Millions of Florida residents are battening down the hatches and evacuating in advance of the monstrous Hurricane Irma, which has already wrought havoc and devastation across many island nations of the Caribbean. But Florida is also a major travel and tourist destination for millions of visitors every year, whose plans to go to or through the affected areas are obviously going to be disrupted. So what are your rights and responsibilities if your vacation has to give way to the forces of nature? [More]
carnival
Jet Skiers Snatched From Path Of Carnival Cruise Ship At The Last Second
By 3.13.17
While there might seem to be plenty of room for everyone out on the open ocean, a marine traffic incident almost led to a group of jet skiers getting run over by a Carnival Cruise Line ship in a Florida harbor. [More]
Norwegian Cruise Line No Longer Allowing Carry-On Beverages
By 7.5.16
A year after Carnival Cruise Line implemented a “no-carry on bottled beverage” rule, another prominent cruise line is following suit, albeit in a more stringent manner: Norwegian Cruise Line will no longer allow guests to bring any beverages on board either as carry-on or checked luggage. [More]
Carnival Cruise Ship Hits Gangway, Shoving It Onto Vehicles Parked Near The Dock
By 5.9.16
It’s not always easy being a huge boat when it comes time to head into port, as a Carnival Cruise Lines ship found out while docking in Baltimore on Sunday. No one was hurt in the incident — unless you count the cars parked nearby. [More]
Carnival Says Cuba Cruises To Move Ahead As Planned After Policy Shift
By 4.22.16
Carnival Cruise Line’s Adonia ship will depart the Port of Miami as planned on May 1 with Cuban-Americans on board after the company reached an agreement with the government of the island nation. [More]
Carnival Gets The Official Go-Ahead For Cruises From Miami To Cuba
By 3.22.16
After scoring its license last July, Carnival Cruise Line says it’s gotten official approval for cruises from the United States to Cuba starting in May. [More]
Carnival Cruise Ship Liberty Stuck In St. Thomas After Engine Fire
By 9.8.15
Are there worse things than not being on schedule? Yes, but at least the more than 3,000 passengers aboard the Carnival cruise ship Liberty have access to working toilets: after an engine fire broke out Monday morning, the 10-year-old vessel has remained docked in St. Thomas instead of continuing on its journey. [More]
No More Carry-On Bottled Beverages For Carnival Cruise Passengers
By 6.9.15
Carnival Cruise passengers traveling any time after July 8 be warned that you’ll no longer be able to sneak on a water bottle full of vodka… or gin… or water for that matter, as the cruise line will no longer allow most bottled beverages to be carried on board their ships. [More]
Carnival’s New Long-Range WiFi Service Keeps Passengers Connected – For A Hefty Price
By 11.3.14
For the past several years consumers traveling on cruise ships have shared a wealth of information and photos (remember the Poop Cruise?) while on their memorable voyages. Well, sharing their experiences – good and bad – with family, friends and the internet at large just got a bit easier, as long as you’re willing to pay a hefty WiFi charge. [More]
Carnival Cruise Lines Is Doing Okay Because Of Umbrella Drink Upsells
By 9.24.14
Things could have gone terribly wrong for the business prospects of Carnival Cruise Lines since the public-relations disaster and actual disaster that was the sailing of the Triumph. They’ve made it through okay, offering rock-bottom cruise prices and even offering to fly unhappy cruisers home. How did Carnival manage to earn more than Wall Street experts thought they would? Pricey umbrella drinks, mostly. [More]
Carnival Sends Out E-Mail With Boarding Advice For Cruise You Didn’t Book
By 2.24.14
It’s nice to get helpful advice from a cruise operator in advance of departure. But it can be alarming when that advice is for a cruise that you know nothing about and a ship you never booked travel on. [More]
Cruise Lines Hiding True Overboard Numbers From Public
By 11.19.13
So much of what happens on a cruise ship happens in international waters and far from U.S. shores, and cruise lines aren’t legally required to share with the public every detail of every incident that occurs on board every one of their ships. One stat for which most cruise passengers would expect an accounting is the number of people who have gone overboard. Most cruise operators disagree and think you only want to know when an American goes missing. [More]
Couple Sues Carnival Over “Deplorable Conditions” On Poop Cruise They Weren’t Even On
By 10.24.13
A lawyer in Texas has had to admit that he goofed — which is putting it lightly — when he recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of a couple, claiming they had been aboard the ill-fated Carnival Triumph cruise (AKA the “Poop Cruise”) that got stranded out to sea after an engine fire in February. Thing is, that couple not only hadn’t been on the ship, they were on the record with local media about not being on the ship. [More]
New Monopoly Teaches Kids The Importance Of Xbox, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and EA!
By 7.26.13
The folks at Hasbro have never had a problem letting everything from towns to universities to movies to big-name commercial brands slap their names on licensed versions of Monopoly, but a new version of the classic board game is unabashedly all about learning the value of today’s biggest fast food, retail, tech, and entertainment companies — everything a growing child needs to get ahead! [More]
Poop Cruise Claims Another Victim As Carnival Cruise CEO Agrees To Step Down
By 6.25.13
Back in 1979, Micky Arison became CEO of Carnival, the cruise line his father Ted had founded, when the company only had three ships. Since then, it’s become the world’s largest cruise operator, with a fleet of more than 100 ships around the world. But in the wake of recent disastrous events, including the infamous “Poop Cruise” on board the Carnival Triumph and the Costa Concordia tragedy that killed 32 people, Arison has decided to step down from his position as CEO. [More]
Survey: Carnival Poop Cruise Has Scuttled Public Perception Of Entire Cruise Industry
By 6.7.13
The bad times continue for Carnival Cruise lines, following a number of ugly high-profile profile incidents on their ships — most notably the “Poop Cruise” aboard the stranded Carnival Triumph, consumer sentiment about Carnival and the entire cruise industry is sinking. [More]
Carnival Wants Poop Cruise Class Action Lawsuit Dismissed Due To Ticketing Contracts
By 4.30.13
Carnival founds itself in hot, sewage-filled water back in February when its ship, the Triumph, caught fire in the engine room, suffered a power failure and was stranded at sea for days. But as we guessed back then, passengers seeking to sue the cruise line might be out of luck because of the contracts on their tickets. Carnival is now seeking to dismiss passenger lawsuits in federal court. [More]
Brief Blackout On Carnival Ship Ecstasy; All Toilets Reportedly Functioning
By 4.18.13
If no news is good news, then Carnival isn’t having a lot of good news lately. Yet another of the cruise line’s ships has experienced a power failure at sea, but at least this time passengers can use the bathroom facilities. The Ecstasy suffered just a brief blackout today, but even that was enough to get the buzz a’buzzin’ in light of other recent incidents (cough, Poop Cruise, cough cough). [More]
