Powered paragliding problem ends in cruise ship landing

by Tom Johansmeyer on

A Brazilian man didn’t realize he was about to do something incredible. Making an emergency landing while engaging in powered paragliding is interesting enough, but he took it to “Top Gun” levels by doing it on a cruise ship. Holland America’s “Prinsendam” served as his aircraft carrier, in Portugal‘s Portimao port. The unusual landing was the necessary because of equipment problems.

According to The Portugal News Online:

After crash-landing on the vessel the man was immediately given medical assistance and taken to the local Barlavento Hospital. His equipment, which was caught on the top deck of the ship, was collected by the Maritime Police for inspection and to ascertain the cause of the incident.

[photo by pizzodisevo via Flickr]

Lunch with a view and exceptionally good values on luxury cruises

by Ralph Grizzle on

The photo above was snapped yesterday from the balcony of stateroom 720 on Seabourn Sojourn during a transit of Norway’s UNESCO World Heritage Geirangerfjord. Small ships such as Seabourn Sojourn, carrying a maximum of 450 passengers, can easily navigate the Norwegian fjords and dock or drop anchor in small ports of call where the big ships can’t.

Small ships offer several other advantages, such as fewer lines for activities ranging from dining to disembarking, and greater space ratio, meaning fewer guest per square foot. Small ships generally feel more intimate and less crowded than larger ships as well.

Small ships typically also represent the upper-end of the product line, the luxury segment. While luxury cruise fares are sometimes three times more than fares on cruises of a similar length on large ships, luxury cruises are more inclusive. For example, alcohol is served free of charge as are specialty coffees and soft drinks. Gratuities, which are added to passengers’ final bills on larger ships, are also included on luxury cruises.

Luxury cruise fares are also at – or near – historic lows. Today, for example, Seabourn announced cruises beginning at less $200 per day per person during a special One Week Sale (the lowest fare, $2499, is for a 13-day transatlantic from Monte Carlo to Fort Lauderdale on December 6).

More typically, cruises can be found for around $300 per day per person, not bad when you consider the fare includes wining and dining in Seabourn’s gourmet restaurants – or on your balcony as you sail by some of the world’s most attractive sites.

Other luxury players, Silversea Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Crystal Cruises and SeaDream Yacht Club, offer similar savings in the ever-competitive luxury cruise segment.

Teva giving away adventure vacation to Fiji

by Kraig Becker on

Teva, the company that manufactures a host of great outdoor and travel footwear, is preparing to send a few lucky travelers on a once in a lifetime adventure to the South Pacific, where they’ll have the opportunity explore Fiji aboard a private yacht, while hiking, snorkeling, and rafting through beautiful tropical locations.

The Teva House 2011 contest will select one lucky winner from the U.S., the U.K., the Netherlands, Korea, and Australia, and award them a trip for two to Tui Tai, Fiji in April of 2011. Once there, they’ll spend 10 days living aboard a 140′ long luxury adventure class yacht while exploring remote places that few travelers ever have the opportunity to see. They’ll occupy their time by hiking jungle trails and snorkeling coral reefs that are 100 miles from the closest resorts, while meeting local villagers who seldom see visitors of any kind.

One of the highlights of the trip will be a whitewater rafting excursion, conducted by O.A.R.S., that will send the travelers down the Upper Navua Gorge on Viti Levu Island. Towering walls of black lava, overgrown with giant ferns and other jungle foliage, are the hallmark of this spectacular trip, which has been described as a “river of Eden” unlike any other place on Earth. That full day adventure will include lunch on a sandbar at the heart of the canyon and a chance to interact with villagers that still travel the river on their own handmade bamboo rafts.

For more information on this amazing trip and to enter the contest, simply go to TevaHouse.com and select the flag of your home country. Then, fill out the form and start working on your tan. It gets very sunny in Fiji.

[Photo credit: OARS]

World’s largest cruise ship to feature Samba Grill

by Ralph Grizzle on

The Allure of the Seas will debut a new specialty restaurant for Royal Caribbean International, the Samba Grill, a South America-style churrascaria.

The grill is one of the few unique features that will distinguish the 5,400-passenger Allure from its sister ship, the Oasis of the Seas, when she debuts in November The Solarium Bistro, situated in the ship’s adults-only Solarium, will be transformed into Samba Grill by night, with waiters will wear gaucho costumes and serve grilled meat from skewers. By day it will serve healthy fare for breakfast and lunch.

On the Oasis, the Solarium Bistro serves healthy fare for all three meals, adding a dinner and dancing under the stars ambience at night for a $20 surcharge. Samba Grill will carry a $25 cover charge for the entire menu. It will also offer a $15 vegetarian option offering an extensive salad bar.

Norwegian Cruise Line also introduced a churrascaria on its newest ship earlier this summer; the Norwegian Epic debuted the Moderno Churrascaria.

Adios Mexico, Hello Pacific Northwest, Crystal Cruises adds two new itineraries

by Ralph Grizzle on

Crystal Cruises has added two Pacific Coast itineraries to its 2011 calendar. The new cruises replace two Mexican Riviera itineraries. Cruises along the west coast of Mexico have been soft for the last couple years, with several cruise ships that were to be based there heading to Europe and other far-flung parts of the world.

Departing April 10 and 17, the Crystal Symphony will sail between Los Angeles and Vancouver, visiting Santa Barbara and San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Astoria, Oregon; and Victoria, British Columbia.

“The West Coast and Northwest itineraries add dimension and scope to the worldwide destinations we’re offering in 2011,” says Bill Smith, Crystal’s senior vice president of sales and marketing.

Very few cruises visit the ports of the U.S. West Coast, unless they are repositioning to or from Alaska. Smith says that the itineraries will appeal not only to international guests, but also to North American travelers looking for value, convenient ports of departure and sailing a region not often sailed.