Faraz Qureshi, President of the social media cruise site MeetOnCruise talks about the Meet On Cruise. If your a social media person, this is for you. Such a cool concept!

Stewart Chiron joins us with his weekly Cruise News and Commentary.

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Andy Garnett, CEO of of Special Needs at Sea chats with us about their convenient services for providing mobility assistance at sea.

Rene Klusek, a listener of Cruise Radio chats with us about her July 4th cruise on the Emerald Princess.

Stewart Chiron joins us with his weekly Cruise News and Commentary.

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Social Media Strategists, VegasBill and 24K (as known on twitter) give their experience of the Norwegian Epic and just how much it compares to Vegas. They are with us live from Sin City.

Stewart Chiron joins us with his weekly Cruise News and Commentary.

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In this episode, The Cruise Guy, Stewart Chiron, sets the record straight about all the media hype criticizing Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines for continuing service into their private beach in Labadee, Haiti.

Julie Watson, Communication Consultant for VisitJacksonville.com talks about things to do if your cruise is departing out of Jacksonville, Florida. 

Chris Elliott, founder of Elliott.org joins us to talk about the Top 5 Travel Mistakes.

Author Daniel Hall talks to us.

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1. Everything is all inclusive
2. You only have to unpack once
3. It’s impossible to get a DUI on a cruise ship!
4. Where else can you walk out of your back door and basically spit in the ocean?
5. Does someone clean your room twice a day at home?
6. Where else can you wake up in a different city every day (without teleporting)?
7. If you want to work out, there is no gym membership required

I checked my email after getting back into town today and someone asked me a question about dining on a cruise ship and it’s a common questions that I get asked a lot. 

How much do I have to pay for my meals on a ship?

A big misconception of cruising is that people think they have to pay for every little thing.  The good news is , you don’t!  Especially when it comes to on board dining.

When you book your cruise, you are booking a all inclusive package that includes three meals a day, more if you want.  The dining on a cruise ship consists of a buffets, regimented forms of dining, and little restaurants scattered through the ship (pizza, sushi, tacos).

While most of the restaurants are free, there are some that come with charges (alternative dining).  These restaurants are commonly a step up in atmosphere, food quality and service.  Most of the steakhouses for example come with a surcharge that is not included in your cruise price.  Typically the surcharges range from $25 and up. 

So you won’t go broke eating on a cruise ship because the food is included. Just don’t eat too much!

From the Cruise One Studios in Jacksonville, Florida…….

Stewart the Cruise Guy joins us to talk about Haiti and post earthquake. (since the show, RCCL, along with many other cruise lines have jumped aboard to support the Haiti relief fund)

In Cruise News, we talk about Carnival Cruise Lines no longer allowing the ‘Cougar Cruise’ to prowl on their ships.

Scott Lara talks to us about his trip to Haiti.

We revisit passenger Laura talks with us about her recent sailing on the Carnival Dream.

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Taking advantage of a military discount is a must if you are or were in the armed forces. Cruise lines often offer discounts up to 50% off the booking rate with proper military ID. You might as well bring the whole family along because the military discounts apply to them too. Some cruise lines even allow you to book up to three rooms with your military discount. On the other hand, some cruise lines don’t give military discounts but will give you a discount in other forms (shore excursions, on board spending, etc.)

You will want to check with the cruise line you plan to sail on but usually the following fall under military discounts:

• Active or retired military
  
• All injured or disabled military personnel
  
• Air Force, Marines, Army (including Army National Guard), Navy, and Coast Guard members
  
• Military reservists
  

Sometimes the cruise lines will extend these discounts out to Fire, Police, EMT, and teachers.
There is a lot of companies out there that offer military cruises and packages. It never hurts to call the cruise lines direct either and get information straight from the horses mouth. Google is your friend J

 Once your cruise is booked, it is crucial that you have your military ID, discharge papers, etc….they must be submitted to the cruise line by 24 hours of sailing.

 Hope this helps!

American Red Cross Pledges Initial $1 Million to Haiti Relief

 
Send a $10 Donation by Texting ‘Haiti’ to 90999

WASHINGTON, January 13, 2010 – The American Red Cross is sending money, supplies and staff to Haiti to support relief efforts there after yesterday’s earthquake, which caused catastrophic damage and loss of life.

According to reports, as many as three million people may have been affected by the quake, which collapsed government buildings and caused major damage to hospitals in the area.

The Red Cross is contributing an initial $1 million from the International Response Fund to support the relief operation, and has opened its warehouse in Panama to provide tarps, mosquito nets and cooking sets for approximately 5,000 families.

In addition to Red Cross staff already in Haiti, six disaster management specialists are being deployed to the disaster zone to help coordinate relief efforts. At this time, the American Red Cross is only deploying volunteers specially trained to manage international emergency operations.

There has been an outpouring of support from the public. To help, people can make an unrestricted donation to the International Response Fund at www.redcross.org or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767). The public can also help by texting “Haiti” to 90999 to send a $10 donation to the Red Cross, through an effort backed by the U.S. State Department. Funds will go to support American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.

Debris and collapsed bridges are making access to many areas extremely difficult. Telephone service and electricity are out in many places. Haitian Red Cross staff worked throughout the night to rescue people still trapped in their homes and provide first aid. The priority remains to provide food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support.

The American Red Cross already had fifteen staff in Haiti providing ongoing HIV/AIDS prevention and disaster preparedness programs. All are reported to be safe and responding to the disaster.

To date, there have been no requests for blood products from the government of Haiti. However, some patients at an affected facility in Haiti have been moved to a Guantanamo Bay hospital, and the Armed Services Blood Program has asked both the Red Cross and Florida Blood Services for support for those patients. In addition, the American Red Cross will be sending a shipment of blood products to the United Nations Mission in Haiti.

While communication with those in Haiti is still difficult, people should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services at 1-888-407-4747 if trying to reach a U.S. citizen living or traveling in Haiti. If trying to reach a Haitian citizen, callers should continue to call or contact other family members who live nearby.

While donations are coming in for Haiti relief, the initial American Red Cross response is made possible in part by contributions from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP). The following partners designate a portion of their ADGP commitment to the International Response Fund: American Express, John Deere Foundation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Morgan Stanley and State Street Foundation.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.