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 MESSAGE
FROM THE EDITOR
"cks.
In
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES TO RESUME PORT
CALLS IN MEXICO
tThere is good news this week
regarding the swine flu (H1N1) outbreak, and growing optimism
that the new strain is not more lethal or more easily transmitted
than the seasonal flus that circulate continuously around
the globe.
"We are seeing encouraging signs that the virus so
far is not looking more severe than a strain we would see
during seasonal flu," concluded Center for Disease
Control (CDC) Acting Director Dr. Richard Besser.
Still, Besser indicated that the situation was continuing
to evolve and that recommended precautions would remain
in place for the time being.
As of this writing, there are fewer than 700 confirmed
cases in the United States, less than 200 in Canada, and
less than 2,000 in the entire world.
The incidence of new cases is said to be leveling off in
Mexico City, where the flu circulated for over a month before
it was identified as a new strain. The city's mayor took
drastic measures last week, closing all nonessential government
and private businesses, schools and restaurants, cancelling
concerts and sporting events and urging people to stay home.
Mexico's Health Secretary has since declared that the epidemic
there "is in its declining stage," and many of
these businesses will be allowed to reopen.
Numerous people have written to ask me if it is safe to
board an airplane after hearing Vice President Biden say
last Thursday that he had advised his family not to fly
or ride the subway. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
immediately said the Vice President had misspoken and apologized
on his behalf, and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood
joined the CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) in
declaring that it was indeed safe to fly.
That's good news for me since I will soon be leaving for
the airport.
After announcing this new influenza as a "swine flu,"
the CDC and the WHO scrambled to switch to the terms "H1N1"
and "Influenza A (H1N1)," respectively, to limit
the economic damage to pig farmers. Both the CDC and WHO
have stated that there is no risk of infection from this
virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products.
From a practical standpoint, I don't expect the cruise
lines to return to ports in Mexico until the CDC lifts its
advisory against nonessential travel to that country. I
have no way of knowing when that will be but I am optimistic
that the day is not far off, and I will announce the lifting
of the advisory in this newsletter when it happens.
For the latest line-by-line update of itinerary changes
due to the temporary cancellation of calls on Mexico ports,
click here.
For a list of 45 great deals on ships that have significantly
altered their itineraries due to the swine flu outbreak,
contact your Travel Agent (courtesy Vacations to go).
Editor
xlibri@cyberus.ca
CRYSTAL
CRUISES
Crystal
Buletin An impressive dosier of distinguished
specialists in various fields of health and wellness from
the renowned Cleveland Clinic just received.This exceptional
cruise is part of the luxury Line's Creative learning Institute
enrichmernt progragram. Guests will have the opportunity
to participate in a variety of complimentaryinteractive
classes and workshops led by top physicians from one of
the country's most prestigious medical centers.
Subjects
on board will include -Food and water considerations while
traling, Immunization Considerations When Tralening Abroad,
Overcoming Jet Lag and traveling with Asthma.
Contact
your travel Agent or get in touch with Crystal
Cruises direct(www.crystalcruises.com under "Before
you sail".)
NEW SUBSCRIBERS
I
am extremely happy to see so many new subscribers joined
this past year.Welcome! 2007 was truly great Year for LiquidHorizons.
We have had a record
number of subscribers to our Print Newsletter. It
seems that cruising is getting more popular every year and
with all the new ships coming along, This year promisses
to be an exceptional year for cruise destinations and bargains.
We have just returned from the Caribbean on"Grandeur
of the Seas" and can thoroughly recommend this ship.
WE give them top marks in all catagories and can't wait
for our next voyage on the same ship in November this year.
Have
you sent in your subscription yet? If not, make sure you
go to the subscriptions page and sign up today.
Remember
at LiquidHorizons
cruising is a way of life!
Sincerely,
Conrad
Stoltz
Publisher/Editor
stoltz@liquidhorizons.com
Updated
January 22,2010
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Holland-America - Zaandam
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dear Mr. Stoltz,
Shortly before 6:00pm on January 12th, an earthquake measuring
7 on the Richter scale struck the tiny Caribbean nation of Haiti.
The epicenter of the quake was about 10 miles south of Port-Au-Prince,
the country's densely populated capital, and the destruction was
catastrophic.
Countless homes, businesses, hospitals and schools were reduced
to piles of rubble, as were the U.N. headquarters and the Presidential
Palace. Tens of thousands are dead or injured and thousands more
are unaccounted for. Aftershocks continue to rock the capital.
Within hours, the United States pledged $100 million in relief
funds and took the lead in delivering food and water, rescue workers
and supplies. A Canadian military plane carrying supplies was
among the first to arrive. Brazil, China, Spain, France, Russia,
Cuba, Britain, Israel, Iceland and at least 10 other countries
are sending food and supplies and/or have rescue workers on the
ground. Efforts have been hampered by damage to the airport, impassable
roads, lack of power and downed telephone lines.
While destruction is severe in Port-Au-Prince, many areas of
Haiti have reported little or no damage. The Dominican Republic,
which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, suffered no
damage and the many resorts in that country have been unaffected.
Only two cruise lines visit Haiti -- Royal Caribbean and sister
company Celebrity. Both call on Labadee, a private destination
operated by Royal Caribbean on the northern coast of Haiti.
The initial assessment revealed no damage in Labadee and all
shoreside personnel have been accounted for and are uninjured.
(Two of the port's attractions, the Zip Line and Alpine Coaster,
will remain closed until a thorough inspection can be conducted
to ensure their safety.)
No cruise ships were in port at the time the earthquake struck.
Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas returned to Labadee
on Friday, January 15th, carrying passengers and relief supplies
including rice, dried beans, powdered milk, water and canned goods.
Dear Mr. Stoltz,
Shortly before 6:00pm on January 12th, an earthquake measuring
7 on the Richter scale struck the tiny Caribbean nation of Haiti.
The epicenter of the quake was about 10 miles south of Port-Au-Prince,
the country's densely populated capital, and the destruction was
catastrophic.
Countless homes, businesses, hospitals and schools were reduced
to piles of rubble, as were the U.N. headquarters and the Presidential
Palace. Tens of thousands are dead or injured and thousands more
are unaccounted for. Aftershocks continue to rock the capital.
Within hours, the United States pledged $100 million in relief
funds and took the lead in delivering food and water, rescue workers
and supplies. A Canadian military plane carrying supplies was
among the first to arrive. Brazil, China, Spain, France, Russia,
Cuba, Britain, Israel, Iceland and at least 10 other countries
are sending food and supplies and/or have rescue workers on the
ground. Efforts have been hampered by damage to the airport, impassable
roads, lack of power and downed telephone lines.
While destruction is severe in Port-Au-Prince, many areas of
Haiti have reported little or no damage. The Dominican Republic,
which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, suffered no
damage and the many resorts in that country have been unaffected.
Only two cruise lines visit Haiti -- Royal Caribbean and sister
company Celebrity. Both call on Labadee, a private destination
operated by Royal Caribbean on the northern coast of Haiti.
The initial assessment revealed no damage in Labadee and all
shoreside personnel have been accounted for and are uninjured.
(Two of the port's attractions, the Zip Line and Alpine Coaster,
will remain closed until a thorough inspection can be conducted
to ensure their safety.)
No cruise ships were in port at the time the earthquake struck.
Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas returned to Labadee
on Friday, January 15th, carrying passengers and relief supplies
including rice, dried beans, powdered milk, water and canned goods.
The company has pledged to contribute
Dear Mr. Stoltz,
I'd like to start today with my personal tribute
to Clement Clarke Moore, author of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
To view this poem as a Christmas card, please click here, or scroll
down to read the poem without illustration.
Thanks Alan,
Great idea.
Conrad Stoltz- Editor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Twas the night before Christmas, and
far out at sea
Our vessel was sailing, as smooth as could be
The stockings were hung from the balcony
chairs
With hope that St. Nicholas soon would be there
The children were nestled all snug in
their uppers
Having just settled down from a Christmas Eve supper
And ma and myself, we were covered in
aloe
A bit too much sun, in a pool, warm and shallow
When up in the sky, there arose such
a clatter
I leapt from my bed to see what was the matter
To the sliding glass door, I flew like
a flash
Well, more like a saunter, and less like a dash
And what to my skeptical eyes should
appear
But a great shiny sleigh, and eight flying reindeer
They circled our ship, from starboard
to port
As the moon lit the driver, a jolly old sort
Who called to his team, in a happy retort
"Now Dasher, now Dancer," so on and so forth
We raced through our cabin and into
the hall
To the very top deck, in time for us all
To be awed by the sight of Old Santa's
sleigh
As he lightly touched down, by the midnight buffet
With a bundle of goodies thrown over
his back
He rose in the air and dropped down the smokestack
Santa went straight to work, and later
we learned
He found every child's cabin, from the bow to the stern
Insides and oceanviews, balconies and
suites
Santa filled every stocking, with toys and with treats
Until all his deliveries had been handled
with care
Then he noted he still had a minute to spare
So he surfed the wave rider, with nary
a fall
While Dasher and Dancer scaled the rock-climbing wall
And Prancer, who had always been fond
of the cold
Tried the ice-skating rink, a sight to behold
And then with a whistle, Santa summoned
his team
And he bade us farewell, silent nights and sweet dreams
And I heard him exclaim, as he flew
out of view
Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good cruise.
Written by Alan Fox, of Vacations
to go, with appreciation
and apologies to Clement Clarke Moore, author of 'Twas the Night
Before Christmas.
BELIEVE
IT OR NOT
Here's
what is consumed every 7 days at sea
:234,000
appetizers; 105,000 meals and 300,680 desserts
20,000 lbs. of beef, including 69,000 steaks
12,000 lbs. of chicken
4,000 lbs. of seafood;
2,500 lbs. of salmon and 1,400 lbs. of lobster
65,000 lbs. of fresh vegetables and 35,000 lbs. of fresh fruits
5,800 lbs. of cheese
28,000 fresh eggs
18,000 slices of pizza
8,000 gallons of ice cream 1,500 lbs. of coffee and 1,500 gallons
of milk
11,500 cans of soda; 19,200 bottles and cans of beer and 2,900
bottles of wine111500 lbs. of coffee and 1,500 gallons of milk
11,500 cans of soda; 19,200 bottles and cans of beer and 2,900
bottles of wine
Weighing in at 158,000 tons, the 5-star Freedom of the Seas currently
offers alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries out
of Miami.
Weighing in at 158,000 tons, the 5-star Freedom of the Seas currently
offers alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries out
of Miami. For more information on upcoming Freedom of the Seas
cruises, contact Freedom Cruises or see your Travel Agent
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