Sail through the Med and Greek Isles with me!

I have a bucket list cruise that I have been dreaming about for years. We actually had it booked for this year, but canceled it because it was not on the cruise line we wanted. We decided to wait, hoping that Celebrity Cruises would offer my itinerary on a Solstice® Class Ship. Well, it certainly was worth the wait as the Celebrity Silhouette SM is doing this itinerary! The three must see ports for me were Rome, Venice and Santorini. And to be able to do this on my favorite cruise line and favorite class of ship is just extra icing on the cake!  Celebrity does a fantastic job with everything:  The service is impeccable, the food is delicious, the ship is gorgeous, the staterooms are spacious and well appointed ... (you get the point, right?).

When I saw the itinerary, I decided to hold some group space on the sailing. Thinking that if I was so excited about it, there must be others that would love to sail this ship and itinerary too. It was a good decision to hold the space, as the current offered rates by Celebrity are higher than the rates I have in my group allotment. So I invite you to sail with me to Europe next year! Here is the fantastic itinerary:

Thursday, September 26, 2013: Rome (Civitavecchia), Departs at 5:00pm
Friday, September 27, 2013: Naples, Italy – Docked: 7:00am – 6:30pm
Saturday, September 28, 2013: Valletta, Malta – Docked: 1:00pm – 10:00pm
Sunday, September 29, 2013: At Sea
Monday, September 30, 2013: Athens (Piraeus), Greece – Docked: 6:00am – 6:00pm
Tuesday, October 1, 2013: Mykonos, Greece – Tendered: 7:00am – 6:00pm
Wednesday, October 2, 2013: Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey – Docked: 7:00am – 6:00pm
Thursday, October 3, 2013: Rhodes, Greece – Docked: 9:00am – 6:00pm
Friday, October 4, 2013: Santorini, Greece – Tendered: 7:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday, October 5, 2013: Chania, Crete, Greece – Docked: 7:00am – 3:00pm
Sunday, October 6, 2013: At Sea
Monday, October 7, 2013: Venice, Italy – Docked: 9:00am (overnight)
Tuesday, October 8, 2013: Venice, Italy – Disembark, time subject to change

Itinerary is subject to change.

The Celebrity Silhouette SM sailed her maiden voyage on July 23, 2011. She weighs 122,000 tons, has 16 decks and carries approximately 2,850 passengers. She's impressive, with all the best-loved Solstice® Class features - and some new ones. Chic changes to Celebrity's iconic Lawn Club provide more opportunities to relax, eat, drink and socialize in the fresh air. Take a painting class with a Master Artist from the ArtCenter South Florida in The Art Studio. Celebrate the flavorful joys of outdoor grilling in the new, interactive Lawn Club Grill. Unwind in your own cabana-styled haven, The Alcoves. Inside, go on a culinary adventure in Qsine® where you order food and wine from an iPad® menu. Excitement brews with up to 50 international craft beers in the enhanced Michael's Club. And sweeping veranda views enhance 85% of her staterooms. Celebrity Cruises has created an extraordinary vacation experience.

I have a few staterooms left in my group allotment, here are the categories and per person rates based on double occupancy. The rates include cruise fare, port charges and taxes.

Category 2C, Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony, located on Deck 6: $2,057.11 per person.
Category 2A, Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony, located on Deck 7: $2,137.11 per person.
Category SV, Sunset Verandah, located on Decks 6, 7 and 8: $2,267.11 per person.
Category C3, Celebrity Concierge Class with Balcony, located on Decks 9 and 10: $2,297.11 per person.

My group rates are $160 - $210 below the current offered rates, so it is a great time to reserve your stateroom. The deposit required is $450.00 per person with a final payment due date of July 3, 2013.

Have you have dreamed of visiting the Colosseum and walking through the Roman Forum? Maybe eating pizza in Naples? Walking into the Hypogeum, an underground prehistoric temple in Malta? Visiting The Ionian Coast and the Ruins of Ephesus? How about a mule ride up the Caldera in Santorini? A Grand Canal Tour in Venice? Well, you can do all of that and more on this itinerary!

Staterooms at these rates are limited, so give me a call to reserve your room today! You can reach me by email or give me a call toll free at 888-882-5793.

I am looking forward to hearing from you and having you travel with me to Europe!

Free Shore Excursion Promo is Back!!

CruiseOne Freer & Associates is offering a free shore excursion on any 7 night sailing or longer booked June 21, 2012 through July 2, 2012. The free excursion has a value up to $100.00, and is good on any 7 night or longer sailing that departs between now and July 20, 2013.

You can also apply the $100.00 value to a higher priced excursion.  And, this promotion is combinable with any cruise line promotion that may be offered.

Go on a snorkeling adventure in Roatan, take a scenic tour around Santorini or swim with dolphins in Puerto Vallarta... build memories of a lifetime!

When you book your cruise with us, either online at http://www.memorablevoyages.com/ or by telephone, 888-882-5793, you will receive an email with a unique promotion code for you to use when booking your shore excursion. Shore excursions must be booked online through Shore Excursion Group (which is our preferred vendor).

Need more info? Give us a call and we will help you with the details!

Top 5 Packing Tips for the Perfect Summer Escape

As airline baggage fees continue to rise with no end in sight, creative packing strategies have become the budget-savvy traveler’s best friend. With airlines charging upwards of $75 dollars for a second bag and some even charging for the first, packing lightly is now a must.


Kathy Freer, a local CruiseOne independent vacation specialist, frequently consults with her clients on the best way to pack for their travels. According to Freer, the Top 5 tips to save space and money include:

1. Make a list. Before packing anything, create a list with each day of your vacation and what you will need. Having a list saves time, creates less hassle and even more excitement about your upcoming trip. Plus, having a list can save you from realizing you’ve included ten pairs of underwear for your 3-night cruise!

2. Always pack full outfits. It is easy to throw items randomly into a suitcase that you “might need,” but it is more efficient to include outfits for your respective days on the road or at sea. Remember your accessories, shoes, hats and more.

3. Keep it simple! If your vacation includes sun and sand, don’t overpack sweaters and pants. Most likely, you will end up in a bathing suit and flip flops with a suitcase of heavy (and costly - remember the airline fees!) clothes you never use.

4. Don’t overdo toiletries. Sure, you may love your uber-concentrated overnight moisturizer, but if it’s not a must, leave it at home. Packing only the essentials will save space. And remember, most resorts and cruise ships today offer blow dryers and complimentary amenities (even some created just for them by your favorite cosmetic companies). Don’t forget, airport security policies limit your carry-on liquids (this includes lotions, creams and sprays) to 3 oz. If you don’t want it confiscated, don’t bring it.

5. Finally, don’t stress. Preparing for a trip can be overwhelming; needing to pack for your entire family, clean the house, remember your important documents, find a pet-sitter and more. The ultimate goal is to relax and unwind with your kids, significant other and friends. If you’re organized about your packing, you can save time and money.

Travel agents are trained experts in every aspect of travel: from packing to specific airline or cruise line rules/regulations and more; so don’t feel like you’re alone in the vacation planning process. For help with your next trip, contact Kathy Freer at 888-882-5793, send her an email, or visit her website.

Celebrity Cruises Sale

If any of you have read my posts, you can probably tell that Celebrity Cruises is one of my absolute favorite cruise lines.  Their ships are stunningly beautiful, the service is excellent, the food is outstanding, I could go on and on but I think you can get the picture.

Celebrity is once again having a Summer Solstice sale, which runs June 20 - June 21, 2012.  This sale is offering 50% reduced deposits and up to $300.00 on board credit per stateroom, depending on stateroom category booked.  This sale is offered on just about any Celebrity cruise that departs from August 2012 through May 2014 (Celebrity Expedition cruises are excluded).  So that means you can cruise to Alaska, Asia, Australia, Bermuda, Canada/New England, Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, Panama Canal, or South America and get reduced deposit and on board spending!  Plus with a cruise departure window until May 2014, you have plenty of time to book that bucket list cruise and pay it off!

And ... if you cannot wait until 2014 and you want to sail this year, the deal is even sweeter!  CruiseOne is offering pre-paid gratuities from June 19 - June 21, 2012, on any five night or longer cruise that is booked in an ocean view stateroom category or higher that departs from July 15, 2012 through December 31, 2012.  And this pre-paid gratuity sale is combinable with the Summer Solstice sale!

So, what are you waiting for?  Give me a call today and let me know where you would like to cruise to!  You can visit me on my website and browse itineraries, send me an email, or give me a call at 888-882-5793.  I look forward to hearing from you and helping you plan your dream vacation cruise on board one of Celebrity Cruises award winning ships!

Royal Caribbean Sale - June 5 - 7, 2012

The next three days are a fantastic time to book your Royal Caribbean cruise!

CruiseOne Freer & Associates has a 50% reduced deposit on ANY Royal Caribbean cruise that is currently open for sale.  There is also on board credit for sailings that depart from July 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.

Book your cruise today to take advantage of these offers.  You can do so by visiting my website or by giving me a call anytime at 888-882-5793.  Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions at all.

I look forward to hearing from you and helping you plan your next cruise on board one of Royal Caribbean's innovative ships!

Looking for something different in Cozumel, Mexico?

We recently returned from a 7 night Western Caribbean cruise on board Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas. While on this sailing, we visited Royal Caribbean’s private island, Labadee in Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico. Having done these ports a few times before, we were looking for something different to do, and we certainly did find that while in Cozumel, Mexico!

Royal Caribbean offered a shore excursion called Salsa and Salsa. The excursion description was learn to make two different fresh margaritas (lime and strawberry) and seven different salsas. Sounded like fun, so we signed up. After arriving in port, we met our tour guide and were taken to a hotel in Cozumel, where we went into an open air room with about 10 round tables. Each table was set with tomatoes, avocados, onions, garlic, tequila, salt, sugar, cutlery, cutting board, and everything else needed to be a salsa and margarita chef for the day. We were even outfitted with aprons and chef hats!

We started off with a frozen lime margarita, which was great because it was really hot! Once seated, we began to make our own lime margaritas. I have to say, I normally do not like margaritas because I do not like to taste tequila. But the fresh margaritas we made were fantastic! We then made a strawberry margarita, which was fantastic as well. By the way, the margaritas were unlimited, which probably contributed to the fun we were having!

We then began making our salsa. We made a red salsa, salsa verde, guacamole, pico de gallo, melon salsa, tropical salsa and a dessert salsa with Rompope (a Mexican vanilla liqueur). The guacamole and dessert salsa were my favorite! This was such a fun (and tasty) experience!

After we were finished, we got a salsa dancing lesson which lasted about 45 minutes or so. By this time, the buzz from the margaritas was worn off, and we were ready to return to our ship.

I would recommend this experience to anyone! It was a fantastic time and our dancing chefs were wonderful!  If you would like more details, please feel free to contact me at kfreer@cruiseone.com or toll free, 888-882-5793.  You can visit my website for travel information and specials as well.