The first thing you should know is when you’re speaking to a cruise line’s telemarketing center, you can be sure of one thing–the only cruise they’ll ever recommend is theirs whether or not it’s the right fit for you.  And all cruises are not created equal, but it’s the only option they can offer so you should ask if yourself if they can really be your objective advocate.  Doubtful!  A career travel planner has no restrictions on what they can recommend–the entire palette of over 200 ships throughout the world is available to them.  Here at Cruise Deals, our first interest is learning what makes for a perfect vacation and once we know that we work on getting you the best deals on anything that floats. . . from discount cruises to the height of luxury cruising.

And that brings me to the second thing you should know before you call a cruise line directly, and it has to do with price.  Cruise line advertising often implies that you’ll get the best price by buying direct. . . but that’s categorically false.  What they don’t tell you is travel agencies have access to the very same rates, and in many cases an even better price.  Whether you’re looking at contemporary lines like Royal Caribbean cruises and Carnival Cruises or seeking a premium cruise on lines like Celebrity and Holland America cruises, we will frequently be lower that the cruise lines’ current price.  How? Here at Cruise Deals, we lock in a low rates early in the season through our volume selling commitments. Like the airlines, the cruise lines are always trying to raise the price of their tickets for increased profit—so while their price may be going up, our price remains low, and we’ll often have additional benefits such as stateroom upgrades, or onboard credit that you for goodies like spa treatments, beverages and shopping. Bottom line. . . you’ll never pay less by buying direct, but you could very easily pay more.

The third answer is that your time is valuable. Time is the one thing we never seem to have enough of, so calling several cruise lines to learn about their experience and get prices is time consuming. And forget about getting objective advice! Here at Cruise Deals, we’ll put each cruise into context for you and can get you all the prices you want with one call. We’ll also provide you with answers to questions to help you get the best cruise deals and others you might never think to ask! We want to help you make the most of your time and money.

Those are the three things we think you should know if you’ve ever wondered why you shouldn’t just book direct. Now, the decision is yours. We’d really like to earn your business at CruiseDeals.com, but even if you don’t choose us, we hope we’ve given you good reason to find a travel professional that will put your best interests first.

Being a social media travel geek… I wanted to share this cool video showing a travel related brand using Twitter to “make a customer for life”.

Unfortunately, it is rare to see companies engaging in conversation with their customers or potential customers on Twitter.  Too many times, businesses on Twitter just use it to push out information.  So, I’m excited to spotlight an example of a travel brand [Delta Airlines], not just engaging on Twitter but using it as an opportunity to completely WOW their customer.

Outside of the great use of Social Media… another reason I ‘like’ the video: Ted Murphy, the customer in this video, cruised with us on the Social Fresh Cruise II and he booked his company IZEA‘s employee retreat cruise through us at CruiseDeals.com.    

In order for companies to succeed in social media they have to be committed to it and even more importantly passionate about the connections that the platforms allow. This video shows Delta’s commitment and their team’s passion to make a real difference leveraging the platforms.

If you liked @DeltaAssist’s video:

Author note: Rich Tucker has been combining social media & cruising since 2008… winner of the shorty award for best travel content on Twitter and hasting several social media cruise events. 

Due to the limited supply of both of these suites you’ll need to book these staterooms well in advance.  There are only 4 Royal Family Suites and 6 Aqua-Theater Suites on the entire ship.

Allure of the Seas Royal Family Suite Video

Royal Caribbean Aqua-Theater Suite Video

The Allure and Oasis of the Seas introduced many new innovative suite and loft staterooms giving you many great options for your cruise. CruiseDeals.com had all of there agents attend either the Oasis of the Seas or Allure of the Seas inaugural sailings.  They all toured the ship staterooms and can help you decide on the best stateroom for you and your family.

Subscribe to CruiseSource for the best Cruise News, Advice, & Deals

Conference events at Sea, like the #IndieCruise display the incredible value of cruise vacations. We are able to offer conference style sessions, meals, room, transportation to tropical islands, entertainment, and more for the same price that most conferences charge just for admission to the conference.

The Indie Business Cruise is for Indie & Small Business Leaders. Indie Business leaders know how to connect, collaborate and succeed. They know how important it is to remain close to their industry peers so they can stay on the cutting edge of what’s happening in the world of small, independent and artisan business owners, artisan business owners.

They know that it’s vital to take online connections offline so they can be solidified and with face-to-face interactions that always result in building stronger and more robust business networks. Indie Cruise is a once-in-a-lifetime experience where you combine travel and relaxation with learning and sharing, plus the creation of life-long personal and business friendships. #IndieCruise will allow these leaders to do what they do best over 4 days with other leaders.

Follow @IndieCruise on Twitter and join the Indie Cruise Facebook page to interact with other Indie Businesses before the cruise!