You Mean I Can Now Do An Alaska Cruisetour Roundtrip from Seattle? Awesome!

Princess Launches Alaska Wilderness Sale on Convenient Cruisetours from Seattle, with Special Pricing Including Travel Between Seattle and Alaska Plus Stateroom Upgrade!

Princess Cruises announced today that it is again offering its popular Alaska Wilderness Sale promotion, but this promo also features a special lineup of cruisetours that offer passengers the extra convenience of roundtrip travel from Seattle. These unique packages make planning an Alaska land/sea vacation easier than ever by including ALL travel once the passenger gets to Seattle. This even includes airfare between Seattle and Alaska! The Alaska Wilderness Sale runs through December 31, 2009, and features 10 Seattle-based cruisetour options. Air travel between Seattle and Alaska, motorcoach transfers between Seattle and Vancouver, and an overnight stay in Seattle are all included in the package. Fares start at $1,899 for an interior stateroom and $2,299 for a balcony stateroom for an 11-night land/sea vacation, which includes a free stateroom category upgrade.

Princess Cruises offers a wide variety of Alaska Cruisetour options, including both northbound and southbound routes, with itineraries ranging from 11 to 15 nights. All passengers will experience Princess’ signature seven-night Voyage of the Glaciers cruise, combined with a variety of Direct to the Wilderness tours, or Explorer tours to the Copper River or Kenai areas. All tours feature Princess’ own riverside wilderness lodges, with at least two nights in the Denali National Park area and luxury train travel on ultra-domed railcars. “These packages make a visit to the heart of Alaska more convenient than ever, so the only other planning needed is travel to and from Seattle. We handle all other arrangements, so visitors can simply enjoy this incredible opportunity to experience Alaska’s top attractions, including Glacier Bay and Denali National Park.”

What sets Princess apart from many other cruise lines' Alaska cruisetours is that all of Princess' cruises feature daylight cruising of both Glacier Bay National Park AND either College Fjord or Hubbard Glacier. These itineraries provide guests with the best opportunities to view fantastic glaciers and wildlife. Another important distinction is that many cruise lines only offer one night in the Denali National Park area, but Princess includes at least two nights in this important area on every cruisetour so guests can maximize their experience there.

I think Princess has done an amazing job in deciding to offer roundtrip cruisetour packages from Seattle and I applaud them wholeheartedly. As a Cruise Specialist, I am very aware of the difficulties that come with booking a one-way cruise or cruisetour. On a northbound itinerary, arrangements often need to be made to get a passenger back to Vancouver or Seattle from Anchorage or Fairbanks; and on a southbound itinerary passengers often need transportation back to Anchorage so they can purchase the often lesser-expensive roundtrip air fares. It can often be very expensive and challenging to make this all work, but now Princess has made it so much easier.

With Princess' roundtrip Seattle cruisetour packages and their new Family Fun Cruisetours which I previously blogged about, there really is no reason now to forgo that trip to Alaska! So come on people and get those bookings done, as the Alaska Wilderness Sale ends December 31!

For more information, contact Sheila McPherson, Your Independent Cruise Specialist, at 630-868-6719, or toll free at 877-823-8597; or visit my website at http://www.serenitycruising.com/.

CruiseOne Agents Say Demand For Cruises Continues to Bounce Back

USAToday.com reported that travel agents attending the CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. National Conference last week on board the Carnival Pride say they're seeing a surge in last-minute bookings for fall and early winter as consumers grow more confident about the economy.

"Within the past two to three months the pendulum has swung upwards," says Ralph Santisteban, a Miami-based CruiseOne agent who has been in the business for 11 years. "I think they've been waiting to make sure they could leave with a clear [conscience]." Santisteban and other longtime cruise-selling agents at CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. say they're seeing people who have put off booking vacations all year long finally pulling the trigger.

"People have said 'enough is enough, I'm going,'" says Becky Piper, a CruiseOne agent in the Cleveland area. "I think they've realized that they still have a job, and they're mentally exhausted and need a vacation." Piper says her business began bouncing back in July after a horrible start to the year. As of March, her bookings were off 60% year-to-date from the previous year, she notes, but after a good July, August and September she's now caught back up and even is ahead a bit for the year.

The travel agents at the CruiseOne/Cruises Inc. conference, which took place last week on the Carnival Pride during a seven-night itinerary out of Baltimore, admit that heavy discounts by the big cruise lines has been a key factor in bringing back demand. Santisteban says customers definitely remain cost conscious. "The person who used to call to ask me for a suite is now calling to ask about a balcony," he notes. "The person who would call asking for a balcony is now calling to ask about an inside."

That said, the booking window -- how far people book in advance of a voyage -- is starting to move back out, say agents, and pricing is starting to edge upwards after months of rarely seen discounts. "Pricing is moving up, but what's funny is the client's expectations is that the pricing is still where it was (a few months ago)," says Piper. "It hasn't been an easy year," Piper adds. "But I really believe things are getting better."

CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. are part of World Travel Holdings, which bills itself as the nation's largest cruise retailer. The company also owns Cruises Only and Cruises.com, which sell cruises on their websites. It is important to note that each CruiseOne franchise is independently owned and operated, and CruiseOne agents like me offer unique personalized service that you can't get by booking on the internet or through a call center.

I would agree with my CruiseOne colleagues that pricing has started to creep upwards, but even if pricing is headed higher than it was a few months ago, there are still tremendous deals out there. However, I think the trend with my clients is that the booking window is holding steady from where it was early in the year, but this is still a shorter window than in the past.

Remember that it's not too late to book a cruise for the end of 2009, and you can take advantage of special deals in celebration of World's Largest Cruise Night, which is on October 13. Check out my website for more information at www.serenitycruising.com.

CruiseOne Agents Now Officially Sell Land Vacations!

It's official! On October 7, 2009, during its national conference aboard the Carnival Pride, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. launched their first land division. As reported in today's edition of Travel Pulse, "As part of the new integrated program, 1,000-plus CruiseOne franchise owners and Cruises Inc. independent agents are now officially licensed to sell land travel and will be rewarded for doing so with exclusive incentives. The new land division of CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. will be rolled out in several phases. The first phase includes 10 preferred land partners -- Apple Vacations, Club Med, Disney Destinations, Funjet Vacations, Globus Family of Brands, GOGO Worldwide Vacations, Sandals Resorts, Trafalgar, Travel Impressions and US Airways Vacations. Future phases expected to launch over the next 24 months will include the addition of new land partners."

This is REALLY big news for us CruiseOne agents because so many times we have gotten requests from clients for land packages, but we've never really had access to great deals before. Traning on land operators has always been on-our-own -- I am already a Certified Apple Vacations Agent, and am in the process of completing my training with Disney Destinations -- but now we can expect more formal training and support from our corporate headquarters. But the best part about this news is that now, by forming partnerships with these top land providers, we can access great deals for our clients and earn top commission dollars as well. So it's definitely a win-win situation and I am very excited about this opportunity.

So start thinking about that next vacation to Hawaii, Europe, DisneyWorld or Las Vegas and call me, your Independent Cruise Specialist, at (630) 868-6719 or toll-free at (877) 823-8597.

Lose Your Job? No Problem! "CruiseAssurance" to the Rescue!

This is big news! Just the other day, Norwegian Cruise Line announced that it was offering job-loss protection as part of its travel insurance plan for cruises booked with NCL after May 1, 2009. If you had been at your job for at least one year, then lost your job and couldn't afford to take your cruise and cancelled, you'd get reimbursed in full for any cancellation fees. Sounds pretty good, right?

Well, now the news gets even better. CruiseOne has just announced their innovative "CruiseAssurance" travel protection policy, which covers guests sailing on ALL cruise lines. Plus, there's no extra charge for this added protection, which provides full reimbursement for cancellation fees, so you can book your cruise and not have to worry if you need to cancel because you just got a pink slip.

Under the “CruiseAssurance” policy, clients can cancel their trip up to the day of departure, or even during their vacation! The only requirements are that travelers purchase an entry-level travel insurance plan – administered by Travel Guard – and present their termination letter. One year of employment is required. “CruiseAssurance” applies to bookings made March 1 through May 2, 2009 and is offered in addition to an already comprehensive travel protection policy.

Like I said, this is really big news in the cruise industry, and everyone needs to know about it. With unbelievable pricing and promotions going on right now, there really is no better time to book a cruise, and with "CruiseAssurance", that just makes it even better!

To book your next cruise vacation, contact Sheila McPherson, Your Personal Cruise Specialist with CruiseOne, at (630) 868-6719 or toll free at (877) 823-8597.

Cruising for $40 per Day? Holy Shnikes!

As reported in the Chicago Tribune on October 26: CruiseOne/Cruises Inc. has come up with a list of "Top 40 Cruises Under $40/Day," all of which are before the end of the year.

www.chicagotribune.com/40dollarcruises

This is huge, since I always thought that cruising for $100 a day was a great value! If you are looking to book a cruise vacation, now is the time to do so, obviously. Can you imagine getting a great hotel room, all your meals, and fun entertainment all for under $40 a day? Wow!  Call me today to take advantage of these awesome deals!

Technorati Tags: cruises,deals,value,vacation,Chicago,cheap,CruiseOne

The Solstice is Coming, the Solstice is Coming!

Celebrity Cruise Line's newest and largest ship, the Solstice, left the shipyard in Germany the other day and is now undergoing several sea trials in preparation for her maiden voyage in November.

The Solstice has a very unique feature never seen before on any cruise ship: a large area called the "Lawn Club" which has about a half acre of real, growing grass! How's that for unique? The ship also boasts its new Aqua Class staterooms with extra spa-related amenities, which can really add to the relaxation factor!

By the way, there is still space available on the CruiseOne charter of the Solstice as she sails from Ft. Lauderdale for 2 nights on November 21, 2008. Be sure to contact me right away if you're interested in being one of the lucky bunch of people who will be the first to sail on this grand ship!

WHEATON, ILLINOIS-BASED CRUISE SPECIALIST ATTENDS ANNUAL CRUISEONE NATIONAL CONFERENCE

SHEILA McPHERSON JOINS MAJOR TRAVEL INDUSTRY PLAYERS, INCLUDING NUMEROUS CRUISE LINE REPRESENTATIVES, ABOARD CELEBRITY MERCURY

Wheaton, IL – Sheila McPherson, a cruise specialist based in Wheaton, Illinois, joined top travel industry executives on an 8-night sail from Vancouver to Alaska as part of the 13th annual CruiseOne National Conference. Celebrity Cruises hosted Sheila McPherson and more than 300 other travel agents aboard the Celebrity Mercury for this unforgettable experience.

The Celebrity Mercury sailed September 14, 2008 to Ketchikan, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Hubbard Glacier; Sitka, Alaska; Victoria, British Columbia and Seattle, Washington. The conference, themed “Xperts in Cruising,” offered extensive training opportunities to Sheila and other attendees. The trip also included a check presentation and $6,000 donation to the Alaska Raptor Center in Sitka, Alaska, courtesy of CruiseOne and Celebrity Cruises. Executives from all major cruise lines, as well as destination convention and visitor bureaus and tour operators, attended this highly regarded event. Additionally, Sheila attended extensive training sessions, becoming expert in Alaska travel, luxury cruising, group cruising and more.

“I always look forward to attending the CruiseOne conference because of the knowledge I gain, industry players I meet, and chances I have to build value for my clients,” said Sheila. “Cruising is one of the most popular ways to vacation. Each year, the CruiseOne conference unveils new trends, innovations and opportunities for me to keep travelers ahead of the curve with deals, incentives and service they won’t find anywhere else.”

For more information about a cruise vacation visit http://www.serenitycruising.com/%20and and sign up for the weekly eNewsletter or call Sheila McPherson, your Independent CruiseOne Cruise Specialist, at ( 630 ) 868-6719 or toll free
( 877 ) 823-8597.

About CruiseOne:With more than 500 locations coast to coast, CruiseOne prides itself on providing attention to detail and expert advice to every customer. Each independently owned and operated business combines the latest technology with old-fashioned, personalized customer service. The automated best fare search program enables cruise specialists to identify excellent values on all major cruise lines. CruiseOne offers innovative and exclusive programs including Honeymoon Cruise Registry, Company and Member Cruises and much more. CruiseOne is part of World Travel Holdings, the world’s largest cruise retailer.

Another Oasis of the Seas Neighborhood Unveiled!

Royal Caribbean has raised the curtain on yet another of its neighborhoods aboard the Oasis of the Seas. The new neighborhood, Entertainment Place, is a complex of diverse entertainment venues.
A contemporary nightclub district, Entertainment Place will introduce new signature after-dark spaces in more intimate venues. The collection of venues will include Blaze, a nightclub at sea; Jazz on 4, an intimate lounge with live jazz and blues; and Comedy Live, a comedy club.
Dance enthusiasts will be able to enjoy an elegant evening in Dazzles, a dance lounge featuring musically themed evenings, dance lessons and competitions.
The late-night Entertainment Place will center around Casino Royale, what Royal Caribbean calls the largest and most sophisticated casino at sea. Guests will enter through two themed walkway entrances -- the first showcasing the 40-year legacy of Royal Caribbean International and the second, the Museum of Gaming, which immerses guests in the history of gaming. The casino, inspired by the classic casinos of the French Riviera, features dramatic sculptured architecture, crystal chandeliers and décor in jewel-toned hues of amethyst, aquamarine and ruby.
Details of Entertainment Place, as well as other entertainment offerings onboard Oasis of the Seas, were unveiled at the CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. national conference held on a cruise to Alaska this week. A video preview of Entertainment Place can be viewed at www.OasisoftheSeas.com.
"We are extremely proud that our partners were the very first to get a glimpse of the exciting new entertainment complex on Oasis of the Seas," said Brad Tolkin, co-CEO of World Travel Holdings.
Previously announced neighborhoods include Central Park, the Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone and the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center. The seven neighborhoods (one is still to be announced) provide cruisers with the opportunity to seek out relevant experiences based on their personal style, preference or mood.

-- I am getting really excited about this ship and I think it is absolutely amazing and could potentially change the cruise industry as we know it. If you haven't yet booked your cruise on this ship, you need to do so today! Visit my website at http://www.serenitycruising/ for more details!

Sheila Sails to Alaska on the Celebrity Mercury!

I have just returned from the CruiseOne, Cruises Inc. 2008 National Conference aboard the Celebrity Mercury. We sailed into glorious Alaska from Vancouver, B.C. and returned to Seattle after 8 nights, having visited Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, and Victoria. We also viewed the magnificent Hubbard Glacier, which, for me, was the highlight of the cruise. Since this was my first cruise aboard a Celebrity ship, I have decided to review it so that my readers can have the opportunity to gain from my experiences. What did I think? Well, read on to find out!

Since my husband had to stay home with the kids, I traveled with a friend of mine, and we shared a Category 2A Balcony Stateroom. I have to say that I was not very impressed with the stateroom, as it was very small. With two twin beds and two very small bedside tables, a desk, small glass coffee table and "loveseat", there was hardly room to walk around the room without bumping into furniture. The Mercury is one of Celebrity's older ships, and the size of the room and its furnishings reflect that fact. Many ships have now updated their staterooms to include flat-screen TVs and upgraded bed linens such as comforters, but these have not undergone such upgrades yet. Despite the cramped surroundings, the storage space was more than adequate, with two closets for hanging items and a third with shelves and drawers. The bathroom was tiny, as expected, but with adequate storage space and a decent-sized shower, it was definitely serviceable. The balcony was good-sized, and was furnished with a small square coffee table and 2 chaises. The balcony was not deep enough to accommodate the chaises if they were laid flat, but it still worked. We've been on ships where the balcony was barely deep enough to accommodate standard chairs, so this was an improvement.

The ship's public rooms were nicely decorated but in my opinion there really was not a lot of pizazz. I don't care for loud neon lights and really bold colors, but I thought that in general the decor seemed sedated. The main dining room was nice but nothing to scream about and the nightclubs and other areas were nicely appointed but nothing really took my breath away. One thing I found frustrating was that the only area of the ship that had a TV on was the casino bar, and the bar was in the middle of the casino so it tended to be very noisy when there was a lot of gaming action going on. The pool area seemed nice but the pool didn't get much use since we were in cold weather. The enclosed Palm Springs Pool area at the back of the ship was a nice place to relax and seemed to be used more often than the area surrounding the La Playa Pool midship. The Celebrity Theater had comfortable seating and good sight lines and the Navigator Club on the Sky deck and beautiful views.

The food on the Mercury was generally good and lunches and dinners in the dining room were nicely presented. The buffet in the Palm Springs Cafe served breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and also had a Sushi buffet in the late afternoon. The food at the buffet was pretty decent, exept for most of the desserts, which seemed to lack flavor. The sushi buffet offered a variety of maki, such as California Roll and Tuna Roll, and had small pieces of tuna and salmon sashimi; these tasted better than the rolls. They also offered a create-your-own stir fry station, which was a pretty good way to get your vegetables in but the choice of sauce was limited to oyster or soy, so not much variety there. My major complaint about the food on the Mercury was room service. The 24-hour menu was limited to soups, salads, sandwiches and a few hot items, and the dessert choices were also limited and uninspired. For breakfast, room service was limited to eggs (scrambled or a plain omelette only) and a selection of breakfast meats and some toast and pastries. Coffee came with non-dairy creamer only, and you could not choose the type of pastry you wanted, and muffins were not offered. I expected the choices to be better, but at least delivery was timely.

As for the ports of call we visited, I enjoyed Juneau and Sitka the best. In Ketchikan, we visited the Totem Bight State Park, which was small and sort of interesting, but not really my cup of tea. If you are interested in Indian culture and totem poles, this might be a good place for you to visit. In Juneau we took the Mendenhall Glacier Float Trip, which was disappointing because we merely floated along the lake with the glacier in the background, the mouth of which was obscured by a large land peninsula; and the rapids, which were fun, lasted all of about 10 minutes out of a 90 minute trip. The scenery was not very interesting and overall the operation was shoddily run. I would not recommend this excursion unless you like to sit and do nothing in the cold for about 90 minutes with not much to see. In Sitka we went on the Captain's Choice Wildlife and Beach Trek, which was interesting and informative. The tour lasted 3 hours and we spent about an hour on the beach of a small remote island and learned about marine life and the flora and fauna on the island. Later, back on the large and comfortable catamaran, the captain took us to an area where we saw a large gathering of bald eagles, and then we saw several whales in the water. What a sight that was, and it really was the high point of that excursion. The crew was friendly and knowledgeable, and I would definitely recommmend this excursion.

For me, the highlight of this cruise was seeing the incredible Hubbard Glacier. The enormous blue-colored wall of ice was an awesome sight and it was everything I had envisioned. The weather generally cooperated for us, as it was quite cold and rainy as we entered Disenchantment Bay, but it gradually cleared up and the sun came out for a while as we viewed the glacier from all sides of the ship. The smaller Turner Glacier also was a beautiful sight and the area really is spectacular.

Entertainment on the Mercury was rather limited. During the day, activities were the usual fare: art auctions, bingo, trivia, watercolor painting lessons and computer enrichment classes, etc.; and in the evenings you'd have the show, whether it be the singers and dancers or the comedian, or some sort of variety show; and a couple of different choices to listen to music and dance. The casino was an option, but it was small and the slots seemed very tight. It could be very easy to lose a lot of money there in the space of 8 nights, so you need to visit it sparingly unless you have a large bankroll. The shops onboard sold the usual array of items, but since we sailed at the end of the Alaska season, a large amount of Alaska-related merchandise was marked down. I personally did not care for Fith, our Cruise Director, but I heard others onboard praise him, so to each his own.

Overall, it was a good trip and I will cruise to Alaska again, although next time I plan to do a cruisetour so that I can see more of Alaska's awesome wildlife on land. If you have not yet visited Alaska and would like to take a cruise there, start planning soon because the big Alaska cruise booking season is just around the corner! I will treasure the memories of my Alaska firsts, such as icebergs, glaciers, and whales, and I look forward to seeing all of that again and more on my next trip. Take my advice and cruise to Alaska next year -- you will love it!

CruiseOne, Cruises Inc. Detail 2008 National Conference

CruiseOne, a leading U.S. franchise operation of more than 550 independent cruise-only travel professionals, and Cruises Inc., the nation’s original host agency network with nearly 500 independent contractors, announced details of their 2008 National Conference, which will take place Sept. 14 though 22 onboard the Celebrity Mercury sailing throughout Alaska and Canada. Titled “Xperts in Cruising,” the nine-day program includes general sessions, targeted workshops and seminars created to enhance the attendees’ knowledge and insight to the many new products and services offered by CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. Attendees will also have the opportunity to earn CLIA credits towards their ACC and MCC.
“This year's conference will give our agents and owners the opportunity to become true destination experts and learn how to continue building their overall sales,” said Dwain Wall, senior vice president and general manager for CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. "Our independent agents and franchise owners will have the opportunity to experience the wonders of Alaska,” said Steven Hattem, vice president-marketing and sales for CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. “We are also excited to have been selected to host the next exclusive reveal for the Oasis of the Seas where Vicki Freed, senior vice president-sales for Royal Caribbean will join us to share the details of this next generation and revolutionary cruise ship from Royal Caribbean.”
Other industry attendees include: Dondra Rizenthaler, senior vice president-sales, and Jeffrey Clarke, vice president-national sales for Celebrity and Azamara; Edie Bornstein, vice president, national accounts and business development for Carnival Cruise Line; Dave Stockert, vice president-training for Holland America Line; Mike Wiersemra, vice president-sales for Viking River Cruises; Rudy Schreiber, president, and Kristen Karst, vice president-sales for Amadeus Waterways. Marc Mancini, president of Marc Mancini Seminars, will also be presenting with Terri Burke, vice president-industry relations for Norwegian Cruise Line; plus many others cruise and travel industry leaders. For more information on CruiseOne, call 800-892-3928 or visit www.CruiseOneBusiness.com. For more information on Cruises Inc., call 877-714-4072 or visit www.JoinCruisesInc.com.