By John Honeywell

Within days of the grim discovery of a dead whale trapped on the bow of a cruise ship, one cruise line has announced a partnership with the WWF to help prevent similar incidents in the future.

A 43-ft long humpback whale (above) was found on the Sapphire Princess off the coast of Alaska on Wednesday as the ship was travelling from Ketchikan to Juneau.

The carcass was removed and taken away for examination. Like a fin whale found on the bow of the same ship last year, it is believed the creature was already dead when it was hit by the ship.

Ships are required to take precautions when travelling in the vicinity of whales, most of which are designated as endangered species, but despite their size the creatures do not show up on ordinary radar.

Now Costa Pacifica has become the first cruise ship to instal equipment designed to help reduce the risk of whale strikes. REPCET uses satellite technology to track whale movements and sightings, and can transmit warnings to vessels operating in the same area.

Costa Cruises has also joined up with the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and Costa Pacifica will soon be the location of a brand new series of atmospheric measurements for monitoring climate change in the Mediterranean.

The ship is spending the summer on seven-day western Mediterranean cruises calling at Civitavecchia, Savona, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Tunis, Malta and Catania.

source: mirror.co.uk

JOHN HONEYWELL samples the delights of Saga’s newest ship

More than 100,000 passengers cruised on the Saga Rose during her 13 years with the company.

And in her 44-year life she travelled around the world more times than the QE2 – so it was a sad moment when she was retired last year.

Unfortunately, the grand old lady no longer complied with safety regulations and she awaits a ruling on her future.

After a four-month interval when Saga Ruby was the only ship in the fleet, a replacement for the Rose has taken to the seas. Saga Pearl II is slightly smaller and does not match the classic ocean liner design but after a £25million refit she is a more contemporary-looking vessel, both inside and out.

To find out whether the ship will meet with approval from Saga’s over-50s travellers, I sailed on a 10-night Springtime in Norway cruise to the fjords…

THE SHIP
The vessel is modest by today’s standards. With 446 passengers and 252 crew, you could fit the lot in just two of the 18 lifeboats on the world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas.

There are six passenger decks, with 253 cabins – 60 designated for single occupation. My single suite with balcony had a large double bed, ample wardrobe space, a writing desk, large flatscreen TV and mini-bar. The bathroom had a full-size bath with double shower,

There is waiter service in the main restaurant and mainly self-service in The Verandah restaurant (except evenings). You can eat al fresco – though it was rather too chilly during a Norway spring.

And on this ship passengers turn up at the restaurant to sample the superb cuisine as and when they like, and can sit with whoever they like, rather than being assigned set tables with fixed companions for the entire cruise. You can also book rooms for private parties and dinner for up to 12 people.

Afternoon tea is served in the Discovery Lounge, which is also the ship’s entertainment venue. Between the dining room and the Discovery Lounge is the ship’s main bar, Shackleton’s, with Spitfire bitter on draught, and exotic cocktails for no more than £3.50.

There’s a shop with essentials you might have forgotten, plus an up-to-date library and internet-linked computers.

Two decks up is the Sundowner Bar, with its sumptuously-furnished sun deck – ideal for lunch-time drinks and late-night carousing. When the weather is good, the barbecue is fired up for fresh fish, burgers and other snacks.

A compact gym, swimming pool and spa treatment rooms are deep in the bowels of the ship. The Decleor hair and beauty salon is on B Deck, with a small cinema next door. Smoking is not allowed inside or on cabin balconies. There are a few tables for smokers on the open deck aft of the Verandah restaurant and the Sundowner bar. Only one aspect of the ship seemed to cause concern – the steep 32-step gangway which proved a struggle for some.

Saga is planning to sacrifice two cabins on a lower deck to enable easier access.

ENTERTAINMENT
Saga customers don’t go in for noisy casinos, lavish theatre shows, or fancy facilities like climbing walls and surf simulators. If they want those, they can cruise with Royal Caribbean or NCL.

Saga Pearl II has its own enthusiastic company performing small-scale musical shows – four different productions of familiar songs during our 10-night voyage. Classical pianist Paul Searle-Barnes gave recitals of Grieg , Rachmaninov, Chopin and Beethoven, plus two performances of opera favourites by soprano Annette Wardell.

The hit of the week was violin duo Elektra. They even performed with poise and grace during the one evening the ship encountered rough weather.

Afternoon tea was usually accompanied by the resident orchestra or pianist David Taylor, who also played in Shackleton’s each evening.

Late-night drinkers (not that late, really – the midnight buffet on this ship opens at 10.45pm) were also entertained by impromptu performances from members of the Filipino crew.

Jane Ann Davey was the destinations lecturer, with an amusing take on Norway, and retired Scotland Yard DI Clifford Wrate spoke with such insight about Jack the Ripper you might almost have believed he’d personally pursued him through the streets of Whitechapel.

Gentlemen hosts are on hand in the lounge each evening to partner single women who want to take a turn round the dance floor – or married ladies whose husbands are no longer up to a quickstep or foxtrot.

THE VOYAGE
There is no better way to see the Norwegian fjords than from the deck of a cruise ship.

Two reasons. First, you get the best possible view as you sail between steep cliffs, past spectacular waterfalls, and through twisting miles of waterways carved out by ice-age glaciers.

Second: Unless you’re so flush it doesn’t bother you, you don’t have to pay extortionate prices for food and drink ashore. A slice of pizza for £10, beer not much less? On a cruise you can slip back on board where food is included in the fare and a beer costs little more than £2.

Eidfjord, at the head of the second-longest fjord in Norway, provided an opportunity for a helicopter flight over the snowy wastes of Hardangervidda national park. A bit steep at £229 (the most expensive excursion all cruise) but unforgettable, especially when we swooped down from 6,000ft to fly over the ship.

Floro, which claims to be the westernmost town in Norway, has a flourishing fishing industry that’s a major centre for supplying North Sea oil rigs. It is in its infancy as a cruise destination but there’s plenty to see in the surrounding countryside, including Stone Age rock carvings at Ausevik which may be 6,000 years old.

From Olden, the fittest Saganauts – including one with a recently replaced hip – hiked to Briksdal Glacier, while some of us took a leisurely coach ride to the Jostedal glacier and the glacier museum at Fjaerland.

WHO GOES?
Saga cruises are exclusively for over-50s (apart from companions and carers, who can be younger) and the average age of passengers on this voyage was in the mid-70s.

That’s not very different from the profile on P&O and Fred Olsen cruises to northern Europe during school termtime and I never felt I was travelling in “God’s waiting room”, as some have described the Saga experience.

As well as pensioners, there were the sort of people you might meet on the bus on the way to work – and people who will tell you that while their friends think they can get a better deal on a cheaper cruise, the Saga fare is better value for money because it includes transport from home to the port, and there are no nasty surprises like 15% service charges on bar bills, or mandatory tips for waiters and cabin stewards. Here, the gratuities are included in the fare.

Regulars from Saga Rose – and there were plenty on board – might prefer to cruise on Saga Ruby but Saga Pearl II will attract a new generation – let’s call them the Saga Juniors.

SLOW BOAT DESIGNERS
The story of how Saga acquired Saga Pearl II is almost a saga in itself.

Originally built in Kiel in 1981, it has operated as the Arkona, the Astor and the Astoria, and from 2002 was chartered by a company catering mainly for the German market.

Saga’s parent company, Acromas, identified it as a suitable sister ship for Spirit of Adventure, proposing to rename it Quest for Adventure, and even published a brochure detailing a season of cruises under that name.

But the purchase fell through when the ship’s previous owners hit financial trouble, and it remained laid up in Gibraltar.

It was finally released for sale in August last year. Sealed bids were invited and, I suspect, on deadline day, Saga’s envelope was the only one on the table.

The ship was towed to dry dock in Swansea, where it was given an extensive refit. Passenger capacity was reduced from 618 to 446, cabins were upgraded and new suites were fitted.

The public rooms were completely gutted and an extensive library was installed alongside the main bar.

Behind the scenes, the galley was refitted – and was still being completed when I was on board – with new steam ovens and a pasta-maker among the latest additions.

GET THERE
Saga has a Fjordland Adventure on the Saga Pearl II departing July 20 from Dover. Seven nights for £994 (two sharing). Price includes insurance, port taxes, porterage, visas, meals, entertainment, return transfers to and from home within 250 miles of departure and more. Info: www.sagacruises.co.uk or call 0800 096 0079.

Time Zone: GMT +1hr
Best Time To Go: May-September
Currency: On ship – Sterling. (Kroner £1 = 9.07)

Carnival says the incident occurred Wednesday afternoon as the 2,052-passenger ship, the Carnival Ecstasy, was sailing in the Gulf of Mexico. The Ecstasy was on the final leg of a five-day cruise out of Galveston, Texas.

Carnival says the Ecstasy was forced to perform an unusually sharp maneuver to avoid a large buoy that was adrift and mostly submerged, preventing it from being detected by the ship’s radar. The maneuver resulted in the ship listing notably to port.

None of the injuries were serious, the line says.

“The movement of the vessel resulted in minor injuries to 60 guests who were treated at the ship’s infirmary as well as some minor damage to merchandise and unsecured objects,” Carnival says in a statement.

Carnival says the vessel docked this morning in Galveston, as scheduled.  All proper authorities, including the U.S. Coast Guard have been notified, the line adds.

“Carnival sincerely apologizes for the distress and discomfort this occurrence has caused our guests,” the line says.  “The safety, comfort and care of our guests and crew is our top priority.”

Photo courtesy Carnival Cruise Lines

Royal Caribbean today announced plans to redeploy the Mariner of the Seas from the Mexican Riviera to Europe, effective in early 2011.

The line says the 3,114-passenger ship, which has been sailing to the Mexican Riviera year-round out of Los Angeles since early 2009, will set sail for a new home at the port of Rome (Civitavecchia) in January. 

Mariner is the largest ship ever to regularly sail out of a West Coast port, and it’s arrival in Los Angeles last year was heralded as a major development for the city. It’s removal is just the latest sign that the market is not living up to expectations. Another line sailing in the region, Carnival, is pulling a ship out of nearby San Diego later this month, and Norwegian Cruise Line recently announced it would end seasonal cruising out of Los Angeles in 2011.

With Mariner’s withdrawal, Royal Caribbean no longer will have a presence in Southern California or the West Coast of Mexico — destinations it has served for many years.

Too big to fit through the Panama Canal, Mariner will have to spend weeks sailing around South America to reach Europe. Royal Caribbean says it will sell a series of repositioning cruises around the continent as it does so.

The redeployment means Royal Caribbean will have 11 of its 22 ships in Europe in 2011 — an unprecedented number. Just last month the line said it planned to have 10 ships in Europe for 2011, up from eight this year.

Mariner will be replacing Splendour of the Seas in Rome.  Splendour, in turn, will head to Venice for the summer and fall of 2011 to sail 10- and 11-night Greek Isles and Turkey itineraries for the season.

Royal Caribbean says Mariner will return to North America for the 2011-12 winter season to replace the Voyager of the Seas in offering seven-night Western Caribbean itineraries from Galveston, Texas. Voyager, in turn, will head to New Orleans, marking the line’s return to the city. 

Mariner’s final round-trip Mexican Riviera itinerary from Los Angeles will take place on Jan. 9, 2011.

Photo courtesy Royal Caribbean

Several British news outlets are reporting that Britain’s Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has ordered an early end to a Mediterranean cruise this week after a massive outbreak of what is believed to be norovirus.

The UK’s Daily Mail reports as many as 600 of 900 people on Fred Olsen’s Boudicca have been struck down by the illness, which is marked by sometimes severe diarrhea and vomiting — an unprecedented level. Even the worst outbreaks of norovirus on ships rarely spread beyond 10% of passengers. 

The outbreak, moreover, is the fourth in just a few months for the ship. At least 180 of 800 passengers on the Boudicca’s Dec. 6 cruise to the Canary Islands were hit by norovirus and around 50 more came down with the illness on the ship’s Dec. 18 voyage. The ship’s Dec. 22 also was affected, with at least 289 of 795 passengers falling ill. Fred Olsen ended that voyage early, too.

Another Fred Olsen vessel, the Balmoral, also has struggled with several major outbreaks of norovirus-like illness over the past year.

The Daily Mail reports the Boudicca currently is on its way to Liverpool, England, to off-load passengers, and then will undergo extensive, multi-day cleaning. The news outlet says port calls in Malta and Lisbon have been canceled.

UPDATE, 1:03 PM ET: A spokesperson for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines says the number of passengers who have become ill on the current voyage of the Boudicca is only about half as high as some news outlets are reporting.

Jill Channing, a public relations representative for the line based in the UK, tells USA TODAY that there have been 305 cases of a norovirus-like illness on the vessel in recent days. She cites a shipboard doctor for the number.

Jane Sutton – Reuters

ROYAL Caribbean’s new Oasis of the Seas is the largest, widest, tallest, most expensive cruise ship afloat, a cornucopia of amusements aimed at quashing the notion that cruising is a sedentary vacation, chief executive Richard Fain said.

Then he donned swim trunks, jumped on a boogie board and challenged fellow executives to a contest in one of the Oasis‘ two FlowRider pools that simulate surfing.

“I’ve never been a believer in building it big just for size’s sake. We build large because we’ve had so many ideas they simply don’t fit in a smaller hull,” Fain said.

The $US1.4 ($1.5) billion Oasis of the Seas, the world’s biggest cruise ship, enters service during the industry’s worst year in decades but is so exuberantly excessive that Fain predicts it will be profitable from day one.

Oasis is a floating resort that eclipses the condo towers it sails past at its new home, Port Everglades in southeast Florida. The 225,282-gross-ton ship has 16 passenger decks and can carry 6292 passengers plus 2165 crew.

It has rock-climbing walls, a basketball court, an ice skating rink, a carousel with hand-carved wooden animals, a shopping promenade lined with cafes and bars, cantilevered whirlpools overlooking the sea and a Central Park with 12,000 live plants and trees.

Zip line

An amphitheatre surrounds a deep-diving pool on the stern, where high-divers and synchronised swimmers perform. Passengers can harness themselves onto the “zip line” and soar across the ship above an open-air atrium nine decks high and lined with balconied cabins.

One of its many bars, the Rising Tide, floats up and down between three decks, while a touring company performs the Broadway musical “Hairspray” in the 1380-seat theatre.

The Oasis, which starts its inaugural voyage on December 5, was six years in the making and arrives at a time when cruise lines are cutting rates to fill berths.

Net yields, a measure of revenue generated per bed per day, were down 16 percent during the first nine months of 2009 for the major companies, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line, Rod McLeod, a vacation management consultant who has held senior management posts at all three lines, said.

“Over the last 20 years, that’s the steepest level of year-over-year declines in yields, which is understandable given what’s happened in the worldwide economy,” McLeod, now with McLeod/Applebaum Partners in Miami, said.

The cruise lines are cautiously predicting 2010 will be less awful, with yields down by only 7 or 8 percent.

Generally the farther ahead passengers book cruises, the more the lines can charge. The window has begun to widen, with passengers now booking an average of three months ahead, compared with just six weeks in early 2009, McLeod said.

Wave of new ships

But a wave of new ships ordered during the boom times are now coming on line and that will put pressure on rates, a boon for bargain-hunting passengers but not so much for cruise line earnings.

No. 1 cruise line Carnival’s newest and biggest ship, the 3652-passenger Carnival Dream, starts regular cruises to the Caribbean in December out of Florida’s Port Canaveral.

Royal Caribbean will launch the Oasis‘ twin, Allure of the Seas, next December, one of eight new ships due out in 2010 industry-wide. Capacity is expected to rise by 7 percent next year, and a little less than that in 2011, before settling.

“No new ships have been ordered for now 20 months and that hasn’t occurred in the last 25 years,” McLeod said.

New ships tend to attract passengers at the expense of the older ones. Cruise lines are compensating by moving their older ships away from weakening markets like Hawaii and Alaska and into growing ones like Europe and China, “like a giant chess game, playing with boats,” he said.

Bookings aboard Oasis have been strong because it offers so much of everything, Royal Caribbean’s Fain said.

“We’re getting much higher rates than I certainly would have expected even a year ago. The reception has just been overwhelming. I’m feeling pretty good right now,” Fain said.

Lonely Planet has picked the brains of its authors, staff and travellers and come up with the top 10 countries to visit in 2010. Photo: Andrew Marshall and Leanne Walk

EL SALVADOR

Travellers tend to skip El Salvador, wooed by marquee destinations such as Guatemala and Costa Rica, and unnerved by stories of civil war and gang violence. But the war ended almost 20 years ago, and crime, while serious, is almost exclusively played out between rival gangs; tourists are virtually never involved. And though El Salvador has fewer protected areas than its neighbours, you get them practically to yourself. The only place you might find a crowd is on Punta Roca, El Salvador’s most famous surfing spot. And when it comes to cities, none in Central America is smarter or cooler than San Salvador, with first-rate universities, museums and galleries.

GERMANY

Some countries are simply allowed to be, but Germany has had to reinvent itself more times than Madonna. And it has done so again since 1990, when reunification brought an end to nearly three decades of division. In year 20 after its latest rebirth, Germany is still a country where you can witness history in the making. Head to Hamburg, where an entire new quarter is being wrested from the detritus of a 19th-century harbour. Or to Dresden, where the domed Frauenkirche church is once again the diamond in the city’s famous skyline. And to Berlin whose climate of openness spawns more creative experimentation than a Petri dish on Viagra.

GREECE

Seldom does a travel destination satisfy the blurbs that shout ‘has something for everyone’ but Greece truly does. Whether you’re there to poke around ancient ruins, soak in the sun on idyllic beaches, or party till you drop, Greece will leave you clambering for more. It’s guilt-free travel – a slice of history served alongside a healthy slice of hedonism – and everyone seems happy. You get to marvel at the dazzling clarity of the light and the waters, the floral aromas that permeate the air, the pervading sense of spirit – and then sit down to contemplate it all while consuming that great Greek combination of ouzo and octopus!

MALAYSIA

Diversity is what Malaysia is all about. From chaotic and modern Kuala Lumpur to the near mystical wilds of Borneo, there are mountains to tackle, beaches to bake on, coral reefs to dive and malls to shop. And wait till you meet the people. Malays live in rhythm to the mosque’s call to prayer, while just around the corner garlands of marigolds are sold in front of towering Hindu temples and the sweet smells of incense emanate from ornate Chinese Buddhist clan houses. Top off a multicultural day with an Indian curry, Chinese noodles, Malay rice dishes with spicy sambal or the region’s most famous fusion dish, coconut-curry noodle laksa.

MOROCCO

Life-changing experiences:

- Feel the pure joy of freestyle Gnawa rhythms and backflips expressing the exhilaration of freedom from slavery in the Djemaa el-Fna.

- Enjoy hot mint tea in a remote village in the Ait Bou Gomez ‘Happy Valley’, where the warm welcome makes the trip on foot or donkey worthwhile.

- Bask in the glow of ancient auspicious Berber symbols given new life at gallery openings and streetside art stalls in Assilah and Essaouira.

- Get lost and find new friends – and carpets – in the souk mazes of Fez and Marrakesh.

NEPAL

2008 was a watershed year for Nepal – the rebels became the government, the kingdom became a republic and the king became a civilian. With the end of the Maoist uprising, trekkers are once again pitting might and muscle against some of the most challenging trails on the planet. Trekking in Nepal is one of those travel benchmarks, like seeing the Taj Mahal, or diving the Great Barrier Reef, or the first time you eat fried locusts. By the end of your trek, you may vow never to climb anything higher than the stairs around your home town, but the experience of the Himalaya will stay with you for a lifetime.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand’s checklist of essential experiences remains as strong as ever. Spectacular landscapes abound, from sea-level rainforests to plunging glaciers, geothermal springs and barren volcanic plains. Add a hearty pinch of lens-friendly wildlife, proud Maori culture, and fine food and drink, and it’s easy to see why the natives are so chilled.

NZ is spearheading the ecotravel revolution, winning international accolades for its ethos towards responsible travel, from minimising visitor impact to involving locals in sustainable tourism practices. When you’re gawping at the spine-tingling vistas it’s good to know they’ll still be there for future generations.

PORTUGAL

Skirting along the southwestern edge of the Iberian Peninsula, the once-great seafaring nation of Portugal today straddles two very different worlds. For purists, this is a land of great tradition, of saints-day festivals where ox-drawn carts still lumber through flower-strewn streets, and ancient vineyards bring sleepy medieval villages to life during the annual harvest. Meanwhile, in other parts of the country, something decidedly more modern is transpiring. Old city centres are slowly being revitalised. A new wave of boutiques, art galleries and cafes are finding new homes in once crumbling old buildings, and locals are beginning to rediscover the allure of vibrant downtown areas.

SURINAME

South America’s smallest country, both in area and population, is easily one of its most diverse; and is known for its peacefully coexisting cultures. Suriname’s natural riches range from Africa-like savannahs to beaches raided by endangered sea turtles, to some of the world’s largest protected stands of tropical rainforest. Quickly emerging as a prime ecotourism and sport-fishing destination, Suriname has everything you could hope for in a wildlife adventure, including the biggest fish in the world, more than 700 bird species and such fascinating mammals as puma, manatee, tapir and primates.

USA

Suddenly the US is cool again! Be it from Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday, or just tightened budgets during the recession, but more Americans are looking backwards – and foreigners too – and taking in traditional American historical sites, beginning with Washington, DC’s freebie zone of museums and heroic monuments.

Trains are a great way to see the country. Unlike the highways, trains don’t pass constant billboards and fast-food chains, and – while a point-to-point ticket is often cheaper on a plane – good-value passes let travellers make looping trips to five or more stops and curb their carbon imprint at the same time.

This is an edited extract from Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2010 – the best trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for the upcoming year. Out now. © Lonely Planet Publications, 2009. $24.99

Duck! … the ship came within half a meter of the Great Belt Fixed Link bridge in Denmark / AP Source: AP

ONLOOKERS gasped as the world’s largest cruise ship came within half a meter of a bridge in Denmark.

Standing sixteen decks high and rising 20 stories, the Oasis of the Seas passed below the Great Belt Fixed Link on its maiden voyage to Florida.

Crowds turned out in their hundreds and camped along the bridge for hours to get their first glimpse of the $1.47 billion ship.

Delivered to the Royal Caribbean cruiseline in Turku, Finland, the ship is making its way to its home port of Fort Lauderdale in the US, where it will arrive in about two weeks.

The Oasis of the Seas can accommodate 6360 passengers, 2160 crew and offers a world of luxuries, including: 21 swimming pools, an ice rink, an aqua park, a casino, a zip line and real trees.

With six levels of staterooms, a turf-covered chip and putt golf course, the world’s first open-air amphitheatre at the stern, two surfing simulators and a boardwalk surrounded by restaurants, it is more like a giant ritzy resort than a cruise ship.

Oasis of the Seas will make its four-night maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale to Labadee in Haiti on December 1.