Interviews

July 25, 2013 by TravelXena Leave a Comment

Interview with Acapella group Re:Voiced

When I was on the Norwegian Epic this past Spring I spent some time talking to Dele and John from the Acapella group Re:Voiced. If you’re never seen them, you’re in for a real treat. If you have seen them you know exactly what I’m talking about. Ignore my speech that sounds inspired by alcohol, I’d attending a Vodka tasting right before this. (Gee thanks BJ!) Oh and yes, all members of the group are adorable. (Insert girlish giggle here)

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June 8, 2013 by TravelXena Leave a Comment

Captain Evans Hoyt of the Norwegian Breakaway

Talking with Captain Evans Hoyt of the Norwegian Breakaway

On our recent cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway (second sailing to Bermuda out of New York…Woo Hoo) I had the chance to sit down and interview Captain Evans Hoyt who is quite honored to be chosen as one of the Captains on the newest ship in the fleet.

Captain Evans Hoyt is from Washington D.C. he grew up there having had family that worked in the state department.

He decided on this line on work when he was 17. He was trying to figure out what he was going to do with his life and since he’d always had a boat growing up this seemed like a good way to combine a passion and a way to make a living.

One of the things that he enjoys most about his job is being able to work with the quality of people that are working on ships these days. Along with bringing talented people together and making things work.

The thoughts he has for young people that are thinking of entering this field is this is to look into it because there are “excellent opportunities”. “There is a shortage of people wanting to go to sea so the opportunities are growing. The pay is going up and there’s the opportunity to save money.” He also mentioned that everything you do has an impact. In being a part of a team at sea you wind up “becoming an important part of everyone else’s life.”

When I asked him how he defines his command style he said that he has an “empathetic approach” however “when it comes to the safety side of things there are no compromises.” He believes in “creating a human environment and never losing sight of that because…happy ship, happy crew, happy guests.”

As to what he feels distinguishes Norwegian from other cruise lines there’s one reoccurring and much deserved theme that I hear from each Captain I’ve spoken to so far. The freestyle concept. “Freestyle first and foremost.” He mentioned that their style was “more cruise-centric” and that they try to view things from the “people side of the equation.”

Thank you Captain Evans!

Would you like to know more about Captain Evans and his team on the Norwegian Breakaway? Check out the link below to watch a Q&A session that happened on board during the May 19th sailing to Bermuda.

Video Below.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN_FvqiPHZk

June 1, 2013 by TravelXena Leave a Comment

Drew DeFour and Kin Curran Musicians on the Norwegian Breakaway

Drew DeFour and Kin Curran Musicians on the Norwegian Breakaway

Along with Slam Allen, when I was on the Epic last year Drew and Kin rounded out my top three favorite musical acts on the ship. A husband and wife team that are very talented and very energetic, they’ll be sure to life your spirits up while playing dueling pianos at the Howl in The Moon venue Headliners bar whether on the Norwegian Epic or Breakaway.

After sitting down for a lovely and informative dinner with them we asked a few questions that they answered. Learn more about this talented duo in the video below.

When you have a chance to see them in person, don’t forget to request that Drew play one of his original songs. Keep a Light is my favorite and you can find that along with his new song The Man You Loved and others on their websites and on YouTube.

Drew’s Website http://drewdefour.com/ Kin’s Website http://kincurran.com/

Interview

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOliR0-EfeI&feature=youtu.be

I’ll be adding some raw video taken with the high res camera.

May 28, 2013 by TravelXena 6 Comments

Norwegian Breakaway – Slam Allen Interview

Formerly performing on the mega ship Norwegian Epic super talented Slam Allen has been brought over to the Norwegian Breakaway. This is a great thing for those of us sailing out of New York. Many of you have heard Slam and his band play and know what they’re looking forward to when going to Fat Cats Blues Club, some of you don’t, and for those that don’t I just suggest that you go and see him.

Here’s a little intro into his musical background and what makes Slam, Slam.

Thank you Slam Allen for agreeing to do the interview!

Note: We lost some video at the beginning but we had the sound so we added photos for the first few seconds, please stick with it for the full video.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85kaVGBcko0&feature=youtu.be

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