Cruising with a Purpose

Purposeful Travel

This week Twitter chat #FoodTravelChat, which I help moderate, is discussing "Purposeful Food & Travel".   Each Wednesday evening at 7 PM Eastern, a group of like-minded people get together to chat about food and travel, two of my favorite topics.

click images to enlarge

The 2016 Cruises Inc., CruiseOne and Dream Vacations National Conference aboard Carnival Vista immediately came to mind when learning of the theme for this week.  Obviously one purpose of the travel was to experience the brand new Carnival Vista so that we could share insider information with our guests. We also learned about industry trends, challenges, and upcoming changes with each of our travel partners.

Changing Lives

General Manager of Network Engagement & Performance, Drew Daly, presented “One Day I Will,” at the closing General Session. He spoke about how agents have the ability to change their customers’ lives by encouraging them to live for today. The presentation reflected on the positive impact a dream vacation has on one’s life – both personally and professionally. Armed with all the information from fellow travel professionals and industry leaders, we certainly felt we had plenty to offer our guests plan memorable vacations, but that was really only the beginning of our purposeful travel.

Giving Back

In addition to changing our customer’s lives, Cruises Inc., CruiseOne and Dream Vacations agents are changing the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through Make-A-Wish, the signature charity of parent company World Travel Holdings. Fundraising is a core component of National Conference every year when franchisees, agents, staff and suppliers all come together through a variety of fundraising activities such as guessing next year’s conference date, silent auctions, the fourth annual “Zumba@Sea – Dance For Wishes” and exclusive access to the Skyride and sports deck.

Each year we strive to beat the previous year's total, so the goal was set at $75,000 for the week long event. We not only met that goal, but exceeded it with a grand total raised during the conference of $100,000. That amount will help grant 20 wishes.

It is so rewarding to add a purpose to your travel.  I truly believe that by doing so you get so much more back in return.  When on a cruise, check the daily program for ways that you can participate and turn your trip into Purposeful Travel.

Follow Us On

       

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers


Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat

Love That New Ship Smell - Meet Carnival Vista

CARNIVAL VISTA - DEC. 3-11, 2016

8 NIGHT CARIBBEAN (R/T MIAMI)

This year's National Conference was held onbord the first revenue sailing of Carnival Vista from its homeport of Miami, Florida. Ports visited were Aruba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, and Turks & Caicos. There were more than 900 people in our group.

This post serves as an anchor for our mini-series of posts about the conference and the new ship. Please come back often for updates.

The images above highlights our first 24 hours in Miami. We flew from Chicago to Miami, where we had a pre-cruise conference reception at Sheraton Miami Airport Hotel. The next morning we transferred by shuttle bus to the pier, where we got our first glimpse of Carnival Vista.

View Itineraries          Click to Learn More about Carnival Vista

1

Conference

Pre-Conference Hotel

Sheraton Miami
Port Miami

2

Ship

Carnival Vista Atrium

Vista Atrium
Cabin 6331
Cloud9 Spa

3

Dining

 

4

Ports

5

Entertainment

6

Travel

Stay Park and Fly

2016 in Review

As the year draws to a close, we'll take a look at some of the headlines from the past year.  2016 was a relatively quiet year in the news media, at least for the major cruise lines.  There were some bumps and incidents aboard ships, but nothing compared to some of the recent years.

The cruise lines added capacity, but at the same time explored new markets, like China, which helped to stabilize pricing, which was a goal for the industry.   Now more than ever it is important for passengers to plan ahead so that they can take advantage of lead-in pricing.   The lines have vowed not to do "fire sale" pricing close in to the sailing date.  

 "First New Cruise Ship

Learn More about ms Koningsdam (Click Image)

for 2016"

Honors went to Holland America Line as it took delivery of ms Koningsdam, on March 31, 2016, officially making it the first Pinnacle-Class ship in the fleet. The signing ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy. Following the signing, the Dutch flag was raised on the ship for the first time.

ms Koningsdam features a mix of time-tested Holland America favorites with some new features including the following.  The World Stage features a 270 degree LED screen surrounded by plenty of stadium style seating.  There's BLEND for the wine lovers where they can experience the art of wine-making. In the Culinary Arts Center, passengers can gather for cooking demonstrations, wine tasting and more throughout the voyage.

There are plenty of stateroom options to suit your needs.  Standard staterooms include USB ports, plenty of electrical outlets, inventive storage space and more.  Balcony cabins are double the depth of most major cruise lines providing plenty of space to enjoy on those sea days.

"Most Anticipated New Ship for 2016"

Carnival Corporation Granted U.S. Approval for Travel to Cuba (July, 2015)

World’s largest travel and leisure company granted U.S. licenses to operate direct U.S.-to-Cuba travel for the purpose of providing cultural exchange. Company intends for fathom, its new purpose-travel brand, to begin full-week sailings to Cuba, beginning in May 2016, in addition to fathom’s full-week sailings to the Dominican Republic.

Travel With a Purpose 

“We know there is strong demand from travelers who want to immerse themselves in Cuban culture, so this is a historic opportunity for us to enable more people to experience Cuban society. It is also an important opportunity for our new fathom brand to expand its positive influence in the world with this potential to add full-week immersion sailings to Cuba to its already planned full-week social-impact itineraries to the Dominican Republic beginning in the spring of 2016.” said Arnold Donald, President and CEO of Carnival Corporation.

Seven Days from Fathom Travel on Vimeo.

Introducing  Fathom™  Impact Travel 

Pioneered by Fathom™, impact travel is a whole new category of travel: it’s travel with purpose. It combines your love of cruising with your desire to make a difference. During every Fathom™ journey passengers become immersed in another culture, and work alongside its people to create enduring social impact.

With those words above, a new vision was revealed along with the birth of a new cruise line,
Carnival Corporation sailed into Havana the morning of May 2, 2016, completing the first leg of its historic inaugural voyage to Cuba that began on May 1, 2016, from Miami, the company said in a statement. It marked the first time in over 50 years that a U.S. cruise line has sailed from the U.S. to Cuba. It is also the first time in decades that Cuban-born individuals have been able to travel by sea to or from Cuba.

Introducing Carnival Vista

View Itineraries          Click to Learn More about Carnival Vista

Carnival Cruise Line introduced a new class of ships to their fleet with the introduction of Carnival Vista.  Carnival is known for their fun innovationa and the new Carnival Vista, which debuted in May is no exception. 

Vista features the cruise industry's first IMAX theater, which shows first-run movies, as well as recent hits and short films. Other wow-worthy features include a water tube slide that's more than 450 feet long (the longest for the line) and SkyRide, a suspended ride along an open-air track atop the ship.

The first cruise ship brewery also debuted on Vista at the ship's RedFrog Pub, where passengers can drink indoors or out, sipping on mass-market beers, craft-style beverages or one of three beers brewed right onboard. Carnival staples, including Guy's Burger Joint along with Pig & Anchor BBQ (in partnership with celebrity chef Guy Fieri) and the BlueIguana Cantina Mexican restaurant, are joined by a New England-inspired eatery, dubbed Seafood Shack.n open-air track atop the ship.

Our 2016 National Conference took place on Carnival Vista's December 2nd sailing from Miami.  We stopped in the Dominican Republic, Aruba, Curacao, and Turks & Caicos.   We'll feature the ship and ports in upcoming articles on our blog.

If you have specific questions about the ship, the itinerary, or cruising in general, we'd love to hear from you.

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc
 

Industry Changes

Probably the biggest news is in response to passenger demand for improved communications at sea.   Carnival Corporation introduced new flat-fee offerings and improved bandwidth fleet-wide to meet passenger desires to stay connected to social media while at sea.   Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean were among other lines increasing speed and bandwidth.   These changes have been well received by passengers and will continue into the future as all lines upgrade their offerings.

As cruise prices stabilized, many lines have been looking to onboard expenditures as a means to increase revenue.   Items that had once been included, like room service, have started to see additional charges for example.   Some passengers aren't happy with the new trend to "nickle-and-dime" them and may look to cruise lines that have less optional charges.   Luxury lines are becoming an even better value since you know your cost of the entire trip up front.

It will be interesting to see how new players, such as Viking Oceans, impacts the industry as they grow their fleets.  They are bucking the tide to go big and instead opting for smaller ships and more emphasis on the destinations.  Of course, the river cruise industry is booming as the demand soars for this method of exploring the globe. Crystal is entering the market as well, with steel being cut for four river cruise ships during 2016.

Merry Christmas 2016

Merry Christmas

Holidays are about families, and what better example of a happy family then spending time together on a Carnival Fun Ship.

One highlight for us this year was sailing on the brand new Carnival Vista for our National Conference.   The cruise began December 3rd in Miami, Florida.   Carnival Vista was decorated for the holiday season.

The first thing we noticed when boarding the ship was the beautiful atrium decorated with garland, a Christmas tree and a mailbox for letters to Santa.  Throughout the ship there were more decorations to enjoy.   

Holiday time is a great time to sail on a cruise ship.  You do need to plan in advance if you want to sail on the holiday itself as those cabins sell out quickly.

Carnival has a partnership with Dr. Seuss.  Shown here is one of the youth program rooms decorated for Christmas.  The age appropriate programs have something for each of your children and best of all, it's included in your cruise price.

They'll have fun playing with other children of the same age if you decide to have them included in the program.  We toured the facility during "family time".

Most importantly, spend some time together as a family enjoying all the entertainment that the cruise staff has in store for you from the time you arrive on board the ship.

We'll post some more details about the children programs in future articles.

We hope that your Christmas tree is filled with many special gifts this year.   Perhaps one of them contains a gift certificate for a cruise or resort stay on Carnival Cruise Line or any of our other travel partners.

Even if you didn't have a cruise vacation wrapped up in a box under your tree, there's still plenty of opportunity for you to surprise your family in the New Year with a trip that they will remember for years to come.

Make some memories in 2017 with your family and friends.

Thank you for letting us be a part of your lives this holiday season and throughout the yea.  We hope that you've enjoyed our gift of stories and photos from our cruise and land trips.

We would be happy to help you plan for your next vacation.

Cruise Lines Salute Veterans

 

Veterans Day 2016

First and foremost, today is the annual observance of Veteran's Day, a day set aside to honor the nation's veterans.   The image in this article was taken at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France, on one of our cruises several years ago.    The image of row after row of crosses will never leave me.

Every day we go about our business, and I suspect most of us take our freedom for granted.   It isn't because we aren't caring people, but instead perhaps because we just don't think about it.  So I ask you today to take a moment to reflect on the veterans, living and deceased, for without whose service we wouldn't be the free nation we are today.

We could never thank our military men and women enough for their courageous service and sacrifice to our country and its people. Yet today we lift up our voices to express gratefulness and honor to these military troops both from the past and present.

 THANK YOU FROM 

A GRATEFUL NATION 

Many cruise lines recognize our troops with special rates.  We've listed a couple offers which you might not be aware of.   Be sure to mention your military service when contacting us so that we can see if there are any rates that you qualify for.  We would be honored to help you plan some R & R.

 

Cruise Line	Veterans Day Offer
Carnival Cruise Line	Saluting our soldiers with exclusive rates on select sailings through 2017! Plus, share your deal with two additional rooms. Destinations include: Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Alaska
Royal Caribbean	Ongoing promotion allows Military, Police  & Fire personnel special discounts on select sailings The Sea is Calling Police, Firefighters, Military

What Would Christopher Columbus Think

Columbus First Transatlantic

La Pinta (Spanish for The Painted One or The Spotted One) was the fastest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first transatlantic voyage in 1492

The Pinta was square rigged and smaller than the Santa María. the ship weighed approximately 60 tons with an estimated deck length of 17 meters (56 ft) and a width of 5.36 meters (17.6 ft). The crew size was 26 men under Captain Martín Alonso Pinzón.

On the evening of 3 August 1492, Columbus departed from Spain with three ships, including the Pinta.  He first sailed to the Canary Islands where he stopped for repairs and provisions, staying there until 6 September 1492.

First Person to Sight Land

In the wee hours of 12 October 1492, Columbus claims to have seen the light of land. Columbus called the island (in what is now The Bahamas) San Salvador.  He claimed the lifetime pension promised by Ferdinand and Isabella in connection with the sighting.

How Does Pinta  Compare to Today's Cruise Ships

Oasis of the Seas is 47 meters wide and 360 meters long, i.e. 40 m longer than the height of the Eiffel tower! Height over the water line is 65 m. Building the vessel has been compared to a huge 3-dimensional puzzle. The vessel consists of 180 grand blocks, the biggest with a size of length 22 m, width 30 m and weight 600 tons! The vessel´s weight is 12 times the weight of the Eiffel tower. 

 Pinta Definitely Out-Sized

Here you see just one of the 180 grand blocks that comprised the Oasis of the Seas.  Let's assume that it's the largest block.  That would mean that the Pinta was 5m shorter and 1/10th the weight of just that one building block.

Oasis of the Seas First Transatlantic

Just like the Pinta, the Captain of the Oasis of the Seas set sail from Europe destined for Bahamas and points beyond.   The Oasis made the journey from 31 October 2009 until 13 November 2009, arriving two days later than planned due to a tropical storm it encountered during the crossing.   Columbus too had encountered tropical weather during his crossing.

Columbus would probably be amazed if he sailed his ship alongside the Oasis of the Seas.   We'll take a look at more ships as we continue our special series for National Plan a CruiseMonth. 

Compare La Pinta to other Cruise Ships

Choose from 289 ships by 24 cruise lines

Hurricane Matthew Impacts WDW & More

 

Hurricane Matthew     courtesy NOAA NHC

HURRICANE MATTHEW

Not the storm you are looking for?  Click Image or Here

Hurricane Matthew	1200 PM EDT FRI OCT 07 2016 ...12 PM EDT POSITION UPDATE... ...MATTHEW'S WESTERN EYEWALL CONTINUES TO BRUSH THE COAST OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA...
WIND:	MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...120 MPH...195 KM/H
WATCHES/ WARNINGS:	SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT... A Hurricane Warning is in effect for... * Cocoa Beach to Surf City A Hurricane Watch is in effect for... * North of Surf City to Cape Lookout A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for... * Sebastian Inlet to Cocoa Beach * North of Surf City to Duck * Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds Interests elsewhere in the Florida Peninsula, the Florida Keys, and in the Carolinas should monitor the progress of Matthew.
SHIP IMPACT:	Carnival Cruise Line  Disney Cruise Line Royal Caribbean Norwegian Cruise Line

     
Storm Archive       Graphics Archive

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA...IN THIS CASE WITHIN
THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...IN THIS CASE WITHIN 24 TO 36
HOURS.

NHC ACTIVE STORMS (CLICK HERE)

Real-Time Cruise Ship Tracking

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HURRICANES (CLICK HERE)

We just returned from Disney's Walt Disney World which celebrated it's 45th Anniversary on October 1, 2016.   Since opening it's doors in 1971, the park has only been closed three times in anticipation of hurricanes:   Hurricane Floyd (September, 1999), Hurricane Frances (September, 2004) and Hurricane Jeanne (September, 2005).

A spokeswoman for Walt Disney World said, "Based on the most recent forecasts for Hurricane Matthew, Walt Disney World theme parks, water parks, Disney Springs, miniature golf courses and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will all be closed today (Thursday October 6th) by 5 PM., and will remain closed through Friday, October 7."

Starting October 5th, WDW started warning its guests of possible disruptions due to the approaching hurricane. They also moved guests staying at Fort Wilderness campgrounds.

Here is the latest list of closures / cancellations in the Orlando area:

Thursday - Blizzard Beach, Fort Wilderness campground closed. SeaWorld closes at 2pm. Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando close at 5pm. Halloween Horror Nights, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and Spirit of Aloha dinner show canceled.

Friday - Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, Legoland, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon and Fort Wilderness closed. Halloween Horror Nights, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and Spirit of Aloha dinner show canceled.

Useful Links

 

Hurricane Matthew Precautions | FAQ | Walt Disney World Resort

Hurricane Matthew to bring severe storm to Walt Disney World | The Disney Blog

Hurricane Matthew Prompts Cruise Itinerary Changes

NHC issuing advisories for the Atlantic on Hurricane MATTHEW and Hurricane NICOLE

Audio podcasts regarding Matthew now available
 

#HurricanePrep Mini-Series

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND:  Hurricane and tropical storm conditions are expected to
continue over the warning area in Florida today, and spread
northward within the warning area through Saturday.

Residents in high-rise buildings should be aware that the winds at
the top of a 30-story building will be, on average, about one
Saffir-Simpson category higher than the winds near the surface.

Tropical storm conditions are expected to first reach the
tropical storm warning area in North Carolina on Saturday morning.

STORM SURGE:  The combination of a dangerous storm surge, the tide,
and large and destructive waves will cause normally dry areas near
the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the
shoreline.  The water could reach the following heights above ground
if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide...

Flagler Beach, Florida, to Edisto Beach, South Carolina, including
portions of the St. Johns River...6 to 9 ft
Cocoa Beach to Flagler Beach, Florida...4 to 6 ft
Edisto Beach, South Carolina to Cape Fear, North Carolina...
4 to 6 ft
Sebastian Inlet to Cocoa Beach, Florida...2 to 4 ft
Cape Fear to Salvo, North Carolina, including portions of the
Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds...2 to 4 ft

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast in areas of
onshore winds.  Surge-related flooding depends on the relative
timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over
short distances.  Large waves generated by Matthew will cause water
rises to occur well in advance of and well away from the track of
the center.  For information specific to your area, please see
products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast
office.

There is a danger of life-threatening inundation during the next 36
hours along the Florida northeast coast, the Georgia coast, the
South Carolina coast, and the North Carolina coast from Sebastian
Inlet, Florida, to Cape Fear, North Carolina.  There is the
possibility of life-threatening inundation during the next 48 hours
from north of Cape Fear to Salvo, North Carolina. For a depiction of
areas at risk, please see the Prototype National Weather Service
Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic. For information specific to your
area, please see products issued by your local National Weather
Service forecast office.

The Prototype Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic is a depiction of
areas that would qualify for inclusion under a storm surge watch or
warning currently under development by the National Weather Service
and planned for operational use in 2017.  The Prototype Graphic is
available at hurricanes.gov.

RAINFALL: Matthew is expected to produce total rain accumulations of
8 to 12 inches over the Atlantic coast of the United States from
central Florida to eastern North Carolina...with possible isolated
maximum amounts of 15 inches. This rainfall may result in flooding
and flash flooding.

TORNADOES:  An isolated tornado or two is possible along the South
Carolina, Georgia, and northeast Florida coasts today.

SURF:  Swells generated by Matthew will continue to affect portions
of the Bahamas and the east coast of Florida during the next few
days, and will spread northward along the southeast U.S. coast
through the weekend.  These swells will likely cause
life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult
products from your local weather office.

Dining at Sea - What's Your Favorite Food

National Plan a Cruise Month

In honor of National Plan a Cruise Month let's take a look at dining at sea.  Depending on your food requirements, you may select one cruise line or itinerary over another.
 

What's Your 

Favorite Food 

on a Cruise

Whether you have cruised before or not, I'm sure you are aware that there's plenty of great food to be had on a cruise ship.  The first thing you'll find when you get onboard is that your cabin is not ready, but don't worry, the buffet is open and ready to serve you.  But that is just the beginning of what lies ahead.   We'll take you on a culinary journey onboard several cruise ships over several posts.  If you can't wait, we've posted some similar stories previously as well.

Myth #4 – All There is to do is Eat – I’ll Gain Weight

While it is true that there are several dining options on every cruise, we've examined this myth about nothing to do but eat previously.  Now, let's focus on the second part of that myth - that you'll gain weight.

It is possible that you could gain weight on a cruise, but if so, that will not be the cruise line's fault. There are healthy menu options on the main dining menus and while not every venue serves food for the health conscious, there are plenty of options for you to chose from.  In addition, there are full service health and fitness facilities on each ship so that you can continue your exercise routine.

One of the things the cruise line pays close attention to are any dietary requirements of their passengers. 

We took this picture during a galley tour on Azamara Journey.  The special requests consist of some religious requests, because it was during Jewish holidays, and also some specific ingredients that needed to be avoided for another passenger.

Be sure to let you cruise specialist know if you do have any special requirements so that it can be noted on your reservation and advance preparations can be made if necessary.

What's for Dinner 

You might want to start with our previous What's for Dinner article  In addition, visit our Pinterest Board where we'll be sampling some of the food and venues that we've had the pleasure of dining at in the past.

 

Follow Us On

Fall in Love With Crusing

Why Cruise...now more than ever?


Cruising has it all and then some. You can expect an all-inclusive experience on a cruise vacation. This means that almost everything is included at a fixed price that you are aware of in advance. Below is a list of amenities that are typically included in the cost of your cruise:

1. Full meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Special children's menus are also available.
   
2. Full buffet meals per day (breakfast, lunch and midnight)
   
3. 24-hour room service on many ships.
   
4. Access to all shipboard facilities, including casino, pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, gym, on-board lectures, card rooms, and an extensive array of interactive games, contests and more...
   
5. Supervised children's activities offered on a daily basis.
   
6. Spectacular entertainment including Broadway and Las Vegas-style shows, lounges, nightclubs, movies, dancing and so much more...
7. Up close and personal visits to some of the world's most amazing destinations
   

On most cruise lines, gratuities (a suggested amount is $13.50 - $15.50 per day per person, or $94.50 -$108.50 per passenger per week for a 7-day cruise, paid at the end of the cruise) are not included. Additionally, port charges and government fees and shore excursions on a few ships require an additional cost.

What's in Store for YOU from Cruise Lines this Month?

Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) member lines have pulled out all the stops this month to introduce you to cruising.  Working with your CLIA certified travel professional (I'm a certified) Master Cruise Counselor) you can take advantage of the right offer for you and your traveling companions from among the 26 member lines.

Watch this video to learn more about Plan a Cruise Month.   Next we suggest that you explore our First Time Cruisers page to get answers to some of your burning questions.  We'd be happy to have a lengthy conversation with you as well.  We'd love to see you Fall in Love with Cruising. 

 

Follow Us On