Tagged With "mega-ships"
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Re: Lawrence and the Pirates
Thanks for letting me as close as I'll probably get to the tramp steamer fantasy so many of us grew up with--and which is now, apparently, more civilized than in the fantasies...but still with an edge of danger.
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Re: Lawrence and the Pirates
Great piece and great photos!That way of travel appeals to me a lot more than a luxury cruise ship. Thanks for taking us along the adventure.
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Re: Lawrence and the Pirates
That's an amazing story! I love that scene from Lawrence Of Arabia and can see why it'd make you wanna go.
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Re: Lawrence and the Pirates
Thats a fantastic perspective and life experience. Thanks for sharing that with us.
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Re: Lawrence and the Pirates
A sad addendum, "our" Lawrence, Peter O'Toole, has died in London at the age of 81. One of my very favorites for all time, the movie and the actor. RIP "Orence".
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Re: Lawrence and the Pirates
CNN highlighted Lawrence of Arabia as one of the most influential travel films of all time. Anyone who's seen it will know why. Here's a link to their brief tribute to Mr. O'Toole.
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Re: How a super-ship manages 12-hour turnaround
Sometimes when I'm in Vancouver I head to Canada Place to watch the cruise ships coming and going. You actually get to see the belly of the ship being loaded. The dozens of palates of food that go on is amazing. Would you have thought a cruise ship would consume 3 massive containers of potatoes in a week? 2 of onions? Might even have been more, that's all I saw. It is truly a model of efficiency.
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Re: Cruisers told: Leave your water home!
Looks like I'm back to Vodka in a Listerine Mouthwash Bottle then. 1 drop of green and 2 drops of blue food colouring.
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Re: Cruisers told: Leave your water home!
You're a crafty fellow, GarryRF! Resourceful and sly -- features we like about you.
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Re: Where Gumbo Was #4.0: Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor, California
Hey, everybody: Check in tomorrow for a new Where in the World! It will be on display at 5 am EST. Hope that doesn't put the West Coast at a disadvantage...but I don't think anyone is going to get it right away!
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Re: Where Gumbo Was #4.0: Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor, California
Wish I hadn't been away last week. I actually knew this one!
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Re: Where Gumbo Was #4.0: Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor, California
Don't get left out again! You can follow Gumbo on your mobile device...it comes up formatted for tiny-screen use, but if you have enough screen (most smartphones do) click on settings and choose "standard view," or use the menu to select "Desktop view."
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Re: Where Gumbo Was #4.0: Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor, California
I didn't even know that, PHeymont! About the cell phone view, I mean.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, July 15, 2014: Deck Chairs Aboard QM2
Your photo reminds me of a cruise we just did a few months ago in the Chilean fjordland. When we approached cape Horn, famous for its stormy seas, we were in constant winds of 100 knots, with gusts of 160 knots. The deck was even emptier than your photo above would indicate! Nice photos, Islandman. Thanks for taking all of us aboard the Queen Mary.
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New gonzo cruise ship even has sky-diving!
In the race to think up more features to add to cruise ships, Royal Caribbean is looking up...with a top-deck skydiving simulator on its newest ship, Quantum of the Seas, which has just started operating out of the New York area. Would you believe...
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The Empire Strikes Back: Carnival's new super-ship
Carnival may be the biggest operator in the cruise world (Carnival, Holland-America, Cunard, Costa and more) but it's had an image problem in the past few years, and rival Princess and Norwegian have been giving them a real run. Now Carnival's...
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How a super-ship manages 12-hour turnaround
Today's (Mar 22) NY Times has a fascinating article on the "backstage" operation involved in getting 6000 passengers off a ship, washing 93,000 pounds of linens, loading up all the food and water, and getting the next 6000 passengers out to...
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MSC stre-e-e-e-tches its fleet with new midsection
If the headline is a bit puzzling, the concept is a bit amazing. MSC Cruises, having decided that some of its ships were smaller than optimal, decided to stretch them out. It's now halfway through a 4-ship refit that involves slicing the liners in...
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Cruise lines drop Puerta Vallarta over violence
Recent street fights between armed drug gangs and Mexican police and troops in Puerta Vallarta have cancelled several cruise's port calls, and curtailed others. Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas, Disney's Wonder and Celebrity's Infinity have...
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The Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2)
A sight you won't see anymore, Ian Cook shares these photos of the QEII sailing into the River Tyne just before her retirement in 2008.
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April 28, 2020: Manitoba Maritime Museum, Selkirk
DrFumblefinger unexpectedly comes across these ships on a cold snowy day along the banks of the Red River. It is the Manitoba Maritime Museum.
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For sale: World's largest yacht. Will alter to suit.
As they say, if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it. But for those who want to do their traveling in real (Marie Antoinette) style and can afford $770 million, your sweet ride is available. Or will be, when it's finished to your...
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Barcelona cruises to a new cruise record
Barcelona, which has expressed some doubts recently about just how much tourism to promote, has scored an all-time record for a weekend's worth of cruise ship visitors, with just under 60,000 arriving. That includes over 26,000 on Sunday alone...
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Cruise lines drop Houston as a cruise port
The two cruise lines that have been sailing from Houston's cruise port have cancelled plans to use the port after the middle of next year. The port has been open since 2013, after a $100 million renovation. Local officials had hoped that it would be...
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Carnival orders 9 new ships, including world's 4 largest
The world's-largest ship title just got a new winner. Carnival has just ordered nine new ships, and four of them, at 180,000 tons and 6,600 passengers, will be the world's largest. That beats Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class ships that hold up to 6,450....
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MSC first to base cruise ship in Cuba
Street scene, Cuba Photo: GarryRF / TravelGumbo MSC Cruises, currently Europe's top ocean cruise line, is responding to constantly-increasing European interest in Cuba (and possibly...
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Hotel Mega-merger in the works? Looks likely...
Now that the big airlines have gone through their versions of love and marriage, it seems to be time for the hotels. Starwood, owner of such brands as Westin, Sheraton, W Hotels and more seems to be the object of everyone's affections. In...
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Viking's Got Something Going: More New Ships
Viking, the company best known for its river cruises, announced a year ago it was going into the higher-end smaller-ship segment of the ocean cruise industry, and it must have found a sweet spot, because it's already sold 70% of the spots for 2015 on...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, July 15, 2014: Deck Chairs Aboard QM2
empty deck chairs on the QM2 When we think about cruising the seas aboard a luxury liner, we conjure up images of stately cabins, five star dining, deck quoits, sitting by the pool, dancing till dawn and exotic ports of call. Well, I...
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Venice again considers tourism caps, limits on ships
Venice's economy depends on travelers, but the city's life may depend on finding a way to limit their overwhelming presence.
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New cruise ships will pioneer hybrid technology
Norway's coastal cruise line, Hurtigruten, is building two new ships that use hybrid engines similar to those in cars, and can be adapted to newer technology.
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Venice protesters block cruise ships
Protests by 2000 in small boats block cruise ships in Venice's lagoon over environmental concerns and 'over-tourism'
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Viking (not that Viking) ship sails into Mystic Seaport
The largest Viking longship of modern times has completed its expedition and docked at Mystic, CT after crossing the Atlantic and visiting North America.
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Oslo's Viking Museum plans big expansion
Norway's Viking Ship Museum will soon have an addition that will triple its space and allow for more exhibitions.
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Terror attack takes Istanbul off cruise map
Cruise lines, which had already reduced stops in Turkey after earlier attacks in Istanbul and Ankara, have canceled many more port calls.
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HMY Britannia.
Ian Cook takes us on a phototour of the retired Royal Yacht Britannia, and provides a detailed account of her design and distinguished service to Great Britain.
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Cruisers told: Leave your water home!
Another cruise line adds rules against passengers bringing their own drinks on board, whether water, juice or booze.
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October 7, 2019: Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, Japan
Travel Rob finds the right place to find a Pokémon. See what to expect.
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Where Gumbo Was #4.0: Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor, California
Here's the discussion to the picture puzzle posted nearly a week ago. Gumbo, like you, was enjoying the nice soft light of dusk over Long Beach's Harbor in Southern California. He was studying the massive Queen Mary in the distance...
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Cruise ship to feature underwater bar
Ponant's four new small-ship cruisers will feature a unique amenity: a below-the-waterline lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows on the sea life.
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High-speed WiFi spreading at sea, some free
Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean are both rolling out new high-speed WiFi services...but they come with a price.
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Carnival launches half a new cruise ship
Carnival's newest ship is being built in two widely-separated Italian shipyards. The front, launched yesterday, is on the way to meet its mate.
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Perfect scores for the cleanest ships afloat
When cruise ship passengers come down with a virus, it's always news, but there's not as much publicity for the good news—so here it is: In 2015, 32 ships earned perfect scores of 100 on their semi-annual inspections by the Centers for Disease Control. Leader of the pack, so to speak, is Holland America's Eurodam, which has had a perfect score on its last 9 inspections. Holland America also got 100s for Veendam, Noordam, Statendam, Ryndam and Nieuw Amsterdam. The inspections are...
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MSC builds 2 new mega-ships, eyes N. America
One of Europe's leading cruise lines treats itself to two huge new liners and considers where it will sail next.
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Concerns about the rising number of cruise visitors to the Arctic
Cruise lines sell the chance to see Arctic wildlife and claim they can do so without causing harm. However, many Inuit and other indigenous people who have inhabited the Arctic for millennia are deeply worried. Tourists buy souvenirs and bring income but also a growing threat of sewage and heavy fuel oil pollution as well as the disturbance and destruction of wildlife, such as ships striking whales in narrow channels. Shrinking sea ice is allowing larger cruise ships to venture farther into...
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Re: Cruise lines drop Puerta Vallarta over violence
I was in Puerta Vallarta in June last year. Not the friendliest place I've been to. It was a busy working city. Not the sanctuary of paradise I was expecting. Very disappointed. So many arrogant people. I was moved twice from room to room in 2 weeks. Each time the Staff at "Secrets" said it was for building repairs. Each time a Wedding Party with 4 adjoining rooms moved in. The Hotel told my tour operator it was my own fault for asking to be moved.
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Re: High-speed WiFi spreading at sea, some free
On a recent Norwegian cruise the charges for wifi were very high ($25/day), and people said that the speeds were awful. While these prices are "better" they would still stop me from using wifi on my cruise.
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Re: Perfect scores for the cleanest ships afloat
I think Cruise Critic's list forgot the last perfect inspection of Holland America's Zuiderdam.