Surprise! There’s a new show in your podcast feed… It’s been a while and we’ve been holding on to this one for a bit I know…
The good news (maybe) is that this is the last of the pre-recorded specials that we have in the hopper…
The better news… We’re shooting to be back with a NEW SHOW next week… What that show will sound like is still up in the air though, it all depends on the state of the studio…
So watch your podcast feed next week and in the mean time enjoy this special episode…
Celebrity Cruises’ Captain’s Club – the top-rated premium brand’s three-tiered recognition and benefits program designed exclusively for its most loyal guests – has been redesigned and relaunched based on a series of member-inspired enhancements. Several of these new features are rolling out across the fleet on sailings beginning this month, while others will be introduced in intervals over the course of the year.
New features launching this month include the Captain’s Club Celebration, a one-of-a-kind social and entertainment event available to all members; significantly improved Internet and laundry benefits for Select and Elite tier members; and a new onboard lounge exclusively for Elite members. The brand has even introduced a new theme for Captain’s Club, which doubles as its ongoing commitment to members: “The center of our attention.”
But these improvements are only the beginning. During the second half of this year, Celebrity will expand the Captain’s Club with a variety of other new features, all of which will be announced prior to taking effect.
A highlight of the onboard experience is likely to be the Captain’s Club Celebration. Soon available across the fleet, with the exception of Celebrity Xpedition, all members will be invited to this exclusive event once per sailing. Redesigned to be a highlight of every cruise, the spirited affair will provide the perfect opportunity to meet fellow members, chat with the Captain and senior shipboard officers, experience interactive cooking demonstrations, and enjoy the unique “CC Jams” performance by a variety of shipboard musicians.
For members interested in a quiet haven of their own, Celebrity is pleased to introduce the Captain’s Club Lounge at Michael’s Club, exclusively for Elite members and their stateroom/suite companions each morning and early evening. The new Lounge will offer a casual coffeehouse-style experience from 8AM to 10AM, with complimentary espressos, teas and other menu items, a variety of reading materials, and, on Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox, wi-fi access.
Every evening from 4PM to 6PM, Captain’s Club Elite members and their stateroom/suite companions can return to the Lounge to enjoy socializing with fellow members, participate in a wine tasting event, or simply relax and enjoy a quiet, complimentary drink before dinner.
In recognition of their desire to stay in touch with family and friends while vacationing, Elite members will now receive complimentary Internet packages, while Select members will receive a significantly discounted rate on any Internet package. Also within the new program, Captain’s Club Select- and Elite-level members can now enjoy new laundry, dry cleaning, and pressing benefits, based on the length of their cruise. (laundry and Internet benefits upgrade from tier to tier, and are not cumulative). Celebrity also is extending its pledge to make members the center of attention by engaging many in the entirely new Captain’s Club Advisory Board, to ensure its most loyal guests always have a voice in shaping the program. Participation on the Advisory Board will offered online on a rotating basis to a selection of members across all tiers.
In addition to focusing on effectively delivering the new features of the new Captain’s Club, Celebrity will continue to ensure that members enjoy all the program benefits currently available as well, and that they continue to have more opportunities to achieve higher-tier status.
Prior Captain’s Club benefits and new enhancements available at launch include:
For Classic members (1-4 tier credits): Access to the loyalty desk and loyalty host; a premium onboard discount booklet; access to the new Captain’s Club Celebration event; a complimentary custom air request; pre-cruise specialty restaurant reservations; member reunion cruises; one-category upgrades (when available); and an online newsletter
For Select members (5-9 tier credits): All of the benefits of Classic membership, plus priority embarkation, a complimentary wine seminar, priority status to shore excursion waitlist, an invitation to the senior officers’ cocktail party, 25% off any Internet package, complimentary pressing of two clothing items, and discounted laundry on cruises of 12 nights or more.
For Elite members (10 or more tier credits): All of the benefits of Select membership, plus a private shipboard departure lounge with continental breakfast, priority tender service, priority waitlist for dining room seating, elegant tea service, complimentary use of Thalassotherapy pool use on Celebrity Mercury, complimentary access to the Persian Garden (port days only), access to the new Captain’s Club Lounge at Michael’s Club, 90 free Internet minutes, one free item of dry cleaning, a complimentary bag of laundry (wash, dry, fold) and additional discounted laundry on cruises of 12 nights or more.
As promised this week we give you another of our special episodes that we prepared a few weeks ago.
Now we recorded this with the assumption that it would get posted while we were still driving to Cleveland – but as you know we’ve made it there safely…
In this episode we talk about how the cruise industry has evolved over the years. Quite a bit has changed some of it for good – so of it not so good… We didn’t talk about all the changes, theres been more than even we know about and the show would be longer than you’d want to listen to. But enjoy our look at the industry through the years.
Yesterday a ceremony to mark the keel laying of Cunard Line’s new Queen Elizabeth was held at the Monfalcone shipyard of Fincantieri near Trieste, Italy. The second largest Cunarder ever built, Queen Elizabeth’s keel is the third Cunard has lain in the space of seven years. When she enters service in October 2010, she will join Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria as not only the most famous ocean liners in the world but also the youngest fleet in passenger travel.
The keel laying involves the placement in the dry dock of the first section of the ship’s hull. This section is made up of six pre-manufactured blocks, weighs 364 tons and is fitted with 104 tons of pipes, cables, insulation and other equipment.
The ceremony followed an intensive period of design and development. Fifty-three sections will be used in the construction of Queen Elizabeth and she will take to the water for the first time at her float out in December.
Queen Elizabeth will feature the unique Cunard traditions linking her with her sisters Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria and their predecessors, together with all the modern day luxuries Cunard’s guests have come to expect and some exciting features that will give the vessel her own style and personality.
Named after the first Queen Elizabeth, one of Cunard’s greatest ships, the new Queen Elizabeth will reflect her predecessor in interior grandeur, décor and style, but with a modern twist. From the outside, her distinctive black and red livery will hint at an experience that differentiates a Cunard liner from a modern-day cruise ship. This will be most evident in the ship’s adherence to liner traditions, with elegant double and triple height public rooms on a grand scale, luxuriously endowed with rich wood panelling, intricate mosaics, gleaming chandeliers and cool marbles. Art Deco features will pay homage to the original Queen Elizabeth and will allow the new ship to reflect a more civilized era of travel.
Furthermore, in addition to the extensive Cunard entertainment programme on board, Queen Elizabeth will offer some unique strands inspired by the era of the first Queen Elizabeth, such as country house parties at sea, evening piano sing-a-longs and period dancing, from traditional ballroom to the jitterbug and the jive, all within the setting of this 21st century ship.
As successor to Queen Elizabeth 2, the ship will also reflect this great liner through artworks and memorabilia and its very own “Yacht Club.”
Queen Elizabeth will also pay homage to the links that Cunard has enjoyed with royalty and the maritime world over the years with photography, memorabilia and exhibits.
Queen Elizabeth will depart on her Maiden Voyage on 12 October 2010-a voyage which sold out in a record-breaking 29 minutes 14 seconds in April 2009. This 13-night celebration will leave from Cunard’s home port of Southampton and will call at Vigo (for Santiago de Compostela), Lisbon, Seville (Cadiz), Gran Canaria (Las Palmas), Tenerife (Santa Cruze de Tenerife), La Palma (Santa Cruz de la Palma) and Madeira (Funchal).
Her Maiden Season will run from October 2010 to January 2011 and include voyages to the Western and Central Mediterranean and the Caribbean. Fares start from just $1,195 per person for the five-night 26 November 2010 Gallic Debut voyage with ports of call at Amsterdam, Zeebrugge and Le Havre; while the 13-night Iberian Discovery voyage departing 1 December 1020 features fares from $2,395 per person, with ports of call at Vigo, Lisbon, Seville, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma and Madeira.
The world’s newest ocean liner will depart Southampton on 5 January 2011 on her 103-night epic Maiden World Voyage, which has just been released for sale. This will see her make 35 maiden calls, including Cunard’s first call ever at Port Denarau (Fiji). In total, Queen Elizabeth will call at 38 ports in 24 countries as she makes her way west around the globe, with maiden transits of both the Panama and Suez Canals and calls at Los Angeles, Auckland, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Lisbon. Queen Elizabeth will be in great company as her sisters will be present on several occasions during the voyage: she will sail in tandem to New York with Queen Victoria before all three Queens will meet for a Cunard Royal Rendezvous in New York on 13 January 2011; and then she meets with Queen Mary 2 in Sydney and Civitavecchia and Queen Victoria again in Aruba. Full World Voyage fares aboard Queen Elizabeth start from $19,995; Queen Elizabeth’s Segment World Voyage fares start from $2,545. Fares are based per person, double occupancy.
When Celebrity Cruises’ newest Solstice-class ship, the 2,850-guest Celebrity Equinox, sets sail for the first time this summer, her sleek exterior and critically acclaimed interior design won’t be the only features raising eyebrows among cruise and travel enthusiasts. Playing off the success of the launch of her sister ship, Celebrity Solstice, the newest vessel in Celebrity’s fleet will also offer AquaClass staterooms designed to offer a soothing, spa-focused ambiance, as well as several indulgent new offerings in the onboard spa.
Celebrity’s AquaClass veranda staterooms, introduced as a Solstice-class exclusive feature last year, are located in close proximity to the ships’ two-story spa, known as “AquaSpa by Elemis.” AquaClass is the only stateroom category in Celebrity’s fleet that offers no third and fourth guest berthing, making the area quieter and more exclusive for guests wishing to relax in an utterly serene environment.
Guests in Celebrity’s AquaClass enjoy a host of spa-inspired amenities and perks. These include unlimited access to the AquaSpa’s Persian Garden aromatherapy steam room, featuring heated ceramic loungers, and the Relaxation Room, which offers stunning vistas from comfortable loungers and a peaceful ambiance. AquaClass guests also enjoy unlimited, complimentary access to the ship’s exclusive, “clean-cuisine” and Mediterranean-influenced specialty restaurant, Blu. The dinner menu features savory appetizers along the lines of roasted beet salad with goat cheese; Mediterranean chopped salad with pita chips and pomegranate vinaigrette; and entrees including blackened ahi tuna, pan-seared filet mignon, and herb-crusted rack of lamb; Blu is also open for breakfast, exclusively for AquaClass and suite guests.
AquaClass guests enjoy in-stateroom amenities that include a pillow menu featuring Swedish Isotonic, body and hypo-allergenic pillows; carafes of unsweetened iced tea; soothing, calming lavender oil in a reed diffuser; and a five-jet shower by Hansgrohe, designed to invigorate and relax. AquaClass guests on Celebrity Solstice have been enjoying the convenience of accessing free, exclusive, on-demand video programming that introduces them to wellness-themed activities such as meditation, yoga, etc., in the comfort of their stateroom. AquaClass will comprise 130 of the ship’s 1,426 staterooms. A full 85 percent of all staterooms on Celebrity Equinox will have verandas, and all staterooms will be equipped with flat-screen TVs, smarter storage and closet space, spacious bathrooms, and plush European bedding. The ship will offer wireless Internet access throughout.
All guests on Celebrity Equinox are welcome to treat themselves to indulge in the ship’s AquaSpa by Elemis, which will offer its standard line-up of revitalizing, restorative experiences for individuals and couples. Renowned for its exotic therapies focused on beauty and wellness, Celebrity’s AquaSpa – offering full service on all ships except the 92-guest mega-yacht, Celebrity Xpedition, which offers limited options – will offer new treatments on Celebrity Equinox, including an opulent, restorative new treatment: “24-Karat Gold Facial.” The treatment, which uses an alchemy of expert touch, medicinal plants, Rose Quartz and a pure 24-karat gold leaf mask, speeds up cell renewal and results in a rebalanced, nourished, brighter and more clarified skin texture and complexion. The new ship will offer “red carpet make-up” application after every facial in its line-up, featuring a natural touch of Colorscience mineral powder and lip gloss to keep skin and lips glowing. Guests who experience the 24-Karat Gold Facial on Celebrity Equinox will also be able to enjoy a special cocktail inspired by the treatment itself. The “Golden Kiss Martini” will feature Golden Supreme vodka, cucumber juice, agave syrup and lemon juice, muddled with fresh mint.
Celebrity Equinox will also offer a “lash and brow bar,” where guests can add glamour to their look by selecting from a variety of eyelash enhancements, offered in three styles: Natural Lashes, Evening Eyes or Ultra Glam, which features a sparkling touch of glitter. Brow sculpting will be offered by expert aestheticians who carefully shape and define the eyebrows to give the face an instant lift and a polished appearance. Brow tinting, which can cover gray hairs or enhance one’s natural look, will be available in various shades. Lash tinting, ideal for guests whose eyelashes are light in color, will also be available. Celebrity Equinox’s AquaSpa will offer a full slate of massages, wraps, couples treatments, rituals and facials. The ship also offers men’s barber services, including traditional barber shaves.
Celebrity also presents a comprehensive slate of “medi-spa” offerings onboard. As the first cruise line to offer onboard acupuncture, Celebrity will continue to offer this popular treatment on Celebrity Equinox, in a space located within the AquaSpa. Celebrity Equinox will also offer BOTOX® Cosmetic treatments, which soften fine lines and wrinkles to result in a more youthful appearance; Restylane and Perlane treatments, Elemis Oxydermy facials and teeth whitening.
A full-service fitness center, located in the AquaSpa area of the ship, will offer guests the option to exercise on state-of-the-art equipment at their own pace or participate in group fitness classes. An outdoor walking/jogging track gives guests the opportunity to take in the sea air while staying healthy. Celebrity also offers guests the option to purchase personal training services onboard. The 122,000-gross-registered-tons Celebrity Equinox is scheduled to enter service July 31 from Southampton, England, on an eight-night cruise through the majestic Norwegian Fjords, followed by a series of romantic Mediterranean sailings from Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, beginning August 8.
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