FDTC: In Hamilton Ontario

From The Deck Chair - is currently in Hamilton Ontario at a Film Festival. We have used up our 9 free minutes of Internet so we will be returning on Monday with exciting new articles!

A New Terminal for San Diego

San Diego's B Street cruise terminal, 

seen here in 2006.

Photo © Aaron Saunders

The beautiful city of San Diego is poised to open a new, $28-million dollar cruise terminal on its waterfront next month in a move it hopes will attract more ships to the southern California port.

While San Diego is an immensely convenient city for cruise passengers - the international airport is a mere five minutes away, and the amount of attractions in or near the city is mind-boggling - the cruise terminal situation left something to be desired.

If you were lucky, you got to embark via the B Street Pier, a 130,000 square-foot converted cotton warehouse that hadn't seen a major refurbishment since its conversion in 1985. 

If you were unlucky, and more than one ship was in port, embarkation was conducted in "the tents" adjacent to the B-Street pier.  Large, white temporary tents served as check-in areas for embarking passengers and could be stiflingly hot on a warm day, or miserably damp on a cold one. 

With the opening next month of the new Broadway Pier, the tents will be gone forever, replaced with a modern, 52,000-square foot structure featuring blue-tinted windows and a unique saw-tooth roof design that will be capable of accommodating one cruise ship, bringing the Port of San Diego's total capacity to three vessels.

While the San Diego cruise market has taken a hit owing to increased drug and gang violence in Mexican ports and general over-capacity on the Mexican Rivera runs that will see calls to the city bottom out in 2011, Port officials are confident that while the industry may be down, the new infrastructure set to open next month will help entice future calls away from the San Pedro area of Los Angeles and back to San Diego.

For more information, visit the Port of San Diego website.

Photo of the Week - November 5

The start of the beautiful 'Piazza' atrium area of the Crown Princess.

Photo © Aaron Saunders

Built in 2006, Princess Cruises Crown Princess is a product of the continued evolution of the highly popular and successful Grand Princess, first introduced in 1998. 

Aft of the Piazza atrium near the elevator bank.

Photo © Aaron Saunders

Crown Princess boasts a number of firsts for the line, the most notable of which was the creation of a 'Piazza' style atrium.  Boasting a cafe featuring coffees, teas, and light snacks as well as a popular combination wine and sushi bar called Vines, the Piazza truly is the hub of the ship.  These features proved so popular that the rest of the fleet has been renovated to include them.  A variety of demonstrations and live acts are conducted in this area, making it the place to be throughout the day.

European travel is a subject returned to again and again

in the onboard decor, as evident by this painting of 

Venice's Piazza San Marco.

Photo © Aaron Saunders

Join us next weekend as we tour the Crown Princess top-to-bottom to discover all the features she holds.  Prospective cruisers will not be disappointed.

Around the World in 115 Days

 Silversea's brand-new Silver Spirit will operate

a 115-day World Cruise in 2012.

Photo courtesy of Silversea Cruises

Here at From the Deck Chair, we're always on the lookout for unique itineraries: those voyages that promise a one-of-a kind experience.  It may be to a remote part of the world, or merely just a new twist on an old favorite.  Regardless, these itineraries are for the cruise enthusiast who is an adventurer at heart, but prefers to get there in style.

Silversea's 2012 World Cruise aboard Silver Spirit exemplifies this kind of luxurious adventure perfectly.

Departing Friday, January 6, 2012 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this 115-day voyage whisks its fortunate passengers to an unbelievable array of ports.  In fact, they're so numerous we can't list them all here.  Some of the highlights are:

Monday, January 16 - Belem, Brazil
Sunday, January 29 - Jamestown, St. Helena
Wednesday, February 1 - Walvis Bay, Namimbia
Wednesday, February 8 - East London, South Africa
Monday, February 13 - Tolanaro, Madagascar
Saturday, February 25 - Chennai, India
Friday, March 9 - Hong Kong, China
Tuesday, March 13 - Shanghai, China
Sunday, March 25 - Bangkok, Thailand
Thursday, April 12 - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Saturday, April 21 - Safaga (Luxor), Egypt
Wednesday, April 25 - Suez Canal Transit
Sunday, April 29 - Sorrento, Italy

The voyage comes to a conclusion on Tuesday, May 12 in Monte Carlo.  The full itinerary includes sixteen ports that feature overnight stays, allowing passengers time to venture further inland or simply enjoy the nightlife in these fascinating ports of call.

Understandably, a world cruise isn't for everyone.  They represent a considerable investment of both time and money, and may be out of reach for many for these reasons.  However, a very wise person once said, "no one talks about the year they bought the fridge."  A World Cruise is almost immeasurable; the amount of incredible experiences it offers, both culturally and historically, is astonishing. 

Few investments offer such a generous return.

Full pricing details haven't been released yet, but expect prices to include all the hallmarks the line is best known for: included airfare, gratuities, beverages, and unique, informative lecturers.  Cuisine, service and comfort are not overlooked here.

For more information on both the Silver Spirit and her 2012 World Cruise, be sure to pay a visit to Silversea's website, where you can sign up to receive additional information, including a brochure and pricing when it becomes available.

Cruise 101: Electrical Appliances

 Plenty of electrical appliances can tax a cruise ship's power system.

Pictured here is the iLounge aboard Celebrity Summit.

Photo © 2010 Aaron Saunders

A recent CruiseCritic thread told of a cruiser who had a small portable electric fan confiscated on a recent voyage aboard Celebrity Mercury.  Cruise lines have been attempting to crack down on the amount of electrical appliances passengers bring aboard with them - and for good reason.

Unlike your house, a ship is responsible for creating its own power, and each ship has a finite amount it can produce at any given time.  A portion of this is used for technical operations, like propulsion, security, and navigation.  By far though, the vast majority of available power is used by hotel operations.  Consider the immense power required by the enormous air conditioning units that keep public spaces and staterooms cool and comfortable.  Then there's the multitude of lights, televisions, entertainment devices, theatre lighting, elevators, bars and so on - all of which require ample power.

While ships are considered to be far more efficient than the average home or workspace thanks to low-consumption devices, the vast majority of power a ship can produce is being used.  A small remainder is set aside for passenger cabins.

Passengers are quickly gobbling that reserve up.

Ten years ago, this would have been a non-event.  But consider how many items we use that need to be charged or plugged in.  I'm guilty of it; I bring electrical appliances with me.  In fact, I was shocked just how many devices I bring that require an electrical outlet.  On my last cruise, I brought:

- A laptop, with charger.
- An iPod, with charger.
- A digital camera with - yep - a charger.
- A digital video camera - charger again.
- A portable DVD player that runs on - yes, electrical current.
- A cell phone, with charger.

Now, not all of those are plugged in at the same time, but batteries, laptops and cellular phones clearly make up a substantial portion of our day-to-day lives.  

Carnival caused a bit of a stir earlier this year when they announced they were adding certain electronic devices, like power strips or high-wattage peripherals, to their list of items they are allowed to confiscate at their discretion. 

Power strips have become a huge issue onboard most cruise ships.  Electrical outlets in your stateroom are limited for a reason: the generation capacity for plugging in multiple appliances just isn't there.  By plugging in a power strip, an electrical overload is possible.  At best, you risk tripping an entire section of staterooms, leaving them in the dark.  At worst, it poses a potential fire hazard - something you definitely don't want at sea.

While no cruise line will confiscate your Blackberry or MacBook anytime soon, they may take anything extraneous - like a portable fan or a power strip - if they feel the amount of "gear" you've brought with you is excessive.

What's the best course of action?  Don't stop bringing things you absolutely need - like a digital camera, cellphone charger, or laptop.  But consider each item you bring, and ask yourself if you need it.

And definitely don't plug them all in at once.

Hurrican Tomas Slams into St. Lucia

At least 14 people have been killed when Hurricane Tomas slammed into St. Lucia over the weekend, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.

While the hurricane also hit St. Vincent & the Grenadines, as well as Barbados, initial reports indicate damage was most extensive on St. Lucia.

In Soufriere, roads were washed out and homes swept away.  The town is now completely cut off as a result of landslides and washed out roads.  Stephenson King, the Prime Minister of St. Lucia, described the damage to infrastructure in Soufriere as being so bad that the municipality may be cut off from the rest of the island for up to three weeks.

In Castries, a popular cruise ship port, bridges have been washed away and could take a week or more to repair.  

It is estimated the damage will cost more than US$100 million.

As of yet, no cruise lines scheduled to call at the island in the immediate future have announced any itinerary changes.  However, many shore excursions utilize road transportation and some call in Soufriere - both of which will not be possible for some time.  It remains to be seen exactly how this event will affect cruise ship traffic. 

Clearly, both the island and cruise lines want to continue to call at St. Lucia.  The question is, will they be able to?

We will keep you updated as more details emerge.

Disney Dream Floats Out

Disney Dream floats out from the Meyer Werft shipyard

in Papenburg, Germany.

Photo courtesy of Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line's Disney Dream is another step closer to cruising reality.

The 1,115-foot long vessel was eased out of the construction shed at Germany's Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg on Saturday, marking the completion of a major milestone in the ship's history.

Now that the overall structure of Disney Dream is complete, work on her interiors can continue.  She will tie up at the yard's fitting out pier for the next two weeks while machinery, including stabilizers and propulsion systems are tested, and interior work continues.  

On the second weekend of November, the ship will begin the long journey down the River Ems to the North Sea for her first sea trials at nearby Emshaven, Netherlands. 

The 1,115-foot long Disney Dream emerges

from the construction shed.

Photo courtesy of Disney Cruise Line

In just two and a half short months, on January 26, 2011, Disney Dream will set sail on her first revenue cruise from her homeport of Port Canaveral, Florida, near Orlando.  The line's first new vessels in almost twelve years, the excitement surrounding the Disney Dream and sister ship Disney Fantasy is palpable: it is entirely possible the maiden voyage of Disney Dream may be the most anticipated ship launch of 2011.

Rather than building a ship that resembles a Las Vegas resort gone to sea, Disney Cruise Line has chosen to build upon the success of its earlier vessels.  Disney Magic and Disney Wonder were renowned for blend of modern features with old-world styling that recalls the grace and elegance of the former transatlantic liners of yesteryear. 

These newbuilds offer the same mix of style and elegance, combining sleek, nautical lines with all the major amenities today's cruisers have come to not only expect, but demand.  Which is what makes these ships so unique: Mickey Mouse may be hanging from the stern, but these are vessels which seek to appeal to young and old alike, to Disney fans and ocean liner buffs.

 Mickey Mouse, in the famous scene from Fantasia, 

adorns the fantail of the new Disney Dream.

Photo courtesy of Disney Cruise Line 

In short, they are some of the most attractive, well designed ships out there.  The true test will come in less than 90 days, when Disney Dream sets sail on her maiden voyage.

For more information on Disney Dream, check out the Disney Cruise Line webpage and be sure to get in on the action of her inaugural season of Bahamian voyages.