Last week we conducted out first or "inaugrual" live online Town Hall gathering and in short, it was interesting! We only had 3 people attend (well 6 or 7 but from 3 locations). That turned out to be a good thing.
Why a good thing? The reason was some technical difficulties. Plan 1 was a toll free teleconference setup. This was fine except they gave me the wrong "host" code to open phone lines. Actually was a typo but didn't know this until the next day.
Not to worry - we went to Plan 2 - and attached my microphone to the new computer (that's another whole story) but something was not right and no audio.
Fortunately, at 7:58 there were only 2 attendees so I was simply going to use 3-way calling to plug both in and now a 3rd name showed up on the attendee list. Well, I could only connect 2! On to plan 4. As there is a "chat" module in this technology I asked "does anyone have 3-way calling?" One lady thought she did so I asked "Mike or Richard, do you mind if I give Wendy your phone number?" Richard said that's fine so I called Wendy, she connected Richard from her phone, I connected Mike and we began only about 7 minutes late. If there were more folks, then it might have been a real "daisy chain" to pull this real.
The folks had a good time looking at the pictures we took of the Solstice, Splendor, and Ruby Princess and especially the "behind the scenes" look at how we research price and availability for clients. They had several good questions and closed the session.
Lessons learned - 1) always have a plan but also have a back up plan. 2) Check equipment ahead of time. 3) Never panic as there is always a solution to a situation (I prefer that word over problem). I know these 3 things and only forgot the 2nd one. Next month will be better.
I do want to share these comments from Wendy:
Al & Helen:
I truly enjoyed your webinar this evening. The pictures of the new ships were beautiful. I found it very exciting to see pictures of Carnival’s new ship as I will be sailing in just a few days.
The tour of your website was very informative. I can certainly see the price advantage of booking through you rather than try to sift through all of the information myself on the internet. I was especially interested in the “blocked cabin” rates that you are able to sell at a deeply discounted rate.
Since you gave me onboard credit for my next cruise, I will have to book again in the near future.
Thanks for all you do.
Wendy
We always have surprises and the 3 who did take time to attend each received on board credit for their next cruise. What will we do next month? I guess you just have to show up to find out. Check our website for details.
Al
Monday, December 15, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
At least Crystal did read the posting
OK Crystal, I do remember you saying that about the pricing. I believe we are in St. Thomas in Jan so will stop by and say hello to you and Farrah. Still not buying that piece but we will visit it .
For everyone else, remember, you must contact us to get the info for Wed night's live cruise night on your computer. E-mail to arichman@cruisesinc.com for the invitation to attend.
This S Caribbean cruise has been very pleasent and we did get an invitation to tour the bridge with the Capt. this morning. We do have an interesting picture with Helen in the "driver's seat" of the Caribbean Princess. I guess we are still heading to San Juan - just kidding.;
For everyone else, remember, you must contact us to get the info for Wed night's live cruise night on your computer. E-mail to arichman@cruisesinc.com for the invitation to attend.
This S Caribbean cruise has been very pleasent and we did get an invitation to tour the bridge with the Capt. this morning. We do have an interesting picture with Helen in the "driver's seat" of the Caribbean Princess. I guess we are still heading to San Juan - just kidding.;
Friday, December 5, 2008
Upcoming "live" cruise night at your home
(Hi from Aruba today.) On Dec 10th we will conduct our first internet cruise night. As I mentioned last time, this will feature 3 new ships and a behind the scenes look at our technology to help you find the best pricing and availability for your cruise.
We will be broadcasting "live" from our office right into your computer at home (guess what - you don't even have to wear shoes for this event) at 8 PM ET on Wednesday December 10th.
To get the information you need to join the event (website meeting link, passcode to enter the room and the tol free teleconference number, just e-mail me at arichman@cruisesinc.com. As this is the first one, and an experiment if you will, we only have space purchased for 50 guests (and I will use two spots for my computers) so first come, first served with the info.
We promise you will have a good time, a few laughs and see some very interesting things. There will be a surprise or two for those attending. No, I will not tell you now - I said surprise!
We will also be drawing the November monthly contest winner for on board credit for their cruise. We hope to see you there.
We will be broadcasting "live" from our office right into your computer at home (guess what - you don't even have to wear shoes for this event) at 8 PM ET on Wednesday December 10th.
To get the information you need to join the event (website meeting link, passcode to enter the room and the tol free teleconference number, just e-mail me at arichman@cruisesinc.com. As this is the first one, and an experiment if you will, we only have space purchased for 50 guests (and I will use two spots for my computers) so first come, first served with the info.
We promise you will have a good time, a few laughs and see some very interesting things. There will be a surprise or two for those attending. No, I will not tell you now - I said surprise!
We will also be drawing the November monthly contest winner for on board credit for their cruise. We hope to see you there.
******
Crystal and Farrah, I would love to hear from you and know that you did read about yourselves on this BLOG as a promised I would give you and your store a "plug." Thanks again for your hospitality.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
We always say St Thomas is great for shopping
It's hard to believe but we are back on a cruise ship again. After the Splendor, we were on the beautiful and luxurious Celebrity Solstice for a couple of days last weekend and this past Sun, flew to San Juan for a S Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess (our 3rd time on this girl).
Yesterday we were in St. Thomas and we had one "mission" to find a particular item but the store did not have it unfortunately. But we walked around and visited several shops. Lo and behold - in Cardou Jewelers, we found something for Helen we have been looking for for a very long time - earring jackets! We have checked stores in the US, we have checked stores in every island we have gone to and even in Europe to no avail.
When we asked (out of habit more than anything else) if they even knew what they were, the lady directed us to a counter and there they had some. It almost didn't matter the cost - it was mission accomplished finally. (They weren't that bad either especially with a little extra discount she gave us.)
We also saw something very interesting in a little store called Minor's Gems on a side street. They had a life sized figure in the doorway that talked to you as you walked by. Quite a surprise to really this thing wasn't human. The two gals who work there (Crystal and Ferrah) were so friendly we chatted with them for a few moments and when they mentioned they had glacier jewelery, I went through my digital camera to find the picture we took of a piece of iceberg (abut 400 pound piece) brought onto the ship when we were in Alaska back in Sept.
It turns out that this outfit has stores in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway and they have some really nice and unique items. Crystal showed Helen a bracelet and had it put it on. It was nice, very, very nice and only $35,000! Not today Crystal!
We did find something for a niece for the holidays and it really was a bargain and they do have many such items in this little store and probably many more in Alaska. We will be sure to mention this shop to those coming to St. Thomas or Alaska in the future.
I can't do it now but will definitely try to upload the picture of these two warm and friendly girls and their "miner" doorman when we get back. Thanks again Crystal and Ferrah for your hospitality.
Yesterday we were in St. Thomas and we had one "mission" to find a particular item but the store did not have it unfortunately. But we walked around and visited several shops. Lo and behold - in Cardou Jewelers, we found something for Helen we have been looking for for a very long time - earring jackets! We have checked stores in the US, we have checked stores in every island we have gone to and even in Europe to no avail.
When we asked (out of habit more than anything else) if they even knew what they were, the lady directed us to a counter and there they had some. It almost didn't matter the cost - it was mission accomplished finally. (They weren't that bad either especially with a little extra discount she gave us.)
We also saw something very interesting in a little store called Minor's Gems on a side street. They had a life sized figure in the doorway that talked to you as you walked by. Quite a surprise to really this thing wasn't human. The two gals who work there (Crystal and Ferrah) were so friendly we chatted with them for a few moments and when they mentioned they had glacier jewelery, I went through my digital camera to find the picture we took of a piece of iceberg (abut 400 pound piece) brought onto the ship when we were in Alaska back in Sept.
It turns out that this outfit has stores in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway and they have some really nice and unique items. Crystal showed Helen a bracelet and had it put it on. It was nice, very, very nice and only $35,000! Not today Crystal!
We did find something for a niece for the holidays and it really was a bargain and they do have many such items in this little store and probably many more in Alaska. We will be sure to mention this shop to those coming to St. Thomas or Alaska in the future.
I can't do it now but will definitely try to upload the picture of these two warm and friendly girls and their "miner" doorman when we get back. Thanks again Crystal and Ferrah for your hospitality.
*******
In a couple of days, I will post information on a special live online webinar we have scheduled for Dec 10th where we will be previewing the Carnival Splendor, the Celebrity Solstice, the Ruby Princess and a special behind the scenes look at how we research cruises and find the best pricing for our clients. Stay tuned for that as there will be limited space for this broadcast that will come right to your computer from our office and I'll tell you how to get the login information needed for both the computer and toll free teleconference number.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Customs and Immigration and Radiation
When disembarking the new Carnival Splendor yesterday, we had a very interesting experience. When we were giving in our customs declaration, another agent came over and asked us to step to the side.
As we had purchased nothing during this little 2 night cruise, I thought it was because I had "zero" on the form for purchases and they were checking this out. But that was not it.
The agent asked me if I recently had anything involving radiation? I mentioned that I had taken my Dad to the Dr. the other day and he had some x-rays and one of them was nuclear but not me. He showed me a little gadget on his belt that was glowing red. This gadget was actually a radiation detector and it was going off big time!
Well it actually turned out to be Helen who had a neclear stress test 5 days earlier and the stuff they inject for this test is radioactive which was still in her system and sending radiation signals out.
The man explained, and we are sharing it here, that anytime someone has anything done that involves radiation they should carry something to that effect - the paperwork from the testing lab is sufficient. He never did say how long that stuff stays in one's system. He went on to explain that without this someone could be "inconvienenced - his word" when coming back into the country especially for land border crossing, from a longer cruise or coming from many other countries (we only went to Nassau) or if security levels were higher. He was fine once he knew why his detector went off and we were on our way but it sure was an interesting experience and valuable information to pass along.
As we had purchased nothing during this little 2 night cruise, I thought it was because I had "zero" on the form for purchases and they were checking this out. But that was not it.
The agent asked me if I recently had anything involving radiation? I mentioned that I had taken my Dad to the Dr. the other day and he had some x-rays and one of them was nuclear but not me. He showed me a little gadget on his belt that was glowing red. This gadget was actually a radiation detector and it was going off big time!
Well it actually turned out to be Helen who had a neclear stress test 5 days earlier and the stuff they inject for this test is radioactive which was still in her system and sending radiation signals out.
The man explained, and we are sharing it here, that anytime someone has anything done that involves radiation they should carry something to that effect - the paperwork from the testing lab is sufficient. He never did say how long that stuff stays in one's system. He went on to explain that without this someone could be "inconvienenced - his word" when coming back into the country especially for land border crossing, from a longer cruise or coming from many other countries (we only went to Nassau) or if security levels were higher. He was fine once he knew why his detector went off and we were on our way but it sure was an interesting experience and valuable information to pass along.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
E-docs and paper docs charge
I received an interesting e-mail this morning from someone who is not a client presently (maybe one day they will be) with a unique question. Here is the question and my reply:
Is it true that Royal Caribbean is only going to issue E docs and if you want the booklet, then you will be charged $35?
Good morning. Interesting question you ask. To the best of my knowledge, although things can change rapidly of late, Royal is using e-docs primarily as most of the cruise lines are and there is a charge (mostly $35) for “paper docs” depending on where they are sent to. But this charge is to agency, not customer (unless agency passes the charge along which many probably would and do – is that where your question comes from?).
With that being said, we actually have the materials for printing out the e-docs for our clients along with the luggage tags and creating the package to send out which is basically “paper docs” for Royal, Celebrity and Azamara. We will also print out the-docs for other lines for our clients if they request us to (we help many clients with their pre-cruise registration and mail the boarding pass to them when we do), especially those without computers or non seasoned cruisers. We of our own choosing do not charge any processing or shipping costs to our clients when we do this and in fact to not charge and processing fees period even if we don’t.
To go a step further, some cruise lines such as Princess and NCL have a pre-cruise package which they send out which includes the excursion booklet and luggage tags. We as agents have the option of having these go straight to client or coming to us first. We choose to have them come to us and then we send out with additional material in the package.
The main thing needed when getting to a port is the boarding pass that you print out once doing the pre-cruise online registration which is required and preferred way of getting the necessary information for the manifest the cruise lines must submit prior to setting sail. This all has to do with APIS – Advanced Passenger Information System and part of the security necessary to insure safe travel. Carnival calls it “Fun Pass”, Royal “Sign and Sail”, Celebrity “Xpress Boarding Pass” etc.
The pre-cruise online registration basically gives the cruise line the information ahead of time so that the check-in process for passengers is much smoother, simpler, and quicker since the agent there does not have to enter all the information in the computer for each person. They merely have to check ID, imprint credit card for on board account, and give you your ship ID card.
I imagine that I took this a little further than your question but I hope it does give you what you wanted to know. I do not recognize your name and do not see it in our data base so not sure how you came to e-mail me but not a problem, I’m glad to help. In fact, that was a good question and I’m actually going to post the question and my reply on my BLOG this morning. Thanks.
And if we can be of any help in planning future cruise vacations, if you are not happy with your agent presently, do not hesitate to contact us.
I also posted something else earlier today about fuel supplements so go past this post to the previous one. Yes, have been away for awhile both for traveling and personal reasons. We have some more traveling to do over the next few weeks as we sail on some new ships and to some new destinations in the S. Caribbean. More on these things later.
Al
Is it true that Royal Caribbean is only going to issue E docs and if you want the booklet, then you will be charged $35?
Good morning. Interesting question you ask. To the best of my knowledge, although things can change rapidly of late, Royal is using e-docs primarily as most of the cruise lines are and there is a charge (mostly $35) for “paper docs” depending on where they are sent to. But this charge is to agency, not customer (unless agency passes the charge along which many probably would and do – is that where your question comes from?).
With that being said, we actually have the materials for printing out the e-docs for our clients along with the luggage tags and creating the package to send out which is basically “paper docs” for Royal, Celebrity and Azamara. We will also print out the-docs for other lines for our clients if they request us to (we help many clients with their pre-cruise registration and mail the boarding pass to them when we do), especially those without computers or non seasoned cruisers. We of our own choosing do not charge any processing or shipping costs to our clients when we do this and in fact to not charge and processing fees period even if we don’t.
To go a step further, some cruise lines such as Princess and NCL have a pre-cruise package which they send out which includes the excursion booklet and luggage tags. We as agents have the option of having these go straight to client or coming to us first. We choose to have them come to us and then we send out with additional material in the package.
The main thing needed when getting to a port is the boarding pass that you print out once doing the pre-cruise online registration which is required and preferred way of getting the necessary information for the manifest the cruise lines must submit prior to setting sail. This all has to do with APIS – Advanced Passenger Information System and part of the security necessary to insure safe travel. Carnival calls it “Fun Pass”, Royal “Sign and Sail”, Celebrity “Xpress Boarding Pass” etc.
The pre-cruise online registration basically gives the cruise line the information ahead of time so that the check-in process for passengers is much smoother, simpler, and quicker since the agent there does not have to enter all the information in the computer for each person. They merely have to check ID, imprint credit card for on board account, and give you your ship ID card.
I imagine that I took this a little further than your question but I hope it does give you what you wanted to know. I do not recognize your name and do not see it in our data base so not sure how you came to e-mail me but not a problem, I’m glad to help. In fact, that was a good question and I’m actually going to post the question and my reply on my BLOG this morning. Thanks.
And if we can be of any help in planning future cruise vacations, if you are not happy with your agent presently, do not hesitate to contact us.
I also posted something else earlier today about fuel supplements so go past this post to the previous one. Yes, have been away for awhile both for traveling and personal reasons. We have some more traveling to do over the next few weeks as we sail on some new ships and to some new destinations in the S. Caribbean. More on these things later.
Al
Fuel Supplement Update
Well, the good news is that Royal Caribbean and NCL (and their other brands) have now also come up with formulas to return fuel supplements for 2008 and 2009 sailings based on a formula tied to the NY Mercantile Exchange price on a specific date prior to each quarter. They are not adding a fuel supplement for bookings in 2010.
The benchmark is $65 so when under that at the date they predetermined, they will give an on board credit equal to what passengers paid for cruises during the following quarter.
OK - let's make this simple. For 2008 and 2009 sailings, you pay the fuel supplement and maybe have a surprise once on the ship of an on board credit you did not expect. Of course, depending on the cost of fuel, this could all change again.
The benchmark is $65 so when under that at the date they predetermined, they will give an on board credit equal to what passengers paid for cruises during the following quarter.
OK - let's make this simple. For 2008 and 2009 sailings, you pay the fuel supplement and maybe have a surprise once on the ship of an on board credit you did not expect. Of course, depending on the cost of fuel, this could all change again.
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