posted by admin on Jul 19
NCL Freestyle's Newest Ship - Norwegian Pearl
by Roy Witman © 2006
The youngest fleet at sea. That’s the goal of NCL Freestyle, and they are continuing in their efforts with the call to service of Norwegian Pearl. Purpose-built to deliver Freestyle Cruising, Pearl is currently sailing through the Inside Passage of Alaska and to the southern and western Caribbean.
Shipboard Amenities
Several features set Pearl apart from other ships including her 14 bars and lounges, more than any other cruise line. Making use of an innovative Bar Central concept, Pearl offers a martini bar, champagne and wine bar, and a beer and whiskey pub all connected.
Exclusive to NCL Freestyle Cruising are Garden Villas. With shared access to a private pool, hot tub, sun deck and workout facility, families that opt for the Garden Villas can take advantage of a private staff of five butlers who are at your beck and call.
Families choosing NCL Freestyle Cruising have more options than the Garden Villas. Connecting rooms in almost every class make for family-friendly vacations regardless of budget. For those cruising as couples, other accommodations are available including value-minded inside staterooms that allow you to make the most of your vacation dollars. Each cabin includes TV, refrigerator, safe, duvet and hair dryer.
Another unique aspect of Pearl is her rock-climbing wall - a first on a NCL Freestyle cruise ship. Positioned high atop Deck 14, you can see for miles once you reach the top of the wall. But, the most innovative feature by far is her bowling alley at sea - a first on any cruise ship! Included within an entertainment complex called Bliss, passengers will be able to use the four-lane, 10-pin bowling alley during the day. This sports bar will also feature sporting events via television, air hockey, foosball and other arcade games. At night, however, Bliss will be transformed into a high-energy lounge with videos and music.
Destinations
Pearl is making her way through the frigid waters of Alaska’s Inside Passage. Sailing from Seattle, Pearl calls on ports including Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, Alaska, plus Victoria, British Columbia.
While in the 49th US state, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to participate in excursions, including dogsled adventures, rainforest canopy and zip line exploits, whale encounters and wilderness kayaking.
If warm and sunny sounds more appealing to you than cold and frosty, then board Pearl in Miami for a southern or western Caribbean tour. Spending nine days flirting with the sun in balmy Barbados, Antigua or St. John is the perfect way to de-stress. Five-day cruises to Cozumel or Belize are also available.
Kid-Friendly Vacation
Of course, Pearl has plenty for the kids to do. With numerous age-appropriate group activities, kids of all ages can have a blast while at sea. The Kid’s Crew program provides a t-shirt (for painting), mom and dad’s night out, a chef’s hat (for cooking class), Crew News and more. Junior Sailors (ages 2-5), First Mates (ages 6-9) and Navigators (ages 10-12) all have special, supervised games and activities. Children under 12 are not allowed to leave the area unless picked up by a parent.
Teens also get special treatment onboard Pearl. With their own disco, movie events and teen parties, they’ll have a wonderful time meeting kids their own age.
NCL Freestyle Cruising allows you to choose how you dress, when you dine, who you dine with and what you do. This new freedom in cruising is only expanded with the addition of Pearl to the fleet of the youngest ships at sea.
Roy Witman is Vice-President of <a href="http://www.cruisevacationcenter.com">Cruise Vacation Center</a>. Visit them online today at <a href="http://www.cruisevacationcenter.com">http://www.cruisevacationcenter.com</a> for the best deals including <a href="http://www.cruisevacationcenter.com/alaska_cruises.htm"> Alaska cruises</a>.
Classic Ship - Learn Why They Are Loved by Everyone
The relevance and importance of a Classic ship cannot be debated in modern society especially because the world is witnessing a change from these ships to the ultra modern ones. More and more people now prefer the latest models and makes of their vessels and this has helped if not drastically affected the image of the traditional ship and created it into an antique symbol of class, style and colonial luxury. Fortunately there are many cruise lines and companies which try to keep this rich tradition alive by promoting these kinds of boats in their fleets.
At the Helm: Bob Dickinson, Carnival Cruise Line's CEO
by Roy Witman © 2006, All Rights Reserved
Often hailed as the most popular and the largest cruise line, Carnival didn’t make it to number one on its own. It’s had a lot of direction from CEO Bob Dickinson. Who is this man and what measures has he taken to make sure every passenger has a blast when sailing on a Fun Ship ?
A former employee of both Ford Motor Company and RCA, Dickinson achieved the position of executive vice president of Carnival in 1972. In 1993, he was promoted to president and a short time later added CEO to that title.
With a strong marketing and operational vision for the cruise line, Dickinson has brought this once fledgling company to superstar status through his unique innovations. In fact, he is so admired in the industry that Dickinson was named “1999 Travel Executive of the Year” by Travel Trade magazine. He was also awarded a position in Advertising Age magazine’s 100 Best Marketers in the Nation.
Part of his management savvy is due to his willingness to participate in programs such as PBS’s Back to the Floor where six top bosses were taken from the top floor of their high-rise office buildings and demoted to blue-collar workers within their own companies. From cleaning cabins to waiting tables to sweating it out as a poolside bar server, Dickinson hung with the other employees during a weeklong cruise aboard the Carnival Imagination.
He took the time to listen and learn about employee complaints firsthand, such as the pink shirts poolside staff must wear. Joking about the “polyester-lead blend” material, Dickinson discovered just how personal management decisions about every aspect of the employee work environment can be.
An avid wine collector, Dickinson has pressed hard to create a truly impressive and virtually unmatched collection within the Carnival fleet. With over 18,000 bottles in his personal wine cellar, Dickinson says wine is more than a hobby, naming it as interesting, complex and a living thing. And his favorite bottle of wine on the Carnival wine list? A 1998 Legacy California Cabernet that sells for $50.
Often giving countless bottles of wine away for charity, the Carnival CEO quotes a net figure for one year of $800,000 raised for philanthropic purposes primarily due to wine. Dickinson’s passion has recently extended to his business life as well. Carnival launched its first ever Wine Cruise aboard Liberty in December 2005. It was such a hit - being hailed by some as “the most outstanding wine-related event” - that the cruise line has scheduled a sequel for December 3, 2006.
This seven-day itinerary sails to Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. During the voyage, passengers can take part in numerous wine-related activities, including seminars and lectures about every aspect of wine from its history to the science behind creating different varieties. And, of course, wine tastings are a focal point of the week.
While guests are not required to be members of Carnival’s wine club to participate, they do need to pre-register for the special functions prior to boarding. Your travel agent will have details on all the events and registration procedures.
Dickinson will undoubtedly influence Carnival’s efforts as well as those of its sister companies (including Holland America Line and Windstar Cruises) continuing the success of each. What’s the key? How has he been able to build and hold fast to the number one position for so long? When asked, Dickinson replied that it was all about taking the mystery out of cruising, making it affordable to the average person and putting the customers’ experiences first. Truly, Carnival has achieved the status as the cruise line for every man.
Roy Witman is Vice-President of Cruise Vacation Center at <a href="http://www.cruisevacationcenter.com">http://www.cruisevacationcenter.com</a> offering the best deals including <a href="http://www.cruisevacationcenter.com/hawaii_cruises.htm"> Hawaii cruises</a> from <a href="http://www.cruisevacationcenter.com/carnival_cruise_line.htm">Carnival Cruise Line</a> and others.
How to enjoy Croatia ?
How to enjoy Croatia ? 1. Why Croatia ? Croatia is the closest Mediterranean destination to central Europe. It takes 2 hours by plane from London, 45 minutes from Munchen… Croatian natural beauties are significant and amongst the best preserved in the world ( over 5,800 km of coast, over 1,000 islands, numerous national parks … ). More about Croatia find on the official web site www.croatia.hr 2. How to Croatia ? Traveling by car you have to keep in mind that the traffic is increased in summer season. National ferry line is Jadrolinija and the national airline company is Croatia Airlines 3. Where in Croatia ? Although the inland of Croatia is beautiful as well, lot of tourists decide for one of the places along the Croatian coast. Most of the beautiful places in Croatia are located on the Adriatic sea coast ( National Park Brijuni islands, Roman arena in Pula, National Park Kornati islands, old towns Dubrovnik, Zadar, Trogir, Sibenik, Split, National Park island Mljet … ). Having one day trip in inland you can visit more Croatian beauties like National Park Plitvice lakes, National Park on river Krka, National Park Paklenica, … ) 4. Stay (sail) in Croatia ? Usually tourists rent a hotel room or an apartment and spend a week laying on a beach not aware that there are plenty other places around worth to be visited. Instead of changing hotels and moving your stuff from one place to another trying to see as much as possible , you can rent a boat ( skipper if necessary ), visit all the places along the Croatian coast and islands and have an extraordinary holidays. Croatian coast has 1000 of islands so there are no big waves and high sea. The conditons are perfect for nice and easy sailing. There are no long distance routes across the open sea. You can achor anytime you want and take a swimm. The price for sailing holidays in Croatia is equal to price for a hotel accomodation. More about yacht charter in Croatia find on web sites www.Yacht-Rent.com , www.star.hr, www.Yacht-charter-Rent-boat.com … There you can find a complete yacht charter offer in Croatia: around 2000 charter yachts belonging to all relevant charter companies in Croatia ( having at least 10 to 100 boats in their fleet). You can compare the prices for different boat models and select the most appropriate one. To answer the question how to enjoy in Croatia - sail in Croatia!
Innovative and affordable Caribbean cruise vacation
Innovative Way In Which You Can discover the beautiful St-Vincent and the Grenadines
by Rachel Paradis
St. Vincent & the Grenadines are regarded by most as the “Jewels of the Caribbean”. Since primeval times, St. Vincent, our home base has been blessed with lush mountains, volcanic-rich soil and unspoiled landscapes of brilliant flora and beautiful crystal clear waters. Add to this the idyllic islands and deserted cays of the Grenadines and the entire country emerge as a prime eco-playground.
Health Vacation Custom Cruises offers the most innovative vacation packages available to anyone who loves to discover St-Vincent and the Grenadines, and several other Leewards and Windwards islands, very intimately, aboard the Jonalisa, a 60 foot luxurious privately owned and operated Canadian trawler yacht.
Until now you either could view these islands aboard a giant cruise vessel and from behind the ships side rails, docking now and then where the docking facilities permit it, mostly in larger commercial islands never being able to set a foot on those deserted islands and magical coves.
You can charter a boat or a Yacht locally owned and operated that comes with a captain and cook. Then if you’re not acquainted with this area you need to rely on your chartered captain for security, itineraries and food.
Health and Vacation Cruises offers a very customizable vacation itinerary that will allow you the opportunity to define the type of cruise and activities you wish to experience during your visit. Aboard the Jonalisa motor yacht you’ll enjoy one of the most unique charters and cruises experiences to be found in the world. Enjoy sunny weather and temperature averaging 85 Fahrenheit with a cooling breeze from the trade winds. Follow the sound of the wind and let experience professionals transport you to the beautiful St-Vincent and the Grenadines and several other Leewards and Windwards islands.
Dream holidays on a well-equipped, well-stocked yacht are not just for the rich and famous, they are within your reach, too. Just charter the Jonalisa motor yacht with and experienced knowledgeable staff and cruise off to your dream destinations in the West Indies. You can pick your own route, set your own pace, chose your own cuisines, chalk out your own itinerary, make stopovers whenever and wherever you feel like, and be the master of the yacht until you return to the shore and enjoy a dream vacation that will live in your memories for ever.
Ms. Rachel Paradis MA
President Health Vacation Cruises
She holds a master degree in industrial and organizational psychology. She has a vast knowledge of the Caribbeans and motor Yacht cruises.
The Health Vacation & Organizational Wellness team gathers professional practitioners in the fields of Health, Psychology, Business.
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Ms. Rachel Paradis holds a master degree in industrial and organizational psychology and a professional business coach. The Health Vacation & Organizational Wellness team gathers professional practitioners in the fields of Health, Psychology, Business and Vessel management.