Last month, Pirates of the Caribbean, the popular Disney theme
park attraction brought to the big screen in Disney’s “Pirates of
the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” welcomed new
characters and elements for the reopening of the ride at both
Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., and Florida’s Magic Kingdom. The
reopening of the attraction was timed to coincide with the release
of Disney’s latest pirate film, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead
Man’s Chest,” which premiered in the Disneyland park. Disney
“Imagineers” have enhanced the classic attraction by adding
characters from the movies, an all-new dynamic digital sound
design, musical cues from the movie soundtracks, enhanced
theatrical lightning and an improved battle sequence. They also
updated the gold treasure, as well as the look of the “fire” in
some of the scenes. In addition, guests sailing on Disney Cruise
Line in the Caribbean will find a 175-foot ghost ship called The
Flying Dutchman, anchored at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.
The ship is an actual set piece from the latest movie. “Bringing
these popular characters from the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film
franchise to Disneyland and Walt Disney World is a great example of
how we are bringing new magic to a classic attraction,” said Jay
Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Our parks are
where the Disney magic comes alive, and we’re excited to give Capt.
Jack Sparrow and his cohorts a home in our Pirates of the Caribbean
attractions and on Castaway Cay.”
New Legislation for Cruise Ships U.S. Rep.
Christopher Shays (R.-Conn.) is proposing a bill that will require
cruise ship officials to report any incidents or missing persons to
Homeland Security within four hours of the master of the cruise
ship learning of it. The bill also allows for Homeland Security
officials to inspect each cruise ship that docks in the U.S. to
check for proper equipment and make sure there are trained
personnel available to investigate any crimes. If the bill passes,
violators could face up to a $250,000 fine. This legislation comes
after media attention focused on the disappearance of George Smith
last July while on his honeymoon in the Mediterranean. Last month,
Royal Caribbean International reached a settlement with Smith’s
widow, Jennifer Hagel Smith, over the disappearance of her husband.
At the same time, however, other members of Smith’s family filed a
lawsuit against the cruise line accusing the line of “outrageous
conduct causing severe emotional distress” in its handling of the
incident and its communications with Smith’s family. The
International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) is working with Rep.
Shays in reviewing the legislation and improving safety and
security aboard ships. They stress that they are dedicated to
providing passengers a safe vacation option.
Southwest Testing Assigned Seats Southwest
Airlines has launched an assigned seating boarding test in San
Diego to see if assigned seating can fit into Southwest’s business
plan. The test, which begins July 10, will last for several weeks
and will affect about 200 departures. Five different boarding
methods will be used, but for the trial period, passengers will not
be able to select their own seats. Until Southwest’s reservation
system technology is upgraded in 2008, the airline must manually
assign seats. However, they are committed to seating families and
companions together. Southwest selected San Diego as the test site
because of its assortment of short, medium and long flights. San
Diego’s mild weather also makes for ideal testing situations
because it will reduce the likelihood of weather influencing the
results. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly wrote on the airline’s blog that
“[assigned seating] is not a unanimous request. However, we do
listen intently to our customers and do our best to give them what
they want, so it only makes sense to extensively research and
evaluate this possibility.”
www.southwest.com
New Commission CheapCaribbean.com is offering
agents 15 percent commission on every Caribbean and Mexico vacation
package and land-only reservation, including many excursions and
add-ons. CheapCaribbean.com claims to be the only site to offer
CheapFinder which searches for the lowest airfares and returns
three package prices for the date selected, as well as one day
before and after. The company also says that prices on
CheapCaribbean.com are 70 percent lower than other online and
wholesale competitors. Agents can book online or over the phone and
must provide their IATA or ARC number to receive the 15 percent
commission.
800-915-2322
www.cheapcaribbean.com
BizDev Central America’s Vacation
Center/American Express (AVC) have launched a Web portal that
claims to save “hundreds of travel agents thousands of work hours.”
Using AVC’s Agent Power software, the new portal, called BizDev
Central, will provide “one-click access to templates, booking
numbers, vendor policies, letterhead, marketing collateral you name
it,” said Brad Anderson, co-president of AVC. Retail travel agents
and home-based agents can use BizDev Central for day-to-day tasks
or marketing solutions. The portal also offers access to
customizable print advertisements, press release templates,
greeting cards and personalized stationary. An added perk is the
ability to see current vendor promotions and agent incentives.
www.joinavc.com
Ensemble Conference Plans Ensemble Travel
Group’s “Star Power - Blending Fire, Brilliance and Imagination”
conference will take place in Toronto at the Fairmont Royal York,
Oct. 18-22. The event will offer training workshops run by sales,
marketing and business experts, as well as supplier exchanges with
Ensemble on Location, air, car, cruise and land partners. The
Technology Village will also be tripled in size from last year. On
Oct. 18, a TRAMS ClientBase Introductory Training will be available
for those who wish to enroll. For entertainment, in addition to the
Dessert and Cordial Spectacular and the costume dinner party,
evening events will include the Circle of Excellence dinner. Early
registration until July 31, costs $189. After that, registration
will be $249 for members. www.ensembledirect.com
ISRAMWORLD Teams With Ensemble Ensemble Travel
Group and IsramWorld have teamed up to provide clients with new
travel options to Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey. IsramWorld’s
Latin American division, Latour, was also appointed as a Preferred
Supplier starting July 1. “We are excited to have been added to
Ensemble’s boutique-style list of Preferred Suppliers,” said Dov
Koniak, the newly selected president and CEO of IsramWorld. Founded
in 1967, IsramWorld serves 67 destinations in 55 countries.
www.isram.com
