Cruises are in demand

Carnival Corp. (Made up of Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Winstar, Costa Cruises, Cunard and Seabourn) just released their 2nd quarter results and they are WAY UP from last year. What does this mean to you? Prices will start to increase as demand rises. My suggestion is that you make those cruise vacation plans early on. If you are the type to wait for a lst minute deal, be careful as many of those offers are not being promoted.

Of course when you use Ambassador Tours, our cruise agents will always find you the best value on the high seas!

Hurricane Season Here Again!!

With Hurricane Arlene causing a stir in the Caribbean, there have been many calls fluttering into my office with concerns about upcoming vacation plans or people stating that they don't want to travel because of the possibility that Mother Nature may mess up their travel plans. Well, here is my attempt to set the record straight on how hurricanes could directly affect your cruise vacation. A couple of things could happen, that no one could possibly predict, and I would like to hopefully share these occurrences and maybe put some minds at ease for traveling during these "hurricane season" months.

The long and the short of it is- Today's Cruise Ships are some of the most technological advanced vessels that are around today. The navigation systems onboard are able to pick up various weather patterns - good or bad- and in doing so, help the crew maneuver around any bad weather. During these circumstances there are a few things that could happen to your vacation experience: your itinerary may vary, your vacation may be shortened, your vacation may be lengthened and depending on which islands you are set to visit- you could stop in at a port that may have just gotten a lot of rain. In order to maneuver around these extreme storms the captain may decide that visiting a certain island in the Caribbean that you were supposed to visit may not be safe and will redirect to an alternate destination or skip it all together. Also, the weather could limit the ability to get to the final destination and will result in an extra day or two in order to bring everyone home safely.

Cruise Lines are very familiar with the Hurricane Season and are always prepared for whatever Mother Nature may bring. By no means should you worry about these storms ruining your cruise experience. In some instances, the cruise line may even throw in some extra amenities (shipboard credits, bottle of wine, etc...) in order to make up for any inconvenience. With all the advanced technology out there- a hurricane should be the least of your worries- now what to pack should be!!

Cabin Guarantee: Good or Bad??

Deciding to go on a cruise vacation is more planning then just saying I want to go somewhere, sometime, during such and such week. There are many more questions and answers and selecting a cabin is one of the big ones. There are so many choices to choose from- what category do you want?? Do you want an Inside, Oceanview or Balcony? Then, the question becomes, what deck would you like?? And then ok, now that you have all that where on the ship would you like to be- front, mid or aft?? (Aren’t you glad you let Ambassador Tours deal with all of this?) Every cruise line offers different categories which ultimately offer different cabins. Sometimes, not all, there may even be the option of choosing a cabin guarantee and this option seems to create more questions then any other.

I have been talking with various people lately and there seems to be a lot of confusion as to what a cabin guarantee actually is. So, I thought I would jump on my computer and explain what it actually is and put a few ups and downs to the whole process that will hopefully iron out all the confusion.

What is a cabin guarantee??
When booking a cruise and deciding which category is right for you, the next question is usually what cabin would you like or, in some instances, are you willing to take a cabin guarantee. A cruise line will offer you a cabin in the category you selected or if it is available will offer a guarantee which basically guarantees you will get a cabin in the category that you want at that price- or maybe even a better priced room- without paying more if you get a complimentary upgrade. Your actual cabin number is at the discretion of the cruise line and won't be assigned until closer to your sailing date. Basically, it is a crap shoot- you may pay one price and be upgraded to a better priced room (not necessarily a better room) or stay in the same category you paid for originally. If you are particular about the location of your cabin this option is not right for you.

Upsides to a cabin guarantee-
No matter what, you will pay a great price for the category you wanted all along- Inside, Oceanview or Balcony- with a chance to get upgraded to an even better one. This option is for the traveler that could care less where their cabin is ("I'm not going to be spending that much time in my room anyway"), the traveler that is looking for a great deal, or for the lucky. Be sure to mention that you are a past passenger (if you are in fact one), this may also help you to receive that complimentary upgrade over someone who isn't a past passenger. I have had clients pay for the minimum oceanview cabin and get upgraded to the best oceanview category. It is the luck of the draw and sometimes works in everyone's favor.

Downsides to a cabin guarantee-
There is absolutely no say in what cabin you will end up with, especially if the ship is full. The simple fact is that, guaranteed cabins are the rooms that everyone who booked a specific cabin didn't want. You could end up with a cabin in the way front, way back or under a very public lounge - and have absolutely no control over it. If location is important to you, this choice is not the right one for you. Cabin guarantees can be a pleasant surprise but can also lead to extreme disappointment if you are placed in a less then desirable location.

If you have the option to choose a cabin guarantee over an assignment the decision all comes down to LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!! If you are someone that likes to be mid-ship, on a certain deck, away from the elevators, etc... It is worth it to pay the extra money and be in a cabin that you know you will enjoy. If you absolutely don't care about where you are on the ship and will have a good time anywhere, then the cabin guarantee is perfect. I have had my share of clients that have good experiences with cabin guarantees and bad- it is really the luck of the draw... Good Luck!!

Cruise Ships Go Wireless

This new way of chatting with all my friends is GREAT!! I was reading up on my current travel affairs and came accross something that is so fascinating I had to jump on my computer and let you all in on it- Carnival and NCL are going wireless!! You no longer have to wait for big news from home, miss out on big business transactions or even wait to tell all your friends how much you are enjoying your cruise. You will now be able to make calls from your cell phone, surf the web, get stock quotes or recieve news from anywhere on the ship. Wireless is now available on Carnival Valor, Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Star and is sure to be coming to all ships soon.

Now I am sure you are all asking- well what if I don't want to be found while I am on vacation? Trust me, when I go on vacation the last thing I want to think about is work, but sometimes it isn't that easy to just let it go and now the stress of wanting to be able to check in is gone!! If you choose to call and see if that every important email got sent or if that important package came in, you can and if you don't - then don't. There are still mounds of other activities to do onboard these fascinating ships. With this new technology- you can call the kids and thank them for purchasing that dream vacation (hint hint) or even call to check your messages even when you are oceans away from home.

So, from now on- the excuse that you can't leave work won't due. With this fabulous technological advance you can work from the ship and still feel like you are on vacation- answer emails, take calls, etc... And of course, if you just need to call home and brag about how much fun you are having when everyone else is sitting at their desk- well you can do that too!! Your cruise vacation experience just got that much more easier to enjoy- no worries!!