Fly cruises....Your comments please

Well after this Christmas those cruise companies with ships based in the UK are going to be smiling. First of all BA cabin crew threatened to strike putting hundreds of people into panic and uncertainty. The same customers had a small reprieve when the strike was called off only to have snow both home and abroad causing cancelleations all over and people to be stranded at airports with no way of reaching their ships.


We've also had Globespan go bust affecting our Scottish customers and finally the Delta bomb attempt which whilst not affecting cruise customers will certainly put people off flying.

It's interesting to see how the different cruise companies have dealt with the flight problems caused by the weather. Cunard I understand are fully refunding all customers who have failed to reach their cruise, whilst MSC tell you to claim on your insurance. I actually agree with MSC - surely if Cunard refund all of their Christmas customers they will suffer a huge loss of income which will only impact on future prices, whereas a travel insurance policy is rarely claimed on and unlike other insurances you haven't got no claims discount to consider.

 What do you think? I'd also be interested to know if you've been caught up in this and whether you have lost money or been put off fly cruises for life.

Balmoral - A Christmas Cracker

Having sailed on Black Watch last year I was prepared for good food, friendly staff and drinks that are as cheap as my local pub. What I wasn’t expecting on Balmoral was a bright and airy ship with great feeling of space, a choice of bars and evening entertainment and better still a great nights sleep. Read on for a review of my 3rd Cruise.co.uk Christmas party

We were lucky enough to given a superior outside cabin on Lido deck  - nice and spacious, plenty of hanging space and shower into the bath. Only a small bath I would have liked a larger one to soak my weary body in but at least I was able to sit down. Compared to Black Watch the cabins were far superior (although BW has now been refurbished.)  I would definatly recommend a higher deck as their was none of the noise I have experienced on lower decks in the past.

A quick refresh later and it was off to dinner  - the menu had a great choice and most of my colleagues chose the steak, which looked fabulous. I  went for the angel hair pasta in a ragout sauce, which did it's trick and warmed me up. The main dining room was lovely - good selection of table sizes and plenty of space. The waiting staff were polite and efficient and won me over when I was too full for desert but fancied something sweet so they bought me a selection of chocolates instead. I hadn't asked for these so it was a very nice touch.

The following morning and it was time to check out Amsterdam - the cruise director sold it to me with 'it's minus 3 degrees, blizzard conditions and blowing a gale' This was the first time snow had fallen in Amsterdam since 1981. I decided I had to take a look but first had a quick look around the ship. She really is a lovely ship, a bright appearance and plenty of space. Lots of people had chosen to stay on board and seemed very content just enjoying a coffee and relaxing.

Amsterdam itself - was blowing a blizzard, I've been 3 times before and have a hectic time at home so decided on the comfy option of the Palms Cafe and coffees with my colleagues for the day instead. There were also plenty of activities on offer - Pilates, a pub quiz and a hair striagtening technique class to name a few. The Pilates carried a

£5 charge which I thought was cheeky though.

Sunday night came and it was Gala Night. A cocktail with the captain was enjoyed and then time for the annual Cruise.co.uk christmas photo. This was my 3rd christmas cruise with the company and definately the best yet. Balmoral was a great venue and my collegues are all good fun. It's hard to fit in 3 days away so close to Christmas but  I can't wait to see where we go next year

Traffic Chaos hits Cruise.co.uk Christmas Party

Even travel agents have trouble getting to their holidays. On Saturday morning we left Redditch at 9am sharp, knowing that Dover port and the M20 were closed and Balmoral not yet in dock. This photo gives a clue as to how the journey ended but read on to find out more..

After a good journey down, a re-route to the A2 and a coach driver threatening to turn back we hit traffic 7 miles from Dover, just outside of Whitfield. ½ an hour and less than ½ a mile later the more crazy of us made the decision that walking was clearly the only way to make the ship.

After 50 minutes of trudging along the side of the road the traffic cleared a bit and the coach caught us up. Feeling a bit stupid I happily got back on a settled down for the rest of the journey. Just 4 miles to go according to the driver.

40 minutes later and we hadn’t moved at all. It was 3.20pm and 3 hours to the new scheduled departure time of 6.30 and it was time to pick those bags up again. Now or never. Caroline Kyle and myself were first off and boy does she walk fast, but is a great travel companion. At 4.50 we walked up the gangplank. Slightly dishevelled, shaking and aching, but at least we made it. The whole company had got off the coach and made a sterling effort, all 50 of us made it on board with a mixture of blisters and ailments.

Our boss (Andrew) had said we were crazy to walk---‘Stay on the coach, they’ll hold the ship’ Normally I listen to Andrew, I’m glad I didn’t. Balmoral sailed at 7 and was 300 passengers light.

The cruise itself was fabulous..read my separate entry and view the photo's tomorrow

Party Time

Well that's it, I'm off for 4 days now and ready to party with my work friends on Balmoral. I just wanted to say thank you to anyone who visits my blog whilst I'm away and thank you for your comments on 'rate my service' You can also comment on on any of the articles, or the blog in general, via add a comment.

I'll be back in the office (possibly a bit jaded) on Monday afternoon, so will update with stories of the weekend then.

Free Wine on Azamara Club

Azamara have some really exciting news for 2010, with  a change of name and the addition of  many luxury benefits.

 From April 2010 you will now have complimentary bottled water daily in your stateroom and public areas, speciality coffees and teas are now complimentary and quality house wine will be provided with your meals. They will also provide a free shuttle bus to the local town when in port and gratuities will now be included in the cost of all cruises. They will still charge a service charge on your bar bill though.

If you've already booked then you will receive all these benefits too - so well done for booking early. And if you haven't booked for next year then do so now. Azamara Club Cruises have advised us that prices are increasing to cover these extras, but that it will take a bit of time to reprice everything, so the sooner you book the better.

Regent price increases on 01 Jan

Just a quick heads up... Regent are increasing all of their prices on 01 January 2010 but for 2011 departures they are adding FREE flights and FREE unlimited shore excursions.

Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas to you all. I hope that Santa brings you all that you wish for, although I have a sneaking suspicion that he won't be bringing me an Audi TT, despite my good behaviour all year.

Happy New Year aswell, lets hope 2010 is more prosperous for all of us and that our belts can be loosend once more (and not just from too much turkey)

Have a good one.

Jo

BA Cabin Crew make me SO ANGRY

I cannot believe what the BA cabin crew have gone and done by announcing a 12 day strike over Christmas & New Year and cannot believe that they could be so heartless and insensitive. Not only are they going to cause heartbreak to millions of families around the world, who either cannot travel anymore or will not see their loved ones for Christmas. But they will also cause worry and upset to thousands more whose jobs rely on British Airways sales. Hundreds of small cruise travel agencies and indeed cruise lines will have sold customers British Airways flights as part of a package, they have little or no chance of finding alternative flights now and will presumably have to refund customers. Companies will experience a huge loss of profit at a key time of year. Last year I had a number of friends who lost jobs following the collapse of XL airways and I fear the BA strike will have the same impact.
BA staff are being asked to work harder (staff numbers being cut on each flight) and will get a pay rise in return. This is happening everywhere - although most staff haven't been lucky enough to get a pay rise.
I just hope that when the tuck into their turkey on Christmas day, they spare a thought for the people who face a very bleak New Year.

Party Dress Crisis

This dress is the most expensive item of clothing I own and I was so chuffed when I bought it. Long, sexy and sophisticated - just like me! However 1 night of dancing later and the beads on the bodice had rubbed all my arms to shreds. We now have our Christmas party this weekend - 2 nights on Fred Olsen's Balmoral and I need to decide whether to wear it or not. It's been in my wardrobe for 18mths, been worn once only and I feel in the current economic climate I shouldn't be splashing out on a new one. The option I guess is just don't dance, or at least dance slightly more calmly. However as anyone who knows me will verify, not dancing is just not an option.

Do you enjoy getting all dressed up on your cruise holiday?

Seabourn ships to enter dry dock

Seabourn Spirit has just been fully refitted and Seabourn have now announced the refurbishment of Legend and Pride.
Pride and Legend will head to dry dock in January 2010 and Autumn 2010, respectively.
Enhancements begin in the Reception Lobby with honey-toned wood panelling, two-toned marble flooring and furnishings reupholstered in rich burgundy. Onboard entertainment spaces shine, with the main show lounge transformed with cut-velvet banquettes in muted blues and taupe chairs beneath glittering stars. In The Club, floral-motif carpeting plays off warm reds and burnt oranges while elegantly toned, matte stone panels invoke spaciousness throughout.

In The Restaurant, celebrity Chef Charlie Palmer’s cuisine is presented in a rich, yet understated elegance realized in handsome toffee-toned woods, creamy caramel accents, dramatic sheer curtains striped horizontally in violet and gold interspersing muted purple drapes, and flooring finished in sumptuous golden stone with sage infusions. Meanwhile, the open decks are going modern with graceful new furniture of coffee-hued, powder-coated metal and chocolate-toned fabric.

Seabourn has always been Andrew Gardener, Cruise.co.uk’s chairman favourite cruise line and now with these enhancements, the new Seabourn Odyssey and launch of Seabourn Sojourn in 2010, they are defiantly a cruise line to try. Now is the time to treat yourself.

FREE car parking ends soon

Don't forget if you have free car parking on an Independence of the Seas booking - you must confirm this with abparking by 31 Dec 2009. If you don't do this your free parking will not be honoured.
You can call 0844 880 6848  or visit http://www.abparking.co.uk/. You will need your Royal Caribbean booking reference.

If you haven't yet booked....book a 14 night round trip cruise from Southampton on Independance and you will get free parking. But hurry the offer ends 31 December.

How low would you go?

Is cost now all that is important in life? On Tuesday, Arcadia's Grand Alaskan voyage went on sale on 8am. My colleague quoted a gentleman last week who said he wanted to book, as we don't open until 9am she called him at 5.30 the night before to check that he was definitely booking.

She then duly arrived at work an hour early in order to book his cabin, called him as arranged at 8am to be advised that 'workmen have just arrived - please call back in 10mins' On the second call she was informed that he had booked with another cruise agent as they got a cruise deal that was £2 cheaper.

I'm all for ringing around and getting the best price, after all times are hard and why pay more than you have to. But surely good manners and decency comes in to it somewhere? But I'm looking from the agents point of view...what would you have done?

Cunard Christmas Cracker?

Cunard's Queen Victoria is sailing a 16 nights canaries cruise departing on the 19th December. Taking in Christmas and New Year and cruising to one of the warmer destinations, she should be the ideal choice. Yet this Christmas cruise still has availability when nearly all other cruises sold out months ago.

Maybe it's the recession - although P&O, Ocean Village and NCL all appear unaffected. Maybe she's too expensive, but with free upgrades, on board credit and keen discounting I think she offers an attractive proposition. I'm stumped, I can see no reason why she hasn't sold - can you?

Artemis - NOW SOLD OUT

Well 26 minutes after going on sale she is now sold out. But don't worry there are still plenty of other voyages available between now and April 2011, so if you want to sail on Artemis before she retires just give me a call.

Artemis farewell voyage...price increases already

Here we go again, it happened with Queen Elizabeth and it's happening again with Artemis. P&O have given travel agents prices, encouraged us to take pre registrations withe customers and agree prices and then as soon as she goes on sale thet put the prices up.

Cruise specialists such as ourselves are left with the choice of  calling  customers back to  ask for more money, making us look stupid and incompentant - or discount so much that we make a loss on the booking so as to keep our loyal customers happy. Not a great choice to make.

My message to P&O is 'sort this out before the next launch/final voyage' and to you as a customer..book now before the prices go up any further or the voyage sells out.

Oasis of the Seas - are the extras too much?

Initial reports from Oasis of the Seas say that the Cupcake Cupboard is exquisite but at $2.50/ cupcake is this too much?
Dinner with the captain is $75. Speciality restaurants vary from $4.95 for lunch at Jonny Rockets to $35pp for 150 Central Park. However there are plenty of free places to dine and most of the activities which I thought I would charge for are free. Read on for a full list.

Free Dining Options
Main Dining Room
Park Cafe
Sorrento's Pizza
Cafe Promenade
Boardwalk Bar
Boardwalk Donut Shop
Johnny Rockets ( free breakfast only)
Solarium Bistro (free for breakfast, lunch)
Wipeout Cafe
Windjammer Marketplace
Vitality Cafe
Room Service (free until midnight,)

Chargeable dining options
150 Central Park  ($35 per person surcharge)
Giovanni's Table ($10 per person lunch, $15 per person dinner)
Chops Grille ($25 per person)
Cupcake Cupboard ($2.50 per cupcake)
Seafood Shack ($8.95 per person for lunch and dinner)
Ice Cream Parlor (a la carte pricing)
Johnny Rockets  ($4.95 for lunch, dinner)
Solarium Bistro ($20 for dinner)
Izumi Japanese (a la carte)
Chef's Table ($75 per person, which includes wine)
Room Service ($3.95 per cabin charge after midnight)


ACTIVITIES
Zip-line (free)
Carousel (free)
Rock-climbing (free)
AquaTheater shows (free, ticketing system)
Ice shows (free, ticketing)

Does paying for select dining put you off a cruise deal?

Finally..real pictures of Oasis of the Seas.

Are you like me, thought Oasis of the Seas was going to be computer generated forever. Well now that she has finally launched Royal Caribbean have finally released official footage of the ship..she looks awesome to use a great American phrase.

http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/

Just how specialist is your cruise consultant?

I consider myself to be a cruise specialist having worked in the industry for so long. But even I can't explain to a customer why Google Maps doesn't show the correct location for Southampton's City Terminal SO15 3AJ.

After 20 minutes of looking at google maps, checking postcodes with Fred Olsen and describing to my customer the correct way to get to Black Watch for her cruise, I find out that she has train tickets booked and will be getting the free shuttle bus to the ship!

The first time is the best time....

I'm not convinced - my first day at school, first day in a new job, first kiss are all events that didn't quite live up to expectation and that I can't remember now. So would I spend a fortune to go on the first voyage of a new ship?

I have been on maiden voyages twice and both haven't been quite as they should have been. Silversea's Prince Albert had workmen painting the decking as we walked along and in-suite flat screens not yet installed and MSC's Poesia whilst fully completed had a crew that really hadn't gelled and didn't know where everything was situated.

A maiden voyage should be viewed as a dress rehearsal, don't expect everything to perfect, know that your crew probably only met each other  the week before and that men in tool belts might be lurking around corners. If you go with this attitude  and have had a good deal you won't be disappointed. However if you're someone who expects the best, my advice would be to wait for the 3rd or 4th voyage. Like a new hairstyle a ship needs a bit of time to bed in.

All that remains to be seen in how Queen Elizabeth's maiden voyage goes. Selling out in just 29 minutes and with customers paying well over the odds, I just hope they get everything right.

Read some Cunard Cruise Reviews at Cruise.co.uk.

How green are you?

The Tories are all over the news talking about Green Taxes at the moment and it's heading towards travel.
Within the world of cruise, Thomson are the only company who offer a 'Worldcare fund' of £1pp. This is to help with sustainable tourism and is an optional charge. I'm currently booking a family ski holiday and all the ski companies are charging £3-4pp as a Carbon Offset - no quite sure how my snowboard adds to the carbon footprint but I guess it's to do with the flight.

Anyway - my question is - do you think we should be paying an extra £4 each to save the world - would you pay more - or do you think that the cruiselines should be contributing in other ways?

Cruising makes me sick

Scared of cruising in case it makes you sick? This a common worry with a lot of cruisers but don’t worry help is at hand, there are tips in choosing your cabin location as well as the best remedies to take. Read on for Jo’s jolly good top tips.


 Motion free cabins

Ignore the myth that the higher you go the better. The highest decks have more movement – so possibly more seasickness. The best position is as close to miship as possible, both in terms of height and forward to aft.

Costwise ....++ a lower cabin is cheaper than a higher one

i-Trans Motion Sickness Relief BandAt £45 this is apparently a snip.

It operates by emiting low-level electrical pulses from two small electrodes against your wrist and attacks the cause of seasickness. One of the cheapest and most effective wrist bands on the market but I'm not convinced it would go with my cocktail dress - what do you think?

Quesy Drops

Made of essential oils and natural flavors these seasickness sweets calm the stomach and prevent negative tastes. Taken at the onset of sickness the prevent a try mouth and sooth and comfort you. Not only cheap (£5.50 for 21 tablets) they come in a sugar free too - allowing you to eat more of that wonderful cruise cuisine once the tablets have kicked in

I have plenty more remedies to add in .....keep checking to see more in the future