The Flagg Agency

Tropical Storm Emily Expected Path as of 8PM 8-3-11

Almost as if on cue while the vast majority of the country is facing record heat this week, there is news of a tropical storm in the Atlantic. Of course the question most of my clients are asking is “Should I cruise during hurricane season?” Emily’s expected path is already affecting several cruises this week. Royal Caribbean, Princess and Carnival have announced changes to their expected itineraries this week due the impact of Emily. They are as follows as of this writing (UPDATED):

How can I find a deal on cruises? Can you get me the best price on a cruise? In other posts, I have written about the fact that repositioning cruises offer the best value and frankly the best pricing you can find on a cruise.

There are cruise seasons and the next wave of them are about to begin within the next six weeks. Cruise lines will be moving their ships from the Caribbean through the Panama Canal to Alaska as well as across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and Baltic regions. I took a look at some recent pricing and found a few affordable samples (there are a real plethora of options):

After just over an eight hour drive through some pretty torrential rain in the downtown Atlanta area, my daughter and I have arrived at the Residence Inn on Cocoa Beach, FL. We are staying at one of the closest hotels to the cruise terminals.

They asked when we checked in if we would be interested in parking here for free for the week (at our own risk), however the shuttle for Royal Caribbean does not leave until 11:30. We are planning on getting to the pier between 10:30-11am. We also will want to get on the road as quickly as possible upon our return. Our decision will cost us $105 for the week for parking at the port. I wonder if this decision will be the smart one.

Many who read this know that my day job involves selling cruises. I have the distinct privilege of absolutely loving what I do. I work for myself, and have the best job in the world. I get to help families plan fantastic vacation experiences. I am also distinctly honored to get to take my wonderful little girl on our first Daddy and daughter trip. It will just be us. We have been inviting people in our school district to come along with us as we have a school break in late September. Many folks have told me it is hard to wrap their head around the cost of a cruise. With this post, I wanted to share with you a comparison between a cruise during a certain week versus the same week at Walt Disney World.

I have my first cruise sold. My housekeeper is going to book on a cruise for September 2009. Her and about 13 other members of her extended family. Guess who will get the booking?