Going green!

We have seen recently the cruise line trying to do their bit for the environment by completing e-tickets and not sending shore excursion brochures. While this has upset many passengers I think this is a brilliant idea. If you don’t have a computer in your house we all know at least one person who has access to one. There even internet cafe if you get really desperate!!

Now Celebrity is taking up another notch by trying to educate passengers on board with a series of on board seminaries giving the environmental impacts of cruising.

Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, senior vice president of hotel operations, explained: "Our guests tend to have a keen sense of curiosity and interest in learning new things, and Oceans Ahead offers them a behind-the-scenes look at our shipboard operations across the fleet, with a special focus on Celebrity's sustainability practices."

An insight into how the ships work and how exactly the cruise line is trying and going to reduce its carbon footprint will be reduced in its Oceans Ahead programme. Passengers will be also be able to find out how Celebrity is investing in marine conservation, education and technology through the Ocean fund.

Muster drills but without the hassle!

How annoying do you find it when you have to complete the muster drill but first you have to mess around getting your life jacket when all you want to do is get the drill over and done with and get on with your holiday??!!

Well Royal Caribbean International have done away with the need for passengers to fetch their lifejackets from the cabins on the Oasis of the seas for the drills and quick to follow suite are Norwegian Cruise Lines.

They are introducing a new procedure whereby on hearing the emergency alarm, passengers go straight to the muster station, where they'll hear all the usual safety info and will hopefully learn how to put on a life jacket.

NCL's new muster drill will be rolled out to all ships bar Pride of America.

What do you think of this new drill system?

 Is it safe or is it just another way of cutting corners?

Hurricane 2010 cruising season!

An “active to extremely active” hurricane season is expected for the Atlantic Basin this year according to the seasonal outlook issued by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a federal agency focused on the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere.

EEK!!

The typical hurricane season runs effective from June 1st through November 30th.


La Nina is defined as a lower surface temperature usually 3-5 degrees Celsius, this is normally the years when hurricane season occur. The effect of these conditions is a typically wet winter in the U.S. particularly in the Midwest, and an increased likelihood of hurricanes as these weather systems head towards the Atlantic and combine with tropical air coming from Africa.



What does it mean to predict an active hurricane season? The average hurricane season contains 11 named storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), six hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher) and two major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph).



The NOAA is predicting 14-23 named storms: including 8 - 14 hurricanes of which 3 - 7 could be major hurricanes. With this is mind this could mean we could be in for one of the most active seasons on record!!

We do need to bear in mind though that NOAA can often be innocently incorrect but because predicting weather is incredibly difficult.



Now what happens in the event of a hurricane?



Well the cruise line will substitute different ports. Yes you might miss out on certain ports of call but this is the risk when you book in the hurricane season and hurricane season is no secret so we often see bargain prices.



Also the cruise ships are experts at avoiding these storms, so you should still have a great cruise. You just have to accept the possibility of a little uncertainty.

Chocoholic’s chaos on RCI!!

I have to admit I am a complete chocoholic!! I don’t think there are many of us out there who don’t enjoy a good box of chocs. But how much chocolate can you eat?

Well Royal Caribbean International cruise line is putting us to the test as they have just introduced a ‘completely decadent’ new breakfast feature being 'the chocolate breakfast'!

Yum yum I say!!

It appears that I am not the other one who thinks this as it has been a tremendous hit according to Lisa Bauer - RCI's Operations Manager, who said no less than 1,200 people showed up for last week’s offering aboard Oasis of the Seas which has prompted the breakfast to be now rolled out to the rest of the fleet.

Ironically, the idea was put forward by fitness-fanatic Royal Caribbean president and CEO Adam Goldstein, who competes in 10K races when he’s not pounding opponents at the ping pong table.

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I have to say I could defiantly eat and drink hot chocolate, chocolate milkshakes, chocolate pancakes with whipped cream, chocolate waffles with caramel-banana topping.… for my breakfast!! Could you?!