The Flagg Agency

Stuffed Suitcase

Somewhere in the cruise planning process either before the trip has been chosen or after final payment has been made, a call will come in asking “What and how should I pack for my cruise?” Over the years and with our own personal cruise experience, we have amassed ten packing tips for a smoother cruise experience:

1. Most importantly, carry all important papers, boarding passes, passports, medication with you in your carry-on.

Chuck with the President and Vice President of AMAWaterways

One of the benefits of working with us is that you get not only our knowledge of particular cruise lines, ships and destinations, you also get the benefits of the relationships we have forged with suppliers over the years. In addition, we have taken the same cruises; visited the same ports; stayed at the same resorts that we recommend. We often take many trips not as travel agents, but as consumers. While there are perks to our business and offers of reduced rates trips and tours of a destination at the supplier’s expense, you don’t get a sense of what our customers will experience unless you have done it yourself. We make it our goal to experience at least one trip a year without identifying ourselves as travel agents.

Final Cruise Bill

Many of my clients think of cruising as being an all-inclusive experience. And it is true, you can have a cruise experience that is truly all-inclusive on luxury lines and on many river cruises. However many of my clients, they cruise on what are known as the mass market cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Princess, Holland America, and Celebrity Cruises. Cruising today on a mass market line has become somewhat of an a la carte experience.

I just returned from CLIA’s (Cruise Line International Association) Cruise3Sixty conference in Fort Lauderdale, FL. This five day conference featured technology demonstrations, back office demonstrations, classroom education and refresher courses. There was a trade show featuring not only the 26 member cruise lines of CLIA, but many of the destinations visited by cruise lines, embarkation ports and more. During the event, you also were able to have access and make connections or reconnect with the highest executive levels from each line.