The traditional “hurry up and wait” disembarkation process that has long been a cruise industry tradition is now history aboard Princess ships, as the line introduces a new, streamlined farewell process for passengers. Contrasted with the typical end-of-cruise departure where passengers listen to public address system announcements for their luggage tag color to be called signaling the staggered times they will disembark, Princess has debuted an efficient, more relaxed process for passengers leaving the ship. Passengers are each given an assigned time and place to assemble on the final morning and are personally escorted to the gangway by a member of the ship’s staff, eliminating the guesswork as to the actual time passengers will be disembarking.
The new program is in the process of being rolled out fleetwide, and has already been met with enthusiastic response from passengers. The new system eliminates loudspeaker announcements calling color-coded departure groups, and instead provides passengers with a letter the day before the end of the cruise that outlines their designated time to meet in an assigned public room, depending on their return air arrangements. There they will be met by a member of the ship’s staff who will wait with them until departure time, when they will be personally escorted to the gangway.
The revised system enables passengers to easily plan their morning without the uncertainty as to when they should prepare to depart the ship. It also eliminates passengers congregating in the ship’s atrium near the gangway, plus creates a more relaxed flow for morning breakfast.
In addition to the enhanced disembarkation program, in many ports departing passengers can also take advantage of an express disembarkation option in which those who choose to carry their own luggage off the ship can elect to be part of the first group exiting the ship, allowing them to get an early start on their post-cruise travel plans.
The new disembarkation process complements Princess’ innovative early embarkation program, which makes staterooms available to passengers immediately upon boarding. Arriving passengers can also enjoy a full dining room lunch in addition to the ship’s Horizon Court buffet.
Casino fans aboard seven Princess cruises in 2008 will have the opportunity to compete in the first-ever Princess Players Championship – a series of slot, blackjack and Texas Hold ‘em poker tournaments. More than $100,000 in cash prizes plus 18 free cruises will be awarded to winners during the events, which start in May and culminate in a Grand Finale event aboard Crown Princess in November. The six preliminary Princess Players Championship cruises will each host a slot, blackjack, and Texas Hold’em Poker tournament. First-place winners in each slot and blackjack tournament receive a cash prize of $3,000 plus a complimentary cruise to participate in the Grand Finale event sailing, with accommodations for two in a balcony stateroom aboard Crown Princess on November 30. Slot and blackjack Grand Finale players will compete for a $10,000 grand prize, while the Texas Hold’em Poker tournament offers the winner a coveted opportunity to play at the exclusive 2009 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas – including travel expenses and free entry valued at more than $10,000.
Guests can choose to participate in any or all of the following tournaments:
An expansive new aqua park featuring a 300-foot-long water slide, along with an exclusive adults-only area, and a totally redesigned “resort-style” main pool will be incorporated into the Carnival Fantasy when the 2,052-passenger SuperLiner undergoes a multi-million-dollar dry dock this fall.The “extreme makeover” represents phase two of “Evolutions of Fun,” Carnival Cruise Lines’ $250 million extensive ship refurbishment program for the line’s eight 70,000-ton Fantasy-class vessels.
Carnival Fantasy, which operates year-round four- and five-day western Caribbean cruises from New Orleans, will be the third ship to be fully outfitted with all “Evolutions of Fun” upgrades, with Carnival Inspiration and Carnival Imagination completed in recent months.
Taking center stage on the Carnival Fantasy’s Verandah Deck will be Carnival WaterWorks, a spectacular aqua park featuring a four-deck-high 300-foot-long corkscrew water slide – the longest, most elaborate at sea – along with an 82-foot-long dual-lane racing slide, and various water spray apparatus creating cool and exhilarating fun for kids and adults, alike.
Located aft will be Serenity, an exclusive adults-only outdoor retreat designed as an ocean-going oasis for relaxation, tranquility and comfort. Offering magnificent ocean vistas, Serenity will feature plush chaise lounges and chairs, colorful oversized umbrellas, two whirlpools, and a separate area where guests can relax in shaded comfort. Bar service will be provided with waiters offering a tempting selection of icy cocktails and frozen concoctions.
These new enhancements will complement the wide range of “Evolutions of Fun” upgrades incorporated into the Carnival Fantasy during earlier dry docks. These include completely renovated staterooms with flat-screen TVs and other amenities, a nine-hole miniature golf course, a renovated 12,000-square-foot Spa Carnival facility, updated dining rooms, a New York-style deli, an atrium lobby bar, a new conference facility, a patisserie serving specialty coffees and sweets and new photo and art galleries.
A number of family-friendly amenities – including expansive new facilities for children and teens, part of the top-rated “Camp Carnival” and “Club O2” programs, respectively – along with more than 50 interconnecting staterooms, have been added, as well.
High-tech sound and lighting systems for a host of live music and entertainment venues have also been incorporated.
It was a slow news week this week, we had just one story – Carnival announced the details of the 2008 Wild Winners Cruises.
We spent the rest of the show talking about passport and passport card issues. From what you will and won’t be able to use a passport card for, to how to get your passport and passport card.
While we have a lot of great information in this show about passports and passport cards, you will always find the best and most up to date information at the US State Department’s foreign travel website located at travel.state.gov
Now that you’re going to get your passport how about collecting some stamps by taking advantage of a great deal on a Carnival Splendor sailing in the Med this July.
With the “gradual” implementation of the passport requirements called for as part of the WHTI you have either already discovered or will soon discover how expensive passport photos are considering what you actually get for your money. For anywhere from $8 to $17 you get the tiny little head shot that may be less than flattering if it’s even in focus at all. Heck, we’re a little ashamed to admit that we paid $16 for a passport sized ID photo last year and we’ve seen places that charge even more.
Now, if you read through the travel.state.gov site you’ll discover that you can supply a photo you’ve taken as long as it meets the following requirements (remember you need to supply two photos)-
- 2×2 inches in size
- Identical
- Taken within the past 6 months, showing current appearance
- Color
- Full face, front view with a plain white or off-white background
- Between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head
- Taken in normal street attire
- Uniforms should not be worn in photographs except religious attire that is worn daily.
- Do not wear a hat or headgear that obscures the hair or hairline.
- If you normally wear prescription glasses, a hearing device, wig or similar articles, they should be worn for your picture.
- Dark glasses or nonprescription glasses with tinted lenses are not acceptable unless you need them for medical reasons. A medical certificate may be required.
For the most part all of the requirements are easy to meet, although there are a few bits that may be a little daunting like getting the head in the picture to be between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches. However the good folks at The Consumerist (which I might add is a place that we hope never has a reason to write badly about us 
) have pointed us to this post on Money, Matter and More Musings which tells you just how you can take your own passport photos that meet all of the above requirements.
First, get yourself a white cloth to use as a backdrop and select a well lit area and take your pictures. Now YOU can select the best photos. Head over to ePassportPhoto and upload your pictures, this free service lets you crop your photos and will automatically resize them to the correct size. If you have a good photo printer and photo paper you can print out the pictures yourself. Don’t have a photo printer, then take (or send) your photos to Target, Costco or a similar store that will print digital pictures and get your passport photos printed out. Even if you have to buy the backdrop and pay to get the pictures printed out taking your own passport pictures could cost you as little as 25% of what many places charge for passport and ID photos…
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