We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. - Aristotle
7/28/2010
Biking In The Caribbean - or Waterfall Glen
7/27/2010
Hey Mike, Mom and dad loved Alaska, Holland America was wonderful. ... Thanks john
7/25/2010
Mike.....We just wanted to thank you for all you did to make this a GREAT vacation experience, this was Laura's first cruise and she is sold on this means of taking a vacation.....The 8th floor (top stateroom floor) worked out very well, and everything was very convenient.....Thanks also for the chocolate covered strawberries, nice treat. ..We liked the open table dining experience, especially the flexibility of when to eat dinner. Again I would really recommend the Royal Caribbean line, all of the staff we met were fantastic and of course the perfect weather you ordered for this Alaska cruise was appreciated, sunny most days and no rain during the days. Any questions on our experiences please call, Thanks.....Tom & Laura Starke
7/19/2010
Hi, Mike....I'll be glad to recommend your services to my friends! Thanks for the chocolate covered strawberries onboard ship - we really enjoyed them. The 20 day cruise was wonderful! We had one change in our itinerary - Goteborg instead of Stockholm due to the royal wedding. We were probably the only happy pax onboard as my father was born outside of Goteborg! Phil and I ventured out on our own with the help of a cabbie (arranged a flat rate) and were able to revisit the actual house that my father was born in!! What an unexpected treat! I had visited this tiny village called Askhult when I travelled with my dad in 1983. The property was bought by the govt to show how life was at the turn of the century. I didn't know if the village continued to be maintained and was delighted to find it intact. Pictures of my aunt, grandmother and other relatives either were hanging or published in the tiny book about the village! What a trip - the Baltics were great and of course, the fjords are magnificent. Holland America does such a fine job!
We are aiming for a 30 day cruise next time....will keep you posted. Thanks again, Donna Grassi
7/16/2010
Re: Diamond Princess 17-Nights BEJ-BKK
Hi, Mike....
I thought I had written you long ago....found the partially finished note in my Drafts. Seems like ages ago already, but our Asian trip was special and I recommend it to anyone. I'd like to go again. We would probably go on Princess again, but we weren't all that impressed. Here's what happened:
The night before we were to dock in Shanghai I realized we hadn't received our tour tickets. Tour desk was closed so I called down to customer service desk. Upon checking the computer they said we had no tours scheduled, to come to tour desk in the morning. This was no fault of yours...I made all the tour reservations on Princess website and had printed confirmation. The gal at tour desk was very rude....computer error, that's it, too bad. It was too late to get a tour for Shanghai, much to our disappointment, and another tour we had booked was also full. We weren't able to get into Shanghai until late due to fog. Thought we would be able to find a tour if/when we got into city, but wouldn't you know, the one and only place there were no locals vying for tourists. The delay cut our time in Hong Kong to only one day which was disappointing to all. Lesson learned....always check tours as soon as possible. A gal from Princess called me to talk about it so at least they did read the letter I sent.
We had rainy, foggy weather for several days, but true to promise it got hot by Viet Nam. Every port had something interesting. Open dining was no problem even though the ship was full. We didn't encounter lines at any of the dining facilities. There were lots of activities on board so you could be as busy as you wanted. The nightly entertainment was quite a disappointment...the poorest of our 3 cruises. We weren't the only ones who thought that....it came up in every dining conversation. There were people from all over the world on the ship....very interesting conversations. And one night we shared a table with 4 other Republicans (even 2 from CA).....we had fun hashing politics that night.
If you book anyone on cruise to Asia, recommend if they have allergies or sinus problems to bring medication! One Clariton pill on the ship cost $3.50. Fortunately we found a pharmacy in Kowloon and the pharmacist spoke English and helped Jim find medication. There is lots of pollution, dust and mold from damp weather.
All in all, a wonderful trip experiencing lots of new things. Sorry...I thought I had sent this e-mail long ago!
Dee & Jim/Nevada
6/21/2010
HELLO MIKE, I JUST WANTED TO PASS ALONG TO YOU AND NCL, WHAT A GREAT TRIP I HAD ON THE NCL "JEWEL". THE SHIP IS A REAL BEAUTY. THE CREW WAS ALL FANTASTIC! I REALLY DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THE DESTINATIONS, PORT CANVERAL AND THIER ISLAND AND NASSAU. THE HEAT WAS TOO MUCH TO RUN AROUND. THE SHIP WAS, MUCH TOO NICE TO LEAVE. THE ROOM STEWARD'S WERE JUST GREAT. THE CAGNEY STEAK HOUSE AND LA BISTRO WERE A 10! MY WIFE AND I REALAXED AND HAD A GREAT WEEK. WE LOST IN THE CASINIO, BUT WE DIDN'T CARE, IT WAS FUN. I'AM DELIGHTED THAT NCL HAS EXPANDED THEIR NEW YORK OPERATION. I SPOKE TO A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM MY AREA THAT WERE ON BORAD. I SPOKE TO ONE WOMAN THAT HAD TAKEN THE TRIP, IN MAY AND CAME BACK IN JUNE WITH HER FRIEND'S. THE MINI SUITE WAS THE BEST WE EVER HAD SO COMFORTABLE. PLEASE TELL THEM, I'LL BE BACK AND WILL BRING FRIEND'S NEXT TIME. THANKS BILL AND MARY PADDOCK HICKSVILLE NEW YORK
6/15/2010
hi mike,
hope you are enjoying the summer so far.
here is a unique shot of the crew on holland america's
world cruise/2010
ronda and tom
5/24/2010
Hello Mike !
We're back home now for a while and I thought to let you know, that we had a wonderful trip down to Mexico. We didn't venture too far, because we did see most of the sights on previous trips, food and service was excellent as always.
I know the following is still many months away, but I thought to touch base with you beforehand. We are celebrating our " Emerald Anniversary " next year and if we stay healthy and fit, we are looking at the Hawaii-Tahiti cruise of Holland-America on 3-4-2011...
Thanks for all your help !
Best regards,
WR
5/18/2010
Hi Mike,
I always have felt that you look out for us with the best offers and price and suggestions.
I thought I'd let you see a face to a name.....the four of us Steve, Suzie, Tom and me.
Yolanda
5/13/2010
Hello Mike, from SCWest,
This is to thank you for the gifts you sent to us while we where aboard the Equinox. It is quite a ship. The Caribbean cruise was fine, however, with Margaret's reluctance to join organized excursions, our ability to go beyond the ports of call was limited. Anyway, the arrangement for dinner with our friends worked very well indeed. Thanks, Mike.
Anyway, we are back home and in one piece. Our plans to visit Scotland in June to deposit my personal papers in the archives of my University in Glasgow are now off. It is the Icelandic volcanoes' eruption and the uncertainty of flights that put a definite NO to it.
Best regards.
Costi.
4/8/2010
Hi Mike. Made it home (first class no less). Great trip, really enjoyed the Queen Vic, great service, good food, not too big, not crowded, good entertainment, all positives..except for the many tuxedo nights. One of the first cruises where we were sorry to leave. We could have stayed for more.
Thanks again for all your troubles with that damn Indian visa (Kochi was a total waste, by the way. Yuk!)
We owe you one.
Might be looking for that 7 day New England cruise (Montreal - Boston) come the fall, with the leaves etc.
Alohas,
Mike
4/7/2010
Hi Mike--
I am SO glad this is all working out! It's nice to be working with a real professional!
Mark is in Johannesbiurg tonight and I am off to Athens all day tomorrow...we will get together on Friday and confirm some details such as table size, etc.
Joe/EK
3/29/2010
Hey Mike,
Just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how much the four of us enjoyed the Oasis of the Seas (Group sailed 3/20/2010). All we can say is WOW!! And of course you could imagine how Pat was, being it was her first cruise ever.
Sooo... we went ahead and put our open cruise deposit again on board the ship. I hope the information was forwarded to you. We are looking into Alaska but the ship told us the Alaska itineraries have not been released yet.
So on behalf of myself and Carol we are asking you that as soon as they are released you can possibly send us some information on the sailings and pricing as well. This will be for 2011.
Again we had a great time and thanks for the Chocolate Strawberries. They were great.
Looking forward to hearing from you once the Alaska information becomes available.
Lucy
3/27/2010
Good Morning Mike,
Looks as though the jet lag is easing and we have arisen at the usual time this A.M.
Just want to thank you for the chocolate covered strawberries and the great champagne.
As well, the Pinnacle Grill was a real treat for a special birthday celebration. Thank you.
This 73 day cruise is probably the most enjoyable one we have ever sailed. We met so many great people and visited so many amazing places...South America, Antarctica, South Africa, Incredible!India, Singapore.
As you may already know, Holland America, again, exceeded our expectations with quality of product and service.
We hope the World Cruise will be available to interliners in the coming year. It was relaxing, educational, and a perfect way to spend the winter.
We appreciate you for assisting us in choosing this cruise.
Thank you, again, for your stellar customer service.
Ronda Walker
Tom Kenna
DL ret.
P.S. We were able to recommend Homeport Cruises to a few other retired airline employees. I hope they will become customers of yours.
2/24/2010
Hi Mike,
Back to VT which has been snowless for sometime until today, nine inches. Looks good.
Had a very enjoyable two weeks in the Caribbean. We have been on the Grand and Sapphire Princes ships and all was satisfactory but the Caribbean Princes presents a problem. It has an additional deck which accounts for 500 more passengers and that causes a problem on sea days, it is toooooo crowded, had breakfast one morning standing up and the pool areas become "times square" all day long. Never again on a 3100 pass. vessel. Otherwise we had a most memorable cruise. For the first time though we could not obtain an abbreviated copy of the NYTimes so missed any US news for a couple weeks. Oh yes, a full copy of the Times was available for $15.50 at one of our port calls.
We always leave VT a day earlier than necessary and therefore have two nights lodging before boarding for our cruise. At PR we stayed at the Embassy Suites and loved it. About eight levels with a big atrium, large pool area, good dining, and two blocks from the beach. We highly recommend it.
Looking ahead, we are eyeing a Celebrity Cruise on the Millennium out of PR on l-24-11 (probably for six).
That's it for now, Bob
2/18/2010
Mike -
The Scamman-Parker-Weier entourage returned Sunday night following our 14day back-to-back cruise on the Caribbean Princess.
It was an enjoyable trip...no glitchs... We appreciated having 4 adjoining cabins midship on an upper deck. Great location.
This was my 30th cruise but my first experience on Princess. I prefer smaller (medium size) ships... more congenial, less walking.
Food was good but not great. Celebrity does a better job in that area. I missed some of the extra touchs found on Holland Ameria and Celebrity, such as complimentary tote bags and bathrobes in the cabins..the fresh-squeezed OJ on HAL... and the daily shipboard edition of the NY Times. The decor of Holland America with original artwork in their public areas/stairwells can't be beat. Probably most in our group didn't even notice that and could have cared less. I think all of us would agree, however, that the highlight of our vacation onboard the Caribbean Princess was the entertainment, specifically the production shows..... best choreography and dance talent I've ever seen. That's probably one advantage the mega-ships have over smaller cruise vessels.
All in all, Princess is a good mass-market product. I know our group enjoys them but think I still prefer Celebrity and Holland America for those little extras I just mentioned.... Different strokes for different folks. It's a matter of personal choice.
Hope to meet you one of these days when I'm in the Chicago area.
Thanks again for all your help.
Grant Weier
2/11/2010
Thank you Mike!
Nancy, Marissa and I are looking forward to this one very much. We wish we could take all the girls.
I also continue to rave about your service to those I fly with.
Warmest regards,
Scott
Captain Scott Meade
Director of Flight/Chief Pilot-NY
JFK-LGA-EWR
1/31/2010
Mike:
Cape Horn yesterday......Palmer Station, Antartica today, approx 65 degrees South Latitude......wonderful clear wx with cerulean skies and cirrus clouds. White sperm whales charging the ship, but dissuaded with a "Dundee" index/pinkie finger hand wiggle.
Best to you, R&T - DL/retired
1/9/2010
hey mike....just wanted to pass along my girls thx for the wonderful cruise you found them....was just rite!
ricki ray NW/DL
12/15/2009
Hello Mike !
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Health New Year to you and your Family !
Congratulations to all your achievements !
Thanks for all your help in the past and soon,
we will be calling regarding a cruise to Hawaii on Princess.
Best regards, Werner and Gislinde Ruckelshausen
12/15/2009
Hi Mike,
Returned on Sunday from 13 day cruise. The Soltice is the most beautiful ship we,ve been on. It was all very nice. As always thanks for your help.
Bye the way, the train from Rome to the port was a snap. If we could do it anyone can. If you have a lot of luggage I would discourage going that way. Thanks again,
Mary Ellen & Bob Kogut
11/28/2009
Mike Gresh, Sales Manager, Homeport Cruises, attains cruise industry's highest ranking - ECCS 2009 Scholar. Who did you trust to book your last cruise?
11/25/2009
Oasis of the Seas - 3 minute movie of Outside Photos
11/24/2009
Oasis of the Seas - a photo movie by Mike Gresh
11/19/2009
Mike, just wanted to let you know our cruise with the Lavezoli's was perfect! Your pick of cabin locations was the best! Had a great time and you have 2 more new devoted customers now! We will be looking after Christmas for a cruise with Jerri and Larry Kieltyka, perhaps in February. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Betsy Votour
11/19/2009
Hi Mike: We just returned from our cruise on the Monarch of the Seas and wanted to thank you for all of your help with making the wonderful arrangements. Everything was great....we loved the rooms you chose for us (and Betsy and Ted Votour) and enjoyed everything about the cruise. NO COMPLAINTS.....................Good Job!!!!. Kindest personal regards, Theresa and Rick Lavezoli
11/4/2009
Hello Mike,
Have an excellent cruise you deserve it for all the great work you do for the rest of us.
Bon Voyage, Howard & Heelan Barlow
10/28/2009
Mike: If you ever need nomination for Tour Coordinator of the Year, let me know! Call me when the Galapagos gets affordable.
BJ - Southwest Airlines
10/22/2009
Hey, Mike!
Just had to thank you for making all of our reservations on Wind Spirit, Athens-Istanbul, for our family of 8. It exceeded all of our expectations!!!! Will be in touch with you in the future and share your name and number with friends. You were great to work with! A few people came up to us and asked what we were celebrating to be all together and when I told them that all of the boys were just home from deployments and that my sister in law just had a successful kidney transplant, they sent bottles of chamgne/wine to our table...!!! The bar bill, however was huge...
Warmest regards,
Eris and Steve Hunter USAF
10/20/2009
Mike, here are the four of us leaving on our flight from MSP to EWR on September 30th to begin our October 1st cruise from Bayonne NJ aboard RCCL's Explorer of the Seas. Left to right Ihla, Mary(Katie) Sue, Marilynn. The weather was a little cloudy and rainy, but that never stopped us from having a great time. We dressed in layers and had gloves and umbrellas. Not much different than Amsterdam. Our two dinner couples at the 5:30 seating meshed perfectly with us. Enjoyed their wisdom, as they were in their late 70s early 80s. Thank you for the bottle of wine, we enjoyed it on our balcony at sea. The room was a perfect size, with a walk incloset and plenty of drawer space, good size bathroom too. The steward had no problem with providing us with a rollaway bed. We are all spoiled now, I don't think I could cruise with anything other than a Jr. Suite!
Thanks again for you great service, Sunshine and Blue Skys
Sue Psyk, NW retired
(L to R) Ihla, Katie, Sue and Marilynn
10/14/2009
Re: Celebrity Century 10/3/09 7N BCN RT
Mike, Back safe & sound, a long journey but we enjoyed the cruise....was the perfect match with our afternoon cocktails, all went well, weather was really great and we enjoyed the ports we visited. Thanks again for all your help, will be in touch when Angela gets the 'bug' again! Cheers, Malcolm - BA/retired
10/5/2009
Hi Mike,
We want to thank you for all the wonderful service - the Godiva chocolates were an amazing surprise! We always appreciate your excellent service, but sometimes we take for granted that your bookings are done so efficiently & we never have to worry about anything - not always true for other agencies as we found out from the other interliners on this cruise!
Even though we didn't mention our interliner status, as requested by Silversea, it didn't take long to determine that most of our floor was either interliners or travel agents. Since we were on the 5th floor, we started calling ourselves members of the '500 Club' - great group of people.
Silversea was amazing - the staff catered to your every whim, and genuinely seemed to enjoy their jobs. If you have clients who want to be pampered, and don't mind dressing up (tuxes were the norm on formal nights & sport coats on the informal ones), this is the cruiseline for them!
If you have any clients that are put off by the tux part, Burlington Coat Factory carries them for $100-$200, and JCPenney is around the same. We accidentally ran across them when looking for a new sport coat for him & it was really nice to have. While no one acted any differently toward the guys without tuxes, it was kinda nice to fit in.
Thank you again for a wonderful vacation!
Dave & Nancy - America West aka USAirways
9/30/2009
Hi Mike,
Brent can't remember if he sent a big thank you for all the work you did in planning our three - family get together on the Disney Wonder. We all had a wonderful time. All the little kids are hoping we can do it again! I'm wondering if you ever had the occasion to go? It was perfect for the 5, 6, and 7 year old. They LOVED going to the Oceaneer Club! The 3 1/2 year old wasn't too fond of the characters- except for Cinderella. He also backed out of the Oceanier’s Club. I know every child reacts differently but for that 3 1/2 year old it was a little overwhelming. The other three begged to go!! Our only disappointment was that the (space) shuttle didn't go up as scheduled- the night we left port. What a ringside seat we would have had! Disney, as usual, had everything planned to perfection and we loved it, too. High School Musical is big and they even sent some of the stars from the movie to perform at the afternoon "party" by the Goofy Pool. We got separated from the kids when we went to the private island so we ended up at the adult beach....beautiful, quiet, and so relaxing. You had asked us to send pictures...and we will! Why is there never enough time to do everything you want to do? Do you want people photographs, scenery, or a combination? I should know how to do it but I will ask Brent to send some when he has a minute. I guess we can send you a bunch and you can select. Again, thanks so much. Cruising has become much more complicated over the years- there was a lot of computer work and things to fill out for you and us, too! Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Disney handled the peanut allergy child's choices just fine! Yea!
Sincerely, Pat Mayo
9/28/2009
Hi Mike,
Just wanted you to know that our Disney Cruise on the Disney Magic was Great! The service, food, customer service, ship, cabin, tours, well, everything was about as close to perfect as it can get. Talk about seamless and hassle free, Disney knows what they are doing and do it to perfection. We could go on and on and have been to all of our friends and family. If anyone is squeamish about all the kids on board and how it affects all of the adults traveling without...no worries....that too is handled in the most professional way and there are plenty of quiet areas, adult only areas, kids only areas and programs that the the whole Disney experience is thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. Needless to say, we will be cruising on Disney again and hopefully will be able to bring many of our family members along with us! Loretta, Steven and J. R. Palumbo - WN
8/10/2009
Hi, Mike! We really enjoyed the cruise - cabin 345 was ideally situated! Thank you for the delicious chocolate dipped strawberries - that was a nice surprise. We are in Anchorage today awaiting the train ride to Denali tomorrow....the tour has been spectacular so far. Donna
8/7/2009
Thanks Mike....and thank you for the up-grade notification! We were very happy to see we will be in the middle of the ship and close to elevators. It has been great doing business with you!! Maureen Skow
7/21/2009
Mike - Our family just finished the Disney cruise and are now back home. Alll connections were made, the weather was perfect, the food was excellent. Many thanks for your help. Regards, Pat and Brent Mayo - Disney cruise Line 7/12/2009, 4-night Bahamas
6/25/2009
Dear Mike:
Re: Celebrity Century, 4/25/2009, 14 night, MIA-AMS
Pictures of Living room, dining room, bathroom, bedroom, closet, dressing
table, 1100 square feet Plus the balcony, and 3 plasma TV's, Another
couple that I worked with at Delta went with us and it was his birthday, so
we had our butler Serve all of us dinner in our penthouse.
4 of us shared the penthouse, my 2 sisters Helen & Dorothy and a good friend
Sandy. I think I told You that we paid $3,800 to upgrade but that amounted
to only $950 each for 14 day cruise, what a Bargain,
We figure it was a trip of a lifetime. - Maggie/DL Retired
6/18/2009
Hi Mike,
Just returned from our cruise yesterday. Terry and I had a great time. Holland America did a fine job once again.
Regards,
Mark/NW
5/20/2009
Hello, Mike:
Just a quick line to let you know that my trip was WONDERFUL!! Thank you for helping me to make it such a memorable experience. You will be hearing from me, and I have passed your web address to other interline friends! Thanks again!! Would highly recommend the CARNIVAL VALOR
Best Regards!
Tony Vasheo, UAL
5/19/2009
Most agreeable, sincere, "I'm here for whatever you want" guy that we know. - Adele S.
5/14/2009
Ref: NCL Dawn 5/3/2009 Bermuda Cruise
Hi Mike,
I must begin by apologizing for not e-mailing you sooner. But you know how it is when you come back from Vacation.
First let me thank you so very much for the Chocolate Strawberry’s. What a surprise and how delicious they were.
Everyone was quite surprised and they all enjoyed.
The Cruise was great. I don’t know if you have ever been on the Dawn but let me tell you how surprised I was at the size of the bathroom. You could move around in the shower that is how spacious it was and it even had a shower door and not a curtain. The whole set up was great. The Freestyle Dining was different from what we are used to but they took reservations for Diner so that made it nice. Over all the food and service was good but did not come up to the other Carriers standards. The ship itself was nice as well as the crew members.
Thank you so much for all you did to make our trip turn into a great vacation. My cousins enjoyed their first cruise and hope to do another. As for my cousin who had to cancel she was devastated and said you were very helpful for which I am grateful.
I saw the picture of your daughter on the Web Site. Congratulations to you and your wife on having an intelligent and beautiful young lady for your daughter.
Hope to be making plans again soon.
Sincerely,
Bernadette Worthington
5/8/2009
Had a “GREAT” time on Uniworld and would highly recommend them. The ship is in the best shape of any we have been on. The food is good and the crew was also great. Try to talk people into cat 3. Everyone in 1 & 2 said it was noisy with engine and waves. For all the shore excursions and wine that was included with dinner, we think the price was good also.
Thanks for your help. Vinnie Scharneck
5/6/2009
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the (Cunard QM2) upgrade. It should be very nice.
However, (in my humble opinion) they may have a long way to go to compete with AMA!! I have come to the conclusion that AMA (AMA Waterways river cruises) does not need any new business. They will survive very well on repeat business! Many of the passengers on our cruise were 'repeats' and I can see why: Give good service and the business will follow. Just like Mike does at Homeport Cruises!!
Pennie
4/29/2009
HAL ROTT 1/19/09 45N LAX-HKG
Tom and Ronda, DL/retired
4/22/009
Thank you for everything you have done for us! We appreciate your help. I will remember you on my next triip. We are very excited! Thank you!! Carol Garrison, UA retired
4/20/2009
Mike - An overdue note of thanks, but we got back last Sunday (Easter) from the week on the Crown Princess, and it was just a busy week. \ We had a terrific time. The ship was lovely, the itinerary was outstanding, and all your help made all the difference in the world. Thank you so much for the chocolate covered strawberries, which we enjoyed over a couple of nights. And I am sure you helped someone with their gift of champagne and appetizers, so thanks for that too. Everything from your prep and guidance was seamless and exceeded expectations. For our "first time cruiser", it was a great choice. Their Pelican Kids Club was terrific for a 5 year old. She spent a part of most days or an occasional evening there. Well managed and lots of activities for the kids. Overall for our first Caribbean cruise in almost twenty years, a nice update to what cruising is today. We loved the anytime dining, and the head waiter who took a shine to Abigail (traveling with a cute, precocious little one who orders off the adult menu has its advantages) booked us a standing table in the corner of the dining room we liked that turned out to be next to the captain's family tables and he had his family and extended family on the ship that week. So by day 2, he ran into Abigail out at some social function and was calling her "my little friend". I was impressed that on "formal" nights when we chose to use the more informal cafe space, once with just me and Abigail and a second night just with Abigail (Tim and I chose that night for the Crown Grill), they still had that area with white linen and tuxedoed waiters and you did not feel second-class. Our room was essentially perfect. A lot of effectively used space and the balcony was a big hit for all. The location was great, but the only thing I would have change is being one deck lower, as being just below the pool, etc. deck, led to scraping noises at either odd times when people were moving tables/chairs up there or the staff was plopping out the lounges early in the morning. But not a major issue at all. So thanks again and while not maybe with the frequency of some of your "addicts"/belly flop champions (I am so proud of Dad), we will definitely come back to you again. Best,Diane
4/19/2009
4/1/2009
HEY MIKE: BILL PADDOCK HERE. I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WE ENJOYED THE TRIP. THE EURODAM IS A GREAT SHIP. THE "HAL" PEOPLE WERE GREAT. WE HAD TO CANCEL OUR STOP AT GRAND TURK ISLAND DUE BAD WEATHER. WE HAD CLOUDY WINDY WEATHER THE FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS. MY WIFE HAD A GREAT TIME. SHE PAID FOR THE TRIP THE 3ND NIGHT WINNING BIG AT ELECTRONIC POKER. THE SERVICE WAS SUPER, THE STAFF GREAT, THANKS AGAIN BILL PADDOCK
3/31/2009
Hi Mike,
Re: Holland America Line, Amsterdam, 3/1/2009, 16-nights,
Valparasio-to-Rio
For many days I've tried to attach some pictures to send you,
with no luck. Have to wait for my son to help me and he's on
Spring Break. Our cruise to S.A. was perfect; even the
weather around Cape Horn. Thank you for the chocolate covered
strawberries and the work you did putting together the nice
cruise. We connected with several terrific people, from
Vancouver to England and Japan; language was no problem even
bartering for the lowest van fare possible in Punta Arenas.
It was a hoot!
Our fun was with the activities including "Olympic" contests.
Ro crushed his opponents with a shattering belly flop in
the pool. What a guy! He made me
proud! We also were blown away, again, by having the same
activity director from 3 cruises ago shout out our names as
we were touring the ship before departure. We became close
friends with her and her dancer fiancée.
We loved the casual dining option and used it most of the
time - there was much to do and didn't want to spend it
eating all the time. I've caught up on my sleep and Ro is
looking at more cruising for next year!
Your cruising addicts, ADELE & ROMAINE
3/24/2009
Hello Mike.....and
how are you doing today? We just had our 12 day cruise to
Panama with our friends and it was awesome! I think "Jewel of
the Seas " is now my favorite ship! Betsy,
USAir/retired
3/20/2009
3/13/2009
Thank you, Mike, for
the nice bottle of champagne in our stateroom when we
departed Los Angeles for Hong Kong.
FYI, our room was set
up parallel to the hallway instead of perpendicular
and seemed much bigger than usual. We were very
pleased with the service which was the best of any Holland
ship we have booked.
A world cruise,
even if it was only 2 segments, is a little more special than
the regular 2 weeker, or even the longer 4 week
cruise we did last year. I bet that ship will be
painted 4 times before they get back to
FLL.
We definitely will
look into next winter's world cruise on HAL because of the
great experience we had this year.
I want to write a
cruise review for your website and attach a couple
pictures. Will send it in another email whenever I get
my stacked up mail/tax preparation and dirty clothes out
of the way.
Thanks again for your
excellent service.
Ronda and Tom
Kenna
2/19/2009
Hi Mike:
Always nice to return home and to boast & brag about 14
days of 80's and sunshine! Very
good cruise overall. Celebrity #4 but did not measure up to
the previous three. I rated this cruise 8.5. Time
for the Mercury to be retired, probably due to being spoiled
by the Summit, Infinity and Princess ships. Our cabin on the
aft was great (224 sq ft, actually two rooms) but could not
use the deck. Always wet in the AM, black nasty soot on the
floor much of the time (from the smoke stack I guess) and no
lounge chairs (just chairs covered with soot). The wet came
from three levels up, public outdoor eating deck that got
cleaned each night. Good experience being in the Aft but a
one-time thing. Public
pools very limited on the Mercury. Evening shows were
excellent. Mercury band was excellent. Food was very good but
I missed the 11pm eating that you can get on
Princess.
Robert/VT
1/19/2009
Hello
Mike,
Happy New Year!! We have just returned from Florida. Thank
you so much ...our sailiing onboard the Veendam. We had a
WONDERFUL cruise!!! Our cabins could not have been
better....excellent (419,421)!!!
We have taken many cruises over the years as an interliner
and this is first time we have been upgraded....what a
wonderful treat. Thanks so much for your assistance and your
excellent service. We look forward to calling you again!!
Thanks again,
Pat & Ed Riddell
1/15/2009
Celebrity Cruises, Infinity,
South America Cruise, photo by Costi and Margaret
Audeh.
Hello Mike,
Finally I am able to select 3 photos of interest. As you may
imagine I took many digital
photos, deleted over a hundred and saved about 900l!!!
The photo I like best, (DSC10167) is of the white speckles of
salt in the shape
of an arc on the carpet which has a pattern of many colored
arcs. This photo was
taken after the Celebrity Infinity made a real sharp turn
which resulted in the
emptying of the hot tubs on deck ten, the pool/restaurant
deck, and creating
havoc in the restaurant. As a result of the sharp turn, most
of the pepper and
salt shakers fell off the restaurant tables. As I picked them
up off the floor,
I noticed that ONLY one of the salt shakers created a
"semi-circle of salt" on
the carpet, as shown in the photo. It seems that, as the
Infinity
completed her turn, this specific salt shaker, now on the
floor and on its side,
turned on its horizontal axis "in sympathy" with the
Infinity. This action
created the semicircle of salt as the salt came pouring out
of a couple of holes
of the salt shaker. Of the many hundreds of photos I have
taken during the 2
cruises, this ONE is the best!!!
The other 2 photos are of a waterfall and a glacier that
"end" in the Pacific
ocean. A detailed map of the Magellanes district of Chile
shows that there is one
enormous glacier that contacts the ocean at many different
locations, this is just
one location which I think is Glacier Italia. It is a strange
scene when a waterfall starts
in a snow/ice-covered mountain and dumps into the ocean. I
have never seen that
before!!!
Best regards.
Costi.
12/19/2008
Mike,
Congrats on your award,well deserved.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Holidays and a most
Prosperous 2009,
Mardele UA/retired
12/19/2008
CONGRATULATIONS,
MIKE!!!! You are #1 (always have been) and are glad to
see this news. Merry Christmas to you and your
wonderful family ... and a new year filled with lots of good
health, love and joy in your life.
Hugs,
Matalynne
12/19/2008
Congratulations,
Mike!!!!
Can't wait to book another cruise with an Elite Cruise
Counsellor!!!
That last cruise we took on Mariner of the Seas in
October was fabulous! What a great ship! We got
detoured from Eastern Caribbean to Western Caribbean because
of Hurricane Omar but Captain Per Christopherson was
great. He kept us informed every step of the way and
had open questions to him in the theater several times during
the changes.
This has made Royal Caribbean our absolute favorite cruise
line!
Hope to book another one through you soon - depending on our
wonderful economic crisis.
Congratulations, again, Mike!
Nancy and Chris
12/152008
Yes,
grass does grow on cruise ships - case in point: the
Celebrity Solstice. Behind them on the lawnclub is the
Corning Glassworks demo kiln. Mike, Jo, Jeanne and David.
11/19/2008
Morning
Mike....how are you doing today? We got home Sunday after a
fabulous 7 day cruise on Mariner of the Seas! That's an
awesome ship and my personal favorite! We ran into Hurricane
Paloma however, it had died down to just a tropical storm and
we experienced one day of torrential rain and winds of 40
m.p.h. No problem...we played cards, Mexican train dominoes
and soduko.
Betsy US/retired
11/12/2008
Mike
- got back yesterday from the Statendam Panama cruise
(10/25/2008 sailing) with Eloise. WE GOT UPGRADED ! Veranda
Cabin 034 on Navigation Deck. That will probably never happen
again - but we sure were grateful and suprised. Now, Hugh and
I are thinking of a short cruise. Thanks again, Mike. Nancy
King P.S. Eloise got her 100+ day medallion (I got mine this
summer on the Prinsendam). Maybe that put us on a "upgrade"
list.
11/10/2008
Just
noticed that Holland America is giving interliners fantastic
deals on their long winter cruises. I want to show all of you
a few pictures of the cruise offered this winter season (at a
nice price reduction from last year). We took this trip last
January on HAL Ryndam. Holland America, as usual, gave us a
very memorable vacation to the South Pacific, Tahiti and the
Marquesas Islands. The ports of call are incredibly beautiful
and the water sports are so varied and exciting (try being in
the water with sharks AND sting rays at the same time)!!
Thank you again, MIKE, for your excellent customer service.
Tom Kenna and Ronda - DL retirees
11/5/2008
Hi Sweetie (Mike),
Thank you so much
for the delicious chocolate covered strawberries!!! Yummy. I
was so surprised when I opened the door and there they were!
That was so thoughtful of you. We had a great trip. I would
never go there again. It is beautiful, but so poor and dirty.
I was actually mugged in Manaus - luckily, he didn't get my
diamond necklace (it was partly my own fault for wearing it,
but I forgot that morning, and went out with it on). It all
worked out all right, except Dave broke his little finger
trying to wrestle the guy - he got him, he didn't know that
my chain held! Dave also got the "virus" for a day and that
was a bummer, we had to cancel our excursion in Hualtaco (no
big deal there). We had such a good time, and are looking
forward to the next one!! Again, thank you for your
thoughtfullness, we truly appreciate it!
Love, Beth & Dave, USAirways, retired
10/22/2008
Dear
Mike,
George
and I would like to take this opportunity to express our
sincerest thanks ...
during
our Alaskan cruise on the Infinity, departing on September
19th, 2008.
The
chefs did an outstanding job seeing to it that George did not
have ANY corn products served to him during
the
cruise. They would provide him with a menu for the next day
and, when his meal arrived at the table,
sometimes
it
would be a bit different than any of ours, but just as
delicious. And, believe it or not, this included desserts as
well.
We
had beautiful weather all but one day out of fourteen. That
was amazing.
However,
all of this enjoyment came about because you do what you do
so VERY WELL.
When we listened to some of
the
glitches our friends ran into in planning this cruise, we
appreciated you even more.
Thank
you for your kindness, your thoughtfulness and your
professionalism.
Sincerely,
George
and Mary Fagan
(Two
more of your “Many Fans”)
10/21/2008
Mike,
Regina and I just returned from our cruise (aboard Costa) and
we want to thank you for all the help we got from you.
Everything went perfectly smooth.We were very impressed by
Costa Cruise operation,very friendly personnel onboard, we
would recommend them to everyone. As for you, we have already
given your name to quite a few friends. I am so happy Betty
(UA/retired) sent me to you. We want to thank you .... our
tablemates were jealous.
Until we sail again, take care.
Mardele and Regina
10/17/2008
Mike:
Re: Celebrity Cruises Century, 10/31/2008 10N roundtrip
Barcelona
I
don't have any doubts about this trip - I know it will be
amazing.
You will definitely hear from us again and I will definitely
refer you to my friends.
Jaye/AA
9/23/2008
Audrey and
Ruth...enjoying the 'bubbly' in anticipation of their
upcoming sailings aboard Holland America Line's
"Eurodam".
9/18/2008
Port Canaveral is
a great port to sail from; the transfer down to the ship is
about 35 minutes and really easy. Here's an idea…did you know
that you can pick up an Enterprise Rental Car (off site) and
drive down to the port instead of taking a transfer? You can
do a 1 way rental and there is an Enterprise rental in Cocoa
Beach that has a shuttle that runs to the ship terminal. The
cost of the rental car is less than a transfer price if you
have a couple of people in the party. If you have an early
flight, this gives you a chance to see the beach, go to Ron
John's etc.
Laura/Carnival
Cruise Line
9/16/2008
“NCL
is not an interline partner with Homeport Cruises
Co.”
What in the heck is wrong with them??? Thank you for
checking the other lines. I’ll see…the date wasn’t
perfect, anyway. You’ve done so well by us over the
years (even as infrequently as we book) that I hate to think
of going with someone else.Thank you, again..
Lynne K
9/11/2008
Rebecca,
Marissa, Michael & Susan - Naperville,
IL
Princess Cruises 7/19/2008 14N Med Cruise, RT Southampton/UK
8/27/2008
Even if you live
in paradise (Maui) you can still enjoy cruising.
Dick and Marleen, AA retired,
Celebrity Cruises is their favorite line.
8/26/2008
These photos are from Romaine and Adele...from their recent
Alaska Cruise Tour aboard Holland America Line. Photos are of
the part entrance. If you've been to Denali National Park
before you'll remember these scenes...
8/22/2008
I
read almost all your letters, well after all that , i think
you are busier than i expected, which is a good thing. Not a
bad word about you, but i knew that, you are very special.
Thanks again for all your good service.. looking forward to
the Carnival ship splendor in the spring .thanks again Barb
and Mike. UA/retired
8/19/2008
Princess Cruises, Sapphire
Princess, 6/29/2008, CruiseTour 6B
Homeport Crusies Co - Group Name: The
Hounds!
This is the
group to Alaska.
Top Left to right: Bob Parker, Waiter, Asst. Waiter, Bruce
Scamman
Bottom Left to right: Barbara Scamman, Betty Bouchard, Bob
& Lynn Bouchard
Alaska, Denali National
Park. Park Road Toklat Grizzly...
2/8/2008
Grand Princess - 2/8/2008, Western Caribbean: The Hounds
Group
This is from
the Western Caribbean trip Top L to R Head waiter, Bruce
Scamman Eddie Ruel,Bill McCarthy, Bob Parker, Asst.
Bottom L to R Betty Bouchard, Brenda Ruel, Barbara
Scamman
8/11/2008
--Mike, Thank you so much
for everything you did to make our cruise a good trip. It was
a wonderful start...Cathy Cowan
8/8/2008
Hi
Mike
Just
a quick note to tell you and your clients that Carnival
Splendor was really splendid. A beautiful ship, great food,
excellent service and the production shows (singers &
dancers) were fabulous! Even better than some I've seen in
Las Vegas.The ports we docked at in Northern Europe and
Russia were full of history and fun places to visit. However,
our dollar is in the dump! Only Russia would take the green
back. All others wanted either their own currency or
euros.
Ciao for
now... Phil Maita
7/22/2008
Hey
Mike - Just got back TODAY from our Prinsendam cruise (stayed
an extra 4 days in London and got to Amsterdam 3 days early
before cruise). As you can imagine, with our shrinking
dollar, it was an expensive trip and we're waiting for the
credit card bills to start rolling in !! BUT - we are still
VERY interested in the Ryndam cruise. I'm going to take a
risk, that the price may drop further - and we will have more
disposable income in a couple months. Please keep us posted.
As to the Prinsendam - we loved it ! Although our room was
small, we loved the location. Food was wonderful, cruise
stops were phenomenal, crew just the best. But with only 3
sea days, it was a whirlwind of activity. And I got my 100
day medallion - photo ceremony and all ! And I'm not even in
a walker yet ! lol Thanks, again, Mike - Nancy K/AA
retired
7/16/2008
Mike,
The cruise, land & sea (Princess Cruises) was GREAT
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not one negative comment, way beyond
expection, especially the week of enterior Alaska.
Got within 12 feet of a Grizzly, beautiful.
Bob P/Vermont
6/17/2008
Mike, for all the
wonderful amenities you afforded us. I was absolutely blown
away, as I thought they were coming from Royal Caribbean. You
were very generous, and I cannot thank you enough. Our Suite
was great, and since my mother wasn't able to leave that
much, it was wonderful to have family members accommodated
comfortably, as we had plenty of seating available. Everyone
had a great time, and are looking forward to doing it again.
I cannot thank you enough for all of your fantastic care, and
understanding, as we did have some bumps in the road. You are
so totally professional and efficient, you are the BEST.
Thanks again.
Regards,
Betty
6/4/2008 - NWA Employee Group, Celebrity Cruises Greek Isles
5/30/2008
We
got back this morning from our AK cruise on Holland America's
Amsterdam. Mike the whole experience was wonderful - and that
is not a good enough word to describe it. The services was
outstanding in every respect. The weather was incredible. I
have traveled to SE Alaska for business many times and never
seen it quite like that. The room accommodations were
perfect. The outside cabins you arranged could not have been
better as was there location. You did some magic. We will
cruise again and we will work with you.
Thx
again. Dave K - UA retired
Here
is a picture in Glacier Bay last Monday.
PS it is a plus living in SEA for a cruise like this. We
drove to the cruise terminal parked our car and got on the
ship. We were home forty five minutes after we walked off the
ship
5/22/2008
Hello
Mike !
Just to let you know how we enjoyed our cruise on the Golden
Princess, despite that we got a terrible cold, we had a good
time.
Anyhow, thank you very much for taking care of everything !!
Until next time...........best regards,
Werner R
P.S. I will be watching for offers on the Celebrity for Apr.
27-2009 until May 11-2009 to Alaska on the Mercury, LA
r/t
5/14/2008
Hi Mike:
Our cruise aboard the Celebrity Constellation:
Eloise and I loved our cruise.
Inside cabin wasn't bad but I did hate not knowing if the sun
was shining when I woke up! Nancy K/AA
retired
5/13/2008
Hello
Mike,
Thank
you very much ..... Also we enjoyed the Holland America
Ship. The crew was great and we experienced great
Customer Service from everyone. Thanks again always for
your help.
Jo
Ann/WN
4/25/2008
Mike:
In case we haven't
told you lately, we really appreciate the work you do for us.
I have been reading horror stories on some forums and realize
how lucky we are to have someone who knows how best to help
us and takes the time to do so. Sharon
J/USAirways
3/28/2008
Sadie joins Homeport Cruises Co. staff as mascot...
3/27/2008
Hi
Mike,
We
had a fabulous time on our recent Cruise on the Caribbean
Princess on March 16th. It was so much better than our RCCL
cruise on the Mariner in October of 2006. RCCL has changed
too much...too many differences to go into....but, we loved
everything about Princess and we want to cruise again on her.
We know that the new ship the Ruby will be sailing starting
in Nov. this year. We are interested in a mini suite...let us
know if you see any "deals" come up.
Thanks
again for all your help and your great customer
service.
Loretta P
3/17/2008
Thanks,
The Azamara Quest cruise was great. The stateroom was very
convenient. Thanks for picking it for us. Service was superb
and so was the food & entertainment. Hope to do another
one soon.
Aloha, Jennie Reynolds
3/10/2008
Hi,
Mike. Got back a few days ago from the Princess cruise from
AKL to SYD.
Pleasant
trip, BIG boat, LOTS of people. Probably a notch above Royal
Carib. Thought you'd like to know. Seas can get pretty rough
(force 9 gale winds, seas to 27' one day), enough to cancel 3
shows, but the boat stays pretty stable in spite of it,
probably because it's so big (115,000+tons) and has decent
stabilizers.
Might
try a smaller boat next time, like Crystal,Alohas -
Mike
2/27/2008
Hello
Mike !
Thank
you for the papers, which arrived yesterday.
We are looking forward to another wonderful
cruise.......thanks to your good service !
Best regards, Werner
2/4/2008
Mike,
I just wanted to send you a note and let you know the cruise
you set up for Carl and I, Kathy and John Raymond, Peggy and
John Papadia, and Candy and Frank Vainisi was wonderful. The
ship was fabulous, the food was delicious, our rooms were in
a great location and a balcony was the only way to go.
Unfortunately, it is all now just a fond memory!
I just wanted to say thank you for setting all of this up for
us. Warm Regards, Norine Riggio
2/4/2008
Hello Mike,
Everyone
sends a BIG ‘THANK YOU’... That ship (RCCL Liberty of the
Seas) was the best ship I have ever been on. The décor was
unbelievable! I’m trying to get another group together for a
3 day again and will be calling you sometime this month.
Again thank you!
You
are the best!!
Elise
Dear Mike,
I want to thank you for the great cruise we had over
Christmas with Royal Caribbean that you and our daughter,
Sharon M, arranged. Also, thank you very much ... Barbara and
I would like to take another cruise, but at a different time
of the year and to a different area. We think a smaller ship
would be fun and with a destination other than Mexico. We
would like to depart from San Francisco to avoid the airline
thing. I guess that leaves Alaska or Canada? As you can tell
I don't have a definite idea, but maybe you can help us with
your thoughts. Something you think would be fun and is a good
deal.
We are looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks again.
Sincerely yours, Richard H
1/10/2008
Mike-Happy New Year
to you! Thank you for your assistance on our family
group cruise over
Christmas. We did get a little acknowledgement from Royal
Caribbean-one day we all had fruit baskets, another day
platters of cookies & milk. We also all got "white tags"
so that our bags were 1st off the ship and we could depart at
out leisure. It was very nice. Our weather was good too.
Again, thanks for always thinking of us.
Sharon M
1/8/2008
Happy
New Year, Mike! We’re back from our first cruise. This was
the greatest vacation we’ve ever been on. What a ship!!!
Thank you so much for putting this all together for us; and
for encouraging me not to cancel the trip due to Jennifer’s
passport challenges. Also, thank you ... What a pleasant
surprise. Short of US Air losing our luggage on our return
trip and not calling us the next day when our luggage finally
did arrive, everything went without a hitch---perfect. We
learned a lot this trip. We’re looking forward to when we can
do this again. Thanks again Mike!
Jeff
& Ginny
1/8/2008
Mike...Thanks
for letting me know you got the fax and that our tickets have
been mailed. I'll be watching
the mail for the tickets. Betsy Votour said you got her and
Ted in the cabin next to ours. Thanks so much
for getting our group all together. Appreciate all your hard
work.
Jerri UA
1/8/2008
Dear Mike:
Re: Carnival Pride 12/30/07 7N LA/LB
Thank
you very much .... Everyone loved the cruise and we had
nothing negative to say about it. Thank you again for
all your help. I probably will be contacting you
shortly about a 12 Night Greece & Eastern Med. Cruise for
my husband and I for our 40th Wedding Anniversary.
Thanks again.
Jo
Ann/WN
12/28/2007
Hi
Mike - Our 23 day HAL (Ryndam) was fabulous. Our best cruise
yet. Met lots of wonderful people and loved the open dining
option. Actually, on the very first day of open dining we
eight strangers liked each other so much, we dined together
every night. I'm keeping my eye out for a February or March
cruise. We really like the LONG cruises best. I'm sure we'll
be talking soon. Hope you are having a great Holiday Season.
Nancy AA/retired.
11/30/2007
Mike:
You are
a doll!!! Thank you so much. I really appreciate all your
efforts. You know you are what makes a difference of one
company to another. Can I write a letter to your boss and let
them know what a SUPER job you are doing? I know when I was
in res. I would get letters, and I know how much they meant
to me. Yes, please go ahead and charge my cc for the full
amount. Again, Mike, thank you.
Sincerely,
Beth
Michitsch
11/27/2007
Re: Princess Cruises 'Island Princess" 10/9/2007 LAX-FLL
We may
be in the minority, but I must say we really enjoyed the
"exotic" Panama Canal cruise on the Island Princess. I know
there really wasn't much "to see" in Central America, but it
was all interesting (Lake Antilan and the Mud Pots). We
really enjoyed the ship -- it is very nicely decorated -- and
especially enjoyed the Martini Bar where one of the attached
pictures was taken (obviously). The other is of Dave on one
of the three hanging bridges we had to cross on our rain
forest walk in Costa Rica (no it did not rain). We had
previously taken a gondola ride through various levels of the
rain forest, but it poured buckets that time.
Maridee and David/NWA MSP
11/12/2007
11/3/2007
Cruise
Agents need vacations too!
Mike
& Jo....
10/29/2007
Mike,
We had
a super cruise..fishing was supberb!! We caught 2 barracuda
and 4 king macrel……loved it. Ok, hubby was impressed with the
cruise and would like to plan the next one. We are thinking
about doing the land/sea crusie to Alaska either in 2008 or
2009, but we can’t find prices so that we can see if it is
even feasible. We don’t know what month would be good either.
Can you help???
Oh, and
thanks ...! Carol
10/29/2007
Hi
Mike: Just wanted you to know that we had an AMAZING cruise!
Our mouths dropped open when we opened the door to our Junior
Suite – trust me, no more inside cabins for us!! I wanted to
thank you ...
This
was the biggest ship we’ve been on. For the most part, it was
terrific – but we were a little disappointed in the
entertainment onboard. The ice show was Olympic quality, but
the nightly shows were better on the smaller ships we’ve
cruised in the past. The Voyager (Voyager of the Seas, RCCL)
had a juggler and illusionist that were perfect for a 10-year
olds birthday party; everyone at our dinner table agreed that
the entertainment was lacking a lot. And Portofino’s – WOW!
Amazing food, service and presentation – definitely worth the
extra dollars!
Susan
H
9/28/2007
Mike:
Once again thanks for your great service, you're the only
interline agent I recommend to everyone at United due to your
outstanding customer sevice.
Brian, UA MCO
9/20/2007
Dear
Mike, Thanks for your message!!! I can't believe we are
almost on our way. I did receive my VISA and passport
replacement. Please keep me informed of any terrific bargains
like this trip - I am always ready to travel and can find
friends ..... to join me.
I have enjoyed our telephone chats and your efficient
execution of our reservation and arrangements -- I am very
impressed with your service. That comment from a seasoned
traveler is most complimentary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!
Most sincerely, Donna
9/1/2007
Thanks, Mike. By the way, we loved our cruise aboard the
Azamara journey!!!! Beautiful stateroom, healthy food, great
mineral pool, nice weather, etc. etc. AND non-revving was a
breeze. NK P.S. We're keeping our eyes out for a LONG cruise
in January or February. Maybe even a "back-to-back". Cheap,
too, of course. I'll be looking - but if you see something
wonderful, let me know. Oh - I gave your card to a couple
people. We met lots of airline folks - forget last names but
Jay and Diane, Jim and Gemme, and Marsha and... All from
Florida. Hope they get in touch. One couple has "had it" with
the interline agency up North.
8/30/2007
Hi
Mike:
This is just a note to thank you for the fabulous way you
found and arranged for us our Celebrity cruise to Alaska and
the land tour which accompanied it!
Lynn and I had a great time. The Summit is a good ship with
fine food and activities. The weather was perfect more times
than you should expect in Alaska, and we had what was
reported as the Summit's closest ever approach to the Hubbard
Glacier. The visit to Husky Homestead at Denali, with the
chance to hold those puppies, was a real highlight for dog
lovers such as we.
Your arrangements and communications were the best we have
ever had for a trip. All we had to do was follow the
paperwork you gave us, and we avoided any glitches in our
arrival, boarding and cruising. Also, I probably would not
have thought to be in the Captain's Club had you not noted
our pervious Celebrity clruising and put us there. We did
enjoy the perks.
Thanks again! Henry Curtis
8/21/2007
Mike:
Diane and I got back home late Saturday from our Azamara
cruise to Bermuda.
Before we departed for the cruise, you had asked me to give
you some
comments when we returned.
Diane and I were somewhat apprehensive about this Celebrity
"spin-off" when
we left home. However, from the minute we stepped on board,
we were just
delighted with the ship, the cabin, and the crew. The ship
was built in
2000 for Renaissance Cruise line, and was refurbished for
Azamara. The
ship's decor reminded me of several remodeled old hotels that
we have stayed
in - lots of dark wood paneling, beautiful carpeting and
staircases. I have
included a couple of pictures. The cabins are very similar in
layout and
furnishings of balcony cabins on other Celebrity ships - very
comfortable,
with flowers and fresh fruit as add on's. The room TV's are
all flat-screen
and wall mounted.
The advertised "butler" service seems to be a bit of a
stretch, as it
appears to be very similar to the "stateroom attendant"
service on other
Celebrity ships, and it is definitely not the same as the
butler service we
had several years ago, in a suite on the Infinity. The
service was
outstanding, and I have no complaints, but I just wanted to
mention this
because the term "butler" needs to be clarified.
As far as the other ship facilities, they are very similar to
other
Celebrity ships - pool area, theater, main restaurant, two
specialty
restaurants, library, casino, a couple of shops, aqua-spa and
exercise
rooms, and very nice "buffet-like" cafe. However, each of
these facilities
is not as large as on other Celebrity ships, but with only
750 passengers,
this is not a problem. The food was excellent - up to
Celebrity standards
and then some, particularly in the number of food selections
available. The
"open-seating" dinner in the main dinning room has pros and
cons. The pros,
you can go to eat when you want; the cons, you do not get to
"know" your
waiter, since you may not have the same table each night.
Though, I must
say that the staff tried to seat you with the same waiter's
each night, and
we did get to know two or three of the wait staff very well.
An added
feature is the "casual" dress code. It was really nice, not
to have to
bring dress clothes. Interestingly, many people did dress
"formally" for
some dinners.
Passengers and Staff: With only 750 passengers on board,
there were no
lines or crowding at any time during the cruise. The only
"waiting" took
place a couple of times in the cafe at breakfast and lunch
(waiting for
omelets or special lunches). The ship never felt crowded, and
as a whole
the passengers seemed a lot more polite and courteous than on
the larger
ships. This may have been due to the small number of
passengers or because
of the age group on board (primarily 40's plus). There were
very few
children or teens. The ship's staff was the most courteous
and friendly
that we have ever encountered. This may be due to the low
number of
passengers, and the resulting lower stress levels on the
crew. Everyone of
the staff we talked to, from the Captain (we had dinner with
the captain one
night) on down remarked to us that this was the best
"Celebrity" ship that
they had ever been on, and that attitude showed in their
service.
To summarize, this was the most pleasant cruise ship that we
have ever been
on - relaxed, comfortable, uncrowded, beautiful decor,
outstanding food, and
a very friendly staff that went out of their way to serve the
passengers.
Intrusive ship announcements were kept to an absolute
minimum. Mike, if you
have customers that want a relaxed, low key, and elegant
cruise, they will
not be disappointed with cruising on this ship.
Regards, Carl Knable
8/7/2007
Hi Mike:
Many thanks for....our cabin. It was a great cruise on the
HAL Prinsendam, being small, was wonderful, service, food
excellent. Even had a walk-in closet in the cabin! We saw a
lot with so many port calls - often taking tours - we've
taken 5. Best Regards. The Debruyns'
6/4/2007
Hi
Mike: We are just back from our 2 week AK cruise and just
wanted to thank you for all you did to make it an affordable
and very nice vacation! We had a great time and all went
well!
Thanks again,
Mike and Diane
5/16/2007
We just got back from our journey...We had an inside room, no
up-grade, but the thought was wonderful, and we did
appreciate it. We had a wonderful time. I don't think the
Sapphire Princess is as good as the Diamond Princess but the
trip was great. Thanks again. I'll probably be talking to you
soon. Beth and Dave Michitsch - USAirways
5/16/2007
Thanks, Mike... very nice. We had a great cruise although
Kawai was cancelled "due to techical difficulties" and Maui
was extended an extra day.
Nancy (and Hugh) King
4/20/2007
Your
Name: Marcella (Trudy) Borucki
Cruise
Line: Celebrity
Ship Name: Constellation
Date You Sailed: March 23, 2007
Cruise Destination - Caribbean
Cabin Type - Outside Cabin
My Ship Review! Everything was spotless. They were very
diligent about cleanliness. This gave us peace of mind. The
news media always shows the negative side of cruising. The
food and service were Great. The shows were very
diversified
and
enjoyable. The shows could have been just a little longer. We
had a wonderful trip...
Trudy/AA
5/14/2007
Mike -
I just got off of Radiance of the Seas 4/28/2007 14 day
hawaii that you booked for us, WAS FABULOUS!!! Best cruise
ever!! I wanted to make sure that you received notification
on the cruise that Jim and I and my parents booked onboard
for April next year on the Explorer of the seas. Lori
M.
5/4/2007
Hi
Mike:
Once again we had a wonderfull cruise. Thank you for
everything. Our cabins were very nice and it's always a
pleasure doing business with you. We are already looking at
any good offer mid to end October with a minimum of 12 nights
and our friends Fang & Gutierrez are looking forward for
another cruise. We need two more points to become Diamond
members. Let me know if there is any cruise out of Aruba, I
would like to take my Mom but this has to be from either
Aruba or San Juan, August or September would be ideal. Thank
you,
Jeannette USAirways
5/3/2007
Hi
Mike!
Thank you so much for all your help on our recent cruise. We
have returned from the Panama Canal cruise and would like to
thank you, as we had a great time! Thank you again for all
your help & diligence!
Rae & Vernon
5/3/2007
Dear
Mike, Jack & I just arrived home yesterday from our
transatlantic cruise on Royal Caribbean (we also stayed a
week in England-sooo expensive right down with the dollar at
a record low, don't go anywher near the place!) Thank you so
much ...Our room was LARGE. At 211 sq. ft. it was 24 feet
larger than all the balcony rooms on our deck. We are busy
planning our next cruise & will let you know when we have
narrowed our choices! Thanks again.
Sharon Machold
4/21/2007
Hi
Mike, We are currently in Sidney BC getting some last minute
wiring done. Expect to leave for Alaska on June 1st. Enclosed
is a picture of the boat at the dock and being loaded on
Dockwise Transport out of Auckland. Teddi and I are planning
a cruise sometime in November or December. Best Regards, John
H/NW retired
1/24/2007
Mike,
First, congratulations on your new award...it's about time
everyone else
recognized what we already knew!!!
Sharon B. Johnston
USAirways flight attendant
1/24/2007
Mike...I
can't thank you enough for getting the better rate for Dennis
and Marcia's cruise. I truly appreciate your going the extra
mile to check this out for me, and the outstanding results
you got for me. I called Marcia and let her know, and of
course, she was thrilled. You're the best Mike! Thank you
again...
Jerri
1/24/2007
Mike,
Great news, thanks a bunch. I appreciate all your help and
I'll make sure to recommend you to all the military folks
here.
Joe
1/23/2007
Your Name: Nancy Beth Michitsch
Subject (Testimonial): Mike Gresh
Write Your Testimonial: I just booked a cruise with Mike, and
I must say, he\'s one of the most helpful, and professional
agents I\'ve ever worked with. I was a res. agent for 16
years, and I know what I\'m talking about. Don\'t hesitate to
call and ask for Mike. He\'s super.
1/22/2007
Thanks
for your patience. I appreciate your getting
Marcia and Dennis a good cabin.They were very pleased when
they saw where it was. They were a little
worried not knowing where it would be. Thought they might be
down in the boiler room, ha,ha! As always,
you've done an outstanding job accommodating us. Thank you so
much...Jerri
1/17/2007
CONGRATULATIONS, MIKE!!!!!! You are and always
have been the BEST OF THE BEST! Our 40th wedding
anniversary is coming up in May and we will be looking for
something to book then. Again, congratulations,
Mike. I remember way back when I met you at United
(1992) and was so impressed with you at that time. You
have built your business on integrity and excellent service
and I would recommend anybody looking for a "Cruise
Counselor" to call you!!
Hugs,
Matalynn UAL retired
1/17/2007
MIKE:
THANKS SO MUCH. YOU ARE THE BEST AND WILL HAVE OUR BUSINEES
FROM NOW ON.
BARB
10/9/2006
Hi
Mike:
Just to
let you know that we have received the brochures, booking
info, cruise ticket, baggage tags for Jewel of the Seas- and
also the booking info you sent on Norwegian Pearl. My parents
were excited to get the brochure you mailed them. That
was really nice of you. Thanks for your (as always) reliable,
prompt info.
Kaye
10/9/2006
Dear
Mike, Once again you are so thoughtful. Al and I certainly
enjoyed
our veranda champagne breakfast in Tallin. We arrived in the
harbor to a
lovely, calm and sunny morning with ample time to relax and
enjoy before our
walking tour. The server arrived at our suite door with white
tablecloth
and serving cart filled with a delicious feast.
Our entire cruise was pefect thanks to your efficient
preparation. The sun
shined on us from blue skies every day. The Princess
experience was perfect
in every way but we were particularly impressed with the
organization of
tours - prompt and well organized. We felt RCI could learn
something from
Princess (re tour organization only), based on last years
experience with
them.
Thank you very much for EVERYTHING.
Charlene and Al Drake
10/2/2006
Mike,
Just a
note to let you know that we have returned home from our
17-day, 3-cruise adventure aboard the Coral Princess. Thank
you for the veggie platter you sent to us...it was great. We
were able to meet up with Mom and Dad in Skagway...even got
permission from our Captain for them to come on board for
lunch! It pays to get to know the crew. I also want to tell
you that we REALLY appreciate your work in getting us the
same cabin for all 3 cruises. We met some other folks who did
the same itinerary as us and had to move all 3 times. They
were "elite" and were very jealous...E524 was a great home.
I'll get back to you soon about our next cruise...hopefully,
sooner than you think!
Thanks again
Sharon Johnston
9/13/2006
Mike,
I wanted to thank you for all your help with the information
you provided to me when deciding on a cruise. The Royal
Caribbean cruise you suggested and reserved for us was a
GREAT experience. We had the best time on and off the ship,
Enchantment of the Seas.
Because of hurricane Ernesto the itinerary was changed so we
did not make it to Key West. But Cozumel and CocoCay were
both fun experiences. We enjoyed the shows aboard the cruise
ship and all the extras.
You were right, we had a great time and my wife is already
wanting to plan our next vacation. We will contact you when
that time comes.
Again ,thank you very much for your help, information and
professionalism.
You will be recommended to others.
David & Sherry Baley
9/2/2006
Mike -
What great news!!! Thanks for getting us the same cabin for
all 3
sailings...sure will make our vacation lots easier. We are
nearly ready to
go...one more week. We are already making tentative plans for
several
cruises next year...bidding vacation time so I'll be off at
the right time.
Thanks for all of your help and hard work. It is very much
appreciated.
I'll get back to you about next year.
Sharon J
8/11/2006
Mike,
Our packet arrived today. Thanks again for your efficiency
and
helpful attitude, making you a pleasure to do business with.
Al and I are
anxiously awaiting our departure!
Rgds - Charlene
8/7/2006
GUESS WHO WE MET ON OUR CRUISE?
Barb and Dennis Miller with new found friends Marshall
University retired coach Bobby Pruitt and spouse Elsie aboard
Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas....
8/7/2006
Dear
Mike,
Thank you so much for putting together the Cruise for us. We
had an absolute ball and for our first cruise, it was
"exceptional". I have been told that we were "spoiled" by the
fact that our first cruise was on the "Brilliance of the
Seas", but we cannot wait to go on another one.
Thank you again for making our 35th Wedding Anniversary one
we will NEVER forget. The White Wine was waiting for us as we
entered our room. Thank you for your kindness.
Sincerely,
Barbara and Dennis Miller
8/7/2006
The Shamey Family Group onboard Royal Caribbean's Brilliance
of the Seas 7/22/2006.
Mike,
I wanted to let you know that our Royal Caribbean
Mediterranean cruise was the best experience and a lifetime
memory for us! We had such an awesome time! All your hard
work and personal touches were so appreciated. We thank you
from the bottom of our hearts. We definitely will be booking
another family adventure with you again. Barbara Miller will
be forwarding pictures to you soon. Thanks again, Mike. You
are the greatest!
Pam Shamey and family
7/19/2006
Royal Caribbean, Vision of the Seas, 6/30/2006 - 7 Night
Alaska
Hello Mike:
Ray and I just wanted to say "thanks" to you for making our
first cruise really special ...... The weather was perfect
the whole week and the ship - it was gorgeous! The people
working on the ship were from various countries and had many
tales to tell.. They all seemed very nice and helpful.. We
are debating our next cruise but not sure where to go yet..
When we decide we'll be in touch.. Thanks again,, Ray and
Sherry Bryant
7/6/2006
Your
Name: Luella Arrigo
Subject (Testimonial) Service
Write Your Testimonial: The service that we received from
Michael at Homeport cruises has been the best we have ever
received. We have worked with other agency\'s and found they
are not as detail oriented nor do they have that personal
touch that is needed when going on a \"sometimes confusing\"
vacation. Homeport cruises took excellent care of us and our
much needed large elderly family for our cruise. We needed 5
cabins, and none of our elderly family had e-mail or even a
computer! In this day and age you would think there is no way
to effectively communicate, but not with Homeport, they made
sure everyone was in the loop with all that was happening.
So, Thank you from all us. We look forward to our cruise and
spreading the word of the great service of Homeport cruises.
-------------------------------
7/6/2006
Just
wanted to let you know our cruise was great! The Grand
Princess was beautiful, the room was nice, food good and the
weather was perfect. We enjoyed the ports even though they
were a little hectic. The few days we stayed in Barcelona and
Venice were wonderful.
Sharon & Shelly
-------------------------------
6/26/2006
The
service that we received from Michael at Homeport cruises has
been the best we have ever received. We have worked with
other agency\'s and found they are not as detail oriented nor
do they have that personal touch that is needed when going on
a \"sometimes confusing\" vacation. Homeport cruises took
excellent care of us and our much needed large elderly family
for our cruise. We needed 5 cabins, and none of our elderly
family had e-mail or even a computer! In this day and age you
would think there is no way to effectively communicate, but
not with Homeport, they made sure everyone was in the loop
with all that was happening. So, Thank you from all us. We
look forward to our cruise and spreading the word of the
great service of Homeport cruises.
Luella/WN – Sailing 11/10/2006 aboard Celebrity’s
“Millennium”
-------------------------------
6/29/2006
Dr. Lauren Miller and her husband Ryan during their cruise
aboard Royal Caribbean's
Brilliance of the Seas 6/4/2006 sailing from Barcelona, Spain
(booked through Homeport Cruises Co.) Lauren just graduated
Magna Cum Laude and top female in her class at Ohio State
Medical School. She also received another award for research
she did...all in all...about four special awards at her
graduation. Ryan played football at OSU, won the Rose Bowl in
1997, and worked for 10TV as a Reporter/Sportscaster where he
won 3 Emmys for his work. He now has his own marketing firm.
Lauren will be doing one year of residency at OSU, but then
they will move to NC where she will spend five years at Duke.
-------------------------------
6/3/2006
....We had a wonderful time... Ross' parents were surprised
and delighted. We sincerely appreciate all of your efforts:
your skill, efficiency and professionalism are the best.
Suzette, Ross, May Jean & Delbert.
-------------------------------
6/2/2006
Pictures from our last cruise....Mary Ann, Barb &
Julianne
-------------------------------
6/1/2006
Dear Mike:
Just wanted to thank you for all of your help on our Alaska
cruise this past week on the Sea Princess. It was absolutely
wonderful. Weather was sunny and the glaciers were as
magnificent as you said in Juneau. The dogsled ride was
something I could not even describe. The entire trip
priceless. Thanks again. Judy Z.
-------------------------------
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the cruise, I have attached the
photo for you to see our formal family portrait,
from left to right on the vertical are the O'Brien's, the
Morris's, the Zinn's and the Coyne's. The four 'McLeod'
daughters are those across the middle. Thanks again for all
your help, hopefully we can do it again in the next four
years - the little ones are already planning!! Cheers,
Malcolm
-------------------------------
May parents arrived home from their cruise on Royal Caribbean
on Sunday, and
had a wonderful time. They said is was a great cruise and
enjoyed
themselves. My Dad is 70 years old and said he stayed up
until 1:30 in the
morning the last night to hear the piano player and band
play.
Thanks for your help and coordination. Anne
-------------------------------
Hi Mike,
...Our recent cruise to Bermuda on the Zenith in June
...can't say enough about the cruise, it was great! Loved the
ship, food, drink, staff on board, activities, casino was
very good to me too! Weather perfect in Bermuda, just wished
it all could have lasted longer! Again, thanks so much for
all your help in making our vacation a dream come true! Hope
to use your services in the future.
Mary
-------------------------------
Hi Mike,
Just wanted to thank you for booking our cruise vacation.
Everything went well ... from the airport transfers to and
from the port, to the actual processing of paperwork before
embarkation, to the great and attentive services on board, to
all the organized activities, to our stop in Nassau, and
especially to the the disembarkation process on the last day.
The weather was good, 70's and very windy. We weren't able to
stop at CoCo Cay due to high waves, but the cruise director
was quick to come up with a revised entertainment and
activities' schedule for the day. It was a fun day at sea.
All in all, we had a great time .... will definitely cruise
again. Thanks for your help.
Mansie & Joe
P.S. Your choice of our stateroom location was outstanding
...
-------------------------------
Kevin and I wanted to say thank you so much for helping us
with our
Honeymoon cruise March 17th! It was beyond my expectations!
We have already
been planning our next trip. Celebrity is fabulous! Like a
floating
Ritz-Carlton! You were right, the food was to die for. We
have heard from
several other people on the ship that they only cruise with
Celebrity now and
that we were spoiled off the bat. Anyway, keep the updates
coming...
Sincerely, Sheri
-------------------------------
Our trip is PERFECT... room is WONDERFUL...and of course ship
is BEAUTIFUL....
Thanks for you help in making it so GREAT....Jackie
-------------------------------
Attention:
Michael H. Gresh
We had a wonderful 21 day cruise through the Panama Canal and
were sorry to see it end. Holland America is sure to see
repeat business from us. Looking forward to working with you
again. Carol
-------------------------------
My mom, aunt, cousin and I all thank you sooooo much for
helping us put together our cruise on the Celebrity
"Millenium." (Departed FLL on April 29) It was as good as it
gets; 12 days of laughs and the best weather ever - not to
mention the picture postcard view from our balcony....
We'll be back for another cruise and have decided to save our
pennies and get a couple of suites! I'll be on the lookout
and wouldn't think of using any other interline source. Thank
you once again Mike for a most memorable trip!
Valerie
-------------------------------
Our recent trip to Alaska was fabulous. The weather in
Seattle,Vancouver and on the ship was great, sunny when it
should be. Very few cloudy days. The food was outstanding.
Our cabin on deck 7 was great. We got to know one another a
little better. Our l3 yr. old son had the time of his life.
We all want to go again next year...Thanks for all your hard
work in helping me plan this. Everything was perfect.
Regards, Linda
-------------------------------
Just a little quick note to let you know that we had a
fantastic time on our cruise. It was more than what we could
have imagined. I would highly recommend Royal Carribean. Very
good service. We also want to thank you very much for all of
the help in getting it together for us. It was a time to
remember for many years to come. Keep up the good work. We
will be in touch in the future for our next cruise. Thanks
again, Ken and Nancy - retired AA
-------------------------------
Thank you Homeport !!!!!!
Thanks again for all of your help. We will always recommend
you and your
Company to our airline employee friends.
Joseph
-------------------------------
Thank
you Mike, you are just too wonderful. Think we could erase
Ronny's name and put YOU in instead!!
-------------------------------
Carl and I got back from our Hawaiian cruise Friday morning
and we wanted to
tell you that we really enjoyed ourselves and are already
looking into where
we will go next. Carl and Diane
-------------------------------
Just wanted to drop a note to let you know that Gary and I
had a fabulous
cruise the week of December 1-8 on the Celebrity Horizon.
We'd never been to
Key West before and the highlight of that port for us what
Hemingway's home.
The other ports were ok for some shopping but mostly we
enjoyed the peace and
quiet on the ship when everyone else was gone. As before, you
made the
booking procedure easy and everything went smoothly. Thanks,
once again, for
helping us have another very memorable vacation. We'll be in
touch for
another cruise soon. Barb
P. S. No illness on our cruise, except my one day of
seasickness!
-------------------------------
I wanted to send you a quick thank you for all of your
assistance in
planning a wonderful holiday vacation for me and my family.
We really
appreciate all of your hard work. The kids and I, as well as
the rest of my family had a great time
and hope to do it again soon!
-------------------------------
Our cruise
on the Amsterdam was absolutely great, we had a wonderful
time with our friends. Thanks again,
Mario and Diane
-------------------------------
Mike: We cannot thank you enough for the attention you've
given us. This is the second cruise we've booked with you,
and you are "OUR" agent from now on. You have gone out of
your way to clear waitlists, move cabins, etc....you are
great!
Charlene and Brian
-------------------------------
I received the R/C brochure and confirmation you sent next
day mail - thanks. With that, my travel docs and the E.Docs
you sent I should be set to go! I will pass the good word
around about you and your firm. Thanks again - Sincerely,
John
-------------------------------
Jerry and I had a wonderful cruise aboard the Golden Princess
last week. It just couldn't have been nicer. The stateroom
with a balcony was just superb. Thank you.
-------------------------------
Thank you again, Mike, for arranging such a wonderful cruise
for us. Oh, wanted to mention, we took the Shore Trips on St.
Marteen which you recommended and it was far superior to the
tour on St. Thomas offered through Princess. I will
definitely use them in the future.
Marilyn and Jerry Fields
-------------------------------
Hi Mike-I just wanted to thank you so much for all your
efforts and assistance in arranging our Mexico Cruise with
Princess. You secured a wonderful cabin for us. The balcony
was delightful and once you've had one, I can't imagine
otherwise. The food, entertainment, and service was excellent
and everything very well organized. We absolutely loved
swimming with the dolphins and found a great lighthouse to
hike to in Mazatlan. Please keep us in mind if the relocation
cruise to Alaska comes up on this ship. Thanks so much for
making our 10 year anniversary trip special. Happy Spring.
Regards, Suzette
-------------------------------
I want to Thank You for booking our Cruise on Holland
American. We had a great time, except we didn't get to see
"Half Moon Cay." The Waves were too high to put the Tender in
the water. (Not your fault)
Also, I wanted to pass on an FYI.
On our return, we stayed at the "Quality Inn - Airport" in
Orlando. While there I found out that they have a Shuttle to
Port Canaveral for $25.00 per person for their Guests.
George
-------------------------------
Dear Mike,
I want to thank you for everything.
Your profession approach to the customer's needs, your prompt
replies and your great deals you find for us.
What a great cruise we had! I love Royal Caribbean. They know
how to do it just right. Good service and clean ships. We had
a wonderful time. We love Coco Cay. I wish we could have
spent all 3 days there.
Our voyage was a smooooooth sail.
Thank you for everything. Respectfully, Janice
P.S. Wow am I peeling
-------------------------------
Thank you so much for your help in booking our Alaskan
cruise. Yes, we finally got to go. My mom had a fabulous time
and is ready to go again. I have gotten her hooked on
champagne. Our dinner table was at the back of the ship and
right on the water. On our last night, there were about 30
porpoise jumping out of the water and following us. It was
beautiful.
Thanks again, and we will be contacting you again soon! Rui
-------------------------------
We are back from our Boston-Rotterdam cruise, everything was
great, especially the Prince Christian sound in Greenland. We
saw at least one hundred huge icebergs, glaciers, many
waterfalls whales etc. The cabin was very nice and the cruise
was just wonderful. Thanks again for the fine arrangements
you made.
Mario
-------------------------------
I just
wanted to let you know how much we LOVED Windstar cruises.
The rooms were very spacious with lots of storage space, the
food was very good, the service was very attentive, the
ambiance was romantic with the sails flying and private yacht
feel, and the passengers were very friendly. We must have met
about 50-60 people out of the 300 people, and will stay in
touch with a few of the couples we met! We can hardly wait to
book another Windstar cruise!
-------------------------------
Thank
you for the meteoric response to my e-mail. we have never had
this kind of service from a travel agent. thanks again.
Bob
-------------------------------
Thanks for handeling that buddy! Now I know why you make the
big bucks in the travel agency business because you get
things done. :) Take care, Steve
-------------------------------
Thanks Mike.......you're great to deal with!!!!
Fred
-------------------------------
Just returned thursday from 51 days. Overall trip was good, a
few
of the stops could have been better. If you have anyone
requesting an inside
room on Prinsendam do all possible to discourage it. Smallest
inside room we have
ever had. Ron
-------------------------------
Mike
I appreciate all your help over the years. Each time I give
your name to a friend I always tell them you are the kind of
person I would have wanted working with me side by side
behind the podium. Even though we've never met in person the
following letter also applies to you....Phil
-------------------------------
Received
the boarding packet and your msg re the upgraded cabin
assignment. You're taking awfully good care of us and we
appreciate it.
John and Audrey
-------------------------------
Thank you so much for arranging this cruise for Karen and I.
We are so excited we can't stand each other. We really
appreciate the effort your put forth for us. We wish you
continued success.
Sincerely, Kathy
-------------------------------
Well we are back whether we like it or not. While it is good
to be back after a week of absence from our daughter, I must
say that part of me wanted to stay back. While waiting for
our flight at the dungy Miami airport yesterday, I kept
thinking about those lucky folks who are boarding the
Explorer of the Seas for their cruise. We had a great time!
It was better than staying at the best of the best 5-star
hotels. Our horseback riding tour in San Juan was cancelled
due to the turtle eggs hatching on the beach. So we ended up
going on our own in San Juan. We did meet my cousin in St
Maarten with some time for shopping an the Orient Bay beach.
We were amazed at the clarity of the water in the Caribbean
(not San Juan though). We did go snorkeling in Nassau.
Snorkeling was fantastic!!!
I really appreciate your help in answering our questions. I
am glad we booked this cruise with you rather than going with
some online service!
Once again, thank you very much!! Hemant & Shilpa
-------------------------------
Sorry it has taken so long for me to get in touch - busy now
that we are
back to work. I really wanted to tell you that the cruise was
FANTASTIC! We
enjoyed every minute of it. The upgrade of room was great,
much bigger than
I expected. We had an extra stop at Port Stanley, Falkland
Islands. Everyone
was delighted. Crew were great and interacted alot with the
passengers. I
suppose they need to having 21 days with them. We even
crossed the Antarctic
Circle. Scenery was amazing and we were very lucky with the
weather.
Info for future customers - Hot sunshine for the first 4/5
days only.
Once you leave B. Aires no more need for the beach gear you
need to wrap up
it gets windy and much colder. The Antarctic weather we had
was blue skies,
sunshine and approx 30 degrees but with very cold wind at
times. Nothing
unbearable just need the ski jacket, hat, scarf and gloves
(regular shoes).
It did not get much warmer along the coast of Chile. For
packing purposes we
had only 4 formal nights, 6 or 8 informal (semi formal) and
the remainder
were casual. Of course by day all casual. Essential to have
with you are the sunglasses, camera ,binoculars and video
equipment.
On board we had four experts that gave lectures during the
days at sea, very
informative, no requirement to read up in advance.
Ship, food, entertainment, service all to the usual excellent
HAL
standard. We would highly recommend this trip.
Fiachra will include a few of the scenery pictures. Many
thanks for all the
assistance with the last minute booking, it really was a
super holiday.
Regards Louise
-------------------------------
The cruise was wonderful ... it was the ship's maiden voyage!
We had a
great trip, and to make it even better, we rode first class
on United both
ways!
-------------------------------
Doe was happy she took the insurance, as she had to see the
ship's doctor!
Thanks again for your continued great advice!
-------------------------------
I had to deal with a medical emergency back home while on
board in Russia
and had the help of a wonderful employee. I'd like to write
to the
President of Royal Caribbean to compliment her service. Marie
-------------------------------
You are awesome! Thanks much, The Gambino Family ( The nice
ones!)
-------------------------------
We appreciate the excellent service you have provided us over
the past years.
We really enjoy cruising and working through you.
Thanks again for all of your efforts. Carl and Diane
-------------------------------
Thank you very much for your courtesies regarding our cruise.
Your thoughtfulness was greatly appreciated. That goes
likewise for my in laws. Everything went well. We enjoyed all
the islands, weather was great, etc., we are already looking
forward to our next one. Don't forget if you come out this
please let us know.
Thanks again. Fred
-------------------------------
Thanks Mike. It's was a pleasure dealing with you. Very
efficient and helpful.
Ron
-------------------------------
Just got home from the brillance of the seas... miami to
barcelona
let me tell you about it.
a grand suite was vacant on this sailing and we played a
bingo game for the complimentary upgrade.
WE WON
ten nights in the grand suite which included the concierge
club.
we are now so completely spoiled.
Just wanted to say hello and let you know about our
adventure.
thanks for your superior service.
-------------------------------
Mike Gresh, just wanted to let you know that we have received
the email
booking summary, letter and attachments from your office,
Homeport cruises,
and today, May 13, 2005 we received the Princess cruise
tickets. We are on
our way!!!
Thank you so much for your assistance and the promptness of
all
correspondence and notices. We appreciate all that you have
done for us to
make our cruise memorable.
Johnney & Elizabeth
-------------------------------
Thanks
for the info.
I just
wanted to mention that the cabins you booked for us on the
Miracle 6184, 6186, 6188 were fantastic. Even though we were
right next to the elevator (very, very convenient) we never
heard hallway noise, etc. Because we had passenger decks
above and below us, we also didn’t get any overhead or engine
noise. We were also right off the midship elevators, so we
were never “at the wrong end of the ship”. Furthermore, our
cabin (6184) was the first balcony in the row, so we had a
great view looking forward. We had the dividers opened up so
we had a balcony that ran the length of three cabins. Can’t
thank you enough for picking out the good ones for
us!
Shelly
-------------------------------
Many
Thanks for your help in getting this up-grade. As always we
sincerely appreciate your fine service.
I continue to wear my T-Shirt with great pride.
Have a
great day. Herb
1/18/2007
Your Name: Kenneth Forte
Subject (Testimonial) R/C Legend of the Seas/Royal Caribbean
Cruise Line...Service
Write Your Testimonial: R/C Legend of the seas Service is
second to none.... extensive cruises says \"Legends\" has no
equal for service. Our Waiter at dinner nightly, on a 7 night
Dec 06 cruise was world class... his name was [believe it or
not] Cappuccino. Have eaten in some of the best restaurants
in the US and Europe, and he was the best waiter we have ever
had....and we had him for 7 nights straight ! WOW.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's Time To Get Onboard!
Aboard
the QM2 Canada/New England Cruise - Oct 12, 2006
Ralph & Olga
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your Name: Patricia Austin
Cruise Line: Celebrity
Ship Name: Infinity
Date You Sailed: 9/03/06
Cruise Destination: - Alaska
Cabin Type: Balcony
The ship was wonderful/immaculately clean. The crew was
absolutely accomodating in every way. The Infinity is such a
nice ship - it was so easy to find our way around, we knew
the whole outline of the ship by the end of the first day.
The food was delicious and every meal was served with such
professionalism and grace. We loved our cruise to Alaska on
Infinity. We want to go again -- soon!!!!
We have been on cruises before, but never on a ship like the
Infinity. She is beautiful and the sailing was so pleasant
and smooth aboard the Infinity. We felt safe, secure and
pampered while we were on our cruise to Alaska. We had a
simply delightful time and can hardly wait to book another
cruise with Celebrity. My husband is 79 and uses a walker to
get around. He had no problem whatsoever manipulating on the
ship and the crew was so helpful when he went aboard at the
ports. Our adventure was wonderful from start to finish.
_________________________________________________________________
9/15/2006
Your
Name: Mike Fujimori
Testimonial: Cruise on WindStar
Write
Your Testimonial: We were onboard the WindStar from Athens to
Istanbul couple of years ago and it was a wonderful
experience. We have never sailed on mega ships since. It is
so relaxing, not having to wait in line for anything and
doing to usual formal functions during the Cruise. Casual
elegance is the theme of the cruise, no formal wear required.
We cruised for a week on one carry-on bags each. The cabins
are small, but well organized, comfortable and functional.
The food was amazing and well-recognized chef put the menu
together. Their bread pudding was to die for. You can dine
anytime during the set period, alone or with other people and
not scheduled sitting. Turkey was so interesting we would
love to return. We arrived in Kussadasi one morning next to
one of those mega ships. There must have been 30 buses to
take them on the tour of ancient city of Ephasus. I don\'t
know how long it took them to get the people off the ship,
but we had one bus and 30 people out of 128 who decided to
take this excursion. It took us 15 minutes to load and ahead
of this mob and had a wonderful visit to this truly
historical sight. The staff is wonderful and no tipping
necessary, unless off course if you decide on your own to
reward exceptional service. We are taking a cruise on
SeaDream from Rio to Buenos Aires in November and we will see
how they compare. We understand this cruise line is also
amazing. But we can't wait to return to another WindStar
experience. They were not offering Interline rate for a
while, so if you get a chance don't miss it! Puerto Caldera
would be my choice.
Happy Cruising.
_________________________________________________________________
8/21/2006
Your Name: Sheila L.
Cruise Line: NCL
Ship Name: Pride of America
Date You Sailed: July 1, 2006
Cruise Destination: Hawaiian Islands
Cabin Type: Balcony
My Ship Review! On a scale of 1 to 6, I would rate the NCL
cruise on the Pride of America a 4.5. My initial impression
upon our arrival in Honolulu was how organized everything
was. There were a lot of representatives available to show us
our way to the bus that took us to the pier near the Aloha
Tower.
The flights that NCL booked for us were the best times that
we could have hoped for. We left LAX at 9am on Saturday and
arrived in Honolulu before noon. We were booked on United and
I was thrilled that they were using the 767s because the
configuration is 2-3-2. Our return flight left Honolulu at
1pm and arrived a little ahead of schedule at 920pm. The
transfer service was exceptional both ways and the buses were
very comfortable and clean.
Our stateroom was very nicely laid out. There were two twin
beds and a small couch near the balcony. There was a lot of
storage in both the closets and the desk area. We used the
safe daily and it was free of charge. The balcony was great
to have for private viewing and taking phone calls. The
bathroom was small but very functional and had a lot of
storage. We liked having the coffeemaker in the room. It was
also great to have a hair dryer in the bathroom. We stored
our suitcases under the bed to save room elsewhere. The
mirrors in the room made it appear a lot bigger and were
great to have when both of us were getting ready to go out.
I should tell you that I am 50 years old and was traveling
with my mother who was celebrating her 80th birthday later in
the month. This was the first time that either one of us had
cruised with NCL. We thought that the website made the ship
look somewhat gaudy when it fact it was absolutely beautiful
throughout. There was a great mix of patriotic themes as well
as Hawaiian themes. Our housekeeper was exceptional and
responded immediately to any special requests that we had.
_________________________________________________________________
August
2006
Subject: Tampa Transfers
Hello Fellow Interliners:
We just this year (April 2006) took a cruise out of TPA. We
have departed there before but always went at least one day
early and stayed with friends who also drove us to the Dock.
If you are planning a Cruise out of Tampa (TPA) this is a
great way to get to the boat on time and trouble free.
Now to
get to the alternate way as our friends had already returned
to Chicago. First the cab ride to the dock from TPA airport
is about $25-30 and takes 15 to 20 minutes, about the same
from any airport Hotel. So I searched the web and ASU travel
guide with no luck on really good deals. The low end is about
$59 to $300. Well knowing the area a little I choose the
Hilton Tampa Airport Westshore located in Tampa's popular
Westshore business district, next to the renowned
International Plaza. It is very nice and has free airport
pickup. I was able to book direct to Hilton reservations for
$115 (no special airline rates, they seem to have dried up?)
for the Friday night before we left. I planned to take a cab
to the dock for $25-$30 the next day so as to arrive a little
early (12:30 PM) to see if we could get on early as many
times they will let you if they are ready.
Now for the better part, on the ride from the airport we meet
a fellow who asked if we where taking a cruise? It seem he
was the person that sets up the hotels van service to
transport guests to the dock and at a nominal fee of $5 each.
He said they used to do it for free until the lobby filled
with non-guests and others that had heard of this service. We
where very happy to get a ride for less money but more
important he knew where to go and we got extra good quick
service from the porters at the dock. To the front of the
line and off loaded in record time with a comfortable feeling
our bags would get on board OK!
With all this taken care of we only had to find a place to
eat dinner. The same fellow and the van driver recommended a
couple of very nice restaurants outside of the International
Plaza (an upscale shopping center). They said it was a little
difficult to walk to (no sidewalk) but they would run us over
and pick up after dinner with just a call and at NO charge.
For what it is worth this is one sailing that was off to a
very good start. We have been on many cruises that where
delayed for late incoming aircraft and also have left a good
number that did not make the departure time! We plan to
do more sailing out of Tampa in the future. Hope this will
make you
_________________________________________________________________
7/10/2006
The trip of a lifetime, at least mine!
I have
always been interested in the BIG ships crossing the Atlantic
as a child. Now after 25 cruises I finally had a chance to
take The Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southampton England.
Many thanks to folks at HomeportCruises.com for making it
possible for me as they have so many times in the past.
To start with the departure from New York from the pier next
to the aircraft carrier Intrepid and the Concorde was very
memorable to
me and my wife Brenda as we had flown on the Concorde a few
years back from London the JFK. Now we where about to cross
the Atlantic as many had before us years ago.
After a nice lunch and a quick look around the ship we set
sail for England passing on the west side of lower Manhattan
with a great view of the skyline of New York City as the Sun
set behind us. Then passing by Ellis island and the Statue of
Liberty as it began to get dark we passed under the lighted
Verrazano Narrows Bridge and out into the Black Atlantic
ocean for a GREAT 6 day crossing. I guess by now you can tell
this was a great trip for me as I enjoy lots of Sea time on
our previous cruises.
Well after that departure we finally had time (lots of time,
6 whole days without a stop or even sight of land, I love
it!) to settle in to checking out the ship and what a ship it
is! There is a feeling of space everywhere with the very high
ceilings (10 to 12 feet) and the extra wide isles. The public
areas all have ample space to move around even with many
people out and about. The theater is very nice and BIG with
good viewing from all locations.
They have a one of a kind Planetarium show in another
dedicated
theater shown on a curved screen over your head that can be
retracted to use the Theater as a show room. They have four
different programs to play during the week and multiple
showings during the day.
The computer area is all the way up front and the largest I
have seen on any ship. They also have classes for beginners
and experienced PC users. Peeking of Computers and the Web
this ship has a very nice feature no one else has yet and
that is you can send a receive e-mail in your room on the TV
with a wireless keyboard. This allows you to compose your
e-mail before you have to pay to send it, saving lots of time
and money. The system also saves the mail so you can read it
at a later time.
For dancers the dance floor in the Queens room is Huge and
the band is Great. To the rear of the Queens room is the
Disco very well placed with no noise beyond the area. The
Lido (called Kings Court) area takes up almost an entire deck
with many different type food stations spread forward and
aft. The eating area is spacious along the sides with Bay
window type spaces that project out into the Promenade deck
where you can see the deck and the Seas while you eat. Up
forward of the Lido is the Winter Garden where you can get a
drink or specialty coffee or just relax and read a book among
the Palm trees and plants while looking out over the ocean.
The main dinning room (Britannia Restaurant) is quite nice
with two stories, very formal looking and comfortable. Of
course very good food as usual on most cruise ships. For
special times there is the Todd English restaurant in the
back of the ship with windows looking out over the sea.
The Spa features Canyon Ranch products as well as the rest of
the ships cabins. There is a very large and well-equipped
health club.
One of the high points not to be missed is the QM2 Library
and Bookstore. With out a doubt the best I have seen.
Below the Library and all the way forward is the Commodore
Club with a beautiful view of the sea and a full bar. Also
there is the Cigar smoking room adjacent on the starboard
side and another nice reading room on the port side.
The Pavilion pool has a retractable glass roof very welcome
on the crossing.
The entertainment was first rate through out the cruise
(crossing) along with extra shows during the day with the
crew putting on an old time radio skit also England’s
University of Oxford presented a unique Oxford Discovery
program with historians, scientists, scholars and authors
giving interactive talks. During the week the Royal Academy
of Dramatic Art gave performances.
All in all this is not to be missed Cruise, and we intend to
do it again at least one-way and maybe round trip. Better
than First class on the B747! Oh yes, we will be using
HomeportCruises.com many more times in the future, Thanks
Mike for all the great service over the years!
I hope this helps anyone out there to decide on a cruise, it
is the only way to travel!
Paul and Brenda/UAL
_________________________________________________________________
July 6, 2006
Cruise Line - Cunard
Ship Name - Queen Mary 2
Date You Sailed - May 23, 2006
Cruise Destination - NYC to Southampton
Cabin Type - Inside, Outside, Balcony, Suite hull balcony
My
Ship Review! Oh, my gosh, this trip--@$699PP--was a joy. The
ship is gorgeous, and having no ports made the cruise cheaper
and way more relaxing. The lecturer from Oxford---in the
field of forensic archeology--was fascinating, we took
advantage of a little publicized vow renewal ceremony which
was charming and meaningful, the food in the Britannia was
pure gourmet, the service incredibly gracious there and in
our cabin. Mike, from Homeport, was very helpful to us. We
chose not to request being listed for an upgrade as we were
very content with our amidships cabin on the lowest deck---As
it turned out, the Atlantic was like a millpond and we didn’t
need the security of that cabin, but it was so lovely that it
didn’t matter. Would most highly recommend Homeport and Queen
Mary 2.
Thanks - Ellie and Brent Revert
_________________________________________________________________
7/6/2006
Cruise
Line: Royal Caribbean
Ship Name: Freedom of the Seas
Date You Sailed: 05/21/2006
Cruise Destination - Cruise to Nowhere
Cabin Type - Balcony
My Ship Review! Boarding what is now the Worlds Largest
Cruise Ship can be exciting. Having a balcony was exciting
too. If you have sailed on any of the smaller Voyager of the
Seas or any of its sisters Explorer, Navigator, Adventure and
Mariner you will have no problem getting around this very
large ship. Promenade is still on deck 5. Casino deck 4,
Windjammer deck 11, internet cafe deck 7 and so on.
Staterooms were very nice with the new plasma TV\'s but the
best part of the new ship are the beds. That\'s right those
great new beds. They are so much of an improvement. Did not
have trouble falling asleep, did not wake up in the middle of
the night and did not have a sore back in the morning. No, I
will not guarantee that everyone will enjoy the new beds but
they are so much of an improvement.
Now for the other new things on the ship. In the fitness
center they have removed the big whirlpool/hot tub. You can
now get in the ring and go a few rounds with your
husband/boyfriend and get away with it. There is a full-size
boxing ring in the gym. Classes are done daily with a coach.
Sorry, no free for all. There is no inline skating track but
they do have the 1st flowrider aft. Here you can learn how to
surf a wave. The rock wall is a bit different as it is now in
two sections and you can move from one to the other. There is
the water park for the kids of all ages. Built for the young
ones but I saw several adults playing with the water cannons.
The new family suite stateroom was open on the ship so I had
to take a trip to deck 6 aft to see it. You have 2 door
enterances. 4 bedrooms (2 quads and 2 doubles) Add to that a
queen size sleeper sofa. Total 14 passengers. Worried about a
bathroom when you need it, not to worry there are 4 full
baths in the suite also. Balcony was a nice size but for 14
passengers it could be larger. Much larger. There is a bar
and a hot tub out there along with 6 to 8 lounge chairs and a
table for 10 to eat at. There is however one major flaw to
this stateroom aside from the normal price tag that is on the
room. Your balcony does not look out over the water. In fact
the water and back of the ship is about 30 feet away from
your balcony railing. Sorry, but that is wrong. When you pay
for a balcony that in all my understanding, you get to enjoy
a view of the ocean. Not so in this stateroom or any of the
other balcony stateroom aft on deck 6. The ocean is very hard
to see.
All in all the ship is beautiful. Great military type
aircraft hanging from the ceiling in the forward stairwell.
They have great murals on them. The shows were all great.
Food was ok. Some great, some not so great. Everyone likes
something different so that is par for the course on a ship.
Enjoy the ship when you go. I am sure the rates will not go
down as quickly as most but I am sure there will be lots of
interline rates available one day.
Marilee Wolfe
_________________________________________________________________
7/6/2006
Ship
Name Mediterranea
Date You Sailed 01/06/2006
Cruise Destination - Bahamas 2-night cruise
Cabin Type - Inside, Outside, Balcony, Suite Balcony
My Ship
Review! Let me start by saying this was a special cruise.
Costa does not offer many 2-night cruises. Another exciting
thing on this cruise was the private party and performance of
the Chippendale Dancers. You get a lot of attention when you
have 8 very handsome men boarding a ship with you. They have
a very strong fan base and several of their fans were waiting
for them in Ft. Lauderdale to board.
Once on the ship, we went to our staterooms to drop off our
carry-on luggage and then up to deck 9 for lunch. Our
stateroom was one of the best balcony staterooms on the ship
because it has triple the balcony (176 sq/ft) of any other.
It was room 6234. Close to the aft lifts. If I am traveling
on this ship or any of her sister ships (Carnival Spirit,
Legend, Pride, Miracle or the Costa Atlantica) I will always
look for these staterooms. If you have sailed on any of the
above ships you will have no problem knowing this ship. It
offered your basic closet and drawer space. Bath was nice. I
like the flooring and wish I could get it in my house.
Upstairs on deck 9 for lunch they had a dessert area, salad
area, carving station, deli station etc. Trust me when I say
to walk around the buffet area before you select what you
want to eat or you may miss something. The grill (hamburgers,
chicken etc) is out near the pool.
The Chippendales used the fitness center every day and they
said it could use more free weights but was fine for 2 days.
Lifeboat drill was done and we were sailing on time over to
Nassau. Dinner was enjoyable. My mom had a chicken that was
coated with a very tasty breadcrumb toping and it was great.
The cruise line also offered the group a unique dessert for
dinner the first night. Cannolies with chocolate bowties on
them. How perfect.
The meet and greet party was in the Giardino Isolabella
lounge, forward on the ship deck 1. We were able to dance and
talk to all the Chippendales. After the meet and greet party
we went to the 2-level disco Deck 1 and 2 near the aft of the
ship.
Because I had been to Nassau many times I got off for about
an hour. I had a chance to see the ship well then. It was
clean. Someone was always cleaning something. The crew that I
met was very helpful and pleasant.
Dinner the second night was their Italian night. The servers
and waiters dance with the passengers. Because we had the
Chippendales with us, you guessed it, we were dancing with
them. One of the dancers, Lane, even danced with my 75 year
old mom and her friend. They loved the attention these
handsome men were giving them. They also did mask making,
pizza dough tossing and many other great things on the last
night. We were also able to dress in toga\'s. A unique
feature the Costa does on their Caribbean sailings. (Are NOT
done in Europe)
The private performance was at 11PM and I think every female
crewmember that was not working went to the show. Private but
was not restricted to staff. They put on a great performance.
Everyone had a great time. Only complaint was it was not long
enough. So next time maybe a 4 or 5 night cruise. Another
thing I do not like about Costa is their system of paying.
They do not run your credit card at boarding. You settle with
them on the ship. Was not the quickest way I have seen done
but that is their way.
Costa is a different cruise line. Their meals are spiced and
cooked Italian style. No, not all restaurants in the US cook
like Italians. They cater to the American flavors and taste.
They were very nice to the group.
If you are looking for something a little different try
Costa. If you prefer the Americanized cruise ships, Costa
might not be your choice.
Marilee Wolfe
__________________________________________________
(June 1, 2006 – Naperville IL USA) Naperville Travel Agent
Surfs Aboard the World's Largest Ship "Freedom of the Seas"
Naperville travel agent Mike Gresh, Sales Manager for
Homeport Cruises Co., recently returned from 3 days aboard
Royal Caribbean's newest and largest ship, Freedom of the
Seas. The signature experience is the new Flowrider onboard
surfing park. Located on deck 13 on the back of the ship,
this new activity is a runaway hit according to Gresh, the
56-year-old sales manager for his company. Although he was
concerned he would be one of the older participants, he was
happily surprised to meet a 76 year old man from Ohio ahead
of him in line for the stand-up surfing event. The water
moves up a slight incline at 30 MPH. You jump onto your short
board, hit the water moving, then lay on your stomach or get
up on you knees - the rushing water pushes you up the
incline, then your body weight forces you down and viola!
You’re surfing. Although the attraction looks difficult, it
is much easier than it looks. And, contrary to what you might
expect, a wipeout involves a rush of water pushing you up the
incline where it dumps you waves crashing down on your head.
In hours of participation, Gresh says he never observed
anyone severely shaken or hurt in any way - although everyone
was required to sign a liability waiver before they could
participate - in fact, the majority of would be surfers got
up, shook them selves off, and got back into one of the two
lines at the top of the Flowrider.
Although surfing onboard this giant ship is getting the most
publicity, the second most well known sport is the Rock
Climbing Wall - found on all RCCL ships. Again, the
perception is a sport for athletics is a myth according to
Gresh. Passengers twenty years his seniors were climbing
faster and more often then anticipated. Well trained staff
issued climbing shoes, adjusted your harness, and assisted
you - no rushing or pressure, but encouraging you to climb –
and not to look down - and before you knew it you were at the
top and ready to make the rappel down the wall – the fun part
of the experience. What a great family event or team building
event this would be for companies.
The third most popular activity is the Ice Skating Rink
onboard. Each evening world-class skaters from around the
world perform a one-hour show in the intimate 450-passenger
arena. You could never get this close at land based ice shows
where thousands are herded into arenas the size of football
stadiums. This is simply the best entertainment onboard any
cruise ship today, period - according to Gresh – a guest can
skate during non-performance times.
Although there are other activities and events that endear
this vessel to its passengers, Gresh believes there should be
untold surprises for passengers to discover once onboard. As
one of the cruise industry's most highly certified cruise
travel agents, Gresh earned his ECC designation last year
from Cruise Lines International Association. Over the past 14
years he has made it a point to inspect every new ship
launched to better serve his clients.
Homeport Cruises has a web site where pictures of Gresh's
recent sailing aboard the Freedom of the Seas may be viewed:
www.homeportcruises.com.
Homeport Cruises Co. was established in 1992 and sells
cruises aboard major cruise lines worldwide. Gresh can be
reached at 1-800-473-6170 for Interline & Military or
1-888-225-6732 for Retail, Seniors, Groups & Incentives.
