Princess Provides New Evidence Star Princess Did NOT Pass Fisherman in Distress

Last March a man was rescued from the Pacific Ocean after being adrift for 28 days. Passengers aboard Star Princess said they had seen a man waving in distress and had taken pictures. They alerted a crew member, but Star Princess never stopped. In the side-by-side display below, provided by Princess, it shows the differences between the boat the survivor was in when he was rescued, and the boat photographed by the passengers aboard Star Princess. Experts have authenticated that they are two entirely different boats and that based on the wind and ocean currents, it is unlikely the boat in question and Star Princess ever crossed paths.

Princess also found video of the man's rescue last March. Again, it shows a marked difference between the two boats, indicating the boat the passengers aboard Star Princess saw and the one with the man in distress were different ones. It is believed that the boat the passengers photographed may be one of a group the crew of Star Princess had seen earlier with which they exchanged visual greetings.



The complete story appeared in the August 30, 2012, edition of Cruise News Daily.


Photos and video courtesy of Princess Cruises.

Royal Princess Sister: Fincantieri Lays Keel, Princess Names Ship

Today, at their Monfalcone yard, Fincantieri laid the keel for the sister ship to Royal Princess, which is also under construction there.

The 500-ton block was lowered into the drydock, where the ship will be built around it, and where it will remain until the ship is floated out next summer.

At the same time, Princess took the opportunity to announce the 114,000-ton vessel will be named Regal Princess, a familiar name to longtime Princess fans.

Regal Princess will be delivered in the spring of 2014.

Hurricane Isaac Delays Carnival Valor Turnaround at Miami

The Port of Miami is expected to close by 11:00pm on Saturday night. Carnival Valor was scheduled to turn around at Miami on Sunday, August 26 (2012). It will, instead, remain at sea until the port reopens, which is expected at noon on Monday.

Sunday's scheduled sailing will be delay until Monday, August 27 and operate as a 5-day cruise. The call at Key West will be canceled. The new 5-day itinerary call at Grand Cayman and Montego Bay. Departure time on Monday is expected to be at 8:00pm.

Passengers are being offered the option to either cancel with a full refund, or if they choose to sail on the 5-day cruise on Monday, they will receive a one-day prorated refund of their cruise fare, and they will also receive a $50 per person shipboard credit.

Hurricane Isaac Relocates Carnival Legend Turnaround

The Port of Tampa will close at 3am Sunday until Hurricane Isaac passes in the Gulf. Carnival Legend was scheduled to turnaround at Tampa, but will turnaround at Port Canaveral instead.

Carnival Legend will arrive at Port Canaveral on Sunday, August 26 (2012) at 8:00am. Carnival will provide complimentary motorcoach service for passengers from the port to the Port of Tampa and Tampa International Airport. It is an approximately two and a half hour drive.

For passengers who were scheduled to on embark on Carnival Legend on Sunday, August 26, Carnival will be providing complimentary motorcoach service from Tampa to Port Canaveral. At this point, Carnival Legend will operate its scheduled itinerary as planned. The ship will return to Tampa on Sunday, September 3 as scheduled.

Hurricane Isaac Reschedules Allure of the Seas Turnaround

Even though Hurricane Isaac will not be hitting South Florida directly, tropical storm force winds are currently extending out 205 miles from the center, so they will be affecting operations at Port Everglades. Royal Caribbean has, therefore, rescheduled next week's sailing of Allure of the Seas.

Sunday's turnaround has been delayed until Tuesday, August 28.

Passengers on that sailing are asked not to arrive at Port Everglades until 11:30am on Tuesday. Check-in and boarding will be between 11:30am and 4:00pm.

The shortened cruise length will necessitate a change of itinerary. Allure of the Seas will spend Wednesday at sea, and call at Cozumel on Thursday, August 30. Friday will be another sea day, and on Saturday, September 1, Allure will visit Nassau. Allure of the Seas will then return to Port Everglades as scheduled on Sunday.

Customers who are on the shortened cruise will receive an onboard credit, the amount of which will be based on their stateroom category. (The amount will cover both the refund for the shortened cruise and provide a small compensation for the inconvenience.) They will also receive a future cruise credit of 10% of the price they paid for the August 26 cruise. The details of the offers will be explained in a letter delivered to the stateroom.

Passengers who are currently aboard Allure for the current cruise which departed Port Everglades on Sunday, August 19, will remain aboard the ship for a couple bonus days and arrive in Port Everglades Tuesday morning, August 28.

Royal Caribbean is automatically adjusting return air flights for passengers who purchased air arrangements from them. The line is also opening their phone and internet lines to other passengers who need to contact airlines to adjust their return flights.

Last update Saturday, August 25, 2012, 12:10pm