If you want to know what I have not been up to - read this wonderful article by Rita Ippoliti in CruiseMates. Though it’s not exactly my words, it is very nice. Those of you who know me will spot the remarks that obviously are not mine. (For the record I have to say “Destination Specialist” was the title I gave myself for RSSC… HAL is not using that title. Over there they are using “Travel Guide” - but I think that may change soon.) But I can’t complain - it’s always nice to have someone write about you especially when they say you are younger than you are and you haven’t even bribed them!

ENRICHING THE CRUISE EXPERIENCE

By Rita Ippoliti

Holland America’s Terry Breen has dramatically new ideas for onboard enrichment.

A leading luxury cruise line executive once told me that cruisers cite “enrichment” as the one thing they want more of than anything else.

So, what is “enrichment” in cruise jargon? Typically, the word refers to a lecture or demonstration offered by an expert in any topic. The most common presentation relates to a topic of interest for the geographic itinerary of the cruise, such as an environmentalist in Alaska discussing the habitats of local species or an archaeologist in Egypt providing a chronological history of dynasties.

Or enrichment lectures can also be about other topics entirely, such as investment strategies or an in-depth examination of semi-precious stones. No matter what the topic, however, they should always be of interest to the people on that particular cruise.

Since enrichment has become more integral to the overall perception of the quality of the cruise line, it requires an “expert” to provide the “enrichment,” Therefore, finding the right experts to give the enrichment lectures requires an expertise of its own.

As of March 2007, the expert of expertise at Holland America is Terry Breen, a lady of 45 who honed her cruise enrichment skills speaking for 17 years as an Alaskan environmentalist aboard Regent Seven Seas cruise ships…http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/feature/HALTerryBreen-081707.cfm

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