What Would Christopher Columbus Think

La Pinta & Two Generations of Carnival Mardi Gras

Columbus First Transatlantic

La Pinta (Spanish for The Painted One or The Spotted One) was the fastest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first transatlantic voyage in 1492

The Pinta was square rigged and smaller than the Santa María. the ship weighed approximately 60 tons with an estimated deck length of 17 meters (56 ft) and a width of 5.36 meters (17.6 ft). The crew size was 26 men under Captain Martín Alonso Pinzón.

On the evening of 3 August 1492, Columbus departed from Spain with three ships, including the Pinta.  He first sailed to the Canary Islands where he stopped for repairs and provisions, staying there until 6 September 1492.

First Person to Sight Land

In the wee hours of 12 October 1492, Columbus claims to have seen the light of land. Columbus called the island (in what is now The Bahamas) San Salvador.  He claimed the lifetime pension promised by Ferdinand and Isabella in connection with the sighting.

How Does Pinta  Compare to Today's Cruise Ships

Oasis of the Seas is 47 meters wide and 360 meters long, i.e. 40 m longer than the height of the Eiffel tower! Height over the water line is 65 m. Building the vessel has been compared to a huge 3-dimensional puzzle. The vessel consists of 180 grand blocks, the biggest with a size of length 22 m, width 30 m and weight 600 tons! The vessel´s weight is 12 times the weight of the Eiffel tower.

(Updated 10/10/21)

Odyssey of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's latest ship, comes in at 1,138 ft long and 135 ft wide, it's roughly the length of 3.2 football fields, as wide as 2.5 tractor trailers and the same height as a 14 story building.

Carnival's newest ship Mardi Gras statistics: Gross tonnage: 180,000, Length: 1,130, Beam: 137 feet, Maximum Draft: 28 feet, Cruising Speed: 17 knots, and Full guest occupancy: 6,465.

 Pinta Definitely Out-Sized

Here you see just one of the 180 grand blocks that comprised the Oasis of the Seas.  Let's assume that it's the largest block.  That would mean that the Pinta was 5m shorter and 1/10th the weight of just that one building block.

Oasis of the Seas First Transatlantic

Just like the Pinta, the Captain of the Oasis of the Seas set sail from Europe destined for Bahamas and points beyond.   The Oasis made the journey from 31 October 2009 until 13 November 2009, arriving two days later than planned due to a tropical storm it encountered during the crossing.   Columbus too had encountered tropical weather during his crossing.

Columbus would probably be amazed if he sailed his ship alongside the Oasis of the Seas.   We'll take a look at more ships as we continue our special series for Plan a CruiseMonth. 

Compare La Pinta to other Cruise Ships

Choose from 406 ships by 31 cruise lines

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Searching for Best Pizza at Sea

Wanted: Pizza Lovers to Join Quest for Best Pizza at Sea 

Despite valiant attempts, in our 30 years of cruising, we haven't tried all the pizzerias at sea. We need our loyal reader's help to answer the question, "What Cruise Line Has the Best Pizza?" Today, on National Sausage Pizza Day, we throw down the gauntlet to find the best pizza at sea.

So far, our number one pick is on Princess Cruises - we feature the one on Sapphire Princess.

 

click images to enlarge

Alfredo's Pizzeria

Princess Cruises Alfredo's Pizzeria is named for their Master Chef, Alfredo Marzi and voted "Best Pizza at Sea" by USA TODAY.  This charming sit-down venue, located mid-ship on Deck 5, offers an enticing menu of freshly prepared individual-size pizzas along with beer and wines by the glass.

Hand-Tossed Pizza

Hot Out of the Oven

The open kitchen design allows you to watch as the chefs create pizza by hand and serve them straight out of the oven.

Alfredo's isn't the only place to get pizza onboard Sapphire Princess.   Prego Pizzeria is located on Deck 14 forward.   It serves pizza by the slice to the sun worshipers hanging out on the main pool deck. 

If an individual pizza is too much for you, bring someone with you to Alfredo's and you can share.  Pictured here is the Sapphire Princess: Tomato Sauce, Fresh Mozzarella, Cherry Tomatoes, Parma Ham, and Shaved Parmesan.

Our schedule, Sunday January 21st, called for a late afternoon arrival in Penang, Malaysia.  We planned to enjoy this nice sit down pizza lunch so that we'd have something to eat before our shore excursion, which included dinner at the local hawker food stands.  We agree with USA TODAY's assessment, and highly recommend Alredo's when you are onboard a Princess ship.


Next Contender:  Royal Caribbean Oasis-Class Ships

Made-to-order Pizza by the pan or slice

What's Your

Favorite Pizza?

Allure of the Seas - Sorrento's Pizza

New York Pizzeria

Experience an authentic New York pizzeria onboard Allure of the Seas.   Located on the Royal Promenade, Deck 5, this pizzeria is the perfect spot for lunch or even a late night snack since it is open to the wee hours of the morning.

Enjoy made-to-order pizzas by the pan or slice.   Select from a list of your favorite toppings to create your own personal pizza or, if you don't have time to wait, select one or more slices that are already made.  

106 Drink Choices

Pizza Goes Better with

Coca-Cola freestyle

While waiting for you pizza creation, put your creative juices to work some more by creating a made-to-order glass of your favorite Coca-Cola beverages.    There are 106 combinations of drinks that can be made in this specially designed beverage vending machine outside Sorrento's Pizzeria.

It's easy as 1-2-3 ...    Start with a glass of ice, add your favorite base Coca-Cola product, and add one or more additional flavors.   Enjoy combinations like Cherry Coke, Raspberry Diet Coke, or Strawberry Sprite to name a few possibilities.  

There's no charge to have pizza your way and if you have added the Coke beverage package, there is no additional charge for the that either.    Stop by Sorrento's anytime you want to have some fun creating your snack.

Send Us Your Favorites - Photos Please !

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237K and Counting

click image to enlarge

Do you want to return to the sea on your favorite Carnival Cruise ship or perhaps experience their brand new Mardi Gras?  Would you want to have one of those yummy Guy Fieri Burgers?

If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, you aren't alone.

Today, Carnival Cruise line President Christine Duffy sent an update to their travel partners reporting on the three month period since cruises resumed on July 3, 2021.  Carnival Vista was the first to return to service out of Galveston.  Since then 10 additional ships resumed operations including the brand new Mardi Gras which is a remake of one of their legacy ships.  Of course, she's nothing like her namesake with modern attractions including BOLT, the first roller-coaster at sea.

Guy's Burger Joint

There have been 98 voyages with 237,000 passengers enjoying one of the Carnival FunShips.  Without looking at the infographic, can you take a guess at how many Guy Fieri Burgers they consumed?   Well, it looks like most passengers had at least two of them since 499k burgers were served.

Christine Duffy Commented:

*Our resumption of service has provided much-needed vacations to hundreds of thousands of loyal guests, a boost to the economies in its homeport and port-of-call communities and opportunities for its shipboard team members to support their families in 120 countries around the world. 

We announced plans to have 17 ships back in guest service by the end of 2021, with additional ships returning in January and February and the entire U.S. fleet back in guest operations by spring 2022."

What's It Like Onboard?    Check out this video (click here)  

It looks like 8,000 people have partially paid for their vacation by taking home $1000 jackpots from the casino.    If you are yearning to get back on a cruise (or perhaps you've never been on one before), this is the time to book while the crew to passenger ratio is low, everyone is vaccinated (keeping you healthy) and prices are at an all time low.    

We are travel memory makers - let us turn your dreams into reality.

 

Click the banner above for the latest cruise promotions

 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Choose Cruise Month (click for mini-series)

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I recently completed extensive training and have become Travel Safety Verified. As your dedicated Travel Advisor, your safety is our priority, and it's our job to ensure you have the necessary information you need to give you confidence and peace of mind when making your future travel plans. Click the link to review our Travel Safety program with valuable resources that will answer many of your questions.

Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday afternoon at 4 PM Eastern for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat