Tag Archives: cruise ships

Don’t shake hands with the captain!

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Cruise ships said to have banned greeting because of fears contagious stomach viruses could be passed on

  • Cruise ship captains have been warned against shaking hands on deck
  • It is feared that shaking hands can pass on the infectious Norovirus
  • Crystal Cruises admitted the new rule was designed to prevent disease
  • The company said two of their boats were hit by Norovirus since 2008

Dining at the captain’s table is, for the lucky few, perhaps the glamorous highlight of a luxury cruise.

But having donned your dickie bow for the big night, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t stretch out a gold-braided arm in greeting.

For some cruise ships have banned passengers from shaking hands with the captain amid fears over highly contagious stomach viruses being passed on.

On-board outbreaks of norovirus have turned many a cruise into a nightmare for holidaymakers, leaving them suffering chronic vomiting and diarrhoea.

The bid to prevent it being passed to captains at dinners, cocktail parties and receptions was noted by Margaret Thatcher’s official biographer Charles Moore when he went on his first cruise recently.

Writing in The Spectator magazine about his time on board the £225 million, 1,070-passenger Crystal Serenity on a 12 day, £3,700 per person cruise from Lisbon to London via the west coast of France, he said: ‘Every effort was made to look after us courteously. Modern standards, however, put things under some strain. ‘As our voyage neared its end, the daily ship newspaper, Reflections, delivered to the door of our cabin (‘stateroom’) said: ‘All guests are cordially invited to join Captain Birger J Vorland and Crystal Society Hostess Isabell Wagner in the Palm Court at 7.45pm.

‘While the captain is pleased to meet you, he and the other staff receiving you refrain from shaking hands in order to provide the most effective preventative sanitary measures’.’

Yesterday a Crystal Cruises spokesman said: ‘It used to be, back in the day, that the captain would shake everyone’s hand. But because norovirus is spread so easily it’s just standard now that when the captains are greeting lots of people they don’t shake hands.

‘They are not being rude, it’s a preventative measure. It’s been the case on our two ships since at least 2008.’

Whether or not passengers can shake hands with the captain is down to individual cruise lines, say the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).

A Cunard spokesman said: ‘While I was on Queen Mary 2 last week the captain shook hands with passengers attending the many cocktail parties that were held.’

A CLIA spokesman insisted norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships are uncommon, affecting ‘just 1 out of every 12,000 cruise passengers’.

He said: ‘You are 750 times more likely to get norovirus on land than on a cruise ship.’

Standard procedures for CLIA cruise lines to follow when a guest on board is suspected of contracting the gastrointestinal illness include regularly sanitizing door handles, railings and elevator buttons, providing hand sanitizers to passengers during their cruise, and sending public health specialists as well as additional medical personnel to ships as required.

The CLIA spokesman said: ‘Norovirus can remain viable on hands for hours thereby giving hands the potential to spread the infection both directly and indirectly. ‘Hand washing is therefore the single most important procedure for preventing the spread of infection.’

The world’s largest cruise ship just hit the water in France

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Harmony of the Seas

It’s 50 meters longer than the Eiffel Tower.

Royal Caribbean’s “Harmony of the Seas” — the world’s largest cruise ship — entered the water in France on Friday. It’s expected to take its maiden voyage in 2016.

The ship has been under construction since 2013, according to an Agence France-Presse report on Yahoo  YHOO -0.98% . The ship will carry 6,360 passengers along with 2,100 staff. It weighs 227,000 tons and measures 1,187 feet — that’s 50 meters longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower.

The second biggest cruise ships are also owned by Royal Caribbean  RCL 0.23%  and are named “Allure of the Seas” and “Oasis of the Seas.” Both weigh 225,000 tones.

Construction on the new Royal Caribbean ship has required over 2,5000 people.

The boat is expected to set sail in mid-February on test runs. The first voyage could take place in May and will be from the United Kingdom to Spain, according to AFP.

Carnival Corp unveils new generation ‘green ships’

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By Phil Davies

Carnival Corp unveils new generation 'green ships'The first giant cruise ships to be powered at sea by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) – claimed to be the world’s cleanest burning fossil fuel – have been ordered by Carnival Corporation.

The four new vessels – part of a previously-announced multi-billion dollar order for nine new ships between 2019 and 2022 – will also feature a revolutionary ‘green cruising’ design.

Each of the four next-generation ships will have a total capacity of 6,600 passengers, feature more than 5,000 lower berths, exceed 180,000 gross tons and incorporate an extensive number of ‘guest-friendly’ features.

A major part of the innovative design involves making much more efficient use of the ship’s spaces, creating an enhanced onboard experience.

Each new ship will be specifically designed and developed for the brand and the passengers it will serve.

Two of the ships will be built for German line AIDA Cruises at Meyer Werft’s shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

Additional information about the ships, including which new ships will be added to each brand, will be made available at a later date, the group said.

The four new ships will be the first in the cruise industry to use LNG in dual-powered hybrid engines.

LNG will be stored onboard and used to generate 100% of power at sea. Using LNG to power the ships in port and at sea will eliminate emissions of soot particles and sulfur oxides.

Meyer Werft will build the other two ships at its yard in Turku, Finland.

Carnival Corporation chief executive, Arnold Donald (pictured), said the contract is consistent with the company’s measured capacity growth strategy to replace ships with less efficient capacity with newer, larger and more fuel efficient vessels over time.

“We are looking forward to executing on the next step in our fleet enhancement plan,” he said.

“At a cost per berth in line with our existing order book, these new ships will enhance the return profile of our fleet.

“These are exceptionally efficient ships with incredible cabins and public spaces featuring a design inspired by Micky Arison and Michael Thamm and developed by our new build teams.”

Arison is chairman of the board of directors for Carnival Corporation and Thamm is chief executive of the Costa Group, which includes AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises.

Donald added: “It will be exciting to see our shipbuilding team bring these new ships to life. Every step of the way, our focus is on designing state-of-the-art ships that provide a vacation experience our guests will love, and we are putting all of our creative energy and resources into making sure we achieve that goal.”

Thamm said: “These ships will expand our leadership position for the Costa Group, the market leader in all the major European markets.

“These will be spectacular ships designed specifically for our guests who sail on our Costa Group brands.”

Bernard Meyer, chief executive of Meyer Werft, said: “In past years, we have built seven highly successful ships for AIDA Cruises. We are honoured that Carnival Corporation has entrusted us with the implementation of this ambitious shipbuilding program, and we look forward to building these four magnificent ships.”