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--- transportation:cruise [2024/05/23 04:53] – [Royal Caribbean] timb
+++ transportation:cruise [2025/08/19 04:36] (current) – [Articles] timb
@@ Line 592: / Line 592: @@
 https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2024/05/18/cruise-ship-cabin-rules
+== Here's How Massive Cruise Ships Duck Under Suspension Bridges ==
+Royal Caribbean ships use retractable funnels, massive ballast tanks and simply go for it
+Ryan Erik King - Wednesday September 4, 2024 4:53PM
+With oceans covering 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, it’s easy to assume that cruise ships never have any issues maneuvering. However, the world’s largest all-inclusive cocktail dispensers must take extreme measures to sail underneath suspension bridges. Ships are designed with features to duck under the road deck and crews are encouraged to punch it, helping the boat get as low as possible.
+Royal Caribbean, the operator of current record-breaking vessels, contracts its cruise ships to be built in shipyards on Finland’s Baltic coast. While allowing for the construction of ships that dwarf the Titanic, newly built behemoths must traverse Denmark to leave the Baltic Sea and hit the open ocean. The Great Belt Bridge, the sixth-long suspension bridge in the world, spans the Danish strait of the same name.
+https://jalopnik.com/heres-how-massive-cruise-ships-duck-under-suspension-br-1851640086
+== Where Is The Largest Cruise Ship Graveyard In The World? ==
+KR Manalo - Aug. 17, 2025 9:15 pm EST
+As of 2023, there were 454 cruise ships of various types sailing around the world. With voyages that traverse the world's oceans, a cruise ship voyage can last from just two days to more than ten days, depending on its itinerary and package. Like all marine vessels, cruise ships are subjected to degradation caused by seawater, extreme weather, and the general wear and tear of it's operation. These factors, together with a determined lifespan, require cruise ships of a certain age to be retired and eventually dismantled in shipbreaking yards, the largest of which is the Alang facility, located in Gujarat, India.
+There are several reasons why a cruise ship is retired; foremost, it is a complex machine, and like other machinery, these vessels get run down with age, requiring costly maintenance. While its average usable life is up to 30 years, other considerations include technological obsolescence, which can be expensive to continue to operate, and even unforeseen events that cause substantial damage. It is important to note that not all retired cruise ships are scrapped, as some are sold to smaller cruise companies, where it is reused after being renovated and remarketed.
+For ships that are slated for scrapping, these are normally sent to the Alang shipbreaking yard, a facility where ships have been dismantled, and its metals and other components have been sold since 1983. Its location in the Cambay gulf region has made it ideal for a shipbreaking facility owing to its climate, tidal conditions, and water depth due to the shoreline layout of its continental shelf. Spread across an area of 9.3 miles, there are currently 135 different shipbreaking yards which provide employment for 15,000 individuals and is responsible for 98% of the Indian ship recycling business.
+Read More: https://www.slashgear.com/1938118/largest-cruise-ship-graveyard-in-the-world/
+===== Ban =====
+== The shockingly common items barred from cruise ships — that could get you banned for life ==
+Brooke Kato - Wed, January 15, 2025 at 9:57 AM PST
+Don’t rock the boat — you should avoid bringing these items on your next cruise, an expert warns.
+Gary Bembridge, an avid travel and cruise extraordinaire, revealed the common items that are barred from popular liners.
+The first, he explained, are surge protectors, extension cords or “anything allowing multiple plugs."
+https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/shockingly-common-items-barred-cruise-175722472.html
@@ Line 608: / Line 654: @@
 https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-guest-infuriated-over-phone-bill/120894
+== Carnival’s Response After Passenger’s $411 Phone Bill ==
+Lissa Poirot - Feb 5, 2025
+In a tale as old as the advent of cell phones, one unfortunate passenger on Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Pride got quite the shock after the voyage was complete.
+Seems young love has a firm hold on the passenger’s daughter, who, not bearing to be apart from her boyfriend during the 7-night cruise from Baltimore to the Caribbean, racked up $411 in cell phone charges while sailing the high seas.
+“She has made phone calls to her boyfriend in Silver Spring and used data for messaging,” the passenger told Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador John Heald.
+“One thing I do know is Carnival will not refund these charges because Carnival and my travel agent said there is nothing they will do. John, I hope you will show some compassion and help with at least 50 percent of these charges,” the frustrated passenger pleaded.
+Of course, Heald, known for his sarcastic humor, had some things to say about the mishap, including the fact that reimbursement is not possible.
+He shared the story on his social media platform as a cautionary tale: “I am sharing this for one reason and that is to please, be careful.”
+https://www.cruisehive.com/carnivals-response-after-passengers-411-phone-bill/159388
@@ Line 665: / Line 728: @@
+==== Safety ====
+== Carnival Cruise Line just explained why it’s so important to close your curtains in your cabin ==
+Don't get caught out!
+Tom Earnshaw - 17:01 31 Jan 2025 GMT
+Carnival Cruise Line has issued a 'cabin flasher' warning to all its guests after a rather unfortunate incident on a recent holiday.
+The incident happened on a Carnival cruise ship that had been docked in port, with one particular passenger left absolutely distraught at what she had accidentally been showing the entire world.
+Carnival Cruise Line's brand ambassador and senior cruise director, John Heald, was forced to post a lengthy statement on the incident so that other passengers don't fall foul of the same faux pas.
+The issue came as a result of going to sleep in one place and waking up in a very different part of the world - with a very different setting outside of their cabin.
+https://www.ladbible.com/lifestyle/travel/carnival-cruise-line-cabin-close-curtains-177306-20250131
@@ Line 784: / Line 862: @@
 https://cruisefever.net/top-8-cruise-lines-with-the-cleanest-ships-2022-2023/
+== Carnival Cruise and Royal Caribbean quietly end cruise traditions ==
+Daniel Kline - Wed, April 30, 2025 at 8:56 AM PDT
+Because booking a cruise can cost thousands of dollars, cruise lines try to deliver a consistent experience. They would not want customers to get on board and have a trip that doesn't meet their expectations.
+This doesn’t mean changes are not made. The major cruise lines try to innovate and evolve their offerings to make things better. In some cases, however, adding something new means taking something away.
+When that happens, it’s a careful choice, and even on new ships, it’s not often that multiple expected areas disappear. You might see a change in food offerings or an evolution of a popular space like the adult pool or the waterpark, but major changes tend to be very rare.
+That does not mean that cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean and Carnival, don’t remove less popular features from their ships. In some cases, changing customer needs have made certain areas irrelevant.
+In other cases, there are simply better uses for the space. Any change, though, angers a certain percentage of passengers.
+In many ways, it’s like Coca-Cola or Pepsi dropping a soda flavor that has dimmed in popularity. Few people might like Tab or Peach Pepsi, but to a small percentage of people, those are the best flavors and should be untouchable.
+You may not have noticed that three once-popular cruise ship areas have largely disappeared, but the people who loved those spaces certainly have.
+https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/carnival-cruise-royal-caribbean-quietly-155625937.html
@@ Line 1046: / Line 1145: @@
 https://www.dailydot.com/news/carnival-cruise-canceled-no-warning/
+== Family’s $15K Carnival Cruise vacation canceled just 2 days prior, without their knowledge, after sharing booking number on Facebook ==
+Allie Griffin - May 31, 2024  / Updated May 31, 2024, 8:00 a.m. ET
+A Kentucky family’s $15,000 Carnival Cruise vacation they had been planning for a year was canceled just two days before the ship was set to sail after they accidentally shared their booking number online in a case of identity theft.
+Tiffany Banks was devastated to learn that her trip aboard the Carnival Celebration ship with her husband and their four kids was canceled without her knowledge the day before the family was going to fly to Florida to leave on the boat.
+Banks said in a series of TikTok videos that she had no idea their vacation, for which they had already paid in full, was trashed until she got an email about off-ship excursion cancellations and called to investigate.
+https://nypost.com/2024/05/31/us-news/familys-15k-carnival-cruise-vacation-canceled-without-their-knowledge-after-sharing-booking-number-on-facebook/
@@ Line 1082: / Line 1196: @@
 https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-clarifies-dining-time-adjustment/108713
+== Carnival Passengers Outraged After Cruise Line Increases ‘Insane’ Beverage Program to $82 Per Day ‘Without Warning’ ==
+“Extremely disappointed in the way this was handled,” a customer said of the new policy
+Natalia Senanayake - December 13, 2024 03:24 PM EST
+ Carnival Cruise Line passengers are expressing their disappointment over the company’s latest changes to its beverage program.
+The cruise company is now offering its CHEERS! beverage program to passengers over the age of 21 at a new price of $82.54 per day, according to its official website. The package was previously $70.74 per day, according to USA Today.
+Per Carnival’s website, “each adult assigned to the same stateroom must purchase the program” even if just one person was planning to opt for the package. It also states that “no sharing is permitted” and guests can only order one drink at a time.
+PEOPLE has reached out to Carnival Cruise Line for comment but has not yet received a reply.
+https://people.com/carnival-cruise-passengers-outraged-over-insane-beverage-program-changes-8761360
+== Carnival Cruise Line Is Suddenly Charging for These Popular Beverages—And Passengers Are Fuming ==
+Jill Schildhouse - Apr. 28, 2025
+Putting the squeeze on this basic drink may have you rethinking how you quench your thirst on your next cruise
+A common complaint with the cruise industry is passengers feeling nickel-and-dimed for everything—and in my nearly 30 years of frequent cruising, I’ve witnessed this time and again. A lot of these new rules are changing the whole experience of cruising too.
+As cruise ships look to maximize their revenue, the extra fees add up. Want to ride that insane waterslide or go-karts? It’ll cost ya. And sure, you can bring your own bottle of wine to the main dining room, but there’s a $15 corkage fee to drink it. Want to order the surf and turf on the regular menu? That’s an extra $20. And, of course, even the price of automatic gratuities is rising.
+Now, Carnival is suddenly (and quietly) charging for something that’s always been free: beverages that many consider a staple. Read on to find out which drinks fall under this umbrella and if there’s any way around this pricey new rule.
+https://www.rd.com/article/carnival-cruise-charging-for-popular-beverages-2025/
@@ Line 1107: / Line 1257: @@
 https://www.thestreet.com/travel/carnival-cruise-line-makes-a-clear-statement-on-mandatory-tips
+== Carnival Responds to Automatic Gratuity Policy ==
+Lissa Poirot - Aug 22, 2024
+A recent Facebook exchange between a Carnival Cruise Line guest and John Heald, the cruise line’s brand ambassador, has reignited debate over the cruise line’s gratuity policies.
+The controversy began when the passenger expressed frustration with the automatic gratuity charges on Carnival cruises, stating guests should retain the right to decide whether to tip and how much.
+The passenger’s post was direct, stating, “If I feel occasionally that someone deserves a gratuity I will give it to them. If not, then I will not. It is our choice.”
+The concern was raised in response to fears that Carnival might remove the option for passengers to adjust or remove these gratuities. “If you stop your customers having the right to remove all gratuities, then you would see an exodus like never before,” the passenger warned.
+https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-responds-to-automatic-gratuity-policy/142657
+==== Pollution ====
+== World's largest cruise line under fire after report uncovers alarming statistic: 'Bigger isn't better' ==
+Several US cities are pushing for restrictions or to ban cruise ships from their ports entirely.
+Lindy Whitehouse - December 15, 2024
+The number of people choosing to travel on cruise ships has risen exponentially over the last three decades. While cruising can be a good way to see new places, learn about new cultures, and take a break, a new report shows the significant damage cruise ships cause to the planet.
+**What's happening?**
+A new report has shown that the world's largest cruise line, Carnival, released more harmful pollution than Scotland's biggest city, Glasgow, during 2023. Per the Guardian, the report issued by the Transport and Environment campaign group analyzed the release of harmful pollution from cruise companies and found that Carnival was the worst one sailing in Europe in 2023. MSC was the second most polluting, followed by Norwegian Cruise Line.
+More specifically, the report found that Carnival was responsible for releasing around 2.5 million tonnes (2.75 million tons) of carbon, a heat-trapping gas responsible for causing the planet to heat up. In comparison, figures available for the city of Glasgow show that in 2021, it released 2.43 million tonnes (2.68 million tons) of carbon, according to the city council.
+A report from last year also found that Carnival's fleet of 63 ships was responsible for more sulfur oxide pollution in 2022 than all of the cars in Europe combined.
+https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/cruise-ship-pollution-report-carnival/
@@ Line 1631: / Line 1817: @@
 https://tech.slashdot.org/story/22/09/01/230240/royal-caribbean-will-equip-all-its-cruise-ships-with-starlink-internet
+==== Medical ====
+== Royal Caribbean, travel insurance, and the $390 Benadryl ==
+Daniel Kline - Tue, December 24, 2024 at 6:32 AM PST
+Like many frequent cruisers, I pay for an annual medical insurance policy. This covers me if anything ever goes wrong and I need medical attention on a ship.
+I had always assumed I was protecting myself from extreme situations. Fear has always been that, due to my general clumsiness, I might break an ankle or otherwise hurt myself in a way that required medical evacuation.
+Being evacuated in an emergency can cost tens of thousands of dollars and is generally not covered by your regular health insurance.
+I have always assumed that I was being overly cautious just in case something truly terrible happened. It never occurred to me that I could face massive charges if I needed a very basic over-the-counter medicine onboard.
+One recent Royal Caribbean passenger, however, shared a situation on TikTok that I have never considered. It was a dangerous scenario where the cruise line appeared to both endanger a passenger and put itself at some legal liability.
+https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/royal-caribbean-passenger-exposes-dangerous-153717284.html