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.


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]

Obscenities and ethnic slurs fly on Queen Mary 2, get passengers ejected

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Gloria Sher and her husband, Frederick Evans, believe they were defending themselves. And, let’s assume they are old enough to know what that means. She’s 82 years old, a spring chicken compared to her 91-year-old husband. Well, the elderly pair was thrown off the Queen Mary 2 over a verbal brawl that they say was kicked off by another passenger who made an anti-Semitic comment at a black-tie dinner.

Their five-week, $20,000 cruise almost came to an early end at a port in Quebec, which is where the ship was ready to drop them, banished for foul language. Other passengers came to the couple’s defense, however, and the pair was permitted to stay on board for another six days, though under house-arrest conditions. Sher and Evans weren’t allowed to leave their cabin – and their alcohol was confiscated.

So, what happened?”Minutes into their meal” at the black-tie event, Sher tells the New York Post, one of the people at his table told him to shut up before saying, “There are too many Jews on board.” Sher dropped the F-bomb in reply and went back to her room.

The ship’s captain took the side of the alleged anti-Semite, and told Sher she’d have to “leave the ship,” according to the New York Post, without even listening to his side of the story. The couple even knew the captain from previous trips – an inside connection that got them nowhere.

But, Sher may not be an angel, the New York Post continues:

But one passenger told The Post that the couple was at least partly to blame. Sher tends to get belligerent when drinking, the passenger said, recalling that she went on a rant one night because a lounge’s piano was closed.

Ultimately, they were able to stay on board, with occasional trips out of their room, until the ship got back to New York. The Cunard cruise line only offered a refund of $839 and said in a statement: “The Cunard cruise line — which would refund the couple only $839 — said in a statement that “Sir Evans and Lady Sher engaged in multiple incidences of disrespectful and disruptive behavior towards crew members and other guests.” The company supports the captain’s decision.

[photo by Dawn Endico via Flickr]

Lunch with a view and exceptionally good values on luxury cruises

by Ralph Grizzle on

The photo above was snapped yesterday from the balcony of stateroom 720 on Seabourn Sojourn during a transit of Norway’s UNESCO World Heritage Geirangerfjord. Small ships such as Seabourn Sojourn, carrying a maximum of 450 passengers, can easily navigate the Norwegian fjords and dock or drop anchor in small ports of call where the big ships can’t.

Small ships offer several other advantages, such as fewer lines for activities ranging from dining to disembarking, and greater space ratio, meaning fewer guest per square foot. Small ships generally feel more intimate and less crowded than larger ships as well.

Small ships typically also represent the upper-end of the product line, the luxury segment. While luxury cruise fares are sometimes three times more than fares on cruises of a similar length on large ships, luxury cruises are more inclusive. For example, alcohol is served free of charge as are specialty coffees and soft drinks. Gratuities, which are added to passengers’ final bills on larger ships, are also included on luxury cruises.

Luxury cruise fares are also at – or near – historic lows. Today, for example, Seabourn announced cruises beginning at less $200 per day per person during a special One Week Sale (the lowest fare, $2499, is for a 13-day transatlantic from Monte Carlo to Fort Lauderdale on December 6).

More typically, cruises can be found for around $300 per day per person, not bad when you consider the fare includes wining and dining in Seabourn’s gourmet restaurants – or on your balcony as you sail by some of the world’s most attractive sites.

Other luxury players, Silversea Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Crystal Cruises and SeaDream Yacht Club, offer similar savings in the ever-competitive luxury cruise segment.

Get off a cruise and into custody: Passenger wrongly nailed as hooker

by Tom Johansmeyer on

What do you do when your mom is arrested for prostitution? Well, you probably claim that she didn’t do it. After all, she’s your mom, and nobody admits to guilt on these things anyway. If you were Paola Londono’s kid, you’d actually be right to proclaim her innocence.

Thanks to a clerical error in the Osceola County Sheriff’s office, Londono, from Orlando, was arrested when she stepped off a cruise ship for allegedly making a living in the world’s oldest profession. She spent more than 36 hours in the Broward County pokey, because she had the same name as the actual suspect, who is seven years younger … five inches taller and 40 pounds lighter. The younger Londono is going to face charge of heroin possession and possession of drug paraphernalia – in addition to prostitution.

[photo by indi.ca via Flickr]