Conversation with a NextGen Travel Advisor

It’s funny, when I was young, my parents traveled a lot..before mom bought the agency, and I was able to travel around the world often…my father had business in South America, Panama (although I never got there) and I traveled with friends throughout Europe…I honeymooned in the Greek Islands, visited Turkey, and through my own photography business did a lot of the Caribbean. Once mom bought the agency, she and my dad took all of us kids and my son (8 at the time) for a month in Africa and Israel. Since I’ve been in the business, other than lot’s of 2 night cruises, and 1 trip to Paws Up in Montana, I don’t think I’ve been out of the country. I just can’t seem to find the time to be able to be gone for more than a week. I just can’t be gone long enough to go overseas. I am going to Lake Tahoe next week to go skiing, but am staying at my brothers condo with my son and his friends! I didn’t really want to have to do site inspections while on vacation! I would love to go to Ireland and Scotland…I’d love to go to the Netherlands and Russia in the winter…I do love cold weather….I’d like to visit South Africa, especially since my mother is an Africa expert and has been 30 times! I’m not great in crowds…I’d actually like to do a 2 week cruise somewhere, by myself, so no one can bother me and I could really rest…maybe on Oceania or Regent…that day will come I’m sure of it…but for now, I’ve got to be content and get my days off whenever I can. Let’s keep this conversation going, I enjoy talking with you. And if you have any friends that are looking for a place to get their feet wet in this business, I’ll be happy to talk with them too! Thanks!

Oceania Marina

On Saturday February 5th, Sylvia Berman and I boarded the brand new Oceania Marina.
We went to our cabin, a very nice Deluxe Verandah cabin, on the concierge level, 282 sq. ft.-very comfortable, lots of storage, tub and shower in the bathroom, dropped off our bags and went to see the ship. Mary Hart, the ships godmother, was all over, filming segments of her show to be broadcast later in the week.

The first stop was the pool deck, deck 12...lot's of Balinese day beds, comfortable lounge chairs, a good sized swimming pool, showers, hot tubs, The Wave Bar, and a smoking area. Also on Deck 12 is the Terrace Grill, with indoor and outdoor seating areas. Multiple food stations served fresh made food of all types...(as a matter of fact, we had dinner there our first night, (we were not ready for a 2 hour meal that night) and had delicious lamb chops, lobster, crab legs, fruits and vegetables. there was hand made pasta, pizzas, and anything else you would want. The food was wonderful.) Also on Deck 12 is the Bon Apetit cooking school, which holds 24 students for a rousing fun filled cooking lesson. There is also a painting and photography studio available for classes. After grabbing a quick bite to eat for lunch, we went to the next deck up, 14, and visited the Canyon Ranch Spa....beautiful, spacious, with many treatment rooms, good sized gym, and beautiful, private, resting areas overlooking the bow of the ship. You can lay on heated tiled lounges inside, or comfortable lounges outdoors. Towards the back of the ship is the computer room, available for lessons and access to the Internet. One of my favorite parts of the ship is the Library...dark woods, many small areas surrounded by well stocked bookshelves, with very comfortable leather chairs, and a small fireplace to read by. A perfect place to put your feet up and read your favorite novel. On Deck 15 is the Horizon Lounge, a large bar, lot's of seating and the other smoking lounge on the ship. There is also a putting green, tennis, bocce ball, table tennis, and many other light sports available.

At 3:30 we all disembarked the ship to take our seats for the christening of the ship. Some nice entertainment, hor douerves and champagne preceded the formal christening by Mary Hart. Frank Del Rio, President of and other notables made brief but impassioned speeches, describing the attention to detail and passion for design that went into the Marina. Mary hart was noticeably excited about being the godmother of the Marina, and took great joy in the christening.

After reboarding the ship, we all gathered on the pool deck to watch the fireworks as Marina pulled out of port...a few cocktails, then dinner, then an early bedtime. The beds are extremely comfortable, as are the sheets, TV has a good choice of stations, and off to sleep we went. Early morning for a day at sea, and more seeing the ship. Beautiful shops around a more beautiful Grand Staircase, all Lalique glass...we stopped in each of the 4 specialty restaurants, Red Ginger, (Asian fusion and gorgeous!) Jacques, (Jacques Pepin's first cruise ship restaurant, French, obviously) The Polo Grill, (Steakhouse perfection) and the Italian restaurant, whose name escapes me at this moment! All 4 restaurants are no charge, but reservations are required. There are 2 more food spots...Privee', a private dining experience for up to 10 people at $1000, including all courses and wine pairings, and La Reserve, sponsored by Food and Wine Spectator, another private dining experience by reservation only. Lunch was a Virtuoso hosted lunch at Jacques...fabulous, fabulous, fabulous!!!! Virtuoso as a consortium is the leading seller of Oceania cruises, which made us all very proud to be a part of Oceania's success. After lunch, a short nap, since Sunday night was the Super Bowl party and I wanted to make sure I could stay up for that.

I joined some friends in the Horizon Lounge, which has a very big screen TV, and watched the game, drank lot's of cocktails, and smoked to my hearts content in the smoking lounge. It had to be midnight before I got back to our cabin. But I was happy with the new friends I had made, and the outcome of the game.

The next morning we landed in Nassau, and after a quick breakfast, disembarked to visit The Cove, Atlantis, and the One and Only hotel properties. Lot's of walking before we got smart and got a shuttle between the properties and were fortunate to get 2 very good guided inspections at the Cove and One and Only, both beautiful Virtuoso properties. Then back to the ship to inspect the other cabins on board. The penthouse suites are large, and have spacious everything! Including exercise equipment in the cabin, and private media rooms. The Owners Suite is the most beautiful suite I have ever seen on any ship...it takes up the whole back of the ship, with a balcony all around...HUGE bathrooms, exercise room, really masculine, comfortable living room area, with leather furniture, area rugs, seating areas, desk....everything you could ever want for your time at sea. The artwork throughout the Marina is eclectic and wonderful....we looked very hard to see if we could find anything wrong with this ship and the answer is yes...we found 1, yes ONE thing wrong....when the elevator doors open on any "floor" (that's what the elevator says) it is very hard to see the sign that lets you know what deck you're on...that's it...we couldn't find anything else anywhere on the ship that needed improvement! The staff was incredible, the ship beautiful, the food fabulous. I would send any client on this ship with utter confidence that they will have a marvelous time. Oh, this is not a ship for children at all...there is nothing for them to do and no facilities to take care of them, so leave the kids at home and give yourself a well deserved vacation from the world. Enter the world of Marina....

The Post Haste Daily news

http://paper.li/posthastetravel

check out our Post Haste Daily News...updated daily from my Twitter account

Allure of the Seas

On November 29th Sylvia and I spent 2 nights on the Allure of the Seas. This was the last agent inspection before the regular December 1st sailing. We were a little late getting on board, so we had to rush to our cabin, drop off our luggage and go directly to our muster station for the lifeboat drill. We were in the Jazz Lounge, and the Blaze Nightclub, Comedy club and Theaters are all on the same deck. After that was over, we decided to start at the top of the ship and work our way down, seeing what we could before our 6 PM dinner in Giovanni's, one of the specialty restaurants in Central Park.

The top decks of the ship are where the Flowriders, Zipline, Miniture Golf and other sports areas are located. The Sky Loft Suite overlooks the golf course. From the Royal Loft Suite with balcony, you overlook the basketball court, FlowRiders, Zipline, Aquatheater and Rock climbing walls. The pool area is fabulous. In the bow of the ship are the adult pools, and near the stern is the kids area, with great decor and multiple pools for the little ones. The are multiple bars serving adult beverages. The Windjammer Marketplace dining area is also on the same deck and opens at 7 AM. Dinner at Giovanni's was exceptionally good...we ate "Family Style" with dishes brought to the table for everyone to share. The Central Park area has a few improvements from the Oasis of the Seas...ramps instead of steps to get to the restaurants, and covered seating areas to dine outside. Central Park is a peaceful place any time of the day.

Tuesday morning we started out continuing our tour of the ship. There are a few new shops in the Promenade...and there was a parade at 10:30, including many characters from the Lion King, Shrek and other Dreamworks films. The parade is held twice per cruise, so try to get a spot in the middle of the Promenade or on the staircases or you will have a hard time seeing it. Our Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony was fine for 2 people, with plenty of storage and closet space. The bathroom is a bit small, but they have moved the electrical outlets in the cabin above the desk, making them easy to access. There are also iPod docking stations in the cabins. The rest of the cabins and suites we saw are very similar to the Oasis, with some holding up to 14 guests. We went to the production of Chicago in the afternoon...which, although I didn't particularly like the story, (I hadn't seen it before) the production itself was Broadway worthy. Dinner was in the main dining room, and the service was good, food better. Sylvia then went to the Aquatheater for the early show and said it was incredible. The Allure has so much to do at all hours day and night that you will never get bored unless you want to. There are many quiet and private places on the ship, and of course there is always the spa. Allure will be sailing from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean throughout 2011, and space is going fast. Bring your family for a great time...there is something for everyone.

Celebrity Eclipse

On November 15th Sylvia Berman and I took sailed on the Celebrity Eclipse for a 2 night cruise and inspection of the ship. Our first impression was one of comfortable elegance. The colors are muted and soothing, and the ship is spacious. Our balcony cabin was a nice size for 2 people, although there is not much storage space...only 4 small drawers and a small closet. We then took a walk around the ship, starting with the top deck, where Celebrity's signature grass area is a peaceful place to take your shoes off, have a cocktail, and watch the on board Glass blowing

demonstrations. The pool area is beautiful...with 2 adult pools, and a fountain area you can sit in and play. The pool lounge chairs are comfortable, and it's not too crowded. There are plenty of places to sit in the shade or sun. And the pool crew was constantly available to serve your favorite cocktails.In the common area there is a coffee bar, a cocktail bar and a dedicated Vodka tasting bar...unfortunately closed for our stay.

The main dining room is absolutely elegant...and the food was exceptional.

The library is unique...it is open 2 levels high, full of comfortable chairs, on both levels. You can see the library from the elevators and looked like a wonderful place to spend an afternoon reading.

The whole feel of the ship is casual elegance. There are interesting designs, a good traffic flow, and it never felt crowded. The suites we saw were very nice, and there are family suites available. The gym and spa were also very nice. Celebrity Eclipse will be sailing the Caribbean until the Summer, when it will head to Europe for the season.

ASTA Study Finds Average Agent Salary is Less Than $30,000

ASTA Study Finds Average Agent Salary is Less Than $30,000

Post haste Travel Newsletter Fall 2010