Princess sea's fit to add Wii to Cruises

Princess Passengers Are First Cruisers to Experience Nintendo’s Hugely Popular Wii Fit™ Game System

• Innovative Fitness Program Debuts This Week Fleetwide; Makes Exercise Fun for the Whole Family

After the much-anticipated Wii Fit™ system debuted across the country last month, Princess unveils this fitness innovation at sea this week after shipboard staff completed special onboard trainings with Nintendo team members. Princess is the first cruise line to offer passengers the chance to get their hearts pumping with the headline-grabbing new release on Wii™.

All Princess ships, which have long featured Nintendo’s popular Wii systems onboard, add the revolutionary Wii Fit balance games, challenging passengers of all ages to put their athletic skills to the test with active video game tournaments such as the ski jump, Hula Hoop® or heading soccer balls. Exciting family competitions will be held onboard – including on the dramatic Movies Under the Stars poolside screens. Youth and teen centers will also offer younger cruisers the opportunity to participate in Wii Fit activities throughout their vacation.
“We’re very excited to partner with Nintendo to bring the Wii Fit experience to our passengers,” said Jan Swartz, Princess senior vice president. “Our onboard team has just finished training with the experts at Nintendo to ensure that we’re able to offer passengers the best possible experience with this innovative fitness game.”

Wii Fit gets everyone pumped up about making physical activities an enjoyable part of their daily routines. Wii Fit even tracks users’ progress, which lets people see how they’ve improved while challenging them to better their scores and stay motivated to keep going.
The Wii Fit Balance Board™ is a precisely engineered platform that senses both weight and shifts in movement and balance. It connects wirelessly to the Wii console and serves as the centerpiece for more than 40 fun activities that challenge users in areas like yoga, aerobics, strength training and balance. Helpful virtual trainers in the game talk users through the different motions and makes suggestions for improvements.

The hugely popular Wii system has been instrumental in expanding the video game experience across generations and genders. “Kids” of all ages have enjoyed playing games such as Wii Sports™ Golf and Tennis using the unique Wii Remote™, which enables a player’s movements to directly affect what happens on screen.

On ships equipped with Movies Under the Stars screen, the Wii tournaments are shown on the giant poolside screens, offering a unique, larger-than-life gaming experience. The distinctive 300-square-foot screens are featured on Caribbean Princess, Crown Princess, Emerald Princess, Grand Princess, Sea Princess and the upcoming Ruby Princess, offering a variety of movies and events daily, including family films and first run hits, as well as concert footage and other special programming.

Overseas, "The Ugly American" needs a manners makeover

By Kyle Kreiger, Times Staff Writer
Posted: Jun 10, 2008 11:18 AM

It never takes long for the ugly American tourist to appear. No, not the stereotypical elderly guy wearing shorts, black socks that seem to reach above his knees, and sandals. I'm talking about the demon that appears whenever I'm out of the country. This time, it reared up before we had even left the United States.
Passengers had been aboard the Norwegian Sun cruise ship for an hour when I spotted a woman complaining to an employee that her luggage hadn't arrived at her room. The ship was still tied to the pier. Her luggage was probably being X-rayed in the terminal. But this woman wanted it - NOW. She had only the jeans she was wearing, she complained, and certainly couldn't go to dinner dressed like that. To a dinner that was at least four hours away. "I expected better,'' she lectured the crew member, who did an admirable job of remaining positive and telling the woman she could call him later if her luggage didn't arrive before dinner. I would have abandoned ship if I'd been in his uniform. Instead, he probably shared the story about the crazy American woman with the rest of the crew.
Why do so many Americans become morons when they go abroad? It's embarrassing. So, in the interest of improved foreign relations (and to ease my humiliation) here's a primer for avoiding Ugly American Syndrome when traveling to Canada, the Caribbean and all other points east, west, north and south.

• Tip No. 1: Things will be different. You're not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Forget the comforts of home. I'm tired of hearing: "I will never go back to (insert name of country here)." Each "here" is an adventure. Avoiding a place like Dominica means missing out on stunning volcanic peaks engulfed by rainforests. A Pirates of the Caribbean movies was filmed there. It is one of the few places where the original residents of the Caribbean, the Carib Indians, can be found. The unspoiled island boasts 365 rivers, amazing waterfalls and a famous fruit stand where Mr. Nice gives away the fruit, but sells the jokes. But many Americans see only a poor island with bad roads and dilapidated homes - a place without megaresorts, fancy restaurants and upscale shopping. My suggestion for them? Try Orlando.
• Tip No. 2: Do some research. Get friendly with Google.com. Learn about your destination. It might be embarrassing if you don't learn beforehand that all camouflage clothing is illegal in Barbados. At the very least, learn the name of your destination. The beautiful island in Tip No. 1 is da-ma-NEE-ka (not da-MI-na-ca, as in the Dominican Republic). The residents are proud of their island and don't like being confused with the Dominican Republic. Yet I don't remember anyone on our cruise pronouncing it correctly. Imagine our reaction if foreigners talked of being in flor-i-DAY.
• Tip No. 3: Be aware, not scared. Americans tend to travel in large herds. It's the pack mentality. There are dangers everywhere (but a lot more at home). By combining a little bit of Tip No. 2 and some common sense, it's easy to stay safe.
• Tip No. 4: Language will be a problem, because in many places, the residents will speak better English than you (or me).
• Tip No. 5: You have a passport to adventure. Use it. You don't have to go cliff diving (unless you want to), but try something new. Pass up the hamburger on board ship and sample the local cuisine. Talk to the residents. Most locals are proud of their country and are willing to share its heritage.
• Tip No. 6: Don't buy into the stereotypes. Will you be approached by Jamaicans aggressively trying to sell souvenirs? Sure - by people trying to put food on their table. Isn't that better than begging? Are some worse than others? Of course. On one visit I was passing through a craft colony. An American was chatting with a jewelry maker who was selling his wares. The tourist's wife yanked him away and scolded him. "Stop talking to him or he'll end up owning our house." I apologized for the woman's comment. "No problem," the jewelry maker said with a smile. I told him his work was beautiful but that I couldn't buy anything. He thanked me for the compliment and continued on, still smiling. I suspect the woman remembers things differently. I'm sure she still brags to friends about saving her husband from the dangerous, dreadlocked Jamaican scam artist who was after their home.

What are you Spending Your Tax Stimulus Check On?

It's June 2008 and you know what that means, it's tax stimulus time for most. This gift from the government is being provided to get consumers spending. A recent Goldman Sacks report showed that stocks like Royal Caribbean are sure to benefit from these dollars as consumers seek out their next vacation or upgrade from an ocean view stateroom to a private balcony with their new found monies.

There are a lot of places to spend the stimulus monies like on a new sofa, paying down some credit card bills, doing some home repairs or getting away on an exciting cruise vacation. But how about spending it on all or at least some of those things? We have some amazing getaways that won't deplete your whole stimulus check.

Getaway with the whole family this summer for as little as $32 a person, a day (for a family of four). Norwegian Cruise Line just announced they are moving a ship to the Caribbean this summer that will sail 3- and 4-night cruises from Miami and for a limited time, Kids Sail Free. There are a number of other ships and itineraries to choose from for under $50 per person, per day. Sail a 4-night Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Imagination from Miami or sail a 5-night Bahamas cruise on the Carnival Fascination from Jacksonville. For under $60 per day you can sail a 4-night Baja Mexico cruise on the Carnival Paradise from Los Angeles, a 4-night Bahamas cruise on the Carnival Sensation from Port Canaveral, a 4- or 5-night Western Caribbean on the Carnival Holiday from Mobile, a 5-night Baja Mexico cruise on the Carnival Elation from San Diego, a 5-night Western Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Fantasy from New Orleans, or a 7-night Florida & Bahamas cruise on the Norwegian Majesty from Charleston. How about sailing in a Balcony stateroom for under $100 per person, per day? You can on a number of 7-night Caribbean cruises on the Carnival Triumph, Liberty or Valor, on Carnival Spirit's 8-night Mexican Riviera cruises or on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas 12-night transatlantic cruise.

There are a ton of deals out there and your Cruise Specialist is just the person to find them for you. So when your stimulus check arrives, go ahead and use some of it to pay down your mortgage, or make a car payment, but be sure to keep just a little to spend on a holiday for yourself and your family. This might be the only time the government pays for your vacation.