Another cruise ship had to return earlier than planned because of a norovirus outbreak. This time it is the Caribbean Princess. 165 passengers fell ill with norovirus, the same intestinal disorder that forced another ship to cut short a trip this week. Like Explorer of the Seas, the Caribbean Princess was on a Caribbean cruise. The ship set sail from Houston on Jan. 25 and was scheduled to return on Saturday.
For a second time in less than a week Royal Caribbean has to deal with a virus spreading on one of their cruise ships. More than 300 people, passengers and crew, on the Explorer of the Seas have complains of diarrhea and vomiting. There are 3,050 passengers and 1,165 crew members aboard the ship, the Explorer of the Seas, whose home port is at Bayonne, NJ.
Janet Diaz, spokesperson for Royal Caribbean International, told CNN that the ship skipped a planned stop in Haiti on Saturday and sailed directly to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where it underwent an extensive sanitizing. Continue reading
With the New Year starts the construction of the new Port Canaveral Terminal 1. The $50.5 million facility is scheduled to open in November 2014. The new terminal will be the first on the south side of the harbor and the only one having dining and entertainment options in walking distance. It will also be near the newly opened Exploration Tower and a grear start point for area excursion.
Port Canaveral commissioners selected local firm Ivey’s Construction of Merritt Island, Florida to build the 187,500 square foot two-story terminal, the 1,400-foot-long berth and th parking for 1,000 vehicles. During construction the boat ramps at Freddie Patrick Park in the Cove will remain open. The parking will be relocated south of the current parking area. This temporary parking will be in place until the new boat ramp facility is constructed just west of Jetty Park near the entrance of the Port’s harbor. The new boat ramp facility is expected to be complete in July 2014.
The terminal will handle the port’s largest cruise ships and tenants for the terminal will be announced soon, according to a news release.
“No specific ships are in mind, but we will be able to accommodate all new ships coming for home port and port of call, including the Quantum coming here in fall 2014 for Port of Call visits from New York,” said. Port Canaveral CEO John E. Walsh
There are already theories on which ships will come after the new terminal is completed.
During construction the boat ramps at Freddie Patrick Park in the Cove will remain open. The parking will be relocated south of the current parking area. This temporary parking will be in place until the new boat ramp facility is constructed just west of Jetty Park near the entrance of the Port’s harbor. The new boat ramp facility is expected to be complete in July 2014.
Port Canaveral Transportation provides transportation to all cruise lines Disney Cruise Lines, Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and Norwegian Cruise line. We offer quality ground transportation between the cruise terminals at Port Canaveral and all major transportation hubs, resorts, hotels and attractions in Florida. This year we stayed tuned to the port’s growth and kept providing you with professional service. And the Port is indeed growing fast.
It turned sixty this year and marked the event with the opening of a new tourist center – The Exploration Tower. This new tourist attraction came as a milestone, marking the port’s evolution from a fishing outlet to one of the busiest cruise ports in the world. At the official ribbon cutting port officials said that „the tower is a symbol that the port will continue to grow its cruise, cargo and entertainment sectors.”
Port Canaveral is already one of the busiest cruise ports in the world. Disney, Norwegian, Carnival and Royal Caribbean all have ships based at Port Canaveral. It is also a port of call for many cruise ships. Last week the port officials announced plans for a new cruise complex. It will be constructed next year at the cost of $ 85 million.
The port also added a terminal in 2012 at a cost of $ 65 million, bringing the total number of berths up to seven. Port authorities are planning four new terminals during the next 10-15 years. One is 2014-2015, one will replace [terminals 3 and 4] in 2016-2017 and then two added terminals likely in 2021 and 2025 based on current trends.
The Port and the city of Orlando hosted the annual AAPA convention on Oct. 13-17. The AAPA Annual Convention is the premier Western Hemisphere gathering of the seaport industry and includes an industry exposition featuring companies in the port services industry. The AAPA annual expo is the place to exhibit to reach top decision-makers from port authorities, marine terminal operators, integrators, engineering firms and key industry executives.
As the year comes to its and, the team of Port Canaveral Transportation assures you that we will keep doing our best during the next 2014. We are looking forward to meet our new clients and to make sure they are having a great trip.
Cruise lines offer more and more short cruises every year because people want them. Just a few years ago, if you wanted to take a short cruise, you didn’t have many choices of ships or destinations. Now you can find plenty of options for three-to-five day cruises in the in South Florida, the capital of the short cruise.
“What we found is that short cruises are very convenient, they’re affordable because of the shorter itineraries, and there is a real variety,” said Terry Thornton, a senior vice president with Carnival Cruise Lines, ticking off the islands where short-cruise ships out of South Florida call. “So you’re not sacrificing destinations for the shorter cruise. It’s a good, convenient, affordable cruise that takes you great places.”
For consumers, short cruises are cheaper, give them another option for a short getaway, and offer a chance for first-timers to sample cruising or a new cruise line at less cost than a week-long cruise. For cruise lines, they are a way to introduce themselves to new customers and maybe win them over for a longer cruise.
Find more on this topic on OrlandoSentinel.
No matter the length of the cruise you choose, we can provide you the transportation!
