The European Union will launch a major study that will identify and analyze the barriers which prevent people with disabilities from making full use of public buildings, transport and services. The “European Accessibility Act” legislation should be ready by the end of 2012. The EU will be working on setting global standards for people with disabilities and will be working with other countries including the United States which implemented the “Americans with Disabilities Act” in 1990. Another important development is that the European Union has recently concluded the process of ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This is the first comprehensive human rights treaty to be ratified by the EU as a whole. All the EU’s 27 member states have signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and most of them (16) have already ratified it.

Oceania Cruise Lines newly launched 1,258 passenger Marina (2011) is the first ever cruise ship built for Epicureans. The Marina will set new standards for culinary excellence at sea with 10 dining venues, six of which are no-charge, gourmet restaurants. According to Bob Binder, Oceania Cruises’ president, “Marina is the first ship purpose-built for epicureans. Unlike many cruise lines, all of our meals are cooked to order, a la minute. We are committed to serving cuisine that rivals some of the world’s very best restaurants.”

The historic and classic cruise liner, S.S. United States, has been sold to a preservationist group, the S.S. United States Conservancy. Formally owned by NCL and possibly headed to the scrap yard, the United States will have a possible new lease on life as a floating hotel and meeting center with restaurants, shops, classrooms, offices and possibly a casino. The conservancy said it had begun talks with municipal officials or developers in Philadelphia, Miami, and New York, the ship’s original home port. The S.S. United states still holds the world record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by a cruise liner.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has announced a new first for the 22 ship cruise line, Cabins for Singles. The Radiance of the Seas (2001) will go into dry dock this spring and come out with three new singles only inside staterooms. RCCL is considering the addition of singles cabins on some of its older ships as they come due for a refurbishment. Norwegian Cruise Lines, Norwegian Epic (2010) launched with 120 singles inside staterooms with their own private lounge. They have proven to be very popular. Also, RCL will announce in the coming weeks their intention to order a new class of ship. It will be in the 140,000 ton range which is far smaller than its most recent new build, The Allure of the Seas which is 220.000 tons.

Costa Cruise Lines has a new program for its Costa Club members. The “ViceVersa” program allows club members to replace crew members as onboard staff for a day. Club members will be trained by the cruise director for different positions in guest services, as tour escorts, cruise staff, musicians, singers, waiting staff and cooks. Club members will be issued Costa uniforms with special “ViceVersa” logos on them. At the same time, the crew replaced by CostaClub members will become the ship’s guests. The program is limited to a few select voyages. There is no word if the club members can keep the uniforms.

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts has introduced new menus in their restaurants that were created for guests with certain dietary needs. People with diabetes, heart disease, and celiac disease as well as people on vegan, raw, and macrobiotic diets will have dishes available to them made with fresh local ingredients. The menus are available in all 64 Fairmount restaurants and are offered on the room service and banquet menus as well.

A recent study of Airline Fares shows that the the time of the week when fares are the cheapest is on Tuesday and Wednesday. The highest fares for the same flights are usually on the weekend. So, Plan Ahead.

The U.S. Senate recently passed new legislation to increase security and Law Enforcement aboard all cruise ships carrying U.S. citizens in U.S. and International waters. 42 inch railings, peep holes in cabin doors, and crime reporting to the FBI are the cheif provisions.

Starting November 1, 2010 the Secure Flight Passenger Data requirement goes into effect. The TSA will reject any reservation that does not have the full name, date of birth, and gender of the passenger as it appears on the government photo I.D. that is being used. In other words, if your middle name is on your I.D., it better be on your reservation. If your I.D. does not have your middle name on it, do not put it on your airline reservation. Check your drivers license or passport at the time you make your booking to make sure you get it right.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has announced that the airport and cruise departure tax has been increased from $15.00 to $20.00 per person. Also, the hotel room tax jumped from 6% to 10%.

The city of ROME has initiated a new hotel tax of between $2.70 and $4.00 per person per night for a maximum of 10 nights depending on the quality of the hotel. It is in addition to the current 10% hotel tax already charged. The new tax is a direct charge to tourists to off set the reduction in funding by the national government that is used to maintain and restore Roman momuments. In recent months, several structures have collapsed into heaps of rubble. VENICE plans to charge tourist a 1 Euro entry tax to anyone who arrives by train, plane, and cruise ship.

The U.S. Coast Guard awarded Norwegian Cruise Line the Gold 2010 William M. Benkert Marine Environmental Protection Award in the foreign vessel category. This biennial award was created to recognize outstanding achievements in marine environmental protection that go beyond mere compliance with industrial and regulatory standards. This is the first time a major cruise line has been awarded the Gold Benkert award.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has raised it’s recommended gratuity amount by 19%. It is the cruise line’s first adjustment in suggested gratuity in 13 years.

P & O Cruise Line, the British cousin to Princess Cruise Line, will be offering adults only cruising on a second ship starting in November, 2011. The 1,818 passenger Oriana (1995) will join the 710 passenger Adonia (2001) in replacing the 1,260 passenger Artiemis (1984) which is leaving the fleet. P & O says that there is a steady demand by adults for cruises without children on board.

Luxury cruise line CRYSTAL CRUISES is offering an extensive and expanded Jewish Heritage Program on many of its cruises spanning a number of world destinations in 2011. The scheduled ports of call offer over a dozen Crystal Adventures that explore Jewish life, past and present, around the world: in/near Mumbai, Miami, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin, Hamburg, St. Petersburg, Rome, Dublin, Jerusalem/Ashdod, and Odessa. “These experiences offer meaningful opportunity for education, understanding, and reflection, for Jews and non-Jews alike,” says Vice President of Land and Port Operations, John Stoll. Although most of the 2012 excursions are still in development, Crystal is planning a Jewish heritage tour of Shanghai for its 2012 World Cruise.

Ama Waterways said it had offered Jewish Heritage tours on two Europe river cruises in November 2010. The complimentary Jewish Heritage tours will include synagogue visits, Jewish districts, museums, monuments and other landmarks of significance to Jewish history. A dedicated guide will lead the tours, which are open to all interested passengers. The program begins with two nights in Budapest followed by a seven-night cruise from Budapest to Nuremberg. A three-night land program follows in Prague. Anyone interested in doing this type of river cruise in 2011 should contact me for dates and details.

Tauck Tours, one of the highest quality tour companies in the world, has recently partnered with the Emmy award winning documentarian Ken Burns. Together they have formed “Ken Burns’ American Journeys”. Ken will be directly involved in the development of tours and events that make up the American experience. Ken will also produce short films exclusively for Tauck guests. The first of the new tours will be a 10 day explorations of National Parks of the Southwest United States from May through October, 2011. The first two events scheduled will be may 22 to 26, 2011 in Washington, DC to mark the Civil War and October 5 to 9 in New Orleans to commemorate Jazz. For more information on Tauck Tours and River Cruises or Ken Burns’ American Journeys, please call On Tour Travel, Inc.

The Carnival Splendor will be out of service till February 20, 2011 due to a generator fire in her aft engine room on November 8 as she was cruising down the West coast of Mexico. The fire knocked out power to the entire ship and she had to be towed back to San Diego. Investigators have not found the reason why the entire power system went down except to say that there must be a design flaw. No one was injured in the incident.

Philadelphia has closed down it’s cruise terminal due to a lack of interest by the cruise lines. Whereas 36 ships made it a port call in 2006, only 2 ships were scheduled in the 2011 season.

The Port of San Diego has joined San Francisco and five other ports in the world that provide a shore power hookup for cruise ships. Cruise ships are among the largest single source of air emissions because they keep their diesel engines running in port to generate electricity. The shore power hookup will significantly reduce those emissions. The Port of Long Beach will also install the hookups in the coming months. New York will soon join the others as it will be the first port in the East coast to provide shore power to cruise ships.

The U.S. Travel Association is asking the federal govt. to create a “Trusted Travelers” program in which people of low security risk will provide biometric and biographical information, and pass a rigorous background check so they could pass through airport screening faster. The TSA could then concentrate their security efforts where it is needed most. This would allow for a less intrusive screening of most air passengers.

Although President Obama supports the lifting of the travel ban to Cuba, lame duck representitives say it will not happen this year. The dead in it’s tracks House bill would have allowed U.S. citizens unlimited travel to Cuba. Howwever, more than 1,000 travelers from the United States are arriving every day in Cuba on average, most of Cuban origin. This makes the USA the number two source of visitors to Cuba after Canada.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is warning travelers to take precautions when traveling to the Dominican Republic. Nine cases of Cholera have been reported since mid November. Over 1,000 have died from the disiease in recent months in neighboring Haiti.

The Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships has just released their over all ratings for service and food among the eleven major cruise lines they surveyed and inspected. There seem to be some real surprises here.

Cunard…………………………….7.60
Celebrity…………………………..7.28
MSC Cruises………………………7.17
Princess……………………………6.85
Holland America Line…………6.65
P & O……………………………….6.60
NCL…………………………………6.02
Star Cruises……………………….5.86
Costa……………………………….5.74
Carnival……………………………5.55
Royal Caribbean………………..5.44

In 2011, the Government of the Ukraine plans to open up the sealed zone around the Chernobyl reactor to visitors who wish to learn more about the tragedy that occurred nearly a quarter of a century ago. Experts are developing travel routes that will be both medically safe and informative for Ukrainians as well as foreign visitors. A few firms now offer tours to the restricted area, but the government says those tours are illegal and their safety is not guaranteed………….UP DATE, In glowing terms, here is some of what you can expect on this illuminating tour. Tours cost about $185.00 per person. The tours are rushed through the 18 mile “dead zone” that surrounds the nuclear power plants. Over 60 species of animals have returned to the area including foxes, deer, and elk and many will have fur on them. The guides carry a Geiger counter with them to measure radiation as you approach the power plants…and the ticking gets louder. The tour takes you into the modern ghost town of Pripyat (just 2 miles form the reactor) where everything is as it was when the emergency evacuation took place a quarter century ago. Tourists are warned not to touch anything in the area. And, tourists must sign waiver for possible future radiation related health problems……If you desire to book this land tour, Please call another agency.

SPACE TOURISM

According to a September 2011 press release, an un-named Russian company has announced its intention to launch into space the first orbiting hotel by the year 2016. The hotel will is set to hold up to seven guests. The fact that Russia has the only steady program to launch people into space orbit may allow Russia gain a big lead into the growing space tourism industry. (In 2001, Russia launched American Dennis Tito (age 60) into orbit for an 8 day mission on the ISS and he officially became the first space tourist.) The hotel will be designed with a great deal more comfort and luxury than the International Space Station. Real food, as opposed to the dried food now used in the ISS will be delivered and heated in microwave ovens. Various drinks and juices will be available but a strict no alcohol policy will be in effect….An estimated cost of a five night stay is around $170,000.00 per person. Round trip transfers may run an additional $800,000.00. (Dennis Tito paid $20 million for his excursion.) Hmmmm, I wonder if they have group rates.

Texas state Sen. Carlos Uresti (D) has introduced Senate Bill 115 known as the “Space Flight Liability” bill. It would protect private space flight companies from being sued if passengers on board are injured or killed.

Virgin Galactic announced on April 13, 2011 that it was ready to accept applications for pilots. The space tour company needs three candidates to start. One will fly as soon as the space ship is ready and the other two will be used as needed. Some of the qualifications include an FAA commercial certificate, 3,000 hours of flight experience in high performance jets, and good communication skills.

The world’s first space line, Virgin Galactic, will offer tourist suborbital trips to the edge of space starting in 2013. Test flights are expected to begin in 2011. The flights will climb to about 68 miles above the earths surface where they can see the curvature of the Earth and experience up to 5 minutes weightlessness. Virgin Galactic’s founder, Richard Branson, stated after a successful test flight earlier in 2010 that “Now, the sky is no longer the limit and we will begin the process of pushing beyond to the final frontier of space itself over the next year.” Over 400 people have deposited and reserved a seat on this fasinating adventure. The price, $200,000.00 per person. Among the first passengers will be Branson and members of his family.

Now that the idea of space travel for the average person with $200,000 to spare is just around the corner, Virgin Galactic is opening up new opportunities for scientific research. Traditional zero gravity experiments cost a minimum 7 figures which is a rather hefty amount to pay. However, some companies like Southwest Research Institute see an opportunity to conduct their research for a fraction of that amount by purchasing future rides on Space Ship Two. The company has secured two seats for their scientist and is looking to reserve a half dozen more.

Another suborbital company called XCOR Aerospace of Mojave will be offering rides at only $95,000.00 per person. Their vehicle is somewhat smaller and carries only one passenger and the pilot. As more space flight companies come on line, the price of space travel will surely drop.

Virgin Galactic has announced it has joined the competition to develop a new space craft to replace the soon to be retired Space Shuttle Program. The new craft will not only be used to ferry crew and supplies to the International Space Station, but will have seats on board for tourist to orbit the Earth. A number of companies, including Boeing, have joined the competition where the prize is $200 million. Contracts could be worth Billions. No word on the cost for the tourists seats as yet, but it would be much less than that of Dennis Tito, the world’s first space tourist and age 60 at the time. He paid $20 million to the Russians for his “out of this world” ride.

NASA’S Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has started work on a new 10 year master plan for the tourist attraction. A key element of the project will be a $100 million exhibit displaying a flown space shuttle orbiter.