Fanmail Friday: November 14th Edition

Here in the first edition of “Fanmail Friday”. Today I answer questions on ship design, alcohol legalities and what you call a cruise that doesn’t stop at any ports.

What is the deal with the funnel on Carnival cruise ships?

The patented red, white and blue Carnival funnel isn’t just for decorative purposes. The “Whale tail” actually functions as a giant smoke stack. Cruise ships take an immense amount of power to operate and a byproduct of the massive engines and generators that power the cruise ship is a large amount of exhaust. The funnel functions as a gigantic exhaust pipe. You will also notice wings on the side of the funnel. These wings are designed to help the exhaust fumes flow away flow over the aft deck and away from the ship.

What is the legal drinking age on a cruise?

In order to drink on a cruise ship you must be 21 years of age. In fact, even if you are docked at a foreign port or sailing in international waters (where the drinking age may be less than 21), you still have to be 21 years old in order to drink on the ship. However, if you are on a cruise departing from a European port you may be able to follow their laws as long as your parents sign a waiver. Your best bet would be to research the alcohol and drinking policies of your individual cruise.

What is a cruise to nowhere?

If you take it literally, a cruise to nowhere would be boarding a cruise ship that never leaves the dock. Personally I don’t think that would be much fun, so thankfully that isn’t the real answer. A cruise to nowhere is actually a cruise that leaves the dock but visits no ports. The cruise will either anchor or idle far enough off shore that the casino and shops can be opened. Usually after a night, at sea it returns to the port of departure for disembarkation.

I hope you found the first edition of Fan Mail Friday useful. It was fun to interact with you guys and hopefully help you all learn a little bit more about cruising. If you have any more questions, comments or concerns feel free to email me at TIC@cruiserfaqs.com.

Related posts:

1. The Introduction of Fan Mail Friday

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