Cruise News & Views
Welcome to The Cruise Outlet’s News and Views section. We keep abreast of the latest news in the cruise industry and we want to keep you informed as well. Please check back often because we will be adding to this section on a regular basis.

Crystal Cruises Provides Wireless Phone Service on Ships - Oct 5, 2006

Beginning October 13 on Crystal Serenity, and October 20 aboard Crystal Symphony, Crystal and SeaMobile will provide guests with wireless service at sea, using their own mobile phones and telephone numbers. Guests will be able to make and receive calls to and from fellow travelers on the ship, as well as with friends and family anywhere in the world. Other available wireless services include text messaging and use of PDAs such as a Blackberry©.

Using the advanced technology on board is very simple - most compatible mobile phones and other wireless devices will connect automatically when turned on. While nothing special is needed to connect, guests will need to have authorized service for international dialing through their home provider. When calling the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, guests need only dial 1, the area code and number – just like on land. International calls will require 011, the country code and number.

To avoid interference with land-based networks, SeaMobile will only be available when the ships are at least 12 nautical miles from l and. When in port, guests can connect to local roaming networks as permitted by their home carrier.

Charges will appear on guests’ regular monthly mobile phone bills as roaming charges with rates starting at $1.99 USD per minute. Sending and receiving text messages is billed at $.40 USD per message, and service for Internet-enabled devices such as a Blackberry will cost $.08 USD per kilobyte (billed in 10 kilobyte increments). In all cases, additional charges may be applied by the guests’ home wireless service providers.

To ensure the quiet comfort and elegant ambience of the ships, designated quiet zones will be enforced in the following areas: Crystal Dining Room, Crystal Spa, Galaxy Lounge, Hollywood Theatre, Library, Starlite/Jade/Prego (on Crystal Symphony), and Stardust/Prego/Silk Road (on Crystal Serenity).

Royal Caribbean announced that they have placed an order for the World's Largest Cruise Ship. - Feb 6, 2006

It will sail with 5400 passengers and cost $1.1 billion dollars. It is scheduled to be delivered in the Fall of 2009.

Cunard Appoints Master for the Queen Victoria Valencia, CA - October 4, 2006

Captain Paul Wright, a 26 year veteran of Cunard Line, has been appointed master of Queen Victoria, the company's newest ocean liner currently under construction in Venice that will enter service in December 2007.

His first appointment with Cunard was to Cunard Countess in 1980 and since then he has served on Cunard Princess, Sagafjord and Cunard Dynasty. In 1999, Captain Wright was promoted to Captain of Cunard's flagship Queen Elizabeth 2 where he served until construction began on Queen Mary 2, the largest ocean liner ever built. He oversaw construction of QM2 in St. Nazaire prior to commission, and in 2004 was appointed Master of Queen Mary 2, rotating with the recently retired Commodore Ronald Warwick.

Queen Victoria will be a classic Cunarder, offering the characteristics that have become synonymous with Cunard's heritage and traditions combined with the most modern, luxurious furnishings and facilities. But more than that, she will also feature exciting innovations - such as the first private boxes at sea in the Royal Court Theatre, a floating museum housing Cunard memorabilia, and the first two-story library at sea. Queen Victoria will follow the Cunard tradition with her distinctive silhouette black hull and signature red funnel, as well as, elegant classically styled public rooms (many on a grand scale) with an abundance of rich wood panelling, chandeliers and marble.