From the captain I think we're listing to the port side department:

A columnist at the Midland Reporter-Telegram recently sailed aboard one of Regal Princess' 15-day cruises to Hawaii and discovered the twice-daily team trivia games. Being a political columnist, his interest was piqued when one of the questions cruise director David Bradshawe asked was, "Who will be elected as the next president of the United States?" (The teams siding with the majority get credit for a right answer.)

Bradshawe said he asks that question once each cruise and has found something interesting. Hillary Clinton has now been the most popular answer on five consecutive cruises. Not only that, but no Republican candidate has even finished in the top two choices on any of the five cruises.

The poll isn't scientific because it only includes Regal's passengers. The writer seemed relieved when he realized that many more than half the passengers were from California, which does tend to have a rather liberal population, so that would tend to favor Senator Clinton.

If you hear that Regal Princess is listing decidedly to the left, it probably just has something to do with Princess trying to make the passengers comfortable.

Note: Link was valid at time of publication.

From the too close for comfort department:

Updated 6:30pm: About 10:30 this morning, an NYPD detective noticed three men in the East River near the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal - and uncomfortably close to the security zone surrounding Queen Mary 2 which is in port today.

What raised suspicion is that two of the men were in an inflatable boat, and the third was in a submersible vessel which was partially submerged.

The NYPD's harbor unit took the three into custody, and the Dept of Homeland Security subsequently determined that there was no connection to terrorism. So far, the three have only been charged with violating the security zone around QM2. A Coast Guard spokesperson told CND that it appears the incident may have been a publicity stunt by one of the men to gain attention for his business and it was probably just coincidental that QM2 was there.

Cunard's QM2 is in port on its regular turnaround between transatlantic crossings and departed on time this evening.

The photo above (courtesy of the USCG) shows the submarine in the foreground within 200 yards of Queen Mary 2. There is a series of seven photos of the craft on the WABC website. (You will need to click next at the far right side to cycle through them.) More photos are located on the local Fox website.

Note: Links were valid at time of publication.

From the help wanted department:

Queen Mary needs help - the original Queen Mary, that is. The ship has been in constant service since it was constructed at the John Brown Shipyard in the late 1920's and early 1930's.

The RMS Queen Mary Foundation has launched a $10-million preservation campaign in connection with the ship's 40th anniversary year in Long Beach. They plan on funding it $1 at a time by asking patrons to "Adopt A Rivet." Shown at left is some of the rivet work being done.

"This program makes it affordable for anyone to contribute to Queen Mary preservation projects," said Bruce Vancil, executive director of RMS Queen Mary Foundation. "Some people are sending a dollar or two, and others are passing the hat at the office or spreading the word and sending in hundreds. It's all welcome and will be put to good use," he added.

If you wish to donate, you may send $1 for each rivet you wish to adopt (limit 10,000,000) and receive an Adopt A Rivet Certificate upon request via e-mail. Donations should be sent to Adopt A Rivet, RMS Queen Mary Foundation, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach CA 90802. Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

From the personnel department:

Terri Haas has joined Costa Cruises as the Director of Field Sales for North America.

She comes from a background of 16 years with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. She started her career as a district sales manager in Indiana with Royal Caribbean and most recently was Corporate Director of Inside Sales, Onboard Sales, Sales Training and Sales Communications for Celebrity Cruises. (Celebrity must provide very large business cards to contain a title like that.)

From the things that go bump department:

Carnival Cruise Lines confirms that while docking in New York this morning, about 7am, Carnival Victory came into contact with a part of the pier. There were no injuries to any passengers or crew members, but there was minor damage to the ship and the pier.

Media reports indicate the damage was confined to an overhang at the pier and a 3-foot crease in bow of the ship.

Carnival Victory was returning from a 5-day cruise to Canada that departed last Saturday (July 28). It is scheduled to leave on a 4-day cruise to Canada this afternoon.

Carnival says they expect it to sail as scheduled today, and that a comprehensive investigation is already underway to determine the exact cause of the incident.

Update: Photos from Newsday.com Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3
Carnival confirms that Carnival Victory sailed today as scheduled.
Note: Links were valid at the time of publication