Passenger Overboard from Holland America's Zaandam

A 45-year-old woman went overboard from Holland America's Zaandam while it was cruising in Alaska on Monday.

The last contact the ship had with her was when she ordered room service about midnight. The woman's traveling companion reported her missing about 10am (local time) Monday morning, meaning she would have gone overboard between Douglas Island and Glacier Bay National Park.

The Coast Guard search was concentrated on Stephens Passage, Lynn Canal and Icy Strait, and the National Park Service was searching the shoreline in Glacier Bay National Park. The Coast Guard utilized a helicopter, two patrol boats and two rescue boats.

The Coast Guard estimated the water temperature to be approximately 57 degrees.

About 4:30pm (local time) on Monday, a body believed to be the woman was discovered on the west side of Douglas Island. The local coroner is working to identify the remains.

Zaandam is on a 7-day cruise to Alaska from Seattle which departed last Friday (July 31).

Details will be in today's edition of Cruise News Daily.

Here Comes Celebrity Equinox

Celebrity Equinox arrived at Southampton on July 19 for almost two weeks of inaugural festivities. The ship will be christened there on Thursday, July 30. This video report show the arrival and details some of the new ship's features.



The ship is the second of the class. It will be followed next year by Celebrity Eclipse which will be based in Southampton for the summer season.

Alleged Domestic Dispute aboard Carnival Elation Results in Death

FBI agents boarded Carnival Elation when it returned to San Diego this morning. Carnival had contacted the FBI Tuesday evening to report that a woman was apparently killed by her husband during a domestic dispute in their cabin.

The incident occurred after the ship left Cabo San Lucas on Tuesday when the ship was in international waters. The FBI and the US Coast Guard were advised on Tuesday. The man was taken into custody by Carnival personnel and held aboard the ship. Carnival Elation spent the day at sea on Wednesday, and arrived back in San Diego this morning.

Carnival Elation had departed San Diego on Saturday, July 11 on a 5-day cruise to Baja California.

Details will be in today's edition of Cruise News Daily.

The video below is an interview with the FBI agent involved with the investigation.

Godmother Chosen for AIDAblu

German designer and entrepreneur Jette Joop will be the godmother of AIDAblu. She will christen the ship in Hamburg on February 9, 2010, just before it departs on its maiden cruise.

AIDAblu is currently under construction at Meyer Werft and will be the fourth in the six-ship class. It will be the seventh vessel in the AIDA fleet.

AIDA is a brand of Carnival Corp that markets in German-speaking countries.

Details appeared in the July 1, 2009 edition of Cruise News Daily.

James Taylor Sails aboard QM2

Like many stars before him, noted musician James Taylor and his family sailed aboard Cunard's Queen Mary 2 last week on an eastbound transatlantic crossing from New York to Southampton.

During the crossing he performed twice to SRO audiences in the ship's 1150-seat Royal Court Theatre. He also accommodated passengers by scheduling a Q&A session and posed for hundreds of pictures during an autograph session that was extended to two hours due to the demand.

"It is such a civilized way to go, and Queen Mary 2 is the last word in first class travel," said Taylor.

Now in England, Taylor begins a 10-week, 22 concert tour that will take him to nine countries.

In the video below, Taylor talks about the experience crossing the Atlantic aboard QM2.