From the Pilot House

Friday the 13th!

Today as many of you know is Friday the 13^th. I have always wondered about this unlucky day, so I did some digging and found some interesting facts about Friday the 13^th.

According to this theory on the origin of Friday the 13^th, it is a modern day combination of two previous superstitions; that thirteen is an unlucky number and Friday an unlucky day making Friday the 13^th a double whammy of unluckiness.Thirteen is seen as unlucky because in numerology twelve is a very important number it is considered the number of completeness. This is reflected in several ways such as: twelve months in a year, twelve hours on a clock, and twelve inches in a foot. Thirteen on the other had is considered incomplete and irregular, making it also unlucky. Friday has been seen as unlucky since as far back as the 14^th century many professions considered Friday unlucky to take journeys or begin new projects. 

 The fear of Friday the 13^th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia and is estimated to afflict 17 to 21 million people in the United States. Some people are so paralyzed by their fear they are unable to do normal day to day tasks like get out of bed.

At least we know we are not alone, some other countries also have certain days they consider unlucky. In many Spanish-speaking countries Tuesday the 13^th is considered unlucky and in Italian culture Friday the 17^th is a day of bad luck.

What do you think of Friday the 13th?

 

Easter Memories

Easter like Valentines Day, Cinco de Mayo and Christmas, originally had religious or historical ties but now are almost completely commercialized, and I for one think it’s a good thing. The more holidays we celebrate, the more days we can use as excuses for trips, partying and just seeing our loved ones. Easter is especially unique because every family seems to have there own traditions. Here are a few memories from the HCE marketing staff:

“In my family my parents made us festive baskets filled with candy and toys. But, on Easter morning when my siblings and I woke up there would be no baskets to be found, in our house the Easter Bunny was quite the prankster. We would spend the whole morning searching until we found our baskets. One year when the Easter Bunny was feeling extra devious the baskets were out on the roof! “ –Marketing Intern, San Francisco

“Easter was a pretty big deal in my family. We loved decorating Easter eggs and would always go crazy in preparation for the big day. When Easter morning came around my sister and I would be decked out from head to toe in Easter gear. We had Easter dresses, Easter baskets and even an Easter hat. After visiting church in the morning the real fun began, an Easter egg hunt!” – Marketing Traffic Controller, San Francisco”

“As a mom Easter Is a little different for me, every year my daughter wakes up to find a note on the door of how many baskets are hidden throughout the house.  I watch her look for them and get to see how excited she is to find out what the Easter Bunny brought her. Which is always candy and socks. “ - Director of Interactive Marketing, San Francisco

As you can see everyone’s Easter memories are a little bit different but each one special, let Hornblower make your Easter more memorable and join us on one of our Easter Cruises in San Francisco, Sacramento, Newport Beach, Marina del Rey, and San Deigo.

 

 

Creating an Amazing Experience

Earlier this year Hornblower created Quality Quest, a customer service training program for all the members of the Hornblower family. The goal, or Our Voyage, as we call it, is to Create Amazing Experiences. As part of the program, managers share Amazing Experiences with one another and we’re heard tales of bravery, of resolution and exemplary hospitality. Many of the stories come from our guests following their experience. They will write or call with high praise for the individual or team that made their experience memorable. This Amazing Experience was shared at a recent meeting:

At our Alcatraz Cruises operation in San Francisco we frequently allow people who need assistance to board the vessels first, similar to airlines. We ask those individuals to stand to the side so that we can easily escort them down the gangway. One day over the summer, a woman stood in the pre-boarding area and a deckhand struck up a conversation with her while they waited to board. They chatted about San Francisco, the wacky summer weather and the Alcatraz experience. As the deckhand escorted her a seat on the boat she expressed some concern about not being able to walk to cell house. The deckhand explained that there was a tram designed to help people who have mobility challenges and he would assist her there. The deckhand finished his departure duties and returned to talk to the woman during the short ferry ride to the island. Once they arrived he escorted her off the island and to the tram where he wished her an excellent visit and returned to the vessel.

Later that afternoon the woman happened to return to San Francisco on the same deckhand’s vessel where he again helped her to a seat and she shared with him her joy at visiting Alcatraz. Once back in San Francisco he helped her off the vessel and sent her on her way to enjoy the city.

A few weeks ago a different woman arrived at Alcatraz Landing asking for the deckhand by name. She explained that her mother had visited Alcatraz over the summer and that this deckhand had gone out of his way to assist her during her visit. She went on to explain that her mother had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and that visiting Alcatraz was on her bucket list of activities. The woman had shared with her family her joy at visiting Alcatraz and how touched she had been with the kindness shown her by the deckhand and other crew members. The woman went on to say that her mother had recently passed away, but that her story of Alcatraz and the happiness it brought her had given her family members a sense of peace.

This story reminded us that our jobs here are to create amazing experiences for all our guests, regardless of their (or our) expectations. To some an amazing experience would be a carefully choreographed fireworks show to cap off an evening wedding, to others, it’s a kind work and helping hand.

As we enter the holiday season, we give thanks for our families and friends and from the Hornblower family we wish for everyone a happy holiday season.

A Sad Farewell

At Hornblower we like to throw parties. We have fun. We are with people when they celebrate life’s milestone moments. We rarely talk about sad occasions.

However, like everyone else, we cannot avoid misfortune. And we find ourselves in an unknown place as we grieve for tragic and premature death of a beloved colleague.

Hilsia Souza would have turned 40 next month, and we know it would have been quite a bash. She was full of light, full of life and had twice as much energy as her petite body should have been capable of generating. Her spirit and sass charmed all who met her, and for four years the Hornblower family was blessed to know her.

Two years ago Hilsia was diagnosed with breast cancer. Through rigorous treatments, and resulting side effects, her cheerful demeanor never wavered. She refused to be defined or limited by her disease. Following successful treatments she grasp hold of life’s adventures, determined to live everyday with the fullest spirit possible. We laughed with her, marveled at her bravery and wept with her when her disease returned.

She fought for a long time and fought harder than any of us could begin to imagine. The strength she showed us over the last few months doesn’t seem possible to have come from a single human being. Her grace, class and humor in the face of uncertainly, during what could have been her darkest days, is a reminder to us all that while life may be short, it is your opportunity to show the world what a wonderful place we all live in.

Hilisa will be in our hearts forever.

She is survived by her mother and father, grandmother, four uncles and an aunt. Hornblower is honoring her memory by participating in the Petaluma Catwalk for a Cure, an organization close to Hilsia’s heart.

 

Terry MacRae shares thoughts on the ferry business

 
Our fearless leader, Terry MacRae, recently spent some time speaking to Inc. Magazine about what goes into running a ferry company and how ferries are the wave of the future in public transportation.

Ferryboat Industry Gaining Speed

Hornblower in the Community

Hornblower's Respect Our Planet, our environmental education and management program recently started an employee volunteer program called All Hands On Deck. It's been a great opportunity for Hornblower company crew members to get out into our communities and improve them. We've done everything from planting trees, to cleaning up harbors to building houses.

The latter was our most recent accomplishment. Habitat for Humanity is an international organization that seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness. They are in the process of building seven homes in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco.

Eight Hornblower and Alcatraz Cruises employees headed out early one morning prepared for a day of labor. We were fortunate that our frequent winter storms took a break for the one day we were going to be working. The team split up and performed a variety of tasks, including painting, cutting and installing siding, caulking seams, ditch digging and filling and general clean up. At the end of the day we felt proud of the progress that had been made the day we volunteered.

For more information on All Hands on Deck check out Respect Our Planet's Facebook page! 

Thoughts from the Bay Area's New General Manager

Annabella Stagner was recently promoted to Vice President and General Manager of Hornblower Bay Area (which includes the newly opened Sacramento port). She gave us some of her thoughts on her first few weeks in this new position.

1) How have the last few weeks been? Has the transition been smooth? 
It has been fast paced and exciting.  The transition has been great.  I've been getting in touch with the crew and rolling up my sleeves.

2) What has been the biggest change/surprise? 
The biggest surprise is how much fun I'm having getting back to basics.  I began my career at Hornblower as a Steward/bartender and now I'm in a position to help our crew and our guests have the best Hornblower experience.

3) What are your first priorities? 
My first priority is focusing on the Hornblower experience and continuing our superb brand name in the industry. Also, focusing on our crew and the guests.

4) What do you see as the biggest opportunities over the next six months? 
One great opportunity is increasing awareness of what a great site Hornblower is to have a company meeting or an employee appreciation.

5) How would your characterize the Hornblower Bay Area crew? 
Upbeat, friendly, dedicated, experienced and knowledgeable.

Read more about Annabella on the Hornblower pressroom!

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