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

Update on Antarctic cruise ship Clelia II

by Kraig Becker on

Yesterday we posted a story about an Antarctic cruise ship, named Clelia II, that ran into trouble when it reportedly lost an engine while crossing the legendary Drake Passage on its way back to Ushuaia, Argentina. To make matters worse, the weather was incredibly bad, with 30 foot waves crashing against the vessel, adding even more of a challenge to completing repairs and continuing the journey. Later in the day, we received an update on the ship courtesy of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO).

According to the IAATO, the Clelia II is making its way north to Ushuaia under its own power and at regular speed. Contrary to early reports, the ship did not lose an engine, but instead suffered damage when a powerful wave crashed over the bow, smashing a window on the bridge and damaging important electronic equipment. The damage to that equipment caused the vessel to temporally lose communications and engine power, dropping its operational speed dramatically. Once repairs were finalized however, the ship got back underway with just the heavy seas causing issues for the passengers and crew.

The IAATO reiterated that the ship suffered no damage to its hull, nor was there a discharge of any oil or other types of fuel that could have an impact on the environments of the Southern Ocean. Furthermore, the organization confirmed that one crew member did indeed suffer minor injuries in the storm.

If all goes as planned, the Clelia II should arrive back in Ushuaia today, with all passengers safe and sound. I’m sure they’ll all be more than happy to be back on dry land when they reach port, but at least they’ll have a great story to tell their friends back home.


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

Antarctic cruise ship runs into trouble in Southern Ocean

by Kraig Becker on

Another Antarctic cruise ship ran into trouble yesterday while crossing the treacherous Drake Passage on its return voyage to Ushuaia, Argentina from the Antarctic Peninsula. The Clelia II suffered engine failure that left it adrift in the Southern Ocean for a time while the region’s notoriously bad weather pounded the vessel.

According to this report from Gadling’s very own Jon Bowermaster, the Clelia II has 88 passengers and 77 crew members on board. All of the passengers are reportedly fine and in good health, while one crew member has suffered minor injuries in the line of duty.

The ship was spotted and passed by the National Geographic Explorer, another cruise ship, which was also making the return voyage to Ushuaia. When the crew of the Clelia II failed to respond to hails, the Explorer turned around and returned to the foundering ship to render aid if needed. After establishing communications with Clelia, the Explorer stood by for much of the day, while crew members repaired the engine and managed to get the damaged ship limping back towards South America once again.

There have been a number of high profile accidents involving passenger liners in the waters off Antarctica in the past few years. Back in 2007, the MS Explorer struck an iceberg and sank in the Southern Ocean, while just last year this very same ship, the Clelia II, ran aground and needed to be pulled off the ice by another vessel.

For now, the ship is once again under its own power and hoping to complete its return trip to Argentina where full repairs can be made. The incident just happens to underscore the dangers of traveling in the Antarctic waters, which can be treacherous in the best of times. Fortunately, it seems that the Antarctic tourism community dodged yet another potential disaster. With the poor weather conditions this situation could have been far worse and it is a miracle that no one was seriously injured.

[Photo credit: Stewart/McIntosh]

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