Three Cheers for Crystal's All-Inclusive Sailings

Crystal Cruises recently announced that beginning in April 2012, their "all-inclusive" service will be further enhanced.  According to a recent e-mail: "Our all inclusive means that Crystal will offer complimentary fine wines and premium spirits throughout the ship and open bar in all lounges. There will be prepaid gratuities for dining staff, penthouse butler service, specialty restaurants, etc. Gratuities in Silk Road and Prego will be eliminated."

The currently offered 2-for-1 fares will include:

• Free air
• Fine wines, premium spirits and beers throughout the ship
• Open bar service in all lounges
• Pre-paid gratuities for bar, dining, and housekeeping staff as well as Butler service in our Penthouses
• Complimentary specialty restaurants; enjoy Nobu Matsuhisa’s Silk Road and Sushi Bar, and Piero Selvaggio’s Prego, for free
• Non-alcoholic beverages including bottled water, soft drinks, specialty coffees and more!

What a welcome relief from the current trend towards "un-bundling" (the practice whereby you now pay an additional fee for the "good" ice cream vs. the self serve variety, there is now a charge for room service in some categories on one line, in-cabin movies have gone to pay-per-view, new "serenity" areas on certain lines carry an additional admission fee, participation in fitness classes is added to your shipboard account and there is even a charge to reserve the "better" seats in the theater).  Not to mention the multitude of "specialty" (read: additional cost) dining venues!

My hat is off to Crystal for charging an honest price and giving the type of service on which the industry built its reputation.
   
*Exceptions are for rare wines in the Vintage Room [though there will be no tipping] and shore excursions. Air will be complimentary from most gateways.


** Opinions are like belly buttons; everyone has one.  This is mine.

Booking Air With Your Other Travel Arrangements

Most of the time I don't book air for my clients.  This seems a little odd, since my goal is to provide the very best, most inclusive and most personalized service for every passenger who books with me - so there must be a reason.  Actually there are several reasons, some have to do with me, some with the passengers and most with the airlines. 

I've given this speech so many times, I guess I might just as well write it down. And I welcome comments!  Let me know if you think I'm wrong, if I should make exceptions or if you have a better idea!

So here is my reasoning:

• Clients will almost certainly get better pricing if they book their own air.  Most people like to get the best value for their money.  In the last ten years nobody has called and said "I'd like to book a cruise for the highest possible fare".  If an agent or a tour company books your air however, they have no choice but to mark up the available rate because the airlines don't pay commissions.  Any agent who books air will mark up the price by a minimum of $30-$40 per person, frequently more.  You get better value by booking it yourself.  And most people who are relatively adept at the internet have the ability to do so.
  
  
• The airlines have made it very difficult to provide a pleasant booking experience.  Between the time you book your flight and the date of travel it is not unusual for 
• flight times to change
• flights to be canceled  and/or renumbered
• price supplements to occur 
• new service charges (i.e. fuel surcharges & luggage fees) to be introduced.  
• equipment (aircraft) to be changed - resulting in revised seating 
• Flight connections to be rendered "illegal" (meaning there is not enough time between the time the first flight arrives and the second flight departs - usually at least 30-45 minutes, depending on the airport and whether it is a domestic or international flight)
• ability to select seating to be removed

All of the above generally result in a call to the agent who booked the flight - and frequently there's nothing the agent can do about it. 

• Airlines make agents look bad and have cost me business.  A few years ago 12 passengers of mine were flying from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles.  The departure time for the first leg of the journey was changed, resulting in an "illegal"  connection in Mexico City - only 15 minutes between flights.  This air was booked through a wholesaler (the only way I could add a service fee) and the wholesaler did not advise me of the change.  My clients were stranded in Mexico City overnight, missing onward connections to Korea and other international points. After seven hours on the phone with Aero Mexico and Mexicana - and having the wholesaler deny any responsibility or assistance - hotel rooms and meal vouchers were arranged for the travelers and they flew out the next day.  None of them have ever booked with me since.  Some have requested that I remove their names from my database. Prior to this experience they had booked with me once a year for several years. 
  
  

So there's the long, sad story.  Let me know what YOU think - should I revise my policies? 

Dorothy Says It's Time to Visit OZ

Australia that is.  Carnival Cruise Lines recently announced that it would send a ship (the 2,124 passenger Carnival Spirit) to Australia for the first time in late 2012.  The Carnival Spirit itineraries will include 8-12 night sailings to the Pacific Islands and 13-night sailings to New Zealand. 

In a "mine is bigger than yours" move Celebrity Cruise Lines issued a press release last Tuesday stating that it would send a BIGGER ship, the Celebrity Solstice (2,850 passengers), to Australia for the 2012-2013 season (the Celebrity Century, 1,814 passengers, will be there this coming winter). 

On the heels of that announcement Holland America rang in today with the news that it would send TWO ships, the 1,926 passenger Oosterdam and  the 1,432 passenger Volendam to Australia in the winter of 2012-2013 (Mine may not be bigger, but I have two of them). 

No word yet from Royal Caribbean, but since they usually win the "bigger" contest can we expect their press release next?  I'm predicting it!

So, should your travel wish list include the land of Kangaroos & Emus (and mine certainly does - been there once but it was far too brief a visit); look for good airfares - there should be some great cruise deals down under in a year or so!

Don't Skip the Travel Insurance

Travel Guard North (a travel insurance provider) recently issued a study on - what else - what cruise ship travelers worry about most.  The answer ... missing the ship!  It's true; in a nod to the ever increasing inefficiency of the airlines, cruisers worry most not about the highly publicized storms at sea, or the headline-making noroviris, but about flight cancellations and delays.

Top Sail Journeys recommends two solutions to reduce or eliminate this (and other)  travel concerns:

1.  Plan to fly to your port of embarkation one day prior to sailing.  In addition to reducing concerns about late arrivals this also gives you time to adjust to jet lag - and an opportunity to explore the city from which you are departing.
2. Always purchase travel protection insurance!  The insurance Top Sail Journeys offers through Access America covers you for up to $1000 in travel delay to cover additional accommodation and travel expenses due to a departure delay of six or more hours.  It also provides $500 for expenses resulting from a covered delay that causes you to miss your scheduled flight or cruise, even if you miss your cruise due to the cancellation or delay of your scheduled flight.

Access America also offers a 24-hour emergency assistance hotline (toll free in the USA or or policy holders can call them collect from outside the country) to assist you with unexpected situations. 

Never travel uninsured - I don't!!