San Francisco Icon-Cable Car

Grand Princess will be based in San Francisco year-round in 2013 and 2014, offering Alaska, Mexico, Hawaii and West Coast cruises.

Jan Swartz, Executive Vice President of Princess Cruises states, “Princess has been cruising from San Francisco nearly as long as our company has been in operation, so we have a rich history with the city, and we are the leading cruise line homeporting there.”

A variety of ships have served San Franciso in recent years. Currently the Sea Princess offers voyages to Alaska. The Star Princess has a few voyages to Hawaii in the spring and fall. Princess Cruises announced today that for the first time it will base a ship in San Francisco year round, beginning in May 2013. The extensively renovated Grand Princess will first offer a series of Alaska cruises during the summer months from the “City by the Bay,” followed by a schedule of Hawaiian Islands, Mexico and the California Coast sailings during the fall 2013 to spring 2014 season.

Jan Swartz explains “Our Bay Area passengers and travel agents have long been asking for more cruise options from San Francisco and our new year-round schedule with Grand Princess will now give them a great selection of itinerary choices, plus the benefit of sailing on a ship that offers our signature features and amenities.”

Last year the 2,600-passenger Grand Princess underwent the largest drydock in Princess Cruises history, adding a host of new features so that passengers will enjoy the same onboard experience as offered by the line’s other newer ships.

“Princess ships have been cruising from San Francisco for more than 40 years, and we greatly appreciate the company’s longstanding partnership with our city,” said Monique Moyer, executive director of the Port of San Francisco. “We are delighted to now have our first year-round ship based here, and it is a natural fit that the vessel is the caliber of Grand Princess. Having this ship sail under the Golden Gate Bridge and berth at the foot of Coit Tower will be spectacular, both for the passengers on board and the people of San Francisco.”

During the 2013-14 season Grand Princess will sail roundtrip from San Francisco to:

Alaska — Grand Princess’ first Alaska season features 10-day Inside Passage sailings. The ship will offer 13 voyages featuring the stunning scenery of Glacier Bay National Park or Tracy Arm, with calls at Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria. Cruises depart between May 10 and September 7, 2013.

Mexico — Grand Princess will offer two sailings on a new 10-day itinerary to Mexico, featuring two new ports for Princess — Loreto and La Paz, both in Baja California. Passengers will also enjoy calls at Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. Sailings depart on September 17, 2013 and March 5, 2014.

California Coastal — An increasingly popular Princess itinerary, Grand Princess will take passengers to Santa Barbara, Los Angeles (Long Beach), San Diego, and Ensenada. Four sailings are offered on September 27 and October 19, 2013; plus March 15 and April 6, 2014.

Hawaiian Islands — Passengers can explore each of the main Hawaiian islands on this 15-day voyage to the Big Island (Hilo), Oahu (Honolulu), Kauai (Nawiliwili), Maui (Lahaina), and Ensenada. Grand Princess will offer 12 departures between October 4, 2013 and April 28, 2014.

During last year’s drydock Grand Princess added a variety of passenger amenities, including a completely new Piazza atrium, several new eateries — including Alfredo’s Pizzeria and the Crown Grill — and the line’s first specialty tea lounge called Leaves. Also included in the renovation were a remodeled casino, boutiques and art gallery; enhancements to the Horizon Court, Lotus Spa, and wedding chapel; and the addition of Crooner’s Martini Lounge and a new nightclub, The One5.

Source: Princess Cruises press release SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (May 3, 2012)

Chase ends Seamiles Visa Program

SeaMiles VISA follows SeaMiles Mastercard as Chase chooses not renew the SeaMiles program.

SeaMiles operated much like a frequent flyer program whereby SeaMiles Visa credit card holders would earn one mile for each dollar spent and SeaMiles Bonus Partners would fund an additional 3 bonus miles for every dollar spent on a cruise.  SeaMiles cardholders could then redeem point for purchase of a cruise.

The design of the SeaMiles Visa program was pretty straight forward.  SeaMiles Visa was very easy to work with.  They had great customer service, responded to inquiries quickly and explained the program.

The biggest programs the program faced were shedding the legacy of the Mastercard program.  The older SeaMiles Mastercard program, was good only on Carnival.  For a time SeaMiles Mastercard was heavily promoted by the cruise line.  The brand specific card was not popular among travel agents as the program was designed to drive business directly to Carnival or the related SeaMiles MasterCard program and away from travel agents.

Then SeaMiles Visa was introduced.  Unlike the Mastercard program the Visa card was on “Any Cruise Line… Any Time.” The program was much more useful to cardholders and much friendlier to agents.  For awhile the SeaMiles Carnival/MasterCard and SeaMiles Visa program operated side by side.  But after a few years the Mastercard program was discontinued.

 
When the MasterCard program was discontinued, there was a lot of confusion amongst SeaMiles cardholders and Seamiles Designated Travel Agencies.  Mastercard card holders were unable to book cruises directly with SeaMiles and were calling agents.  Agents had not been trained in the Mastercard program and were often unaware that there were two distinct programs.

After attending presentations at trade shows, calls with sales and support, and a thorough review of the documentation and contracts I was for a time a bit of SeaMiles expert in our agency.    While our agency became a Seamiles designated travel agency in 2007 shortly after the inception of the Visa card program, we have had a few inquiries.  Most of the calls we fielded had more to due with differentiating the Mastercard program from the Visa program and less with using the program to help in the sale of cruises.

 
Yet… there was the rare customer that would be an faithful cardholder, familiar with the program, who cruised frequently and made good use of the program.  I am sorry to see that such customers faithful to the Seamiles programs and to their travel agents will, after June 29, 2012,  no longer be able to access the Seamiles program.

E-Mail from SeaMiles to Bonus Partners:
April 29, 2012 Dear SeaMiles Travel Bonus Partner, We are writing this letter to advise you that Chase has chosen not to renew the SeaMiles Visa Rewards Program; as such the program has ended. As a direct result of this, the SeaMiles Travel Bonus Partner Program has also ended. If you have any customers that have booked and paid for their cruise in full prior to June 29, 2012 they are able to redeem any SeaMiles that are eligible for redemption. The final day for redemption is June 29, 2012. Any redemptions after this date will not be considered. We want to take this opportunity to thank you for working with SeaMiles over the past years and wish you much success in all your future endeavours. If your customers have any questions regarding their Chase credit card, please have them call Chase directly at 1-800-231-2568. — Sincerely, Your SeaMiles Customer Service Team.

Freedom to Travel

Cruise3Sixty–April 28, 2012 Port Everglades, Broward County Convention Center

Cruise3Sixty continues to be the premier cruise travel conference offering travel agents training in  industry and supplier courses and onboard exposure to the CLIA fleet of cruise ships.  Cruise lines show their commitment to travel sales professionals offering not only training, promotions and targeted sales pitches, but, perhaps more importantly, CEOs, Vice Presidents and top management personally offer their insights into current trends and personally thank travel agents for our sales and support of the industry.

Christine Duffy, President and CEO of CLIA instills confidence in acknowledging the importance of travel agents to the cruise and travel industry.

Cruise3Sixty is the venue where new courses often debut, and agents offer suggestions to those developing the coursework.  Sitting in on a new course presented by the developer, Dr. Marc Mancini, is a recurring highlight.  It is great seeing all of the CLIA trainers together at the same location, as well as meeting face to face staff who support day to day operations.

Especially encouraging this year is the close partnerships of the Cruise Lines International Association with Travel Agent associations such as U.S. Travel Association.

Bravo to CLIA for elevating the expectation of CLIA agents in recent years.  It is great seeing how many agents hold CLIA certification, are enrolled in the Accredited Cruise Counselor certification program or, better yet, are increasing their certification level to become Master Cruise Counselors, Elite Cruise Counselors or Elite Cruise Counselor Scholars.

This year I am touring four ships–a ship a day–during the conference–Emerald Princess, Holland America Maasdam, the Crown Princess and Allure of the Seas.  The back-to-back exposure to different brands and different ships gives a good feel for the brand identity and an appreciation for the diversity of experience offered by the cruise industry.

Of note in the training offerings is the new CLIA course in accessibility, helping agents identify solutions to help those who have a disability, and reviewing accommodations already in place by the industry.  Newer ships are already more accessible, with wider spaces, rounded corners, and consideration to incline.  While the availability of ADA staterooms continues to be limited, compared to the demand, early booking and working with a travel agent who is well versed in the needs of those requiring accommodation, makes cruises a great choice for travel.

Several companies serving worldwide ports with medical equipment and supplies were represented at the trade show.  Passengers that may be well equipped on land may find alternate devices more useful at sea, a narrower wheelchair, for example

Travel Incentive Motive Staff

We can book travel for an employee that has performed above and beyond the call of duty. Travel is a great way to give recognition, but a good incentive award program does more than just recognize good performance. 

An incentive program can be designed so that pays for itself.

Goals can be defined such that, when they are realized, you can increase your profit margin, even after deducting the costs of travel and management of the incentive program.

A travel incentive award program is a program using a travel awards  system to improve work performance in a measurable way.

Employers and employees alike rightfully have high expectations of such a program. If the program is run well, it will be the highlight of the year. If the program does not follow certain proven principles it can backfire and be the cause of resentment.

Give us a call to discuss your goals in increasing employee performance. We can work with your management team to define stretch goals that are realistic, achievable, and measurable.  We will manage all aspects of the incentive award program–helping with a preliminary budget,  documenting processes, reporting on progress of your employees  and continuing to promote the program to potential awardees.

We will work out details with travel suppliers so that the resulting award will be memorable.

Comparing Cruise Experiences

Is short cruise is a good way to “test the waters.” If someone has never cruised before, they may try to take a short cruise to see how they like it. Is a short cruise a fair test of the cruising experience?

Perhaps, but I don’t find it a fair measure of the cruising experience. Short cruises seem a bit rushed. The day of departure is all about getting aboard, going through muster stations and learning the layout of the ship. The first “real day” at sea, I’m just getting settled in. The day before disembarkation, I’m busy packing and wondering where the time went. The day of disembarkation is all about customs, immigrations, waiting in line again. On a seven day cruise there is time to relax and forget for a while that you will have disembark someday.

Some people look for a short cruise because they can only get away from work for a limited time. Others seek low prices. Discuss with your travel agent exactly what it is you expect out of your vacation. There may be other ways of achieving their goals without compromising the vacation experience. What about a local departure?

If the goal is price, departure from a local port saves on air fare. If the goal is getting more work in before and after the trip, there is a savings in travel time. In fact, we bring a Sprint-card-empowered computer for access to e-mail and work files while docked at domestic ports. I was able to give a convincing argument that a 10 Day voyage from the local San Francisco port over a holiday weekend actually gave more time for productivity for a telecommuter friend than would a 7 day departure involving a half day of flight each way. And yet….I would still rather go on a short cruise than not cruise.

How do you budget your vacation? If you drink more than two sodas a day, perhaps a beverage card save you money.  Don’t shy away from a luxury brand just because the initial cruise fare is higher. As you move toward the luxury brands, wine, liquor and even shore excursions may be included. Consider the per diem cost of the cruise, after factoring in flight, hotel, and on board expenses. Four day cruises are often cheaper than a three day weekend cruise. Seven day cruises may have a lower per diem cost than shorter cruises.

Of course, a short cruise may be exactly what you need, but don’t shy away from looking at longer cruises or luxury brands.

Michael at One Canada Place

Cruise3Sixty is a sure bet conference, delivering the Wow-Factor with a great selection of workshops, panels, speakers, ships for inspection and entertainment.  The Cruise Lines International Association and Michael J. Pierson and Associates again hit it out of the ballpark.

CLIA has the conference planning down pat–registration, timing, ship inspections, program, acknowledgements, sound, video, food—it all worked and worked well.  There were a few logistical glitches–food ran short at the reception at the Aquarium.  The venue and buses were a bit overloaded for the event.  I guess the event was way more popular than anticipated.  When we saw attendees load enough food for dinner, we decided to forego the lines, enjoy the great displays and head to the Fish House for a fantastic meal.

I love the first unveiling of CLIA classes at Cruise3Sixty when Dr. Marc Mancini demonstrates the presentation.  This time we attended Getting Connected–A Primer on Social Media Networking–another great addition to the growing selection of CLIA trainings.  Thank you CLIA for providing tools that have a wide appeal and relevance for the travel industry as well as usefulness in other professions.  

This time I skipped the technology center, opting for a few great destination workshops–Cruise Baltic, Copenhagen/Stockholm and New Zealand.

As usual, the Trade Show had a great selection of travel suppliers.  I overheard one say that this was the busiest trade show they had been to.

The general sessions were spectacular.  There were some innovations that may need to be developed for future shows.  Cruise Critic’s blogged comments were great when in synch with the program, but when there was a delay the overhead display of the blog was distracting from the panel discussions.  Yet, Terry’s Tweet Spot, where Terry Dale, President of the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) posed microblog questions tweeted from the audience to panelists from time to time was a great way to vary the pace of the program.

A few segments fell flat.  The panel discussion “Does Gender Affect Decision Making and Leadership?”  offered examples of women who with drive and determination have achieved success in the cruise travel business, but the approach was a bit superficial, failing to hit hard on very real barriers to opportunity in our society.  A particularly challenging day of a downturn in the stock market on Friday set a bit of a somber mood on the crowd.  Fortunately there was a lot of variety and the recurring themes of social media marketing and mentoring hit home.

 “Do You Need to Be More Social” did hit hard with great information and strategies for connecting to Gen-Y Millennials.

The over the top, out of the ballpark keynote presentation by Alison Levine was worth coming to the conference for.  This was one of the best motivational talks I’ve ever heard as well as the best story of climbing Mt. Everest.  The analogies to selling travel in an unpredictable market were relevant and riveting.  Also over the top–WOW–and by the at hip slick cool and awesome was the entertainment–Blue Man Group from NCL and 42Five, an a cappella group from Celebrity were stand up and clap-hoot-and-holler awesome.

For the coming year the challenge for all of us travel professionals is to get connected.  Be online in real time.  There is the potential for explosive sales increase and a sure bet that the conference experience will be even more rewarding.

Cruise-a-thon by Travel Trade has been a great travel conference giving more of a travel agent perspective on the industry than  Cruise3Sixty.  Both events have provided opportunities for travel agents to get a hands-on experience on ships from several cruise lines in one weekend. 

Now, it looks like Cruise-a-thon is in trouble. 

The home page of www.ttshows.com had announced the Luxury Travel Show (the fall version of Cruise-a-thon) as coming in Fall of 2009.  Rather that posting registration information, the website went offline.www.cruisetrade.com then www.ttshows.com and now www.traveltrade.com are all silent.  A few weeks ago I had noticed that the Travel Trade info was getting stale and when www.CruiseTrade.Com was no longer active on October 11 I sent a message to an e-mail address listed on www.traveltrade.com.  The message was unanswered and within a week www.traveltrade.com dropped offline too.  In doing some searching….came across a few articles that might explain.  One article on TravelPulse (http://www.travelpulse.com/Resources/Editorial.aspx?n=53791) “Ian Gittlitz Takes Leave of Absence as Travel Trade Publisher, Published on: March 31, 2009–…….effective immediately. “  The articles go on to explain some legal troubles that, as I am not familiar with, one might best search the news to explore for yourself any trouble Ian Gittlitz may be facing.

Love to hear if TraveTrade, Cruise-a-thon or the sister brands may be able to come back in another form.  Is Cruise3Sixty now the only large scale event where travel agents can experience a several brands at one conference?

Mike

Cruises Provide Healthy Choices

A posting on an online forum this week asked for advice on how to “Lose before I cruise.”  Some suggested an Atkins Diet.  Others touted willpower.   I’ve tried the “Lose before I cruise” goal, but it never worked for me. Neither have the related “lose by summer”, “lose by (or after) Christmas. Deadlines tend to be self defeating. Any setback makes me feel guilty. Any victory seems to deserve a reward. The reward is often food. 

Here are a few things that did help me over the last year…… Last August I went on a cruise with the family. Challenges included…sitting at dinner for 2 hours while others ordered multiple entrée and waiter brought desserts we hadn’t ordered to allow us to sample everything and browsing the buffet late at night with the excuse of having a cup of tea.  A few things we did right included taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking a few miles every day around the Promenade deck, getting in the pool and swimming or staying active playing Marco Polo with the kids, or choosing excursions that required exercise (hikes, bikes, kayaks).

The good and the bad seemed to even out. I gained a bit, not much more than in my weekly up and down had I stayed at home. The problem was not so much the pounds on the one cruise but the overall impact of several cruises to come. I enjoy cruises and had a few more scheduled for the year. Add these cruises to the Holidays and to couple of other celebrations throughout the year; I would face the propect of a new (and bigger) wardrobe and a lecture from the doctor.

The problem was more of perspective than of will power. It was not the preparation for the cruise. The problem was my lifestyle on cruise. The goal of weight loss to enjoy the reward of a cruise equated to a self defeating goal of “lose to gain.” I was trying to lose weight before the cruise so I could feel less guilty about gaining weight on the cruise.

Here is what I did on the next cruise:

I sat a shorter time at dinner. We would still order a salad, entrée and consider desserts, but we would avoid multiple appetizers (or entrees) and only have desserts that were really really good.   I would pass on dessert if nothing stood out from the menu.   We still browsed the buffet, not as an excuse for tea, but with intention for a light meal, with a small plate. We continued being active taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking a few miles every day around the Promenade deck, and choosing excursions that required exercise. With a little change the good gained ground. I maintained.

Now the problem was lmaintaining the lifestyle and losing weight on land.

I had the good fortune of unexpectedly going on an additional cruise a week later…. by myself this time.

I tried something new: I stocked up the little refrigerator with a few healthy items from the buffet like yogurt and cereal and ate a light but healthy breakfast, without the morning buffet visit. I sat in the dining room with different people each night often excusing myself before dessert. I would still have dessert, but only a few items during the cruise that really stood out. And then I exercise. I had bought a pedometer and had a minimum goal or 10,000 steps a day—in addition to any swimming or other exercise. Once I got into the rythym—I had no problem achieving and usually exceeding the goal. In port…. I walked, and I walked. This time the good won. I lost—not much, but I lost weight!

I had a wonderful time. I enjoyed the ports more by seeing more while walking. I enjoyed the ship more by being more active—seeing more and doing more.

The cruise did not have to be for me just the dining room, buffet and room service. I recognized if for what the potential it always had for me as a floating spa—with a gym and walking track, a running track, with pool and activities to keep me active.

Perhaps the formula could be reduced to the basics of diet and excercise–burn more calories than I eat, but the challenge was to bring the new cruising lifestyle to the daily routine ashore, and being mindful of the cruising experience has helped.

That was last December. I’ve since been on an additonal 12 day cruise and am heading out in a week for another. I’ve continued to lose weight on or off a cruise at a steady 2 to 3 pounds a month, now down about 25 pounds over 9 months. There is no guilt and no fear of the cruise, the buffet, or of indulgence.

While “Lose before I cruise” didn’t work, a turn of the phrase helps: “cruise to lose.” Even better, though was to spin it further—”Cruise to a healthy lifestyle.”

Cruises Are a Great Value

Cruising is a great vacation value. Many meals and services that would cost extra on an land based vacation are often included in the price of a cruise. Cruises tend to be more “all inclusive” than most land based vacations. In fact, higher end cruises may include gratuity, beverages and even shore excursions. Everyone has their own style. Some are high rollers and big spenders, rewarding themselves with extravagance because they deserve it.Other cannot enjoy themselves if they feel that their hard earned money is wasted.Whatever your approach is, if you want the best value from your vacation, it doesn’t hurt to do some advanced planning. Have a Plan.

Start your planning with a full quote of the cruise fare and taxes. Don’t try to develop a budget from an advertised lead-in price. Get a full quote from an agent that can explain the detail. This is the starting point.

When I budget my vacations, here are some of the expenses I take into consideration:

Gratuity.Some cruise lines will say that gratuity is included in your fare.In general, though, allow for a minimum of about $10 to $11 per day gratuity.Whether the cruise line automatically adds the amount to your onboard account, you prepay the gratuity or you hand cash over in little envelopes to the service staff at the end of the cruise, service staff rely on (and deserve) gratuities.Gratuity of about 15% is generally added to each beverage order.

 Flight, transfers, baggage handling:Airline flights are often offered by cruise lines as part of a package.If you purchase a flight from the cruise line they will generally provide transfers to and from the port as well.However, there are exceptions.Be sure to check.Transfers can sometimes be purchased separately if you are providing your own air.Hotel and shore side meals:Plan to arrive at the embarkation port city at least a day before the cruise. I might fly into town early the day of embarkation if there is a short commuter flight, but even that is risky. How disappointed will you be if you miss the ship?Even if you purchase your hotel as part of the cruise package, you will likely have additional shore side expenses such as meals. Read and understand the price of services. Most charges to your account require that you present your onboard charge card. Don’t be afraid to ask about the cost. Ask the price of ship to shore calls before using the phone. Stateroom to stateroom calls aboard ship may be included, but Ship to Shore calles can be expensive.

Check your folio.Ask the purser for a printout of your on board account early into the cruise to help manage expense.

Cellular at Sea is highly promoted by Carnival.It can be a great convenience to call home using the speed dial on you own phone.Be aware that roaming charges at sea can be much higher than roaming charges back home.Check with you cellular provider for the costs of international calls and the cost for Cellular at Sea.Passengers are reporting charges of $5 to $10 per minute.

Surprises on a phone bill are not unique to cruises. I was very careful not to use my cell phone when in Ensenada.Yet I came home to charges from phone service inMexico.I’m not sure if the foreign phone service charges me for calls that rang on my phone (which I did not answer) or if they just added minutes on to my account when my cell phone registered it’s presence in their service area.Fortunately my cell phone service reversed the charges. Be aware that charges from a foreign country may take a few months to finally catch up to your account.

Good travel insurance can minimize the impact of unexpected events. Check for insurance options with you travel agent. Insurance purchased through a cruise line might be underwritten by a reliable third party insurance company or it may be “insured” by the cruise line itself.What does it cover?Perhaps you do not need medical coverage that duplicates your existing policy.On the other hand, does your policy cover the services you may need in foreign countries? Some “insurance” is really just cancellation protection.The cruise line may offer some kind of credit if you cancel for specified reasons.Many policies have a “pre-existing condition” clause and various other exclusions.Understand exactly what the insurance covers and what it does not cover.

Read your cruise contract. Most contracts allow for increased Taxes and Fuel Surcharge. My cruise in Alaska went up by $50 when Alaska passed a new head tax on all cruise passengers.Cruises after February 2008 were notified by Princess that there is a $5 per day per passenger fuel surcharge. These increases affect your cruise price even if paid in full. The increases are rare and generally are a fairly small percent of the total vacation cost.  Massages, Specialty Restaurants, Shoreside Purchases, Internet Packages…A visit to the onboard spa is a wonderful treat. If you are budgeting for your vacation, be sure to allow for those extra purchases. Yet, I have found that I can have a wonderful time on a cruise without paying for much more that the cruise fare and gratuity.I can have great meals, a variety of beverages including coffee, tea, and juice at breakfast.Movies, lounge acts, comedy shows, musical productions and other events are usually included as well.

Cruising is a great value. Good information and some advanced planning can help minimize the surprises and make your vacation be an even better value.