On December 10, 25 Ryndam volunteers went to a local elementary school to help deliver Christmas cheer and presents to 200 children. The children were treated with a visit by Mr. Claus (Ron van Liet, ACOM) and Mrs. Claus (Kristin Viotto, Techspert). Presents and snacks were handed out with help from all the volunteers.

The presents were provided by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), a not-for-profit trade organization composed of 14 member cruise lines operating more than 100 vessels in Floridian, Caribbean and Latin American waters that do good deeds to help promote and enrich the ports of call many of us call homes away from home. Special thanks to Kenneth John Van Der Tuin, Cadet Maroff and the Technical department for the photos.

The children playing with crew members.

Created in 1972, the FCCA’s mandate is to provide a forum for discussion on legislation, tourism development, ports, tour operations, safety, security and other cruise industry issues. By fostering an understanding of the cruise industry and its operating practices, the FCCA seeks to build cooperative relationships with its partner destinations and to develop productive bilateral partnerships with every sector.

The FCCA works with governments, ports and all private/public sector representatives to maximize cruise passenger, cruise line and cruise line employee spending, as well as enhancing the destination experience and the amount of cruise passengers returning as stay-over visitors (Information gathered from the FCCA’s website). Thank you FCCA for allowing us a chance to be a part of such a great experience!

Verlie Nelson is Ryndam’s human resources manager.