Review of the Carnival Pride

So way back in January Carnival invited me to cruise on the Pride out of Baltimore.
I have so many clients that love sailing on this ship due to the convenience of sailing out of Baltimore, but for me personally it has never been of interest. After all when I cruise I like it to be warm and sunny and spend my time at the pool or on the beach or exploring new ports of call. This cruise sailed in January.

And as you can tell from the above picture we actually had snow on the pool chairs

My second issue before with this cruise is I don't think it has a very exciting itinerary.
We sailed to Port Canaveral, Nassau and Freeport - although on some cruise they do skip Port Canaveral and visit Grand Turks instead

Surprisingly enough I loved this cruise. The ship is definitely older than a lot that I have been on but that was part of what I loved about it, yes maybe it was older but it was built better than the ships that are being built today and so it was designed to last longer.

Walking on board, the first thing I noticed is the atrium is not a wide open space like on most cruise ships

But on a cold winters day it did feel cozy. 

The ship itself in my opinion is quirky with a strong Renaissance feel to it,

One of the funniest things I heard on board was a fellow passenger in the elevator saying how she wouldn't recommend this ship to anyone as it had too many pictures of naked people on board!.

The big question I always ask myself after I cruise is "Would I sail on this ship/itinerary again?" and in this case I would give it a big DEFINITELY

Even though it was cold as we sailed down the coast we did have 2 beautiful sunny days in the Bahamas. The entertainment on the ship - especially the Piano Man was amazing,and the staff among the friendliest I have experienced in a long time

Since it was cold on board we spent a lot of time participating on the on board activities and meeting people. There is nothing like a 3 hour sea day brunch with some very friendly people.We never felt that we had to hurry up and do something or to get somewhere which really made it the perfect getaway

For those that wanted to spend time in the pool they do have a cover so it is not freezing - although I still thought it was too cold. There were a lot of people hanging out there and kids playing in the water

During the summer I think this cruise prices way to high but for a winter getaway, with the lower prices I think it is perfect.

I actually thought about checking prices to take my husband or a group of girlfriends in January 2015 but the Pride is getting a face lift and will be in Tampa until March so maybe I will hold off until the following year. I just hope that the "facefit" doesn't take away her charm and quirkiness 

What to do when the weather interrupts your travel plans

So since most of the East coast is snowed in right now I figured this would be a good time to talk about what you can do when the weather interrupts your travel plans.
For me the most important thing in any vacation is travel insurance. Travel insurance protects your investment in your vacation. If there is a major storm like today then you have the option of just cancelling your vacation and receiving a refund from the insurance company. Different companies have different policies, some allow you to cancel for any reason others will require you to wait until the airline cancels your flight before they will refund your money.
Don't forget its not just in the winter that weather can disrupt your travel plans, personally my vacation plans have been interrupted more from hurricanes rather than snow

Fortunately when major storms comes we do know ahead of time and to save your vacation it plans to be proactive.
I have a client who cruises every New Year. She takes insurance but wants the vacation so when we book the flight she goes down a day early plus we put a rental car on hold. If a major storm is due she just drives down in the rental car and then flies back afterwards. (Make sure you call the airline,first, if you don't let them know you will not be on the first leg of your flight they will cancel your whole ticket)

For this storm many airlines cancelled their flights for Thursday by Wednesday, be proactive - call the airline, tell them you are willing to leave early, can you fly from another airport? In situations like this the airline will work with you and not charge any change fees

Of course, the best advise I can give is call a travel agent when you book your vacation. Travel agents know what to do in a storm and know the shortcuts. Can you imagine all of those people trying to get through to a major on line travel agencies , who really don't have the staff to answer the phones on a normal day yet alone before a storm?

2013 Year in review

So 2013 was a year of change for me.
I started something new and meet a lot of wonderful people and traveled to some new places.
I officially started my company on 1st February 2013 after leaving the store front agency I was with. It has been quite an adventure.
I never knew there was so much that had to be done with running and promoting your own business. I am so thankful for all of my friends who have encouraged me and supported me on this journey. I am also thankful for those clients who were with me before who still wanted to work with me and tracked me down so I could continue to book their travel
I love working for myself but have figured out the one thing I don't like is marketing! Oh and changing my website, which if you look at it you will see that it hasn't changed since the company that designed it made it all up - well except for the special offers but they do that too.
It took a while but I found someone to design my logo and I think she did an amazing job

I do love my website and hopefully sometime this year I will have a section for photos and one for customer comments Who knows maybe I will even figure out how to have it featured easier on google and other search engines
www.griffinwwtravel.com

I was able to do more traveling in 2013 and look forward to doing even more in 2014. I have meet some wonderful people and visited some great resorts

I did my yearly cruise with a great group of friends who travel with me every year

I am hoping that 2014 will be even more successful than 2013 and I hope to send clients to places they have only dreamed about and to have experiences that will stay with them forever.
I am working with a friend to set up some special tours to England, Kenya and Israel and planning on taking a group to the Baltics in June 2015.
Heres to a successful and memorable 2014

Carnival Breeze Vacation Day 7 Part 2

Since I had so much to write about Aruba I did put it into two posts.
The other half of our group went on a private tour of this island. I decided to use this group as guinea pigs and try a new company called :Tours by Locals". I am always a little nervous when using a new vendor I haven't used before but I can now highly recommend this vendor for my clients.
Francis was our guide and she was fabulous! We were actually the first customers to use Aruba's new electric bus. Think about it - one bus for 10 people- we had so much space and because it was a bus getting on and off was so easy.

Our first spot was the Aloe factory where we treated sun burnt knees with soothing freshly cut aloe. These products are amazing and what a great way to support the local economy. Aruba manufactures their own sunscreen and after sun lotion and I can vouch for it being the best I've ever used.

After that it was off to the California Lighthouse

There is so much to see and do on this island We visited Rock formations, saw Indian drawings and learnt so much about this island. I have spent over 2 weeks in Aruba and learnt so much from Francis in one day that I did staying in a hotel and exploring on my own. To be able to be in a small group with a knowledgeable guide who actually lives in the area we were visiting was a great experience and I cannot wait to go back to Aruba and see Francis and also to use Tours by Locals in other countries

Carnival Breeze Vacation Day 7 Part 1

This is one of my favorite of the Caribbean Islands. Its pristine beaches are carefully groomed every morning at dawn. All the beaches are public so there is no issue with what beach you want to go to. Everywhere you go you see parasailing and snorkeler and banana boats.
Out group split into 2 groups today . Some of the group went to JADS dive center, a professional PADI certified operation. Best thing, they actually picked us up at the pier! Eric was their dive master and he was a true professional. For their first dive the group was taken to the Arashi reef. At a depth of 45 feet they were surrounded by crystal clear water and a pure white sandy bottom. Much to their surprise there was a huge number of sea turtles swimming about

For their second dive they headed to the Antilla. The Antilla is a 430 foot German freighter that was sunk in 1940. The deepest dive is 55 feet down and the ship has become an artificial reef teaming with a varied collection of sea life. After exploring the outside of the ship we were permitted to the inner sanctum of the ship. Passing under large steel beams and wire cables gave them a little pause for concern before going thru a passageway through the bowels of the ship. After 40 minutes most of the group were at 1,000 PSI (air left in the tank) and it was time to head back to the boat. I can tell you for my son who has done over 22 dives - not bad for a 15 year old- this was his favourite dive

Stay tuned as I will do part tow for Aruba tomorrow

Carnival Breeze Vacation Day 6

Today was a great day to sleep in as we didn't arrive in port until 2pm.Exiting the ship we were held up slightly by the ships photographers looking for a photo opportunity. I know all cruise lines do this as people are walking down the gangway but what I don't understand is why? We are trying to get off the ship and get to shore excursions or visit the island - why do they cause a traffic jam at the exit? Why not just stick to pictures on the Pier, off the gangway? Okay, finished ranting now.

As we exited the ship we were welcomed by pouring rain. Fortunately we found shelter under some awnings where several islanders were selling their wares. They were several smart buys to be made here by the savvy shopper. We walked past the old fort that guarded the outlet of the river to the sea and which now a days houses some offices, restaurants and shops. Our attempt to cross the river on the platoon bridge was denied as the bridge was retracted to allow a cruise ship to leave.

 Fortunately there are three ways to get across the river to get into town. Since we didn't want to take a tour or a cab that went over the traffic bridge we waited and took the ferry across which was free. This ferry is not for the weak of heart. We were packed on together like sardines in a can , obviously the sign saying 150 people limit was a suggestion not a rule!
We arrived on the other side of the river and made our way to the floating market. I had heard a lot about the floating market but I was a little disappointed. The islanders bring their wares to sell up by boat and then have stalls on land on which to set up. Maybe it was because we were there late in the day but I was not impressed

We investigated many of the small shops and dealers and honestly we didn't find many bargains. Even though our ship was there until 11pm most of the shops still closed at 6pm local time . We did find a McDonalds much to my sons delight - one of his goals in life is to visit a McDonalds in every country.
We returned to the ship to eat dinner and afterwards ventured back out to see the island at night. If you wanted to sit and drink or eat and listen to music there were plenty of opportunities to do so especially the other side of the river. My concern would be crossing back over the platoon bridge. It has to open for every ship or boat and takes at least 45 minutes to open and close I think it only stayed open for about 10 minutes each time before it started closing again
Overall Curacao is a beautiful kaleidoscope of colourful buildings, all of them trimmed in white with the rest of the building painted in bright colours. You wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to see the platoon bridge lit up at night and the rest of downtown Curacao.

Carnival Breeze Vacation Day 5

Arriving in the Dominican Republic we were greeted by beautiful weather and helpful islanders. Todays challenge was to move 18 people from the pier to Dreams La Ramona. I had been informed that it was just a short cab ride from the pier , ah but how much and how many cabs were we going to need and how do you make sure we are safe and not being ripped off? With a little trepidation I found a local kiosk for the tourist bureau. They were helpful in terms of where to find the cabs but not the fare. Luckily we found a cab kiosk with the prices clearly printed, $9 per person. We were given to Gabriel who spoke wonderful English and was very informative. He found us a second cab so that we were all able to travel in just 2 vehicles. Gabriel even arranged for us to be picked back up in time to get back to the ship.
We arrived at Dreams La Ramona and it was in fact a dream. Excellent security and a long private road ending at a beautiful welcome center. Everyone was welcomed with a glass of champagne while I quickly checked everyone in and then it was off to the private beach where the drinks and food were included and the resort offered everything from scuba diving, para sailing, banana boat rides, and much more.
The kids and some adults ran off to play ocean football and later volleyball in the pool. One word of warning, this all inclusive resort doesn't ID so they go by the Caribbean age of drinking, if you can reach the bar - you can drink!
Our time ended too quickly and soon it was back in Gabriel's cab and back to the ship. Once on board it was either spa or nap time.
The ship does offer lots of entertainment in the evenings. This time around I was a little disappointed in the comedy club. In the past they have normally offered 2 family friendly shows, this sailing they only had one - at 7:30pm . This made it hard for us to go to as we normally didn't;'t finish dinner until 8pm, so we either had to skip dessert or skip the family friendly show.