Royal Caribbean unveils Quantum schedule from Bayonne, N.J.

Posted on 19 April, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean unveils Quantum schedule from Bayonne, N.J.

By Tom Stieghorst

Royal Caribbean International’s next ship, Quantum of the Seas, will sail four itineraries from Bayonne’s Cape Liberty terminal after debuting in late 2014.

According to Royal Caribbean’s website, Quantum will do a seven- or eight-day base itinerary that includes Port Canaveral, Coco Cay and Nassau.

There will also be an eight-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary with stops in Labadee, Haiti; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Samana, Dominican Republic.

Longer itineraries include an 11-day trip that includes the three stops on the shorter Eastern Caribbean trip plus St. Thomas, St. Maarten and St. Kitts, and a 12-night Southern Caribbean voyage that will stop in Barbados and Martinique.

Quantum cruises are scheduled to go on sale June 4.

Child in hospital after Disney cruise pool incident

Posted on 2 April, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

Child in hospital after Disney cruise pool incident

By Phil Davies

A four-year-old boy was airlifted to hospital after being found unresponsive in a swimming pool on a Disney Cruise Lines ship.

The unnamed child was discovered on the Disney Fantasy on Saturday afternoon.

It was the second similar incident in a month for the company which does not have permanent lifeguards at its pools, the Daily Mail reported. Warnings are posted by the side of the water that lifeguards are not on duty.

A 13-year-old from Missouri died after he was found at the bottom of a pool at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, near the Epcot theme park in Orlando on March 10.

Disney Fantasy was briefly docked at Port Canaveral at the time of the incident.

After the boy was discovered Disney staff gave him medical attention. The boy was then airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando.

A spokesman confirmed: “On Saturday afternoon, our medical personnel responded when a child was unresponsive at one of the pools on the Disney Fantasy.

“The child was quickly transported to the hospital and is receiving medical treatment. Our focus is on assisting the family, and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.

“The ship was at Port Canaveral when the incident occurred.”

Carnival to deploy third ship in Long Beach, Calif.

Posted on 22 December, 2012 by Spacejunkie2

Carnival to deploy third ship in Long Beach, Calif.

By Johanna Jainchill

Carnival Cruise Lines will deploy a third ship from Long Beach, Calif, in 2014, expanding its West Coast short-cruise program.

The 2,052-passenger Carnival Imagination will operate three- and four-day cruises year-round from Long Beach beginning in January 2014. The Imagination will move from Miami, where it has been offering short cruises to the Bahamas and Western Caribbean.

The 2,052-passenger Carnival Ecstasy, currently sailing from Port Canaveral, Fla., will reposition to Miami to take the Imagination’s place.

Gerry Cahill, Carnival’s CEO, said that Carnival is the only line to offer a year-round, short-cruise program from the West Coast, and that the sailings are especially popular with cruisers who drive to the port.

Carnival said it will carry approximately 550,000 guests annually from Long Beach in 2014, more than any other cruise operator.

The vessel will offer three-day cruises to Ensenada, Mexico, and four-day voyages to Catalina Island and Ensenada. The Imagination’s sister ship, the Inspiration, will continue to offer similar three- and four-day cruises out of Long Beach.

Carnival’s seven-day Mexican Riviera and 15-day Hawaii itineraries, currently operated by the 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendor through February 3, will continue on the Carnival Miracle from October 2013 through April 2014.