Cruise Planners - Blog Posts

Shopping around? Things to keep in mind!

Shopping around for cruises is tough, here are some things to watch out for!Read More...

Posted on November 20,2007

Carnival Legend in Tampa

We took a tour of the Carnival Legend in Tampa today, and we were REALLY impressed. We are so lucky to have such a cool ship sailing out of our home port. It is currently doing 7 night sailings to the Western Caribbean. Here are some pictures of the ship for you to check out. Give us a call for more information about how you can sail on this glorious ship By the way, our CME training at sea for medical and legal professionals is selling very well. The current offerings are selling out quick due to the end of year rush to get that all important training in, so call us soon...Read More...

Posted on October 28,2007

Save some money!

Just thought I would take a minute to pass along some budget cruise ideas for everyone! First of all, one of the cheap times of year to cruise is during hurricane season. People avoid cruising the Caribbean during this time for fear of having their vacation interrupted by a storm... which is always a possibility of course. If you are flexible, and don't mind having a possible change in your itinerary during your cruise, I say go for it. Travel insurance is really important to have, not just during storm season, so this should not even be a concern for ...Read More...

Posted on August 31,2007

Some catching up to do!

I really need to catch up on my blogging! Well, business is picking up and we have had alot of last minute cruisers looking for a last minute deal. Just a word to the wise, book early if you want to get the cabin you want at a good price... because the days of the last minute cruise "giveaways" are just about over. There are not enough ships to go around, and people are traveling more than ever, so tell your boss you want (insert your favorite day after a holiday so you get a 4 day weekend here) off and book the cruise well in advance. ...Read More...

Posted on July 24,2007

Cruise Planners Tampa attends Summer Splash!

Cruise Planners Attends Summer Splash! The Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce along with five other area Chambers were proud to present The 2007 Summer Splash, the premire networking event for the Upper Pinellas Chambers of Commerce. This event was hosted by the six chambers in North Pinellas County including the Clearwater Regional, Dunedin, Oldsmar Upper Tampa Bay, Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor and Tarpon Springs. "This event has tremendous coverage," says Beth Coleman, President & CEO of the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce. "By partnering with five other...Read More...

Posted on June 15,2007

Some Changes for Regent Seven Seas

Regent Seven Seas Cruises Announces 2007 Changes, Including Inclusive Liquor Policy FT. LAUDERDALE, FL., June 12, 2006 - Regent Seven Seas® will ring in 2007 with good cheer - literally toasting its guests with a new inclusive liquor policy. Topping off its already acclaimed dining options and personalized service, the recently re-branded luxury cruise line will offer select complimentary wine and spirits at all bars and restaurants fleet wide on every sailing. "Luxury Goes Exploring®" in 2007 with worldwide cruises from ...Read More...

Posted on June 12,2007

Liberty of the Seas

Okay, I have been wanting to do a writeup on the Liberty of the Seas for a while, so here goes. On May 14th we had the privilage of being invited onboard the inaugural sailing of the Liberty of the Seas, one of the largest cruise ships in the world. Only a select few travel agents, press, and industry giants were invited onboard. Cruise Planners is an industry recognized leader in cruises, so it is no wonder they had some rooms set aside for us The voyage was just 2 days, but it was all inclusive so that we could have the chance to try out all the ammenities of the ship (except the s...Read More...

Posted on May 30,2007

Why Can't I book Online?

Simple! Because you shouldn't have to do all the work, and we don't want you to make an uninformed decision. Customer service, that is what it's all about. Most people think "Because I am doing the booking myself online, it cuts out the middle man and they pass the savings on to me!". This is not how the cruise industry works. Especially in the mainstream cruise market, you may not see any difference in price from site to site, agency to agency, it's service that should make the sale. Sad thing is, when you book online, you do all the work, and no ...Read More...

Posted on May 24,2007

Norovirus and you - and it has nothing to do with the coke in your mini bar

I have to say, I watched this video on YouTube about a passenger who had some "past the freshness date" soft drinks in their mini bar and posted an accusation linking their expired drinks to poor sanitation and all sorts of other stuff, and I got a little grrrrr. I emailed Coke and they said that Coke is not perishable and does not spoil, it just starts to loose it's taste. Yea, I was a little irritated to say the least that someone could make such a huge leap like that without doing some research first. Then they started bringing up the Norovirus and the CDC becasue of ex...Read More...

Posted on May 22,2007

Carnival Legend - 10/22 Special

Oh man, we just got off the inaugural voyage of the Liberty of the Seas. I will take some time to do a full write up later on to fill you guys in. A little 2 day trip to get aquanited with the new ship, and MAN were we impressed! On the CP front, we completed some marketing on a cruise on October 21st out of Tampa on the Carnival Legend. 7 day cruise for $535 for an inside cabin including tax and port (DO), and includes a free backpack and executive beach kit per cabin!!!! Great price and a cool gift for you! I hate it when I get to the beach and forget the su...Read More...

Posted on May 16,2007

2 new Costa features, which to choose!?

Ok, this news bite comes to you from www.smartertravel.com for credit purposes. Now read the article and decide what kind of person you are. Do you sink your money into a fast paced adventure ride in a Grand Prix simulator, or sink your money into a super luxury spa room where you are pampered. For me, easy choice, pamper me please :) Costa: Race-car driving simulator and Spa Sanctuary cabins The Costa Concordia debuted this spring with innovations to please both genders. While anyone can take advantage of any onboard amenity, guys are flocking to the Grand Prix race-c...Read More...

Posted on April 28,2007

I love to take pictures

Photo Photo Photo - Check out Myspace! People always ask me... ok, to be truthful no one asks me this, but if you were wondering, all the pictures (minus the background and the overhead on the left) that are on the site and in my pics page were taken by us. We have a Nikon D50 that we love to snap pictures with. My husband went to college to be an art teacher, and is always leaning over rails and squatting down to get that perfect shot. Mine tend to be more boring, but there ends up being a gem in there. Th...Read More...

Posted on April 26,2007

Man I'm Hungry - Cruise Food

Yea, I get asked if food is included in the cost of the cruise. My answer is yes, and I follow it up with this story: The last cruise we took we got put at a large table and only one other couple showed up, so we had plenty of elbow room. Every time the menu would come, EVERYTHING on the menu looked good, no joke. It was like curried lamb, chilled pear soup, fillet mignon, lobster, baked rosemary chicken in some exotic sauce, baked Alaska, everything. We usually just ordered 2-3 of each catagory and shared. On the last night of the cruise the menu was too hard to resist, and the wai...Read More...

Posted on April 21,2007

Continuing Medical Education Cruises!

Gotta hand it to the home office, way to go. The Cruise Planners brand has purchased International Conferences, a company that offers a comprehensive program of medical and medical-legal continuing education at sea. Go on a cruise, get in that valuable training, then spend the rest of your time touring Europe, the Mediteranian, the Caribbean, just about anywhere. These are fully accredited classes that feature world class speakers on a variety of medical and medical-legal topics. This would appeal to doctors, nurses, medical lawyers, and other healthcare professionals. Just one more dimenti...Read More...

Posted on April 19,2007

Howdy!

Just popping in to say I hope you had a nice weekend! We were busy working on the house this weekend, boooo. Wish I was on a cruise :) We are going on the Liberty of the Seas in May, but it seems so far away. Have a relaxing week, and if you are thinking about taking a cruise yourself give us a call!Read More...

Posted on April 16,2007

Looking for something different? SANDALS!

Okay, so boats may not be your thing... you may not like the concept of cruising, you are afraid of water, whatever the reason. You like the all inclusive nature of a cruise though. So what to do? One word, SANDALS! We book cruises at Cruise Planners, but did you know we also do all inclusives like Sandals? We spend 7 absolutly awsome days at Sandals in St. Lucia and let me tell you, it was a treat. Everything is included: all of your meals and all of your top shelf liquor including tips. You like the champagne they serve you as you are seated by the staff in the lobby upon your a...Read More...

Posted on April 12,2007

Sovereign of the Seas Video!

Here is a little video we made of a quickie cruise we took on our favorite weekender, RCCL's Sovereign of the Seas. Cruise Planners - Soverign of the Seas - 2006 Add to My Profile | More VideosRead More...

Posted on April 05,2007

New Pics Posted

We posted some more pics up on Picasa including the Airshow and the Grand Prix of St. Pete. We setup a little take one box, and talked up cruises to people we met! It was a blast. We also put up all the photos from our tour of the Disney Magic and other cruises we have taken. Check it out! http://picasaweb.google.com/CruisersParadise var imgNum = 0; var pwaHeader = true;var albumDisplay = false; var pwaLogo = true; var pwaSlideShow = true; var pwaSlideSpeed = 5000; var pwaImageSize = 160; var pwaImageFeed = 20; var pwaBorder = true; var pwaBorderSize = 2; var pwaBorderColor...Read More...

Posted on April 02,2007

Disney Magic Tour!

Here are some pictures of our tour of the Disney Magic ship on March 24th, 2007. It really was a treat to see all that Disney has to offer everyone, not just kids! This is the grand lobby, and grand it is! This is the ship from outside in the pickup area. I thought it framed the ship name nicely. Disney greets you in the checkin lobby with this scale model of the ship. The other side features a cut-away view. This statue of Mickey is right in the main lob...Read More...

Posted on March 26,2007

Scuba Cruises!

Well, it is no secret that we love to dive. We have had the pleasure of diving while on our cruises, and while staying at Sandals and have been very happy with the experiences! St. John was some of the best, we saw so much life on that reef it was amazing. Lt. Lucia was also a treat, diving under the mighty Peton's it was a sight to behold. How can we combine diving and cruising? We decided since we have a good relationship with the local dive shops we should organize a cruise that goes to popular dive destinations and book private charters in each port of call so that divers can go wh...Read More...

Posted on March 08,2007

Why We Became Cruise Planners

After working with a company for 15 years, the company downsized to just two people, giving me an opportunity to change careers. It’s said that when one door closes, another door opens. I did some soul searching to find out what door that was. What exactly was I passionate about? This was a very big opportunity and I wasn’t about to let it pass me by. I have always loved to travel. My father worked as an Air Traffic Controller which meant we moved a few times during my youth and the conventions he attended turned into family vacations giving me my first tast...Read More...

Posted on February 27,2007 in My Writings

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