Regent Seven Seas Training Event - June 2011

Following a Travel Weekly/Aspire incentive, a small number of agents were invited to Southampton where we were wined and dined at Ennio’s, a delightful Italian restaurant close to the City Cruise Terminal, with an overnight stay at the De Vere Grand and in-terminal training on the Regent product, followed by a ship visit and lunch on board Seven Seas Voyager.

The training took the form of a talk and slide show by 2 members of the Regent sales team covering the whole Regent product including very strong reasons for upselling to Regent from the more main stream cruise lines, when one takes into account their all-inclusive cruises on offer. Now including all beverages, excursions, gratuities and even flights! Agents should bear in mind, they said, the price it costs to ‘get off the ship’ rather than just ‘get on the ship’ and receive commission on the whole package. So take account of everything a client might spend on holiday – not just the cruise cost. They suggested a few tips to achieve this, eg having quoted a mainstream cruise price, ask the client how much they might add to their holiday for excursions, tips, pre/post dinner drinks, wine with meals etc and have them write down those prices themselves and add it to their cruise price and then compare with Regent’s all-inclusive – obviously, having found an itinerary to suit! The difference might not be that different. Regent do offer price comparisons in their sales literature.

Following the training we and another 50 or so agents were invited to board the Voyager and discover it’s pleasures. For the size of ship, taking only 700 guests there is a huge amount of room on board, after all a ship of this size could take up to 2000 passengers! The ship is elegant and with fine dining without a surcharge, there is the opportunity to enjoy an exquisite meal served on the finest Versace crockery. Being a fairly large ship she offers the usual on deck games, a library, huge keep centre and gym, spa and tiered theatre – everything a traditional cruiser would require.

After a leisurely 2 hour tour guided by Regent’s UK Sales Manager, Anthony Daniels, we had lunch in the Compass Rose, Voyager’s main restaurant. A very nice meal of Lobster Timbale, Pumpkin Soup, Chilean Sea Bass or Filet Mignon of Aberdeen Angus Beef followed by a perfect Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake – delightful.

Many thanks to Graham and all at Regent for putting this together – it really was educational!

Peter Ruck, ACE Ambassador of the Year 2011, Baldwins Travel

ACE UK Cruise Convention early feedback!

The fifth ACE UK Cruise Convention took place in Southampton last week, 3-5th May and since then ACE has been inundated with positive feedback. The offical feedback questionnaire is going out to members on 10th May but we wanted to share the amazing emails we've had so far!

GARSTANG TRAVEL

Just wanted to let you know that one of our cruise specialists who attended her first Cruise Convention last week and had her first experience of RCCL on the Independence (AND LOVED IT!) confirmed a booking on Saturday on Independence for £9000.00 – 4 passengers who are new to cruise in Balcony cabins!

This just proves that sending front line staff on theses conventions to gain first-hand experience and get enthusiastic about the ships is paramount…

The other staff member who attended also confirmed 2 bookings worth £8500.00 for CCS on Saturday… So it was well worth our investment in sending staff to Southampton!

Thank you to ACE for allowing us the opportunity to continue to gain valuable experience, training and motivation in cruise.

BON VOYAGE
Just wanted to drop you a quick email to say Thank You for what I think was the best convention yet! I thought the speakers and business sessions were really useful, and it all seemed to flow really seamlessly.

OPODO
I just want to say thank you for all your hard work last week, the cruise convention was great and very well organised, and if I am honest I feel better arranged and set up than CLIA in the USA this year.

GO CRUISE
The convention itself was really enjoyable, and it was good to see the different ships. The food at the Oceana club on Wednesday night was really enjoyable, and a fantastic improvement on last year.

FRED. OLSEN
I just wanted to say congratulations on an excellent UKCC, and I hope that you have now recovered from last week’s exertions! Once again, I found it a tremendously beneficial and enjoyable event, and it was lovely to be able to showcase Balmoral to agents and journalists on the first ever ‘Columbus Day’, and the feedback we have received has been extremely positive.

IDEAL CRUISING
I just wanted to drop you a line to say a HUGE Thank you for a FANTASTIC time had at the UKCC !!!! It was a fantastic opportunity & I loved every minute of it !! Can’t wait for next year !!!

CRUISE TRADE NEWS
I thought the entire convention was a great success.

MAIL NEWSPAPERS
Well done on a ‘grand event’, truly a successful few days. The general feedback I heard whilst I was in Southampton was all extremely positive.

NCL
Congratulations on a great event. I very much enjoyed participating and found the couple of days very useful.

TRAVEL CHANNEL
Being able to meet all the cruise lines in one place was the best part for me as I was able to catch up with people I hadn’t seen in a while and meet others I didn’t know.

FREELANCE JOURNALIST
It was well organised, as always, and there were some really good sessions on the first morning and yesterday's trade fair was really buzzing. All good for networking!

Baldwins Travel voted Top Travel Agency

The Baldwins Travel Group is in celebratory mood after being voted the
‘Travel Agent of the Year for London and South East for the 4th year running.

The Baldwins Travel Group - which has stores in Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Uckfield & Sevenoaks Travel - walked away with the Top Prize at the recent Agent Achievement Awards in London. In addition, the company also won the prestigious National Cruise Agent of the Year 2011 for the whole of the UK.
No doubt awarded for the tremendous cruise knowledge the staff have following ship visits and online training organised through ACE and the various cruise companies - some having reached the high ACE Ambassador standard.

The prestigious Agent Achievement Awards are recognised as the travel industry's highest accolade, recognising excellence and achievement in the UK's travel agency community. Handed out annually, they are based on nominations and votes from key players in the UK's holiday industry.

Baldwins Travel’s Business Development director Nick Marks said Baldwins Travel Agency’s success at this year's awards could be put down to the hard work of its 45 experienced and knowledgeable members of staff.

"You could say we're on top of the world - in more ways than one! Winning the awards is a spectacular achievement and being recognised by our peers in the travel industry is a real honour," he said. He continued “We are so proud of our staff – all of whom have contributed with their knowledge, expertise and travel experiences. They are simply outstanding! Customers who use our business are served by the best in the business.”

Baldwins Travel is no stranger to awards success, having won the London & South East prize five times before (in 1997, 2004 and 2008, 2009 &2010) and being runner-up on no less than seven other occasions.

P&O Azura March 2011 - 'one of my best cruises – ever'.

Having seen and been on board the Azura for a day visit while in Southampton at the ACE Convention last June, there was something about this ship that attracted me to her. I vowed to have a cruise on her at some time in the future. In March 2011, I joined her on her transatlantic voyage from Barbados to Southampton.

Our charter flight, arranged by P&O Cruises took off more or less on time at 8.25am (4.25am Barbados time) it was comfortable with an attentive crew. About 90 minutes into the flight, the main meal was served (6.00am Barbados time) I feel that the meal served was not appropriate for the time of day and a hot breakfast would have been more suited.

On arrival at Barbados, coaches met us on the tarmac and conveyed us directly to the ship. The baggage was transferred directly from the aeroplane to the ship. This is one area of their service where P&O really excel. Check-in at the pier was fast, courteous and professional.

The ship itself is beautiful, the furnishings the décor – a mixture of modern and traditional – easy to get around and spotlessly clean. I immediately felt at home.

My cabin too was spacious, well furnished, and comfortable and kept in tip top condition by a most friendly and conscientious cabin steward.

The food in the main restaurants and buffet was excellent, with plenty of choice, well presented and professionally served. So good was the food in the main-stream restaurants that I didn’t even bother to explore any of the other alternative dining facilities.

Special diets are taken care of with care and attention and nothing was too much trouble with staff providing special requests in this regard.

The entertainment on board, along with the guest lecturers were mostly of an extremely high standard. The Highlight of the evening entertainment was the outstanding performances given by the Headliners – The on-board singers and dancers. Never before have I seen such talented performers.

The very approachable Cruise Director and her friendly enthusiastic team were highly visible around the ship day and night – always well dressed and eager to provide information and to assist with queries.

On a trans-Atlantic journey such as this, there are quite a few days at sea and when the weather is good, deck space and sun loungers are at a premium especially around the pool areas. Whilst there is a policy concerning the reservation of sun-loungers, this is not enforced.

Bar prices, shore excursions, and items for sale in the shops were reasonably priced. Internet access and photographs on board were expensive.

As a smoker, I appreciated the smoke-free environment inside the ship. However, staff in the Pursers Office and those working on the decks are at odds with each other as to where the designated smoking areas on board actually are. There is also a lack of ash trays on the promenade deck.

Having sailed on Ventura, and indeed I enjoyed my cruise on that ship, I can quite honestly and without reservation say that my experience on-board Azura was superior in all aspects. Azura is a ship that will suit everyone and surely must be the pride in the fleet for P&O Cruises.

One of my best cruises – ever.

I most certainly will be back on-board the Azura and soon.

Willie Fulton, Knock Travel in Belfast

Disney Dream - Inaugural Cruise 22nd-26th Jan

Friday 21st January
Arrived to a disappointingly rainy Orlando and caught the Magical Express to Disney's Polynesian Resort, one of 22 in the 47 square miles that Disney World occupies. We discovered a beach area and watched the fireworks over the Magic Kingdom in the distance.

Saturday 22nd January
A day at Disney World! I've never been a particularly 'Disney' person, I didn't have a little mermaid lunchbox and didn't think I knew half the characters but I do have a love for theme parks so I set off in optimistic spirits. I had a fantastic time, 8 rides in one day plus a 'move it shake it' street party parade - to my amazement I knew who all the characters were and found myself being swept up by the Disney spirit and dancing with Chip and Dale in front of the Magic Kingdom castle before heading off to Space Mountain. We had dinner at Epcot, another park (there are 4!) accessible by mono rail or boat. Epcot was great - it has rides including Soarin over California, Mission to Mars, Test Track and the Nemo ride including Turtle Talk with Crush the turtle. Epcot has the world showcase - areas of the world such as Mexico, Norway, England, Italy, China and Japan where you can have lunch or dinner and experience a Disney version of the country. We dined in Mexico with real Mexican waiters and a smouldering fake volcano in the background!

Sunday 23rd January
Off to the ship! We were transferred to Port Canaveral by the Disney Cruise Line Express, a bus with port holes for windows and a video with Disney characters showing us what to expect on board the ship. The ship can take up to 4,000 passengers with 1,458 crew, or 'cast members' as they are often referred to. Check-in was quick and I headed straight to my deluxe outside veranda stateroom - it had a large balcony, storage room under the bed, two double wardrobes and a split bathroom/toilet. Lunch was in the Cabana buffet restaurant featuring ocean views, a bar and about five different serving areas with piles of fresh seafood, steak, roast turkey, salads and desserts. Tea, coffee and soft drinks are available 24 hours a day, free of charge.

We then toured the staterooms including the 'Roy O' suite with an enormous lounge, balcony with jacuzzi, two bathrooms and bed area with a TV which appears by remote control. I was actually looking forward to seeing the inside staterooms as I had heard a rumour about magic portholes - I saw a deluxe inside stateroom which had space under the bed for storage, it was a nice size and had a porthole over the bed with a live video feed showing the scene that would be there if there was a window, with Disney characters making occasional appearances.

I took in a quick tour of the rest of the ship, found 'Flo's cafe', the 'eye scream' parlour, nemo's reef swimming area for little kids, and looked on in awe at the enormous TV screen overlooking the main family pool. Then came the inevitable evacuation drill which was painless and quick and I had time to check out the gym facilities. The gym is great, it has ocean views and state-of-the-art equipment and a steam room in the changing rooms all free to use.

I managed to catch the end of the 'golden mickeys' show in the Walt Disney Theatre which was impressive - stage performances from Disney characters interspersed with Disney film clips and music.

The Dream has two speciality restaurants - Palo and Remys. I dined at Palo, it costs $20 to upgrade, not including alcohol and has a lovely Northern Italian menu with Venetian decor. Next door is Remys, a smaller, more exclusive restaurant with a french menu which costs $75 to upgrade.

Monday 24th January
Nassau, Bahamas. The plan for the day was outlined in the daily programme, delivered to cabins the night before along with the obligatory towel-in-the-shape-of-something-Disney. We visited Atlantis, an enormous resort with a huge aquarium and aquapark. The Michael Jackson suite costs $25,000 a night at the Atlantis!

I visited Shutters on Deck 4 where you can swipe your 'key to the world' card (your cruise card) and find the photos taken by the onboard professional photographer for you to view and purchase.

It was the Royal Palace for dinner - passengers are given a table and a three restaurant rotation so they visit the Animators Palate, Royal Palace and Enchanted Garden on each night but the servers stay with you for each place. The Royal Palace had a great menu including Escargot and Wild Boar!

That evening was 'Pirates of the Caribbean' night with kids running about wearing bandanas, fireworks on top deck and a show with a very good Captain Jack Sparrow followed by a club night for everyone.

I headed off to District, the adults-only bar area with a number of different club/bars including Skyline and a sports bar.

Tuesday 25th January
Castaway Cay day! I was excited about seeing Disney's private island - I discovered that only about 48 people actually live on the island, all of whom are Disney employees who are joined every other day by the cruise line passengers. There are therefore plenty of sunloungers for everyone, the island is small enough to walk around but you can also hire a bike or take the tram. There is an adults only 'serenity' beach and a family beach with water slides and a lunch time BBQ all included in the cruise price.

After enjoying the sunshine I decided it was high time I tried out the aquaduck on the ship - a water slide that goes right around the ship, it was great fun but apparently its much faster if there are two people on your lilo!

After all the excitement and sunshine I chilled out in my stateroom, missing Animators Palate which was a shame as I discovered it includes animated interaction from crush the turtle from 'finding nemo' who actually talks to diners! I enjoyed room service (again, all included in the price) and my on-demand TV with the latest disney and hollywood movies.

Wednesday 26th January
Home time! Breakfast in Animators then down to collect my suitcase, through customs then onto another magical express. We had time to visit Epcot again before heading off to Orlando Airport and home to a very cold UK.

In summary, the Dream has loads on offer, not just for the most demanding of children but also for adults in need of a break and some entertainment. The longer cruises include a day at sea and I feel this is well needed considering there is so much to experience on board as well as shore side. The service and Disney culture are fantastic, each and every 'cast member' that I came across were very friendly and committed to ensuring everyone was enjoying themselves. The fact that Disney is an entertainment company at heart shines through and their innovative use of new technology is impressive, including ipod docks in the rooms and WIFI access across the ship. The aquaduck is a nice touch and keeps everyone very entertained,and there are also places to get away from it all and enjoy some peace!

Bring on the next launches this year - P&O Adonia, Carnival Magic, Celebrity Silhouette, Costa Favolosa, Oceania Marina, Seabourn Quest and Compagnie Du Ponant’s L’Austral!

Flo Powell
Director
ACE