Welcome to Cruise Talk the Internet's most popular discussion forum dedicated to cruising. Stop by Cruise Talk anytime to post a message or find out what your fellow passengers and industry insiders are saying about a particular ship, cruise line or destination.
>>> Reader Reviews >>> CruisePage.com Photo Gallery >>> Join Our Cruise Club.
Latest News...Holland America Line will expand its presence in Europe with year-round operations for the first time, introducing a winter and early-spring program for the 2027–2028 season. The move positions the line to offer a broader range of itineraries beyond the traditional summer months, with Nieuw Statendam remaining in Europe throughout the winter and Zuiderdam adding two additional seasonal voyages...
Latest News...Princess Cruises has outlined its most extensive Europe program to date, announcing 291 departures across 150 itineraries for the 2028 season. Six ships will operate throughout Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and on transatlantic routes, marking the line’s largest-ever deployment in the region. The 2028 program, now open for booking, spans voyages from seven to 53 days and includes...
Latest News...Carnival Cruise Line has completed a major expansion of RelaxAway, its exclusive destination on Half Moon Cay, adding new beachfront space, upgraded amenities and improved access for guests. The enhancements were formally marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony as the line prepares to bring more ships to the private island. The project includes an extended stretch of white-sand beach, additional complimentary...
quote:Originally posted by PamM:Are those 'green' stairs perspex, or similar? & what are the giraffes? chairbacks?
The giraffes are just a statue/sculpture standing guard at the entrance to the Safari Club.
quote:Originally posted by PamM:Excellent Globaliser, thanks. Are those 'green' stairs perspex, or similar?
Yes, the ships photographers like to persuade couples to stand on them and take a 'hollywood staircase' type of picture!
quote: Cruise leaves guests with big hangoverMore than 1,400 guests from Norway's finance, shipping and travel industries were in for a nasty shock when they docked back in Oslo after a promotional cruise on board Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Jewel of the Seas. Waiting on the pier were angry customs officers. Every party has a pooper, and in this case, it was the customs check that threw cold water on a promotional cruise aboard the new Jewel of the Seas, shown here on arrival in Oslo last week. PHOTO: KNUT SNARERoyal Caribbean Cruises, it seems, had opened its tax-free shop and let its guests party the night away in the vessel's casino and the bars. According to newspaper Dagens Næringsliv, that broke Norway's strict local laws governing the high taxes levied on tobacco and alcohol.Tax-free goods, according to the law, can only be brought into Norway if the traveler has been out of the country for at least 24 hours. In this case, the cruiseship never left Norwegian waters, and wasn't away for the required 24-hour period.That means Royal Caribbean had no right to sell a carton of cigarettes for around NOK 70 (USD 10) or a bottle of whiskey for around NOK 100. When guests came strolling off the vessel, customs officers were ready to pounce, reportedly demanding another NOK 420 in taxes on the cigarettes and NOK 260 in tax for every liter of liquor.There weren't nearly enough customs officials, however, to handle the crowd of guests, so only some got caught. They collectively had to pay around NOK 18,000 in extra taxes, while customs officials confiscated around 2,000 cigarettes and 25 bottles of booze."We couldn't believe that the shipowner would do this," fumed Oddvar Saether of the Oslo Customs District to Dagens Næringsliv. "Someone here has made a huge mistake, and we'll call the shipowner in for a meeting to find out what really happened."Magnus Wrahme of Royal Caribbean's Nordic operation wouldn't comment, other than to say he would talk with the customs officials. Nor would he comment on reports that Royal Caribbean would reimburse its guests for any customs duties they were forced to pay.He called the promotional cruise "an investment in the future." The event is estimated to have cost the cruise line, partially owned by the Anders Wilhelmsen group of Oslo, as much as NOK 5 million -- before tax.
Cruise leaves guests with big hangover
More than 1,400 guests from Norway's finance, shipping and travel industries were in for a nasty shock when they docked back in Oslo after a promotional cruise on board Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Jewel of the Seas. Waiting on the pier were angry customs officers.
Royal Caribbean Cruises, it seems, had opened its tax-free shop and let its guests party the night away in the vessel's casino and the bars. According to newspaper Dagens Næringsliv, that broke Norway's strict local laws governing the high taxes levied on tobacco and alcohol.
Tax-free goods, according to the law, can only be brought into Norway if the traveler has been out of the country for at least 24 hours. In this case, the cruiseship never left Norwegian waters, and wasn't away for the required 24-hour period.
That means Royal Caribbean had no right to sell a carton of cigarettes for around NOK 70 (USD 10) or a bottle of whiskey for around NOK 100. When guests came strolling off the vessel, customs officers were ready to pounce, reportedly demanding another NOK 420 in taxes on the cigarettes and NOK 260 in tax for every liter of liquor.
There weren't nearly enough customs officials, however, to handle the crowd of guests, so only some got caught. They collectively had to pay around NOK 18,000 in extra taxes, while customs officials confiscated around 2,000 cigarettes and 25 bottles of booze.
"We couldn't believe that the shipowner would do this," fumed Oddvar Saether of the Oslo Customs District to Dagens Næringsliv. "Someone here has made a huge mistake, and we'll call the shipowner in for a meeting to find out what really happened."
Magnus Wrahme of Royal Caribbean's Nordic operation wouldn't comment, other than to say he would talk with the customs officials. Nor would he comment on reports that Royal Caribbean would reimburse its guests for any customs duties they were forced to pay.
He called the promotional cruise "an investment in the future." The event is estimated to have cost the cruise line, partially owned by the Anders Wilhelmsen group of Oslo, as much as NOK 5 million -- before tax.
[ 05-07-2004: Message edited by: Globaliser ]
Ultimate Bulletin BoardTM 6.1.0.3
More Vacation & Cruise Specials...