A Ship By Any Other Name

How do you put a name to something you know little about? I guess the argument can be made that each of us were named before we formally made a name for ourselves. But when it comes down to it, it’s no easy task finding that perfect name. The task is elevated when you tack on a few stipulations: it must end in “of the Seas” and cannot begin with Liberty, Freedom or contain any of its sisters’ given names. You may have guessed we’re not talking babies anymore. We’re talking cruise ships. Specifically Royal Caribbean’s soon-to-be newest and most awe-inspiring “babies”—now code named “Project Genesis I and II.” In an unprecedented naming contest launched with USA Today, Royal Caribbean has opened up the naming of what will be its most prestigious and innovative cruise ships to date to the general public. And you thought naming one little baby was hard?! Try culling down 60,000-something entries—all equally creative in their own right. The winner(s) don’t necessarily have to name both of the Project Genesis ships. The honor could go to two individuals—one for Project Genesis I, launching in 2009, and the other for Project Genesis II, debuting in 2010. That said, from what I’ve seen, some pretty creative pairs have been entered—Adam and Eve; Pioneer and Frontier—as have some quite comical single names: Chicken of the Seas; Mermaid of the Seas; Earth of the Seas. And there are still two weeks left to enter.

I think this is why I love public relations. You honestly never know what will be thrown your way from week to week. There's little college could have done to prepare me for what I've encountered in this industry, and there's no textbook definition of what we “do.” This week it looks like my main title will be “panelist,” as I'll be helping to trim down these thousands of entries before the panel of experts take over. Next week... who knows? I'll report back.

Mardi Gras!

Going to meetings down in New Orleans during Mardi Gras for the first time since Katrina was not a difficult part of my job. Last time I was there, I was much younger and accompanied by my family. I remember the glittery floats and colorful beads, but aside from the few memories I was anxious to see the city's parades and festivities from an older perspective, and in the wake of the city's renovations and changes. After a long day of meetings, I had the pleasure of going to a delicious, authentic New Orleans dinner at Red Fish Grill. Our entire team tried red fish (most of us for the first time) in one preparation or another and were blown away by the different spices and flavors. After dinner, we were lucky enough to get VIP passes to the Druids Mardi Gras parade, so we were standing on a balcony at the same level as people in the parade floats. We were told this was a smaller Mardi Gras parade, but the streets were packed and people were out in costume and high spirits. The beads came flying in—literally—and by the end of the first parade we each had about 10lbs of beads hanging around our necks. About half an hour later we saw a second parade (it was supposed to run earlier that week but got rescheduled due to weather) with its own unique marching bands, floats, and costumes. The whole experience was truly amazing; it was fun for everybody regardless of age. We were all giddy from the experience and before the night had ended, we were already asking our client about plans for next year.

I really feel that Mardi Gras was thrilling both as a kid and an adult. The experience is universally charming and truly unique to New Orleans' culture and traditions. The joys and magnetism of the city very much came alive during Mardi Gras, and I was pleased to see the French Quarter so well manicured amidst the masses of people and city-wide renovations. I had a fabulous time at Mardi Gras and can't wait to visit the city again!

Horn-y in Texas is Public Relations Out-of-the-Box

The fearless leader of the Weber Shandwick Travel & Lifestyle practice is notorious for his "simple" out -of-the-box ideas (this is a public blog, saying "impossible" may be misinterpreted). Needless to say, when Royal Caribbean International asked for recommendations on how to let Texans know that Voyager of the Seas, one of the world's most innovative cruise ships, is sailing the full winter season from Galveston for the first time, his idea was simple: Voyager of the Seas needs to give a memorable salute to the Republic of Texas. First comes simple and then comes out-of-the-box...

Six months later, the largest longhorns on record - with a "horn-span" of 140 feet long and weighing in at 600 pounds - grace the top of Voyager of the Seas. It's almost natural that the largest cruise ship in the Gulf Coast salute Texas with the world's largest longhorns as she sails into Galveston Bay. Four triangular Lone Star State flags measuring 75 x 80 feet drape the bow and stern as she arrives to complete the look (you have to see it to believe, hence the picture above). The inflatable longhorns debuted Sunday, January 13 and are inflated every week when the ship is in the Port of Galveston. What happens when spring comes and Voyager goes to Spain? In anticipation of the scenario, Royal Caribbean auctioned the horns on eBay with all proceeds benefiting the Starlight Starbright Foundation, Texas Chapter. Rightly so, the original Voyager longhorns will stay in Texas with a Royal Caribbean enthusiast who put in the winning bid of $4,200.

Everything is bigger in Texas, including cruise travel, longhorns, philanthropic hearts...and Public Relations!