With his ingenious creation of the Dakak Beach Frostie, Alvin Escober, head bartender aboard Holland America Line’s ms Oosterdam, proved his bartending mettle and won the Frozen Cocktail category of the Second Annual Bacardi Bartender & Chef Cruise Competition.
His Dakak Beach Frostie included Bacardi Razz™ and Bacardi Grand Melon™ Flavoured Rums, colorful strawberry and peach purees, ice and a strawberry garnish. Escober and Holland America Line were honored at an Awards Gala in March at The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove hotel in
Escober received a five-day intensive High Performance Leadership course of study for cruise industry professionals at
Signature of Excellence Brought New Focus to Mixology on
At the core of the program is the philosophy that fresh, premium juices and ingredients define the unique taste of Holland America Line’s cocktails.  Ripe citrus fruits are hand-pressed to produce a flavorful, fresh margarita, mojito or lemon drop. Sweet and sour mix is made from scratch every day. Combining the freshest ingredients with smooth, but intensely-flavored premium liquors creates a vivid flavor that makes each drink on the Signature bar menu something to experience.
Expansive children’s water parks, a new design style and features for the pool areas, and the creation of the Serenity adults only deck area will be part of a dramatic transformation of the open decks of Carnival Cruise Lines’ eight Fantasy-class ships. The new features are just part of Carnival’s $250 million “Evolutions of Fun†program, the cruise industry’s most ambitious ship refurbishment and product enhancement initiative, which focuses on the line’s eight Fantasy-class vessels. These “extreme makeovers†are part of an overall initiative to upgrade all of the unique guest-pleasing features and design style of the Fantasy-class vessels in addition to providing guests with new and exciting shipboard amenities.
The expanded outdoor recreation areas will initially be incorporated onto the 2,052-passenger Inspiration and Imagination during upcoming month-long dry docks this fall and added to other “Fantasy-class†ships in 2008 and 2009 during scheduled drydock periods.
Click on “more” for information about the new program and call us at 888-286-9827 to book your next Carnival cruise.
In another industry-leading move, Royal Caribbean International introduces the first loyalty programspecifically designed for cruisers below the age of 18. Launching on Liberty of the Seas’ maiden voyage on May 19, 2007, the Crown & Anchor
Society Youth Program will offer membership benefits for younger guests every time they sail with the cruise line. Additionally, the launch of Liberty also will introduce new and exciting enhancements in Royal Caribbean’s award-winning Adventure Ocean children and teen programming.
“Our dedication to provide the most enriching cruise vacation experience for families has earned Royal Caribbean many accolades year after year,” said Adam Goldstein, president, Royal Caribbean International. “With the increase of multi-generational travel, it has become even more important to provide intriguing programs that cater to young cruisers as well as to adults. The new Crown & Anchor Society Youth Program and Adventure Ocean enhancements will give our younger guests many opportunities to enjoy new experiences and earn rewards at the same time.”
So just what is the new Crown & Anchor Society Youth Program? Click on “more” to find out, then call us at 888-286-9827 to book your next Royal Caribbean cruise.
The first ship of Holland America’s new Signature Class has started to take shape. The keel for Eurodam was laid today at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard. Eurodam is scheduled to be completed in June of 2008 and will cost $450 million to complete.
Princess has released what they say is their final statement regarding this weekends incident involving two passengers who fell overboard from the Grand Princess:
We are pleased to report that the two passengers who went overboard Grand Princess early Sunday morning are both in satisfactory condition. After being rescued they were evaluated and treated on board by the ship’s medical staff. The male passenger has been released from the medical center and has decided to remain onboard and continue the rest of his cruise vacation. The female passenger, who had minor injuries, disembarked today in Costa Maya, Mexico, and will undergo further precautionary testing at a local hospital before traveling home. At the request of both passengers, we are not providing any information about their identity, residence, nor the circumstances of the highly unusual incident. We have concluded that their going overboard was an accident, and we consider the matter closed. We again would like to recognize and commend the ship’s captain and crew, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard, for their efforts that led to the safe rescue of these passengers. Grand Princess will depart Costa Maya at 9 pm EST this evening and continue on her seven-day Western Caribbean cruise as scheduled, with stops in Roatan (Honduras), Belize and Cozumel. The ship will return to Galveston on Saturday, March 31.
We’ve seen quite a bit of speculation regarding the circumstances surrounding the couple’s “unplanned disembarkation” involving things like their state of dress (let’s just say they weren’t dressed for the excursion 
) to their marital status (if they were married, it wasn’t to each other). It’s unclear just how much of that speculation is true, and just what was going on that caused two adults to fall despite a full functioning railing that was in good repair… If we get more information we’ll be sure to pass it along…
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