Video of the Day – Cruise ship time-lapse

by Stephen Greenwood on

We have a lot of great cruise coverage here on Gadling, and today’s Video of the Day is a must-see for all of our cruise ship fanatics out there.

Captured onboard a series of ships such as the Splendour of the Seas & Majesty of the Seas, YouTube user radiofreebc was able to capture some incredible scenes from both inside and outside the ships along the coasts of Alaska, Uruguay, Italy, Turkey, and more. For most of the videos, radiofreebc shot with a Sony Handicam (DSR-SR12) and altered the speed while editing with Final Cut Pro. The fitting soundtrack is by a now-defunct 90’s band called Slide Five.

Do you have some amazing clips or photos from your latest cruise? Share them with our community! Upload photos to our Flickr Group or post a video link in the comments below; it could be our next Photo/Video of the Day!

Royal Caribbean brings hammer down on art auctions

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If you liked the art auctions on your Royal Caribbean cruises, brace yourself. In a post on his blog, the company’s president and CEO, Adam Goldstein, wrote that the contract it had with Park West Art Services to run its auctions on the ships expired and that it isn’t going to renew.

He adds that other art-related endeavors could be on the chopping block as well: “We are evaluating what if any art-related programming we may offer in the fleet in the future beyond Oasis of the Seas where Art Actually is our provider of art tours and art for purchase onboard.”

For now, Royal Caribbean and Park West Art Services are going through a “wind down period” as the art auctioneers wrap up on different ships over the next few months.

Possible swine flu on Alaska cruise ship

by Catherine Bodry on

The numbers of cruise ship bookings to Alaska are down this year, and with a possible case of swine flu detected on board one ship in Alaska waters, I’m worried they could very well go down even more.

The Associated Press reports today that “a female crew member of the Serenade of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship, became ill May 2 while sailing from San Francisco northward.” Swine flu was suspected, and the Washington State Public Health Laboratory forwarded tests to the CDC, which is validating the results. Meanwhile, state officials in Alaska conducted its own tests in Ketchikan when the ship docked there. The results were negative, though officials note that the patient had been taking Tamiflu and hadn’t run a fever for several days, so the negative results were not surprising.

If this case turns out to be positive for swine flu, it will be the first reported case in Alaska.

UPDATE: Alaska health officials say tests confirmed that swine flu sickened the crew member, but she has since recovered after a course of treatment and a CDC-recommended 7-day period of isolation. However, Alaska health officials argue that the case can’t be considered Alaska’s “first case” of swine flu for several reasons, one being that the woman became ill before entering state waters.

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[Via Anchorage Daily News]