Wow, 2013 is almost over.
For some strange reason, I wanted to share some personal thoughts.
2013 started off a little bit rocky with the February fire on board the Carnival Triumph. What made me upset was the biased media coverage of the event.
Watching CNN as the passengers debarked, I saw reporters actively looking for people who were upset.
Those passengers that said it was like a camping trip, or that they had Bible studies on board were basically pushed to the side, while at the same time those passengers kissing the ground wearing Carnival bathrobes were embraced by reporters.
I have to admit that Saturday Night Live had a great sketch about the Triumph incident!
You can watch the video here:
I was happy to appear on the local Jacksonville Fox Sunday show to put the incident in perspective.
You can search for the Feb 24th episode here:
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/actionnewssunday/default.aspx
Thanks to anchor Tera Barz for interviewing me.
Marty’s and my first cruise of 2013 was in March on one of our favorite ships, the Holland America Line MS Eurodam.
We have enjoyed the 7 day Eastern Caribbean many times and this time was no exception!
Marty enjoyed the Digital Workshop powered by Windows and we both enjoyed seeing crew members from past voyages including incredible Cruise Director J.T. Watters, Hotel Manager Stan Kuppens and our friend Glynda. You can see those pics and many more of our Holland America pics on my HAL Pinterest board here:
http://www.pinterest.com/scottlara1961/holland-america-line/
In addition, I was honored to be named the Travel Agent in the Spotlight in the Carnival Newsletter. You can see the article here:
http://tiny.cc/jfd13w
I was also interviewed for the Holland America Mariner Magazine.
You can see that article here:
http://scottlara1961.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/mariner2.pdf
My next cruise of 2013 was on the Carnival Fascination in September.
As you may know, Marty and I live in Jacksonville, Florida and we live literally 15 minutes away from the cruise port.
I sailed on the Carnival Fascination with several friends of mine including the owner of Air Sea Travel Mr. Dwight Cenac and several men and young men from our church.
We had a great time and especially enjoyed stopping at Little Stirrup Cay (aka Coco Cay).
We were honored to be given the Captain’s table for dinner. We had a large group of guys and it was great to be seated together.
The last cruise of 2013 was on board the incredible Carnival Dream on Nov 30th.
The Carnival Dream is an incredible ship with lots to do for kids and adults.
Be sure to experience Chef’s Art Steakhouse!
The Serenity Adults Only Retreat is a true Sanctuary in every sense of the word!
Marty and I are looking forward to cruising again in 2014 as we will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary on January 7th.
I want to thank everyone who booked a cruise with me in 2013.
I also want to especially thank Dwight Cenac, owner of Air Sea Travel who introduced me to cruising many years ago and has allowed me to be the manager of Air Sea Travel in Jacksonville.
I also want to thank everyone at Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Lines for being like family to me every time Marty and I sail with them.
Special shouts and many thanks to my good friend Doug Parker of Cruise Radio and everyone on #cruisechat.
Be sure to check out my YouTube videos on the link to the right.
Merry Christmas and a VERY Happy New Year!
PEACE!
Scott
#Winning
