I really enjoy reading other blogs – especially when they’re entertaining and fun to read. One of my favorites happens to be John Heald’s blog.

If you don’t know John, you probably should if you’re part of the Travel Industry. John’s the Senior Cruise Director for Carnival Cruise Lines and started blogging back in March of 2007 about his experience on Carnival’s latest and greatest ships. According to John (and I have no reason to doubt this) in that three year span he’s had over six million visitors to his site. Many have become loyal readers like me.

John came to Carnival in 1985 and has held the position of Senior Cruise Director since 2004. As Senior Cruise Director, he’s had the privilege of being Cruise Director for the last nine ships Carnival has launched. His latest appointment on the Carnival Dream has been – extremely entertaining to say the least.

I’m not one who appreciates British humor as a whole. There are a very select few that I have come to enjoy over the years, and John happens to be climbing up my list of favorites.

It’s not that John doesn’t take anything seriously. There’s plenty of evidence that he does (otherwise he wouldn’t be entrusted with the position he currently holds) but his perceptions about every day activities and customers complaints are a real stitch.

It’s evident to me that John’s blog has become a real labor of love. The time he takes to answer questions, provide insight, and even pull a couple of favors for customers shows a true loyalty to his readership and his company. He’s become a true ambassador for Carnival.

My personal favorites happen to be customer complaints. The more outrageous the complaint, the more outrageous and funnier the response from John. And for me, that’s a trait we all should have. Too many people take themselves and their perceptions far too seriously. How anyone can complain while on a cruise is something I’ll never understand. (They’re on a cruise for goodness sake!)

Everything is neutral and nothing has meaning except for the meaning that you give it. John not only handles complaints in stride, but with humor. He’s not mean or nasty about it any way – but certainly puts any complaint in it’s place with a sarcasm and lightheartedness that everyone could use more of.

John’s become such a prominent fixture in the industry that he’s been invited to open Travel Weekly Cruise & Tour Virtual Conference and Tradeshow at the end of this month. This two day event held on March 30 and 31st will give you an opportunity to hear John via the live webcast designed to promote and educate the joy of cruising with the industries finest.

Regardless if you can make Travel Weekly’s Virtual Tradeshow, you owe it to yourself to check out his blog for insight and a number of good laughs. You and even subscribe via RSS for updates right in your inbox. It’s been a great escape for me, if only for a few minutes, and I always come away with a smile – and to me – that’s what life’s all about.

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I had this scheduled for Friday, but with so much attention on our good friend Andy Cauthen, I decided to bump this back until today.

That being said, this may not be “news” for many who follow the industry closely, but I still wanted to offer up how I perceive this news. For those of you who know poeple who always look at things in a negative light, you might consider making a push to contact these people now, before Carnival’s 5% price increase goes into effect on March 22nd.

According to Carnival’s Press Release:

Carnival Cruise Lines is reporting record wave season bookings, with strong reservations activity for 2010 departures.  As a result of the strong booking volumes, a general price increase will be implemented effective March 22 for all summer sailings in June, July and August.

For the period of Jan. 1 through Feb. 21, 2010, bookings were at unprecedented levels for the line’s 22 ships which operate three- to 15-day voyages from a variety of convenient North American home ports.

Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill said, “We’re seeing significantly increased volume as consumers are taking advantage of the incredible value that a Carnival cruise provides. And while pricing hasn’t fully recovered to 2008 levels, we are increasing prices and will implement an across-the-board increase effective March 22.”

He said that the price increases will vary by departure date but will be up to 5 percent.

Cahill attributed the record booking activity to a wide range of factors, including strong travel agent partner support, targeted marketing initiatives, itinerary enhancements and the wide variety of close-to-home departure points.

Wave season typically runs from about mid-January through early spring and is traditionally the busiest, most important booking period in the cruise industry.

Carnival Cruise Lines is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with 22 “Fun Ships” operating voyages ranging from three to 15 days in length to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Canada, New England and Europe.

Carnival also has two new ships on order — the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic, which is scheduled for delivery in 2011, and a sister ship set to debut in 2012.

For additional information on the Carnival vacation experience, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

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If by chance you’re thinking to yourself that I’ve lost my marbles over a price increase being “good news” you’ve missed some very key components to Carnival’s message.

Bookings are not only up, but at unprecedented levels. Yes, Carnival made many moves over the last year that helped attract customers, and I don’t want to discount how that played a major role. Cruise customers have seen some very attractive prices in the industry over the last year to 18 months, which some say they’ve not seen in over a decade. Now that the economy is turning around, travelers are once again booking vacations for the upcoming summer season. Because demand is high, the prices therefore go up.

To me, this is another sign that the travel industry is on the mend and it’s good for everyone who works in this industry.

I remember talking with George Dooley this summer before the Convention and the interview we had together. We were talking about how it took one and a half to two bookings to make the same amount of commission in years past because of the lower prices to attract customers. Our total number of booking was in fact up in 2009, but we didn’t reach the same level in commissions from years past due to the lower prices. We worked harder for less money.

It’s good to see prices on the rise again in that regard.

Could the price increase backfire on Carnival? Possibly – but even with a 5% increase, the lines pricing is still below other cruise lines who offer the same itineraries. What’s going to be interesting – or something to look for – is if other lines follow suit. I’m sure Cruise Industry is at least considering a similar move, and those that are showing the same unprecedented levels certainly will announce a price increase in the near future. Those that do, will be the ones to watch as the industry leaders showing the strongest bookings thus far in 2010.

For those that want the bargain basement prices, still have time over the next couple of weeks. If you have some loose ends and quotes out there now, as we do with Carnival, you’ll want to follow up with those people before March 22nd. That is, if you want to offer value to them as an Agent.

Take this as a sign that the industry is following right along with the economic recovery we’re seeing in other sectors – and recovery certainly is good news. Demand is up, and people are looking to take vacations this year.

It’s a much needed “wave” of revenue the industry needs right now.

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You know me…always looking for the positive angle. It’s part of my DNA. (Or how I was brought up if you ever talk to my mother.) .

Regardless of who’s fault it is, I found a very positive article about the airline industry that I wanted to share in Travel Weekly. I did a short piece on Examiner.com just before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend that caught my eye. AirTran was predicting a 5% increase in air travel during the busy travel holiday weekend over last years numbers. Unfortunately, the ATA (Air Transport Association) wasn’t so sure and was predicting a 4 percent decline during the same period.

Much to the delight of Continental, Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska and AirTran, they too saw a significant increase for the entire month of November now that they’ve looked over the data. As a result, the numbers have most in the industry looking at 2010 in a much different light.

Not all the airlines reported an increase for the month. (Namely Delta, American, United and US Airways) However, the entire industry did see a slight uptick of 0.2% across all the airlines for the same period. According to AirTran Senior Vice President and CFO Arne Haak “The worst is behind us” as the industry has been experiencing close to double digit decreases in traffic in 2009. Prior to this current quarter most everyone in the industry has been extremely cautious. The news coming out of New York at the Next Generation Equity Research investors conference was a welcome change. It prompted Delta’s CFO Hank Halter to quote “demand will remain strong” and more executives stating that they are “starting to see more promising traffic and bookings”.

As an additional sign that the tide is starting to turn United ordered 50 new aircraft last week due to some very attractive pricing. (We can’t forget Carnival’s order of two new Dream Class ships last week either.) Like deals clients have seen to fill seats, rooms, and cabins, suppliers are starting to pull the trigger on some attractive deals of their own. Materials and supplies for building both aircraft and ships right now are looking very attractive for those who are willing to go after them.

And that’s exactly what we’re going to need to get us out of this funk we’ve been in. Those who think Government is that answer with it’s “stimulus package” or “bailouts” simply don’t get it. It’s spending in the private sector that stimulates the economy. The transfer of cash from one to another for a product or service.

We didn’t get here overnight, and it’s going to take more than one good month or a few orders to right this ship. But news like this catches the attention of those who have been “thinking” – into actually “doing”. This recession won’t last forever, and the companies who are willing to step out and spend on expanding and building now will be the ones best poised to take advantage of the recovery when it hits it’s full stride.

Regardless of when it happens, it’s good to see news like this and people starting to look at the future in a more optimistic light.

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With YTB’s Sail-a-thon going currently running with Carnival Cruise Lines until December 5th, I can’t think of a better plug to promote the value of this cruise line. I’ve kept a close eye on our friends at Carnival over the years. Not only has this cruise line been a family favorite for cruising over the years, but I’ve also kept tabs on how they’ve been able to maintain and grow their fleet of ships. While the line has grown over the years, they have also refurbished a number of the older ships to keep them up to date with today’s growing market.

There’s a reason why Carnival is called “The Most Popular Cruise Line in the World” – and Porthole Cruise Magazine just gave the line eight more awards in it’s latest edition to help it maintain this title. Ann Sedgwick is obviously extremely excited about these honors and forwarded the press release to her list this weekend.

Here’s the release for you to not only read, but offer to clients about the value of cruising with Carnival Cruise Lines.

CARNIVAL WINS EIGHT PORTHOLE READERS CHOICE AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST VALUE, BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND BEST CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS

Line Has Earned Unprecedented 109 Awards Over Past 11 Years – Most In Cruising

MIAMI (November 20, 2009) – Carnival Cruise Lines, the world’s largest cruise operator, took top honors in eight categories, including Best Value, Entertainment and Best Children’s Programs, in the annual Readers Choice Awards sponsored by Porthole Cruise Magazine, the leading consumer cruise magazine.

The awards are based on surveys of Porthole readers who rated their favorite cruise line in a wide variety of product- and service-related categories.

Since the awards were established in 1999, Carnival Cruise Lines has garnered 109 individual honors – the most of any cruise line during this period.

Carnival’s 2009 Porthole Readers Choice Awards include:

• Best Value for the Money Line
• Best Children’s Programs
• Best Entertainment
• Best Shore Excursions
• Best Megaship (Carnival Splendor)
• Best Mexican Riviera Itineraries
• Best Theme Cruises
• Best Web Site

“To be recognized by consumers as the top cruise choice in so many different categories, particularly in areas such as children’s programming, entertainment and value, which are core elements of the Carnival vacation experience, is a truly wonderful honor,” said Ruben Rodriguez, Carnival’s executive vice president of marketing and guest experience.

Added Bill Panoff, publisher and editor-in-chief of Porthole Cruise Magazine, “Carnival Cruise Lines appeals to many different cruisers for many different reasons, which is why our readers continually vote them the best in several categories. From ships to onboard amenities to itineraries, the line continues to be a market leader and I congratulate them on their wins.”

Carnival Cruise Lines is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with 22 “Fun Ships” operating voyages ranging from three to 12 days in length to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Canada and New England.  The line’s newest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, made its U.S. debut earlier this month.  Carnival also has one new ship on order, the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic, which is scheduled for delivery in 2011.

For additional information and reservations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

###

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My how times have changed. If you would have told me that I’d be able to invite my Facebook friends to a live Sail-a-thon with “The Most Popular Cruise Line In The World” a year ago, I’m not sure I would have bought into that idea. Don’t get me wrong – I would have loved the idea! (I love anything that’s technology related and easy to use like Facebook.) A year ago however, it would have been hard to imagine corporations like YTB and Carnival buying into Facebook as a means of promoting business.

Today, not only does a promotion like this make perfect sense – but it becomes a reality tonight as YTB hosts it’s first Sail-a-thon using Facebook with Carnival Cruise Lines.

I’ve got to hand it to YTB, they’ve come up with another idea that’s new and innovative that captures a very large paradigm shift in social networking. It’s hard to pin down exactly how many people actually use Facebook these days, but the most reliable source I’ve been able to find is Facebook itself with over 250 million users as of July of this year. I’ve seen numbers of 100 million more by this time, but regardless if the numbers are right or accurate – it’s a HUGE number of users that interconnect via one massive network.

Think about how easy it is to post something to your Facebook page, inviting friends back to a place they enjoy hanging out anyway to interact and talk with others on the worlds largest social network. It’s a perfect marriage of the right companies and the right social network.

The 6 hour event (which runs from 6:00 pm to Midnight Central Standard Time) isn’t just about sales – it’s designed to be educational and fun. If you join us tonight – you’ll learn the following tips and tricks directly from YTB and Carnival:

- Learn why you should book with YTB
– Learn how to find the best fare
– Understanding what type of fares are available
– Learn when you should you make a reservation
– Learn how to select the best cabin/location
– Learn what constitutes a group
– Learn what types of groups are there
– Holiday Gift Certificates
– Cruise Sale offer — 2 category upgrade

If you want to learn and interact with others, simply pull up YTB Travel Network President, Kim Sorensen’s Facebook page. You can get involved by asking questions, answering the polls, sending in pictures of your party or a previous Carnival Cruise you’ve been on. YTB will have members of the creative team on the page during the entire broadcast to keep things lively and entertaining throughout the evening.

Carnival appears to be pumped about this event too. Ann Sedgewick has been sending her subscribers updates all week – offering up ideas and promotional materials to use to get the word out. Carnival was the one who started this whole Sail-a-thon concept two years ago with YTB. Because they keep coming back for more (this is our 4th event with the Cruise Line) I can only assume that the events are working for them. Why else would they keep doing it? In addition, other vendors like Princess and Pleasant Holidays have seen how easy and inexpensive these webinars are and have joined YTB to host thier own events.

Also, just to clarify – this Carnival event is exclusively with YTB. I encourage you to join me and thousands of others for the webcast, at your leisure from the comfort of their own home. It’s going to be a great event, a lot of fun, great offers and GREAT information for all; whether you’re a seasoned cruiser or first timer! Pick a cruise tonight or purchase a gift certificate to choose later if you’d like. You’ll see certificates ranging from 3-8 days with prices from $358 for a cruise for two. (Yes, TWO, not per person which makes this one very attractive offer!)

Also in honor of Veterans Day, there’s a month long promotion going on with special pricing and category upgrades to say “Thanks for your service”. So if you or anyone you know has sacrificed with service for this great Country, be sure to be part of tonight’s events.

It’s a winning combination any way you look at it – and it’s fitting that YTB is part of it.

Remember, the event starts at 6:00 pm Central and you can go to BandBVacations.com to find the video link and YTB Travel Network President, Kim Sorensen’s Facebook page to ask questions, interact with others and win prizes just for participating. It should be a really good time and since you’re probably going to be on Facebook anyway tonight, might as well get yourself an exceptional deal on your next cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines!

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I’ve mentioned this a time or two before on the internet, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever written about it here on this blog. When a client comes to me with a request for a cruise, the very first place that I look is on our Groups Page to see if anyone has something that would fit.

The search for a Group that matches a clients request just became a piece of cake with YTB’s new Group Search Upgrade on the YTB Booking Engine. It also enables your customers to book your group without having to search through all of the groups. (Over 500 at any given time!) You can now search by ship, by name of group, destination or date.

How cool is that?

The new group page comes via Convergentware, an upgrade that YTB purchased last year that I really like. The technology platform is extremely versatile and easy to use from an end user prospective. It’s also easy to use from a Travel Agent perspective. Set up a client with a user name and password, create the itinerary, and send them a link to view and book it themselves.

One of the reasons I love groups so much is because the price just can’t be beat. Typically, a group cruise is going to be $50 less per person than anything else a client can find on thier own. I’ve had some challenge me on this, but quickly shut them up when they realize they never added port charges or taxes (and sometimes gratuities) to the total price.

In all the years I’ve been doing this, a group rate has never been beat. (And if anyone else tells you differently, just smile – tell them “Thanks for sharing” – and move on. They’re not worth the time.)

A couple other cool changes you need to be aware of with the new upgrade that I like. As a site owner, you have the ability to have a public or private group. A private group will be assigned a special code that will be needed in order to view the group. If you want to reserve the space for just family, or a class reunion, you can now do that.

Also added is the ability to reserve as few as 8 cabins to start. If you need more, all the better. In that past, a group required 20 cabins to get yourself listed on the groups page. (One of the reasons the price was so attractive.) Convergentware also makes it easier for the Home Office to set up, so they’ve lowered the minimum requirement to get your group listed on the page.

To show you how easy it is to use this puppy – let’s say you’re looking at the new Carnival Dream. Simply pull up the new Groups Page from any YTB website (preferably mine) and select “Ship Name” for the pull down menu in the box. From there you can select the “Carnival Dream” and click the “Find It” button. Up comes two pages of group cruises ready for you to book at the special group rate on the Carnival Dream. You can do the same for length, date, region..you name it.

A couple things you need to keep in mind when looking at this pricing. Pricing is not only based on double occupancy (meaning it includes both berths in the cabin) but also includes port charges and taxes. Most but not all, also include the gratuities for the length of the cruise as well in the unit price that you’ll see. Most clients will realize the value you provided them when they compare apples to apples with any other Agency or Online Booking Engine they do a price comparison with. (Some clients, and all critics however, will need some help with this.) It should also be noted that most of these groups will only require a $25 deposit (per person) at the time of booking to reserve the space. This provides some additional time for them to budget for the deposit and the final payment due around 60 days before sailing. (Most really like this option.)

I’m really jazzed about this new upgrade. My job just got A LOT easier for those clients who look to me for a great cruise value. If you’re serious about making some decent money selling travel, cruises are an area you need to specialize in. All you really need is one 7 day cruise booking to break even per quarter, and when you add just one group per year – that my friends is gravy!

Thanks YTB!

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I lost count how many times I’ve said this…but I’m gonna say it again.

A cruise is the best vacation money could buy.

It was nice to have family (including extended family) together for another cruise. Our daughter called it “The best birthday EVER!” and our son has caught the same bug we did some 12 years ago when Ronda and I took our first cruise.

I did hit the internet for a grand total of 25 minutes, but didn’t even open the laptop until almost the very end of the cruise to download a couple gigs worth of pictures that I took. (Some 400 shots all together on a Fuji S9000 camera I just love.) I uploaded about 60 of them on my Facebook page and will get around to putting more up on Webshots at some point. (Then again – I still have pictures from our last cruise I haven’t uploaded.)

The kids have really gotten the hang of cruise thing. Brittany thoroughly enjoyed dressing up for formal night. (So much so, that she had to get all dressed up for her birthday night.) Brian found the ice cream machines and the 24 hour pizzeria and hardly ate anything else the entire week. Camp Carnival was FABULOUS for both kids. When they ask if they can go, you just know it’s a hit. (Which impressed both Ronda and I.) They really had a great time and our hats are off to all the counselors who took great care of our kids.

Our daughters birthday was an exceptional day in Gran Cayman. The entire family got involved on the Cayman Pirate Adventure as the kids and I were recruited to swab the deck (I was given a tooth brush) and “Mommy Spank Bottom” was tied up and forced to promise to never spank the bottoms of our kids again. Afterward, everyone walked the plank and enjoyed the warm tropical water.

Later that evening we celebrated Brittany’s birthday with the family and wait staff of the Universe Dinning room. Brittany loves to be the center of attention any other time, and handled her birthday no differently. The entire ship was told it was her birthday and she ate up all the attention. (As she always does.)

It’s still amazes me how many first time cruisers I continue to run into. We talked with a number of first time cruisers on this trip who raved about the service, the food, and the size of this floating resort. Non of them had any idea what they were missing, and have all been transformed into cruise-a-holics like we are.

While it’s nice being back, I miss the romance and relaxation of the sea. I bit warmer down in the Caribbean as well. We’re already planning our next cruise and may turn it into a neighborhood event. With another Carnival Sail-A-Thon coming up next week, it would be a perfect time to get the neighbors together to discuss the option of going. (More on the Sail-A-Thon here later, and in this weekends newsletter.)

A trip like this one is part of my “why” I stick with YTB.

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