Get Set for Higher Parking Rates

The Port of Galveston prevailed in the lawsuit three local remote parking lots filed against the port over access fees the port is charging them to drop off and pick up customers at the port for their cruises.

“So what?” you're thinking. You live in Florida, so you don't care about parking in Texas. You should care about this because the ruling does set a precedent that could give a green light to ports all over to raise fees, and in turn that will cause the private lots to have to raise their parking rates. It could even affect taxis and limos coming to the port.

The complete story appeared in the January 18 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Cruise News Daily Headlines for August 5, 2014

* P&O Details Plans for Aurora
After the peak summer season, and before its holiday cruise and epic winter trips, P&O will be giving Aurora a three-week 26-million-pound refit in Hamburg. In addition to cosmetics, they will be adding a number of features to the 14-year-old ship as well as updating the functionality of others.
   The most visible change to the 76,000-ton vessel is that Aurora will be the first P&O ship in the new Union Jack livery in which a contemporary version of the flag begins at the bow and streams back down the forward portion of the hull. The stack will take on a striking new dark blue color. At one time the white hull was striking and distinctive, but with the new livery, there now will be no mistaking P&O ships.

* Another Port Fretting about Parking Revenue
It seems another port is realizing they are being cut out parking revenue (by outside lots) and how important the revenue is to them. But while the port management at New Orleans tries to figure things out, it seems they don’t want to go to war with the private lots - for now.

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

Cruise News Daily Headlines for June 27, 2014

* Parking Wars - Texas-Style
It looks like another port is moving to protect its main business - parking. The Port of Galveston has filed a whopping 261% increase in what they are charging private parking lot operators to be able to bring their vans to the cruise terminal to pick up and drop off customers. The off-port operators are currently charging less for parking than the port is charging for their parking adjacent to the cruise terminals. But the parking lot operators aren't taking it lying down.

* The Italian Connection
Costa today inked an agreement with Trenitalia for a Rail/Cruise program that will provide a somewhat seamless connection from a passenger’s home rail station (in Italy) to the port city, a transfer to the port and the cruise for him and his luggage.

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

Your Car May Be Busy While You're on Vacation

WFTV in Orlando carried a story about a long-term parking lot near Port Canaveral where rumors said customers believed their cars had been driving while they were gone. WFTV set up a sting where they left a car, tracked it with a GPS device, and followed the man by helicopter driving it down backroads, during a night on the town, and doing errands. It allegedly was the owner of the lot, who denied it even though the station had video of what appeared to be him driving the car with the top down.

ABC News has picked up the video report and featured it on several of their newscasts:



Once you see the video, the raw video from WFTS becomes even more interesting. They have the raw video of the car being driven, but even more interesting is the long form raw video of the lot owner being confronted.