4 Cruise Experiences That Make a Difference

Connecting with local causes can be an adventure all its own.

TRAVEL2015-12-21T11:39:49+00:00Posted on December 21, 20152015-12-21T11:39:49+00:00December 21, 2015byJohn Mannelly725

You’re not just a tourist – you’re a traveler. And that means you like to truly connect with the places you visit, whether you’re helping baby sea turtles find their way or funding a young musher pursuing their Iditarod dream. These experiences will give you a peek into the local culture and a chance to give back at the same time.

Shelling Out

What: The beaches of Cozumel don’t just draw sun-seekers – every evening, sea turtles hatch and scramble toward their life at sea. ‘Save a Sea Turtle’ lets volunteers help dig out the 20% of baby sea turtles unable to climb out of the nest and get them on their way. Aid local conservation efforts by joining the rescue crew.

Why It’s For You: You’ll be vacationing on a beach, sure, but you’ll also make a huge difference for sea turtles.

Find It In: Cozumel, Mexico

image: http://d38s399h0y8g1i.cloudfront.net/connect/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Save-A-Sea-Turtle-Tour-CZT1-3-1650x1100.jpg?dcb443

Fresh Paint

What: Spend an afternoon painting, gardening and sprucing up the Casa de Gaiato orphanage, founded in 1940.

Why It’s For You: After you help make a better space for the young “Gaiatos,” you’ll make a lasting connection over lunch and a fútbol – aka soccer – game.

Find It In: Lisbon, Portugal

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Gentle Giants

What: With 160 billion tons of water flowing into and out of the bay every day, the Bay of Fundy is one of the most dramatic seascapes in the world. It is also home to many finback, minke and humpback whales making it almost certain (as in a 97% likelihood) that you will spot one on this whale watch.

Why It’s For You: For each trip you take, Royal Caribbean “adopts” a local right whale – one of the most endangered whales in the world – and puts funding towards conservation and education programs of the North Atlantic Right Whale Adoption Program.

Find It In: St. John, Canada

image: http://d38s399h0y8g1i.cloudfront.net/connect/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/whale-watching-royal-caribbean-st-john-1650x1100.jpg?dcb443

Husky Helper

What:

Roll through the dramatic Yukon landscape, with photo stops at Tormented Pass and Pitchfork Falls, aboard the 19th century White Pass & Yukon Railroad to reach the dog sled camp at White Pass summit. Here you will get a live racing demo with some of the young dogs and youngest mushers aspiring to race the legendary Iditarod.

Why It’s For You: Your visit will help fund the musher’s training for the 2017 Iditarod.

Find It In: Skagway, Alaska

image: http://d38s399h0y8g1i.cloudfront.net/connect/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Goldrush-Sled-Dogs-and-White-Pass-Train-Adventure-1650x1093.jpg?dcb443

Check out more destinations you can explore to help make a difference.

Read more at http://www.royalcaribbean.com/connect/4-cruise-experiences-that-make-a-difference/#1tLeUUrzKV8BW3zK.99

Do you have teens that will be cruising with you?

What Teens Can Expect Onboard

Learn how to have the best trip ever with your teen.

FAMILY2015-12-03T08:41:43+00:00Posted on December 3, 20152015-12-03T08:41:43+00:00December 3, 2015byJohn Mannelly691

It’s not always easy traveling with teens. Between conflicting interests, sleep schedules and arguments about technology dependence, there’s a lot of room for friction. If only there were a place where everyone could be happy? It so happens that there is. A cruise ship is one of the best places on earth to be a teen—or the parent of one. We asked Jeanette Loury, Royal Caribbean’s manager of guest activities and entertainment, for the scoop:

How does the onboard programming for teens differ from other kids?

We divide teens into two age groups: 12-14 and 15-17. What we have for teens is actually very similar to the adult activities — they come and go at their own will. They can check the schedule and see what they want to do, whether it’s a sport, a craft or a scavenger hunt, and they can opt in or out.

That sounds like a teen’s dream. Why do you set it up that way?

We want to convey a sense of freedom. These are young adults and should get to pick and choose what they want to do. It helps instill a sense of individuality and encourages adults and teens to communicate openly, whether it’s setting a meeting time or using walkie talkies.

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What are some of the things teens may be surprised to find onboard?

There are plenty of options for the active teen – table tennis, mini-golf, basketball, rock climbing, ice skating – but for kids who want a little chill time we have a teen lounge that carves out space to mix and mingle. Instead of the mall, movie night on the pool deck is the place to go for teens and their new friends. We even offer the Scratch DJ Academy for teens who want to be the entertainment, not just the entertained.

One of the neatest things is that many of the most popular activities and specialty attractions on our ships have dedicated times when they are open only to teens. As a general guest, you have to go and queue up for your time to try FlowRider, for example, but we’ll often have time on the schedule when it’s closed to everyone who isn’t a teen.

image: http://d38s399h0y8g1i.cloudfront.net/connect/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/teen-activities-royal-caribbean-1650x1100.jpg?dcb443

What about options that are only available to teens?

Every Royal Caribbean ship has a dedicated teen venue, and we do a nightly teen disco, as well as a lot of themed parties — pajama parties, Caribbean night and toga parties are really fun. The teen team on the ship brings their own flair to the party planning, and no two itineraries are exactly the same. We also have lots of sports activities for teens: Tournaments for basketball three-on-three, soccer, floor hockey.

Teens can be busy night and day if they wish, with supervised activities adjusted for days in port and days at sea. It is no 9 to 5 job for the crew. Nighttime activities like the teen disco run well past usual bedtimes on land with hours for 12-14 year olds from 9:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. and 15-17 year olds from 10:00 p.m. until the wee hours.

Why is it important to make sure the teen offerings are unique?

We have a lot of repeat guests who know the programming so well, and we want to surprise them and keep them excited. We definitely set the hours of operation, the venues and some of the basic programming, but we rely heavily on the shipboard teams to be creative, inventive and fun, and that way they also stay engaged and are proud of the activities they’re offering to guests.

Read more at http://www.royalcaribbean.com/connect/what-teens-can-expect-onboard/#agWCtH8ZzYTfbDqr.99

Learning on a vacation?

How to Sneak in Learning on Vacation

Adventure Ocean kids program entertains and teaches.

FAMILY2015-12-16T16:55:59+00:00Posted on December 16, 20152015-12-16T16:55:59+00:00December 16, 2015byJohn Mannelly454

image: http://d38s399h0y8g1i.cloudfront.net/connect/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/royal-caribbean-kids-activities-onboard.jpg?dcb443

No kid wants to think about learning on vacation. But no parent wants a kid to go an entire trip without learning something, either. Royal Caribbean’s “edu-tainment” opportunities like Adventure Ocean, the onboard youth club, offers programming for kids ages 3-5 (Aquanauts), 6-8 (Explorers) and 9-11 (Adventurers), and while it may all feel like fun to the kiddos, they’ll come away from the trip with a few new skills, fun facts and memories. Here are a few ways the Adventure Ocean team will sneak in some education along with all the laughs:

Science Scholars

Grab a lab coat! Science experiments may include building a volcano, learning about fossils, exploring weather patterns and even discovering the ways whales communicate via sound. “The kids are so engaged and instead of learning about science from a book, they’re doing and creating,” says Jeanette Loury, Royal Caribbean’s manager of guest activities and entertainment.

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Art Aficionados

Get those hands dirty with some amazing art projects – kids might try their hand at making models and sculptures out of clay or creating a colorful kite, or staff might clear out the furniture and roll out a gigantic piece of paper for the group to create a mural illustrating all the creatures under the sea.

Drama Devotees

Kids have all kinds of opportunities to indulge their inner performer onboard: Think theater games, improv activities and even a talent show. “What parent doesn’t love to see their child performing?” Loury says. “We see cartwheels, hula hooping, magic tricks… and we try to make it during a sea day so everyone’s onboard to enjoy it.”

Cultural Connoisseurs

Everyone will bring home a few lessons about a new culture after their cruise, maybe it is a bit of knowledge about Tumba or Soca music, but maybe it will be about the songs of whales and how they communicate. “Sounds of the sea is all about the ocean and marine life,” says Loury. “It’s fun, the kids are engaged and get to do things, not just sit there reading from a book.”

Travel is one of the best ways for kids (and their parents) to learn about the world whether in one of our programs, on a scavenger hunt in Alaska, a walking tour of Bruges or one of our other family friendly excursions.

Read more at http://www.royalcaribbean.com/connect/how-to-sneak-in-learning-on-vacation/#LdVHH3OMMjYvuIwK.99

Read more at http://www.royalcaribbean.com/connect/how-to-sneak-in-learning-on-vacation/#LdVHH3OMMjYvuIwK.99

Cruising with Kids: Fun on their terms in Adventure Ocean

The Captain Chris Bacon Show WLRCI

The Legend Of Pirate Big Black Dick

If you ever go to the Cayman Islands you've got to pause and pay your respects to Big Black Dick.

According to legend, Big Black Dick was born of 'Royal' African parentage before being kidnapped by French slavers who gave him the name of "Richard Le Noir". His French captors tossed Richard overboard near Grand Cayman Island.

Miraculously reaching land, Dick became a slave on a sugar cane plantation where he learned the secrets of turning the cane into the Caribbean's finest rum. His kindly Caymanian master, recognizing Dick's hard work and honesty, awarded him his freedom in the early 1700's.

A free man and a skilled seaman, Big Black Dick soon earned the rank of captain of a three-masted-square rigger named "Caymanus". She was a ship carrying 20 cannons with a crew of near 200 men that were known as the best in the Caribbean.

History tells us that Dick was a dashing and handsome figure of a man, wearing a bright purple velvet coat and four pistols in his red silk sash. Those who knew him most intimately, say that Big Black Dick was a man indeed, possessing certain physical attributes unequalled by most all other men.

After a successful career, Big Black Dick retired to a more peaceful venture of making the best original pirate rum in the Caribbean.

Allure and Oasis Meet For The First Time

Allure and Oasis meet in the ocean for the first time.With CEO of RCCL Richard Fain and COO Adam Goldstein. Story by Adam Goldstein 

Freedom Of The Seas August 2015 Renee Fender and Family Shows Us How To Get Out There And Have fun!

Renee is a member of We Love Royal Caribbean International. She and her family relax in the Caribbean on my personal favorite ship Freedom of the Seas. Her daughter Emily Hogan directed this video of their vacation.She is studying film production at her University.

About her cruise this is what Renee has to say"We are not a family that stays quiet and observes. We don't mind making fools of ourselves and having a great time. Chris (Belly Flop Guy) came in second place and was also the Team Leader for Team 5 in The Quest. The cruise director ended up wearing my bra on his head during The Quest. My daughters sang karaoke every single time is was done and during the Friendly Feud, the host ended up calling Emily "Kardashian" and my oldest daughter "Half Quote" due to a Harry Potter tattoo she has and the name's stuck. My husband played Friendly Feud in his tux and became "Bond, James Bond" etc and I am still looking for the CRUISE IN REVIEW DVD for August 2 Freedom of the Seas. ANYONE have it? The only regret I have is not purchasing that and I do not know why I didn't!!!!!

We are so happy the Fender family had a great time on Freedom of the Seas!

GREAT WORK ON THE VIDEO EMILY!