Princess Cruises next for digital documents

Princess Cruise Lines photo

Princess Cruises, next to stop sending paper travel documents,  has debuted an innovative array of digital documents designed to transform the way passengers plan for and learn about their upcoming cruise. The all-new electronic format will deliver more information about their cruise than ever before, arriving conveniently by email and right to their computer desktop from the time of booking and continuing through departure.  Already in place on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and others, Princess becomes the next cruise line to do away with paper travel documents sent in the mail that you can hold in your hand.

Still, while wildly UNpopular with guests, Princess has a few different twists on how they are going about it.

The timely digital documents include a brand-new email series filled with personalized pre-cruise information, a downloadable Princess Countdown ConnectionSM widget that delivers useful and entertaining information to a passenger’s computer, personalized online luggage tags, and customizable shore excursion eBooks. The change from printed information to fully digital documents applies to all North American passengers on voyages departing on or after January 21, 2010.

“These new digital enhancements are yet another example of our commitment to service innovation,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises’ executive vice president. “Not only will our passengers receive the most comprehensive array of pre-cruise information we’ve ever made available, the information is also fully personalized, and the content is designed to build excitement and anticipation for their cruise with a rich collection of multi-media experiences. Digital documents are also more environmentally friendly.”

Princess’ new digital documents include:

Personalized Pre-Cruise Emails

As soon as passengers book their cruise, they will begin to receive a new series of four emails that are timed to deliver just the right information needed for each stage of the cruise planning process. Replacing a printed Cruise Answer Book, the emails include the passenger booking details and interactive content that gives passengers a fun, engaging way to learn more about the signature amenities and activities they will experience on their ship.

The information will be customized to the itinerary and the ship the passenger is sailing, and greetings are featured from some of the senior officers who will be sailing on their cruise. An array of links are also provided to such things as ship videos and virtual tours, bridge cams, dining options, entertainment choices, shipboard features and amenities, travel logistics, weather information, packing tips, frequently asked questions, Captain’s Circle benefits, important notices and reminders, and how to stay connected to family and friends while onboard.

Princess Countdown ConnectionSM

To help passengers anticipate and prepare for their upcoming sailing, the innovative Princess Countdown ConnectionSM widget is an eye-catching online clock that ticks down the days, hours and minutes until their cruise departs. The new application, which can be downloaded from the pre-cruise emails, can live right on a passenger’s computer desktop, and will automatically deliver an array of personalized information to them about their upcoming sailing such as dining, onboard activities, shore excursions and notices.

Personalized Online Luggage Tags

Passengers will also be able to print their own personalized luggage tags from their home or office computer. These new tags not only include the passenger’s name, but also feature their Captain’s Circle membership status, cabin number and embarkation information. Passengers will be able to print as many tags as needed to ensure all their luggage is properly marked prior to boarding the ship.  Carnival was the first to do this.  I have yet to talk to anyone who really loves this part of it all.    I have tried this, it does work.  Still, I strongly suggest tagging bags with your own luggage tags and then tagging each one twice with these flimsy, print-your-own luggage tags.  It’s a good idea to print an extra to put inside your luggage too.  Make it the last thing you put in which will make it the first thing someone sees if they have to open your luggage looking something that might identify your luggage from the others that have lost their luggage tags too.

The printable luggage tags debut for all voyages departing after December 1, 2009, and are accessible through the Cruise Personalizer. They can be printed up to 75 days prior to the sailing date. Generic luggage tags will continue to be available at the pier for passengers who may need them.

Shore Excursion eBooks (something else not to hold in your hand)

Beginning in December, passengers will be able to print their own personalized shore excursion eBook for their cruise. Using this innovative tool, passengers will be able to select their favorite excursions from the wide array offered in each port, and create their own customized eBook of shoreside experiences. Further details will be available next month.

Online Cruise Vacation Resources

Yesterday, it was announced that due to weather conditions on the way, arrival of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas at Port Everglades will be delayed by two days.

Today our extensive coverage of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas continues with some interactive Internet sources sure to be favorites.  There are a lot of websites that mention Oasis but here are some I have run across that really do a great job of making sense of the worlds largest cruise ship. These first two from SunSentinel.com, offer some great insight and are really helpful if you’re trying to find your way around the ship, always a good idea before sailing.

• Take a virtual tour of the world’s largest cruise ship- allows us to zoom in and see where all the different areas we have been talking about actually are
• Terminal 18: The largest single-ship cruise terminal in the world- enables us to see where to go for both embarkation and disembarkation (click on “Inside Terminal”)
• CruiseCritic’s Countdown To Oasis- steadfast source of information, CruiseCritic.com has a special section just for Oasis of the Seas updates
• USA Today’s CruiseLog- Gene Sloan is right on top of things in the world of cruising with breaking news, in-depth reporting of on-going topics and more
• About.com:Cruises- Linda Garrison does a great job with cruising all over the world. Linda has cruised on a variety of ships from small sailing ships to mega-liners, budget-priced cruises to ultra-expensive.
• Orlando Cruise Vacations Examiner- that’s me. My main focus is on cruises that leave from Florida and we have a whole lot of those

All these are great sources of information.   Use them to research, keep up with what is going on and plan for the future.  When it comes time to book your cruise vacation don’t make a critical mistake; use a professional, certified travel agent.   As more and more of them go broke, the bad move of booking with an  Internet Cruise Broker is more and more like a hangover, totally avoidable.    Rule of thumb:  If all you have to do is click to order, you’re in the wrong place.

Oasis: Lots of little things make for a cool big ship

Royal Caribbean International

Now fully into the Atlantic Ocean on her way to Port Everglades the Captain reported yesterday that the ship was handling well in winds up to 60 knots. Without a doubt, advanced technology built into the ship is playing a big role in the handling and maneuverability they are experiencing on board right now.  The video you see here tells more of the technology that went into building the ship.

But with the exception of this video and others like it, guests rarely get a chance to see that side of technology.  There are some pretty amazing areas, some big and flashy, some small and subtle, that are built into Oasis of the Seas that guests will indeed experience first-hand.

Let’s take a look at Royal Caribbean International Chairman Richard Fain’s blog for some insight to what is in store for guests.

Gangway Button- If you have been on a cruise before you might know that guests do not always disembark from the same deck or side of the ship.  It depends on which port they are docked at or even which pier at a given port.  Many guests disembarking head down and follow the crowd.  On Oasis, they added a special button in each elevator marked “Gangway” which will be programmed to change at each port.  It’s a little thing but now all guests will have to do is find an elevator to know where to go, rather than listening to sometimes annoying announcements

Royal Caribbean has been working on announcements too though.  According to Fain, “We had three objectives: (a) ensure all safety announcements are clear and properly disseminated; (b) minimize all non-essential ship-wide announcements; and (c) make sure that we properly accommodate people who do not speak English.”  A lot of that will be taken care of with the very latest in-stateroom communication system.

As reported earlier, the ship’s Royal Caribbean Television network (RCTV) will have Internet capabilities, details on all ship venues, menus, hours of operation, etc as well as traffic flow updates for food venues, informing guests of which venue could best accommodate their party at any given time.

Communication has long been a strong point in the management of Royal Caribbean International. It is no surprise that they have gone to great lengths to examine what they are doing in this area and improve upon it for the launch of Oasis of the Seas.

done

A complex array of offerings in the Adventure Ocean children’s program is a good example of this communication in action.  ”We have never had such an exciting Children’s Program or such extensive facilities with which to present it” Fain said along with a PowerPoint presentation to explain it all.

Stay tuned for more updates as they occur, right here

Carnival’s Funship Sensation more fun now

Carnival Cruise Lines has introduced a new children’s dining program that provides kids with delicious supervised meals with their fellow young cruisers in the ships’ casual poolside restaurants while parents enjoy a night to themselves.

The new children’s dinners – the latest component of the line’s complimentary “Camp Carnival” program – are available fleetwide and take place in the ships’ Lido Deck eateries, the “Seaview Bistros.” Dinners take place from 6-7 p.m. After which children are welcome to partake in regularly scheduled “Camp Carnival” activities until 10 p.m.

The children’s dinners are available nightly on three- and four-day voyages except for the first night of the cruise. On voyages of five days or longer, the dinners are available nightly except for the first and last night of the cruise.

A different menu is featured each night and includes items such as spaghetti with meatballs, chicken quesadillas, hamburgers, hot dogs, roasted chicken drumsticks, pepperoni pizza, fish sticks, chicken nuggets, roasted turkey, and grilled salmon steak. Popular side dishes include French fries, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. A 35-item salad bar is also available. Desserts include assorted ice cream and seasonal fresh fruit.

Other popular dining options for children sailing aboard the “Fun Ships” include 24-hour pizzerias, a grille serving hot dogs and hamburgers and 24-hour ice cream/frozen yogurt stations. Children’s menus are available in all main dining rooms. A special children’s turn-down service offering freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on the first and last night of the cruise, and the “Fountain Fun Card,” which, for a one-time fee, provides unlimited soft drinks throughout the cruise, are also available.

The new children’s dinners complement the wide variety of fun morning-til-night activities included in the line’s popular “Camp Carnival” program, featured on all 19 “Fun Ship,” which are expected to host some 400,000 children this year.

“Camp Carnival” activities are geared toward children ages 2-15, who enjoy such amenities as indoor and outdoor play areas, computer labs, arts and crafts centers, video game rooms, a new EduCruise science/geography program and more.

How to find a cruise

Photo: Royal Caribbean International

The first thing you do NOT want to do is visit the site of an Internet Cruise Broker. While the attractive pricing may grab your eye, in the end their “find everything right here” way of presenting cruise information is almost always deceiving. more…

The most efficient way to go on your own is to visit the major cruise lines website and their “find a cruise”pages. I like this method because you can

• Count on the offers being legtitmate and available.
• See what shore excursions they offer to go with their sailings
• Compare pricing on several sailings or ship

They too like to put their best foot forward and position high-profit sailings front and center. So don’t pay too much attention to their pricing. It almost always does not include taxes and any decent travel agent can make it a better value. But there is no better way to find just what you are looking for

So do your research, find some possible sailings and let me know which ones you would like value pricing on. Remember:

“the Internet is for searching, Travel Agents are for booking”

New laws keep cruise passengers and crew safe..ok and ships too

Called a big win for everyone who sails on cruise ships departing from a United States port,  the US House of Representatives passed legislation today that will escalate efforts to make both passengers and crew safer at sea.

The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety act of 2009, a provision included in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 allows funding for the U.S. Coast Guard and includes the cruise safety provision.

Far more than any previous attempts have accomplished, this act calls for specific rail heights,  peep holes in cabin doors and video systems that will help in documenting crimes at sea.  Supported by the Cruise Lines International Association which represents most major cruise lines, the legislation makes formal what most cruise lines have been doing all along.

Legislation was first introduced in 2008 by Senator John Kerry as the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2008.  Reintroduced in March of 2009, consumer group Friend of the Earth noted “You wouldn’t think that minimal security requirements and environmental protections would require federal legislation,” said Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder. “But many cruise lines have failed to reduce pollution and afford their customers even these minimal protections

Travel Agents

Travel Agents not only cost you nothing, they more and more frequently becoming your only hope to finding a good cruise that is right for you at a good price.

There are more and more internet cruise brokers every day.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO BUSIINESS WITH THEM AND YOU SHOULD COME OUT BETTER IN THE LONG RUN WITH A REAL TRAVEL AGENT

Internet Discount Cruise Brokers have just one thing in mind: taking your money.  There is NO personal commitment to you as much as they might have you believe there  is.  You need to develop a long-term business relationship with a travel professional that will keep up on the ever-changing world of travel and watch out for you.

Think of it like this:  What if a trusted friend owned a car dealership and they could sell and service any car you wanted.  I mean someone you REALLY trusted.  Would you just walk in to any old car dealer and buy a car?  Of course not.  You would go with someone you know, someone you trust and you would know that you’re going to get a good deal up front and honest service after.

Go to a shopping mall and meet a travel agent face to face, work with someone you “know” from online, ask around and get a personal recommendation from a friend…..all of these are better than trolling through the Internet looking for the one that has the lowest price.

That would be fine if you were looking for an easy to identify household item like a vacuum cleaner.  You could pick the model number, plug it in to your computer and search for the best price.

In that case, low price is THE major factor in your decision process.  Shipping policies and fees are probably next followed by a distant third-place customer service, in case it would get lost in the mail

Buying a cruise is nothing like that.  Nothing at all.

There are so many other variables in the purchase decision that you NEED a professional for whom crusing is their business if not their life, to keep abreast of what you need to know right now.  Not yesterday, not last week, RIGHT NOW.
One of the most important features of a good cruise travel agent is efficiency. You need the behind the scenes part of your booking to be handled correctly and on time. Attention to detail in this area is a must.

But you need to be your own advocate too.

You’re doing that right now by coming here to learn about this stuff and gain valuable information that could make or break your cruise later.

To find a travel agent, much like finding an insurance salesman, you can look to professional organizations like the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA,www.cruising.org ) who helps train and certify cruise travel agents. They’ve gone through training, attended seminars and toured various cruise ships to get a goodunderstanding of what they need to know.

Another professional organization that is a good indicator that an agency is at least doing some business is The American Socisty of Travel Agents (ASTA, www.astanet.com), the members here have rigorous criteria to meet in order to join and maintain membership.

If you do an Internet search for travel agents remember that in many cases the listings you see first are sponsored meaning those people pay the search engine to be listed at the top of the list.

Word of mouth, of course, is one of the best sources of finding a good travel agent. Because recommending specific travel agents on an Internet based forum such as this is NOT the same as a recommendation from, say, your neighbor we don’t allow it on Cruise Critic and you should be happy that we don’t. The people you come to “know” here could be travel agents, sales people, trying to make a sale without the best interest in mind that your neighbor might have.

My point here is to find neutral, unbiased sources, ones with documentation to support their recommendations if possible like your state attorney general or consumer affairs office.

Personally, I think its important to develop a good business relationship with your travel professional, be that an agent you find from one of the professional organizations, a neighbors recommendation or, yes, even an attractive yellow pages ad.

Armed with the right information about agents and the knowledge to ask the right questions you’ll fare much better than blindly accepting somebody’s suggestion.

Before you contact that agent get an idea of what you want. Search online or send off for some cruise brochures. Read reviews and other first timer information here. Ask questions (there are NO dumb ones) and get answers from the members here.

THEN make that call

Tips On Buying Luggage

Step One

Consider where you’re going and what you’re packing before you shop for new luggage. This will determine the quantity and size of luggage you’ll need.

Step Two

Determine your budget before you shop. This will help steer you in the direction of quality luggage brands you can afford. A reputable luggage store that specializes in all types of luggage will give you advice based on your budget and travel needs.

Step Three

 

Decide whether you want soft or hard-case luggage. Heavier, hard-sided suitcases offer far better protection for fragile items (if packed properly). Soft luggage is lighter.

Step Four

If you choose a roller model, look for heavy-duty wheels (some have durable in-line skate wheels) and a sturdy base.

Step Five

When buying soft luggage, check the denier of a fabric, a measurement that refers to the fineness of the yarn. Generally speaking, the higher the denier the more durable the fabric.

Step Six

Look for a quality zipper that’s heavy-duty enough to support the weight the bag was designed to hold. (Top of the line zippers are YKKs.) Critical seams and attachment points for webbing should be bar-tacked.

Step Seven

Make sure the bags fits airlines‘ approved carry-on size. Most bags within the 24 X 14 X 9-inch (61 x 35.5 x 23-cm) size restriction is considered legal on all planes.

Step Eight

Choose a size that’s appropriate for the length of your trip. Keep in mind the possibility of needing to accommodate unexpected items or expand for a longer trip