Are they STUPID or what?

This came from Modern Agent online

Ohio Cruise Agency Offers Commissions to Consumers
Published on: November 29, 2007

Cruises Etc., an Ohio-based travel agency that has been selling cruises for almost 20 years, launched a website that invites consumers to earn commissions in exchange for a monthly $20 "membership fee." The site, at www.MyCruiseBookings.com, invites consumers to book directly with the cruise lines and "earn up to 100 percent of the commission." The company said the website gives consumers "access to a unique set of tools that are easy to use, intuitive, and often times updated in real time. Booking cruise travel no longer requires highly specialized training or knowledge of special codes or commands. Members simply need a basic understanding of the Internet."

Cruises Etc. said the website is aimed at both professional agents and "the casual or self-booker." The site also features a forum where agents can ask questions of their peers. Subscribers also receive weekly emails with what it called insider offers and exclusive opportunities. The subscription to MyCruiseBookings.com is $20 per month, and there is no minimum subscription period and no minimum booking requirement. "Members can book one or 1,000 trips, and are guaranteed to earn up to a 15 percent commission on their very first booking!" the company said. President Kevin Kelly and Joanne Shikitino, vice president of sales, did not respond to a phone message by press time. For more information, visit www.mycruisebookings.com.

Fuel surcharges for cruise lines

To all TPV'ers,

I got this from an online cruise agency. I can't vouch for the accuracy but it will give you a good idea of what is going on within the cruise industry.

Here are the details of the fuel surcharge, by cruise line.

Lines with grace periods during which new bookings will not incur fuel surcharges

Regent Seven Seas has instituted a fuel surcharge of $7.50 per person, per day for all 2008 bookings that are not paid in full by December 1, 2007. This charge is applicable to all passengers in a cabin. Click here for a list of 2008 Regent cruises. Book and pay in full by Friday of this week to avoid this surcharge.

Oceania Cruises has announced a fuel surcharge of $7 per person, per day, applicable to new and existing reservations that are not paid in full by December 1 and effective for all published sailings now through April 2009. The fee is applicable to all passengers in a cabin. Click here to see a list of Oceania cruises. Book and pay in full by Friday of this week to avoid this surcharge.

Norwegian and Orient Line plan to assess a fuel surcharge for all new reservations made on all sailings on or after December 1, 2007. The additional charge will be $7 per person, per day for the first and second passengers in a stateroom, and $3 per person, per day for any additional passengers in the same stateroom. For a list of Norwegian cruises between now and June 30, 2008, click here. For a list of Norwegian cruises after June 30, 2008, click here. For Orient Line sailings, click here. Book by Friday of this week to avoid this surcharge.

MSC Cruises will apply a fuel surcharge of $6 per person, per day to all new bookings made on or after December 1 for cruises leaving on or after February 1, 2008, indefinitely. The surcharge will only apply to the first two passengers in each cabin. For a list of MSC cruises between now and June 30, 2008, click here. For a list of MSC cruises after June 30, 2008, click here. Book by Friday of this week to avoid this surcharge.

Majestic America will add a fuel surcharge of $8.50 per person, per day to all bookings that are not paid in full by December 15, 2007. The fee is applicable all passengers on all cruises departing now through March 2009. For a list of upcoming Majestic America cruises and river cruises, click here. Book and pay in full by December 14 to avoid this surcharge.

Windstar will add a fuel surcharge of $8.50 per person, per day to all bookings that are not paid in full by December 15, 2007. The fee is applicable to all passengers on all cruises departing now through March 2009. Click here to see a list of Windstar cruises. Book and pay in full by December 14 to avoid this surcharge.

Viking River Cruises will assess a fuel surcharge of $7 per person, per day, applicable to all passengers in a cabin, to bookings for all currently published sailings through December 2008 that are not paid in full by December 19, 2007. To see a list of Viking's river cruises, click here. Book and pay in full by December 18 to avoid this surcharge.

Crystal will institute a fuel surcharge of $7 per person, per day, applicable to all passengers, for all 2008 reservations that are not paid in full by January 1, 2008. Click here for a list of Crystal sailings. Book and pay in full by December 31 to avoid this surcharge.

Lines with no grace period that exempted existing bookings from fuel surcharges

Silversea is assessing a fuel surcharge of $10 per person, per day, effective immediately, on all new bookings for 2008 voyages. The surcharge is applicable to all guests in a cabin, and reservations made prior to November 14, 2007 are exempt from the additional fee.

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara will assess a fuel surcharge of $5 per person, per day on all cruises that depart on or after February 1, 2008. The fee will apply only to the first two passengers in each stateroom, and will not exceed $70 per person, per voyage. The three lines will not apply the surcharge to bookings that were paid in full prior to November 16, 2007.

Cruise West will add a fuel surcharge of $12 per guest, per day, applicable to all passengers on all sailings, effective immediately. Cruise West will not apply the surcharge to bookings that were made prior to November 12, 2007 and paid in full by December 7, 2007.

Voyages of Discovery has implemented a fuel surcharge of $10 per person, per day, on bookings for cruises departing between February 1 and April 26, 2008. The surcharge is applicable to all guests in a cabin, and reservations that were paid in full prior to November 20, 2007 are exempt from the additional fee. No announcements have been made regarding the line's summer 2008 itineraries.

Lines with fuel surcharges applied to all existing and future bookings

Carnival Corp., the largest cruise operator in the industry, will charge passengers an additional $5 a day on all new and existing bookings with Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, Princess, and Seabourn for sailings that depart on or after February 1, 2008. The fee will apply only to the first two passengers in each stateroom, and will not exceed $70 per person, per voyage.

Cruise lines not listed here have not yet announced their policy regarding fuel surcharges, but are expected to follow suit.

Explorer of the Seas review

Our cruise got off to a very rocky start. The cruise was set to leave on Sunday 11/4from Bayonne (Cape Liberty NJ) just a 40 minute ride up the NJ Turnpike from us. Nice and easy- no airlines to deal with, luggage issues or delays. Saturday, our emergency contact, received a phone call from Royal Caribbean to say that the ship was delayed due to Hurricane Noel and would not be in port until 3pm so don’t plan on arriving before 4pm for a 7pm boarding.

EMBARKATION
We arrived at the cruise terminal entrance at 4pm and it took 1 hour to get to the point to drop off our luggage- not a good start. We parked the car, $112 for the week including taxes (they took a credit card) and proceeded through security. That was the easy part. We waited in a very short line for our sea pass cards (room keys) and took the photo for our cards. Then we tried to find a place to sit for our 3 hour wait in the terminal.

I must give RCI credit. There was food (sub sandwiches and drinks) for the people waiting inside. What we didn’t realize was that more than ½ of the guests were waiting on the outside of the terminal for over 2 hours in 50 degree weather. Apparently, since the ship first came into the port at 3pm, it needed to be cleaned and readied for the next cruise. The cruise terminal hit capacity and the remaining guests waited outside. After 2 hours, they were given chairs and water but nothing to eat. Not a great start to the cruise.

Once on board (around 9pm), we went to the dining room for dinner. It was pretty chaotic since they were now trying to feed all 3400 guests at the same time. We went to the dining room on deck 3 and were able to find a table. Since we had been fed in the terminal, we had a light bite and attempted to wander around the ship. The life boat drill was at 10:30pm. The 11pm welcome aboard show was poorly attended although the comedian was very good. You had to feel bad for the guy- he was very funny but this wasn’t a very jovial crowd.

CABIN
We took cabin- 8626 on deck 8. It is the standard balcony cabin. We knew that it was the smaller of the balcony cabins (E balconies vs D balconies) but they were more mid ship which is what we wanted for the Bermuda and Boston seas.

The cabin was a bit tight but manageable. Almost forgot what it’s like in the bathroom when you drop the soap in the shower. You have to shut off the water, open the door to bend down to pick up the soap. The bed is comfortable with nice European bedding. There is a mini bar in the cabin (which we did not touch) and the safe works on a personal # combination. Storage space is adequate. Balcony is small but a nice size. Didn’t get as much use out of it as we normally would because of the itinerary but we always love a balcony.

Cabin stewardess was ok, although a bit inconsistent with towels and ice.

CABIN NOTES: Bring your own shampoo and conditioner- the one in the dispenser had an odd fragrance to it. Also, there is no shower gel in the shower. Bring some extra moisturizer. Either the soap is very drying or the water is. Check the in cabin mini bar. We did not use it at all but we didn’t notice a lock on it so that we could ask for it to be locked. We didn’t get billed for anything in the bar but without a lock, we are always weary of additional charges from the bar that we didn’t use.

FOOD-
Dining is always a bit deal on a cruise ship. We felt that the food experience on the Explorer of the Seas is good to very good (this is not going to be gourmet dining). We never went hungry and found the many dining venues to be a major plus.

First, the Windjammer Café-
This is the casual dining venue open for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the pool deck. We ate there for breakfast and lunch- never dinner but our table mates ate at Windjammer many times for dinner and thought the choices were great.

My comments on Windjammer
1. No hand sanitizer at the entrance to the dining area. With the gastrointestinal issues that may occur on cruise ships- this was a major no-no.
2. No trays- only extra large oval plates. This can cause an issue for people with trying to balance the tray, silverware and a cane. I was told that the wait staff did assist these guests.
3. Lines were always longer in the front. Just scoot around back – there are the same foods offered in the back without the long lines.
4. Food choices were typical of a cruise. First time cruisers will be amazed but for repeat cruisers, it is pretty standard fare. They did have an assortment of Asian and Indian vegetarian selections. I did notice a group of Asian women eating soup for breakfast but I didn’t wander over to that section.
5. Food was good here but seemed to be pretty much the same every day. Salads, burgers, sandwiches- made to order are standard daily. What changes daily is the pasta with a couple of choices, a couple of main entrées with vegetables and some type of potatoes and a couple of soups. There are always a good amount of dessert choices. Frozen yogurt is available outside of Windjammer at a self serve machine.
6. Omelet station was at the back of the buffet line. Get fresh omelets rather than taking the pre-made if the line isn’t too long. They offer some odd ingredients like shrimp and jalepeno peppers which my husband tried daily.
7. The wait staff was there to assist with drinks and clearing the tables. I didn’t require help with the trays but was told that they did offer help for those who needed help.

Another dining option is the Café Promenade on deck 5. This is a great choice for fast bites and snacks. At the front of the Café, there is a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream stand (for an extra fee). They also offer Seattle’s Best Coffee. I am not a coffee drinker and I thought there was a fee for this coffee but other cruisers told me that it was not the case. Please check before ordering.

The Café is open until the wee hours of the morning for those late owls. In the AM, there are pastries and such for breakfast. For lunch and later, there are small sandwiches (changes daily), pizza, cookies and pastries. The chocolate chip cookies are great. Coffee, tea and iced water are always available, as is fruit such as bananas, kiwi and oranges. The café is great for snacks when coming back from excursions.

Johnnie Rockets- on deck 12 is lots of FUN.
It is very small and there is a $3.95 cover charge to get in. This was implemented as part of crowd control so that the kids and teens don’t make this their hangout. Crown and Anchor members get 1 free admission per person with the coupon book that is in the cabin upon arrival.

There was a 45 minute wait on the day we went to Johnny Rockets because there was no out door seating due to the cold weather coming back from Boston. We hung out near the arcade since it was too cold to wait outdoors.

Upon entering, you get a grand HELLO from the staff and fellow diners and are promptly given a plate of onion rings and a ranch dressing, and fries with a plate of ketchup designed in a smiley face. The menu is malts (extra fee for those but great), burgers and sandwiches as well as desserts. I ordered a classic burger, the others ordered a St Louis burger. All were good. The onion rings had to be replaced 3 times since we devoured them in no time. We regretted it later but they were great. Dessert was an ice cream sundae or apple pie.

The staff would dance and sing at set intervals and it was a blast. It is a must do on the cruise!

Portofinos
Well worth the $20 pp surcharge. Food was spectacular and so was the service. We literally rolled out of there we were so stuffed. We ordered the seafood skewer and the chef will substitute another lobster tail for salmon or scallops. The sampler plate for dessert was fabulous.

Highly recommended and would suggest making reservations as soon as you get on the ship.


Main Dining Room
We only ate in the dining room for dinner and 1 breakfast. We were on the deck 3 level of the dining room table 307, waiter Ramiro and bus boy, Clint. Ramiro greeted us by our first names daily and Clint was precious every time he said “it would be my pleasure.” The service was very good, very pleasant and a lot of fun. Every night, Clint would bring the bread basket around to offer us the “ever popular” sour dough roll, the “little bites” and others. The first night, he had the favorite “not so square rolls” which were never to be served again during the week. I had lots of fun with Clint over these not so square rolls.

Dinner options were always tasty. I’m not going to say that this was gourmet dining but I felt that the food was very good. There were always a number of options that I would have ordered. There are always standby’s if you didn’t like the choices, such as salmon, grilled chicken and steak. Lobster night was excellent. The lobster tails were among the best I have had a sea.

Please note that we were happy with the quality and taste of the food but I am not extremely picky. The thing with cruises is---- if you don’t like the dish you ordered, order something else! Portions were small but adequate. Again, if you want an additional entrée or anything else, just ask for it.

Room Service
Sorry- not a lot of help here. I glanced at the menu but didn’t use it. Someone else did to order a cheese plate and said it came quickly.

ENTERTAINMENT

There was literally so much to do that we couldn’t do it all.

Rock climbing- didn’t try it- wasn’t about to break anything since I can hurt myself just walking but it was always busy while we were onboard.
Ice skating- session were open throughout the day. Check the cruise compass for hours
Ice Show- free tickets are available at set times throughout the cruise. There were 4 sessions but you need tickets in advance. Check the cruise compass for the times that the tickets are distributed.
Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the show time. As long as you are not sitting behind a pole, the view is pretty good from all seats.
Parades-there were 3 parades and we watched all of them. Try to get a seat in front of the bars for the best views. They were a lot of fun. Our pictures didn’t come out great- sorry.
Pool side games- a few brave soles participated in the men’s belly flop contest in 50 degree weather. Most of the poolside games had to be moved indoors.
Bingo- the game we played was $35 for 5 sheets. We didn’t win but the guest in front of us won over $300. Please keep in mind that there are really serious bingo players here.
Daytime Activities- Trivia, napkin folding, towel folding, cooking classes, arts & crafts and more were listed throughout the day. There were so many that we couldn’t do everything.

SPA and Fitness Center
I can honestly say that I saw both but didn’t use either. There is a really nice and large indoor Jacuzzi in the fitness center.

Pool deck-
In addition to the main pool, there is a lovely adults only solarium. It is near the spa and has really comfortable lounges. Although it is not covered, it was partially enclosed so was not as cold as the main pool area.

Promenade-
This is one of my favorite features of this class of ship. It is a great people or gathering place. In addition to 2 bars and the café, there are the usual stores. During the week, there will be sales on watches, jewelry, pocket books and jewelry. This is also the location of the parades and the cooking demonstrations. For those who haven’t sailed on this class of ship before, the promenade is a great place to just hang out. One of the nice features was that the captain had his party in the promenade. The captain’s staff was introduced and they all stood on one of the bridges that over looked the promenade. It was a nice touch.

Entertainment Staff

The cruise director, Allan, was great. The guy could have done stand up comedy. He had us rolling at the newlywed game and the quest game. I didn’t see him around the ship much but on a ship this size, you rarely expect to see the cruise director.

His staff was good, mostly young, energetic people from all over the world. Bingo Spice, from London, handled Bingo and the napkin folding. She has an adorable British accent and had guests trying to mimic her throughout the napkin folding class. Trivia was handled by a number of the entertainment staff members. The entertainment staff had a lot of energy and it showed in everything they did.


General Comments
Although this ship is full, it didn’t really seems crowded. The sports deck was fully utilized for a staff vs. guest dodge ball contest and there were lots of people doing inline skating and watching the rock climbers. The promenade was bustling but there really wasn’t much in terms of crowded areas. It was difficult to get a table in the windjammer café during the peak breakfast and lunch hours but that is because so many people were sitting inside to stay out of the cold.

Being such a large ship, there were plenty of space for guests to find for themselves. Since part of the cruise was heading into cold weather, the indoor activities were very heavily attended. We found that we needed to arrive at each activity at least ½ hour before it started in order to get seats. Normally, guests would be spread out all over the ship but due to the cold weather, every one was indoors and getting seats at the activities was difficult.

Heading out to Bermuda can be rocky but despite the tail end of the hurricane, the seas are surprisingly calm. There were a couple of sways but nothing that I would consider to be rocky.

We went to the first show production. It was probably on par with most other Royal Caribbean show productions. The general consensus was that the show was ok- not great. We had all seen better but it was ok. Couldn’t stay up for the adult midnight comedy show but the comedian was really good the night before so I’m sorry I missed it. Word is that this show was great. The 2nd production show was better but it was the night we went to Portofino’s and we came in toward the very end. The headliner acts were better than I anticipated them to be. In general, the evening entertainment was on par with Royal Caribbean cruises.

The best of the entertainment was the newlywed game and Quest, a scavenger type game held in Studio B. Don’t miss either- since they are both hysterical.

The casino was pretty packed most of the time it was open. I didn’t stay long because even the non smoking areas were pretty smoky. My husband won about $400 at black jack. That was a pleasant surprise.

We kept on having a problem with my husband’s sea pass card. He keeps on demagnetizing it and couldn’t get into the room. Mine was fine. It must have happened 5 times and each time he had to go down to the purser’s desk to get it replaced. We had some minor billing issues. You can check the bill on the interactive TV. We had been over billed for internet service (it was removed) and the shipboard credit we were due didn’t show up until Friday, but it did show up.

All in all, we really enjoyed the Explorer of the Seas cruise that we took. We will cruise the Explorer or one of her sister ships. We have always liked Royal Caribbean and this cruise lived up to our expectations.

NCL to Bermuda in 2009

NCL Has 10-Year Pact to Sail Freestyle Ships to Bermuda
Fri Nov 09 2007, by Travel Trade staff

Norwegian Cruise Line has reached an agreement with the government of Bermuda under which two of the line's newer ships, the 2,000-passenger Norwegian Spirit and 2,200-passenger Norwegian Dawn will be deployed to the country from 2009 through 2018.
Norwegian Spirit will sail from Boston on Fridays, calling on Bermuda from Sunday through Wednesday. Norwegian Cruise Line has been the only line sailing between Boston and Bermuda, and the new agreement continues this status.

Norwegian Dawn will depart from New York on Sundays, staying at the island Wednesday through Friday.

Also in 2009, Norwegian Majesty, which has sailed the Boston-Bermuda route for 15 years, will sail to St. George's, Bermuda from Charleston, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

NCL's 2008 Bermuda itineraries include: Norwegian Dawn sailing from New York, on 7-day cruises; Norwegian Dream replacing Norwegian Majesty from Boston; and Norwegian Majesty sailing to Bermuda from Philadelphia, Baltimore and Charleston.

"Since NCL first began sailing to Bermuda, it has been one of our most popular itineraries, and we have developed a truly unique relationship with the community and government of our host destination," said Colin Veitch, NCL's president and CEO.

In a teleconference with the press, Veitch said the Bermuda agreement "represents one more layer of new products NCL is able to offer agents to sell - three nights in Bermuda on two of our purpose-built Freestyle ships is something we haven't been able to do before. This is a new product and we think the public will respond very strongly to it."

With its long-term agreement, NCL can develop the market for Bermuda committing one-fifth of its summer deployment and $800 million of its shipping assets to the destination, which Veitch called "a significant upgrade from our perspective and from Bermuda's."

He said, "Having this long-term commitment is very attractive to us because there is a strong demand for this destination -- people want to come here. Bermuda is a fabulous place - at the top of the league of destinations and worthy of the journey to get here.

"Over the past 15 years, we have deployed ships from more U.S. homeports to meet the growing demand to visit Bermuda," Veitch added.

As part of the agreement, NCL will partner with Bermuda's Department of Tourism and Chamber of Commerce to co-sponsor the annual Bermuda Music Festival, support the St. George's Foundation and the Bermudian Heritage Association and develop a new program to continue encouraging cruise guests to dine in restaurants ashore.

Bermuda is building a second pier at St. George's to accommodate the larger ships and Veitch said ground transportation from St. George's to points throughout Bermuda "is excellent, the best that I have seen."

Chan's review of the Sandals Fam Trip to Antigua and St Lucia

Sandals’ FAM Charter Trip to Antigua and St. Lucia

Tuesday & Wednesday September 25 and 26, 2007.

Highlights:

Tuesday September 25, 2007.

From Newark, NJ, flew in USA 3000, a charter flight to Antigua (left at around 7a.m. arrived around 11.30p.m.). After a warm welcome, our entire group was transferred to Sandals Grande Antigua. Immediately upon arrival, our tour started. This is a Five Star Diamond Resort according to the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences and voted the world’s Most Romantic Resort 10 years in a row at the World Travel Awards.

This resort has 373 rooms and suites in 17 categories on 27 acres. Accommodations range from one-story buildings with patios to exotic Mediterranean Penthouse one bedroom ocean view suites and luxury ocean view villa one bedroom suites with private pools and whirlpool. Part of our tour we visited at least 6 different category rooms and we were very impressed with cleanliness, location and decoration/luxury of each room. It also offers a Sandals Signature Resort late night buffets, champagne breakfast, turn-down service nightly, a la carte snake service. In addition, a brand new all-suite Mediterranean Village with additional restaurants. We finished the tour around 1.30p.m. and right-a-way started the beach party in the “barefoot by the sea”. This relaxing party lasted almost 3 hours and we left around 5p.m. to airport for St. Lucia.

Arrived St. Lucia around 6.pm. and it took us almost two hours to go to our Sandal Resort. We were broken-down into three groups and each group was taken to different Resort. We stayed in the Sandals Grande St. Lucia. At this resort we had dinner party with entertainment by the locals and we all went to sleep very early due to a very long day with a long flight.

Wednesday September 26, 2007.

It was a clear and beautiful day and took an early morning walk, before the breakfast, and took many pictures of the property. This particular resort is blessed with a natural beauty surrounding the entire resort. After breakfast we started our tour around 8.30a.m. This particular property voted as Sandals Resorts “World’s Leading All-Inclusive” 13 years in a row. Also voted as 5 star resorts by American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.

This resort has 301 rooms and suites in 14 categories on 17 acres of land. All rooms include a grand view, Mahogany furniture, tiled floors and are custom appinted with a large private balcony or patio and designer bath – all with mesmerizing water views. Once again we visited 5 to 6 rooms and some overlooked their unique lagoon pool that lets guests swim right up-to their rooms. Continental breakfast is served in all rooms. Their brand new Rondoval suites bring tropical elegance & seclusion with private pool, whirlpool & Hammock.

The second resort we visited was Sandals Halcyon Beach St. Lucia. One of the most attractive features is with only 169 rooms; guests can experience true personal service in the intimacy of a small resort. These 169 rooms, 7 categories on 22 acres come with air conditioning, king size bed and all other amenities including mahogany furniture and tiled floor. In this resort we visited 5 different types of rooms.

The third property we visited was Sandals Regency St. Lucia. This resort is one of their largest with 327 rooms including 116 suites in 16 categories on 210 acres including its own 9 holes golf course. We visited 6 verities of rooms including private honeymoon oceanfront one bedroom villa suite with pool. All rooms includes air conditioning, mahogany four poster king size bed, hair dryer, direct dial telephone, private bath and shower, safety deposit box, clock radio, coffee maker, cable TV and iron and ironing board and tiled floor.


It has also all kinds of water sports, three pools, 2 saunas, 2 steam rooms, 2 fitness centers and 9 holes golf course.

All these three resorts in St. Lucia are with one unique point. “Stay at one, play at three”. Exchange privileges with Sandals Regency La Toc golf resort and spa in St. Lucia and Sandals Halcyon Beach St. Lucia. Guests enjoy access to even more luxurious amenities and a total of 15 restaurants from which to choose from.

This evening we attended the farewell tropical cocktails party Sandals style, including verities of food and drinks, tropical fruits and deserts.

We were 2 hours late i.e. instead of leaving St. Lucia at 6.p.m., left at 8p.m. for Newark and arrived around 1.30a.m. Obviously it was very busy FAM trip but very educational and with lots of fun.


C/P/FAM trip to Antigua & St. Lucia-9-2007

Baby Boomers: It's All About Lifestyle Marketing

From Home Based Trade

by Mitchell J. Schlesinger

This is clearly the market segment that has drawn the most attention and focus from marketers over the past 20 years as they eagerly awaited the first baby boomers to start turning 50 ten years ago. And marketing to lifestyles (psychographics) takes precedence over traditional expectations based on their demographics.Defined as the segment of the population born primarily during the 10-year period after the end of World War II, baby boomers are a key target market for a wide spectrum of travel alternatives. In the core age range of 50-62, these consumers are at the height of their economic life stage in terms of income from employment (many with two-income families) and investments, PLUS the additional accumulation of wealth as a result of inheritances from parents.

From a demographic standpoint:
• We already know how old they are.
• At this stage of life, many are becoming “empty nesters” as children graduate college and start lives of their own living outside the home.
• More importantly is their economic value as a market segment. Ken Dychtwald, founder & CEO of “Age Wave LLC,” indicates that boomers earn roughly $2 trillion in annual income and represent 50% of all discretionary spending. His book “Age Wave” is valuable reading.
• Additionally, this segment, representing almost 30% of the total U.S. population:
• Control 70% of the wealth;
• Own 77% of all financial assets;
• Represent 80% of deposits in S&Ls;
• Own nearly 50% of all credit cards;
• Purchase 50% of all luxury cars.

But the key for baby boomers is that they focus on numerous lifestyle pursuits and do not think about “acting their age.” The impact of key psychographic factors attracts the boomers to a wide variety of travel experiences:
• They are drawn to purchasing “experiences” that provide enjoyment, having spent a lifetime accumulating “possessions.”
• They have much more time to travel because they are not constrained by young children or have already reached Empty Nester status.
• They are active, vital and want to fulfill the lure of a variety of different travel experiences. They are just as likely to purchase an exotic itinerary based vacation as they are an active sun/fun trip. And both in the same year!
• Service is critical to baby boomers. Based on the scope of their economic impact, they insist on service that is attentive to them personally and their expectations in purchasing a vacation.
• And value is equally important. This is a target market that should always be sold the components of the travel first. Your recommendation of the kind of trip that appeals to their psychographic needs should be focused on the overall value.

The baby boomer generation has changed the way marketers design a myriad of products and services and they are the core group who have redefined the “age perception.” And it is their outlook on their own age and vitality that makes them such good prospects.

A few things to remember to be successful in soliciting their business:
• Think active and not sedentary. Whatever products you promote, make sure that there are elements to the trip. For cruises, there must be active shore experiences and not just bus rides. A sun/fun resort trip should have water sports, golf/tennis, interesting walking trails. And exotic travel should include the allure of “exploring” and soft adventure.
• In terms of time away, most baby boomers are still working. For a good purchase response, 14 days should be the longest length, 10 or 11 days is even better.
• Appeal to their “lifestyle” affinity. For repeat clients, you should have this information stored in their profile. Whether it is wine tasting, cooking, scrapbooking, NASCAR, hiking/biking or eco interest, sending them information about a vacation opportunity that strikes a personal chord dramatically increases your chance for a sale and lets your clients know that you are thinking about THEM.
• Promoting lifestyle affinity travel is the perfect way to build groups. Clients involved in affinity activities have family and friends who participate, as well. And this can bring you new clients from across the country as “they tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on and so on....”
• Never send too many offers, as it detracts from their ability to focus. You can send two to three choices of completely different types of vacations for them to select. Just make sure that these trips will appeal to their interests and that you have included sufficient detail about each trip to convey the VALUE.

Baby boomers have markedly changed “traditional” lifestyle patterns. The more you know about these clients, the more successful you will be in capturing their business... today. And remember, they are tomorrow’s seniors and retirees. They are customers who are loyal to products and services they know and trust and to those whom they perceive know them.

Mt. Rushmore, Grand Teton & Yellowstone Nat’l Park

Sunday July 22, to Sunday July 29, 2007
by Chan Panchal

Highlights: After landing at Rapid City, South Dakota Airport, we transferred to our Hotel Radisson. The next morning we visited Crazy Horse Memorial and Mt. Rushmore National Monument.
(Two nights in Radisson, Rapid City, South Dakota).

3rd Day: we visited the Western Cowboy town of Sheridan in Wyoming and Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Billings, Montana.
(One night in Crowne Plaza Hotel, Billings, Montana).

4th Day: On our way to Yellowstone National Park we visited Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming; stopped at the Continental Divide; and arrived at Yellow Stone.
(Two nights in Old Faithful Snow Lodge, in the Yellowstone National park, Wyoming).

5th Day: We took a full circle guided tour of Yellowstone Park.

6th Day: On to Grand Teton National Park, took a Snake River Float/Raft tour, visited the town of Teton village and arrived at the town of Jackson.
(One night in the Virginian Hotel, Wyoming).

7th Day: We drove thru Oregon Trail, took a tour of the Mormon Tabernacle and arrived in the Salt Lake City, Utah
(One night in Hilton Hotel, Salt Lake City, Utah).

8th Day: We left for our journey back home, New Jersey.

Details:
Sunday July 22, 2007. From Newark, NJ, we flew on Northwest Airlines, at 6.20a.m, arrived Minneapolis at 8.15a.m.; departed 9.30a.m. and arrived in Rapid City at 10.30a.m. (We drove and parked our car in Newark long-term parking lot – 7 day, $15 per day). At Rapid City we were picked-up by Radisson Hotel and were able to check in at 12.30p.m. (Spent two nights in Radisson).

It was a very hot day i.e. actual temperature 104F. We did try to walk on the Main St., where all U.S. Presidents’ statues were located, however, we came back in a short time due to extreme heat. Had dinner at the Hotel restaurant called Enigma. 8p.m. Caravan had a welcome meeting in the hotel and we met Tom, our tour director.

Monday July 23, 2007. We had breakfast at 7a.m., left for Crazy Horse and MT. Rushmore at 8.30a.m. Our bus was very comfortable and because of hot weather, each passenger was given a bottle of water couple of times a day. We were 44 passengers including our tour director, Tom, and our driver, Charlie. It was an unusually hot morning and later that day the temp. went up to 105F. On our way to Crazy Horse, we passed by bare country farm and saw baby black bears and passed black forests. Spent 3 hours at the Crazy Horse area. First we watched a 15 min. movie and then visited the museum, gift shops and residence of Korczak Ziolkowski’s (the main sculptor) residence and took many pictures. Left at 12 noon and arrived at Mt. Rushmore at 12.30 p.m., stayed up-to 3p.m.

We took a tour of this great National Monument called Mt. Rushmore, with the sculptured faced of Presidents, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.

Arrived through the black hills to Rapid City. Once again walked around town to look at the presidents’ statues and explore the downtown. Had dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Tuesday July 24, 2007. Weather was hot/sunny and clear. Once again, breakfast at 6.30 and left our hotel at 8a.m. on our way to Wyoming; 375 miles journey from Rapid City. On our way we passed one of the camps of motor cycles gathering. In the second week of August, 250,000 motor cycle riders will get to gather in Rapid City for 2 weeks. In a city with population of 60,000, during these two weeks, there will be an additional 500,000 people.

Note: Once again we passed black hills areas. Because US Gov't took thousands of acres of black hills areas, Native Americans are not happy and they are still not happy about it, even though the Gov't has put $300 millions in an escrow A/C. Even today, they have refused to accept this money.

On our way we passed a Spearfish theater with a capacity of 6,000, largest in the state of South Dakota. We also passed and took pictures of Buffalo ditch, where Native Americans will dig a ditch and once a wild buffalo fell in it, they will then finish it off. This will be very useful in every way during the winter season.

Also passed 1st Devil’s Tower. Theodore Roosevelt, although never setting an eye on the Devils Tower, recognized it as a scientific wonder and proclaimed this magnificently columned natural structure America’s first national monument in 1906.

After that we stopped in the town of Gillette around 10a.m. for a coffee break. We continued driving in Wyoming. The speed limit in this part of the land is 75pmh. We arrived in the town of Sheridan around 12noon and had a buffet lunch at the Holiday Inn.

After lunch we continue driving and entered the state of Montana, “Big Sky Country”. Visited Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in the Crow Nation. Watched a short movie of the battle, where in 1876, in the valley of Little Big Horn, combined Sioux and Northern Cheyenne forces led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse overwhelmed Custer and his Calvary. At this time the real temperature was 106F. We arrived in Billings at 5.30p.m. The town Billings is very Industrialized and famous for computer software, potato and sugar beans.

This evening we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant.

Wednesday July 25, 2007. Weather was little cooler this morning. Breakfast at 6.30 and in bus at 8a.m. This morning we started our journey toward Wyoming to the town of Cody through the wide-open spaces of Montana.

In Cody we visited the world famous Buffalo Bill Historical Center known for its Wild West exhibits. Saw the Plains Indian Museum and the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, with paintings and sculptures by revered artists such as Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. In Cody also visited one of the oldest hotels, Hotel Irma, famous for old style rooms, menu and very unique cherry wood bar.

Left Cody around 1.15p.m. and crossed the Continental Divide and entered Yellowstone Park for a two night stay in the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Checked in hotel at 5p.m. and at 6.10 p.m. we went to see the most beautiful thing in the park i.e. Old Faithful Geyser where every 90 minutes the Old Faithful Geyser shoots thousands of gallons of steaming water into air, sometime up-to 100 feet. Also walked in surrounding areas (mainly on the built-in platform/promenade) to observe various types of geysers.

We also visited one of the most beautiful and oldest hotels in the park i.e. Old Faithful Inn.

Thursday July 26, 2007: This morning was one of the most beautiful and comfortable mornings (60F when we started our day and expected to go to 75F). Breakfast at 7a.m. and left at 8.30a.m. for a full day complete tour of Yellowstone Park.

Yellowstone Park was established in 1872 and became the first national park in the world. Now over 90 countries all over the world have national parks. This 2.2 millions acre park contains almost 300 Geysers and over 10,000 hot springs, fumaroles and mud pots. In addition, many varieties of animals are found such as; black bears, moose, elk and bison. The coldest temperature recorded (in 1933) was -66F and hottest was 99F. There are two major attractions in the Yellowstone Park, the upper and lower loops. On the upper loop, one will see Norris Geyser Basin and visit Mammoth Hot Springs. Walk on the raised platforms above the unique terraced pools. Mammoth Hot Springs is one of the best areas in the park for close-up viewing of elk or gibbon. On the lower level loop, one will see Old Faithful Geyser where every 90 minutes the old faithful geyser shoots thousands of gallons of steaming water into the air.

Later stopped at the fall of the river Gibbons. Around 10.30a.m. we arrived at the famous Mammoth Hot Springs and took a tour. Then arrived at the Mammoth Head Quarter and stayed for lunch until 1p.m. The next stop was Grand Canyon, where we marveled at the rushing waters of Yellowstone falls, twice the height of Niagara Falls i.e. approx. 325feet.

On over way to the hotel we passed Fountain Point Pots and Yellowstone Lake. (This lake is the largest in North America 7723 Sq feet). Continued driving and we experienced a “traffic gridlock” created by bisons. During their evening “going home” time, many bisons decided to cross the highway we were driving on. And as per the rule of respecting the animals in Yellowstone National Park, we had to wait, wait and wait for these bisons to cross the highway. Total delay was for about an hour. Then we stopped and took pictures at the Continental Divide/Isa Lake. This line divides our country between East and West.

Arrived at the hotel at 5p.m.and because it was raining, we did some souvenir shopping. After dinner once again before we were tp leave the park the next morning, we stopped at the famous Old Faithful Inn to enjoy the history/beauty of the magnificent structure.

Friday July 27, 2007: Weather was clear and comfortable. Breakfast at 6a.m. and left hotel at 8a.m. We are on our way to Jackson/Grand Teton National Park. On our way to the Teton National Park we observed the jagged soaring Teton Ranges with eight peaks over 12,000 feet. Scenes from the western classic film “Shane” were filmed here.

Stopped at the Colter Visit Center and near-by scenic stop and, took some pictures of Grand Teton Mountains. Next stop was Jenny Lake to take our float trip in the river Snake.

Because weather was clear and calm, we were able to take the float trip in the river Snake. This float ride in a rubber raft for two hours was one of the most beautiful unforgettable memories of our trip. We enjoyed a picnic lunch in raft, while we were floating in the river Snake. We also saw some wildlife as we floated through the park like; waterfowl, beaver, osprey and eagles (including eagles nest). We also took many pictures of Teton Ranges (mountains) and beautiful river including the horse-buggy transfer barge (the one they used to use it in our golden days) crossing the river.

Then, we arrived in the town of Jackson. We had plenty of time to walk around the beautiful downtown. Enjoyed the art galleries and western shops. Walked around the town square and took pictures of the Antler Arch (constructed on all four sides of the park). Also visited the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, where, the bar stools was made from horse saddles. Arrived in hotel The Virginian (for one night stay) around 5.15p.m. and left at 6.15p.m. for a real western cowboy style dinner and entertainment at the place called Chuck wagon. It was real treat in terms of how the dinner was served to 700 people within 15 minutes. There was a live old Hi Ho type country programs given by Bob Murphy’s two sons and their group. It was really entertaining evening. Returned to our hotel around 10.30p.m.

Saturday July 28, 2007: This morning was clear with temperature being 65F and expected to go up-to 90F. We had a 6.30a.m. breakfast and left the hotel at 8a.m. on our way south through the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Entered Idaho and crossed the route of the original “Oregon Trail”.

Stopped in the town of Thayne (rest stop) and had hot/fresh/doughnut. Passed a town of Aftan and saw (took a picture) the widest Antler Arch – covering the entire street. Next stop was town of Logan and we had lunch. Stopped at beautiful Bear Lake for pictures. Continued via Logan Canyon to Salt Lake City, Utah, the state capital.

State of Utah: Total population is 2.3 million. The average age in the state is 26 years. This is one of the fasted growing states in USA. Between 1990 and 2000 Utah population grew by 29%. Highest recorded temperature was 117F and the lowest was -69F.

Later we arrived at the Temple Square and visited its beautiful gardens and fountains. Took a tour of the Mormon Tabernacle, home to the Mormon tabernacle Choir. Arrived at Hilton at 5.p.m. (for one night stay). Had farewell dinner at the Hilton at 6.p.m. and after dinner took a stroll in the downtown of Salt Lake City including a short shuttle/Trolley ride. Returned to hotel at 9.30.

Sunday July 29, 2007: Said good-by to our newly made friends and the Salt Lake City and took a 10.a.m. flight to come home. Took shuttle bus to the air port (provided by Hilton by charging $8 PP). After one transfer at Cleveland, Ohio, arrived Newark around 7.p.m., picked-up our car from the long term parking lot and arrived home around 8.30p.m.

Caravan Tour: We enjoyed Caravan tour’s services and their 55 years of experience under the same family management, with tours of superb quality and excellent value. Two things we liked the most: the first was the fact that Caravan includes all activities listed in their itinerary and the second, Caravan does not sell any “optional tours” which can add a great deal of money to your tour.



C/P/Mt.Rushmore-7-2007

10 tips to make more money!

10 Ways for Travel Agents to Increase Revenue and
Competitive Advantage

By Carl Bennink, Ph.D.



This month, I am republishing one of the most popular issues of this newsletter. The majority of current subscribers have never seen it and the advice is as relevant today as it was two years ago.


I’ve learned over the years that one good idea at just the right time can really make a lot of difference and, hopefully, one or more of these will strike you in the same way.

Where did this collection of ideas come from?

They actually came from my discussions with travel agents facing challenges just like yours.

I’ve talked with a lot of travel agents about many different kinds of marketing issues. So, here are some of the problems, solutions, and helpful tips that have come out of those discussions.

1. Get an email address from every prospect and client that you can. Yes, email has its pluses and minuses but, today, it must be a part of your marketing program. Two good reasons:

a) You need to communicate with people in the channels that they use and, like it or not, email is one of those important channels.

b) Email is a lower-cost medium that enables you to communicate more often and in more creative ways to cultivate relationships with prospects and clients.

Action: Start religiously collecting email addresses from all prospects and clients. For those already in your database, update as many records as you can to include email addresses.

2. Build a website. Same principles as email. You have to meet people where they are and where they are is online – especially when it comes to travel.

A website also enables you to use relationship marketing strategies that would otherwise be too difficult or too costly to implement.

Action: If you don’t have a website, plan on developing one. However, when you do, be sure to ...

3. Use your website to support your overall marketing and CRM strategy.

Your strategy is not the same as an online agency like Expedia, Travelocity, etc. so don’t try to be like them. Use your website for things like pre-selling, collecting contact information, enhancing your post-booking service levels, cultivating loyalty, etc.

Action: Whether you currently have a website or are building one for the first time, make sure the design and content of your site supports implementation of your marketing plan.

If you don’t have a marketing plan to drive the development of your website, then that would be the first thing to develop. Otherwise, you could end up wasting a lot of time and money and wondering why your website isn’t paying off for you.

4. Get the gold out of your database. Most travel agents I talk with want to increase their sales and profits. While obtaining new clients is certainly an important way of achieving that objective, one of the most overlooked opportunities for generating more business is a database of existing prospects and clients.

Your CRM/database system should be more than a place to keep names, addresses and phone numbers. You should also be able to use your database to identify prospects and clients:

● with specific travel interests so that you can more effectively target promotions.

● according to where they are in the travel buying cycle so that your communications are timely.

● who are most deserving of your time and attention.

Action: Commit to doing more analysis of what is already in your database. Identify MVC’s (Most Valuable Clients) and MGC’s (Most Growable Clients). Develop planned sequences of regular communications with both groups to strengthen your relationships.

You can also classify everyone according to the “time since last cruise, vacation, etc.” How does the time interval compare to the average among your clients? For those who have traveled with you frequently, how does the time interval compare to their average? Is it time to call them? Will your contact come as a pleasant surprise or do you have a record of “keeping in touch”? (see next tip)

If you are not able to take the simple steps I just suggested, then your most important action item is to do something about your CRM/database so that you can.

5. Never stop communicating with prospects and clients (unless they want you to). Most of us understand that, to have healthy relationships in any other area of life, we need to communicate. Why is it that so many travel agents don’t apply this principle to their business?

If people are coming to you because of your ticket writing abilities, then maybe you don’t have to worry about communication all that much. However, if you want to relate to people as a “Trusted Travel Advisor” with special knowledge and expertise, then communication is a critical success factor.

Action: Set up a system for communicating regularly and effectively with prospects and clients.

6. Make sure your regular communications are interesting, relevant, and personal. So much of what gets sent out to prospects and clients is worthless. It’s like the stuff that appears in my mailbox every day from real estate agents, car dealers, and credit card companies – it doesn’t relate to anything I’m interested in, it’s promoting something I’m not looking to buy at the moment, and it all looks the same.

Action: Review every communications piece you have and ask yourself; “If I were a prospect or client receiving this, what would I do with it”? Be honest.

Awhile back, I received a mailing from a local travel agency. Underneath a clipart logo, the cover letter began:

Dear Friends and World Travelers,

We take great pleasure in enclosing a list of (Name of luxury cruise line withheld to avoid embarrassing them) voyages offering savings up to 50%!!!

Enclosed was an inventory list of cruises for that year.

And, this mailing was supposedly targeted toward luxury travelers who were “our valued clients”.

Not only was I not a client but the greeting didn’t make me feel too valued either.

Enough said. That leads to a related tip ...

6. Know your customers (prospects and clients). This should be a “no brainer”. However, I can tell you that, in general (maybe not in your case) lack of customer knowledge is what sabotages the marketing efforts of most travel agents. And, I’ve noticed this for years.

Everything we do in marketing should be done with the customer perspective in mind. But, it’s pretty hard to do that if you don’t know what their perspective is.

Action: Conduct an honest evaluation of how much you really know about those you are trying to market to. What are their values, plans, preferences, etc. How do they think? Why do they do business with you? What do they think you could do better? How could you help them improve their life using your special knowledge and expertise? What needs and desires could you connect to in your communications?

All of us can improve our customer knowledge. The best time to start doing it is now. The payoff will come quickly.

7. Engage the imagination and values of your customers. When you are communicating with prospects and clients about travel opportunities, what “hot buttons” and motives do you try to connect to? So much of what passes for marketing communications in travel seems to assume that the most important hot button in travel is price.

Why should that be? We sell some of the most exciting products in the world . The travel products and destinations you offer are not necessary for survival – they meet needs at a higher level. Your products, knowledge, and expertise help people thrive – get the most out of life, create memories, enrich their experience, refresh and renew their mind, body, and spirit, etc.

How great is that?

Yet, when I look at most travel marketing pieces, I find that they fail to connect with people at a deep enough level. Good grief, even Home Depot connects with my imagination more than some travel pieces I see.

Action: Don’t just tell people what you have for sale – tell them how it will improve their life. Don’t just tell people what you do – tell them how you can improve their life. Don’t just tell people about certain travel opportunities – tell them how specific opportunities relate to their values and plans.

Of course, its hard to do all that if you don’t know what their values, plans, and life are about (see tip #6).

8. Get out of the office. Many travel agents are more wedded to their offices (till death do us part) than to their spouses. There is something about an office –especially a brick and mortar storefront that just compels us to be there.

Yet, is that what your clients want? Is there a (maybe large) segment of your customers that would appreciate “house calls”. By offering to meet people wherever it is most convenient for them, you could set yourself apart from your competitors and take another step in cementing your relationships with prospects and clients.

Action: Find out which prospects and clients would appreciate your calling on them at home, in their office or place of business, etc. Always offer this option to those who meet your “Most desirable client” profile. Then, get out there!

9. Identify the greatest opportunity you have to “WOW” your client. Opportunities to differentiate ourselves from the competition are often right in front of our noses. However, we get too comfortable with our routines and processes to notice them.

Action: Examine your whole process of interacting with prospects and clients and ask yourself if there is some way you could go "above and beyond” to make your client experience exceptional.

10. Get expert help with your marketing efforts. This could be especially valuable if your marketing is not working as well as you think it should

Review of the Disney Magic

Disney Magic Cruise Review September 8 – 15, 2007

Tommy and I used our Disney Vacation Club points to go on a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise on the Disney Magic. This was our third Disney cruise – the second on the Disney Magic. We booked a balcony stateroom (deck 7; cabin 7076, mid-ship, port side).

We flew down from Newark to Orlando the evening of September 7th and stayed at the Hyatt Orlando Airport. This is so convenient because the hotel is right within the airport and you come off the plane and go directly to the desk to check-in. The hotel bellhop picks up your luggage for you and delivers it to your room. We had our dinner at the hotel restaurant and were able to sit in the lounge area while watching the Rutgers/Navy football game on the large screen. Our room was very comfortable and it was nice that we didn’t have to drive anywhere considering the time we arrived in Orlando.

The next morning we were picked up by Art’s Shuttle and our own private shuttle to Port Canaveral. The cost is $70 for the shuttle and it can accommodate 4 passengers. The other option is to take Disney’s shuttle, but then we would be on a bus with lots of other people and the cost is about the same.

Check in at the port was very smooth and when you check in you receive a number. They board the ship by group numbers which makes for an easy boarding experience. As soon as we dropped off our carry on luggage we went to see if we could change our dining reservations. We were hoping to get one of the waiters we have had in the past but the dining was full. We also had asked about getting reservations at Palo, the adult only restaurant, for either brunch or afternoon tea. They were all booked but we were high on the wait list. (Later on we decided to change to late dining and were able to do so by going to the restaurant at our designated time and having the head waiter change us to late dining. No problem because late dining still had some openings.)

Next we went to the Vista Spa to make reservations. We purchased a week pass for the Rainforest Room ($75 per person), which is a thermal suite with an Arabian theme. Inside are two steam rooms, one which incorporates aromatherapy; a sauna; tropical rain showers; and the best part of all, heated tile lounge chairs. There is a fountain in the center of the room and spa music plays softly in the background. We spent a lot of time in there! We also scheduled a “couples choice” massage in the Vista Spa Villas for the next day. The Vista Spa Villas are private villas overlooking the open water and they are exclusive to Disney. We first had a foot cleansing followed by 20 minutes in the outdoor Jacuzzi to which a milk bath and other soothing scents were added. Following this we had a 75 minute couple’s hot stone massage. Pure bliss!


Since we are members of the Castaway Club (having sailed Disney in the past) we had lots of goodies in our stateroom. We had a nice tote bag, two Castaway Club cups, two little flags, lanyards to carry our room cards, pins to keep and trade, a travel container of sani-wipes, and bracelets showing we are members. As Disney Vacation Club members we received more lanyards (these were a bit nicer), more pins, and a really nice Captain’s Log scrapbook. We also had a Castaway Club reception as well as a DVC member reception during the week.

Also located at the Vista Spa is the fitness center. The fitness center has been enlarged, but it is still small compared to other cruise lines. The nicest thing about Disney’s fitness center is that there is no charge for the classes. Classes included: yoga, spinning, pilates, yogalates, ab attack, stretch, yoga on the beach, and detox for weight loss as well as seminars on nutrition and skin therapy. The spa personnel were all wonderful, especially Lisa and Jennifer who were our massage therapists.

Dining: There are three early dining times (5:30, 5:45, and 6:00) and three late dining times (8:00, 8:15, and 8:30) and three restaurants through which you rotate during the week. We started at Lumiere’s restaurant which would be considered the fanciest of the three. On Monday we went on to Animator’s Palate and Tuesday we were at Parrot Cay, my favorite of the three. Animator’s Palate starts out in black and white and by the end of your dining time, the room is in full color. Color is “magically” added to the walls and to the waiter’s vests. There are tv screens on the walls and they first show the old black and white cartoons then the color cartoons. Parrot Cay has a colorful tropical theme to it. Your wait staff also follows you to the various restaurants throughout your week. The food was very good to excellent, especially when you ordered one of the waiter’s suggestions. There were various themes, such as Pirate’s night and International night. The lobster tail dinner at the Captain’s dinner was great.

We had birthday cake on the last night of the cruise to celebrate my birthday and the birthday of one of our tablemates, Laura, who came from Scotland. Our other tablemates were Laura’s two children, Kirstey and Robert, and Mary, who came from Reno, Nevada. On the two formal nights, Robert wore a kilt from Scotland, along with white vest and tails one night and a vest with a lace up shirt the second formal night. The Disney Cruise Line has to be the most vigilant about having clean hands and not spreading germs. Every time you enter and exit a dining room you are handed a sani-wipe to clean your hands. Our waiters, Melroy and Brendan, could have been a little more personable. Melroy kept forgetting to bring our drinks, coffee, etc. Brendan was also supposed to let us know about the late night buffet but neglected to do so. We found out when we saw people walking around with their plates. We also found that the restaurants were definitely understaffed. We have never seen a head waiter do so much work on a ship before.

We received a call Wednesday evening to let us know there was a reservation for Brunch at Palo’s the next day. We went to the brunch and had the best waiter, Sasha, from Croatia (fyi- Marco Polo was born and raised in Croatia until the age of 12 and Tessla was also a native of Croatia). The food is to die for and there is such a variety. You pay $10 per person and a glass of champagne or kir royale is included. Our brunch time was 10:30 and we only woke up at 10:05! What a day to sleep in, but we made it there on time.

Entertainment: Disney, as usual, had exceptional stage shows. There were themed Disney shows: The Golden Mickeys, which is a tribute to Disney’s classic movies; Twice Charmed, a twist to the Cinderella story; Disney Dreams (voted the best cruise ship show of all cruise lines by Cruise Critic and the Disney Magic was voted best in overall entertainment by Cruise Critic.), probably the best of the shows; and Remember the Magic, a final farewell. In addition there was Taylor Mason, a hilarious comic/ventriloquist; Randy Cabral, a juggler; and the comedy of Rich Purpura, who we happened to have seen on another cruise line, but still as funny as the first time we saw him. Disney has the day’s activities broken down into groups: family, adult only, and by age group for those under 18 (3-4 years, 5-7, 8-9, 10-12, and teens). They have improved on the activities available for teens.

There were the usual bingo games, music and dancing in Rockin’ Bar D, trivia games, etc. They could find a better place to have some of their trivia games. Some of us get very competitive and when you have trivia questions being asked, it doesn’t help when someone is walking by the lounge on their way back from dinner, and calls out the answers. We definitely did not do well with the tv tune trivia and with the Disney music trivia.

We enjoyed going to Rockin’ Bar D after the show for the evening. One night Tommy was asked to be part of the men vs women competition. He was outfitted in a blonde wig, black leather vest, and drumsticks. He was supposed to be part of Bon Jovi’s band, although I don’t know where they got the blonde hair from. 80’s night was fun also. We won the Pub Challenge trivia contest on Monday in Diversions (bar) which used to be the ESPN Club.


There were plenty of Disney characters on hand each evening outside the Lumiere’s. On Pirate Night there was a Pirates in the Caribbean party by the pool after dinner. One complaint though – we went to watch Pirates…Dead Man’s Chest and the band playing by the next pool was too loud. They played for about a half hour into the movie. Princess Cruise Lines gives you popcorn and blankets to watch the outdoor movies. I wish Disney had done so also. Mickey Mouse came down on a cable from the smoke stack to the party and there were fireworks set off over the ship.

Disney has added an outdoor movie screen like Princess has done. Being Disney they are able to show new releases while on the ship. Underdog was the current new movie, and they played lots of classics and the Pirate movies as well.

Our final night onboard we went to Diversions and watched the crew put on some funny farewell skits. Don’t miss this one.

Ports of Call: In Key West we decided to just go on our own and explore. We walked down by the boardwalk and watched a storm as it was approaching. We ducked into a bar right as the rain came and waited it out at the bar. After the rain let up we found Irish Kevin’s bar and went in to listen to the band. They were having a good old time there. We left and walked around some more, the headed back to the ship. We stopped across the street from Irish Kevin’s to listen to the band some more and they yelled over, “Hey, Kojak, come on in!” So we went in and listened a bit more before returning to the ship.


We took the island tour of Grand Cayman. It was okay – we visited the Turtle Farm, the Tortuga Rum Factory (but we couldn’t buy the alcohol because they won’t deliver it to the Disney ship), and Hell. We asked our driver if we could be dropped off at Seven Mile Beach on the way back. We went to the beach via the Marriott Courtyard. The beach is usually beautiful but this time the water was filled with little bits of floating algae which had been stirred up by Hurricane Dean that had hit the week before we were there. We ate lunch at the Sea Grill at the Marriott which is right on the beach. Lunch was great as was our waitress, Elizabeth. The beach has free access; it is $10 for chair rentals.

When we reached Cozumel we took the Xcaret Archaeological Tour which included lunch (our guide said that Disney is the only cruise line that includes a lunch ticket with the excursion). We went by ferry to the mainland of Mexico then took a short bus ride over to the park. Our driver was Jorge and Juan was our guide. Juan said this was the first time Disney was back to Xcaret since they had been hurricane Ivan. We swam in the underground river which was a lot of fun. If you go, remember to take the right side of the river. This side is the natural river, which has a current. The left side is man-made which means there is no current and the water is a bit stagnant. It took about an hour to get to the end. Then we went to the beach and sort of swam with the dolphins (okay, we were on the other side of the fence, but we had a great view of them).

On Castaway Cay we rented floats and took them to the adult only beach. We had taken a spin class that morning so we didn’t come off the ship until about 11:30. We had to walk quite a long way to get to the chairs, but we did move closer when people left after lunch. Disney provides a nice lunch at the beach – both at the adult and family beaches. We were the last ones to leave the island and get back on the ship.

One thing I noticed is that they take far fewer pictures at the tables than they used to. We didn’t want to wait on line to get pictures taken pre or post dinner. We thought we would have plenty of pictures to choose from when they took them at the table. Same goes for coming off the ship. In the past they were there to take your picture but not this time. We did get a picture taken with the captain, but we didn’t like how it turned out.

We had a nice time on the ship. The stateroom was very comfortable and our steward, Linden, was very helpful. There are not a lot of late night things to do even though the one bar stays open late. It seems that most people leave around midnight. The staff does a good job of getting people involved and dancing and just having a good time. One thing I miss is the casino. Disney does not have one onboard, even though they do have bingo. Who knows, maybe they will add them to their new ships they are going to build. It would also be nice to have some things like miniature golf onboard as well.

Overall, the Disney Magic is a great ship and I would recommend it to any age group.

Hey, kids! No birth certificate, no cruise

Here is a prime example of why consumers should be using travel agents, and why agents need to ensure they have notified their clients as to what documents they need to bring with them.

Hey, kids! No birth certificate, no cruise
written by Anita Dunham-Potter
September 24, 2007

The Mueller family, of Phoenix, was looking forward to a May cruise in Alaska aboard the Norwegian Star. Sue Mueller made a great booking for her family through Hotwire -- or so she thought.

Before the cruise, Mueller checked with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) to make sure she had all the travel documents her family would need for the trip. She knew that passport rules were changing, but like many Americans, she was unsure exactly what paperwork she would need to cruise from Seattle to Alaska.

"I contacted NCL customer service the day before the cruise to verify that we had acceptable documents," recalls Mueller. She says the agent verified that the family's documents -- birth certificates and photo IDs -- were sufficient for the cruise; the agent went on to explain that new passport requirements, which have sent U.S. travelers scrambling over the past year, would not affect cruise passengers until 2008.

Cruiseless in Seattle
But the next day, when the Muellers tried to board the ship in Seattle, they got a terrible shock. Sue and her husband had their birth certificates, as required, but their 16- and 17-year-old sons did not, and the cruise line would not let them board. A staff member said that the cruise line required proof of citizenship for all U.S. citizens; justifying the application of that rule to minors, the agent said that without the birth certificates, "you could be kidnapping them."
Stunned by the development, the Muellers pleaded with the NCL staff and presented their sons' high school photo IDs, explaining that the boys had needed their birth certificates to get them.

No go.

The Muellers were escorted to a waiting area, where they found 20 other passengers with similar documentation issues, including some who had also booked their cruise through Hotwire. The Muellers called home and tried to have a neighbor fax the birth certificates to the pier, but the neighbor could not find them. The Muellers' cruise was dead in the water.

The family was now stranded in Seattle, Mueller says, and no one from NCL offered assistance. "We were crushed," she says. "This was to be our last family vacation before the boys went off to college, and it was especially meaningful because my husband's health is not good."

Instead of vacationing in Alaska, the Muellers spent the week at home. Mueller contacted NCL several times, but the cruise line refused to offer the family a refund or a credit to use toward another cruise. After getting nowhere, Mueller contacted Tripso for help.

A documented mess
I contacted NCL to see what the cruise line could do. AnneMarie Mathews, director of public relations for NCL, said she was sorry to hear about the family's trouble, but pointed out that the Muellers did receive information from the cruise line specifying what documentation they needed to bring.

"The cruise documents that the Muellers received from us had a link to our "Welcome Aboard" booklet that includes a paragraph on necessary documentation," Matthews says. "The requirements state that valid birth certificates are required for all U.S. citizens traveling on Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Alaska, Mexican Riviera, and Canada & New England cruises. We also suggest that travelers visit the U.S. State Department Web site for the latest requirements and overseas information before they sail."

NCL declined to give the Muellers any compensation, arguing that proper documentation is the passenger's responsibility. (All cruise lines take this position.) Furthermore, NCL says, if travelers show up at the pier without proper documentation, they are not entitled to a refund. Hotwire includes the same documentation information on its Web site.

Mueller did buy travel insurance through Travel Guard and she made a claim, but it was denied. None of the three big travel insurance companies (Travel Guard, Access America and CSA Travel) covers such claims. NCL's own travel insurance contains a cancel-for-any-reason clause, which would have resulted in a credit of 75 percent to 90 percent of the Muellers' cruise fare, but the Muellers did not purchase that NCL policy.

Don't miss the boat
Problems like the Muellers' will soon disappear -- not because cruise lines will become more tenderhearted, but because the days of anyone cruising with a U.S. birth certificate are numbered. Passports are already required for all U.S. citizens entering the country by air. Entry by land or by cruise ship is still exempted from the passport requirement, but the cutoff date for the exemption is January 1, 2009. According to the State Department, phase-in dates for the passport requirement have not yet been determined, but passports could be required for cruise travelers as early as the summer of 2008. So for the next year, documentation requirements will be in flux.

I've received many letters and phone calls from cruise travelers with documentation problems like the Muellers'. Every one of these cases came from travelers who had booked their own cruises. While doing it yourself can sometimes save you money, you can also lose all your vacation money if you do not have the right information about documentation.
My advice for travelers booking cruises over the next year is to work with a travel agent who can advise you on up-to-date documentation requirements. Yes, you will pay for the service, but it's money wisely invested.

As for Sue Mueller, she's learned her lesson. "Hindsight!" she sighs. "Now I wish I had done more. I hope no one else ever has a similar situation."

THE SEVEN LESSONS OF INSPIRATION

The following article can be applied to the enthusiasm we need to use when selling travel:

THE SEVEN LESSONS OF INSPIRATION - BY YEOH SIEW HOON

What do you get when you gather eight world leaders in branding – either as individuals or by association with the companies they represent – in one room over two days? Well, you get an instant combustion of inspiration, energy and thought. Karthik Siva, chairman of the Global Brand Forum, calls it "a brilliant alchemy". It is well-known why Siva started this event that has come to be known as the "Davos of branding". Says Siva, "Transformation is not possible without inspiration and the quickest way to get inspired is to be in the presence of inspired leaders. It's always worked for me."

Over the years, names like Anita Roddick, Francis Ford Coppola, Rudi Guiliani and Deepak Chopra have fired up the event with their passion, imagination, courage and wisdom. This year, Al Gore headlined the list which included John Quelch, senior dean, Harvard Business School; Kevin Roberts, Global CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi; Nigel Parsons, managing director, Al Jazeera International; Tapio Hedman, senior vice president, Multimedia Marketing, Nokia; Martin Roll, Asian brand guru; Tony Fernandes, Group CEO, AirAsia; and Richard Kimber, regional managing director of South Asia, Korea and Australia/New Zealand, Google.

As I sat through the two days of presentations and discussions, here's what I gleaned about inspiration, branding and leadership.
1. The people who inspire make it personal. Al Gore spoke about his emotional journey after he won, then lost, the US elections. He weaved his wife and family into his stories. ??Tony Fernandes shared his disillusionment with the corporate world when he told the story of how he moved from the music world to aviation. Nigel Parsons spoke about his "personal oddysey" in starting up Al Jazeera International and told the story of how he was offered the job of a lifetime "to make a difference".

2. The people who inspire tell stories. Al Gore, Tony Fernandes and Nigel Parsons all told stories to get their message across. Kevin Roberts, who punctuated his presentation with plenty of feel-good commercials, said, "The winners will be the ones who know how consumers feel. It's not to know more, but to feel more." (He was talking about brands by the way.)

3. The people who connect best use humour. Gore used it masterfully, Nigel Parsons charmed with his dry and ironic brand of wit, Tony Fernandes shoveled it out in spades, Tapio Hedman made an instant connection when he quipped that he didn't know why he had been given the honour of coming after Al Gore and speaking right after lunch.

4. The people who inspire are irreverent. Daring to poke fun at the establishment always works because that's naughty and people love being naughty.

5. The people who inspire combine substance with style. People love their steak but they also want the sizzle. Speakers who are too heavy on content and theories and light on personal touches tend to lose their audience.

6. The people who inspire walk the talk. Nokia's Taipo Hedman is a credible messenger of his company's brand values. Suave, sleek, personal – "human technology" at work. Google's Richard Kimber was not what you would expect of a Google-ite. He was more corporate-like than alternative-like. Perhaps that's what happens when an idea born in a garage becomes the world's biggest brand in eight years.

7. Inspiration is succinct. People who beat around the bush lose people in the bush. When was the last time you were inspired by someone who went and on about the same point? Think of quotes that inspire. "I have a dream." "Be the change you want to see." Kevin Roberts said, "For big decisions, follow your heart. For small decisions, follow your head." Karthik Siva, responding to criticisms that the GBF at S$3,500 per head was too expensive, said, "If you think knowledge is expensive, try ignorance."

Words. Stories. Humour. Emotion. Conviction. Brevity. The stuff of inspiration.

Note: Pop in for more doses of inspiration from Yeoh Siew Hoon over the next few weeks at the Transit Café - http://www.thetransitcafe.com/

New Celebrity Solstice

Celebrity Releases First Details of Solstice Class Ships

Celebrity Cruises has unveiled details of its new Solstice class ships, the first of which, the Celebrity Solstice, will make its maiden voyage in the Caribbean in December 2008. Last night in New York Celebrity made the first of a half-dozen announcements that the it plans about the new class of ships; the event focused specifically on the ship's staterooms. Dan Hanrahan, Celebrity's president and CEO, said research for the stateroom design began even before the cruise line cut steel for the ships. Recognizing that women are the decision-makers when it comes to cruising, Celebrity put together a panel of five women -- a frequent cruiser, a travel agent, a non-cruiser, a hotelier and a travel writer-to get their input on staterooms -- that spent four months helping Celebrity design the staterooms. The result: staterooms that are 15 percent larger than those in Celebrity's Millennium ships, and bathrooms that are 24 percent larger and have touches such as fog free mirrors and bars for women to rest their feet upon while shaving their legs. "The showers are the biggest you'll find at sea," said Hanrahan.

To better accommodate luggage, beds are higher, so bags fit underneath, and there are additional nooks and crannies for storage. The ships have interconnecting stateroom, but since space that connects also conducts sound, each has a vestibule with a double set of doors to muffle sound. Triple and quad rooms all have trundle beds that extend from couches as well as Pullman beds, meaning parents can put smaller children in the lower trundles. Staterooms are roughly 295 to 300 square feet, not including balconies. The ship has WiFi, staterooms have 32-inch flat screen TVs, while suites have larger flat-screen TVs. There is also the new AquaClass, which is tied into the ship's spa. It includes 130 of the ship's 1,425 staterooms. Celebrity Solstice is the line's first in a class for four 2,850-passenger vessels. German shipbuilder Meyer Werft, which constructed the line's Century-class fleet, is building the 122,000-GRT ship. For more information, visit www.celebritycruises.com or www.cruisecelebritysolstice.com

Disney Review from Travel Editor

Disney First Timers
James Shillinglaw, Editor-in-Chief

James Shillinglaw, CTC, a veteran travel editor and journalist, Editor-in-Chief of ModernAgent's Travel Pulse and Agent@Home magazine.By James Shillinglaw
Published on April 11, 2007
After covering this business for nearly 17 years, I've seen my share of theme parks. Indeed, I've probably been to Walt Disney World alone nearly 20 times for various openings and industry conferences. My kids have been there roughly 15 times, so they are Disney veterans (they would say "experts").

So when I hear of someone who has never been to Disney, I always wonder what their reaction will be when they visit for the first time. That's why it was so interesting to me earlier this year when we traveled with another family from our hometown to Disney World for a crash course in theme parks (namely four parks in four days). There were eight of us in total (four parents, four kids). The other family's two kids are in their teens, as are mine, so this was a very different kind of Disney visit for both of us.

To be honest, I was never worried about the kids. I knew mine would show their two friends a good time, since they long ago figured out the rides and attractions they like. In fact, it was the adults that I was more worried about.

My friend Neal seemed to be convinced he wouldn't have a good time. In fact, he asked if I could reserve golf tee times three out of the four days we were down in Florida. I did that, but Neal called a few days before we left to tell me he had a bad back, so he couldn't golf. He seemed resigned to visiting the theme parks, though he vowed to return early each day for time at the pool and exercise.

Well, guess what! Our kids certainly enjoyed Disney World, but I suspect Neal and his wife Carol had an equally good time. Neal seemed a bit amazed by the whole experience – "I never knew what marketing really was until I came down here," he told me. He also marveled at the vaunted Disney efficiency as well as the cleanliness of the parks.

In the end, I'm not sure he bought into the whole Disney ethos, but he seemed eager to experience each individual theme park visit -- perhaps as much as his kids. The clincher for me was when we were in Epcot and our kids decided to go back to the room so they could change and go to Blizzard Beach for swim. Neal and I decided to stay in Epcot. We did a few more attractions and then had a pleasant Middle Eastern lunch at an outdoor café in the Morocco section of the park.

That said, Neal and his family agreed they liked Disney's Animal Kingdom the best, which was of interest to me, since I'd been at the opening of that park back in 1998. At the time, I felt the park needed a few more attractions to improve the overall experience. With the new Expedition Everest roller coaster and such shows as "Finding Nemo," Animal Kingdom now seems to hit its stride.

Indeed, a long line at Expedition Everest didn't even bother Neal, who enjoyed the whole lead-in to the heavily themed attraction. In the end, he went on nearly every Disney "thrill" ride along with me and our kids (although he opted for the "mild" experience on Mission Space at Epcot). His wife Carol even braved the Aerosmith Rock n' Roller Coaster at Disney MGM Studios, though she looked a little green at the end of the ride.

At night I think our friends were surprised by the quality of the dining experience. We had dinners at Todd English's bluezoo at the Dolphin Resort and Wolfgang Puck in Downtown Disney. Our accommodations at Disney's Coronado Springs Resorts were some of the best I've ever had for families at Disney World – two two-bedroom suites with giant living rooms, dining rooms and a full kitchen (not that we used it).

Neal was very happy with the fitness center, which had a full complement of exercise equipment, as well as the large pool complex at the resort. At night, our kids were able to return by themselves to the theme parks that were open late. We had no qualms about their safety (and we relished a bit more adult time, to be honest). Now that was a bit of a change from my family's previous visits!

Okay, so why relate this personal story about my family's winter break? The answer is because you never know what your potential customers have or haven't experienced in a vacation. In this case, here was a fairly affluent family (Neal is a lawyer) that had never even thought about going to Disney before. They just needed someone to be their guide to the parks – and that's a role you as travel agents can and do play!

There's a vast amount of business out there in nearly every community in America. With the web, we tend to think everyone knows everything there is to know about the vacation options out there. But that simply isn't true. Very often your clients will be surprised about the things you know about and the vacations you can book for them.



James Shillinglaw
Editor-in-Chief

Comparing the Explorer to the Azamara Journey

My clients, who are big fans of the RCI, just returned from the Azamara Journey to Bermuda. You can see the review below. I then asked her to compare the 2 experiences (since they sailed to Bermuda last year on the Explorer) and here was the response:

It's hard to compare them; they're both so different. It’s going to depend on what the person is looking for. The Journey is a much more intimate experience while the Explorer is a bigger, WOW kind of ship.

The biggest advantage of the Journey is that it gets into Hamilton and St. George. We were on deck when we were going through the cut into St. George and saw the cannon fired and heard the town crier. Being in town definitely has its advantages. Going from the dockyard to Hamilton takes about 45 minutes by ferry or bus and you have to wait for them. While we were in Hamilton, we sat out on the promenade and watched and listened to the street festival. I also loved the fact that we got to see so much of the cruise director and crew. On the Explorer, we rarely got to see any of the crew, let alone talk to them. The food might have been a tad better on Journey over the Explorer; but not significantly. As I mentioned earlier, we really liked having the table on the balcony for breakfasts in the cabin. The Explorer doesn't have this. I think the shows on the Explorer were better. The theatre on the Explorer class of ships is much more comfortable (seats and views). Big, extravagant stage shows vs. small, intimate, cabaret style shows. If you arrive late, you'll have a hard time finding a seat let alone seeing the show.

If someone is looking for more athletic activities, then the Explorer is the better way to go. There aren't many on Journey (shuffleboard, jogging track and gym) vs. Explorer (rock climbing wall, skating, miniature golf, in line skating, basketball, shuffleboard, jogging, gym). If you're looking for more group activities, I think the Explorer is better. There were lots of trivia contests on Journey; none of the hairy chest, Quest, etc. The Journey appears to be geared toward more mature adults (lecture series, computer classes, cooking demonstration, etc.). Since the Journey isn't geared toward children, there are no children's activities. Obviously, Explorer has Ocean Adventure Club.

Hope this helps.

Debbie

Client review of Azamara Journey

Please keep in mind that these clients love Royal Caribbean and have sailed the Voyager class series of ships many times. They are in their late 40's/ early 50's. This is a great review:

Embarkation– Went very smoothly. They changed the parking facilities at Port Bayonne and moved them away from the dry docks and construction of the new pier. Ron also heard that they were going to construct an indoor parking facility. I hope it’s in place for our February cruise! We arrived at 1:00, dropped off our luggage and utilized the handicapped parking section. We got one of the few spots left in that section. We went through security and made our way over to the counter. There were no lines and we breezed through registration since we had done the online check in. We had our picture taken and walked onto the ship. The staff greeted us with a choice of mimosa or a glass of champagne and we were in our cabin by 1:15! The muster drill was different than any other we’ve ever been through. Our muster station was the dining room. We went down there, listened to the instructions and were then led to the life boats.

Buffet Dining – The buffet area is small and congested. We generally had trouble finding a place to sit. We used the buffet for lunch the days we were in port and for breakfast the last morning. It was very crowded and we generally had a hard time finding a place to sit and eat. The buffet consisted of a salad bar and freshly made Caesar salads, a sandwich station, cold side dish station, a carving station (one item and it changed day to day), hot prepared main dishes and side dishes, dessert, fresh fruit and ice cream station. For breakfast, there was a station that had French toast, pancakes and waffles, and station for freshly made omelets, hot sides (bacon, sausage,
blintzes, etc), cereal, pastry and fresh fruit. I mostly had Caesar salad and cheese and crackers for lunch. They were very good. Ron said most of the hot foods were always cold. This is why I don’t like buffets!

Discoveries Dining Room – Breakfast was mediocre and the service wasn’t that great. I asked for Iced Tea one morning, never got it and when I asked one of the waiters about it, I was told “Ask your waiter”. I made the mistake of asking for scrambled eggs one morning and was very disappointed. I think they were made with powdered eggs; they had no taste. They also ran out of tomato juice by the end of the cruise. Lunch was better. I had seared tuna for lunch one day and it was fabulous! The lunch and dinner meals were generally very good. One of the assistant head waiters was very friendly. We were talking to him one day and I told him how much I had enjoyed the Goat Cheese and Potato Tart and he offered to have the chef make it for me another night. I took him up on it and he did! It was FABULOUS!!!

Specialty Dining – We went up to “Prime C” for reservations on Saturday after checking out the ship (3:00). We were able to get a reservation for Wednesday night at 6:00. Earlier nights we would have had to taken a 9:30 reservation and that was too late for us. My observation… it seems that the Captains Club members get two complementary evenings, they were able to make reservations earlier than the cruise and they took up most of the reservations. Our dinner and the service were both INCREDIBLE. We really enjoyed it overlooking Front Street in Hamilton.

Excursions – Since we’ve been to Bermuda several times and since my knees aren’t quite what they should be these days, we opted not to use any of the excursions. We asked about a taxi tour and rejected it when we were told it would be $108.00. Instead what we did was get a two day transportation pass and tour the island by bus and ferry following the maps. We were able to see most of the sites and talk to some of the Bermudians. One of them was telling us that there is an average of one fatality each month on the scooters. While walking down Front Street, we passed by the scooter rentals and noticed most them had bald tires. I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone.

Entertainment – The Cabaret singers performed twice during the cruise. They had okay voices on their own, but had very good harmony and sounded good when they sang together. This is a good example of “the sum of the parts being greater than the parts themselves”. The magician/musician (Bob Brizendine) was hysterical and we enjoyed his shows the most. The lounge singer (Geoffrey Tozer) was mediocre. It was like watching karaoke. The last performer was a comedian/musician (Bill Mulligan) who took peoples names and made up songs about where they were from and what they did. He was quite good.

Cruise Director – Andrea is from Italy and was a Chemical Engineer before getting his MBA from a California university. How he ended up as a cruise director is still a question, but I’m glad he did. He was delightful and was the most approachable cruise director we’ve ever run into. His passion is astronomy and he gave a lecture on it during the cruise. He also did three “star gazing” sessions and they were great. We went up to deck 11, the lights were turned off and he pointed out the stars, planets and constellations by laser pointer. He was actually at the end of ramp when we got off the ship shaking hands and saying goodbye to everyone.

Enrichment Series – Dr. Joel Klass (physician and psychotherapist) gave three lectures during the week on Hired Guns (How experts can influence juries), Stress (How to eliminate it from your life) and Dreams (How to interpret them). He was very informative and easy to listen to. He has a very dry sense of humor and it was peppered throughout his lectures and the conversations we had with him. He sat with us at dinner one night and I laughed throughout dinner.

Aquaspa – This was one of the highlights of my cruise. I ended up having three massages and a facial. Long story, short… but one of the massage therapists was the best I ever used. I had two deep tissue massages and she was extremely thorough and used techniques other than traditional massage. (I offered to bring her home.) The aesthetician who did my facial was very friendly and very gentle. I felt great when it was over. As usual, there is always a hard sell for products at the end of each session, but I’ve been able to fend them off by saying I have tons of product (which I do). Ron took advantage of the Thalassotherapy pool every day and enjoyed it.

Cabin – The cabin was a bit smaller than what we’re used to. We had a queen sized bed (no rounded corners as on the RCL beds), down comforter and pillows. The bathroom was much smaller than I expected. The shower was TINY!!! However, the Elemis products (soap, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion) were a welcome addition.

We asked the “butler”/cabin steward to remove the contents of the mini fridge and replace it with Diet Coke. On past cruises, at the end of the cruise, they counted up how many were consumed and charged us based on that. On Azamara, they charged the full amount to our bill right away. It wasn’t until we questioned an item on our statement that we found out that we prepaid for all of it.

There was fresh fruit in our cabin every day and the fresh flowers in our cabin lasted all week. One of the nicer attributes of the cabin was the balcony. It had a dining table and two chairs. We took advantage of it and had breakfast on our balcony the mornings we were in port. Breakfast was delivered on time, was hot and they called right before delivery. We did order canapés one day and they were good. Instead of the traditional piece of chocolate on our pillow each night we received a variety of treats (a miniature rose, cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolates, cookies, etc.).

General Comments – We were probably some of the youngest couples on the ship. Many of the passengers were 70+. We enjoyed being on a smaller ship. It’s very tastefully decorated; lots of wood paneling and moulding. I don’t recall seeing any handicapped bathrooms. Everyone we met was very friendly. There was no problem getting lounge chairs at any time and they were very comfortable. Many of the public areas are much smaller than on the other ships we’ve been on (elevators, hallways, stairwells, etc.). However, we missed the walk-around promenade. The cabaret lounge furniture was not the most comfortable.

We’ve heard lots of rumors about them not allowing cruise ships in to Hamilton next year. Not sure if it’s true or not. If true, it will be a shame. We also heard that most of the Celebrity crew will be leaving before the ship goes to Orient. They will be filling the staff with their own staff. If I think of anything else, I’ll send it along.

Regards,

Debbie