Clients and cruises

A colleague of mine posted this and I wanted to share it.

The incident with the Costa Concordia is dominating travel news. It just seems to get crazier with each news report. As travel agents we’ve been contacted by numerous media outlets to discuss our thoughts and wanting information on whether clients are canceling their cruises. In the last week I’ve booked 8 cruises. It definitely has not affected my sales.

However, I wanted you to know that cruise travel IS safe. Here are a few facts:

* According to Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), 100 million passengers sailed on cruise lines 2005 to 2011. During that time only 16 deaths due to a marine casualty occurred.

* All cruise ships are designed and operated in compliance with the strict requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which sets global standards for the operation of cruise ships. In addition, ships’ officers and crew undertake extensive training, certification, and drills for emergency situations.

* Congressman John L. Mica (R-FL), as chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman announced that his Committee will conduct a hearing to review cruise ship safety in light of the recent Costa Concordia incident. According to Mica, “In general, cruise travel is a safe form of transportation and an important jobs provider for the nation’s economy. Congress must closely examine how this incident occurred and address questions raised regarding vessel safety and operating standards and crew training requirements. The Committee will review the events of this specific incident, current safety measures and training requirements set by law and international maritime transportation agreements to ensure this mode of transportation remains as safe as possible.”

2012 List of Things to Do

 

1.  Spend 4 nights with your loved one in a secluded cabin in Gatinburg.

2.  Enjoy a beverage on the beach in Nassau.

3.  Take the family to Disney to ride space mountain.

4.  Enjoy a romatic vacation at a resort that includes your own personal butler.

5.  Visit Harry Potter at Universal.

6.  Zipline aboard a cruise ship or through the jungle.

7.  See the glaciers while sailing through the Alaskan waters.

8.  Try your luck in Legas and enjoy a luxury accomodation.

9.  Take a long weekend to the Gulf Shores area.

Yes, I can make your reservations to enjoy the list above or whatever is on your list.  Give me a call to get your plans started.

Joan Follmann, (901) 496-7832 or jfollmann@cruiseplanners.com

Chankanaab Park, Cozumel Mexico

While on our recent cruise on the Carnival Dream, my son and I went to swim with the Dolphins at the Chankanaab Park.  This park is 450,000 square feet of pristine space that all nature lovers will enjoy.  The park has botanical gardens, a lagoon, a beach and a replica of a Mayan Village.

The lagoon is home to colorful coral, fish, turtules, as well as Dolphin Discovery facilities.  Snorkelying and scuba diving are available from the beach.  You can walk the pathways that wind through the gardens whre you will see hundreds of species of tropical plants.  The park also contains reproductions of stone carvings from ruins around Mexico.

My son and I went to the park to swim with the dolphins.  I picked the 1 hour swim.  It was an incredible experience.  When we got there we were given a “class” on the dophins, what to expect and what to do with them.  Our group consisted of 6 people.  We were actually in the water with them for 30 minutes.  We interacted with them as they pulled us through the water on their belly, pushed us on the boogie board and “kissed” us.  Have you ever held one?  Well the mother swan into my arms and she weighed about 800lbs then her baby swim into my arms and he weighed about 300lbs.

It was an experience that I will not forgot.

Travel Scams

With technology becoming a part of our everyday life and resourceful scam artists are finding more ways to target you. They are using the Internet and e-mail as well as traditional mailings to entice unsuspecting consumers.   Unfortunately they’re being quite successful. To help you identify potential travel scams, I want to share the following tips.

• Be very skeptical about postcard, fax and phone solicitations which say you’ve been selected to receive a fabulous vacation but which provide few details about the trip.

• Never give your credit card number to a company unless you have used it in the past and are confident about its legitimacy. Be sure you have received complete information in writing before giving any form of payment. These details should clearly indicate total price, cancellation and change penalties and information on all components of the offer.

• Beware of travel offers that are big on pictures and promises of great deals, but are skimpy on details. This is a red flag to alert you of a possible scam. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Typically, scam operators won’t include the complete details of their offer until you’ve paid for the trip. Once they’ve received your information, you learn of all the restrictions and conditions that make it more costly or even impossible to take the trip.

Using a travel agent is ALWAYS a great idea. Not only have we visited the destinations you want to see, we’ve stayed in the hotels, slept in the beds, taken the tours and built personal relationships with the local businesses. The world’s best travel search engine isn’t the internet.  It’s your travel agent.  If you have any questions please give me at call.  (901) 496-7832.

The Carnival Dream

 

My family just returned from our family vacation on the Carnival Dream.  We used the Carnival transfer from the airport and it was a comfortable ride.  Embarkation was smooth.  It probably helped because we always arrive early.  We moved through the lines and made it on the ship fairly quickly.  The traffic jam came when we got into the lobby and ALL the elevators were full and we did not know of to get out of that area.

The ship is laid out like the other Carnival ships that we have been on, only larger.  The ship was beautiful, as was our stateroom.  We had a Spa Balcony.  Our room steward was great and had the rooms ready by two.

We expected long line at the buffet, but these seem ridiculously long.  Especially on the boarding day.  The Mongolian was great, but slow.  Our wait staff in the restaurant was great, but then with two days to go our lead waiter couldn’t work anymore.  The replacement tried hard, but he just wasn’tOrlando.  The Sushi is free and that is always good.

My teenage son enjoyed the waterslide, mini golf, the beanbag toss and the pools.  My husband and I enjoyed the Thalassotheray pool and saunas and steam rooms in the Cloud 9.  The teen center turned out to be a meeting place and then they would head out to troll the ship.

My husband enjoyed the football on the seaside theater, except when they cut the last two minutes off to play Pirates of theCaribbean.  Talk about men running to the sports bar.

Debarkation was very organized.  Luggage came off quickly.  The longest line was customs, why don’t people fill out the forms ahead of time?  I like the fact that the terminal has an “airport” like conveyor which makes finding your bag easier.

We used the transfers from Carnival to get back to the airport.  However, we had to wait a little bit until the bus was full to head back to the airport.  As on every cruise we came home with new friends from around the country.

 

How to handle the airports during the holidays

With the holiday just a few days away, here is some advice for keeping in the holiday spirit while braving the airports.  The large crowds and travelers’ strong desire to get to their destination in time can result in a harrowing airport experience. But there are things you can can do to avoid a stressful airport episodes from happening.

Arrive at the airport early.  Always allow extra time for  traffic.  Airport parking lots can fill up very quickly, so  finding a spot can be difficult. Holiday travelers often have to park in  alternate lots and take shuttle service to the terminal. Long lines and  crowds also slow down travelers and with the possibility of airlines  overselling flights, passengers who check in the latest are likely to  get bumped. Try booking airport parking in alternate lots online. You’ll find better deals when airport parking is booked in advance of arrival.

Know baggage limits and keep gifts unwrapped in case of an inspection. Security  is heightened during peak travel times, so packages are inspected more  frequently. Be sure to tag all carry-on and checked baggage. It’s also  important to know about baggage limits since they can vary according  to airline, type of aircraft and destination.

What happens if you get bumped? In the event  your flight is overbooked, the Department of Transportation (DOT)  requires carriers to provide you with a written statement  explaining your rights. These rights can include alternate travel  arrangements and compensation if the new arrival time is more than one  hour later than the originally scheduled time. Don’t forget to check  the small print of your ticket voucher or with the desk agent if you don’t understand.

Keep a constant watch of all belongings. Pickpockets  love crowds. You should always be mindful of your surroundings  and keep a close watch on all your belongings, including tickets,  watches and wallets.

Relax and enjoy your trip to wherever your final holiday destination may be.

Embassy Suites Hotel – Orlando Airport

We just got back from sailing on the Carnival Dream!  We arrived a day early to enjoy Orlando and to make sure our flights did not have any delays that would cause us problems with catching the cruise ship. 

We stayed at the Embassy Suites Hotel – Orlando Airport.   We know what to expect from the Embassy Suites and this one did not disappoint me.  This is a really great hotel.  The staff was very friendly.  As with all Embassy Suites they had made-to-order breakfast and a “managers reception.”

The hotel and rooms are clean.  The room we stayed in was on the corner and was large and cozy.  The hotel is very close to the airport and they have a shuttle to pick you up.  If you rent a car the parking is free. 

We arrived after lunch and didn’t feel like looking around for a place to eat.  The resturant stays open till 11pm.  Our waitress Chrissy was very helpful.  We were looking for a Fedex drop off and she informed us that the front desk had everything we needed and could assist us.

If you are going on a cruise they will set up the transportation to the terminal.

I would stay here again, and I would highly recommend it to my cruise clients.

 

Dining on a cruise ship

Just returned from a one week Alaskan cruise.  In the elevator during the early part of the trip, I overhead two middle-aged ladies chatting about dining on board.  The gist of the conversation was about the alternative restaurant options on board.
One comment that struck me was “You should not have to pay for your meals on a ship”.   But thinking about this conversation, it became apparent that the comment was not really correct.  You don’t HAVE to pay for dining on any ship as each cruise line offers included dining in the main dining rooms, buffets and snack venues. On the other hand, optional restaurants have limited seating, upgraded menus and more interesting venues.  The cost, usually presented as a “cover charge”, runs from about $10 to $25.   If
you are celebrating a special event while on board or just want an excellent dining experience once or twice while cruising, then consider alternative dining for just what it is “alternative and optional”.  Or you can blissfully dine 3 to 6 times per day at the free restaurants.  But if you have not sampled an alternative restaurant, be careful, you might get hooked!  It must be a popular feature
because the cruise lines that used to offer only “traditional” first and second seating dining are adding flexible dining options as well as more extensive alternative restaurants to new and existing ships.

Pass the Ketchup

My family will be going on the Carnival Dream in December, so we are looking at all the dining options on the ship.  Here is what we have found.

Dining options on Carnival Dream, debuting in September, range from a two-level casual eatery featuring a new Italian pasta station and a burrito bar to Ocean Plaza, an indoor/outdoor café and live music venue.

In outlining the ship’s food selection, Carnival Cruise Lines emphasized that most choices are included in the fare. Exceptions are the reservations-recommended steak house and specialty coffees and select patisserie items.

The two-level buffet restaurant’s new pasta bar gives a choice of noodles, sauce and ingredients, and the burrito bar will let diners create an oversized wrap with a choice of chicken, beef, shrimp, salsa and other accompaniments. The venue, The Gathering, also houses a 24-hour pizzeria with seven kinds of pies, a Mongolian wok for custom-made stir-fries, a tandoori oven, a New York-style deli, a different featured international cuisine daily and a 35-item salad bar.

An expanded 24-hour room service menu, free of charge, includes new choices such as medium rare roast beef and brie on French baguette and grilled fresh mozzarella and portobello mushroom on focaccia. A complimentary sushi bar is found on the Promenade Deck.

Ocean Plaza, the new café and entertainment venue, will offer WiFi access and a dozen kiosks to access FunHub, the recently announced intranet portal and on-board social network. The centerpiece is Plaza Café, a patisserie serving specialty coffees, milkshakes and baked-on-board cakes, pies and cookies.

The Chef’s Art Steakhouse is a 139-seat venue with prime dry-aged USDA beef selections ranging from a nine-ounce filet to a 24-ounce porterhouse, along with lobster tail, lamb chops and other choices. The service charge is $30.

Carnival Dream’s two-level Scarlet and Crimson main dining rooms will present six appetizers and soups, two salads and six entrees each night.  Always-available ‘Carnival Classics’ include char-broiled steak with a signature rub, grilled chicken and pasta dishes and what Carnival calls the cruise industry’s most popular dessert, warm chocolate melting cake, as part of a six-choice dessert menu.

Precious Cargo

Family vacations are a time to slow down our busy lives and create memories for a lifetime. But air travel with children can sometimes throw a wrench into the fun. Don’t spoil event- be prepared with these helpful tips from a Mom that’s been there, done that.

Schedule flights for the morning. Likely hood for these to be delayed are slim. Plus, your little energizer bunny will be ready to take his or her nap once on board. If you can’t leave in the morning, try to schedule the flight around your child’s naptime.

Shoot for direct flights. My last toddler adventure was for a 10, 7 and 3 hour flights. The 10 hours was through a connection. The 7 and 3 hours were direct flights. Needless to say, my tiny tot slept for nearly the entire flight.

Get there early if your little one is walking. Let them burn off some energy. Plus, they won’t feel too restricted if they were mobile
before getting on the plane.

Grab bulkhead if possible. If your infant or toddler will have a seat, go bulkhead. The rows are so narrow that when the passenger who is in front of your child, leans back- forget about it. Your tot who was very content in his own seat is now being knocked over and over again.

It is recommended that children sit in their own car seat for air travel even though infants through age 2 can fly free on an adult’s
lap. I’m all for taking advantage of the airlines, however, if the flight is longer than 3 hours- I would buy a seat.  Happy baby, happy flight.

Security checkpoint- some ariports have a family line. This is usually the same line as used by airline security. Also, follow the TSA
guidelines for liquids and other essentials and you’ll be golden. Check it out:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children.