Time 2 Cruise

We will try to post in the next week, but if we cannot find the time to post here, its because SURPRISE we will be on yet another cruise. Carnival Victory, here we come. A review of the ship and ports will follow when we return.

The answer is yes and no of course. In the time of Homeland Security, the days of showing up at the port, packed and hoping that a cabin is available are long gone. But that does not mean that you cant find last minute deals. People can still call and try to book a cruise with less than a week of notice. It helps to live close to the port that you want to cruise out of, because while the chance to snag a cabin on the cruise may be available, cutting it close on getting airfare probably would offset the price which defeats the purpose. As I noted in a previous post, (using 2006 numbers) ships have been traveling at 104% capacity on average, but with the number of families that travel and share 3 and 4 to a cabin, even at 104% there is the chance that a few cabins may be unoccupied. Now this will be more true in the off season than during peak season, but with off season cruising, the prices are already lower, so getting yet another price cut on a cabin that is already reduced is a...

This is true for the travel industry as a whole as well as in the cruise industry. A survey done by Hotelnewsresource .com shows the trends that the travel industry are following to increase not only off season, but overall customer return. The two biggest ways that they are doing this is by creating customer loyalty during "peak season" and email market campaigns. Email is becoming one of the biggest growing advertising streams for both big and small market travel companies because it has been shown to be effective, and reduces cost. According the the survey, 47% of companies asked said that email was their most effective method, with having 51-75% of their customer's email addresses. Looking at what I get in the line of advertisements from the major cruise line's I would put it at 80-90% of it is in the form of email. Personally, this is fine with me, but I know there are many out there that rather have the full color brochure delivered, and I guess that...

Most cruise passengers know all about how the cruise industry helps other economies because of the varying nationalities of the staff and crew on board. Today CLIA released a press release that shows how the cruise lines have contributed over $37.5 Billion into the U.S. economy. A few interesting facts on how the cruise industry actually impacts all 50 of the states, and not just the ones with a cruise terminal are shown. With new ships on the way, that number will continue to grow for the foreseeable future. The press release has some very interesting facts that give you an insight into the cruise industry that shows the and impact it has as an industry. The fact that would be the most interesting to cruise passengers would be that last year (2006) the ships were operating on a 104% capacity rate. Unlike the airline industry , capacity on a cruise ship is based on two passengers per cabin, so any extra passengers in the cabin (three to five more passengers can be in a cabin on many...

Any seasoned cruiser knows about the Art Auctions at sea and have formed their own opinions about them, but for the first time cruiser this can be an overwhelming experience. Many ships offer these auctions. Some are hosted by land based companies that contract with the cruise line, but it is becoming more common for many cruise lines to create their own department and cut out the middleman. The big draw for many passengers is that champagne is free during the duration of the auction, which can last a few hours. But the big questions are simple, but not simple to answer. What kind of Art? Is it worth it? Will I be happy with my purchase? What kind of Art? There will be lithographs, serigraphs, etchings, variations of the three, some sports memorabilia, and the occasional painting. The thing to keep in mind is that most often, you are bidding on a "print" ( I want to use this word loosely) of some sort that regardless of the process, is one of a number of copies produc...

Carnival, through the great turnout and participation in its pilot program on board the Carnival Valor and Fascination, is going to expand the "On Deck for the Cure" initiative to more ships within its fleet to help raise money for fighting breast cancer. The program involves a 1K walk on the jogging track deck by participants who donate $10. Participants get a Tshirt and wristband as well to commemorate taking part in the event. For more information on what ships this will be rolling out on, and how to get involved, check out the press release on Carnivals web page.

When it comes to bringing alcohol on board a cruise ship, the rules vary from line to line but the standard rule of thumb is that hard liquor and beer is not allowed but wine and champagne is (some lines do suggest a limit to quantity) with the condition that if you plan on taking it into the dining room that there will be a "corkage fee" of around $10 for the wait staff to serve it. Personally, I have seen many servers neglect to add the fee but it depends on them. Alcohol service is an area where cruise lines make a lot of their money, so they are very strict on the rules. There are many sites out there which have tips on how to smuggle your own alcohol on board the cruise ship for those wishing to try but be warned, if you do not succeed , your contraband will be confiscated or you will be asked to dispose of (take back to your car if you drove or toss) before you will be allowed to board the ship. There have been instances where confiscated alcohol came up missing by the...

A false alarm, but still passengers waiting to get off on their vacation were delayed for hours today as the ship had to be gone over by bomb sniffing dogs. Hopefully, the passengers understand that it was not the fault of the cruise line, and that the delay was done for the safety of all. We wish all on the Imaginations voyage this week a wonderful cruise!

The cruise port in Costa Maya took a beating by hurricane Dean. Capable of docking up to three cruise ships, the damage is going to force the cruise lines to make some adjustments until it can be repaired. These adjustments could range from tendering in (if available) to a different port of call. If you are booked on a cruise with a stop in Costa Maya, you may want to contact your travel agent or the cruise line to see if any adjustments are being made. With over a dozen different excursions that are offered, anyone that booked an excursion directly through a tour operator should be concerned.

Yesterday (August 22, 2007) two travel agents in a small Texas town were convicted of fraud. Accused of taking cruise passengers money for cruses that were never booked with any cruise lines, they were found guilty on multiple counts of fraud and face huge fines, restitution and up to 20 years in prison. More details at The Huston Chronicle This is probably the best proof that you need to research when picking a travel agent. There are plenty of good travel agents to choose from, whether online, local, or otherwise, and there are plenty of way to go about this. I touched on this last month in my Who to Book With Revisited post. There I have a few things to consider when searching out a good travel agent.