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Record-Breaking Cruise Ships

Brandon Wenerd — 2010-03-26T14:22:00+00:00

Filed under: Cruise

Royal Caribbean

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Record-Breaking Cruise Ships

In retrospect, this decade may be known as a renaissance for cruise ship design. In an ongoing effort to lure more passengers to their hulls, cruise lines are racing into uncharted waters on a quest for bigger and better ships. In September 2009, Carnival unveiled its largest ship to date -- the 3,652-passenger Carnival Dream, and in the next two years cruise lines ranging from Norwegian to Disney will be debuting vessels, each more spectacular than the last.

The mother of all ships, however, is Royal Caribbean's revolutionary, new, 16-deck ship the Oasis of the Seas, which sets the record as both the largest and most expensive cruise ship ever built.

Want to find out which other ships are taking the industry by storm? Keep reading -- we cover everything from the world's most expensive cruise (book it for $58,025) to the world's first seaborne water coaster.

Record-Breaking Cruise Ships

Completed as of October 28, 2009 and costing $1.4 billion dollars, Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas will begin sailing from her home port of Fort Lauderdale on December 1st, 2009. This behemoth, 5,400 passenger ship is the first of Royal Caribbean's Genesis-class ships. Measuring in at 1,181 feet, the Oasis is a colossal feat of maritime engineering. The ship features an outdoor promenade, the 750-person outdoor AquaTheatre on the ship's stern for acrobatic diving shows, and a neighborhood-styled layout of restaurants, shops, and attractions. Other remarkable highlights of this floating city include a sloped-entry beach pool, surf simulators, a cupcake shop, a park-like garden of natural trees and plants, and evening performances of the Broadway musical "Hairspray".

Record-Breaking Cruise Ships

The Doulos is recognized by the "Guinness Book of World Records" as the world's oldest active ocean-going passenger ship. The Doulos' storied career as a merchant vessel has included everything from hosting cruises, freighting goods, and transporting emigrants. The ship's name has changed approximately four times since her construction in 1914. Over 20-million visitors are estimated to have boarded the vessel in over 500 different ports of call. Currently the ship is known as "the world's largest floating book fair" and travels the globe promoting literacy and greater inter-cultural awareness and understanding.

Record-Breaking Cruise Ships

With a maximum speed just under 35 miles per hour, Iberojet's Grand Voyager minimizes travel time between ports and maximizes passenger's shore time at destinations. The ship's speed is partially thanks to the ship's streamlined mono hull design. The vessel was also the first ship to offer weekly cruises to three continents (Europe, Africa and Asia), a cruise industry first. The Voyager's sister ship, the M.V. Explorer, is used by the Institute of Shipboard Education's to shuttle college students around the world for the University of Virginia's Semester-at-Sea study abroad program.

Record-Breaking Cruise Ships

With a price tag starting at $58,025 dollars, Regent's 108-night cruise is, hands-down, the world's most expensive cruise. The Seven Seas Voyager takes passengers on a five continent journey from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Cape Town, South Africa. There are no inside cabins on the Seven Seas Voyager, so every passenger suite is equipped with a sea view balcony. The ship's luxurious amenities include butler service in some suites, a spa, a paddle tennis court, a large heated pool, and an elegant French restaurant operated by the venerable Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute of Paris. There is no question, however, that the marquee attraction is the ship's extensive itinerary, which includes over 45 ports-of-call. The once-in-a-lifetime journey includes a passage through the Panama Canal, extensive stays in French Polynesia, Indonesia, and Australia, and stops in major Asian cities like Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City.

Record-Breaking Cruise Ships

The cruise industry is trying to go green by reducing carbon emissions, eliminating shipboard waste, reinvesting in alternate energy sources, according to an October 2nd report in the Matter Network. While it's difficult to pinpoint only one cruise ship as the "most eco-friendly," Lindblad Expeditions certainly leads the way with eco-sensitive cruises to the world's most pristine and inspiring places. Lindblad Expeditions partnered with National Geographic in 2004 to collaborate on exploration, research, and environmental conservation. Founded in the late 1950's by Lars-Eric Lindblad, the father of "eco-tourism," Lindblad's fleet of small expedition ships of 30-148 guests navigate to Antarctica, the Scandinavian Arctic, the Galapagos Islands, and Egypt. The on board chefs showcase the regional cuisine of cruise destinations with menus featuring locally grown produce and sustainably harvested seafood. Lindblad also donates funds to focus on conservation efforts in fragile habitats.

Record-Breaking Cruise Ships

Although the Disney Dream isn't scheduled to debut for another two years (construction began in March 2009), the ship is already garnering significant buzz for its technologically advanced features. The ship's 150 inner cabins will have "virtual portholes" that provide a view outside the ship courtesy of a high-definition, real-time video feed. Another touch of Disney magic will be found in the ship's two main youth areas, where children can individually chat and interact with Disney characters on large screens. The hallways of the ship will be decorated with LCD televisions that screen art of Disney characters -- if you see them moving as you walk by you're not going crazy -- they animate via motion sensor as passengers pass by. The Disney Dream will also feature a cruise amusement milestone with the AquaDuck, the industry's first ship-board water coaster. The 765-foot flume ride will take passengers on a high-speed journey through water jets, thrilling plunges, and translucent tubes that overlook the ocean waves 150 feet below.

Record-Breaking Cruise Ships

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Angels at the Airport

Brandon Wenerd — 2010-03-12T15:16:00+00:00

Filed under: Air Travel, Real Life Stories

Rev. Mr. Peter Broussard and Chaplain DD Hayes

Not everyone bustling through a crowded airport concourse is headed to a business power lunch or a leisurely Caribbean cruise. Some travelers, such as those heading to bereave a lost loved one or visit a sick relative, pack emotional baggage that can't be claimed on a luggage carousel. Even happy, healthy travelers can find themselves frustrated by the headaches of modern air travel-unforeseen fees, long security lines, and unpredictable delays.

Increasingly, airport chaplains are there to help passengers with problems both big and small. More often than not, their guidance has very little to do with spirituality and a lot more to do with tackling immediate issues such as finding a departure gate or a place to spend the night.

Airport chaplaincies have been around since the first one opened in 1951 at Boston's Logan International Airport (today over 30 airports across the U.S. claim non-denominational chaplaincies), but, for the most part, the quiet "airport angels" who work for these organizations have flown under the radar, unnoticed by most.

A September 9th feature on NPR catapulted these do-gooders onto the national stage when they profiled Chaplain Chester Cook of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The United Methodist chaplain works out of the airport atrium chapel of the Atlanta airport, which welcomes an estimated 250,000 passengers per day (of these travelers, approximately 1,500 pay a visit to Cook's 1,040-square-foot chapel). NPR reports that the core of Rev. Cook's ministry of compassion-in-transit is modeled after the Biblical parable of the Good Samaritan-the Gospel tale that recounts the traveler on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho who rescues a beaten and robbed wayfarer, dressing his wounds and paying for his expenses at an inn.

Cook explains that airport chaplains do not just aide passengers in the event of a spiritual melt-down, they also reach out in practical ways that help weary travelers. Cook, for example, has been known to pay for a stranded passenger's flight re-ticketing fee out of his own wallet. He also guides lost and out-of-breath passengers to their gates through the terminal's congested labyrinth. In the profile, Cook tells NPR he once aided of an elderly woman who was told by the airline she couldn't fly out for three days after the carrier refused to change her ticket. The lady was put on the next flight to her destination after Cook threatened to call the local news channels. He remembers asking the airline manager to empathize with the women as if she were his own 81-year old grandmother.

An Airport Samaritan in Action:

After a gate change, Rev. Cook hails a motor cart for an out-of-breath lady struggling to carry her bag to a distant gate. He proceeds to accompany her to the gate on the back of the vehicle. -As reported by NPR

Dale Campbell and his wife were robbed of all their money and possessions in a Virgin Islands hotel room, stranding them in Atlanta when they got back to the United States. Rev. Cook found the couple shelter, food and spending money, as well as helps them with a job search. -As reported by NPR

A middle-age woman was planning on meeting someone at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. When her party didn't show, she took refuge in the chapel and was stuck in the airport without money for public transit. Rev. Cook lends the embarrassed traveler enough money for a week of public transit. -As reported by NPR

A downtrodden soldier on his third deployment threatened to throw himself off the third floor of the airport's atrium, claiming his wife has left, he can't be with his children, and he still has two more years in the armed service. Rev. Cook discussed what the soldier had to live for, convincing him not to jump. -As reported by NPR

Despite Cook's many good deeds, the minister is quoted by NPR, saying, "Your heart goes out, and sometimes you can't do anything."

Cook's Atlanta airport chaplaincy has 40 part-time chaplains, including former pilots who minister to current pilots and retired military who chat with soldiers, according to NPR. USA Today reports in an August 3rd article that the Atlanta chapel has recently undergone a $200,000 face-lift, removing denomination-specific symbols to promote an interfaith appeal to Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. The chapel also ministers to flight attendants, baggage handlers, and other airport employees, as well as runaways and women fleeing abusive relationships, according to NPR.

Cook and his chaplaincy are not alone. We reached out to other chaplaincies across the country to find out what their day-to-day airport jobs were like and many of them reported similar experiences to Rev. Cook.

Rev. Mr. Peter Broussard, who works as a chaplain at the Coos Bay Airport in Oregon, for example, can recall many memories of comforting passengers who pass through the airport. Once, he encountered a woman who was flying standby all the way to Columbia because her son had died. "I was able to talk with her, comfort her, pray with her," Broussard recalled. As the two were praying, another woman asked if she might pray join them. Broussard came to find out that the woman's husband had just died and she was on her way home.

Of course, the chaplain is not only at the airport for the benefit of the passengers-he's also there to comfort employees.

At one point, Broussard was called in to intercept a flight attendant who was changing planes in Albequerque as part of her shift. "They had found the body of her father-he had been hiking and got lost in the woods," Broussard said. He told her about what had happened and comforted her when she landed.

Chaplain DD Hayes from the Dallas/Fort Worth airport in Texas tells a similar tale of people he has comforted, including a woman whose husband and son had recently passed away. "We spent time with her and gave her support," he explained to us. Not all travel woes are so tragic-he also tells a story about a struggling actress from California who had missed her flight and needed a place to videotape her audition for a movie. Rev. Hayes let them use the chaplaincy to film the audition.

"So my day can go from consoling someone who suffered a tremendous loss, to helping an actress get a part in a movie," he said. "I haven't found out yet if she got the part. I'm praying for her."

Religious or not, it helps to know that there is someone on your side when you're in transit. The next time you find yourself in need of a helping hand (or even just a friendly ear) at the airport remember that the chaplains are there to help. You can find a full list of airport chaplaincies across the country here, but we've also rounded up a list of the major airports across the U.S. where these unexpected "angels" work:

Top Ten Major Cities with Airport Chaplains

Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport: ATL Chapel Website

Chicago O'Hare International Airport: ORD Chapel Website

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport: DFW Chapel Website

Denver International Airport: DEN Chapel Website

New York (JFK): JFK Chapel Website

George Bush Intercontinental Airport Houston: IAH Chapel Website

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport: PHX Chapel Website

Newark Liberty International Airport: EWR Chapel Website

Washington Dulles International Airport: IAD Chapel Website

Charlotte Douglas International Airport: CLT Chapel Website

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T.S.A. to Restrict Rules on Names Early Next Year

Brandon Wenerd — 2009-11-14T15:50:00+00:00

Filed under: News

Early next year, the next phase of the Transportation Security Administration's "Secure Flight" identity matching program will begin matching names on airline-issued boarding passes with passenger IDs at security checkpoints, according to a November 9th report in the New York Times. The new passenger verification measures will occur after airlines fully streamline reservations and other customer information, The Times reports.

In May, the T.S.A. asked passengers to make airline reservations under the name exactly as it is issued on government identification. In other words, a passenger whose passport reads "Johnathan Q. Smith" yet goes by "John Smith" should make airline reservations under Johnathan Q. Smith to avoid potential security screening delays. In August, the program entered another public phase of requiring airlines to include gender and date of birth information when booking a flight. The information is to be used to help differentiate between passengers on government security lists. According to the program's Frequently Asked Questions, frequent flyer accounts should also include exactly the same name as boarding passes and identification.

In the meantime, passengers with slight variations between names printed on boarding passes shouldn't expect delays in security checkpoints, The Times reports. The T.S.A.'s director of Secure Flight, Paul Leyh, told The Times, "We do understand there are slight variations in the way airlines book their reservations and print their boarding passes." He added that variations between names on an ID and a boarding pass "should not delay the passenger's travel."

If a passenger has a boarding pass with a truncated or contorted name, it will be up to the discretion of the T.S.A screener to verify the identity of the passenger by matching the ID with the boarding pass, The Times reports.

Accurate passenger information when booking a flight enhances the T.S.A.'s ability to match a passenger's identity with names on government's security watch list, reports The Times. According to the report, the Secure Flight process of vetting and matching airline passengers names with T.S.A. watch list information occurs behind the scenes, before passengers arrive at the airport. Passengers are clear once they receive a boarding pass, according to The Times.

The T.S.A.'s Secure Flight initiative was developed to minimize passenger delays caused by additional security screenings when a passenger's name closely resembles or matches a name on the government's list, reports The Times. According to the newspaper, the problem of identification is small but widely publicized.

The FBI's terrorist watch list includes 400,000 unique names and over a million entries, according to a November 1st report in the The Washington Post. The newspaper also reports fewer than 5 percent of the people on the list are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. Nine percent of the list is also on the government's "no fly" list, reports The Washington Post. Passenger's who feel their names are mistakenly on the list can file for redress through the T.S.A.

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Zagat's First Cruise Ship Survey: The Results

Brandon Wenerd — 2009-11-12T15:52:00+00:00

Filed under: Cruise, News

SeaDream Yacht Club

Zagat recently announced the completion of its first survey at sea on November 12th, rating and ranking cruise lines to help consumers make informed vacation decisions.

Zagat's first cruise survey covers 22 major cruise lines, collecting information from approximately 2,379 avid cruisers. Recognizing the difference between a 2,500 passenger mega-ship and an intimate, 100 person expedition vessel, each cruise line was categorized based on the number of passengers. Large ships included over 1,500 passengers; mid-sized ships accommodate between 200 to 1,500 passengers; and small ships held under 200 passengers. Cruise lines were then rated on Zagat's signature 30-point scale for five facets of performance: cabins, service, dining, facilities, and shipboard activities. Using this data, an overall score was determined by averaging the ratings in each particular cruise line category. Interesting enough, Royal Caribbean, Crystal Cruises, and Windstar Cruises, all considered the most popular cruises in each size category by Zagat's surveyors, were not necessarily ranked as the top overall cruises. The results of the survey can be found below.

Top Overall

Top Overall Large Ships: Cunard Line
All guests are pampered like royalty on Cunard, so its easy to forget the cruise line's 165 years of maritime heritage or a distinguished guest list that has included luminaries such as Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Nelson Mandela, and Elton John. Cunard's luxurious fleet of grand ocean liners currently consists of the lavish Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, as well as the forthcoming Queen Elizabeth, which will debut in autumn 2010. Elegant details like a planetarium, shops stocked with high end attire from Hermes and Harrods, and an impressive art collection worth an estimated $5 million dollars exemplify the Queen Mary 2's opulent splendor. The world class dining options aboard each ship include formal afternoon tea served by white-gloved waiters, a glamorous evening dinner in the traditional Britannia restaurant, or upscale Mediterranean fare in the Todd English Restaurant. Cunard is famous for its regularly scheduled transatlantic crossings between Europe and New York, as well as ports of call on four continents. With impeccable service, decadent dining options, and immaculate facilities, Cunard was also bestowed the top distinction in the Zagat Survey's categories for best service, facilities, cabins, and dining.

Top Overall Mid-Size Ships: Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Boasting one of the highest staff-to guest ratios in the cruise industry, the two biggest ships in Regent's four ship fleet accommodate only 700 guests. Every cabin aboard a Regent ship offers an ocean panorama and many of the spacious suites also include a balcony. Unlike other cruise lines, Regent's all-inclusive service provides guests with a complimentary champagne greeting, as well as soft drinks, cocktails, and gratuity built into the fare. The exquisite dining options aboard the Seven Seas Mariner and Seven Seas Voyager showcase cuisine prepared by chefs from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute, in addition to a main dining room and a contemporary steakhouse. Regent specializes in international itineraries to ports of call in in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, the South Pacific, and South America.

Top Overall Small Ships: SeaDream Yacht Club
A sojourn to the French and Italian Riviera or Caribbean yacht harbors like St. Croix, St. Barts, and Barbados aboard a SeaDream yacht is an intimate luxury experience. SeaDream's two yachts include all the usual amenities and services of bigger cruise ships such as a casino, swimming pool, boutique, fitness center, and spa. However, with a maximum of 112 guests per cruise, the service aboard a SeaDream yacht emphasizes personal satisfaction. For example, the professionally prepared gourmet meals can be served al fresco on the ship's deck during the evening. All staterooms aboard the SeaDream I and SeaDream II offer an ocean view and are luxuriously appointed with plush Belgian linens, a personal bar, a multi-jet shower massage, and Bvlgari bath products. Each yacht has a built-in marina with personal watercraft such as jet skis, a Zodiac for water skiing, and kayaks for passengers to enjoy when docked in the harbor. SeaDream was also awarded the top slots in the Zagat Survey's categories for best cabins, service, dining, and facilities.

Top Dining
Food is always a marquee draw for any cruise vacation. Over the last two decades, cruise ship dining has evolved from a two-restaurant, buffet-driven model to a layout that includes five or more specialty restaurants, many of which are presided over by star chefs from around the world. Epicureans can now enjoy dining in a French bistro, steakhouse, Asian-cuisine restaurant, Italian tratorria, or simple delicatessen on the high seas. The top picks for cruise ship food in the Zagat Survey focus on sophisticated fare in an elegant setting.

Top Dining Large Ships: Cunard Line
Top Dining Mid-Size Ships: Yachts of Seabourn
Top Dining Small Ships: SeaDream Yacht Club

Top Cabins
Cabins aboard a cruise ship range from spartan interior staterooms with bunk beds, no windows, and cramped bathrooms to grandiose, sunlit suites with balconies and sweeping ocean vistas. Many cruise ships cabins now include iPod docking stations, chic decor, high thread-count linens, and ample room to spread out. The top notch on Zagat's list for best cabins went to Regent and SeaDream, which boast spacious, all ocean-facing staterooms, and Cunard, which features a wide selection of different cabin classes.

Top Cabins Large Ships: Cunard Line
Top Cabins Mid-Size Ships: Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Top Cabins Small Ships: SeaDream Yacht Club

Top Service
Providing friendly passenger service with considerate attention to detail is the golden standard of the cruise industry. The array of services available on cruise ships typically include: daily evening turndown service, concierges, spa services, and 24-hour room service. Some cruise lines, however, go beyond expectations to provide exquisite customer service. The high profile state rooms aboard cruise lines such as Cunard and Regent, for example, offer the added benefit of private butler service and the option of specially prepared in-room meals.

Top Service Large Ships: Cunard Line
Top Service Mid-Size Ships: Yachts of Seabourn
Top Service Small Ships: SeaDream Yacht Club

Top Facilities
The dazzling, state-of-the art facilities of modern cruise ships are typically kept spotless thanks to the hard work of a diligent crew. The grandiose magnificent Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, both museum-worthy ocean liners, and the lavish opulence of the Crystal Cruise and SeaDream fleet earned top nods in the Zagat Survey.

Top Facilities Large Ships: Cunard Line
Top Facilities Mid-Size Ships: Crystal Cruises
Top Facilities Small Ships: SeaDream Yacht Club

Top Shipboard Activities
In the era of mega cruise ships like Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, the Carnival Dream, and the forthcoming Norwegian Epic and Disney Dream, the array of shipboard activities is becoming seemingly endless. The plethora of shipboard activities for both grown ups, teenagers, and adults now includes water parks, ice skating, surf simulators, diving shows, and even glass blowing. Despite the recent debut of new ships, Mickey Mouse and friends landed the top spot for Disney Cruises in Zagat's large vessel shipboard activity category. Lindblad Expeditions, which offers adventure cruises on expedition ships to Antarctica, Alaska, and the Galapagos Islands, received the top pick in the small ship category.

Top Shipboard Activities Large Ships: Disney Cruise Line
Top Shipboard Activities Mid-Size Ships: Crystal Cruises
Top Shipboard Activities Small Ships: Lindblad Expeditions

Other Zagat Cruise Line Survey Rankings:
Top Nightlife: Disney Cruise Line
Top Onboard Shopping: Cunard Line
Top Live Entertainment: Disney Cruise Line
Top Spa Services: Cunard Line
Most Appropriate for Families: Disney Cruise Line
Most Appropriate for Singles: Carnival Cruise Lines
Top Excursions: Princess Cruises
Most Appropriate for Romantic/Honeymoon Cruises: Cunard Line
Most Appropriate for Budget Cruises: Carnival Cruise Lines
Top Fitness Centers: Celebrity Cruises
Best for Kids: Disney Cruise Line
Best for Families: Disney Cruise Line
Best for Seniors: Holland America Line
Best For Weekend Getaways: Disney Cruise Line
Best for Expedition Cruises: Celebrity Cruises
Top Itinerary Choices: Cunard Line
Top Casinos/Gambling: Cunard Line

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Drug Lord's Home Now a Theme Park

Brandon Wenerd — 2009-11-05T17:06:00+00:00

Filed under: News

Raul Arboleda, AFP / Getty Images

The 4000-acre estate of Colombia's notorious cocaine kingpin Pablo Escabar is now an eccentric theme park and museum, according to a Fox News report on November 4th. Located between Bogota and Medellín, the theme park includes a bull ring, a private air strip, and the drug lord's classic car collection. The estate, called Hacienda Napoles, attracts 50,000 visitors a year, reports Fox News.

Often known by his nicknames "Don Pablo" and "El Patron," Escobar controlled 80 percent of the world's cocaine trade until 1993, when he was reportedly gunned down by police officers on a rooftop in Medellín after a phone conversation with his son. In 1989, Escobar landed the number seven spot on Forbes' "wealthiest people in the world" list. At the time, Forbes estimated the ruthless drug lord's fortune to be around $25 billion dollars, according to the BBC.

Escobar originally imported four hippos from Africa for the estate, which roam and bathe in ponds on the property. The hippos have reproduced at a breakneck pace because they have no natural predators in Columbia, according to the Fox News report. Hacienda Napoles' hippo population has now ballooned to twenty-seven in total, Fox News reports.

See a video from National Geographic on Escobar's hippos:

According to a December 26, 2007 profile of the Hacienda Napoles in The Independent, the drug lord stocked the property with elephants, giraffes, buffalo, camels and lions, as well as a staff of 700 ranch hands to tend to the animals. The Independent reports that, except for the hippos, all of the animals in Escobar's collection were donated to zoos—but the park still has two zebras, an ocelot, a margay, an ostrich and several buffalo.

Hacienda Napoles also contains the rusted skeletal remains of blasted-out cars. After Escobar's home in Medellin was bombed in 1988 by a rival drug cartel, he salvaged the cars and moved them to the rural estate, according to The Independent. The Independent also points out that the property is speckled with life-sized statues of dinosaurs—including a triceratops, a brontosaurus, and a tyrannosaurus.

The gates to Hacienda Napoles are mounted with the Cessna plane Escobar first used to smuggle cocaine into the United States, according to an NPR report on July 22nd.

The Colombian government, which owns and operates the park, insists that turning Escobar's estate into a theme park does not glorify the career and life of a violent global narcotics trafficker.

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Headline: Ex-Pilot Lives in Brazilian Airport After Being Dumped

Brandon Wenerd — 2009-11-02T16:56:00+00:00

Filed under: News

Andre Penner, AP

A 46-year old German citizen has taken temporary refuge at the airport terminal in Campianas, Brazil after finding himself out of money and down on his luck, reported the Associated Press on October 29th. According to airport employees, Heinz Muller allegedly flew to Rio de Janeiro on October 2nd for a romantic rendezvous with a local woman he met on the Internet, the Associated Press reported. After he was allegedly left in a lurch by his hopeful lover and ran out of money, Muller ended up at airport in Campianas, an industrial town about 100 kilometers north of Sao Paulo, according to airport workers and an aviation spokesperson interviewed for the article.

Other Notable Airport Residents:

Zahra Kamalfar - Zahra Kamalfar, an Iranian political refugee, lived in Moscow, Russia's Sheremetyevo Airport for almost 11 months. After fleeing Iran and Turkey, Kamalfar flew from Russia to Germany with false documents and plans to declare political asylum in Canada. German authorities deported her to Russia, where she spent 11 months in immigration limbo at the Moscow airport before finally making her way to her brother and supporters in Canada. - As reported by the CBC

Hiroshi Nohara - For reasons he was never able to explain, Hiroshi Nohara's extended layover in 2008 at Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport lasted from September to the end of December 2008. Formerly an office cleaner in Tokyo, Japan, Nohara's set up his temporary residence in the airport's food court, becoming somewhat of a celebrity with other passengers. - As reported by Bloomberg

Mehran Karimi Nasseri - Mehran Karimi Nasseri lived in Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport Nasseri for 16 years, spanning from 1988 until 2006. Unable to procure political asylum in Europe, the passport-less and vista-less Iranian refugee is reportedly the inspiration for Steven Spielberg's 2004 movie "The Terminal." - As reported by the The Guardian

The Volode Family - When this Bosnian family of three lost their tickets for their connecting flight to meet relatives in Kansas City, they were forced to sleep near the baggage claim at Milwaukee's airport. The family allegedly lived in the airport for eight days before being noticed. Suspiciously, there were no records of the family flying into Milwaukee on Midwest Airlines. - As reported by TMJ 4

Muller, allegedly an ex-pilot, has been camping in the airport for 13 days as of October 29th, reported the Associated Press. On October 29th, he was taken to a hospital for a psychological evaluation.

According to Brazil's civil aviation authority, Muller is permitted to stay in the airport for three months - the length of a typical European tourist visa to Brazil-as long as he obeys the law, reported the Associated Press. The stranded traveler isn't specifying when he will leave, though the Associated Press reported that if he stays longer than January, he may face deportation from the country.

In the meantime, the Associated Press reported Muller spends time wandering around the airport, using his laptop from atop luggage carts, and speaking to both workers and passengers in basic Portuguese mixed with some Spanish. He washes himself in the airport's rest rooms, sleeps in the airport's chairs, and relies on airport employees for meals from the food court. According to the Associated Press, Muller has declined offers to stay at a shelter or housing offered by nonprofit groups.

Before he was escorted to the hospital for the psychological evaluation, Muller told the Associated Press that airport workers "are treating me OK." In the report, the airport employees express their sympathy for Muller's situation, with police officer Wilson Slauzino telling the AP, "He just doesn't have a place to go and wants to stay at the airport for now."

Muller plans to move to the country permanently, telling the AP "I want to be living in Brazil in somewhere pretty." However, he refused to elaborate after the journalist denied his request to buy a computer cable in exchange for answering questions, reported the AP.

The airport residency prompts comparisons by the Associated Press to the premise of Steven Spielberg's 2004 feature film "The Terminal." While Muller is not stuck in the same passport purgatory as the fictitious Viktor Navorski, his financial distress and the kindheartedness of airport employees is a parallel. Portrayed by Tom Hanks, Navorski becomes a proverbial "man without a country" after his passport is invalidated by an overnight revolution in his fictitious eastern European country, ensnaring his immigration status in red tape. Navorski is forced to take temporary residence in New York City's JFK airport. According to the Christian Science Monitor, the film is vaguely based on the real-life saga of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, an Iranian political refugee who lived in Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport from 1988 to 2006 after landing in Paris without a passport or the visas necessary to officially enter the country.

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Pilot Back to Work After Handgun Accidentally Fired During Flight

Brandon Wenerd — 2009-10-12T15:12:00+00:00

Filed under: News

A US Airways pilot who was grounded by the airline after his handgun accidentally discharged on a flight is now allowed back in the cockpit, according to an October 9th Associated Press report. After serving an 18-month disciplinary suspension, the AP reports pilot Jim Langenhahn began flight training last Monday at a US Airways facility in Charlotte. Captain Langenhahn, a former Air Force pilot, will get his wings back from the airline under the provision that he will be prohibited from packing firearms aboard a plane in the future, the AP reports.

Langenhahn was allegedly stowing his .40-caliber pistol on a March 2008 flight from Denver to Charlotte when it fired shortly before the plane landed, the AP reports. No passengers or crew members were hurt when the bullet pierced through the plane's fuselage and cockpit wall. After the incident, the AP reports Langenhahn took the case to arbitration with the support of his union, the US Airways Pilots Association. According to the report, Langenhahn's case was enhanced by evidence from the Department of Homeland Security, who criticized the faulty locking holster design currently used by pilots strapped with firearms. The department's inspector general claims the holster design increases the likeliness of an accidental discharge and has recommended the Transportation Security Administration discontinue its use, the AP reports.

Union spokesman James ray told the Associated press, "The company overreacted. Captain Langenhahn has had a distinguished and untarnished record in his time at US Airways." Langenhahn is also quoted by the AP in a personal letter to the union, calling the ordeal "long and painful."

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, commercial airline pilots lobbied to carry handguns aboard planes and a federal law was passed in 2002. According to the AP, pilots opting to bare arms in cockpit must participate a week-long weapons training program run by the TSA.

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Cruise Ships Collide Off the Coast of Mexico

Brandon Wenerd — 2009-10-05T16:06:00+00:00

Filed under: News

Greg Land, twitpic

The Tampa, Florida-based website, 10connects.com reported on Monday, October 5th that some cruise ship passengers were "happy to be back in Florida after their ship collided with another one off the coast of Mexico."

The USA Today's Cruise Log Blog was the first to report the collision of a Carnival cruise ship departing the port at Cozumel, Mexico with a Royal Caribbean ship on Wednesday, September 30th. No one reported any injuries from the incident, but both vessels sustained minor damage, USA Today reported.

One cruise ship passenger described the experience in his blog:

"As we're watching it [the other ship], it's getting closer and closer. It looked like the wind was pushing the other ship toward us. I looked down and saw a tug boat try to get between the two boats, but it was too late. Then the collision became inevitable. There was some crunching and breaking glass noises and the ship rocked to one side a little. It was such a slow crash that it was barely noticeable."

Greg Land, a passenger on the Royal Caribbean, was quoted in USA Today saying that the Carnival Legend then side-swiped the Enchantment, with the two ships scraping each other's sides over about a 50 yard stretch.

Credit: Greg Land, twitpic

According to USA Today, the 2,124-passenger Carnival Legend had just cast off from the Cozumel pier before heavy winds pushed the ship into Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas.

Spokespeople for Carnival and Royal Caribbean told USA TODAY late Wednesday the damage to the ships was minor, but Land says the Carnival Legend was left with some significant scars.

"The side of the Legend was dented badly, and the glass railings on the (Legend's) promenade deck were shattered with broken glass everywhere," he says.

"Immediately, crew members on both ships were called into their emergency positions and passengers ran up on deck to see what had bumped and rattled the two ships so badly," Land says.

Here is one passenger's video of the crash:

Pictures of vessel's damage were also quickly posted by a passenger on board the via Twitter and can be found here and here.
After an inspection from Mexican authorities, both ships proceeded on their respective itineraries by sailing to Belize, according to the USA Today. A September 20th blog post on on Cruise Critic reports itinerary changes were not made for the Carnival Legend because the repairs could be done while the ship is at sea. USA Today reports the Carnival Legend was sailing out of Tampa, Florida on a seven-night cruise and the Enchantment was cruising for five-nights out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

While collisions between two cruise ships are rare, similar incidents at sea are not completely uncommon. According to cruise industry watchdog Cruisejunkie.com, over 20 disabling incidents have been reported aboard passenger vessels in 2009, including the June 18th fire that broke out in the engine room of Princess Cruise's Royal Princess near Port Said, Egypt. According to Cruise Log Blog, the fire prompted passengers to their muster stations. Cruise Critic reports there were no injuries on board Royal Princess, which was on a 12-day Mediterranean cruise from Rome to Athens.

According to a July 30th 2008 report by the Athens News Agency and Cruise Critic, The Zenith, a ship operated by the Spanish cruise line Pullmantur, collided into the stern of The Aegean Pearl in the port of Piraeus near Athens Greece, sustaining minor damage. There were 1,819 passengers on board the Zenith at the time of the accident and no injuries were immediately reported, according to the Athens News Agency. Likewise when the Norwegian Dream collided with a barge being pulled by a tugboat in the port of Montevideo, Uruguay in December 2007, according to a December 10, 2007 report by Reuters. The same vessel had been previously damaged from a collision in 1999 after smashing into a 52,000-ton cargo ship in the English Channel, as reported by the BBC on August 24th, 1999. According to the BBC, the 1999 crash caused a fire aboard the container ship and forced 20 passengers to receive minor medical treatment.

Additional cruise ship mishaps include close encounters with stationary objects, such as piers when docking. In May 2008, Cunard's Queen Victoria hit the quay while berthing in Malta after suffering from an alleged throttle failure, according to a May 14th 2008 report in the Times of Malta. On May 26 2008, the New York Post reported a similarly incident at the New York City Cruise terminal when the 77,000-ton Norwegian Spirit crashed in Pier 88 on the Hudson River, causing bent railings and visible scars to the ship.

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