PARIS (AP) ? New U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has held his first official meeting with France's leadership amid increasing efforts by both countries to bolster Syria's opposition.
Kerry met Wednesday with French President Francois Hollande in Paris, chatting in French on the front steps of the Elysee Palace.
The war in Syria and Iran's nuclear program have topped the agenda of Kerry's tour of Europe and the Middle East.
Officials in the United States and Europe said Tuesday the U.S. administration is nearing a decision on whether to provide non-lethal assistance to carefully vetted fighters opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.
France, Syria's onetime colonial ruler, is also seeking ways to provide more support for Syria's opposition coalition after two years of fighting Assad's government crackdown.
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Yesterday, 04:39 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Cleveland OH
Posts: 257
How would you sell your family on a Disney cruise?
Hello all! I've just received word from my family that they want to take a cruise in 2015. I'm the planner and researcher in the family so it's been left up to me to do the dirty work. I'm also the disney fanatic and although they make fun of me I'm hoping to convert at least some family to disney. So my question is, how would you sell a disney cruise over the other cruise lines? I'm a cruise newbie but my uncle (instigated this idea) has cruised on princess cruise line and wants to use them again. How would you lure him over? Any help, hints, tricks, or advice is greatly appreciated. I'm starting by ordering a DCL DVD and I will order a passporter for DCL after I get our trip later this yet set.
The people going on this cruise will be: me, 31 (all ages are at time of cruise) DBF 36 and DS 12, my dad 51 and his girlfriend 63, uncle 61, sister and brother in law 33 ad any future kiddos of theirs (we are really hoping they get pregnant soon!). We will probably go spring break 2015 or summer 2015 but we are flexible since DS won't be in high school yet.
TIA everyone!
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Yesterday, 05:54 PM
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#2 (permalink)
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 1,637
Tell them that since you've been elected to plan, you've decided to make it easy on yourself, you're going with DCL Seriously, I'd look for the various reviews of DCL done by Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast etc. and share them with your family. DCL always ranks way up there. I think DCL offers a great cruise experience. Quality all the way. The ships are beautiful. We've not been disappointed with the service or food on any of our cruises. I think DCL makes it easy with rotational dining and just the right amount of choices of activities, shopping opportunities etc. I appreciate not having to sort through too many choices while on vacation. The shows are broadway quality. There's plenty for adults to do on their own, for the families to do together and for the kiddos to do. One thing that I think is a positive is DCL only has 4 ships to look after, maintain, staff etc. There's also the few little details like the magical horn, being introduced when you board, the fireworks (unless you're doing AK), the unique dinner show in Animator's Palate, the rotational dining allows you to know your servers and them to know you. One thing we appreciate is no casinos on board. We also like the fact that DCL is a more family oriented cruise so that takes any "partiers" off. Most beverages are available to you 24/7 eliminating the need to figure out will you get the most use out of a soda card, coffee card, juice/tea card. I think you'll get lots of feedback here. Good luck, hope things go your way. __________________
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Yesterday, 08:39 PM
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#3 (permalink)
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 6,589
Quote:
Tell them that since you've been elected to plan, you've decided to make it easy on yourself, you're going with DCL Seriously, I'd look for the various reviews of DCL done by Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast etc. and share them with your family. DCL always ranks way up there. I think DCL offers a great cruise experience. Quality all the way. The ships are beautiful. We've not been disappointed with the service or food on any of our cruises. I think DCL makes it easy with rotational dining and just the right amount of choices of activities, shopping opportunities etc. I appreciate not having to sort through too many choices while on vacation. The shows are broadway quality. There's plenty for adults to do on their own, for the families to do together and for the kiddos to do. One thing that I think is a positive is DCL only has 4 ships to look after, maintain, staff etc. There's also the few little details like the magical horn, being introduced when you board, the fireworks (unless you're doing AK), the unique dinner show in Animator's Palate, the rotational dining allows you to know your servers and them to know you. One thing we appreciate is no casinos on board. We also like the fact that DCL is a more family oriented cruise so that takes any "partiers" off. Most beverages are available to you 24/7 eliminating the need to figure out will you get the most use out of a soda card, coffee card, juice/tea card. I think you'll get lots of feedback here. Good luck, hope things go your way.
We also like that that smoking areas are pretty defined and out, there really is something for everyone to do regardless of age (and you can do things together), the service is really second to none, and the food is fantastic. It really is worth the money. __________________
-Mary Ann - Mad for the Mouse
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Today, 01:35 AM
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#4 (permalink)
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 137,558
How ironic - I've just been covering persuasion skills in my management course. It's all straightforward, common sense stuff, but the basic idea is to look at what they might want and play to that, as everyone wants to know "what's in it for me?" Perhaps the adults would like the idea of being able to use the adult only areas? Perhaps the kids love the idea of characters being on board? If you can try and find things that will appeal to them, you'll have much more chance of success.
Equally, if you can work out what barriers they might put up, then you can tackle those and come up with arguments to deal with them. For example, they might think Disney's expensive compared to other cruise lines (true) but if you can explain what you get on board Disney for the extra money, that might help to tackle that issue....
Going for dinner with the ex (the ex before the most recent ex) was not on the list of things to do this week. I had opted out of going to an expat party in Amsterdam with my friends. I had things to do and I could already predict the party; drunk Mediterranean guys with one goal. So I was looking forward to a quiet night in. Randomness is an understatement when out of the blue an ex contacts me to go to dinner. It took me a few minutes to realise my supply of U.S. Cold medicine had not gone to my head and I didn?t read the message wrong. Reading my blog you are aware that randomness is no stranger to my life, so I thought to just roll with it. Not going to lie, I spent a good hour wondering why the ex who I thought hated me wanted to meet for dinner. I debated standing him up, I refused to change lingerie just in case it was one of those kind of messages. I consulted with friends, but finally I said screw it and why not? I could have had this dinner long ago. Hell, I could have a dinner with all my ex?s present. So dinner turned to a game of pool and pool turned into several cups of tea at home. Whilst I cleaned the tea cups which I successfully did not throw at my ex (as I did 9 months ago). Another random life thought came to me; there seems to be a pattern. Why is it that when we want to form a normal relationship with our most recent ex, it doesn?t work. Yet, a normal relationship with our ex before is suddenly possible? Must there always be an ex in between?
If I had to present a thesis on why I am moving on from my recent ex, then I could. However, despite my attempt at bringing normalcy to our friendship that we say we both want to have, a thesis would be a lost cause to us at present. My recent ex has been avoiding eye contact to the point I might as well wear a pirate patch and he wouldn?t notice. Our ability to talk about everyday things is so absent that I might as well say I am moving to Siberia and see if he notices. Maybe it is sexual tension or maybe it is just too soon, but I am ready to say Oy Vey and down a glass of whisky because of this situation. Why do I want normalcy between us so badly now? Why not? Why must there be uneasiness if you both know your not meant to be with the other? Why not enjoy long talks as friends do? Why not feel there is no one I need to avoid in Holland?
It seems there is an unwritten protocol of when you can become friends with your ex again. I have realised it is when there is a relationship between your relationship with that person. For example, after you break up, you both see other people and possibly form new relationships with other people. Then when you break up with the new relationship it is now okay to contact your previous ex. There is a buffer relationship between you two. It is a safety net. You both proved you moved on from the other. There is time between you. You have had a chance to evaluate relationships in general and more importantly your energy of avoidance is now saved for avoiding an argument with your recent ex. You come to a point where there is no reason, but to not be friendly to the previous ex. Which is what Friday was for me. We both had a breakup buffer between us. We both moved on from the other and found ourselves in other relationships and with a newer breakup than our own.
There was a third wheel present at our reconnect dinner, our most recent ex?s. The only thing is that they have no clue they were present and they were physically invisible to us. They were our buffer of safety, the reason why we could now reconnect. The relationships between our own past relationship has provided time and an opportunity for personal growth and realisations. We can laugh about all the things we had wrong and right. We accept that everything happened for a reason. You feel comfortable around the other. You are at a point where you both just want to bury the hatchet.
Maybe I have it all wrong and we decided to meet just because we were bored and had nothing better to do. However, I have realised this is not the first time in my romantic history of this pattern. I am liking this pattern that gives some explanation for the randomness of what was my Friday night, but more importantly I like that this pattern outlines the importance of time and realisations. Still I have an urge to invite my two favorite (and only ex?s in NL) to my next Shabbos (Friday night) dinner table just to enjoy life. However, my patterns are telling me to take a chill pill and let my recent ex be, reconnect with the one ex and just enjoy waiting for the next prince charming to come along. All I can predict is that one day I will find myself in another random Friday night with another ex and we will be reconnecting because we have an invisible relationship buffer between our own.
ZTE caught us by surprise today, outing a Snapdragon 800-infused version of the Grand Memo at its MWC 2013 presser. The device, which still features the same 5.7-inch 720p display, 13-megapixel rear camera and 3,200mAh battery, is nearly indistinguishable from the other variants we've seen. But for this go-round, ZTE's added in Dolby Digital Plus Surround for a superior audio experience and an extra GB of RAM.
Its external chassis may have remained the same -- plasticky and lightweight -- but the difference in this 8.9mm thick Memo's real-world performance is immediately noticeable. OS actions on the skinned Jelly Bean UI don't just zip, they now quite literally fly -- truly, this device is deserving of the long-deceased "beast" moniker. Although international tradeshow WiFi connections are typically dreadful, we did manage to successfully run the Sunspider benchmark to get a quick taste of its rendering performance. The result? The Grand Memo notched a score of 1,186.7ms -- an unimpressive result when contrasted with the Tegra 4's 499ms (as derived from a reference tablet).
As for ZTE's MyFavorite UX layered atop Android 4.1.2, well, we're pleased to say it yields some neat animations. The entire homescreen, including widgets, revolves with a smooth 3D effect that just imbues the handset with a special "feel." It's a shame then that the Memo's encased in a less than premium shell, as it creates a disconnect between the smoking internals and humdrum exterior. But with a newly announced commitment to building its brand (a sentiment popular with Chinese OEMs as of late), this particular Memo is proof positive that ZTE's serious about raising its profile and consumer perception.
You won't be seeing this Grand Memo hit US shores anytime soon -- it's a China and Europe-only affair for now. So while you wait (and hold onto hope), check out our video tour after the break.
Yesterday, 04:39 PM
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Seriously, I'd look for the various reviews of DCL done by Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast etc. and share them with your family. DCL always ranks way up there. I think DCL offers a great cruise experience. Quality all the way. The ships are beautiful. We've not been disappointed with the service or food on any of our cruises. I think DCL makes it easy with rotational dining and just the right amount of choices of activities, shopping opportunities etc. I appreciate not having to sort through too many choices while on vacation. The shows are broadway quality. There's plenty for adults to do on their own, for the families to do together and for the kiddos to do. One thing that I think is a positive is DCL only has 4 ships to look after, maintain, staff etc. There's also the few little details like the magical horn, being introduced when you board, the fireworks (unless you're doing AK), the unique dinner show in Animator's Palate, the rotational dining allows you to know your servers and them to know you. One thing we appreciate is no casinos on board. We also like the fact that DCL is a more family oriented cruise so that takes any "partiers" off. Most beverages are available to you 24/7 eliminating the need to figure out will you get the most use out of a soda card, coffee card, juice/tea card. I think you'll get lots of feedback here. Good luck, hope things go your way. __________________
We also like that that smoking areas are pretty defined and out, there really is something for everyone to do regardless of age (and you can do things together), the service is really second to none, and the food is fantastic. It really is worth the money. __________________
It's all straightforward, common sense stuff, but the basic idea is to look at what they might want and play to that, as everyone wants to know "what's in it for me?" Perhaps the adults would like the idea of being able to use the adult only areas? Perhaps the kids love the idea of characters being on board? If you can try and find things that will appeal to them, you'll have much more chance of success. 
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