Tag: iab-cruises

Three-year-cruise becomes ‘the cruise that never ends’ | CNN

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CNN
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If the idea of spending three years on a cruise ship made you claustrophobic, it’s time to look away now.

Life at Sea Cruises – which is due to depart in November for a three-year round-the-world cruise – reckons that people are so enthused by the idea of sailing around the world nonstop, that they’re going to continue the journey indefinitely, making it “the cruise that never ends.”

The idea came about after the firm fielded inquiries from potential customers who were thrilled by the idea of the cruise, but couldn’t make the start date, Kendra Holmes, CEO of Miray Cruises – which owns and operates Life at Sea – told CNN.

Individuals will still have to sign up for three years – but now they can start at any point in the itinerary, making it a rolling three-year cruise, rather than a set one.

Not that latecomers will get a rehash of what they missed. To appeal to customers who want to stay on, the itinerary will continue to new destinations, rather than returning to previous ones. The cruise will then continue indefinitely says Holmes, who adds, “It’s become the cruise that never ends.”

Holmes says that major destinations such as Easter Island, Dubai and all of India are not on the first itinerary for logistical reasons, and are expected to appear in year four.

There will now be seven potential start locations in the first year of the cruise, which departs Istanbul on November 1.

Holmes told CNN that the team at Miray Cruises – which owns Life at Sea – had been “brainstorming” since talking to prospective clients who couldn’t make the start date.

“Once the ship was announced in May there were a lot of people who wanted to come, but November was too soon to sell their homes, make plans and pack up their lives,” she said.

“We made a list, started brainstorming and said, ‘We were going to restart it – why don’t we just extend it?’”

Some fully signed-up clients had also been hit with health issues.

“We’d said from the beginning we’d refund in full for anyone with medical problems, but we had people saying, ‘I don’t want a refund, I just want to get this treated and come on board,’ so we thought we’d give them an opportunity too.

“We also had residents asking what would happen if they wanted to keep going [at the end of three years] so we started looking at itinerary options, seeing what places we could add.”

Those who can’t make the Istanbul departure have a chance to join at Barcelona on November 6, the Bahamas a week later, or Rio de Janeiro on December 20, just in time for Christmas on board.

There will be three more stops in central and north America in the first half of 2024 as well.

Holmes says the new system shouldn’t affect the company’s policy to sell only 85% capacity.

The ship – the MV Lara – can carry 1,400 passengers, but Holmes promises “we won’t ever sell full capacity – we don’t want residents to have that experience. We’re trying to keep it at 85%.” Occupancy is currently at over 50% for November boardings.

The cruise is also launching a “Dive Around the World” program after Holmes – a scuba instructor herself – noticed that many of the guests were keen divers.

There’ll now be an on-board dive shop, run in tandem with Scuba Diving International (SDI), with a full-time instructor joining the ship’s crew. Passengers will be able to get scuba certification as they travel, and there’ll be opportunities to dive around the world, linking up with SDI-vetted diving schools.

Guests will also be able to take part in ocean clean-ups and coral propagation efforts as they travel.

The new policy is the latest change in what has been a baptism of fire for Life at Sea.

Miray parted ways with some of the project’s founding team in May – a schism that is now at the heart of a legal dispute brought by Miray.

Many would-be cruisers canceled their reservations because of the confusion, although new bookings have now overtaken the original numbers.

While they aren’t the first to offer permanent (or semi-permanent) cruises, Life at Sea remains the only (relatively) affordable option for long-term cruising, says Holmes.

“It’s $3,500-$4,000 per month, and you can go see the world. We can offer this to the average earner, or a person who just retired from the average job.”

Current pricing starts at $38,513 per year per cabin for two people. Everything is included – right down to the on-board healthcare. Solo travelers pay an additional 85% for single occupancy.

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September 2, 2023
GM’s Cruise slashed fleet of robotaxis by 50% in San Francisco after collisions | CNN Business

CNN
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California authorities have asked General Motors to “immediately” take some of its Cruse robotaxis off the road after autonomous vehicles were involved in two collisions – including one with an active fire truck – last week in San Francisco.

California’s Department of Motor Vehicles confirmed to CNN that it is investigating “recent concerning incidents involving Cruise vehicles in San Francisco.”

“The DMV is in contact with Cruise and law enforcement officials to determine the facts and requested Cruise to immediately reduce its active fleet of operating vehicles by 50% until the investigation is complete and Cruise takes appropriate corrective actions to improve road safety,” the department said in a statement.

That means Cruise, which is the self-driving subsidiary of General Motors, can have no more than 50 driverless cars in operation during the day, and 150 in operation at night, according to the department.

The California DMV said that Cruise has agreed to the request, and a spokesperson from Cruise told CNN that the company is investigating the firetruck crash as well.

The accidents come less than two weeks after California regulators officially gave the green light for Cruise and competitor Waymo to charge money for robotaxi trips around San Francisco at any time of day. Prior to the approval, Cruise was only authorized to offer fared passenger service from driverless cars overnight from 10 pm to 6 am, when there are fewer pedestrians or traffic that could confuse the autonomous vehicle’s software.

The collisions, which both occurred on Thursday, reveal potential risks of driverless technology.

In a blog post, Cruise’s general manager for San Francisco said the firetruck crash occurred when an emergency vehicle that appeared to be en route to an emergency scene moved into an oncoming lane of traffic to bypass a red light. Cruise’s driverless car identified the risk, the blog post said, but it “was ultimately unable to avoid the collision.”

That crash resulted in one passenger being taken to the hospital via ambulance for seemingly minor injuries, according to the company.

Cruise told CNN the other crash on Thursday took place when another car ran a red light “at a high rate of speed.”

“The AV detected the vehicle and braked but the other vehicle made contact with our AV. There were no passengers in our AV and the driver of the other vehicle was treated and released at the scene,” Hannah Lindow, a Cruise spokesperson, told CNN.

It is unclear whether the two accidents would have been avoided had there been a human driver rather than an autonomous vehicle (AV) involved – but the crashes were not the only two incidents involving Cruise’s driverless cars in San Francisco last week.

On Tuesday, Cruise confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that one of its driverless taxis drove into a construction area and stopped in wet concrete.

“This vehicle has already been recovered and we’re in communication with the city about this,” the company said.

The recent events underscore the challenges of creating safe, fully driverless passenger vehicles.

General Motors acquired Cruise Automation in 2016 for $1 billion, solidifying its place in the autonomous vehicles race, but many companies have since scaled back, or abandoned their driverless car ambitions. The endeavor has proven costly, and mastering all situations that humans might face behind the wheel is difficult and time-consuming.

Ridesharing giants Uber and Lyft have both sold autonomous vehicle units in recent years. Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has been optimistic about autonomous vehicle technology, has yet to fully deliver on his promise.

Tesla vehicles now come with the option to add a “full self-driving” feature in beta-testing for $15,000, but drivers must agree to “stay alert, keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times and maintain control of your car.”

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August 2, 2023
New York City to open a fifth relief center amid the continued influx of asylum seekers, mayor says | CNN

CNN
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New York City is set to open a relief center in a terminal for cruise ships, which will provide temporary respite to the continued influx of asylum-seekers entering the city, officials said.

The new site will be located at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, one of three terminals for cruise ships in the New York City metropolitan area, Mayor Eric Adams announced Saturday. It will serve approximately 1,000 asylum-seekers, specifically single adult men who will be moved from another humanitarian relief center, in addition to newly arriving single men, the mayor said.

The cruise terminal site will be the fifth Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center to open in the city to manage the arrival of immigrants who have been bused in over recent months from other parts of the country, according to the mayor’s announcement. The city has also opened 77 hotels as emergency shelters, according to New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol.

A spokesperson for the mayor did not provide a timeline for when the new site will open, saying it is expected to be up and running “very soon.” The spokesperson also declined to provide a cost for the new site but said the city would be hiring an outside vendor to complete the process.

The center is expected to be in operation until the spring, when the terminal reopens to the public for cruise season, officials said, and it will also offer on-site medical care, food, laundry, reconnections, and a place to stay.

“With more than 41,000 asylum-seekers arriving in New York City since last spring and nearly 28,000 asylum-seekers currently in our care, our city is at its breaking point,” Adams said in a statement Saturday.

CNN has reached out to the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which leases and operates the cruise terminal, for comment.

The cruise terminal structure will be “similar” to the tent structures the city opened on Randall’s Island back in October, the spokesperson said. The center on Randall’s Island closed in mid-November in response to the dwindling number of asylum-seekers at the time, city officials said in a news release in November.

The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless, which have both been critical of Adams’ plans to set up tent-like structures, issued a statement raising concerns about whether the shelter will comply with the city’s right to shelter policy.

The statement said the site is in a “high-risk flood zone,” which will “needlessly expose future residents to the elements during some of the coldest months of the year.”

“Hotels have always been the better short-term option, in contrast to erecting tents in inaccessible parts of New York City that are prone to flooding,” the statement said.

The spokesperson for Adams said the new cruise terminal structure will be housed inside an existing building on the terminal, stressing it would provide “double insulation” from the elements; a concern advocates had raised about previous structures.

In October, Adams declared a state of emergency to help respond to the city’s migrant crisis, which he said would cost the city $1 billion this fiscal year.

The mayor also called for emergency federal and state aid to handle the continued influx of asylum-seekers.

Adams’ declaration directed all relevant city agencies to coordinate efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis and to construct the city’s Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a program last April to bus migrants who have been processed and released by immigration authorities in Texas border communities to Washington DC, New York City, and Chicago.

Abbott and others who favor increasing immigration restrictions argue Biden administration policies have provided an incentive for more people to cross the border illegally. The busing campaign has led to sparring between Abbott and Adams, whose administration has accused the governor of using human beings as political pawns and whose city has been long considered a sanctuary for migrants.

Since March 2020, the controversial Trump-era border restriction known as Title 42 has allowed officials to swiftly expel migrants who crossed the border illegally, all in the name of Covid-19 prevention. There have been nearly 2.5 million expulsions, mostly under the Biden administration.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden public decried Title 42 and his administration said it’s preparing to end it. But officials have repeatedly turned to the Trump-era policy as a tool to manage a spiraling situation at the border.

Officials have claimed court decisions left them with no other choice, but they’ve also chosen to expand the policy beyond any court’s order.

The Supreme Court ruled in December Title 42 will remain in effect while legal challenges play out, a victory for Republican-led states urging the Supreme Court to step in and block a lower court opinion which ordered the termination of the authority.

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January 21, 2023
Cruise ship rescues 17 migrants from vessel near the Bahamas | CNN

CNN
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Seventeen migrants were taken onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship Saturday after it encountered a small vessel adrift on its way to the Bahamas, according to a statement from the cruise line.

The Liberty of the Seas was sailing to the Bahamas when it encountered a small vessel adrift and in need of assistance, according to Royal Caribbean officials.

“The ship’s crew immediately launched a rescue operation, safely bringing 17 people onboard. The crew provided them with medical attention and is working closely with the United States Coast Guard,” the statement said.

RacQuelle Major-Holland, a passenger on the cruise liner, told CNN the captain made an announcement their ship was diverting from its path to Nassau to see whether the small boat needed help.

“He shared there appeared to be people onboard and he mentioned the maritime law that ships have to check in and rescue if needed,” Major-Holland said Monday.

She said the small boat was hard to see at first but within about 45 minutes of the announcement, the people were onboard the Liberty of the Seas.

“The individuals on the boat were waving and … they were smiling and happy to be rescued,” said Major-Holland, a travel blogger from Pickerington, Ohio.

Video that Major-Holland recorded shows the boat getting closer to the ship. The tiny craft has just a few oars and a piece of tattered green fabric from what appears to be a makeshift flagpole.

Officials didn’t identify what country the people in the boat were from, but the rescue comes during a surge of Cubans and Haitians attempting to make it to the United States.

It isn’t new for cruise ships traveling near Florida to come upon boats of migrants. But a series of recent rescues and social media posts about them have brought a fresh wave of attention to these dramatic moments at sea and the migration crisis behind them.

The small boat in this case was in Bahamian waters and the people onboard reported there was another vessel out as well, a spokesperson from the US Coast Guard District Seven told CNN.

Because of the location of the vessels, the Bahamian authorities are leading the investigation with assistance from the Coast Guard.

CNN has reached out to the Bahamian Defense Force for additional information.

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January 16, 2023
FBI investigating ‘suspicious death’ of woman on Carnival cruise ship | CNN

CNN
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The FBI is investigating the “suspicious death” of a female passenger onboard the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship, the agency announced in a news release Sunday.

The woman was found unresponsive during the ship’s February 27 voyage to Nassau, Bahamas, the FBI field office in Columbia, South Carolina, said.

Medical staff and crew members attempted life-saving measures after learning she was unresponsive, but the woman was pronounced dead on the ship, the FBI said.

“Both the deceased and her husband were debarked in Nassau and Bahamian authorities have already investigated the circumstances and are conducting an autopsy,” Carnival Cruise Line spokesperson Matt Lupoli said in a statement to CNN.

“We are fully cooperating. This is a matter for authorities in the Bahamas and Charleston and we have no further comments,” said Lupoli.

On March 4, when the ship returned to Charleston, an FBI team processed the passenger’s room for evidence, the FBI release states.

The incident was isolated and there wasn’t a threat to any other passengers before or after the woman was found dead, the FBI said.

The FBI investigates suspicious deaths of US nationals as well as “certain crimes on the high seas,” the release states.

The incident remains under investigation, the FBI said.

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December 31, 1969