Here is a list of milestones before the delivery.

Construction Milestones

• Float Out - Completed October 30th
• Testing on the ship’s functional features - Completed last two weeks
• Conveyance - November 12
• Sea Trials (test and adjust phase) - following Conveyance
• Short Final Dry Dock in Hamburg, Germany
• Delivery Ceremony in Bremerhaven, Germany  

Disney Dream will have several new notable innovations for guests to enjoy.

• AquaDuck, a first-of-its-kind water coaster, is an exhilarating, high-speed thrill ride that combines all the ups and downs of a roller coaster with all the twists and turns of a water slide. 
• Magical Portholes offer a “virtual window” to the world for inside staterooms, with a real-time view outside the ship where high-definition cameras feed live video to each stateroom.
• Enchanted Art immerses guests in Disney storytelling and looks like other hanging art pieces around the ship, but is actually a framed LCD screen with technology that recognizes a guest is present.
• Remy, an exquisite top-deck restaurant, only for adults, with incredible ocean views and French-inspired, gourmet cuisine by two award-winning chefs.

The Disney Dream will sail three-, four- and five-night cruises to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral, Fla., while sister ship Disney Fantasy, is set to sail seven-night alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, also from Port Canaveral, beginning in 2012.

The Disney Magic will continue sailing seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises, before returning to the Mediterranean for another summer of cruising in this region in 2011.

The Disney Wonder will begin 2011 by repositioning to the West Coast of the U.S., sailing seven-night Mexican Riviera cruises from the Port of Los Angeles, while spending the summer sailing first-ever Alaskan itineraries from Vancouver.

Watch for more news about Disney Dream as it is made ready for inaugural events.

Carnival Splendor Fire Investigation

Port of San Diego - Cruise Termina

UPDATE FEBRUARY 2, 2011 (click following link for latest)

Carnival Splendor to Leave San Francisco and Return to Service

Now that Carnival Splendor is safely back in San Diego, there are a couple questions that beg to be answered:

What happened?   and   What happens next?
(for those booked on Splendor)

Let's answer the second question first.    Here is the latest update from Carnival Cruise Line.   It will take some time to assess the situation, determine the cause, and make necessary repairs to restore Carnival Splendor to service.

The investigation is being held by a joint task force from the Panama government, U.S. Coast Guard, National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB), and Carnival Cruise Line.  Carnival doesn't expect to have any news until early next week.

UPDATE:  November 15, 2010 8 AM

We are still awaiting word from Carnival Cruise Line about the fate of the November 21st sailing.   According to their latest update, they should know more early this week.

Meanwhile, John Heald took a well-deserved day off yesterday from his fascinating account of the events.  He did post a TA's comments which will show you how distorted media reports have been and how well Carnival treated the passengers - going so far as to forgive any onboard expenses (including gambling losses).

Once again, Well Done John Heald and Carnival !!

CARNIVAL SPLENDOR UPDATE

Miami - November 15, 2010 – 2pm

The Carnival Splendor is currently docked in San Diego and a team is on board working to more fully assess damage to the vessel. 

We recognize that many of our guests scheduled to sail on the Carnival Splendor are anxious to hear about the status of their upcoming sailing. At this time, the November 14 voyage has been cancelled. Those guests are receiving a full refund of their cruise fare and air transportation costs along with a 25 percent discount on a future cruise. Our technical teams are working round the clock to assess the damage and necessary repairs. 

We expect to have additional information very soon and will inform all guests accordingly.

Please continue to check back here for updates.

A NOTE FROM GERRY CAHILL, PRESIDENT & CEO:

"On November 11, the Carnival Splendor reached San Diego and all guests and crew were returned safely. We are extremely grateful and appreciative to them for their patience and positive spirit throughout the course of events. We would also like to extend our utmost gratitude to the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, the Port of San Diego and those within the San Diego community, as well as the tug boat operators, bus drivers, hoteliers, our travel agent partners and many, many others who have aided and supported us throughout the past several days. Thank you to all."

John Heald's Blog

If you are a fan of Carnival Cruise Line, you have undoubtedly heard of Senior Cruise Director John Heald and his amazing blog.    John is an ambassador for Carnival and a really fun person to be around most times.   He was onboard the ill-fated Carnival Splendor for the November 7th sailing.   And it's a good thing he was...

Anyone who has been in any sort of emergency situation will, once the event is over, recall how one or more people played a key role in keeping things calm.   The passengers and crew couldn't have asked for a better person to do that than John Heald.

Now that John is back on terra firma, he has begun sharing the story, as only he can do.   If you aren't familiar with his writing style, be prepared to settle in for hours to read his blog.    Be sure to read some of the comments from his readers also.    So far, he has the following posted:

• Smoke On the Water – The Final Chapter
• A Message from a Carnival Splendor Guest 
• Smoke On the Water – Part 5
• Smoke On the Water – Part 4
• Smoke On the Water – Part 3
• Smoke On the Water – Part 2
• Smoke On the Water – Part 1

The news media has covered the stories of passengers arriving in San Diego, so I'll leave finding those stories as an exercise for you.   One common thread in the accounts that we've read thus far is that the crew went above and beyond to turn a bad situation into the best that they could.

As one might expect, the cruise was filled with a mixture of passengers.  Some were on the very first cruise, while others were seasoned cruise veterans.    This obviously wasn't the dream vacation that any of the passengers signed up for, but the good news to take away is that all arrived safe and sound in San Diego several days after the fire broke out.

If this same situation had occurred on a plane, bus, train, or even a car, the outcome might have been quite different.  We realize that many passengers of this Carnival Splendor cruise will have the initial reaction of never wanting to set sail again.  That will be their personal decision of course, but we hope they really look at everything when making that decision.   The cruise industry still has an excellent safety record even with rare events like this one. 

The Carnival crew was well trained and responded well to ”ALPHA TEAM, ALPHA TEAM ALPHA TEAM, DECK 0 ENGINE CONTROL ROOM.”

We are happy to hear that everyone onboard was safe and sound back in San Diego.   Our coverage will continue as more information becomes available.

Attention Carnival Splendor Guests --- we would be happy to report your accounts and comments - feel free to contact us with your story.

Veteran's Day 2010 Three Different Salutes

Carnival Splendor & Allure of the Seas Events
Share Veteran's Day Spotlight

November 11, 2010  -  Veteran's Day 

First and foremost, today is the annual observance of Veteran's Day, a day set aside to honor the nation's veterans.   The main image in the picture above was taken at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France, on one of our cruises several years ago.    The image of row after row of crosses will never leave me.

Every day we go about our business, and I suspect most of us take our freedom for granted.   It isn't because we aren't caring people, but instead perhaps because we just don't think about it.  So I ask you today to take a moment to reflect on the veterans, living and deceased, for without whose service we wouldn't be the free nation we are today.

I have written about this in past blogs.  Read last year's post (or do a search for other articles):  Thoughts on Veterans Day for example.  This year I had some different thoughts.

Three Events Superimposed

As I prepared to write this column, it struck me that there were three events today that would get the majority of media attention.   In all cases, people would be gathered in numbers to watch the unfolding event, and the news media would be there with microphones in hand, cameras flashing and taping away to capture the moment in time.

On the left coast of the United States, Carnival Splendor arrived in the port of San Diego under tow.   We have been following this unfolding story from the time the fire broke out in the engine room until the safe return of the passengers, crew, and ship today.

We will hear stories about how unbearable the conditions were onboard the ship following the fire.   Granted, it wasn't the experience that people signed up for when they booked their vacation.

Contrast that to crawling up a beach under heavy enemy fire on a beach in Normandy or walking for miles through some jungle or mountain terrain with only MREs to eat.   For those that haven't heard the term before, MREs are meals ready to eat.  They come in pouches and vaguely resemble and taste like food.   (Ask a soldier what they would have given for a can of Spam or a Pop Tart).

We're sure there will be several stories that come from the Carnival Splendor ill-fated cruise.   There will be many unsung heroes, perhaps some of which used past military training to get them through the ordeal.  The stories that have surfaced so far have stated that the crew did a fantastic job dealing with the crisis and for that we salute them.

The military played an important role in days following the Splendor fire.   The USS Ronald Reagan provided relief services, dropping pallets of food on the deck of the disabled ship.   Coast Guard vessels escorted the ship back into harbor.  We salute those troops for their help and service.

On the right coast of the United States, Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas arrived in Port Everglades.   It wasn't under tow, but was escorted by tug boats shooting water in the air, the traditional salute to a ship entering the port for the first time.

Once again, there were crowds gathered, along with the media, to experience first-hand this moment in cruise history.   The mood was a bit more festive than on the other coast.   It was fitting that the W. Broward H.S. Marching Band performed a selection of musical pieces and displayed an American flag as part of the events to welcome Allure of the Seas on this Veteran's Day 2010.

Photo Credit: Tony Walker.

Vice President Joe Biden is assisted by Maj. Gen. Karl Horst, U.S. Army Military District Washington commanding general, during a Wreath-Laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in the National Veterans Day Observance in Arlington National Cemetery.

President Obama didn’t visit Section 60 this Veterans Day. He was in South Korea visiting U.S. troops in Seoul. Vice President Biden made the trip in his place after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

The acreage in Arlington National Cemetery, where many of the troops who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried, was busy anyway. As it always is on somber holidays. The sky was cobalt blue, many of the trees were bright orange and the air was crisp. Little boys darted between the white headstones decorated with stones, tiny pieces of colored glass, flowers, photos, letters and flags. Read more

  

THANK YOU FROM A GRATEFUL NATION

Those words are spoken when the folded U.S. Flag is presented to the family at a military funeral ceremony.  Today let us all echo those words and say thank you.    There are many ways to become involved and say thank you in a very meaningful way.   Cruise lines offer discounts to military, including veterans.   Local organizations gather goodies to send to the troops currently serving overseas.   Volunteers help out at local VA Hospitals across the nation.   If you want to get involved personally, check out the VA Voluntary Service website for some ideas.

Welcome Home Allure of the Seas

Allure of the Seas Welcome Event
(Photos Courtesy Royal Caribbean)

ALLURE OF THE SEAS

ARRIVES IN 

FORT LAUDERDALE

November 11, 2010 
 Veteran's Day

To commemorate Veteran's Day, the W. Broward H.S. Marching Band performed a selection of musical pieces and displayed an American flag as part of the events to welcome Allure of the Seas.

It was a gorgeous Veteran's Day in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida area today as Royal Caribbean's latest entry into their fleet, Allure of the Seas, peeked over the horizon providing all gathered with their first look at this engineering wonder.   The Allure weighs in at 225,000 gross registered tons and measures the length of four football fields.   She is 16 decks high and boasts 7 neighborhoods just like sister ship Oasis of the Seas.

While the two ships are identical in structure, there are unique features on each vessel.  Some of the primary differences include food and entertainment offerings which we have been describing as we watched the ship cross the Atlantic.

If you couldn't be in Dania, Florida live for the arrival, this YouTube video is the next best thing. About all I have to say is Welcome Home Allure of the Seas, Welcome home.



We will continue our coverage of Allure of the Seas in future blog posts. We will be onboard the Allure for one of the pre-inaugural sailings, so watch our Facebook Fan Page for Exclusive pictures.