Dine and save a Lab at Beef 'O' Brady's - Apollo Beach, FL

Save a Lab Night
to benefit Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida
July 18 - 6 - 9 pm
Beef 'O' Brady's
205 Apollo Beach Blvd
Apollo Beach, FL

Lot's of good food and raffle prizes

Bring the whole family

Sail with Karen & Marty

We've put together a great cruise to celebrate our new office in the Tampa area and take a quick break before the hectic holiday season begins.

Royal Caribbean - Radiance of the Seas - 11/18/10 - 4 nights from Tampa stopping in Cozumel.

Rates include all the government taxes & fees, gratuities and a $50 per cabin onboard spending credit.

Dining for the group is all my time dining.

Rates - For senior rates one passenger in the cabin must be 55 or over.

Non-Senior Senior

Inside $380 pp $370 pp
Oceanview 420 pp 390 pp
Balcony 530 pp 480 pp

Deposit is $100 per person and final payment is due 9/10/10

Join us and bring your friends. We'll have a big party!!!!!!!!!

Karen
The Cruise People
800-642-2469

Where to Next?

So many people have been asking advice about where they should go on their next vacation.

There's never one answer. Each persons idea of a vacation is as individual as they are.

What you need to ask yourself is "What do I want out of my vacation?"

Am I looking for sun and fun with non-stop partying?

Do I just want to get away from it all and chill out?

Am I looking for adventure and new experiences?

Do I want to emerse myself in an educational experience?

Have I always had a desire to see a particular place?

What about experienceing a different culture?

For everyone the answer is different. And it's different at different times.

Sometimes we just want a relaxing chill out weekend and other times we may want a total new cultural experience.

Much of what we want isn't always what we can have. It's very much determined by the amount of time we have and how long it will take us to get there.

Sun, fun, partying, chill out time, adventure and some culture and educational experiences can be packed into a short vacation for near by locations.

Other destinations require more time. You don't want to do a trip that will have you flying for 13 hours in each direction over a 4 day vacation.

So one important question is - how much time do I have now and what do I want out of that time.

Time is one commodity that we are all very short on. We need to make the most of it, particularly when it comes to a hard earned vacation.

We need to go and do what we want and see as much as possible in that limited time.

Is that pristine beach in the Bahamas calling you?

Can you hear the lions roar over the African plains?

Do you want to say you have climbed the Great Wall of China?

Sailed around Cape Horn?

Seen the Pope in Rome?

Rode a camel past the great pyramids in Egypt?

Yodeled on top of an Alp in Switzerland?

Rode a donkey down the Grand Canyon?

What are you waiting for?

Too many of you say "Someday". Well, take that someday while it's here.

My parents always said "someday" to their dreams. My mother would sigh when she thought about some place she would like to go and say "someday". Then a time came when my father said "someday, when your mother is well again, we'll go".

Unfortunately, that someday never came for them. They waited to long and were dead before that someday came.

Don't wait for "someday" to never come.

Go and do while you can. There's a great big wonderful world out there just waiting for you to see it!

Go, experience it, explore it , feel it!

Do it now before "someday"never comes.

Carnival Tells Cruisers - Book Summer Now or Pay More!

In case no one has noticed, cruise pricing in 2010 is considerably higher than it was in 2009. Last year saw cruise prices that equaled or were less than what I paid for my first cruise in 1986!

Both cruise lines and tour operators are trying to re-educate the consumer to the new facts of life.

1. They are not going to dump prices at the last minute
2. The best deals will be early saver specials
3. The closer to the travel date, the higher the prices will be
4. The pricing is and will continue to be higher than 2009

Although most cruise lines have not announced that their prices are higher and Carnival certainly didn't make any announcements when they started raising prices, consumers have seen the difference.

One frequent cruiser who wanted a 2010 Christmas cruise for her family compared the price to what she paid for Christmas 2009 and was shocked at the much higher pricing.

Now Carnival has come out and announced that they will raise summer cruise prices by 5% on March 22.

What effect will this have on their overwhelming increase in bookings made over the last month? Will it spur people to get their summer cruises booked prior to March 22? Or will it turn those consumers off that were considering Carnival and send them to booking other cruise lines that are not making big announcements about their price increases?

Will a 5% price increase make a big difference?

What many people didn't see is that between June 2009 and November 2009 Carnival had already raised their summer 2010 rates on certain ships and sailing dates by 30%.

Yes, cruise bookings in January were extremely strong across the board, however, there were an equal number of people looking to book their 2010 vacations that decided they just couldn't afford the price increases over 2009.

Understandably, cruise lines have to raise their prices to maintain a consistant product. But giving the cruising public sticker shock is not going to fill their ships.

Hopefully, they won't attempt to make up the 2008 and 2009 losses in just one year!

Norwegian Sky Rates High For Quick Get Away

The Norwegian Sky sails 3 and 4 night cruises from Miami to the Bahamas.

Passengers are raving about her for a quick 3 night get away.

She is the youngest ship sailing the 3 day market and the only ship to offer balcony cabins wthout having to pay the high price of a suite.

When questioned, passengers cite the following reasons for loving this ship -

Freestyle cruising and informality making it a relaxing weekend getaway.

The ability of having a balcony without paying the high prices of suites.

Dining options

Entertainment

The pristine untouched feel of Great Stirrup Cay

And lets not forget the the for one martinis from 6 to 8 pm every night in the Plantation Club!

The Cruise People Partner with Royal Caribbean on "Help for Haiti" cruises

The Cruise People have partnered today with Royal Caribbean on "Help for Haiti" cruises as part of their "We Care Cruise" series.

10 sailings have been designated throughout 2010 that the companies will donate anywhere from $50 to $100 per cabin sailed to Food For The Poor.

In addition, each of the sailings stops in Royal Caribbean's private port of Labadee, Haiti, giving passengers the opportunity to support all of the local vendors. Royal Caribbean is also donating 100% of it's net profits from Labadee to Haitian relief.

Karen Zients, President of The Cruise People said in a statement today that "People are going to take a vacation. Our "Help for Haiti" cruises gives them the chance to take that vacation and do something good at the same time. Nothing has been added to the rates. The client will have the same rate as other Royal Caribbean passengers.

This is a long term commitment on our part. In a few months Haiti will not be the headlines it is now. Relief funds will dwindle. This is an ongoing commitment on our part and I believe we will be continuing it well into 2011."

"These cruises can be booked by calling our corporate office at 800-642-2469 or any one of our affiliate travel agents around the country."

This is a list of the designated sailings.

FREEDOM OF THE SEAS

DATE -RATES FROM -DONATION PER CABIN

3/27 - 777 -100

6/27 -1029 -100

8/22 - 824 - 100

11/28 (4 nt) - 304 - 50



LIBERTY OF THE SEAS

DATE -RATES FROM -DONATION PER CABIN

4/11 - 755 - 100

5/9 - 655 - 100

7/11 - 1009 - 50

9/12 - 567 - 100

10/3 - 468 - 100


NAVIGATOR OF THE SEAS

DATE - RATES - FROM DONATION

12/13(5 nt) - 409 - 50

Royal Caribbean and their return to Labadee, Haiti

Our posts are normally very neutral and banal, but it's been boiling away all day as we read posts to other blogs about Royal Caribbean's return to their private area Labadee in Haiti.

Many of the cruise pundits that clog the net have been spouting off that it's immoral, inappropriate or down right wrong for Royal Caribbean to bring Pina Colada swigging cruise passengers to Labadee when people are suffering in the country.

Yes, there is massive suffering and destruction. But should that stop the humatarian aid being brought in through Labadee?

Does it mean that the 500 plus employees and vendors that rely on the income from Labadee not have any income and add to the island suffering?

Not have any funds to sustain themselves or help their family members in the affected areas?

If Royal Caribbean did not call on Labadee, what would happen to those 500+ people?

What would happen to their families?

No money to buy food?

No moneyto pay for shelter?

No money to buy their kids shoes?

No money to help their relatives in the earthquake damaged areas?

What about the idea of being abandoned by the company they depend on?

What about their pride in jobs well done?

What about the depression that not having an income could produce?

It will take years until Haiti is back to normal. Should Royal Caribbean put off calls to Labadee until everything is perfect in the earthquake area and the people in their section near Labadee are starving?

Any inhabitants of a disaster ravaged country need a hand. Royal Caribbean has had their hand extended for years in Haiti and is continuing to extend that hand, not only in the humanitarian aid pledged, but in the moral support of it's employees and vendors in Labadee.

Should these people be abandoned by the company they depend on?

Do these people realy care that Pina Colada swigging tourists are enjoying this beach paradise? You be they do! They want the tourist to enjoy their paradise and they want the tourist dollar.

Without the tourist dollar they will suffer even more. Should the tourist dollar go somewhere it is not needed as much?

Should Royal Caribbean send the ship to another port that is rife with tourists and their dollars?

Royal Caribbean is giving 100% of their net profits from Labadee to relief efforts in Haiti. So I say to every passenger, don't order that Pina Colada on the ship, order it in Labadee!

Go to the flea market and pay what the vendor is asking. Don't try to bargain them down to nothing as usual. In fact give them a dollar or two more.

This is responsible tourism when you support those that need it most.

This is responsible tourism when you don't abandon those that have come to depend on you.

This is responsible tourism when you enable local people to keep their jobs.

This is responsible tourism when you enable local people to feed their families.

This is responsible tourism when you enable local people to house their families.

This is responsible tourism when you enable local people to cloth their families.

This is responsible tourism when you enable local people to get medical care for their families.

This is responsible tourism when you enable the local people to keep their pride!

We support Royal Caribbean in their humanitarian efforts and their return to Labadee.

Our only wish is that our passengers will give that extra dollar for the wood carving they are buying. That dollar can feed a child for a week!