Cruises from Baltimore sailing year-round

by Chris Owen on

Royal Caribbean, the cruise line that brought us the largest cruise ships in the world is sailing from Baltimore sailing year-round.

Offering a series of five and nine-night sailings, 2,252 passenger Enchantment of the Seas replaced 1,950-passenger Grandeur of the Seas. Initial five-night sailings to Bermuda will featured an overnight stay at Kings Wharf. Nine-night sailings to the Eastern Caribbean will call in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Samana, Dominican Republic and Labadee, Haiti; the line’s private beach destination.

Sailing year-round from Baltimore since 2009, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Pride offers a seven-night itinerary to Florida and the Bahamas with stops at Port Canaveral, Florida then Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas with three days at sea.

That’s more good news for the Port of Baltimore who recently set a new cruise passenger record for the port for the second year in a row. The future looks bright too with an anticipated 112 sailings scheduled in 2011, up from 91 in 2010.

Flickr photo by timmenzies

Should Splendor passengers sue Carnival after their ship broke down?

by Scott Carmichael on

After the Carnival Splendor incident last week, the logical follow-up is of course whether passengers will sue the cruiseline. Despite being reimbursed for their inconvenience and receiving a free credit towards a future cruise, chances are some of the passengers will only settle for more.

So, online prediction site Predicto Mobile asked the question – will Carnival be sued by angry passengers before December?

Of the 824 votes, 69% suspect they will. Sadly for those passengers expecting a big payout, Maritime cruise lawyer Jim Walker tells passengers that they’d be wasting their time.

In his article, Jim Walker makes some excellent points about why suing Carnival won’t get them anywhere, and how it could end up costing them more and making them lose out on the current offer of a refund and a free future trip.

So, what do you think? Should the passengers from the Carnival Splendor consider suing the cruise line, or just be happy nobody was hurt and accept the current offer?

%Poll-55924%

After another incident: Is the Carnival Splendor cursed?

by Melanie Nayer on

The unfortunate fire that disabled the engine operating systems on board the Carnival Splendor is just one more notch in the cruise lines bad karma bedpost. Seems this ship has been sailing against some pretty spooky seas over the past few years, causing some to wonder: Is the Carnival Splendor cursed?

The Carnival Splendor, which was on its way to the Mexican Riviera, has been drifting off the coast of Mexico since Monday. The Coast Guard has dropped food and supplies to the ship and news reports from this morning say the ship is being pulled toward San Diego today. However, this isn’t the first time Carnival has run into trouble.

Back in October, a cruise staffer jumped overboard and has yet to be found. On October 31, a crew member was so ill he apparently needed an airlift to a hospital in San Diego. Seems this vessel – which is said to be twice the size of the Titanic – has had its share of bad luck.

So what’s next? Gawker.com wants to know: Could the cruise ship be cursed? Carnival isn’t taking any chances right now. The company announced it is canceling the next voyage of the Carnival Splendor, which had been scheduled to begin on Nov. 14 in Long Beach, California. Certainly a safe bet, but we’d also suggest maybe burning a little sage and placing rosemary leaves under the pillows of all guest rooms… just to be safe.

%Gallery-107123%

Carnival Splendor in nightmare engine fire incident – Navy airlifts supplies

by Scott Carmichael on

What was supposed to be a week long Mexican Riviera cruise on board the Carnival Splendor, has turned into a nightmare for the passengers. Three days ago, a massive engine fire knocked out almost all the facilities on this 3300 passenger vessel.

Propulsion systems, electricity, climate control, water and entertainment were all disabled, and the ship was been stuck 200 miles off the coast of San Diego. The situation was so bad, that the U.S. Navy had to be called in to supply food for the stranded passengers. The USS Ronald Reagan used its helicopters to drop thousands of pounds of supplies and Navy sailors were airlifted to the Splendor to assist with unloading.

The 3,299 passengers and 1,167 crew members have cold water and toilet usage back, but most other services are still disabled. A tug boat reached the ship yesterday, and she is expected to arrive in San Diego tomorrow.

Carnival has made hotel and flight arrangements for the passengers, and everyone is being offered a full refund and a complimentary future cruise on Carnival.

Sadly, the ship has already has its fair share of bad luck – and despite being less than two years old, some are already asking whether the vessel is cursed. For more coverage on the Carnival Splendor fire, head on over to our friends at AOL Travel News.

%Gallery-107123%

[Image: US Navy / Getty / AP]

Cucina del Capitano to celebrate Carnival’s deep ties to Italy

by Ralph Grizzle on

Get ready to “chow bella” when Carnival Magic debuts next May with the line’s first family-style Italian restaurant — called Cucina del Capitano, or “The Captain’s Kitchen.”

Carnival Cruise Lines has deep ties to Italy – its captains, deck and engine officers are Italian. More than half the current fleet was built in Genoa, including the Carnival Magic, which is currently under construction at Monfalcone. And when the ship launches next year it will call at popular Italian destinations during its inaugural Mediterranean season.

The new Cucina del Capitano specialty restaurant will be located above the poolside Lido Marketplace restaurant. At lunch, complimentary pasta will be served and the space will function as part of the casual eatery. At dinner, a full-service menu will be offered for an extra charge.

The Cucina will be a classic Italian-American restaurant that delivers a very different dining experience from the main dining room. Carnival ship captains were consulted on some of the menu selections.

The restaurant’s interior is designed to feel like a ship captain’s Italian home. Photographs of captains and officers on board Carnival ships through the years will be hung around the room, along with captains’ personal family photos, images of Italian ports, and pictures of milestones in Carnival history.

Other features include a show kitchen where guests can see pasta being made, a 12-top captain’s table and a Kitchen Counter – a 10-seat high-top table near the waiting area.

The menu has not been finalized yet, but expect a diverse array of pastas and other Italian favorites. If you want to do your part by naming an entree, Carnival is starting a Name the Dish online contest Sept. 20. Check it out at carnivalmagic.com/contest.