Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Cruise Lines will continue to offer year-round cruises from the Port of Baltimore through August 2013. The Miami-based cruise line is signing onto an extension of its contract, guaranteeing at least two more years and adding three one-year options. The deal makes it possible for Carnival to continue operating from the port for up to five years. The agreement takes effect on Aug. 31, when the current contract is set to expire. The cruise line began year-round cruises from Baltimore in 2009.

The Carnival Pride cruise ship will arrive back at the Port of Baltimore on Saturday, a day earlier than scheduled, in an effort to avoid Hurricane Irene. Passengers will begin debarkation from the ship at 7 a.m. Afterwards, the cruise ship will be positioned at an alternate location on the bay as directed by the U.S. Coast Guard, where it will ride out the storm, said Jennifer de la Cruz, a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Lines. Carnival sails year-round from the Port of Baltimore and another cruise was set to depart on Sunday.

The Carnival Pride cruise ship will arrive back at the Port of Baltimore on Saturday, a day earlier than scheduled, in an effort to avoid Hurricane Irene. Passengers will begin debarkation from the ship at 7 a.m. Afterwards, the cruise ship will be positioned at an alternate location on the bay as directed by the U.S. Coast Guard, where it will ride out the storm, said Jennifer de la Cruz, a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Lines. Carnival sails year-round from the Port of Baltimore and another cruise was set to depart on Sunday.

Carnival Cruise Lines will continue to offer year-round cruises from the Port of Baltimore through August 2013. The Miami-based cruise line is signing onto an extension of its contract, guaranteeing at least two more years and adding three one-year options. The deal makes it possible for Carnival to continue operating from the port for up to five years. The agreement takes effect on Aug. 31, when the current contract is set to expire. The cruise line began year-round cruises from Baltimore in 2009.

A 71-year-old Reisterstown woman on an ocean cruise from the port of Baltimore has died while snorkeling off Freeport, Bahamas. Carol Martin Olson was a passenger aboard the Carnival Pride, which sailed from Baltimore April 25. A spokeswoman for Carnival Cruise Lines said Monday that "a female guest" died on April 30, but declined to confirm the victim's name "in deference to their personal privacy." Olson's identity was provided by another passenger on the excursion, and a Reisterstown funeral home said Olson died in "a snorkeling accident in Freeport, Grand Bahama."

Carnival became the latest cruise line to sail from Baltimore yesterday, continuing an industrywide push to entice passengers by cutting fares and bringing ships closer to major metropolitan areas. The 960-foot Carnival Legend sailed into port yesterday morning to begin a six-day cruise from Baltimore to Bermuda. The ship, which joined Carnival Cruise Lines' fleet in August, will return twice next year as part of an itinerary that includes a series of voyages to Bermuda from New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Baltimore's 2009 cruise season sets sail this week as Carnival Cruise Lines makes its debut with a six-day sailing to the Bahamas aboard the Carnival Pride. Carnival is one of four lines that will be sailing from Locust Point Terminal this year. The others are Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Celebrity - altogether twice as many cruises from Baltimore as last year. Check out our online 2009 Cruise Guide at baltimoresun.com/travel. Here are five things that cruise-goers might want to do in the Bahamas.

Nine years ago, responding to the American trend to take shorter and more frequent vacations, Carnival Cruise Lines offered its first three- and four-day cruises. Today, almost half the passengers booking time on one of the line's 10 ships opt for the mini cruises rather than the seven- or 14-day versions."Ninety-two percent of all vacations are seven days or less," says Bob Dickenson, president of Carnival Cruise Lines, quoting statistics from his company's research.But another survey just released by the Automobile Association of America and the Travel Industry Association shows that while that trend persists, there's a curve in it for those who cruise by car on terra firma.

Cruise fares have fallen so sharply in recent months that travelers waiting for their ship to come in may find that it's just on the horizon and sailing toward them at full speed. "There are some fantastic deals out there," said Emerson Hankamer, president of discount agency Vacations to Go. "They're the lowest prices I've ever seen." Many cruise experts agree that 2007 is shaping up as a banner year for budget travelers, with some trips costing as little as $55 to $70 a day - a surprisingly low figure, given that cruises include a cabin, meals, entertainment and other amenities.

Web site tests feature that compares rates with past prices for similar stays at a given hotel In a recent online search, the price of a standard room at the Hyatt Regency Miami, which overlooks Biscayne Bay and has a heated outdoor pool, was $179 a night for a long weekend this month. That was cheaper than the standard rates at the nearby InterContinental Miami ($199) and even the Embassy Suites in Secaucus, N.J. ($190). Sound like a deal? THE FAMILY SABBATICAL HANDBOOK The Intrepid Traveler / $15.95 Parent and journalist Elisa Bernick, her husband and two young children (ages 2 and 7)

A cruise passenger who tried to revive a dying Reisterstown woman said the snorkelers who entered the water off the Bahamas last Friday were quickly overwhelmed by strong currents. "I am in fairly decent condition," said 52-year-old Robert Limmer of Timonium, a passenger aboard the Carnival Pride. But he and others who had joined the snorkeling tour off Grand Bahama found they were tiring as they tried to fight the current. "I knew after 20 minutes in the water I needed to return to the boat."

A 71-year-old Reisterstown woman on an ocean cruise from the port of Baltimore has died while snorkeling off Freeport, Bahamas. Carol Martin Olson was a passenger aboard the Carnival Pride, which sailed from Baltimore April 25. A spokeswoman for Carnival Cruise Lines said Monday that "a female guest" died on April 30, but declined to confirm the victim's name "in deference to their personal privacy." Olson's identity was provided by another passenger on the excursion, and a Reisterstown funeral home said Olson died in "a snorkeling accident in Freeport, Grand Bahama."

As the Celebrity Mercury prepared to sail from Baltimore on Monday afternoon, passengers strolled along the Sky Deck, peeked into the martini bar and eyed the casino. Waiters in the Manhattan restaurant served the first three-course lunch of the 12-night trip. Settling into their stateroom, Charles and Jeanne Mewshaw got started on their favorite part of cruising: relaxing. The Catonsville couple, ages 92 and 80, were among more than 1,800 passengers on Celebrity's first cruise from Baltimore in five years.

Baltimore's 2009 cruise season sets sail this week as Carnival Cruise Lines makes its debut with a six-day sailing to the Bahamas aboard the Carnival Pride. Carnival is one of four lines that will be sailing from Locust Point Terminal this year. The others are Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Celebrity - altogether twice as many cruises from Baltimore as last year. Check out our online 2009 Cruise Guide at baltimoresun.com/travel. Here are five things that cruise-goers might want to do in the Bahamas.

Changes at the top for General Growth General Growth Properties Inc., the Chicago-based shopping-mall owner whose shares have fallen 95 percent this year, replaced Chief Executive Officer John Bucksbaum, who resigned, with interim CEO Adam S. Metz. Bucksbaum, 52, will remain General Growth's chairman, the company said yesterday in a regulatory filing. Thomas H. Nolan Jr. will be interim president in place of Robert Michaels, who resigned from that post. Michaels will remain General Growth's chief operating officer and give up his seat on the company's board.

Web site tests feature that compares rates with past prices for similar stays at a given hotel In a recent online search, the price of a standard room at the Hyatt Regency Miami, which overlooks Biscayne Bay and has a heated outdoor pool, was $179 a night for a long weekend this month. That was cheaper than the standard rates at the nearby InterContinental Miami ($199) and even the Embassy Suites in Secaucus, N.J. ($190). Sound like a deal? THE FAMILY SABBATICAL HANDBOOK The Intrepid Traveler / $15.95 Parent and journalist Elisa Bernick, her husband and two young children (ages 2 and 7)

Changes at the top for General Growth General Growth Properties Inc., the Chicago-based shopping-mall owner whose shares have fallen 95 percent this year, replaced Chief Executive Officer John Bucksbaum, who resigned, with interim CEO Adam S. Metz. Bucksbaum, 52, will remain General Growth's chairman, the company said yesterday in a regulatory filing. Thomas H. Nolan Jr. will be interim president in place of Robert Michaels, who resigned from that post. Michaels will remain General Growth's chief operating officer and give up his seat on the company's board.

Throngs of tourists, many dressed in straw hats and Hawaiian shirts, line up at the Dundalk Marine Terminal, waiting to board Carnival Cruise Lines' newest ship, the Miracle. Destined for a weeklong cruise in the Caribbean, the visitors come expecting sun, relaxation, pampering - and food. "People expect a lot of food and what they get is a lot of food," says Sanjay Dhall, the executive chef of culinary development for Carnival Cruise Lines. While members of the Miracle's crew greet the melee of new passengers, Dhall is below decks, supervising the arrival of seven days' worth of food.

Cruise fares have fallen so sharply in recent months that travelers waiting for their ship to come in may find that it's just on the horizon and sailing toward them at full speed. "There are some fantastic deals out there," said Emerson Hankamer, president of discount agency Vacations to Go. "They're the lowest prices I've ever seen." Many cruise experts agree that 2007 is shaping up as a banner year for budget travelers, with some trips costing as little as $55 to $70 a day - a surprisingly low figure, given that cruises include a cabin, meals, entertainment and other amenities.