Twilight fans get their own cruise

by Annie Scott on

Holy “New Moon,” I was joking when I referenced a cruise for “Twilight” fans in my article Heterosexual couple booked on a gay cruise sues cruise line, but thanks to the wonderful and well-informed commenters on Digg, I have learned that it’s actually a real thing (thanks, darkmagic311).

Billed as a “Convention at Sea for Twilight Fans,” the Alaska Twilight Cruise will take place on August 8-15, 2010, beginning and ending in Seattle — and they intend to make it a yearly event. The cruise will feature a Q&A and autograph session with “Twlight” actors Ashley Greene, Alex Meraz and Michael Welch (and they’re hoping to add a fourth), a costume ball, a charity auction and all the glory of Glacier Bay, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria, B.C. “Imagine an Alaska Cruise Adventure with a Twilight Convention at Sea … it’s the best of both worlds … for sure,” says Linda Wolf, owner and “Captain.”

The operating company, Cruises Cruises Cruises, has previously arranged Star Trek, Barbie and Beatles cruises. How’s that for versatility? Prices range from $1049 per person in a 2-bed inside room to $3299 per person in a 4-bed deluxe verandah suite, convention fee and fuel surcharges not included. Visit TwilightFansCruise.com for more information.

Heterosexual couple booked on a gay cruise sues cruise line

by Annie Scott on

So, you saved all your money
For a cruise with your honey,
And when you get there,
You notice something funny.
“It’s not that there’s anything wrong”
So they say,
But everyone else on your cruise ship is gay.

Yes, this happened. According to The Daily Mail, a heterosexual couple accidentally ended up on Italy’s first gay cruise, and they are suing the cruise line for not informing them. “The middle-aged husband and wife, who have not been named, said they were embarrassed after spotting people they knew, but had not realised were gay, on the cruise,” reports Nick Pisa.

Awkward!

Even if they hadn’t spotted anyone they’d known, you would think Grimaldi Lines, the cruise line in question, would have been a little more careful — especially with their first ever foray into this touchy niche.

The couple reportedly booked the cruise with loyalty points from their grocery store. I guess they didn’t know it was that kind of grocery store. They’re suing for £2,800.

Some are saying the couple is making a big deal out of nothing or calling them homophobic, but I think I’d sue, too. Anytime you are being put on a boat with a target audience, you should be informed. I would also sue if I unexpectedly ended up with my boyfriend on Italy’s First Singles Cruise, Italy’s First All-Nine-Inch-Nails-All-Day Cruise, or Italy’s First Cruise for Twilight Fans (no offense to any aforementioned parties).

Basically, it’s great to have cruises for niche markets, but in my opinion, you’ve got to be pretty aggressively upfront about it. People get sued for serving hot coffee, after all.

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[via USAToday]

Antarctic tour operators recommend further safety measures

by Kraig Becker on

Just a few short weeks before the Antarctic cruise season gets underway, the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) has recommended further safety measures in the wake of several high profile accidents in the region over the past few years.

The IAATO is a completely voluntary organization, made up of companies that operate cruises in the Southern Ocean. In recent months it has taken a leadership role to ensure the safety of tourists traveling in the waters off the Antarctica, with their most recent recommendations detailed in a press release last week. These include continually reviewing information services that provide the most accurate and up-to-date information on weather and ice conditions, as well as staying abreast of changes in technology that may help keep the ships safer in the dangerous waters of the Southern Ocean. The IAATO also recommends that tour companies review their emergency procedures on a regular basis, practice onboard safety drills, and stress the importance of proper cold weather attire for passengers and crew.

Over the course of the past few years, there have been a series of close calls with cruise ships in the Antarctic, including the sinking of a ship called the Explorer in November of 2007, and two more vessels running aground during the cruise season last year. While none of this incidences resulted in casualties, they have led some to believe that it is only a matter of time before disaster strikes. This resulted in the IAATO making a series of recommendations like these to try to bring a higher level of safety to travel in the region.

Looking over these recommendations, it is kind of scary to think that the members of the IAATO have to be reminded of these things. They seem like they should be common sense and regular business practices to ensure safety of ships traveling in one of the more potentially dangerous regions of the world. Still, any measures that remind tour operators and travelers to be aware of their surroundings are probably good ones, and considering I’d like to travel to the Antarctic one day, I’ll make that journey more easily knowing that safety is a major focus.

Titantic memorial cruise announced for 2012

by Kraig Becker on

History buffs and travelers with a sense of the macabre take note! 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and to commemorate U.K. based Miles Morgan Travel is planning a cruise that will follow the same path as that iconic vessel. Presumably without the iceberg.

On April 8, 2012, a chartered ship named the Balmoral will set sail from Southhampton, England, just as Titanic did 100 years earlier. The ship will have its first stop over in Cobh, Ireland, which is also a port of call on the original voyage. From there, it is out on to the open water of the Northern Atlantic, where, on April 15th, the Balmoral will visit the exact spot of the sinking of Titanic, exactly a century after the fact. The passengers and crew will then hold a memorial for those that were lost on that tragic day, before proceeding on to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where they will visit three cemeteries, where passengers of Titanic found their final resting place. Finally, the voyage will finish up in New York City, the same destination that the “unsinkable” Titanic was bound for on that fateful journey.

The Balmoral can hold 1350 passengers and sails with a crew of 510. The luxury liner will serve a menu that matches the one from a century before, and live bands will play music from that era as well. Passengers can attend special historical lectures while en route and enjoy a cruise that will be a bit like stepping back in time. Prices start at $3900 and each of the 710 cabins is expected to be sold out.

For more information on this very unique cruise or to book your own cabin, go to BortonOverSeas.com, the company in charge of taking reservations for the voyage. Their Titatanic Memorial Cruise page has everything you’ll need to know before you follow the famous ship into history.

December is cougar season on San Diego cruise

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Women of a certain age and vigor will leave San Diego in December on the first “cougar cruise” to hit the high seas. Singles Travel Company and singles group The Society of Single Professionals are collaborating on this three-night experience … and they’ll be packing the ship with younger men for the cougars on board to hunt. For a change, man becomes prey and cougar the prowler.

In case you’re unaware, a cougar is an older women who happens to enjoy the … ummmm … “company” of younger men.

The appropriately named Carnival Elation leaves the harbor on December 4, 2009 – unlike the action on board – it will actually make a stop (in Ensenada, Mexico). For $125, not including government and port fees, guests will enjoy three nights of cougar coupling. For young men eying the ultimate trophy, Miss Cougar America 2009, Gloria Navarro, will be on board. But, if you think you call the shots with her young man, you’re out of your mind.