Friday, November 7, 2014

I'm cruising week of November 9 on the new Regal Princess


Next week is Cruises Inc's annual convention.  We've had this planned for over a year now, and it is finally here.

We'll be on the new Regal Princess.  It is the 1st 7N sailing in the US.

A great customer of mine will be coming down from Palatka, FLA on Nov 8, and staying at my mom's in Daytona.  Then we'll leave the next morning, by way of Cruise Connection, getting us to the ship in Ft Lauderdale.

We'll be onboard with most the major cruise lines and tour operators, to include the CEO of Carnival and Vice Pres of Marketing for Royal Caribbean, just to name a few.

On sea days, to include a 1/2 a day in Princess Cays, I'll be getting up at 6am, to get ready to go to breakfast and then to my seminar by 8am !  In St Thomas and St Martin, I'm basically just going into the town, and not choosing any of the "vendor" opportunities available to us.

Follow my itinerary. 
Sun, Nov 9 Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Embark - Time subject to change
- 04:00 PM
Mon, Nov 10 Princess Cays, Bahamas 09:00 AM 05:00 PM
Tue, Nov 11 At Sea - -
Wed, Nov 12 Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, USVI 09:00 AM 06:00 PM
Thu, Nov 13 St. Maarten, Leeward Islands 07:00 AM 06:00 PM
Fri, Nov 14 At Sea - -
Sat, Nov 15 At Sea - -
Sun, Nov 16 Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Disembark - Time subject to change
07:00 AM

Where the cheapest cruise may get you !




Sometime, I get calls from new callers asking me for a cheap cruise !  “Value” is more the word, the folks in the industry prefer to use !

We all love value.  And we all like to go on vacation for at as low of a cost as we can.

But where might cheap get you ?

Could it land you on a cruise that no one else wants ?  Or on a date that no one else wants ?  And what about the fact that “cheap” is what is available for folks who can’t afford to cruise ?

Is that what you really want ?

Wouldn’t you prefer to sail with folks of your same type ?  Same interests ? Same type income as you ?  Same thought process as you ?

Last March, my mother and I went on the MSC Divina.  Wow, did we get a great rate ! 

Fortunate for us, the clientele was great.  Mostly foreigners.  I must say, they dress better at the pool and for dinner than most Americans, who sail “cheap”. 

However, this is not the norm on most “cheap” cruises !  If every Tom-Dick-and Harry can afford, than that’s usually exactly who will be onboard !  Doesn’t do a lot of good to come back and complain to me about the clientele onboard, if it was YOU, who choose “cheap” !

The cheaper you go, may also determine the entertainment provided.  Again, lucky for me and mom, the MSC Divina had great production shows !  Not just 2 nights, like most 7 night cruises … But every night !  My mother and I loved them !

Also cheap can involve the décor !  Years past, I was on many a cruise with little or no décor, and yes, they were cheap !  FYI … The MSC Divina was beautiful !  One of the most luxurious looking ships I’ve seen in a while !

Then there’s the food !  Most ships do a fair job, even if it’s not every night.  However, other ships have many paid dining venues, like NCL.  That for me, tells me I need to plan on buying the venues if I want good food !  And sadly, that’s where the MSC Divina fell short.  Food was awful !

My true point is not really about cruise line to choose.  It’s actually about cost. 

Such as, if the same ship on March 15 cost $ 1499 for a balcony but Jan 3 only cost $ 599, it truly may determine who may be onboard with you !

Though I too love a great rate, you need to prepare yourself, when you choose the cheaper dates !  Need to decide what’s more important to you.  And whether you will come back complaining over your choice !

Happy choosing !