World’s Largest Cruise Night

On October 14^th all of North America will be celebrating “The World’s Largest Cruise Night.”  Cruise Holidays of Woodinville will use the event to invite folks to come and see the new store location in downtown Woodinville from 5:30-7:30 PM.  After putting up with the construction destruction at our old location, the move brings the store into the center of Woodinville at a convenient location for our customers. 

 We’re seeing that many of our past passengers and new customers are continuing to take advantage of major discounts being offered by most cruise lines and many resort destinations.  The recovering stock market and relatively stable employment seems to have brought many vacation travelers back to their normal vacation taking behavior.  In fact, we’re seeing more family groups travelling together to take advantage of prices which have been reduced due to the recession.

 It’s interesting to note that the past Alaska season finally sold out for the cruise lines in July due to the deep, deep discounts and value-added bargains being touted by the cruise lines to help them fill their ships.  Several of the cruise lines have rolled back their 2010 prices so they won’t be caught in the last-minute discount derby we saw in 2009.  Free parking for verandah level guests and new family cruise tour packages with a 25% discount have appeared in the past few days.  Regent Seven Seas continues with its free shore excursion program, and Crystal cruises recently junked their 2010 brochure prices for a new two-for-one pricing program—representing a major discounting tactic. 

 Now is a great time to lock in that Winter/Spring or Summer vacation.  Cruise lines and resorts are trying to attract as many early bookings as they can, so they are offering a wide array of deals and extras to get guests signed up for 2010.  Certain dates, certain staterooms and resort rooms will be harder to find the later someone waits to reserve and make a deposit on them. 

 New ships, new itineraries, new resorts, new destinations are awaiting for 2010.  Just ask any of the travel professionals at Cruise Holidays of Woodinville and they can craft whatever getaway you heart might desire.  It’s definitely a buyers market!

 Rich Skinner

Cruise Discount Creativity

Cruise Lines Continue Major Discounting with a Few Unique Twists

All cruise lines are attempting to find ways to sell staterooms in light of a tough economic environment. Early booking discounts, guaranteed lowest rates, extra premiums, onboard credits and other inducements are being added to help cope with last-minute buying which has become the norm over the past six months of so. Still, prices are at all-time lows and bargains can be found everywhere on every major cruise line. Smart cruisers are using this environment to upgrade their usual stateroom option. Suites and mini-suites have become much more affordable, not to mention staterooms on many of the ultra-luxury cruise lines. For example, we heard that Seabourn (a leading ultra-luxury cruise line) had to offer discounts of more than 50 % off list prices to fill its brand new Seabourn Odyssey which just entered service. The seemingly only exception to the rule is Royal Caribbean’s new super mega-ship Oasis of the Seas which had raised its rates several times due to wide-spread consumer interest in cruising on a 5,000 passenger ship, larger than any cruise ship in the world. Costing well over a billion dollars to build, the Oasis is Royal Caribbean’s best bet to increase sales. So, for anyone looking for a winter cruise vacation this could be the opportunity to sample luxury at bargain basement rates. One thing is certain, these kinds of deals won’t last forever.

life is too short to not vacation

Optimism Compared to Last Year

This time last year Cruise Holidays of Woodinville was in the middle of a full-fledged melt-down of consumer optimism relating to the national economy.  Banks were looking shaky, gas prices were sky high, real estate prices were tanking and the news media was beating the “worst economic downturn since the depression,” drum.  Folks were just plain scared!

 Now we’ve seen trillion dollar bailouts; we’ve seen the stock market crater and begin a major climb out of the depths.  While the economy in many parts of the country is still weak and floundering, in the Pacific Northwest things are rebounding at a better rate than most places in the nation.

 In the cruise and land vacation business we’re now seeing a strong recovery.  Consumers have decided to go ahead and take a vacation and take advantage of the low prices of the decade.  Our store had a record sales month for July and continues to see strong momentum in August.  Our customers have decided the world isn’t ending, and life’s too short not to enjoy the recharging break a good vacation provides.

But, this recovery is still a little tentative, because many folks are booking close-in dates for their cruises and land vacations.  Cruise lines are working on offering their best prices for cruises in 2010 for those who might book early.  Some are even guaranteeing that if a lower price comes along they will give it to passengers who have already booked (something Cruise Holidays of Woodinville has been doing for the past six years).

 

It’s hard to forecast the future, but we’re definitely seeing green shoots of optimism on the part of our customers.  It’s like the pumpkin plants I have growing at home, the vines have several potential pumpkins developing, but there’s no way to know how big they might become—in the meantime we’ll continue to water, fertilize and nuture them the best we can.

Summer heat, cool cruises!

Summer Heat Wave in January!

While Woodinville/Redmond is sweltering under more than 100 degrees of summertime heat, some folk are already looking to finding warm weather in the middle of next winter.

 Places like Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii are mainstays for those great winter vacations, but new candidates are putting in an appearance for those with a little more of an adventurous spirit. 

 Cruises around South America have become very popular with several cruise lines offering a range of options from week-long to month long itineraries.  Some South America trips offer forays into the chilly waters of Antarctica, or outward to the mysterious Easter Island and its monolithic stone statue heads, or to the Galapagos Islands with its amazing array of wildlife. 

 Cities like Rio, or Buenos Aires, Santiago have become magnets for visitors with their multi-cultural populations and attractions.  Whether it’s a visit to the Recoleta cemetery and the grave of Eva Peron, or a vineyard featuring fine Chilean wines of world-class standards, or an adventure of capturing the majesty of Iguassu Falls, South America has something for nearly everybody who enjoys great travel experiences.

 And, if Australia and New Zealand sound intriguing, it’s high season for cruising in that part of the world as well. At least four different cruise lines including Holland America Line, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean will feature Australia/new Zealand in the winter of 2009/10.  Some cruises can include places like Tahiti, Fiji and other South Pacific islands while making their way to the land down under.

 With new air choices available from the U.S., Australia has become more affordable than ever.

 The good news is that cruise lines, airline and tour companies have lowered prices to cope with the worldwide recession.  This makes the consumer the winner—just give us a call, or e-mail, or tweet or whatever.

 Rich Skinner

Co-Owner

Cruise Holidays of Woodinville

866 487 4001

www.woodinville.cruiseholidays.com

Vacation during the recession

Recessions Come and Go, But Life Still Goes On

     This morning the MSNBC website had a feature on “10 Reasons Why People should Travel Now.”  They included all the traditional reasons such as celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, milestone life events, family reunions and the like. 

The bottom line is that they were encouraging travel as a demonstration that life shouldn’t be postponed because statistically, nine out of ten of us has a job and most of us are doing quite well.

      We observed that in the middle of last year many of our customers were putting travel and vacation plans on hold because they were being bombarded with news media reports that the sky was falling and the coming recession/depression might be cataclysmic.  But, many of our savvy customers watched the cruise lines, airlines and land destinations lower prices to re-energize their marketplace.  They saw that prices were falling to levels unseen for more than a decade, and they jumped on cruise and travel deals like never before.

      This summer Alaska was slower booking than any time in the past 25 years.  So great prices were available right up to the start of the season.  Now, because of many sales and promotions by the cruise lines, the  inventory of staterooms is dwindling and prices are starting to rise slightly.  In fact, triples and quad staterooms are hard to find at whatever price!  The same can be said for Europe, with the exception of Fall dates in the Mediterranean where great rates and availability still exists.

      The cruise lines and land vacation destinations are now shifting to Fall and Winter promotions.  Holiday specials can still be found, but are showing signs of starting to go away as more folks book these deals.  Big new ship capacity in Southern California  will keep prices low for the rest of 2009 and 2010 winter season.

    No one can guarantee what the future might bring, but this is a great time to take advantage of lifetime travel and vacation opportunities. 

  Rich Skinner

Organizing for a trip

Does getting ready for trips overwhelm you?  Using a professional Travel Agent that is knowledgeable about your needs and travel destination can be a great asset.  Here are a few before you travel hints from Tracey Gilbert, a Travel Consultant with Cruise Holiday of Woodinville.

 If you are traveling internationally notify your credit card company of your travel plans.  Simply call the toll free number on the back of the card and let them know your travel dates and destination.  This will avoid the bank from putting a hold on your card because they think it is being used fraudulently when they start seeing those charges from Rome!

 Make sure you have consulted with your Travel Agent or trip provider to understand all the proper documentation required.  Passports are now required for almost all international travel, even to Canada.  Some countries such as China, Russia, Brazil, Australia and Turkey require visas for travel.  Did you know that to take a minor child without both parents internationally requires a notarized letter of authorization from the non traveling parent?  These are just a few of the details a professional Travel Agent can make sure you are aware of.

 When you organize your travel documents for your trip, put your travel details and or vouchers in order of use.  For example start with your parking reservation for the airport, your airline confirmation, your car rental or transfer details and then your hotel reservation.  Once you have your paperwork in chronological order, tuck it into a folder or document holder.  You can then add your passports and or visas as necessary

 Spending a little time prior to your trip and some simple organization can help make your trip worry and hassle free.

 Tracey Gilbert

Cruise Holidays of Woodinville

425-487-4001

866-487-4001 (toll free)

425-392-8971 (home office)

tracey@luxurient.com

Fall & Winter Cruise Values

Cruise Deals Galore for Fall/Winter Sailings

     Have you ever thought of doing the best of the Caribbean onboard a 5-star super luxury ship spending about $2400 per person for a suite?  Well, on November 6^th, Silversea Cruises has a seven-day round-trip cruise from Barbados.  And, it includes free airfare from many airports throughout the country, plus a $1000 onboard credit which can be used for spa, boutique, shore excursions, or whatever!  Silverseas is ranked as a top-level, award-winning luxury cruise line offering mid-sized all-suite ships.

      But, if you have a slightly smaller travel budget it’s still possible to book great staterooms at super-value prices on cruise lines such as Holland America Line, Princess, Celebrity and Carnival.  The great deals which started this past Winter are continuing.  The cruise lines need to keep filling their ships and they’ll do whatever it takes to get you to make a deposit on a cruise vacation.

      Often times we find that we can “sweeten” the pot a little by taking advantage of our Cruise Holidays affiliation and from our special relationships with the top cruise lines.  And, if you book with us, you can take advantage of our professional cruise and vacation counselors who are some of the best in the business.

      What’s astounding to me is that we’re seeing deals on Christmas and New Year’s cruise.  Usually these special departures sell out well in advance, but the economy is bringing about a lot of changes in cruise vacation buying patterns.  Good availability on Caribbean and Mexico departures.  A lot of folks like to have the cruise lines do the decorating and the work it takes for holiday celebrations, and they do a terrific job at it.

 

     We are committed to delivering the best cruise or land vacation value that we can and our goal is to build a huge base of raving passengers—raving about the fun they had!

 

 

Rich Skinner

Chairman

Cruise Holidays of Woodinville

www.woodinville.cruiseholidays.com

New Ships Debut Fall/Winter 2009

New Ships Debut Fall/Winter 2009/10

     The biggest new ship, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, Carnival’s new Dream, Celebrity’s Equinox and Silver Seas new Silver Spirit will all make their North America debut during either the Fall or Winter season this year and next.

      The Oasis, with several distinct “neighborhoods” will hold 5400 passengers and provide many innovations to the cruise vacation experience.  This mega-vessel will be the first ship to have an outdoor showroom/aqua theatre, which can be viewed from the balconies of suites surrounding both sides of the room.  This vessel also includes a zipline that runs the length of the ship, and has its own full size carousel and elevator bar.  Due to the size of the Oasis it will only do Caribbean cruises (it’s too big to make it through the Panama Canal).  According to Royal Caribbean, this vessel will have special access for loading and unloading and will be a wonderland of things for passengers to do while cruising.

      Celebrity’s Equinox, sistership to the Solstice, will debut in Europe and then make its way to Fort Lauderdale for the fall/winter season.  Like its sister, the Equinox will feature a top deck with an acre of real grass and its own glass blowing studio.  The Equinox should have the elegant style of design which Celebrity is seeking with its latest generation of premium class cruise ships.

      Contemporary leader Carnival brings its Carnival Dream online.  More evolutionary in its concept, Carnival has expanded its popular Waterworks feature making it a fun activity for both the kids and for adults as well.  The Dream will also have the first “cove” balcony rooms located on the lower decks much nearer the waterline than other balcony staterooms.

      The luxury end of the market sees the arrival of Silversea Cruises’ Silver Spirit.  This mostly-inclusive top-end ship holds only 540 passengers in an all-suite configuration.  Silversea wins awards every year for being the best luxury cruise line and their fifth ship should keep that traditional alive.  The Silver Spirit will feature an 8,300 square foot spa facility with state-of-the-art spa attractions. 

      The cruise lines are still offering some amazing prices for the Fall and Winter, sometimes including these new additions to their fleets.

 Rich Skinner

Chairman

Cruise Holidays of Woodinville

www.woodinville.cruiseholidays.com

Cruise the Med, Fall a great time!

Fall–Great Time to Cruise the Mediterranean 

Last year we escorted a wonderful group of 28 on a cruise/tour of the Holy Land.  Our trip was in early-mid November.  The weather in Rome, Egypt, Israel, Turkey and Greece was excellent—and the crowds were nowhere to be seen.

 This year the Fall Mediterranean cruise season runs right up until December.  There’s more choice of itineraries, including several which visit the Holy Land.

And, the airlines have much lower prices in the off season then they due in the peak Summer flying season.

 We always recommend extending a Med cruise with both a pre and post cruise stay.  Hotels and shore excursions in Rome, Venice and Barcelona tend to be more available at a better value price.  Unfortunately, the Euro has gained strength against the dollar so prices are staying higher due to the exchange rate.

 Several cruise line are offering excellent value on Fall Europe cruises.  These are vacations where a balcony or a larger stateroom are great choices.  The history comes alive from your own balcony as you cruise into places like Malta, Dubrovnik, Haifa and Kusadasi.  And the  mild Mediterranean weather usually cooperates with warm and sunny days during the cruise.

 And you can customize your cruise with any number of options.  Maybe you want to spend time in Florence and Pisa, or on the Amalfi Coast, or maybe there’s an olive oil and wine tasting getaway with a gourmet meal that is high on your wish list.  It’s all doable with the help of a travel counselor who can guide you through the maze of confusing information about Europe.

 Call us now, toll free  866 487 4001 with your questions.

 www.woodinville.cruiseholidays.com

Mexico is back, a new twist on consumer, the ‘twinsumer’

Mexico’s Back

 

     The Center for Disease Control no longer has Mexico on it “Don’t Visit List”–  Much to the relief of tens of thousands of Mexico’s travel industry workers.   Of course that means that resorts and hotels are doing everything they can to regain the lost customers who stayed away due to the Swine Flu “Info-demic.”

 

     Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean have announced they will resume their Mexican Riviera cruises from the west coast in the middle of June.  Expect those cruise prices to be full of promotions so they can fill these new mega-ships.

 

The Twin-“sumer” and Mega taskers

     Norwegian Cruise Line held a seminar in Seattle and went over man of the trends they see taking place in the cruise industry.  Much of their information goes to support their super mega-ship introduction of the Epic next year.

Their new super ship will have an ice-bar (the bar is made of ice and you must wear parkas and gloves in the lounge); and several of what they call “uber-lounges”, for those who want to be supercool with the cold temperatures of the ice bar.

    One of Norwegian Cruise Line’s observations was that we are now seeing the advent of the “Twin-sumer”—a person who had a great deal of information from the internet, but who has little understanding of what it all means.  Their conclusion was that those consumers would gravitate to qualified travel counselors so they could have an interpreter to what they were reading and collecting.  Many of those “Twin-sumer”, were also categorized as “Megataskers,”—folks who were usually connected with multiple inputs for date such as a blackberry, a cell phone, a lap top, and a home computer. 

      Bottom line is that a travel professional has advice worth its weight in gold, no matter how sophisticated the consumer might be.