This week we are broadcasting aboard Princess Cruises latest ship, Regal Princess. She was first launched May 2014 in Europe and is now spending the winter and spring in the Caribbean. Hear us give a full review.
The 3,560-guest Regal Princess now begins her maiden season of Caribbean cruise vacations out of Ft. Lauderdale. Among the special features found onboard the ship are a dramatic multi-story atrium serving as the social hub of the ship, offering a host of dining and entertainment options; an over-water SeaWalk, a top-deck glass-bottomed walkway extending 28 feet beyond the edge of the ship; the Princess Live! Television studio; the largest pastry shop at sea; a special Chef’s Table Lumiere, a private dining experience that surrounds diners in a curtain of light; Princess Watercolor Fantasy, a fountain and music show; the Night Sky Lounge, a new nighttime experience that enables guests to enjoy a chic and contemporary poolside nightclub under the stars, and balconies on all outside staterooms.
Princess Cruises Kicks Off 50th Anniversary Year with First-Ever Float in The Rose Parade (PRNewsFoto/Princess Cruises)
The first day of the new year marked Princess Cruises’ first-ever debut in the iconic 126th Rose Parade, kicking off the cruise line’s 50th anniversary celebration. The float, themed “50 Years of Inspiring Travel” was awarded the prestigious Craftsman Trophy for Exceptional Achievement in Showmanship and Dramatic Impact.
As a special feature, the six original cast members of The Love Boat television show rode on the ship’s bow and “cruised” down the five-and-a-half mile parade route. In addition to paying tribute to the television show that made Princess Cruises one of the most famous names in cruising, the Rose Parade float depicted the line’s newest cruise ship Regal Princess symbolically sailing through the world’s fascinating destinations and iconic landmarks that guests have experienced with Princess for the past 50 years.
“Since the theme of this year’s Rose Parade was ‘Inspiring Stories,’ we thought it was the perfect opportunity to launch our 50th anniversary year celebrations,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. “For the last five decades our guests have been sailing with us to amazing places and they’ve returned with inspiring memories that have lasted a lifetime, and we want to celebrate this throughout our golden anniversary year.”
The Love Boat cast, including Gavin MacLeod (Captain Stubing), Fred Grandy (Chief Purser Gopher), Ted Lange (Bartender Isaac), Bernie Kopell (Doc), Lauren Tewes (Cruise Director Julie) and Jill Whelan (Captain’s daughter Vicki), recently named Regal Princess, having served as the ship’s godparents before the cruise ship’s maiden Caribbean season and their appearance in the New Year’s Day parade.
Millions of viewers recognized the Sydney Opera House, the leaning tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, a traditional Japanese pagoda, the Golden Gate Bridge and the tropical flowers and water falls of the Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico, as well as the majestic mountains and wildlife as featured on Alaska cruises – just some of the sights travelers will see when sailing with Princess, whose ships visit 350 destinations around the globe.
The Princess Cruises float measured 60 feet long and 24 feet high with more than 24,000 flowers and natural materials. Flowers included roses, orchids and carnations, dendrobs, tulips, cymbidiums, delphiniums and gerbera daisies.
Paying tribute to the parade’s theme, Princess conducted a contest asking its past guests to share an inspiring story that occurred aboard a Princess cruise for a chance to ride on the float. The grand-prize winner was 91-year-old World War II veteran Nathan Keith Abbott, who took a Princess cruise back to the South Pacific, as he had long wished to revisit the islands where he served during the war.
Other riders who were selected told their inspiring stories about a variety of special celebrations including an engagement in front of a glacier in Alaska, a renewal of vows to mark 50 years of marriage, a celebration of life after surviving breast cancer, and a mother and daughter college graduation cruise to celebrate both of them receiving their degrees.
As a tribute to Princess’ 25,000 crew members and employees around the world who the company credits for delivering incredible cruise vacations to their guests, the float incorporated flower vials that were personally signed by 16,0000 employees, signifying their important role in the company’s successful past and exciting future.
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 princess.com.
Artist's rendering of the Princess Cruises float for the 2015 Rose Parade.
How exciting to see original cast of “The Love Boat” gathered to decorate Princess Cruises’ Rose Parade float. Princess Cruises, one of the most famous names in cruise vacations, is widely known for its starring role in one of television’s most iconic shows, “The Love Boat.” Their float in today’s
Co-anchor of “Today” Al Roker, along with the cast of “The Love Boat,” sing the show’s theme song in front of Princess Cruises’ Rose Parade float. Pictured with Roker, from left from right: Fred Grandy, Ted Lange, Bernie Kopell, Gavin MacLeod, Lauren Tewes and Jill Whelan.
Rose Parade launches Princess’ 50th anniversary year and pays tribute to the light-hearted TV show which played such an integral role in the cruise line’s early history.
The original cast of “The Love Boat” will ride on the float, which comes on the heels of this ensemble christening Princess’ newest cruise ship Regal Princess to kick off the company’s golden anniversary year.
Named “50 Years of Inspiring Travel,” the float depicts Regal Princess symbolically sailing through the world’s most fascinating cruise destinations and iconic landmarks that guests have experienced with Princess over the past 50 years. Viewers will recognize the Sydney Opera House, the leaning tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, a traditional Japanese pagoda, the Golden Gate Bridge and the tropical flowers and water falls of the Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico, as well as the majestic mountains and wildlife as featured on Alaska cruises – just some of the sights travelers will see when sailing with Princess, whose ships visit 350 destinations around the globe.
The float is 60 feet long and 24 feet high with more than 24,000 flowers and natural materials. Flowers include roses, orchids and carnations, dendrobs, tulips, cymbidiums, delphiniums, gerbera daisies. Regal Princess will be covered in large white navy beans, white mums and button mums. The water will be accented by dark blue and white iris. Potatoes, green grapes and seaweed will also be used on parts of the float.
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 http://www.princess.com.
A Cunard Line New York to Liverpool Poster in 1875
Her Majesty The Queen has just named and launched Queen Elizabeth 2 on 20 September 1967.
50 years ago today, 30 December 1964, the contract for what was to become Queen Elizabeth 2 was signed. Of the 248 ships that have flown the Cunard flag since Britannia in 1840, QE2, as she was to become universally known, is one of the most significant ships Cunard has built.
At the end of August 1964 Cunard was in a position to invite tenders for Q4 – the widely-used codename for the new ship. The use of ‘Q4’ hinted that the new Cunarder was to be the fourth Queen ship that the company had built and meant that Queen Mary was now ‘Q1’ and Queen Elizabeth was ‘Q2’. ‘Q3’ never left the drawing board and it was the plans for that ship which were re-worked into ‘Q4’.
[pullquote]This article, written by Michael Gallagher, public relations executive and historian
for Cunard Line, is part of an ongoing series of key moments in Cunard Line’s history[/pullquote]Technically ‘Q4’ should have been ‘Q5’ as the first Cunard Queen was Berengaria when Imperator was renamed.
The firms invited to tender for Q4 were John Brown and Co., Clydebank; Cammell Laird and Co., Birkenhead; the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Glasgow; Harland and Wolf, Belfast; Swan, Hinter and Wigham Richardson, Wallsend-on-Tyne would combine with Vickers Armstrong, Wallsend.
The last two firms had formed a consortium to tender for Q3 but that was for a larger vessel so it was felt they would tender alone for Q4.
Many people still considered the Tyne shipyards the favourite for Q4 given their likely success in attracting Q3. John Brown’s order book was the least full of all the shipyards expected to tender and the disruption of Q4 on Clydebank would be virtually non-existent.
The tender document was issued to the yards on 9 September 1964 and consisted of 550 closely-typed foolscap pages of plans and specifications. Price was to be Cunard’s main consideration and the deadline for the shipyards was late November.
In mid-October Cammell Laird advised Cunard that “regretfully” they would not be tendering for the new Cunarder. The yard’s order book and delivery commitments were such that it could not commence work on the new ship until nearly a year later than the date necessary to meet Cunard’s delivery requirements.
QE2 gets her enlarged funnel as her six-month re-engining (October 1986 – April 1987) nears its completion. It is still the biggest job of its kind ever undertaken and her new diesel-electric plant would achieve speeds approaching 34-knots on trials.
A month later, the Fairfield yard announced it was also dropping out of the competition. Again the yard stipulated its order book and commitments as being the reason for not pursuing Q4.
QE2 just before entering service in May 1969.
The main John Brown board met at The Sanctuary, John Brown’s London office, to discuss and approve the terms of the quotation for Q4. In consideration of the great prestige of the contract, it was agreed to cover full costs and full charges but include no profit, although this was kept secret at the time. The board felt that ‘extras’, by way of changes to the contract during construction, would ensure no loss. It was their view that the contract for this ship simply must be won.
The tender from Harland and Wolf arrived at Cunard’s Liverpool Head Office on 28 November some 48 hours before the deadline. The next tender to arrive was from John Brown and the final one (delivered by hand by the two chairmen) came from the Tyne on 1 December.
On 30 November 1964 the tenders from the remaining three shipbuilders were opened:
Vickers and Swan Hunter Tender
£22,547,428
October 1968 delivery date (subject to contract being awarded by the end of January 1965)
John Brown Tender
£21,677,000
Delivery May 1968
Harland and Wolff
£23,825,000
Delivery end of 1968
John Brown’s price was the lowest and its delivery date of May 1968, the earliest. However, Cunard Chairman Sir John Brocklebank and his staff were shocked to note that all three tenders were in excess of the £22 million set aside for the ship. John Brown’s price was £870,000 less than Vickers and £2,148,000 less than Harland & Wolff. John Brown’s terms for overheads etc were also more acceptable.
The shipyards had been asked to quote a fixed price but all three stated that particularly due to the long building period they were unable to do so. At the time it was difficult to obtain fixed prices from the shipbuilders for any type of ship. Likewise there was no penalty clause for late delivery of the ship – this had been discussed during the preparation of the tender for Q3 when all the available builders indicated that they would not accept any penalty clause.
Even the price submitted by John Brown was £2 million more than Cunard had estimated the cost of a new vessel would be. On receipt of the tenders there were several urgent meetings with Cunard management adamant that Q4 was still too expensive and may have to be cancelled. The problem for management was that the ageing Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth would soon need to be taken out of commission which would leave Caronia and the four Canadian ships in commission with the result being a severe reduction in staff.
Q4 under construction in August 1967 – a month before her launch.
John Brown was advised that their tender was the lowest but that the price would have to be cut down further before a contract could be signed. Cunard asked the yard to reduce the cost of the ship by approximately £1.5 million. To qualify in time and obtain the benefits of the loan under the government’s Shipbuilding Credit Scheme it would be necessary for the ship to be paid for before 31 December 1964. That meant that within a period of two weeks the building agreement had to be prepared, agreed and signed. It was essential that the final figure be reached quickly.
A team of Cunard personnel went to Clydebank to meet with the yard management and over the course of three weeks, with beer and sandwiches at weekends, the cuts were made.
The group went through the specifications and managed to reduce the machinery (main and auxiliary) costs by £500,000 and the hull and electrical price by £1.5 million.
The whole tender was studied again and suppliers were asked to re-submit prices based on amended tenders. Even things such as the reduction in specification requirements for cabin furnishing (saving £62,000) to using white instead of colour sanitary units in passenger cabins (saving £9,000) were incorporated.
The most significant deletions and alterations, in a list prepared on 13 December 1964, to the original tender were as follows:
Deletions
Perhaps the most significant deletion was one of the boilers which was deleted to also save weight and space. QE2 was originally to have had four boilers which could maintain full service speed with only three of these in use, allowing one to be shut down for maintenance without serious loss of headway. With hindsight the deletion of the fourth boiler proved to be a false economy as the lack of spare boiler capacity would compromise the liner’s reliable operation as a steam ship.
Saving (£)
Stern anchor.
The sliding roof on the Sports Deck. 27,300
A set of stabilizers (four fins instead of six). 43,420
One auto tensioning winch . 8,000
Cathodic Protection. 6,600
Two aft cranes. 32,000
The aft MacGregor hatch and trunk. 27,000
The aft lateral thrust units. 46,000
Mental Ward and Mortuary. 1,600
Verandah Grill from funnel base (the Grill was
relocated in the main dining saloon area). 35,000
The boat davits to be steel in lieu of aluminium. 69,000
Omit the painting of aluminium behind the Linings. 12,000
Enamel beds for crew instead of aluminium. 10,000
The relocation of insulated cargo from aft to forward. 1,000
The Boiler Seatings were reduced in number.
The team were also able to re-arrange the ship by pointing out anomalies in the passenger departments’ requirements regarding Pullman berths etc and this secured berths for an additional 200 passengers.
Some things, such as the stern anchor (reinstated in September 1967 at a cost of £25,000) and the Mortuary would be reinstated.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother onboard the Royal Yacht Britannia welcomes QE2 home after her Falklands service in June 1982.
Contract Signing
On 30 December 1964 John Brown’s Chairman Lord Aberconway and Sir John Brocklebank signed the contract for Q4 – the biggest passenger ship contract ever clinched in Britain. The contract was signed within the solid walls of the Bank of England. Sir John had telephone the unsuccessful yards earlier that morning to advise them of the company’s decision.
When the news was flashed to the Clyde, church bells rang out and there was much jubilation in the yard and on the Clyde as work for a large number of people on the world’s most prestigious shipbuilding contract had been secured for three years. Cunard, too, was delighted that the old partnership was in business once again.
Lord Aberconway: “Clydeside will have its happiest Hogmany for years. There will be no need to lay on a special celebration”.
QE2’s actual build would be as traumatic as the race to secure the contract to build the ship. And throughout the build many thought Cunard was taking the biggest gamble in its history and that they were building a white elephant that would have to laid up or scrapped within six months of her entering service.
Sailing into the sunset. QE2 left Cunard service in November 2008 leaving a proud record and legacy.
Well she defied those sceptics and, after entering service in May 1969, she went on to have one of the longest careers of any Cunard ships and her 39 years in service would see her sail more than any ship in history – over five million miles. For 34 years she maintained and continued the Atlantic service alone so perhaps her greatest legacy is her contribution to Cunard celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2015.
Join us as we welcome Kristin Ladewig from St. Louis, MO. She recently returned from a 10-night sailing aboard Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess. A sailing that started in Quebec City and ended in New York City. Kristin leaves no stone unturned on this detailed Ruby Princess review. Sit back and enjoy this episode of the Cruise Addicts Talk Show.
The ms Koningsdam is set to debut in February 2016.
Carnival Corporation has announced the order of two new cruise ship orders for two of its brands with Fincantieri S.p.A., the world’s largest cruise ship building company.
The new cruise ships will be constructed by Fincantieri for Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line.
Carnival Cruise Line’s as-yet-unnamed 3,954-passenger vessel, which is the 26th ship in the line’s fleet, will offer many of the newest and most popular features from Carnival’s current ships, along with several innovations that will be exclusive to this vessel. The delivery date for the new cruise ship is scheduled for March 2018. Homeport and itinerary information will be announced at a later date.
The new ship will be a sister ship to Carnival Vista, which is slated for delivery in spring 2016. Carnival plans to announce details on the many unique features and innovations of Carnival Vista during a three-day event for media, travel agents and consumers in New York Jan. 22-24, 2015.
For Holland America Line, the new order adds a second Pinnacle class ship to the fleet, a new class of vessels that will debut with the delivery and launch of the ms Koningsdam in February 2016. The new ship, scheduled for delivery in late November 2018, will accommodate 2,650 guests and 1,025 crew. The new as-yet-unnamed ship will feature new public spaces and venues that will debut on Koningsdam. In addition, many of the familiar spaces that are currently featured across the Holland America Line fleet will be included.
[pullquote]”These beautiful new ships on order from Fincantieri signify our ongoing commitment to provide the best possible guest experience across our industry-leading brands,” said Arnold Donald[/pullquote]
“To have been once more chosen for such an important order is the best recognition for our skills,” said Giuseppe Bono, Fincantieri Chief Executive Officer. “This is an extremely important sign, especially if we consider the shipbuilding industry’s present period of evolution, both in Europe and Asia.”
Bono added, “Today Fincantieri can count on a solid order book, without equal in terms of diversification and quality of the product, which is a testament to our leadership in the cruise ship business sector. This position has been solidified over the years also thanks to our relationship with Carnival, a partnership which has allowed us to grow and which is now strengthened by our recent agreement involving the Chinese market and by today’s orders. We are hopeful that many others will follow in the future.”
All told, Carnival Corporation has refreshed its global fleet – the largest in the world – with more than 30 new ship additions since 2007, including its two newest ships, Regal Princess and Costa Diadema, with another 10 ships scheduled to be delivered between 2015 and 2018.
In 2016, Carnival Cruise Line is scheduled to debut Carnival Vista, a stunning 133,500-ton ship that will be the largest ever in its fleet, and Holland America Line will launch its newest ship, the 99,500-ton ms Koningsdam, a new Pinnacle Class ship that can carry 2,650 passengers. Also in 2016, AIDA will introduce a new sister ship to the 2015 AIDAprima with capacity for 3,250 passengers, while Seabourn will unveil its newest luxury ship, expected to be the biggest ever built by the brand with the ability to serve 604 passengers.
Looking forward to 2017, Princess Cruises is working with Fincantieri to build a 143,000-ton vessel featuring the highly popular design elements introduced by the brand’s two newest ships, sisters Royal Princess and Regal Princess.
You can visit Fort San Felipe in Puerto Plata during a port stop in Amber Cove. A new port of call in the Domincan Republic.
Cruise Addicts who love sailing to the Caribbean now have a new port destination to visit, Amber Cove. It is located in the heart of the Dominican Republic’s breathtaking North Coast, known as the Amber Coast. Just outside the historical town of Puerto Plata.
[pullquote]Eight Carnival Ships, Featuring Five New Itineraries from Four U.S. Homeports, Will Call at Amber Cove During the Port’s Inaugural Season [/pullquote]
“Amber Cove is destined to become a cornerstone in creating new itineraries from several U.S. home ports,” said Terry Thornton, Carnival’s senior vice president of itinerary planning. “It will provide an unmatched combination of ‘fun in the sun’ activities and eco-tourism opportunities along with unique sightseeing, dining and cultural experiences to create a lifetime of wonderful vacation memories for our guests,” he added.
Visit beautiful Downtown Puerto Plata when visiting the newest port stop in the Caribbean, Amber Cove.
Designed to serve as the gateway to one of the world’s most beautiful cruising regions, Amber Cove features dramatic architectural elements that echo the area’s storied Colonial past. The port is situated in a picturesque cove that serves as the backdrop for soaring mountains and lush tropical landscape. Its cobblestone plazas will be lined with a wide variety of retail offerings, including themed restaurants and bars and a marketplace with locally sourced crafts and souvenirs, recreational amenities, and a transportation center for access to land and sea adventures.
Looking along the Malecon, Puerto Plata
The facility will offer two berths that can accommodate up to two large post-Panamax cruise ships simultaneously.
Amber Cove will feature one of the most extensive shore excursion programs available in the Caribbean, offering a wide array of landside experiences including beautiful beaches, exciting water sports and special culinary, cultural and adventure options. Nearby Ocean World, which is one of the region’s largest marine adventure parks, will offer guests many great ways to experience and interact with a variety of marine animals.
The Amber Museum in Puerto Plata.
Dozens of shore excursions will be available, from cross-country adventures in 4×4 Terracross buggies that traverse the rugged countryside and horseback riding on the beach to snorkeling in crystal-clear waters and swimming in a pristine natural river pool. Guests can also travel via speedboat to beautiful Paradise Island, one of the Caribbean’s top spots for snorkeling and scuba diving, or visit rural coffee plantations and sample traditional Dominican cuisine, rum and seasonal fruit. Or for the ultimate luxury experience, guests can reserve their own private beachside bungalow with the services of a personal chef, bartender and staff.
Amber Cove will also provide easy and convenient access to the nearby historic town of Puerto Plata, named by Christopher Columbus when he discovered the island in 1492. Puerto Plata is home to the first fort built by European settlers in the New World. Visitors to the city can shop in the bustling downtown area featuring numerous artist studios and rum and cigar factories or stroll along the famed Malecon, a three-mile-long open air beach-side boardwalk dotted with bars, restaurants and shops.
Time flies when you’re cruising. It seems like only yesterday since I met Douglas Ward, aboard the then brand new Emerald Princess. We had a great chat about his life and body of work. Present day Ward’s authoritative Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Ships—whose 2015 edition celebrated its 30th anniversary of publication on Nov. 1. A career that has seen him log more than 6,000 days at sea and participate in more than 1,000 cruises. As such, the 30 editions of this enduring cruising bible encompass the growth of the modern cruise history.
The first edition, evaluated 120 ships and appeared in 1985. Ward says, cruising seemed to most people an expensive and rarefied experience. Since then, “some of the romance surrounding ocean travel seems to have floated away and along with it various traditions (like, for example, a more formal elegance in dining rooms, bon voyage sail-away festivities, everyday contact between senior officers and passengers, and, thankfully, the midnight buffet).” Plus in those days, he writes, “there were no lines for security checks, and immigrations checks were minimal. Today it’s a different story.”
And that story, he says, is that as ships have become increasingly more sumptuous as self-contained resorts, the choices and standards have all increased dramatically. “A vast range of destinations and accommodations, more lavish entertainment, a burgeoning number of theme cruises, more sophisticated dining choices, top-end sports and fitness facilities, high-tech (and, alas, far too high cost) onboard digital communications and of course, stringent safety regulations. Of course,” he says, what was true back then and is still true today is “that is a huge difference in terms of quality depending on the specific ship and the consumer’s price point. And that, if I may say so, has for 30 years been the book’s central objective—helping consumers pick the right cruise for the right price and with the right expectations.”
The anniversary edition would not be complete without Ward reflecting on 30 of his most memorable cruise experiences, and they could, he says, “serve as an ocean-going bucket list for cruisers who seek the trip of their lifetime.” They’re not listed in a particular order, but two have particular resonance:
Titanic Pose
Standing with outstretched arms, just like Kate Winslet in the movie “Titanic”, at the very front of Braemar as the ship glides through the Swedish archipelago towards Stockholm.
Happily Ever After
Looking for a partner? I met my future wife aboard a Japanese cruise ship some years ago, and we married several years later. You, too, could meet the person of your dreams aboard a cruise ship—it happens all the time.
Get Your Copy
Be sure to get your copy of Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships 2015 (704 pages, with hundreds of color photographs). Available on Amazon.com in Paperback and Kindle (E-Book) Edition.
Our Christmas Markets River Cruise aboard Viking Tor begins
We have bought the heavy coats, sweaters, hats and gloves. Now were traveling over 4300 miles to embark on our first Viking River Cruise. Our 8-Day Rhine Getaway itinerary begins in Amsterdam and ends in Basel, Switzerland. Why the cold weather gear, you ask? Because this cruise will be a special “Christmas markets” sailing. Held during the pre-christmas weeks of late November through December. The daily highs for our scheduled ports will be in the low 40’s or 30’s °F.
Christmas Markets or “Christ child markets” can be traced back to the middle ages. They originated in Germany, Austria, Italy and many French regions. Present day they are now being held in many other countries. The markets are held in town squares and offer food, drink and entertainment. Often described as having a Carnival atmosphere, they sell seasonal items from open-air stalls.
Our journey will take us through the Rhine River, visiting historic Cathedrals, Castles and Christmas Markets along the way. Highlights of the trip will be stops at the Windmills of Kinderdijk, Cologne’s Dom, Touring the 700 yr old Marksburg Castle and much more.
We will cruise aboard one of Viking River Cruises newest longships, Viking Tor. Built in 2013 and designed by celebrated maritime architects Yran & Storbraate, the same team behind the Disney Dream and the Yachts of Seabourn. Technically advanced by design, she features onboard organic herb-gardens, solar panels and hybrid diesel-electric engines. Accommodating 190 passengers in 95 staterooms. You won’t find any Casino, Spa or Water slides aboard this ship. The destination will be the primary focus with our stops being right in the city centers with the Christmas Markets being just steps away.
Follow me for live updates during this journey and look for futures articles.
Join us aboard Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas this week as we take the new ship out for a test drive and discuss all the features of this new ship that will surely WOW you!
