By Austin Gambino, The Cruise Web, Inc.

Cruise Web employees grabbed their mitts and caps on August 23 for a company trip to the Bowie Baysox game at Prince George’s Stadium.  The Baysox are a class-AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles major league baseball team.  The outing was even sweeter, or should I say more savory, for The Cruise Web employees because it began with an all-you-can-eat barbecue social, which included pulled pork, burgers, dogs, and some delicious sides like pasta salad. [Read more →]

By The Cruise Web, Inc.

This month, some of The Cruise Web consultants and staff got a chance to play with Ray Lewis, the famed Baltimore Ravens linebacker, at his annual fundraising event:  Ray’s Summer Days. The event is actually a weekend’s worth of fun activities that help raise money for the Ray Lewis Family Foundation, which seeks to provide personal and economic assistance to disadvantaged youth in Baltimore. [Read more →]

A compilation from The Cruise Web employees.

Does the Holiday Season stress you out and leave you feeling beyond exhausted when it’s all over? Well, a few lucky Cruise Web employees were able to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and set sail on a cruise vacation. While the rest of the office was tired and cold from the holiday, these employees came back relaxed and well-rested. They were able to share the joys of traveling during the holiday season. I wouldn’t be surprised if next year a few more employees escape during the holidays for some rest and relaxation!

Brandon B.
I came home from my cruise on Regent’s Seven Seas Voyager feeling one thing, relaxed! The seven-night itinerary took me to Mexico, Belize and Guatemala, areas rich in their Mayan roots.  I did manage some site-seeing, but spent a majority of this cruise enjoying Regent’s luxurious, all-inclusvie atmosphere.  If you need a quick getaway to recharge your batteries, this is the cruise for you!

Rashell O.
Cruising is always a great way to travel, especially over the holidays. This Thanksgiving I decided to throw out my apron and my shopping list and instead sail away on a relaxing cruise with my good friend. What a wonderful trip – four ports, great food, championship gambling and free movies! What more could I ask for? [Read more →]

By: The Cruise Web, Inc.

While the holidays are a good time to count our blessings and reflect on the past year, it’s important to remember those that may not have been so fortunate. Keeping that in mind this holiday season, The Cruise Web decided to reach out to Bright Beginnings, a local child development center in Washington, DC, and offer a little holiday spirit.  After establishing a company goal for donations, it was exciting to watch our company pull together for a better cause. Altogether, our employee donations, which were matched by The Cruise Web, exceeded our original goal! We used the donations to buy clothing, toys, shoes, diapers, and other much-needed items for Bright Beginnings, their children and families. [Read more →]

By The Cruise Web, Inc.

While the Olympics and cruising may seem completely opposite at first glance, a closer look reveals the two are quite similar.  Both the Olympics and cruising celebrate the world and its many people and cultures. The Olympics celebrate the world by bringing people across the globe together to showcase the skill of highly trained athletes. Cruising celebrates the world by taking a group of people and introducing them to different nations and cultures across the globe.

With this in mind, it is easy to see how the two completely different events share the commonality of celebrating the world.  And what’s more is that it is easy to combine the two into one incredible vacation!  While you may not actually cruise during an ongoing Olympics, you can visit many of the cities that hosted previous Olympics and even visit the birthplace of the Olympics themselves. [Read more →]

A compilation from The Cruise Web employees.

Near the end of every year, people reflect on the year that has passed and start to plan for the New Year ahead.  And one of the many ways people begin their plans is with a New Year’s Resolution. Sometimes the resolution is a summary of all the things someone wishes to accomplish in the coming years, and others are simple phrases or statements that help people stay focused on their new or continuing goals. While not every person practices making New Year’s resolutions, below is a collection of some of The Cruise Web’s employees who do.

Adam W., Cruise Consultant
Spend as much time as I can cruising.  I’d like to spend as much of my vacation time as possible on the water. Where will I cruise? That’s half the fun–planning where to go next!

Raquel G., Cruise Consultant
My resolution is to finally take my Commodore cruise with Cunard; I would really like to do the Transatlantic Crossing on the QMII or QV! [Read more →]

By Jennifer Crivelli, Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

Two of my favorite places to shop when I cruise are the Caribbean and Mexican Riviera. In addition to the warm sun and sandy beaches, I love the great shopping opportunities that are in each destination. So, what is there to buy in the Caribbean and Mexican Riviera? It all depends on where your cruise takes you.

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands and St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles
These two Eastern Caribbean destinations are a Mecca for jewelry shopping. Whether you are looking for diamonds, precious gem stones, or watches – there is a wide variety of stores in each of these ports-of-call that will vie for your business.  Also, check out the following jewelry stores for unique items, found only in the Caribbean: St. Thomas – Bernard K. Passman, home to hand carved black coral jewelry; and in St. Maarten – Majesty Jewelers, home to the Kabana Collection, gorgeously inset mother of pearl. [Read more →]

Collected from the experiences of The Cruise Web employees.

There is something exciting about shopping while traveling. It is the physical act of being able to take a piece of the places you have visited with you.  This, of course, is a popular activity while cruising because your purchases turn into a physical map of the many ports and countries that you have visited along the way. 

Below is a great variety of ports, shops, cities, countries and vendors our cruise consultants have discovered to help you the next time you “make” your map.

Linda I., Senior Cruise Consultant
Silver Exposure, Cabo San Lucas.  There is a very unique silver jewelry here and it is designed by locals.  VERY reasonable prices and if you pay cash it’s an additional 10% off.  I definitely helped her out.

John T., Senior Cruise Consultant
Whenever we go to the Caribbean, in any port you can find bottles of Vanilla.  Eastern, Western, Southern… they all have it and it is very good.  The bottles are usually decorated with a Caribbean theme specific to the country in which it was bought.  My wife has them displayed on our counter top.  She uses them for various recipes and they come out GREAT!!!

 Carol T., Cruise Consultant
My shopping treasures are rarely found in a store or shop.  I like picking up small paintings, sketches, and various other forms of artwork directly from artisans I encounter in nearly every port on every cruise itinerary.

Look for these folks in easily accessible public spaces or on sidewalks near prominent attractions.  Outside of the [Read more →]

A compilation provided by our employees and “Current” readers

“For my birthday last year my mom sent me bark.  Not really sure why.  She said it made her think of me.  I don’t remember if it was special bark in some way ( I know it wasn’t petrified), but I do remember that it was, in fact, bark.”
- Danielle T., Senior Operations Coordinator

“For my wedding last summer, someone gave me a Santa Claus christmas tree topper.  It’s huge, it has white fluff all over it, and is currently in a closet next to my water heater. ”
- Mike H., Sales Manager

Do you have something worse?

By: The Cruise Web, Inc.

Royal Caribbean graciously offered myself and two of my colleagues three staterooms for their Seminar-at-Sea aboard Navigator of the Seas last month. Tina Colicchio, Clay Hawley and myself, headed out and I had a wonderful time on this sailing from Barcelona to Rome. The cruise featured the perfect mix of Spain (3 ports), France (2 ports) and Italy (2 ports).  After flying in early to Barcelona we were able to drop our luggage off on the ship and spend some time in the city. Barcelona highlights include her 1992 Olympic stadium, Picasso & Dali Museums, and Gaudi architecture that graces the city. We did some shopping in the Las Ramblas area downtown and were of course amused by the street mimes. There’s also a Joan Miro circular tile mosaic that is an absolute must-see. Sailing on to Spain we visited Valencia including a bus tour through the castle and palm-lined Explanada de España. Our final Spanish port was Palma De Mallorca. We did a great wine tour that offered intoxicating samples of their reds & whites as well as olive oil. We learned how actor & Palma resident Michael Douglas created his foundation to promoting and preserving the wild beauty of Mallorca’s Moorish North Coast.

On to France and Marseilles including a train tour up to breathtaking coastal views from the Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde. Then in Villefranche we did a “Scenic French Riviera” excursion that encompassed Monaco & Monte Carlo (the legend says its still haunted by Princess Grace) as well as Nice and Cannes. If one feels lucky (or like James Bond) they could gamble in the fabled Monte Carlo casino.

Italy was perhaps most memorable of all. From the port of Livorno we caught the train to Florence and strolled through cathedrals and even saw Michelangelo’s David Galleria dell’Accademia. We spent an extra night in Rome and learned all we could from our delightful tour guide named Fabrizio. He and his staff offer not only transfers from the Civitavecchia port to the airport or center of Rome, but also in-depth tours. The highlights for me were the Colosseum and Pantheon.  My coworkers enjoyed St. Paul’s & St. Peter’s Cathedrals so much they talked about them all night. We missed out on the Sistine Chapel (closed on Sundays, so keep this in mind for future Rome scheduling!).  All of this makes me think of my childhood, where Virginia’s colonial history was extolled to me daily….  I’ll tell you what, Virginia’s history pales in comparison to Rome with her edifices standing for millennia.

We lucked out with clear skies, sunny but not too hot temps throughout. Our entertaining Navigator of the Seas waiter Bogdan was the best I’ve encountered at sea in ten cruises. The business aspect of the seminar included workshops during the two port days where we got the scoop on Royal Caribbean’s itinerary and fleet plans including the amazing new Oasis of the Seas debuting in November.

Yup, it’s a tough job but someone’s gotta do it.

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