Breaking: Carnival gets keys to 100th new ship

by Chris Owen on
Carnival Cruise Line is breaking some records today. In addition to taking delivery on new Carnival Magic that debut’s May 1, that delivery makes it a total of 100 ships built by parent company Carnival Corporation. In celebration, guests currently sailing on all ships under the Carnival umbrella will join in a champagne toast to celebrate.

In the photo illustration above is pictured new Carnival Magic along with the company’s first ship, Carnival Mardi Gras which began service in 1972. At 130,000 gross tons, the Carnival Magic is almost five times the size of the Mardi Gras’ 27,250 tons. The Mardi Gras was 650-foot long and had a passenger capacity of 906. Carnival Magic stretches 1,004 feet in length and has a capacity of 3,690 guests. That’s a big ship.

That’s a big champagne toast too, 27,000 people, believed to be the largest ever.

Photo courtesy Carnival Cruise Lines

Ten things you can only do on a cruise

by Chris Owen on
There are a bunch of travel activities that can be done on both land and at sea. We can play golf on land but sail to some of the world’s best courses by sea. We can dine at a fine restaurant on land and find similar experiences at sea.

But some things are available only on a cruise.

If those are good or bad things kind of depends on how you look at them.

  1. Unpack once, see several places. Unlike any other type of travel, once you make it to your cruise ship, you are home free. Your floating hotel will take you to multiple destinations with no flights, cabs, cars, trains or buses to catch to get there.
  2. Be a complete idiot. This is where you want to wear that bathing suit that doesn’t quite fit right, sing karaoke for the first time or try out your new pickup lines. Odds are you will never see any of the people you are sailing with ever again.
  3. Eat, non-stop, 24 hours a day on pretty much any cruise ship. Unlike real life, it is odd for there to NOT be food readily available all the time. What makes this unique to cruises is that you paid for it up front, so there is no charge as you belly-up to the buffet.
  4. Fall into the ocean. It is not easy to do but you could if you tried. This is also not something you should want to do. If the fall did not kill you, the eventual drowning that comes along with it will. While the height of your cruise ship may be similar to that cliff you saw someone jump off of on TV, what lies below is totally different.
  5. Learn something new– On-board enrichment programs cover everything from acting to dance lessons. In the ship’s fitness center, qualified trainers are standing by to help you get ready for your next mountain climbing expedition.
  6. Get Seasick but you almost have to want to be sick for that to happen. There are so many different ways to avoid motion discomfort that there are few reasons to experience it.
  7. Survive a pirate attack– If you are in the Indian Ocean, anywhere close to Somalia, you could be attacked by pirates. Major cruise lines don’t sail there anyway, especially since Seabourn Spirit had to outrun them.
  8. Save a lot of money- Dollar for dollar, cruise vacations stack up very nicely compared with land vacations. Compared with backpacking? Not so much. But compare a week at sea to a week in Vegas and you’ll get the idea.
  9. Get married at sea. It is different than getting married on land. First off, you won’t be driving off to your honeymoon with a “Just Married” sign on your car. Unlike a Vegas wedding, you’ll have a hard time finding Elvis to perform the ceremony too.
  10. Experience a day at sea This is probably one of the very best parts of a cruise vacation and surely one that separates cruises from all other travel options. Being completely surrounded by ocean, in all directions and as far as you can see, is a humbling experience everyone should have at least once. Odds are you will never see anything as big as the ocean that stretches to the end of the Earth.
Flickr photo by Stephen Birch

Crime In Mexico: the good, bad and the pretty cool

by Chris Owen on
Mexico just can’t seem to catch a break. The news is filled with accounts of gruesome murders, mass graves and brutal drug lords. Regardless of the fact that these incidents are isolated and not a country-wide crisis, tourism suffers. People get things stuck in their heads that are sometimes difficult to shake off. Travelers have a hard time associating a happy holiday vacation with death and crime.

The bad
“Crime and violence are serious problems and can occur anywhere. While most victims of violence are Mexican citizens associated with criminal activity, the security situation poses serious risks for U.S. citizens as well” said the U.S. Department of State in a renewed travel alert for Mexico issued Friday.

Certainly, it is appropriate for the U.S. government to issue a warning when at least 177 bodies have been taken from interstate buses, tortured and slaughtered in recent weeks. Survivors say women were raped first then killed and some victims were burned alive. This all in an area a little over an hours drive from Brownsville, Texas.

This particular problem does not look to be going away any time soon. Not that Matamoros, Mexico was on the top of very many travel bucket lists, but the problem runs deep.

“The killings have galvanized an unusual if belated consensus, even among conservative commentators and politicians, that parts of Mexico have indeed been lost to criminal gangs such as the Zetas and the Gulf cartel that control (and are battling each other to dominate) the northeast” said the Los Angeles Times on Monday asking “What does it mean, they ask, when the federal government cannot keep the nation’s highways safe from brazen predators?”

Good question. Bad news for that part of Mexico.

Over in Mazatlan, Mexico though, things are looking up. The Pacific Coast city of Mazatlan, avoided by cruise lines as being unsafe, brings to our attention that they are a “rising star for A-List spotlight this spring”. In a statement Gadling received Monday, GoMazatlan.com, the voice of Mazatlan, tells us the pretty cool:

“Hollywood starlet Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives) and her beau Eduardo Cruz vacationed in this vibrant destination over the weekend, where they were immersed in Mazatlan’s rich culture, fabulous cuisine and warm hospitality amid a romantic coastal backdrop. The couple strolled through Old Mazatlan’s charming shops, outdoor cafes and art galleries, visiting the 19th century cathedral and iconic Angela Peralta Theater before hitting the beach along Mazatlan’s oceanfront malecon boardwalk. The pair also joined the state governor for dinner, enjoying renowned seafood and authentic specialties”

The good
Well that sure sounds safe. Strolling along a boardwalk, being immersed in culture, both things travelers do. Mazatlan also continues to distance itself from crime issues, branding itself as a premiere travel destination with a variety of events throughout the spring and summer. Internationally acclaimed dancers take the stage this weekend, April 29 – May 5, as part of the Jose Limon Dance Festival. The world of golf returns May 5 – 8 to compete in the Canadian PGA’s Mexican PGA Championship. Later in June, surf pros from around the globe hang ten on Mazatlan’s big waves for the Quiksilver Surf Clasico Mazatlan.

“Tourism is very important to Mazatlan and its residents. The destination plays host to nearly 2 million visitors per year from all over the world and the number has increased steadily for the past five years” said Julio Birrueta, spokesperson for the Mazatlan Tourism Trust.

So basically, if they got rid of the drug lords and associated rapings, killings and so on, Mexico would be a great place to visit country-wide. Until then, Mazatlan, among other safe destinations, looks good.

Photo courtesy GoMazatlan.com

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Annual bloggers cruise features new ship, old host

by Chris Owen on





John Heald, the popular senior cruise director for Carnival Cruise Lines, is doing it again hosting for the fifth time his John Heald Bloggers Cruise. Fans of the unflappable John Heald’s blog with over 10 million views since it’s launch in 2007, will sail on the new Carnival Magic in March 2012.

The seven-day western Caribbean voyage will sail round-trip from Galveston, Texas, March 4-11, 2012, visiting Montego Bay, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico.

Like other theme cruises, this one gives up-close and personal time with a celebrity.

Unlike other theme cruises, that celebrity is John Heald.

I met Heald almost 10 years ago on the then-almost-new Carnival Victory and have no trouble imagining him as the big draw for a theme cruise. His easy-going demeanor and quick wit are party-pleasers that I can see many enjoying.

The new 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic brings together fans of the senior cruise director for a week full of fun activities, exclusive giveaways and receptions plus a boat load of memories. Sure, Kid Rock, he is not, but expect a whole lot of fun and some surprises along the way too.


Gadling will be on board Carnival Magic for the ships inaugural sailing May 1, less than a week from now. Stay tuned for all the details on what makes Carnival Magic a great new ship as well as some featured posts off the ship when we go ashore.

Flickr photo by jonworth

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Space shuttle workers may have short trip to new jobs

by Chris Owen on

When the U.S. space shuttle program finally shuts down and the final launch is complete, space workers are going to need a job and they may not have to travel far to find one. Some may end up working in a related field, maybe building the next generation of flight vehicles with a private contractor. But for many workers at Florida‘s Kennedy Space Center, the future had been uncertain at best until now. Now workers are seeing at least one possible option from an unlikely source.

Carnival Cruise Lines recently announced they were moving 2,052-passenger Carnival Ecstasy from Galveston, Texas to Port Canaveral, just down the street from where space workers have been making a living for decades.

Along with Carnival Ecstasy comes hundreds if not thousands of jobs building a new $30 million cruise terminal, dock and more.

No, we’re probably not going to see one of the astronauts or flight directors in the construction process, but for 8,000 space workers who will lose their jobs, this adds one choice to a very short list of options.

Another possible job for space shuttle workers, ironically tech-related is in the health information technology field. As doctors and hospitals make the transition from paper to electronic records jobs there are plentiful but that sure doesn’t sound as exciting as being a part of space travel.

Look for displaced space workers to find other jobs in aerospace too as aviation companies are drawn to the area. Aviation companies soon to break ground at new facilities in Florida include AAR Corp and MidairUSA who noted that the skilled work force was a big advantage over other communities they were considering.

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