August 2009 Special Needs at Sea Launches Newsletter MESSAGE FROM ANDREW J. GARNETT, PRESIDENT & CEO Welcome to the first newsletter from Special Needs at Sea, a Special Needs Group, Inc. company! Our company was created out of our own passion for travel coupled with a conviction that the fun and adventure of traveling the world should be available to everyone, regardless of physical challenges. For this issue, we wanted to reflect on how much…
September 2009 CLIENT TESTIMONIAL - ANNE BARKER For Anne Barker, a timely delivery of portable oxygen “saved the day” --and the cruise. Barker had brought along her personal oxygen equipment for her voyage aboard one of American Cruise Line’s ships. On the seventh day of her ten-day cruise, Barker’s equipment began to malfunction. “I called my travel agent,” she reports, “and my agent called Special Needs at Sea. There was a time frame problem because…
October 2009 SPECIAL NEEDS AT SEA WINS SEATRADE INSIDER 2009 "ONBOARD SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR" AWARD Special Needs at Sea was honored as winner of the “Onboard Supplier of the Year” Award at the third annual Seatrade Insider Awards held in Hamburg, Germany on September 15; part of Seatrade Europe 2009. “The high caliber of the Seatrade organization and strength of all the nominees make this award even more significant for us,” says Andrew Garnett, founder and…
November 2009 OXYGEN ONBOARD? CLEARING THE AIR ABOUT CRUISING WITH OXYGEN Travelers and agents are often confused and uncertain about traveling with oxygen, especially the rules and regulations for dealing with cylinders or other forms of portable oxygen on a cruise. Like everything in life, cruising with oxygen is simple, once you know the guidelines. To ensure smooth sailing, we've provided a few basic facts. All cruise lines welcome oxygen onboard. However, each line…
December 2009 TAKING ACCESSIBILITY TO NEW LEVELS: OASIS OF THE SEAS Royal Caribbean International's (RCI) much anticipated next generation cruise ship, the Oasis of the Seas, is ready for passengers. Rising sixteen decks high, she is the largest vessel afloat --- and among the most accessible. We toured the ship recently and can report first hand that the Oasis of the Seas offers the largest number of accessible staterooms of any ship, a total of…
January 2010 IT'S A BIG, WIDE ACCESSIBLE WORLD - GO EXPLORE AND ENJOY! Did you ever not book a trip because you were worried about a bad knee or other mobility impairment? Have you avoided cruises and family events that require oxygen for fear you'll need oxygen mid-trip? If this happened to you, it doesn't have to be this way. Today's world is more accessible than ever, and for anyone with special requirements for traveling, there's a…
February 2010 WHICH IS BEST FOR ME - SCOOTER, WHEELCHAIR OR POWERCHAIR? As 2009 closed, several new ships made a huge splash within the cruise industry, foreshadowing the future of cruising, including Disney Cruise Lines' 4,000-passenger Dream and Royal Caribbean Cruises' 5,400 passenger Oasis of the Seas, the largest passenger cruise ship ever floated. Within the next twelve months, several more behemoth vessels will enter the waters including Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, sister ship…
March 2010 CRUISING WITH A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD Cruising is an excellent vacation choice for families with a special needs child. It's a chance to visit multiple destinations without flying or driving from city to city and the family only has to unpack once - - important plus for your special needs child. Once settled into your stateroom, there are few disruptions to routine. Today's passenger cruise ships are very accommodating to persons with special needs, and more…
News from the President's Desk Special Needs Group is looking forward to the beginning of our 14th Year tomorrow, February 14. Please don't miss your last chance to take advantage of our Transatlantic Promotion for your clients. Please find details below. SNG is extremely grateful for your continued support as we evolve in meeting our mission statement of Delivering an Accessible World®. Keep smilin', Andrew Garnett, CATA President/CEO CLICK HERE FOR FULL…
News from the President's Desk SNG turned 12 on Feb 14 Happy New Year! & Happy New Decade! I hope that everyone enjoyed some time with loved ones during the Holidays! 2019 was a fantastic year; we are looking forward to an even more promising 2020! We are presently running our Transatlantic Promotion. Please find details below. We are extremely grateful for your continued support as we evolve in meeting our mission statement of Delivering an Accessible World®. Best…
News from the President's Desk SNG turned 12 on Feb 14 Dear Travel Partners, It's hard to believe that we are coming to the end of another decade. If you've not yet had a chance to visit our new online store, please take a few minutes to do so. The link is provided below. We are thoroughly looking forward to 2020 and another spectacular year as we continue exploring new opportunities for Delivering an Accessible World®. Wishing…
News from the President's Desk SNG turned 12 on Feb 14 Dear Travel Partners, I hope everyone is well and looking forward to enjoying Thanksgiving with loved ones. Please take a few minutes when you have some free time to visit our New Online Store. Link to view provided below within Newsletter. At our 9th Inner Circle, we announced our Power Partner of the Year. This year's SNG Power Partner is MSC Cruises USA. Congratulations! We are…
News from the President's Desk SNG turned 12 on Feb 14 Dear Travel Partners, Thank you for a successful 3rd Quarter! Special Needs Group recently partnered with ASTA SBN’s South Florida Chapter to donate goods for those affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. Our thoughts are with those who have family members and friends dealing with the aftermath of the catastrophic storm. We greatly appreciate your continued support as we continue in Delivering an Accessible®! Keep smilin',…
News from the President's Desk SNG turned 12 on Feb 14 We were truly lucky to evade the path of Hurricane Dorian. Our thoughts are with those affected by this catastrophic storm. SNG has partnered with ASTA SBN's South Florida Chapter as well as the local the Lions Club here in Dania Beach accepting donations for relief efforts. Once again, Special Needs Group sponsored and participated in a local community event. For the second time during 2019,…
News from the President's Desk SNG turned 12 on Feb 14 We hope you are enjoying the summer months. Special Needs Group recently continued our dedication to giving back to the local community. We donated backpacks for Broward County Public School students attending the Dania Beach Lions Club-sponsored Back-to-School Shopping Spree. Please see pictures from this worthy cause within the Newsletter. SNG is truly grateful for your support as continue to strive to meet our motto of…
News from the President's Desk SNG turned 12 on Feb 14 News from the President's Desk Dear Travel Partners, We hope you enjoyed your Independence Day celebration with family and friends. Thank you for a successful 2nd Quarter! Enclosed, please find information regarding SNG once again providing service in St. Louis, as well as Special Needs Group's recent JOB donation to Dive4Vets. We greatly appreciate your continued support as we continue in Delivering an Accessible World®! Keep…
News from the President's Desk SNG turned 12 on Feb 14 Dear Travel Partners, We hope you are looking forward to the summer months enjoying times with family and friends alike attending graduations, weddings and gatherings. SNG is thoroughly pleased with the reviews our White Glove Service™ is receiving. The personal delivery and demonstration initiative is for mobility equipment rentals to those sailing on NCL, Carnival, Regent and Oceania voyages. In addition, our Kiosks in Fort Lauderdale and…
News from the President's Desk SNG turned 12 on Feb 14 Pleased be reminded, our SNG White Glove Service™ provides personal delivery for mobility equipment rentals to those sailing on NCL, Carnival, Regent and Oceania voyages. In addition, our Kiosks in Fort Lauderdale and Seattle have been rebranded with our personalized meet, greet and instructional initiative. Enclosed, please find information regarding our providing service to those traveling for land-based vacations and pre- and post-cruise stays in Italy.…
News from the President's Desk SNG turned 12 on Feb 14 We are extremely pleased with the reviews our White Glove Service is receiving. SNG White Glove Service™ provides personal delivery formobility equipment rentals to those sailing on NCL, Carnival, Regent and Oceania voyages. In addition, our Kiosks in Fort Lauderdale and Seattle have been rebranded with our personalized meet, greet and instructional initiative. Where WGS isn’t currently available, traditional service to the stateroom is provided. We greatly appreciate…
News from the President's Desk SNG turned 12 on Feb 14 I hope everyone is well. Special Needs Group has continued to expand our elevated guest experience initiative, SNG White Glove Service™, to include Holland America sailings out of Fort Lauderdale and Seattle. In addition, Princess Cruises voyages out of Seattle will be provided with our next level initiative. Further, SNG is now servicing the Port of Honolulu with our White Glove Service. Thank you for…
News from the President's Desk SNG turned 12 on Feb 14 Here at SNG, we are extremely enthusiastic as yesterday was our 12th Anniversary. Sincere thanks for twelve years of support. We couldn't have done it without you! White Glove Service, our elevated guest experience innovation, has recently been added for the Celebrity Edge and Royal Caribbean International's Harmony of the Seas. In addition, Special Needs Group will be servicing the Port of New Orleans with our next level initiative. We are here today…
News from the President's Desk Dear Travel Partners, Happy New Year! I hope that everyone enjoyed some time with loved ones during the Holidays! 2018 was a fantastic year; we are looking forward to an even more promising 2019! We are extremely pleased with the satisfaction guests have experienced with our new personal delivery innovation, SNG White Glove Service™ Due to the new service's domestic success, we have rolled-out the program internationally! Furthermore, we are presently running…
News from the President's Desk It's hard to believe that we are coming to the end of another year. As we further expand our new innovation, SNG White Glove Service™, additional ports (domestically and internationally) as well as cruise lines will offer the unmatched service. Updates will be announced on our website as well as via our e-mail blasts and monthly newsletter. As mentioned last month, Kiosks currently in Fort Lauderdale and Seattle…
News from the President's Desk I hope everyone is well and looking forward to enjoying Thanksgiving with loved ones. We are upping our game and elevating the individual guest experience with SNG White Glove Service™. This new, personalized, delivery, and demonstration service is currently available for select cruise lines. Be on the lookout for additional cruise lines and destinations we continue to add over the next few weeks. Presently, SNG White Glove Experience Ambassadors™…
News from the President's Desk Thank you for a successful 3rd Quarter. We are pleased to announce our new SNG White Glove Service™ which will provide superior guest experience service. We’re right in the middle of conference season. Having just returned from CoNexion on the Harmony of the Seas, Special Needs Group will be represented at WTH’s Annual Conference aboard the NCL Bliss, presenting at the ASTA and ASTA Small Business Network’s (formerly NACTA) Florida Summit,…
News from the President's Desk I hope you had an enjoyable summer and spent some quality time with family and friends. I am pleased to announce that I am now a proud member of the Arc Broward Board of Directors. We, as business leaders, have the responsibility to lead the charge in diversifying our workplaces and changing the perspective of individuals with disabilities within the professional community. As a south Florida business owner, I…
News from the President's Desk I hope you are enjoying the summer weather and spending quality time with family and friends. I am deeply honored and humbled upon reading the most recent issue of "TRAVEL AGENT PROFESSIONAL". PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE "TRAVEL AGENT PROFESSIONAL" FEATURE STORY ON SPECIAL NEEDS GROUP. It's amazing upon looking back at the past eleven and a half years. Thanks to all who made our success possible. We greatly…
News from the President's Desk Dear Travel Partners, Thank you for a successful 2nd Quarter! We truly value your input and would love to hear from you. Please forward any comments to: agents@specialneedsatsea.com: Have we served you well? Please share your experiences at agents@specialneedsgroup.com. We love pictures! Please feel free to share pictures of you and/or members of your traveling party enjoying their vacations using SNG equipment. We are pleased to be your partner and greatly appreciate your continued support…
News from the President's Desk I hope everyone is looking forward to enjoying some summer fun and travel. As you plan your vacations, please be reminded that last year we provided service in 215 metropolitan areas in 68 countries. Please take a look at our Spotlight on Vancouver within the Newsletter. As we continue our mission of Delivering an Accessible World®, we truly appreciate your support. Keep Smilin', Andrew Garnett, CATA President/CEO CLICK HERE FOR…
May 11, 2018 News from the President's Desk! Spring is in full swing. What's Hot @ Special Needs Group Season Features One-Way Sailings from Vancouver to and from Seward and Whittier Alaska Land Portions Beginning or Ending Pre or Post-Cruise in Anchorage and Fairbanks Boston and Seattle Cruise Ports...as well as Pre and…