According to Travel Weekly, a cruise industry trade magazine, bookings are so strong this year that Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line will increase cruise fares for 2010 departures.

Carnival’s rates will rise five percent on 2010 peak season (June, July and August) cruise fares while NCL’s prices will go up seven percent on April 2.

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In 2011, the cruise industry is charting a global course by deploying a record number of  ships to  Europe and the Middle East.   Add to this, some of the largest ships in the cruise industry will spend a full season cruising in Europe.

In part the push to add ships to more areas outside the Western Hemisphere is based on the belief that the U.S. economy will recover significantly so that cruisers will be willing to pay higher prices than  are typically found in the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii.  It’s also to move ships away from these supersaturated cruising regions where  there are so many ships that cruise fares remain low.

There are always risks such as creating an over-capacity situation.  For example, in 2005 so many ships were positioned in the Baltic at one time that prices fell dramatically. And, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL are betting that cruisers will select the enormous behemoths carrying up to 4,000 people. While these are popular with Caribbean cruisers it remains to be seen if the same holds true in Europe.

Below is an overview of  cruise lines making the largest increases in 2011.

2011  EUROPE DEPLOYMENT

Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Magic, sister of the 3,690-passenger Carnival Dream, will sail on seven-, nine- and 12-day Mediterranean voyages from Barcelona (the first time Carnival has home ported in this city).  Add to this, Magic will sail a full May to October season.

Disney Cruises is returning to Europe in 2011 with the Disney Magic which sails from Barcelona on 10- and 11-night cruises.

In 2011 Holland America Line will feature seven ships cruising the Mediterranean, Baltic and Northern Europe.   Both ms Nieuw Amsterdam and ms Noordam will sail the Mediterranean all season. The Nieuw Amsterdam, which debuts on July 4, 2010, will offer 12-day sailings while the Noordam will feature seven- and 10-day cruises.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest vessel, the 4200-passenger Norwegian Epic will sail from Barcelona and Norwegian Sun will sail from Copenhagen during a season of Baltic Cruises.   Norwegian Jade — which sails year-round in Europe — will cruise from home port Venice on Greek Island voyages.  

Oceania Cruises‘ newest ship, Marina, will enter service 2011 and join Insignia and Nautica on a summer season in Europe.    Most of Oceania’s itineraries include an overnight stay in port and, because the ships are significantly smaller in size,  stop at more ports off the beaten path.

Princess Cruises has announced its most extensive Europe season ever for 2011 with a total of seven vessels sailing on 42 itineraries and more than 135 port calls.  New itineraries include Emerald Princess’ 11-day expanded Scandinavia & Russia cruise  stopping in Oslo, Berlin, Stockholm and a two night stay in St. Petersburg.  Ocean Princess sails on seven-day Greek Isles and Mediterranean cruises which may be combined into 14-day voyages without repeating a port.  Pacific Princess sails in the Holy Land, Black Sea and Crimean Coast.

Royal Caribbean will increase its Europe fleet from eight to ten vessels.  While the largest ships normally stay put in the Caribbean, the 3,634-passenger Liberty of the Seas will home port in Barcelona.  The 154,407-ton ship is second only to Oasis of the Seas in size.  Additional itineraries will be announced.

What do YOU think?  Any plans to sail in Europe in 2011?

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Some 58 Passengers aboard Celebrity Cruises Mercury came down with Norovirus (formerly called a Norwalk-like virus) only a week after more than 400 cruisers suffered the gastrointestinal illness aboard the same ship.  This is despite extensive cleaning of the ship between cruises.  The Post and Courier reports that, prior to the most recent outbreak,  the ship was delayed for a day as crew sanitized the vessel and three officials with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) went aboard to test for the virus.

I can’t imagine how awful it is to get violently sick on my vacation and wondered why cruise ships seem to be associated with Norovirus most often, at least in the media.

So I asked Brian Rosenthal, MD, MPH (Master of Public Health), who teaches at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York.  He’s also an avid cruiser who has sailed the world aboard all types of cruise ships.

As a public health physician who has sailed aboard dozens of cruise ship,  Dr. Rosenthal’s advice is timely.

AC:  Who is responsible when passengers get sick aboard ship?

DR: There are times when an infectious agent has been isolated on a ship and the cruise line is responsible.  An example is Legionnaires Disease, which is rare.

And, there is always the potential for bacterial food contamination such as e-coli but due to the CDC’s stringent inspections, it hasn’t been reported in many years.  Cruise Lines have become very vigilant about waterborne and shipborne diseases so the reported incidences is rare.   People used to get sick on ships all the time but we just didn’t know what the organisms were.  Now that we know, the media has a heyday with it.

But in the instance of Norovirus, passengers bear the brunt of passing the disease along.

AC: Why Do Outbreaks of Norovirus Happen Aboard Ship So Often?

DR. I don’t think this is a new illness but that we’re hearing about it more often.  I’m sure the outbreaks aboard ship aren’t any higher than they are on land.   There just hasn’t been much coverage of the disease on land.

The thing about ships is that because you’re in a confined space the rate of exposure is statistically greater.  Contrast Disney World.  People aren’t staying in the same hotels or eating in the same restaurants as they are aboard a cruise ship.

AC:  How Can We Avoid Getting a shipborne illness?

DR: There are certain universal precautions that are even more important when you’re aboard a ship.  As important as washing your hands, you have to learn to KEEP YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM YOUR EYES, NOSE AND MOUTH. This is a normal human condition.  If you sit at a restaurant and watch people eat for five minutes you’ll see what I mean.  Most viruses are not spread by hand to hand contact alone.  They are spread by hand  to hand to mouth (or eyes or nose).  If you had it just on your hands, you wouldn’t get sick.

Shaking hands with the Captain or anyone else won’t get you sick assuming you have no cuts on your hands.  Of course one must be careful about where one puts one’s hands.   If you’re able-bodied, don’t use the banisters or railings if you don’t need to.   This is true in any public space, not just ships …. Train stations, malls. 

If you have children it’s an entirely different matter.  All kids put their hands in their mouth — that’s what children do.  And when they play in groups beit a nursely school or a ship, it’s problemmatic.  If your child does become sick, take a lot of precautions that he or she is the only patient in the family.

And, it is as important that you wash BEFORE you eat as it is after you go to the bathroom which is why the hand sanitizers in food lines are a great idea.

AC: Does the Fear of a Shipborne Illness stop you from Cruising?

DR: Absolutely not!  Everytime out go outside your home is a rish.  You must weigh this against the benefits of having a wonderful time and sharing experiences with family and friends.

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Two passengers were killed and dozens injured when a 26-foot wave struck  Louis Cruise Lines’ 1,790-passenger Majesty during a cruise from Barcelona to Genoa, Italy.

A spokesman for the Cyprus-based cruise line said,  “The windows in a public area on deck 5 on the forward part of the vessel smashed resulting (in) the fatal injury of two passengers of German and Italian nationality while 14 more passengers suffered light injuries.”

To get a hair-raising account of passengers’ experience, click on to this report at MSNBC

The ship cut short its 12-day cruise and is returning to Barcelona.

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As Hawaii prepares for a tsunami following the 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile early this morning,  it’s natural to wonder about the safety of cruise ships sailing in the region.   According to CNN, boat owners are moving their vessels out to sea where they’ll be safe and I’m sure the same is true of cruise ships sailing in the area.

A cruise ship docked in port is in potential danger when a tsunami strikes because enormous waves could smash it against the pier.

According to the Honolulu Advertiser, “One cruise ship is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu Harbor for refueling this morning but is scheduled to leave before 6 a.m. (local time), DOT spokeswoman Tammy Mori said.”

But a ship at sea, even small ones, should be perfectly safe since, before it strikes land, the wave is only a few meters high.

The Real Threat to Cruise Ships

Think Poseidon, a dreadful but memorable movie about a passenger ship hit by a freak  wave that comes out of nowhere.    A rogue wave is virtually impossible to detect.   Imagine being at sea in perfect weather when a wave the size of a ten story building appears on the horizon.

In 1942, the original Queen Mary was broadsided by a 92 ft. rogue wave and listed 52 degrees before righting herself.   Queen Mary 2 was struck by a 95 ft. wave in September, 1995.   In 2005, NCL’s Norwegian Dawn was hit by three 70 ft. rogue waves while sailing in the Atlantic Ocean off Georgia.  According to Wikipedia, several decks were flooded, a few passengers slightly hurt.

While a tsunami is terrifying to those potentially in the path of the enormous sea surge, if you’re at sea aboard a cruise ship you’ll be fine.   Fortunately rogue waves are rare, certainly nothing I want to encounter.

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