Posts from — May 2009

Courtesy of Holland America

More Opportunities to Learn New Skills While Cruising

Holland America Line’s popular Digital Workshop powered by Windows is adding new workshop sessions to help guests learn social media and new digital skills. Twelve ships now will offer 11 complimentary, hour-long classes ranging from photo and video editing to displaying pictures in digital frames.

“Guests have given the workshops rave reviews since we began offering them on four ships last summer,” said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs. “We have worked closely with Microsoft to expand the scope of the program to include more ships and more workshops since our guests enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to learn new skills.”

Sessions are offered multiple times on each cruise so that guests may take the ones that interest them most, or the complete series, at their convenience. Session offerings include the following:

• Put Your Best Face Forward 1: Edit Your Cruise Photos
• Your Away-From-Home Movie: Turn Your Cruise Photos and Videos into a Movie
• Insert Photo Here: Getting Your Photos Out of the Camera and Into the Computer
• Your Fifteen Minutes of Fame: Learn to Blog About Your Cruise
• Put Your Best Face Forward 2: Advanced Editing of the Cruise Photos
• A Space to Call My Own: Signing Up for Your Own Personal Webpage
• Show and Tell: Sharing Your Cruise Photos via Email and the Internet
• Safe and Sound: PC Safety and Maintenance
• Say Cheese: Understanding the Basics of Your Digital Camera
• That’s a Print: Printing Your Cruise Photos at Home
• I’ve Been Framed: How to Set-up and Use a Digital Photo Frame

Digital Workshop powered by Windows will show even the most novice camera or computer user how to take better vacation photos, make movies and edit pictures using a variety of Microsoft Windows and Windows Live services. Guests will learn how to share all their digital memories through email, blogging and social networking – so friends and family can see where they’ve been cruising even before they return home.

Taught by Microsoft-trained “techsperts,” the workshops are limited to 15 participants per session so that instructors can provide personalized assistance. In addition, instructors maintain “techspert time,” where guests can get their individual questions answered and work on personal program-related projects. Each ship has a dedicated space for the classes, complete with computers, printers and other necessary equipment.

New classes will be added to the existing program by the end of May. Plans are under development to extend the program to ms Rotterdam and ms Prinsendam.

Courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Lines and the Port of Baltimore launched the city’s first year-round cruise schedule when the 2,124-passenger Carnival Pride sailed on its inaugural departure from Baltimore on April 27, 2009. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Azamara Cruises

Starting Summer 2009, Azamara Cruises offers its guests the convenience of pre-packaged shore excursions on select sailings in Europe. [Read more →]

By Jacques Botty, Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

Royal Caribbean and Universal Orlando have teamed up to create several fantastic combination options for a fun-filled cruise and stay at Universal Resort, Orlando! These vacation options now include a 3 to 4 night Bahamas or 7-night Caribbean cruise out of Port Canaveral along with a stay at the Universal Orlando resort.

I recently had the opportunity to experience this package and believe these package combinations have created an win-win solution to a long debated topic: Universal Orlando OR a cruise. [Read more →]

By Adam Wolf, Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

[Read more →]

By Said Durrah, Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.
 
We all already know the best way to vacation is… CRUISING. There is very little argument to that, especially on a cruise blog! However, there is one myth about cruising I hear over and over.  Let’s clear up this myth once and for all.

In my conversations with first time cruisers, I often hear that “it’s inconvenient or expensive to get to cruise departure ports!” Many first time cruisers think they have to live in Florida, California, or Alaska to get on a decent cruise.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  This is absolutely a myth … not true!  The truth is that the cruise lines are offering more and more alternatives to these traditional ports of embarkation. [Read more →]

By Michael Harris, Sales Manager, The Cruise Web.

[Read more →]

Courtesy of Princess Cruises

[Read more →]

By Andy Gustafson, Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Royal Caribbean

As you may be aware, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has downgraded its previous “Travel Alert” regarding travel to Mexico to a “Travel Health Precaution for Mexico.” We applaud this decision, and like your clients we are anxious to return to Mexico.

Royal Caribbean ships will resume their port calls in Cozumel, Mexico, beginning with sailings that depart on or after May 24, 2009. The ships that normally visit Cozumel at this time are
Freedom of the Seas®, Liberty of the Seas® and Enchantment of the Seas®.

Mariner of the Seas®, which normally visits Mexico’s west coast at this time, will continue its modified Pacific Northwest itinerary, up to and including, its June 14 sailing.

We will continue to utilize our Influenza Prevention and Response Plans, which our office of Medical and Public Health developed in coordination with the CDC and other health experts. The
plan is based on three pillars:

• Preparedness and Communication.
• Surveillance and Detection.
• Response and Containment.

Some of the proactive measures we will continue to take throughout our fleet include:

• Providing guests with H1N1 flu information from the CDC
• Screening all guests, crew members and visitors to our ships, to identify any flu-like symptoms
• Conducting enhanced sanitizing of all high-touch areas onboard
• Providing hand sanitizers throughout all ships
• Asking guests to follow the advice of medical experts regarding the best ways to help prevent the spread of flu and other illnesses – via proper and frequent hand washing, and covering the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
• And, if necessary, our onboard medical staff can isolate and treat guests or crew members who display flu-like symptoms, using the supply of anti-viral medications kept onboard all our ships

Like you, we take all health matters seriously. Should you or your clients be interested in additional information regarding the H1N1 flu, please visit the CDC website at: www.cdc.gov

We’re excited to return to Mexico, and we appreciate your understanding of our concern for your client’s health and well being.