From the Pilot House

A Salute to Travel: National Travel & Tourism Week 2013

Did you know that each U.S. household would pay $1,060 more in taxes without the tax revenue generated by travel and tourism? This week, we’re recognizing National Travel and Tourism Week and the importance of our industry to the economy as well as our part to help create lasting memories. Courtesy of the U.S. Travel Association and Travel Effect, check out these fact sheets about the widespread impact our industry is having on jobs, families and relationships.

Download Fact Sheet - Creating Lasting Memories

• 84% of respondents 55 or older still reminisce with their family about vacations they took years ago.

Download Fact Sheet - Travel Brings Families Closer Together

• More than half (55%) reported that “I have fond memories of vacations that I took as a child, and I want to create similar experiences for my family.”

Download Fact Sheet - Travel Strengthens Relationships

• Couples that travel together are significantly more likely to report that their relationship is more romantic, intimate and balanced.

Download US Travel - A Leading American Industry

• 1 out of every 8 U.S. jobs depends on travel and tourism.

Hornblower has been a leader in creating amazing experiences for over 32 years. During that time, we’ve attracted thousands of travellers in the 8 cities we cruise and held ourselves to the highest standard by providing excellence service and accommodations. Within the last decade we’ve expanded our role to enhance the experience at Alcatraz, Statue of Liberty, and most recently, Niagara Falls, where we will be opening in 2014.

You can follow and participate with us this week on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and From the Pilot House as we emphasize the significance of travel and tourism with fun facts and important tips. We'd love to hear some of your best memories cruising with Hornblower!

Our volunteer efforts all over California on Earth Day!

Hornblower San Diego organized an impromptu San Diego Embarcadero Clean Up on Earth Day this year. No formal event was scheduled in advance. It just happened that a crew member thought it would be a good idea. How cool is that?!

Drew Sahrbeck, an Event Manager for the past 16 years at Hornblower Cruises & Events, organized 22 crewmembers to volunteer and join him. The group gathered to clean up a stretch of the San Diego Embarcadero that they work around every day between Grape Street Pier and Navy Pier on North Harbor Drive.

During their two-hour clean up, Drew and crew gathered 30 bags of trash mostly filled with Styrofoam, plastic bags, straws - even needles and clothing too! Nice to have that out of our daily sights! When asked why he initiated the project, Drew said: “It’s a good way for Hornblower Cruises & Events to take an active part in keeping San Diego Bay clean. For a long time, our crew has been asking how they could help clean up the boarding areas where our customers gather."

Jim Unger, General Manager of San Diego Hornblower Cruises & Events, was very proud of his team for taking the initiative on their own. He said, “it’s the right thing to do and our customers deserve it.”

Alcatraz Cruises also celebrated Earth Day at Pier 33, Alcatraz Landing with an ‘All Hands on Deck’ volunteer event. Along with our partners from Aquarium of the Bay, The Marine Mammal Center, the Gardens of Alcatraz, National Wildlife Federation, and Golden Gate Cetacean Research, we provided learning stations that teach visitors on sustainability, conservation, and preservation of our natural resources. There was music, an arts & crafts table, face painting, and lots of fun activities enjoyed by all ages!

Check out more photos on Alcatraz and San Diego's Facebook accounts.

Celebrating Maritime Day: San Francisco Port's 150th Anniversary

Join us at the waterfront for Maritime Day on Sunday and celebrate San Francisco Port's 150th Anniversary! This is a family-friendly celebration with activities and events for everyone. Make sure to stop by Hornblower Landing on Pier 3, where we'll be docked for free open house tours from 10am-5pm. Hornblower and Alcatraz Cruises will also be launching low-fare public boat tours from Pier 33 for scenic outings all day around the bay.

Activities and events along the waterfront include treasure hunts, special exhibits, whale boating, bike tours, and food and beverage. Check out the official list of things to do on SF Port's home page.

Alcatraz Cruises Celebrates Earth Day

Join Alcatraz Cruises and our local, non-profit partners as we celebrate Earth Day at Alcatraz Landing! This event will focus on sustainability, environmental stewardship and hands-on activity stations. This is a fun, family-friendly event at no cost. Bring the kids; we'll provide activities for all ages where you can draw, paint, and let your imagination run wild!

• Pedal Power – visitors can see how much power their feet will generate with a specially designed bike attached to a small generator and computer.

• Green Home Choices – a station of Legos® will be available for visitors to learn about changes they can make in their home to make it more sustainable.

• Survivor Plants – in partnership with the Gardens Conservancy, visitors will discover the life and history of the colorful plants currently on Alcatraz Island.

• Arts & Crafts – a station with art supplies will allow children to express their creativity through art.

• Discover the Bay – in partnership with the Aquarium of the Bay, a microscope with large display will explore the microorganisms in San Francisco Bay that play a critical role in our local environment.

Event Information:

• Date: Saturday, April 20, 2013

• Time: 9:00am-4:00pm

• Location: Pier 33, Alcatraz Landing, San Francisco, CA 94133

• Contact phone number: 415-438-8320.

 

Find more about Alcatraz Cruises commitment to the Respect Our Planet initiative and learn how we can reduce our impact on the environment and protect the beautiful San Francisco Bay. Call to reserve tickets today! 415-981-7625

Welcoming the 'Exploratorium' to Pier 15

Wednesday night, the Exploratorium held a private preview party hosted by the San Francisco Travel Association. Crew members from our Corporate, Alcatraz Cruises and Bay Area office made their way down from Hornblower Landing to check out the new $300 million facility at Pier 15. With over 330,000 square-feet, the new museum has three times more space than the old location at Palace of the Fine Arts. Hundreds of guests were here to check out the re-designs, exhibits and attractions, but this was much more of an interactive experience than viewing spectacle.

Guests flowed from the Forum through the West, Central, and East galleries to the Outdoor Terrace and Observatory, while enjoying live music and delicious concessions from some of the best caterers in San Francisco. Many eye-catching exhibits were on display, sparking the curiosity and excitement to participate.

Hornblower couldn’t be happier as we continue to see the piers flourish. After a 10+ year relocation process, the Exploratorium will finally celebrate their grand opening next week on April 17. Congratulations and welcome to the neighborhood!

Great New Bag Designs

Crewmembers at Hornblower are constantly on the go! We work from boats and Islands, in California, New York and Canada and we need to be able to work from all these places. We also like to look to good! That's why we love HP's new partnership with Project Runway to create the perfect work bag.

For a few more days voting is open to the public! Our favorite is the 2 (Ways) 2 (Wear) Ultrabag! We think the flexibility is perfect when you spend your days hopping from shore to boat and we know and love the designer, Camille!

Vote for your favorite!

The Rock

“Break the rules and you go to prison. Break the prison rules and you go to Alcatraz.”

This past Wednesday, a handful of Hornblower interns took the trip to Alcatraz. Each of us, having spent at least several years in the Bay Area, were shocked that we had somehow missed one of the city’s most prominent attractions.

Our trip commenced with a quick and smooth ride aboard one of Hornblower’s Hybrids, the greenest boats in the nation. As we sailed across the bay, we were treated to exceptional views of the city and the spinning wind turbine aboard the boat.  

To be honest, I didn’t really know what I was in for. Sure, I knew that Alcatraz was a prison, but that is where my knowledge of the history made its sad, incomplete end. Luckily, thanks to the audio guide we were given (which features the accounts of actual former inmates and prison guards), I can safely say I walked away educated.

The history of Alcatraz is seductive; it evokes images of another time, of dark speakeasies and fringed dresses, of smoky cigars and a dangerous underworld. The hardened criminals that watched life pass by behind those bars are some of the most famous in American history, including gangster Al Capone and Robert Stroud, also known as ‘The Birdman.’

From my perspective, what must have been the worst part of being held at Alcatraz was its proximity to San Francisco. You can see the city moving freely, but you are removed from it. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be able to see life evolving so close and yet have no access to it. I imagine that helped make Alcatraz so effective, constantly dangling freedom just out of reach. I was also surprised to learn that Alcatraz was not just a prison; rather it began its life as a military base, then a prison, then a Native American occupation site, and finally a National Park. 

Today Alcatraz lies at the intersection of the past and the present. Its infamous history continues to draw attention and interest while modern developments seek to improve the experience. All in all, a wonderful experience, and well worth a second trip!

Sweet Summertime

As the temperatures inch higher and higher and the sky is cloudless more often than not, I find myself with a problem; blindness. While the sun is enjoying its time out and about, my eyes are squinting into nothingness and begging for protection. For all of you with this problem, we've cruised (haha get it?!) around to find you the best of the best sunglasses to keep those peepers safe! And the best part is, they not only look great on your face, uping your "mysterious" vibe, but perfectly complement that casual yacht in the background...

I personally love the classic Ray Ban Wayfarer. So mysterious. You celebrity, you.

Speaking of celebrities...for further sunglasses inspiration check out these studs who recently accompanied us on the Emerald Hornblower in San Diego...

For some more real life inspiration, we've also snagged this gorgeous couple for you off another recent cruise...

Happy hunting!

 

The Rise of the Internship

Internships are valuable tools for both interns and employers.  Staffing younger, inexperienced individuals offers employers the ability to get more work done while paying little or no wages, and obtain a fresh new perspective.  For the intern, the opportunity means work experience, a resume builder, and the chance to test out whether you actually enjoy working in a particular field.

These days some universities are requiring undergraduates to amass a certain number of internship hours before they receive their degree.  What was once a fun learning experience is becoming a necessity for many college students to find a job after graduation.  While some object to little or no wages, many enjoy the experience and are optimistic about the effects of real on-the-job experience on their chances for the stable, well-paying job they aspire to.  Hornblower is proud to say that all of its interns are paid, and are often rehired when they reapply for employment

One of Hornblower’s summer interns had this to say about his internship: “In the month and a half I’ve been here, I’ve already learned so much.  Everyone in the office is extremely personable and has offered to teach me something new.  I never thought I’d get the chance to work like this while in college, and I’m really looking forward to the next couple months here!”  Another intern commented as well, saying: “I was required to find a full-time internship my last semester of college in order to graduate. I didn’t know what to expect but was excited to get hands on experience. The Hornblower team made me feel welcome, valued my opinions, and they were great mentors throughout my internship.  It was the perfect chance for me to get real work experience and expand my professional network."

If you are interested in an internship or employment with Hornblower you can search for openings and apply here. 

The Loooooongest Day of the Year

Today, Wednesday June 20, is the summer solstice.  Ok sure, so it’s the longest day of the year.  Big deal.  Why does it matter?

Like most models you may have seen, our solar system actually lies in one flat plane, for the most part.  However, Earth does not rotate on a vertical axis like a top.  Instead the entire planet is tilted at a 23.5° angle towards the Sun, and rotates on an axis that points directly towards the North Star.  This is why the North Star never moves throughout the night sky, and is directly overhead if you’re at the North Pole.

As the Earth travels around the Sun, some parts are more directly exposed to sunlight than other parts.  This is why it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere when the Northern Hemisphere is in the middle of summer.  Today on the Solstice, Earth’s axis points as much toward the sun as it will throughout its orbit, which for us means the most hours of sunlight throughout the year.  People above the Arctic Circle are at a high enough latitude that they will actually experience daytime for a continuous 24 hours, and in Antarctica there is no sunlight at all!

The orbit of Earth, and all of the planets actually, is not a perfect circle but instead is in the shape of an ellipse, or a special type of oval.  The two Solstices occur at the points on the ellipse when the Earth is farthest from the Sun; since the force of gravity is slightly lessened by this increase in distance, the oceans experience noticeably lower low tides than occur at other times during the year. 

So be sure to pack up your sunscreen and your bathing suit and enjoy the sun while it lasts!  Although today may be the first day of summer, the days will only get shorter from here, so be sure to make them last!