CruiseCrazies In the News....Again!

Jason · May 19, 2011

Exciting news,

CruiseCrazies has been featured in the media once again! This time, in the Central Florida Future, the student newspaper at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. The article has been published online and in print, for distribution throughout the Central Florida region.

This latest news article will undoubtedly help continue spreading the word about us, as we continue to grow each day. With the 10 year Anniversary of CruiseCrazies approaching in August, there are a few new site features in the works, so stay tuned for details. Thank you Rose, for providing the quote used in the article, and thank you to everyone who has helped CruiseCrazies become the success story it has, and enjoy the article!

Direct link:

http://www.centralfl...crazy-1.2576525

UCF student goes cruise crazy

Thousands of cruise lovers boost success of alumnus' website

By Salo Steinvortz, Staff Writer

Published: Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Updated: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 17:05

Jason Taub created the social networking site 'CruiseCrazies' in 2001 after going on his first cruise. Ten years later the site has 7,200 members.

When Jason Taub went on his first cruise in high school, he wished the experience and interaction with new people would never end — then he realized that it didn't have to.

Taub, a UCF alumnus, created the website CruiseCrazies in 2001 when he was still in high school. At first, the project started as an idea to create a simple message board for cruisers to write about their experiences. Ten years later, membership has grown to 7,200.

CruiseCrazies offers exclusive services, including the opportunity to meet fellow cruisers and receive cruise discounts. It also gives members the opportunity to network for one particular reason: cruise-loving.

"What's so special about CruiseCrazies is that it's so unique compared to other websites that offer cruise services," Taub said. "The website is very friendly and simple to use, and there is a reason why it is tagged as the friendliest cruise community on the net."

Taub believes dedication and hard work is what gives CruiseCrazies the edge to build a familial cruise community not found in similar websites.

In today's world, people's incentive to be socially connected also provided the reason to make the website unique, which engages members to become active participants in discussions for a shared passion, he said.

Taub graduated in 2007 with a bachelor of sciences in accounting.

While at UCF, Taub took a web design class that proved to be highly beneficial to the construction and maintenance of the website.

"I know having taken the course gave me a lot of useful knowledge to be able to take the website a step further," Taub said. "I am very glad I took that class, and if I had more time at UCF, I would've definitely taken more. All the tech pieces I used as the project came along, I owe it to the class and UCF."

Sophomore political science major Wes Jones has been on a total of six cruises over the years.

Jones said the cruise ship atmosphere is what draws him in and he enjoys the feeling of being on an enormous ship in the middle of nowhere.

Despite Jones' history of going on cruises, he has never heard of CruiseCrazies. He said if he were to visit the site, it would be to take advantage of the cruise deals.

"Because I've been going on cruises for so long with my family, I don't think I'd find the website as useful as other people because I'll just ask my dad for help," Jones said. "I'm not interested in the chat forums or meeting people online to go on a cruise, because with my friends we decide particularly on those aspects."

However, junior psychology major Thalia Rydz disagrees.

Like Jones, she also went on a cruise last spring break, but it was her first one and her friends made all of the arrangements.

"I pretty much just paid and only knew the cruise line and where we were going," Rydz said. "Other than that, I have no idea how my friends found it."

Rydz said she hadn't heard about CruiseCrazies either, but she plans on visiting the site to find deals the next time she has to plan a vacation.

Rose Markowitz, a family friend who saw Taub's project come to fruition, has been a member of the website for eight years.

What she likes the most about the website is that it has more options than other websites when it comes to meeting people to attend cruises with. Markowitz said this year she's planning on going on a cruise with a family she met on the website.

Markowitz has known Jason for 10 years and she's not surprised the website has evolved into such a practical tool. She believes Jason's hard work has been paramount in making CruiseCrazies.com the only cruise website she frequently visits.

"The website offers a great deal of diverse options to read comments, post comments, even make friends with similar interests," Markowitz said. "Jason has been open-minded to ideas members have. I think that's very important to make the website so successful."

As for Taub, he has plans to increase the website's number of members by promoting it through social media networks, like Facebook and Twitter. He also wants to make CruiseCrazies more mainstream within the travel market.

"Cruises are the quickest growing industry in the travel market and there's a reason for this," Taub said. "Cruises offer the opportunity to escape reality and be on a boat that allows for people to do as much or as little as they want. It's all stress free. With CruiseCrazies, people have the opportunity to pass the reality in between cruises."