May 2007

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 sunscreen, band-aids, stuff like that... now it will be easy, just grab the backpack or clip the beach kit to your beach bag and you are set because it's (you guessed it) all in the beach kit.  Just our way of saying thanks for your business... not to mention the cruise is a steal, really it is.

Call us to get more information on the cruise and let us send you a custom quote.  We go the extra mile to make sure you are happy with your cruise experience.  Let us show you!

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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 expired Coke !  Silly isn't it?

But, that make me think a little bit about the Norovirus and peoples perception of the problem and what causes it.  I wrote this little explanation to help you understand a little better.

Now, if you want to talk about why the Norovirus and cruise ships are always in the news, I will help you out.  Cruise ships are required by law to prepare a report for the CDC if an outbreak affects 2% or more of the passengers or crew. The CDC launches and investigation if 3% of passengers or crewmembers become ill, unlike your office at work, your dormitory, the land resort you stay at, or the hotel you check into.  That is why outbreaks seem to hit cruise ships all the time, because they are the only ones required to report it.  Illnesses like Norovirus happen all the time in confined spaces like resorts, casinos, schools, hospitals, just by the very nature of disease it's self.  Cruise ships are often hit by Norovirus less than any other setting due to stringent sanitation standards, they simply get negative press because of news reports and overall misinformation.  Now that makes sense, doesn't it? 

Now, let's talk about how some ways the Norovirus gets on cruise ships in the first place.  Let's say I am an uninformed consumer who booked an expensive trip on a cruise ship with my family.  I declined to take the travel insurance recommend by my travel professional that would have protected me financially in the event I was ill and could not go.  I get a stomach bug, but if I fail to go ahead with the trip, I loose my money and disappoint my family.  I decide to go anyway.  When I check in as I arrive at the port, I lie to the cruise company staff and tell them I am not currently ill and do not have any symptoms, then board the ship.  I then spend all my time on my trip spreading the illness to other people.  Despite being told by staff, hearing it in the news, and being told by Mom 100 times a day as a child, people still fail to wash their hands often enough or use the PROVIDED sanitizing solution stations positioned around cruise ships and end up sick.  Even people that show no symptoms when boarding but get sick during their journey often fail to report it for fear of being quarantined or loosing ship privileges and continue to roam the ship infecting people.

No matter how often the staff disinfects the ship, wipes down rails, or begs people to stay home if they are ill or report it if they get sick on the ship, they cannot stop it 100% of the time.  I can tell you, we have been on  tons of cruises and have never gotten  sick, not one single time.  The incidents of  illness on cruise ships  is  very low, and if you have been on a cruise ship you know why... they are CONTANTLY wiping down the ship, every square inch.  They want you to have a healthy and safe voyage!

That's about it.  Word to the wise, when you are on a cruise ship, or any vacation for that matter, my suggestion is to wash your hands often and use provided sanitizing stations to keep your hands as clean as possible to protect yourself and DON'T travel when you are sick.  You will have a better vacation, and so will everyone else sharing the experience with you.  Don't forget to buy travel insurance to protect yourself and your family, and if someone tells you it is a waste of money, have them call me and I will explain the many reasons why it is worth every penny.

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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 one is paying you for it.

I sometimes hear: "I tried a cruise and I didn't like it.  The ship was (insert complaint) my room was (didn't like this or that) and it went to (insert port) that I didn't like".  I ask who they booked it through, and most of the time they say "XYZ travel site".  Do yourself a favor, use a travel agent... it's our job to do our best to make sure that scenario does not happen!

So yea, we want you to know that even though we have a pretty website crammed with information about cruise lines, destinations, ships, and travel tips, we really want you to call us so we can help you find the cruise that is the perfect fit for you.  Let us do the work, really… we don't mind   Planning and taking a cruise is supposed to be fun and hastle free for you!

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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 salon and the spa). See!



Just a little rundown on the ship:

Maiden Voyage: May 19, 2007
Passenger Capacity: 3,634 double occupancy
Godmother: Donnalea Madeley
Gross Tonnage: 160,000
Length: 1,112'
Max Beam: 184'
Draft: 28'
Cruising Speed: 21.6 knots

We had been on the Voyager class ships and this was just a step beyond.

Some of the new additions was the OnAir bar with the kareoke booths. You choose the song, and a background, then step into the recording booth and record your own music video as you sing on a blue screen. It gives you the chance to buy a DVD of your performance. We had so much fun doing this! It was funny, they had not enabled the DVD option yet and as a joke they put "would you like to purchase a DVD of your performance for $10,000?". Heh, uhhhh, no?

We also like the gothic inspired dance club, the Catacombs. It was all dark and had alot of atmosphere. The dance floor had cameras on it with plasma screens on the wall showing the action. The DJ was off the shizzle my hizzle, that's the dizzle. It is 2 levels high and has multiple bars. This was a popular spot and was open real late.

The flowrider, of course, is the new surfing simulator on the sports deck. You can surf and body board. This was so cool! We were too busy to try it out but we watched whilst other people got wet. This is a nice part of the ship, you can relax and enjoy the view out the back of the ship, sip a drink, and watch a big harry guy loose his swim trunks Just kidding. They also had a full sized boxing ring in the fitness center, and a special coach to help you do cardio in there. Speed bag for the win!

Center Ice, the ice skating rink on board, is something you can't do on any other cruise ship. We did this on the Voyager of the Seas and it was so cool. Just just strap on some skates and cool off. If you aren't into skating, you can wait until the ice show and enjoy watching someone do it better than you ever could, and save yourself a bruised behind. This show never disapoints, even though it is a small rink they pull off all the big tricks.

So lets talk about the royal promenade. It runs down the center of the ship and acts as a boardwalk with shops and food. On the food end there is Sorentos, which is the 24hr pizza and snack bar, Cafe Promenade which serves Seatles Best coffee and things like cookies, cheesecake, and sandwhiches, and a Ben and Jerry's ice cream boutique that serves ice cream and shakes. You have alot of options all in one place. As for bars, you have the Hoof and Claw which is a Brit/Irish themed pub, and Vintages which is a wine bar. You can expect all the shops here too, typical jewelry and logo gear. One thing that was new was a barber shop for men, appointed in the clasic style with the barber pole and everyting. There was someone getting a shave in there with hot lather, it was different.

The rest of this ship is what you would expect. I was very impressed by the collection of art on board. Everywhere you went there was someting pretty to look at. They put alot of time and effort into making everything look just right, I was very impressed.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy! If you want to, check out our entire collection to browse at our Picasa Albums.

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