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The fatal shooting this week of a 14-year-old girl visiting St. Thomas by cruise ship has many people wondering whether the U.S. Virgin Islands are still a safe place for tourists.

Lizmarie Perez Chapparro was struck by a stray bullet on Monday as she rode with her parents on an open-air safari bus. The family, which arrived on the island that morning aboard the 2,758-passenger Carnival Victory, were taking the bus to the Coki Point Beach area when gunfire broke out between rival gangs attending a funeral at a cemetery along the route.

In response to the incident, several cruise lines with port calls this week in St. Thomas have cancelled excursions to the Coki Point Beach area. In addition, some ships have even offered full refunds for anyone wishing to cancel their pre-booked shore excursions anywhere on the island.

The U.S. Virgin Islands have been plagued by growing violence over the past few decades, first in St. Croix and more recently in St. Thomas. In fact, as of Monday’s fatal shooting, the territory of 110,000 people had racked up 44 homicides this year – an increase of more than 30% over the same period last year. At this point, the U.S. Virgin Islands are on track in 2010 to experience a record homicide rate that is 13 times the American national average.

As a result, some cruise lines are thinking about reducing the number of port calls they make in St. Thomas, or even dropping the destination altogether. And it wouldn’t be the first time that cruise lines have taken this kind of drastic action.

For example, most cruise lines pulled out of St. Croix in 2002 because of concerns over rising crime on that island. And a number of cruise lines have pulled out of, or reduced port visits in Jamaica for the same reason.

So should cruise ships pull out of St. Thomas as a result of Monday’s senseless and tragic death?

As someone who has been to the region more than a dozen times over the past 30 years, I would hate to see that happen. After all, St. Thomas is a beautiful island with great scenery and beaches, lots of wonderfully warm and friendly people, and some of the best duty-free shopping in the Caribbean.

In addition, there isn’t a destination in the world that is completely crime-free, or where tourists don’t need to be cautious of where they are going. And fatal attacks on tourists are extremely rare anywhere in the Caribbean.

However, I do believe that Monday’s tragic event could be used as a catalyst for positive change in the region.

For example, cruise lines need to explore alternative ports in the region and begin reducing the number of calls they make in a very congested St. Thomas which is already too crowded on most days in winter. Some lines have already begun to do that by calling in the nearby British Virgin Islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke, which are relatively crime free.  More lines should follow this lead.

In addition, the government of the U.S.V.I. needs to get more serious about reducing crime on St. Thomas, particularly violent crime. They ignored the problem on St. Croix and have already seen the economic impact of their inaction in terms of lost tourism dollars. So it’s time local leaders took their heads out of the sand and faced up to the fact that their island paradise is becoming ‘Paradise Lost’.

But if, among other things, local crime and port congestion can be curtailed, there’s no reason why St. Thomas can’t regain its reputation one day as a true Caribbean paradise.  

The Norwegian Epic sails today (June 24, 2010) from Southampton, England to New York City on her maiden voyage. Since being released from the STX shipyard in France last week, the Epic has done two mini-cruises for invited guests only, mainly media and travel agents. However, this voyage will be the first real test of her appeal and sea worthiness with a paying audience.

So far, much of the hype about NCL’s largest and most innovative ship to date has lived up to its advance billing. And what else would you expect from a ship that has six bowling lanes, an aqua park with three water slides, rock climbing and rappelling walls, an ice bar, evening entertainment from the likes of Cirque du Soleil and Blue Man Group, more restaurants than most small cities, and dedicated cabins for singles.

Not that getting one of the world’s most revolutionary ship designs to sea has been without its trials and tribulations.

When first conceived in 2006, the Epic was going to be the first of three ships built to this innovative new standard as part of a project known as “F3.”  However, a dispute between NCL and STX resulted in the construction of just one ship – the Epic.

Then a series of fires broke out on the ship during its final stages of construction in May and June of 2010, which many people thought (incorrectly) would delay its delivery to NCL. And this week, the Epic limped into Southampton with a propeller problem, which apparently has been fixed in time for today’s departure.

Despite the early teething problems and its rather ugly profile, the Epic looks like it’s going to be a winner for NCL. And the main reason is that it features a wide variety of innovative options for dining, entertainment, activities and accommodations. For example:

-  The water park features three waterslides, including one called the “Epic Plunge” that offers a ride on an inner tube. However, there have been reports that the slide is not yet working properly.

- While rock-climbing walls are not a first at sea, Epic has added a new dimension by adding a rappelling wall (you rappel down it rather than climbing up).
- The sports deck includes a full-size basketball court, batting cage, trampoline, and a 24-foot tall enclosed climbing cage called the Spider Web. There are also six bowling lanes.
- To keep the kids entertained at sea, NCL has partnered with Nickelodeon to offer character meet-and-greets, interactive game shows, and special character breakfasts and activities.
- The ship has more than 14 dining options including The Manhattan club (a 2-storey Art Deco supper club with a dance floor); O’Sheehan’s Bar & Grill (a 24-hour neighbourhood pub); Moderno Churrascaria (an Argentine parilla); La Cucina (a Tuscan-style trattoria); and Teppanyaki (beef, chicken and shrimp prepared on an iron grill by Japanese chefs).

- Innovative entertainment options including Blue Man Group, Second-City, and Cirque Dreams and Dinner, the latter being a dinner theatre concept where waiters are part of the show.

- More than 125 cabins for single passengers that are priced for solo occupancy without any type of supplementary fee. While these are all inside cabins, they do offer a shared lounge area with a bar and room to socialize.

Once the Epic arrives in the U.S. on July 1, it will do a preview cruise before getting christened by Reba McEntire on July 2. Then it will play host to the Macy’s department store 4^th of July fireworks celebration in New York City.

After relocating to Miami, the Epic will begin its inaugural Caribbean season, where it will offer 7-day cruises to the Western and Eastern Caribbean. Then in April of 2011, the ship will move to Europe for the summer where it will be the largest ship ever to sail the Mediterranean.

While the Norwegian Epic may have faced some challenges on its way into service, the future looks bright for what has to be one of the most innovative ships to debut in the last decade. Along with Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, the Epic may well change the way we think about cruise ships for a long time to come.

Carnival Cruises has introduced new security measures that give the line the right to confiscate a wide variety of electronic products and other items brought onboard its ships. Some of the items are strictly prohibited, while others can be confiscated during the cruise if deemed to be used in a manner that presents a security hazard.

So far the new rules have created a backlash from clients who say the measures are unclear and could lead to different standards being applied across the Carnival fleet. In fact, the line has already relented on one issue and removed the ban on 700-watt hair dryers.

According to the FAQ on Carnival’s web site, the new items that may be confiscated during the cruise include:

May be confiscated on board:

• Personal grooming devices such as hair dryers, flat and curling irons, shavers, etc., are allowed on board when used with proper caution.  These devices should not be used when other electrical appliances are plugged in.  However, if such devices are determined to pose a hazard, they will be removed and returned the last day of the cruise prior to debark.

• Electronics such as laptops, cameras, cellular phones, etc. are allowed on board when used with proper caution.

• Electrical devices such as fans, power strips, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, and extension cords will be removed if determined to pose a hazard and returned the last day of the cruise prior to debark.  

• Musical Instruments: Only if the guest is participating in a pre-approved ship performance. 

• Floatation Devices:  For the comfort of all our guests, rafts, tubes and floatation devices other than those used as life preservers (water wings) cannot be used in the swimming pools on board. 

These categories are in addition to a wide range of items that will be confiscated at check in including:

Confiscated Items at check-in:  

• Alcohol (hard liquor)/sealed, unopened bottles

• Beer/sealed, unopened bottles/cans

• Wine or champagne/sealed, unopened bottles - beyond the allowable limit of one bottle per adult 21 years of age (brought on at embarkation time only)

• Clothing irons and steamers (all Carnival ships offer laundry facilities with irons and ironing boards. Fleet-wide valet laundry service is also available for a nominal fee.)

• Electrical and household appliances (i.e. coffee makers, hot plates, toasters, etc.)

• Candles

• Heating Pads

• Incense

What’s next?

Once Carnival has finalized its list of banned, prohibited and may be confiscated items, rumors say they will being putting together a list of prohibited clothing items. We hope this list will include white shoes, burgundy pants and lime-colored sports jackets. And of course, Speedo bathing suits worn by anyone over 50 with a beer belly!

As for the cruise line’s marketing slogan “Fun for All, All for Fun”, apparently passengers will be required to submit a list of things they like to do at sea six weeks in advance of the cruise so it can be vetted by bureaucrats in the company’s head office. If the items are approved, passengers will be given a “fun” permit that gives them permission to participate in a limited number of pre-approved actitivities as long as they have the permit stapled to their forehead.

We can’t wait to see what Carnival comes up with next!

With air travel to and from most parts of Europe grounded for the past week by a cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland, thousands of stranded passengers have been wondering how they’ll get home. And in somewhat of a “Back to the Future” twist, some are discovering that a leisurely cruise across the Atlantic may once again be “the only way to cross.”

Of course, crossing the pond by boat was the only way to travel between Europe and North America for hundreds of years until commercial plane travel arrived in the 1940s. In addition, travel by cruise ship had been growing in popularity since 1867 when Mark Twain chronicled his six month-adventure at sea in his wonderful book Innocents Abroad.

Despite the romantic image of sailing, facilities aboard passenger ships were pretty rudimentary until the early 20th century. However, with the growing need to transport immigrants to America and advancements in technology, shipyards were able to build bigger and better vessels that minimized the discomfort of an ocean voyage and provided more public space.

Not long after, cruise lines began to attract more wealthy tourists and businessmen by offering better accommodations, more elegant dining, and onboard activities at sea. As a result, passenger service grew dramatically and shipping companies from England, Germany, France, Holland, Italy and Sweden began to build better and grander ships to compete for this growing business. In fact, by the mid 1950s Cunard Line alone was operating up to 12 ships year-round on the trans-Atlantic route. 

However, when jet travel was introduced in 1958, it wasn’t long before passengers abandoned ships in favour of a much faster crossing by plane (eight hours versus five days). This situation led to the collapse of cruising as a means of transportation from point to point, and eventually its reinvention as a form of floating vacation to exotic destinations. 

Of course, that was before the cloud of volcanic ash arrived over Europe last Wednesday and began to shut down most of the continent’s airports. As a result, some stranded passengers looking for a way back home have rediscovered that cruise ships still cross the Atlantic, albeit in much smaller numbers than they once did during the Golden Age of Cruising.

For example, Cunard still offers regularly scheduled crossings, with weekly sailings between New York and Southampton on the Queen Mary 2 each week from April through November. And most major lines offer trans-Atlantic cruises each spring and fall as they reposition ships between European and American markets.

These trans-Atlantic cruises, which are sometimes difficult to sell, are suddenly filling up at with travelers seeking a reliable way home. In fact, the Queen Mary 2 sailing from Southampton to New York departing April 22 is already oversold with a waiting list of more than 500 people. And similar crossings from Florida with other cruise lines are also filling up quickly.

But while news of fully booked ships crossing the Atlantic may seem like we’ve gone back to the future, no one is expecting it to continue once air travel returns to normal. However, some of these reluctant cruisers may soon discover that in this age of long security lines at airports, unreliable schedules, and extra fees for checked luggage, a leisurely voyage across the Atlantic may still be the only way to cross.

While it will still be a long time before cruise fares return to 2007 levels, a handful of cruise lines have recently announced they will be increasing fares for this summer, and in some cases, for the remainder of the year.

These fare increases will only impact cruise bookings made after the increases take effect, which for the most part will be in late March or early April. So anyone who books before the increase kicks in will still benefit from the lower price.

The fare increases at the mainstream cruise lines will be modest. For example, Carnival will raise prices by up to 5% effective March 22, and NCL will hike fares by up to 7% effective April 2.  The rate of increase will vary according to itinerary, with the most popular regions getting the highest bump.

However, the rate of fare increase will be significantly larger at the luxury lines, many of which have been offering extraordinary bargains and incentives such as “two-for-one” fares, free air, generous onboard credits, and free or discounted shore excursions.

For example, Silversea Cruises is planning to increase fares and eliminate some incentives beginning March 18. Regent will be hiking fares on many of its cruises after March 31. And others cruise lines may soon follow their lead in the months ahead, depending on consumer demand.

That’s not to say fares on every cruise itinerary will go up, or increase by the same amount.

There are still some itineraries that are not selling well, or are getting too close to their departure dates for increases to kick in. For example, Princess Cruises recently announced fares starting at less than US$100 per person for a 32-day voyage from Singapore to Cape Town that departs April 2. And demand for cruises to the Mexican Riviera, as well as for three and four day voyages to the Caribbean, continues to be soft.

In addition, there will still be times of the year when bargain fares are still available on certain itineraries. For example, the fall for Caribbean cruises, May and September for Alaska sailings, and the winter for Mediterranean voyages.

But there’s no doubt that the price of some cruises – particularly those during peak periods to popular places like the Mediterranean, or those with decreased capacity like Alaska – are going up. And the reason is that cruise bookings for 2010 have been way up over last year, thanks to strong sales during the first two months of this year during the cruise industry’s primary marketing period known as “Wave Season.”

Each year, cruise lines use Wave Season – where more than 50% of the industry’s yearly cabin capacity can be sold — to gauge the level of consumer demand. If that demand is low (as it was in 2008 and 2009), cruise lines respond with lower fares and special incentives to encourage sales. If demand is strong (as it was in January and February of this year), the same cruise lines try to increase fares and remove incentives where possible for the remainder of the year.

So with this year’s strong, and for some cruise lines, record Wave Season, cruise fares will be going up on many itineraries. Whether cruise lines can maintain higher fares and continue to increase them in the future remains to be seen. After all, it was cheaper fares that drove this strong Wave Season to begin with.

However, for the time being, cruise lines are sending travel consumers a powerful and pointed message:  if you want to take a cruise vacation in 2010, book early before the higher prices kick in. Otherwise, you could be paying more than you need to.

While tough economic times are causing Canadians to search for bigger travel bargains, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted for Tripharbour.ca shows that most (64%) are still planning a vacation within the next year. And according to statistics from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), a growing number of these Canadians are choosing vacations at sea.  

But while Canadians are not ready to jettison the family vacation, they are looking for travel deals that deliver more bang for the buck.

That’s probably why the rock-bottom pricing, incentives and all-inclusive deals being offered by the world’s major cruise lines have been hitting a responsive chord with recession-weary Canadians.  In fact, according to the 2009 CLIA Cruise Market Overview, the number of Canadians taking cruises grew by 5.18% to 710,607 passengers in 2008 from 675,558 in 2007.  And  industry insiders say that Canadian cruise sales to date are just as strong for 2009.

“With cruises to the Caribbean, South America and Europe selling for as low as $65 a day, we’ve seen a big increase in visitors to our site who are shopping for a deal on their family vacation,” says Stuart MacDonald, travel industry innovator and founder of Tripharbour.ca.  “And since the price of a cruise includes a room, all meals, entertainment and transportation from port to port, it’s a pretty good value proposition.”

According to the Ipsos Reid poll, 64% of Canadians are planning to take a vacation within the next 12 months, while 77% will take one within the next two years. In contrast, when asked the same question in January of this year during a prolonged cold streak, 69% of Canadians said they were planning a vacation within the next year – five percentage points higher than the current survey.  I guess we need some colder weather to encourage those 5% to change their minds!

According to the current survey, residents of British Columbia have the greatest urge to travel, with 73% saying they will take a vacation within the next 12 months. Albertans placed a close second, with 70% planning a leisure trip in the next year, followed by Saskatchewan/Manitoba at 68%, and Quebecers and Atlantic Canadians at 65%. However, only 57% of Ontarians are planning a vacation in the next 12 months, something that might reflect the deeper impact of the recession on that province.

The bottom line is that most Canadians still want to vacation, but they’re doing it more smartly by shopping for the very best deals.  And that means that the number of cruise passengers in Canada should continue to grow, even if the overall number of people planning a vacation drops.

People who share their insights and views about cruising on the Internet are part of a close-knit community. So when one cruise community has a problem, we all feel part of their pain.

That’s exactly what happened this week when some key members of Cruise Freek Forums alleged that owner Jacqueline “Tina” Rinaldi had been involved in a cruel hoax. For those not familiar with CFF, it’s an online cruise community that was started in August of 2007 as one of several alternatives to Cruise Critic – the more established but sometimes heavy-handed and overly censorship-happy cruise message board. As membership slowly grew, selected travel agents were invited to be the “official” travel agents for CFF and assist in organizing group cruises.

According to an open letter released on Twitter on March 31 by some key CFF members and agents, Tina had organized a large number of contests for the CFF community and given away nearly a million dollars worth of free cruises to members. The idea was to build registered membership in CFF and increase user traffic so that the community would be a more attractive place for advertisers or partners – specifically the major cruise lines. In fact, Tina recently pitched Royal Caribbean International to buy into a $3.5 million advertising campaign with CFF without success.

Apparently, the contests failed to generate a significant number of new members or advertising for CFF, and therefore insufficient revenue to pay for the cruise prizes. As a result, CFF’s travel agent partners were left holding the bag for the cruises, and finally got fed up waiting to receive payment for them from Tina and CFF.

As a result, CFF is in turmoil and has stopped accepting new member registrations. In addition, it is doubtful that members who entered the contests and won cruises will ever receive them. A message on the CFF site from Tina Rinaldi claims that all accounts will be settled in the next three weeks, and that a new head and board will be appointed by May 1 to take over the operation of CFF. However, no one involved in CFF is putting much faith in Tina’s promises which in the past have been pretty hollow.  And if CFF does mange to survive, it will be in a much more diminished and less credible way.

While Cruise Freek Forums was a competitor to other cruise communities including CruiseMates, Cruise Critic and Tripharbor.com/Tripharbour.ca, no one is taking pleasure in their problems and potential demise. At the end of the day, it’s better for everyone in the cruise industry to have more people chatting about cruises than fewer, no matter where they go to do it. As the old adage says, a high tide floats all boats.

So if there’s anyone out there from Cruise Freek Forums reading this, we share your disappointment. If you need somewhere to go to chat about cruising, feel free to join our Tripharbor.com/Tripharbour.ca community. We may not have contests that give away free cruises, but we do run an honest community which respects and values the contributions made by all of our members, and where cruise lovers can speak their mind without fear of unnecessary censorship.

If there is a lesson to be learned from the demise of CFF, it’s that anyone who claims to be giving away dozens of free cruises in one year probably isn’t telling the truth. In other words, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

This week Disney Cruise Line unveiled the names of its next two ships – the Fantasy and Dream. Nice names, except they already belong to ships owned by Carnival Cruises. Maybe Carnival should retaliate by naming its next ship the “Mouse”.

Does it matter? Not really, although it does demonstrate a lack of imagination from the people who coined the term “imagineering.”

It’s as though the people at Disney who dream up the names of ships left their creativity in dry dock. Or maybe they just took a cue from a gag on the old Bob Newhart Show – you know, the one when three guys walk into the Inn and one says, “Hi, I’m Larry. And this is my brother Darryl and this is my other brother Darryl.”

Whatever the motivation, it seems that for the most part, the names given to cruise ships today have become repetitive, meaningless and commonplace. For example, we’ve got multiple ships bearing the names Splendor,  Pride, Spirit, Europa, Princess, Rhapsody, Voyager, Explorer, Sky, Sapphire, Diamond, and Majesty – and that’s just a small sample.

That’s a far cry from the pre-1970s era of ocean travel when most ships had names that meant something. In those days, many ships were given names that were part of a theme such as ending with “ic” at White Star Line (as in Oceanic) and ending with “ia” at Cunard Line (as in Carpathia). Some names evoked images of their country of registration – like the Constitution and Independence of the American Export Line, the Ile de France and Normandie of the French Line, and the Sagafjord and Vistafjord of Norwegian America Line.

Other ships were named in recognition of monarchs like the Queen Mary, or for ancient Roman provinces like the Lusitania and the Mauretania.  Some were named for cities like the Rotterdam. And many were named for famous citizens like Michelangelo and Raffaello of the Italian Line, or Greek gods like the Orpheus or Artemis.

But whatever the ship’s moniker, it meant something, it was part of a naming tradition, and it was rarely used by more than one ship at a time. Compare that system to today’s mishmash where the marketing departments dream up names that signify nothing and can be used by just about any ship in the world.

Now if coming across two or more ships with the same name sounds confusing to you, the cruise lines can explain why it shouldn’t be. Apparently, we’re supposed to put the name of the cruise line in front of the ship’s name as in “Disney Fantasy” or “Carnival Fantasy.”  Royal Caribbean has gone a step further: they add an extra “of the Seas” after the name of every ship as in “Voyager of the Seas.” I guess that would make it okay for them to christen their next ship “Queen Mary 2 of the Seas.”

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer the old system of naming ships when only one vessel carried a name, and you instantly knew which cruise line it belonged to. That’s why I have to give a lot of credit to the folks at Holland America Line. All their ships end with the suffix “dam” as in Westerdam, Rotterdam, Veendam, etc., which has made it “dam” hard for anyone else to copy them.

However, at the end of the day, I suppose it no longer matters that lots of ships have the same meaningless names. After all, a ship by any other name would float as well, even if it lacks creativity.

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