Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Why waste valuable time considering (a cruise) vacation if NOT ready to confirm ! Know that internet searching is driving your own rates up, while you waste around dreaming !


Vacation dreaming … it’s a wonderful thing !

Most often, I literally just get up on line and look at all kinds of things, just any time !
For me ...
*  It's a great past time.
*  Can truly be educational !
*  It’s fun, figuring out, how to take something that is complicated and make it work !

Do I always have the goal of buying ? No.
I’m often just “wishing” I could !
Or sometimes just hoping I’ll figure out how to make it work.
And, sometimes, it’s about getting the whole package at that lowest price, with a goal that forces me to just jump on it !

No matter …
Usually, when I’m looking up info, it’s in the middle of the night; only thing I’m basically loosing out on is sleep (but I was watching TV ½ way anyway) !
And sometimes, while playing around, I run across travel info that someone else might be able to use.

Sometimes, if I don’t have time to figure it all out, I have to put it down, and work on it again later. Unfortunately, when I do this, like the rest of you, I'm forced to start all over in my thinking or looking up info !

Just lately, I did this. I think it took me over 6 weeks to finally decided on my train ride, just from here to New Jersey, to catch my Bermuda cruise on Royal Caribbean. I wanted to incorporate something else; couldn‘t find that thing that jumped out at me. Finally settled, and I’m actually happy ! First to Bridgeport, CT, in hopes of some fall foliage; staying in an economy hotel, but it’s right on the water at a cost of only @ $ 65 a night ! Then we renting car, cause learned cab for 5 miles r/t @ $ 30 ! Have found a few things to do, but yet to decide.

Noticed, I said the cruise was already booked; so it was the amenities that I took a long time on. Yet, in honesty, I did take 3 weeks to decide cruise … There was one, all Bermuda for 6N’s that was only out of Baltimore; an 8N, out of Baltimore that include Bermuda, Newport, RI, and Boston; and then the one out of NJ on one of a BIG BOAT of RCI. With a little help from my roommate, we decided, the BIG BOAT was the most important concept to us !

All-n-all, what I am saying, had I just STOPPED and thought strictly on my vacation, versus all the other things going on around me, I could have gotten this over and done with and moved on with other important personal things on my to-do-list. Instead, I let this hang over my head, for awhile; actually some what frustrating me, every time I had to start over in thought.

The difference between me doing this and you, or even one of my own existing customers, is that …
* I better know the “play time” I have in making a decision.
* And even if I’m not yet making that decision, I’ll go up and watch that cruise, to be sure it does not sell out of go up in price.
* And, I have a different type computer system than you; I’m not on the cruise lines website, and not making the computer think I’m going to buy; which can actually DRIVE THE RATE UP !

So I’m actually suggesting here …
When you’re in the market, move on, by devoting specific time and get the basis of your vacation (like the cruise part) confirmed as quickly as possible !

WHY ?

* Get best price NOW, not tomorrows rate
* Get best cabins
* Get it off your to-do list and stop playing around
* You don’t have the same resources of insight that I have


AND BE AWARE
You keep looking up that price … Like cruises … Like airfare … YOU’RE DRIVING THE RATE UP ! You’re making the computer think there’s a SUPPLY-AND-DEMAND for that sailing !

AND …
If you know people who DO NOT KNOW ANY BETTER than call every agent in town for a rate (cause they don’t realize all the rates are the same; exception, a distribution house are given lower rates, such as Cruises Inc), again …

* This person too, is not only driving up their own rates up ...

* When they are ready to “buy for real“, all the cabins MAYBE SADLY BE GONE, because …
Every agent called WILL hold a cabin !

FYI, sometimes, the cruise line does NOT put the cabin back into inventory, which in turn, will DRIVE RATES UP or cause the ship to be SOLD OUT !  Possibly, your own friends, are doing this to YOU and to the industry !


Just lately, had 2 callers …
(1) Person found me on the net; he had been planning, in his mind, to cruise on a select ship and date for over a year; called me 3 months prior to sailing to check for space; didn’t opt to buy; called 2 weeks later, ship SOLD OUT.
(2) Woman wanted to sail with friends; I reserved space & rates; didn’t opt to buy; called 2 weeks later; ship SOLD OUT.



I'm not actually fussing cause they drove their ownselves out of getting a cabin ... I'm more disappointed that they didn't just buy, when they knew space was MINIMAL before they even called me !
WHY do people do this ?

NO, I don't get it !  I've been here 21 years.  I do nothing but tell people the truth.  And even from someone who will tell you everything you want to know, they still didn't choose to listen !  Sad, everyone looses !



The name of the game … If you want to go … when you start planning ... FINISH IT
OR ... get out of the way and STOP DRIVING RATES UP or SELLING THE BOAT OUT for everone else (cause the cruise line won't put the cabins back into inventory) !




Please don't be offended here (smile) ... I'm speaking up for all of us, who want to sail at a reasonable cost !







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