Jul
30
Best Cruise Line 2009 – Crystal Cruises – Again
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Year after year, Crystal Cruises holds its number one position for the “World’s Best Large-Ship Cruise Line” by Travel and Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler. 2009 makes it 14 years in a row! In a time of competition for the travel dollar and vacations over promising and under-delivering, it’s refreshing to know that one cruise line consistently delivers to its passengers.
The company profile outlines the features that make passengers satisfied, however, outstanding features alone are not what set this cruise line a part from its competitors. Yes, Crystal has one of the highest staff to passenger rations in the industry. The European trained staff delivers Six-Star service. Extraordinary space has been dedicated to staterooms and the public spaces with extra-wide promenade decks, lavish fitness areas, full-size cinemas, nightclubs, learning centers and gourmet restaurants. These features can be found on many ships, the question is, why does Crystal Cruises continue rank at the top of the industry?
The company’s vision is simple: to provide its guests with the finest travel experience available in the luxury service business, not just the luxury cruise industry. In the short time the ships have been cruising, leadership at Crystal have been relentless in developing a strong culture and commitment to staff training, resulting in the highest guest return rate in the industry.
The energy spent on staff to passenger relationships could be the secret to success. Authentic warmth, personal greetings and anticipating each customers needs are implemented. One can relate the emphasis on people at Crystal to Disneyland’s emphasis on cast members never breaking character. Or the Mary Kay philosophy where the staff envisions a sign around the neck of all customers saying, “Make me feel important”.
Teaching and developing a diverse group cruise ship employees to have authentic people skills is not easy. Crystal’s parent company, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), has developed a training center in the Philippines. The strict policy is maintains all crew must undergo rigorous training for 6 months or longer before being fully deployed. The training system implements the Six-Star Crystal basics, a multi-point credo that addresses attitude, communication, competence, style, safety/environment and execution. Examples are when staff members remember how a guest takes their coffee, how they like the pillow arranged and where they like to sit in the restaurant. Often, travelers remember small acts of kindness and those unforgettable memories make for happy and repeat customers.
The NYK service culture is based on the Japanese principles of kaizen and kaikaku-a belief in continuous improvement and quest for innovation and a radical change. Toyota operates using these leadership philosophies.
High standards for training and a genuine commitment to staff’s well-being help develop the sense of inclusion and authenticity on board. Passengers rate the staff high- as high as 95.8%. And Crystal’s employee turnover ratio is under 15%, one of the lowest in the luxury resort industry.
Crystal’s luxuries, award-winning fleet comprises the 922-guest, 50,000 ton Crystal Symphony and the 1,070-guest, 68,870 tom Crystal Serenity, while sales worldwide itineraries of seven to 100 days. In September, Crystal Symphony will undergo a major multimillion dollar redesign. By the fall of 2009, Crystal Cruises will have invested more that $65 million in its tow ships within a three-year period.
Luxury accommodations create the ultimate travel experience. Most rooms have roomy verandahs; all guest rooms have high end linens, bath robes, slippers, internet, television, twice a day housekeeping and 24 hour room service. Gourmet cuisine pared with a new reserve of 20 rare vintage wines and specialty dinner restaurants featuring famous chefs are noteworthy. Live entertainment, first run movies, shopping, state of the art Feng Shui spa and salon, on board education, unique shore excursions and children’s activities add to the Crystal experience.
Repeat cruisers are invited to be a member the Crystal Society loyalty program which entitles members to future savings, stateroom upgrades, onboard spending credits, complimentary cruises, special events and receptions.
For a record 14 years in a row, Crystal Cruises has been voted “World’s Beast Large Ship Cruse Line” by the readers of Travel and Leisure magazine. The ultra-luxury line is the only cruise line, resort of hotel to have won the prestigious award each year since the award’s inception.
“This award continues to be a tremendous validation of the authentic warmth and professionalism of Crystal’s extraordinary staff and our unparallel attention to detail”, says President Gregg Michel.
Jul
29
The Photo Escape
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Chicago skyline from shores of Lake Michigan.
Jul
27
Improve Your Travel Photography
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I’ve been playing around with photography for years, when I was 14 I adopted my older brothers camera and darkroom equipment when he lost interest. But after high school I packed up and went off to college and also lost interest in photography. I found the hardest part of keeping up the hobby was trying to setup a good darkroom in an apartment. As digital photography came on the scene I quickly jumped back in with both feet buying one of Nikons first digital cameras the Coolpix 100.
During those early years I learned a lot about composition and other skills that still apply to digital photography. But I’m a firm believer that you can never stop learning. So I regularly take photo classes looking for a few new techniques or ideas that can help my images. I’ve taken classes at the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena California. But when I got an email telling me about a class titled “Travel and Adventure Photography” offered by a local photo shop Calumet Photographic I signed up.
This class was different that from the others I’d taken that were more fine art or commercial based. This class targeted travel photography a skill I specifically wanted to continue to improve. This was a three hour class offered on a Saturday morning taught by a local pro photographer Ralph Velasco. I noticed that he also was going to teach another interesting session that afternoon called “Capturing the Essence of a Place”. I signed up for both. I also signed up my wife Pamela even though she is a writer and rarely picks up a camera. But I thought that maybe with some training she might be able to spot unique shots and point them out to me.
I won’t go over every aspect of the class, it was basic, but well done. The instructor didn’t spend any time dealing with specific hardware since every camera is different, but focused instead on composition and image content. He said “People take pictures, not cameras.” He covered concepts such as the rule of thirds along with suggestions on ways to research your trips photo opportunities before you leave.
He did show us a few gadgets that would help any photographer. He displayed his homemade pocket mono-pod designed to help you steady your camera. I a piece of rope connected to an i-bolt that matches you cameras tripod socket. You screw the bolt into your camera let the rope dangle then step on the rope anchoring it. Pulling up slightly on the camera adds stability that can help you get sharper images when zoomed in tight or when using a slow shutter speed. (see it in the above photo of Ralph)
I asked Ralph for a travel photography tip I could share with my readers. He suggests: “Don’t be afraid to be out in less than ideal weather conditions. I make an effort to be out shooting when it’s raining or drizzling because that’s when the clouds are interesting and rainbows often appear. I like a good snow storm, because that’s when other photographers and tourists are at home or snug in their hotel room, waiting out the cold weather, and I’m the one getting the unique shots. There’s an old saying, “In photography there’s no such thing as bad weather, just varying degrees of good weather.” So it’s all about how you look at it.“
Calumet Photographic has 29 stores, 10 in the US and 19 in Europe. Don Ernst, VP of US Marketing, was most familiar with the domestic stores and said about half of them offer travel photography classes in addition to other classes. He said that Calumet has offered a variety of classes for at least the past 10 years, but has increased their offerings in the last 18 months.
I emailed my local Calumet store manager Daniel Perez and asked for his input. “All individual travelers should take a Travel and Adventure class to improve their composition and pre-visualization skills. Travelers tend to miss or underestimate different points of interest when traveling due to a lack of experience. This class will train their eye when out in the field helping them identify strong photographic subjects in the environment they previously missed.“
If you want to improve your photography I suggest you seek out classes to help improve skills and vision. If your near a Calumet Photographic check out their many classes, if not look into offerings from your local commnity college. Take a basic class if your a novice, more experienced shooters should take a class like the travel photography class we took.
Jul
25
Saturday’s Quotable Traveler
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“While armchair travelers dream of going places, traveling armchairs dream of staying put.”
- Anne Tyler / The Accidental Tourist
Jul
22
The Photo Escape
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The Palace Of Fine Arts in the Marina District of San Francisco CA.
Jul
20
U.S. Airlines on-time arrivals have improved. A reduced number of flights due to less people traveling may be resulting in airport increased airport efficiency. Every month this year, the airlines improved their on-time arrival performance, except March. The Transportation Department reported that 80.5% of the flights operated by the 19 largest airlines arrived on time in May, compared to 79% during the same time last year.
Another thought reported by an aviation consultant is that airlines have lengthened the estimated flight times, making it easier to have an on time arrival. The best May arrival time average is Hawaiian Airlines at 90.3%, the worst is Comair at 71%, a regional carrier owned by Delta. One has to consider the routes of the carriers too; some being more predictable than others.
The Transportation Department also noted improvements in tarmac delays, mishandled baggage, customer complaints and cancellations.
Jul
18
Saturday’s Quotable Traveler
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“You’ll never meet a traveler who, after five trips, brags, “Every year I pack Heavier”.
- Rick Steves / Europe Through The Back Door
Jul
16
Vail Plaza Hotel & Club
Filed Under Hotels / Resorts, USA - Colorado | Comments Off
The Vail Village welcomes the newest hotel in over 43 years, the Vail Plaza Hotel & Club, a two-hour drive from Denver International Airport and a 35 minute drive from Eagle County Airport in Vail, Colorado. Inspired by the grand hotels of the Italian Alps, guests will enjoy the Rocky Mountains offerings while settling into luxurious Italian elegance.
The Italian theme runs through the resort with cathedral ceilings opening to the sky in the lobby and well appointed sleeping rooms. In addition to the 100 guest rooms, the resort offers elegantly furnished 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom residences and penthouses for fractional ownership. All condos have unobstructed mountain views from decks and balconies; coupled with gourmet kitchens and room service. Visit Website.
Located in the center of the Vail Village, winter activities are easily accessed. Families can enjoy skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, ice skating and kid activities. 24 hour concierges facilitate seamless coordination of all the resort’s activities and nearby attractions. A perfect location for walk-to-lift access to Vail Mountain, as well as a lively pedestrian area full of boutiques and restaurants. For the summer months, guests have easy access to hiking and biking trails; with scenic golf courses nearby.
In keeping with Vail Plaza Hotel & Club’s exceedingly high levels of service and Italian theme, the Da Vinci Restaurant offers Mediterranean inspired contemporary American fine dining. The newest hot spot in the heart of the village is Bacco’s; offering up a full menu and a wide selection of wines and spirits to enjoy after skiing. And for a causal lunch, the Galileo Restaurant is also on the property.
The luxurious Sorrento Spa offers with a unique twist, Vinotherapy, which is the signature treatment. Olavie Chardonnay Massage and the d’Vine Pinot Noir Scrub are examples of the wine based therapies. And, the professional line of treatments includes various products from Italy’s renowned thermal spas. For fitness enthusiasts, the 1,184 square foot Fitness Center features FreeMotion equipment for strength training and Nautilus equipment with individual media stations for cardiovascular training.
Jul
15
The Photo Escape
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Beautiful fog filled valley in the Blue Ridge / Smoky Mountains.
Jul
13
Today I’m reviewing the Pacsafe Metrosafe 200 anti-theft secure shoulder bag with Exomesh. A bag with several interesting features that sets it apart from other shoulder bags. Pacsafe has put a lot of energy into making their bags very difficult to steal or otherwise compromise.
In many parts of the world crimes against tourists are a sad reality that every traveler should consider. Bag snatchers are a major problem in some areas. What could be easier, a scooter passes near you on the street, a passenger on that scooter grabs your shoulder bag, cuts the strap and takes off. In a matter of seconds they are gone!
Another reliable tactic is cutting the bottom of your bag. While you stand waiting for a street light, or pause to watch a performer on the street, several criminal surround you. They may distract you, ask you a question or bump into you. As they continue the interaction their buddies come in close slice the bottom of your bag with a knife and steal your valuables as they fall to the ground or into a shopping bag they have strategically placed.
On the outside the Pacsafe bag looks pretty much like any other shoulder bag. But don’t be fooled, inside it has been upgraded with several features to keep your belongings safe and secure.
The bags design has two minor and two major anti-theft features. First two are pretty simple. First, the shoulder strap is permanently attached to the bag at one end and attaches with a clip at the other end. This allows the user to easily secure the Pacsafe bag to an object. For example you could attach it to a stationary object in a rail car if your going to take a nap. A thief would have to come in close and unsnap the strap to snatch your bag. Many shoulder bags have shoulder straps that are sewn in at both ends making looping it around fixed object impossible.
The second feature is that zip pullers that open and close the front storage compartment can be clipped together making opening the bag a time consuming two handed task. A hassle that I think most bag owners will avoid. Especially since the fabric flap that covers this area is held closed with velcro and opening the flap creates that unmistakable velcro sound.
The two major Pacsafe anti-theft features are a steel “Exomesh” mesh in the bottom of the bag and two steel cables in the strap.
Below you can see photos of two bags straps being cut. First a standard bag then a Pacsafe bag.
Here you see a standard shoulder tote bag. Watch how easily the strap can be cut.
Once cut “our thief” and your bag are gone in seconds.
Here is the Pacsafe bag as a thief tries to cut the strap with a box cutter.
No way is this guy going to cut the steel cable that reinforces this strap.
Below we see the same two bags again, this time the bad guy is cutting open the bottom of the bags.
Here is a standard shoulder tote bag. Slicing open the bottom of the bag is simple.
Items fall out and are gone in a flash.
Same guy as above with same box cutter tries to slice open the Pacsafe shoulder bag.
Knife cuts cover but stops at the white fabric with the woven steel cable mesh.
UPDATE: Sep 14, 2009 – See additional photos of the internal Pacsafe Bag security mesh.
I’m very impressed with this bag and so is my Sister and her husband. Before I cut it up I loaned her the Pacsafe Metrosafe 200 shoulder bag for a recent bird watching trip. See Photo. She liked the fact that she could easily and securely stow her very expensive Swarovski birding binoculars inside. Her only comment was that one of the zippered pockets on the back of the bag wasn’t deep enough to hold a standard bird watching guide. My wife likes the pocket layout and design of the bag but thinks it is heavy. Well…I guess she is right, the security features do add some weight to the bag, but I think it is well worth it.
Pacsafe makes a complete line of anti-theft travel gear. Much of which is available for sale at Magellan’s online store. CLICK HERE.
