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From the Blogs

The Carnival Conquest Arriving at Port Everglades

Deep in the night when you are still asleep and trying not to think about having to leave the ship, you cruise comes to an end as the slow process of docking takes place in the dark. Here the Carnival Conquest glides to dock at Port Everglades as seen from the Hilton at the Fort Lauderdale marina. The hotel offers some of the best views in the area of cruise ships. Sailed on the Carnival Conquest? Share a review and tell us about it!

Through the Looking Glass, Darkly - the Pressure Begins.

Don't forget to show your work......

Math and not for the faint of heart.

It is at this point that these presentation turn a bit dark in my view. Once the basic product the company sells was reviewed a series of options to “get even more value” and options that were cheaper for those more modest budgets were presented. First, the core product amounts to over twelve thousand dollars and requires a four figure up-front fee, monthly costs and annual fee. Limitations to the “travel club” ensure members are locked into the deal for at least ten years. Gallingly the company offered to “finance” the up-front fee, which is amusing since they were not actually lending any money. Yet they then charge interest on the amount of the up-front fee not paid initially.

Once the salesperson finally reached the end of his presentation he surveyed the room sizing up people and informed us that due to a limited number of staff working that we could only leave one couple at a time to receive our travel prize. Anybody who actually wanted to buy the product was taken first and quickly ushered out. Only one couple elected to do so. The salesperson slowly selected each couple to leave seemingly based on the level of resistance shown during the presentation. We were taken last.

We were taken to a second salesperson who sought to convince us to buy one of the memberships in a big open room with the other couples seeing to their business near us. This will lasted no less than ten minutes and the presentation given was geared to determine how much we could afford to pay for the up-front fee and to agree to their so-called financing. I told the young salesperson directly we were simply not going to buy and didn’t wish to waste his time. He quietly said he had to go through the entire process of drawing charts and numbers for us or he would get in trouble with his boss. We allowed the young man to finish he said he would get his boss to see to our prize.

Next we were given the third attempt to close a sale by another salesperson in a suit who took us to another office and privately tried to get us to give him a up-front fee we would agree too. I made an attempt to see how low I could push the salesperson without giving him a number, or if he’d eventually cave-in and waive the fee. But once it was clear we won’t buying the sales pitch he left to get a check written for the appointment fee. We were given a pre-printed card with a website and code to redeem the cruise we “won.” Since this company wasn’t really a travel agency they had nothing to do with the prize except to promise it to us. We were given certificates for gift cards as well. But like every aspect of the process, the cruise and certificates were calculated to be virtually worthless.

To actually get the cruise we had won, we would have needed to pay hundreds up-front to a fourth party which has an entirely negative reputation based on research I did afterward. The same was true of the gift card certificates. It is so difficult or expensive to obtain the cruise or gift cards it isn’t worth pursuing. With the cruise specifically the best one can do while paying the bare minimum is more costly than deals you can obtain from actual travel agents and agencies.

Tomorrow, we wrap-up the journey down the rabbit hole reviewing the actual "prizes" and what happens after the presentations. We also share my feelings on these companies and alternatives to them.

Have you survived one of these epic adventures? Share with us in our message boards!

Cruise Commute: Atlanta - Video

The glory of Google Maps is how you can conduct a tour through areas you are about to drive around and learn the lay of the land. I tend to do that out of habit now as plan out which hotels to take, figure out what to expect, etc. The value to me is being able to relax a bit during a drive and not face last second choices in navigation. My phone pulled double duty this past January during my cruise on Oasis of the Seas. Mounted just under the rear-view mirror, I kept the video camera rolling as I drove through downtown Atlanta. Always a busy highway, the drive was smooth enough until some concert letting out flooded the south side exits along I-75.

Announcing Cruise Corps

In order to serve our community from shore to ship and back, Cruise Aficionados (CA) is assembling experienced and new agents to become part of our Cruise Corps team!

CA seeks to extend and enhance the cruise experience through digital offerings, services and real world gatherings which help make cruising part of every day. We do this through online communities for learning about and sharing the experience of cruising. We host real-world “Cruise Coffees” and “Cruise Nights” recreating and stoking the urge to cruise. We walk our members through how to make cruising a daily lifestyle.

Cruise Corps (CC) is the professional services organization of Cruise Aficionados. CC is comprised of entrepreneurial business people, bloggers, travel leaders and providers of goods and services complimentary of the cruise experience. It serves the mission of Cruise Aficionados to extend and enhance the cruise experience and make it part of every day.

CC travel leaders are experienced in helping run their own group cruises on-ship as well as serving as leaders for groups seeking coordinators. CCs bloggers help provide grassroots content about cruises, ports and all manner of cruise related topics. Our CC Pros are a professional services group to help provide the kinds of experiences at real world gatherings on for featured online content. Our CC Travel Service team completes the circle of travel by helping our community find its way back to sea.

Learn more and become part of our team today!

The Elephant Walk - Video

Cruise Videos - The Elephant Walk out of Port Everglades

There was no existing phrase I found which describes spectacle of a flotilla of cruise ships leaving port. I choose to borrow the term "Elephant Walk" which the U.S. Air Force uses to describe taxing entire airwings of planes all at once down a runway. The purpose being to demonstrate readiness and such. The sight, like that of Elephants walking in a row in circus' the term comes from, reminds me a lot of cruise ships leaving port. This video came from Independence of the Seas and we see the mighty Oasis of the Seas departing Port Everglades shortly before it made it's own walk up the channel. It makes for great lunch-time viewing.

Driving Into Port Everglades - Video

These days there is precious little to like about flying anyplace. Airlines are an often unwelcome creature that sits on the front and back ends of a cruise. For my part it has been nearly ten years since I actually flew to a port of departure. Driving into a port however can be a daunting task unto itself however. Most cruise ports are wrapped around the edges of working cargo ports. Finding the way through the maze of fenced in zones and to the right parking garage can be difficult. To give you an idea of what is like to drive into such a situation I share this dashcam video of entering Port Everglades.

Cruise Wisdom - By Cruisefucius

Take this kiss upon the bow!

And, in partying with you now,

So much to do wow

You are not wrong, who deem

That this is like living a dream;

Yet if the week has flown away

In 6 nights, or in 7 day,

In a suite, or in an outside,

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or eat

Is but a dream within a dream.

~Cruisefucius with apologizes to Edgar Allen Poe.

Cruise Aficionados

Cruise Commute: Atlanta - Video

Announcing Cruise Corps

The Elephant Walk - Video

Driving Into Port Everglades - Video

Cruise Wisdom - By Cruisefucius

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