Cunard’s legendary Queen Elizabeth 2 ran aground near Southampton, England this morning on its way to ceremonies marking her final cruise after four decades of service.

Southampton’s Daily Echo, a sister paper to USA TODAY, reported that the historic ocean liner was caught by the wind and blown onto a sandbar near the port town, though it was not stuck for long.

Tug boats pulled the QE2 off the bank quickly, and the ship only was a half hour late for planned farewell celebrations. She doesn’t appear to be damaged, and no one was injured in the mishap. The UK’s Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, presided over the ceremonies, which included a fly-over by a Royal Air Force Harrier jet that dropped her nose as a mark of respect.

The QE2 also was showered by a million poppy petals to acknowledge her time as a troopship during the Falkland Islands war in 1982 and also to mark her departure on Veterans Day.

The aging vessel is scheduled to set sail for her final voyage this evening at 7:15 PM GMT. After gliding away from her traditional berth in Southampton’s Eastern Docks, she’ll hover just off the port town’s Mayflower Park to serve as a backdrop for a fireworks display. From there, the QE2 is heading to Dubai, where she’ll be turned into a floating hotel and museum.

Launched in 1967 by Queen Elizabeth II, the QE2 has carried more than 2.5 million passengers and is the longest-serving ship in Cunard history.

If you are sad to see the QE2 retire? Leave your thoughts and memories of this magnificent ship in the comment area below.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD. ANNOUNCES
END TO FUEL SUPPLEMENT

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. today announced that the company’s fuel supplement will no longer apply to new Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises bookings made on or after November 10, 2008, anywhere in the world, for sailings that depart on or after January 1, 2010.
This decision takes into consideration the recent reductions in global fuel prices. The company has also established specific guidelines that will determine whether fuel supplement refunds will be provided for sailings that begin in 2009 and later, which were booked prior to November 10, 2008, if fuel prices remain below a specific price threshold.

For 2009 sailings and 2010 sailings booked before November 10, 2008, the company will determine on a quarterly basis whether fuel supplements will be refunded. Refunds, in the form of an onboard credit, will be provided if the closing price of West Texas Intermediate fuel is $65 or less, at the closing time of the New York Mercantile Exchange, two weeks prior to the beginning of the upcoming calendar quarter. When those conditions are met, an onboard credit will be provided to all guests on sailings that begin during the upcoming calendar quarter.

The dates on which the price of West Texas Intermediate fuel will be measured, and the quarters during which refunds could apply are:

Fuel Price Determination Date / Quarter of Possible Fuel Supplement Refunds
December 18, 2008 / First quarter 2009
March 18, 2009 / Second quarter 2009
June 17, 2009 / Third quarter 2009
September 17, 2009 / Fourth quarter 2009
December 18, 2009 / First quarter 2010
March 18, 2010 / Second quarter 2010
June 17, 2010 / Third quarter 2010
September 17, 2010 / Fourth quarter 2010

The company will continue to closely monitor the movement of global fuel prices and recognize that an upturn in those prices could necessitate the reinstatement of a fuel supplement.

Newest Addition to Princess Fleet En Route to Fort Lauderdale for

November 6 Naming Ceremony

The newest addition to the Princess fleet, Ruby Princess, was delivered to Princess Cruises today in Monfalcone, Italy by the ship’s builder, Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani. The 3,070-passenger vessel has set sail for Fort Lauderdale where she is scheduled to arrive on November 4.

The ship will be christened on November 6 by celebrity couple Trista and Ryan Sutter from ABC’s hit reality series, The Bachelorette. In keeping with the launch’s “romantic milestones” theme, Princess will help the duo celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary.

Ruby Princess will debut a number of new services and amenities on board, including new dining options such as a pub lunch in the Wheelhouse Bar, unique enrichment programs and the new Ultimate Ship Tour. The vessel also includes a dramatic piazza-style atrium featuring small-bite eateries and an ever-changing array of performing street entertainers, Princess’ signature adults-only oasis called The Sanctuary, Sabatini’s Italian restaurant, Crown Grill seafood and steak house, “Movies Under the Stars” giant outdoor movie screen, and Hearts & Minds wedding chapel.

Ruby Princess will then set sail on her maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale on November 8, beginning a program of Western Caribbean sailings taking passengers to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Princess Cays. Following her inaugural Caribbean season, the ship will offer a program of Mediterranean voyages in summer 2009.

Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through your Member Concierge, by calling 1-888-392-5643, or by visiting the Top Cruise Club.

Six brands of Carnival Corporation & plc — Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and The Yachts of Seabourn — have announced that effective October 31, 2008, the existing fuel supplement will be eliminated for all new bookings on 2010 departures. At that same time, a price increase on 2010 sailings will become effective. Additionally, the company has established specific guidelines under which the current fuel supplement may be reimbursed to consumers for 2008 and 2009 voyages.

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So you want to take a cruise vacation before the year is up, but do not know how to go about finding the best value. Well thank goodness you stumbled upon this post. The remainder of 2008 is looking pretty hopeful for those who love to cruise, as well as those who want to try a cruise vacation. The reason - cruise fares are dropping at a fast rate. An example of this is last week’s post about how you can spend as little as $25 a day on a 4 night Norwegian Cruise Line Bahamas cruise. Fortunately, NCL is not the only cruise line with amazing deals like this one - which means options galore!

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With all these new ships coming out, it might become overwhelming to keep up. And since Top Cruise Club is a cruising website, we decided to make it easy for you. We present to you the newest and most innovative ships of 2008 (in no particular order).

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Even with a down economy, it is not preventing vacationers from cruising. Although some other forms of travel have seen a major decrease in guests, there is an increase in cruise capacity compared to last year reports. Comes with no surprise though as the increase might be related to the amazing deals that cruise lines have during economic gloom. Not only are you able to find cruise deals that equal to less than $60 per day, you also will be happy to know that cruising is pretty much an all inclusive vacation adventure. Cruising is the best way to travel by far, because food, accommodations, entertainment, and transportation to and from ports are all included within the cruise fare.

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Sail the Nile river and watch Pyramids appear over the horizon. Cruise through Europe, not around it, and experience castles that overlook the water. Wake up in the morning and be greeted outside your window by landscapes rather than just the ocean.

What type of cruising am I describing? The cruising world’s best kept secret: River Cruising.

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When the 1,020-foot Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas cruises through North Atlantic waters next year, it’ll spend more time off the coast of New England and less time near Canadian shores, and it’s not because of better vistas.

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The cruise industry is pumping up the volume, literally. From this year until 2012, the cruise industry will release forty-three new ships to the market. What will this cost? Approximately $24 billion dollars, with an average of $566 million per ship. Eight new ships will be released by the end of the year, 10 more before the end of 2009.

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