Should the Middle Seat Passenger Get Both Armrests on the Plane? A Travel Expert Answers

Table Of Content

• Bundle Up for the Best Cruise Deals
• What is the dress code for dinner on a cruise ship?
• Best Cruise Lines
• Can I bring my own alcohol on a cruise ship?
• Choosing the Right Cabin
• COCOCAY, BAHAMAS

It said it’s still committed to its demands for a permanent cease-fire, Israeli army withdrawal from all parts of Gaza, the return of displaced people to their homes, intensifying the flow of aid and the start of reconstruction. Israel said earlier Sunday that Hamas had rejected the latest proposal for a deal submitted last week. The U.K’s two military bases on Cyprus — including the larger air base RAF Akrotiri —- are British sovereign territory and don’t require the Cypriot government’s permission to launch any military action. The Israeli military says children can return to school after lifting a series of restrictions on public activities that were imposed ahead of Sunday’s Iranian missile strike.

Bundle Up for the Best Cruise Deals

Most cruise ships have self-service laundry facilities available for passengers to use. Some ships also offer laundry and dry cleaning services for an additional fee. When it comes to shore excursions, there are plenty of options to choose from.

What is the dress code for dinner on a cruise ship?

Location is key, as you may prefer a cabin closer to the amenities or with a view of the ocean. Size is also important, especially if you are traveling with a family or need extra space. Additionally, cabin type can vary from inside cabins with no windows to luxurious suites with balconies. It’s also worth noting that some cruise lines offer special perks such as priority boarding or access to exclusive areas. Lastly, don’t forget to check if your chosen cabin includes a drink package for unlimited beverages throughout your cruise.

Best Cruise Lines

When you first arrive at a ship, before you even get on board, you'll likely be greeted by porters who will whisk away your luggage. This is a great convenience, as there's no need to haul your bags through the entire check-in progress. But it also means you might not have access to your luggage for many hours on your first day on board. If your cruise departs from and returns to the same U.S. port, a passport is not required for U.S. citizens. However, it is highly recommended to have a valid passport for all cruises, as it is the best form of identification when traveling internationally. The Israel Defense Forces says that it is prepared to defend itself against a massive drone attack launched by Iran.

Since Iran announced its attack Saturday against Israel, air raid sirens have gone off in Jerusalem, in northern and southern Israel, in the Negev region, in the Shomron area and in the Dead Sea region. The statement came just hours after Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel early Sunday, with Israel saying 99% of the launches were intercepted. NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides says the east Mediterranean island nation “wasn’t in anyway involved” in any military action to thwart Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack against Israel. North Korea announced Saturday that it tested a “super-large” cruise missile warhead and a new anti-aircraft missile in a western coastal area on Friday.

Then, set out on a hike through Punta Sur National Park, where you'll trek through sea fan gardens and observe crocodiles in their natural habitat. Photos released by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency showed at least two missiles being fired off launcher trucks at a runway. Ignore the sailing's name and look at the ports of call to figure out where you're actually going. Impact on your credit may vary, as credit scores are independently determined by credit bureaus based on a number of factors including the financial decisions you make with other financial services organizations.

Those details are usually printed in the newsletter that's delivered to your cabin each night. If something goes wrong when you're away from the ship, you'll want to get in contact with the cruise line right away. Most cruising these days is casual, and you really only need a few outfits to rotate through a voyage. Many ships have launderettes on cabin decks where you can run a load or two of laundry every few days. Many cruises depart in the afternoon, so it might seem just fine to fly or drive to a port on the morning of departure. But all it takes is a moderate flight delay or a pile-up on the highway to upset those plans.

The Israeli statement said that Israel had shown flexibility in the negotiations. It alleged that Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar “continues to take advantage of the tensions with Iran” and seeks a wider regional escalation. Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group says it fired dozens of rockets toward Israeli military posts in Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights early Sunday after an Israeli airstrike killed one person in Lebanon.

If you're looking for luxury, the small-ship and high-end lines focus their attention in this area, as well as on the smaller Eastern Caribbean islands. Southern Caribbean sailings tend to be more port-intensive, with fewer sea days of all the Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries. Both Bahamas and Caribbean cruise itineraries come in short and long varieties. Israel has missile defense systems capable of targeting ballistic missiles. However, in a massive attack involving multiple drones and missiles like the campaign launched late Saturday by Iran, the likelihood of a strike making it through is higher. Iran’s state TV confirmed early on Sunday that the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard had launched drones and missiles at Israel.

Some cruise lines allow you to bring a limited selection of alcohol onboard. Because agents often book in bulk and work directly with the lines, they have access to deals that normal cruisers don't. Cruise lines will offer their top agencies special discounts that the agents can't promote on their websites, so even if you see a good deal online, it's best to talk to a real person and ask for the best fare. If you don't have time for Twitter, online cruise research or gathering up a group of 20 friends, nothing beats a good travel agent to help you score deals on cruises. Sticking with one line means earning perks like nightly cocktails in private lounges, free laundry, complimentary dinners in alternative restaurants, cabin upgrades and even free cruises once you've earned enough "credits." For example, MSC Cruises provides discounts of up to 10 percent to active and retired military families on almost all sailings.

Note that some lines may have non-refundable deposit policies; always read the fine print before deciding to pull the trigger and cancel and rebook. There are ways to make calls and access the internet from ships without spending a boatload of money. You can buy a Wi-Fi package, for instance, that will let you make FaceTime calls and stream videos (on some ships) over Wi-Fi without using phone data. Be sure to pack anything you think you might need for these first hours of your cruise in your carry-on bag.

Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One copied Pathaan scenes: Reddit - Hindustan Times

Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One copied Pathaan scenes: Reddit.

Posted: Thu, 18 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Wildlife lovers will have more options in the Caribbean than the Bahamas. Book a tour to Gumbalimba Park in Roatan or Lamanai in Belize to see monkeys and macaws, or Puerto Rico's El Yunque Rainforest to search for coqui (tree frogs). In the Bahamas, your best bet is the zoo at the Ardastra Gardens in Nassau. Divers, snorkelers, kayakers, paddleboarders and straight-up beach bums will find plenty of water-based fun in both the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Cruises aren’t right for all types of travelers, especially those who value flexibility during their vacations.

The main Bahamian ports are Nassau on New Providence Island (the country's capital) and Freeport on Grand Bahama Island. To make matters more confusing, cruise lines will often mix destinations from the different tropical regions on one itinerary. A Southern Caribbean cruise may include ports in the Eastern Caribbean, and a Western Caribbean sailing might stop at a cruise line's private island in the Bahamas. Given TPG's origins as a points and miles website, we'd be remiss if we didn't remind you to maximize your credit card points while making purchases on ships.

Costa Concordia disaster Wikipedia

Table Of Content

• Survivors’ Harrowing Escape
• Children of Flint water crisis make change as young environmental and health activists
• Column: Without cameras in the courtroom, Trump has already won a major victory in hush money trial
• Exactly What happened to the Costa Concordia?

Prosecutors blamed the delayed evacuation order and conflicting instructions given by crew for the chaos that ensued as passengers scrambled to get off the ship. The captain, Francesco Schettino, is serving a 16-year prison sentence for manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning a ship before all the passengers and crew had evacuated. GIGLIO, Italy — Ten years have passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship slammed into a reef and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio. An investigation focused on shortcomings in the procedures followed by Costa Concordia's crew and the actions of her captain, Francesco Schettino, who left the ship prematurely. He left about 300 passengers on board the sinking vessel, most of whom were rescued by helicopter or motorboats in the area. Despite receiving its own share of criticism, Costa Cruises and its parent company, Carnival Corporation, did not face criminal charges.

Survivors’ Harrowing Escape

A lawyer representing some passengers who were on the ship said some responsibility for the 32 deaths lay with the company, because of technical problems after the ship hit the rocks and language difficulties among the crew. The huge vessel - which had more than 4,000 passenger and crew onboard - then lost power, drifted and partially capsized. “Every one of us here has a tragic memory from then,” said Mario Pellegrini, 59, who was deputy mayor in 2012 and was the first civilian to climb onto the cruise ship after it struck the rocks near the lighthouses at the port entrance. After the Costa Concordia lost power and started listing, the Coast Guard and rescue teams were mobilized to order the evacuation of the ship, leading to a challenging and chaotic evacuation process in the aftermath of the shipwreck. The luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia was owned by Costa Cruises, an Italian cruise line company.

Children of Flint water crisis make change as young environmental and health activists

The crisis coordinator for Costa Crociere was involved in the aftermath of the shipwreck, coordinating response efforts and communication in the midst of the tragic events surrounding the Costa Concordia. The Costa Concordia sailed too close to the island of Giglio, ultimately striking a reef and causing the ship to start taking on water. The salvage workers successfully executed the most significant maritime salvage operation in history to refloat and remove the Costa Concordia from its resting place off the coast of Giglio Island. Thirty-two people lost their lives when the Costa Concordia cruise ship struck a reef and subsequently began to sink in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Column: Without cameras in the courtroom, Trump has already won a major victory in hush money trial

More than a year after it ran aground with 4,252 people aboard, shocking viewers worldwide, the cruise ship Costa Concordia remains wedged on rocks near the Italian island Giglio. Its owner, the Carnival Corporation, is spending $400 million on one of the largest salvage operations ever attempted, the Parbuckling Project. The Costa Concordia calamity, one of Italy’s most devastating cruise ship crash events, sparked an urgent overhaul in what we now call cruise safety.

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Costa Concordia Captain Now: What Happened to Francesco Schettino After Cruise Ship Disaster? - Yahoo Entertainment

Costa Concordia Captain Now: What Happened to Francesco Schettino After Cruise Ship Disaster?.

Posted: Wed, 20 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Thirty-two people died in the accident, which occurred after Captain Francisco Schettino allegedly steered the ship too close to shore, causing it to hit rocks and partially capsize. The Costa Concordia cruise liner, which lay partially submerged off the Italian island of Giglio for more than two years, is now being gradually dismantled after one of the biggest salvage operations in maritime history. The sad anniversary comes as the cruise industry, shut down in much of the world for months because of the coronavirus pandemic, is once again in the spotlight because of COVID-19 outbreaks that threaten passenger safety. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control last month warned people across-the-board not to go on cruises, regardless of their vaccination status, because of the risks of infection. The echoes of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster are still heard in the survivors’ stories. Harrowing tales of passengers leaping into the frigid sea or being guided down darkened chord ladders resonate with a chilling reminder of the night’s terror.

At the time, the safety drill could have conducted at any point up to 24 hours after setting sail. Looking back at the events, the Italian cruise ship that sank displayed a spectrum of human experiences—from oversight, haste, and fear to valor, altruism, and fortitude. The aftermath did not just account for the salvage and inquiry but also witnessed sweeping reforms aimed at fortifying maritime protocols. As a result, the cruise ship that sank in Italy in 2012 has been a catalyst for revised safety standards that Carnival and other cruise lines have diligently implemented, often surpassing the basics to ensure such catastrophes are not repeated.

What was the outcome of the salvage operation for the Costa Concordia?

In July 2013 four crew members and Costa Crociere’s crisis coordinator pled guilty to various charges, including manslaughter. During the 19-month trial, prosecutors claimed that he was an “idiot,” while Schettino countered that his actions had saved lives and that he was being scapegoated. In addition, he noted the steering error by the helmsman, but a maritime expert testified that regardless of the mistake, the collision was unavoidable.

Wrecking Near the Shore

It was estimated the first four months would be spent stripping the ship of all its fittings and other non-metal items - before the ship was finally dismantled and the steel recycled. Their stories endure not as an impersonal tally but as intimate portraits of lives intertwined with mine. They are reminders that there is a beloved child, a cherished spouse, a valued colleague behind every number—the absence of whom leaves an irreplaceable void. Thus, I commit to ensuring that while the Costa Concordia may have sunk, the souls aboard will never fade into the forgotten depths. The Costa Concordia wreck site resonates with a quiet that belies the intense dramas once played out on its decks. What remains is a powerful testament to humanity’s respect for nature in the face of disruptive events.

Once upright, the scale of damage to the submerged starboard (right) side - ground into a reef and crushed under the weight of the hull - became clear. The ship had been resting on five huge metal platforms, constructed and lowered to the sea bed, since being rolled upright in September 2013. Parbuckling is a centuries-old method that winches a sunken or listing ship upright while it is anchored at a pivot point known as the “deadman.” Sounds simple, right? To hoist it, nine enormous rectangular compartments, called sponsons, will be bolted to the ship, each equipped with a hydraulic pulley; the pulleys lead to 36 steel cables as thick as lampposts that attach to six underwater platforms. The echoes of the catastrophe stretch into the present, as each anniversary passes with the gravity of loss undiminished.

Costa Cruises offered compensation to passengers (to a limit of €11,000 per person) to pay for all damages, including the value of the cruise; one third of the survivors took the offer. The final report, which was released in May 2013, revealed that the ship was sailing too close to the coastline, in a poorly lit shore area, and under the Master's [Schettino's] command who had planned to pass at an unsafe distance at night time and at high speed. Evacuation efforts via lifeboats were hindered due to the list of the ship, and many passengers were rescued by boats and helicopters deployed by the coast guard, as the ship's 20 degree list made it difficult to launch lifeboats. Capt Schettino was charged with manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship. His trial began in July 2013, and he could face up to 26 years in prison if found guilty. The Italian cruise ship crash changed the physical landscape and the lives of all involved.

Accounts of a musician forfeiting his chance of escape for others and local fishermen navigating treacherous waters to rescue passengers have been etched into the annals of heroic acts the world should never forget. With the sinking Concordia losing its battle against the relentless water, an evacuation was not just necessary but imperative. The crew and passengers faced a night of uncertainty, forced to abandon the comforts of their cabins for lifeboats and, in some instances, into the open sea. As the evacuation unfolded, the stark contrast between the sinking of the Costa Concordia and the luxury it stood for before the accident couldn’t have been more pronounced. The Concordia was supposed to take passengers on a seven-day Italian cruise from Civitavecchia to Savona. But when it deviated from its planned path to sail closer to the island of Giglio, the ship struck a reef known as the Scole Rocks.

Introducing oil booms and proactive fuel extraction efforts displayed an unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship. As an observer and reporter, I’ve seen firsthand how a once vibrant vacation remnant is now a silent watchdog, ensuring the sanctuary’s safety. The sunken cruise ship, a convergence of human tragedy and ecological peril, has become an inadvertent monument to both. Ortelli was later on hand when, in September 2013, the 115,000-ton, 1,000-foot long cruise ship was righted vertical off its seabed graveyard in an extraordinary feat of engineering.

In July 2014, the ship was refloated using sponsons (flotation tanks) welded to her sides, and was towed 320 kilometres (200 mi) to her home port of Genoa for scrapping, which was completed in July 2017. GIGLIO, Italy (AP) — Ten years have passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship slammed into a reef and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio. But for the passengers on board and the residents who welcomed them ashore, the memories of that harrowing, freezing night remain vividly etched into their minds. Ten years have passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship slammed into a reef and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio. Following the unprecedented Italian cruise ship crash, the small community on Giglio Island swiftly became a rescue operation hub.

“I imagine it like a nail stuck to the wall that marks that date, as a before and after,” he said, recounting how he joined the rescue effort that night, helping pull ashore the dazed, injured and freezing passengers from lifeboats. Following the conclusion of the righting operation, the ship was kept on the platform while further inspections were made and the starboard sponsons attached. In a first step to prevent pollution of the shore and assist in a refloat the ship, its oil and fuel tanks were emptied. Muster drills are meant to familiarize all passengers with their assigned assembly stations and other cruise ship protocols. The drill is mandatory for all passengers, even those who have cruised before, as the assigned location is dependent on your stateroom and, therefore, will most likely be different on every cruise.

Mindful of the human cost, it’s not just about recounting the Costa Concordia deaths but also about preserving the memory of each person who perished in the dark waters of that fateful night. In the wake of the trial, reflections on Captain Schettino‘s pivotal role entailed recognizing the stark contrast between his actions and the exemplary behavior expected of individuals in his command. It points to an overarching and pressing need for stringent adherence to the tenets of maritime conduct and the weighty responsibility resting on ship commanders. The ramifications of Captain Schettino’s decisions on that doomed voyage endure, as poignant lessons in accountability ripple through communities and industries worldwide. The severity of the ship’s tilt demanded adaptability and courage, cornerstones of the human spirit in the face of calamity.