2009

Urban Legends:

               Booking Cruises Directly with the Cruise Line's being Cheaper, Bigfoot, and UFO'S all have one thing in common! They are all Urban Legends. At Cruise Planners, we can show the truth behind the legends.

               First of all, let’s face it, a sales representative at a cruise line gets paid to sell only their company whether it’s the right product for you or not.  They will never recommend the competition.  That should be enough right there to make you stop and think.  But wait, there’s more!  Special prices?  At Cruise Planners we see the same rates on the computer as the cruise line sales representative.  But more importantly, in addition, we have access to unique rates such as exclusive group fares, regional specials, and other special rate programs.

             The most important part of planning a cruise is not getting the lowest price.  The real goal should be to get the right cruise for your personal needs at the best price available.   At Cruise Planners there is no charge for our basic services as we are compensated by the cruise lines for providing personal service to you.  It’s the best deal in town.  While we can’t help with sightings of  Bigfoot or UFO'S we can plan the cruise vacation of lifetime for you. 

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                    In a downtown elevator in lower downtown, I happened to hear a couple of middle-aged women discussing the dining  form their Caribbean Cruise they just returned from a week ago. As the women talked back and forth, one of the comments that struck me was “You should not have to pay for your meals on a ship”.   But thinking about this conversation, it became apparent that the comment was not really correct.  You don’t HAVE to pay for dining on any ship as each cruise line offers included dining in the main dining rooms, buffets and snack venues. On the other hand, optional restaurants have limited seating, upgraded menus and more interesting venues.  The cost, usually presented as a “cover charge”, runs from about $10 to $25.   If you are celebrating a special event while on board or just want an excellent dining experience once or twice while cruising, then consider alternative dining for just what it is “alternative and optional”.  Or you can blissfully dine 3 to 6 times per day at the free restaurants.  But if you have not sampled an alternative restaurant, be careful, you might get hooked!  It must be a popular feature because the cruise lines that used to offer only “traditional” first and second seating dining are adding flexible dining options as well as more extensive alternative restaurants to new and existing ships. 

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If you’ve vacationed with your children you know the look - a couple of bleary-eyed, bedraggled parents returning back to the hotel at 6 p.m..  In tow, are 2 hyper-active offspring wearing mouse hats or whale t-shirts sporting cotton candy hair extensions.  Next it’s the big choice:  wash them up and suffer through another dinner or collapse in the hotel room with another room service or take-out pizza meal.  And today’s receipts for all this fun?  Well,  let’s just say it cost more than your first car did?

If this is how you define vacation in your household, maybe it’s time for something different.  How about an experience where EVERYONE actually gets a vacation?  The answer is quite simple and does not end with the words “Park”, “World” or “Land”. But it does end with the word “Happy”.  On a cruise it is possible to make everyone happy with their vacation.

Contemporary cruise lines figured out quite a while ago that if you can keep the kids happy and occupied, then the parents follow right along.  Over the years, children’s programs on board ships have blossomed from having one children’s counselor on board over the holidays to full blown year round programs and separate facilities for the different age groups.  Every year from 6 months to 16 years is covered and child care is offered at various levels.

Cruise lines are now savvy enough to plan nighttime activities for the children so their parents can enjoy the facilities of the ship in a relaxed style simply unavailable at most land-based resorts.  Cruises are an exceptionally good idea for single parents as they have a controlled environment and child care on the ship,  but have the freedom and time to make new friends around the ship.  Extended families also love ships because cousins and friends can hang together on the ship while the adults reconnect. 

Before you plan your next road trip, let a cruise expert fill you in on the many choices and the “secret” affordability of family cruising.  Oh, did we forget to mention that all meals, snacks, entertainment, accommodations and transportation are included in one upfront price?  This year take a cruise and leave the mouse hats, maps, and (cotton candy remover) shampoo at home.

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                     Okay, have you ever wondered, "how do I know I'm getting a good cabin,  is it close to the things I want to do, how far from the elevators am I." Well knowing all that is as close as checking out the deck plan of the ship! Though not always to scale, the drawings do let you see what's close and what's not, where the dining is as well as the pool. But if you never looked at a deck plan before here's a few things to look for!

 Here’s the short list:

                    Look for elevators and staircase exits near your stateroom. (Some people love to be close to everything so this might be a positive feature but with activity comes noise)

                    Look up.  Oops!  A basketball court, jogging track or day pantry might result in the wakeup call you did not ask for.

                   Look Down.  Is the bandstand for one of the show lounges right below your room?  Even with good sound proofing there is a chance for ambient noise.

                   Look across the hall.  Is there a room service pantry shown or other service area.  A potentially busy area to avoid.

                   Look Right and Left.  If you are at the end of a hallway, make sure that the disco or other high energy lounge is not adjacent.  Avoid hallways that lead to these lounges unless you are a night owl.  Late night revelers sometimes carryon with the partying outside your door.

                   The good news is that modern cruise ships have been designed with passenger comfort in mind and the architects strive to develop a deck plan that confines public rooms and lounges to areas far from the staterooms.  A little advance review of the deck plans and the advice of a good cruise specialist can help deliver an extra measure of peace and quiet in your stateroom.

                  And please don’t slam your door in the morning when you get up for early risers’ coffee.  Those partiers next door are still sleeping.  Then again. . . . .

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Here are a few questions from passengers that were asked of the crew of different Cruise lines. It makes you wonder what someone folks are thinking, but I’m guess it’s their first time on a cruise! What do you think?
Q. Does the crew sleep on board?
A. Of course not, late at night a water taxi picks them up and takes them home!
Q. Do these stairs go up OR down?
A. Yes!
Q. Does the ship make it’s own electricity?
A. No, don’t you see the long extension cord trailing behind the ship?
Q. Which is the sunny side of the ship?
A. The captain spins the ship around daily so everyone gets an even tan
Q. Which elevator takes me to the front of the ship?
A. Ask the elevator operator when you get on, he will take you anywhere you want to go.
Q. What do you do with the ice carvings after they melt?
A. We re-freeze the water and use it for frozen drinks.
Q. What time is the midnight buffet?
A. Usually around 11 PM or so. We tried doing it right after breakfast but most people weren’t real hungry.
Q. How do we know which pictures are ours?
A. The people who look totally clueless . . . . those are probably yours.
Q. Is this island totally surrounded by water?
A. No, part of it is surrounded by sand, but it’s all clearly marked

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