Nighttime Medevac from Emerald Princess

The US Coast Guard performed an unusual nighttime helicopter evacuation from Emerald Princess Friday evening (January 6, 2012) when the ship was sailing 57 miles northeast of Nassau.

The Coast Guard received the call from Emerald Princess about 1:30pm requesting the medevac for a 55-year-old female passengers suffering from severe spinal compression. The Coast Guard launched two aircraft, an HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed-wing aircraft and an MH-65 helicopter, from their air station at Miami.

The HC-144 arrived on the scene first and began coordination with Emerald Princess. The MH-65 helicopter arrived at approximately 7pm to hoist the passenger from the deck. The fixed-wing aircraft remained on the scene to assist should an emergency arise from the rescue helicopter.

“Night evacuations are always dangerous. Add a 16-story-high vessel moving at 20 miles per hour to it, and hoisting becomes very risky business,” said LT. Bill Dunbar, Air Station Miami MH-65 helicopter Aircraft Commander.

The woman was taken to a Nassau hospital for treatment.

Royal Caribbean "Shellphone" Ads Begin to Air

Royal Caribbean's newest ad campaign has begun to air on TV with their "shellphone" ads and the new tagline that will become the cornerstone of the new campaign, "The sea is calling. Answer it Royally." This will mark the first time the line has coordinated their advertising worldwide. The first TV spot is below:




The spot below will be running in cities experiencing frigid weather:

MSC Showcases MSC Yacht Club in New Video

MSC was one of the pioneers of the "ship within a ship" concept with their Yacht Club when MSC Fantasia debuted. The luxury concept has expanded to three ships, and the line has recently completed a redesign of the product to make it even more luxurious and exclusive, making it even more self-contained for the line's top suite passengers on their largest and most feature-rich ships.

In this relatively lengthy new video, MSC showcased the "new" MSC Yacht Club.

Teen Alleges Rape on Allure of the Seas

An Iowa teen alleges she was raped multiple times aboard Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas during a 10-day Christmas cruise. Two Brazilian passengers accused were arrested on Tuesday when the ship returned to Ft. Lauderdale.

The 15-year-old girl told authorities that on the last night of the cruise, she went to the ship's teen club, and a 15-year-old boy invited her to a party in his stateroom. She believed she would be meeting other friends there. When they got there, there was only a 20-year-old man. She said told authorities the pair prevented her from leaving and raped her multiple times despite telling them "no" several times and that she wanted to leave.

The girl reported the incident to the ship's authorities immediately after she was released, and Royal Caribbean notified the FBI and the Broward County Sheriff. They met the ship Tuesday morning and investigated, arresting both of the male passengers.

The 20-year-old man was charged with one count of committing a lewd and lascivious act. His bond was set at $10,000 and ordered to relinquish his Brazilian passport at a hearing on Wednesday along with various other conditions. The 15-year-old was charged with lewd and lascivious battery and being processed as a juvenile.

The complete story appeared in the January 5, 2012, edition of Cruise News Daily.

Video: Costa Deliziosa Departs on World Cruise

Costa Deliziosa departed Savona (near Genoa, Italy) on a 100-day world cruise Dec. 28, 2011, with a grand celebration including fireworks. This marks Costa's first return to world cruising in 17 years.

The itinerary will be a complete circumnavigation of the world, visiting five continents and making 37 port calls along the way. It will follow a westward route, across the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles, Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, before returning to Italy.

Norwegian Breakaway to Sail from New York thru Winter

Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed this morning that Norwegian Breakaway will indeed be homeported in New York year round with the announcement of the ship's winter 2013-2014 winter itinerary.

After completing the inaugural season sailing 7-day cruises from New York to Bermuda, beginning October 13, 2013, the 4,000-passengers ship will shift to a 7-day Bahamas itinerary. During the winter season, Norwegian Breakaway will also sail two 12-day southern Caribbean cruises on January 5 and 19, 2014.

The new itinerary opens for sale to the public on Friday, January 6, 2012.


The complete article appeared in the January 4, 2012, edition of Cruise News Daily.