Breaking- Blizzard bearing down on cruise ports, delay announced

by Chris Owen on

Strong winds and heavy snow closing in on the United States East coast promise to alter the travel plans of guests booked on sailings the first part of the week. Already, one delay has been reported and cruise lines are keeping a close eye on the storm and it’s effect on ships and airline schedules.

Carnival Fantasy’s arrival in Charleston, South Carolina, normally at 8 a.m. EST, “will be delayed by several hours due to inclement offshore weather” reports WCSC- TV news in Charleston. Embarking guests have been advised to arrive at the cruise port after 1:30 p.m. EST.

While no other ship delays have been announced so far, several other ships are scheduled to sail today. Norwegian Jewel sailing from New York should sail at 4 p.m. EST and Carnival Pride from Baltimore is scheduled to sail at 4:30 p.m. EST. No delays on those ships have been reported yet.

Delays to airline schedules for passengers both arriving and departing U.S. East coast airports servicing cruise passengers could cause modification of itineraries later in the day. During a major weather event, cruise lines sometimes hold sail-away, departing later than normal, to allow extra time for embarking guests to get to the ship.

This weather event prompts review of some important tips about cruise vacations:

  • Always arrive early to the city where your embarkation port is located, a day early in the Winter is a good idea just for this reason.
  • This weather event, which could cause cruise passengers to miss flights or the departure of a ship is also a really good reason to buy travel insurance that includes coverage for disruption of travel plans to or from the port.
  • Should travel plans be disrupted, those who booked using a travel agent may have an advantage over those who booked online.

Flickr photo by nesnet

Photo of the Day (12.26.10)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Hats off to Flickr user MikeGL for this unique capture of New York’s world-famous Brooklyn Bridge. One of the great joys of visiting this unassuming New York borough is walking across the Bridge from Manhattan. Along the way, you’ll get a great view of the Bridge’s unique arches, soaring above you here in dramatic fashion. Make sure to give it a try next time you find yourself in the Big Apple.

Have any great photos from your recent travels? Why not add them to our Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.

Cruise ports green up and look to the future

by Chris Owen on

To passengers, U.S. cruise embarkation ports may all look about the same. On a good day, we pass through them, either coming or going, in a matter of minutes without much regard for what goes on there. We know that security is a big part of what they do and feel good about seeing law enforcement there, making sure the whole process runs smoothly and without incident. Lately, some of our ports are moving forward with plans to make the whole process more secure, easier and even a bit more green.

The Port of San Diego opened a new $28 million Port Pavilion that will provide green shore-side power to cruise ships. The new facility serves as an auxiliary terminal to the Port’s main B Street Cruise Ship Terminal and is also available for public events when cruise ships are not in port.

Earlier this year, Princess Cruises Island Princess plugged in at the Port of San Francisco to a system that was built as a cooperative effort by the Port of San Francisco, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Environmental Protection Agency, Holland America Line and Princess.

The Port of Los Angeles just completed it’s World Cruise Center solar rooftop project. Estimated to produce 1.2 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, the $10.8 million project will also result in an estimated $200,000 in energy cost savings.

On the East coast, Florida’s Port Canaveral is looking to the future also with plans for a $100 million expansion program that includes a new terminal and more cargo facilities. “Just when the economic recovery should be moving forward at a steadier pace, we will be ready.” said Port Canaveral CEO Stan Payne.

Not long ago, Florida’s Port Everglades set out plans for a $2 billion expansion over the next 20 years that included a $75 million expansion to accommodate the worlds largest cruise ships, Oasis and Allure of the Seas.

Photo courtesy Port of Los Angeles

Civil War secret message decoded

by Sean McLachlan on


A coded message sent to the beleaguered Confederate commander of Vicksburg has been cracked, the BBC reports.

The Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond has had the message in its collection for more than a century. It had never tried to decipher the code of seemingly random letters until this year, when they sent it off to retired CIA codebreaker David Gaddy. While Gaddy is trained to break sophisticated modern codes, this early cipher was still tough enough to take him several weeks.

It turns out the message was sent to Confederate General John Pemberton telling him he wouldn’t be getting any reinforcements. The city was the key to the Mississippi River and had been under siege by Union forces for months. The message was dated 4 July 1863, the same day Pemberton surrendered. The bad news was probably the last straw. With his men short of food and munitions and the city in ruins, Pemberton’s last hope was getting reinforcements.

The fall of Vicksburg opened up the Mississippi River to Union gunboats and cut the Confederacy in half. It was one of the turning points of the Civil War.

[Photo courtesy U.S. Army]

Blogger Dana Murph

by Dana Murph on

Introducing another new blogger at Gadling, Dana Murph…

Where was your photo taken?
Poipu Beach in Kauai, Hawaii! I leave a piece of my heart there when I’m away.

Where do you live now?
North Carolina, born and raised.

Favorite city/country/place?
My favorite city (so far!) is Tokyo. It’s a huge culture shock from what I’m accustomed to, but in a great way. The skyline is gorgeous, the people are incredibly kind and the food is awesome. The sunrises are second to none, too, and let’s not forget the warm Toto toilet seats.

The USA is definitely my favorite country — I’m sure being able to call it home has a lot to do with it. But I also love a good ole’ road trip, and America is probably the best place in the world for that. The roadway system here is incredible, and there’s so many remote locations that can be driven to with relative ease.

My favorite place is the Na Pali coast of Kauai, Hawaii. While there, I viewed it from boat, prop plane, and the Kalalau Trail, and I simply couldn’t get enough of it. I’m a self-proclaimed sucker for natural beauty, and it doesn’t get much more awe-inspiring than this!

The ideal vacation is…
Visiting remote destinations (or popular ones in the off-season). I’ve found myself smiling at a slew of typical tourist traps before, but given the option, I’d greatly prefer to stray from the beaten path. The setting of my ideal vacation? Beaches, a rainforest or two, mountains… basically Kauai.Most remote corner of the globe visited?
On a recent visit to Panama, my husband and I drove out to the end of the pavement on one of their unnamed roads, parked the car, and walked to a desolate beach known as Punta Chame. We stayed out there for a couple of hours, gawking at the expanse around us and looking through the haze to see Panama City in the distance. We put a mile or two under our feet there, and never ran into another soul. We even managed to find a few unbroken sand dollars and a stunning, fully intact conch shell. Needless to say, that’s fairly decent evidence that not too many people trek out to this point.

We also managed to leave the world behind on an unguided snowmobile trip through Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. During the winter, the bulk of the roads in the park are completely snowed over, and you can traverse the hills and valleys for miles with no sign of human impact. Of course, being able to get within a few feet of moose really helps to complete the fantasy.

Dream travel destination?
I’ve always dreamed of going to Bora Bora and staying in one of those glass-bottom bungalows over the ocean. In photos, the water seems so blue, so intensely clear — something about the ocean just makes me feel more alive than anywhere else. It’s a photographer’s paradise, for sure.

Connected or disconnected?
Don’t hate me, but I really prefer to stay connected, or at least have my GPS, internet, and smartphone within arm’s reach. If I want to disconnect, I just put a temporary mental mute on my email and phone calls. I’ve grown to love and appreciate the security of having a smartphone for translations, directions, restaurant reviews, and whatever else I need while exploring a new place.

Favorite guidebook series?
I know I keep mentioning Hawaii, but there’s just something magical about that place. And to experience that magic to the fullest, I’ve always used the “Revealed” series by by Andrew Doughty, regardless of island. Those books have never let me down, and they’ve definitely led me to a few places that I would’ve never found otherwise.

Scariest airline flown?
On a Delta flight cruising back into ATL in a thunderstorm, we hit a few air pockets that sent our stomachs flying. A few women and children nearby let out squeals, but other than that, I’ve been pretty fortunate to not have any remarkably bad experiences in the air. Knock on wood.

Next trip?
In January, I’m heading up to northern Montana with my hubby for a week of snowy fun. Snowblading (tiny skis, basically), adventuring in the Jeep, and the most exciting part: snowmobiling!