Sister Ship

A sister ship of the cruise liner that ran aground in Italy last month was adrift in the Indian Ocean after a fire broke out in the engine room. No casualties or injuries were reported Monday on board the Costa Allegra, which is owned by Costa Cruises, the same Italian company that operates the Costa Concordia. The Costa Concordia ran aground on the Italian island of Giglio on the night of Jan 13., killing 25 people, with another seven still unaccounted for. Costa Cruises confirmed in a statement that a fire broke out in the electric generator room Monday afternoon but was promptly extinguished.

When two "queens" meet, expect some whistles and fireworks. Cunard Line plans a royal rendezvous next month when the modern ocean liner Queen Elizabeth visits the Queen Mary, a former Cunard ship that has been retired for 45 years. The Long Beach landmark, whose art deco cabins now serve as hotel rooms, once sailed the North Atlantic as a sister ship of the Queen Elizabeth from 1947 to 1967. The deal: The public is invited to stroll onto the Queen Mary for free to watch the historic rendezvous that includes a whistle salute between the two ships, live entertainment and fireworks.

Queen Mary, meet Queen Victoria . That's pretty much how the introduction would go if these two Cunard ships -- one docked in Long Beach, one on its way to the Panama Canal -- could speak. Instead, the ships  will exchange a whistle salute amid fireworks when they "meet"  Thursday in Long Beach Harbor. Admission to the Queen Mary, usually $24.95 plus tax for adults, will be free to mark what Cunard calls a "royal rendezvous. " Queen Victoria is expected to sail into Long Beach Harbor between 5:30 and 6:15 p.m. and rendezvous with its sister ship between 6:15 and 6:45 p.m. The ship opens to visitors for free at 10 a.m.; guided tours and dining, however, are not free.

Carnival Cruise Lines will redeploy an 855-foot-long cruise ship from Miami to Long Beach in 2014, doubling the number of cruise trips to the Southern California terminal. The Miami cruise line announced Wednesday that the Carnival Imagination will arrive in Long Beach in January 2014, raising to three the number of Carnival ships operated from the terminal. The ship should double the number of calls to the port to about 224 and draw an additional 480,000 passengers per year. Carnival is the only cruise line operating from Long Beach on a year-round basis.

"This is a ship for adults who want to be adults," Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of Cruise Critic , a consumer information website, said Wednesday of the Cunard Line's latest passenger vessel, the Queen Elizabeth. In a telephone interview after attending Monday's naming ceremony in Southampton, England, Spencer Brown gave her take on the ship's pluses and minuses. And more important: Who should cruise on the Queen Elizabeth? "People who are young at heart but don’t need to zip line after every dinner would find this ship appealing," she said.

When two "queens" meet, expect some whistles and fireworks. Cunard Line plans a royal rendezvous next month when the modern ocean liner Queen Elizabeth visits the Queen Mary, a former Cunard ship that has been retired for 45 years. The Long Beach landmark, whose art deco cabins now serve as hotel rooms, once sailed the North Atlantic as a sister ship of the Queen Elizabeth from 1947 to 1967. The deal: The public is invited to stroll onto the Queen Mary for free to watch the historic rendezvous that includes a whistle salute between the two ships, live entertainment and fireworks.

A Norwegian cruise ship carrying nearly 300 passengers, including 119 Americans, ran aground on a remote Antarctic island and damaged its hull before getting free of the rocks, officials said. No one was injured. The 294 passengers were evacuated from the Nordkapp to sister ship Nordnorge as a precaution, said a spokeswoman for Norwegian Coastal Voyage. The vessel ran aground near Deception Island.

Cruise lines: A Sept. 27 article on the debut of various luxury cruise ships incorrectly reported that the Celebrity Equinox's inaugural cruise would be in April. That ship is already in service. The story should have said the Celebrity Eclipse, a 2,850-passenger, 122,000-ton vessel, would begin duty April 29 with a four-night Southampton, England, round-trip cruise to Cork, Ireland. The Eclipse, a sister ship to the Equinox, is the third vessel in Celebrity's Solstice class, which was christened in July.

Carnival Cruise Lines will redeploy an 855-foot-long cruise ship from Miami to Long Beach in 2014, doubling the number of cruise trips to the Southern California terminal. The Miami cruise line announced Wednesday that the Carnival Imagination will arrive in Long Beach in January 2014, raising to three the number of Carnival ships operated from the terminal. The ship should double the number of calls to the port to about 224 and draw an additional 480,000 passengers per year. Carnival is the only cruise line operating from Long Beach on a year-round basis.

The Carnival Ecstasy, site of a widely publicized fire July 20 off Miami, will return to service Sept. 18 rather than Sept. 11, as previously announced. A dozen cruises were canceled after the fire, which sent scores of passengers to treatment for smoke inhalation, and the ship has been undergoing repairs in Newport News, Va., ever since. The fire has cost Carnival up to $24 million in repairs and lost revenue, according to spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz.

Friday the 13th seems to be a good day to write about the Titanic-- not just because we find the number 13 creepy but because the cruise was then underway, 100 years ago, with not a hint (at least, not to the passengers) of trouble in sight. It was the most luxurious ship of its day -- a fact that it certainly didn't try to hide. Indeed, some would say the boasting about the megaship -- remember, they said it was unsinkable -- may have tempted fate. Meanwhile, we'd like to tempt you to take this quiz and find out how much you really know about this maritime nightmare.

Disney's newest cruise ship, the Fantasy, sailed into its home port of Port Canaveral, Fla., on Tuesday in preparation for its maiden voyage to the Eastern Caribbean on March 31. For fans hoping to be among the first on board, cabins are sold out for the initial seven-night sailing, but there is still space available on Fantasy for April cruises. The sister ship to the Disney Dream, which launched last year, features Dumbo the flying elephant on its stern. So how big is this ship?

You would think Costa Allegra passengers, stranded at sea for more than two days and enduring overflowing toilets, no power, cold sandwiches and beastly heat, would want to go home immediately and put the nightmare behind them. Not so. A statement from Costa Cruises says about 70% of the 627 passengers have taken the Italian-based cruise line up on its offer of a free two-week stay in the Seychelle Islands. Passengers disembarked the crippled ship after reaching Port Victoria on Mahe, the Seychelles' main island, midday Thursday local time.

A sister ship of the cruise liner that ran aground in Italy last month was adrift in the Indian Ocean after a fire broke out in the engine room. No casualties or injuries were reported Monday on board the Costa Allegra, which is owned by Costa Cruises, the same Italian company that operates the Costa Concordia. The Costa Concordia ran aground on the Italian island of Giglio on the night of Jan 13., killing 25 people, with another seven still unaccounted for. Costa Cruises confirmed in a statement that a fire broke out in the electric generator room Monday afternoon but was promptly extinguished.

Queen Mary, meet Queen Victoria . That's pretty much how the introduction would go if these two Cunard ships -- one docked in Long Beach, one on its way to the Panama Canal -- could speak. Instead, the ships  will exchange a whistle salute amid fireworks when they "meet"  Thursday in Long Beach Harbor. Admission to the Queen Mary, usually $24.95 plus tax for adults, will be free to mark what Cunard calls a "royal rendezvous. " Queen Victoria is expected to sail into Long Beach Harbor between 5:30 and 6:15 p.m. and rendezvous with its sister ship between 6:15 and 6:45 p.m. The ship opens to visitors for free at 10 a.m.; guided tours and dining, however, are not free.

"This is a ship for adults who want to be adults," Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of Cruise Critic , a consumer information website, said Wednesday of the Cunard Line's latest passenger vessel, the Queen Elizabeth. In a telephone interview after attending Monday's naming ceremony in Southampton, England, Spencer Brown gave her take on the ship's pluses and minuses. And more important: Who should cruise on the Queen Elizabeth? "People who are young at heart but don’t need to zip line after every dinner would find this ship appealing," she said.

Disney's newest cruise ship, the Fantasy, sailed into its home port of Port Canaveral, Fla., on Tuesday in preparation for its maiden voyage to the Eastern Caribbean on March 31. For fans hoping to be among the first on board, cabins are sold out for the initial seven-night sailing, but there is still space available on Fantasy for April cruises. The sister ship to the Disney Dream, which launched last year, features Dumbo the flying elephant on its stern. So how big is this ship?

Cruise lines: A Sept. 27 article on the debut of various luxury cruise ships incorrectly reported that the Celebrity Equinox's inaugural cruise would be in April. That ship is already in service. The story should have said the Celebrity Eclipse, a 2,850-passenger, 122,000-ton vessel, would begin duty April 29 with a four-night Southampton, England, round-trip cruise to Cork, Ireland. The Eclipse, a sister ship to the Equinox, is the third vessel in Celebrity's Solstice class, which was christened in July.