The art of cruise ship design
Ever wonder what goes into designing a cruise ship? Meet Carnival Cruise Lines’ chief interior architect Joe Farcus and find out how he puts the fun in the “Fun Ships”.
Is the cruise ship building party over?
High gasoline prices and a slumping economy have put a damper on leisure travel. The timing couldn’t be worse for the cruise lines. With 35 vessels on order over the next four years at a total cost of 22 billion some cruise lines are cutting back and repositioning their fleets, laying off employees, and holding off from ordering new ships.
The worst place on a cruise ship
What’s the worst place on a cruise ship? If you ask regular cruisers, they might tell you to avoid the cigar bar or the Lido Pool area. But for me, it’s the art auction area.
Hey big Splendor: Carnival’s newest party ship sets sail
It’s the biggest Carnival ship yet and encompasses a lot of Carnival firsts from the biggest spa and kids’ areas in the fleet to new itineraries in Northern Europe, South America, and the Mexican Riviera. Meet the newest “Fun Ship” Carnival Splendor.
Dutch treat: meet the Eurodam
The 86,700-ton, 2,104-passenger Eurodam is the largest and first in the new Signature-class series for Holland America Line. Compared to other new ships, Eurodam is mid-sized and doesn’t offer the recently hyped megaship trends like zip lines or ice bars. Instead the line has focused on what it says are relevant guest features like service and upgraded premium amenities.
Friends don’t let friends take an expensive cruise tour
Don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for a cruise line-sponsored shore excursion? You might want to consider going online and browsing Cruise Critic’s “Roll Call’ forums where guests booked on your cruise look to find other like-minded guests to share tours and save a lot of money.
The new megaships: wavy, crazy — and a little pricey
It’s a tale of two cruise lines, both with very different visions for their customers. Last week, Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line unveiled the latest onboard amenities for their new ships. What can customers expect? Would you believe a zip-line, ice bar, neighborhoods, curved staterooms, carousel and outdoor amphitheaters? And that’s just for starters.
A Queen sings her swan song on the Ohio River
The Delta Queen is the last remaining example of the thousands of paddle-wheel steamboats that once traveled America’s waterways and it’s about to be put out to pasture because of politics. Find out why and how we must save this great American treasure.
These blazing hot summer cruise deals are unsinkable
The economy is slumping and cruise lines are scrambling to fill their berths. What does that mean for you? Great deals on a cruise vacation — and a good excuse for spending that tax rebate check. Anita Dunham-Potter has the details.
iPods go cruising
What’s the latest amenity on cruise ships? No, it’s not Asian spa treatments and it’s not Wi-Fi. It’s iPods. A growing number of cruise lines are now loaning out iPods, fully stocked with music, and offering tours and shipboard information as podcasts. Find out how the pocket-sized digital music phenomenon is a big hit with cruise travelers.