The Federal Appeals Court of Pasadena, California has ruled that laptops or other electronic media arriving at a US Customs port of entry can be searched by border agents without having to demonstrate “reasonable suspicion”. This may present a problem for business travelers or individuals arriving with sensitive data on electronic medium. Encryption of the data may be a reasonable alternative, however it would seem that the electronic medium can be seized, refused entry or the owner may be asked to un-encrypt.
The Association of Travel Executives (ACTE) noted that government has no guidelines on what may trigger an inspection or seizure of an electronic device.

Sailing year-round in Europe, the Freestyle Cruising vessel is the first ship to feature Freestyle 2.0 enhancements

Norwegian Cruise Line(NCL) announced today that it has introduced new entertainment on board Norwegian Jade as part of the ship’s year-round deployment in Europe. Reflecting the company’s continuing commitment to Freestyle Cruising, the wide variety of entertainment offerings were designed to offer guests more flexibility during Norwegian Jade’s port-intensive European itineraries.  The new entertainment includes four new off-Broadway musicals, the legendary show phenomenon Tony n Tina’s Wedding, an expanded The Second City comedy show, and a classical dance production by award-winning choreographer Twyla Tharp. In addition, Norwegian Jade  is the first NCL ship to feature Freestyle 2.0 enhancements, including all new menus in the restaurants, upgraded bedding and enhanced on-board activities programming, including NCL “U” enrichment classes, themed parties, sports programming and enhanced youth programs.

“WithNorwegian Jade’s  year-round deployment in Europe, we’ve developed special entertainment programming that raises the bar for cruise ship entertainment, offering an engaging and vibrant daytime and nighttime line-up for our guests,” said Colin Veitch,NCL ’s president and CEO. “At the same time, Norwegian Jade is the first to feature our Freestyle 2.0 enhancements and the combination of these two initiatives is providing an extraordinary Freestyle Cruising experience for guests sailing on Norwegian Jade .”

On Norwegian Jade, NCL has replaced the traditional cruise director with both a master of ceremonies and a guest activities director. The master of ceremonies is a professional entertainer who hosts all evening events while the guest activities director coordinates the ship’s daytime activities. In addition, the entertainment scheduling has been changed to allow guests more flexibility and choice each evening. The nighttime production shows are offered twice per cruise, but only one performance per evening, in contrast to the traditional offering of one production show being offered twice per night. This provides guests the option of catching a show later in the cruise if they miss the first performance. In addition, most evenings there is a second show performed that includes acrobatics, action comedy and magic. To enhance the performance, all shows are performed live with the accompaniment of the Norwegian Jade orchestra.

Freestyle Entertainment Offers Something for Everyone
Norwegian Jade’s  new Freestyle Entertainment includes:

• Smokey Joe’s Café, The Songs of Leiber and Stoller: A jukebox comes alive during this Tony-awarding winning musical, showcasing more than 40 classic favorite rock and roll, rhythm and blues songs written by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The hits include “Dance with Me,” “Poison Ivy,” “Hound Dog,” “Stand by Me,” and more.
• SHOUT! The Mod Musical: Based on a popular British magazine, this engaging revue brings back the smashing sounds of England in the 1960s. From cover to cover, SHOUT! travels through the decade with unforgettable music of the era and includes performances of classic songs such as “Downtown,” “Son of a Preacher Man,” and “Goldfinger” along with eye-popping fashions and groovy dance numbers.
• And the World Goes ‘Round: The Songs of Kander & Ebb: This glittering musical features an eclectic collection of love and torch songs, such as “New York, New York,” “Cabaret,” and “Money, Money,” interspersed with banjos, roller skates and a tribute to Sara Lee.
• Showdown!: This NCL Entertainment original production features four “contestants” who compete in a mock reality singing competition where the audience votes on the winner. The contestants sing Motown favorites and engage the audience with their unique personalities. They also invite the audience to join in the fun in a dance-a-thon medley.
• Sinatra Suite: Choreographed by the award-winning dance legend Twyla Tharp, this two-dancer ballet set to Sinatra music was originally performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov and is performed on the ship by a husband and wife team. Full of emotion and romance, the piece features classic Frank Sinatra songs, including “Strangers in the Night,” “That’s Life,” and “My Way.” Costumes for the production were designed by Oscar de la Renta. The dance is performed as part of a Classical Evening that includes an opera singer and another Tharp choreographed work, Junk Duet.
• The Second City International Cabaret: A seven-member ensemble from famed Chicago improvisational group, The Second City, hosts an entirely new and expanded evening of cabaret theatre in the Spinnaker Lounge. Offered multiple nights and running for four hours, the cabaret mixes The Second City’s unique sketch improvisational comedy with game show vignettes, special guests and dance and music sets performed by a live band. This highly interactive evening includes lots of spontaneous entertainment and audience involvement.
• Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding: The hottest off-Broadway show and one of the longest running, Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding is a hilarious interactive show that satirizes a traditional Italian-American wedding with audience members as “invited guests” to the nuptials of the Vitale and Nunzio families, portrayed by a improvisational cast of 25. The wedding and reception is held once per cruise in the Spinnaker Lounge, which is transformed into Vinnie’s Coliseum restaurant, a classic Italian wedding hall complete with pasta served on paper plates.
• Bar Central: In addition to the shows in the Stardust Theater and Spinnaker Lounge, Bar Central is another exciting entertainment venue. This dynamic piano lounge attracts guests from cocktail hour to late night with its engaging blend of show tunes, classical and popular music. Guest entertainers from other venues often drop in for impromptu duets and star turns. Freestyle 2.0 Offers Enhanced On-Board Activities

On Norwegian Jade, guests are among the first to experience a wide-range of new day and evening offerings as part of Freestyle 2.0. These include:

• NCL “U”: Guests on  Norwegian Jade can experience this enhanced educational, entertainment and lifestyle programming, which includes a number of offerings throughout each cruise focused on four distinct areas: Digital Age & Technology; Destination Education; Food, Wine and Spirits; and Comedy & Humor hosted by the famed The Second City troupe. Guests can choose from a number of seminars including a variety of sessions giving tips on digital photography, a series of destination discovery overviews, mojito making, tequila tasting, French pastry making, 30-minute Italian meals, corporate world improv tips, class clowns: improv for kids and much more.
• New Themed Parties: Guests can party to the wee hours with two new themed nighttime parties: NCL’s White Hot Night and NCL’s Monte Carlo Night. Held in the Spinnaker Lounge on Norwegian Jade, the White Hot Night is the ultimate dance party set in a wonderland of white. Guests are also asked to wear white to the party and they can purchase special “white hot” shirts designed specifically for the event. NCL’s Monte Carlo Night, held in the casino, sizzles with all of the glitz and glam reminiscent of the French Riviera. It’s an evening of tantalizing entertainment unlike any other.
• Enhanced Pool Deck Experience: Guests on Norwegian Jade are treated to a number of special sailaway parties throughout the cruise. Drink flags have been added on all deck chairs with witty sayings such as “I’m unwinding. (Please don’t make me walk to the bar).” In addition, cold towels are delivered regularly throughout the day and crew members are equipped with Evian spritzers to cool off guests who need some refreshing.
• Enhanced Sports Programming: All new sports activities have been designed to make the sports deck more interactive and exciting. These activities include basketball tournaments; fitness classes such as body sculpting and stretch and relax offered outside on the sports deck; scheduled walks with the activities staff; and scheduled shuffleboard, table tennis and human-sized chess games on the sports deck.
• Expanded Kid’s Crew and More Teen Activities: Kid’s Crew hours have been expanded and now run from approximately 9:00 am through to 10:30 pm on both port and sea days. Parents have the flexibility of letting their children enjoy the Kid’s Crew during these expanded times. As part of Freestyle 2.0, table games, Nintendo Wii and Xbox video game consoles have been added to the Teen Lounge.

NCL Corporation Ltd. is the holding company for various subsidiary companies involved in owning and operating the ships of NCL.

NCL is building two new third generation Freestyle Cruising ships for delivery in 2010. NCL today has the youngest fleet in the industry, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy the flexibility of Freestyle Cruising on the newest, most contemporary ships at sea, and has recently added its latest new ship, the 2,400 passenger Norwegian Gem.

For high resolution, downloadable images, please log onto NCL’s web site at www.ncl.com/pressroom. For further information on NCL Corporation, contact in the U.S. and Canada  1(877) 325-7522.

During a ceremony today at Aker Yards in St. Nazaire, France, the keel was laid for the first of Norwegian Cruise Line’s F3 ships, the third generation and the next evolution of the company’s innovative Freestyle Cruising ships. The first block of the keel, number 5006, a double bottom block weighing 322 tons, was put into place marking the start of the overall construction of the ship.

The milestone ceremony was attended by executives from Star Cruises, Apollo Management, NCL and Aker Yards. Upholding maritime tradition, each attendee was invited to put a specially designed coin in a tube that was welded shut and placed in the keel for good luck.

“The F3 ships are our most innovative project in the company’s 41-year history and will provide a totally unique vacation experience,” said Colin Veitch, Norwegian Cruise Line’s president and CEO. “Today as we lay the keel for this groundbreaking new ship, we are one step closer to revolutionizing cruising as we know it.”

The two 150,000-ton F3 ships will each total 4,200 passenger berths, representing the largest ships in Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet.

Chairman of Star Cruises Tan Sri KT Lim added, “History is in the making today as Norwegian Cruise Line’s first F3 ship begins to take shape. We are proud to be a part of bringing this new innovative ship to fruition, one unlike any the world has seen before.”

Steve Martinez, partner at Apollo Management, noted, ” Norwegian Cruise Line already has the youngest fleet in the industry. We are excited to launch the construction of this next generation of Freestyle Cruising ship.”

The new ship design will offer 60 percent more guest space than Norwegian Cruise Line’s largest ships to date, which will be used to provide guests an even wider range of on-board activities, amenities and stateroom options. The ships’ cabin mix will be the richest of any NCL ship with 100 percent of outside staterooms featuring private balconies. In total, each ship will have 1,415 balcony staterooms.

More details about the F3 ships including other innovative accommodations, public spaces, dining, entertainment/nightlife, cutting-edge technology and casino will be announced leading up to the launch of the first F3 ship in 2010.

For the latest updates on F3 with downloadable high-resolution images of the New Wave staterooms, visit F3.ncl.com.

NCL Corporation Ltd. is the holding company for various subsidiary companies involved in owning and operating the ships of Norwegian Cruise Line.

 Norwegian Cruise Line is building two new third generation Freestyle Cruising ships for delivery in 2010. NCL today has the youngest fleet in the industry, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy the flexibility of Freestyle Cruising on the newest, most contemporary ships at sea, and has recently added its latest new ship, the 2,400 passenger Norwegian Gem.

Royal Caribbean has named conservation advocate Jamie Sweeting as its vice president of Environmental Stewardship.

In his position, which is new to the company, Sweeting will be responsible for establishing the company’s long-term environmental strategy, including goals and objectives that ensure responsible corporate environmental performance. These objectives will incorporate factors such as climate change, destination stewardship, current and future environmental regulations and agreements, and programs that lead to sound environmental policy, compliance, incident response and training.

“We are delighted to have Jamie join our team,” said Gary M. Bald, senior vice president of Safety, Security, Environment and Health for Royal Caribbean. “Jamie will further strengthen our ongoing commitment to serve as responsible stewards of the environment. He has worked with many corporations to help them become more environmentally responsible, and maximize their contributions to conservation. His expertise and experience will be invaluable to our company as we continue to work to preserve and protect the environment.”

Sweeting has more than a decade of experience in tourism, conservation and business management. Most recently, he served as senior business advisor for Conservation International’s Center for Environmental Leadership in Business. Previously, he served as the Center’s Senior Director of the Travel and Leisure program, where he helped companies realize the benefits of becoming industry leaders in conservation and community development. Earlier in his career, Sweeting worked for the Ecotourism Society and also conducted a special project on ecotourism in the Caribbean.

Sweeting received a Master of Tourism Administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and a B.A. in Leisure and Business Management from Manchester University in the United Kingdom.

Royal Caribbean is a global cruise vacation company that operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Cruises and CDF Croisières de France. The company has a combined total of 38 ships in service and seven under construction. It also offers cruisetour vacations in Alaska, Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, Latin and South America and New Zealand.

Tickets and passes on the premium high-speed Spanish train, Alta Velocidad Española (AVE train), can be booked, in North America through Rail Europe. In addition to the original high-speed line between Madrid and Seville, the new lines connect Madrid to Barcelona and other destinations. The AVE train travels at speeds of 300 km/hour (186 mph) and covers the distance of 550 km (342 miles) between Madrid and Barcelona in less than 3 hours (travel time was previously 4 hours). “It’s like traveling by train from New York City to Montreal in 3 hours” says Rail Europe’s President & CEO Frédéric Langlois. A total of 17 trains will operate daily to take passengers between Madrid and Barcelona. The high-speed AVE will influence a shift from air traffic to rail on the Madrid-Barcelona route, as Eurostar has done on the London-Paris and London-Brussels routes and France’s TGV has done on the Paris-Lyon route.

The new high-speed lines, have also reduced travel times between Madrid and Valladolid; the journey, which previously took 2h 30mins, now takes only 55 minutes. And what was a 4 hour journey from Madrid to Málaga, now takes only 2h 30mins. In addition to these shorter journey times, European t rain travel also offers the time-saving benefit of bringing the travelers right into the city center, eliminating the need for airport/city transfers.

Rail Europe offers special web-only fares on www.raileurope.com, which save travelers up to 10% over bookings made over the phone. Prices on the Eurail Spain Pass start at $216* USD/CAD. Madrid –Barcelona AVE train tickets start at $157* USD/CAD while passholder fares for this route start at $16. Rail Europe also offers city cards, which make exploring destination cities easy and affordable. The Madrid, Barcelona or Seville cards offer access to public transportation around the city and entrance to museums and attractions.

For more information or to book any of Rail Europe’s wide range of economical rail passes and point-to-point tickets on trains throughout Europe and the U.K., consult a travel agent or log on to Rail Europe’s web site, www.raileurope.com.