The first ship expected to launch Dartmouth’s 2016 cruise season was forced to cancel its April 16 visit. The National Geographic Explorer had technical difficulties when it was repositioning from the Antarctic. The delay has forced the NG Explorer to cancel some ports of call in order to be on time for its next itinerary.

Dart Harbour and Navigation Authority said: "We are disappointed with the news but itinerary amendments, whether for technical reasons or weather conditions, are par for the course in this industry and now all we can do is work at getting more bookings with the vessel in the coming years. 

"We do have a good relationship with this company and hopefully we'll see NG Explorer back here in the future." 

FAILING GRADE 

The P&O Oceana scored 82 out of 100 in a CDC (Centre for Disease Control) inspection last month. A passing score is 85 and the failing grade was attributed to “kitchens with soiled grout, insect remains and ‘potentially’ hazardous food.” 

The Riviera swimming pool and Crystal whirlpool were also shut down after a spot check found they had chlorine and bromine levels that were too low, they failed to have hair and lint strainers and the filters were not disinfected the report said.

Oceana has prepared a ‘corrective action report’ as per CDC protocol to identify how they intend to rectify the sanitation breaches. 

Only four other cruise ships have failed a CDC inspection since 2008.

COAST GUARD RESCUE 

The US Coast Guard sent a helicopter to the Star Princess 418 km (260 miles) south of San Diego last week to rescue a 28 year old man suffering from an appendicitis. He was taken by ambulance to Sharp Memorial Hospital where he was reported in stable condition. 

SISTERS SHARE 

Viking Ocean Cruise’s two new ocean liners had their first port visits together, sharing docking space in Santorini last week. Viking Star (launched in 2015) was sailing from Istanbul to Venice, and Viking Sea was sailing in the opposite direction, hosting her first guests on April 3.

“It is hard to believe that less than one year ago, we were just setting sail with our first ship, and now we have two sister ships together,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking Cruises. “It is a proud day, and I am already looking forward to next year when we will have three ships to cross paths.” 

CANCELLATION OF PORTS FOR CARNIVAL PRIDE 

Carnival Pride developed unspecified propulsion problems on its March 27 sailing, causing the ship to return to its home port of Baltimore several hours behind schedule. Before setting out on its April 3 itinerary, the cruise line announced that two ports of call would be eliminated due to a need for reduced speed, as technicians worked on the problem. 

The ports affected were the Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay. Passengers were given the option to cancel for a full refund (including non-refundable airfare) or offered a 50 percent refund to each passenger and 50 percent off a future Carnival cruise, plus a $25 onboard credit.   

COMIC CRUISE 

The Norwegian Sky will be host to a Wizard World Cruise (in conjunction with Rose Tours) from December 2-5, 2016. The comic convention will be a three night sailing from Miami to Nassau. 

“We are excited to partner with Rose Tours for our first-ever Wizard World Cruise!” said Wizard World COO Randy Malinoff. “Rose Tours has the best reputation for providing the fans with a great experience on their celebrity cruises. And having Norman Reedus among our inaugural guests is the best treat we can give our loyal fans!” 

FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF LIFE AT SEA 

Recent media attention has been given to people who have sold their homes and contents to live on ocean cruisers traversing the globe. CruiseDeals.co.uk did some calculations to determine if it was more cost efficient to live in London or at sea. 

Their results show that paying for rent, utilities, food, shopping and leisure activities in London works out to be £2,871.19 ($5196) per person, or £97.71 ($180) a day. 

A 120-day full-board round-the-world cruise comes in at £10,623.75 ($19,596) or £88.53 ($163) per day including a 25 percent single supplement.