Sunday, March 15, 2009

Spring is almost here

In a few days, Spring will have sprung, birds will be chirping, the trees will start to sprout leaves, and the weather will be improved for most around the country. All I can say is – it’s about time! Even here in our so called tropical paradise of S. Florida, it’s been an unusual few months with below average temps. Ok, granted, not as bad as those of you in the North East and Upper Mid West, but still not pleasant. Add to that, the situations many folks have gone through with the economy, jobs, etc., which has caused so much mental fatigue, Spring is a sign of things getting better.

Vacation and relaxation, in my humble opinion, is almost a necessity rather than a luxury these days. A vacation helps to clear one’s mind of the many challenges they go through, a chance to explore new things and places, share new adventures with loved ones, and to just “step” out of one’s daily routine and have some moments of pure enjoyment. Does a cruise offer this? You have to answer that for yourself. You know how we feel about it on a personal basis.
And although prices have started to go up a little as sailings fill up, there are still many great values out there for cruises of all lengths and destinations. The trend has been for closer in bookings the last couple of months and there have been some great last minute deals but once again, people are starting to plan a little further out. As the ships fill, the lower categories in each type of accommodation get sold out and the higher categories cost more. Waiting until closer to sailing date never is a good idea to plan a cruise.

Once you are under deposit, your pricing can not go up but it might go down. If you are booked, and there is a promotion later on with lower pricing, you know we will get it adjusted for you. And if something happens before the final payment due date, and you had to cancel, your deposit is completely refundable and we have no cancel penalty either.

So if you are wondering, “Should I plan a cruise now?”, I say why not. You have much to gain and nothing to lose. In fact, the biggest problem has been “Will my job still be there in a few months? so I can afford the vacation? That’s a question many ask themselves. Well, good news!
With our special “CruiseAssurance” guarantee, the Travel Companion Cancellation Protection policy we offer is now also covering “Loss of Job” through May 2nd. Book any cruise, any date, any cruise line, and accept our Travel Protection coverage (you have to pay for it to have it effective) and if you lose your job, and in the cancellation penalty period, you are covered the same as for sickness or health, jury duty, home uninhabitable, etc. plus all the other covered reasons for having to cancel or for trip interruption. All the benefits it always offers plus this new benefit and they never raised the cost to our clients! But you must book a cruise by May 2nd to get this additional coverage benefit.