Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas
Hi everyone, kidlet #1 here again! Last Monday, January 19th, JEM and I boarded Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas for a four day sailing to Nassau and Coco Cay. My parents sailed on this very same ship in 1993 to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary! Over the weekend I was able to write about our trip and get some pictures uploaded. All of that can be seen here at my little home on the internet. Enjoy!
Internet vs Live Agent cruise shopping
In today’s world of high speed Internet it has become the ‘in’ way to book travel using the WWW.
Here are some points to consider when you are cruise shopping.
Contact:
Internet contact: Usually is email contact only. You will more than likely not speak to a live person. The quote you receive via email from some sites may not include taxes and port charges. If you do have live phone conversations you will not speak to the same person twice.
Personal contact: You will get service from the first phone call or email enquire to boarding the ship to follow up after you return home from your cruise so that we may plan your next cruise. In other words our goal is to provide you with the best personal customer service possible. We like to say our customer service begins before the Sale and continues on through the Sailing and beyond.
You will also speak the same agent every time you call.
Pricing:
Internet pricing: This is like buying a car. The price advertised is not always the final price. In fact we can guarantee that it will not be the final price. Cabin choice for the prices listed on most Internet sites is for the lowest cabin available. That includes our website. Usually an inside cabin with bunk beds. Picture this in your mind. Walk into your closet at home do not turn the light on just close the door. That is how an inside cabin feels. You do not know if it is night or day when you are in your cabin.
Payment plans: If you do not think that you will have the full payment that is due 90 days prior to your sailing we will take monthly payments after the initial deposit up until 90 days when the full amount is due. Some Internet sites require you to pay the full amount of the cruise when you book the cruise.
Personal Contact: When you ask us for a cruise quote you will always receive the whole price including tax’s port charges and any other charges that are applicable. Your cruise quote will be the lowest price that our suppliers (cruise lines) provide us. Price provided to us by the suppliers will be ‘real time’ but are subject to change due to inventory changes. We will also guide you from personal experience that is the best cabin choice. We will also compare prices from all available suppliers to provide you with a choice of cruises at the best price.
We also do not charge a ‘service fee’ for our services as many Internet sites do.
Knowledge:
Internet contact: Usually people who are ‘selling’ cruises after they have bought into a marketing (MLM) to receive reduced travel cost benefits, Tax benefits of a home business and making money by creating a network of ‘travel agents’ who have the same goals in mind. These people most likely have never been on a cruise ship and do not know the product they are selling.
Personal Contact: We have taken training classes with the cruise lines and are in ongoing training to keep current with all changes in the industry. We are also taking classes with Cruise Line International Association. (CLIA). We have sailed on many different cruise lines and we know the product and will follow the sale from Sale to Sailing and beyond.
Special needs: If you have a special need such as a cabin with wider entry door for wheel chair or motorized cart or special needs toilet facilities we will work with to cruise lines to obtain the cabin that suites your needs.
Here are some points to consider when you are cruise shopping.
Contact:
Internet contact: Usually is email contact only. You will more than likely not speak to a live person. The quote you receive via email from some sites may not include taxes and port charges. If you do have live phone conversations you will not speak to the same person twice.
Personal contact: You will get service from the first phone call or email enquire to boarding the ship to follow up after you return home from your cruise so that we may plan your next cruise. In other words our goal is to provide you with the best personal customer service possible. We like to say our customer service begins before the Sale and continues on through the Sailing and beyond.
You will also speak the same agent every time you call.
Pricing:
Internet pricing: This is like buying a car. The price advertised is not always the final price. In fact we can guarantee that it will not be the final price. Cabin choice for the prices listed on most Internet sites is for the lowest cabin available. That includes our website. Usually an inside cabin with bunk beds. Picture this in your mind. Walk into your closet at home do not turn the light on just close the door. That is how an inside cabin feels. You do not know if it is night or day when you are in your cabin.
Payment plans: If you do not think that you will have the full payment that is due 90 days prior to your sailing we will take monthly payments after the initial deposit up until 90 days when the full amount is due. Some Internet sites require you to pay the full amount of the cruise when you book the cruise.
Personal Contact: When you ask us for a cruise quote you will always receive the whole price including tax’s port charges and any other charges that are applicable. Your cruise quote will be the lowest price that our suppliers (cruise lines) provide us. Price provided to us by the suppliers will be ‘real time’ but are subject to change due to inventory changes. We will also guide you from personal experience that is the best cabin choice. We will also compare prices from all available suppliers to provide you with a choice of cruises at the best price.
We also do not charge a ‘service fee’ for our services as many Internet sites do.
Knowledge:
Internet contact: Usually people who are ‘selling’ cruises after they have bought into a marketing (MLM) to receive reduced travel cost benefits, Tax benefits of a home business and making money by creating a network of ‘travel agents’ who have the same goals in mind. These people most likely have never been on a cruise ship and do not know the product they are selling.
Personal Contact: We have taken training classes with the cruise lines and are in ongoing training to keep current with all changes in the industry. We are also taking classes with Cruise Line International Association. (CLIA). We have sailed on many different cruise lines and we know the product and will follow the sale from Sale to Sailing and beyond.
Special needs: If you have a special need such as a cabin with wider entry door for wheel chair or motorized cart or special needs toilet facilities we will work with to cruise lines to obtain the cabin that suites your needs.
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