Cruise Holidays - Attheta Travel

I am proud to be certified by CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) as an Elite Cruise Counselor. The Cruise Counselor Certification Program is CLIA's most comprehensive training which requires agents to successfully complete a number of compulsory training courses and exams, attend cruise conferences, and conduct ship inspections. Anita Thompson, Attheta Travel, dba Cruise Holidays.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Distinctive Cruise Regions of the Caribbean

For a winter cruise vacation, who can resist the warm breezes, soft sand and swaying palms of the Caribbean? The Caribbean lies close to North America, but offers a completely different world of tranquil lagoons, coral reefs alive with colorful sea life, festive music and spicy flavors. Now is the perfect time to explore your options for a winter Caribbean cruise getaway.

The Eastern Caribbean includes the American and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and St. Maarten/St. Martin. Many Eastern Caribbean cruises also include islands that technically lie north of the Caribbean, such as the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. This is a well-developed cruise region with lots of welcoming ports and activities for visitors, including beaches, watersports, boat tours, fishing, tours of historic sites, hiking and duty-free shopping. You can embark from home ports stretching from Miami to as far north as New York City; some cruises, especially those that include Southern Caribbean ports, depart from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The islands of the Southern Caribbean – including St. Lucia, Martinique, Barbados, Grenada and the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) – tend to be a bit quieter and even more culturally diverse then their Eastern Caribbean counterparts. Many of the islands retain a strong colonial; for example, French-speaking St. Barth’s is like a little bit of Paris dropped into the tropics (there are also interesting buildings left over from its time as a Swedish colony). These islands offer a stunning variety of landscapes, from the distinctive twin peaks (the Pitons) of St. Lucia to the cactus-dotted hills and flat volcanic plain of Aruba. While it’s possible to embark on Southern Caribbean cruises from northern homeports, more often they depart from Ft. Lauderdale, Miami or San Juan.

The Western Caribbean is a family cruise favorite, though it’s a lovely romantic and spring break destination, too. This region includes Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Cozumel and the Caribbean coastlines of Mexico and Belize. Mexico’s Costa Maya blends modern attractions – such as dolphin adventures, zip lines and ecoparks – with impressive historical sites, including the archeological sites in Tulum and Chichen Itza. There are white sand beaches separated by rocky headlands; just off the coast is the world’s second-longest barrier reef. This region is served by an array of convenient homeports along the Eastern and Gulf Coasts, including Houston and New Orleans.

To plan your winter getaway to the warmth and sun of the Caribbean, talk with Anita, your travel professional.


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Monday, October 13, 2014

Cruise Holidays Wins 3 Magellan Awards

The critics have spoken, and in 2014, Cruise Holidays International has won three prestigious Magellan Awards from Travel Weekly. The awards were bestowed in the categories of Marketing as well as Agent Innovation.

Specifically, Cruise Holidays brought home the highest honor, Gold, for its Compass magazine. Compass is a glossy, full-color magazine delivered to Cruise Holidays clients, filled with interesting destinations and offerings from some of the most luxurious cruise lines.

Cruise Holidays won a Silver Magellan Award for www.cruiseholidays.com, the website that is constantly being updated with valuable offers for clients. The website received a facelift in 2014, with new descriptions of destinations around the world, plus more information about exciting resort vacations.  All this information is available on our local website, www.attheta.com.

Finally, Cruise Holidays received a Silver Magellan Award in the Agency Innovation category for AgentMate. AgentMate is not something clients typically hear about, because it is a system used behind the scenes by Cruise Holidays agents. However, this is the piece of technology that enables agents to search for pricing that is equal to or better than what customers may find on the Internet, and it is also chock-full of offers that allow agents to provide certain “extras” to clients, such as a free bottle of wine or an onboard credit for your cruise vacation. Furthermore, AgentMate is tied into the accounting system of Cruise Holidays agencies. Simply put, it helps agents spend less time on technology and more time doing what they do best: finding you the right vacation for the right price!

This is the third year running that Cruise Holidays has been named a multiple-category winner in the Magellan Awards. The next time you are thinking about booking a vacation, keep in mind these award-winning services and how they can be put to use to help you plan that dream vacation.


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Monday, October 6, 2014

Happy Holidays on a Cruise

As the days grow shorter and cooler, the cruise industry has a tempting offer for you: a cruise to celebrate Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, or whatever winter holiday you most like to celebrate.
If your immediate reaction is that you can’t imagine being away from home, family and friends during the holidays, take just a moment to think about this:

You can take your family and friends with you. You can be together with the fun of celebrating the holidays in a new way. Cruise ships can accommodate groups of all sizes, and your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert can make everyone’s flight and cruise reservations. Depending on the size of your group, you may qualify for special discounts. It could be the start of a new tradition!

You can relax as never before. Holidays at home are lovely, but they can also involve a lot of work: cooking, cleaning, more cooking, more cleaning...on a cruise ship, those tasks are done for you: you can simply enjoy time with your loved ones.

You won’t miss out on the magic of the season. Well, there won’t be any real snow on board (except maybe on a European Christmas Market river cruise). But, that will be about all that’s missing, because cruise ships turn into sparkling wonderlands for the holidays. Pumpkins and other harvest decorations abound at Thanksgiving, then give way to the snowmen, decorated trees, menorahs and sleighs full of gifts that exemplify the winter holidays. Many ships have special holiday meals, services and entertainment, too.

You can simplify your holiday shopping. Depending on your holiday budget, you can give some or all of the cruise fare to your loved ones as a gift. If friends and family members will pay their own way, you can work with your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert to arrange welcome baskets, shore excursions, or onboard spa services as special gifts. And, just imagine the keepsakes you can purchase in port for your friends back home.

You can go somewhere warm and beautiful. There are lots of possibilities, including the Caribbean, South America and the Pacific coast of Mexico. If you would like to venture farther from home, there’s the Mediterranean, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and Africa, too.
If you’re ready to find out more about holiday cruising, contact Anita, your Cruise Holidays expert, for personalized guidance. Then, get ready for one of the happiest holidays ever.

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