Princess Cruises Reveals Final Reason on "Inspired to Cruise" Blog

Princess Cruises today revealed the final passenger story on its blog, “Inspired to Cruise: A Year of Reasons to Get Away From the Everyday” (www.InspiredToCruise.com). The last post personifies the line's brand promise to help its passengers “escape completely.”

In the story “My Yearly Retreat to ‘Escape Completely,’” Patricia Mengel of Brighton, Michigan shares how each day of her cruise she is able to let go a bit more from her busy job as a cardiac medical assistant. Even her patients know about her yearly cruise to let go of work stress and come home feeling refreshed and renewed.

Throughout 2012, the blog chronicled 52 diverse reasons why passengers are compelled to take a cruise vacation, including a mix of celebrations, accomplishments, family milestones and other deeply personal reasons to cruise. Among the many reasons were romantic stories: to get married, to honeymoon, to pop the question, to renew vows and even to save a marriage. Others conquered fears, quit smoking, chased an eclipse, ran a marathon and made peace with wartime memories. Family also featured prominently as passengers reconnected with parents, visited relatives in far-flung locales and honored those who had passed.

The blog, one of the most popular in the travel industry, generated 2.7 million page views and more than 4,000 comments from readers who have been inspired to find their own reasons to cruise. Among these:

[on cruising to reconnect with a father] “My mother passed away several years ago and my dad now 88 (fit as a fiddle) would like to cruise with us next year, you have inspired me to go ahead and organise it. Hope my experience is half as good as yours sounds.”
“Thank you so much for sharing. I have never expected to read these stories (in my mind, it’s just commercial!). How wrong I was! I could not stop reading your story, and when I finished, I had tears in my eyes. You have given me a different perspective of life. I now understand sharing is truly a precious gift.”
[on cruising to quit smoking] “thank you so much for your inspiration! I have tried quitting numerous times and to no avail. I just lost a good friend to lung cancer and it was close to the same time I read your story. The combination of both made me reach the decision to quit smoking on my upcoming cruise to Alaska in just 2 weeks.”
[on cruising to honor a family member] “Your story also inspires me, as in 2006 my Dad and I were slated to go to South America together. We ended up cancelling that trip. I plan to take that trip in his honor, and I hope to feel his presence during that trip. I know he will be happy I did go.”
[on spoiling the grandchildren] “We have been blessed with 7 grandchildren and they are all under the age of 10. Pam and Dennis you have inspired my husband and I to share our cruises with our grandchildren. Thank you for you wonderful story!”
[on to dance with my husband] “Beautiful! I will remember this story when I share my first cruise with my husband this fall and will hopefully have the same magical moment!”
[on taking the trip our husbands missed] “I thought I would of been back from Alaska in Sept., but my husband died in July. This would have been our tenth anniversary. … The kids said ‘mom’ you should still go, I just couldn’t and really didn’t know if I ever wanted too. Your story convinced me to save up again and go for it. I know my husband would have wanted me to go ….so I will.”

In total, the 52 reasons to cruise featured on the blog are:

1.   To Escape Completely
2.   To Celebrate the Holidays
3.   To Honeymoon
4.   To Recover from an Empty Nest
5.   To Celebrate a 50th Anniversary
6.   To Celebrate a Legacy of Travel
7.   To Be With AND Without the Kids
8.   To Grant a Veteran’s Last Wish
9.   To Bond with My Birth Family
10. To Reconnect with My Father
11. To Save My Marriage
12. To Connect with Family
13. To Go to My “Happy Place”
14. To See Our Foster Child
15. To Take the Retirement Trip Our Husbands Missed
16. To Make a Home
17. To Take My First, Big Adventure
18. To Pass On the Love of Cruising to the Next Generation
19. To Scatter My Husband’s Ashes
20. To Pop the Question
21. To Run a Marathon
22. To Recuperate
23. To Celebrate a Mother/Daughter Birthday
24. To Be with My Best Friend … Mom
25. To Please My Girl
26. To See a Total Eclipse of the Sun
27. To Sail the Open Seas Again
28. To Celebrate with Three Generations
29. To Relax
30. To Thank My Family
31. To Conquer My Fears
32. To Honor a Family Member
33. To Renew Our Vows
34. To Keep a Promise
35. To Fulfill My Husband’s Bucket List
36. To Quit Smoking
37. To See My Wife Smile Again
38. To Travel the World with a Purpose
39. To Escape the Ice Storm
40. To Learn About Family Ancestry
41. To Revisit Vietnam
42. To Get Married...by Surprise
43. To Bridge a Generation Gap
44. To Revisit Wartime Memories
45. To Surprise a Loved One
46. To Cruise on the “Love Boat”
47. To Visit Family Far Away
48. To Dance with My Husband
49. To Get Away with Girlfriends
50. To Spoil the Grandkids
51. To Take One Last Trip Before the Kids Leave the Nest
52. To Marry Each Other... Twice

In addition, the blog also featured a series of short “Escape Inspiration” videos. These 30-second cruise moments were introduced by a Princess crew member who explained why the scene has meaning for them.

Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel agent

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