New Passport Rules Delayed, Cruise Biz Heaves Sigh of Relief
For the past two years, the cruise industry has been wringing its collective hands over the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), a new program of the Department of Homeland Security designed to close a loophole that allowed U.S. citizens to travel to Canada, Mexico and most of the Caribbean and then re-enter the U.S. without a passport.
As originally written, the law was to be fully implemented by the beginning of 2008, with incremental steps requiring passports or a new non-passport ID card this coming January for anyone traveling by air or sea. Now, however, there's been a pause. On October 4, President Bush signed the 2007 Homeland Security Department Appropriations Bill, which included a provision that delays implementation of the plan for those crossing the border by land or sea, possibly until June 2009.
Known as the Stevens-Leahy Amendment, the provision extends the implementation date until one of two possible deadlines: June 1, 2009, or until the Departments of State and Homeland Security can develop a plan that makes the new ID cards easy to use and affordable, and ensures citizens' privacy.
Despite the amendment, the rules are very much up in the air at this writing, so U.S. travelers who do not currently hold a passport would be well advised to apply soon.
Cruise Industry Mourns the Passing of Luther Blount, a Giant of Small Boats
Imagine if one man at Carnival was responsible not only for founding and running the company but for designing and building all of its ships, too. On a much smaller, more intimate scale, such was the accomplishment of Luther Blount, founder and owner of American Canadian Caribbean Line (tel. 800/556-7450; www.accl-smallships.com), a small-ship line based in Warren, Rhode Island. Blount passed away on Sunday, September 24, 2006, at age 90. We will not see his like again.
Born in Warren, Blount built his first boat -- a 16-foot kayak made from pine and canvas -- at the age of 16. After graduating from the Wentworth Institute of Technology (1937), he began his professional career as a machinist at Rhode Island's Berkshire Hathaway Mill and then became a jewelry designer for Dieges and Clust. In 1939 he was a plant engineer for Belding, Heminway & Corticelli of Putnam, Connecticut, where he invented nymo thread, now commonly used for beading. After a short stint in the U.S. Army, he milled lumber and operated a small dairy farm in Putnam. Other businesses followed until 1949, when he built his first commercial vessel, a steel oyster boat that led to the founding of Blount Marine Corporation, currently known as Blount Boats Inc. In the following years, Blount designed and built more than 300 hulls in his Warren shipyard, including the famous Miss Liberty, the longest continuously operating passenger ferry in the United States.
An avid adventurer, Blount enjoyed boating with his family on custom-built private yachts, sailing off-the-beaten-path itineraries -- a pastime that would evolve into American Canadian Caribbean Line, now in its 41st year. Blount's keen interest in design led to many successful inventions including the adjustable pitch propeller, the water-conserving marine toilet, the retractable pilot house design (which allows his boats to sail under low bridges on the Erie Canal), and the bow ramp, which allows his ships to beach their bows on shore and debark passengers directly onto the beach. In addition to the two vessels currently sailing for American Canadian Caribbean -- the 100-passenger Grande Caribe and Grande Mariner -- Blount-built boats are currently in service with Cruise West (Spirit of Alaska and Spirit of Columbia). Another Blount line, Bay Queen Cruises, operates several dinner boats on Narragansett Bay and has become a Rhode Island institution.
A lifelong resident of Warren, Blount was regularly seen commuting to work on his bicycle, and would sometimes serenade passengers with his trombone, playing from the dock as his ships sailed off for cruises of New England and Canada.
Blount is survived by five children, fourteen grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. His daughter Nancy now serves as president of American Canadian Caribbean.
Holland America and Crystal Go Cellular, Introduce Onboard Mobile Phone Services Fleetwide
Cell phone service aboard cruise ships has been spreading faster than norovirus ever since Costa introduced it aboard late 2003, and now two more players have jumped on the bandwagon. On October 3, Holland America Line (tel. 877/724-5425; www.hollandamerica.com) announced plans to roll out cell service fleet wide by March 2007 (it's currently only available on the line's Volendam) and on October 10 Crystal Cruises (tel. 888/799-4625; www.crystalcruises.com) did the same, planning for service to go live on Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity later this month.
"Staying connected is a way of life for most of us, our guests included," said HAL's president and CEO, Stein Kruse. "Now, whether cruising with Holland America Line in Europe, the Caribbean, Alaska or sailing around the world, our guests can connect at sea anywhere at anytime." Holland America's service utilizes SeaMobile's proprietary technology, which works with any type of wireless phone. Worldwide roaming agreements established by SeaMobile allow billing to be provided by the guest's home carrier, using their phone or PDA on board just as they would in a roaming situation on land. Phones and PDAs must be activated for international dialing with the guest's home provider, but otherwise no special codes or software is needed.
Crystal's service, also through T-Mobile, incorporates "quiet zone" technology that allows select areas of the ship -- such as the dining room and theater -- to be cell-phone-free.
Cunard Names Captain of Queeen Victoria, Unveils Statue of Founder
The role of the captain in cruise travel today is somewhat less central than in days past. He still has overall control of the vessel, and still presides over formal onboard events, but his presence isn't the stolid symbol of tradition and surety that it was in the days of the grand ocean liners.
Except, perhaps, aboard Cunard (tel. 800/7-CUNARD; www.cunard.com), which consciously maintains many symbolic connections to maritime tradition. So it is that last week the line announced that the master of its new Queen Victoria, due to launch in December 2007, would be 26-year Cunard veteran Captain Paul Wright. Captain Wright first went to sea in 1965 as a cadet with Shell Tankers, and moved to passenger ships in 1969 when he joined Canadian Pacific. His first appointment with Cunard was to Cunard Countess in 1980, after which he served aboard Cunard Princess, Sagafjord, and Cunard Dynasty. In 1999 Wright was promoted to captain of the QE2, where he served until transferring to St. Nazaire, France, to oversee construction of Queen Mary 2. Following that vessel's 2004 launch, he rotated command with recently retired Cunard Commodore Ronald Warwick.
Queen Victoria is currently under construction at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard near Venice. At 90,000 gross tons, she'll be the second-largest Cunarder ever, after QM2.
Going back even further into tradition, on October 7 Cunard and The Halifax Foundation of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, unveiled a bronze statue of Sir Samuel Cunard on the Port of Halifax waterfront. A Halifax native, Cunard was credited with revolutionizing commerce and communications between continents by successfully introducing regular steamship service across the North Atlantic, beginning in 1840. He is depicted standing beside a ship's telegraph, an iconic symbol of steamship travel.
For a more modern glimpse of transatlantic travel, viewers can tune in to NBC TV later this month for a 30-minute documentary special entitled "Onboard Queen Mary 2: A Transatlantic Adventure," hosted by Emmy-winning news anchor Jane Hanson. The show will run in the following markets:
- Los Angeles: Sat 10/21, 3:30-4 pm
- Chicago: Sat 10/21, 6-6:30 pm
- Philadelphia: Sat 10/21, 2-2:30 pm
- San Francisco: Sat 10/21, 7:30-8 pm
- Dallas: Sat 10/21, 1-1:30 pm
- Washington DC: Sat 10/21, 2-2:30 pm
- Miami: Sat 10/21, 7-7:30 pm
- San Diego: Sun 10/22, 5-5:30 pm
- Hartford: Sat 10/21, 7-7:30 pm
NCL Debuts New Website, New Corporate Chefs
As part of the multi-million-dollar "Where you're free to whatever" rebranding campaign it launched in September, Norwegian Cruise Line (tel. 800/327-7030; www.ncl.com) has just launched a new website as well, designed with the same playful tone but also boasting updated features, including in-depth shore excursion descriptions; a "booked guest experience" area with registration forms, answers to frequently asked questions, a "Welcome Aboard" booklet, and other materials; and energetic, animated graphics that both reflect and provide info on the "Freestyle Cruising" experience. Other features will be rolled out over the next several months, including an intuitive booking engine; an enhanced spa and restaurant functionality allows visitors to make dining reservations and spa appointments in advance of their cruise; and a qualifier that gathers personal preferences and information from site visitors and automatically directs them to the site section most useful for them.
Back in the kitchen, the line has also hired three new corporate chefs tasked with developing "dynamic new menu concepts." Warren Pearson was formerly executive chef for the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, and has also worked as an executive chef and director of food and beverage at various five star properties around the world, such as Rosewood Hotels, the Shanghai Hilton, InterContinental Hotels and the Breakers Resort in Palm Beach, Fla. James Wierzelewski has worked with some of the finest hotels in the U.S. and abroad, including a recent run as executive chef for VIX restaurant at Hotel Victor in Miami Beach. He has held positions at The Hilton International Bangkok, Shangri-La Hotel, The Regent Grand Palms in Las Vegas and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts in Chicago. Additionally, Wierzelewski was a corporate food concept and culinary development specialist for Disney Corp. Christophe Le Cras boasts more than 23 years of culinary experience at Michelin-starred hotels in England and France, and five-star cruise lines across the globe. His most recent position was corporate executive chef for Celebrity Cruises. He has also worked for Apollo Ship Chandlers and various properties in Peru and Switzerland. Over the next several weeks, the three will spend five to six hours each day in NCL's test kitchen creating new recipes and making modifications to existing menu items, as well as visiting various ships in the fleet talking with passengers to gather feedback. The new menus they create will be introduced aboard the NCL fleet by the end of November.
New Line Pearl Seas Cruises Joins Cruise Line Marketing Group
Gearing up for the introduction of a whole new product, Pearl Seas Cruises (tel. 203/453-4211; www.pearlseascruises.com), an offshore affiliate of Connecticut-based American Cruise Lines (tel. 800/814-6880; www.americancruiselines.com), has signed itself up with CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), the industry's official marketing group.
Set to debut in summer 2008 with a brand-new 165-passenger ship, Pearl Sea will sail to the Canadian Maritimes, Newfoundland, New England, and the Caribbean. The line's first ship is scheduled to be delivered by Irving Shipbuilding of Halifax, Nova Scotia, for a July 2008 maiden voyage. A larger 210-passenger sister ship will join the fleet in 2009. Like American Cruise Line's vessels, they will have extra-large cabins (each measuring 240-510 square feet), plus one large dining salon, several lounges, a well-stocked library, and a state-of-the-art spa. All cabins will feature flat-screen satellite TV with DVD player, individual climate control, Internet access, and private balconies with large, opening picture windows.
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