I Needed a Facelift…For My Website

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My husband, who is a social media/website development guy for Blue Gurus kept telling me I needed to update my site.  Yes, I needed a facelift.  My original blog site was designed by my husband when I first started my business 4 years ago and was showing it’s age.  He suggested we make a change and that I should Google “WordPress Travel Themes” to get some new ideas.   I had so much fun looking at all of the different options out there, it was hard to decide.  I gave Jason my top picks and he chose one.  I got home from work one evening and he had surprised me by transferring my content from my old site to the new one and just like that (well, after some work on his part) I had an updated site :)  All of my older posts are still there, nothing was lost in the transfer. We use WordPress which allows me to maintain the content myself.  I love that I am not completely dependent on him for technology :)  I think it is pretty great that we can change the look and feel of my blog just by switching themes and still keep all of the content intact.   So check it out, look through it.  www.curiouscompass.com in case you are reading this as an email and aren’t on my site already.  I’m currently adding pages myself, yay!!  There is a new one you will want to check out about group cruising in 2013.  Let me know what you think of my new look 🙂

Happy Sailing 🙂

 

Alaska – An Amazing Cruising Adventure

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RCI Radiance of the Seas

RCI Radiance of the Seas

Amazing Wildlife

Amazing Wildlife

In the Land of the Midnight Sun, why not use every extra minute of daylight?   From the blue ice of massive glaciers to the stunning scenery and wildlife, everything in Alaska is huge.  I have had a lot of interest in Alaska this past month which has led me to immersing myself in all Alaska has to offer.  Wow.  I cannot wait to go someday.  For the ultimate Alaskan vacation, I would recommend a cruisetour.  A land and sea vacation.  The two lines I have been working with are Royal Caribbean and Princess, but others such as Holland America and Celebrity offer these as well.  Princess actually has their own lodging in 4 different places including just outside of Denali National Park, Copper River, Mt. McKinley and Kenai.  There is so much to see and do, it will be hard to narrow it down.  National parks, glaciers, wildlife……

Enjoy the outdoors?  This will be your paradise, with activities you won’t find anywhere else.  Go for a ride on a dog sled, whale watching, hiking, nature watching, flightseeing, ziplining and more.  Meet professional mushers and their amazing canine companions in an introduction to Alaska’s state sport.  Take a flight to a glacier to experience flying over the snow, or visit the summertime training grounds for a ride in a wheeled sled.  In Skagway, take the “Scenic Railway of the World” that links Skagway with Yukon, Canada.  A 41-mile roundtrip offers an unforgettable journey to the summit of the White Pass, a 2,865-foot elevation.

Spanning 3.3 million acres, Glacier Bay National Park is a stunning network of inlets that channel the frozen tide toward the sea.  Don’t be surprised to find company along the way – humpback whales enjoy the ample supply of herring and shrimp in Alaska’s Glacier Bay.  Princess is one of a select few cruise lines permitted to cruise the pristine waters of Glacier Bay, the highlight of their 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise.  Just west of Juneau, this breathtaking national park and preserve boasts some of the world’s most spectacular tidewater glaciers, such as Margerie Glacier, which often drops colossal chunks of ice into the sea.

There is so much to offer.  I love planning these vacations, I get to dream of all the sites I will see someday.  Being onboard and sailing through the icy waters of Alaska, visiting places where animals outnumber people and the sun shines at midnight.  Yes please.

Happy Sailing 🙂

Why Use a Cruise Specialist?

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Cruise3sixty Conference for Cruise Professionals

Cruise3sixty Conference for Cruise Professionals

Stress-free cruise planning – You already have a job, let me do the research for you.  I LOVE to research cruises!!  There is a lot of information out there to wade through courtesy of the Internet.  So much so, that people are returning to travel professionals to take this off  their hands.  I will narrow down the options so it will be easier to decide which cruise to take.

It’s not just about price – As your cruise specialist, I will make sure you are matched up with the best cruise line, ship and itinerary most suited to your lifestyle, wishes and needs.  I will ask you a lot of questions to help make your decision.  Choosing a cruise is not as simple as picking a hotel or an airline, there are a lot more options to consider.  I will help you choose the right stateroom and the right dining times for you.   Need to know when it’s best to visit the spa?  I can help you with that, too.  I have a lot of experience with cruising and can answer questions and concerns – a perk that an online agency cannot provide.  I will walk you through what travel documents you need and discuss protecting your cruise vacation with travel insurance.  If you need help in arranging a wedding ceremony onboard, ordering gluten-free or kosher meals, or dealing with accessibility issues – as a qualified agent, I will be able to make the proper arrangements for you or advise you on how to handle the issue yourself.

Speaking of price – First of all, I do not charge a service fee.  The cruise lines pay me from their profits after you  have sailed.  I will  do the research to get the best available fare for you.  As a member of Vacation.com consortium, I have access to upgrades and specials not available to the general public.

I will be your advocate – Should you run into a problem while on your cruise, I can help get it resolved.  As your cruise specialist, I will do my best to make sure restitution is made.  Without a travel professional, you are on your own.

Bottom line – I want to make planning your cruise a great experience.  I am here to help you with my expertise and personalized service to send you off on the cruise vacation of your dreams!

Happy Sailing 🙂

Funny (okay, stupid) Questions Asked On Board a Cruise Ship

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Jason's 40th Birthday Cruise 172

I’ll never forget my first debarkation talk onboad the Carnival Destiny.  Our cruise director decided we needed a little humor and proceeded to tell us some of the questions he had been asked from past passengers…..

1.  Does this elevator go to the front of the ship?  (This isn’t Star Trek.)

2.  Does the crew sleep onboard?  (Um, versus being flown off at night in a helicopter?)

3.  What do they do with the ice sculptures once they melt?  (They make ice tea with it?)

4.  What time is the midnight buffet?  (Hmmmmmm…….)

5.  In the photo gallery, a passenger exclaims, “How will I know which pictures are mine?!”

6.  Does the ship make it’s own electricity? (Don’t you see the extra long extension cord off the back of the ship??)

7.  Do I put my luggage outside my stateroom before or after I go to bed?

8.  Is the water in the toilet salt or fresh?  (WHY do you want to know?!)

9.  Is this island completely surrounded by water?

10. Two women were sitting by the pool. One of the ladies asked the cruise director what kind of water did they fill the pool with — fresh water or sea water? The cruise director answered, “Sea water.” She then asked, “Does that explain why the pool is so rough today?”

Happy Sailing 🙂