It's Mardi Gras Time in Old San Juan

Carnival's new Mardi Gras made its first-ever call at San Juan today which was significant for the ship, but it was even more significant for the port because it was the first cruise ship to call at San Juan in 16 months. 

   This called for Governor Pedro Pierluisi, Mayor Miguel Romero and other local government officials to join Carnival brass for the event at the port. 

The complete story appeared in the August 3 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

With Mardi Gras serving as a dramatic backdrop, Carnival and Puerto Rico officials pose for a photo – from left Mardi Gras Hotel Director Pierre Camilleri, Captain Giuseppe Giusa, San Juan Port Authority Executive Director Joel Piza, Carnival Cruise Line President, Christine Duffy, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi and San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero.
Have you ever seen people having more fun?

Other Things You'll Want to Know - July 25, 2019

CND subscribers also read about:

• Episode 11 of Crystal's Culinary Journey with Chef Jon Ashton (below)
• Both ships scheduled to make calls in San Juan today visited without incident following the resignation of the island's governor.

Details appeared in the July 25 issue of Cruise News Daily.

Other Things You'll Want to Know - July 24, 2019

CND subscribers also read about:

• Windstar's new video and 14 new itineraries in the South Pacific
• Today's update on conditions in San Juan

Details appeared in the July 24 issue of Cruise News Daily.

Other Things You'll Want to Know - July 18, 2019

CND subscribers also read about:

• Carnival Panorama completing sea trials
• Despite ongoing political unrest in San Juan, Royal Caribbean returned to San Juan today for the first time in three day with the scheduled call of Allure of the Seas
• Seabourn announced a new champagne partner

Details appeared in the July 18 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Carnival Panorama on sea trials this week

Photo courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permisssion. 

Back in Business

The island of Puerto Rico announced that they have fully reopened for business following Hurricane Maria, just in time for the winter season to start on December 20.

The Puerto Rican Tourism Company reports that more than 100 hotels are open, and more than 4,000 restaurants across the island are serving meals.

Details appeared in the December 14 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Return to Normal

Royal Caribbean has set dates to return to San Juan and St. Maarten in addition to St. Thomas, which they announced plans for earlier. They also updated the status on a couple of ports that still aren't ready for their return.

Details appeared in the October 25 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

The Caribbean Is More Open for Business

Carnival has been working to get the message out that there was little storm damage in most of the Caribbean. But today, Carnival said they now have specific plans when they will return to islands where there was severe damage.

Details appeared in the October 23 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Back to the Caribbean

The cruise lines have turned up the volume in their campaign to let everyone know that despite the perception the mainstream media is giving, the Caribbean is still open for business, and the vast majority of it was not damaged by the recent series of hurricanes. But our readers already knew that.

The Florida Caribbean Cruise Assn held a conference call today with Adam Goldstein and Arnold Donald to get the word out that the Caribbean is still open, and to launch their new website CaribbeanIsOpen.com that is aimed at getting that message out there.

The complete story appeared in the October 16 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

FEMA Goes Cruising Again

Change of plans: After just announcing that Carnival Fascination will return to San Juan sailings this weekend despite ongoing repairs to the terminal, Carnival announced this afternoon that the ship will instead be chartered to FEMA to house relief workers on St. Croix.

The charter will necessitate canceling the ship's San Juan sailings from October 15 through January 28.

Details appear in the October 11 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Recovery Continues

Carnival Cruise Line released more revised itineraries today for their eastern Caribbean sailings that were to call on ports heavily damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Just as Carnival has been broadcasting, there are plenty of alternatives available. These sailing dates run into late December.

CND subscribers also read about Carnival's San Juan sailings, as well as other line's plans to return to San Juan and the condition of the Grand Turk Cruise Center. The complete story appeared in the October 6 edition of Cruise News Daily

Carnival Cancels San Juan Sailings

The Port of San Juan is still closed, and from news reports, conditions in San Juan and all of Puerto Rico do not look hospitable for tourists in the near future. Flights in and out of San Juan's main airport were to resume today on a very limited basis. 

In addition, Carnival Cruise Line said today their cruise terminal at the Port of San Juan also received extensive damage during Hurricane Maria. With that in mind, the line canceled Carnival Fascination's next three sailings, September 24, October 1 & 8.

Details appeared in the September 22 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Changes in San Juan & Havana Operations

From news reports, it appears the entire island of Puerto Rico has sustained substantial damage, with serious damage in San Juan, including to the infrastructure. Of particular concern is the island's lack of electricity, which some estimates say will be months before it's fully restored.

San Juan was removed from ships' itineraries this week since Maria was bearing down on the islands during the first part of the week, but now that it's past, cruise lines have begun to decide what to do about the ships that are based there and due to turn around this weekend.

Details appeared in the September 21 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Royal Caribbean Upgrading Puerto Rico

Royal Caribbean confirmed last week they will be investing in the expansion of San Juan's Pan American Pier II to upgrade the facilities in order to homeport Freedom of the Seas there beginning May 12, 2018.

The ship is the largest ever to be based in Puerto Rico, although the larger Oasis-class does call there. Freedom will be operating a seven-night eastern Caribbean itinerary from San Juan.

The complete story appeared in the April 11 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Changing Things Up in Tampa, New Orleans and San Juan

Yesterday we told you about Norwegian Jewel leaving the North American market for the winter 2017/2018 season when it goes to Australia. Having one ship less in North America and establishing another North American home port (San Juan) is going to cause some shuffling of ships and some shortening of the season.

Details appeared in the June 8 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Cruise News Daily Headlines for July 18, 2014

* The Award for Best Advertising Use of Somebody Else’s Idea Goes to ...
May I have the envelope, please? No envelope? It’s a tweet!
   The award goes to Norwegian Cruise Line for an upcoming promotion they are running in New York, Miami and Houston.

* Friday’s Update from Giglio
Work to secure the starboard sponsons on the wreck of Costa Concordia is clearly going more slowly than anticipated. The original time line called for that phase to be completed Wednesday, but it is still continuing and will continue overnight Friday.

* Most Improved
Carnival Cruise Lines went through some dark days a couple of years ago. It seems like the stars just aligned so that they went from one PR disaster to another. Their image was at least bruised, if not more. Then they set their minds to improving it with a number of initiatives and new passenger programs.
   Guess what? It worked. YouGov’s BrandIndex has ranked Carnival Cruise Lines the most-improved U.S. brand in consumer perception, or “buzz,” in its mid-year 2014 Buzz Rankings Report.

* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about why you should stock up on mosquito repellant if you're going to San Juan ... a woman missing from Costa Victoria ... and before there was QM2 and QE2.

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Cruise News Daily Headlines for November 7, 2013

* Three Costa Ships out of the Water this Month
Three of Costa’s smaller ships are entering dry dock this month in Italy for $13.5 million worth of maintenance and refurbishment work.

The work is being done at the  San Giorgio del Porto shipyard at Genoa and involves Costa neoRiviera, Costa Voyager and Costa Classica.


* Rush Job
At their meeting Wednesday, Port Canaveral commissioners approved building a new $80 million cruise terminal, and time is of the essence. They want the complex, which includes a new parking ramp, completed by November 15, 2014!


* Upsizing Old San Juan
Puerto Rico’s governor said Wednesday the port will extend the pier at Old San Juan by 182 feet in an $8.7 million project to accommodate ships carrying up to 6,000 passengers.

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Obstructing Sculpture at San Juan Pier Coming Down

* Going, Going ....
On Saturday, the port of San Juan began the removal process of a giant sculpture which has stood at Pier 3 since 2006. With the way new ships are being built, with features protruding over the sides of the hull, the support cables on the sculpture make it impossible for them to use the pier.



The above photo, shows the sculpture at the foot of Old San Juan. If you look carefully, you can see the offensive cabling.



This photo, shot from above the sculpture shows a detail of how close the cables are set to the edge of the pier and why ships with superstructures that extend over the side of the hull find it difficult or impossible to use the pier.


The complete story appeared in the October 4, 2010 edition of Cruise News Daily.

NCL Plans for Epic Christening, Lybian Line Builds Big Ship, NCL Passenger Assaults Girl at Dinner, That Pesky Sculpture in San Juan

CND subscribers also read about NCL choosing a host for Norwegian Epic's inaugural ceremonies in New York and the line webcasting the event live on Friday at 2pm. (You can register at http://ow.ly/24amt)

+ STX France signed the final contracts with Libyan oil carrier GNMTC for a 139,400-ton cruise ship carrying almost 3,500 passengers (double occupancy). The line has a fleet of 24 tankers, but this is their first venture into passenger shipping.

+ An NCL passenger was convicted of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old girl at dinner in the presence of his wife, child, and the girl's family.

+ The new San Juan port director pledges to get rid of the pesky sculpture which has already "stood in the way" of some of the port's cruise business.

Details of these items were in the "Other Things You'll Want to Know" column in the June 30, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.