Cruise
Agents’ Choice Celebrates Josef Ebner
Being presented with the W.H. Baxter Lifetime Achievement Award at last night's second annual Agents' Choice Awards Gala is just the latest highlight for a man whose career and life have seen many lofty achievements. Josef Ebner, regional vice-president - Canada and managing director of downtown Toronto's Chelsea Hotel has also received accolades from the likes of Hotel Association of Canada, Canadian Hotel and Marketing Sales Executives, the Greater Toronto Hotel Association, the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, the Austrian Canadian Council, and SKAL. His efforts to create...
Carnival Steps Up Its Support for Travel Agents
Carnival Cruise Line continues to expand its year-long “Why Use a Travel Advisor,” or WUATA, program dedicated to promoting the value of travel agents. Originally launched in May, Carnival has now expanded the program with the launch of WUATA.com, a WUATA brochure and an exclusive WUATA Facebook page. According to Adolfo Perez, Carnival’s senior vice-president of sales and trade marketing, the new initiatives are the industry’s first consumer-focused efforts that are 100% dedicated to telling the story of the value of using a travel advisor. “We're really stepping it up...
Virgin Voyages Introduces Canadian Captain, New Itineraries
Fresh off attending Monday night's Toronto Raptor game, which he called exhilarating, Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Voyages team unveiled exciting cruise news – including the introduction of a Canadian captain – during a press event yesterday (June 11) in Toronto. Virgin Group founder Branson and Virgin Voyages president and CEO Tom McAlpin announced the appointment of Captain Wendy Williams as Master of Scarlet Lady, Virgin Voyages first ship, which will set sail out of Miami in spring 2020. When Williams takes the helm of Scarlet Lady, she will become the first Canadian...
Carnival Celebrates ‘Decade of Fun’ in Baltimore
Carnival Cruise Line and the Port of Baltimore celebrated a historic milestone with a “Decade of Fun” celebration aboard Carnival Pride to mark the 10-year anniversary of Carnival’s year-round cruising from the port. Carnival launched Baltimore’s first year-round cruise program in 2009 and over the past decade has carried more than a million guests. The festivities were highlighted by a reciprocal exchange of maritime gifts with Carnival President Christine Duffy presenting the Cruise Maryland’s General Manager Cynthia Burman with a ship’s bell while Burman presented...
Lindblad Expeditions Offsets 100% of Emissions
Lindblad Expeditions will become a carbon neutral company beginning this year. This announcement continues the company’s legacy in ecotourism, demonstrating its commitment toward defining travel industry standards for sustainability and environmentally responsible operations. Lindblad’s announcement also supports National Geographic’s ongoing efforts to identify greenhouse gas emissions associated with its travel programs, and decrease that impact by offsetting carbon emissions that cannot be eliminated. Lindblad Expeditions’ investments will effectively offset 100% of...
NCL Homeports in Amsterdam for the First Time
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is celebrating its first season of cruises from the Netherlands, Amsterdam with the European debut of Norwegian Pearl, growing the brand’s presence to six ships in the region for the first time. On June 8, Norwegian Pearl’s Captain, Paul von Knorring, and the ship’s officers were honoured with a plaque and key to the city of Amsterdam from local officials from the Port of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Cruise Port and Passenger Terminal Amsterdam, as part of the maritime tradition. On May 11, the 2,400-passenger Pearl embarked on its first summer season in...
USVI Working With Cruise Lines Following Cuba Restrictions
Following the US government's renewed restrictions on travel to Cuba, the U.S. Virgin Islands government is working closely with the cruise lines to help them as they develop alternative itineraries. Joseph Boschulte, commissioner of Tourism Designee, said that since news of the policy shift, the Ports of the Virgin Islands has reached out to the cruise lines to offer inconvenienced passengers the opportunity to visit the Territory, including the less busy cruise destination of St. Croix. “We have been in contact with the lines about making calls to both St. Croix and St....
Crystal Eliminates Plastic Straws
As of June 8, all plastic straws have been eliminated across the entire Crystal fleet. The company announced the initiative as the latest part of its Crystal Cares program, which comprises a broad spectrum of environmental efforts and sustainable practices. Paper straws will be available throughout the dining venues aboard Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity as well as aboard the company’s yacht, Crystal Esprit, and the Crystal River Cruises fleet. New ships will never carry plastic straws. The move coincided with the annual observance of World Oceans Day, also on June 8,...