Dancing Moon Travel Blog: 2017

Wanna Save Money? Use a Travel Agent


Disney Cruise Ship - (photo via Flickr/James Wheeler)

When it comes to using a travel agent, you might not realize what benefits they bring to the table. After all, it seems that so many travelers are doing their own bookings using online travel sites, so shouldn't you?

Not really. There are multiple ways that travel agents can help you to save.


Interior staterooms on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas features a virtual balcony, which gives your cabin a more spacious feel. (Royal Caribbean International)

Cruise ships offer travelers a lot of pluses: entertainment, activities, transportation and a seemingly endless supply of food. But they don't get many points for providing roomy accommodations.

Some cabins, in fact, are only slightly more than 100 square feet; compare that with the average hotel room, which is about 330 square feet.

(Photo: Diane Bondareff, Invision for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.)

Add checking in for a cruise to the list of things you'll soon be able to do with a few taps on your smartphone.

Royal Caribbean Cruises this week showed off a new smartphone app that will let customers complete the check-in process before arriving at a ship.

If you've ever wanted to eat like a princess, you'll finally have your chance to this spring. That's because Disney Cruise Line is opening a brand new Tangled-themed restaurant that's expected to open its doors in March 2018.

PHOTO: Barceló has revealed the sweet spot in Caribbean vacation booking.
(photo courtesy of Barceló Hotel Group)

The Caribbean continues to be one of the most popular visitor destinations in the world. Idyllic beaches, endless sunshine and Caribbean hospitality are all part of the allure. But nothing can ruin a vacation getaway quite like an extended heatwave or a protracted downpour.

If you’re looking to avoid hurricanes and high temps, Barceló Hotel Group has a few suggestions on optimal travel times to the Caribbean.

Carnival Cruise Line on Wednesday set up a vending machine in New York's Greeley Square Park that dispensed cans filled with the scents of Caribbean destinations.

Retrace the footsteps of explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in the Pacific Northwest, go on lobster bakes in Maine, or sail through Washington state's Puget Sound on a wine-and-dine cruise.

Viking Cruises dominated the 10th annual Cruise Critic Editors' Picks Awards with five wins.

Crystal Cruises came in second place with four awards, while Disney and Celebrity Cruises each picked up three awards, all of which were recently revealed on Tuesday.

Introducing Carnival's Improved Boarding Pass

We know the excitement when arriving at the port, eager to board so you can start your Carnival cruise vacation. I'm happy to share that Carnival has improved their check-in collateral to focus guests on key embarkation times.

Kids Can Now Get A Princess Leia Makeover On A Disney Cruise

Step aside, Snow White. You too, Cinderella. There’s a new princess experience coming to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on the Disney cruise line. Who is this princess, you ask? None other than “Star Wars”‘ heroine, General Leia Organa!

Exciting News From MSC

New York will soon will be the temporary home to one of the biggest cruise ships in the world.

Europe-based MSC Cruises this week revealed that its new, 171,598-ton MSC Meraviglia would operate three cruises from New York in October 2019 before heading to Miami for an inaugural winter season of cruises to the Caribbean.

TWO SHIPS IN TWO DAYS – A STUDY IN CONTRASTS

I recently had the opportunity to inspect two wonderful – and remarkably different – new ships: Carnival Vista and Holland America Koningsdam

There's A Way You Can Score A Row Of Empty Seats On Your Next Flight

Close your eyes and picture yourself in the economy class seat of any airline. It's a 10-hour flight and you're in the middle seat, meaning you'll have to climb over the person next to the aisle if you need to stretch your legs.

Oh wait, the person in front has just reclined their seat (which they're perfectly entitled to do). You're already uncomfortable and the plane hasn't even left the tarmac yet.

Peak South Florida cruise season opens with 'smart' ships, fancy terminals, luxe voyages

It’s time for South Florida’s annual peak cruise season, and passengers are about to be greeted with “smart” ships that offer high-tech concierge services, a re-imagined cruise terminal with a movie theater, digital avatar sailing companions and ultra-luxury voyages with butler service.

Scientific Study: Take More Vacation Days!!

Royal Caribbean - Short Cruises on Smaller Ships Offer Savings

While Royal Caribbean offers some of the biggest cruise ships at sea, don't discount the line's smaller ships, like Empress of the Seas, that sail quick getaway voyages to the Caribbean, Bahamas and Cuba.

NOROVIRUS: What is it? How to avoid catching it? What to do if you do get it?

Carnival Horizon...Now Open For Looking and Booking (Video)

Carnival is still building the new Horizon, but you don't have to wait any longer to get a firsthand look at the many innovations that will be aboard the ship. Carnival just released a virtual tour that gives you a sneak peek!

Cruise lines announced dates of their return to some Caribbean ports hardest hit by hurricanes Irma and Maria earlier this fall.

Royal Caribbean International plans to return to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Nov. 10 for the first time since early September, according to a news release. St. Thomas’ port is currently closed.

The line also expects to make regular calls in St. Maarten, whose port is closed, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, by Dec. 1. Mega-ships Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas will be calling on these ports.

Carnival Cruise Line also announced dates it plans to return to ports such as Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas and others.

Here are the details:

Viking Ocean Cruises has announced plans for another epic world cruise — only its second ever.

Kicking off Jan. 9, 2019 in Miami, the 128-day voyage will span nearly the entire globe and include stops in 44 ports in 21 countries.

The sailing will take place on Viking's soon-to-debut, 930-passenger Viking Sun.

Sun is fast-growing Viking's fourth vessel.

Hold my Mai Tai on the Lido Deck, Isaac!

Princess Cruises hired Miami’s own Brad Kilgore (Alter, BRAVA) and Scott Linquist (Coyo Taco) to headline their third annual Culinary Cruise Series. The cruise sails out of Fort Lauderdale from Feb. 11-18.

All you need to know about this trip is that you’re going to eat and drink very, very well. This isn’t your grandma’s midnight buffet.

Denali (Formerly Mt. McKinley) by Dennis M. Gragg (June 2017)

Alaska has always been a final frontier, a place where everyone wanted to go. Even 70 years ago.

A slide show of black and white photographs as the MS Eurodam sets sail from Seattle shows intrepid travelers standing atop one of Alaska’s mesmerizing glaciers. But rather than the sea of puffer jackets seen on the Holland America ship today, it seems fashion trumped practicality in the late ’40s when the first Alaskan cruisers dressed in their best suits and skirts.

Once in the geographical clutches of Russia, Alaska was bought by the US for a measly 3c an acre 150 years ago and, ever since tourists started hitching a ride on a cargo ship to cruise the Inside Passage in 1881, a voyage to the True North of Alaska has equaled a perennial gold star on the travel bucket list.

About two million people visit Alaska a year and cruising is a popular way to do it. In 2017, Seattle (the departure point for most round-trip cruises) will host 218 cruise ships and more than one million passengers. Holland America Line, the first tour company in Alaska back in 1947, this year increased their ships to seven, with 135 Alaska departures.

Oceania Cruises, the world’s leading culinary- and destination- focused cruise line, introduces the Europe & The Americas 2019 Collection of itineraries.

More Overnight Stays and 80 New Itineraries Highlight The Collection.

Now open for sale

I am usually pretty organized and like to have everything planned before I cruise (some people would even accuse me of being anal retentive). When I’m about 30 days out from a cruise, it becomes a reality. Before that it seems more like a distant dream. I am so happy to say that I HAVE A CRUISE IN NOVEMBER on the amazing Carnival Vista. It’s 6-night reunion cruise from Miami with a bunch of folks I worked with 40+ years ago. We had our first reunion cruise in 2013 and it was insane!! We stay in pretty close touch via Facebook and I’m pretty excited to see them all again. And what’s a better place to have a reunion than a cruise ship??

Carnival's next ship will have a barbecue eatery with a working brewery — a first in the industry.

The new 3,954-passenger Carnival Horizon will be home to a new concept called Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse|Brewhouse that will offer smoked-on-board barbecue and house-made craft beer.

Look Whats Coming on the New Symphony of the Seas...AMAZING!!!

Royal Caribbean pulled the curtains back on much of the new features and amenities coming to its next Oasis Class cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas.

Symphony of the Seas will offer a variety of new experiences onboard, including:

The new, official Royal Caribbean mobile app gives guests all the information they need to make the most of their cruise experience. It has launched on Allure of the Seas and will be expanding to Oasis of Seas by the end of the year. Eventually it will be available across the entire fleet in the months to come. The app lets Royal Caribbean guests:

Norwegian Cruise Line will start sailing its Norwegian Breakaway from New Orleans in 2018. The ship will be the largest to call New Orleans its homeport and will nearly double Norwegian's cruise capacity from the city.

The 3,963-passenger Norwegian Breakaway will start sailing from New Orleans in November 2018, according to a Tuesday morning (Oct. 3) news release from the Port of New Orleans. The ship will sail week-long as well as 10- and 11-day cruises to the Caribbean.

American Cruise Lines’ newest ship, American Constellation, sets sail to Alaska for the 2018 cruise season. With special cruise ship access to Glacier Bay from The National Park Service, American Constellation’s arrival this June will more than double American Cruise Lines’ capacity in the region and help meet the recent demand for cruise travel to Alaska.

The brand new, 175-passenger American Constellation is the only fully-stabilized ship in the region and has the largest staterooms of any small ship in Alaska. Appointed with furnished balconies and full-size bathrooms, American Constellation elevates cruising in Alaska by providing the intimate access of smaller ships coupled with the comfort and sophistication of larger ships. American Cruise Lines’ American Constellation will provide its guests with the most authentic Alaska experience and the most modern spacious staterooms available for cruising America’s last frontier.

“It’s a privilege to be a part of the ongoing preservation and conservation of Glacier Bay. We are continuously looking for ways to provide our guests with the most memorable cruising experience and this rare glimpse of the world’s most magnificent biosphere does just that,” says Charles A. Robertson, CEO of American Cruise Lines.

After more than a decade of rapid growth, the river cruise segment is showing its first signs of maturation. The pace of new ship introductions and passenger growth is slowing from the peaks experienced earlier in the decade, and the industry is diversifying to fuel its future growth.
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“We all remember when demand outpaced capacity and you needed to book your customers 18 to 24 months in advance,” recalls John Lovell, president, Travel Leaders Network, Leisure Group & Hotels. Driven by aggressive advertising programs, river cruising became the fastest growing segment of the travel industry. Between 2004 and 2015, the compound annual growth for North American-sourced river cruise passengers was a staggering 14 percent, compared with three percent for the more developed ocean cruise business. In 2016, 1.4 million people sailed Europe’s rivers, with 40 percent coming from North America and 30 percent from Germany.

Photographers Cruise to Alaska

Attention amateur and professional photographers!! Grab your camera and scratch a destination off your Bucket List. Join this amazing photographers cruise to our fabulous 49th state...Alaska!! Enjoy onboard workshops and one-of-a-kind photo excursions.

Space is limited...deposit is only $350 per person.

AUGUST 11 - 18, 2018

For more information CLICK HERE

5 Reasons Cruising is Perfect for Group Travel

Planning a vacation for a group of people takes patience, a good relationship with everyone involved and some creative thinking.
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Whether it’s a family trip or a flock of friends, you need a lot of things to go right for your itinerary to unfold without too much hassle or stress.
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Most successful group trips require a few “must-haves” to avoid major scheduling conflicts or discomfort. For example, you typically need communal living and “hanging space” so everyone can spread out and spend time together. You also need lots of dining and recreation options that fit each party’s budget and travel style.

We're all familiar with the famous old adage, 'there's no such thing as a free lunch.' Personal experience has taught most of us to beware offers that appear too good to be true. That being the well-documented case, is it possible there really could be such a thing as a free cruise?

The answer, surprisingly, is yes -- and it actually could be easier to score this attractive travel bargain than you might think. With no timeshare presentation. No scams. No $500 'administrative fees.' No kidding!

The secret to your potential free cruise actually lies in group travel. Most of the popular cruise lines such as Carnival, Norwegian, Princess, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean offer free berths known as 'tour conductor credits' for groups of 16 or more people traveling together. Fill 15 berths, and the 16th person usually sails free. Luxury lines and off-season travel frequently provide TC credits for groups of as few as 10 or 12 travelers. Note that these numbers are based on double occupancy – while triple and quad occupancy staterooms may be included in the group, only first and second passengers actually count toward fulfilling requirements for tour conductor credits.

Shore Excursions

Going on a cruise? Looking for a few fun/exciting shore excursions at your various stops? Here's some good advice you can take to the bank.

DO NOT book your shore excursions through your cruise line. You'll pay too much...nearly every single time.

Instead, book your shore excursion in advance with Shore Excursions Group...it's easy and you'll keep more money in your pocket. Check it out HERE.

How Much Are You Prepared To Spend?

Whatever your budget, dollar for dollar, cruising provides one of the best values for your vacation budget. While popularly priced cruises are not technically “all-inclusive” your fare will include your traveling resort delivering you to new exotic locations daily, gourmet quality multi-course meals, some non-alcoholic beverages, room service, and a myriad of entertainment options from splashy Vegas-style production shows to piano bars and pretty much everything in between.

Expenses NOT typically included in the cost of your cruise are gratuities, adult beverages and soft drinks, shore excursions, specialty restaurants, casino, personal shopping expense, and ground transportation to and from the pier. That being said, if you move into the realm of the luxury cruise, and most of these expenses (other than casino & personal shopping) will be included as well.

Theme Cruises Offer Options for All Interests

Have you ever wished for an entire week to get away from it all and focus –really focus -- on your particular hobby or special interest? If you’ve ever wished for a serious block of ‘quality time’ to indulge your passionate pursuit, a theme cruise just could be the perfect vacation for you.

The variety of theme cruises is all but endless. Whatever the interest, chances are that someone has planned, or is in the process of planning, a cruise event for fans and followers. What’s more, you will find these ‘affinity groups’ on all types of cruise ships, from budget friendly lines to the most luxurious cruise ships. Group sizes range from small & intimate with as few as a dozen staterooms to groups of several thousand involving entire ship charters. Some currently popular cruise themes include:

In 1972, Ted Arison launched a single converted trans-Atlantic liner with the dream of making ocean cruising accessible to the average vacationer. Their rather inauspicious start, as conveyed by one of their Business Development Managers, included the fact that Arison initially had the funds to paint only one side of the Mardi Gras -- and that they promptly ran aground on a sandbar leaving the port the morning of their first voyage. As the saying goes, they've come a long way, Baby! Today Carnival is the largest and most successful cruise line in history. In 2010 Carnival hosted almost 4 million paying passengers aboard 23 ships sailing from over 20 ports throughout the world.

Cruising: is it time to move up to luxury?

Are you accustomed to cruising in suite category accommodations aboard lines such as Celebrity, Princess, and Azamara? If so, it might be time to explore the potential for upgrading to a luxury cruise for your next vacation. Depending on preferences, destination and other factors, the luxury option could prove to be the far better value and experience for your cruise vacation.

Are you a luxury cruiser?: ‘Luxury’ denotes different things to different people and not all premium cruise passengers long for a luxury cruise. If you enjoy the more upscale accommodations and service that your grand suite affords but thrive on an activity-centered onboard atmosphere complete with water parks, climbing walls, Vegas-style production shows, and huge casinos – Regent or Crystal are likely not your cup of Mariage Frères tea. On the other hand, if an intimate cruise environment featuring 5-star cuisine, personal & intuitive service, and intriguing onboard enrichment programs strikes a chord, you may be one of those cruisers ready to move a step up to that luxury product. If so, you will find your fellow travelers are generally well-traveled and sophisticated, and your itineraries likely to include intriguing, less frequented ports of call.