Johnny Rockets for you! Its the place to be...

Speaking with some of my passengers earlier today they have just spent some time on board Independence of the Seas with their teenagers and came off the ship raving about it, naturally as she is amazing, certainly one of my favourite ships to date!

They said that many lunch times, when they could prise the kids out of the clubs for the afternoon, they went to Johnny Rockets which Royal Caribbean have on almost all of their new family friendly ships – All the Freedom Classes have it. We have the Independence from Southampton and also the Liberty out of Barcelona for this Summer 2011!

Anyway – Johnny Rockets is a fun, lively packed venue 50s themed American style burger bar – The staff do a dance routine whilst you enjoy a chilli dog, burger or Chilli fries, a small cover charge of $5 dollars will allow you to spend as long as you like soaking up the brilliant atmosphere – They serve you with fries and onion rings whilst you select what to eat – The menu ranges from small bites and sandwiches to full burgers and fries. You only pay for your drinks in Johnny Rockets and don’t forget to leave a little room for the famous Apple Pie – a la mode or with Tillamook Cheddar Cheese, Strange to ears – Wicked to the taste – Give it a try and let me know what you think!



3..2..1...LAUNCH!

So folks...its that time of year again where we are for launch of the new 2012/2013 P&O and Cunard dates...Exciting I hear you say, yes I know!

Now here at cruise.co.uk we always make quite a big song and dance about it as we know, like many of you do, that it is always best to book early to get yourself the best deals! Why? Because you get the best cabin availability AND you get the best deal in the launch price! Along with onboard credit and free carparking on selected cruises.

I have seen the Itineraries and there are some exciting new short cruises lined up with P&O next year of which I will definitely be taking advantage of. These will be great for all you first time cruisers who are not sure and want to just do a sample of cruising or alternatively you may be looking for a party cruise for a hen weekend or Birthday, it provides endless possibilities.

So how does it work?
You can view the 2012 itineraries on our website - then give me a call and I can give you pricing on it. Then you can put your name down on our pre registration list where I will go in on the day that it goes on sale and book you the best cabin! Simple!

The all important Launch dates:

P&O
2/04/2011 9am - All sailings for Portunus/Pennisular Gold Members
05/04/2011 - 8am - March, April,May 2012
06/04/2011 - 8am - June, July, August 2012
07/04/2011 - 8am - September, October, November 2012
08/04/2011 - 8am - December 2012, then January, Feb, March, April 2013

Cunard
04/04/2011 - 9am for World Club Members and then 1pm for all others.

So dont delay in getting yourself PRE REGISTERED WITH ME TODAY! Call me for information and assistance.

Cruise Personaliser...what is this?

If you have booked a cruise recently with your Specialist Cruise Consultant at cruise.co.uk  be it one of many you have done or even your first, you may have been told about something called your cruise personaliser at the end of the booking...have you ever wondered what exactly this is?

I just want to explain it a little further as a lot of passengers, particularly first time cruisers who are new to the whole process, can be completely unaware of it and what you can do on it. Your cruise personaliser really is a great tool for you to be using once you have completed your booking.

What do you use it for?
After you have been given your cruise line booking reference from your agent you can log onto your cruise personaliser within about 48 hours. You can then access it by taking the following steps:
1. go to http://www.cruise.co.uk/
2. click on the "make a payment" box at the top
3. go to "online check in" and click on the cruise line that you are traveling on (they are in individual boxes)
4. this then directs you to the log in page of your cruise personaliser you must use your CRUISE LINE ref on here and NOT your cruise.co.uk reference

Once you are in you can use it to check flight details if you have booked a fly cruise (but not normally until about 6 months before departure) you can pre book shore excursions, drinks packages, order luggage labels, and most importantly fill in all your personal immigration information i.e passport details, emergency contact and insurance. Most cruise lines now require you to complete this information before you travel so that they can issue your e-tickets. Cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity actually allow you to "check in" online to speed things up at the port! Fantastic!

So to try and avoid calling into your agent for any questions you may have....just stop and think....is it something I can find on my cruise personaliser? You may well be surprised!

Introducing The H.M.S Ju Ju....

Following on from my blog " new cruise ship design by and 8yr old" their has been further revelations from my niece and her ship building skills!

As it is coming up to Comic Relief (Red Nose Day) she has been asked by her school to do something for Charity to raise money. She decided that she is going to build her very own boats to sell at the fate they will be holding.

I was her first victim and purchsed my very own bespoke ship built just for me! Introducing the H.M.S Ju Ju (my nick name from her)......

This will sit pride of place on my desk :) and cost me £2 for charity, that was my good deed for the day! hopefully she will sell lots more and raise lots of money for charity....

Thomas Cook jump on the fuel wagon...

Tour Operator Thomas Cook have jumped on the fuel band wagon and have announced they too, like most cruise lines, now will be implementing a fuel surcharge on their holidays.

This is because of the sudden rise in oil prices, estimated at more than 40%

It will apply to all new bookings that include a Thomas Cook flight - very similar to the cruise lines such as Cunard and P&O who have now implemented an increased fuel charge on new bookings.

Whether we think it’s right or wrong rising Oil costs are unavoidable in our current Economic climate and so will have an adverse effect on many things that we buy, until the oil prices are reduced the fuel charges will be here to stay.....