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Monday, December 13, 2010

Weather Shakes Up Royal Caribbean Cruise, Causes Minor Injuries - Royal Caribbean International

Weather Shakes Up Royal Caribbean Cruise, Causes Minor Injuries - Royal Caribbean International
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December 13, 2010


Weather Shakes Up Royal Caribbean Cruise, Causes Minor Injuries

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Updated, 5:30 a.m. EST -- Several passengers were injured early Sunday morning when Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas hit rough weather on its way to the port of Alexandria, Egypt.

According to a statement from line spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez, large waves and heavy winds caused the ship to list several times, injuring about 30 passengers and damaging some of the vessel's public spaces.

A handful of Cruise Critic members are onboard and have been providing first-hand accounts on the boards.

dirtgirl was in her cabin during the ordeal: "I was flying back and forth. My roomie managed to brace herself. The beds were sliding back and forth!! Broken glass everywhere as everything on it went flying. Tables and chairs upended." She also added that the "Gym is in shambles - Ellipticals looked like monkey bars; spin bikes everywhere. Only wine, beer, and soda available at the Centrum bar and Schooner bar. Casino closed, shops closed. No one allowed out on upper decks."

Member jimbo5544 says his son and daughter-in-law are celebrating their honeymoon onboard. "They said all computers had smashed in internet cafe and Grand piano smashed into wall. Much broken glass all over ship, Windjammer closed."

Later in the day, dirtgirl posted that the "staff have been going non-stop to clear the areas. The amount of work they have done to keep us all fed is amazing. The Windjammer was a disaster area this morning. That it was open for limited dinner service was incredible . . . Venues are being reopened. The Casino is up, and everyone was in the Schooner Bar tonight having a good time."

She added in her post that Royal Caribbean has given each cabin a $200 onboard credit ($400 for suites).

pussywillow6 offered this information from her daughter, who works in the ship's onboard spa: "You can't even begin to imagine the damage on the ship, its awful. ... Windows, showers, mirrors, the hairdressing basins have all smashed... The whole ship is wrecked... Grand piano smashed through a window.....There were passengers running around with life jackets on, people screaming, all the spa girls were panicking...... its really horrible!"

Member Feelin'_Nauti drew our attention to this video on NBC, which involves interviews with passengers onboard

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Tacogirl Blog Specials - Belize Vacation Packages, Belize Travel Deals | tacogirl.com



Tacogirl Blog Specials - Belize Vacation Packages, Belize Travel Deals | tacogirl.com
Tropic Air: Get a 10% Tropic Air Discount off the regular rate of any Tropic Air Flights listed on their website. Email tacogirl with the dates you want to fly – Tropic Air Flight times you want and and names of people flying to get the discount. Tropic Air is the largest and most experienced airline in Belize and offer over 180 daily scheduled flights throughout Belize and Flores, Guatemala [please note Guatemala City to Flores is not eligible for tacogirl special only Flores to international]
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Paddling through paradise

Paddling through paradise

Paddling through paradise


By Jim Cochrane, Postmedia News December 11, 2010

Hanging upside down in our overturned sea kayak, we were desperately trying to remember our guide's recent instructions-- "Pull the 'Oh s --t' tab and if you can't find it, punch out your spray skirt with your knees."

This was the part that I secretly feared when my wife, Kathryn, and I planned our trip to Belize.

It was clear from the information on the Island Expeditions website that we would be tipping our kayaks, escaping and eventually getting back in as part of our trip, but being in my 70s, sporting a hip replacement and having never kayaked before, I was a bit apprehensive. But, under the watchful eyes of the staff, we were successful in righting our kayak and climbing safely back in. Whew.
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