Cruising With Renee

As a Vacation and Cruise Specialist, I am often asked about River Cruising.  There is a new trend towards this type of travel.  While I have sold many river cruises to clients, I had never experienced one until now.  I was recently about to travel onboard the Avalon Waterways Creativity with another CruiseOne franchise owner.  We traveled from Paris, France along the River Seine to the following cities: Conflans, Vernon, Rouen, and Les Andelys, France.  We were very excited to have the river cruise experience and see what it really is all about.   So, sit back and enjoy my discoveries about river cruising.

• Demographics- we will start here is this is the most common question I get.  What are the ages of the people who travel on river cruises?  I always knew that it was an older demographic.  During our sailing, we were the youngest ones onboard (I am 41).  I would say that the average age of our fellow passengers was around 70 years of age.  Definitely not a cruise for children.
• Cuisine- my family and I are big into food.  The food on the Avalon Waterways Creativity did not disappoint us.  The breakfast and lunch buffets were amazing.  There were so many choices that it was hard to decide some days.  At dinner, the portions were smaller which was good because of the many courses.  The presentation was beautiful and there were many choices.
• Cabins- we chose to go with one of the top cabins on the ship.  We were located on the top deck with a full wall of windows/sliding glass door.  This proved to be the right choice for us.  We were able to open the door and let the breeze in while we were sailing and we could look out the huge window/door while sitting in the cabin having relaxing time reading a book.  Where this proved to be the best choice for us was when we were going through the many “locks” along the Seine River.  It was always nice to be able to see what was going on with the locks when we were going up and down with the water level.  The storage was great and the cabin was roomy.  No complaints.
• Excursions- many excursions are included with your river cruise purchase price.  During the seven day cruise, we participated in all 5 of the included excursions.  They were a combination of walking tours and tours via bus.  At times, the excursions were a little challenging in terms of walking.  However, that was mostly due to the rainy weather we experienced making the roads and hills slippery.  All of the tour guides provided by Avalon Waterways were extremely knowledgable and concerned with everyone’s safety.  It was nice that the cruise line provided ear pieces and “vox boxes” to each passenger during the excursions.  This was so that the guide could talk into a microphone and we would hear them in our ear pieces.  We did not have to worry about standing right next to them in order to hear them.
• Entertainment- if you are used to and like the entertainment options available on the big cruise ships, you may be disappointed here.  There are no Broadway shows, casinos or comedy clubs.  At night, there was a piano player that played music in the lounge after dinner.  There was another smaller lounge that had books and games and was a great place to enjoy the view while sailing or sit and read a book with coffee.
• Local Additions- while there is no organized entertainment provided by the cruise ship, they did a nice job of providing us with little additions.  The night before we were at Normandy Beaches, they brought a local expert onboard to give an hour  long talk about the beaches.  After we returned from the beaches, another local chef was brought onboard to cook a delicious “Classic Normand Dinner”.  It was amazing.  One day, they brought a local pastry chef onboard.  He made us a special crepe lunch and then did a pastry demonstration.  Another night, a three piece musical trio came onboard from Belgium and gave us a 45 minute concert.  On the second to last night, they had the International Crew Show.  This was probably the best thing.  About 10 different crew members did little skits for us, played instruments from their native country and even sang and danced for us.  This was a special event that everyone really enjoyed.
• Overall impression- while the demographics and entertainment options were not for me, I have to say I had a great time.  We visited beautiful cities and had great excursions.  One of the nicest things about river cruising is that you are so close to the land while sailing.  You get to see the countryside close up and see how people live.  It was a great experience and I am so glad that I was able to benefit from it.

If you are considering a cruise where you are really immersed in the culture through excursions and first hand knowledge, a river cruise may be for you.  I hope you enjoyed this review and some of the photos provided.  Let me know if I can help you plan a river cruise of your own!

It is hard to believe that today is the last day of 2011.  I’m sure most people are thinking about their plans for the day and night and how much fun they are going to have.  Yes, we have plans with friends as well.  However, I am sitting at my desk finishing up some work and reflecting on 2011.  There were lots of changes (for the positive) and additions to our CruiseOne family.  I thought I would take the time to list some of our achievements and changes.

• Wendy Himmel, a Disney Specialist, joined our team and has been on fire.  If you want to go see Mickey and Minnie, Wendy should be your first call!
• Our Associates, Jamie and Tim Pasko, welcomed a beautiful little girl, Emma, into this world.  She is so adorable and they are enjoying every minute!  We can’t wait until Emma is old enough to start selling vacations. 
• Renee Gerber achieved her MCC (Master Cruise Counselor) designation with CLIA.
• CruiseOne – Gerber & Associates had an increase in business of over 80% above last year.  Way to go team!
• We introduced our New Exclusive Client Appreciation Program.
• We introduced our First Annual Cruise for Diabetes which will sail in March 2012.
• Renee Gerber was elected Director of Hospitality for the Business Women’s Network of Howard County
• Renee Gerber became an Ambassador for Women in Business with the Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber

We are looking forward to amazing things in 2012.  We thank all of our loyal clients that have helped us achieve greatness in 2011.  What greatness will you create in 2012?  We hope we can be a part of your dream vacation goals!

Our newest addition, Wendy Himmel, has achieved the Disney Specialist Designation.  If you are thinking of going to Disney World, Disney Land or on a Disney Cruise, Wendy is your go-to person!  A press release was recently done on this great achievement.  For the full press release, please click here.

The Norwegian Epic – A ship like no other.  I sailed the Norwegian Epic in October 2010.  While I must admit that I was not thrilled to sail her, I was pleasantly surprised by my experience.  The Epic is not like any other Norwegian ship I have sailed (that is a good thing).

From the moment you walk on the Epic, you will be amazed by the decor, the design and the amount of things to do on the ship.

Pros:

• A wide array of eating venues.  If you are in the mood for sushi, you can have it.  If you are in the mood for a Brazilian Steakhouse, you can have it.  And the list goes on.
• There is entertainment everywhere you look.  The casino is expansive.  Blue Man Group is a great show to experience at no cost.  There is a dueling piano bar that is quite entertaining.  Broadway style shows are always spectacular on Norwegian.
• The cuisine has really been upgraded for this new Norwegian ship.  The food on other Norwegian ships has been nothing to write home about.  I must say that every venue we dined in was really delicious.  Kudos to Norwegian for recognizing an area they could approve upon and doing it.
• Studio cabins for singles.  This was a purely genius idea on the part of Norwegian.  Small cabins designed for the solo traveler.   They are just big enough for one person.  The passengers in the studio cabins have a lounge area available to them.  There is a bar and snack area with tables and chairs.  A great place to meet other solo travelers.
• Staff and crew were very accommodating and could not have been any nicer.
• Epic Plunge water slide.  While I did not do the plunge, one of my associates did and had a blast.

• Casino can be very smoky.  The problem with this is that the casino is located in the middle of a deck.  You end up having to walk through it a lot.
• European design to the bathrooms in select categories cabins from balcony down.  The bathroom is split.  When you walk into the cabin, you have the toilet area on one side, the shower on the other and the main cabin is straight ahead with the sink in the main cabin.  Depending on where the bed is located, you could be using the sink while sitting on the end of the bed.  The doors to the toilet and shower are frosted glass.  This leads you to see shadows of the person while in those areas.  Not something I would want my daughter to see.
• While there are a lot of places to eat, most of them end up costing you money.  I prefer to have the cost of all my meals included in the price of the cruise.  However, it can be a nice option.

Overall, I would have to say that the pros well outweigh the cons.  This is a great ship that deserves a chance.  She is sailing some great itineraries and you will not be disappointed.

I first visited Victoria, British Columbia in 1995 during a brief land trip to celebrate my 1 year wedding anniversary.  We recently visited for the second time during our Alaskan cruise in 2010.  Victoria is a quaint and beautiful city…especially at night.  Our ship arrived in Victoria at 6pm on a great summer day in June.  The sky was beautiful, temperature warm and inviting.  Being that it was such a pretty night, we decided to take the walk from the ship into the city.  We walked along the river and got to see some great sites.  Of course, we walked the main shopping streets and got some ice cream!  The most breathtaking site for me was walking down the street with shops on either side and looking straight ahead at the landscape of mountains.  Victoria is home to the famous Butchart Gardens.  This is an absolutely amazingplace with over 55 acres of floral display.  It is definitely worth seeing.  Most cruise lines have at least one or more excursions to the gardens.

The next feature that we visited was the Parliament Building.  What a fascinating site at night.  The lights on the building are magnificent.  It sits directly across from Victoria’s Inner Harbour.  It is very common to see many horse drawn carriages strolling down the street as you are looking at the Parliament Building.  I definitely recommend seeing this at night for the effect of the lights.

So, the next time you have an opportunity to visit Victoria, British Columbia do it!  You will not be disappointed by the beauty and expansive amount of activities that you can do while there.

I am fortunate to have sailed on the Allure of the Seas twice now.  The first sailing was a 2 day inaugural in November 2010 in which we were able to see and do a ton.  The second sailing was for a full 7 nights during our CruiseOne National Conference.  It was nice to experience the ship again at my own pace and not try to push everything into 2 nights.  Michael and Ashleigh were able to sail on the Allure of the Seas with me the second time.  I decided to write a review with bullet points.  I hope I am able to cover all of the key features of the ship.

•  Check-In- It is amazing what Royal Caribbean has done with this new terminal.  There are about 90 “windows” to process all of the 5400 passengers.  They have a promise that from the time you walk in the building until the time you are on the ship is 15 minutes.  It was true for us th
  e day of embarkation.
• Announcements- One thing that you have to get used to on ships is the constant announcements that seem to occur.  Believe it or not, I think for the entire week, we heard less than 10 announcements.  It was absolutely delightful to be able to have no announcements to bother us.
• Dining Venues- It is truly amazing how many dining options the Allure of the Seas offers.  There is plenty to choose from and you definitely won’t get bored with the food.  Here are some of the venues that we enjoyed.  There will be a dollar sign ($) next to those that were not complimentary.   Adagio Dining Room- beautiful decor, great service and the food was better than on other Royal Caribbean ships.  Sorrento’s-  pizza galore.  Already made pizzas so you can just grab a piece.  You also have the option to create your own pizza with extensive toppings such as chicken, garlic, basil, sun dried tomatoes, onions, sausage, etc…  Cafe Promenade- located on the Royal Promenade, this is the place to come for a lite bite such as a mini sandwich or desserts.  Sugar free cookies are great.  The Boardwalk Dog House- located on the Boardwalk.  Just like walking up to a hot dog vendor with choices of about 5 different hot dogs with toppings.  Park Cafe- located in Central Park.  Great place for breakfast.  There is a create your own bagel line as well as yogurt parfaits, egg sandwiches, fruit, etc…  Sometimes the Park Cafe can get crowded.  Rita’s Cantina ($) (picture to the right of Ashleigh with Captain Zini)- if you are in the mood for good chips and salsa, this is the place to come.  You will find your typical Mexican fare here.  A wide selection of margaritas to choose from.  You will even get entertained by the staff.  You may even get asombrero to wear!
• Specialty Dining- If you are looking for a nice romantic dinner or a quiet dinner with friends, you will want to check out some of the specialty dining.  These venues will cost anywhere from $20 – $30 per person.  But it is definitely worth it.  Giovanni’s Table- Italian fare.  We ended up with so much food it was amazing.  The appetizers are served family style so of course, we had to try them all!  Nice atmosphere with a great location on Central Park.  Wait staff was great.  Chops Grille (picture to the right) – our favorite specialty dining restaurant.  If you want a fabulous Filet Mignon, make your reservations now!  The atmosphere and attention to detail are amazing.  This is definitely a place where you should make your reservations online before you sail.  Vintages- A quiet wine and tapas bar in Central Park.  We went here one night when we really were not that hungry for dinner.  A wide selection of wines.  For food, it is tapas style.  A lot to choose from and very reasonably priced.  We had two items from the tapas menu and it cost us about $8.00.
• Entertainment Galore- There are so many things to do and see on this ship…you will not be bored!  Here is a brief list of some of the activities that you can participate in…DreamWorks Parade- the DreamWorks characters including Shrek and Fiona will parade through the Royal Promenade.  For the best seats, get there early!  Sit in Sorrento’s if you can facing the large globe high up on the wall across from you.  The globe will open up and become a walkway where the cruise director and characters will sing, etc…Shows- Chicago, Blue Planet, Comedy Show, Oceanaria (water show), Headliner Show and Ice Skating Shows.  Make sure that you reserve your shows online as soon as you are allowed to book them.  Sometimes there are openings for those without reservations but I wouldn’t count on it.  Get to the shows at least 10-15 minutes before they start for the best seats.
• Children’s Program (Adventure Ocean)- our 8 year old daughter was with us.  She loved the program.  Of course, she loves all cruises she has been on but this had one of the best areas.  (She has been on 11 cruises as of the writing of this blog piece)  The facility for the kids is very large.  Each age group has their own area.  Then there are additional areas for Science, a Theater for performing and watching movies, and a craft room.  At random times during the cruise, the kids were visited by DreamWorks characters such as Shrek, Fiona and the panda from Kung Fu Panda.  The second to last night our daughter was transformed to a pirate complete with face painting and a bandana.  Our daughter is Diabetic and they were very attentive to her needs.  The last night was PJ night and they got to color a pillow case to bring home.  Ashleigh wanted to be in the kids program as much as she could.  She even ate lunch and a few dinners with the other kids.  A great success!

Most cruise lines have their own private island port of call.  During the 2011 CruiseOne National Conference onboard the Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas, we had the opportunity to visit Labadee, Haiti.  I was amazed at how expansive the island is.  There is definitely no shortage of things to do while on the island.  Some of the activities include: Dragons’ Tale Roller Coaster, Dragon’s Tale Zipline, Hair braiding, Haitian Market, Beach Sports, Hammocks to relax in and much, much more.  Or course, there is a a great buffet with a ton of food.

While at Labadee, Michael decided that he had to try the zipline.  So, Ashleigh and I waited on the beach and relaxed on the nice beach chairs that were provided for us.  We occassionally looked to the sky in hopes of seeing him fly by.  After about an hour, there he was.  Flying over head, over water and toward the other side of the island.  Lucky for us another conference participant was on the zipline behind Michael.  And, he had a camera to film the entire ride.  So, below is the video of Michael and the zipline.  Enjoy!

Renee Gerber of CruiseOne – Gerber & Associates has been designated as a Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Cruise Counsellor after recently completing the organization’s certification requirements.  Renee Gerber is now recognized within the cruise industry as a Master Cruise Counsellor (MCC).

She achieved Cruise Counsellor Certification through the completion of a comprehensive program of cruise sales training and product instruction, delivered through a combination of extensive classroom training and personal cruise experience.  CLIA’s Certification program graduated are widely recognized as the foremost cruise vacation experts among American travel agents.

CruiseOne is one of more than 16,000 North American travel agency members of CLIA.  According to CLIA statistics, the overwhelming majority of travelers – about 90% – book their cruise through a travel agency, and for good reason – travel agents understand the products they recommend and excel in finding the perfect cruise to match their clients’ needs, lifestyle and budget.

CLIA Certified Cruise Counsellors are the industry’s premiere travel agents and can arrange all of your vacation needs while providing the greatest service and value for your vacation dollar.

During our 2011 National Conference last week aboard the Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas, a new logo was revealed for CruiseOne.  This new logo has been in the works for about 1 year.  Since 2009, CruiseOne franchises have had the opportunity to sell land vacation packages.  I think the new logo will help our current and future clients understand that we are more than just a Cruise Travel Agency.  However, I do consider myself more of a Cruise Specialist than Land Specialist.

Take a look at the new logo and let us know what you think.

One of my biggest challenges while on vacation is getting the best photos I can.  It always seems as if the best photo opportunities are when I don’t have my camera with me.  So, for the times I do have my camera with me, I want to make sure I get the best possible photos I can.  I have several photographer friends that have given me some tips over the years…do I remember them?  Not always.  I wish they could travel with me.   For those of us that cannot take the photographer with us, CNN Travel has written an article just for this subject.  Check out the CNN Travel article on “How to take amazing travel photos.”

Do you have any tricks that you want to share?  We would love to hear them.

Have a great shot that you took while traveling?  Post it here so we can see.

Happy photo shooting!