Holland America Donates Toiletries to Shelters

Cruise line does an environmental and humane good deed

Years ago, Denver's Queen Anne Inn began donating partially used bottles of shampoo and soap left by guests to a local homeless shelter. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, delegates to the Society of American Travel Writers annual convention were asked to bring toiletries liberated from hotels to be packed and sent to relief shelters -- and we responded. Therefore, the CNN.com headline "Cruise Line Donates Items Once Discarded" resonated with me. Diverting small bottles of toiletries from landfills and distributing them where they are useful made sense before, and it makes sense now.

Until recently, Holland America sent thousands of shampoo bottles and soaps, used or unused, into landfills. "But then the cruise line came up with a new use for the discarded items. They are now collected, separated into bins and brought through Customs at ports of call," CNN.com reported. Even though the process is labor-intensive and time-consuming and certainly not profitable, the Holland America launched a program called Ship to Shelter in Seattle, where the line is based, and recently expanded it to Port Everglades, Florida.

The report quoted Marti Forman Florida's Cooperative Feeding Program, which feeds about 400 people a day and provides hot meals and showers for homeless men and women and is feeling pinched during this recession. "The donations aren't there, the cash donations in order to be able to have expenditures like that to us have become a luxury item," Forman said. "If we have to decide between people having shampoo [or] people having something to eat, we're going to opt to have the food for them." With the cruise line's donations, she said that her program no longer needs to make that choice and has also seen an increase in the number of people coming to the shelter to use the showers.

For its part, Holland America now has also begun to donate TVs, crew uniforms, plates, silverware, and pots and pans, and as word got around among passengers, people have started to leave behind clothing, books and other items for Holland American to add to their donations to help the homeless.

Dominica Bus Accident Injures Cruise Passengers

Celebrity Summit passengers on shore excursion injured when bus went off the road

I got an E-mail from friends who are on a short Caribbean cruise with the message, "Hi -- we are having a great time. One of the excursions in Dominica came to a bad end yesterday, but we were not involved. Just in case it made the news I want to reassure you that we are fine. Cruising is all that it is made out to be."

Of course, I immediately Googled the incident and found a USA Today report headlined, "Sixteen Cruise Ship Passengers Injured in Bus Accident on Dominica." According to the report, "The guests had signed up for the 'Caribbean Cooking Adventure' shore excursion, in which they joined local culinary experts to learn how to prepare and present traditional Caribbean dishes. The three-and-a-half hour tour concludes with a scenic drive through [the capital city of Roseau] before returning to the pier."

As I wrote recently, I felt as if I dodged the proverbial bullet in Cairo by crossing Hussein Square and visiting the Khan al-Khalili shortly before Sunday's explosion, and I "almost" dodged the bullet here too. If I had been on that ship, that's the shore excursion I would have selected.

Luxury No Longer Means Security

Upscale hotels in unstable places and luxury cruise ships at sea are obvious targets for attacks
There isn't a day that goes by without press releases appearing in my inbox about yet another luxurious, deluxe, multi-star hotel or resort in some picturesque and/or exotic place. The recent attacks in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India, were just the latest high-profile targets that appeal to first-world travelers to developing nations. Reporter Keith Bradsher's New York Times feature called "Analysts Say It Will Be Difficult to Shield Luxury Hotels From Terrorist Attacks" began:

"For decades, luxury hotels have been oases for travelers in developing
countries, places to mingle with the local elite, enjoy a lavish meal or a dip
in the pool and sleep in a clean, safe room. But last week’s lethal attacks
on two of India’s most famous hotels — coming just two months after a huge truck
bomb devastated the Marriott in Islamabad, Pakistan — have underlined the extent
to which these hotels are becoming magnets for terrorists."

Left to my own devices, I'm more of a three-star traveler (OK, maybe four-star in third-world nations) than a five-star traveler. However, when I attend a Society of American Travel Writers convention or am on other tourism-related assignment or trip, I do find myself in unaccustomed luxury. A small part of me enjoys being treated like visiting nobility, but mostly, I am embarrassed by the ritzy glitz in places where so many people have so little. I know that tourism brings jobs (including jobs as security guards) and money into developing countries, but still, such opulence and extravagance are clearly an affront to many. When clashing political ideology or religious zeal are added to the volatile socio-economic mix, the result in these mean times is predictable violence. People die, property is destroyed and another door to international understanding and peace on the planet is slammed shut.

The Times piece discussed security precautions that hotels are taking, which should be of interest and some comfort to travelers heading for potentially dangerous places. Meanwhile, CNN reported that the 'Nautica,' an Oceania Cruises ship (left) en route from Rome to Singapore, outran pirates off the coast of Yemen over the weekend while in an area patrolled by anti-piracy craft. The cargo ships and oil tanker that have recently been seized by pirates were off the coast of Somalia. Smaller private yachts have also been seized.

"The 'Nautica' was in an area patrolled by international anti-piracy task forces when two small skiffs appeared to try to intercept it, Oceania spokesman Tim Rubacky said. The ship took evasive maneuvers and accelerated to its full speed of 23 knots or 27 mph. One of the smaller craft closed to within 300 yards and fired eight rifle shots at the cruise ship, he said, but the ship was able to pull away. . .'The 'Nautica' escaped without damage or injury to its 684 passengers and 400 crew, and arrived safely on schedule in Salalah, Oman early on Monday morning,' Rubacky said."

As disturbing as these reports are, personally, I don't want to stop traveling because "something" might happen. Last June, I visited Oklahoma City, the mid-America capital of Oklahoma where Timothy McVeigh, a US Army veteran and security guard, masterminded the massive explosion that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 2000. Also that month, my car was broadsided by a speeding motorcyclist on a rural highway in western Colorado. I just hope, in the interest of global sanity, that the attacks will stop and efforts to build a more peaceful, more tolerant world will recommence.

QE2 Runs Aground in Home Waters

Ignominious incident mars fabled liner's last call to home port

The 'Queen Elizabeth 2' ran aground just outside the Southhampton harbor. The 39-year-old Cunard flagship was nearing the end of her final voyage before heading for Dubai to become a floating luxury hotel when she hit the Brambles Sandbank around 5:30 GMT this morning. It is her home port, and the sandbank is familiar enough to seaman that it has a name. A combination of the rising tide and tugboat power pulled the ship free. Cunard spokesman Eric Flounders said that no passengers were injured and that the ship was not damaged.

The QE2 crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times and made a dozen round-the-world voyages. Between the QE2's lengthy farewell and arrival of the 'Queen Mary 2,' Cunard's new flagship, the hail-and-farewell about these Cunard liners and their ports of call seem to have gone on fore years. These last QE2 farewall ceremonies include yet another visit by HRH Prince Philip, fireworks and a military aircraft fly-by.

Mim Swartz, former travel editor of the Rocky Mountain News and then the Denver Post, and a great cruising enthusiast, boarded what she calls her "favorite ship" for the final leg of this farewell voyage. She wrote about the ship in Sunday's Post Travel Section and will be blogging en route during the 16-day last leg of the farewell voyage.

Airlines and Haiti Relief Efforts

Relief contributions by commercial air carriers'  and a cruise line -- and a cruel hoax

American Airlines' last commercial flight took off from Port-au-Prince shortly after Tuesday's devastating quake. The carrier immediated scheduled three relief flights for Wednesday and three more for Thursday. Each carried 10,000 pounds of supplies for the airline's 100 employees in Haiti, as well as materials for local hospitals. It has also set aside American is also giving AAdvantage frequent flyers a one-time 250-mile bonus who make a minimum $50 donation to the American Red Cross 500 bonus miles for a $100 donation.The donation must be made online here by February 28.

Spirit Airlines is prepared to add up to 1 billion miles into its frequent flyer program to members who donate $5 or more to the Red Cross, UNICEF or Yele Haiti. Click here to link to the carrier's relief contributions.

The United Airlines Foundation is matching up to a total of US$50,000 to the American Red Cross for monetary donations by United customers and employees through the International Response Fund at united.com. Also, Mileage Plus members and employees can donate miles to the airline's nonprofit relief partners as part of its Charity Miles program. According to the communications department, "United is also working with relief agencies to determine how we can best support air lift humanitarian efforts, including transporting aid workers, food, and water."

Continental Airlines permits its OnePass members to donate miles to relief workers through the American Red Cross and other aid organizations through an existing program  that does not seem to be speficially linked to Haiti relief.

Two EL AL aircraft, one jumbo 747-400 and one 777, flew to Haiti yesterday with 80 tons of supplies and 229 passengers (medical personnel, search-and-rescue teams and a K9 rescue squad). 

Commercial cargo and package carriers like FedEx and UPS are not yet able to land in Haiti, but UPS is said to be donating $1 million to help the people of Haiti through relief agencies. This is just the beginning of the process, and I'm sure that others will participate as well.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is reportedly ready to continue sailings to its resort at Labadee, a private port of call on the north coast that escaped quake damage. The cruise line will carry humanitarian supplies on regular voyages.

And on the ground (or on the snow), Utah's Brighton Resort is donating $1 from every ticket sold tomorrow (Saturday, January 16) to relief efforts.

Horrible Hoaxes in the Twittersphere

According to a CNN report, "Twitter was buzzing Thursday morning with news that several airlines are flying doctors and nurses to Haiti free of charge to help with relief efforts there in the wake of Tuesday's devastating earthquake....The rumors are false...'[The] hoax on Twitter about American and JetBlue flying doctors and nurses to Haiti for free was just that -- a hoax. We don't know who is responsible, but it's a very low thing to do,' airline spokesman Tim Smith said in e-mails sent Thursday.Twitter users also circulated a rumor that UPS would ship for free any package under 50 lbs. to Haiti. In a blog post Wednesday on UPS's Web site, a spokeswoman debunked the rumor and said that destruction of Haiti's roads and communications networks 'means our own shipping services to Haiti are on hold.'"

Carnival Nixes 'Cougar Cruises'

"Fun  Ships" ban more meat market/meet market cruise for older women/younger men

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read about California-based Singles Travel Company's promotion of "the world's first international cougar cruise," Dec. 3-7, 2009, inviting older women and younger men to "a festive pre holiday fun weekend of dining, dancing and partying"  aboard the "Fun Ship Elation." Word on the street, or on the waters, is that the cruise was a success and that demand spiked for more such trips. ""I've had to hire two more people part-time just to pick up the phones," Singles Travel Company executive director Ann Thomas told CNN at the time. "I've never seen a response quite like this."

But Carnival Cruise Line has pulled the plug on future cougar cruises, according to a report in USA Today. The line's Jennifer De la Cruz reportedly didn't say why the line had banned them. Newsweek had called 2009  "the year of the cougar," and ABC is broadcasting "Cougar Town," whose theme is, well, older women/younger men. It seems that that's a demographic mix for a latter-day "Love Boat" that Carnival doesn't care for. But with competition strong among cruise lines, I suspect that the Singles Travel Company will have no problem finding a line to pick up where Carnival left off. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

'Oasis of the Seas' Now at Sea

Enormous floating city, the 'Oasis of the Seas,' heading for Florida

The 'Oasis of the Seas' should be called the 'Behemoth of the Seas': 1,187 feet long, 208 feet wide 213 feet (that's more than 20 stories!) high from the water line, 16 passenger decks, 5,400 passengers (double occupancy; 6,296 guests total if a body is crammed into every sleeping space) and 2,165 crew from over 71 countries. One of the two dozen elevators is equipped with a bar. The center of the ship is something like a landscaped atrium called Central Park. I guess that way they can book more "balcony cabins." The $1.6 billion ship's own website features click-on video that reminds me of an infomercial. First comes the captain, telling viewers that the crew is "wowed" by the ship. Then we see individual crew members saying, "WOW!" individual and then in unison.

I can't say. "Wow!" If it weren't too late, I'd say "Woah! Hold on!" But it's too late, for she is sailing to start service with her first regular passengers boarding in early December. A ship that at peak capacity holds nearly 8,500 passengers and crew overwhelms everything it encounters. On the winter itinerary, the eastern and western itineraries are very similar. In and out of Fort Lauderdale, then to three ports. Labadee is Royal Caribbean's private island for those who prefer activities to any interaction with any real  Caribbean residents. Falmouth on Jamaica's north coast is a new port for Royal Caribbean, which operates a fleet of cruise ships whos last name is "...of the Seas." Falmouth is a heritage site, currently under restoration. I haven't been there, but it sounds like the Williamsburg of Jamaica. Cozumel, Mexico is an island where my husband and I dived many years ago, when cruise ships -- all a fraction of the "Oasis'" size -- anchored in the local harbor and passengers were tendered ashore. Now, an out-of-town pier with built-in shopping opportunities is passengers' first (and often only) port of call there.The "Oasis of the Seas" therefore qualifies as the world's largest floating cocoon.

Passengers enter the cocoon from a new $75 million, 240,000-square-foot terminal built specificallyto be the home port for new the Oasis ships, both the "Oasis of the Seas" and the even newer "Allure of the Seas," scheduled to debut late next year). Between them, these ships are expected to bring more than 500,000 cruise passengers through Port Everglades every year. That's half-a-million people.

I do not need to post the remarkable specs and all of the facilities and activities of the "Oasis of the Seas" here. It certainly is a marvel of maritime engineering (even the stacks retract so it can pass under certain large but not-high-enough bridges). But I question the entire concept of bigger-is-better and glitzier-is-ritzier cruising. It seems like a bad idea environmental, sociologically and even socially. Segmenting this enormous ship into "neighborhoods" doesn't make it any smaller or less intimate.

Sure, it's a wow! but a Wow! that comes with a price. Like Rome, this gigantic cruise ship was not built in a day. I wonder whether Royal Caribbean would embark on such a project in today's economy and with today's sensibilities.

AlaskaTransportation News

Alaska travel representatives met with travel met media & shared news

Alaska is one of my favorite places. I've been from Southeast (Juneau, Wrangell, Petersburg, Ketchikan, Skagway, Haines, Sitka) to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. I've been there is summer (glorious weather, abundant wildflowers, sport fishing, hiking) and in winter (fabulous skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, dogsledding). The cities and towns are enticing year-round. Here are some recent and upcoming developments in transportation that are of interest to Alaska visitors:

Transportation (Cruise Ships, Ferries, Trains)

Alaska Marine Highway - The ferries remain the best way for thrifty independent travelers to explore the coat. Eleven ferries travel on 3,500 miles of sea lanes between Bellingham, Washington, to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians. Ferries accommodate vehicles (including RVs), motorcycles, bicycles and kayaks. Reserve for vehicles and staterooms, but foot passengers can just walk on. They're welcome to pitch a tent on the back deck and eat their own food.

Alaska Railroad - A self-propelled railcar, the Chugach Explorer, entered service earlier this year on the Glacier Discovery Route between Whitier and Trail Creek. The railroad partnered with the Forest Service for ranger-guided hikes on the Spencer Glacier Trail, a whistle stop on the route. It is efficient, quiet and emits for fewer pollutants than conventional locomotives. During 2009, the railroad has been offering a free one-day Adventure Class train trip to anyone turning 50 during the year. Perhaps, it or a similar promotion will be available in 2010 -- but meanwhile, if you celebrated the big 5-0 in '09 and will be in Alaska, grab your free ticket.

American Safari Cruises - In 2010, seven-day sailings to/from Juneau on intimate 12-, to 36-passenger yachts include two days in Glacier Bay. Guests can sea kayak or zodiac to explore the shore, opportunities not offered to big-ship cruises passengers. The first of two larger (but not much larger) vessels enters service in 2011 under the brand, InnerSea Discoveries.

Cruise West - The "Spirit of Oceanus" won't be sailing Alaskan waters in 2010, because this small ship embarks on The Voyages of the Great Explorers, a round-the-world cruise on March 6, 2010.

Gray Line Alaska - Sixty-year-old operator of sightseeing programs operates more than 200 motorcoaches, 10 railcars and two day boats now has new packages that include overnights in Princess Lodges.

Holland America - In 2010, the line's "Amsterdam" sails a regular 14-day Seattle-Anchorage itinerary that includes the new (to Holland America) ports of Homer and Kodiak Island.

Princess Cruises - For 2010, new Family Fun Cruisetour, a 12-night cruise + land package with pricing discounted for entire families, not just additional passengers sharing the cabin. Land portion includes two nights in Fairbanks, two just outside of Denali National Parks.

Seldovia Bay Ferry - New ferry at the southern end of the gorgeous Kenai Peninsula linking the artsy town of Homer with Seldovia, a seldom-visited (until 2010), roadless village where the Seldovia Village Tribe has a new museum. Also, abundant birding, hiking and a historic Russian Orthodox Church. Fare: adult $59, $29.59 ages 12 and under roundtrip, including a look at the Gull Island Bird Sanctuary, where some 16,000 seabirds nest.

Bruising Add-On's Tarnish the Cruising Experience

Royal Caribbean taken to task for charging extra for cupcakes

I can't pretend to be an authority on cruise ships, having taken all of one full trip and one out-and-back trip to nowhere on a "naming cruise" with mainstream cruise lines in my life. Even with my limited experience, I was shocked at all the extras that are not included in the price of the voyage. In fact, I wrote a feature called "Keeping the Bargain in Bargain Cruises" after I found out how many add-ons there are and how much they cost.

Now Anne Campbell's post, "Royal Caribbean the First to Charge for Cupcakes," on her Ship Critic blog shines an authoritative spotlight on these extras. She wrote, "Aboard Royal Caribbean’s 'Oasis of the Seas' you’ll pay extra — the cruise line says prices aren’t available yet — for a cupcake at The Cupcake Cupboard, an on-board shop."

While she praises the beauty and such innovative diversions on RCCL's ship(s) as the “flow rider” surfing simulator, rock climbing, ice skating, roller blading on deck and central Promenade of stores, restaurants and bars, she takes the line to task for charging extra for room service and a surcharge or a la carte pricing (a record in the cruise industry) at nine of 24 restaurants aboard.

"But no one wants to feel nickeled and dimed aboard a cruise," she notes.

QE2 Bound for South African Port?

Dubai's economic downtown causes the legendary ship to seek another permanent harbor

In "The Flying Dutchman," a ghost ship drops anchor in a port somewhere in Norway. It is revealed that the captain, the namesake "Flying Dutchman," once swore to the devil that he would sail around the Cape of Good Hope if it took him forever. Once every seven years, he was permitted to leave his ship in search of a woman to redeem him from his deathless wandering. If he failed, he would sail the oceans, when the fantasy opera was set, until Judgment Day.

I thought about "The Flying Dutchman" when I read "QE2 Might Sail Again Before Becoming a Hotel" in USA Today. Just last October, when it became known that the former flagship of the Cunard fleet was sold to a Dubai developer, the All About Cunard blog explained, "Cunard admits the QE2 could have carried on for several more years, but Cunard president Carol Marlow argues the offer from Dubai of £50 million was simply too good to turn down and in pure economic terms it was probably the right thing to do. It seems that prudence over passion has prevailed. Dubai has promised to look after the liner, the fastest in the world, and moor her on [artificial islands called] The Palm."

In November, the ship reached what was to be her "final home" in Dubai (above right), where she was to be converted into a luxury hotel. As recently as March, the owner, a Dubai developer, reaffirmed its "commitment" to turning the QE2 into a luxury hotel in the face of rumors that that she might be sold.

Now, USA Today reports, "The cash-strapped owner of QE2 ocean liner - thought to be permanently resting in Dubai - is considering moving the ship to South Africa or elsewhere...Owner Nakheel, a subsidiary of Dubai World, applied for permission to anchor the QE2 in Cape Town, South Africa, a Daily Mail story says. The company's also believed to be in talks with a local hotel management firm, Johannesburg's Business Day says."

Is the QE2 fated to be shuttled from port to port with the promise of a new life as a luxury hotel, or will it finally happen? I just hope the grande dame of the oceans will not end up dismantled for scrap.