Because most cruise ship staterooms are meant to hold at least two people, booking a room by yourself often means you still have to pay higher prices. Some cruise ships have solo cabins for just one person, but mine didn’t.
When I booked my cruise, the listed rates for my ship were per person, not per room. But when switching between one and two guests in my search, the cost per person doubled when I had just one person selected. This is known as paying a “single supplement,” as it helps the cruise line make up for the revenue it would have generated from having a second person on board.
For $2,000, I got an ocean-view stateroom to myself. It would have cost about half the price per person if I had brought someone with me.
A US Navy aircraft carrier’s hard evasive turn to avoid enemy missile fire caught crewmembers off guard and sent a $60 million F/A-18 Super Hornet rolling off the deck and into the Red Sea, an investigation into the fighter jet loss revealed.
The fighter’s brakes weren’t functioning properly, investigators found, allowing the jet to slide across the deck when the carrier USS Harry S. Truman abruptly changed course during the late April action.
Poor communication, bad brakes, and a slippery surface all contributed to the loss.
A tow tractor also fell into the water alongside the expensive F/A-18 fighter jet, the second of three that the Truman lost during a monthslong Middle East combat deployment. When it went over, it nearly took sailors overboard as well.
Evading enemy fire
During their deployment, the Truman and its strike group led Navy combat operations against the Houthis, the heavily armed Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen that spent more than a year attacking key Middle East shipping lanes.
An F/A-18 fell overboard the Truman while the carrier took a hard turn.
US Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Abbigail Beardsley
On April 28, the move crew lost control of an F/A-18 under tow in the Truman’s hangar bay, a maintenance area below the flight deck, the Navy reported at the time, and both the jet and its tow tractor tumbled into the Red Sea.
Right before it fell in, a sailor jumped from the cockpit, suffering minor injuries. The Navy didn’t share information or insight into the warship’s situation at the time of the plane loss.
According to the command investigation, the fighter jet and the tractor fell overboard while the Truman was conducting evasive maneuvers to avoid an incoming medium-range ballistic missile fired by the Houthis, a detail that had been reported but not confirmed at the time.
The move crew, which was preparing the F/A-18 from Strike Fighter Squadron 136 (VFA-136), the “Knighthawks,” for planned flight operations, didn’t hear the announcement that the ship was making a hard turn and was caught unaware when the ship began to tilt.
Sailors had removed the chocks and chains to pull the F/A-18 into the hangar bay. With the brakes engaged but not actually working, there was nothing to hold the aircraft in place when the carrier heeled in an evasive turn.
The hangar bay is an area underneath the flight deck where aircraft receive maintenance.
US Navy photo
It slid backward toward the deck edge, dragging the tow tractor behind it. The crew moving the Super Hornet abandoned their posts just before the fighter jet fell into the sea.
Bad brakes
The command investigation put the blame for the incident primarily on the fighter jet’s inadequate brake engagement and the lack of communication from the Truman’s bridge to flight deck control and the hangar bay.
Leadership also said that the non-skid, a rough, high-friction coating applied to the decks of Navy ships to keep people, vehicles, and aircraft from slipping on smooth steel surfaces, was ineffective, having not been replaced since 2018.
These problems, the investigation said, cost the Navy an F/A-18, a multirole fighter made by the US aerospace giant Boeing that has been in service with the Navy for decades.
The April incident was one of four major mishaps that the Truman and its strike group suffered during their deployment.
In December, the cruiser USS Gettysburg accidentally shot down one of the Truman’s F/A-18s in what the military described as a friendly fire incident. In February, the carrier collided with a cargo ship. And in May, the ship lost its third fighter jet after a landing failure caused it to slide off the flight deck and plunge into the sea.
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I spent two days in Naples, Florida, for the first time in October.
I was surprised by the city’s extensive canals and waterfront mansions.
I didn’t expect the local airport to be so luxurious, and I was amazed by the crystal-blue waters.
When the temperatures dropped below 50 degrees Fahrenheit this October in New York, I was jonesing for one last taste of summer.
So I headed to the southern part of Florida, where the sun beams down on white-sand beaches and crystal-blue waters.
During my five-day trip, I spent two nights in Naples, a city known for its luxury lifestyle. In just 48 hours, I was surprised six times.
From the airplane window, the canals running through Naples, Florida, reminded me of Europe.
A view of Naples from a plane. Joey Hadden/Business Insider
I took a private plane from West Palm Beach to Naples. The coastal view from above amazed me, but the most surprising part was inland.
Hundreds of miles of canals run through Naples and the surrounding areas. It reminded me of trips I’ve taken to European cities like Venice, Italy, and Amsterdam.
I landed at the most luxurious airport I’ve ever seen.
The exterior of Naples Municipal Airport. Joey Hadden/Business Insider
If I’d flown commercial, I never would have seen Naples Municipal Airport. Used for private jets and charter flights, the general aviation airport has no gates or TSA checkpoints. I spotted signs of luxury the moment I exited the plane. The exterior was thoughtfully landscaped, and I noticed a valet stand by the entrance.
I thought the inside looked more like a high-end airport lounge than a terminal. Whimsical light fixtures dangled from the ceiling, there were couches in lieu of chairs, and the bathroom had a midcentury modern look.
I didn’t expect to find two Ritz-Carlton hotels within a five-mile radius.
The Ritz-Carlton, Naples (left) and the Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón (right). Joey Hadden/Business Insider
I spent both nights in Naples at the Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, which is primarily a golf resort. But before my arrival, I had no idea that there was a Ritz-Carlton beach resort five miles west on the coast (called the Ritz-Carlton, Naples).
Even more surprising, I had access to both hotels throughout my stay.
It felt like a bonus to be able to experience the various amenities at each hotel. At the Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, I floated through the lazy river by the pool. At the Ritz-Carlton, Naples, I lounged on the beach.
I assumed Naples would have waterfront homes, but I was shocked by the sheer volume of mansions lining the shores and canals.
Mansions line the canals in Naples. Joey Hadden/Business Insider
During a boat tour of Naples, I got stellar views of these estates that backed up into the water.
Architectural styles ranged from coastal cottage and British West Indies to contemporary and Mediterranean revival.
Unlike New York, the downtown area was right next to the beach.
A road leads to the beach. Joey Hadden/Business Insider
We have ocean beaches in New York on the coastlines of the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn — a trek from the bustling streets of downtown Manhattan.
So when I was walking down Fifth Avenue in Naples, past the strips of shops and restaurants, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the street led straight to the ocean.
The ocean water was so strikingly blue.
The coast of Naples. Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Standing in the sand and facing the water, the ocean looked noticeably clearer and bluer than it does in New York. When I ran into the waves and ducked my head beneath the surface, I felt as if I were somewhere in the Caribbean.
