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Cruise and Vacation BLOG
CRUISES IN THE FALL 8/25/2006 1:13:38 PM Link | | Add comment August 25, 2006
It is that time of year when cruise rates have come down to some of the BEST for every CRUISE LINE out there. Being located in South Florida we have every MAJOR line sailing from here. Once all of the children return to school in August or early September the sailings become soft especially on the FAMILY oriented CRUISE line's such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Princess. Some of the MOST ATTRACTIVE rates at this time - September. October. November and early December are on Carnival Cruise Line who also offers MILITARY rates on select sailings with minimal restrictions. We show rates on 3 and 4 night sailings as LOW as $179.00 per person plus government fees based on double occupancy and the 7 night sailings as LOW as $449.00 per person plus the government fees again based on double occupancy. Third and Fourth persons sharing the same cabin also feature LOW rates. Royal Caribbean follows and Princess does. Though the shortest sailing on Princess is 7 nights to the Caribbean. So, do you want a CHEAP vacation on some GREAT cruise ships which is the same as an all-inclusive hotel but with the flexibility of being able to be in more then one place – THEN TAKE A CRUISE IN THE FALL we can GUARANTEE better availability for inside, outside and balcony cabins at CHEAPER rates.
| Best ALL INCLUSIVE hotels in the Caribbean 12/6/2005 10:42:18 AM Link | | Add comment There are many ALL INCLUSIVE hotel properties through out the caribbean starting in the Bahamas and working their way down to some of the most remote islands. Among the choices are family resorts such as Beaches, Breezes and Club Med. There is something for everyone including the party property Hedonism II in Negril (Jamaica). We have honeymoon ALL INCLUSIVE'S (some will actually marry you there), au natural properties and can not forget the wonderful properties in Mexico (Canucn, Cozumel etc.). But, the CADILLAC of them all is SANDALS. They have hotels in Jamaica, Nassau, Antigua and St. Lucia. Once you have stayed at one of these properties you are spoiled forever. You can stay in a beautiful deluxe room all the way up to Honeymoon suites and villas some with concierge and/or butler service. No matter where you stay in the hotels or what view you have the room ammenities remain the same including the four poster double or king beds. You will experience the best of cuisine, the best of non-alcholic and alcholic beverages (using premium liquer), the best of service and pampering to no-end. Sandals is the ultimate HONEYMOON destination and if you just want to runaway for that something special I truly recommend the Sandals experience. When you check out of the hotel you have absolutely no bill unless you have purchased something. The round trip airport-hotel transfers are included, room tax, all of the gratuites, entertainment, and all of the activities at the hotel (including non-motorized water sports ie:scuba diving, snorkeling, para-sailing and so much more). Do not get me wrong as I mentioned in the beginning there are many other ALL INCLUSIVE hotels out there that in many ways are just as wonderful but the Ultimate is SANDALS. | When are cruises cheaper to take? 12/2/2005 10:25:24 AM Link | | Add comment In the past 4 years the best time to get better cruise rates have proven to be in the fall of each year - September through the first 2 or 3 weeks in December. Once the children go back to school the sailings become very soft and therefore the cruise lines lower their rates to fill the ships. I have found that during this time there are a lot of discounted cruises out there and the deals are phenomenal from 3 to 7 day sailings. You can find rates from 249.00 per person for 3 night cruises up to 549.00 per person for the 7 night cruises. And, there are certain sailings that might be even lower. You can also find some cheaper rates during the month of January and the beginning of February of each year. We will follow up on this again. | How much do I tip on my cruise? 11/30/2005 9:13:54 AM Link | | Add comment Tipping is a standard practice aboard the majority of vessels today, and should simply be considered as part of the cost. It's true that cruise companies count on most of the waiters' and stewards' salaries coming from tips, but just grin and bear it, unless you opt for a "No Tipping Permitted" ship (usually the most expensive). There are few areas of the cruise experience which confuse passengers more than tipping, and unfortunately cause problems aboard some vessels with crew who let you know it's expected (I tip less when encountering such a person). Fortunately, suggested tipping amounts are fairly constant from one ship to another and haven't increased much over the past decade.
In general, the industry norms are: $3.50 per person, per day for room steward, the same amount for your waiter and about half that amount for bus boy. This adds up to $8-$9 per person, per day so multiply the number of days of your voyage and set this amount aside for the last evening. If you order wine most nights, it's normal to tip the sommelier(wine steward), and if the maitre d' has been unusually helpful and attentive, it is not out of line to slip him a small amount at the end of the voyage. In the highest category cabins of many ships you may also have a butler, and a tip is expected here. And, since cruising is universally a cashless system, a 15% gratuity is normally added to your bar tab as well.
Holland America tries to be gracious, but seems to confuse nearly everyone with its "No Tipping Required" policy, which adds in its onboard literature "you may want to tip someone who has been unusually helpful." Since most people want to do the right thing, we finally pinned down the recommended amount from one of HAL's hotel managers. He said tipping half the normal amount suggested aboard other ships is fine.
Most cruise companies tell you suggested amounts in pre-departure information and aboard ship. A new trend is allowing you to prepay set amounts by credit card at embarkation. Personally I prefer to wait until the last day -- invariably there's a particularly attentive staff member I want to tip a bit extra, and sometimes service and attitude haven't been good and I'll leave less.
| When is the best time to take a cruise? 11/29/2005 5:13:27 PM Link | | Add comment I heard during the summer months, is this true?
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Cruise and Vacation BLOG
