Carnival offers promotion to those in service

Posted on 05/06/2016

A couple who disappeared from Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas triggering a police search in Jamaica have turned up alive and well. Hayden Gerson, 33, and Alisha Frank, 32 got off the ship in Trelawny last Tuesday morning to take a day trip to Montego Bay. They did not return and Jamaican police were notified and an intensive search ensued.

Family members told authorities Thursday that the couple reached out to them and said they were safe. They missed the ship and were trying to find their way back to the US. The couple said they were embarrassed they missed their ship, ABC News reported. 

Frank, of La Jolla, reportedly posted to Facebook in the days before disappearing, saying she was unplugging from social media, and encouraged others to do the same. A number of cruise ship passengers have gone missing in Jamaica in recent years, but later reappeared unharmed. 

Too many questions 

Nebraska Democrat Brad Ashford is calling for an investigation into an incident on a cruise ship in the Amazon where Larry and Christy Hammer apparently died of smoke inhalation. Ashford has sent a letter to Brian Nichols, the US ambassador to Peru asking how the fire aboard the Estrella Amazonica started, why the couple was not awakened and removed from their cabin and why no one else on board suffered injuries. Ashford stated that his office will be in touch with the FBI International Operations to assist local authorities with the investigation. 

Carnival offers promotion to those in service 

Carnival Cruise Line is offering promotions to members of the service in the US and Canada. Active and retired military men and women can enjoy special savings and bonuses during May to mark National Military Appreciation Month. 

A $50 onboard credit per cabin and a two-category upgrade, can be combined with Carnival's military rates. Guests who qualify for the month-long promotion can book up to two additional staterooms with the same bonuses and pricing. 

The promotion can be booked throughout the month of May and is applicable for cruises departing between August 2016 and April 2018. 

Put that on my tab(let) 

Two restaurants on the Norwegian Escape have been equipped with tablets. Guests in the District Brewhouse, can use the tablets to order craft cocktails and beer, including those on tap. In the Food Republic food hall guests can order small plates of food. The technology is expected to increase the speed of service. 

Norovirus on Disney Wonder

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a number of passengers became ill on the Disney Wonder, with a Disney spokesperson reporting that extra sanitation precautions were being put into place, and that self-serve stations and buffets as well as ice cream stations were discontinued to limit passenger contact with food. 

Of the 2680 passengers on board, 131 (4.89%) reported being ill during the voyage as well as 14 of the 991 (1.41%) of crew members. 

The view from down under 

French expedition cruise line Ponant, has announced plans to install an underwater lounge on four ships being added to its fleet in 2018. Giant floor to ceiling windows built into the hull allowing guests to observe subaquatic marine activity. The new vessels will also include an infinity pool, scuba facilities, a sundeck and a sports launch deck for water skiing, paddle boarding and kayaking. 

World cruise for Viking 

Viking’s fourth ship, Viking Sun, will spend her maiden season sailing the company's first-ever World Cruise, spanning 141 days and visiting five continents, 35 countries and 66 ports, with 12 port overnights. 

Departing on December 15, 2017, this epic journey from Miami to London will call at Cuba and Caribbean ports; sail the Panama Canal and the South Pacific; visit ports in Asia, from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City; and see the Arabian, Red and Mediterranean Seas, before concluding in the North Atlantic. 

Lawsuit dropped against Carnival 

Two Cuban Americans who had filed a lawsuit against Carnival Corp. for not selling tickets for cruises to Cuba to Cuban born people. The communist island would not permit Cuban exiles to visit the country by ship and initially the cruise line was going to honour that command. Cuba reversed the ruling and the Cuban Americans dropped the lawsuit.