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Tech NewsCDC Says ‘Test Cruises’ Can Start With Volunteer Passengers to Prove They’re Covid Safe
The U.S.-based cruise ship industry will need to prove it can operate safely with test cruises and volunteer passengers before normal operations can begin, the Centers for Disease Control said in a statement on Wednesday. All cruise volunteers will need to be fully vaccinated and must agree to be tested for covid-19 three to five … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsFlowbee Haircuts, Abominable Cruises and Self-Driving Telescopes: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week
Yes, dear readers, another week has gone by. I’m just as amazed as you are. Although time has just about thrown me for a loop, I’ve been taking comfort in checking out what my favorite cats on Instagram are up to. It’s soothing to see them sleep the days away and play with their toys … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsCruise Ship Previously Rejected by Five Countries Over Virus Fears Will Finally Be Allowed to Dock
The Westerdam cruise ship will be allowed to dock in Cambodia, according to a new statement from Holland America Line. The ship had previously been refused entry by five countries over concerns that passengers might have been infected with the new coronavirus that has killed 1,116 and sickened over 45,000 worldwide. “Westerdam is now sailing … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsCruise Ship Denied Entry by Multiple Countries Over Coronavirus Fears Despite Having No Cases
The government of Thailand has denied a Dutch-based cruise ship entry to its ports over coronavirus fears, despite the fact that no one on board has any signs of the illness that has killed at least 1,018 people and sickened over 43,000 globally. The cruise ship, identified as the MS Westerdam, has previously been denied … Continued
By Matt Novak -
io9Avenue 5 Contains All the Absurd Chaos We Hope to Never Encounter in Deep Space
One of sci-fi’s go-to plots is “disaster in the depths of space,” where a catastrophe endangers the mission and, ultimately, human lives. HBO’s new series Avenue 5 takes that well-worn idea and dunks it into a mix of biting wit, cruise-ship cheese, and unlikable characters you somehow can’t get enough of. The comedy style that … Continued
By Cheryl Eddy -
Tech NewsCoronavirus Cases on Cruise Ship Skyrocket as China Records Highest Single-Day Death Toll
The number of coronavirus cases on a cruise ship currently docked in Yokohama, Japan has dramatically risen by 65, bringing the total number of cases linked to the passenger vessel to 135, according to Japan’s NHK News. The startling figure was announced Monday as the worldwide death toll from the novel coronavirus reached 910, and … Continued
By Matt Novak -
io9MoviesWe Finally Have More Details on That Star Wars Hotel That’s Not Really a Hotel at All
For two years fans have been wondering what a Star Wars hotel would be like. Well, it turns out, it’s not a hotel at all. Earlier this week, we reported that this immersive experience will be called Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. And Sunday in the Disney Parks panel at the D23 Expo, we learned much … Continued
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Tech NewsCarnival Cruises to Pay $40 Million Fine for Secretly Dumping Shit Water Since 2005
Cruises are like floating piles of shit and piss that you pay to ride for a week. But sometimes cruises need to release a bit of that shit and piss so that the ship doesn’t sink. Dumping of bilge water is tightly regulated when cruises are near populated areas. But Princess Cruises, owned by Carnival … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsThe Next Obscenely Monstrous Cruise Ship Will Have an Entire Race Track On It
The arms race that is mega cruise ship design ticks one minute closer to midnight on the doomsday clock of obscenity as Norwegian Cruise Lines has revealed its next luxury ship will include the world’s first two-level floating race track. Set to debut in 2017 on a China-based route that sails from Beijing and Shanghai, … Continued
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Tech NewsStop Going on Cruises
Cruise ships are even worse than you think. ProPublica recently published a very alarming and downright dark interactive feature about health and safety on cruises. I’ll come right out and say it: Stop going on cruises. Don’t cruise. Don’t do it. As ProPublica’s Lena Groeger reports, “Almost every year, a child drowns in a cruise … Continued
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Tech News
These Mega-Cruise Ships Look Like Small Cities From the Air
The stacks and stacks of cabin windows make today’s ocean liners look gargantuan enough from the shore. But the view from directly above gigantic cruise ships is even more startling. Jeffrey Milstein, a former architect who specializes in photos of planes and infrastructure, recently finished a new project that focuses on cruise liners. “After 14 … Continued
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Tech News
An 86-year-old woman has been living on cruise ships for a decade
Meet Mama Lee. Mama Lee is 86-years-old, enjoys ballroom dancing, and has been a full-time resident of a cruise ship for the past ten years. It costs her about $164,000 a year, but it really sounds like she’s loving her permanent vacation. Mama Lee’s real name is Lee Wachtstetter. She’s the widow of a banker … Continued
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Tech News
Cruise ships dump a billion gallons of sewage in the ocean every year
Cruise ships are not the most environmentally friendly vacation destinations on the planet. In fact, according to the latest Cruise Ship Report Card by Friends of the Earth, they might be about the worst. These floating resorts dump over a billion gallons of sewage into the open ocean every year. In a sense, every cruise … Continued
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Tech NewsThe World’s Most Futuristic Cruise Ship Made Me Miss the Past
I woke up in a strange place. The bed felt plush, and when I rolled over onto my side, there was water, an ocean full of it. I felt slightly sick. I’d just spent my first night on the world’s most advanced cruise ship, but a billion dollars worth of technology is no match for … Continued
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Tech NewsA Look at How Royal Caribbean’s New Virtual Balconies Work
It almost sounded too crazy to be true, when Royal Caribbean announced that it would begin installing virtual balconies in windowless rooms on its latest cruise ships. Giant screens that simulate breathtaking ocean views in real time sound crazy! The travel company was not lying, though, and now they’ve got video to prove it. Royal … Continued
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Tech News
Cruise Ship Wi-Fi Just Got Ten Times Faster
If you’ve ever spent weeks at sea on a cruise, you’ll know that using the Internet is a bit like stepping back in time by a decade or more. But that’s all changing. Cruise ship operator Carnival has developed a new WiFi@Sea network for passengers aboard its vessels, and they claim that it supplies those … Continued
