Last week we booked two ladies on a 7-night Mexico cruise and the price was a little more than $500 each for an ocean view stateroom on Holland America Line. They are going in November and are excited about getting such a great deal.
The Fall is always the most challenging time for the cruise lines to sell their inventory of staterooms. As a result, consumers have the opportunity to buy high quality cruises as bargain basement prices. The problem is that many folks think waiting to the last minute will get them the best deal, but, what is happening is that the cruise lines are selling out at their sales prices and are closed for bookings close-in to sailing.
Mexico from Southern California, and the Caribbean from Florida or other Gulf Coast states, have a wide range of cruises available at super discounts. The key is to snatch them up while the good deals abound.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Where Do Dream of Going?
One of our cruise counselors just returned from a 14-night cruise around Italy on Azamara Cruise Line. She was treated to a mini-eruption of Mt Stromboli, a trip back in time in Venice, Rome, Taormina and Florence, and to the beauty and flavor that typifies why Italians and many other cherish the country. Our well-traveled vacation expert returned with a renewed energy and a renewed appreciation of both cruising and Italy.
Where might you like to go? Maybe it’s a getaway to turquoise waters, satin sand and warm tropic breezes, or a visit to the Land Down Under or the exotic Far East. Whatever your choice might be, the challenging economy is providing the best prices and values of the 21st century. And, Fall is a time where both cruise lines and land vacation destinations are offering specials to renew your outlook on life.
If you have questions call any of the travel professionals at Cruise Holidays of Woodinville and let them craft the perfect escape just for you (866 487 4001).
Where might you like to go? Maybe it’s a getaway to turquoise waters, satin sand and warm tropic breezes, or a visit to the Land Down Under or the exotic Far East. Whatever your choice might be, the challenging economy is providing the best prices and values of the 21st century. And, Fall is a time where both cruise lines and land vacation destinations are offering specials to renew your outlook on life.
If you have questions call any of the travel professionals at Cruise Holidays of Woodinville and let them craft the perfect escape just for you (866 487 4001).
Saturday, August 22, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Recession - Good Time to Vacation
Recessions Come and Go, But Life Still Goes On
Recently 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
Recently 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
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