Port Everglades Gets New Ferry Service to the Bahamas

The Bahamas Express will start a round trip ferry operation from Port Everglades (at Ft. Lauderdale) to Freeport, Bahamas on December 9, 2011.

The ship will depart from Cruise Terminal 1 at Port Everglades, near the Convention Center. Parking is available at the Northport Parking Garage. The line will use the fast ferry Pinar del Rio which sails at a speed of 32 knots and has a capacity for 463 people. Amenities aboard include a bar, a duty-free shop, pet cages and a baby changing area.

The service will operate daily except Wednesdays, departing Port Everglades at 10am and returning at 10pm. The trip will take between two and three hours.

The Bahamas Express is operated by the Balearia Group, a Spanish shipping company which has operated for 13 years in the Spanish Mediterranean.

Additional information is available at www.ferryexpress.com

Costa Fascinosa to Be Named in Savona

Costa Cruises said today the 16th ship in their fleet, the 114,500-ton Costa Fascinosa (Italian for "fascinating"), will debut on May 2, 2012 with a cruise from Venice to Savona (near Genoa) where it will be named on May 6.

The 3800-passenger ship is currently in the final construction phase at Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard. The ship's official inaugural cruise will be an 11-night voyage from Venice on May 11, 2012.

Muppets to Debut on Disney Fantasy

The Muppets will debut aboard aboard Disney Fantasy when the ship enters service in March 2012. The popular characters will appear in a new adventure game aboard the ship. In the fast-paced game, passengers will follow clues around the ship to solve a mystery involving the 20 Muppet characters.

Complete details appeared in an article in the November 29, 2011, edition of Cruise News Daily.

Norwegian to Add Pre-Cruise Services for Suite Passengers

Norwegian Cruise Line announced they are offering a pre-cruise concierge service for passengers booking suites in The Haven, their most luxurious suites aboard Norwegian Epic and their Jewel-class ships.

The concierge desk will handle arrangements for dining, entertainment (especially useful on Norwegian Epic) and other services.

The complete article appeared in the November 28, 2011, edition of Cruise News Daily.

Video: Coast Guard Medevacs Passenger from Carnival Spirit

The US Coast Guard medevaced a 77-year-old woman from Carnival Spirit on Saturday (November 26, 2011) as the ship sailed 230 miles southwest of San Diego.

The Coast Guard was contacted at 12:30pm requesting a medevac for the woman who was experiencing symptoms of a stroke, and they dispatched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from San Diego and a C-130 Hercules aircraft from Sacramento to provide communications and coordination.

Once on the scene, as can be seen in the Coast Guard-provided video, a rescue swimmer was lowered to the ship's aft deck to assist in hoisting the people from the cruise ship. Notice the speed at which you can see the ship moving through the water, and the skill needed by the helicopter pilot to coordinate and remain virtually motionless over the deck during the transfer.

You first see a nurse from the ship being lifted to the helicopter, followed by the patient in a second basket, and finally the rescue swimmer being retrieved.

The helicopter returned to San Diego at approximately 6pm, and the patient was transferred to a San Diego area hospital for treatment.