Princess Cruises Celebrates Most-Travelled Guest Marking 2,500 Days at Sea and 282 Cruises
Floridian Ilene Weiner Shares Her Favorite Cruise Destinations, Memories and Travel Tips
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (March 6, 2019) – In 1989
Ilene Weiner and her husband, Howard, set sail aboard Fair Princess to the
Caribbean and fell in love with exploring new destinations, connecting with
locals and fellow guests and the many onboard amenities only offered on a cruise
vacation. Nearly 30 years later, Weiner is the most-travelled guest on Princess
Cruises and just celebrated her 282nd cruise, marking 2,500 days at
sea.
"We're incredibly honored to have the loyalty and
passion for Princess Cruises that Ms. Weiner exudes as our most-travelled
guest," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. "Not only has she
celebrated her own milestones throughout the years, she's found pure joy and
happiness in discovering the world's beauty and local cultures from a cruise
ship."
Princess Cruises celebrated Weiner's milestone on her
280th cruise – a 28-day Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific Crossing
aboard Golden Princess from Los Angeles that ended in her favorite destination,
Australia.
The Highland Beach, Fla. resident continues to sail
with Princess, most recently aboard Crown Princess to the Eastern and Southern
Caribbean where she celebrated the holidays and rang in the new year.
A detailed Q&A with Weiner including her favorite
cruise memories, destinations and travel tips follows:
From all your cruises with Princess, what is
your favorite destination and why?
Without a doubt ...
Australia! No matter how many times you go, there is always something new to
see.
This past year was my first
time visiting Western Australia, which is very different than my previous
visits to East Coast and
Northern Australia.
If you had to pick one city to visit with
Princess, what city would you select?
St Petersburg. I just
completed my fourth visit this past summer and I'm still amazed that each
time I find new sites to
experience and meet the most interesting people.
What is your most memorable experience ashore?
Any insider tips to share on must-do activities?
I recently visited Petra
in Jordan and found this to be a memorable shore excursion. Gazing at The
Treasury, I just imagined the archeological marvel that was upon me and was
filled with wonder knowing it was built thousands of years ago. During that
same trip, I did an evening Jeep Safari in Dubai to a Bedouin Camp. WHAT FUN!
What is your favorite port to sail in or out of?
Sydney Harbor ... spectacular
every time. It's different when you sail in early in the morning and experience
the quiet calm of a sleeping city. When you sail out of Sydney, it's alive with
the hustle and bustle of locals and tourists alike. And, I can't leave out Ft.
Lauderdale since that's where I'm from.
Where was your most memorable sunset?
Last December 29, 2017
sitting in the Crown Grill Steakhouse aboard Emerald Princess, sailing
between The Falkland Islands and Puerto Madryn, Argentina and our window
seat gave us a spectacular colorful pink and blue sunset.
Where and what was your most memorable
meal?
In Aruba at the Flying
Fishbone Restaurant – I had the freshest seafood I've ever tasted, caught that
very morning. I'd heard about it on a cruise and booked it the next trip.
I was in Aruba when the ship stayed late enough to go to dinner. My favorite
meal on a ship was aboard Royal Princess at the Chef's Table - spectacular food
and ambiance with the crystal curtains.
What is your favorite souvenir from your travels
with Princess?
When I was aboard Pacific
Princess upon reaching my 250th cruise, the officers and captain surprised me
at the champagne waterfall with four-stripe epaulettes, the same as worn by the
Captain. The picture they gave me of this event is my favorite souvenir.
What is next on your bucket list?
Africa is first on my
bucket list. I have seen very little of that continent and would like to
explore there more and see the countryside, wildlife and meet the locals.
What destination would you suggest to a
first-time cruiser?
For a first cruise, I would
suggest going to the Mediterranean. It's both beautiful and historical with so
much to see and taste!
What destination is the most romantic?
After my husband Howard
passed away in 2014, I continued to cruise on my own. Sure enough, I met my
partner, Carl, on a cruise aboard Crown Princess heading from Scandinavia to
New York. It was a true "Love Boat" experience and still is today. For me, the
Princess ships are the most romantic destination – so many possibilities and
endless activities to truly connect with someone special. And, you can even
watch "The Love Boat" in your stateroom!
Additional information about Princess Cruises is
available through a professional travel agent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS
(1-800-774-6237), or by visiting the company's website at www.princess.com.
# # #
About Princess Cruises
One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess
Cruises is the fastest growing international premium cruise line and tour
company operating a fleet of 17 modern cruise ships, carrying two million
guests each year to 380 destinations around the globe, including the Caribbean,
Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New
Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia, Canada/New England, Antarctica and
World Cruises. A team of professional destination experts have curated 170
itineraries, ranging in length from three to 111 days and Princess Cruises is
continuously recognized as "Best Cruise Line for Itineraries."
In 2017 Princess Cruises, with parent company Carnival
Corporation, introduced MedallionClass Vacations enabled by the OceanMedallion,
the vacation industry's most advanced wearable device, provided free to each
guest sailing on a MedallionClass ship. The award-winning innovation offers the
fastest way to a hassle-free, personalized vacation giving guests more time to
do the things they love most. MedallionClass Vacations will be activated on
five ships by the end of 2019. An activation plan will continue across the
global fleet in 2020 and beyond.
Princess Cruises continues its multi-year, "Come Back
New Promise" – a $450 million-dollar product innovation and cruise ship
renovation campaign that will continue to enhance the line's onboard guest
experience. These enhancements result in more moments of awe, lifetime memories
and meaningful stories for guests to share from their cruise vacation. The
product innovations include partnerships with award-winning Chef Curtis Stone;
engaging entertainment inspired shows with Broadway-legend Stephen Schwartz;
immersive activities for the whole family from Discovery and Animal Planet that
include exclusive shore excursions to onboard activities; the ultimate sleep at
sea with the award-winning Princess Luxury Bed and more.
Three new Royal-class ships are currently on order
with the next new ship under construction, Sky Princess, scheduled for delivery
in October 2019, followed by Enchanted Princess in June 2020. Princess
previously announced that two new (LNG) ships which will be the largest ships
in the Princess fleet, accommodating approximately 4,300 guests are planned for
delivery in 2023 and 2025. Princess now has five ships arriving over the
next six years between 2019 and 2025. The company is part of Carnival Corporation
& plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE:CUK).
Newsroom:
Additional media information is available at princess.com/news.
For further information, contact:
Negin Kamali, 661-753-1539, nkamali@princesscruises.com
Alivia Owyoung, 661-753-1542, aowyoung@princesscruises.com
