The Flagg Agency

“Chuck, can a cruise be a all-inclusive vacation?” a prospective client asked me the other day. I replied that it could, but honestly it depended on what she considered as being all-inclusive. For most clients, they will find that a cruise is not an all-inclusive vacation. They choose to drink those beverages beyond coffee, water, tea, juice and milk. They like to enjoy a few relaxing hours in the spa. They choose to take one of the ship’s excursions when in port. They also have gratuities to consider which add about $12 per person per day to the final bill (unless pre-paid in advance.)

Tour Buses lined up in Helsinki

I thought today might be a good day to have a little talk about excursions booked through the cruise line and those excursions booked on your own. I have done both, and I fully admit that I am biased when it comes to excursions. However, to be fair, I will try to objective as I share what I feel are the pros and cons of both types.

Pros of cruise line excursions

• Some people feel there is safety in numbers.
• Vendors have been vetted by the cruise line.

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.

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.

In my business, I work with many few first time cruisers. They come to me as referrals or they have seen my marketing efforts. Many times they have been looking online and are overwhelmed by the choices of cruise lines, destinations, ships, ports, shore excursions. When asked recently what sets me apart from my competition and why she shouldn’t just book her cruise on her own, I told her that you cannot take your first cruise for a test drive.