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U.S. Captain Held Hostage by Somali Pirates

 On Wednesday Somali pirates hijacked a U.S. flagged cargo ship with 20 American crew members on board.  The Maersk Alabama was carrying emergency relief to Kenya when it was taken.  This is the first American ship hijacked in 200 years, however 6 other ships have been taken by pirates this week!  Somali pirates are trained fighters and use speedboats equipped with satellite phones and GPS equipment.  Most hijackings end with million-dollar payouts and piracy is the biggest money maker in Somali.

Somehow the American crew was able to take back control of their cargo ship, but the Captain of the Maersk Alabama was taken as hostage.  Thursday morning a U.S. warship arrived near the 28-foot life boat holding four pirates and the kidnapped Captain.  The United States Navy is now in charge of the stand-off.

All of our prayers go to Captain Richard Phillips that he will be released unharmed soon.

"The Gentleman Host: A Cruise Ship Nightmare"

There's a new book out and "The Gentleman Host" does for cruising what "Jaws" did for swimming at the beach!  A serial killer makes the ocean his playground as he poses as a suave gentleman host on cruise ships.  He dines and wines single woman until he selects his next victim and tosses her over board in the middle of the night.

The author, Dwight Norris warns with tongue in cheek, "If your going on a cruise, don't read this book."  Mr. Norris has written poetry, two screen plays, short stories and numerous non-fiction works.  "The Gentleman Host" is his first novel.  The book is available from www.IUniverse.com and www.amazon.com  for $17.95

How Much Food is Consumed on a 7 Day Cruise

The amount of food that is consumed on a mid-size cruise ship in a week is staggering!  All figures here are based on approximately 2000 passengers on a 7 day cruise.  Most ships carry only enough food for the current cruise and load their ships the day of embarkment.  In order to refrigerate and store this huge amount of food stuff the ships must have numerous refrigerators, freezers and storing areas.  Here is a list of estimated food consumed in one week:

meat                       12,000 pounds
poultry                      3,814 pounds
fish                          1,800 pounds
seafood                    2,600 pounds
butter & margarine   1,675 pounds
fresh vegetables   137,500 pounds
potatoes                  7,750 pounds
watermelon              2,300 pounds
eggs                      23,000
dairy                        5,500 quarts
sugar                        1,000 pounds
sugar packets          24,000
rice                          3,500 pounds
caviar                            20 pounds
flour                         3,150 pounds
ice cream                     300 gallons

We should also mention here the procedure and number of dishes used daily.  It takes approximately 10 people to wash all the glassware and dishes each day.  The whole dish-washing procedure takes about 10 hours from start to finish.  They wash about 3,000 dinner plates, 7,000 desert plates and 2,000 side dishes, along with 5,000 glasses!  This doesn't even count the thousands of coffee cups, cutlery, trays and other serving items.

Most ships now make all of their own drinking water through reverse osmosis from seawater.  All cruise ships are subject to surprise inspections by the C.D.C., which looks at food management and preparation, as well as waste management.  I have been told by one cruise line manager that there is very little waste on cruise ships, due to the fact they have gotten very good at ordering the exact amount of food needed for each cruise.

Princess Cruise Has Scholarship at Sea Programs

One of the classes that Princess now offers is pottery classes and even has a unique sea-going kiln.  You can also purchase pre-made pots, paint them, fire them and take them home.  Other classes include web page design, digital photography, water color painting, dance lessons and wine and food classes.

Princess has more variety of programs than any others.  The lectures for the most part are complimentary, but in many of the courses you must purchase materials.

Disney Names Two New Ships

This month at the 2009 annual meeting of shareholders at the Walt Disney Company they announced the names of their two new ships.  Robert A. Iger, Disney President and CEO announced "The Disney Dream will sail on 2011 and Disney Fantasy will hit the high seas in 2012."  Their names were chosen to celebrate Disney's unique heritage of creating enchanting places and stories where dreams come true!

The new ships will be built at the Meyer Werft ship yard in Papenburg, Germany.  They will be built with families in mind.  Each ship will have 1,250 staterooms and double their capacity for Disney Cruise Lines.

For more information you may visit:  www.disneycruise.com     

Senior Citizens Can Now Live On A Cruise Ship

 Seniors can now live on a cruise ship for less money than independent-living facilities charge.  Waterfront Lifestyles International is currently taking reservations for retirement condos on the "Alegria."  This is a mid-size cruise ship that is home based in Port Canaveral, Florida.  The prices for an individual condo cabin range from $159,000. for a single room to $399,000. for a larger suite.  There will be a nominal residents care monthly fee that will cover all operating expenses such as:  fuel, maintenance, insurance, 3 meals daily, port fees, medical center and housekeeping.  On the Alegria the residents actually own the ship.  It will make monthly sailings to the Bahamas.

The ship has a spa, workout room, gift shop, dining room, beauty shop, library and resident storage area.  It also has twelve inside cabins that owners friends and relatives can use at no charge, and this includes their meals!

Waterfront Lifestyles International is based in Florida.  Although, the ship in Port Canaveral is the company's first, it expects to offer additional retirement ships in Tampa, Jacksonville, Palm Beach and Sarasota.

This article was found on www.cruiseindustrywire.com    

Top 10 Questions Asked On A Cruise Ship

 
1.  Does this ship have cable t.v. ?

2.  How does the Captain know where to go?

3.  Is an outside cabin outside the ship?

4.  What time is the 2:00 o'clock tour?

5.  When the Captain if sleeping, who is steering the ship?

6.  The photographer took our picture, which one's are ours?

7.  Can we ski off the back of the ship?

8.  Do you have cruises going to Las Vegas?

9.  What elevation are we at?

10.  If it's raining will we get wet in an outside cabin? 

MSC to Host Finals of "Miss Italia USA 2009"

Yesterday on the beautiful MSC Orchestra it hosted the "Miss Italia USA 2009" finals.  The winner was crowned on-board and will travel to Italy in June.  She will then compete against 49 other winners from around the world for the title of "Miss Italia Del Mondo 2009."

The March 21 sailing is round-trip from Fort Lauderdale and will visit ports in the Western Caribbean and Key West, Florida.

I have been unable to find the results of this contest, so if anyone knows the name of the lucky lady who was chosen please let me know by way of clicking on the "comment" section of this post,  thank you.

How Safe is the Gulf of Aden for Cruise Ships

  BULLETIN:  Somali Pirates seized a Greek freighter in the Gulf of Aden!  The ship was carrying iron to Korea when it was seized yesterday.

Lately, there have been numerous stories of pirates seizing ships in the Gulf of Aden.  These pirates are part of a large operation on the Somali Coast.  They're only interested in making money!  They first decide which ships would be the easiest and most profitable to take then they make their move.  They capture a ship, hold it for ransom, get paid and let it go.  Cruise ships don't really fit into this category.  Slow moving cargo ships are their primary target.  Cruise ships are built differently and even if the pirates get alongside of one, they are not easy to board.  Cruise ships also have a much larger security force to defend themselves than a cargo ship would have.  It is also believed that many cruise lines have a state of the art defense system, that we are not aware of and won't divulge what that system is for security reasons.  Cruise lines would never travel in an area that would put their passengers at risk, so if they should go through the Gulf of Aden they must believe the risk to their ships and passengers is minimal.

TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Announce a Joint Venture

TUI and Royal Caribbean Cruises announced a joint venture to serve the German Cruise Market.  Both partners will hold a 50% interest in the joint venture.  TUI Cruises will begin with one ship in 2009 and they asked the public "What should the first ship be called?"  More than 11,000 people sent in 30,000 ideas.  One of the most frequent suggested name and the winner was  "MEIN SCHIFF".  ( The name translated is MY SHIP)  She will be christened May 15, 2009.

"We are thrilled to partner with a company as highly regarded as TUI AG" said Royal Caribbean chairman and CEO Richard Fain.  Plans call for the new cruise line to be based in Hamburg, Germany.