Posted by David Porter on May 3, 2016 · 4 Comments
A little-known secret about booking ocean and river cruises.
In this article, I want to share with you a little-known secret about booking ocean and river cruises.
You see, folks have been lulled to sleep thinking that the best ocean and river cruise offers are found and booked online. But with ocean and river cruises, the simple truth of the matter is that this is simply not true.
Did you know that nearly 70% of all ocean and river cruises are booked through a travel agency? Surprised? You can read about it here.
Seems counter-intuitive, doesn’t it?
Well, the truth of the matter is that it’s less expensive for the ocean and cruise lines to market their products through the travel agent community as this helps them keep their customer support staff down. It is significantly more cost effective for our travel agency to do all the booking work, and answer all of your questions, then for them to have expensive staff on their payrolls. In fact, sometimes, direct calls to cruise lines have been off-loaded to our office because their call volumes were too great for them to handle.
For the same investment as do-it-yourself online, we bring you complimentary VIP Perks!
Here’s the other kicker that weighs in your benefit, because our travel agency is a member of the $15 billion/year Virtuoso Travel Network, we can bring you valuable complimentary benefits that you simply will not get booking an ocean or river cruise on your own. I’ll say that again, valuable complimentary benefits at the same price as do-it-yourself.
Introducing Virtuoso Voyages
When we book ocean and river cruises for our clients, the first thing we look for is to see if our client’s desired destination might fit into one of the hundreds of sailings around the world that include our Virtuoso Voyages benefits.
Virtuoso Voyages is the premier cruise enhancement program offering exclusive value-added amenities on hundreds of sailings around the world.
With Virtuoso Voyages, you’ll enjoy the friendly camaraderie of like-minded guests, the services of an onboard host, and a private welcome aboard reception.
In addition, you’ll choose either a complimentary exclusive “Virtuoso-only” shore event including a festive dining experience, or a complimentary private shore excursion with the Virtuoso Car & Driver experience.
On top of all of this, when the ocean and river cruise lines need an extra little boost selling a particular sailing, we oftentimes will share un-advertised fares with our clients in our newsletter (see below).
If I may be so bold to attack a well grounded belief: you simply can’t and won’t get a better cruise offer trying to do it yourself on the Internet.
What to do?
- Click the Virtuoso Voyages image above.
- The first few pages will give you information on the complimentary VIP programs we offer our clients.
- Pages 8-27 will share with you the various cruise lines offered in the Virtuoso Voyages program.
- And pages 28 – 111 will share the hundreds of very specific sailings, with click-able links, that are available to you when you book your next cruise with us.
In our Virtuoso Voyages Catalog (click image above) just find a cruise itinerary you like, hover your mouse over the sailing date, and click. It’s that easy!
Bottom Line?
If you’re thinking about an ocean or river cruise, you simply owe it to yourself to place a simple phone call to our office, or at least drop us an email. While we’re very excited about our Virtuoso Voyages offering, this is just one of the many benefits we’re likely to have available for you.
To inquire about your next ocean or river cruise, call our office at (480) 550-1235, or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
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Posted by David Porter on April 29, 2016 · Leave a Comment
8-day last-minute flash sale offering from Viking River Cruises with up to FREE Air. Staterooms start at $2,499/person including up to FREE air!
Yet again, Viking River Cruises has offered another last-minute flash sale. This is the third we’ve seen in the past two weeks. They must have decided to get the last remaining staterooms left in their 60 vessel fleet sold before the big river cruise season begins towards the end of May.
And this offer is on the Rhine River.
If you love castles, this is the Viking River Cruise for you!
Before we get started, there are a few things you need to know:
- These offers are not advertised to the general public and will not be found on the Viking River Cruises website. We bring our clients and readers access to these offers because of our relationship with Viking. We do a lot of business with Viking, and they only make these offers available to their best travel partners.
- These offers are very limited in supply. Viking is filling up the remaining staterooms on this sailing, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. So, if you’re interested, don’t delay.
- Because these are very special and limited offers, Viking will require full payment at booking.
- And, when you book with us before April 3oth on this special Viking offer, we have an extra $100 on-board credit from us to you!
- The up to FREE AIR offer means round-trip air from the east coast of the United States is free. If you live in the middle of the U.S., or the west coast, the air will be slightly higher. We just booked one couple and their round-trip air from San Francisco was only $200/person.
- All of the prices below are per person prices based on double occupancy.
- Lastly, these last-minute offers are for new bookings only.
If you’re interested, and want to check on availability, call our office at (480) 550-1235. Sorry, we can’t handle email requests on this one. These rooms move too fast.
OK. Now that we got that on the table, let us tell you about this wonderful offer from Viking River Cruises…
Rhine Getaway – 8-Days, Rhine River, Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland
Visit all the highlights of the legendary Rhine in just 8 days. In Germany, see the many charming castles commanding the riverbanks as you sail by, and tour both Marksburg Castle and the ruins of Heidelberg Castle. Admire Cologne, the jewel of the Rhine, with its awe-inspiring Dom, and experience the lush landscape of the Black Forest region. Also, explore Holland’s famous windmills and waterworks, encounter multicultural Strasbourg in France, and take part in the inviting nightlife in Rüdesheim’s Drosselgasse. On this itinerary you see a lot without spending a lot of time.
Again, all of these prices include “up to” FREE AIR.
Listen folks, these are remarkable offers. To be frank, there’s no way in creation you could have a 4-star+ European, all-inclusive vacation, including air at these prices.
$5,000 for two people, with air, sailing the River Rhine is a crazy good offer! And, if you look at the dates in October, you can have a Veranda stateroom for two, with air, for only $6,000.
What to do
If you’re interested, and want to check on availability, call our office at (480) 550-1235. Sorry, we can’t handle email requests on this one. These rooms move too fast.
We’ll get an idea of what dates work for you and then check with our back channels at Viking to check on availability. Please know that at these prices, these staterooms will get scooped up quickly. Therefore, don’t delay!
Here’s the fine print: Offer applies to new bookings as of April 28, 2016 in US dollars for US residents only. Air prices are per person based on cruise/cruisetour check-in date, and include transfers plus all government taxes and fees of approximately $160 and air fuel surcharges. Air seats are limited; airfares are subject to change until full payment of air is received. Roundtrip airport transfers are included when air is purchased with a cruise or cruisetour package; if air is not purchased from Viking, transfers may be purchased separately. All transfers must be in conjunction with a Viking-purchased cruise, cruisetour, land extension or extra hotel nights. Additional airline-imposed baggage charges may apply;Additional airline-imposed baggage charges may apply.
Lastly, To keep abreast of other exciting last-minute offers, be sure to join our email list by clicking below!
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Posted by David Porter on April 28, 2016 · 10 Comments
How to Make FREE Wi-Fi Calls While Traveling Overseas
Updated: June 7, 2022.
When traveling overseas, one of the questions you’re going to have is how to make phone calls from your smartphone.
You have two options: pay to use a wireless carrier service (which could be expensive), or use a Wi-Fi alternative (which could be free). If you have a modern smartphone, both of these options are likely to be available to you right in your phone.
From a practical point of view, wireless service will give you access to making calls from nearly anywhere, whereas a Wi-Fi option will require you to be connected to a Wi-Fi network that has a significantly smaller broadcast range.
Therefore, you must first determine if you want the likely anywhere/anytime convenience of cellular service or are you willing to hunt down a Wi-Fi signal to make a call. And of course, this whole conversation changes depending on where you are. If you’re out in the middle of the African bush, you’re likely to have no cellular signal. However, your camp might have a Wi-Fi signal.
As this is an article about making calls with Wi-Fi, let’s focus on that.
Two Wi-Fi Calling Options
Call Your Wireless Carrier
The first call you might want to make in order to make Wi-Fi calls is with your cell phone company. Most late-model smartphones have built-in Wi-Fi calling capability and the U.S. wireless carriers have responded in kind with Wi-Fi service for their customers.
Carol and I have been with Verizon Wireless for decades, but our recent experience with them in Europe left me frustrated. Further, we came home to a $160 charge that we wouldn’t have paid with T-Mobile. So, we just made the switch to T-Mobile.
And if you are 55+, T-Mobile’s Magenta MAX 55+ plan offers a lot of bang for the buck. We’ve been using it for a couple of months and just used it on a recent trip to the Galapagos Islands, and we are very happy. You might want to check it out and compare it with your current plan and provider.
Other Wi-Fi Calling Options
There are a variety of apps that will allow you to make Wi-Fi calls as well. Facebook, WhatsApp, and Skype, to name a few. The only problem with these is that the people that you want to call must also have the app installed on their phones. With the widespread availability of Facebook, that might be the best way to make a Wi-Fi call home if you don’t want to mess with your cell phone carrier.
Hope this helps. If you have any questions, or perhaps further recommendations, leave ’em in the comments section below.
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Posted by David Porter on April 27, 2016 · Leave a Comment
Hotel Insiders Speak
What makes a hotel more than the sum of its marble bathrooms and gilded lobby?
The people who run it.
Here, hotel staff talk about their work, why they love it, and what you do when the president comes to stay.
Here’s a sample:
Johnny Chung, Senior Bartender
The Peninsula Hong Kong
“Clark Gable (who was staying at The Peninsula while filming Soldier of Fortune) asked for a ‘screwdriver.’ I had never heard of such a drink, and was about to call the hotel’s engineering department for assistance, when Gable explained the recipe to me, and thus the screwdriver was introduced to Hong Kong.”
Years at hotel: 58
For 11 more fun examples, plus their comments on the best rooms in the hotels, CLICK HERE.
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Posted by David Porter on April 27, 2016 · Leave a Comment
Meet Bill and Susan.
They are clients who just sent us this fun selfie from their cruise. It looks like they’re having a blast.😃
They are right now sailing with Viking Ocean Cruises aboard the Viking Star from Barcelona, Spain to Bergen, Norway.
Stops on their 15-day voyage include Barcelona, Málaga, Lisbon, Paris, London, ending in the Viking waters of Norway. To learn more about this particular sailing, click here.
Bill and Susan, thanks for sending us this fun postcard from your journey and we look forward to hearing about all of the fun details when you return home.
Readers, do you have a question about this Viking Ocean Cruises sailing? Leave ’em in the comments section below.
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The Roaming Boomers
