Women gaining (a little) ground as cruise ship captains

by Chris Owen on

She’s not the first lady captain of a cruise ship, but when Inger Klein Olsen (pictured) takes the helm of Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria on December 15, she’ll join a small group of women in a male-dominated occupation.

“While we are far from being the first shipping company to have a female captain, it is nonetheless noteworthy when such a long-established British institution as Cunard makes a break with its captaincy tradition,” said Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line.

43 year-old Captain Olsen joined Cunard in 1997 as First Officer on board the line’s Caronia and was then transferred to the Seabourn fleet in 2001, sailing on the Seabourn Sun and Seabourn Spirit before being promoted to Staff Captain on the Seabourn Pride in 2003.

Female cruise ship captains are few and far between.

The worlds very first female captain of a major cruise line ship was Karin Stahre-Janson back in 2007 on Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas. Since that time, few other women have been named master of the vessel on a number of lines.

Earlier this year, Sarah Breton became the first female captain of a UK-based P&O Cruises ship in the company’s 173 year history.

“But as Mark Twain drily observed, ‘the folks at Cunard wouldn’t appoint Noah himself as captain until he had worked his way up through the ranks.’ Inger has certainly done that,” Shanks continued, “and we are delighted to welcome her as our first woman driver.”

Photo courtesy Cunard Line

Yes, you can fish on your cruise

by Chris Owen on

No, not over the side of the ship.

It might be time to add some new items to your cruise vacation packng list though. Princess Cruises recently announced that fishing would be not only allowed but encouraged on a new Alaska cruisetour option.

“Fishing is such an iconic part of the Alaska experience, that it made sense to offer a special tour especially for those who want to focus their time on the sport,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “We include a variety of fishing experiences so our passengers can get a taste of the array of fishing opportunities found throughout the state.”

Such excursion titles as “Alaska Sportfishing Expedition” or “Kenai Upper River Sportfishing” have anglers excited about infusing their sport with a cruise vacation. Alaska offers trophy-class King Salmon and Halibut, some weighing over 70 pounds.

While fishing licenses are not included in the package prices, guests can buy them on location or directly from the Alaska Fish and Game Commision in advance of sailing.

Now all you have to do is figure out how to get your fishing stuff past TSA and on the plane.

Flickr photo by Alaskan Dude

Boston cruise terminal sets record, Philly pulls out

by Chris Owen on

Boasting a 7% increase in passengers over 2009, Boston’s cruise terminal is going full speed ahead on bookings. At the same time, with only two ships scheduled to visit in 2011, Philadelphia’s cruise port , once an important part of the city’s push for more tourists, could soon be transformed into an Urban Outfitters retail store.

USA Today’s Cruise Log reports that “It looks like Philadelphia is getting out of the cruise business, even as sailings out of nearby cities such as Baltimore and New York take off.”

Philadelphia, peaking at 36 departures in 2006, has seen a gradual decline in sailings as passengers opted for itineraries sailing from New York, prompting cruise lines to move ships to other ports. This week’s decision to end a 20-year lease eight years early hopes to save the city a reported 18 million in port improvement costs.

Boston, buoyed by an increased interest in New England and Coastal/Canadian voyages among others, has seen more cruise passengers sailing. A recent announcement for an $11 million makeover of the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, a facility dating back to World War I, is intended to fuel further expansion in Boston’s growing cruise industry.

Flickr photo: Smudge 9000

Cruise ship power outage found to be explosion

by Chris Owen on

Most of the passengers on board Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 were sleeping when the ship lost power on the morning of September 23rd. What was believed to be a brief power outage has now been identified as a more serious problem.

After a complete investigation, the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) ruled this week that the event was actually the result of an engine room explosion. In a report published this week the event was described as a “catastrophic failure” of electrical capacitors caused by gradual deterioration.

While passenger safety was not compromised the explosion, deemed strong enough to damage steel doors, adds to a call for improved cruise ship safety world-wide.

Maritime attorney Jim Walker notes “The reporting of this latest incident raises the issue of the safety of foreign flagged cruise ships, and comes after a string of recent disturbing mishaps.”

Earlier this week passengers were poisoned by potentially lethal hydrogen sulphide gas on Princess Cruises Sea Princess. On Holland America, a reportedly drunken passenger got into crew-only secured area and dropped the ship’s anchor. Carnival Splendor continues repairs for an on-board fire that canceled sailings between now and January.

While cruise vacations continue to be one of the safest methods of travel, these incidents have cruise lines taking a long, hard look at existing safety policies.

Flickr photo by Dawn Encido

Cruise like a rock star

by Chris Owen on

The recent announcement of a four-day cruise with a rock star musician and reality TV star Bret Michaels is a good example of what to expect when you cruise like a rock star.

Themed cruise vacations have been around for a long time but are gaining new popularity. Gathering like-minded passengers from around the world, promoters feature sailings with a focus on a common interest. Ranging from writers workshops to cruising with a favorite celebrity, guests pay a premium price to be included.

Sailing from Miami on November 10, 2011, the Carnival Destiny will be home to fans of Michaels paying up to $3500 per person for a luxurious Grand Suite package that includes a private party with the rock star.

Those accommodations have already sold out leaving standard staterooms starting at $939 per person. Those feature admission to a performance by Michaels and a farewell cocktail party.

Regular non-themed 4-night sailings of Carnival Destiny start at $239 per person with luxury suites starting at $1029.

Did you catch the math on that?

It looks to be about $700 and $2400 more than a normally priced sailing at that time of the year to be part of the action. $700 more for a ticket to the show and a cocktail party, $2400 more for groupie status and a private party with the rock star.

Other upcoming theme cruises include a cruise with Taylor Swift on Royal Caribbean, A Progressive Voices Cruise or a cruise for runners on Holland America and many more. All have a premium price to cover onboard events.

Most theme cruises are sponsored by travel agencies chartering part or all of a ship on a given sailing. Others are sponsored by cruise lines themselves and feature more mainstream interests.

Flickr photo: Jamiecat