It’s hard to believe, but 2017 is already half-over. Here’s a look at the top news stories so far that have garnered the most attention from you, our readers.
European Union Votes to Rescind Visa-Free Travel From U.S. Before Summer
In March a long-running dispute over visa reciprocity made headlines when the European Parliament voted to rescind visa-free travel from the United States before this summer. A principle of the European Union’s (EU) common visa policy, visa reciprocity requires countries whose citizens can travel visa-free to the EU to also allow visa-free travel from all EU member nations. At the time of the vote the U.S. did not allow visa-free travel for citizens from Poland, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria, all of which are EU members. Fortunately, in May the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, decided against the measure.
Man Reportedly Jumps Overboard From Carnival Liberty During Honeymoon
In cruise news, an unfortunate incident in April made headlines when a man reportedly jumped overboard from Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Liberty during his honeymoon while the ship was sailing between Port Canaveral and the Bahamas. Cruise from the cruise ship and Coast Guard scoured the area for more than 29 hours before suspending the search.
Carnival Splendor Is Sailing on Revised Itinerary to the Bahamas
In other cruise news, Carnival Splendor was forced to sail a revised itinerary to the Bahamas in March after propulsion issues forced the line to cancel port calls at St. Thomas and Amber Cove. Guests on the voyage received a 50 percent refund and a 50 percent credit toward a future cruise, as well as a $100 per person shipboard credit. A second, seven-day cruise also sailed a modified itinerary.
Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting Kills Four Cruise Ship Passengers
In January, four cruise passengers were among those killed at the tragic shooting in Fort Lauderdale Airport at a crowded baggage claim area. Among those killed was Terry Andres, who had flown to Florida to board a cruise ship with his wife Anne, who was a travel agent. Michael Oehme was shot and killed while his wife, Kari, was injured; the two had also been preparing to board a cruise ship. The last person killed, great grandmother Olga Wattering, was also getting ready to board a cruise with her husband.
Royal Caribbean Drops Shorts From Casual Nights in Latest Travel Dress Scuffle
In April Royal Caribbean briefly added shorts to its suggested dress code for guests in the main dining room on casual nights, before dropping them again. The change was notable because it came at a time when travel dress was in the news, as United Airlines had just kicked off a brief social media controversy when it denied boarding to two young girls, who were traveling on a non-revenue ticket, because they were wearing leggings. (This was before United Airlines kicked off a much larger social media controversy when a Facebook Live video showed a passenger being dragged from an overbooked flight so employees could fly.)
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