The choices of Cruise offerings out there are so vast it is a good idea to talk to an expert, not “Sally” who lives down the road and did a Cruise to Alaska last year, but someone like me, who not only has actually had extensive time aboard a variety of cruise lines, but also keeps up to date with the latest trends, follows Cruise Information and updates through a Variety of sources, and also (gasp) de-briefs with her clients when they return to find out what they liked, what they didn’t and what I could have done better.
I rely on my personal knowledge of my clients who I actually spend time getting to know, and my knowledge of the different Cruise lines, to make recommendations to my clients both in terms of which Cruise Line to go on, and which Itinerary will suit them.
Sure I have my Favorites, and my least Favorites, and will always let my clients know if I think a Cruise Line and Itinerary are not a good fit for them, Ultimately my clients will choose, and I have had many clients choose the cheapest option and then come home and agree with me that it was not the experience they were hoping for. Fortunately I now have many clients who trust my judgment and “do what I tell them to do” when it comes to planning their next cruise; (and honestly for most people once you have done one, as long as it’s the right fit, you will be cruising again!)
Some things to remember when planning a Cruise Holiday:
- You get what you pay for. Cheap cruises upfront means you will be paying a bunch of “extras” on board ship, for example, Coffees, Tips, High priced Drinks, High priced shore excursions, poor odds in the on-board Casinos, generally lots of opportunities to pay extra, and usually what happens is: “what the hey, I’m on holiday!” I call it being “nickeled and dimed to death! When you get your bill at the end of the cruise be prepared to discover your $599 cruise has cost you a WHOLE bunch more!
- Choose a Cruise that’s right for your lifestyle. If your dream cruise is a peaceful oasis of calm and rejuvenation, picking a cruise that appeals to the family market would be a disaster! If you want a cruise that educates you and expands your horizons, choosing a Party Cruise would be a waste of money and your precious time. The choices out there are huge so get a professional to help you!
- It won’t cost you more to book though a Travel Agent. We have access to all the same deals you see on the internet, the differences are:
a) You get someone who works for you!
b) You get Consumer Protection (in case of Natural Disasters, and Travel Company Failures).It happens, so it’s best to be protected!
c) You get someone you can contact if things go wrong, (and sometimes things do go wrong!), I recently had a client who insisted on booking his air though air miles (against my advice), his flight got delayed 6 hours and he and his wife arrived in Istanbul after their ship had sailed! He called me at 2am my time to ask for help, I arranged an overnight hotel for them, transfers and flights the following morning to Alexandria which was his Cruise Ship’s next Port of Call, and contacted the ship to make sure they knew they would be getting on the ship in Alexandria. (It cost him a whole bunch he hadn’t budgeted for, but his Cruise, once he was on it, was awesome!
- If you have any special needs, I will make all the arrangements for you. Peanut allergy? Need wheelchair assistance in the airports? Diabetic? I specialize in travel for people with extra support needs, so I know who to notify, how to get your Certified Assistance Dog on the plane and the ship, how to get wheelchair accessible transfers at the airport, who to contact for special equipment needs you might have, and have even started collecting my own “lending library” of special equipment to loan out to my clients!
- If there is a group of you who want to travel together let me take the organizing out of your hands (again it won’t cost you extra), and let me handle the headaches! I have arranged Weddings on Cruise Ships for 55 guests, family reunions including coordinating flights for people coming from all over the world, I have arranged a group to do a River Cruise down the Yangtze River with an expert in Chinese culture and society, and every year I arrange a Disney and Cruise Group for People with Disabilities, their families and Friends.
* If you want me to help you plan a group, if you get enough people booked, your cruise could be free!
So if you are considering a Cruise, please call or email me and I will help you make your dream vacation a reality!
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