Love Boat captain cruises to 80th birthday, at sea of course

by Chris Owen on

On one of television’s longest running shows he was Captain Merrill Stubing of The Love Boat, cruising through 10 seasons from 1977 to 1986. Gavin MacLeod celebrated his 80th birthday this week along with friends, family and crew members aboard Princess Cruises Golden Princess in Los Angeles.

While the show stopped production in 1986, MacLeod has been “at sea” as Princess Cruises spokesperson. This year marks his 25th anniversary with the line and fans still gather wherever he may be appearing. Still in syndication in 92 countries worldwide, The Love Boat has generated what one expert estimates at over $3 billion in sales for the cruise industry.But my how far things have come since kindly Captain Stubing and the gang rode the high seas on national television. The 20,636 ton Pacific Princess that sailed for Princess Cruises between 1975 and 2002 carried 646 passengers and was seen as seen as one of the latest and greatest of ships, setting the table for a feast of unprecedented growth in the cruise industry.

Today’s latest and greatest ships are easily ten times larger carrying close to ten times more passengers. You can bet that if Captain Merril Stubing was in command, he would know every one of their names too. Happy Birthday Gavin.

Port of Los Angeles plugs in cruise ships to help environment

by Chris Owen on

Ports and cruise lines are making an ongoing effort to grow the industry in an environmentally responsible matter. The Port of Los Angeles today became the first with the ability to provide shoreside power to three different cruise lines. Using the Alternative Maritime Power system, ships from Princess Cruises, Disney Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line can now turn off their polluting engines while in port.

“The use of AMP™ at our World Cruise Center reduces emissions not just at the Port but improves the quality of air throughout the Los Angeles region,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “The ability to adapt this technology to multiple cruise lines eliminates significant ship exhaust when cruise ships are at berth, and the AMP Mobile is another innovation that demonstrates our commitment to developing cutting-edge technology that can benefit port communities everywhere.”

Having the ability to provide clean power and being able to use it are two different matters. In addition to the port having it available, ships must be fitted to accept the clean power source.The Port’s AMP™ system installed at the World Cruise Center in Los Angeles plugs in two cruise ships at a time and is capable of delivering up to 40 megawatts of power, with 20 megawatts of power delivery capacity to each of the two different ships.

Cruise lines and ports have been working on the ability to provide clean, electric energy from the local power grid for years. Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International won awards from the Port of Seattle for making an environmental difference recently.

In January’s first annual Green Gateway Partners Awards the lines were recognized for participating in the At-Berth Clean Fuels program, or use of shore power to plug in and turn off engines while docked at shore.

“Each of the companies recognized have demonstrated that you don’t have to choose between the environment and the economy,” said Port of Seattle CEO Tay Yoshitani at the time.

In Los Angeles, the World Cruise Center is the only port where two cruise ships can be connected simultaneously. Cruise ships utilize either 6.6 kilovolts (kV) or 11 kV electrical power distribution systems to plug into shore side power; the Port of Los Angeles can now accommodate either. Currently the power demand of the cruise ships calling the Port of Los Angeles is anywhere between 8 to 13 megawatts of power. A seven megawatt load is equivalent to producing enough electricity for approximately 1,000 homes.

Also in California, the Port of San Diego gained the “plug-in” ability late last year, fitted for Holland America ships. Holland America Line’s Oosterdam was the first to plug in to “Shore Power”, a system designed to help cruise ships go green. Initially the system can handle one ship but plans are for this system to take on more in the future too.

Port of San Diego Completes Shore Power System from Port of San Diego on Vimeo.

Also last year Princess Cruises Island Princess plugged in at the Port of San Francisco to a system that was built as a cooperative effort by the Port of San Francisco, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Environmental Protection Agency, Holland America Line and Princess.

Princess’ shore power program made history debuting in environmentally extra-sensitive Juneau, Alaska in 2001, expanded to Seattle in 2005, and then to Vancouver in 2009. Currently nine of the line’s ships have the capability to “plug in” to a shoreside power source, representing an investment for Princess of nearly $7 million in equipment.


Princess chefs cruise to top honors at annual Baccardi competition

by Chris Owen on

Much is said about the fabulous food and dining options on major cruise lines. Celebrity chefs lend their name to onboard cuisine adding trendy offerings for passengers to select while at sea. On occasion, everyday working members of the cruise industry excel and rise to top their peers in regional and world-wide competitions. Princess Cruises announced this week the award of top honors in the prestigious Bacardi Bartender and Chef Cruise Competition.

“We’re tremendously proud of both chefs for demonstrating such culinary excellence,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “It’s always a great honor to be singled out from one’s peers and receive industry acknowledgment of the creativity that enhances our passengers’ experience. We congratulate them on this achievement.”

%Gallery-116985%Pacific Princess Executive Chef Antonio Cortese received top honors in the “Heart Healthy” category for his Red Snapper Mojito, while Coral Princess Sous Chef Abelardo Alvarez won the “Vegetarian” category with his Deep Fried Sushi with Bacardi Wasabi Emulsion and Spicy Kimchi.

The Bacardi Bartender & Chef Cruise Competition, an international event open to all bartenders and chefs in the cruise and ferry industry, requires bartenders and chefs to create original recipes using Bacardi products. The goals of the competition are to “support the cruise industry and its talented artisans, recognize innovation onboard the world’s best cruise and ferry lines, and foster a path for staff to further their trade expertise”.

Other winners include top chef Emerlito Lago of the Phillipines from Cunard Line for his Baccardi Rum Touched Maine Lobster Tail, Noxeke Thanduxolo of France from Royal Caribbean International for his Baccardi Rum Poached Crayfish with Cucumber Cheese Roulade and Kuppakkattu Bulakris Nair Ajayakumar from Italy representing Carnival Cruise Lines with is Martini and Rossi Braised Basa Fillet with Tomato, Chili and Fennel. A complete list of winners and their recipes can be found at BarrardiCruiseCompetion.com.

On the bartender side of the competition, Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Lines and Viking Line took top honors with an assortment of cocktails with Assistant Bar Manager Chris Chudley from Royal Caribbean International winning top honors for his Bombay Sapphire winner in the gin category named “Elderphine”.

Photos courtesy Baccardi Competition

Princess Ships to Broadcast Historic Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton

by Chris Owen on

Just announced, the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be televised live on Princess Cruises ships on April 29. Passengers can follow along with full coverage of the historic wedding through BBC World’s broadcast of the event.

Some other lines made a similar announcement in December. Princess Cruises is doing it differently though.

“As this is the first British royal wedding in years we know there will be wide interest among our passengers,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “We at Princess also feel a connection with Prince William because his mother, Princess Diana, christened our original Royal Princess back in 1984.”
Princess is adding onboard viewing parties complete with British-style refreshments and royal-themed cocktails as they watch the most extensive coverage of this royal event. BBC is the official wedding broadcaster and has exclusive access inside Westminster Abbey during the ceremony.

Onboard events include a William and Kate look-alike contest and royal wedding trivia competitions.

Royal Wedding broadcasts are planned for all ships in the Princess fleet, subject to satellite availability. Shown on giant 300 sq ft “Movies Under The Stars” LED screens like they have the Super Bowl and Academy Awards in the past, there will be a good seat for everyone to watch the entire event.

Flickr photo by TossMyPancake


Cruise ship gets extreme makeover

by Chris Owen on

Cruise ships go in for routine, scheduled maintenance from time to time to take care of things they just can’t do with passengers on board. Cruise lines often take advantage of this time with no passengers on board to replace worn carpets or upgrade ship amenities. This is also a time when popular features on new ships can be added.
This Spring, Princess Cruises will pull Grand Princess out of service for much more than normal, week-long routine maintenance in what can best be described as an extreme makeover.

The 24-day process will not just change the carpets and put a fresh coat of paint on walls. As a result of this transformation, passengers who have sailed on Grand Princess before may not recognize her after completion.

“This is the largest makeover we’ve ever undertaken for any of our ships,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “When Grand Princess was launched she was the most innovative ship at sea, and now we’re adding some of the later innovations we introduced on subsequent ships.”

%Gallery-116296%The changes will be made during a drydock at the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, Bahamas from April 11 to May 4.

One5 Lounge – The new One5 lounge will replace Skywalkers, known as the best disco at sea, as the place to be for nighttime dancing and relaxing. I mean “replace” as in they are cutting it off the ship. This was the area all the way at the back of the ship that looked like the spoiler on a hot race car. It was also an excellent observation lounge to see far out over the ocean and favorite spot for underage drinkers to try to sneak into.

The new One5 lounge on deck 15 takes its inspiration from the chicest urban nightclubs, and will offer a cool vibe, contemporary seating and lighting, and a dramatic back-lit bar. This I have to see. An aerial view of the ship once this transformation has occurred will reveal an open, airy look to the back with an almost aquatheater-like openness.

Highlights of the other new additions bring Grand Princess up to speed with the newest ships in the fleet. New to this ship will be the Piazza Atrium combining always-changing quick bites and light meals, beverages, entertainment, shopping and guest services. The Piazza will feature an International Cafe for pastries, grilled panini sandwiches, salads, fresh-baked cookies and a variety of coffee drinks. Princess is also adding a new Vines wine bar offering a selection of more than 30 wines by the glass, plus a selection of tapas and sushi, and a wine shop where passengers can purchase their favorite bottle.

Leaves Tea Lounge and Library – What a great idea. Libraries on cruise ships are one of the least-used areas but yet they continue to stock the latest novels and have a nice selection for guests to choose from. Now, this new space will offer a distinctive opportunity for passengers to custom-blend a variety of base teas with herbs, fruits and spices to create a personalized tea blend. Created in partnership with Mighty Leaf Tea Company, one of the world’s premier maker of artisan teas, Leaves will offer up to 500 different tea blends and a trained tea sommelier will be on hand.

Alfredo’s Pizzeria – a new sit-down pizzeria with made-to-order individual-size pizzas. Named for the line’s master executive chef, Alfredo Marzi, the pizzeria will feature an open kitchen where passengers can watch chefs create the pizzas they’ll enjoy with a glass of wine or other beverage.

Crown Grill – A classic steakhouse with rich wood surroundings, this specialty restaurant features an open, theater-style kitchen where chefs custom-prepare a menu of premium aged beef and fresh seafood items, including live lobsters.

Princess stays a first-class cruise line by keeping ships up-to-date with a keen awareness of what their passengers are looking for. Like their dominance in the Alaska Cruisetour market, Princess will do whatever it takes to be a leader in all they do.