Category Archives: Travel

An important convention starts in Port Canaveral

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We already wrote about that the annual AAPA Convention will take place in Orlando and Port Canaveral this year. Well, mainly in Orlando as it turns out. Though Port Canaveral is a world-class tourist center, it simply isn’t accommodated for hosting grand business events. But with Orlando just 45 minutes away, it still counts that the port is the actual host of the convention. And port authorities are more then optimistic that the conventions will bring a major boost to the port.

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More information about the convention’s program can be found on FloridaToday

People stuck on Universal roller coaster for 2 hours

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A computer glitch stopped the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit around 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Around a dozen people, including at least one child were riding it at this moment. They were stuck in a vertical position atop the coaster for more than 2 hours.

Rescue teams from the Orlando Fire Department were called to the theme park after several people reported that the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster had malfunctioned and about a dozen people were trapped on the ride. All were rescued by about 9:45 p.m., fire officials said, and one person was taken to the hospital with neck pain. According to dispatchers there was no danger for the people on the coaster but the operation took almost three hours because the ride had to be turned in horizontal position safely. The 12 people were given towels to stay warm during the ordeal.  Other trains were also stuck after the glitch but the park’s crew was able to take them down fast as they were not vertical.

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“We’re happy that our guests are safely off Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. We’ll find out what happened & will reopen the ride as soon as we can,” Universal said in a tweet.

Introduced in 2009, the Rip Ride Rocket has a max height of 167 feet and can reach speeds of 65 miles per hour. It is billed as Orlando’s tallest roller coaster.

It is not the firs incident with the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit this year. The ride was closed for two days in August after a woman was hurt when the car she was riding in stopped. The woman suffered minor injuries and the ride was closed after a safety inspection. It will again be closed; at least until a crew works to determine exactly what went wrong.

The 102nd Annual AAPA Convention to take place in Orlando and Port Canaveral

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For the first time in its 60-year history, the Canaveral Port Authority will serve as host of the American Association of Port Authorities’ annual convention, which takes place Oct. 13-17.  And, for the first time in AAPA’s 102-year history, the business meetings for its international conference will be split between two locations: Port Canaveral, Fla.-one of the world’s busiest cruise ports with growing cargo; and Orlando, Fla.-one of the busiest American cities for conferences and conventions.

The Annual Convention and Expo is AAPA’s largest membership meeting of the year. Held every fall in a different port city, the Convention includes technical and policy committee meetings, business sessions and social events allowing port professionals and stakeholders in the marine transportation industry to exchange views and expand business contacts. The Expo is an integral part of the convention program providing opportunities for networking and exchange of ideas.

As part of the convention’s informative business program, a host of presenters from both the private and public sectors will discuss topics ranging from global and economic trade recovery to perspectives on the future of public port authorities.  Keynoting the program will be U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari, as well as Canadian Ambassador to the United States Gary Doer and Disney Cruise Line President Karl Holz.

The AAPA Annual Convention is the premier Western Hemisphere gathering of the seaport industry and includes an industry exposition featuring companies in the port services industry. The AAPA annual expo is the place to exhibit to reach top decision-makers from port authorities, marine terminal operators, integrators, engineering firms and key industry executives.

The NewYork-styled Norwegian Breakaway to call at Port Canaveral

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norwegian-breakawayRecently, Norwegian Cruise Line announced that its newest ship, the 4,000-passenger Norwegian Breakaway, will call at Port Canaveral during 7-day cruises from New York City to the Bahamas, starting in October of this year.

Norwegian Breakaway, which debuted in April 2013, is a New York City-inspired ship that sails year-round from the Big Apple to Bermuda. The ship is the first of two Project Breakaway vessels. Breakaway, the first of a new vessel class for Norwegian, was designed to reflect the culture and style of its New York homeport from the outside in. The hull pops with a colorful depiction of the NYC skyline designed by American pop icon Peter Max. The high-energy ship is chock full of eateries, entertainment venues, lounges and outdoor activities. Chances are you’ll never get to try everything in one sailing. Between three Broadway shows, 27 restaurants, an 80’s-themed dance party with fireworks, a full schedule of day and night activities and the half-deck Aqua Park and Ropes Course, you might have a hard time deciding which activity to tackle first.

“This is an exciting ship with the kind of innovative experiences we always are looking to add to this Port’s offerings,” said Port Authority Commissioner John Evans. “And we look forward to welcoming the thousands of visiting passengers it will bring to enjoy the attractions of the Space Coast.”

Carnival Cruise Lines with changes at Port Canaveral in 2014

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Carnival SensationPort Canaveral announced that starting in 2014 Carnival will add new ships to its schedule of home-ported ships sailing year-round to Caribbean destinations. The first new ship, the renovated Carnival Sunshine, will arrive in April 2014 and replace the Carnival Dream at Canaveral. The next month, the larger Carnival Liberty will arrive to replace the Carnival Ecstasy at the Brevard County seaport.

Carnival Sunshine, which recently completed a massive $155 million transformation, will be repositioned from New Orleans to Port Canaveral beginning in April 2014. This move will allow Carnival to continue to offer attractive new options from Port Canaveral and marks the first time the line will have a ship in Central Florida featuring all of the fantastic Fun Ship 2.0 bar, dining and entertainment innovations.

Carnival will also increase capacity in Port Canaveral by 30 percent when Carnival Liberty launches year-round five- to eight-day Caribbean cruises in May 2014, adding a second Fun Ship 2.0-equipped vessel to the Space Coast.  The ship’s many popular features include Guy’s Burger Joint, developed in tandem with Food Network star Guy Fieri, along with BlueIguana Cantina, RedFrog Rum Bar, EA Sports Bar, BlueIguana Tequila Bar and the award-winning Alchemy Bar.

Carnival Sensation will continue sailing 3- and 4-night cruises to The Bahamas from Port Canaveral to round out Carnival’s three-ship Canaveral fleet

“Port Canaveral has been a valuable partner with Carnival for more than 20 years and we’re pleased to expand our operations from the Space Coast with the deployment of the Carnival Liberty in 2014,” Carnival Cruise Lines President and CEO Gerry Cahill said in a prepared statement.

Carnival Cruise Lines continues to make a positive economic impact upon our community,” said Port Canaveral Commission Secretary/Treasurer Frank Sullivan “and we continue to warmly welcome their ships and their partnership at our Port.”