As the Holiday season approaches a gift from one of your favorite cruise personalities may be the perfect stocking stuffer.

Music

Marty Hen - Everyone loves the musical talents of pianist, singer, raconteur Marty Henne. You can pick up a CD at: www.MartyHenne.com

Shirley Dominguez - Internationally acclaimined harpist, Shirley plays traditional as well as contemporary favorites on the Paraguayan, classic and electric harp. One of my favorites!
www.ShirleyDominguez.com

Robin Lukas - Quirky, jazzy, original all describe Robin Lukas. If you have not heard Robin check out her tunes on: www.robinlukas.com

Handre Potgieter - And you just thought he was a pretty face! Handre is a multi-talented singer, song-writer, composer and pianist in addition to Cruise Director. His beautiful CD, “It’s possible” is available at: www.handre.com

Comedy

Kenny Smiles - What more needs to be said? kennysmiles1@aol.com

Mark Merchant - Ventriloquist Mark Merchants delights audiences with his family of friends at: www.marckmerchant.com

Books and gifts

Playing cards of the Pacific - These are incredible! Regent guest and Cook Island resident Joan Gragg has created a deck of colorful playing cards; every card in the 54 card deck is a different, original piece of art. Contact Joan and allow for shipping time. Worth the effort! www.joan@cookislands.co.ck

Cruiser Friendly Guide to Alaska’s Inside Passage - 260 page full-color cruise guide to The Great Land with new fold-out itinerary map! www.cruiserfriendly.com

Getting ready for the launch of the new website, I finally have been able to start posting some of the Terry’s Tips filmed in Alaska. To take a look go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_Znsuddjs8. I would love to get the word out and start creating a whole library of cruise tips around the world. Let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_Znsuddjs8

Trying to make any advances ashore while working on a cruise ship is hard. My progress on revamping the Cruiser Friendly website has been slow. But I have a prototype of the new webpage and would really appreciate your feedback on the general look and appeal, colors, fonts, etc. I am going to have video clips and links to video sites; they are already produced and ready to go, I just need to finalize the graphics and layout. I will not sign off until I get feedback from those who count, you the user.

Take a look and let me know. I need honesty; I did not design the page so no feelings will be hurt. Feedback I have had so far is on the plus side: clean, easy to use, feels fresh. On the minus: colors are too light and hard to read; “Terry Breen” font doesn’t fit me; and needs more “cruisey” imagery either ships, destinations or things nautical.. So that gives you an idea of what people have already said. Please take a look and let me know.

Here is the link:
http://www.oguifugu.com/cruiser

I am happy to report the books are now available on-board all Princess Cruises ships in Alaska, Regent Seven Seas Navigator, Oceania Regatta, Silver Shadow, and Crystal Symphony. Thank you very much for your interest and support.  In addition to the book and fold-out map on the Navigator, Regatta, Shadow and Symphony please look for Mary Sterner Lawson’s wonderful Alaska-themed gift cards — also in the boutique!

June is just around the corner – hard to believe that the year is half way through. Yikes! I am excited to see many of our guests again on the Navigator in a few weeks. Regardless of which ship you will be on this summer, if Alaska is part of your plans please do not hesitate to contact me if I can help you in any way.  Questions to ask? Opinions? Updates? Let me know and see you soon!

I am very happy to report that the third edition of the, Cruiser Friendly Guide to Alaska’s Inside Passage, will be available in the gift shops on-board all ships of Princess Cruises, Silver Seas, Crystal Cruises, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas. The full-color book contains all my insights into The Great Land as well as a great fold-out map to chart your cruise course. I hope you will look for it on-board and tell your friends!

Finally! The third edition of the Cruiser Friendly Guide to Alaska’s Inside Passage is printed and advance copies are now available for purchase.  After twenty years working on the most luxurious cruise ships in Alaska, I know what people just like you want to know about Alaska - and I’ve put it all in this book! The Cruiser Friendly Guide to Alaska’s Inside Passage is written specifically to enhance your on-board cruise experience; it’s not just about the ports but what you are seeing from the ship along the way. To me that is the best thing part of an Alaska cruise — the beautiful scenery, historic landmarks and remarkable wildlife visible from your ship! The third edition is indeed new and improved. It is 260 full-color, pages featuring beautiful photographs contributed by such Regent notables as Captain Philippe Fichet-Delavault and Executive Chef Mike Roemhild as well as original drawings by Mary Sterner Lawson. What I am most proud of is the new maps — not only are there detailed maps for you to use while in scenic areas like Misty Fjords, Tracy Arm, Glacier Bay, Yakutat Bay or College Fjord but there is now a new, easy-to-use, fold out map of the entire region from Puget Sound to Cook Inlet! The book retails for $19.95 and is currently available through my website: cruiserfriendly.com. Starting in April the new edition will be on Amazon.com and ShopHollandAmerica.com. This summer the book will be sold in the gift shops of Regent, Oceania, Silver Seas, Crystal and Princess Cruises. Special prices available for travel agents and groups.

Thank you all for purchasing the Cruiser Friendly Onboard Guide to Alaska’s Inside Passage this Alaska season. I have exciting news regarding the new edition; starting May 2011 not only will the book be printed in beautiful, vibrant full-color, there will be a complimentary fold-out map!

The most frequently asked question on-board over the years has been, “Do you have a map?” Now we do! The 8″ x 21″ map details the north Pacific coast from Seattle to Seward. You can follow along and create the course of your cruise using the easy to identify navigational markers.

In preparation for Alaska 2011 when The Cruiser Friendly Onboard Guide to Alaska’s Inside Passage will be sold in the gifts of all cruise lines sailing in Alaska, I’ve prepared a few mini-info-mercials to help everyone enjoy their cruise to Alaska even more!
Check it out on FaceBook

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=447525176656&ref=mf

Finally!!! The updated third edition of the book is now available on lulu.com and kindle,com — coming soon to your iPad! The book is BEAUTIFUL and I am very proud of it!

Due to delays the full-color books will not be ready this season. However, I am doing a limited printing of black and white books which will be ready by the end of July and can be ordered online at cruiserfriendly.com and shophollandamerica.com. I am disappointed that I will not have the full-color books this season - but the black and white books look really good and I am excited to start selling them onboard.

Last month I mentioned that I was meeting with Princess Cruises, the outcome of which is the opportunity to sell the Alaska book on board their ships with the possibility of more titles!

Energized by the exciting new look of the third edition of, “The Cruiser Friendly Onboard Guide to Alaska’s Inside Passage,” I am negotiating with a fellow in the UK to help me not only post my books on iBooks – but to animate them! Can you imagine a whale breaching across the page? Tlingit elders dancing at Celebration? Or a glacier calving in Yakutat Bay? Pretty cool, I say. Getting all these things together will require time; as an integral part of my future, I think it would be a good investment. So, we’ll see. I have lots to do.

Little by little other cruise lines are expressing interest in my books; not just Alaska but the Panama Canal. Again getting all that together will require more shore time, but this iBook platform will make for a whole new delivery system which I know is the way of the future.

The website (www.cruiserfriendly.com) has been given a temporary update; but these changes are just temporary.  The site will be brought up to speed with the long-awaited inclusion of video segments and YouTube links. Part of my dream is to have a “store” on the website where you can find CDs, books, videos, artwork, greetings cards, etc., not just from me, but all your favorite guest entertainers and personalities from Kenny Smiles to Chef Paulette Mitchell. We all stay in touch and over the years have formed a community; I think it would be nice to have a central place from which to access them and their work. What do you think?