Daily Archives: April 2, 2017

PHOTO: Passengers can earn rewards at the casino onboard the Norwegian Jewel and 23 other vessels. (Photo via Flickr/Christian Cordova)

If you like to mix your high-seas adventures with a little casino action, theres good news afloat.

Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings Ltd. is launching a refreshed Casinos at Sea rewards program, which will allow passengers to earn status at all casinos on NCL, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas vessels.

We are glad to relaunch the Casinos At Sea program, making it the first multi-branded casino rewards program at sea, said Jim Abbas, Senior Vice President of Casino Operations, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. Casinos At Sea members can now play aboard all 24 ships under the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, offering an expansive range of innovative onboard amenities, worldwide itineraries, exquisite onboard dining and unrivaled luxury. No matter which ship they sail with, members will be recognized, and earn points and rewards as they play.

The rewards program is valid at all 24 casinos on board the three liners, which jointly offer more than 4,000 games. Points can be earned on slots as well as table games and can be redeemed for such benefits as stateroom discounts, free casino play, free casino drinks, onboard credits and more.

To join, guests need simply register for a complimentary Players Card at the Players Club desk. Progress towards elite status levels will be tracked through collective participation at all Norwegian, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas casinos over a one-year period starting April 1, 2017.

Points earned on table games will vary depending on game type, amount of bet and length of play, but reel and video slots will earn 1 point for every $5 coin-in and video poker will earn 1 point for every $10 coin-in. The points accumulate towards status levels such as Jade (no minimums), Pearl (5,000 points), Sapphire (15,000 points), Ruby (35,000) and Elite (100,000). Each status level features progressively greater rewards, including free shore excursions for two people (valued at $300 per person) or airport transfers for Elite members.

For more information on the Casinos at Sea program, visitwww.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/casino-cruise.

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High Stakes for High-Seas Gaming - TravelPulse

Patti Nickell, Lexington Herald-Leader Published 5:55 p.m. ET April 1, 2017 | Updated 14 hours ago

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Oceania's Marina in port in Key West, Florida. (Oceania) (Photo: Oceania, TNS)

If there is one thing almost as certain as death and taxes, it's that a passenger on a cruise ship will never go hungry. I remember my first cruise where breakfast was followed by a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner and finally, if we were still in need of sustenance, a midnight buffet.

Fast forward a number of years, and here on Oceania's Marina, things haven't changed much, except that now, in addition to being a consumer of food, I am also a preparer of same. While other cruisers are lounging around the pool sipping Bahama Mamas and making like extras on "The Love Boat," 20 of us, nattily decked out in starched white aprons, are at our stations in the ship's state-of-the-art Culinary Center.

Related: Oprah plans cruise in Alaska in Holland America partnership Related: A cruise ship that says 'Wow!'

Our two-person teams are whipping up a feast of Scaloppine Al Limone, Lemon Basil Risotto and Drunken Limoncello Cake. The class, under the direction of Executive Chef Kathryn Kelly, has been tagged, for obvious reasons, "Love of Lemons."

Kelly, who in her former life was an epidemiologist, spends nine months of the year aboard Oceania ships designing their cooking classes and accompanying culinary tours. If you're thinking that this is a bit food-centric even for a cruise ship, consider this: restaurants on Oceania's six ships are under the direction of famed chef Jacques Pepin, and they are the only ones on the seven seas thathave the services of two rotating French master chefs.

The Marina alone has 140 cooks onboard, providing the highest ratio of culinary professionals to passengers. These ambitious offerings allow Oceania to proudly proclaim it has "the finest cuisine at sea."

While I thought my scaloppini, risotto and limoncello cake turned out pretty darn well, thank you, it was the meals I enjoyed courtesy of this talented culinary team that set the bar so high an NBA center could easily limbo under it.

In addition to the usual formal dining room (the Grand Dining Room on the Marina) and the more casual offerings (Terrace Cafe and Waves Grill), there are four specialty restaurants Polo Grill, Toscana, Jacques and Red Ginger (all require a reservation, so it's best to do it when you book or immediately once you get on board).

My dining odyssey began the first night in the Polo Grill. With its dark wood furnishings and burgundy leather high-backed chairs, it is the embodiment of a traditional steakhouse. My filet mignon proved to be one of the tenderest cuts of beef I've ever had, and I also loved the beet root and goat cheese terrine starter. Along with prime cuts of beef, the Polo Grill has an impressive list of Scotch whiskies, although I wished their bourbon list had been equally impressive.

Toscana, my dining destination the second night, takes one on a culinary tour of Tuscany and regions in the north of Italy. My entree, Fra Diavolo, a lobster tail broiled with herbs and spices and served over fresh Tagliolini pasta, was perfection, and the Italian wine steward chose just the right vintages to go with it.

I was equally impressed with their olive oil menu, offering 13 selections, and with the custom-designed Versace china that the meal was served on. After Italy came France in the form of Pepin's namesake restaurant, Jacques. While the decor is enhanced by antiques and art from the chef's personal collection, the greatest artistry comes from the Gallic menu.

I started with a pea vichyssoise; moved on to a Dover sole, lightly laced with lemon and caper butter, and ended with a lavender crme brle. As difficult as it was to decide, I think my favorite meal was at the Asian restaurant Red Ginger, where I had lunch and dinner. The decor is an exercise in feng shui with its tranquil waterfall wall and striking modern Asian art.

The menu choices are equally harmonious. For starters, I chose the avocado lobster salad, although one of my tablemate's spicy duck and watermelon salad with cashews, mint and basil had me wishing that I ate duck. A main course of red snapper wrapped in a banana leaf and basted with lime, chili paste and green olive salt, literally melted in my mouth.

The food itself is only part of the equation on an Oceania cruise. Kelly has developed 50 culinary discovery tours designed to give passengers a deeper appreciation of the food they will be eating. Her tours range from visiting markets in Spain and Italy and a Branzino farm in Slovenia to enjoying candlelit dinners in Eze on the French Riviera.

While my itinerary which included Key West, Belize, Roatan, Honduras and Costa Maya, Mexico didn't have quite as rich a culinary tradition as Europe or Asia, one tour I thoroughly enjoyed was the Honduran Farm and Ocean to Table Experience on the island of Roatan. We began with a visit to the island's botanical gardens, the 164-acre Blue Harbor Arboretum, which is home to a hydroponic farm supplying a variety of lettuces and herbs to the locals.

Next, we took a boat to Big French Cay (in case you're wondering, there's also a Little French Cay) for an al fresco cooking demonstration and lunch courtesy of Chef Samuel, whose megawatt smile and coconut shrimp were the highlight of the day. Back on the ship, a final culinary experience was the daily afternoon tea, an extravaganza that would have done justice to the crowned heads of Europe.

To the backdrop of a string quartet, we delicately sipped tea and selected from an assortment of finger sandwiches, scones, cookies and cakes. Of course, the Marina and her sister ships of the Oceania line have all the necessary features of modern cruise ships: casino, entertainment, spa, bars, shops, and a variety of activities ranging from hotly contested daily trivia games and enrichment lectures to mah jong and Ping-Pong, but it's the culinary experience that sets the line apart from its competitors.

On Oceania, they espouse the philosophy put forth by renowned American food writer M.F.K. Fisher: "First we eat and then we do everything else."

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A dining odyssey on the high seas - Detroit Free Press

Photo credit: Shutterstock/High Voltage

You have been either hacked or just didnt know you have been hacked!

ByGeorge Ward

(ECDIS Ltd.) I predict that the first catastrophic maritime cyber incident will not be the result of a direct attack on a safety critical specific piece of equipment. It will be the result of an infection on a random PC, perhaps an unassuming email to a crew member, whose PC is either connected to the vessels internal super highway or he transmits the infection internally whilst it lies dormant. Crypto locker, or Ransomware software (used by thousands of hackers) are easily available to download on the dark web, neither of which may necessarily attack the equipment they infect, they can lie dormant and infect connected equipment when nobody expects. You have been warned! Watch the video link at the end of this article to see an attack on maritime equipment in real time.

Cyber-attack is the current buzzword. It is known by some as an industry killer and even as the potential cause of the next world war, but thought by others to be a myth. So where does the maritime industry stand in all of this?

In the main, but certainly not universally, the maritime industry has a dismal record in its slow and painful transition from paper and analogue methods of shipping to new innovative technologies when compared to industry rivals like aviation. But why is this and how could it affect cyber security in the maritime arena? Or have some seafarers not even evolved enough to be talking about it yet, let alone implementing new cyber procedures on board ship. We have all met `that Captain` who is nervous about `the machines on his ship`.

Whilst the maritime Industry doesnt seem to have been strategically targeted in terms of the vessels themselves, there is now plenty of talk of `accidental` or naive seafarers accepting a generic phishing email that goes on to attack their computers.

Major corporations like Google and Yahoo have release statements stating they were deliberately hacked. The question is what will be first for the maritime industry, the deliberate or strategic hacking of an individual ship, or the shipping corporation as a whole.There has been a call for cyber specialists to come and give answers to the potentially very real dangers facing the industry that could not only damage reputations, but cause disruption to trade worth billions of pounds to the industry. Not all is lost though, as long as we can move the industry forward to cope with the digital world we live in today.

Cyber Security was a hot topic in 2016 however now we are in 2017, and the seafaring community are becoming more aware of what can potentially happen. There is a real threat for cyber activists to start gaining and changing sensitive shipping data from our onboard equipment. Such as changing the vessels route to cause a grounding, gaining access to digitally controlled engine rooms and causing alarm mute whilst an engine fails or even catches fire due to a manual overload by the hacker.

With more and more companies looking for insight into how to stop attacks from occurring, the main area of concern is the lack of security awareness by both companies and employees as they have been taken aback by the swift rise in the industrys threat level from cyber security; almost non-existent just a few years ago to todays high alert. It is expected that shipping companies and independent vessels could be next on the list for major cybercrime activity as it is as yet mainly unexplored territory for hackers who are only now starting to realise its huge potential as a target. Attacks now have the capability to obtain sensitive ECDIS, AIS and GPS data, to name but a few, so it is vital that the correct procedures and processes are in place to stop the worst from happening.

The scary part; 51% of US adults suffered some kind of data security incident between December 2015 and December 2016. In 2015 there were 781 reported major company data breaches in the US alone due to cyber-attacks which combined cost companies $400 billion. These are only the reported data breaches. Sadly there is often an element of sweeping under the carpet in all industries. This total will continue to rise if the maritime industry, where the proportion of those of digital native age is far lower, do not adapt to ever changing technology and the major security threats it brings with it. Overall, the predicted cost of cyber-attacks in 2019 is estimated at a colossal $2.1 trillion.

The issue, alongside a lack of awareness by employees and users of operating systems, is the development speed of technology. This digital age of super computers, 4D printing and nano technology is like no other and is proving to be self-accelerating, i.e. one technology is put into operation while the next generation, more powerful and innovative, is being produced, thereby creating an always expanding, developing and aggressive cycle. But, due to the speed of production, this process can lead to an unstable, unsecure and untrusted platform, as it is not able to keep up with ever changing threats. After years of this development, technology companies are starting to adapt to the issue by developing and applying software updates weekly which try to manage security flaws within the software, while changes to future developments can help manage the constantly increasing cyber-crime threat; until the next global threat takes place or takes over.

Some Maritime software manufacturers have used a physical security method of locking out their systems in order to intercept physical security threats altogether, however this ironically increasing the complication of applying security software updates! This restriction can complicate a shipping companys decision to have an integrated bridge system due to issues with syncing and communication between different software manufacturers; also meaning only specialised engineers and trained software technicians are allowed to apply updates, causing additional issues. Restrictions like these could mean that your system is 80% more susceptible to cyber threats.

First off, the solution is simple; but it will cost you, which no one likes to do unless its necessary. Only some companies feel that cyber security is important enough to invest into it. Nevertheless you will watch multiple companies become complacent and unconcerned about the real threat in the water, until it becomes a reality, and the organisation comes grinding to a halt. In reality, if you spend as much on coffee as you do on cyber security measures, you will be hacked. It is alleged that almost every company in the World has already been hacked, or if not, will be soon. The Director of the FBI, James Comey had the following to say on Chinese hackers: There are two kinds of big companies in the United States. There are those whove been hacked by the Chinese and those who dont know theyve been hacked by the Chinese.

This is the world as it is and therefore we need to change with it, not be ten steps behind. First, we know the industry is struggling from sector to sector, but cyber attacks will only make it worse, so the first move is ensuring everybody is educated in cyber security awareness. Preferably starting from the top and working down so the entire seafaring community can spot a cyber-attack and know what action to take in response. Experienced educational companies exist that offer in-depth, classroom based courses in the subject of cyber security. ECDIS Ltd also offers the first maritime based cyber security awareness course with the aim of bringing the industry up to speed. Elements of all their BTM, BRM and even ECDIS courses now include cyber prevention and awareness modules.

Countless companies are missing the correct procedures when it comes to security. A robust IT security policy is highly recommended, as this allows employees and users of all IT equipment to be clear as to how company data and information should be used on IT equipment. Its not just small companies either that struggle in this war against cyber activists. Large corporations are also at major exposure risk, primarily due to not having a dedicated IT and security team. It is recommended that a company appoints a cyber security chief to implement and respond to all cyber security related issues or system flaws that may be found. This is so one person has ultimate responsibility for implementing and maintaining all cyber security measures within the company thus ensuring consistency of approach. Cyber security attacks are incorrectly thought of as attacks that occur just over the internet due to the wrong security measures being taken; however lack of physical security can also be a major factor in the cause of industry changing attacks. During the twentieth century a majority of attacks occur due to people not taking the correct measures to keep our IT equipment safe, another reason why we need everyone to be aware of whats coming. It really is as easy as someone to come into your reception and ask you to print off a copy of their CV from a USB stick, which is actually infected with multiple viruses, this could ultimately allow someone else complete control of your businesses entire network and therefore most likely, thereby destroying it.

In summary, cyber security isnt an issue we can ignore, it may not be heard of yet as giving direct threats towards our vessels but this will come in time when noticed by any cybercrime activists who either want to damage the industry or cause major damage to infrastructure or even human life. It can be averted. Many, if not all, shipping companies have some form of internal networked server that allows for all of their computers to communicate and send and save files between them, and therefore also connect to the internet, so with the improper procedures in place it could be easy for anyone keen to infect an auxiliary piece of equipment that connects to the primary. Think of the random software updates that happen every day, for example to an engine room sensor test, or to the bridges digital anemometer that may appear non safety critical, but they are connected to safety critical systems. We often concentrate and develop robust procedures purely for the few safety critical pieces of equipment, but the attack will take place on a tertiary system that is connected to it.

Watch the following YouTube clip to see a live attack on standard maritime equipment:

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Watch: Impressive High Seas Evacuation from Tall Ship - GCaptain

Craig When packing for a pleasure cruise, one Craig woman never expected her Bonfils Blood Center donor ID card would help her help save a life on the open seas.

I was on a cruise from New Zealand to Australia in February, said Mary Morris, of Craig.

The ship was still a day out of Tasmania when the captain announced a medical emergency and asked passengers with O-positive blood to consider helping.

I finished supper and cruised on down to see if they needed me, Morris said.

She joined several potential blood donors in the ship's medical center where medical staff selected her to donate.

"Others who responded did not have donor cards and doctors were relieved to see mine," Morris said.

Morris is a regular donor and promoter of Bonfils, and like all Bonfils donors, she received her donor ID card following her second blood donation.

Its something that nearly everyone can do. Many who could just havent. Its really no big deal to donate. It just takes a little time, Morris said.

After her ship board donation, the captain sent chocolates and wine to Mary's cabin along with a note stating, I would like to offer my heartfelt thank you for your kindness.

In Tasmania, the captain announced that the patient was doing well and had been taken to a hospital.

"The most rewarding experience was, after all these years, the firsthand reality of knowing that donating blood really can help save a life, a warm memory I cherish from this trip," Morris said.

In 2016, more than 142,000 blood donations from 67,000 people were made in Colorado to Bonfils blood centers.

Every blood donation has the potential to save up to three lives, said Liz Lambert, marketing and communications specialist for Bonfils Blood Center. April is National Donate Life Month that honors and celebrates organ, eye, tissue, blood and marrow donors for their commitment to saving lives.

She hopes more people will consider saving a life by donating blood.

The next Craig community blood drive is from 12:30 to 6 p.m. April 11 in the pavilion at the Moffat County Fairgrounds.

To make an appointment for the April 11 blood drive visit: donors.bonfils.org and enter the site code 0183.

Contact Sasha Nelson at 970-875-1794 or snelson@CraigDailyPress.com or follow her on Twitter @CDP_Education.

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Helping save a life on the high seas warmed the heart of one Craig woman - Craig Daily Press