A "Not-So-Great" Cruise Vacation...

Piggybacking on my last post, all cruises should not be painted with the same brush. There are huge differences between cruise lines, cruise ships and itineraries. 

A client of our travel agency just returned from a cruise vacation a bit less than pleased. They have enjoyed a couple cruises in the past and have loved the experiences. This one? Not so much.

Having previously sailed on 1,500 to 1,800 passenger ships of a cruise line that we feel good about selling, this trip was on a 3,000 passenger ship of a line that we don't typically recommend. They said the service was slow and not nearly as cordial as with their previous cruises. And, the dining was - well, let's just say that the Buffets were the best part of their dining all week.

These clients had specifically asked for the ship & line they went on. Our mistake was that we assumed that they knew what they wanted. Rather than trying to persuade them to consider other choices, we "took their order". 

They stressed that they had a good time and that, all in all, they had a nice vacation. Their final comment in telling us about the pro's and con's of this experience was that, "we learned that 1,500 passenger ships are much better than mega-liners that are twice that size". They now believe that maintaining quality food and personal service on these floating islands is impossible. We agree, but need to point out that some cruise lines are more capable than others. 

People rely upon travel professionals to guide them to the best choice and the best value. This time, we didn't perform to our own expectations.

Dick

Cruises for People who (think they) Hate Cruises

At our travel agency, when we ask people who say they won't consider a cruise vacation, the reason most commonly sited is that they don't like the "regimentation" that goes along with being two of 3,600 passengers. I couldn't agree more! It's unfortunate that these super tankers in the cruise industry get all the attention, thus distorting many people's image of cruising.

How about spending a week or more on a ship that carries fewer than 200 passengers and has a crew to passenger ratio of almost1-to-1?

We took our first-ever "expedition cruise" aboard Silversea Expeditions' 120 passenger Silver Explorer a few months ago… and absolutely loved it!  For more on our  "Jungles & Rain Forests of Panama and Costa Rica" adventure, scroll back to my post of December 31st.       

In addition to Expedition Cruising, there are two other "new" ways of seeing the world that are rapidly gaining popularity… River Cruising and Adventure Cruising.

 River Cruising is totally different from Ocean Cruising. The 5 leading river cruise lines have built over 130 new vessels just in the last 5 years - and their average size is about 140 passengers. This is the quintessential experience for people who hate cruises!!!!!  I talked about our first river cruise in this post.

 Adventure Cruising is lovingly referred to as the "Un-Cruise"! If you really want to get "close to nature" and see Alaska, Hawaii or the Sea of Cortez off the Baja Peninsula in a way very few have ever experienced these areas, this is an idea for you.  You'll love active adventures on Zodiacs combined with extraordinary comforts aboard 60-passenger ships. This is different than anything you've done before. Here are some details of a typical Alaska Adventure.

Any of these three adventure segments will change your view of "cruise vacations"!!!

Cheers,

Dick

Wailea Maui gets better and better!

In my early days of travel, I visited Hawaii numerous times. In fact, I thought of it as a home away from home! But having had limited experience with other tropical destinations, what did I know? 

Well, after 30 years of extensive travel, I can tell you that Hawaii is No Ka Oi. (is the best.) 
I constantly hear people say that the long flights discourage them from Hawaii in favor of Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean. But, in my view, some things are well worth the effort - and Hawaii is! 

Except for Waikiki, Hawaii is a relaxed and atmospheric place that is always hard to leave. The Hawaiian people are the most gracious on Earth - and that goes for the "Mainlanders" that now call Hawaii home. From the moment you step off the plane, the aroma of orchids and other tropical flora make it clear that you have just arrived at a very special place! 

On our last visit to Maui, we returned to a Wailea Beach resort where we had stayed over 18 years earlier. It indeed was like coming home. If you are "thinking Hawaii", I would be happy to share our experience and give you some things tips. Email me.

Finally, if you are a golfer, Wailea area courses are spectacular. The picture I use in the "About Me" panel of this blog was taken at the Gold Course at Wailea. 
Happy Landings,

Dick

Tips for a Perfect Maui Vacation

I recently met a guy who had just returned from a 25th Anniversary trip in Hawaii. (Wailea, Maui to be exact.) He and his wife were very disappointed with their gorgeous 5-Star resort. (You may ask how anyone could be "disappointed" with a 5-Star hotel?) The place was beautiful, the service was great… the problem was that it was crawling with families with small children!

Your first thought might be that this mainly impacted their time at the pool or on the beach but it affected the entire experience. They knew immediately that they were in trouble - upon settling into their room and changing into tropical clothing they went to the lobby bar for an "Aloha Cocktail". There were a number of preschool-age kids running around the lobby area just 30 feet from them. One was yelling at a sibling; the sibling was crying. How's that for romantic?

My 'new' friend related that the restaurants were very nice and the food was excellent but, again, they were far from relaxing or romantic. He added that the menus reflected the nature of their clientele.

As it happens, there is another 5-Star resort hotel right next door and I have stayed at both over the years. The ambiance of the two could not possibly be more opposite. Years ago, both were elegant... now one remains so with an adult clientele while the other began marketing itself to family vacations a few years earlier.

If you look at the websites of both, you will not be able to distinguish between them. Both look fabulously classy with pictures that could possibly be interchanged. The only hint, if you have a trained eye, is the water slide in the distant background of one pool picture. A good travel consultant (like any of mine at Gateway Express/Acendas Vacations) would have known the difference and saved this fellow's trip!

Cheers,

Dick

To comment, please click the "comments" link below, type in your comments then, under “Choose an Identity”, select “Nickname" if you want to leave a name (your name or a ‘blog handle’) or just leave it blank. OR, you can select ‘Anonymous’. I would love to hear from you!