Olympic Fever

Great that we have the Olympics  in the UK and amidst all the doom and gloom for a few weeks
it seems that everyone is in a joyous mood.

Nearly every customer I call has it on in the background and it is a topic of conversation for everyone, friends and family all have something to say.

Great that you can watch highlights so after a days work you can sit and unwind and find out what has been going on all day. Makes a lovely change to switch on the news and for once instead of all the stories being bad their focus has changed to bring the medal hopefuls and the fabulous achievements of these athletes to the fore.

I can imagine that on board the ships cruising wherever in the world that the Olympics are being
watched by thousands of people and how fab would it be to be sat on deck on some of the ships with the outside screens sipping a nice cool drink in the sunshine with fabulous scenery all around you. Beats my lounge any day of the week.

Lets hope that the up beat mood of the country continues past the Olympics and we wish our GB team a successful few weeks.

Passport office delays

I was reading an article this week advising travellers that for those wanting to appointments there was a 3 week delay in some areas.

As cruise lines insist on having at least 6 months validity left on their passports from the last day of the cruise then it is extremely important that you do not leave this until the last minute. It is easy
when you are booking a cruise a long time in advance to forget to check your expiry dates or just presume you have plenty of time left on it as time flies by so quickly.

The summer is always a busy time for the passport offices anyway and it is always better to renew in the winter when they are quieter and you have more chance of getting your passport back quicker.

Apparently for renewals if you are posting it is taking approximately 3 weeks and up to six weeks for first time applications.

But for those wanting emergency appointments then 2-3 weeks is what you can expect to be told at the moment for any offices in the UK.

For information on how to get your passports and information of the relevant forms then visit
the governments website:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Passports/index.htm

Also remember for a small extra charge you can hand your passport in at the post office where
they will check your application and send them off for you, this can be worth the extra few pounds as delays with your application due to missing information would delay the process even longer.

Coca Cola futuristic machines on Royal Caribbean

I was reading an article on one of our cruise news websites about a tie up between Royal Caribbean and Coca Cola.

Everywhere you look nowadays Coca Cola seem to have a foot hold everywhere and seem to be sponsoring everything. Of course with the Olympics on soon we will be seeing even more of them as I am sure there will be more and more advertisements as the Olympics draws ever closer.

Their clever marketing campaigns over many many years have seen them become a brand name that will never be forgotten so I am sure what they have in mind with Royal Caribbean will certainly benefit both parties.

According to the article, freestyle machines will be installed on the ships now I am not quite sure how exactly this will work but it appears that you will be able to experience many different flavours of this brand and that you will have a cartridge like that of a printer than will dispense the flavour.

 Somehow there will be a Radio Frequency Identification which will allow passengers to use the machine with souvenier cups which they serve themselves and after their voyage this will expire.

It doesnt make clear what charges if any will apply, so whether this will become part of the soda drinks package or something entirely different we can only wait and see.

Some ships will start getting these this year otherwise it will be 2013 before they are all in place.

The Majesty of the seas being the first to try it out.

So anyone out there if you have come across these machines it would be interesting to know, how they work , what they cost and whether there are unique flavours not experienced before and whether it is a good or a bad thing.

Will the QE2 ever be a hotel

Five years ago the QE2 was sold for an estimated 64 million dollars by Cunard,  where is she now and
what of the plans to make her a luxurious hotel.

Well so far nothing has really happened to her she is currently moored in the not so lavish surroundings of Port Rashid.

Initially the owners had hoped to transform the ship into a lavishly-appointed 1000-room hotel, but now they say it will feature just 300 rooms, and will retain many of its original features.

Rather than moving it to the more tourist-friendly Palm Jumeirah, the ship will also remain in Port Rashid, where it is hoped it will help transform the area into a tourist attraction. A new maritime museum will soon open nearby, and plans for an expanded cruise ship terminal have also been announced.

So many people have a fondness for the QE2 and transforming her into something she is not I dont think would have encouraged people to stay on her but keeping her as she is and the character of the ship is what everyone remembers her by and would want to possibly revisit her to evoke memories of previous cruises.

One day I am sure they will complete what they set out to do and maybe with an expanded cruise
terminal people could tie in a stay on the QE2 before embarking on a cruise that would indeed be special.

Looking at the pictures of where she is docked now though I think some major improvements may be needed to encourage people there it does look quite drab and industrial.

Have you got fond memories of the QE2 as so many of my clients have what do you think would
you stay on her as a hotel ?

Happy Anniversary P&O

Well after all the promotions and mass bookings it is here P&O are celebrating their 175 years in but a few hours time from now.

In celebration of this exciting anniversary, all seven ships of the P&O Cruises fleet will be together in their home port of Southampton on the same day, 3rd July 2012.

For the first time in the history of the company and the ships will be at seven different points in the port of Southampton together.

HRH The Princess Royal will be on hand to celebrate this historic event and I am sure there will be a huge turnout of well wishers wanting to enjoy the festivities and witness the ships together and sailing out one by one whilst a marching band plays. The ships will sail past in a procession from Southampton Water out into the Solent, accompanied by a display by the famous RAF Red Arrows aerobatic team. Out in the open water the ships will meet again, saluting one another before they sail onwards to their various exciting destinations.

It seems so long ago when these event was first launched back in April 2011 and I can remember
all the customers who were desperate to get booked on a cruise departing on this historic day.

We need good weather to make the day even better and I hope that all my customers have a fabulous
time whether they be sailing or just visiting Southampton to take part in the days events.

Happy Anniversary P&O and have a great day.