CREATIVE LEARNING INSTITUTE
Expanding Mind, Body and Soul Worldwide
Keyboard lessons, language immersion, wellness seminars, wine appreciation, sushi making and art workshops are just a few among dozens of classes offered through Crystal Cruises' Creative Learning Institute (CLI), the latest development in the highly regarded Crystal Visions® Enrichment Program of renowned speakers, special-interest lecturers and celebrities. Launched in July 2003 on Crystal Serenity as the most innovative complimentary education program at sea, CLI expanded fleetwide in early 2004.
"The Creative Learning Institute was created to enhance our guests' quality of life and improve wellness through group learning and individual discovery," says Kristin Turner, Crystal's manager of entertainment. "We recognize that today's travelers are seeking more learning opportunities to enrich their vacations and collaboration with such prestigious organizations as Yamaha, Berlitz, The Cleveland Clinic and others allows us to deliver the highest caliber of personal fulfillment. Traveling with Crystal Cruises is a personalized and unique experience and Crystal's Creative Learning Institute is designed to make the journey all the more engaging."
Preeminent Partners
In keeping with the company's commitment to quality alliances, Crystal's Creative Learning Institute partners with well-known organizations and schools such as Yamaha, Berlitz, Society of Wine Educators, Pepperdine University, Barnes&Noble.com, The Cleveland Clinic and the Tai Chi Cultural Center to bring expert instruction to the ships' state-of-the-art learning labs. Offered as a complete series of seminars as opposed to individual lectures, the CLI curriculum features progressive levels of instruction on a single subject or several one-class sessions about related topics leading to CLI certificates of completion. In many cases, the classes taken on board can be carried through to additional studies when at home.
With native-fluent language instructors from Berlitz, guests can study Italian while cruising along the Amalfi coast, Portuguese during a South American journey or French on the Riviera. Renowned authorities from The Cleveland Clinic lead classes on health and wellness topics such as neurology, cardiology, arthritis, osteoporosis and preventative health seminars. Experts from the Tai Chi Cultural Center share the ancient martial arts' discipline of tai chi, which combines intense mental focus with deliberate, graceful movements that improve strength, agility and balance. Certified Yamaha music teachers lead an innovative and fun course of piano-style instruction on Yamaha electronic keyboards to classes of 12 to 15 guests.
Crystal Curricula
The five pillars comprising the Creative Learning Institute include:
- Arts & Entertainment- from Asian woodblock printing and gift wrapping to advertising, jewelry design and acting workshops
- Business & Technology- from Computer University@Sea®, estate planning and fundraising to philanthropy, real estate appraisal, and patent applications
- Lifestyle - from foreign language instruction, book clubs and home organization to design, menu planning, and successful grand-parenting
- Wellness - from advances in medicine, alternative medicine, dance and fitness classes, yoga, tai chi, and Pilates®to skin care, sports health, nutrition, memory fitness, and men's and women's health
- Wine & Food- from beginning sushi, sake, cheeses, caviar, chocolate and the art of serving to the study of the wines of Champagne, Italy, Chile, California, and Bordeaux
"Travel today is not only about embracing new cultures and destinations. It's about taking time to learn, discover and rejuvenate," says Turner. "The comprehensive structure of the Creative Learning Institute allows our guests to tailor their enrichment activities to suit individual interests, making the vacation more about one's overall personal journey."
COMPUTER UNIVERSITY@SEA
Crystal Clear Connections and Extensive
Classroom Curriculum
A pioneer in onboard education and still the most extensive computer-learning program at sea, Crystal Cruises' acclaimed Computer University@Sea® continues to expand enrichment opportunities for guests aboard Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity. First introduced in 1996, the fleetwide program has been enhanced to include a complimentary curriculum with 30 courses tailored for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Numerous state-of-the-art Dell® laptops and PCs, high-tech learning, and 24-hour Internet access from every lab and stateroom are just some of the features of this ground-breaking program.
"With e-mail and the Internet being an integral part of today's way of life, we have made a commitment to provide the most progressive and comprehensive communications program at sea, complete with leading technology and high-tech equipment," says Bret Bullock, Crystal's vice president, entertainment. "Our staff of professionally trained computer experts has created Crystal's most extensive curriculum to date, allowing guests to choose a course of study suited to their own personal and professional enrichment."
From basic computer skills and understanding a hand held organizer to advanced digital photo finishing, a dedicated team of instructors guide guests on a journey of discovery. Every Crystal Cruises itinerary offers instruction on Windows and e-mail, website design, digital video editing, digital camera orientation, and Photoshop, even surfing the Web. Other topics, depending on the number of sea days, include Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint, greeting and business card design, and how to research stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other investments and prepare financial spreadsheets. Private instruction is also available.
New Dell laptops and desktops in the Computer University@Sea labs allow guests to explore cyberspace and to send and retrieve e-mail instantly via their own Internet services or through their personalized shipboard e-mail addresses. Computer University@Sea charges depend on the guest's service preference. Individual e-mail prices and packages are available. Guests may opt to bring their own laptops and have them configured for in-stateroom Internet access or rent laptops at a nominal fee. Crystal's around-the-clock Internet capabilities augment many other onboard information services that keep guests up to date on the latest news and information from around the world. Guests can watch CNN, CNBC, FOX News, TNT and ESPN 24 hours a day in most destinations, read daily summaries of The New York Times, and receive free delivery of USA Today in most ports.
