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Crystal's New Excursions Where You Can Train Like a Cosmonaut  


The full text of the stories has been delivered to our subscribers on the dates indicated.

* Even Better than that Trip to Space Camp 
Mar 9 - Maybe you never got to go to space camp when you were a geeky teen. Crystal Cruises now has something even better - because it used to be top secret and forbidden. Now it will be a status symbol at the country club or the PTA, because it's Russian and like space camp for adults.

* Take It, but Just Don't Keep It 
Mar 9 - There's an interesting story playing out in Federal Court in Los Angeles about a type of crime you don't hear about too much on cruise ships. Maybe it's because, like in this case, it's too easy to get caught.

* Other Things You'll Want to Know
Mar 9 - CND subscribers also read about Celebrity Eclipse leaving a day early for its river transit and sea trials ... Celebrity Mercury leaving Charleston late because they were again sanitizing the ship ... and how much CLIA spends talking to folks in Washington (and who they are). 

The complete text of these stories appeared in the CND editions referenced and was sent to subscribers.

* Round and Round She Goes ... 
Mar 8 - Cunard's Queen Mary 2 arrived in Sydney yesterday, and as usual created a stir when thousands of sightseers came out to see the famous oceanliner in person. Cunard used the occasion to make an announcement about her unusual visit to Australia in 2012. 
   In February 2012, QM2 will make a 22-night complete circumnavigation of continent a first for Cunard. Normally in perpetual motion around the globe, the 28 days she will spend in Australia on that visit will also mark the longest period QM2 has ever been based in one country outside of her northern hemisphere home ports of Southampton and New York.

* Come Home Looking Like a New Person 
Mar 8 - Some people go on a cruise to visit another culture, but passengers aboard two Crystal Serenity sailings are going to visit another world - the world of fashion.

* Star Princess Departs - and a Lot of Passengers with Reservations Didn't 
Mar 5 - Earthquake-snarled Star Princess is finally underway from Valparaiso around the tip of South America to Rio de Janeiro, after dealing as best Princess could with the effects of Chile's earthquake on both the port of Valparaiso and the limited air lift now available to Santiago's international airport. 
   Due to last Saturday's earthquake, very few flights are operating in and out of Santiago, mostly due to damage to some of the terminal buildings. Star Princess was due to turn around at Valparaiso on Tuesday. Aside from the limited flights, the first problem Princess encountered was at the port. After first optimistically thinking they could delay the sailing by hours and most people could be accommodated, the plan was quickly revised to delay the sailing until Thursday, thus giving people en route to the ship time to get there, and giving people disembarking the ship an opportunity to secure alternate flights. (All along, airlines had been promising more flights would be operating very soon.) That seemed simple enough, but then came the next curve ball Princess encountered.
   In this CND article we look at the problems Princess encountered along with those of the passengers trying to get to the ship and trying to get home, and we see the importance of having travel insurance - and having the right insurance. 

* A Magnificent Extravaganza Awaits 
Mar 5 - When some cruise lines christen a ship, it's short and to the point. But when MSC christens a ship, it includes an entertainment extravaganza with the highlight coming when Sophia Loren actually does the honors.
   Saturday night it will happen again - this time in Hamburg, when Ms Loren officially names MSC Magnifica. 

* Other Things You'll Want to Know
Mar 5 - CND subscribers also read about who's leading the investigation into the wave incident on Louis Majesty ... and the SS United State is running out of time. 

* Passenger Overboard from Costa Serena 
Mar 4 - A 34-year-old French man apparently went overboard from Costa Serena last Saturday (February 27) while it was sailing in the Canary Islands.

* Good Business Means Higher Prices 
Mar 4 - For a couple of months we have been hearing from one luxury line after another about the strength of their bookings during wave season (the first several months of the year). Now that strength in the marketplace is seeming to be felt by the mass market lines too. 
   We recently heard from Carnival Cruise Lines about some unquantified strong wave season bookings, and now Norwegian Cruise Line is also reporting "an unprecedented year-to-date increase in booking volume" in January and February.

* Other Things You'll Want to Know
Mar 4 - CND subscribers also read about the aftermath for Louis of yesterday's wave strike of Louis Majesty ... more information about large waves and their causes ... QM2's less than regal accommodations at Auckland ... and an interview with a member of ACT Alaska for Alaskans about what the reduction in cruise ships is meaning to the state. 

* Huge Waves Kill Two Aboard Louis Majesty 
Mar 3 - Two passengers were fatally injured aboard Louis Cruises' Louis Majesty today in the Mediterranean when three large waves struck the ship and broke windows in the forward lounge on Deck 5 while experiencing winds in the area of about 60 miles per hour. More

* New Record for Port Everglades 
Mar 3 - With traffic building of the last few years, and now the largest cruise ship in the world homeported there, and another the same size coming later this year, Port Everglades is used to setting growth records. Now they just announced another broken record.

* Other Things You'll Want to Know
Mar 3 - CND subscribers also read about a new role for the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal ... and an upgrade going on aboard the original Queen Mary.

The complete text of these stories appeared in the CND editions referenced and was sent to subscribers.

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March 2 - Disney Dream's funnel arrives at Meyer Werft Larger/More

 

Mar 1 - Celebrity Eclipse was floated out of the covered building dock at Meyer Werft at Papenburg on Sunday morning. Larger/More

Feb 19 - Queen Victoria took on a whole new look for a breast cancer fundraiser in Sydney tonight. More/Larger

Feb 10 - AIDAblu was christened last night in Hamburg. More/Larger 

Feb 9 - One of Holland America's tour operators assisted this week in the rescue of a whale off the coast of Puerto Vallarta. More/Larger

Jan 19 - MSC Magnifica returned from successful sea trails on Sunday. More/Larger


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Recent features:

News File Index - past photos and articles available online. 

Guide to New Ships Lots of new ships will be sailing over the horizon in the next couple of years. This is the place to sort them all out and keep them straight. Here we list in a table how big, how many, who's got them, when they're coming.

Cruise Weather Page Here, you'll find links to some major weather sites that will help you find the current weather forecasts at ports you plan to visit and to sites that track major tropical storms.

Links to Cruise-Related Sites Here we gathered all the links to the major cruise lines' official home pages (and some selected smaller ones, too) along with links to the official pages of tourist boards at ports of call. Also included are other cruise-related sites that you will find useful. 

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