Where is Chris - Social Media Day

#SocialMediaDay 2020  

This year, more than ever, social media is playing a huge role in our lives.  While we have been cocooning, during this pandemic, we've been removed from daily live interactions and have turned to social media to stay connected.  In person meetings have become virtual.  Homes have become offices and schools.  When this is over, don't be surprised if social media and virtual interactions remain a huge part of our lives.

To Our New Followers

We'd like to welcome new readers to our Blog, Facebook fan page, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and website on this #SocialMediaDay.   We look forward to socializing more with you in the future to help plan a great cruise or land vacation for you and your traveling companions. We've included links here with a brief explanation of some of the resources we offer to our followers.   Please be sure to take advantage of all these opportunities, as that is the best way to stay informed.

Where is Chris

Where is Chris    Learn More

Here on our blog we've posted regular (usually daily) challenges for you to guess the destination featured in the image included in the article.   We've also included ideas on how you might #KeepTheKidsEngaged using the topic or destination as a foundation for activities.

The idea for today's destination came from an event that occurred on this day in history. In 1972 The first leap second is added to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). 

Can you guess where I'm standing in this image?   If not, we will reveal the answer tomorrow (just scroll over the image with your cursor).

Kids might not know the destination, but they can learn about telling time with one of these activities.

Our Cruise Diaries is another area you should explore. We feature some of our favorite trips with information, images, and videos to help you explore dream destinations.

 

If you haven’t signed up for our eSavers Newsletter yet, be sure to do so. This is just one of our communication vehicles to keep you informed about industry news and special offers for our loyal followers. By signing up for our newsletter you are also entered into our quarterly contest to win a free trip.

Be sure to visit our Facebook Fan Page and "Like Us" so that you can be in the inner circle of our Fans. You’ll have the opportunity to be the first to know about specials and other exclusive information, such as updates from cruise lines.

Our Instagram posts often feature content being shared in real time during our trips. For now, we have to share from our archives, as travel has been put on hold.   If you like watching videos, be sure to also follow our YouTube channel.

We have several boards on Pinterest which might be of interest to you.

Many of our posts are shared on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but we also include unique content on all social media outlets. For best experience, follow us on all our social media.

Connect With Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers


Where have you explored? 

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

Each week we post images from our trips and participate in several travel chats on Twitter.

Take advantage of these resources to assist in you in planning your dream vacations.  Of course, we are always available to answer any questions you might have about travel and the industry.

Welcome New Followers

#SocialMediaDay 2016 

To Our New Followers

We'd like to welcome new readers to our Blog, Facebook fan page, Twitter, Pinterest, and website, on this #SocialMediaDay.   We look forward to socializing more with you in the future to help plan a great cruise or land vacation for you and your traveling companions. We've included links here with a brief explanation of some of the resources we offer to our followers.   Please be sure to take advantage of all these opportunities, as that is the best way to stay informed.

 
If you haven’t signed up for our eSavers Newsletter yet, be sure to do so. This is just one of our communication vehicles to keep you informed about industry news and special offers for our loyal followers. By signing up for our newsletter you are also entered into our quarterly contest to win a free trip.




Be sure to visit our Facebook Fan Page and "Like Us" so that you can be in the inner circle of our Fans. You’ll have the opportunity to be the first to know about specials and other exclusive information, such as updates from cruise lines.

We have several boards on Pinterest which might be of interest to you.

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc for more ideas.

Each week we post images from our trips and participate in several travel chats on Twitter.

Take advantage of these resources to assist in you in planning your dream vacations.  Of course, we are always available to answer any questions you might have about travel and the industry.

Trending on Cruise Ships

Staying Connected At Sea

When selecting your dinner location, do you check to see if they have Wi-Fi?   While shopping, do you tend to frequent malls and other stores that also have Wi-Fi available?   If you answered yes to these questions, you'll also want Wi-Fi access during your vacation.

Having internet access at sea is nothing new.  It has been available for many years.  If you've been cruising for years, you are also painfully aware that speed of your connection typically was not on par with your land experience.   At the same time, it wasn't free either and in combination with the slow speed your time online could be pretty costly.   For some people, like us that need to be connected, it was a cost of doing business, but if you are just getting online for pleasure, that was a different story.

The "always-connected" Society 

New Demands on Cruise Lines

With the increase in social networking, passengers have been requesting faster and less expensive internet access.   The cruise lines have made this one of their tasks to address.

The first line to address the speed aspect of the request was Royal Caribbean.  They've partnered with O3b Maritime (see our previous article)
Largest Ships Fastest Internet at Sea

The first major announcement for 2015 from the cruise lines is from Carnival Corp.



Carnival Cruise Line  Launches Carnival Hub & New Pricing 

Carnival Breeze is piloting two new changes that should begin to address the largest complaints about cruise ship internet pricing. A new app has been developed for iPhone and Android phones which can be installed for free and provides the user with ships schedules and other important information to help make your cruise enjoyable.   Optionally, you can sign up for the "chat" feature for $5 for the length of the cruise.  With this feature you can communicate with your fellow passengers individually or in groups.

Some of the key information provided by Carnival Hub on Breeze:

day-by-day schedule of all onboard events 

 real-time balances for passengers' Sail & Sign accounts

information on alternative, casual dining venues

searchable deck plans with key areas highlighted

itinerary details, including the ship's current time

estimated arrival/departure times for upcoming ports 

National Cruise Vacation Month Coming Attractions

Cruise Line Specials

Some of the CLIA member cruise lines have already announced their specials for the NCVW "The World's Largest Cruise Sale".   Many have specials all month;  some have different offers for the dedicated week.

Our Facebook fans that "Like Us"  will get a special treat ... they'll get an early glimpse of the offers via a private link on our "Likers Only" page.   Of course, you can always give us a call and inquire about your favorite cruise line's specials - or destination offers.

 These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

We Need YOUR Ideas Too 

For Our Article

October is National Cruise Vacation Month, for those that haven't been following the posts this month.  We are featuring several cruise articles to educate first-time cruisers,  our "Cruise Rookies" and also to perhaps enhance the cruise experience for those that are seasoned travelers that might be looking for something new to explore on their next cruise vacation.

We are Collecting Your Favorite Things on Facebook
 

(click Here and)  COMPLETE THIS SENTENCE:
                             My favorite thing about cruising is ....

While you are on our Facebook Fan page, be sure to check out all that we have to offer.  If you aren't familiar with our content, you can read are article, Welcome to our Updated Facebook Fan Page.

We know that not all of you are on Facebook, and we don't want to leave you out either.   So, you can also post a comment here on our blog.   Unfortunately, there is a delay doing it this way because the comments on the blog are moderated, so you won't see them appear right away, unlike Facebook.

Wanted:     YOUR Photos Enjoying a Cruise 

Destination Memories

Quotes & Stories from a Favorite Cruise

This is YOUR chance to be part of our Blog and Fan Page

Our GOAL ...  Simply Sharing One of the Most Enjoyable

Vacation Experiences with Our Readers

Welcome to our Updated Facebook Fan Page

Explore the World of Cruise Vacationing

If you've ever thought about going on your first cruise, October is the time to begin that journey.  Our Facebook Fan Page is a great resource to help you get started on your cruise planning. If you "like" us, you won't miss any special announcements or new material postings. 

Timeline


This is the default landing page when you first connect to our Facebook Fan page. We feature an image from one of our cruises - currently we are featuring Venice, Italy as our cover photo.

With the introduction of Facebook's Timeline page, it is necessary for you to manually visit our custom pages.   You can easily view our current and past posts as well.   We typically feature industry news, photos, and special offers here.

Click On The Following Images & Bookmark the Pages

Welcome Page

On this page you can learn more about us and how we got started cruising and later turned our love for cruising into a business.

We have links to this blog and also to our website. Be sure to "Like Us"...

Includes Fan Only Content 

 

You can click on the images or links to sign up for our weekly eNewletter, watch our featured video, explore the Cruise Help, or learn about our featured deals and destinations. The popular "Where is Chris" link is your key to those destinations.

Featured Deals

On our Welcome page, we feature one special cruise or land vacation deal, and link to our Featured Deals page which has additional offers.

That's right folks, we specialize in cruises, but for those trips where you want to do something different, like an all inclusive, we can offer our advice on that also.


In most cases, you'll be directed to our main website for complete details about the offers.  From time to time, we'll have exclusive offers that you won't find anywhere else.


  Virtual Tour of Cruise Destinations
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so we have plenty of photos on our fan page. In addition to the photo albums, we have two in-depth tabs featuring destinations.

One tab covers Alaska and the other is the WhereIsChris tab, which has short descriptions about some of our favorite destinations.

Where Would You Like to Go We Can Help You Plan

Cruise Help

Whether you are a first-time cruiser or a well-seasoned traveler, there is something for you on our Cruise Help page. Here you will find links to various resources to help you plan and also answer all those burning questions about cruise vacations.

This is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. On our website, you'll find even more information including 360 views of cabins, ships, and public areas on the ship. There's deck layouts, facts about each ship, and itineraries to get you started with your investigation.

We highly recommend that you give us a call because all this information can be overwhelming. As CLIA Master Cruise Counselors, we are certified to bring you the advice you need to plan the perfect cruise vacation. Please visit often during National Cruise Vacation Month - we will be posting much more information, sharing our knowledge about   Cruising ... Today’s Vacation of Choice

Welcome to our Facebook Fan Page

Explore the World of Cruise Vacationing If you've ever thought about going on your first cruise, October is the time to begin that journey.  Our Facebook Fan Page is a great resource to help you get started on your cruise planning. If you "like" us, you won't miss any special announcements or new material postings.

Welcome Page

This is the landing page when you first connect to our Facebook Fan page.  On this page you can learn more about us and how we got started cruising and later turned our love for cruising into a business.

We have links to this blog and also to our website.  You can click on the images or links to sign up for our weekly eNewletter, watch our featured video, explore the Cruise Help, or learn about our featured deals and destinations. The popular "Where is Chris" link is your key to those destinations.

Cruises Inc. - CruiseWithChris Wall

Once you become fans, your Facebook news feed will include updates that we make to our pages.   We frequently make updates which include photo albums, news stories, and information about special events and offers. You may want to scroll through some of the older posts to see if there is something of interest to you.   We love hearing from our fans, so if you have questions or want to share something with our fans, please do so.

Featured Deals

On our Welcome page, we feature one special cruise or land vacation deal and link to our Featured Deals page which has additional offers.
That's right folks, we specialize in cruises, but for those trips where you want to do something different, like an all inclusive, we can offer our advice on that also.


Virtual Tour of Cruise Destinations

Click on one of the following to explore some cruise destinations and cruise ships.

     WhereIsChris                                Photos                                 Exploring Alaska

Photo Assignment - Cruising Under the Full Moon

The lunar farside as never seen before! LROC WAC orthographic
projection centered at 180° longitude, 0° latitude

Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University
› Larger image    › Learn more

'Supermoon' Tonight

There's been plenty of discussion about the 'Supermoon' occurring tonight, March 19th.  What makes this full moon super?   The moon will be at its closest point to the earth as it orbits around us, giving it an appearance of being much larger than normal.   Of course, this isn't the case, the moon doesn't change size at all.   The point where the moon is the closest to the earth is called its perigee. 

On Saturday night, the moon will arrive at perigee at 19:09 UT (3:09 p.m. Eastern Time). Its distance from the Earth at that moment will be 221,565 miles.  In December, 2008 it was 221,587 miles at perigee.

North America will miss the actual perigee since this will occur in the middle of the afternoon, but if the weather cooperates, we'd still suggest getting a look at the full moon when it appears in tonight's sky.

PHOTO ASSIGNMENT

For those lucky enough to be on a cruise tonight,  take some photos that include the moon.   For those that aren't as lucky, but still have a great view of the moon tonight, you are welcome to post also.

Some possibilities would be as the moon is rising,  friend or family members with the moon behind them, reflections of the moon on the ship or sea (perhaps with someone in the foreground to add interest).  Be creative, and have a great time enjoying the view (which is what it's all about, isn't it).

Become a Fan of our Facebook Page and post your pictures.    This is not a photo contest, and we can't give you a prize, but we can give you a forum to share your memories with everyone else.

To make the photos interesting, also post a comment about where the picture was taken and what cruise you were on (or perhaps reflect on a time when you saw a similar picture while on a cruise).    The whole intention here is to show how great cruising is and allow you to share your memories with others.

Facebook terms and conditions apply to any content you post on our Fan Page (in other words, only post your own photos, etc).     We didn't want to make this a formal contest, we just wanted to have some fun with this "supermoon" that has the media buzzing. 

Becoming a Fan will have its rewards ...   in the near future, we will be restricting certain content, and only sharing that with our FB Fans.   This could be sneak peaks, special offers, discounts, etc, so you don't want to miss out on the new content.

If you are on Norwegian Epic, what better night than tonight to Howl at the Moon