First American to Run Marathon at Sea Benefiting Make-A-Wish®
New York (PRWEB) August 22, 2013 -- World Travel Holdings, the world's leading cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company, announced today that Business Development Director Sean Tolkin will be the first American to run a marathon at sea during the company’s annual CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc.® National Conference onboard Norwegian Breakaway from Sept. 29 through Oct. 6. The marathon will take place on Saturday, Oct. 5 and benefit Make-A-Wish, the signature charity of World Travel Holdings.
“The travel industry has given me so much,” shares Tolkin, whose father Brad Tolkin is Co-Chairman and CEO of World Travel Holdings. “I wanted to find a way to blend my love of the travel industry and my passion for running to support our signature charity Make-A-Wish. Given that 75 percent of wishes involve travel, the marathon at sea idea was born.”
Supporting Make-A-Wish is more than fulfilling a child’s wish; it is about helping children feel stronger, more energetic and able to deal with their life-threatening medical conditions.
“Cruises are one of the more popular travel wishes; last year we sent more than 1,000 children on cruises,” said David Williams, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish America. “We appreciate the support of industry leaders such as World Travel Holdings and Norwegian Cruise Line that make our mission of granting wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions possible.”
The “Run Like a Champion, Cruise Like a Norwegian” Marathon At Sea will conclude a week of Make-A-Wish fundraising activities by CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. vacation specialists. Other fundraising efforts include prize drawings, Zumba@Sea – Dance For Wishes, silent auctions and more.
“More than 800 vacation specialists and their families will be attending the CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. National Conference, making it the perfect forum to raise awareness about and funds for Make-A-Wish,” said Dwain Wall, General Manager and Senior Vice President of CruiseOne and Cruises Inc.
A recent study of medical professionals, volunteers and Make-A-Wish alumni demonstrates the power a wish has to help children battle against their illnesses. Families return to a sense of normalcy and replace fear with happiness, children feel physically better and are more willing to cooperate with treatment and overall their quality of life improves.
“We have a longstanding alliance with Make-A-Wish and are proud to host cruise wishes throughout the year — even during the Marathon at Sea sailing,” said Andy Stuart, Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Passenger Services, Norwegian Cruise Line. “We are looking forward to having Sean be the first American to complete a marathon at sea on Norwegian Breakaway.”
A trained marathon runner and resident of New York City, Tolkin will run the ship’s track 210 times and expects to complete the marathon in less than five hours. His goal is to raise $26,200 — $1,000 per mile. To make a donation to Make-A-Wish, please visit http://friends.wish.org/100-100/page/CruiseOne-CruisesInc./Marathon-At-Sea.htm.
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About World Travel Holdings
World Travel Holdings is the world's leading cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company with a portfolio of more than 35 diverse brands. In addition to owning some of the largest brands distributing cruises, villas, hotels, resort vacations and luxury travel services, World Travel Holdings has a vast portfolio of licensed private label partnerships comprised of top leisure travel providers, almost every U.S. airline, leading hotel brands and prominent corporations. The company also operates a top-rated travel agency franchise and the country's original host agency. Its global presence in the United Kingdom includes operating two cruise agencies and multiple private-label brands. World Travel Holdings has offices in Long Island, NY, Wilmington, Mass., Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla., Virginia Beach, Va., and Chorley, United Kingdom. For more information, visit WorldTravelHoldings.com/.
About Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish® grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011 U.S. study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed believe a wish-come-true can have positive impacts on the health of children. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their illnesses, and their parents say these experiences help strengthen the entire family. Based in Phoenix, Make-A-Wish is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, serving children in every community in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and more than 25,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the country every 38 minutes. It has granted more than 226,000 wishes since its inception in 1980; nearly 14,000 in 2012 alone. Visit Make-A-Wish at wish.org to learn more.
About Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is the innovator in cruise travel with a 46-year history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising, most notably with the introduction of Freestyle Cruising which revolutionized the industry by giving guests more freedom and flexibility. Today, Norwegian invites guests to “Cruise Like a Norwegian” on one of 12 purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ships, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed, resort style cruise vacation on some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea. Recently, the line was named “Europe’s Leading Cruise Line” by the World Travel Awards for the fifth consecutive year.
The Company took delivery of its most innovative ship to date, the 4,000-passenger Norwegian Breakaway on April 25, 2013. Known as New York’s ship, Norwegian Breakaway is the largest vessel to homeport year-round in the city, sailing to Bermuda for the summer. Norwegian Breakaway’s features include hull art by legendary artist Peter Max, seafood restaurant Ocean Blue by famed New York Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, bakery by Buddy Valastro, star of the TLC series “Cake Boss,” and fitness classes and a retrospective display from the ship’s iconic godmothers, the Rockettes®. The entertainment lineup includes three Broadway shows: Rock of Ages, Burn the Floor and Cirque Dreams™ & Dinner: Jungle Fantasy. Sister ship Norwegian Getaway, currently under construction at Meyer Werft, will be the largest ship to homeport year-round in Miami and will sail Eastern Caribbean voyages beginning in February 2014. The Company also has two larger “Breakaway Plus” vessels on order for delivery in the fall of 2015 and spring of 2017.
The Company’s largest ship, the 4,100 passenger Norwegian Epic has been named “Best Overall Cruise Ship” by the readers of Travel Weekly two years in a row and “Best Ship for Sea Days” by Cruise Critic.
Norwegian Cruise Line is the official cruise line of Blue Man Group and Legends in Concert, the official cruise line partner of The GRAMMY Awards and is an official partner of the Rockettes and Radio City Music Hall.
High resolution, downloadable images are available at http://www.ncl.com/pressroom/. For further information on Norwegian Cruise Line, visit http://www.ncl.com, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @Norwegiancruiseline, Pin us on Pinterest, watch us on YouTube, or contact us in the U.S. and Canada at 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784).
Rachel Shapiro, World Travel Holdings, http://www.WorldTravelHoldings.com, +1 954-958-3664, [email protected]
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