WORLD TRAVEL HOLDINGS NAMED 2011 "ELITE TRAVEL PARTNER OF THE YEAR" BY NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE

Wilmington, MA - December 5, 2011 - World Travel Holdings (WTH) - the nation's leading cruise retailer - today announced that it has been named Norwegian Cruise Line's 2011 "Elite Travel Partner of the Year."  The company, which includes CruiseOne, Cruises Inc. and numerous other brands, was chosen for its overall revenue, year-over-year growth and commitment to the Norwegian brand.

 

In presenting WTH with this recognition, Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line's president and chief executive officer, said "in 2011, we renewed our commitment to the travel agency community with the introduction of Partners First, our corporate philosophy of putting travel partners first.  Norwegian Cruise Line's success relies on the support of our travel partners and we appreciate their dedication to our brand."

In late 2010, WTH's home-based division - which encompasses CruiseOne franchisees and Cruises Inc. agents - held its annual National Conference aboard Norwegian Epic.  That event was the largest in the companies' history and was instrumental in building upon WTH's relationship with the cruise line, providing firsthand product knowledge to attendees and offering top producers unprecedented access to the Norwegian Cruise Line team.

In accepting this year's award, Brad Tolkin, Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of WTH said "I am honored to accept this prestigious award on behalf of the WTH employees, CruiseOne franchisees and Cruises Inc. agents who embraced this relationship and really made it happen in 2011.  We deeply value our partnership with Norwegian and know that their commitment to us has been critical in achieving a mutually successful partnership."

Dwain Wall, Senior Vice President and General Manager of CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., added "Norwegian Cruise Line has taken its commitment to the travel agency distribution model to new levels in 2011 with their Partners First initiative.  As an organization, WTH appreciates all that Norwegian continues doing to help us be successful.  This award signifies what two like-minded companies can achieve together, by supporting each other in every possible way."

UN Agencies Unveil Ten Proposals to Safeguard the Ocean

United Nations agencies in Paris today launched a plan to improve the management of oceans and coastal areas. The Blueprint for Ocean and Coastal Sustainability sounds the alarm about the health of the oceans, and explains how they influence our everyday life by regulating the climate, providing highly-nutritious and by sustaining livelihoods and economies. It recalls that although the ocean accounts for 70 per cent of the surface of our planet, only one per cent of it is protected.

Presented at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Headquarters during the 36th session of the General Conference, the Blueprint was prepared for consideration by the UN conference on sustainable development (Rio+20, June 2012).

It proposes a series of concrete measures to:

•        Create a global blue carbon market as a means of creating direct economic gain through habitat protection
•        Fill governance gaps in the high seas, by reinforcing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
•        Support the development of green economies in small island developing states
•        Promote research on ocean acidification- how to adapt to it and mitigate it.
•        Increase institutional capacity for scientific monitoring of oceans and coastal areas
•        Reform and reinforce regional ocean management organisations
•        Promote responsible fisheries and aquaculture in a green economy
•        Strengthen legal frameworks to address aquatic invasive species
•        “Green” the nutrient economy (fertilizers for example) to reduce ocean hypoxia and promote food security
•        Enhance coordination, coherence and effectiveness of the UN system on ocean issues.

The Blueprint was prepared by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

It emphasizes that 60 per cent of the world’s major marine ecosystems have been degraded or are being used unsustainably, resulting in huge economic and social losses. Mangrove forests have lost 30 to 50 per cent of their original cover while coral reefs have lost 20 per cent, increasing the vulnerability of many highly populated coastal areas. The ocean absorbs close to 26 per cent of atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions which is provoking acidification that is already threatening some varieties of plankton and poses a threat to the entire marine food chain and dependant socio-economic activities.

Some of these phenomena are not new but are aggravated by cumulative pressures such as climate change, intensified human activity and technological advances. Furthermore, ecosystems situated in the deep ocean, where biodiversity and habitats often have major value, but are generally not well understood, have virtually no protection at all.

The international community pledged to tackle these challenges at the Summits of Rio (1992) and Johannesburg (2002). However the commitments made remain largely ineffectual and their objectives have not been met. Such has been the case for the pledge to restore fish stocks to sustainable levels by 2015, and the promise to create networks of protected marine areas by 2012. Few countries have adopted legislation to reduce land-based marine pollution, leading to an increase in the number of dead ocean areas. More than 400 marine areas have been listed as “biologically dead” to date.

“The full implementation of many of these goals and targets will require further efforts by States, intergovernmental organizations and the international community,” state the authors of the report. They claim the present situation is the result of insufficient political will and resources, inadequate institutional capacities, insufficient scientific data and market imbalances.

“Greening the Blue Economy will be science and technology driven,” they conclude. “But success will depend on sound policy processes and effective institutional arrangements and will therefore require commitment and funding from the international community as well as nations and industry.”

From "Cruise Industry News", 1 November 2011

Green: Environmental Society on Explorer

Onboard Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas, the eco-culture extends from a recently advanced wastewater purification(AWP) system installation to garbage processing, recycling, fuel savings, education and more, as showed by Richard Pruitt, Royal Caribbean Cruises’ associate vice president of environmental programs, and Explorer of the Seas Environmental Officer Bridget Sullivan, on an exclusive ship visit with Cruise Industry News (CIN).

Installing an AWP during a ship’s service life is not exactly plug and play, Pruitt noted.  The ship, launched more than a decade ago in 2000, was in the middle of an AWP installation, using equipment from Scanship. The installation was started in May and scheduled to go online in late September (as this issue went to press).  That meant finding space in mechanical areas on a ship that predated the idea of AWP, which includes mixing tanks and a bioreactor, as well as other equipment. Guidelines set by Royal say existing grey and black water systems will also remain intact as a redundancy.   The vessel’s water-making ability is split between reverse osmosis and evaporators, which borrow heat from the engine room.

“Volume reduction is key (for waste),” said Pruitt, pointing to 1,600 pounds of crushed glass that took up the same amount of space as a small pallet delivery. This gives the line a great opportunity to hold garbage until it has the best opportunity to recycle it.  Other neat toys include a tool to puncture aerosol cans, as well as a fluorescent bulb crusher.

Sullivan pointed out the discharge log on the bridge, which is also available on computers in offices next to the engine control room.  A complicated, attention-to-detail lover’s dream of a color-coded Excel spreadsheet includes specifics such as time, date, position, speed (Royal has specific rules about this), and various other details. Discharge plans are also coordinated and fact-checked by both the bridge and the environmental officer.  As one source put it to CIN: “The logs are the basis of any ship inspection.”

Bilge water is heated to around 50 degrees Celsius, which lets the greatest gravitational separation occur between oil and water, moving oil to the top of tanks – which is then sent to separators to remove oil and other contaminants. The system will continually treat any water that checks in above five parts per million (contamination level) before moving it into the “clean tank.”

With the company calling at more than 400 ports this year, there are some issues, said Pruitt. Some calls require Royal to use a specific vendor, whether they want to or not. Plus, there is always that issue of where the garbage actually goes. But, the line tries to ensure proper handling of all waste, using methods such as compacting volume and storing waste for specific ports. Additionally, Royal set up auditing guidelines (on shoreside facilities) for environmental officers since 2010.  Sullivan said her job as the environmental officer onboard was all about education. “We need to educate people – passengers and crew – about proper separation and recycling. This is a working environment,” she continued.

“There is also a decent turnover with crew,” meaning that new crew members need to be brought up to speed. Sullivan also runs Royal Caribbean’s Save the Wavestraining onboard, which is required training for crew starting a new contract, no matter how long they have been at sea.

From "Cruise Industry News" 8 October 2011

JoAnne Shepler Joins Northwest Indiana CruiseOne

JoAnne Shepler, ACC has joined our CruiseOne franchise as an Associate and is located in the Indianapolis area. JoAnne is a seasoned travel specialist, a CLIA Accredited Cruise Counselor and holder of multiple certifications from the major cruise lines. She is currently pursuing a Master Cruise Counselor designation. Her client base includes couples, families and groups. Aside from cruises, JoAnne specializes in destination weddings, resorts and land based itineraries. Please visit www.cruiseNWI.com for more information