There's a new cruise line in the business and its first ship just set sail on May 4. The line is Azamara and it's owned by Celebrity Cruises.
The Azarma Line is what might be considered a niche line. First of all, the ships are smaller. The Azarmar Journey accommodates just 710 guests. Its sister ship, the Azarma Quest, will enter service in October 2007.
Second, the line is going to be "deluxe," which a Celebrity spokesperson said is "between premium and luxury." In other words, upscale, but not the super-posh.
But the real reason Azamara is going to stand out is the destinations. The line plans to visit some very unusual destinations for cruise lines. While the line's official itinerary has not been published to date, Celebrity says that the line will visit more than 200 ports in 70 countries. What's more, most of these ports will be "new to cruise travelers."
Using smaller ships is going to make it possible for these vessels to go a bit more off the beaten path. Itineraries remain a bit vague at the moment, but the line promises to have a lot of Asian destinations as well as the more familiar Caribbean.
Spa services will be emphasized, including a variety on in-room treatments for suite passengers. Each ship has two specialty restaurants on-board and boasts an extensive wine cellar.
Check it out: http://www.azamarcruises.com.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Teen Advisory Board
Royal Caribbean has always had the reputation of being family friendly. Now they're launching the cruise industry's first Teen Advisory Board. The idea is that RC will now let teens participate in developing cruise activities and vacation experiences that they want.
The program is going to debut with the Libery of the Seas and then roll out across all ships in the fleet.
Some ideas that have already come up: putting musical instruments on board for ice-breaker jam sessions for kids, competitive Wii video gaming, and offering teen-only dining in the Windjammer Cafe.
RC has a 4,000 foot long Dragon's Flight zip-line on its private-destination location in Haiti. This is also going to feature big for teens, because it lets them travel over three-quarters of a mile 200 feet above a lush tropical landscape.
"Teens are more travel savvy than their parents were at their age, and they actively participate in the planning of the family vacation," remarked Alice Norsowrthy, senior VP of Marketing at RC.
The program began out of a consulting group and a research project conducted in 2006 to find out what kids ages 12 to 17 want from a cruise experience. Today, there are ten teens on the board.
RC has dedicated areas for teens only on all of its ships and was the first cruise line to introduce the concept (way back in 1992).
The program is going to debut with the Libery of the Seas and then roll out across all ships in the fleet.
Some ideas that have already come up: putting musical instruments on board for ice-breaker jam sessions for kids, competitive Wii video gaming, and offering teen-only dining in the Windjammer Cafe.
RC has a 4,000 foot long Dragon's Flight zip-line on its private-destination location in Haiti. This is also going to feature big for teens, because it lets them travel over three-quarters of a mile 200 feet above a lush tropical landscape.
"Teens are more travel savvy than their parents were at their age, and they actively participate in the planning of the family vacation," remarked Alice Norsowrthy, senior VP of Marketing at RC.
The program began out of a consulting group and a research project conducted in 2006 to find out what kids ages 12 to 17 want from a cruise experience. Today, there are ten teens on the board.
RC has dedicated areas for teens only on all of its ships and was the first cruise line to introduce the concept (way back in 1992).
Elvis Has Left the Dock
The first-ever Elvis Cruise is slated to sail from Jacksonville, Florida on August 30 and do a four-day tour calling on Freeport and Nassau in the Bahamas.
Billed as the first authentic and fully licensed Elvis Cruise, the package was put together by Jazz Cruises, LLC, out of St. Louis and Carnival Cruise Lines.
Jerry Schilling is playing host on the voyage. Schilling is a long-time friend of the King and wrote the book, Me and a Guy Named Elvis. The cruise will feature live shows from artists who performed with Elvis, including the TCB Band, the Jordanaires, the Imperials, the Dempseys, Ronnie McDowell, Terry Mike Jeffrey & Band, Ruby Wilson, and others.
Other events including an Elvis tribute contest (open to all guests), question sessions with the musicians, and special party events.
"This cruise provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity for Elvis fans to come together and enjoy the exception music and memories of one of the most celebrated performing artists of all time," said Carnival prez and CEO, Bob Dickinson.
The cruise will take place on Carnival's Celebration which offers wi-fi internet, cellular service, three pools (including the twister water slide), and 24-hour pizza and self-service ice cream.
To book, call Jazz Cruises LLC at 800-704-3034 or visit them at http://www.theelviscruise.com.
By the way, Jazz Cruises also does many other music-themed cruises.
Billed as the first authentic and fully licensed Elvis Cruise, the package was put together by Jazz Cruises, LLC, out of St. Louis and Carnival Cruise Lines.
Jerry Schilling is playing host on the voyage. Schilling is a long-time friend of the King and wrote the book, Me and a Guy Named Elvis. The cruise will feature live shows from artists who performed with Elvis, including the TCB Band, the Jordanaires, the Imperials, the Dempseys, Ronnie McDowell, Terry Mike Jeffrey & Band, Ruby Wilson, and others.
Other events including an Elvis tribute contest (open to all guests), question sessions with the musicians, and special party events.
"This cruise provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity for Elvis fans to come together and enjoy the exception music and memories of one of the most celebrated performing artists of all time," said Carnival prez and CEO, Bob Dickinson.
The cruise will take place on Carnival's Celebration which offers wi-fi internet, cellular service, three pools (including the twister water slide), and 24-hour pizza and self-service ice cream.
To book, call Jazz Cruises LLC at 800-704-3034 or visit them at http://www.theelviscruise.com.
By the way, Jazz Cruises also does many other music-themed cruises.
Oldest College Grad to Sail on Crown Princess as Story Teller
This is kind of a special interest story. Maybe you've heard of Nola Ochs or at least what she's done. At age 95, she's the world's oldest college graduate. She just graduated from the Fort Hays State University in California in April 2007.
Nola Ochs actually started college way back in 1930, but it wasn't until her husband died in 1972 that she started picking up occasional community college credits. Last year, she got serious and moved the 100 miles to Fort Hayes to finish her degree.
Her story made the Guinness Book of World Records plus she's been on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and got lots of other news mentions.
When asked what she wanted to do next, Nola replied, "To be a storyteller on a cruise ship."
Princess Cruise line made the arrangements and will feature Nola Ochs on the June 17 East Caribbean sailing of the Crown Princess. She will be part of Princess' Scholarship@Sea program. In addition to telling stories about her early life growing up on a farm in Kansas (no running water, no electricity), she will also field questions in a Q&A session.
The cruise is an Eastern Caribbean journey, departing from Brooklyn, New York and calling on Bermuda, San Juan, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk.
Nola Ochs actually started college way back in 1930, but it wasn't until her husband died in 1972 that she started picking up occasional community college credits. Last year, she got serious and moved the 100 miles to Fort Hayes to finish her degree.
Her story made the Guinness Book of World Records plus she's been on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and got lots of other news mentions.
When asked what she wanted to do next, Nola replied, "To be a storyteller on a cruise ship."
Princess Cruise line made the arrangements and will feature Nola Ochs on the June 17 East Caribbean sailing of the Crown Princess. She will be part of Princess' Scholarship@Sea program. In addition to telling stories about her early life growing up on a farm in Kansas (no running water, no electricity), she will also field questions in a Q&A session.
The cruise is an Eastern Caribbean journey, departing from Brooklyn, New York and calling on Bermuda, San Juan, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk.
Partnership for Youth Success and NCL Join Forces
The U.S. Army runs a program called Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS), which is an arrangement between the military and about 500 American corporations and public sector agencies. The goal is that PaYS helps Army soldiers re-integrate into the civilian workforce when their military service is completed. PaYS was set up so that talented and ambitious young people will not see the military as a detour around a career but that they can complete a tour of duty and still find a good civilian job down the road.
Some companies participating in the PaYS program are well known to American consumers: Pepsi, BellSouth, Sears, and Dell are on the list.
Now, too, is Norwegian Cruise Lines. In fact, it's the first (and at this moment the only) cruise line to be an official partner in the PaYS program.
Soldiers who enlist may express interest in any of the PaYS positions with the understanding that they will interview for those jobs when their service is over. Right now, about 30 enlisted soliders have expressed interest in working for Norwegian Cruise Lines once they finish their terms.
Some companies participating in the PaYS program are well known to American consumers: Pepsi, BellSouth, Sears, and Dell are on the list.
Now, too, is Norwegian Cruise Lines. In fact, it's the first (and at this moment the only) cruise line to be an official partner in the PaYS program.
Soldiers who enlist may express interest in any of the PaYS positions with the understanding that they will interview for those jobs when their service is over. Right now, about 30 enlisted soliders have expressed interest in working for Norwegian Cruise Lines once they finish their terms.
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