Jan115

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Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

I think the Belize government is wise to turn this down. There would seem to be a huge environmental impact in bringing a large cruise ship. Saw this quote at ambergriscaye.com: Dr. Melanie McField, Environmentalist “The first thing would be to look at the island itself and it’s primarily wet mangrove so anytime you want to do a large-scale development in mangroves that typically involves dredging and filling. Now I’ve understood that they say their going to build some walkways because they’ve said they want to minimize that but there is still a lot of infrastructure to be able to service bathrooms and changing rooms and just facilities, gift shops. I’m sure this would be, you know, there’s a lot of land surface you need to service thousands of people at once. These are large boats, so they would be dredging and filling and creating land and I’m told that they’ve said they need seventy acres of dry land and that is not there right now. So the actual dredging of the seabed is obviously, you know, an environmental impact that you can’t mitigate because you’re removing what’s there, it’s often sea grass. There’s a lot of coral reef around this area, shoals. There’s banks with shallow shoals that will have to be entirely removed for the ship to be able to get through there and on those shoals there’s sea grass bed sponges, coral reef. Ringing the island is apparently a very healthy coral reef.”

What a great way to spend Christmas - HULA DANCING - WOOHOO! I don't think we'll be hula dancing in Alaska, but I'll take lots of photos and lots of notes for a review when I get back.

I'm looking forward to it! I've done two land trips and one cruise to Bermuda, and it was the most relaxing cruise ever! Three days in port (St. George, in 2008) makes it so easy to come and go with no rush to get back to the ship! Can't wait to ear what Shon has to tell us!

I agree - it's the best packing list I've come across, as well. There are some great people here working behind the scenes to provide the best resources. Stick around for more!

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

B2B - I love it. Double the fun!

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

There is no substitution for a good travel agent, especially if you’re thinking about booking a first cruise. Just the same, in this electronic world we live in, many travelers find it a fairly easy process to handle all the cruise arrangements on their own via the internet - whether through a web-only agent, a brick and mortar agency’s website, or directly through the cruise line’s booking engine. When making your own travel arrangements, it’s crucial to make sure every detail of the booking is understood and properly attended to, thereby avoiding costly errors and assuring smooth sailing. Here are 10 common mistakes to avoid when booking a cruise: 1) Booking a cabin just because it’s the cheapest. That $199 Category 1A cabin deal on Carnival may seem sweet, but you could very well find yourself squeezed into a corner hole in the wall - in a bunk bed. Know the accommodations you’re getting when you book. 2) Misunderstanding the definition of an “obstructed” cabin. No, an obstructed cabin does not mean you must leap over a wall to reach it. It means that the cabin has a window, but your view will be hindered by something outside on deck – a lifeboat, for instance. Some obstructions are just partial – lifeboat on the bottom half of your window, with the sky above. Still others are hardly obstructions at all – a cabin located between two lifeboats, for instance. It pays to consult the deck plan for your ship to see just what kind of view you will – or won’t – have. 3) Booking a “guaranty” cabin without a clue as to what it means. You go on line to book an advertised promo for a balcony cabin in a particular category. All that is available, however, is a “guaranty”. This means that you cannot select a cabin at the time of booking. Rather, one will be selected for you by the cruise line, guaranteed to be in that category or higher. If this is the case, you must be content with the fact that (a) the cruise line will assign the cabin when it’s good and ready, up to the date of sailing, and (b) your cabin could be located anywhere on the ship. In other words, if there is a particular location on the ship where you don’t want to be, then don’t book a guaranty. 4) Incorrectly entering names and dates of birth. When entering your names during the on-line booking process, be absolutely certain that the passengers’ names are spelled correctly and are an exact match to the names on your government issued photo ID or passport. Otherwise, you risk being denied boarding of the flight, the cruise or both. Be certain that the dates of birth and gender are correct for each passenger. 5) Paying the cruise deposit without realizing it’s non-refundable. Cruise lines and agents more and more frequently are presenting temping offers of discounts, onboard credits and other perks – with one caveat: a non-refundable deposit. Be certain you are clear on this when booking a special promotion. 6) Not carefully proofing the cruise booking confirmation. Once you have completed your booking details and paid your deposit, the agency or cruise line will email a confirmation of your booking. Carefully proof this for errors as soon as it is received. If you discover any errors, contact the agency right away to make the necessary corrections. 7) Neglecting to pay the final balance by the due date. When failing to pay off your cruise by the due date, you risk automatic cancellation. Don’t rely on notifications from the agent. Keep a calendar or send yourself a reminder to make that final payment when due. Be certain you receive a written confirmation showing a zero balance. It’s also a good idea to log on to your cruise account. Seeing your cruise displayed on the cruise line’s web page is reassurance that your good to go. 8) Paying little attention to the cruise line’s cancellation policy. Be aware that once your booking has reached the final payment date, it goes into the “penalty phase”, and is then subject to cancellation fees, typically beginning with the amount of your deposit from 75 days out to your entire fare within 14 days of sailing. Although not mandatory, this is where travel insurance would be a great thing to have in the unfortunate event that you need to cancel your cruise due to family illness, injury or other covered reason. 9) Paying no attention to the agency’s cancellation policy. Be aware that some travel agents – online and brick & mortar alike - charge cancellation or change fees. Make certain that you know the agent’s policy on cancellations before booking. Or try another agent. Many do not charge cancellation fees at all. 10) Booking flights too late to the ship or too early for the trip home. Cruise lines will typically post the latest flight time for your travel to the ship and the earliest flight time to schedule for the trip home. Pay careful attention to these times, because it would be a sad day if you missed your ship because you flew too late in the day to meet your ship on time. An even better idea would be to fly to your city of embarkation the day before your cruise. You will arrive relaxed and you’ll be all rested up and ready to cruise the next morning. By: Janice Neves, CruiseCrazies Contributor For more cruise news & articles go to http://www.cruisecra....com/index.html View full article

Check it out here: http://www.cruisecrazies.com/forums/blog/18/entry-151-promptly-proof-your-cruise-confirmation/

No matter how you book your cruise – whether with a web-only agent, an agency booking engine, with a live agent, or directly with the cruise line – once you have made your deposit, you will receive an email confirmation from the agency or cruise line laying out all the details of your cruise. As a paying guest, it is solely your responsibility to promptly and carefully examine the cruise confirmation with a fine-toothed comb and make certain that everything is correct. If you find any errors, it’s crucial to contact the agent or cruise line to get them corrected as soon as possible to avoid snafus later down the road. Pay particular close attention to the following: Passenger names. Verify that the names are spelled correctly and are an exact match to the names on your government-issued photo ID or passport. Some cruise lines or agents will charge a change fee – as much as $50 per correction, especially if not notified of the error by final payment date. More importantly, you risk being denied boarding – and this goes for airline reservations, too! Dates of birth and gender. Be sure that all passengers’ dates of birth and gender are listed correctly to avoid boarding headaches. The ship and sailing date. If you suddenly discover weeks or months later that you’re booked on the wrong sailing, getting it straightened out could be costly. Fares for your intended sailing could have gone up since you booked or the ship could have sold out. Worse, if you only realize the error after final payment, changing your booking will – in essence – cancel the first, leaving you with cancellation fees, as well as the cost of rebooking the correct cruise. It’s also a good idea to have another set of eyes – preferably a traveling companion – review the details as well. Four eyes see more clearly than two! For more on the subject, see today's Article: 10 Mistakes to Avoid in the Cruise Booking Process

Have a wonderful cruise but don't expect perfection. That way you can't be disappointed and you will be forever hooked on cruising!

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.