Not all bad news as cruise lines look ahead

by Chris Owen on

Recently it seems the news is full of doom and gloom for some of the major cruise lines. One ship catches fire, another gets tossed around by a freak weather event and the topic of cruise safety comes up front and center. But good news is on the horizon as ships sail into 2011 and an evolving cruise industry gives us exactly what we want.

On board, ships like new Norwegian Epic and Royal Caribbeans Oasis-class ships offer top-shelf entertainment options from Broadway musicals to dining experiences like Epic’s Cirque Dreams and Dinner show. Activities go far beyond bingo and shuffleboard to include high-energy surfing on a bunch of Royal Caribbean ships to a tranquil day away from it all in Princess Cruises Sanctuary where “Solitude seekers will be able to escape completely” the line says on its interactive website.

The cruise lines hear the call for transparency and responsibility in what they do too. Princess Cruises and Holland America continue the drive to plug in to shore-side power at an increasing rate. Celebrity Cruises now has solar technology mounted on all Solstice-class ships along with a new hull design that reduces fuel usage.

On pricing, it’s a buyers market with AOL Travel reporting special offers like Norwegian Cruise Line offering free upgrades through March 27Th adding “A swell of other promotions from other lines is likely to be announced in the coming weeks.” Indeed, value-leader Carnival Cruise Lines has fares starting at $70 a day and even luxury lines are offering special incentives like sailing a Seabourn yacht for up to 50% off.

As cruise lines look ahead, Cruise Lines International Association, celebrating their 35 years of cruise vacations, sums it up nicely saying “The cruise industry has evolved to be a leader in innovation and technological advancement. Cruise vacations are fun, safe and offer a wide variety of amenities and recreational activities that appeal to all vacationers”

Flickr photo by Port of San Diego

Merry Christmas from Lonely Planet: 13 free iPhone city guides

by Scott Carmichael on

Lonely Planet just unwrapped an early Christmas present for us all – 13 of their popular iPhone city guides went from $9.99 to $0. The guides are on sale until 1PM December 23rd, so grab them while you can – and remember, even if you don’t need them right away, once purchased, you’ll always have access to them for free.

Here are the 13 guides (iTunes store links):

This is the second time they’ve made the iPhone guides free – last time was to help stranded passengers during the volcanic eruptions in Europe. And don’t think that Lonely Planet forgot about Android users – the Android versions of these apps dropped to 99 cents. Not quite free, but still very generous!

Photo of the Day (12.20.10)

by Mike Barish on

There’s nothing more frustrating on a road trip then getting stuck behind a slow-moving bus or truck that you are unable to pass. Not only are they holding you up, but after a few miles (or worse, a few hours), you simply just get sick of seeing the exact same vehicle in front of you. The only saving grace is if, when you finally do get to pass, the driver of that massive vehicle honks the horn and waves.

I suppose the scenery made being stuck behind a bus slightly more tolerable for Flickr user Michael in TN, who took this photo in beautiful Denali National Park. Still, I have a sneaking suspicion he passed that bus the first chance he got.

Taken any great photos during your road trips? Why not add them to our Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.

Holy Land Experience theme park: Crucifixion, even on Christmas

by Leigh Caldwell on

The new Noah’s Ark theme park planned in Kentucky may be making headlines these days, but it’s not the only U.S. park with a religious theme.

Central figures on the Orlando, Florida, theme park scene include Mickey Mouse, Shamu, Harry Potter, and Jesus Christ.

Just a few miles from Hogwart’s Castle at Universal Orlando Resort lies the Holy Land Experience, a 15-acre theme park firmly rooted in Christianity, at least the Trinity Broadcasting Network’s brand.

But the entertainment here doesn’t come from thrill rides, it comes from shows based on Bible stories, including live re-enactments of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, twice daily, even on Christmas.

Bill Briggs has an interesting look at the park – and its controversial history – today on MSNBC.com. The park opened in 2001 by fundamentalist Rev. Marvin Rosenthal, who intended it as a place to convert Jews to Christianity. It changed hands numerous times and was eventually taken over by Christian TV network TBN in 2007.

Briggs reports that park officials say it is now filled to its 2,000-guest capacity nearly every day and operates in the black. It’s popularity has prompted TBN to begin exploring the idea of opening licensing a second Holy Land Experience theme park in Seoul, South Korea.

Cruise line gets mixed reviews in aftermath of rocky ride

by Chris Owen on

Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas encounter with nasty weather earlier this month initially got rave reviews from guests and critics alike. Initial reports indicated the line did everything by the book and when out of its way to accommodate all on board. As time went on though, the story got a bit ugly.

The line was quick to issue $200 onboard credit and a full refund for those on board even though the cruise was almost over when the incident occurred. Initial reports were highly in favor of the cruise line doing the right thing.

But it did not take long for critics to smell a bigger story in the water causing cruise industry expert Stewart Chiron CEO of CruiseGuy.com to tweet “Did @RoyalCaribbean panic by refunding #cruise passengers on Brilliance of the Seas on 8th day of 12-night sailing? Must B more 2 story!” shortly after the event.

Indeed, it was a developing story and Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez told AOL Travel News. “As the cruise progressed, additional guests presented to the medical facility with symptoms and/or injuries” and the cruise line posted this video:

Adding to increasingly mixed reviews on how Royal Caribbean handled the situation, Maritime attorney Jim Walker had sharp criticism saying “RCCL has pulled this stunt time and time again, quickly issuing misleading statements in the hope that the media will quote its carefully crafted misinformation and then the story will quickly blow over”

Passengers who were actually onthe ship tell a bit different story though. Industry insider cruisecritic.com reports one typical passenger saying Royal Caribbean “went overboard” with the compensation.

Flickr photo by Rennett Stowe