The Carnival Splendor is under
construction.
Carnival Cruise Lines’ 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendor will
launch year-round seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises from Long
Beach, Calif., beginning in March 2009, following its inaugural
schedule of European and Caribbean voyages.
Carnival Splendor is the largest Fun Ship ever constructed, and
it will join four other Carnival ships home-ported on the West
Coast.Carnival is the only line featuring three ships offering
year-round cruises from Southern California two from Long Beach and
one from San Diego as well as a fourth ship sailing seasonally from
San Diego. Cruise lengths range from three to eight days.
Carnival Splendor will introduce new innovations, such as a
luxurious 21,000-square-foot health and fitness facility surrounded
by 68 exclusive spa staterooms and suites. Prior to arriving in
Long Beach, Carnival Splendor will enter service in July 2008 with
a Northern European cruise program, followed by a series of
Mediterranean departures through October. After a transatlantic
crossing, the ship will sail in the Caribbean beginning November
2008.
800-845-2599
www.bookccl.com
Disneyland Opens Nemo
In case you somehow missed the news: The subs are back at
Disneyland, that is. On June 11, the Finding Nemo ride officially
opened to the public at the theme park after a star-studded gala
that included everyone from Kobe Bryant to Courtney Cox.
The ride utilizing the same submarines and lagoon as
Disneyland’s much beloved, but long closed, Submarine Voyage ride
uses a new imaging technology developed exclusively for the
attraction. The Finding Nemo characters appear exactly as they do
in the film, but in a “real, three-dimensional underwater setting,”
according to Disney.
While the high-tech effects and yellow submarines may be a hit
with visitors, they might not be as thrilled with the lines that
are expected for the 15-minute-long ride. Still, given the
popularity of the Pixar hit the ride is based on, Disneyland can
notch another instant classic well worth an E ticket.
WEB EXCLUSIVE:
Robert W. Sehlinger is executive publisher of The Unofficial
Guide travel series, which includes the “Unofficial Guide to
Disneyland,” published by Wiley and available at bookstores and on
Amazon.com. As one of the foremost experts on experiencing
Disneyland, here is his advice on the new Finding Nemo
ride:
“Nemo is a new, super-headliner attraction with an hourly
carrying capacity only twice that of Dumbo. Barring any substantial
tweaking by the Disney Imagineers, the subs will set a new
bottleneck record for Disneyland Park. Athough it’s not a FASTPASS
attraction (if it were, all the FASTPASSes would be distributed by
10 a.m.), the good news is that Disney has just made it one of the
attractions operating on early entry days (Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday, Saturday). So if you're eligible for early entry,
hot-foot it over to the subs during your early entry hour when you
should also do Space Mountain and Peter Pan. If you don't have
early entry privileges, avoid early entry days.”
Air Tahiti Nui Founder Dies
Nelson Levy, a pioneer of French Polynesia’s modern tourism
business, died suddenly of a heart attack June 3. He was 58.
Levy was CEO of Tahiti Tourisme, Tahiti’s National Tourism
Office, for more than eight years. He later founded Air Tahiti Nui,
Tahiti’s multi-award winning International Airline. He oversaw the
airline’s growth to a fleet of five modern A340-300 aircraft and
development of scheduled Tahiti-bound services from Paris, New
York, Los Angeles, Auckland, Sydney, Tokyo and Osaka. Levy left the
airline in 2006 to create Tahiti One Travel at the end of 2006. The
Papeete-based company recently launched its www.easyTahiti.com
Web site.
Levy is survived by his wife, Vaea, and two daughters.
Qantas Expands Schedule
Qantas Airways plans to increase its U.S. services to Australia
effective March 2008. Two new weekly nonstop flights between Los
Angeles and Brisbane will provide travelers with the enhanced
convenience of daily service. The Qantas schedule will also
increase its services between Los Angeles and Sydney.
The latest expansion brings the total number of nonstop services
between the U.S. and Australia to an all-time high of 46 flights
per week.
www.qantas.com/us
New Headquarters for AVC
Leading host travel agency America’s Vacation Center (AVC) will
relocate its new Global Headquarters to Vista, Calif., in July. The
new headquarters will be more than twice the size of its present
office and will provide the space necessary for the company’s
ongoing expansion of support and executive staff. “With customer
demand continuing to dramatically increase, AVC is committed to add
more independent travel professionals to our network,” said Van
Anderson, co-president of AVC.
www.joinavc.com
