The Flagg Agency

Awww...look at that face

Sometime in the last decade or two, I remember hearing a quote from Richard Branson. Paraphrasing, I remember him saying “I don’t want to be 80 years old and saying or thinking…”Gosh if I had just…or I wish I had done…”

Celebrity Silhouette leaving the shipyard

Recently, the press, travel agents and select members of the general public were able to experience an exciting preview of Celebrity Silhouette. This is the fourth in the Solstice-class of ships from Celebrity Cruises. In 2008, Laura and I got to take a two day preview cruise of Celebrity Solstice. You can see our photo tour of her if you are on Facebook.

I don’t read Tarot cards, or tea leaves or crystal balls when it comes to anticipating values in the world of cruising. I do however look at cruise pricing, the economic outlook, consumer mindset, and the calendar to make an informed prediction. Based on these factors, I want to present my top reasons for choosing a Caribbean cruise this fall:

1. Favorable pricing – As someone who watches fares and sales and “deals” every day, I am seeing some of the lowest rates of the year for this fall.

My daughter and I spend a day at the beach

On her website “Inspiration and Chai”, Bonnie Ware posted an article entitled “Regrets of the Dying” about the time she spent working with people who had gone home to die. She would question those in her care about the regrets they had as they mentally prepared themselves to pass on. In her article she listed five regrets common to all of her patients.

In the business of helping people find the perfect travel experience, one of those regrets hit home:

I wish I didn’t work so hard.

Have you ever read a story about someone who left the country and came home with a huge phone bill because they checked email or did a little websurfing? Smartphones have allowed us to take almost all of our office with us anywhere in the world. It would be easy for me to pontificate an opinion on how you should leave the phone and home and unplug, but the reality is you would probably never take a vacation if you couldn’t bring the office with you.