Norwegian Cruise Line said the newest version of its mobile app is now available on the Norwegian Sky.
Called Cruise Norwegian, the app succeeds the current iConcierge app. The new app enables passengers to make reservations for shows, shore excursions and alternative restaurants, and purchase beverage or speciality dining packages. The app is also useful for finding one’s way around Norwegian Cruise Line ships.
On embarkation day, the app will save time by allowing for paperless boarding, Norwegian said.
Onboard, passengers connect to the ship’s WiFi and can call or send text messages to others in their party for a one-time fee of $9.95. Calls can be made off the ship through the app for 79 cents a minute.
Groups can organize meetups and share their favourite photos with everyone in their party with group messaging through the app. Passengers can also review their onboard account.
The new app will be available on the Norwegian Bliss when it launches next summer and will be available fleetwide by the end of next year.
Three big cruise companies with itineraries that include calls in Havana said their ships are a safe way to visit the island, even though the U.S. State Department is warning Americans against going.
The warning is in response to illnesses reported by diplomatic workers in Havana attributed to some sort of sonic weapon. The attacks, which began last November, are thought to have occurred in residences or in a hotel that houses diplomatic personnel on temporary assignment.
In response, the U.S. government has withdrawn most of its diplomats from the U.S. Embassy in Havana. Because some of the attacks occurred at a hotel, the government also warned tourists.
The government of Cuba has denied any involvement in the attacks, an assertion that hasn’t been challenged by the U.S.
Carnival Cruise Line sails to Havana from Tampa with its Carnival Paradise ship. In a statement, it said that it would continue its cruises to Cuba for the moment.
“While members and relatives of the U.S. diplomatic corps have suffered illnesses apparently triggered by occurrences at the diplomatic offices or possibly their homes, none of the more than 475,000 other Americans visiting Cuba this year have reported similar health issues related to their visits,” the Carnival statement said.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL), which also takes passengers to Havana from Tampa on the Royal Caribbean International ship the Empress of the Seas, said it was aware of the State Department warnings.
“Since the warning is due to the events that occurred in U.S. diplomatic residences and hotels frequented by U.S. citizens, we do not feel they pose a risk to our cruise passengers,” an RCCL statement said. “Our guests explore Havana on escorted tours and do not visit hotels.”
Norwegian Cruise Line, which visits Havana on its Norwegian Sky ship from Miami, said its cruises there continue to operate as scheduled.
“There have been no reported incidents involving tourists or other cruise ship passengers,” said a Norwegian statement that also noted incidents have been isolated to diplomats and government officials residing on the island. “Our shore excursions and tour locations have been thoroughly evaluated,” the statement continued. “We continue to believe that the best way to travel to Cuba is via cruise ship and look forward to continuing to offer our guests the opportunity to explore Cuba’s beauty, culture and friendly people.”
Asked about cancellations or a slowdown in Cuba bookings, a Norwegian spokeswoman said there was “nothing to note at the moment.”
Spokeswomen for RCCL and Carnival declined to comment on bookings.
Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Andy Stuart embraces Hurricane Irma evacuee Bryan Denton. At left is Denton’s sister-in-law, Jodi. Photo Credit: Tom StieghorstMore than 900 people stuck in the U.S. Virgin Islands because of Hurricane Irma, many grateful to be alive, arrived at PortMiami on Friday morning after being rescued in St. Thomas by the Norwegian Sky cruise ship.
The majority were tourists stranded when Irma’s 185 mph winds obliterated the Cyril E. King Airport in Charlotte Amalie. “The control tower is gone,” said Charlene Woolley, who was on vacation from Atlanta. “[Flying] was not an option.”
The Norwegian Sky had sailed empty to Cancun during the storm and motored directly to St. Thomas once the government there sent out an urgent request for transportation off the island.
The 2,004-passenger ship picked up a total of 923 evacuees, including 99 from St. John who had been brought to St. Thomas by a U.S. Coast Guard vessel.
Before the hurricane, Woolley said she was relocated from the beachfront hotel where she had been staying to the Windward Passage. That hotel is built of concrete and mostly stood against the storm’s assault, but sustained a lot of damage.
“It was raining in the room,” Woolley said. “Some rooms had lost their ceilings. The air conditioner was gone. We were in the bathroom. The whole building was shaking the whole time. Imagine a really big hotel door that was rattling like you think it was going to blow off.”
Hurricane Irma evacuee Arlene Graham shares a photo of the storm with Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Andy Stuart at PortMiami. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
She said the shatter-proof windows looked like they were “breathing,” being sucked in and out by the pressure.
But Woolley said the aftermath was worse.
“Because of where our hotel was, it was kind of a bad part of town. So there was nightly shooting. They were robbing the tourists because they knew they had cash,” she said. “There was no power. There was a generator that the manager of the hotel ran only at night for lights, for safety. We actually had the St. Croix police staying in our hotel and there were still people trying to get in. You literally stood outside your room and guarded your supplies, your water, ice, toilet paper.”
Woolley found out on the web that the Norwegian Sky was coming to evacuate people. She and her companion got their names on the list.
“You literally saved our lives,” Woolley told Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Andy Stuart, who was at the port on Friday to greet evacuees. “I can’t say that enough.”
For Terry Denton and his family, Norwegian Cruise Line represented hope at the darkest hour.
The Phoenix businessman was on a 10-day vacation with his wife and two relatives. They had planned to fly back before the storm hit, “but that didn’t happen,” Denton said.
Norwegian Sky by Dave Jones
Instead they were moved from their waterside villa to a condo building, where the walls held but the windows shattered. The room flooded.
Still left with some internet service, Denton heard a rumor that a cruise ship was coming and sent Facebook messages to every line he could.
Only Norwegian replied. “They simply typed back, ‘You’re not forgotten. Someone will come help you,'” said Denton’s wife Jodi.
Until that point, the group, which included Denton’s brother and the brother’s daughter, had been in the dark literally and figuratively. “We had nothing before that,” Jodi Denton said. “It gave us hope.”
Another evacuee, Arlene Graham, had been through hurricanes before. As a 20-year-resident of St. Croix and St. Thomas, she had seen some severe storms, including Hurricane Marilyn in 1995, which left 11,000 people on St. Thomas homeless.
“This hurricane was worse,” she said.
Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Andy Stuart talks with Charlene Woolley, an Atlanta resident on vacation in St. Thomas when Hurricane Irma hit. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
Although her home held up fairly well, Graham said she left her husband to take care of the property so she could get her 15-year-old son Ahmad reestablished in school in northern Virginia.
“We’re not sure how the storm will affect things,” said Graham, a financial analyst for the Department of Education.
Graham said there was no looting in her neighborhood, but the island is in dire need of supplies, including tarps for damaged roofs, food, water and ice.
“The main concern is for people to be able to get back on their feet and sustain themselves, and get what is needed to rebuild,” she said.
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