Imagination Entertainment on Windjammer Cruise

Entertainment On Our First Cruise 

What do you do for entertainment without a big band, or Broadway production? Ask a child. They can turn a cardboard box into a cruise ship, or motor home. That's what life onboard was like on our first cruise. Read on to learn about entertainment on Yankee Trader, a Windjammer Barefoot Cruise.

 

Windjammer Barefoot Cruise

Yankee Trader

Our first cruise was a 3-day trip to the Bahamas on a small sailing vessel which could travel under mast or by motor.  See our previous article, How Our Love for Cruising Started, for the beginning of the story.

Entertainment

Unlike the modern cruise lines that have all sorts of entertainment from small lounge shows to Broadway-style musicals, nightly entertainment would be provided by the Captain, crew, and passengers.  The "stage" was the upper deck which also served as the main dining room, bar, and meeting area.

In the center image at  the top left is our captain with his magical elephant.   You can't see it in the picture, but there is one of the passengers laying on the ground and about to get a surprise shower from the elephant.   Props for the entertainment was whatever you could find onboard the ship including towels and other supplies.   We had some creative crew and passengers.

Another event was the rowing contest where all the passengers grouped on the wooden platform beneath the main mast (their row boat).   I'm not certain they made much progress "sailing" but the beer that was flowing certainly kept the spirits high as they fought the high waves.

Thanks for Starting Our Amazing Journey

Captain Jon S. Helmick was the skipper on our first cruise.   We owe a great debt of gratitude to him and the rest of the crew for making our first cruise so special.   It is now more than 30 years since that first voyage and we can remember the events as if they happened yesterday.  That certainly says something about the dedication of that crew to providing a great experience for their guests.

We hope that your first cruise is as memorable as ours.   And for those that have been sailing for years, we hope that you have many fond memories like the ones we've shared here.

You haven't lived until you've Cruised ....

(Updated:  October 23, 2021)

We are feeling a little nostalgic as the first chapter of our professional travel adventure, as a Cruises Inc. independent contractor draws to a close.   We've begun the transition to our new franchise with Dream Vacations, another of the CruiseOne companies that are part of World Travel Holdings.  

Also we are excited because in just a couple more weeks we will be onboard Celebrity Apex with our fellow agents, owners, and associates for our 2021 National Conference.   One of the best parts of the conference is sharing stories from our adventures.    We hope that you have some memories to share and would welcome the opportunity to assist you in creating new ones as well.

 

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Entertainment on Our First Cruise

Windjammer Barefoot Cruise

Yankee Trader

Our first cruise was a 3-day trip to the Bahamas on a small sailing vessel which could travel under mast or by motor.  See our previous article, Our Very First Cruise, for the beginning of the story.

Entertainment

Unlike the modern cruise lines that have all sorts of entertainment from small lounge shows to Broadway-style musicals, nightly entertainment would be provided by the Captain, crew, and passengers.  The "stage" was the upper deck which also served as the main dining room, bar, and meeting area.

In the center image at  the top left is our captain with his magical elephant.   You can't see it in the picture, but there is one of the passengers laying on the ground and about to get a surprise shower from the elephant.   Props for the entertainment was whatever you could find onboard the ship including towels and other supplies.   We had some creative crew and passengers.

Another event was the rowing contest where all the passengers grouped on the wooden platform beneath the main mast (their row boat).   I'm not certain they made much progress "sailing" but the beer that was flowing certainly kept the spirits high as they fought the high waves.

Thanks for Starting Our Amazing Journey

Captain Jon S. Helmick was the skipper on our first cruise.   We owe a great debt of gratitude to him and the rest of the crew for making our first cruise so special.   It is now more than 30 years since that first voyage and we can remember the events as if they happened yesterday.  That certainly says something about the dedication of that crew to providing a great experience for their guests.

We hope that your first cruise is as memorable as ours.   And for those that have been sailing for years, we hope that you have many fond memories like the ones we've shared here.

You haven't lived until you've Cruised ....

 

National Plan A Cruise Month 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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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 

We will be co-hosting a very special #FoodTravelChat for #ChooseCruise month

Entertainment on Our First Cruise

Windjammer Barefoot Cruise

Yankee Trader

Our first cruise was a 3-day trip to the Bahamas on a small sailing vessel which could travel under mast or by motor.  See our previous article, Our Very First Cruise, for the beginning of the story.

Entertainment

Unlike the modern cruise lines that have all sorts of entertainment from small lounge shows to Broadway-style musicals, nightly entertainment would be provided by the Captain, crew, and passengers.  The "stage" was the upper deck which also served as the main dining room, bar, and meeting area.

In the center image at  the top left is our captain with his magical elephant.   You can't see it in the picture, but there is one of the passengers laying on the ground and about to get a surprise shower from the elephant.   Props for the entertainment was whatever you could find onboard the ship including towels and other supplies.   We had some creative crew and passengers.

Another event was the rowing contest where all the passengers grouped on the wooden platform beneath the main mast (their row boat).   I'm not certain they made much progress "sailing" but the beer that was flowing certainly kept the spirits high as they fought the high waves.

Thanks for Starting Our Amazing Journey

Captain Jon S. Helmick was the skipper on our first cruise.   We owe a great debt of gratitude to him and the rest of the crew for making our first cruise so special.   It is now more than 30 years since that first voyage and we can remember the events as if they happened yesterday.  That certainly says something about the dedication of that crew to providing a great experience for their guests.

We hope that your first cruise is as memorable as ours.   And for those that have been sailing for years, we hope that you have many fond memories like the ones we've shared here.

You haven't lived until you've Cruised ....

Dutch Teen Circles Globe Beats Previous Record

Laura Dekker Arrives in St. Martin     Courtesy Sky News

Youngest Sailor Completes Solo Circumnavigation 

of the World 

What goals did you have for you teen years? Did you ever consider sailing around the world by yourself before turning 17?

Well, Laura Dekker, a young Dutch girl had that dream and Sunday she completed her goal, breaking the previous record by almost 8 months.

Laura Dekker - Sky News Galleries

Beats Previous World Record

Dutch born 16-year-old  Laura Dekker sailed into the harbor of St Martin, completing a journey around the world which began last August from this Dutch and French island in the Caribbean.  In order to beat the world record, she needed to complete the circumnavigation at least 3 days before her 17th birthday which is September 20, 2012.  Previous record holder, Australian Jessica Watson, completed her trip in May 2010, three days before she turned 17. 

The two journeys were slightly different with Laura sailing no more than three weeks at a time, stopping in various ports along the way while Jessica sailed non-stop around the world.

"I can't really take in what I've done," she told reporters once back on dry land.

"The sailing was always nice... I often saw dolphins. I enjoyed it a lot and I'm very happy."

Laura had a struggle to overcome before even setting sail. The Dutch courts had blocked plans for her to cast off two years ago, saying she was too young at 14. In July 2010, the Dutch child welfare authorities finally allowed her to depart on her journey.  Her parents and a small group of well-wishers were on hand for her homecoming on Sunday.  Congratulations for accomplishing such a task at such a young age.

For those of you that aren't quite as adventurous as Laura, you can leave the driving to someone else by joining as passengers on one of the cruise line's World Cruises. 

Many any of the major cruise lines offer full world cruises from 65- to 144-enchanting days aboard some of the finest cruise ships in the world. Liner Voyages of 31 to 76 days and Segment Voyages of 12 to 25 days are also available on some cruise lines so you can experience the special ambiance of a world cruise by joining the ship when she visits your favorite part of the world!  (Click image or here for upcoming cruises)

Winstar Cruises Reorganizes

Windstar Cruises

Has a New Future

Ambassadors International, Inc., parent company of Windstar Cruises,  announced that it has entered into an agreement with Whippoorwill Associates, Inc., as agent to sell the cruise line through a court-supervised sale process.  Ambassadors and its U.S. subsidiaries today voluntarily filed petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

UPDATE:  May 19, 2011

New Buyer Victorious in Bidding War

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware approved the sale of Windstar Cruises and other assets to TAC Cruise LLC, an affiliate of Xanterra Holding Corp.

The sale is expected to close the week of May 23.  TAC is expected to pay $39M in cash for the cruise line.   Xanterra Holdings Corp. is based in Colorado and has been in the hospitality industry for 100 years.

No Impact On Current Operations

According to a statement released by the company, "Ambassadors and Windstar intend to continue normal business operations during the sale process, which is proposed to be completed in approximately 45 days.

Windstar also plans, subject to court approval, to continue to:

• Operate all Windstar cruises as scheduled;
• Maintain all of Windstar's customer programs and policies;
• Honor all Windstar fares and reservations, including charter contracts;
• Provide commissions and payments to its travel partners as usual and employee wages and benefits without interruption; and
• Pay all Windstar vendors and suppliers for goods and services received both before and during the reorganization process in connection with the sale. 

See the complete details of this transaction ...  Ambassadors International Enters Into Agreement to Sell Windstar Business and Operations to Private.

Windstar Cruises consists of a fleet of three small ships, Wind Spirit, Wind Star, and Wind Surf.

The small, sleek yachts of Windstar are made for seeing the world quite literally from a different point of view.


For the small ship lover, this is good news that the cruise line will continue operations.   According to the press release, there are even plans for expansion under the reorganization.


We will continue to monitor this story and bring you updates as additional details are released.

Cruising Bermuda

Continuing our quest for a new cruise destination beyond the Caribbean, we next turn our attention to Bermuda. While often thought of as part of the Caribbean, Bermuda is actually located 650 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, 774 miles from New York City and 3,000 miles from London. The 21-mile-long island is two miles at its maximum width. Bermuda has a year-round mild semitropical climate, with temperatures ranging from 68 to 84 degrees and relative humidity from 71 to 84 percent.

As the climate is ideal year-round for sports, active travelers can enjoy some of the best wreck diving in the world, scuba diving, over 80 tennis courts and top-rated golf courses. Bermuda also has yacht-racing, museums, a top-rated aquarium, cricket and of course, its famous pink sand beaches. Wherever you are in Bermuda, you are never more than a mile from a beach.

Bermuda's many forts help to trace its interesting maritime history. All British built, they give visitors an idea how important Bermuda was to the British government for centuries, as well as to its allies, the United States and France, during World War I and II. Most of these forts have been restored and offer magnificent views.

Because of these many attributes, Bermuda has also become a popular cruise destination, with major lines visiting here from April to October, when temperatures are in the 70s and 80s. The three main ports-of-call are Hamilton, St. George and King's Wharf in the West End. Cruises to Bermuda typically originate in New York or Boston and some are part of Transatlantic crossings.

Surrounded by turquoise water, Bermuda beaches are famous for their pink sand. This unique colored sand is from finely pulverized remains of calcium carbonate shells, plus skeletons of invertebrates, including clams, corals and forams. This rare mixture offers another amazing feature: the sand does not get hot, even in the summer!

Bermuda boasts over 150 restaurants, with something to please every palate and for every price range. Hamilton is noted for its selection of international cuisine, including Caribbean, Indian, Italian, Greek, Chinese, English, French and Mexican.

Shoppers can find everything from sophisticated department stores to exclusive boutiques, as well as antique stores and art galleries in Bermuda, with a wide selection of both goods and prices. Bargains are available in Hamilton and St. George's as well as other parts of the Island. The Royal Naval Dockyard in the West End offers extensive shopping facilities.

Bermuda has established itself as one of the world's top dive destinations by offering ideal conditions. Aquatic adventurers can immerse themselves in summer water temperatures averaging 83 F, considered to be the clearest water in the Western Atlantic and the world's most northernmost coral reefs. The ocean floor is covered with hundreds of wrecks dating from the 15th to the 20th century, earning it the title "Wreck Capital of the Atlantic."

Bermuda is a unique island offering visitors beautiful beaches, dive sites, fine dining, history and much more in a relaxed, genteel atmosphere with a distinct British flavor. There is something for everyone in Bermuda. It is a great alternative to a Caribbean Cruise Vacation.

In future articles, we'll take a closer look at a seven day cruise to Bermuda. I hope by now you are starting to realize that there are fabulous destinations to cruise to beyond the Caribbean.