Plan for a Vacation Day

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"Where do you want to go? I don't know. What do you have a taste for? I don’t know. How about going to … No, we went there last time.” 

Sound familiar? The last time you went out for dinner, did you have a conversation somewhat like that? I wouldn't be surprised if you did, since I've had several of these conversations myself.

Planning a vacation often sounds like that too. That's not a bad thing. It's actually very good to ask questions and get a consensus before planking down your hard-earned money on a vacation. You do want to involve everyone in your decision process, so that you will all be happy with the final plan. I also encourage you to get some professional advice.

Planning a dinner outing isn't that much different than planning a vacation. The questions are pretty similar: “Where do you want to go? What do you want to see and do there? Do you want to dress up for dinner? Do you want to relax at the beach? Do you want to go somewhere you haven’t been to before or go back to the same destination you went to last year? Where can we get good value for our money?”

Let me help you answer some of these questions. The last question is probably the easiest to answer. A cruise gives you excellent value. You are able to pay one price for all your lodging, food, and entertainment. From the time you board the ship, you are treated to a resort experience that you will talk about for years to come. Even in the most expensive ports of call, you have an option to keep your costs down by eating your meals onboard the ship instead of at some local restaurant. You don’t have to worry about the exchange rate if you don’t want to. You’ve already paid for your cruise in your local currency and all optional onboard expenses can be charged to your account in your local currency.

So, that brings us to the harder question – where to go. If you have cruised before, you have most likely been to some part of the Caribbean Islands and/or the Bahamas. The majority of first-time cruisers go there, so I think my odds are pretty good on guessing where you’ve been to before. There’s good reason why most cruisers go to the Caribbean – it’s a great destination, the weather is great, it’s a year-round destination with many cruise ships going there. Due to the supply, the cruise lines have no problem keeping up with the demand.

On the other hand, if you’ve been to the Caribbean several times before, you might be looking for something new this year. I’d like to let you in on some inside information which may surprise you. Europe is an excellent cruise value, especially in 2008. This may come as a shock to you. It seems that we are either in a recession or heading for one, so how could Europe be a good value? Isn’t the cost of fuel going up, so won’t it be expensive to get to Europe from the States? Yes, times are tough, fuel costs are rising, and there is a good chance that the airline ticket will be the largest portion of your vacation price. Repeat that you say. Airfare may be more than your cruise fare. There is a possibility that you can get a great deal from the cruise lines this year. Why is that? The cruise lines are over-deployed in Europe this year. There was such an increase in demand for Europe the past few years, the cruise line reacted and moved many of their ships to the European market.

Cruise ship schedules are done well in advance, so it takes quite some time to react to changing times. With all the ships in Europe, the cruise lines need to fill them up this summer. In order to do that, many of the lines are offering special pricing which combats the price of the airfare. In some cases, they even have special airfare if you book that through them. If you haven’t been to Europe before, or if you’ve been yearning to go back, this might be the best time in the next few years to do so.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the airlines also react by offering special airfares during the summer months. It is very costly to fly long-distance trips and the airlines want to have their planes as full as possible. So, the savvy cruise traveler can actually reap great rewards by taking advantage of special pricing. If Europe isn’t your “cup of tea”, I would encourage you to check other destinations beyond the Caribbean on our blog and website.

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Perfect Day at CocoCay

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When arriving at Perfect Day at Coco Cay, you can either walk from the ship or hop on a tram for the ride to the entrance.  Not wanting to walk any more than we had to, we opted for the tram ride.  We had to wait a bit, but it was a quick ride to the entrance.

From there, you can stay at Thrill Waterpark, if you've purchased that "excursion" or walk or take a tram to one of the other areas on the private island.






Our group had special pricing for Thrill Waterpark, so we headed there for our first stop.  We found chairs by the wave pool that had some shade, so that's where we decided to camp out for the morning.

If you love waterslides, this park is for you.  Are you brave enough to attempt the tallest waterslide in North America? If you think you have what it takes, you can plummet from the summit of the record-breaking 135-foot tall Daredevil’s Peak℠.

Along with members of your group, take on six awesome slides together, because Splash Summit is all about sharing the thrill. Hit the winding tube slide known as The Twister on a two-person raft, or go for a zero-gravity rush with your most fearless foursome on The Slingshot. Then stoke your competitive spirit on the four-lane Splash Speedway racers.


Perfect Day at Coco Cay Playlist (Click here)
When you've had your fill of the water rides, you don’t even need to leave Thrill Waterpark. Claim one of the complimentary beach chairs by the wave pool or reserve a cabana close to your favorite slide tower and recharge before your next adventure. The nearby Snack Shack is the perfect pit stop for a quick refuel.  We grabbed a cheeseburger and fries there before heading to our next stop.

Chillin' at Coco Cay

Enjoy the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean. Make your way through the different coves of Oasis Lagoon℠, each with a vibe all its own. Splash right in at the kid-friendly sloping entry. Take your first sip of a cold Coco Loco at the swim-up bar before lounging on one of three swim-up islands. Or treat yourself to total relaxation in the privacy of your own cabana, complete with attendant service.

Do you prefer sand under your feet over the pool scene?  Well, then take the tram to the next stop - Chill Island.

This is the beach day you’ve been dreaming about— crystal clear tropical waters and powdery sands. Kicking back with your whole crew in a private cabana.

Getting Sand in Your Feet

And just steps away, you can fill up your plate with tasty BBQ right on the beach at Chill Grill. Once you’re feeling recharged, check out the island sights from a jet ski or on a guided snorkel tour.

Click the image to the left for our photo album.  There's so much more to see and do on this private paradise in the Bahamas.

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2019 in Review

As the year drew to a close, we took a look at some of the industry headlines and reviewed some of our cruise adventures.  Weather made the biggest headlines impacting the cruise industry in 2019.  The cruise industry responded to the hurricane devastation with outpouring of support and supplies.

Cruising continues to increase in popularity as more than 30 million guests took to the seas on a cruise vacation in 2019, according to Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) State of the Cruise Industry Report.  "While demand for cruising has reached new heights, the cruise industry is accelerating our efforts to be a leader in responsible tourism." said Kelly Craighead, CLIA President and CEO.

The cruise lines continued to add capacity,  introducing 18 new ships bringing the total to 272 CLIA-member cruise ships.

Viking Jupiter Photo Album

 "First New Cruise Ship
for 2019"

Once again honors went to Viking Ocean Cruises as it took delivery of the fourth ship in Viking Ocean's fleet, Viking Jupiter, in February. It is virtually identical to sister ships Viking Sea, Viking Sky , Viking Star  and Viking Sun, featuring 930-passenger capacity with highlights such as the Explorer Lounge, a two-deck observation library with lots of comfy chairs and couches; the Nordic-inspired spa with Finnish sauna and snow room; the indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace dining venue; and a magrodome pool, with a glass roof that opens in warm weather.

Viking Ocean ships are all-balcony cruise ships with the smallest cabins measuring a sizable 270 square feet; the largest suites comes in at 1,300 square feet. The ships specialize in destination-oriented cruise experiences with long days in ports, plenty of overnights in major cities and few days at sea.

Cruise fares include a selection of free shore excursions, complimentary Wi-Fi, and beer and wine at lunch and dinner offering good value for the cruise price.

Love that New Ship Smell

Our 2019 National Conference took place on Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas. We had our pre-cruise reception, hosted by   MSC Cruises,  at Hyatt Regency Miami.  MSC celebrated the launch of it's new private island in the Bahamas, Ocean Cay (watch video).

Symphony of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is the largest passenger ship in the world by gross tonnage, at 228,021 GT, surpassing her sister Harmony of the Seas. Having our conferences on a relatively new ship, was one of our highlights for the year.

If you have specific questions about the ships, the itineraries, or cruising in general, we'd love to hear from you.
 
Weather Impact on Cruises

The damaging slow-moving storms of 2019 were Hurricane Barry (Louisiana, $600 million in damage), Hurricane Dorian (The Bahamas, Southeast U.S. and Canada, at least $4.6 billion in damage), Tropical Storm Imelda (Texas and Louisiana, $2 billion in damage), and Tropical Storm Fernand (northeast Mexico, $250 million in damage). 

Throughout September and October, we were posting itinerary updates as schedules were impacted by either the approaching storms or following the landfall.

Cruise lines rushed to aid victims with several voyages cancelled to launch rescue and supply missions.  The industry response was like no other in history.   We are proud to be part of this industry as everyone joined together to help in this time of need. 

At our conference, industry leaders from the cruise lines and organizations stressed that while there had been a tremendous response to date, it was crucial that we as Travel Professionals helped get the message out that the Bahamas & Caribbean is Open for Business.   They still need our help to recover from the hurricanes.   One of the ways this can be done is by bringing tourism dollars back into the regions hit hardest by the hurricanes.

Our Favorite Cruises for 2019

Having cruised for 30+ years, our cruise selections are driven primarily by destination and secondly by cruise ship. We love exploring new destinations from our bucket list as well as revisiting some of our favorites. Exploring new ships, including older ships we've never sailed on before, is also quite enjoyable. Of course, we love to share with our readers so that they can discover the world that awaits them.  In addition to our conference cruise on Symphony of the Seas, here were our other journeys.

13 Day Syndney Australia to New Zealand Cruise

Click on the image to the left for  Blog posts about this trip.

During our Southeast Asia Voyage we took advantage of the book onboard and anniversary sale to plan our next cruise.   New Zealand was identified as a popular destination for 2019, so in order to bring our clients first-hand experiences of this destination and the latest ship from Princess Cruises, Majestic Princess, this was the cruise we selected.   Follow along on our journey to the land down under.

Photos can be found on our Australia & New Zealand Shutterfly page

Magic Carpet

There's no shortage of innovation on Celebrity Edge. The industry-first Magic Carpet^SM is both the best way to take in spectacular views and the most exciting place to be. By changing function and location, it provides an incredible array of visual perspectives and a distinct experience on every deck it visits. We particularly enjoyed having a drink while enjoying a sunset during our past cruise. 

This is only the beginning of what awaits you on Celebrity Edge. We posted on our social media accounts throughout the cruise and have begun our diary (click image).   Bookmark the page to learn more about our trip.

What's Ahead for 2020

As this is an election year in the U.S., there's a lot of uncertainty as the new year and new decade begins.   At our national conference, cruise lines execs told us that they are planning for any impact from election year by having their best deals early to fill the ships in advance of the elections.  They all told us that bookings are strong and this should be another good year for the industry.

It will be a rebuilding year for the Caribbean and Bahamas and another ship building year as well.  What will the added capacity mean?   There are still a large percentage of the population that have not experienced cruising.   The lines, including new players like Dream Cruises and Virgin Voyages, will continue to advertise which will help spread the word.

As cruise prices stabilized, many lines have been looking to onboard expenditures as a means to increase revenue.   Items that had once been included, like room service, have started to see additional charges for example.   Some passengers aren't happy with the new trend to "nickle-and-dime" them and may look to cruise lines that have less optional charges.   Luxury lines are becoming an even better value since you know your cost of the entire trip up front.

It will be interesting to see how new players, such as Viking Oceans, impacts the industry as they grow their fleets.  They are bucking the tide to go big and instead opting for smaller ships and more emphasis on the destinations.  Of course, the river cruise industry is booming as the demand soars for this method of exploring the globe. Crystal has entered the market as well, bringing another luxury option to this growing market.

Travel Professionals are not going away.  In fact, their expertise is even more valuable now, as there are more and more options to sort through.   Matching the right ship and itinerary to the cruisers' desires is one of the biggest values they bring to bear.   Hope to see you on the seven seas in 2020.

Happy New Year

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