Don't Swear in the Airport

A PhD student has filed a first amendment lawsuit after she was charged with disorderly conduct at John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

Why was she charged? She was saying goodbye to a friend at the airport and, in the course of that goodbye, swore rather loudly. A sheriff's deputy asked her to keep her swearing to a minimum because there were children around. The swearer replied, "Is it against the [bleeping] law to say [bleep]?" ("bleeps" added by NY Times, not me). Said the deputy, "yes it is," then cited her for disorderly conduct.

An expert quoted in the story said that charges against her will likely be dropped. Damn.

New Disney Ships

DISNEY CRUISE LINE will more than double its capacity with the order of two megaships from German shipbuilder Meyer Werft. The line signed a letter of intent with the yard to build two 122,000-ton ships with expected deliveries in 2011 and 2012. The vessels would be two decks taller than the company's existing 83,000-ton ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. The new builds, like the existing ships, would be designed for family cruising, with a look that is a "modern interpretation of classic ocean liners of the 1930s," Disney Cruise Line said. The additional tonnage would allow Disney to expand its itineraries, which currently consist of predominately Caribbean sailings and some highly successful summer sojourns to the West Coast and the Mediterranean.

http://www.InterlineRates.com has new Disney Interline Cruise Rates. Call for details - (800) 298 8666

3 Night Bahamas from $379*
4 Night Bahamas from $459*
7 Night Caribbean from $629*
14 Night Trans-Atlantic from $599*
11 Night Mediterranean from $699*

Windstar Sold

CARNIVAL CORP. will sell its Windstar Cruises brand to Ambassadors International for $100 million. Seattle-based Windstar Cruises is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Holland America Line, a unit of Carnival Corp., and it operates three sailing vessels with a total lower-berth capacity of 772. Carnival CEO Micky Arison praised the Windstar product but said that it did not fit into the company's future growth strategy, which is now focused on expanding "core growth brands and opening new markets." The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2007.

13 dots spook fliers

13 dots spook superstitious fliers

Brussels Airlines recently found itself in some unexpected turbluence when superstitious passengers complained about its spiffing logo.

The airline's stylised 'b' ruffled a few feathers since it comprised 13 dots.

The company said it was "taken aback by the strength of feeling", the BBC reports. Spokesman Geert Sciot admitted: "They [passengers] said they were not pleased with an aircraft with a logo with 13 balls because they think it brings them bad luck. We are never surprised by reactions - but that it was that bad? It really took us aback."

Accordingly, Brussels Airlines has now added a fourteenth dot to its b, as you can see. Expect favourable flying weather for the foreseeable future. ®

Majesty Refurbished

THE MAJESTY OF THE SEAS reentered service this week following a refurbishment during a drydock in the Bahamas. The Royal Caribbean International ship will resume its year-round, three- and four-day schedule of Bahamas cruises from Miami. During the 28-day drydock the ship received several new dining and entertainment options, and overhauls were done on cabins, the Majesty Day Spa and ShipShape Fitness Center, conference rooms, the pool deck, the theater, the casino and the Adventure Ocean youth area, which has a new, teen-focused nightclub and lounge. The Majesty, constructed in 1992, is the third ship in the Sovereign class to be refurbished; the Monarch of the Seas was refurbished in 2003 and the Sovereign of the Seas in 2004.

Carnival Triumph Postponed

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES said it would postpone sending the Carnival Triumph to New Orleans in August to operate weekly, year-round cruises there. Carnival CEO Bob Dickinson said that "lingering misconceptions by the vacationing public as to the recovery of New Orleans' tourism infrastructure... has necessitated a reevaluation of our timeline for adding a second ship to that port." The Triumph will instead stay in Miami at least through April 2008, Carnival said, and offer week-long Caribbean itineraries that Dickinson said have "received a tremendous amount of enthusiasm from consumers and travel agents." Carnival reintroduced its cruise program from New Orleans in October with the launch of four- and five-day cruises on the Fantasy, and it had planned to make the Triumph the only year-round ship sailing out of New Orleans beginning in late August.

AIDA Cruises Add New Ship

AIDA CRUISES will call the second of four vessels it has on order the AidaBella. Currently being built by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft at a cost of about $409 million, the 68,500-ton ship is scheduled to enter service in spring 2008. Its sister ship, the AidaDiva, will be the first of the four newbuilds to enter service when it is inaugurated in Hamburg, Germany, on April 20. Aida Cruises is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp. and currently has a fleet of four ships: the AidaCara, AidaVita, AidaAura and AidaBlu.

Norwegian Pearl

I just got back from the Norwegian Pearl on a 9 nt Caribbean Cruise, and what a fantastic trip we had.

We visited the ports of Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua and Tortola. We went with a group of Airline Friends & Family. I ate, I bowled & I partied. The restaurants were great and the spa relaxing! The staff, one of the very best I've experienced.

I am not sure where to begin. You just have to see it for yourself.
Given a chance, you should check out this ship. There is an inexpensive Pacific Coastal Cruise on this ship, May 6. 5 nts from Los Angeles to Vancouver BC starting at $229.

Interline Cruise Specials at InterlineRates.com (make sure you qualify b4 booking)

Well Did She or Didn't She?

The Qantas stewardess who claimed she rejected an amorous Ralph Fiennes on a flight to India has admitted having sex with him in an aircraft lavatory.

Lisa Robertson told friends she was a big fan of the British actor and found herself luring him to the cubicle.

But they apparently shared more than a 15-minute fling at 35,000ft. Interline Story

One Day Cruise Sale

InterlineRates.com has a Valentine's Day Sale you wouldn't want to miss.

Just for the day, you can book a cruise on Carnival, Holland America, Princess and NCl and receive additional discounts. Here's the catch, it must be booked online & by midnite February 14, 2007. Make sure you qualify for interline pricing (airline employment verification required) otherwise, you could be shocked when the price adjust.

Fired for having Sex with Actor

A Qantas flight attendant may be fired for having an alleged sexual encounter with Ralph Fiennes in a first class bathroom while she was working. The flight attendant disputes the charge, saying she went to the bathroom after having a conversation with Fiennes and that he followed her in. The odd (well, another odd) part of this is that Fiennes was on his way to India to promote safe sex practices. Perhaps he was practicing. Interline Story

Man Held After Security Strip

A German man who was so angered by airport security in the Philippines that he took off his trousers has been arrested for lasciviousness.

Hans Jurgen Oskar von Naguschewski, 66, performed the impromptu strip after being asked to go through the X-ray machine twice at Manila airport.

Instead of boarding his flight to Frankfurt, he was detained by police and is due in court on Monday. He could face a sentence of between six months and six years in jail.

We all feel kind of vialated when going through security sometimes. I guess this will stop me from wanting to do the same thing. Full Interline Story