Cruise3sixty – Amazing Cruise Training Event

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Wow, what a fabulous time I had in Ft. Lauderdale at the Cruise3sixty conference this year!!  Cruise3sixty, the official travel agency conference of the cruise line industry, is also the leader in educational training and networking opportunities for cruise industry travel  professionals.

I was surrounded by people that love cruising as much as I do and every morning I woke up to a different ship in port!  This year I was also able to attend the graduation event to celebrate my accomplishment of obtaining my ACC (Accredited Cruise Counsellor) certification.  My days were filled with CLIA seminars, cruise line product updates, general sessions with top cruise industry executives and of course, ship inspections.  I was able to tour and have lunch on board 3 ships:  the Emerald Princess, Holland America’s ms Maasdam and the Carnival Valor.  This is a great way for me to see the different products offered by the different cruise lines.  I think the one of the best parts of the ship tours this year was having Carnival’s signature Warm Chocolate Melting Cake on the Valor, the best dessert I’ve ever had on a cruise ship.  Super yum!!  We had it almost every night when we sailed on the Carnival Valor for my parent’s 40th wedding anniversary in 2009.

Having been on board over 15 different ships helps me narrow down the style/type of cruise my clients are looking for.  Each cruise line offers something special and it is my job to match up the client with the right cruise line and ship.  The information that I take away from events like Cruise3sixty is priceless.  It helps me grow my business and makes me an even better cruise specialist so I can help you plan the cruise vacation of your dreams!

Happy Sailing!  🙂

World’s Largest Cruise Night, 2010

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The single biggest cruise promotion of the year is almost here. Sponsored by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA,) the date to save on your calendar is October 13, 2010.

On this day, you will find savings and special offers from just about every cruise line in the industry. Offers may include reduced deposits, ship board credits or dollars off. It’s a great time for consumers to book to take advantage of the savings. Keep in mind in most cases your cruise deposit is refundable, so you risk nothing in locking in the prices.

Here’s a sampling of special offers and incentives cruise lines have already announced.

  • Carnival Cruise Line  is offering upgrades on virtually all departures through December 2011.  To sweeten the deal, Carnival will offer not only best available upgrades, but up to a $200 onboard credit per stateroom for all Carnival Magic Europe voyages booked on October 13.  The WLCN best available upgrade offer applies to new individual bookings. The Carnival Magic Europe offer includes best available upgrades and a $100 onboard credit per stateroom for seven-day Europe sailings and a $200 onboard credit per stateroom for nine- and 12-day sailings.
  • Celebrity Cruises will have a 3 sale (Oct 13-16th,) for cruises sailing April through December 2011.  For new bookings receive – onboard credits of $50 per stateroom for oceanview accommodations; $100 per stateroom for veranda accommodations; and $150 per stateroom forAquaClass (only on Solstice-class ships), suites, and Concierge Class.
  • Norwegian Cruise Line is offering: up to 4 category upgrade plus reduced deposit plus up to $250 onboard credit per stateroom.
  • Disney Cruise Line is offering $100 onboard credit for 14-night transatlantic cruise sailings May 14, 2011 and Sept. 10, 2011,  $75 onboard credit for 7-night, 10-night and 11-night Mediterranean cruises sailing May 28 through Sept. 3, 2011 and a $50 onboard credit for 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises sailing Sept. 25 through Dec. 11, 2011.
  • Royal Caribbean International is presenting a two-part offer to travel agents for World’s Largest Cruise Night on Oct. 13. New bookings in ocean-view or higher category staterooms on select sailings made between Oct. 11 and Oct. 15 get an onboard credit of $25 per stateroom for three- to five-night sailings, $50 onboard credit per stateroom for six- to nine-night sailings, and $100 for 10 nights or longer. In addition, Royal Caribbean is offering two extra Groups Amenities Plus (GAP) points on new group bookings to redeem for additional onboard incentives, such as complimentary welcoming bottle of wine and other additional value items.

If you are thinking of cruising, now is the time to book with all of these special promotions going on.  I’d be happy to help you plan your dream cruise vacation!

Happy Sailing!!  🙂

New Dining Options for the Carnival Dream

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The Carnival Dream debuts on September 21, 2009 and will be Carnival’s most innovative ship yet. 

The Gathering sounds interesting and fun.  It features different ethnic cuisine including a Mongolian Wok, a burrio bar, a large salad bar, pasta bar and Indian dishes from the tandoori oven.  This restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and has no additional charge. 

For all of you who love sushi, Wasabi will serve complimentary sushi on the promenade deck.

Chef’s Art Steakhouse has a surcharge of $30 per person and recommends reservations.  The specialty here is dry-aged beef, sounds great to me!

The Carnival Dream has some other new features that have been recently announced including onboard social networking.  Also just introduced is a behind the scene ship tour.  Called “Behind the Fun”  a three-and-a-half-hour tour is a behind-the-scenes look at the line’s shipboard operations. Participants pay $95 to get access to ship areas that are normally off limits to passengers, such as the laundry room, galley, crew’s dining room, crew’s gym and training center according to an article from Travel Weekly.  Princess has also implemented this program last year called The Ultimate Ship Tour.  Wonder what really happens below deck 🙂