Cruise-n-Views November 25, 2003 Newsletter

Were We Too Tough On The Captain?

Last week's lead story had to do with the Captain of the Norwegian Crown and his actions, or better stated, lack of actions.

While waiting to see if we receive any response from Norwegian Cruise Line management, we want your feedback!

For the large majority of you who have cruised before, what do you think? Should Captain Holthe have handled the events in a more enthusiastic manner; or, do you feel the way he handled them was acceptable?

For those of you who have not cruised, consider the following. If you were to take a cruise with special events occuring while you were sailing, would you expect the Captain of the ship to keep you updated and announce when the event actually occurred? Or, would you be satisified to find out 21 hours later it happened and then pretend it was occurring then "for convenience sake"?

Let your voice be heard to the cruise lines, submit your opinion to:
Feedback@Cruise-n-Views.com

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Off The Track Fact"
by Judy

While the Panama Canal was built to allow ships to escape the dreaded Cape Horn rounding, many people now opt for a cruise which includes the passage around Cape Horn. A little nautical irony there!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Holland America-$225 Million In Upgrades

Holland America Cruise Lines (HAL) recently announced they were starting a complete overhaul of their 12 ship fleet. This work would begin now and will continue for approximately 24 months. All work will be done during routine drydocks and will have no effect on their cruise schedule.

The upgrades will cover all five major areas including; dining, accommodations, service, activities, and destinations. The changes will also be incorporated into the two new ships which HAL currently has under construction and/or order.

In announcing the "Signature of Excellence" initiative, Holland America Line chairman and CEO A. Kirk Lanterman said, "This nearly quarter of a billion dollar commitment is the most significant product investment in our industry. The groundbreaking initiative will clearly cement our leadership position and our promise of delivering the best premium cruise experience available."

This statement of "clearly cement our leadership position" in reference to being the best premium cruise line, is not shared by myself. While Holland America does indeed have a good overall product and is, even with my agreement, the leader in certain aspects or categories, the statement that they "are" the leader in the premium cruise market misses the point. If that is the opinion of CEO Lanterman, maybe he should spend a few weeks aboard premium cruise line competitor Princess Cruise Lines and take notes!

Another very interesting part of the press release, which was buried rather deeply in the release, was the statement referencing the on-board tipping policy.

For anyone who has cruised Holland America in recent years knows, they had in place a policy called, "tipping not required". What exactly that meant was, well, anybody's guess! It stated, tipping was included and was not required, HOWEVER, if you felt it was appropriate you COULD give additional gratuity to the crew member directly! Hello, care to interpret? In most cases, the average person feels that they should give something to the crew members involved, especially the cabin stewards and the dining room wait staff. In my opinion, the crew members expected something from you. But yet, Holland America use their wonderful "no tipping required" policy to promote their cruise line. Most good travel agents advised their clients of this "slight of hand" promotion in advance.

Well, Holland America is now "quietly" changing this policy......in what they call an "enhancement"! They will "include a convenient folio posting of nominal, optional gratuities, as well as automatic service charge postings to bar-bills, thus simplifying the sometimes confusing cruise tipping system". Thanks Holland America for "simplifying" the "optional" tipping system for us. Granted, other cruise lines follow this procedure already, however they never claimed up front the line"tipping not required" before grabbing for your automatic on board charge account!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Be Sure To Enter The
"Predict The Date"
Contest

We continue our march towards 25,000 subscribers to Cruise-n-Views Newsletter. We exceeded 15,200 this week.

We're excited about the continued rapid growth of our subscriber base. As stated before, thank you to those who have referred us to your friends. We also want to thank those who have emailed us with questions, comments, etc. Free feel to contact us at anytime with your input.

We are conducting a contest to "Predict The Date" that we do, indeed, hit 25,000 subscribers. We will award the first three entries who predict the correct date with a free one year membership in the upcoming Dynamic Dream Cruise Club that you have heard about. (Value $74)

To enter, simply send an email to:
Reply@Cruise-n-Views.com
and put your estimated date on the subject line of your email. Please enter the date as: MM/DD/YY.

Contest will be open until we hit 20,000 subscribers. One entry per subscriber.

Enter your estimated date today before three other people select it! Good Luck!

Cruise-n-Views Newsletter For Complete Up-To-Date Information On The Cruise Industry Issue #009 November 25 , 2003
FOR OUR NEW SUBSCRIBERS Welcome to another issue of Cruise-n-Views Newsletter. If you are new to our newsletter, welcome. We are glad to have you as a subscriber and hope you enjoy the information this weekly newsletter provides you to stay up-to-date on all the exciting happenings in the cruise industry. We also hope you take part in this newsletter, by submitting questions you want answered, providing feedback to help us improve the newsletter to make it even more enjoyable, and even participating in occasional surveys and then reading the results of our readers once posted. The more participation from the readers, the better the newsletter will be. Editor: Daniel A. Hoffman, MCC This newsletter contains current news and information on the "Cruise" industry. It will also contain the "Views" of the editor on different issues within the industry. The editor owns and operates a cruise oriented travel agency located in Pennsylvania. This newsletter's main purpose IS NOT AND WILL NOT BE for the purpose of selling cruises. It will at times contain ads from different sources. All ads will be cruise or travel related. It will list cruise specials from time to time in the ad section, but as stated, this is not the primary purpose of this newsletter.
Do Not Miss Your Chance To Win A Free One Year Membership To Dynamic Dream Cruise Club Your Chance To Enter The Contest "Predict The Date" Time Is Running Out. Many Have Already Submitted Their Estimated Date. ENTER NOW!!
Captain Lou & King Neptune	In This Issue #1 Panama Canal Transit-Part 2 #2 Crossing The Equator PLUS -"Off The Track Fact"- -Were We Too Tough On The Captain- -HAL $225 M In Upgrades-	Contact Info: You can email us at the following: Feedback@Cruise-n-Views.com for input about the newsletter Editor@Cruise-n-Views.com for submitting questions to have answered Reply@Cruise-n-Views.com for general replies or responses to articles in the newsletter
***Serving Over 15,200 Subscribers Weekly!* Don't Miss Submitting Your Entry To The "Predict The Date" Contest For When We Hit 25,000 Subscribers! (see right side bottom of column to enter)**
#1 PANAMA CANAL TRANSIT Part 2 Through the early dawn’s light, just ahead and barely visible to the "Norwegian Crown" is the entry to Gatun Locks. This is the beginning of a lift that will take us from sea level on the Atlantic side to sea level + 84’ on Gatun Lake. It’s warm, humid and only 6:45 in the morning. Rowboats greet our ship to take the lines ashore to be attached to cables which will connect ship and "mules". Once completed, we begin to rise slowly in the lock-- our first of three 28’ step-ups. Upon reaching sea level + 28’, the huge gates open and we advance forward into the second of the three chambers. Gates close aft (behind us) and we are lifted another 28’. The process is repeated again and we are now 84’ above sea level in the huge man-made Lake Gatun-- just one hour after entering the first chamber. No matter how much you read or are told about a Canal Transit-- nothing prepares you. It must be experienced, so just do it! The Canal is narrow and winding in areas. It’s 31 miles to the next lock. But first, we pass among beautiful islands on this 164 sq. mile Lake Gatun. Although no one inhabits the islands, fishermen’s Tiki huts dot the jungle island landscape. The dam holding back all this water is 1 1/2 miles wide at the top and 1/2 mile at its bottom. The lake height is controlled by 14 gates. Due to the heavy rainfall lately-- including some occurring now, the lake is being lowered and producing hydro-electric power. A note of advice for those of you who are considering a cruise, if you want to eat aboard--which is your only choice-- get food as you enter the last chamber of Gatun Locks. Because as we exit it, at least 1200 of the 1100 passengers on board (or so it seemed) get in line to eat! As tropical islands pass close by, only a few feet off, clouds cover some of the mountainous island tops. Visible along the Canal are the tracks for the Colón to Panama City Train. As we watch this beautiful and multi-faceted scenery pass-- we spot other ships-- most headed North towards our starting point. They range from 30’ sailboats, to 1000’ containerships, to oil tankers, to cargo ships, and to the fabulous three-masted Columbian Naval Training Vessel-- "Gloria". So far the only detraction from all this beauty and excitement is the filthy water-- diesel and oil slicks are abundant. The Canal Authority covers a five mile wide area on each side of the "ditch". It is a well maintained and totally controlled access area. By now around 9:45 AM, we are approaching Gamboa, a small city near the middle of the Canal. It is here that most US Citizens involved in Canal operations lived prior to our erroneous give-away of Canal control to the Canal Commission. The cost of transit continues to defy gravity and common sense. However, your only option-- rounding the infamous Cape Horn (more on that in a later issue). Just south of Gamboa, we are in the Gaillard Cut and about to sail across the Continental Divide. Off to port is Contractor’s Hill and to starboard is Gold Hill. Basically, this is where the Andes Mountains coming up from South America connect to Central America. It’s an impressive cut which is currently being crossed by the massive Centennial Bridge which is under construction. Ahead is Pedro Miguel Lock, the smallest of the three. Formerly, a small town was here. Now, mainly it’s just the lock. The water process reverses now as we are being lowered 31’ to a small one mile wide lake. In the last issue as we were lifted, water flowed first from three 18’ diameter pipes. Now, it will flow into the 100 evenly spaced smaller pipes beneath the ship, then to the 20 larger pipes and finally into the three 18’ diameter pipes. We now enter Lake Mira Flores. The engineering genius of this is that all water movement in multi-million gallon amounts is done by gravity-- no pumps. One mile passes quickly and the last lock-- Mira Flores is entered. Here we will be lowered another 54’ to sea level on the Pacific side. Total Transit six hours-- the estimate was 8 to 10 hours. Nice trip! Just ahead we see the Pan American Highway’s-- "Bridge of the Americas". Opened in 1962, it is 201’ above sea level--still some ships must await low tide to pass beneath it. Off to port is Panama City, the capital of Panama. And for those who know that I like wind assisted sailing, I keep a sharp lookout to get a view of the famous Balboa Yacht Club, where many sailors stop to rest and re-provision for a longer journey. On all sides, we see a city of anchored ships awaiting their turn to transit the Panama Canal. It’s been cloudy and raining hard for five hours now. The completion of this Transit could be quite depressing . . . Not this time though . . . the Equator lies just 370 nautical miles off the "Crown’s" bow. Onward and Southward we go! OTHER CANAL FACTS: A. Dredging of the Canal goes on 365 days a year. B. 1907-1913 - Gaillard Cut-- 240 million tons of dirt removed and used for breakwaters, and for projects in Colón and Panama City. C. Gaillard Cut was initially 350’, then widened to 500’ and then to 650’ to allow for the passage of two Panamax ships. However, pilots still refuse to meet another massive Panamax ship in the canal for justifiable safety of navigation concerns. D. Rowboats still prove to be the best method of getting a ships lines/cables attached to the "mules" on shore. This has proven to save the dock line handlers from the flying monkey fists (large hard knots) on the heaving line. E. Centennial Bridge, being built high above the canal near the Continental Divide is intended to relieve some of the pressure on the Bridge of the Americas. The preceding article was written and contributed by: Capt. Lou Hoffman *** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * #2 CROSSING THE EQUATOR** Few events occur at sea with more hoopla or tradition than that of an Equator Crossing. So naturally, it’s with much excitement and anticipation that we near that Latitude line of 00°-00’.0; known simply as The Equator. It is the demarcation line that separates the earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Crossing of the Line ceremonies are nearly as old as seafaring itself. In antiquity, sailors engaged in rituals when crossing certain parallels. The Viking rituals involved the 30th parallel. The Phoenician rituals involved the passing of the Pillars of Hercules (today’s Straits of Gibraltar). Early rituals were tough, and tested a novice’s ability to endure hardship. Navies of the world have differing ceremonies. All involve grown men and women being required to do bizarre, disgusting, and somewhat childish things. Crawling around on hands and knees, being covered in slime, garbage, foodstuff, stinking fish innards, and begging forgiveness are but a few. The ceremonies are carried out by Shellbacks-- those who have "crossed the line" before. In charge is the most Senior Shellback, King Neptune. His subjects are the Polliwogs-- those yet to cross the Equator. No one, regardless of rank, is exempt-- including Admirals. Why would anyone go through such a disgusting and humiliating ordeal to become a Shellback? Tall tales of what happens to those who do not, thus angering Neptune, have for centuries haunted sailors! Even though the ceremony is meant to be fun, the Tradition holds great meaning for Mariners. Neptune is the Roman Sea God, who claims to be the true Monarch of all Oceans. Once the Wogs successfully complete the crossing ceremony and have satisfied Neptune with gifts or actions, they become Shellbacks. Sailors of old and some today, hold these traditions dear and safely guard their proof of Shellback Status. Recognition is usually done through the issuance of colorful certificates and a wallet card stating something along these lines: "I, Neptune, being the true and rightful Monarch of all the Oceans and of all the creatures that dwell therein hereby bestow THE FREEDOM OF THE SEVEN SEAS upon that noble and gallant mariner Dan Hoffman who has crossed the Equator, which divides our hemispheres, Let all who owe me allegiance allow the above named to pass without hindrance in pursuit of that which is truly pleasing". Well, as you read last week our NCL Captain lacked enthusiasm and was thus a disappointment. However, being a man of the sea, I took it upon myself to cross the equator first, to negotiate with and to satisfy King Neptune with promises and a great Jamaican Cigar. As his trusted and faithful servant, I was permitted to usher Dan and our small group through their Wog initiation, accept their gifts for Neptune and declare their Shellback status. Our festivities occur at the time of crossing while others on the ship had to wait until the next afternoon-- with no real knowledge of the actual moment of crossing. For your information, we cross the Equator under a beautiful Full Moon on 8 November at 2017 (8:17 pm) at Longitude 081°-01’.9 West aboard the "Norwegian Crown". What a thrill watching as the GPS readings change from a North Latitude to 00°-00’.0 to a South Latitude! Enjoyed and celebrated as it should be, by all . . . May your Equator Crossing be as pleasurable as ours. The preceding article was written and contributed by: Capt. Lou Hoffman			Were We Too Tough On The Captain? Last week's lead story had to do with the Captain of the Norwegian Crown and his actions, or better stated, lack of actions. While waiting to see if we receive any response from Norwegian Cruise Line management, we want your feedback! For the large majority of you who have cruised before, what do you think? Should Captain Holthe have handled the events in a more enthusiastic manner; or, do you feel the way he handled them was acceptable? For those of you who have not cruised, consider the following. If you were to take a cruise with special events occuring while you were sailing, would you expect the Captain of the ship to keep you updated and announce when the event actually occurred? Or, would you be satisified to find out 21 hours later it happened and then pretend it was occurring then "for convenience sake"? Let your voice be heard to the cruise lines, submit your opinion to: Feedback@Cruise-n-Views.com *** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Off The Track Fact" by Judy While the Panama Canal was built to allow ships to escape the dreaded Cape Horn rounding, many people now opt for a cruise which includes the passage around Cape Horn. A little nautical irony there! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Holland America-$225 Million In Upgrades Holland America Cruise Lines (HAL) recently announced they were starting a complete overhaul of their 12 ship fleet. This work would begin now and will continue for approximately 24 months. All work will be done during routine drydocks and will have no effect on their cruise schedule. The upgrades will cover all five major areas including; dining, accommodations, service, activities, and destinations. The changes will also be incorporated into the two new ships which HAL currently has under construction and/or order. In announcing the "Signature of Excellence" initiative, Holland America Line chairman and CEO A. Kirk Lanterman said, "This nearly quarter of a billion dollar commitment is the most significant product investment in our industry. The groundbreaking initiative will clearly cement our leadership position and our promise of delivering the best premium cruise experience available." This statement of "clearly cement our leadership position" in reference to being the best premium cruise line, is not shared by myself. While Holland America does indeed have a good overall product and is, even with my agreement, the leader in certain aspects or categories, the statement that they "are" the leader in the premium cruise market misses the point. If that is the opinion of CEO Lanterman, maybe he should spend a few weeks aboard premium cruise line competitor Princess Cruise Lines and take notes! Another very interesting part of the press release, which was buried rather deeply in the release, was the statement referencing the on-board tipping policy. For anyone who has cruised Holland America in recent years knows, they had in place a policy called, "tipping not required". What exactly that meant was, well, anybody's guess! It stated, tipping was included and was not required, HOWEVER, if you felt it was appropriate you COULD give additional gratuity to the crew member directly! Hello, care to interpret? In most cases, the average person feels that they should give something to the crew members involved, especially the cabin stewards and the dining room wait staff. In my opinion, the crew members expected something from you. But yet, Holland America use their wonderful "no tipping required" policy to promote their cruise line. Most good travel agents advised their clients of this "slight of hand" promotion in advance. Well, Holland America is now "quietly" changing this policy......in what they call an "enhancement"! They will "include a convenient folio posting of nominal, optional gratuities, as well as automatic service charge postings to bar-bills, thus simplifying the sometimes confusing cruise tipping system". Thanks Holland America for "simplifying" the "optional" tipping system for us. Granted, other cruise lines follow this procedure already, however they never claimed up front the line"tipping not required" before grabbing for your automatic on board charge account! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *** Be Sure To Enter The "Predict The Date" Contest We continue our march towards 25,000 subscribers to Cruise-n-Views Newsletter. We exceeded 15,200 this week. We're excited about the continued rapid growth of our subscriber base. As stated before, thank you to those who have referred us to your friends. We also want to thank those who have emailed us with questions, comments, etc. Free feel to contact us at anytime with your input. We are conducting a contest to "Predict The Date" that we do, indeed, hit 25,000 subscribers. We will award the first three entries who predict the correct date with a free one year membership in the upcoming Dynamic Dream Cruise Club that you have heard about. (Value $74) To enter, simply send an email to: Reply@Cruise-n-Views.com and put your estimated date on the subject line of your email. Please enter the date as: MM/DD/YY. Contest will be open until we hit 20,000 subscribers. One entry per subscriber. Enter your estimated date today before three other people select it! Good Luck!

Cruise-n-Views Newsletter © 2003 Dynamic Dream Cruises, Inc. Please feel free to forward this newsletter along to your friends who might be interested in receiving it. However, we ask that you keep it intact and forward it in its entirety. PRIVACY NOTICE: Please note that we will never sell, rent, or exchange your email address or any other personal information you may provide to us with any vendors or marketing firms. UNSUBSCRIBE INFO: This newsletter is distributed by opt-in subscription only. If you wish to have your name removed from our mailing list simply send an email to: Newsletter@Cruise-n-Views.com and place the word "Remove" on the subject line. Or you may click on this direct link: mailto:Newsletter@Cruise-n-Views.com?subject=Remove ARTICLE SUBMISSION INFO: If you would like to submit an article for consideration, please email your article and information to: Articles@Cruise-n-Views.com ADVERTISING INFO: If you are interested in submitting an advertisement to be included in an upcoming issue of this newsletter, please request advertising specifications from: Advertising@Cruise-n-Views.com