Earth Day 2022 - Travel and You

 Happy Earth Day 2022
April 22nd

Invest in Our Planet

Now is the time to preserve and protect our health, our families, our livelihoods… together, we must Invest In Our Planet.

There is still time to solve the climate crisis, but it's going to take all of us!

We love cruising the world's oceans and waterways.  It is one of the most enjoyable ways to explore the earth.  In order to continue doing so, we need to protect the oceans and our land for generations to come.  Each of you can help make a difference in the future of Mother Earth.

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22. Worldwide, various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day events in more than 193 countries are now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network.

Earth Day Network’s mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Earth Day 2022 is dedicated to raise awareness about what each of us does, and how we do it, which has a huge ripple effect on our ecosystems, and on the pace of corporate and government action.

Environmentally Conscious Vacation Experiences

Did you know that Cruise Lines offer an environmentally conscious vacation experience? 

CLIA Cruise Line Members lead, invest, and collaborate to minimize their ships’ impact on the environment.

CLIA ocean-going cruise lines are pursuing net carbon neutral cruising by 2050 across the global fleet.

Fueling the future 

The immediate future includes the introduction of alternate fuels in support of the IMO goal to achieve zero emissions. 

Cruise lines are at the forefront in developing responsible environmental practices, leading by example for the world’s shipping industry.  Learn more on CLIA website.  

Celebrity Beyond, which sails in just a few more days, is the first in the fleet to be LNG powered.  Royal Caribbean has 3 ships on order which will be powered by LNG.   Carnival Mardi Gras is already sailing.  As mentioned many more are to come.  Congratulations to the cruise lines which are taking this important measures to protect the future.

Lighthouse Project Trees4Travel Partnership 

The Globus family of brands Lighthouse Project is focused on three, give-back categories: 

• Planet: The Globus family of brands makes every effort to conserve and preserve in each destination visited. To protect waterways and wildlife and shine a light on organizations that do the same. 
• People: The Globus family of brands is dedicated to protecting, respecting and supporting the extraordinary communities of the world as well as improving the individual lives within them. The measure of success? – The megawatt smiles we see along the way. 
• Places: The parks, palaces, museums and monuments we enjoy today are the result of previous generations passionately committed to preservation. By way of the Lighthouse Project, the Globus family of brands aims to pay it forward so that future generations can enjoy the same glorious places to relax, renew and reflect. 

To offset travel’s carbon emissions @globusfamily is donating trees to be planted on behalf of every Avalon Waterways guest in 2022.  They area also inviting their guests to be involved.

For more information about the Globus family of brands’ Lighthouse Project, visit each company Web site at Globus, Cosmos, Avalon Waterways, Monograms. For more information about Trees4Travel, visit Trees4Travel.

Help End Plastic Pollution by finding out how many plastic items you consume every year 

and make a PLEDGE to reduce the amount.

Additional Resources:

 (click on the image to enlarge)

U.S. EPA | Earth Day

National Geographic for Kids

4Ocean Earth Day

A Global Concern

When we were in Southeast Asia before the pandemic we toured Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.  These signs underscore the need to take action to protect our environment.  We encourage you to start your education on this Earth Day 2022, and take steps to conserve and recycle during your vacations and daily lives.  

Thank you to CLIA, Participating Cruise Lines, EPA, Earth Day Network and their sponsors for efforts to educate and make changes necessary for sustainability.  And thank YOU for doing your part.  

We must work together to protect endangered and threatened species: bees, coral reefs, elephants, giraffes, insects, whales and more.

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Ship Size Does Matter - Now More Than Ever

	vs.
Length=1184 feet    Capacity=5518		Length=361 feet     Capacity=128

(Updated 10/19/2021)

What's Your Preference?

Do you prefer the large ocean-going ships, the more initiate river cruise ships, or something in between?  Now more than ever, factoring in the concerns around health safety as cruising resumes,  ship type and size is one of the key factors in vacation planning.

On the left is Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas and on the right is Avalon Waterways Artistry II. Just to give you an additional sense of scale, the first cruise ship we went on in the 80s was Carnival Celebration which weighed in around 37,500 GTs. At the time, that was one of the largest vessels in Carnival Cruise Line's fleet. The Symphony is over 6 times heavier (228,081 GT) than the Celebration and Artistry II weighing in at a fraction  of either vessel (2022 GT).

Ocean-going Ships Come In Many Sizes

In our post last year, Size Does Matter - They Come In Many Sizes, we showed a picture of Oasis of the Seas next to Grandeur of the Seas.  We also compared Oasis-class ships with the Eifel Tower, Statue of Liberty, and Boeing 747 airplanes to give you a sense of scale.

Ocean-going vessels have continued to get larger over time.  For passengers seeking new innovations at sea, this was good news, because the larger the canvas, the more diverse the onboard actives can be. Of course, the larger the ship, the higher the price tag, but with increased capacity, there are more passengers to share the weekly cost of operation.   Wait times for embarkation and other activities can fluctuate with ship size, but most lines have found measures to overcome the increased capacity.

River Cruise Ship Size

Traditional European size river cruise vessels are about the same size (excluding the double-wide AMA vessels).  Some might be slightly longer (like the Viking River longboats) but they are built to sail under centuries’ old bridges and squeeze between 12-meter-wide locks. The Avalon Waterways Artistry II shown here has a capacity of 128 passengers and 37 crew.  

Ship Size and COVID-19

As we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 cruise suspensions, passengers will need to consider several factors when planning their next travel adventure.   Are they comfortable on a ship that holds 5000 passengers or would one that holds 150 passengers be more appealing to them?   Of course, capacities will be reduced, per the guidelines that CLIA is recommending to member cruise lines, but the proportional differences remain the same.

Another consideration will be the size of the ship and available space for social distancing.   On one of the large cruise ships, there's a lot more public areas that can be utilized, allowing for greater social distancing.   With smaller capacity, even things like the theater can have protocols implemented to accommodate the new guidelines.

The larger the ship, the more area that needs to be kept sanitary by the crew.  Conversely, with smaller footprint, the more likely that public areas will have been used and surfaces exposed to potential germs.

Of course, this is nothing new as cruise lines have always taken measures to keep their passengers and crew safe as possible by implementing vessel sanitation.   I'd be more comfortable on a ship than on a plane for example as ships are constantly cleaning, while a plane is only cleaned once they get to their destination.

Ocean-going vessels will have increased medical capacity onboard, based on the CLIA guidelines. River cruise ships may not have additional staff, but they can pull into the next town should additional care be needed, while the cruise ship might need to wait for a helicopter or Coast Guard vessel to provide additional aide.   Size of vessels constrict the amount of space utilized for any purpose.

Summary

One important take away is that size is just one factor when planning your cruise vacation, but it is an important one. Take advantage of the expertise among cruise specialists in deciding the right ship for you and your traveling partners. The last thing you'd want would be to be expecting a ship the size of Grandeur of the Seas and step out of your cab to find Oasis of the Seas in front of you at the pier. 

No matter what size you are looking for, you'll find a ship in one of the cruise line's fleets that meets your needs. They come in many sizes, shapes, and with many different attractions. Personally, the fun is in selecting the ship you want to try next and enjoying everything it has to offer once you start your cruise vacation.

 

Click the banner above for the latest cruise promotions

 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Choose Cruise Month (click for mini-series)

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Cruise Desserts

What's Your Favorite 
Cruise Food Memory?

Mine involve desserts ...

Today our National Cruise Month post features some of our favorite desserts from over 30 years of cruising.

Every Wednesday you can join us on Twitter for a fun hour of talk about Food & Travel. One of the favorites that come up every week it seems is "Chocolate".

Norwegian Cruise Line is known for their Freestyle Dining which allows you to dine any time you want (within some boundaries) and at any venue on the ship.

Another thing they are known for is their Chocolate Buffet. The image here shows some of the creative treats that the crew prepared for us on one of our recent NCL cruises. Next time you are on Norwegian, be sure to find out when that buffet occurs and at least take some pictures. Read More...

Princess Cruises 

& Norman Love

Do you Love Chocolate? If so, you need to sail on Princess Cruises while Chocolate Journeys^SM desserts are still being featured.

Creations by Norman Love

When we sailed on Regal Princess for our conference in November 2014, Princess Cruises introduced Chocolate Journeys^SM for their 50th Anniversary.

On a recent Princess Cruise, Crown Princess 14 Day South America - Cape Horn, we were happy to see these chocolate masterpieces are still being served on formal nights in the main dining room.  Read More...

Flaming Desserts

Perhaps the last thing you'd expect on a cruise ship is open flames in the dining room.   Bananas Foster is one of the most popular desserts on a cruise vacation.  It is often featured on formal night.

In this photo, the chef has prepared the flaming dessert right in the dining room of AMA Amalegro.  For those that aren't familiar with AMA, they are one of the luxury river cruise lines sailing the rivers of Europe and other destinations.

Baked Alaska is often presented flaming by waiters marching through the dining room in a parade accompanied by music and fanfare. Once again, this may be the feature on one of the formal nights.

These are just a few examples which have remained fresh in our minds over the years.  One experience on Celebrity Cruises was just as memorable as these flaming desserts.

Sometimes You Want Something Simple

We asked for pineapple sherbet one night, thinking that was the selection our waiter had suggested.  It turned out it wasn't the flavor of the day.  We thought we'd kid with him the next night and asked for it again.  Of course he once again offered some other flavor. On the third night, he took vanilla ice cream and fresh pineapple and served us  "pineapple sherbet".   We hope you have some memorable dessert stories to tell from your cruises in the past, or for those that are ahead.

Click the banner above for the latest cruise promotions

 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Choose Cruise Month (click for mini-series)

Connect With Us On

    
    

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

I recently completed extensive training and have become Travel Safety Verified. As your dedicated Travel Advisor, your safety is our priority, and it's our job to ensure you have the necessary information you need to give you confidence and peace of mind when making your future travel plans. Click the link to review our Travel Safety program with valuable resources that will answer many of your questions.

Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday afternoon at 4 PM Eastern for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat