In September 2013, the cruise ship Costa Concordia was pried loose from the rocks near Giglio island on which it had run aground off the coast of Italy on Jan. 13, 2012.
Using pulleys and counterweight systems, it took about 18 hours to rotate the ship upright, though it’s not floating yet. The plan is to, in spring 2014, refloat the ship using welded-on flotation devices filled with air and tow it to a scrap yard to disassemble it.
10-day/9-night cruise-tour of the NETHERLANDS and BELGIUM aboard 135-passenger River Duchess. Departs April 1, 10 & 19, 2014. Highlights: In Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum or Van Gogh Museum/seven million tulips at Keukenhof Gardens/windmills in Kinderdijk/medieval Bruges/Antwerp. Cruise, April 1 departure, from $3,694 (category-4 cabin) to $5,844 (suite) or, April 19 departure, $4,594-$6,744. World Luxury Cruise Vacations (San Antonio, TX; 877/579-7447).
My daughter, Gina, and I were in Heidelberg, Germany, on April 24, 2011 (Easter Sunday). It was a glorious day and we decided to take a cruise upriver to Neckarsteinach.
There is an old Norwegian saying: all Bergen babies are born with umbrellas. My husband, David, and I certainly needed an umbrella during our day in port during a Norway cruise with Royal Caribbean International in September ’12, but we found that in the afternoon the rain was intermittent. Therefore, our recommendation is to schedule any excursions you can for the afternoon, when the fog often lifts.
On select 2013-2014 “Caribbean Baseball Cruises” with MSC Cruises (Fort Lauderdale, FL; 877/665-4655), passengers will interact with former baseball stars like Cincinnati Reds All-Star Ken Griffey, Sr. (Jan. 12, 2014), and American League home-run king Gorman Thomas (May 10) in a variety of events, including question-and-answer sessions, free autograph sessions, player-hosted trivia games and pitching, hitting and defense strategy clinics.
The website Special Needs at Sea (800/513-4515 or 954/585-0575) now posts the accessibility features of the ships of four cruise lines: Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International.
Special Needs Group, Inc., plans to add one cruise line per month to the portal until all ships used in the North American market that have features for the mobility limited have been included.
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Most Americans have never heard of Vanuatu, and even fewer have heard of its capital, Port Vila. Yet Vila, as it is often called, is becoming a major cruise destination, with about 140 port visits planned by cruise lines over the next 12 months, or about one every two or three days.
Bill Murphy, 91, looked out on the blinking crimson lights of the channel markers as the ms Amsterdam passed the skeletal-like cranes that pierced the opalescent dawn.
Cunard Line, beginning in spring 2014, will ban smoking on cabin balconies aboard the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2.
Disney Cruise Line, as of Nov. 15, 2013, no longer will allow smoking on stateroom verandas, and violators will be charged $250 to cover cleaning and maintenance costs. Smoking is banned in all interior spaces and allowed only at specified outdoor deck locations, which vary from ship to ship.
