Ok, so Flat Savvy didn’t technically make it to this location… but with a little photo editing he can picture what it would be like to be there. We’ll call it Flat Savvy’s dream vacation for the week. Can you identify the location? Include your guess in the comments section, and we’ll reveal the location next week.

Safe Travels!

More and more people are discovering the all-inclusive pleasures of a cruise vacation. More singles, families, couples, honeymooners, second honeymooners and groups of friends are sailing away on the vacation of their lives.

For first time cruisers, selecting the right cruise can be daunting.  With information from online cruise forums, cruise line websites, or from a consultation with an experienced CWT cruise counselor, you can select the perfect cruise for your vacation.

First, consider where you want to go and how you want to travel. Are you a casual traveler, adventure seeker, spa lounger, sophisticated traveler, or a family traveler with toddlers or teens? Do you like to have flexibility in dining times, or would you prefer set dining times during a cruise?  Is it your style to dress more formally for dinner, or does a cruise line with a more casual onboard dress code appeal to you? What is your vacation budget?  These are just a few questions to help you select the right cruise.  With so many choices, there is a cruise line and ship that caters to your interests and preferences.

If destination is the most important factor in your vacation, you may want to select an itinerary that visits a different port each day. If relaxing onboard and enjoying the ship’s activities is more your style, an itinerary with a day or two at sea would be a good choice.  Some cruise lines, like Azamara Club Cruises, feature small ships with onboard historians, adventure focused shore excursions, and the ability to navigate into small ports not accessible by larger cruise ships.

Some prefer to focus their cruise line selection around the onboard experience, and think of the ship as their “destination.” It is important to note that within cruise lines, there are often different classes of ships with different onboard experiences. For instance Royal Caribbean Cruise lines has six classes of ships from the Sovereign class of smaller ships typically sailing on three to five day cruises with 2700 passengers up to the amazing Oasis class with 6000 passenger ships such as the Oasis of The Seas and The Allure of The Seas which offer seven themed “neighborhoods,” a park like promenade, surf parks, boxing rings and an on deck water theatre.

Royal Caribbean’s sister cruise line, Celebrity Cruises, offers a sophisticated onboard experience focusing on spa and fine cuisine with an entire Aqua class deck and staterooms specifically catering to the spa lovers on their Solstice class ships.

Last year alone approximately seven million people enjoyed a cruise vacation and cruises have a higher customer satisfaction rate than any other type of vacation experience. With a little thoughtful planning and utilizing many research sources, you can select the ship on which you can sail away on the perfect vacation.

On Friday we asked, “Where’s Savvy?” This must have been an easy one, because all the responses we received were correct! Savvy is in Denver, with a view of downtown in the background. So congratulations to Griselda, Mary, and Jason, who all pinpointed Savvy’s location.

Tell us, what are some of your favorite activities, restaurants, parks, or attractions in Denver? Please share them in the comments section below.

Safe Travels!

I travel a lot, and most of the time I don’t have problems. However, every once in a while a trip goes bad, and you just have to relax and go with it. That’s when you need to find ways to entertain yourself and relieve stress as you spend hours at the airport. The question is, “What to do?”

I posed that question to my frequent-traveling colleagues and got some interesting and helpful ideas for weathering (no pun intended) the next delay. Read on:

• First, make sure you have secured your flight options if you need to change. A good travel company can help here!
• Of course, “read a good book” is also at the top of the list. It’s a good idea to have an e-reader so you can download another book if you finish the first one.
• I received quite a few “Play Angry Birds” responses. If you don’t have this app on your smart phone, you’re missing out. Addictive!
• Check your email, call family, friends, and update your social media status. Play “Words with Friends.”  A smart phone is a great way to stay connected and entertained.
• Check out the restaurants, bars, shop, pick up some gossip magazines to ensure you’re up to date on what is going on in Hollywood. 
• Airports have the best shoe shine service! Treat yourself.
• Get your daily steps in. It’s even more effective since you have to drag your luggage with you.
• If you have Wi-Fi, watch a Netflix movie on your laptop or tablet computer.
• Work on your holiday gift list. You can even shop online and have your purchases waiting for you when you finally arrive home. You’ll feel so accomplished!
• Organize your pictures and enjoy some memories as you do it.
• Search for new songs in Pandora or movies to watch.
• People watch!
• Plan a vacation (or maybe you won’t be in the best “traveling” frame of mind).
• Did I mention catch up on work? Oops….
• And I had to laugh over the suggestion submitted by my friend Mike, “Stomp your feet, argue with the airline rep at the counter, curse (under your breadth or loudly), rant about the importance of your missed meeting/connection, etc.  (I’ve never tried this one, but it’s surprisingly popular).”

 

What did I miss? What is your favorite diversion while delayed?

Flat Savvy is continuing his travels. Last week it was Chicago, but this week we ask again, “Where’s Savvy?” Can you identify the location pictured in the photograph below? Please include your guess in the comments section, and we’ll reveal the location next week.

Safe Travels!