Boat passengers in the European Union are to see their rights enhanced in the event of delay or cancellation following a decision by the European Parliament.

The introduction of boat protection?

At present ferry passengers have the right to a refund or a space on a later sailing if their journey is disrupted. However, airline customers get more protection, such as compensation if a flight from a European airport is affected.

The new rules are designed to bring consistency to the arrangements.

From 2012 when a regular passenger boat or ferry service is cancelled or over 90 minutes late in departing, the passengers will have the right to be rerouted (in order to reach the destination earlier) or to receive back the ticket cost and not to travel (or else to return to the initial port of departure at the company’s cost).

This will not apply in the case of weather delays or other conditions outside the operator’s control.

Passengers must also be given snacks or meals, wherever possible, the EP said in a statement.

In addition, regardless of whether they choose to travel or not, the passengers will now be entitled to compensation of 25 per cent of the ticket price.

However, passengers are still unable to claim compensation for any lost time at their holiday destination. Such claims will still have to be made through travel insurance - if a policy offers sufficient cover - or a credit card provider.

This means passengers travelling by water will benefit from the same basic quality service standards wherever they travel in the European Union.

I received a call from Javier Espinoza the week before last for comment on some feedback he had on the failing popularity of longer breaks in the European travel market in general. After a quick Google , just double check that he was who he said he was, made some comments on Short Breaks’ experience of the UK short break market.

Last week it appeared and makes interesting reading - it does however make it sound as if we put on 63 extra Eurostar trains during the Ash crisis…..given the revenue they should have generated  I wish.

A year after his untimley death Michael Jackson is back in 4D form at Disneyland Paris. As predicted by those in the know  at www.dlrp.today way back in April the Francis Ford Coppola produced film ‘Captain EO ‘ has now taken the place of Honey I Shrunk the Kids in Discoveryland in the Disneyland Park.

Originally this was a staple favourite in various Disneyland Parks through the 80’s and 90’s  coinciding with the height of  Michael Jackson’s commercial success  and at the time of being made was ,on a per minute basis, the most expensive film every made at a whopping $1.76 million per sixty seconds.

Captain EO returns to Disneyland Paris

The 4D refers to the fact that as  well as the 3D screen effects there are physical effects in the actual auditorium - I won’t spoil it for you.

I wont spoil the story for you  - so worth checking out.

It looks as if Captain Eo is being rolled out relatively very quietly across the globe with Disneyland Tokyo getting it’s grand opening on the 2nd July 2010.

Usually our friends at Disneyland Paris are fairly forthcoming with info on changes to the parks but this was not the case this time and we had to request information ourselves  - maybe they do not want anything to detract from the New Generation Festival….Either way its definitley another reason to get over to Disneyland Paris this Summer  - Don’t forget the up to 40% discount offer closes for bookings on the 20th July and is selling fast……..

Whilst I may be getting a little ahead of myself , I am sure the the England Team can follow Rafael’s Nadal’s example by visiting Disneyland Paris the day after winning a major sporting event.  According to ESPN Nadal celebrated his victory at The French Open on Sunday by visiting Disneyland Paris and checking out attracions and teh charaters from Disney’s New Generation Festival.

Rafael Nadal celebrates in Disneyland Paris

Apparently he tried out Pirates of the Carribean and It’s a Small World -  fairly tame rides  - I certainly feel the England team shudl celebrate with some more robust attractions  - Spaced Mountain - Rocked and Rolled Rollercoaster or maybe a quick go on Tower of Terror - any other ideas gratefulyy received.

With the impending release of the blockbuster - the director Jon Favreau has  been waxing about the impact AC/DC had not only on his youth but also on the film itself -  in the LA Times he describes AC/DC playing Shoot To Thrill and how it influenced how he felt Iron Man should behave .

Jon Favreau Director of Iron Man and Iron Man 2

 AC/DC’s contribution of course did not extend to just the influence on the director , they have a cameo in the film  and their latest album is a part soundtrack  , including a few of their most popular hits like Back to Black and also new tracks recorded specifically for the film.

I must admit that metal did pass me by a bit but out of all the concert breaks we offer AC/DC at the Stade De France in Paris on the 18th June is way outselling all others including Muse , Green Day and Aerosmith.