Winnipeg Free Press Newspaper Archives Jul 11 2015, Page 111

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 11, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE F4 F 4 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2015 TRAVEL winnipegfreepress. com 204 262.6000 1 800 222.4357 caamanitoba. com/ travel See Europe for Less European Traveller ( 10 days) Take in the world’s most romantic cities on this trip across Europe, and visit Paris, Rome and more! Spain, Morocco and Portugal ( 16 days) Discover ornate palaces, spice markets and the warmth of the Mediterranean sun. From $ 2,345 ** From $ 2,798 ** Save on guided motorcoach tours through Europe this year with Trafalgar’s 7.5% early payment discount.* Save up to $ 1,290 per couple Call CAA Travel to book today! Winnipeg: 2211 McPhillips St., 501 St. Anne’s Rd., 870 Empress St. Brandon: 204 571.4100 Altona: 204 324.8474 * Offer valid until August 31, 2015. Early Payment Discount savings will vary by itinerary and are not valid on all vacations and/ or departure dates ( blackout dates may apply). Other conditions apply. Contact CAA Travel for full details.** Prices shown are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discount. Other conditions may apply. Contact CAA Travel for full details. av e l M ALIBU, Calif. — It may be called Billionaires’ Beach, but the pristine views along one of Malibu’s most exclusive coastlines are now easily accessible to anyone. After a decade- long legal fight that pitted public access advocates against a wealthy homeowner who refused to build a path, the California Coastal Commission is officially opening a third walkway along the 2.5 kilometre Carbon Beach on Tuesday. “ It’s an amazing stretch of coast that should be open to everyone,” said Charles Lester, the commission’s executive director. Carbon Beach is renowned for its majestic shoreline and high net- worth celebrities and homeowners. Heavyhitters include Larry Ellison, former chief executive of Oracle Corp.; Hard Rock Cafe co- founder Peter Morton; and entertainment mogul David Geffen. Geffen spent years fighting against public access before opening up a path promised in 1983 in exchange for a remodeling permit. At the time, it was one of about 1,300 promised walkways, though many never opened. State law guarantees the public beach access up to the mean high tide line. But in areas like Malibu, many affluent and influential residents have taken extensive measures to keep beach goers out of their sandy backyards. The lengthy legal quarrel over Carbon Beach access dates to the 1980s. The Coastal Commission issued Lisette and Norman Ackerberg building permits in exchange for providing a public path beside their house. The Ackerbergs put up various impediments, including a three- metre high wall, large boulders and a tennis court to resist building an easement. In 2009, Lisette Ackerberg, whose husband died in 2004, sued the commission to overturn its order opening a public pathway. California’s 2nd District Court of Appeals ruled in favour of the agency. In 2013, the commission approved a settlement requiring Ackerberg to pay $ 1.1 million in fines. Some of the money will go to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority to operate and maintain the pathway and reimburse the attorney general’s office for legal fees. Ackerberg said she and her husband considered themselves advocates for both the environment and people with disabilities. She offered to build a wheelchair- accessible path to address the lack of accommodation for the disabled. “ If this battle brings ADA ( Americans with Disabilities Act) access to other accessways, that is progress and a worthy endeavour,” Ackerberg wrote in an email. Graham Hamilton, chairman of the West LA/ Malibu chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, said he is pleased with the opening, but he also acknowledged the remaining challenges ahead. “ It’s a small victory in a very large battle,” Hamilton said. “ We hope that any development that is going to take place in the future remembers the citizens’ rights under the California Coastal Act and state constitution, which allow public access to coastal lines.” The Carbon Beach West pathway, as it’s officially known, will be open between sunrise and sunset. The commission plans to open at least 18 additional paths in Malibu. — The Associated Press The California Coastal Commission officially opened a third public path to Carbon Beach on Tuesday, allowing the public access to the backyards of oceanside mansions. Public path to Billionaires’ Beach finally open By Linda S. Zhang NICK UT / AP PHOTO T HE world’s largest cruise company could be heading to Cuba. Starting in May, Carnival Corp. plans to offer trips from Miami to the Caribbean island nation, the company announced Tuesday. Carnival says it would become the first American cruise company to visit Cuba since the 1960 trade embargo. The trips will be through its new brand, fathom, which focuses on trips where passengers sail to a destination in order to volunteer there. CEO Arnold Donald called the Cuba plans “ an important first step” for his company and for the cruise industry. “ We’re certain this is the tip of the iceberg in what’s going to come in the years to come,” Donald told The Associated Press. The weeklong cruises will be aboard the Adonia, which carries 710 passengers. The ship is relatively small for the industry; ships sailing under the company’s namesake line carry nearly 3,000 passengers. Adonia won’t have a casino or Broadway shows. And guests shouldn’t expect to spend their time in Cuba snorkeling or riding Jet Skis. Each day, under U. S. regulations governing Cuba visits, they will have to spend at least eight hours involved in some type of cultural experience. Donald notes that the Adonia’s small size allows the ship into Cuban ports that aren’t ready to accommodate larger vessels. Carnival is expecting high demand for the voyages and has priced them accordingly. Prices start at US$ 2,990 per person plus taxes and port fees ( all figures in U. S. dollars.) A similar serviceoriented trip on the same ship to the Dominican Republic starts at $ 1,540 per person. The itinerary is still being finalized as Carnival waits for approval from the Cuban government. The ship is expected to visit several ports and passengers will sleep on- board each night. Cuba is still closed for general tourism for Americans, although as relations thaw between the two countries visitors have fewer hurdles to overcome. Americans can’t just vacation in Cuba but must go there as part of an approved cultural or humanitarian trip, unless they have family on the island. Carnival’s license comes as part of recent approvals for six passenger vessels from the Treasury Department. The government would not name the companies who received these licenses or what their specific line of business is. They could be ferries, yacht charters or cruises. Of those six, four of them are authorized to allow passengers and crew to spend the night aboard, even when docked in a Cuban port. Other major cruise lines did not immediately respond to inquiries about their efforts to sail to Cuba. The vessels are not allowed to stop at other counties, so don’t expect Cuba to become one of four or five stops on a typical Caribbean cruise anytime soon. Carnival isn’t the first cruise company to sail to Cuba. A handful of foreign cruises do come to the island. In 2013, Canadian company Cuba Cruise, in partnership with Greece’s Celestyal Cruises, launched cruises from Jamaica to Cuba, making six ports of call including Havana and Santiago de Cuba. Trips start at about $ 850. Tourism, a $ 2.6 billion- plus industry, is one of the main engines that has kept Cuba’s economy sputtering along. Last year, the country welcomed a record 3 million visitors. About 600,000 U. S. travellers are estimated to visit Cuba each year. Cuban officials estimate that 1.5 million Americans would travel to the island annually if all restrictions were removed, supplanting Canada as the No. 1 source of tourism and potentially adding some $ 2 billion a year to state coffers. There are many challenges ahead for the country as it opens up to U. S. visitors. There isn’t yet enough infrastructure to handle the demand. But major travel companies including Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, Hilton Worldwide and Marriott International have been closely eyeing developments there. JetBlue, which has run charter flights from Florida to Cuba for years, just launched a new nonstop flight from New York. It is only open to travellers who are approved to visit Cuba. American Airlines and Sun Country Airlines also offer charters. — The Canadian Press Carnival aims to offer Cuba cruise By Scott Mayerowitz Carnival plans to offer trips from Miami to Cuba through its new brand, fathom, which focuses on trips where passengers sail to a destination in order to volunteer there. CARNIVAL / AP PHOTO F_ 04_ Jul- 11- 15_ FT_ 01. indd F4 7/ 10/ 15 12: 30: 01 PM