World's Largest Cruise Event!

It’s that time of year again! National Cruise Vacation month is being celebrated this month. But at Cruise Planners, we have taken the party to a whole new level. From October 12 to 19th we are showing our Cruisitude by holding a gigantic World’s Largest Cruise Event Sale. We have special offers from 7 of the most popular cruise lines and knock-your-socks-off promotions ranging from shipboard credits to 2 for 1 airfares. But don’t procrastinate because these limited time offers will sail away with you.

You don't have to be present to take advantage of these great deals.

Cambridge Who's Who

It is official, I am finally a member.

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/lina-dicola-inducted-into-cambridge-whos-who-169388.php

It's midnight and there is an emergency.

My daughter works on the NCL Pride of America and one night......she was sitting in the crew mess area late at night when the emergency signals went off. She and her friends all briefly looked at each other for a split second to register what that meant and then they were off running to their stations. They train for a week prior to learning their actual job, to make sure they can do what it may take in the event of an emergency. They learn crowd control, how to put out a fire and make sure they can swim and save a life. This is not all they learn, but it is what comes to my mind. That evening they were pumped running door to door alerting the guests and interrupting their sleep and showers. Grab your life vests and head to your station now! The fire crew were running and changing into their fire safety uniforms at the same time. How difficult that must be, but they did it. After about 7 minutes of ciaos, someone comes on the intercom and says it was a false (faulty alarm). Some of the crew was happy, others a bit disappointed because that is what they train for and well you can imagine how upset some of the guests were. Here is my thinking; if I was on that ship and a faulty alarm goes off. Why would I be mad? Because I was inconvenienced for a few minutes? No!!! I would be first relieved that it was a false alarm and I can safely go about my business and be grateful that I have a crew that knows what to do. I think I would feel much safer after a display like that, wouldn't you?

Can you trust the cruise ship reviews online?

There was recently a rather large dust up when it was disclosed that a major cruise line had given away some free cruises to a core group of its fans who posted regularly on a large cruise community site. There were many cries of “foul” and “reverse censorship”. While this may have been blown a bit out of proportion, it does open the door to a question lots of novice cruisers ask. And the question is “Should I trust the reviews I read on sites like Cruise Critic?” The answer is Yes and No.

Why the ambiguity? Because the most important thing to remember that what you are reading is just one person (or couple’s) opinion about a particular ship, cruise line or service amenity. Have you ever gone to a shore side restaurant that a friend raves about and found it to be very disappointing? I think we all have. And what about that fabulous plumber who was recommended strongly? The one who broke the pipe and flooded your new carpet? Oops.

So, it is best to consider these reviews with a grain of salt. They are good for general trends and recommendations and certainly provide some insider tips. Generally, if there are a large number of reviews and all or most of them are negative on a topic, there is likely to be some underlying cause. Then again, there is a certain group of people that would complain if they got a million dollars in cash that it was in old bills and not crisp new ones. Go figure.

The fact that 80% of all people who cruise indicate they will sail again points out that if you work with a knowledgeable cruise agent and he or she matches your needs with the most suitable ship, it is almost inevitable that you will have a great vacation.

The Internet

The Internet is full of information, but a Travel Agent is full of knowledge.

While sitting through a webinar yesterday I heard this phrase. I am asked many times a day why should I use a travel agent instead of just booking it myself? Now, I have a clear answer. Sometimes with the internet being so full of information it can confuse the consumer on making the best choices for themselves. I think I have touched on this in another blog, but the good travel agents are not order takers. We work hard and train to make sure we have the most up to date knowledge of the industry, so that we can assist you in making the best vacation decision. How do you find a well trained agent you may ask? Easy, you can go to www.cruising.org (CLIA - Cruise Line International Association) and search for a CLIA certified agent in your area. If you are a past cruiser, you can go to your favorite cruise lines website and search for a travel professional in your area as well. The cruise lines will list those agents who have taken the time to learn and become experts with their product. I can't speak for all travel professionals, but I can say that if you use my services I look out for you and your bottom dollar. This doesn't mean that I sell you the cheapest thing all the time, but I do give you all the options, ask questions and explain the differences in categories, so that you are well informed to make a good decision and gain a bit of knowledge for the future. After all, we both want you to have a fun and memorable vacation, right? Right! If you are worried about fees, don't be most of us agents are compensated for our hard work by the cruise lines. Happy Cruising!