Sea Princess has been honored by the Port of San Francisco with its annual “Cruise Ship Environmental Award.” This distinction was earned for the ship’s outstanding record in San Francisco during the 2010 season for air emissions reduction, advanced wastewater management, and recycling and disposal programs. This is the sixth year Princess Cruises has earned this prestigious accolade.
Norwegian Cruise Line has selected the winning names for its two new Freestyle Cruising® ships: Norwegian Breakaway, launching in April 2013, and Norwegian Getaway, launching in April 2014. The names were selected as the culmination of its “Norwegian’s Cruising for Names” contest held in conjunction with national newspaper USA Today.
Over the last six newsletters we have been introducing our Management Team in this column. I am Don Dean, the Director of Finance and Human Resources at The Cruise Web.
By the time you are reading this newsletter, I will be cruising on the Island Princess as part of an industry event sponsored by Princess Cruises and Cunard Line. As my wife, Sara, and I began focusing on the itinerary for the cruise, we had a conversation about the scheduled formal dining evening. Much of the conversation turned nostalgic as we reminisced about how travel has changed over the years and much of that change related to attire.
Cruising began as a means of transportation, a way to cross oceans either as wealthy persons flaunting their wealth and their couture gowns in first class, or as a poor immigrant traveling in steerage, basically traveling with the few clothes you possessed.
Times have changed since the 1920s when long gowns and tuxedos were required after 6:00pm for first class passengers. Cruising in the 21st century is all about our need to feel relaxed on vacation and to get away from the restrictions of “work” dress code. Each of the different cruise lines today offer a range of dress codes from super-casual and “country club” casual all the way to “elegant” dressing. For most cruise lines, it basically comes down to casual attire during the day, bathing suits with cover-ups in the restaurants for breakfast and lunch, and no jeans and t-shirts in the dining room at dinner. On most evenings, men will feel comfortable in nice pants and collared shirts (think Polo shirts) and ladies can get away with almost anything, including dressy Bermuda shorts, capri pants, nice slacks, sweaters, blouses, dressy tees and sundresses.
While it’s tempting to classify a cruise as strictly formal or casual, the truth is that many are a combination of each. Others are going through a transition from one end of the spectrum towards the other. This all serves to benefit cruisers as there are now plenty of cruise options suited to our varied tastes. To demonstrate this, we’ve compiled a list of our preferences for formal vs. casual cruising, along with our favorite aspects of each. No dress code required for further reading.
Like many of us, I was introduced to golf by my father and grandfather. I still play the same courses where my grandfather taught me the game 20 years ago. Some see golf as just a game. Many of us see it as a metaphor of how we live our lives. The game brings out the good in us: the honesty of keeping your own score, integrity of playing the ball how it lies, and the excitement of hitting a great shot. It also exposes our faults: the frustration of not playing well, our impatience with bad breaks, and our need for constant improvement. Like life, golf is not played perfectly. But in both, there is always another opportunity to show your best and improve.
The Cruise Web and several members of BNI Prosper Alexandria answered a call for support from Lillian Cheng, President of the Alexandria Jaycees to support the USO program, “Operation USO Care Package.” Duty called early Saturday morning on July 16th at Ft. Belvoir, VA to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Four two-sided assembly lines were in place to fill packages including camouflage bags stuffed with donated supplies and items purchased with donated funds.
On Wednesday, August 10th, The Cruise Web was treated to a barbecue by Bob Rose, Business Development Manager for Royal Caribbean International. The barbecue, which celebrated the long and prosperous relationship between The Cruise Web and Royal Caribbean, allowed all members of The Cruise Web team to enjoy a beautiful summer day.
Bob Rose arranged for Steve Kevan, Pit Master for Hi-I-Que Barbecue Catering, to bring his impressive truck-pulled barbecue pit to The Cruise Web’s parking lot. As The Cruise Web waited patiently, the smell of pulled pork, roasted chicken and potato salad filled the air around the business complex. When it came time to dig-in, no one had to be asked twice. In short time, all that remained were empty plates, full bellies and messy hands – the best evidence of a successful barbecue.
If you could play 18 holes with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose?
A golf outing is a popular and logical addition to a cruise vacation, but have you ever considered a cruise vacation built around golf? For a group of golf enthusiasts, a well-planned cruise could turn into the golfing adventure of a lifetime. For example, I recently had a group of 24 take a Caribbean cruise specifically for golf. They all came back from their trip raving with positive reviews not only for the golfing destinations but also the cruise itself. While the Caribbean has its share of beautiful courses, it’s not the only destination well-suited for golf. Read on for some of the most popular golf destinations available to cruisers.
