1.
Miami
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Miami is a seaport city at the southeastern corner of the U. S. state of Florida and its Atlantic coast. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, Miamis metro area is the eighth-most populous, Miami is a major center, and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international trade. In 2012, Miami was classified as an Alpha−World City in the World Cities Study Groups inventory, in 2010, Miami ranked seventh in the United States in terms of finance, commerce, culture, entertainment, fashion, education, and other sectors. It ranked 33rd among global cities, in 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Miami Americas Cleanest City, for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets, and citywide recycling programs. According to a 2009 UBS study of 73 world cities, Miami was ranked as the richest city in the United States, Miami is nicknamed the Capital of Latin America and is the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality. Miami has the third tallest skyline in the U. S. with over 300 high-rises, Downtown Miami is home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States, and many large national and international companies. The Civic Center is a center for hospitals, research institutes, medical centers. For more than two decades, the Port of Miami, known as the Cruise Capital of the World, has been the number one cruise port in the world. It accommodates some of the worlds largest cruise ships and operations, Metropolitan Miami is the major tourism hub in the American South, number two in the U. S. after New York City and number 13 in the world, including the popular destination of Miami Beach. The Miami area was inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous Native American tribes, the Tequestas occupied the area for a thousand years before encountering Europeans. An Indian village of hundreds of people dating to 500–600 B. C. was located at the mouth of the Miami River, in 1566 the explorer, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, claimed it for Spain. A Spanish mission was constructed one year later in 1567, Spain and Great Britain successively controlled Florida, and Spain ceded it to the United States in 1821. In 1836, the US built Fort Dallas as part of its development of the Florida Territory and attempt to suppress, the Miami area subsequently became a site of fighting during the Second Seminole War. Miami is noted as the major city in the United States conceived by a woman, Julia Tuttle, a local citrus grower. The Miami area was known as Biscayne Bay Country in the early years of its growth. In the late 19th century, reports described the area as a promising wilderness, the area was also characterized as one of the finest building sites in Florida. The Great Freeze of 1894–95 hastened Miamis growth, as the crops of the Miami area were the ones in Florida that survived. Julia Tuttle subsequently convinced Henry Flagler, a tycoon, to expand his Florida East Coast Railway to the region
2.
Florida
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Florida /ˈflɒrᵻdə/ is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U. S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States, the Miami metropolitan area is Floridas most populous urban area. The city of Tallahassee is the state capital, much of the state is at or near sea level and is characterized by sedimentary soil. The climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south, the American alligator, American crocodile, Florida panther, and manatee can be found in the Everglades National Park. It was a location of the Seminole Wars against the Native Americans. Today, Florida is distinctive for its large Cuban expatriate community and high population growth, the states economy relies mainly on tourism, agriculture, and transportation, which developed in the late 19th century. Florida is also renowned for amusement parks, orange crops, the Kennedy Space Center, Florida has attracted many writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes. It is internationally known for golf, tennis, auto racing, by the 16th century, the earliest time for which there is a historical record, major Native American groups included the Apalachee, the Timucua, the Ais, the Tocobaga, the Calusa and the Tequesta. Florida was the first part of the continental United States to be visited and settled by Europeans, the earliest known European explorers came with the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León. Ponce de León spotted and landed on the peninsula on April 2,1513 and he named the region La Florida. The story that he was searching for the Fountain of Youth is a myth, in May 1539, Conquistador Hernando de Soto skirted the coast of Florida, searching for a deep harbor to land. He described seeing a wall of red mangroves spread mile after mile, some reaching as high as 70 feet. Very soon, many smokes appeared along the whole coast, billowing against the sky, the Spanish introduced Christianity, cattle, horses, sheep, the Spanish language, and more to Florida. Both the Spanish and French established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success, in 1559, Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano established a settlement at present-day Pensacola, making it the first attempted settlement in Florida, but it was abandoned by 1561. Spain maintained tenuous control over the region by converting the tribes to Christianity. The area of Spanish Florida diminished with the establishment of English settlements to the north, the English attacked St. Augustine, burning the city and its cathedral to the ground several times. Florida attracted numerous Africans and African-Americans from adjacent British colonies who sought freedom from slavery, in 1738, Governor Manuel de Montiano established Fort Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose near St
3.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
4.
Cruise ship
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Transportation is not the only purpose of cruising, particularly on cruises that return passengers to their originating port, with the ports of call usually in a specified region of a continent. There are even cruises to nowhere or nowhere voyages where the ship makes 2–3 night round trips without any ports of call, by contrast, dedicated transport oriented ocean liners do line voyages and typically transport passengers from one point to another, rather than on round trips. The gradual evolution of passenger ship design from ocean liners to cruise ships has seen passenger cabins shifted from inside the hull to the superstructure with private verandas, the distinction between ocean liners and cruise ships has blurred, particularly with respect to deployment. Larger cruise ships have also engaged in longer trips such as transoceanic voyages which may not return to the port for months. Some former ocean liners operate as cruise ships, such as Marco Polo, the only dedicated transatlantic ocean liner in operation as a liner of December 2013 is Queen Mary 2 of the Cunard fleet. The industrys rapid growth has seen nine or more newly built ships catering to a North American clientele added every year since 2001, smaller markets, such as the Asia-Pacific region, are generally serviced by older ships. These are displaced by new ships in the growth areas. The worlds largest cruise ship is currently Royal Caribbean Internationals Harmony of the Seas beating her sister ships by about 2.15 meters, the birth of leisure cruising began with the formation of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company in 1822. The company started out as a line with routes between England and the Iberian Peninsula, adopting the name Peninsular Steam Navigation Company. It won its first contract to deliver mail in 1837, in 1840, it began mail delivery to Alexandria, Egypt, via Gibraltar and Malta. The company was incorporated by Royal Charter the same year, becoming the Peninsular, P&O first introduced passenger cruising services in 1844, advertising sea tours to destinations such as Gibraltar, Malta and Athens, sailing from Southampton. The forerunner of modern cruise holidays, these voyages were the first of their kind, the company later introduced round trips to destinations such as Alexandria and Constantinople. It underwent a period of expansion in the latter half of the 19th century, commissioning larger. Some sources mention Francesco I, flying the flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and she was built in 1831 and sailed from Naples in early June 1833, preceded by an advertising campaign. The cruise ship was boarded by nobles, authorities, and royal princes from all over Europe, however, it was restricted to the aristocracy of Europe and was not a commercial endeavour. Christian Wilhelm Allers published an account of it as Backschisch. The first vessel built exclusively for cruising, was Prinzessin Victoria Luise of Germany, designed by Albert Ballin. The ship was completed in 1900, the practice of luxury cruising made steady inroads on the more established market for transatlantic crossings
5.
United States dollar
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The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States and its insular territories per the United States Constitution. It is divided into 100 smaller cent units, the circulating paper money consists of Federal Reserve Notes that are denominated in United States dollars. The U. S. dollar was originally commodity money of silver as enacted by the Coinage Act of 1792 which determined the dollar to be 371 4/16 grain pure or 416 grain standard silver, the currency most used in international transactions, it is the worlds primary reserve currency. Several countries use it as their currency, and in many others it is the de facto currency. Besides the United States, it is used as the sole currency in two British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. A few countries use the Federal Reserve Notes for paper money, while the country mints its own coins, or also accepts U. S. coins that can be used as payment in U. S. dollars. After Nixon shock of 1971, USD became fiat currency, Article I, Section 8 of the U. S. Constitution provides that the Congress has the power To coin money, laws implementing this power are currently codified at 31 U. S. C. Section 5112 prescribes the forms in which the United States dollars should be issued and these coins are both designated in Section 5112 as legal tender in payment of debts. The Sacagawea dollar is one example of the copper alloy dollar, the pure silver dollar is known as the American Silver Eagle. Section 5112 also provides for the minting and issuance of other coins and these other coins are more fully described in Coins of the United States dollar. The Constitution provides that a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and that provision of the Constitution is made specific by Section 331 of Title 31 of the United States Code. The sums of money reported in the Statements are currently being expressed in U. S. dollars, the U. S. dollar may therefore be described as the unit of account of the United States. The word dollar is one of the words in the first paragraph of Section 9 of Article I of the Constitution, there, dollars is a reference to the Spanish milled dollar, a coin that had a monetary value of 8 Spanish units of currency, or reales. In 1792 the U. S. Congress passed a Coinage Act, Section 20 of the act provided, That the money of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars, or units. And that all accounts in the offices and all proceedings in the courts of the United States shall be kept and had in conformity to this regulation. In other words, this act designated the United States dollar as the unit of currency of the United States, unlike the Spanish milled dollar the U. S. dollar is based upon a decimal system of values. Both one-dollar coins and notes are produced today, although the form is significantly more common
6.
Net income
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In business, net income is an entitys income minus cost of goods sold, expenses and taxes for an accounting period. In the context of the presentation of financial statements, the IFRS Foundation defines net income as synonymous with profit, net income is a distinct accounting concept from profit but the same as net profit. Net income can also be calculated by adding a companys operating income to non-operating income, net income can be distributed among holders of common stock as a dividend or held by the firm as an addition to retained earnings. As profit and earnings are used synonymously for income, net earnings, often, the term income is substituted for net income, yet this is not preferred due to the possible ambiguity. Net income is called the bottom line because it is typically found on the last line of a companys income statement. The items deducted will typically include tax expense, financing expense, likewise, preferred stock dividends will be subtracted too, though they are not an expense. For a merchandising company, subtracted costs may be the cost of goods sold, sales discounts, for a product company advertising, manufacturing, and design and development costs are included
7.
Asset
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In financial accounting, an asset is an economic resource. Anything tangible or intangible that can be owned or controlled to produce value, simply stated, assets represent value of ownership that can be converted into cash. The balance sheet of a firm records the value of the assets owned by that firm. It covers money and other valuables belonging to an individual or to a business, one can classify assets into two major asset classes, tangible assets and intangible assets. Tangible assets contain various subclasses, including current assets and fixed assets, current assets include inventory, while fixed assets include such items as buildings and equipment. Intangible assets are resources and rights that have a value to the firm because they give the firm some kind of advantage in the marketplace. Examples of intangible assets include goodwill, copyrights, trademarks, patents and computer programs, an asset is a resource controlled by the entity as a result of past events and from which future economic benefits are expected to flow to the entity. One of the most widely accepted accounting definitions of asset is the one used by the International Accounting Standards Board, employees are not considered assets like machinery is, even though they can generate future economic benefits. This is because an entity does not have sufficient control over its employees to satisfy the Frameworks definition of an asset, similarly, in economics an asset is any form in which wealth can be held. The accounting equation is the structure of the balance sheet. It relates assets, liabilities, and owners equity, Assets = Liabilities + Capital Liabilities = Assets − Capital Equity = Assets − Liabilities Assets are listed on the balance sheet. On a companys balance sheet certain divisions are required by generally accepted accounting principles, Assets can be divided into e. g. current assets and fixed assets, often with further subdivisions such as cash, receivables and inventory. Assets are formally controlled and managed within larger organizations via the use of asset tracking tools and these monitor the purchasing, upgrading, servicing, licensing, disposal etc. of both physical and non-physical assets. Current assets are cash and other assets expected to be converted to cash or consumed either in a year or in the operating cycle and these assets are continually turned over in the course of a business during normal business activity. There are 5 major items included into current assets, Cash and cash equivalents – it is the most liquid asset, which includes currency, deposit accounts, short-term investments – include securities bought and held for sale in the near future to generate income on short-term price differences. Receivables – usually reported as net of allowance for non-collectable accounts, inventory – trading these assets is a normal business of a company. The inventory value reported on the sheet is usually the historical cost or fair market value. This is known as the lower of cost or market rule, prepaid expenses – these are expenses paid in cash and recorded as assets before they are used or consumed
8.
Equity (finance)
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In accounting, equity is the difference between the value of the assets and the value of the liabilities of something owed. Equity can be negative if liabilities exceeds assets, shareholders equity represents the equity of a company as divided among shareholders of common or preferred stock. Negative shareholders equity is often referred to as a shareholders deficit, alternatively, equity can also refer to the capital stock of a corporation. The value of the stock depends on the future economic prospects. For a company in liquidation proceedings, the equity is that which remains after all liabilities have been paid, when starting a business, the owners fund the business to finance various operations. Throughout the businesss existence, the equity of the business will be the difference between its assets and debt liabilities, this is the accounting equation, when a business liquidates during bankruptcy, the proceeds from the assets are used to reimburse creditors. The creditors are ranked by priority, with secured creditors being paid first, other creditors being paid next, owners equity is this remaining or residual claim against assets, which is paid only after all other creditors are paid. In such cases where even creditors could not get money to pay their bills. In financial accounting, owners equity consists of the net assets of an entity, net assets is the difference between the total assets and total liabilities. Equity appears on the sheet, one of the four primary financial statements. The assets of an entity can be tangible and intangible items. Intangible assets include such as brand names, copyrights or goodwill. Tangible assets include land, equipment, and cash, issue of new equity in which the firm obtains new capital increases the total shareholders equity. Share repurchases, in which a firm returns money to investors, reducing on the side its financial assets. For practical purposes, share repurchasing is similar to a dividend payment, rather than giving money to all shareholders immediately in the form of a dividend payment, a share repurchase reduces the number of shares outstanding. Dividends paid out to preferred stock owners are considered an expense to be subtracted from net income, sometimes assets bought and held in other countries get translated back into the reporting currency at different exchange rates, resulting in a changed value. When the owners are shareholders, the interest can be called shareholders equity, the remains the same. If all shareholders are in one and the class, they share equally in ownership equity from all perspectives
9.
Carnival Corporation & plc
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Carnival Corporation & plc is an American-British cruise company and the worlds largest travel leisure company, with a combined fleet of over 100 vessels across 10 cruise line brands. As such, Carnival is the company in the world to be listed on both the S&P500 and FTSE100 indices. Carnival Corporation & plc was formed in 2003, with the acquisition by Carnival Corporation of P&O Princess Cruises, Carnival Corporation was founded as Carnival Cruise Line in 1972. The company grew throughout the 1970s and 1980s, making an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 1987. The name Carnival Corporation was adopted in 1993, to distinguish the parent company from its cruise line subsidiary. P&O Princess Cruises plc was formed in 2000, following the demerger of the cruise ship division of the P&O group, originating as the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company in England in 1837, P&O operated the worlds first commercial passenger ships, the predecessor of modern cruise ships. Restructuring of the P&O group in the 20th Century led to its operations being rebranded as P&O Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia. Following the demerger in 2000, the company also acquired AIDA Cruises, as well as establishing the ARosa Cruises, prior to Carnival Corporations acquisition, P&O Princess Cruises plc had agreed to a merger with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The deal unraveled as Carnival Corporation initiated a takeover with improved terms for British shareholders. It was agreed that P&O Princess Cruises plc would remain as a company, listed on the London Stock Exchange and retaining its British shareholder body. The company would simply be renamed Carnival plc, with the operations of the two merged into one entity. Carnival Corporation and Carnival plc, jointly own all the companies in the Carnival group. Carnival sold Windstar Cruises to Ambassadors Group in February 2007 and Swan Hellenic to Lord Sterling in March 2007. The Carnival group now comprises 10 cruise line brands operating a fleet of over 100 ships, totalling over 190,000 lower berths. A 10th brand, stylised as fathom, was announced in June 2015, fathom operations will be discontinued in June 2017. In 2011 the combined brands of the Carnival group controlled a 49. 2% share of the worldwide cruise market. The following operating companies have full control of the Carnival brands in their portfolio. The company entered the market in the 1960s, but after the unification of Germany in 1990
10.
Flag of convenience
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Flag of convenience is a business practice whereby a merchant ship is registered in a country other than that of the ships owners, and the ship flies that countrys civil ensign. Owners of a ship may register the ship under a flag of convenience to reduce operating costs or avoid the regulations of the owners country, the closely related term open registry, which describes a ship register that will register foreign-owned ships, also exists. The term flag of convenience has been in use since the 1950s, a ship operates under the laws of its flag state, and these laws are used if the ship is involved in a case under admiralty law. The use of open registries steadily increased, and in 1968, in 2006 up to 20% of high-seas fishing vessels were registered in states they were not connected to. Flag-of-convenience registries are criticized, mostly by trade union based in developed countries. On the other hand, maritime industry practitioners and seafarers from other countries contest that this is a product of globalisation. Seafarers from developed countries must make themselves competitive if they wish to take advantage, as of 2009, thirteen flag states have been found by international shipping organizations to have substandard regulations. A basis for many criticisms is that the system allows shipowners to be legally anonymous and difficult to prosecute in civil. As of 2009, ships of thirteen flags of convenience are targeted for special enforcement by countries that they visit, supporters of the practice, however, point to economic and regulatory advantages, and increased freedom in choosing employees from an international labor pool. International law requires that merchant ship be registered in a country. The country in which a ship is registered is its state. A ships flag state exercises regulatory control over the vessel and is required to inspect it regularly, certify the ships equipment and crew, a ship operates under the laws of its flag state, and these laws are used if the ship is involved in an admiralty case. The organization which actually registers the ship is known as its registry, Registries may be governmental or private agencies. National or closed registries typically require a ship be owned and constructed by national interests, conversely, open registries frequently offer on-line registration with few questions asked. The use of flags of convenience lowers registration and maintenance costs, the environmental disaster caused by the 1978 sinking of the MV Amoco Cadiz, which flew the Liberian flag, spurred the creation of a new type of maritime enforcement. Resulting from strong political and public outcry over the Amoco Cadiz sinking, under port state control, ships in international trade became subject to inspection by the states they visit. In addition to living and working conditions, these inspections cover items concerning the safety of life at sea. In cases when a state inspection uncovers problems with a ship
11.
Panama
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Panama, officially called the Republic of Panama, is a country usually considered to be entirely in North America or Central America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, the capital and largest city is Panama City, whose metropolitan area is home to nearly half of the countrys 4.1 million people. Panama was inhabited by indigenous tribes prior to settlement by the Spanish in the 16th century. Panama broke away from Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Nueva Granada, Ecuador, when Gran Colombia dissolved in 1831, Panama and Nueva Granada remained joined, eventually becoming the Republic of Colombia. With the backing of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, in 1977 an agreement was signed for the total transfer of the Canal from the United States to Panama by the end of the 20th century, which culminated on 31 December 1999. Revenue from canal tolls continues to represent a significant portion of Panamas GDP, although commerce, banking, in 2015 Panama ranked 60th in the world in terms of the Human Development Index. Since 2010, Panama remains the second most competitive economy in Latin America, covering around 40 percent of its land area, Panamas jungles are home to an abundance of tropical plants and animals – some of them to be found nowhere else on the planet. There are several theories about the origin of the name Panama, some believe that the country was named after a commonly found species of tree. Others believe that the first settlers arrived in Panama in August, when butterflies abound, the best-known version is that a fishing village and its nearby beach bore the name Panamá, which meant an abundance of fish. Captain Antonio Tello de Guzmán, while exploring the Pacific side in 1515, in 1517 Don Gaspar De Espinosa, a Spanish lieutenant, decided to settle a post there. In 1519 Pedrarias Dávila decided to establish the Empires Pacific city in this site, the new settlement replaced Santa María La Antigua del Darién, which had lost its function within the Crowns global plan after the beginning of the Spanish exploitation of the riches in the Pacific. Blending all of the above together, Panamanians believe in general that the word Panama means abundance of fish and this is the official definition given in social studies textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education in Panama. However, others believe the word Panama comes from the Kuna word bannaba which means distant or far away, at the time of the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, the known inhabitants of Panama included the Cuevas and the Coclé tribes. These people have disappeared, as they had no immunity from European infectious diseases. The earliest discovered artifacts of indigenous peoples in Panama include Paleo-Indian projectile points, later central Panama was home to some of the first pottery-making in the Americas, for example the cultures at Monagrillo, which date back to 2500–1700 BC. These evolved into significant populations best known through their spectacular burials at the Monagrillo archaeological site, the monumental monolithic sculptures at the Barriles site are also important traces of these ancient isthmian cultures. Before Europeans arrived Panama was widely settled by Chibchan, Chocoan, the largest group were the Cueva. The size of the population of the isthmus at the time of European colonization is uncertain
12.
The Bahamas
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The Bahamas, known officially as the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is an archipelagic state within the Lucayan Archipelago. The capital is Nassau on the island of New Providence, the designation of the Bahamas can refer either to the country or to the larger island chain that it shares with the Turks and Caicos Islands. As stated in the mandate/manifesto of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the Bahamas is the site of Columbus first landfall in the New World in 1492. At that time, the islands were inhabited by the Lucayan, although the Spanish never colonised the Bahamas, they shipped the native Lucayans to slavery in Hispaniola. The islands were mostly deserted from 1513 until 1648, when English colonists from Bermuda settled on the island of Eleuthera, the Bahamas became a British Crown colony in 1718, when the British clamped down on piracy. After the American War of Independence, the Crown resettled thousands of American Loyalists in the Bahamas, they brought their slaves with them, Africans constituted the majority of the population from this period. Slavery in the Bahamas was abolished in 1834, Today the descendants of slaves and free Africans make up nearly 90% of the population, issues related to the slavery years are part of society. The Bahamas became an independent Commonwealth realm in 1973, retaining Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch, in terms of gross domestic product per capita, the Bahamas is one of the richest countries in the Americas, with an economy based on tourism and finance. The name Bahamas is derived from either the Taino ba ha ma, alternatively, it may originate from Guanahani, a local name of unclear meaning. In English, the Bahamas is one of two countries whose self-standing short name begins with the word the, along with The Gambia. Taino people moved into the uninhabited southern Bahamas from Hispaniola and Cuba around the 11th century and they came to be known as the Lucayan people. An estimated 30,000 Lucayan inhabited the Bahamas at the time of Christopher Columbus arrival in 1492, Columbuss first landfall in the New World was on an island he named San Salvador. Some researchers believe this site to be present-day San Salvador Island, an alternative theory holds that Columbus landed to the southeast on Samana Cay, according to calculations made in 1986 by National Geographic writer and editor Joseph Judge, based on Columbuss log. Evidence in support of this remains inconclusive, on the landfall island, Columbus made first contact with the Lucayan and exchanged goods with them. The Spanish forced much of the Lucayan population to Hispaniola for use as forced labour, the slaves suffered from harsh conditions and most died from contracting diseases to which they had no immunity, half of the Taino died from smallpox alone. The population of the Bahamas was severely diminished, in 1648, the Eleutherian Adventurers, led by William Sayle, migrated from Bermuda. These English Puritans established the first permanent European settlement on an island which they named Eleuthera—the name derives from the Greek word for freedom and they later settled New Providence, naming it Sayles Island after one of their leaders. To survive, the settlers salvaged goods from wrecks, in 1670 King Charles II granted the islands to the Lords Proprietors of the Carolinas in North America
13.
Malta
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Malta, officially known as the Republic of Malta, is a Southern European island country consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 80 km south of Italy,284 km east of Tunisia, the country covers just over 316 km2, with a population of just under 450,000, making it one of the worlds smallest and most densely populated countries. The capital of Malta is Valletta, which at 0.8 km2, is the smallest national capital in the European Union, Malta has one national language, which is Maltese, and English as an official language. John, French and British, have ruled the islands, King George VI of the United Kingdom awarded the George Cross to Malta in 1942 for the countrys bravery in the Second World War. The George Cross continues to appear on Maltas national flag, the country became a republic in 1974, and although no longer a Commonwealth realm, remains a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations. Malta was admitted to the United Nations in 1964 and to the European Union in 2004, in 2008, Catholicism is the official religion in Malta. The origin of the term Malta is uncertain, and the modern-day variation derives from the Maltese language, the most common etymology is that the word Malta derives from the Greek word μέλι, meli, honey. The ancient Greeks called the island Μελίτη meaning honey-sweet, possibly due to Maltas unique production of honey, an endemic species of bee lives on the island. The Romans went on to call the island Melita, which can be considered either as a latinisation of the Greek Μελίτη or the adaptation of the Doric Greek pronunciation of the same word Μελίτα. Another conjecture suggests that the word Malta comes from the Phoenician word Maleth a haven or port in reference to Maltas many bays, few other etymological mentions appear in classical literature, with the term Malta appearing in its present form in the Antonine Itinerary. The extinction of the hippos and dwarf elephants has been linked to the earliest arrival of humans on Malta. Prehistoric farming settlements dating to the Early Neolithic period were discovered in areas and also in caves. The Sicani were the tribe known to have inhabited the island at this time and are generally regarded as being closely related to the Iberians. Pottery from the Għar Dalam phase is similar to found in Agrigento. A culture of megalithis temple builders then either supplanted or arose from this early period, the temples have distinctive architecture, typically a complex trefoil design, and were used from 4000 to 2500 BCE. Animal bones and a knife found behind an altar stone suggest that temple rituals included animal sacrifice. Tentative information suggests that the sacrifices were made to the goddess of fertility, the culture apparently disappeared from the Maltese Islands around 2500 BC. Archaeologists speculate that the builders fell victim to famine or disease
14.
Miami, Florida
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Miami is a seaport city at the southeastern corner of the U. S. state of Florida and its Atlantic coast. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, Miamis metro area is the eighth-most populous, Miami is a major center, and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international trade. In 2012, Miami was classified as an Alpha−World City in the World Cities Study Groups inventory, in 2010, Miami ranked seventh in the United States in terms of finance, commerce, culture, entertainment, fashion, education, and other sectors. It ranked 33rd among global cities, in 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Miami Americas Cleanest City, for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets, and citywide recycling programs. According to a 2009 UBS study of 73 world cities, Miami was ranked as the richest city in the United States, Miami is nicknamed the Capital of Latin America and is the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality. Miami has the third tallest skyline in the U. S. with over 300 high-rises, Downtown Miami is home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States, and many large national and international companies. The Civic Center is a center for hospitals, research institutes, medical centers. For more than two decades, the Port of Miami, known as the Cruise Capital of the World, has been the number one cruise port in the world. It accommodates some of the worlds largest cruise ships and operations, Metropolitan Miami is the major tourism hub in the American South, number two in the U. S. after New York City and number 13 in the world, including the popular destination of Miami Beach. The Miami area was inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous Native American tribes, the Tequestas occupied the area for a thousand years before encountering Europeans. An Indian village of hundreds of people dating to 500–600 B. C. was located at the mouth of the Miami River, in 1566 the explorer, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, claimed it for Spain. A Spanish mission was constructed one year later in 1567, Spain and Great Britain successively controlled Florida, and Spain ceded it to the United States in 1821. In 1836, the US built Fort Dallas as part of its development of the Florida Territory and attempt to suppress, the Miami area subsequently became a site of fighting during the Second Seminole War. Miami is noted as the major city in the United States conceived by a woman, Julia Tuttle, a local citrus grower. The Miami area was known as Biscayne Bay Country in the early years of its growth. In the late 19th century, reports described the area as a promising wilderness, the area was also characterized as one of the finest building sites in Florida. The Great Freeze of 1894–95 hastened Miamis growth, as the crops of the Miami area were the ones in Florida that survived. Julia Tuttle subsequently convinced Henry Flagler, a tycoon, to expand his Florida East Coast Railway to the region
15.
Doral, Florida
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Doral is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. One of thirty-four municipalities in the county, it is located just one mile from Miami International Airport, the city regularly hosts in excess of 100,000 people who work in Miami. Doral has operated under the Mayor-Council-Manager form of government since incorporation, policymaking and legislative authority are vested in a governing council consisting of the mayor and four other council members. For a city of its size, Doral has a number of shops, financial institutions and businesses, especially importers and exporters. In 2008, Fortune Small Business and CNN Money ranked Doral as 51 on a list of 100 cities with the best mix of business advantages and lifestyle appeal. In 1962, the Doral Country Club opened in western Dade County, featuring the blue, red and par-3 golf courses, the Doral name combined Doris and Alfred. As Dorals very first structure, the Doral Hotel and Country Club became the hot spot. In the second year of operations, the Kaskels hosted the first Doral Open Invitational, Alfred offered $50,000 in prize money to attract well-known golfers. According to the South Florida Golf Foundation, at the only three other tournaments were held in Florida, offering a combined total of $65,000 prize money. Both communities were named after the hotel, a trend that was to be repeated more times. Although younger families started flooding the area, there were no stores, schools, initially, most new homes were investment properties or second homes, but early full-time residents started coming together as a community. From 1983 to 1985, Miami-Dade County imposed a moratorium to protect the areas water wells. Once the ban was lifted, Doral experienced tremendous growth, in 1989, Morgan Levy helped organize the West Dade Federation of Homeowner Associations to stand strong against any proposals that threatened the communitys welfare. Thus, they secured a police station instead of a jail, as well as convinced county officials to implement higher development standards as well as lighting, roads. In 1995, residents began lobbying for incorporation in earnest, dissatisfied with the tax rate relative to the services they received. The county met the first attempt at incorporation with a years deferral, some classified Doral as a donor community, meaning that the taxes paid were more than the cost of operations. With the deferral, incorporation efforts intensified even more, in 1996, the community elected its first community council, Jose Pepe Cancio, Sr. Mario Pita and Barbara B. Thomas were elected and three members were appointed
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Las Vegas Strip
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The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of South Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip is approximately 4.2 miles in length, located south of the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated towns of Paradise. However, the Strip is often referred to as being in Las Vegas, most of the Strip has been designated an All-American Road, and is considered a scenic route at night. Many of the largest hotel, casino, and resort properties in the world are located on the Las Vegas Strip, fourteen of the worlds 25 largest hotels by room count are on the Strip, with a total of over 62,000 rooms. One of the most visible aspects of Las Vegas cityscape is its use of dramatic architecture, historically, the casinos that were not in Downtown Las Vegas along Fremont Street were limited to outside of the city limits on Las Vegas Boulevard. In 1959 the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was constructed exactly 4.5 miles outside of the city limits, the sign is today about 0.4 miles south of the southernmost entrance to Mandalay Bay. In the strictest sense, the Strip refers only to the stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard that is roughly between Sahara Avenue and Russell Road, a distance of 4.2 miles. However, the term is used to refer not only to the road but also to the various casinos and resorts that line the road. The traditional definition considers the Strips northern terminus as the SLS, Mandalay Bay, located just north of Russell Road, is the southernmost resort considered to be on the Strip. Because of the number and size of the resorts, the Resort Corridor can be quite wide, Interstate 15 runs roughly parallel and 0.5 to 0.8 miles to the west of Las Vegas Boulevard for the entire length of the Strip. Paradise Road runs to the east in a fashion. The eastern side of the Strip is bounded by McCarran International Airport south of Tropicana Avenue, north of this point, the Resort Corridor can be considered to extend as far east as Paradise Road, although some consider Koval Lane as a less inclusive boundary. Interstate 15 is sometimes considered the edge of the Resort Corridor from Interstate 215 to Spring Mountain Road. North of this point, Industrial Road serves as the western edge, the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign is located in the median just south of Russell Road, across from the now-demolished Klondike Hotel & Casino. Marketing for these casinos usually states that they are on southern Las Vegas Boulevard and not Strip properties. The first casino to be built on Highway 91 was the Pair-o-Dice Club in 1931 and that casino stood for almost 20 years before being destroyed by a fire in 1960. Its success spawned a second hotel on what would become the Strip, the funding for many projects was provided through the American National Insurance Company, which was based in the then notorious gambling empire of Galveston, Texas. Las Vegas Boulevard South was previously called Arrowhead Highway, or Los Angeles Highway, the Strip was named by Los Angeles police officer and businessman Guy McAfee, after his hometowns Sunset Strip
17.
Funnel (ship)
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A funnel is the smokestack or chimney on a ship used to expel boiler steam and smoke or engine exhaust. They are also referred to as stacks. In steam ships the funnels also served to help induce a convection draught through the boilers, since the introduction of steam-power to ships in the 19th century, the funnel has been a distinctive feature of the silhouette of a vessel, and used for recognition purposes. The required funnel cross-sectional area is determined by the volume of exhaust gases produced by the propulsion plant, often this area is too great for a single funnel. Early steam vessels needed multiple funnels, but as efficiency increased new machinery needed fewer funnels, merchant shipping companies were quick to recognise the publicity value of distinctive funnels, both in terms of shape, number of funnels, and the colours they were painted. Each company would have their own colours, which were often used in publicity material as well as for recognition. Some companies became so associated with their funnel colours that their nickname became a de facto company name. For example, the line actually registered as Alfred Holt & Company was more widely known as the Blue Funnel Line. The Southampton, Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company has traded under the name Red Funnel for most of its 150+ year history, sometimes the shape of the funnel is used as distinguishing feature rather than just the colour. Cunard fitted ships of its Saxonia class with streamlined round tops to the funnels, there was a trend for designer funnels on liners in the 1960s as fashion and aerodynamic advances combined to offer designers more options that the traditional cylindrical smokestack. In the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century the number of funnels became associated with speed, for this reason a number of the great liners carried additional false funnels that they did not need. In most cases the false funnel was the aftermost of the funnels, for example, the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 was built with very distinctive wind-scoops at the base of her funnel. A mack is a stack and mast, as fitted to some classes of 20th century warships. Although they can reduce top-weight, they have not gained popularity due to the problem of exhaust smoke fouling of electrical aerials
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RMS Empress of Canada (1960)
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RMS Empress of Canada was an ocean liner built in 1961 by Vickers-Armstrongs, Walker-on-Tyne, England for Canadian Pacific Steamships Ltd. This ship, the third CP vessel to be named Empress of Canada, Empress of Canada was planned for the transatlantic route from Liverpool to Canada for the Canadian Pacific Line. She was a slightly enlarged sister ship and running mate for Empress of Britain, during the months that the St. Lawrence was frozen the ships sailed from Liverpool To St. John, New Brunswick. However, Empress of Canada was designed to be Canadian Pacifics premier cruise ship during the winter months and she had a gross tonnage of 27,284 with a length of 650 ft and a beam of 86.6 ft. She was 10 ft longer than her immediate predecessors due to a curved bow. Unlike her earlier sisters, she had a bulbous bow and she was powered by 3 Foster Wheeler boilers feeding steam to two Pametrada double reduction geared turbines, one for each of her two screws. Designed for a speed of 20 knots, she achieved 23 knots on her trials. She had accommodation for 192 first class passengers and 856 tourist class, with all first class cabins, during her cruise seasons, she operated as a one class ship. The order for the vessel was signed in 1958 with the Vickers-Armstrong yard in Walker on Tyne in England and her keel was laid in January 1959, she was launched on 10 May 1960 and entered service in 1961. On April 24,1961 she left Liverpool bound for Montreal on her maiden voyage and she did her first winter cruise in December of that year, which again proved to be a great success since she was fully air-conditioned like her sister vessels. Time had trouble ahead for the route which resulted in famous ships leaving or never sailing again such as the SS United States. The reason behind this was the increase in air traffic, because of World War II there were huge developments in aviation design which resulted in faster flights across the ocean. As time went on the Empress did fewer and fewer trips across the Atlantic and by 1969 she completed only seven Atlantic voyages, in 1968 Canadian Pacific modernised her look, changing their house flag, colour schemes and new funnel design. After completing 121 transatlantic voyages and 82 cruises for the Canadian Pacific line she made her arrival at Liverpool on November 23rd 1971. She remained at Liverpool until December 14th and then sailed for Londons Tilbury docks for lay up, carnivals first ship, she left Tilbury on February 26th 1972 for Miami and her new life as a Carnival fun ship. She sailed for her new owners until 1993, joined in 1975 by her near sister Empress of Britain. By 1993 Carnival wanted to update their fleet by ordering new tonnage so she was sold to Epirotiki in that year, in 1995 Epirotiki merged its operations with Sun Line, creating a new company named Royal Olympic Cruise Lines. For a while she sailed for this line and was chartered by Direct Cruises for voyages around the United Kingdom
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RMS Empress of Britain (1955)
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RMS Empress of Britain was a transatlantic ocean liner built by Fairfield Shipbuilding at Govan on the Clyde in Scotland in 1955-1956 for Canadian Pacific Steamship. Empress of Britain was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding in Govan near Glasgow and she was launched on June 22,1955 by HM Queen Elizabeth II. This was nearly fifty years after the first CP Empress of Britain was launched from Govan in November 1905, eleven months later, she set out on a maiden voyage from Liverpool to Montreal, leaving Liverpool on April 20,1956. The 25,516 ton vessel had a length of 640 feet, the ship had one funnel, one mast, twin propellers and an average speed of 20 knots. The ocean liner provided accommodation for 160 first class passengers and for 984 tourist class passengers, in November 1964, the former CP Empress was sold to the Greek Line, and the ship was renamed SS Queen Anna Maria. This Queen was rebuilt with a new area at the stern and remeasured under Greek rules to 21,716 gross tons. In fact her genuine tonnage had increased by superstucture extension at the stern. With accommodation for 168 first-class passengers and for 1,145 tourist-class passengers, later, she provided service on the Haifa to New York route. In due course, these services were replaced by full time, one class. In 1975, she was laid up at Piraeus for a time, in 1976, the former Greek Queen was sold to Carnival Cruise Lines, and the ship was renamed — this time as the SS Carnivale. As Carnivals market expanded and the company was able to afford buying new ships, in 1993, Carnival Cruise Lines transferred registration of the Carnivale to a subsidiary cruise line, Fiesta Marina Cruises, and the ship was renamed SS Fiesta Marina. She became something of a test ship in a cruise line expansion venture which proved ultimately to be unsuccessful, in 1994, Fiesta Marine sold ex-FiestaMarina to Epirotiki, and the ship was re named Olympic. In 1996, she was transferred to Royal Olympic Cruises, operating under the same name, in 1997, the former Olympic was sold to Cyprus-based Thomson Holidays, and the ship was re named Topaz. In October 2005, Topaz was inspected and found to be in immaculate condition, Topaz International were looking for a buyer for Topaz and they had maintained the ship in excellent condition. It was hoped that a buyer could be found as Topaz offered any potential buyer the opportunity of a ready to work ship, unfortunately rising oil prices combined with inefficient 50-year-old engines proved too much for any potential buyer. In April 2008, Topaz was retired from the Peace Boat organization, after Topaz was retired in April, she was laid up. On June 15, while she was anchored, she was struck by the tanker Champion Brali, the collision severed off part of her bow. During her lay up, she was sold to the breakers, in the late summer of 2008, Topaz was beached in Alang, India to be scrapped
20.
Carnival Sunshine
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Carnival Sunshine is the lead ship of the Destiny-class of cruise ships. Along with two of her four sisters, she is operated by Carnival Cruise Line, upon entering service, Carnival Destiny was the first passenger ship ever built to be over 100,000 tons as measured by gross tonnage for a year. She became Carnival Sunshine on May 5,2013, after receiving a major renovation featuring all Fun Ship 2.0 upgrades, at a ceremony in New Orleans on November 17,2013, she was rechristened, with Lin Arison once again serving as her godmother. Carnival Destiny went into dry dock in Trieste, Italy in 2013 to be refitted and renamed Carnival Sunshine. The refitting, which was completed in May 2013, had been delayed a month to allow for new back-up generator systems to be installed after Carnival announced the first part of its fleet-wide review. Two of Carnival Sunshines European sailings were cancelled to allow time for the generators to be installed, the ship was renamed due to the size and scope of the renovation, which included almost every guest area on the ship. The propulsion system consists of six units, three forward and three aft, each with variable-pitch propellers and 1760-kW motors. The electricity for the motors is provided by diesel generators, given a multimillion-dollar refurbishment in 2005, Carnival Destiny featured three pools, a variety of dining options, lounges, nightclubs, a casino, duty-free shopping and a spa. Carnival Destiny received more upgrades in 2010, including a screen on the Lido deck. The ship was re-launched on 5 May 2013, the refit included a racing themed waterpark with one of the biggest slides in Carnivals fleet. As Carnival Destiny, the ship sailed 4- and 5-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from Miami and her sister ship, Carnival Victory, replaced it in San Juan. In February 2013 Carnival Destiny departed on an 18-day transatlantic cruise departing Miami, once she arrived in Italy, Carnival Destiny underwent the drydock operation and became the Carnival Sunshine. She returned to New Orleans in November 2013 for a series of week-long round-trip Caribbean cruises and she subsequently relocated to Port Canaveral in April 2014 for 3- to 8-day Caribbean cruises. From June 10–20,2016 and from October 23 - November 5,2016 she will offer a series of cruises from Norfolk, from May 21 - June 9,2016 and November 6–13,2016 she will offer a series of cruises from Charleston, South Carolina. From June 18 - October 22,2016 she will offer a series of cruises from New York, official website Carnival Sunshine Photo Gallery
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Gross tonnage
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Gross tonnage is a nonlinear measure of a ships overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage, neither gross tonnage nor gross register tonnage should be confused with measures of mass or weight such as deadweight tonnage or displacement. These two measurements replaced gross register tonnage and net register tonnage, the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships,1969 was adopted by IMO in 1969. The Convention mandated a transition from the measurements of gross register tonnage and net register tonnage to gross tonnage. It was the first successful attempt to introduce a universal tonnage measurement system, various methods were previously used to calculate merchant ship tonnage, but they differed significantly and one single international system was needed. Previous methods traced back to George Moorsom of Great Britains Board of Trade who devised one such method in 1854, the tonnage determination rules apply to all ships built on or after July 18,1982. Ships built before that date were given 12 years to migrate from their existing gross register tonnage to use of GT, the phase-in period was provided to allow ships time to adjust economically, since tonnage is the basis for satisfying manning regulations and safety rules. Tonnage is also the basis for calculating registration fees and port dues, one of the Conventions goals was to ensure that the new calculated tonnages did not differ too greatly from the traditional gross and net register tonnages. Both GT and NT are obtained by measuring ships volume and then applying a mathematical formula, gross tonnage is based on the moulded volume of all enclosed spaces of the ship whereas net tonnage is based on the moulded volume of all cargo spaces of the ship. In addition, a net tonnage is constrained to be no less than 30% of her gross tonnage. The gross tonnage calculation is defined in Regulation 3 of Annex 1 of The International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships,1969. It is based on two variables, and ultimately an increasing function of ship volume, V, the ships total volume in cubic meters, and K. The value of the multiplier K varies in accordance with a total volume and is applied as a kind of amplification factor in determining the gross tonnage value. For smaller ships, K is smaller, for larger ships, note that the units of gross tonnage, which involve both meters and log-meters, have no physical significance, but were rather chosen for historical convenience. As an example, we can calculate the gross tonnage of a ship with 10,000 m3 total volume, newtons method may be used for obtaining an approximation to a ships volume given its gross tonnage. The exact formula is, V =50 × ln 10 × G T W where ln is the natural logarithm, Tonnage Compensated gross tonnage Ton List of worlds largest ships by gross tonnage International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships,1969. International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships,1969, turpin, Edward A. McEwen, William A
22.
Carnival Dream
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Carnival Dream is the lead ship of the Dream-class of cruise ships. Like all but one of her sisters, she is operated by Carnival Cruise Line, built by Fincantieri at its Monfalcone shipyard in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northern Italy, she was floated out on October 24,2008, and christened by Marcia Gay Harden. At 128,000 GT, Carnival Dream was the largest ship yet built for Carnival Cruise Line and she has two sister ships, Carnival Magic, who entered service in May 2011, and Carnival Breeze, who entered service in June 2012. Carnival Dream features an array of cabins, from interior staterooms to suites, one new type of cabin is a deluxe ocean view stateroom. The deluxe ocean view stateroom has two separate washroom facilities, another new cabin for the cruise line is cove balcony stateroom. The cove balcony stateroom has an enclosed veranda. The ship features special spa staterooms that are available on Carnival Splendor. Carnival Dream also offers couples massages, Carnival Dream is the first Carnival Cruise Line ship to feature a water park with multiple slides as a newbuild. The ship uses a variation of the water park that was recently added to the Fantasy-class ships. The ship features an 18-hole miniature golf course, the ship also features a wide outdoor promenade deck that includes an outdoor cafe and a whirlpool jacuzzi in four places along the outside edge of the deck. By comparison, Carnival Dream is roughly equal to Royal Caribbean Internationals Voyager class, however, Carnival Dream is 17 ft shorter. Carnival Dream is an all new class of ships for Carnival Cruise Lines and she features facilities similarly designed and used on the previous generations of Carnival ships while presenting a few new features. Significant alterations have been made to the access areas of the ship like deck 5. Carnival Dream is currently based in New Orleans and replaced Carnival Sunshine on April 14,2014 and she currently offers week long cruises to the western and eastern Caribbean. She was originally based in Port Canaveral, in July 2011, Carnival Dream had issues with her azimuth thruster, forcing a change in her travel schedule. On 14 March 2013 Carnival Dream experienced a back-up generator malfunction while performing regular pre-embarkation testing, no power outages occurred but Carnival Cruise Line decided to stay docked in port at Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. The ship was scheduled to port around 5 p. m. ET the day before. The U. S. Coast Guard said they were notified by Carnival Cruise Lines that Carnival Dream was experiencing problems with her generator, Carnival was paying to fly passengers back to Port Canaveral, via Orlando International Airport, or their home cities and canceled Dreams 16 March departure
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Carnival Magic
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Carnival Magic is a Dream-class cruise ship, and is one of the latest of the Carnival Cruise Line ships to enter the fleet. Her sister ship, Carnival Dream entered service on September 21,2009, Carnival Magics keel was laid on 12 January 2010. Magic has 1,845 passenger cabins and 746 crew cabins, the ship was floated out from her drydock on 27 August 2010. She completed her sea trials between 17–20 March 2011, the lifeboat configuration of Carnival Magic differs from that of her sister ship, Carnival Dream, in that Magic has 18 double-size lifeboats, while Dream has 30 smaller boats. Magic also has a large, highly visible SkyCourse ropes course forward of her funnel that is not present on her sister, there are 14 decks aboard Magic. She includes the Carnival Waterworks which is a water park on the forward part of the upper decks. Cloud 9 Spa is on decks 12 and 14, Deck 11 includes Camp Carnival and Cucina Del Capitano. The Mezzanine Deck, deck 4, includes a Conference Center, Circle C, Club O2, and The Warehouse. There are two dining rooms on the Lobby Deck, deck 3, which includes Northern Lights and Southern Lights, on deck 0, the tender entrance/exit and the medical center are located. There are staterooms on decks 1,2,6,7,8,9,10,11, the Carnival Magic was dry-docked until 3/06/16, according to GoCCL. This will be the Carnival Magics first dry-dock ever, the Magic got the rest of the Fun Ship 2. Carnival has not mentioned if the Showtime Theatre will get the open floor concept currently installed on the Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Magic spent her inaugural season, summer 2011, cruising the Mediterranean. She sailed a combination of 7,9, and 12-night cruises which all depart from Barcelona, Spain with the exception of her inaugural, leaving from Venice, Italy. In February and early March,2015 she operated 4,5, in April,2016, Magic was repositioned to Port Canaveral Florida and the Carnival Breeze has replaced her beginning May 2016. The Magic is now sailing seven day Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral Florida,2 July 2013 During a seven-day Caribbean cruise, a 39-year-old male guest died when he accidentally fell from his cabin balcony and landed on an open deck area three decks below. October 2014 A Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas employee who may have handled lab specimens from Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan, boarded the ship Oct.12 in Galveston, the hospital employee and her spouse showed no signs of the virus, but voluntarily quarantined themselves on the ship. The ship was allowed to dock in Belize, but the couple was refused the ability to disembark. Mexico went a further and did not grant docking privileges to the ship
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Dream-class cruise ship
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The Dream class is a class of cruise ships, operated by Carnival Cruise Lines and Costa Cruises, The lead vessel of the class, Carnival Dream, entered service in September 2009. Carnival Dream and her sisters, Carnival Magic, Carnival Breeze and Costa Diadema, measure about 130,000 GT, the vessels design is an evolution from the Conquest class cruise ships. Notable additions in the designs are a half-mile exterior promenade on deck 5, with cafes, Jacuzzis situated along the edge of the promenade. The first Dream-class vessel, which was eventually named Carnival Dream, was ordered on December 14,2005, the order also includes the ships, Nieuw Amsterdam, for Holland America Line, Ruby Princess, for Princess Cruises, and Costa Pacifica, for Costa Cruises. The four ships, and the options, were ordered by Carnival Corporation for USD3 billion. The Carnival Dream then launched at Monfalcone on 24 October 2008, the ship was delivered on 17 September 2009, fifteen months after her launch, at the Monfalcone yards. Option for a vessel was exercised, which is the Carnival Magic. The ship was ordered on 18 December 2006 and keel was laid on 12 January 2010. The ship debuted on 1 May 2011, the third ship was ordered 1 December 2009, which was officially named Carnival Breeze on 11 May 2010. She sailed on 3 June 2012, Costa Cruises has ordered a ship of 132,500 GT, Costa Diadema in 2011, which is a fourth sister to this class. Delivered on 25 October 2014, she sailed her inaugural cruise on 1 November, christened, Carnival Cruise Lines page for Carnival Dream
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Carnival Breeze
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Carnival Breeze is a Dream-class cruise ship of Carnival Cruise Line which entered service on June 3,2012. From June to November 2012 she sailed out of Barcelona and Venice on Mediterranean cruises, as of May 2016, she moved to Galveston replacing Carnival Magic Carnival Breeze is the third and last Dream-class ship, with sisters ships Carnival Dream and Carnival Magic. Costa Crociere recently took delivery of its first Dream Class ship, Fincantieri Monfalcone in Italy is the builder, and the Dream class vessels are the largest passenger ships ever built by Fincantieri. Carnival Breezehas the same design as her sisters, with an exterior promenade, cantilevered whirlpools. Carnival Breeze and her sisters have the widest variety of activity, dining and entertainment options of the entire fleet
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Fincantieri
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Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S. p. A. is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. It was formed in 1959 and is owned by the Italian state through Fintecna, already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of VARD in 2013 the Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world. The company builds both commercial and military vessels, the company is listed on the Borsa Italiana and is a component of FTSE Italia Mid Cap Index. Fincantieri designs and builds merchant vessels, passenger ships, offshore, and naval vessels, the company also owned Grandi Motori Trieste, which constructed marine diesel engines, but this was sold to Wärtsilä in 1999. Founded in 1959 as Società Finanziaria Cantieri Navali – Fincantieri S. p. A. as a State financial holding company, part of IRI, today Fincantieri is one of Europes largest shipbuilding groups and the largest in the Mediterranean. Fincantieri employs a staff of about 10,000 working at eight shipyards, already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard the Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world. In March 2015, Fincantieri won its biggest ever independent order from Carnival Corporation & plc in a 4 billion euro deal commissioning the company to five new cruise ships
27.
Carnival Vista
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Carnival Vista is a cruise ship built for Carnival Cruise Line, The ship which was delivered on April 28th 2016. Sea trials were completed in March 2016, the ships maiden voyage embarked on May 1,2016 from Trieste, Italy on a 13-day Europe Cruise that ended in Barcelona, Spain. Carnival Vista is the first ship in the Vista-class cruise ships, on August 28,2016 the wave caused by the ships maneuver caused extensive damage to the tourist harbor of Marina del Nettuno, near Messina. By gross tonnage, she is the largest ship within Carnival Cruise Liness fleet, the ship was constructed in the Fincantieri shipyard of Monfalcone and was delivered in April 2016. The first steel for the ship was cut in late February 2014, the Carnival Vista Coin Ceremony/Float out was done in June 2015. Carnival Vista is the first Carnival cruise ship fitted with ABB Azipod propulsion units since the 2004-built Carnival Miracle, from May to October 2016 Vista operated an inaugural season in the Mediterranean before repositioning to New York to offer a pair of cruises. She then moved to her new homeport in Miami in November 2016 where she sails year round and she offers 6 and 8 day Caribbean cruises with ports of call such as Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire. Carnival Vista features outdoor spots like Havana Bar & Pool, a course, mini golf, SkyRide at SportSquare. The Vista has custom Cuban themed staterooms and new Family Harbor staterooms, the Clubhouse features indoor activities like mini-bowling and arcade-style basketball, soccer, volleyball, and table tennis. The ship also has SkyGreens, a golf course on Deck 12
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Long Beach, California
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Long Beach is the 36th most populous city in the United States and the 7th most populous in California. It is located on the Pacific Coast of the United States, as of 2010, its population was 462,257. Long Beach is the second largest city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the Port of Long Beach is the second busiest container port in the United States and is among the worlds largest shipping ports. The city also maintains a progressively declining oil industry with minor wells located both directly beneath the city as well as offshore, manufacturing sectors include those in aircraft, automotive parts, electronic equipment, audiovisual equipment, petrochemicals, precision metals and home furnishings. Long Beach lies in the corner of Los Angeles County. Downtown Long Beach is approximately 22 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles, indigenous people have lived in coastal Southern California for over 10,000 years, and several successive cultures have inhabited the present-day area of Long Beach. By the 16th-century arrival of Spanish explorers, the dominant group were the Tongva people and they had at least three major settlements within the present-day city. Tevaaxaanga was a settlement near the Los Angeles River, while Ahwaanga and Povuunga were coastal villages. Along with other Tongva villages, they were forced to relocate in the century due to missionization, political change. In 1784 the Spanish Empires King Carlos III granted Rancho Los Nietos to Spanish soldier Manuel Nieto, the Rancho Los Cerritos and Rancho Los Alamitos were divided from this territory. The boundary between the two ran through the center of Signal Hill on a southwest to northeast diagonal. A portion of western Long Beach was originally part of the Rancho San Pedro and its boundaries were in dispute for years, due to flooding changing the Los Angeles River boundary, between the ranchos of Juan Jose Dominguez and Manuel Nieto. In 1843 Jonathan Temple bought Rancho Los Cerritos, having arrived in California in 1827 from New England and he built what is now known as the Los Cerritos Ranch House, a still-standing adobe which is a National Historic Landmark. Temple created a cattle ranch and prospered, becoming the wealthiest man in Los Angeles County. Both Temple and his house played important local roles in the Mexican–American War. On an island in the San Pedro Bay, Mormon pioneers made an attempt to establish a colony. Two years previous Flint, Bixby & Co had also purchased along with Northern California associate James Irvine, to manage Rancho Los Cerritos, the company selected Lewellyns brother Jotham Bixby, the Father of Long Beach. Three years later Bixby bought into the property and would form the Bixby Land Company
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China
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China, officially the Peoples Republic of China, is a unitary sovereign state in East Asia and the worlds most populous country, with a population of over 1.381 billion. The state is governed by the Communist Party of China and its capital is Beijing, the countrys major urban areas include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Hong Kong. China is a power and a major regional power within Asia. Chinas landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from forest steppes, the Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from much of South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third and sixth longest in the world, respectively, Chinas coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometers long and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas. China emerged as one of the worlds earliest civilizations in the basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. For millennia, Chinas political system was based on hereditary monarchies known as dynasties, in 1912, the Republic of China replaced the last dynasty and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949, when it was defeated by the communist Peoples Liberation Army in the Chinese Civil War. The Communist Party established the Peoples Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, both the ROC and PRC continue to claim to be the legitimate government of all China, though the latter has more recognition in the world and controls more territory. China had the largest economy in the world for much of the last two years, during which it has seen cycles of prosperity and decline. Since the introduction of reforms in 1978, China has become one of the worlds fastest-growing major economies. As of 2016, it is the worlds second-largest economy by nominal GDP, China is also the worlds largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. China is a nuclear weapons state and has the worlds largest standing army. The PRC is a member of the United Nations, as it replaced the ROC as a permanent member of the U. N. Security Council in 1971. China is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the WTO, APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BCIM, the English name China is first attested in Richard Edens 1555 translation of the 1516 journal of the Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa. The demonym, that is, the name for the people, Portuguese China is thought to derive from Persian Chīn, and perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit Cīna. Cīna was first used in early Hindu scripture, including the Mahābhārata, there are, however, other suggestions for the derivation of China. The official name of the state is the Peoples Republic of China. The shorter form is China Zhōngguó, from zhōng and guó and it was then applied to the area around Luoyi during the Eastern Zhou and then to Chinas Central Plain before being used as an occasional synonym for the state under the Qing
30.
Ensenada, Baja California
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Ensenada is a coastal city in Mexico, the third-largest in Baja California. Lying 125 kilometres south of San Diego on the Baja California Peninsula, it is referred to as La Cenicienta del Pacífico. It is said that the first Vitis vinifera made it to the regions San Ignacio Mission in 1703, situated on the coastline of Bahía de Todos Santos—an inlet of the Pacific Ocean on the peninsulas Gold Coast—the Port of Ensenada is an important commercial, fishing, and tourist port. The city is home to a base, army base, and Ensenada Airport. Ensenada is the seat and cultural and commercial center of Ensenada Municipality. As of 2015, the city of Ensenada had a population of 519,813, Ensenada is backed by small mountain ranges. Proximity to the Pacific and a warm Mediterranean latitude create mild year-round weather, the rainy season during the winter is short and the area is prone to prolonged droughts, which can threaten its grape harvests. The National Park Constitution of 1857 created the Sierra de Juarez and San Pedro Martir National Parks, when the first European explorers discovered the region, the Yuman Indians inhabited the region, of which tribal groups such as the Kiliwa, Paipai and Kumeyaay still exist. These semi-nomadic indigenous people lived in the bay area and interior valleys of the Sierra de Juárez, Bahia Todos Santos, on which Ensenada now stands, was first reached by sea by the Portuguese explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo on the vessels El Salvador and Victoria. The city was founded September 17,1542 under the name San Mateo, the first permanent settlement was established by the Jesuits during the seventeenth or eighteenth century. After the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1768, the Dominicans took over the representation of Europe in what is now Ensenada, in 1882, Ensenada was designated the capital of Baja California, and attempts at developing the area were made by the English Mexican Land and Colonization Company. These were interrupted by the Mexican Revolution, which left the area devastated, in 1915, the capital was transferred to Mexicali, and in 1930 the population of Ensenada was only 5,000. It really flourished only in the early 1950s, at which time Ensenadas population had risen to 20,000, the hotel finally closed in 1964. It was later reopened as a center and museum. By this time, other hotels had opened, and the population and economy of Ensenada had grown, Ensenada is predominantly a mid-rise building beach city. Several marinas including Ensenada Cruiseport Village, Hotel Coral & Marina, the Bajamar Oceanfront Golf Resort at Baja Mar is also located nearby to the north, and is a prominent seaside resort of Baja California. Many of the terrestrial or marine species inhabiting the surrounding the Greater Ensenada area in the Baja California islands are unique, Guadalupe Island, off the coast of the city, is one of the best places in the world for observing the great white shark. The island has been a sanctuary since 1975
31.
Carnival Ecstasy
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Carnival Ecstasy is a Fantasy-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Built by Kværner Masa-Yards at its Helsinki New Shipyard in Helsinki, Finland, she was floated out on January 6,1991, during 2007, in common with all of her Fantasy-class sisters, she had the prefix Carnival added to her name. Ecstasy is currently the second oldest ship in the fleet and her features include a pool, four whirlpools, numerous restaurants, nightclubs, a casino, and duty-free shopping. Carnival Ecstasy offers four- to seven-day cruises to the Bahamas, Bermuda and Eastern Caribbean out of Charleston, cruises depart Charleston varying days of the week, depending on the itinerary booked. Seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruises offer varied itineraries that may include Nassau, Grand Turk Island and Amber Cove of Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, one seven-day cruise to Bermuda from Charleston is scheduled in 2016. The cruise departs Saturday, November 5 and includes two days at sea to Bermuda, two nights at port in Bermuda and departs Bermuda at noon for 1 1/2 days at sea returning to Charleston. After Hurricane Katrina, the spent six months in New Orleans serving as quarters for evacuees. On the afternoon of July 20,1998, Ecstasy departed the Port of Miami, Florida, en route to Key West, Florida, a fire started in the main laundry room and spread through the ventilation system to the aft mooring deck, where mooring lines ignited. As Ecstasy was attempting to reach an anchorage north of the Miami sea buoy, the master then radioed the U. S. Coast Guard for assistance. Six tugboats responded to help fight the fire and tow Ecstasy, the fire was brought under control by onboard firefighters and was extinguished about 9,09 PM. Fourteen crew members and eight passengers suffered minor injuries, one passenger required medical treatment as a result of a pre-existing condition and was categorized as a serious injury victim because of the length of her hospital stay. Losses from the fire and associated damages exceeded $17 million, passengers received a full refund and were offered a complimentary cruise for the inconvenience. On July 1,2007, David Ritcheson, the victim of the April 22,2006 Harris County, Texas assault incident, jumped off the deck of Carnival Ecstasy and died. On April 21,2010, at approximately 12.55 pm U. S. central time, the object was a large buoy which was adrift and mostly submerged thereby preventing it from being detected by the ships radar. Carnival Ecstasy was on the leg of a five-day cruise that departed Galveston on Saturday, April 17 with stops in Cozumel and Progreso. On April 17,2013, Carnival Ecstasy experienced a problem that caused a power failure at sea for 12 minutes. This delayed her return to Port Canaveral by a few hours, on December 27,2015, a maintenance worker was crushed by an elevator and later died from his injuries. The Miami-Dade Police Department later stated that the crew member was 66-year-old Jose Sandoval Opazo
32.
Hurricane Katrina
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Hurricane Katrina was the costliest natural disaster and one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. The storm is ranked as the third most intense United States landfalling tropical cyclone. Overall, at least 1,245 people died in the hurricane and subsequent floods, total property damage was estimated at $108 billion, roughly four times the damage wrought by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 in the United States. Early the following day, the new depression intensified into Tropical Storm Katrina, the cyclone headed generally westward toward Florida and strengthened into a hurricane only two hours before making landfall at Hallandale Beach and Aventura on August 25. After very briefly weakening to a storm, Katrina emerged into the Gulf of Mexico on August 26. The storm caused severe destruction along the Gulf coast from central Florida to Texas, much of it due to the storm surge, severe property damage occurred in coastal areas, such as Mississippi beachfront towns, over 90 percent of these were flooded. Boats and casino barges rammed buildings, pushing cars and houses inland, over fifty breaches in New Orleanss hurricane surge protection were the cause of the majority of the death and destruction during Katrina on August 29,2005. Eventually 80% of the city and large tracts of neighboring parishes became flooded, according to a modeling exercise conducted by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, two-thirds of the deaths in Greater New Orleans were due to levee and floodwall failure. All of the studies concluded that the USACE, the designers and builders of the levee system as mandated by the Flood Control Act of 1965, is responsible. This is mainly due to a decision to use shorter steel sheet pilings in an effort to save money, exactly ten years after Katrina, J. Many other government officials were criticized for their responses, especially New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, several agencies including the United States Coast Guard, National Hurricane Center, and National Weather Service were commended for their actions. They provided accurate hurricane weather tracking forecasts with sufficient lead time, Hurricane Katrina formed as Tropical Depression Twelve over the southeastern Bahamas on August 23,2005, as the result of an interaction of a tropical wave and the remains of Tropical Depression Ten. It strengthened into Tropical Storm Katrina on the morning of August 24, the tropical storm moved towards Florida, and became a hurricane only two hours before making landfall between Hallandale Beach and Aventura on the morning of August 25. The storm weakened over land, but it regained hurricane status about one hour after entering the Gulf of Mexico, on August 27, the storm reached Category 3 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, becoming the third major hurricane of the season. An eyewall replacement cycle disrupted the intensification, but caused the storm to nearly double in size, the storm rapidly intensified after entering the Gulf, growing from a Category 3 hurricane to a Category 5 hurricane in just nine hours. This rapid growth was due to the movement over the unusually warm waters of the Loop Current. Katrina attained Category 5 status on the morning of August 28 and reached its peak strength at 1800 UTC that day, with sustained winds of 175 mph. However, this record was broken by Hurricane Rita
33.
MS Magellan
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MS Magellan is a Holiday-class cruise ship which was formerly owned by Carnival Cruise Line as Holiday and Ibero Cruises as the Grand Holiday. She sailed for Cruise & Maritime Voyages In Spring 2015, MS Holiday was built by Aalborg Værft in Aalborg, Denmark and entered service for Carnival Cruise Lines on July 13,1985. The ships condition had been in decline until 2003, when she was sent into the dry docks and renovated. In 2005, during Hurricane Katrina, she was out of service to be used as temporary housing for the victims of the storm. After leaving Mississippi, she went to the dry docks for an additional three weeks of renovations. New carpeting and plumbing were added and repairs to the propellers were made, however, the Carnival-style funnel was only repainted. In April 2010 she underwent dry dock refurbishment and was transferred to the Ibero Cruises fleet. Sailing as MS Grand Holiday began on May 18,2010 The ship was transformed into a floating hotel in Port Sochi Imeretinskiy during the Winter Olympics from 5 to 24 February 2014. On 3 November 2014 British cruise line Cruise & Maritime Voyages announced that MS Grand Holiday would be joining their fleet in Spring 2015 under the name Magellan. She began cruising out of London Tilbury, Newcastle upon Tyne and Dundee commencing 15 March 2015, Grand Holiday Website Iberocruceros description of the ship in 2013 Magellan page on the Cruise and Maritime Voyages web site Magellan, Stylishly different – review in the Daily Express
34.
Mobile, Alabama
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Mobile is the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. Alabamas only saltwater port, Mobile is located at the head of the Mobile Bay, Mobile is the principal municipality of the Mobile metropolitan area. This region of 412,992 residents is composed solely of Mobile County, Mobile is the largest city in the Mobile-Daphne−Fairhope CSA, with a total population of 604,726, the second largest in the state. As of 2011, the population within a 60-mile radius of Mobile is 1,262,907, Mobile began as the first capital of colonial French Louisiana in 1702. During its first 100 years, Mobile was a colony of France, then Britain, Mobile first became a part of the United States of America in 1813, with the annexation of West Florida under President James Madison. In 1861 Alabama joined the Confederate States of America, which surrendered in 1865, Mobile is known for having the oldest organized Carnival celebrations in the United States. The festival began to be celebrated in the first decade of the 18th century by its first French Catholic colonial settlers. Mobile was host to the first formally organized Carnival mystic society, known elsewhere as a krewe, to celebrate with a parade in the United States, in 2005 the first integrated mystic society had a parade for Mardi Gras. The city gained its name from the Mobile tribe that the French colonists encountered living in the area of Mobile Bay. The Mobile tribe, along with the Tohomé, obtained permission from the colonists, about seven years after the founding of the Mobile settlement, to settle near the fort. It was founded by French Canadian brothers Pierre Le Moyne dIberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, Bienville was appointed as royal governor of French Louisiana in 1701. Mobiles Roman Catholic parish was established on July 20,1703, by Jean-Baptiste de la Croix de Chevrières de Saint-Vallier, the parish was the first French Catholic parish established on the Gulf Coast of the United States. In 1704 the ship Pélican delivered 23 French women to the colony, though most of the Pélican girls recovered, numerous colonists and neighboring Native Americans contracted the disease in turn and died. This early period was also the occasion of the importation of the first African slaves, the population of the colony fluctuated over the next few years, growing to 279 persons by 1708, yet descending to 178 persons two years later due to disease. A new earth-and-palisade Fort Louis was constructed at the new site during this time, by 1712, when Antoine Crozat was appointed to take over administration of the colony, its population had reached 400 persons. The capital of La Louisiane was moved in 1720 to Biloxi, leaving Mobile to serve as a regional military and trading center. In 1723 the construction of a new fort with a stone foundation began and it was renamed Fort Condé in honor of Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the Seven Years War, by this treaty, France ceded its territories east of the Mississippi River to Britain
35.
Pascagoula, Mississippi
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Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census and it is the county seat of Jackson County. Pascagoula is an industrial city of Mississippi, along the Gulf Coast. Prior to World War II, the town was a fishing village of about 5,000. The population exploded with the shipbuilding industry. Today, Pascagoula is home to the state’s largest employer, Ingalls Shipbuilding, other major industries include one of the largest Chevron refineries in the country, Signal International, an oil platform builder, and Mississippi Phosphates. Naval Station Pascagoula was located on Singing River Island, and was homeport to several Navy warships, however, Naval Station Pascagoula was decommissioned as part of the 2005 BRAC recommendations and ceased operations in 2006. The mayor of the city is Jim Blevins, the name Pascagoula, which means bread eater, is taken from a group of Native Americans found in villages along the Pascagoula River some distance above its mouth. Hernando De Soto seems to have made first contact with them in the 1540s, pierre Le Moyne dIberville, founder of the colony of Louisiana, left a more detailed account from an expedition of this region in 1700. Instead, their language seems more akin to that of the Biloxi or Natchez people, the first settlers of Pascagoula were Jean Baptiste Baudreau Dit Graveline, Joseph Simon De La Pointe and his aunt, the Madame Chaumont. Local legend says the Pascagoula tribe chanted and waded hand-in-hand into the Pascagoula River, drowning together rather than become enslaved to or killed by an enemy tribe, thus, the legend of the Singing River was born. It is said that on still summer and autumn evenings, the sad song of the Pascagoulas can still be heard near the river. The region changed hands over the century, being occupied variously by the English, French. It did not come into the permanent possession of the United States until 1812, at one point, for seventy-four days in 1810, Pascagoula was a part of what was known as The Republic of West Florida. Pascagoula was incorporated as a village in 1892 and obtained city status in 1901, todays downtown Pascagoula used to be the town of Scranton, Mississippi until the two towns merged in 1912. The Nite Riders, also got their start in Pascagoula in the 1950s, many of the original members still perform together in local casinos. Pascagoula gained notoriety on October 11,1973 when two fishermen, Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker, claimed to have been abducted by aliens from a Pascagoula pier
36.
Carnival Sensation
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Carnival Sensation is a Fantasy-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line. During 2007, in common with all of her Fantasy-class sisters, the third ship to be built in the Fantasy class, Carnival Sensation returned to active cruise service on February 12,2009, after an extensive drydocking and refit. During the refit,98 private balconies were added to former ocean view rooms, an adults only sunning area, called Serenity, was added to the Promenade Deck, aft. A childrens water area was installed on the Verandah Deck, aft, in an area formerly used as a pool. The Carnival Sensations main pool area on the Lido Deck, midship, was renovated, other renovations included new carpeting in public spaces and in her main dining rooms, and the addition of a 4-story tall Carnival Waterworks waterslide at the aft of the ship. In early 2016, the Carnival Sensation moved to Miami, replacing the Carnival Victory, the Carnival Victory took over the 3 and 4 night cruises to Nassau and Freeport, Bahamas, in the Bahamas. The Carnival Sensation was one of several cruise ships chartered by the US Government to provide accommodation for residents, after being released from Federal Emergency Management Agency service, the Carnival Sensation replaced the Carnival Fantasy on Carnivals 3 and 4 day cruises from Port Canaveral. In early 2016, the Carnival Sensation moved to Miami, replacing the Carnival Victory, the Carnival Victory took over the 3 and 4 night cruises to Nassau and Freeport, Bahamas, in the Bahamas. Official website at Carnival. com Carnival Sensation location and webcam
37.
New Orleans
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New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The population of the city was 343,829 as of the 2010 U. S. Census, the New Orleans metropolitan area had a population of 1,167,764 in 2010 and was the 46th largest in the United States. The New Orleans–Metairie–Bogalusa Combined Statistical Area, a trading area, had a 2010 population of 1,452,502. The city is named after the Duke of Orleans, who reigned as Regent for Louis XV from 1715 to 1723, as it was established by French colonists and it is well known for its distinct French and Spanish Creole architecture, as well as its cross-cultural and multilingual heritage. New Orleans is also famous for its cuisine, music, and its celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras. The city is referred to as the most unique in the United States. New Orleans is located in southeastern Louisiana, straddling the Mississippi River, the city and Orleans Parish are coterminous. The city and parish are bounded by the parishes of St. Tammany to the north, St. Bernard to the east, Plaquemines to the south, and Jefferson to the south and west. Lake Pontchartrain, part of which is included in the city limits, lies to the north, before Hurricane Katrina, Orleans Parish was the most populous parish in Louisiana. As of 2015, it ranks third in population, trailing neighboring Jefferson Parish, La Nouvelle-Orléans was founded May 7,1718, by the French Mississippi Company, under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, on land inhabited by the Chitimacha. It was named for Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, who was Regent of the Kingdom of France at the time and his title came from the French city of Orléans. The French colony was ceded to the Spanish Empire in the Treaty of Paris, during the American Revolutionary War, New Orleans was an important port for smuggling aid to the rebels, transporting military equipment and supplies up the Mississippi River. Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez successfully launched a campaign against the British from the city in 1779. New Orleans remained under Spanish control until 1803, when it reverted briefly to French oversight, nearly all of the surviving 18th-century architecture of the Vieux Carré dates from the Spanish period, the most notable exception being the Old Ursuline Convent. Napoleon sold Louisiana to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, thereafter, the city grew rapidly with influxes of Americans, French, Creoles, and Africans. Later immigrants were Irish, Germans, and Italians, Major commodity crops of sugar and cotton were cultivated with slave labor on large plantations outside the city. The Haitian Revolution ended in 1804 and established the republic in the Western Hemisphere. It had occurred several years in what was then the French colony of Saint-Domingue
38.
Costa Cruises
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Costa Crociere S. p. A. trading as Costa Cruises, is a British/American owned Italian cruise line, based in Genoa, Italy, and under control of the Carnival Corporation & plc. Founded in 1854, the company originally operated cargo ships, in order to carry olive oils, in 1924 the company passed to founders sons that started commercial activities, buying the ship Ravenna. Commercial activities continued until the introduction of services in 1947. The company later converted its fleet to full-time cruising. Acquired by Carnival Corporation in 2000, Costa Cruises is now one of ten brands operated by Carnival, today, as Costa Cruises Group, the company is one of the main operating companies in the Carnival group, with executive control of the groups activities in Europe. The company is responsible for operation of Costa Cruises in Italy, AIDA was previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises, being transferred to Costa following the merger of Carnival Corporation and P&O Princess in 2002. Ibero Cruises is a new brand, created in 2007 as a joint venture between Carnival Corporation and Orizonia Group, the captain was one of the crew to leave the sinking ship early while many passengers were still on board. The ship was lying on its starboard side in shallow water. Thirty-two persons have been confirmed dead, the total cost of the disaster is estimated to be over $2 billion, including $500 million for the loss of the ship and $1.5 billion for the salvage and recovery operations. An Italian appeals court on May 31,2016 upheld the 16-year prison sentence, as of 2015, according to Scott Knutson, vice president of sales and marketing for Costa Cruises North America, Costa was “. Uniquely positioned as the international brand that hasn’t adapted its product to the American market. That authenticity allows us to go to a segment of the market. It’s those vacationers who like the international experience — the food, the wine, italians accounted for 25 to 30 percent of bookings on most Costa cruises, and they were followed by passengers from France, Germany and Spain. Depending on the season or destination, North Americans could make up 5 to 15 percent of the passenger list, the universal language on board was English. Costa Diadema, Naples, La Spezia, Savona, Marseille, Costa Fascinosa, Savona, Civitavecchia, Palermo, Ibiza, Palma De Mallorca & Barcelona. Costa Magica, Savona, Marseille, Tangier, Casablanca, Cádiz, Costa neoRiviera, Savona, Toulon, Propriano, Olbia, Trapani, Valletta, Salerno, Capri & Portoferraio. Costa Deliziosa, Venice, Bari, Corfu, Mykonos, Santorini & Dubrovnik, Costa Mediterranea, Trieste, Split, Kotor, Argostoli, Corfu & Dubrovnik. Costa neoClassica, Venice, Split, Corfu, Santorini, Athens, Istanbul, Izmir, Mykonos, Costa Favolosa, Copenhagen, Hellesylt, Geiranger, Bergen, Kristiansand, Oslo & Warnemünde
39.
Ocean Dream (1982 ship)
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The Ocean Dream is a cruise ship, built in 1981. The ship began sailing for Carnival Cruise Lines as the Tropicale in 1982, the Tropicale was Carnivals first newly built ship, operating mainly in the Caribbean. She was transferred to the Costa fleet in July 2001 and renamed the Costa Tropicale, the Costa Tropicale was retired in 2005 and entered service for P&O Cruises Australia as the Pacific Star in December of that year. In March 2008, P&O Cruises Australia sold the Pacific Star to Pullmantur Cruises and she has been refurbished and is currently sailing as the Ocean Dream. In 1985 the vessel appeared in an episode of the A-Team called Judgement Day, on September 19,1999, the vessels engine room caught fire en route from Cozumel to Tampa. While disabled in the Gulf of Mexico, the ship was struck by Tropical Storm Harvey, no crew or guests were injured during the two days the Tropicale spent without propulsion. The vessel underwent refits in Genoa over the course of 2001 and 2002, redeveloping the vessel, in 2008 the Pacific Star was sold to Pullmantur Cruises and renamed Ocean Dream following a refit in Singapore. In June 2009, an outbreak of swine flu occurred about the Ocean Dream during a cruise around Central, the ship docked in Margarita, Venezuela to allow its Venezuelan passengers to disembark, before heading to Aruba, where the remaining passengers were able to leave the ship. An earlier report had suggested that the ship had been placed in quarantine, however, m/S Ocean Dream is now bare chartered to Peace Boat, the owners of the SS Oceanic and as of April 2012, has left the Pullmantur Cruises fleet. The Pictorial Encycpedia of Ocean Liners, 1860-1994, complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. P&O Cruises Australia Renews Fleet as Capacity Grows
40.
Carnival Splendor
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Carnival Splendor is the sole ship of the Splendor class, a smaller, modified version of the Concordia-class cruise ship, operated by Costa. She entered service on 2 July 2008, at 113,323 GT, she was the largest ship in Carnival Cruise Line until Carnival Dream debuted in September 2009. There are currently no plans to build another ship like her, the Carnival Splendor is widely known for the November 2010 incident in which a fire started in the engine room, shutting down all electrical power to the ship. But the Carnival Splendor was transferred to Carnival Cruise Lines during construction, on December 15,2016 it was announced that the ship would be transferred to the P&O Cruises Australia fleet in 2019. The 3, 006-passenger vessel offers a 21,000 sq ft, state-of-the-art, the spa features an elaborate thermal suite, a variety of health and beauty treatment rooms, and Carnivals first Thalasso therapy pool. Encircling the upper level of the spa is a garden with a ceremonial tea house. Spa access is complimentary for those staying in the non-smoking spa cabins on the Panorama and those in other cabins may buy passes for the day or for the length of the voyage, typical fees are approximately $35 per day. Unlike with most Carnival ships, the sauna and steam rooms are part of this access and are not free to all passengers. The 5,500 sq ft childrens playroom located midship is also the largest in the Carnival fleet, above the facility is a dedicated water play area, a first for Carnival Cruise Lines. Located at the stern of the ship is a sports deck featuring arena-style seating for games, a reservations-only supper club is located atop the poolside Lido restaurant, providing diners with magnificent ocean vistas. The mid-ship pool, one of four on board, is enclosed by two full decks of glass walls, the area is covered with a two-deck-high retractable dome that can be closed during inclement weather. A large balcony encircles the upper deck of the pool area, there are flat screen televisions in every stateroom and award-winning shows are offered. Carnival Splendors inaugural season began on 2 July 2008 with a cruise from Genoa, Italy to Dover, England, thereafter followed five 12-day Northern Europe cruises from Dover to the northern European ports of Copenhagen, Warnemünde, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, and Amsterdam. On 11 September 2008, the sailed to Southern Europe, to visit ports such as Civitavecchia, Naples, Dubrovnik, Venice, Messina, Barcelona, Cannes, Livorno, Marmaris, Izmir, Istanbul. She began her crossing of the Atlantic on 3 November 2008, towards its new port of Fort Lauderdale. It was the first Carnival ship to have made this voyage. The relocation took 49 days, and included visits to ports in Dominica, Barbados, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, in Long Beach, she sailed year-round cruises to Mexico, replacing Carnival Pride. In February 2013, Carnival Splendor sailed again around South America, the South America voyages were sold in blocks from 13-18 day cruises
41.
Carnival Triumph
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Carnival Triumph is the second of the five member Destiny-class of cruise ships. As she and her three sisters are each a modified version of the lead ship in the class. She is sometimes referred to as the first of the Triumph-class of cruise ships, along with her sisters Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Victory, she is operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Carnival Triumph is home ported in New Orleans as of April 2016, joining Carnival Dream and replacing Carnival Elation. She came to attention in 2013 when an engine room fire stranded her at sea for several days with a loss of power that crippled not only her propulsion. Carnival Triumph is 893 feet 4 inches long and has a beam of 116 feet 6 inches, fully laden, she draws 27 feet 3 inches of water. The vessels gross tonnage, which is a measure of volume, Carnival Triumph has a Great Cities of the World theme. Her amenities include the Paris Dining Room, the London Dining Room, the Rome Lounge, Club Rio featuring music, a workout center and the Spa Carnival. The ship has one of the first seagoing mobile phone systems, called Cellular at Sea, provided by WMS and it allows guests to use their personal cell phones to make calls directly from the ship at any time, albeit at extra cost. Her power plant consists of six diesel generating sets, four 16-cylinder Wärtsilä-Sulzer 16ZAV40S and her two 17. 6-megawatt electric propulsion motors and controllable pitch propellers give the ship a maximum speed of 22.5 knots and a service speed of about 20 knots. For maneuvering at ports, Carnival Triumph has six transverse thrusters and she was completed and entered service in 1999. On March 29,2012, a judge ordered the ship to be held in Galveston, the move came as part of a $10 million lawsuit filed in federal court in Galveston by relatives of a German tourist who died in the Costa Concordia disaster. Carnival Triumph was allowed to unload passengers and cargo and move between berths until a hearing could be scheduled, on Sunday, February 10,2013 at 5,30 a. m. CST, the ship suffered a fire in the aft engine room, although the fire was automatically extinguished and there were no injuries to passengers or crew, it resulted in a loss of power and propulsion. To make matters worse, raw sewage began to back up into passenger deck areas and this caused the media to dub the event The Poop Cruise. While the emergency generator was providing power, the ship was left adrift about 150 miles off the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico. Carnival Triumph was originally expected to be towed to the Mexican port of Progreso, however, after being carried north by currents while awaiting arrival of large, seagoing tugboats, she was expected to dock in Mobile, Alabama, instead. By February 11,2013, her emergency electrical generators allowed partial restoration of some shipboard functions, during the night of February 10, supplies were transferred from Carnival Elation
US$10.9 billion (FY 2011)
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