Seabourn Cruise Line

Looking for the intimacy of yacht cruising with very few guests?  Consider booking with Seabourn!  This line has 6 ships in two categories - 3 sail with just 208 guests and 3 sail with 450 guests.  Pricing may be higher than Seabourn's sister line Carnival but all guest cabins are suites and all offer ocean views! Many, in fact most, cabins displayed on the deck plans come with a tub which in cruising is not the norm.  Yes, lines may offer tubs in full suites but since other lines do not offer all-suite accommodations like Seabourn does, this make Seabourn standout!  Plus, with this smaller ship the itineraries may be longer like 14 or 15 day sailings where guests call on a number of ports during their cruises.  Seabourn even has its own attached marina in the stern of the ship.  It must be nice to be able to say launch a kayak or a Zodiac or maybe just dive into the sea from the marina! 

If you have the available vacation time or maybe you are retired and have always wanted to cruise the Mediterranean Sea, South America or even wanted a Transatlantic cruise, this is the line for you!  Call me at 860-582-0372, Sue Phelan, to discuss this cruise option.  Christmas is coming!  Hanukkah is coming!  Kwanzaa is coming!  Maybe your anniversary is coming!  Or your birthday is coming!

I welcome any and all comments about my blog entries and if anyone has sailed with Seabourn, I would love to hear from you!  My e-mail address is phelan_susan@yahoo.com!  Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing from you!

First Major Snow!

Yes, it is really snowing this afternoon here in central CT!  YUK!  As I absolutely hate snow, this is a sorry situation!  I am not responsible for shoveling or snow plowing which is good but will have to move my car at some point when the landlord wants to plow.  And since it is only October, many of the trees still have lots of leaves on them so there is a concern about broken limbs and possible power loss!  I hope we don't lose power!

Looking at the big flakes does make me think of the Christmas Holiday and shopping.  I suggest surprising your special someone, your parents, your children, your top employees with a cruise as the best holiday present ever!  Cruises offer activities, variety, food, entertainment and a great vacation!  How about a week or a long weekend in the Caribbean this winter?  You can relax and soak up some sun while getting away from winter!

Check out my YouTube channel susan050359 for some reasons that you deserve a cruise!  Then call me to book your reservation!  Have a great day and take it easy if you must shovel snow where you live!

Happy Birthday Mohegan Sun!

Mohegan Sun turns 15 this month and this weekend is the big celebration complete with a Buddy Valastro cake, book signings, celebrities, Dierks Bentley for free in the Wolf Den and for the big highlight - JENNIFER LOPEZ - in concert at the Arena on Saturday night!  Hope you were lucky enough to score some tickets to the concert but if not, consider heading down to Mohegan Sun to go celebrity watching and wish them a big Happy Anniversary!  The full schedule of events planned for the weekend can be found on their website at www.mohegansun.com. 

Please drive safely if you do go the Mohegan this weekend - don't drink and drive, don't speed, obey traffic laws or police direction and park in a designated spot only!  Yes, this is a bit of a pet peeve for me as it always surprises me that people choose to park in more than one space or in a clearly lined spot that is absolutely NOT a parking space!  Mohegan has 4 parking garages for its guests plus lots of outdoor parking and even RV parking.  For spots that are a distance away from the entrances, they utilize shuttle buses for your comfort.

Please be patient if you are at Mohegan as you may have to wait for a seat in a restaurant or the buffet. You may also have to wait a minute for a cashier or a slot attendant or a seat at a gaming table as I expect that they will be very busy this weekend!  Take that wait time to talk with the person next to you and maybe make a new friend.

And when you leave Mohegan Sun please drive safely because it is always possible that there will be a State Police presence on the highways to ensure public safety.  Thanks for reading!

Connecticut Tourism

Hi!  I follow @MysticCtTweets on Twitter and this wonderful account actively promotes tourism and places to go and things to do in the 42 towns of Mystic Country in Connecticut.  Most the tourist dollars generated in CT come from this region of the state.  Mystic (the town itself) is host to two large attractions in Mystic Seaport and Mystic Aquarium.  Check out the whaling past of this area or the fish and water life of the Aquarium.  Southeastern CT is home to the two largest North American casinos in Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun Casino.  Both of these venues offer world-class gaming, upscale hotels, great restaurants, comedy and musical entertainment.  Both casinos offer shopping if you are not a gaming enthusiast and Foxwoods offers high stakes Bingo. 
Recent tweets promote antiquing in Putnam, Halloween events, New London's Fall food stroll (makes me hungry just reading that tweet!), the Jersey Shore cast at Mohegan Sun's 15th Anniversary celebration this weekend and the Inn at Stonington where Meryl Streep stayed recently while filming a movie in the area.

If you are planning a trip to Connecticut, follow @MysticCtTweets on Twitter to create your what to see and do list before you get here.  Thanks for reading!

Carnival Cruise Line's Cash Back!

As part of National Cruise Vacation Week (Oct 17-23), Carnival is offering its guests with a new booking this week up to $300 Cash Back per stateroom!!  Of course, certain restrictions may apply like you must book a minimum cabin category of 4A.  Also, according to the notice I received, the cash back is in the form of onboard credit to the guest's Sail and Sign account.  The amounts range from $50 for 3-4 night cruises, $100 for 5 night cruises, $150 for 6 nights or more with 12 night European cruises offering the $300 cash back.  Travel must be completed by December 2012 to qualify. 

Consider booking a cruise as a great holiday gift!  Carnival offers the "Fun Ships" philosophy of cruising where anything goes.  Its ship range from medium to large in size and they have everything you could want to do from the spa for massages to the gym for exercise to the pools for sun to the dining room for your gourmet meals!

So are you ready to book your cruise now?  Call me at 860-582-0372 or e-mail me at phelan_susan@yahoo.com and we can make that Cash Back reservation now.  Thanks for reading!

National Cruise Vacation Week

Yes folks, there is now a National Cruise Vacation Week which means that this is the best time to book your next cruise vacation with the cruise line of your choice!  Why?  Because this week is also National Cruise Vacation Sale Week!  Cruise lines are offering special pricing and possible shipboard credit if you book your cruise this week.  And this would be the perfect holiday gift for that special someone in your life!  Or maybe you want to take your family on a great vacation!  Perhaps you and your siblings don't know what to give your parents anymore as they have everything they could possibly need or want.  Or maybe they have a milestone anniversary approaching.  Then consider a cruise as a great way to celebrate that anniversary with them surrounded by their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Group travel on a cruise starts with 8 cabins (and mulitples thereof) making building your group easy as you don't need 500 people.  Cruise lines need to fill their cabins and are willing to offer great rates for group travelers.  In addition these lines may offer amenities to the group as a thank you for traveling with them.

Now is the time to book your 2012 cruise.  By booking early, you may receive Early Booking Discounts but even more importantly, you have the best cabin selection available!  For example, maybe you want a Family Suite that can sleep 6 guests.  Many ships may offer this style but each ship may only have 6 or 8 of this style so they are sold early.  Maybe you want to be near the elevators or on a high or low deck or a suite.  Reserve your cruise early for all of these options to be available for you!

To discuss cruising or make your reservation, call me Sue Phelan at 860-582-0372 or send me an email at phelan_susan@yahoo.com.  It would be my pleasure to talk about one of my favorite subjects - Cruising.  Thanks for reading.

NCL News

In an effort to promote cruise lines equally and pass on the news today's blog entry is about Norwegian Cruise Line.  Recently NCL announced that its 144,000 grt ship, the Norwegian Breakaway, scheduled for delivery in May 2013 will be 'home-ported' in New York City!  NCL will sail this ship on cruises to Bermuda from May to October 2013 with itineraries after October to be determined.  NCL guaranteed a minimum of 88 cruises from New York.  What does 'home-porting' mean?  Well, to the city of embarkation this means the potential of lots of revenue from the guests starting or ending their cruise from this port.  Many cruise guests, especially those coming from distant cities, will book either a pre-cruise or post-cruise stay of a few nights in this city.  This means hotel rooms are filled and money is spent on meals, shopping or in the case of NYC - perhaps the theatre and museums.  NCL and New York will need to enhance the current terminal at the pier to accommodate a ship of this size.  Currently the NCL ship sailing to Bermuda from New York carries 2400 guests while the NCL Breakaway will carry 4400 guests. 

NCL is known for Freestyle Cruising.  If you and your party want your evening meal at 5:00 p.m. at restaurant A fine - no reservations are required.  Maybe tomorrow you want to have a meal at restaurant B at 8:00 p.m. - this is OK too.  You will want to remember that some restaurants may not seat a huge number of people at one time and that some times will be prime time so you may have a wait to be seated.  I also believe that due to Freestyle Cruising you must pre-pay your gratuities.

Are you ready to book your 2013 Bermuda cruise on the NCL Breakaway?  Then check out my NCL video on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAnULlEfznE.  This video is 1 minute long and shows why you and your family deserve to go on an NCL Cruise Vacation.  Please contact me when you are ready to book your cruise at phelan_susan@yahoo.com or 860-582-0372 and I will be happy to assist you in the reservation process.  Thanks for reading!

Sue

Holland America 2 Week Sale

Last time it was RCCL's 2-day WOW Sale and this time it is Holland America's 2 WEEK Sale!  Holland America sails everywhere and its fleet looks like ocean liners painted black and white.  I have never cruised with this line myself but did meet some people at the airport years ago that told me the only line they cruise with is Holland America.  From what they said the service was second to none!  I believe this line caters to the over 50 or 55 guest so if your choice in cruising is for a more quiet experience with the potential for less noise from children running around then this might be a good choice for you.  Some sample fares for the sale (straight from the HAL e-mail announcement of the sale include:

1. Alaska from $699
2. Caribbean from $449
3. Europe from $899
4. Holiday from $549
5. Panama Canal from $799

Most times the fares noted are for the lowest category cabin which is normally an interior cabin.  Fares do not include airfare to the departure city or taxes or port charges.  If you were considering a Holland America cruise, book by Oct 23, 2011 to take advantage of this sale.  With the quoted fares low,  I would not expect the cabin availability to last long.

RCCL 2 Day WOW Sale

Yes, all you 'Loyal to Royal' cruises, Royal Caribbean is having another 2 Day WOW Sale starting tomorrow Oct 4, 2011.  So now is the perfect opportunity to book your next cruise whether it is for your honeymoon, family vacation, family reunion party or maybe a Christmas or Holiday gift for your partner. Come see why the Nation of Why Not offers so much for you to enjoy as you sail to almost anywhere in the world!  Royal Caribbean ships are known for their signature rock climbing walls, Flow Rider surfing simulators (Freedom and Oasis class ships), ice skating rinks (Voyager, Freedom and Oasis class), fine dining and in my opinion incredible crew!  So when you decide which ship or cruise to book (or you need some help in deciding which one), call me Sue Phelan at 860-582-0372.  Let's get you a reservation for your next great vacation!  Thanks for reading!

Hey Cruisers!

There is so much going on in the cruising industry!  First, today Carnival had a major announcement regarding additions and enhancements to all their Fun Ships.  These include a Guy Fieri burger restaurant, adding a RedFrog Rum Bar poolside for those great frozen rum drinks and ice cold beers, an EA Sports bar, additional dining venues, George Lopez as comedy consultant to the cruise line, Hasbro-inspired games and more.  Enhancements will start this year on the Carnival Liberty and continue through 2015.  For more information on Fun Ship 2.0 as this project is called, see the Carnival website.  Then when you are ready to book your cruise on the Fun Ships, call Sue at 860-582-0372.