What You May Not Know AboutÊCruise/Travel
Agents...
You'll find as much advice about cruise agents and cruising
(several points of view directly conflicting) as nearly
any topic on AOL. When you stop and
think about it, it's a relatively complicated purchase decision.ÊYou or your
family may be thinking about laying out "big bucks" for something that you've
never seen or experienced. The good news is that I am convinced that cruises
can represent one of the most memorable and high value-added vacations today.
You can party up a storm or curl up with a good book and just chill out, or
do a little of each. You can eat yourself from one of the ship to another,
or go for nutritious or even vegetarian menus while working out daily at state-of-the-art
on board spas. When you consider the cost of hotels, airfare, meals, rental
cars, the possibility of getting sick on the food or water in a foreign country
(It's happened to us--my wife wound up in an emergency room and a 6-day hospital
stay after a trip to the Bahamas!), the hassles of packing and unpacking, getting
caught in traffic and all the other things that can tarnish that "big vacation," it
is easy to understand why so many people choose to go on a cruise.More
information for travelers
About that Fielding book...
As stated before, I am convinced that there is no substitute for "doing your
homework. " This means informing yourself about individual cruise ships and
specific lines and the products they offer, then picking a cruise agent who
you can trust. In the former category, I recommend Fielding's Worldwide Guide
To Cruising-1997 (updated yearly). There are resources you can get too at your
local bookstore, but this one is a breeze to read, and reasonably objective.
The book is worth its weight in gold. It has the added advantage of rating
major ports across the world, providing an overview of what each locale has
to offer. As to the second point, the "Cruise only" agents come in all sizes
and varieties. The information in this note lists one that I have had stunningly
wonderful experiences with. I have recommended them on America On Line, and
have had literally dozens of people write back to me confirming that they are
terrific people to deal with. More
information for travelers
Back to Cruise/Travel Agents...
Know who you are dealing with!!! Some cruise agents are very competent...others
may have been selling stereos or aluminum siding over the telephone six
months ago. Look, I don't want to de-ride these people--but it is a fact.
The problem is, for the most part, you will have no real way of discerning
which is which. Local travel agents or otherwise self-appointed cruise
experts frequently read the cruise ship line P.R. veneer right out of the
catalog. Often this amounts to nothing more than selling you the standard
discount for booking that is available to virtually anyone off the so-called
brochure rate. The result is that you think you're getting one of Kathie
Lee's fantasy cruises,only to find a garish neon nightmare on a ship filled
with people whose idea of a good time is drinking, drowning, and then waking
you up at 3AM as they boisterously announce their arrival back to their
room--all right outside of your cabin. For sure, this is the idea of a
roaring good time for some--but the point is KNOWÊWHATÊYOUÊAREÊREALLYÊBUYING!!!
There are many significant points and nuances that can differentiate between
an OK trip,and one that falls shorts for the $$$ you spend.More
information for travelers
Continue to next page of cruise tips
FIND
THE BEST PREPAID PHONE CARD TO CALL HOME FROM OVERSEAS
