With gasoline prices going nowhere but up this spring and summer, a cruise vacation becomes an even better deal for you and your family.
Besides the Caribbean and Bahamas, summer is when Alaska and Bermuda cruises take off, along with Canada/New England and Europe. There are even some cruises along the West coast of the US, and you can sail Hawaii every week of the year.
If you live in the East, lots of cruise ports are a day's drive from home, saving you the cost of airfare. But even if you have to fly to begin your cruise, it remains the most cost-effective vacation you can take, short of a week in the woods slapping mosquitoes and cooking meals like you were home!
That's what so great about a cruise--you don't have to lift a finger! No dishes to wash, groceries to shop for, making your bed--you know the drill. Even if you can only get away for a short 3-night cruise, you'll enjoy being free to do whatever you want for 3 solid days, and all the pampering that goes along with a cruise.
And if you have the luxury of time and some money, you can see some incredible sights, especially in Alaska, the land of the midnight sun.
So don't give up on a family vacation just because it costs a fortune to gas up your car. Leave the car at home and take a cruise. You'll be a hero to your family and you'll have a wonderful adventure yourself!
Call me so we can talk about how to save your vacation this summer--
440-979-9090 or toll free 888-979-0690.
I'll be around until July 1, when we leave for our second Alaska cruise!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Time to book your holiday cruise
You've no doubt heard the expression "The early bird gets the worm," right?
Well, in the world of cruising, that expression is especially true for folks who want to cruise at Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's Eve. It's a fact that New Year's Eve cruises are THE most expensive of the entire year, so the only way to avoid paying too much is to book EARLY!
Next to New Year's, Christmas week is the second most expensive, and harder to get for cabins that hold more than 2 people.
So what's my advice?
Even if it's only April, get moving! You only need to make a deposit now to hold your space, although final payments for holiday sailings are sooner than usual. But there's still time to get a good deal if you get moving.
So, call me at 888-979-0690 and we can start working on your holiday cruise with the family,
or just for the 2 of you.
Well, in the world of cruising, that expression is especially true for folks who want to cruise at Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's Eve. It's a fact that New Year's Eve cruises are THE most expensive of the entire year, so the only way to avoid paying too much is to book EARLY!
Next to New Year's, Christmas week is the second most expensive, and harder to get for cabins that hold more than 2 people.
So what's my advice?
Even if it's only April, get moving! You only need to make a deposit now to hold your space, although final payments for holiday sailings are sooner than usual. But there's still time to get a good deal if you get moving.
So, call me at 888-979-0690 and we can start working on your holiday cruise with the family,
or just for the 2 of you.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Why you need a cruise specialist
When you're spending the kind of money it takes to cruise for a week or more,
you need to put your trust in an expert, even if you've cruised before.
And while cruises are the single most affordable type of vacation, short of sitting on the porch for a week, there are still a lot of details and tips for a great trip that a cruise specialist can provide.
I've been in the cruise business for nearly 10 years, full time, and I'm still learning. Every year there are new ships coming out, new itineraries and ports of call, new shore excursions to recommend and enough price programs to make my head spin. It's the nature of the beast, and I love it.
So often a client will call me after having spent hours and hours on the computer trying to figure out where he/she wants to go, on what ship and at what price. Since I've been doing this so long, it's easy for me to ask a few key questions of the client, and then begin the research. If the phone doesn't ring, I can usually get back to the client in less than an hour, ready to recommend 2 ships to them for consideration, unless they already know what they want.
We talk about the options, differences in ships, types of cabins, location, airfare arrangements and prices. Before long I'm taking their deposit and important information to enter into the computer, and before long, I'm emailing them a confirmation of their booking. Done!
All in less time than it takes to drive to the grocery store.
After the sale, the relationship continues. I send the client a ton of information for a successful cruise, and do a trip planner of shore excursions for them to review. When they've decided what they want, I order their shore excursions and email them the vouchers for them.
Often clients will want details about the ports of call they will be visiting, so I research them and email the details. I help them complete their online passenger immigration information now required by law, and get their seat assignments when their air schedule is complete. If they are not buying airfare from the cruiseline, I will purchase it online for them and email the e-tickets.
When the cruise tickets arrive, I prepare a lovely travel folder and run a highlighter through all the ticket information they need to respond to or complete. Then the client is free to come over to pick up the tickets and have a meeting to review everything, or I mail them and follow up with a phone call to make sure there are no questions.
Once clients return, I call them to make sure everything went according to plan and to obtain any comments they have about the cruise line to share with my district sales manager. If there were problems (this is rare), I work to resolve them for the client, sometimes working with the cruise line and other times with the travel insurance company if the client purchased trip insurance.
I continue to follow up with clients to see what future cruise plans they may be considering, and begin the whole process over again when they are ready.
So, that's why you need a cruise specialist!
you need to put your trust in an expert, even if you've cruised before.
And while cruises are the single most affordable type of vacation, short of sitting on the porch for a week, there are still a lot of details and tips for a great trip that a cruise specialist can provide.
I've been in the cruise business for nearly 10 years, full time, and I'm still learning. Every year there are new ships coming out, new itineraries and ports of call, new shore excursions to recommend and enough price programs to make my head spin. It's the nature of the beast, and I love it.
So often a client will call me after having spent hours and hours on the computer trying to figure out where he/she wants to go, on what ship and at what price. Since I've been doing this so long, it's easy for me to ask a few key questions of the client, and then begin the research. If the phone doesn't ring, I can usually get back to the client in less than an hour, ready to recommend 2 ships to them for consideration, unless they already know what they want.
We talk about the options, differences in ships, types of cabins, location, airfare arrangements and prices. Before long I'm taking their deposit and important information to enter into the computer, and before long, I'm emailing them a confirmation of their booking. Done!
All in less time than it takes to drive to the grocery store.
After the sale, the relationship continues. I send the client a ton of information for a successful cruise, and do a trip planner of shore excursions for them to review. When they've decided what they want, I order their shore excursions and email them the vouchers for them.
Often clients will want details about the ports of call they will be visiting, so I research them and email the details. I help them complete their online passenger immigration information now required by law, and get their seat assignments when their air schedule is complete. If they are not buying airfare from the cruiseline, I will purchase it online for them and email the e-tickets.
When the cruise tickets arrive, I prepare a lovely travel folder and run a highlighter through all the ticket information they need to respond to or complete. Then the client is free to come over to pick up the tickets and have a meeting to review everything, or I mail them and follow up with a phone call to make sure there are no questions.
Once clients return, I call them to make sure everything went according to plan and to obtain any comments they have about the cruise line to share with my district sales manager. If there were problems (this is rare), I work to resolve them for the client, sometimes working with the cruise line and other times with the travel insurance company if the client purchased trip insurance.
I continue to follow up with clients to see what future cruise plans they may be considering, and begin the whole process over again when they are ready.
So, that's why you need a cruise specialist!
Friday, March 30, 2007
Plan early for Christmas sailings
The early bird definitely gets the worm when it comes to getting a good deal on a cruise around the holidays.
It's not too early to find good pricing and availability, and to lock in cruise line airfare if you're going to need it. Before long, rates will be much higher, availability much lower, and airfare out of sight.
With Christmas on a Tuesday this year, your 7-night cruise starting the previous Saturday or Sunday will put you on the ship for the big day, when the crew dresses up like elves and the ships are decorated to the max! It's a very festive, fun way to celebrate Christmas, and significantly less expensive than a New Year's cruise, which is the most expensive week of the entire year to cruise.
So check out my website or call me toll free to plan your holiday cruise today.
www.cruiseone.com/pdarnell
or call me at 888-979-0690. Open 7 days a week from 9 am to 6 pm EST.
It's not too early to find good pricing and availability, and to lock in cruise line airfare if you're going to need it. Before long, rates will be much higher, availability much lower, and airfare out of sight.
With Christmas on a Tuesday this year, your 7-night cruise starting the previous Saturday or Sunday will put you on the ship for the big day, when the crew dresses up like elves and the ships are decorated to the max! It's a very festive, fun way to celebrate Christmas, and significantly less expensive than a New Year's cruise, which is the most expensive week of the entire year to cruise.
So check out my website or call me toll free to plan your holiday cruise today.
www.cruiseone.com/pdarnell
or call me at 888-979-0690. Open 7 days a week from 9 am to 6 pm EST.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Getting your feet wet with a Caribbean cruise
Most people start their cruising life with a short cruise to the Bahamas or the Caribbean. This is a great way to get your feet wet, learn the ropes and get the lingo down. But the fact is, a 3 or 4-day cruise is simply not enough time to really experience ship life and all the fun you can have. It will teach you the basics, but you really haven't cruised until you've done 7 nights or more.
With a 7-night cruise, you can select between the Eastern, Western or Southern Caribbean, and each itinerary has its high points. Typically, Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries sail from ports in Florida, New York, Galveston and New Orleans.
Southern Caribbean cruises that are only 7 nights always sail from San Juan, Puerto Rico. It's a bit more expensive to fly to San Juan than to one of the Southern US ports, but you'll get usually 5 or 6 islands instead of 3 or 4; and they are pretty exotic islands at that, like St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Martin. There are some Southern Caribbean itineraries that are 10 or 11 days that sail from Florida, so you don't have the expense of San Juan airfare. You will have more days at sea, usually about the same number of islands. So it's a trade-off.
Historically, the Western Caribbean is more popular than the Eastern, although it is a very personal decision. For the Westerns, you'll usually visit Grand Cayman, Cozumel and maybe Costa Maya or Progresso in Mexico. On the Eastern side, you'll almost always get St. Thomas, and then maybe Nassau, St. Martin and San Juan. Every ship is different, but generally these are the usual suspects.
Many cruise lines also add a day at one of their private islands, reserved exclusively for their guests. These are big fun, and they give you that day at the beach that you might have missed while sightseeing in the other ports of call.
Of course, like any port of call, you can stay on the ship if you like. If you do get off, you can come and go as you please--just be sure to be on board when they pull up the gangway, because they don't go back for anybody! And they are on a set schedule-- if they tell you to be back on board at 4:45 pm, they mean it, because at the stroke of 5 pm, they will pull out and be on their way.
The Caribbean has so many faces, each one different and well worth exploring.
We've been to the Eastern side any number of times, and we really love it, especially St. Thomas/St. John. But we like Cozumel and Grand Cayman, too, and have been there several times, too.
In cruising, there's hardly ever a bad day, even if the weather isn't cooperating, which is pretty rare. After all, you're on vacation!
Visit my website for lots of information and to obtqain a quote:
www.cruiseone.com/pdarnell
With a 7-night cruise, you can select between the Eastern, Western or Southern Caribbean, and each itinerary has its high points. Typically, Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries sail from ports in Florida, New York, Galveston and New Orleans.
Southern Caribbean cruises that are only 7 nights always sail from San Juan, Puerto Rico. It's a bit more expensive to fly to San Juan than to one of the Southern US ports, but you'll get usually 5 or 6 islands instead of 3 or 4; and they are pretty exotic islands at that, like St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Martin. There are some Southern Caribbean itineraries that are 10 or 11 days that sail from Florida, so you don't have the expense of San Juan airfare. You will have more days at sea, usually about the same number of islands. So it's a trade-off.
Historically, the Western Caribbean is more popular than the Eastern, although it is a very personal decision. For the Westerns, you'll usually visit Grand Cayman, Cozumel and maybe Costa Maya or Progresso in Mexico. On the Eastern side, you'll almost always get St. Thomas, and then maybe Nassau, St. Martin and San Juan. Every ship is different, but generally these are the usual suspects.
Many cruise lines also add a day at one of their private islands, reserved exclusively for their guests. These are big fun, and they give you that day at the beach that you might have missed while sightseeing in the other ports of call.
Of course, like any port of call, you can stay on the ship if you like. If you do get off, you can come and go as you please--just be sure to be on board when they pull up the gangway, because they don't go back for anybody! And they are on a set schedule-- if they tell you to be back on board at 4:45 pm, they mean it, because at the stroke of 5 pm, they will pull out and be on their way.
The Caribbean has so many faces, each one different and well worth exploring.
We've been to the Eastern side any number of times, and we really love it, especially St. Thomas/St. John. But we like Cozumel and Grand Cayman, too, and have been there several times, too.
In cruising, there's hardly ever a bad day, even if the weather isn't cooperating, which is pretty rare. After all, you're on vacation!
Visit my website for lots of information and to obtqain a quote:
www.cruiseone.com/pdarnell
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Finding the best deal
Despite all the attention that cruise websites get, the fact is that most people need and want to work with someone who knows the real deal about a cruise vacation.
From my perspective, I am usually glad when my clients have done some homework on the internet, looking at cruises, itineraries, ships and prices.
But even if they haven't done any homework, it's still a thrill for me to find them the best deal and offer service that cannot compare with buying off the internet.
It's apples and oranges, I always say.
After 9+ years selling cruises full time, seven days a week, I feel pretty confident that I can help people find the perfect cruise for them, at a great price.
As a CruiseOne franchisee, I'm part of a family of nearly 500 business owners and a corporate office staff second to none. We're part of the largest cruise-selling company in the country, and proud of it!
Visit my website for more information:
www.cruiseone.com/pdarnell
Talk to you soon, I hope!
From my perspective, I am usually glad when my clients have done some homework on the internet, looking at cruises, itineraries, ships and prices.
But even if they haven't done any homework, it's still a thrill for me to find them the best deal and offer service that cannot compare with buying off the internet.
It's apples and oranges, I always say.
After 9+ years selling cruises full time, seven days a week, I feel pretty confident that I can help people find the perfect cruise for them, at a great price.
As a CruiseOne franchisee, I'm part of a family of nearly 500 business owners and a corporate office staff second to none. We're part of the largest cruise-selling company in the country, and proud of it!
Visit my website for more information:
www.cruiseone.com/pdarnell
Talk to you soon, I hope!
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Alaska Again
We're about to take our second cruise to Alaska in July,
and I can hardly wait. This time it's a family reunion cruise,
with four of our five daughters, their spouses and assorted children
and other relatives. The girls wanted to take a cruise with Dad,
and none of them had been to Alaska, so it was a logical choice.
We're sailing on Celebrity Infinity.
There is something about Alaska that is bigger than life. I remember so well standing on the balcony of our cabin and looking at mountains that I thought were covered in greenery--grass or moss or something. But the closer we got to them, it became apparent that it wasn't moss covering those mountains, it was huge pine trees, thousands of them as far as the eye could see!
Suddenly several bald eagles swooped down for a pass at the ship, the first of thousands we would see during the week. No longer are they an endangered species, at least in the wilds of Alaska. Humpback whales cruised along side the ship, too, exciting everyone. In Juneau we took a whale watch excursion, and got so close to them you could almost touch them! Humpbacks and orcas were everywhere that day, a scene I think about almost daily, even five years later.
To plan your Alaska cruise, visit my website:
www.cruiseon.com/pdarnell
and I can hardly wait. This time it's a family reunion cruise,
with four of our five daughters, their spouses and assorted children
and other relatives. The girls wanted to take a cruise with Dad,
and none of them had been to Alaska, so it was a logical choice.
We're sailing on Celebrity Infinity.
There is something about Alaska that is bigger than life. I remember so well standing on the balcony of our cabin and looking at mountains that I thought were covered in greenery--grass or moss or something. But the closer we got to them, it became apparent that it wasn't moss covering those mountains, it was huge pine trees, thousands of them as far as the eye could see!
Suddenly several bald eagles swooped down for a pass at the ship, the first of thousands we would see during the week. No longer are they an endangered species, at least in the wilds of Alaska. Humpback whales cruised along side the ship, too, exciting everyone. In Juneau we took a whale watch excursion, and got so close to them you could almost touch them! Humpbacks and orcas were everywhere that day, a scene I think about almost daily, even five years later.
To plan your Alaska cruise, visit my website:
www.cruiseon.com/pdarnell
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