Carnival’s New Mega Ships Will Carry 7,000 Passengers and Crew
This article originally appeared on Fox News Travel.
Carnival Cruise Line is expanding its fleet with four new ships that will transport a record number of passengers and crew members.
Setting sail between 2019 and 2022, the new cruise ships will be able to carry up to 6,600 guests in addition to hundreds of crew members. Cruise ships today average about 4,000 plus passengers, but despite the increased capacity Carnival stressed that the high-volume vessels won’t feel more crowded.
“A major part of the innovative design involves making much more efficient use of the ship's spaces, creating an enhanced onboard experience for guests,” the company said in a statement released Monday. Though the new ships will have an “an extensive number of guest-friendly features,” they will unlikely house the large scale attractions like bumper cars, skating rinks, or full size basketball courts, according to Bloomberg.
“It won’t feel congested, it won’t feel confined,” Carnival Chief Executive Arnold W. Donald assured viewers in a Bloomberg interview yesterday. “People will find it to be a great experience.”
Rooms and suites are likely to stay the same while extra space will be taken from the ships’ common areas.
The largest ship by size currently in commission is Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the seas which is scheduled to set sail next spring. That ship boasts a capacity of 5,479 passengers. The line’s Oasis class ships are about seven feet shorter but can carry considerably more passengers—up to 6,300 guests and almost 2,400 crew.
Carnival is also stepping into the "green cruising" space as the new ships will be the first ever cruise vessels powered by Liquefied Natural Gas. This type of gas is already used municipal buses and airport shuttles as it reduces soot emissions and cuts down on mechanical carbon footprints.
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Her Cruise Waiter Became the Love of Her Life
This article was written by Laurie Martins and originally appeared on Yahoo Travel. Who: Laurie and Albino Antonio Martins a.k.a "Martins" What: Met on the SS Norway sailing from Miami, Florida When: Date was September 24, 1988 Relationship Status: Married on June 16, 1990 (As told by Laurie) I had asked my sister if she wanted to go on a cruise with me. She's an OR nurse and couldn't get time off due to the surgery schedule, but told me about her favorite cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line and encouraged me to go by myself. She assured me that I'd make new friends and wouldn't feel uncomfortable traveling solo. I decided to trust her and booked the cruise. Following the mandatory lifeboat drill, I decided to go up to one of the promenade decks where I expected to make friends and mingle with other single passengers. There were none to be found. I started to question if my sister was right. At 38, everyone else seemed to be about my age, but after watching groups of 4-6 single women traveling together and starry-eyed couples beaming into each other's eyes, I retired to my cabin. I dressed for my first dining room dinner and entered the room a bit apprehensive. The cruise line determined the seating arrangements, so I didn't know what to expect. The maitre d' ushered me to a table with five women seated. We exchanged greetings and introductions and I learned they were sisters and friends traveling together from Canada. Once they found out I was alone, they adopted me into their group. My sister was right! By the second night at dinner, I told my table mates that I thought our waiter, whose name tag simply said "Martins," was possibly one of the most handsome men I had ever seen in all of my 38 years. His elegant looks and mannerisms were only enhanced by the most beautiful European accent. He was the topic of conversation the entire evening, and we giggled and laughed flirtatiously with everything he said. At dinner on the third night, we invited him to one of our cabins to share a drink. He charmingly accepted and asked for the cabin number. One of the women named Bea responded by giving him my room number. Later that evening, my new friends and me were toasting champagne and listening to music when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to see Martins, dressed in off-white slacks and a tank top. He had a beautiful smile highlighted by beautiful pearly white, perfectly aligned teeth. His biceps were amazing and I was thrilled to note that he wore embroidered, monogrammed Ralph Lauren socks. Perfect from head to toe. It turned into a really fun night and we all got sillier and sillier with every round of drinks. We taught him English words and phrases, laughed together, and when a tango played on the television, he grabbed my hand, pulled me to my feet and danced with me. As morning started to creep up, the other women retired to their cabins and Martins and I talked our hometowns, families, friends, and jobs until 4 a.m. The next morning at breakfast, my new friends asked me "what I had done" to him, reporting that he was singing like a bird that morning. I told them about our long talk, and that despite the fact that he spoke very little English aside from food-related subjects, our conversations were comfortable and free-flowing from the beginning. The next few nights, he joined us in my cabin. As the cruise was nearing the end, he asked if he could accompany me to the airport after the ship arrived back in Miami. Of course, I told him yes. While we were waiting for my flight, he took my hand, kissed it, and told me he "knew why he was born." Knowing I was divorced, had two sons (ages 18 and 11), and had my share of unhappy times, he vowed that "no one would ever make me unhappy again." He promised that he "would always take care of me" and pledged his love. After I returned home, we exchanged weekly cards, letters, and telephone calls. As things got more serious, he began to fly me to Miami and pay for my airfare and hotel room once a month. The following January, he took me to Portugal to show me his country. I was able to see his beautiful homeland, tour some castles, be wined and dined, and best of all, meet his family. We stayed in his family's home for two days. It was after meeting them, laughing with them, eating, and talking with them that I understood where this wonderful man was nurtured and raised. Martins asked me to marry him in the National Palace in Sintra, Portugal. It's a place where kings and queens once walked, and he told me he would "feel like a king every day of his life if I would marry him." Doesn't get any more romantic and wonderful than that! The next two years were filled with flights to Miami for romantic rendezvous weekends, more visits to Portugal, and nonstop telephone calls and cards to each other. Finally, I was able to marry the love of my life on June 16, 1990. 25 years later, he remains true to his worlds. I am living happily ever after with my personal Portuguese Prince Charming. Yahoo Travel profiles readers who came back from a trip with the best souvenir ever—true love. Want to share your own story? Email us at traveleditors@yahoo.com. More From Yahoo Travel: What Other Countries Really Think of America Apparently L.A. is the Best Place to Find a Date on Vacation The 10 Most Insane Shopping Malls Around the World
Carnival Cruise Lines to Start Charging for Room Service
This article originally appeared on Fox News Travel. Carnival has announced it will start testing a 24-hour room service menu on board several ships—but premium service comes with a fee. The move comes just a few days after rival cruise line Norwegian announced it would be adding a service charge to room service orders, reports Cruise Critic. The new menu will feature a diverse range of items including sushi, chicken wings, fried shrimp, quesadillas and customizable pizzas, ranging in price from $4 to $7. Carnival is hoping to offer cruises better quality and more choices when it comes to ship dining. Free selections will still be available around the clock which include hot and cold sandwiches, salads, desserts and breakfast pastries, according to Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen. While some cruisers seem happy with the addition of better quality menu items—even if they come with additional costs—other cruise fans are upset that lines are tacking on new fees that should be included with in the cost of a general cruise ticket. “What a shame if they start charging for room service items. I would be okay with paying for hot items though! Most of the food we can get from lido when its open so it seems like we are being charged for something we already paid for in our cruise fair[sic],” wrote v3cruiser on Carnival’s message board. The new menu will roll out on three Carnival ships—the Imagination, Conquest and Pride—on April 12. Customer feedback will guide the cruise line in determining whether or not the pay-per items will be rolled out to other ships in the future. More From Fox News Travel: 6 best music festivals this spring Longest town names in the world Inside the $25,000-a-night Vivienne Westwood suite Do you know what muffuletta is or even how to pronounce it?
Confessions of a Cruise Ship Captain
This article was written by Sherri Eisenberg and originally appeared on Fox News Travel. What’s it really like to be at the helm of one of these mega cruise ships? We caught up with Captain Rune Myre, 17-year veteran of Norwegian Cruise Line and the captain of the Miami-based Norwegian Getaway. Born in to a fishing family in northern Norway, Myre has spent his career at sea. In 1998, joined Norwegian Cruise Line and worked on many of line’s ships, including the Norwegian Sea and Norwegian Dawn and captained the Norwegian Pearl before taking the helm of the Norwegian Getaway. Myre oversees every aspect of the massive 3,969-passenger vessel and its 1,700 crew. Since setting sail in 2013, the Norwegian Getaway has gotten rave reviews for its family-friendly features and celebrity chef restaurants, among other things. For Super Bowl XLVIII, the ship was transformed into a floating Bud Light hotel with football parties and celebrity appearances. On a recent trip, while docked in St. Thomas, he took a few minutes out of his busy day to talk to us about what isn’t a 9 to 5 job. Myre: Some people drive to work at 7 a.m. and come home at 7 p.m.; I work 10 weeks and then I have 10 weeks off. I think I have it best. That’s what it’s like to be a sailor. FoxNews.com: What are some common preconceptions about your job?Myre: I don’t think a lot of people think about what goes on behind the scenes on a billion dollar ship. Every week, you meet four and a half thousand new people. You’re responsible for the safety and security of, on a ship like this, 6,000 people. The crewmembers are 70 different nationalities. It is a challenge. FoxNews.com: People get hurt and die on cruise ships. What's the hardest thing about your job?Myre: When things happen to crewmembers’ families and you have to get them home. FoxNews.com: What's the coolest thing that has ever happened to you on a ship?Myre: For me it was a great honor and pleasure to take out the ship. We then had the Super Bowl in New York, and then the christening in Miami with Pitbull (singer Armando Christian Perez), and I got to meet the guy. He is cool as cool can be. FoxNews.com: What's the most surprising thing that has ever happened to you on a ship? Myre: I’ve been to births and deaths. We had a child birth once that was amazing. FoxNews.com: What's your favorite port to sail into?Myre: I love Alaska, and I have done eleven seasons in Alaska. It is like being home [northern Norway]. The ports all look the same—the mountains, the ice caps. It’s special up there. FoxNews.com: What is your least favorite port to sail into?Myre: The ports have developed during the years; 15 or 16 years ago I could have answered that question but now all of our ports are good. The Caribbean is nice because of the weather, but I will say that there are a few ports where there are too many ships. That’s the only negative: There are too many people walking around the streets. Some passengers might feel that it might be a little crowded during winter season. FoxNews.com: What do you like to do when you have extra time in port?Myre: I normally get off the ship in St. Thomas for a couple hours. I go for a walk, and get some fresh air, and go for a good hike if I have time. In St. John I went snorkeling; Megan’s Bay Beach in St. Thomas is beautiful. There’s also the airport in St. Martin where the planes land just over the beach, so you can watch the planes. FoxNews.com: What do cruisers often miss out on when they're at sea that captain's notice?Myre: A lot of people are hanging around the pool deck, listening to music, chilling, climbing the walls, whatever. I see birds, flying fish, dolphins, and sometimes a whale. FoxNews.com: What is the best experience you have had with a cruiser?Myre: I am not the kind of guy who gives out my personal information right away, but I have people every week that I know from other sailings. FoxNews.com: What is the worst behavior you have seen from a cruiser?Myre: If you live in a city of 6,500 people things are going to happen. People misbehave because they drink too much or have a disagreement with their spouse. I have seen fights during my career, it happens, and we deal with it. We have security onboard and procedures for everything.My position in a town like this is like the mayor, and I have a police force. People are here to have a great time, and that’s what people do. We don’t have much trouble. FoxNews.com: What is your best advice for cruisers?Myre: If you come onboard a ship of this size, go to information meetings, learn about the ports. We have a lot of information onboard, and it takes time to get to know the ship. The people who want to experience the most in the week that they’re here have to get the brochures. FoxNews.com: What is your favorite thing about the ship you are on today?Myre: I like the Illusionarium, which is a magic show. It is a great experience. Every friend who comes onboard I personally book in Illusionarium. I have been 15 times, and I am trying to figure out how they make the birds disappear! I don’t want to ask them, I want to figure it out. More From Fox News Travel: #IWillComeToTunisia: Tourists pledge to visit the country following the attack Are you a MAMIL? Jealous boyfriend crowdfunds trip to spy on girlfriend's spring break
