Salvage workers today started attempting to refloat the Costa Concordia more than two years after it sank off the Italian island of Giglio.
Divers and engineers will oversee the operation to raise the 114,500-tonne ship, which may still contain the body of one of the 32 people who died in the disaster.
The ship’s owner, Costa, hopes to finally raise the rusting vessel from the sea-bed in a week-long operation before towing it away to be scrapped in Genoa.
Nick Sloane, the South African salvage master in charge of the operation, was reported as saying this morning: “The risks are that the ship could bend as it is raised, or the chains underneath it could snap.
“There will be 42 people on board during the first manoeuvre. If disaster strikes we will evacuate through emergency escapes on the bow and stern.”
Once the ship is successfully raised off the platform, air will slowly be pumped into 30 tanks or “sponsons” attached to both sides of the 290-metre Concordia to expel the water inside and raise the ship.
The ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, is on trial for manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning the vessel before all passengers had evacuated.
Russel Rebello, an Indian waiter, is still missing and the refloating will include a new search of the ship as it is raised that may finally recover his body.
With 1,600 cruises to the Caribbean and the Bahamas each year, Carnival Cruise Lines is trying to mix up the lengths and destinations on its itineraries to give loyal guests something new to try. Cruise editor Tom Stieghorst recently sampled one of the more unusual itineraries, an eight-day cruise out of Fort Lauderdale on Carnival Freedom with two port calls, Aruba and Curacao, deep in the southern Caribbean. His first dispatch follows.
CURACAO — By the time we got to Curacao on the fifth day of our cruise, my 15-year-old daughter had made friends aboard, including a boy who persuaded my daughter that organized shore excursions were a waste of money, and that the way to go was to debark, explore and meet the locals on their own ground.
We decided to give it a try.
The first half hour was spent walking into Willemstad, across the pontoon bridge into the old Dutch downtown. It felt pretty touristy, full of clothing stores and watch purveyors. We stopped to buy a batido, a tropical fruit smoothie, from a street cart vendor and talked with her for a while.
We had arrived in Curacao at 1 p.m. and, less than a week after the summer solstice, the glare and heat were relentless. Carnival Cruise Lines is trying to offer some new itineraries, and the late arrival meant we would spend until 11 p.m. docked in the city, with an evening to spend ashore.
But the afternoon stretched ahead. We were on our own and none too sure of what to do next. We pushed on, walking out of the downtown into a new district that turned out to be rather fascinating.
The Pietermaai area of Willemstad is on the rebound from what was a low point in its history. It is full of old Dutch residences and small commercial buildings. Some of the mansions along the shore were obviously showcases in their day. Today, many of them are in shambles.
Among the ruins, however, are restored buildings housing a fine dining restaurant or a chic boutique. In contrast to the bleached concrete and faded red roof tile of the abandoned buildings, some of the restored ones sported deep blue or bright red paint jobs.
We scouted several attractive restaurants as potential dinner venues. But we had walked for a good hour in the heat and we were a mile or more from the ship. It was time to think about getting back.
Just then, a jitney pulled up to us. We were obviously tourists in need of transportation to Mambo Beach. We asked the fare and it was $2 each. We didn’t know where Mambo Beach was or if the jitney was safe, but one way or another, our adventure was about to get more interesting.
On the way to the beach, we chatted in Spanish with the driver and passengers about the multiplicity of languages spoken in Curacao. We got to Mambo Beach and it turned out to be where many of our fellow cruise ship passengers had been taken on their excursion.
Later that night, we returned to Pietermaai to dine at the Cristal restaurant, a small home that had a beautifully lit bar, white walls, a cool tile floor and hurricane shutters on the open windows. The Caribbean night had turned magical and my two daughters and I enjoyed a great meal and local hospitality before heading back to the ship for our late departure.
It was a fine ending to an interesting day, made possible because we got out on our own and did a little exploring. Over the course of the eight-day cruise, we also took some fun excursions organized by the ship, but the day and night in Curacao is what I’ll remember most from our trip.
While virtually all seagoing ships have a selection of resistance and strength training stations that many landside gyms would envy, some have gone much further in offering travelers options to stay fit during their cruise.
In addition to the basics — treadmills, elliptical trainers, exercise bikes, free weights and more — many cruise lines provide passengers with cutting-edge fitness equipment that add opportunities for body makeovers to a cruise vacation. The newer ships in a cruise line’s fleet generally have the most unusual exercise facilities, though there are exceptions.
Here are our top picks for the most creative and forward-thinking onboard activity and fitness options offered at sea.
Royal Caribbean
Beyond the rock climbing walls and surfing simulators, the nearly 10,000-square-foot fitness centers on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom-class ships have full-size boxing rings; Pilates studios with six reformers and extensive mat work equipment; and first-generation Power Plate equipment that uses vibration to boost a workout, stimulate circulation and build bone density.
The Allure and Oasis of the Seas also have 12 gravity fitness machines each, plus Kinesis Walls that use a system of pulleys to help build total body strength and the longest jogging tracks at sea.
Princess Cruises
Princess offers popular Zumba classes at sea, TRX Suspension Training classes and Tour de Cycle, a three-part spinning program based on the Tour de France. The brand’s signature fitness classes focus on Pilates for core work, yoga for balance and cardio for overall strength and cardiovascular health. Larger vessels also offer swim-against-the-current pools with an adjustable current for endurance training.
Seabourn Cruises
Seabourn’s Odyssey-class ships have Kinesis Walls that can be used by four people at a time and stern marinas that give passengers access to snorkeling, kayaking, sailing and swimming. Seabourn Sojourn and Quest have Kneipp Walk Pools, which feature different sections of water at different temperatures designed to help walkers cleanse toxins from the body, increase circulation, balance hormones and reduce stress. And, at the end of a full workout, these two Seabourn ships offer passengers an “experience shower” featuring special lighting and a variety of sensory adjustment options.
Crystal Cruises
Crystal’s proprietary Walk-On-Water program isn’t aqua aerobics, as many passengers think. It’s a full fitness program, designed exclusively for Crystal, where participants walk with weighted vests on the ships’ promenades (the water part is the surrounding sea). Crystal also provides Nordic Walking Poles for a full-body workout, along with Pilates sessions featuring mat work and reformer equipment, yoga classes, Kinesis fitness equipment and golf instruction from PGA professionals. Both the Serenity and Symphony offer paddle tennis onboard, and new “Site Running” land excursions are available on all of Crystal’s itineraries. An outdoors fitness garden will be added to Crystal Symphony in September.
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Magic and Breeze feature SportSquare, a large outdoor recreation area with a ropes course 150 feet above the water, an eight-mile jogging track and outdoor weightlifting and resistance machines, in addition to basketball, volleyball and soccer courts. There’s also a six-station Vita Course, which features workout stations with instructional signage and a miniature golf course. Indoor fitness options include yoga, Pilates and stretching classes and cardio equipment.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian has a range of unusual outdoor exercise facilities onboard Norwegian Epic, from full-sized basketball courts with spectator bleachers to a bungee trampoline and a 24-foot climbing cage known as the Spider Web. The Epic also features a rappelling wall, a rock climbing wall and TRX Suspension Training, a program used by the Navy Seals. Onboard Norwegian’s newest ship, Norwegian Breakaway, guests will find additional fitness options, such as Flywheel Fitness spinning classes and interactive Nexersys equipment featuring automated combat/boxing fitness technology.
Windstar Cruises
Windstar, which pioneered a revolutionary spa on the Wind Surf years ago, has its own stern marina and a variety of water sports equipment, including windsurfing boards, kayaks, inflatable boats, Topper and Rumba Escape sailboats, snorkeling equipment and waterskiing gear. Windstar also offers a two-hour diving course given by PADI-certified instructors on all ships. In addition, the Wind Surf offers guests an onboard trampoline and a Hobie Bravo catamaran for sailing excursions.
With 1,600 cruises to the Caribbean and the Bahamas each year, Carnival Cruise Lines is trying to mix up the lengths and destinations on its itineraries to give loyal guests something new to try. Cruise editor Tom Stieghorst recently sampled one of the more unusual itineraries, an eight-day cruise out of Fort Lauderdale on Carnival Freedom with two port calls, Aruba and Curacao, deep in the southern Caribbean. His first dispatch follows.
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