Royal Caribbean Execs Honored by ASTA

Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group

Richard Fain Honored

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), which advocates on behalf of the travel agency community at all levels of government, honored its most active members for their participation in this mission at the 2021 ASTA Global Convention in Chicago, IL last week. 

The ASTA Advocacy Dinner, which takes place each year during the Global Convention, was held at the historic Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago on Tuesday, August 24th.  Top industry leaders and travel professionals were on hand  for an inspiring evening to celebrate ASTA's influence in shaping the policies affecting the retail travel business today. 

During the Advocacy Dinner, ASTA bestowed a rare honor and celebrated Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, with ASTA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. This marks only the fourth time that ASTA has given this award in fifteen years. 

 “The board of directors voted unanimously to bestow the 2021 Lifetime Achievement award on Richard Fain because of his obvious belief in and affection for the travel advisor community,” said Zane Kerby, President & CEO of ASTA. “Royal Caribbean’s protection of commissions, $40 million zero-interest loans for travel advisors and quietly hosting first responders in the wake of the Surfside Condominium tragedy, are just a few of the reasons that we’re honored to present Richard with this award.”

Royal Caribbean Supports ASTA

Vicki Freed, Senior Vice President of Sales, Trade Support & Services at Royal Caribbean International, honored ASTA’s Advocacy efforts by donating $100,000 to ASTA’s advocacy mission on behalf of Royal Caribbean Group. Richard Fain added an additional $100,000 personal donation to support ASTA’s mission to protect and defend travel advisors. 

Vicki Freed Also Honored

Royal Caribbean Group, Vicki Freed, and Richard Fain have been strong supporters of travel advisors for years, and especially throughout the pandemic. Vicki Freed and the entire Royal Caribbean organizations have been instrumental in the industry return to service.  Besides the efforts recognized by ASTA, in bestowing the award to Richard Fain, Vicki Freed and her team have kept travel advisors updated and  in fact Vicki Freed just held her 70th Coffee Talk with travel advisors today. 

It is fitting that the next morning, Vicki Freed, received, for the fourth consecutive time, ASTA's Partner Representative of the Year, during a general session of the ASTA Global Convention.

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Best Pizza at Sea

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Alfredo's Pizzeria

Princess Cruises Alfredo's Pizzeria is named for their Master Chef, Alfredo Marzi and voted "Best Pizza at Sea" by USA TODAY.  This charming sit-down venue, located mid-ship on Deck 5, offers an enticing menu of freshly prepared individual-size pizzas along with beer and wines by the glass.

Hand-Tossed Pizza

Hot Out of the Oven

The open kitchen design allows you to watch as the chefs create pizza by hand and serve them straight out of the oven.

Alfredo's isn't the only place to get pizza onboard Sapphire Princess.   Prego Pizzeria is located on Deck 14 forward.   It serves pizza by the slice to the sun worshipers hanging out on the main pool deck. 

If an individual pizza is too much for you, bring someone with you to Alfredo's and you can share.  Pictured here is the Sapphire Princess: Tomato Sauce, Fresh Mozzarella, Cherry Tomatoes, Parma Ham, and Shaved Parmesan.

Our schedule, Sunday January 21st, called for a late afternoon arrival in Penang, Malaysia.  We planned to enjoy this nice sit down pizza lunch so that we'd have something to eat before our shore excursion, which included dinner at the local hawker food stands.  We agree with USA TODAY's assessment, and highly recommend Alredo's when you are onboard a Princess ship.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Related Album:

Sapphire Princess Dining

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Experience The Salty Dog

SALTY DOG GASTROPUB EXPERIENCE

Princess Cruises has partnered with award-winning chef Ernesto Uchimura—inaugural chef of the original Umami Burger restaurant and founding chef of Plan Check Kitchen + Bar in Los Angeles to bring The Salty Dog Gastropub experience to the Wheelhouse Bar on board select ships. The Salty Dog Gastropub is now available on Crown Princess, Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess.

click to enlarge image

Your meal includes Ernesto's "Dip Sticks", a savory new appetizer from Chef Uchimura, plus three gourmet plates chosen from a menu featuring selections such as Pale Ale Pork Cheeks, Wild Mushroom Saute, Beef Short Rib Poutine and a variety of other small bites inspired by pub favorites.

Meet "The Ernesto"

The Salty Dog Gastropub introduces "The Ernesto," a uniquely crafted rib eye burger created exclusively for Princess by burger expert Chef Uchimura. Ingredients: Fresh ground rib eye and short rib patty, grilled pork belly, cave aged gruyere, caramelized kimchi, beer battered jalapeno, charred onion aioli, smoked salt & pepper brioche bun.

You can exclude any items that you don't want to make it a custom burger. Cruise Critic awarded The Ernesto the Best Burger at Sea. We haven't tried them all, so we still have to keep trying burgers at sea before we decide.

And of course you’ll find Princess Cruises signature Seawitch craft beers, international beers and ciders, plus wines by the glass and classic cocktails prepared with premium spirits to quench your thirst.

In addition to our quest for penguins and the best burger at sea, we are also seeking the best Chocolate Martini at sea.   The one pictured here was excellent.   Notice the artistic design of the chocolate on the glass as well.

The cost to dine at The Salty Dog was $12 per person on this particular sailing on Crown Princess.  The price my vary on other ships, but it was worth it for the experience.  Our waiter was very attentive. There was music and dancing in the adjacent dance floor of the Wheelhouse Bar.

Editor Note:  As of March, 2023 the cost has increased to $18 but it is worth it for the experience.

 

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Salty Dog Gastropub

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Happy Thanksgiving 2014

Where is Chris?

HAPPY
THANKSGIVING

Allure of the Seas & Regal Princess in St. Maarten

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here already. Where did 2014 go? As has become my tradition, I'd like to share with you some of the things that I'm thankful for and highlight some of my adventures this year.

I hope that you, your family, and friends have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. I know that I have plenty of things to be thankful for, including my health, family, and friends and the ability to share my love of cruising with all of you. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to explore new worlds with family and friends again this year.

While this has been another tough economic year, it appears that the cruise industry has weathered the storm once again.

The value of cruising has never been stronger. Even in these tough times, more and more families have taken to the seas.  Indications are that the record discounts offered the past two years will be coming to an end.  In the meantime those discounts have made cruising an even better value, and consequently we have seen a surge in first-time cruisers.

Thankful for ... 
Sailing on Brand New Ships

Cruises Inc. and Cruise One held the 2014 National Conference on Regal Princess  which just started its inaugural season sailing to the Eastern Caribbean. Regal Princess met up with Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas in St. Maarten. The two ships side by side make an amazing photo. We've been fortunate to sail on both of these ships during their inaugural years.

This year I was privileged to be recognized among the "Best of the Best" awards at the conference. I was presented with the Cruises Inc. Best of Overall Marketing Award. What that means to you is that I'm constantly bringing the best values to my guests via the various marketing programs. Sometimes offers that cross my desk are short-lived, so it is best to subscribe to my eNewsletter and various social media sites.

We wonder what the Pilgrims, who came to the New World in Tall Ships, would think about the Allure of the Seas.  Their ships measured 110 feet, held 150 passengers at most, and took months to cross the Atlantic.  The Allure is more than 10 times that length (1182 feet), holds almost 8000 passengers and crew, and took just a couple weeks to cross the Atlantic.

Thank you for making our blog column a part of your lives in 2014.   I hope that the information we share helps you to dream about future cruises of your own. I'd be honored to help you plan those trips. I have the best job in the world - helping make dreams come true. For that, I'm truly thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to All