First new-generation Princess ship will be named Royal Princess

by Chris Owen on
Debuting in the spring of 2013, the first new-generation Princess ship will be named Royal Princess, a name used twice before by the line. The first Royal Princess which debuted in 1984 left the fleet in 2005, passing name to one of Princess’ small ships in 2007 which will be transferred to a sister company at the end of April. The latest rendition will hardly be a small ship and offer some pretty exciting new features.

During a press conference at Cruise Shipping Miami, the line announced Royal Princess as the name for a new 141,000 ton, 3,600 passenger ship that began construction last week as the first steel plate was cut. The prototype design is an evolution of the line’s existing ships with some new features and expanded signature spaces.


“Princess passengers will easily recognize our next ship as a natural progression in our fleet,” said Princess President and CEO Alan Buckelew. “We’re taking the best features of our newest vessels that have been such customer pleasers, and taking them to the next level. Just as the original Royal Princess ushered in a new era for our company with its innovative design, we expect our new Royal Princess to do the same.”

An over-water “SeaWalk” that I will probably try to call a “Skywalk” until the end of time, thinking of former-signature venue Skywalkers Nightclub on Princess Grand Class ships, will extend 28 feet or so out over the side of the ship. The glass-bottomed Seawalk will offer views of the ocean 128 feet below off the ship’s starboard side. On the port side, a SeaView bar will be positioned to offer cocktails and some great views.

Other top-deck features on the new ship include a new adults-only pool surrounded by seven plush private cabanas that appear to be floating on the water. Getting in on the multi-use craze, two additional pools will flank a “tropical island” that will have pool seating by day then become a dance club with a water and light show by night.

Bigger is better for the popular Sanctuary adults-only area too and will be expanded both in size and amenities. Even Movies Under The Stars will increase in screen size and now offer high-definition viewing.

Flickr photo by deaninatlanta

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Concerned about security, travelers consider options, make plans

by Chris Owen on

Be it the effects of an earthquake or tsunami, political unrest or criminal activity at a planned destination, travelers are concerned about security and being safe both when traveling and upon arrival. What was once a part of travel taken for granted with few precautions necessary has become a matter of primary importance and one shaping travel decisions for many. Should current world affairs keep us from traveling? Experts say no but urge caution.
“Most business and pleasure travelers don’t have a security plan” says Travel security expert Chris E McGoey who recommends meeting with business supervisors and family members “to discuss what if situations.”

What if your passport is lost or stolen in a foreign country? What if you are attacked, robbed or otherwise the victim of a crime?

The U.S Department of State’s Smart Traveler program is a step in the right direction. By enrolling in the program, travelers enable the Department of State to get in contact with them in an emergency. Bringing along contact information for the U.S. embassy in countries you will visit is important too.


Knowing the local customs of a country before visiting has always been good advice. Now, knowing more specifics on what to do in case of an emergency is more important than ever. But “what to prepare for?” has become a big question as travel disruptions from weather events to revolutions continue to occur world wide.

Security expert Christopher Falkenberg suggests travelers “take and all hazards approach. Think of the broadest range of problems-flood, fire, earthquake, terrorist attack, etc. Essentially, they will all need the same thing: effective communication, clean water, physical safety, flashlight, medical supplies, N95 mask, etc. Instead of a separate checklist for every possible crisis, think in terms of the common elements of what you’ll need in any emergency and how you can prepare for it. It helps when thinking about the “result” of an emergency versus the actual event itself.”

Security is a matter now given serious attention regardless of the method of travel. By foot, car, plane, ship or rail travelers are concerned that their method of transportation may be a target for terrorists and are apprehensive about what they will find at their destinations.

It has been suggested that travel via cruise ship may offer added protection to travelers. If for no other reason, the closed and secure environment a cruise ship offers if as nothing more than a mode of transportation is worthy of consideration.

As a potential terrorist target, strict maritime security laws are in place to protect passengers. and cruise ships. Back in 2004 the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) introduced a comprehensive ship and port security code. According to the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) “these regulations established international security regulations that require all ships, port facilities and governments to have formal security plans, screening measures, access control, waterside security and communications between ships and ports.”

Cruise lines place a great deal of effort in maintaining a secure environment for travelers both on and off the ships too. Recently ships have been diverted away from trouble spots like Mazatlan, Mexico where criminal activity is a concern and Japan where a damaged infrastructure might harbor unsafe conditions.

Airlines, cruise lines and other modes of transportation are operating at a high level of security that offer travelers some peace of mind in troubled times. Still, a customized security plan , considering the potential dangers in traveling to your destinations, should be at the top of every traveler’s packing list.

Flickr photo by followtheseinstructions

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Ten cool new cruise things you might see on a ship soon

by Chris Owen on

Just back from Cruise Shipping Miami, the annual trade show for all things cruising, I have ten cool new things you might see on a cruise ship soon. Cruise Shipping Miami is an annual showcase for suppliers to the cruise industry. Looking for the latest in sinks for your cruise ship? This is the place to be. Want to know all there is to know about different ports of call? Most of them are represented at the show. Don’t own a cruise ship? That’s OK, most of the travel professionals who went there didn’t either.
Some of this stuff is pretty cool and gives a lot of insight to what buyers at cruise lines have to choose from.
  1. Wine in aluminum bottles– Flasq brand wines packaged like Bud Light in aluminum bottles may be around on deck in a “What took so long to think of that?” idea. Flasq wines are grown in California regions, are 100% American-made and bottled in eco-friendly, easy-to-handle, quick-chilling aluminum cans.
  2. Learn to play the bagpipes– Maybe not but Cruise Scotland had a bagpiper on hand to lend an air of authenticity to their display booth and more than one travel professional looked way less professional attempting to dance along.
  3. Glacier Ice may not be available on the cruise ships but a contingent from Anchorage, Alaska had some there and wouldn’t share it. Still, what a great way to charge even more for a drink-of-the-day by adding official “Glacier Ice” to the mix. Having been to and stood on top of a glacier in Alaska, I’m not so sure I would want some of that ice in my drink though. Maybe after a few. That could work.
  4. Optimistic attitude about cruise vacations– It’s not a product you can pick up or ask for on a ship. But the cruise line executives present at Cruise Shipping Miami universally called for 2011 to be a great year for cruises with 8 new ships coming out as travelers shake off the effects of a recession and get back to traveling
  5. Moso Natural Air Purifying Bag– The company who makes these things hopes you will find one in your cruise ship cabin soon. The idea is to place these charcoal-filled bags in cruise ship cabins to cut down on moisture, mildew and odors. This thing sucks up all that bad stuff and works for two years. I wouldn’t look to see this one any time soon.
  6. Bed Bug Dogs from Avoid-A-Bug may show up on cruise ships. Apparently ultra-sensitive dog noses can smell bed bugs and alert housekeeping staff of there presence. While the pros at Adopt-A-Bug admitted cruise ships have few problems with bed bugs, hotels and airlines are another matter altogether.
  7. Another cruise ship hotel? That is one plan for the SS United States, currently held by a non-profit organization that has a limited amount of time to do something with it. It’s a story we have been following for a while which is far from over. This latest idea, to park the ship in Miami as a hotel like the Queen Mary in California, looks to be a viable one.
  8. Loksak storage bags and carrying cases– Loksak is the inventor and manufacturer of LOKSAK and SPLASHSAK which are basically super duty ziploc bags to keep your cell phone or iPad dry at the beach…or under water. These have been around for a while and can be bought online at sporting goods stores like REI and others.
  9. More people on more ships- The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is predicting that 16 million people, three-quarters of them from North America, will vacation aboard cruise ships this year, up 6.6 percent from 2010. CLIA is pretty good at calling it too, last year’s numbers exceeded their projections.
  10. It’s all about the name– Princess Cruises announced one of two upcoming new ships, previously unnamed, will be named Royal Princess. Princess has used that name twice before but they like it a lot so once again it will ride the ocean. This time Royal Princess will come equipped with a Seawalk that shoots people out over the side of the ship at a high velocity. No, not really. But the top-deck, glass-bottomed walkway will extend more than 28 feet beyond the edge of the vessel.
Flickr photo by Trondheim Havn

Hawaii back in business, just how much uncertain

by Chris Owen on

After last week’s tsunami event and resulting disruptions kept tourists, hotels and a cruise ship from normal island life, Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie declared all “back in business” after a tour of the Big island and Maui.

“We can come back quick,” Abercrombie said during a day-long inspection of the islands adding “We’re back in business. I don’t want information getting out to the mainland that we’re not open for business or that Hawaii is shut off.”
Hotels are open and have plenty of tourists. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America returned after canceling last week’s call in Kailua-Kona on the island’s the west coast. Flights in and out of the islands are posting few delays. Still, while tourism is back in full swing, just how much there will be is uncertain.

Ongoing disruption of all things normal in Japan is a big concern in Hawaii. Japan is second only to the U.S. mainland in the number of visitors each year.

“It’s a safe and wonderful place to visit. If all goes well, and that remains to be seen of course, but if all goes well we do think we can come through this in a matter or weeks and not months,” said Lt. Governor Brian Schatz,


“In California, too, right now, we’re seeing some cancelations. But at the same time when people start to realize there isn’t much of a danger in coming to Hawaii, we may see the snap back in tourism,” said University of Hawaii at Manoa Economics professor Sumner LaCroix to KITV.com

Take your cruise ship home, part of it anyway

by Chris Owen on

Did you have a good time on your cruise, so much fun that you would like to take your cruise ship home? Now you can.

Not to be confused with stealing towels or silverware, some cruise lines are allowing passengers to enjoy some of the luxury they experience at sea right in their own homes. No, they’re not sending a masseur over for a little session on the night of your choice or shipping you Lobster-Night-In-A-Box. But they are offering a service that even those who have never been on a cruise can take advantage of.

The topic comes up because this week, Royal Caribbean International announced the new Royal Caribbean Bedding Collection available for sale to anyone.

“In line with our Royal Advantage program, the Royal Caribbean Bedding Collection was chosen with care to offer the indulgent sleep experience that they enjoy onboard and longed and requested to bring home,” said Lisa Bauer, senior vice president of Hotel Operations.

Royal Caribbean’s collection offers not just sheets and pillows but full-size ma tresses as well made in Italy by Matermoll and Emmebiesse. The popular Royal Memory Pillows start at $79 (with $26.95 shipping make that $105.95. Kinda pricey. Remember that number, we’ll be coming back to it shortly.


Rival lines Carnival and Holland America also offer bedding for sale. I have a bunch of the Carnival Comfort Collection pillows that have done well over the 4 years we have used them. It makes sense too; this stuff is made both for durability and comfort. To make it to luxury-status in a commercial setting, they have to hit both marks.

Thinking about just stuffing that pillow in your suitcase before leaving the ship? Think again.

Bed bugs, even a few, attached to that pillow can infest your home and multiply quickly. Odds are you don’t make your bed and perform an informal inspection for bed bugs twice daily or disinfect foundation pieces each week like they do on cruise ships.

Those bed bugs are going to love your home.

Suddenly, after spending a lot of money with an exterminator to get rid of your little friends from the cruise ship, that $105.95 price tag for a pillow doesn’t sound so bad. I’m still not sure how they get $26.95 to ship a pillow. Maybe the captain delivers it, tucks you in and tells a tale of great wonder about life at sea and giant octopi.

But bedding is just one item for sale from the cruise lines.

Let’s go back to 2005 and another cruise line at-home program. Carnival Cruise Line’s Presidential Wine Club. It was a mail-order program where members were shipped two bottles of wine each month, selected by the line’s then president, Bob Dickinson, a noted wine connoisseur and collector. That program really never took off the way the cruise line had hoped and was canceled after a very short life. Buying into pretty much anything cruise-related at the time, I joined that club but was kind of relieved once it was over, the wine was really stacking up. These things happen to beer drinkers.

Royal Caribbean also offers would-be passengers/imposter’s the ability to look all cruisey without even going to sea with their Gifts and Gear Ashore program. This one lets us visit the cruise ship gift shop from home ordering a wide variety of clothing and other items we might find on the ships.

Want to freak out your friends at the next WeHateCruises.org meeting? Buy a Royal Caribbean t-shirt and tell them “I kinda liked it”.

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Flickr photo by ceemarie