Barcelona is turning out to be everything it is said to be. The food is really good, tapas while still what I believe to be an overpriced (in many restaurants) tasting menu are varied but delicious. To my surprise yesterday I ate baby eels even though the waiter, that did not understand my half-Spanish or just did not know how to tell me, said they were calamari. It feels like we walked for 2 days already but each of has taken in sites we never saw before, the city is beautiful. I am not an architecture buff but there are so many interesting buildings here they sort of just pop out at out and make you take notice. They run the gamut from medieval churches to 70s, -80s kitsche. A highlight so far has been the tour buses, tacky as it sounds they are a great way to take the burden off the feet and to keep multi-generational families together while enjoying the tour narration. I know many travelers frown on hem but if you are in a city you have never seen before and want to get around, getting a feel for a city these tours are great.

We're Off!!!

So we're off!!! Sitting aboard our Air Canada regional jet, comfy, half full, relaxed, ....the way Flying used to be! I'm sure that will change by this evening when we board a jumbo jet for our flight across the pond to Barcelona but for now, sit back and relax. At least as much as I can with my antsy son next to me wide awake with anticipation of the 10 days of family fun we have ahead of us. Amazingly, anyone hat has been to Barcelona has nothing bad to say about it, really! That never happens, there is always a curmudgeon or two with something to complain about, I hope what we hear is all true...even one step further, I hope no one in our group is THAT person. Barcelona will be great I am sure but the real experience will be our much anticipated sailing on the Norwegian EPIC on the Mediterranean although I am not sure if the kids are looking forward more for the ship or for France and Italy. My guess is they will have a blast on the ship and a surprisingly (for them) experience exploring countries they have only read about in books, studied in school and have seen on television.

European Vacation...with the Family

Every time I see European Vacation I think of the Chevy Chase movie hopefully the trip we are about to embark on does not urn out the same way.

The anticipation of our first family trip to Europe has reached a fever pitch. Now that the kid are out of school they have focused on trip preparation and at the same time have peppered me with more questions than I can answer. Their curiosity is refreshing to see, so many things now just don't phase kids anymore, the information/Internet age has kind of dulled the senses a bit.

Vacations however are real!!! They will be living the experiences now, all the reading and Facebook items about destinations just do not immerse you in the sights, sounds and culture of other countries. This will truly be an experience they will never forget, we will be writing family history, giving them something they will surely share with friends present and future and probably talk about it to their children one day.
Our trip will start in Barcelona, after a short stop in Toronto. We'll spend 3 days in Barcelona living out of a rented apartment with other family members and friends. Nothing like just jumping in and experiencing a world-class city right off the bat. Anyone I have talked to that has visited Barcelona has fallen in love with the city....we can't wait.

We will cruise aboard the Norwegian EPIC (www.ncl.com/EPIC), a destination in it's self. Funny but when was the last time you heard of travelers taking on Europe for the first time with their only concern being not enough time to enjoy everything on the ship (sounds like a revisit may be in the works).
Stops in Rome, Florence, Naples, Cannes & Marseilles will keep us busy and will surely be a senses overload!!!

Some may say traveling with the family & friends (our party numbers 15), may not be too relaxing but really I could not think of a better way to do it, nothing like sharing an experience that we can share for a lifetime. I'll take note of any tips we may need to share.
Look out Europe , we're on the way!!!!

My plan (and hopefully I can stick to it) is to blog daily when I can (hopefully before partaking in umbrella drinks and of course local wines) and of course we'll be taking pictures constantly.

Follow our trip on this blog, and on Facebook or Twitter, we're @ShipAhoyCP on both and please check out our website at www.ShipAhoyCP.com , sign up for special announcements and offers.

Cruising for Charity : Locally & Globally

The old adage that Charity begins at can be applied to cruises too!

I am not talking about the kind of charity most travelers encounter on cruises....donations to the casino. I'm talking about real charity, giving back to the community, your own and on an even larger scale giving to someone else's community, whether it be through fundraising or volunteering.

Locally, I will have the pleasure of sailing on the Rotary Club of Lake Norman-Huntersville's (http://www.lakenormanrotary.org)  Wine Cruise this week. This will be just a 3 hour cruise on Lake Norman but proceeds benefited their scholarship fund for area students. Of course this local charity is part of the International Rotary Club organization (http://www.rotary.org/) , so the translation to global giving is very clear. Volumes can be written about their global charity work.

Cruises are usually associated with excesses, food, drink, music, & parties are plentiful. Life experiences that appeal to all senses and abilities like exploring ruins, hiking, diving, snorkeling, you name it the list goes on an on. So where does charity come in? Well, there are cruise lines that now offer charitable activities like beach-cleaning, school building, farm/irrigation building and pretty much every cruise line has fundraising dollars just waiting for your  non-profit charity group.

Volunteerism is growing in the cruise industry, more and more cruise lines are offering itineraries for the philanthropic traveler ( these are sometimes before or after the cruise). They are also incorporating charities in on board activities. On our last cruise aboard the Carnival Fascination the Carnival sponsored "Groove for St Jude", program was in full swing, a small donation ($10) gets you a t-shirt and a rubber bracelet, all the money goes to the St Jude Children's Research Hospital. (Wow, for the price of another umbrella drink that I did not need anyway I got to help a kid somewhere in a hospital with cancer...can't beat that!)

The cruise industry is increasingly involving passengers, both on and off the ship, and is even offering sailings that are dedicated to supporting individual charities.

There industry is helping guests give back to others in the form of charity cruises, on board fundraising and volunteering by helping projects on shore.

Charity cruises are hosted by the cruise line, select  sailings are dedicated to supporting a single charity  and often come with the added perk of being partially tax deductible. (It is best to check this out with your tax accountant and to stick with charities approved by the Internal Revenue Service).

On board fundraising come in the form of cruise line-wide programs in which donations are accumulated from guests and donate to a specific charity (or charities) but fundraising does not have to be a program. If your local church group, little league team, Rotary club, or other non-profit charitable organization wants to combine a good time for members and non-members alike the cruise lines are ready to kick in their share. Fundraising matches differ from cruise line to cruise line but the money is there for the taking. Let me explain, if our local Rotary club (church group, local charity, etc) decides they want to plan an event where members will vacation together and still maintain their mission to rasie money, the cruise lines will give a specified amount to the charity on a per cabin basis, for example $75 per cabin sold witin the allotted group space reserved Doesn't sound like much? Well it adds up very quickly, a typical 32 person group (usually 16 cabins) would generate $1200 in "free money" for the charity and may qualify the group for 2 free berths on that sailing which can be used for the group leaders, given as a gift, auctioned or raffled. Not a bad deal is it?

Volunteerism is on the rise!!! Activities are emerging as parts of shore excursions, they are a work in progress and a good agent can certainly work something out with the cruise line for the group to accomplish their volunteer mission, pre, post or during the cruise.

Crystal Cruises' program is at the forefront in this area. Their "You Care, We Care" program offers free shore excursions that involve volunteering activities. A great example was cited in a Cruise Critic article by Amy Gunderson,  about the program's debut on the Crystal Serenity. The volunteer program was in Cartagena, Columbia. It was the Foundacion Granitos de Paz, which served one of the barrios in the city. The group reportedly had a great time, interacting with the children, and the elderly, and visiting the homes and gardens. The volunteers helped with the gardening, craft-making and painting tasks. It was a great way to interact with the people of the city.

Other lines offer ways to get involved with local non-profit and research organizations. Norwegian Cruise Line is hosting a travel company that is incorporating volunteer work throughout their trip. A three-day pre-cruise package in New Orleans that will include replanting trees with a local Hurricane relief group.

The possibilities are endless.

So the next time you think about the opportunities and excesses of cruise also think about the possibilities to help those less fortunate.

Besides, the umbrella drinks taste much better after a gratifying day of helping others and sitting around on the ship with new friends, the sense that you did something good for others will make your vacation much more meaningful and memorable, ( besides did you really want to visit yet another chain retail store or eatery in that last port?)

If you have an interest in charity work or volunteerism cruises or if you would like to get your group together for a great vacation for yourselves while still helping others, contact me at Tony@ShipAhoyCP.com and we can discuss possibilities and arrangements. Please visit our website http://www.shipahoycp.com/ and follow us on Twitter and Facebook, we're @ShipAhoyCP on both.

Your comments and suggestions are welcomed.

I'll report back on the success of the Lake Norman-Huntersville Rotary Club wine cruise in my next post, (hopefully without a headache from too much of a good thing! But it is for charity after all so there cannot be too much!)

Travel Agents....They still have those?

Contact your travel agent for details....this is a statement added to all travel advertisements in the media but it is usually at the bottom of the page or the last sound bite of the ad. 

While most people hearer see it, are they taking advantage of what actually amounts to a FREE service in most cases? Agents are paid by the vendors (cruise lines, tour operators, resorts, etc), each vendor will charge you the same price whether you use an agent or not so why not get some help and leave the heavy-lifting to an agent.

In the past couple of weeks when asked what we do or what kind of business do we own I have come across very polite responses of "Travel Agents?? Do people still use them, I thought that was pretty much a dead service." While it's true that the Internet has replaced a lot of travel agent duties, have you ever tried to find the best deal for the vacation you want? do you really know what options there are out there, or what you really want for that matter?

It can be done if you have the time and desire but the Internet is a double edged sword. You can make all your own arrangements after doing your own research but the information age can provide too much information, it takes a lot of time to find what you are looking for and when you do the options are pretty much limitless. 

Travel agents are actually coming back into use more often than not, our lives have gotten busier, two wage earners , kids sports, etc all take away from the time families have to research and plan a vacation. w

With a few simple, short conversations or e-mails about the vacation you desire, the time you want to go and the budget you'd like to stay within, you can be presented with several options to choose from, narrowing down the immense field of choices quickly and hassle-free. If you don't like the choices, no problem, back to the drawing board, an agent can tailor your vacation to your needs until you find what you like without your spending hours on the computer.

Changes to the travel industry landscape have come full circle, the process is back in a greatly improved way. The majority of travel services are now home-based, technology is to thank for that. Home based, online agencies can take all the time commitment and stress out of planning the vacation you long for, whether it is a couples getaway, family vacation or full-blown family or group reunion. Franchise opportunities like the one we took advantage of (Cruise Planners, Inc) offer cutting-edge technology, training and clout in the industry and let us combine our passion for travel with our desire to start a business. Expert advice for business start-ups is do something you are passionate about so the decision was easy, traveling on cruises with the family and bringing them to theme park resorts and all-inclusive resorts drove our desire so here we are.

The industry is on the rebound, the NY Times contained an article about this last Sunday, http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/travel/are-travel-agents-back.html?src=me&ref=travel , an interesting article that hit home with us..maybe we should carry it around with us on our iPad or iPhone for potential travelers that thought travel agents are a thing from the past.

So don't be afraid to contact a travel agent....of course we'd prefer we be the travel agents you contact. it won't hurt we promise and you will not regret it, your time is valuable, let us do the pre-work and you can do the vacationing. We're at www.ShipAhoyCP.com  please follow us on Twitter @ShipAhoyCP and find us on Facebook @ShipAhoyCP

Your thoughts and comments are always welcomed!