ROYAL
CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL started beta-testing an online
check-in program, President Adam Goldstein told delegates to the
Vacation.com conference in Orlando. The program, called Set Sail,
is available to passengers booked on the Navigator of the Seas. In
addition, Goldstein said, as of mid-September, agents will have the
choice of e-tickets or paper documents for each booking.
THE PRIDE OF
AMERICA will be christened June 17 at a star-spangled
ceremony in New York. The choice of godmother is still under wraps.
But the stage, literally, has been set for Live With Regis and
Kelly, which is broadcasting from the ship during its maiden voyage
along U.S. shores. The Pride of
America will sail from New York to Miami via Boston, Philadelphia
and Norfolk, Va., and the morning show will be broadcast from a
platform on the back of the ship. A space normally reserved for
basketball games has been converted into audience
seating.
ABOUT 30
PASSENGERS on the Norwegian Dawns April 10 cruise, which
was hampered by high seas and a 70-foot rogue wave, are poised to
file a lawsuit against Norwegian Cruise Line that claims the line
intentionally put passengers in a zone of danger, according to an
attorney involved in the case. Brett Rivkind, a Miami-based lawyer,
said the suit would be filed June 13 or 14 in U.S. District Court
for the Southern District of Florida. [Were] alleging the company
deliberately went into a storm in order to arrive in New York at a
designated time because they had a filming scheduled with The
Apprentice TV show, Rivkind said. The suit will seek class-action
status and will ask for compensation in excess of $100 million in
damages, Rivkind said. In a statement,
NCL pointed to a May 11 report by the Bahamas Maritime Authority,
where the ship is registered, which said the captain took
appropriate action to reduce the effects of the weather and there
is no evidence that any real or perceived urgency to arrive at New
York earlier was a factor in the handling of the ship. NCL said it
considers the matter to be closed.
CRUISE-LINE
MEMBERS of the Cruise Lines International Association
(CLIA) carried 2.63 million passengers worldwide during
first-quarter 2005, an 8.9% increase over first-quarter 2004. The
number of passengers from North America grew 12.9% during the
quarter, to 2.34 million passengers. Average occupancy levels, for
CLIAs 19 member cruise lines was 104.3%, up one percentage point
from 2004.
EASYCARIBBEAN? EasyCruise boss Stelios
Haji-Ioannou is planning a mid-June visit to Barbados to negotiate
berthing rights for the EasyCruiseOne, the company said last week.
Nothing is set in stone, but EasyCruise said it envisions the ship
would offer seven-day cruises to nearby islands between November
and April. The line also said Haji-Ioannou was making plans to add
a second ship to the fleet for Greek island cruises.