Just Cruises Plus

The church  in last week’s contest photo, shown below,  has several name variations:  Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia (Catalan Version), Catedral de la Santa Cruz y Santa Eulalia (Spanish Version) and Barcelona Cathedral.  It is also referred to as La Seu.

Barcelona Cathedral, 2/3/12 Photo Contest

It is located in the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain.

Congratulations to Elsie and Alan Saylor, of Downingtown,PA, who were randomly drawn from the 12 who gave the correct response to the 2-part contest question.

 The Cathedral, located in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter (Barri Gotic), is thought to be one of the best examples of medieval architecture in Europe.  Prior to the construction of the cathedral in the 13th century, the site was home to other religious structures  The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Eualia, a young virgin who, according to Catholic tradition, suffered martyrdom during Roman times in the city.    The cathedral has a secluded Gothic cloister where 13 white geese are kept.  The number “13” is apparently explained by the assertion that Eulalia was 13 when she was martyred.

If you visit the church, it’s worth taking the time to visit the roof where you will get a spectacular view of the gothic quarter and Barcelona.

New Rules for Airline Advertising

Airlines must now include mandatory fees and taxes when advertising prices.  Until now, passengers were shocked and dismayed when they saw an advertised price of $500 for flights to Europe only to find out that there was another $500 in taxes and fees.

The rules also require airlines to hold reservations for 24 hours without deposits and to refund deposits for cancellations made within 24 hours of booking.

The government also tried to get truth in advertising for extra cost baggage fees but Spirit Airlines (the maestro of baggage fees) has gone to court to fight the government so these requirements are on hold.

Costa Offers “Bird-In-Hand” Settlement

Costa Cruise Lines is offering passengers of the capsized Costa Concordia a settlement of about $14,500 per person to be paid within 7 days.  Passengers who accept this offer will give up their right to sue.  Costa is counting on most people accepting this quick and sure payment.

Passengers who retain attorneys could possibly receive much more but it might take years of  litigation.

Last week’s Trivia question:  What is the original name of Celebrity’s first ship? 

Correct Answer:  Galileo Galilei

We had only two correct answers to our trivia question.   Rhoda & Matt Refsin of Huntingdon Valley,PA and Rocky Cestroni of Huntingdon Valley, PA.  gave the correct answer.   Since there were only two right answers, we decided to award the $25 credit toward a future cruise to both winners.

SS Galileo Galilei

The Galileo Galilei was originally built as an ocean liner for the Italian shipping company, Lloyd Triestino. Its maiden voyage was from Genoa, Italy to Sydney Australia in 1963.  In 1977, she was reconstructed into a cruise ship and put into service with the Italian Line.

The ship was purchased by the Chandris Group in 1983 and the ship was rebuilt once more – this time with cabins added to the forward deck.  She sailed with the named shortened to Galileo under Chandris’ Fantasy Cruises brand. 

SS Galileo

In the late 80’s, Chandris’ executives decided to create a new up-market brand and, with this in mind, sent the Galileo to Bermerhaven, Germany for a multi-million dollar refit.  In March of 1990, she emerged as the stylish SS Meridian, the first ship of the new Celebrity Cruises brand. The Meridian cruised in the Caribbean and also sailed to Bermuda from Boston, New York and Philadelphia.

SS Meridian

In 1997, the ship was sold to Sun Cruises, which operated her as SS Sun Vista.   Within two years, the ship experienced an engine fire and sank..  All passengers and crew were safely evacuated.

Virtually everyone is aware of the grounding and capsizing of the Costa Concordia and the total vilification of the captain of the ship.  We know that the ship had every modern aid to navigation and was equipped with more than enough lifeboats and life rafts.  So why did the ship impale itself on the rocky coast of Giglio Island and why did people die?

From all of the information available from the news media, it would appear that a hubristic captain and a less-than vigilant company combined to cause the destruction of the Concordia and the resultant loss of life. It appears then that the captain made the decision to steer the ship toward disaster despite having all of the information that he needed to avoid tearing the bottom out of his ship.  It appears that he chose to ignore the information that would easily have brought the ship onto a safe course.

We know that the ship has a “black box”.  Does Costa Cruises have someone who reviews each sailing to determine whether this or any other captain makes risky navigational decisions? 

What about the deaths?  No passengers should have died in this incident.  There were plenty of lifeboats and life rafts.  However, there was no leadership and very lax training as evidenced by how long it took to get people into boats.  Training is clearly the responsibility of Costa Cruises.  While the captain appears to have made major errors of judgment, we believe that Costa must bear an equal part of the blame in that abandon ship procedures were woefully inadequate.

Just Cruise Plus has not booked a client on any Costa ship since 2005.  We stopped recommending their ships as a result of customer feedback.

We have always believed that cruising was an extremely safe way of seeing the world at great comfort and convenience and we urge all of the cruise lines to review their safety policies to make certain that this kind of event never occurs again.

The name of the grouping of boulders shown in our January 6 photo contest (see photo below) is The Baths, which are located on the island of Virgin Gorda, part of the British Virgin Island chain.  The winner of the contest, randomly drawn from the 16 people who responded correctly, is Anne Quinn of Lansdale, PA.

Photo Contest 1/1/12 - The Baths, Virgin Gorda, BVI

The Baths are an amazing collection of exotic pools and grottos formed by giant boulders strewn across sand beaches.  Some of the boulders are best appreciated underwater.  On more than one snorkeling occaission, we have seen some of the best parrot fish feasting along these underwater havens.

Snorkelers planning their approach.

For those who wish to experience the boulders and grottos along an adventurous land/sea route, there is a marked trail to Devil’s bay, which is accessed by cutting through one of the grottos.  This path requires a combination of walking, climbing steps, crawling and wading and does require some agility.

Follow the trail for an exciting path through the grotto.

And for those who are most sure-footed and athletic, our rock-climbing friend demonstrated that with the right shoes (he just happened to bring them along) and the right experience, it was possible to reach the peak of one of these boulders.

At your own risk.

The Baths are usually offered as an excursion for those cruising to Tortolla, BVI.   The Baths also are easy to reach by sailboat (which we have done and can arrange for you).

Do you chose your cruise based on the ports or do you choose based on the ship?

Cruise lines recognize that these are two distinct groups.  Alaska, Europe, South America, Asia and Hawaii are destinations and the ships that take you there are  the supporting actors.  The ship is not the focus of these travelers.   These cruises are selected because the passengers wish to experience the ports of call.

On the other hand, there are folks who choose their ship because of the features and amenities of the particular ship.  This is true of many Caribbean cruisers where the various islands have much in common (great beaches and lots of sun).  Since entertainment is a significant amenity of Caribbean cruises, cruise lines are partnering with entertainment companies to enhance the entertainment experience.

Disney has always been in the forefront of this cruise/entertainment marriage since the ship and the entertainment are all Disney.  In order to compete, Royal Caribbean has aligned with Dreamworks, a Disney rival, and you will see Dreamworks characters (Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, etc) on their ships.  Royal Caribbean also acquired the rights to Broadway shows like Hairspray, Chicago and Saturday Night Fever.

Norwegian Cruise Line is associated with “Second City”.  It also added the hit show “Blue Man Group”.  The theater on the Norwegian Epic was built with this show in mind.

Cunard’s three ships offer original plays based on West End (London) plays while Carnival Cruise Line has hired George Lopez to lead the comedy direction on their ships.

Finally, the Great American Steamboat Company has lined up the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Harry James Orchestra, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Platters and The New Orleans Jazz All-Stars (sorry – no heavy metal or Hip-Hop).