It’s CLIA’s National Cruise Vacation Week!
For all of you who like good deals, whether it’s reduced deposits, onboard credits, reduced fares, cash back, upgrades, or onboard savings booklets…..an event is coming up that you really ought to know about! This is an incredible week for booking the best cruise vacation deals ever! When? October 21 – October 27, 2012. Why? It’s CLIA’s National Cruise Vacation Week. CLIA is Cruise Lines International Association, and it is the world’s largest cruise association (of which I am a member).
How about signing up for my free weekly newsletter which is an eSaver, and then you’ll be one step ahead of being apprised of all the latest deals. To sign up simply send me an email to dkaur@cruiseone.com , and write Subscribe in the subject line. I’ll be happy to sign you up, or you can sign up at my website at http://www.likecruises.com by inputting your email and zipcode in the green box on the right hand side that is titled “Sign Up for Exclusive Offers and Discounts”, then don’t forget to press Join.
First to clarify what some of the terms above are in plain English:
Reduced deposits – who wants to pay the full deposit, when you could pay half only? You may only have to pay $100 or $200 per cabin. Remember, the ability to pay a deposit instead of paying in full can only occur if you book way before your cruise – at least 60 days before or more. If you book within 60 days of the cruise, you will have to make full payment. It’s better to book early, and to have reserved your cabin with a deposit than it is to book too close to the cruise date (your desired cabin may not be available). Paying reduced deposits is a DEAL!
Onboard credits (OBC) – this is free spending money that you can use to pay for your mandatory gratuities, telephone calls, internet charges, specialty restaurant charges, alcohol and/or other bar purchases, etc. These onboard credits will vary depending on what type of cabin you book. You will get more of a higher OBC for booking a balcony cabin or a suite than you will for booking an interior cabin. You could get an OBC from $50 to $300 per cabin (perhaps less or maybe even more) – this is a DEAL!
Reduced fares – this is your week to get special savings, as fares could be significantly discounted – this is a DEAL!
Cash back – this could be in the form of an OBC or cash back to your credit card, not sure on this, but if you call me – I will find out for you – this is a DEAL!
Upgrades – normally, you only get upgraded within the type of cabin type you book. So booking an interior does not give you an upgrade to an ocean view, but to a better category interior. However, this week is your lucky week where you can get upgraded from interior to ocean view or ocean view to balcony (based upon cruise line availability and cruise line specific offering of this promotion) – this is a DEAL!
Onboard saving booklets – these will come in handy when you wish to save on internet fees, or get a discount in the gift shop (you just might find a coupon in the booklet) or if you are interested in purchasing one of the professional pictures taken by the cruise line photographers – this is a DEAL!
Sorry for using the word “deal” so much, but it really is a great DEAL! So, please visit my website now at http://www.likecruises.com or contact me at dkaur@cruiseone.com and let me know where you want to go to, how many people per cabin, what type of cabin (interior, ocean view or balcony), and it would be helpful if you could let me know if you have ever cruised before. Please also tell me if you have a preference for a particular cruise line. I am registered with all the cruise lines, and can book you on any cruise line that you choose.
Which cruise line you choose, and which particular ship within that cruise line’s offerings, will depend on which itinerary appeals to you, and whether you have a particular affinity to one cruise line over another. These are just some of the ones you can choose from (I have personally been on all these ships):
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Splendor
Carnival Spirit in San Diego
Oceania Cruise Lines
Oceania Marina
MSC Cruise Lines
MSC Musica
Princess Cruise Lines
Golden Princess Cabin
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Of The Seas
Royal Caribbean’s Radiance Of The Seas
Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment Of The Seas
Cunard Cruise Lines
Cunard’s Queen Victoria
These are some of my ship inspection videos or a video that I made to help you see what it’s like on a cruise ship, this may help you decide which cruise line you wish to pick:
My ship inspection of the Carnival Splendor:
My ship inspection of the Oceania Marina:
My ship inspection of the Golden Princess:
My ship inspection of the Oasis Of The Seas:
My ship inspection of the Carnival Spirit:
My ship inspection of the Queen Victoria:
My cruise video of the Radiance Of The Seas:
My cruise video of the Enchantment Of The Seas:
Unfortunately, I did not make a video of the MSC Musica, I took that cruise way before I became a travel agent in late 2010, early 2011, and really got into video taping my holidays. I’ve always enjoyed photography, but videography is something I really just got into in the last few years.
These links might also help you to make an informed choice on cruising, as this is definitely one of the best ways to travel:
Top 10 Reasons To Cruise and Frequently Asked Questions About Cruising
If you have any other questions…….please don’t hesitate to call me. I’d be happy to hear from you!
Don’t forget, it’s better for you to book with a travel agent, because you know who to go back to each time you have questions, and you won’t get a different person answering the phone each time you call. There are various other reasons as to why you should book with a travel agent. So, please pick up the phone and call 858-427-4972 now……..I really want to hear my phone ringing off the hook during the National Cruise Vacation Week, and even before then. Thank you, and I look forward to booking you on your best vacation ever!
My Video – Leaving Hamilton By Ferry To Go Back To The Cruise Ship
In this video that I made, you will see Hamilton as viewed from onboard the ferry that we took back to the cruise ship. I don’t like my voice at all in this video, but decided to just go ahead and leave it in. Sometimes, I use Garage Band to do an introduction to my video, but this time I left it all natural – my voice as it was on that day. Isn’t it funny how we often don’t like to hear our own voices whether it’s on the telephone answering machine, or on video?
Hamilton is very picturesque. I hope you enjoy the video!
Hamilton, Bermuda
Hamilton Ferry Terminal, Bermuda
My Video – Enchantment Of The Seas to Bermuda – Hamilton (Part One)
Hamilton, Bermuda is a very colorful place. You will marvel at all the colors – be it the colors of the homes or of the businesses in downtown Hamilton. In my video that I made just two days ago, you will see our taxi driver and hear an authentic Bermudian accent, and you will see as we go past the Clock Tower Mall in Kings Wharf. Then you’ll see Gibbs Lighthouse, as well as many colorful Bermudian buildings and homes along the way. You will then see downtown Hamilton, and the Hamilton Ferry Building.
Hamilton, Bermuda
Thank you for watching my video, and please don’t forget to press “like” on You Tube – if you like it! I would appreciate it.
My Video of the Pink Sands of Bermuda
Sand is nice no matter what color it is, most people prefer golden-colored sand or white sand. I never thought about pink sand until I went to Bermuda. My video doesn’t show just the pink sands, but the turquoise blue of the ocean, and the swaying of the palm trees…..it shows the beautiful paradise that is Bermuda.
This video will show you two beaches – Horseshoe Bay Beach, and Warwick Long Bay/Jobson’s Cove Beach. I also added some nice music so that you can completely relax while watching it. After that, you can dream of your next vacation, and you never know……it just might be to Bermuda!
You will see the couple in the picture below taking their stroll along the beach – I took their picture prior to the video taping.
Warwick Long Bay/Jobson’s Cove Beach, Bermuda
Then my daughter taped some of the video footage, while the taxi driver was ready with my camera to take a picture of me and the kids. Somehow, the sand doesn’t look that pink in this picture.
Warwick Long Bay/Jobson’s Cove, Bermuda
When you watch the video, I hope you will see how beautiful Bermuda is. I hope you like my video.
My Video of Snorkel Beach and Kings Wharf, Bermuda
I’m not sure if many of you are into snorkelling – I have never tried it, nor can I tell anything about it – but I can show you a video that I made of a place called Snorkel Beach – it’s in Snorkel Park, Bermuda.
This is the entrance to the beach, and if you watch the end of the video, upon exiting Snorkel Beach, you will see the narrow path I talked about in a previous post, that led to a rather unpleasant incident – yes, it happened right on the street you’ll see in the video, which is also on the same road as the one shown in the picture below.
Snorkel Park Beach, Bermuda
Snorkel Beach is quite different to Horseshoe Bay Beach or Warwick Long Bay – the other two beaches I saw in Bermuda – it doesn’t have pink sand, but it is still a lovely beach.
Snorkel Park Beach, Bermuda
You will get a better feel for this particular beach by watching my video – sometimes pictures capture the essence of a place really well, but sometimes a video can do it even better. I hope you enjoy the video.
My Video – Enchantment Of The Seas – Farewell Party
I really enjoy most kinds of music, and disco music is no exception. Disco music is a lot better than the kind of music they play today. Tunes such as “Night Fever, Night Fever” , “In The Navy”, “Get Down On It” and “I Will Survive” are just classics (and they’re all in my new video). If you grew up in the 70’s and/or 80’s, you will surely know what I mean. The music they played at the “Farewell Party” on the Enchantment Of The Seas, centered around disco music. Enjoy the video!
Disco Party – Enchantment Of The Seas
Enchantment Of The Seas
Indian Cruises – Cultural Enrichment At Sea
I enjoy Bollywood and Bhangra music and dance. I just love Indian culture, and there’s nothing wrong with that – after all, I am Indian. I may have grown up in England, and now live in the USA, but culture is deeper than where we live, it’s the embodiment of who we are – who we interact with, and what makes us bond together, and what we enjoy. I may be Indian, but I am also British and I’m also American. I may love Bollywood, and Bhangra, but additionally….. I love pop music, soul music, reggae music and jazz, and even a bit of rap. If I didn’t love the other forms of music, I wouldn’t tape them as ardently as I do when I go on cruises, and then show the world…..I only do that – because I love to watch most forms of dance and musical entertainment, and then of course, I love to photograph and video tape it too!
When I had the chance to introduce a bit of culture on a cruise ship, I was all for it. I hired a group – UCSD Zor – one of the top Bollywood dance teams in the USA – to perform on my Bindi Cruise to Mexico on the Carnival Splendor in July, 2011. I didn’t think twice about it. It took a lot of planning, and was quite a huge undertaking for me – a fairly new travel agent at that time (I just started in this business in January 2010). Would I do something like that again? Who knows? Maybe, sometime in the future.
I love Bollywood movies, but when it really comes to Indian music – I have to admit that I love Bhangra just a bit more than I do Bollywood. That’s why I asked Zor – who are really more of a Bollywood team to do a Bhangra routine, and guess what…..they were really good at it. When you have versatility like that, you are true performers. I was really happy with the performances of Zor on the cruise. Here’s a picture of UCSD Zor below, they are fantastic at both Bollywood and Bhangra!
UCSD Zor, performing Bhangra
And here I am with UCSD Zor who are in their Bollywood outfits now, instead of Bhangra outfits (as above)
UCSD Zor – Carnival Splendor
Want to know more about Bhangra? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhangra_(music)
Want to see hear the full-length Bhangra song that was partly shown in my new Enchantment Of The Seas video, and see who the musician is? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJztXj2GPfk
Want to see a fabulous Bhangra dance video that I put together of UCSD Zor – one of the top Bollywood dance teams in the USA, when they were dancing to Bhangra on my Bindi Cruise to Mexico on the Carnival Splendor?
Want to see a fantastic Bollywood dance video that I put together of UCSD Zor when they performed on my Bindi Cruise to Mexico?
Thank you for reading!
My Video Of The Enchantment Of The Seas
I just finished uploading my video today, and hope you will like it. This video shows many areas around the Enchantment Of The Seas, and it shows the Sailing Away Party, in addition to the Farewell Party. What was interesting was that many people danced during the Sailing Away Party, when there was regular Western music, but as soon as Bhangra music was played, there was just one person dancing. I had to show this in my video – because I love Bhangra, as well as Bollywood, but I also love many types of Western music. Okay, I will admit that there weren’t as many Indian people on this cruise ship as I’ve seen on other cruise ships, but you would think that Bhangra music should have caught on by now. Bhangra music has a very catchy beat, and it’s hard to resist moving when you hear this wonderful music.
Other than the Sailing Away Party, I also showed the Captain’s Reception, some of the entertainment in the Centrum, and the common areas, including the main pool, Schooners Bar, and the Solarium.
Anyway, I hope you will watch my video, and remember……cultural enrichment can brig you joy!
Main Swimming Pool – Enchantment Of The Seas
Bermuda Can’t Just Be A One Time Visit!
Here are some last pictures of when we sailed away from Kings Wharf in Bermuda on August 7th, 2012.
Kings Wharf, Bermuda
Let’s catch the Dockyards one last time through the port-hole window of the cruise ship! You will see the reflection of Clock Tower Mall.
And here is the Clock Tower Mall in all it’s glory!
Kings Wharf, Bermuda
Kings Wharf, Bermuda
We also saw the Norwegian Dawn yet again, and I just had to take pictures.
Norwegian Dawn in Bermuda
Norwegian Dawn in Bermuda
Well goodbye Bermuda, I will try to make it back to you so that I can take more pictures of your beautiful country next time. You certainly can’t be just a one time visit!
It Pays To Have Travel Insurance
It can be quite costly if you travel without purchasing travel insurance, and something happens to you during your travels.
Count your small investment in travel insurance as a blessing and not a cost (it’s also peace of mind).
Spa – Enchantment Of The Seas
I am happy to report that I made the right choice when I purchased my trip insurance back in May. As you know, I suffered an injury in Bermuda (wrote about it in a previous post), and not only did I suffer an injury, but my camcorder got smashed up too around the lens. Accidents can happen anywhere, but imagine if I had gone to the hospital and had to pay out of pocket for the ambulance, guess who would have reimbursed me? My travel protection company! Luckily, I did not go to the hospital, so I did not have that expense. However, my camcorder which cost about $469 or so, was fairly new, and therefore, I put in a claim upon my return. I made a quick phone call, filled out a few forms, and supplied a copy of my receipt to Travel Guard. Imagine, to my delight, when I received a check in full. I thought I would have to get a repair estimate, but Travel Guard didn’t ask me for any of that, they just cut the check and I got it within two or three weeks or so of filing the claim.
Additionally, I want to tell you about a client who booked a cruise, and had an emergency come up one week before her scheduled cruise – her aunt had died of cancer. Understandably, she could not go on the cruise, and had to attend the funeral (which was scheduled to take place during the same time as the cruise). Luckily, she had purchased travel protection from me and she was refunded in full (since she had a reason that was covered, and could be fully documented). Remember, certain covered reasons allow a full refund when you have trip insurance, even when you would not get a refund from the cruise line because you are after full payment date (penalty phase).
So, please next time you travel…..whether on a cruise or on a flight, remember to purchase travel protection, and you will be protected.
luchanik 