NCL Escape 5 Nassau

So the day after Tortola was another Sea Day which for me meant another day of class. But quite honestly I can not tell you how much I learned. It was a really great experience being able to attend The Travel Agent Next Door Conference. I got to learn so much and meet so many great suppliers.
After the day at sea we were finally reaching Nassau. Now when they first told us about the cruise we had the opportunity to take the Atlantis Ambassador program so that we would be able to spend our time at Atlantis. For those of you who do not know Atlantis is an amazing Resort/Destination that is very family oriented with sea animal encounters, dig experiences, water park etc.. I was so excited I did the whole program in less than a day and was so excited to see what we would be able to experience for the day.

 A view of Atlantis Resort from the Bridge

 Up close view

Fountain out front

So this is as close as I got to Atlantis. A nice view of the resort from the outside. With a quick drive outside. You see the Bahamas Tourist Board found out we were coming and decided to extend a very special invite to us. The invited us to a bus tour of the Islands, a Conch salad demonstration and then High Tea at the Governor Generals house with a fashion show, performance by the police force band and a group of local school children. So I had to be a big girl and give up my excitement to visit Atlantis. Although Atlantis is still on my list which means I will have to a great excuse to go to the Bahamas a second time.

Our tour bus (it has ac)

 Government building

 View of the harbour

 Famous house (hard to see)

 Local food vendor

 Monuments and flags

Fountain and view of the trees

The tour of the islands was enlightening. Learned about many famous sites and people. We saw the hospital where Anna Nicole Smith had her baby. Heard about the people that still flock to her grave to this day. We also learned about their rich history and culture.

 Conch Salad Demonstration

After the tour we stopped at a local restaurant we were given a conch salad demonstration. Conch is considered a local delicacy. I loved it. Unfortunately we were one of the last buses to arrive so we did not get as much time at the restaurant otherwise I would have ordered the deep fried conch to try as some of my fellow agents did. I was so impressed with the salad as it contained fresh fruits and vegetables in and went down so well.

After the restaurant visit we moved on to the govenor generals home. We were treated to high tea, a fashion show from local designers, the Police band performing and just an overall awesome time. So while I missed Atlantis I still ended up having a great time. I could not get a picture of the children performers as I was at the back of the room but they were so cute and great!!

 Open sandwiches

 Fruit plate

 Desserts

 Place setting

Police Band Singers

 One of the models

 Same model but a different outfit

 Bands performance out front before marching away

So at the end of the tour they dropped us back at the pier and we had some free time before we had to board the ship. Some agents walked back to check out the straw market and the beach. Sandy and I headed to the Harley store picked up a small gift for my husband and son. Now those of you who know me well know that I am not really a jewelry person. I wear none. Earings and necklaces for dressing up so I only have a few that I really like. Well I went to the Pandora store and I have to confess I bought a Pandora bracelet and a charm. So the charm I picked out was of course Disney although  I know I will be adding travel charms as well. My very first charm had to be Eeyore. Once we were done we wandered through the local booths at the Pier.

Last few images you see before heading back to the ship. Now the top five shore excursions as per the ship are as follows:

1. Blamoral Island Beach Break

2. Balmoral Island Stingray & Beach Day

3. Athol Island Snorkell

4. Paradise Island & Sightseeing

5. Charm & Beauty of Bahamas.

Shore excursions can be booked through the website once you do your online check in, onboard or you can use another company.

Here is the link for one of my favourite companies. They have the same guarantees about getting you back to the ship on time also some of the tours are similar but they will be for  a much smaller group or private for that matter

https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/?&id=242318&data=slough@thetravelagentnextdoor.com

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NCL Escape 4 (Tortola BVI)

So today's port was Tortola part of the British Virgin Islands. Again I did not plan anything in advance my roommate Sandy and I connected with two other agents on the way off the ship and we decided to do some exploring. When you are directed off the ship you go through some boutique shops some of which were closed and then you will hit the taxi stands. This is where you will get hit for tours and rides. By this time we had made the decision just to hit a beach and relax. Spending long days in training meant we wanted to relax more than anything.
The taxi drivers were willing to take us to a beach for $10USD each. We wanted to pay less. Each of them told us we were nuts and they were regulated and that would be the cheapest rate we could get. So we continued to walk as we got away from the taxi stand area and into the city a taxi stopped we negotiated and got $8.00 USD each (each direction) he suggested the beach we should go to and that he would come back by 1:00 pm to get us. We had to be aboard the ship by 2:30 pm.

 Chickens walk lose everywhere (I took this picture for my son Daniel)

The back of one of the taxi's to get you to want to pick it

So away we went to the beach. We had a great time relaxing and I have to say I had the most amazing Lobster sandwich ever along with the best deep fried onion rings. We did panic a little because the driver was running a bit late but he did call the restaurant (beach spot) we were at to let us know he was on his way. He got us back to the ship with time to spare.

 The lobster sandwich and onion rings

 The Beach

 More views of the beach

 You can rent the chairs to relax (we sat at the restaurant)

This is part of the walk from the ship

The top five shore excursions listed for Tortola by the ship are as follows:
1. Dolphin Encounter and Swim
2. Island Beach Break
3. Paradise Views and Beach (this is where we ended up)
4. Best of Tortola and Beach
5. Discover Tortola
As usual there are lots of sightseeing, adventure and water-based tours to chose from. The Virgina Gorda & Baths is also popular.
The funny things about both Tortola and St Thomas is that they drive on the left side of the road like the Brits but there cars are actually right hand drive as they tend to import from the States because it is cheaper.
Once again if you decide to stay on the ship there are lots of activities to do as well. They will make sure that you do not have a dull moment ever.

 Me in front of the gorgeous ship

 The great artwork

 More of the artwork

The awesome whale

Again I would not mind spending more time in Totola and actually taking a tour of the Islands. I know some agents hired a taxi and went on a tour that took them to several Rum Factories that included taste testing.

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NCL Escape 3 (St Thomas, USVI)

So on Day Four of my cruise we finally arrived at a port St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. We arrived at 8:00 am and you have to be back on the ship by 5:30 pm. We actually had class in the morning so we only had a half day in port. The only problem with this is most shore excursions start first thing in the morning. We were very lucky that a travel agent couple had been here before and were able to set up a tour for many of the agents with one of their contacts. We were able to get a tour and head over to Magen's Bay Beach. I would highly recommend Keith AKA P-Nut Taxi and his cousin who took care of forty of us.

 This was our view of the Islands from breakfast at the Garden Grill

 Our tour "buses" drinks were provided

Myself and my roommate Sandy

So we deaprted around 1:00 pm and we did a quick stop where we got out and could take pictures of the bay where our ship was docked. We then climbed higher up the hill and were able to take pictures of Magen's Bay on the other side of the Islands and then we headed down for our visit. Our admission was covered with the cost of our tour. The beach was amazing there were change rooms, bathrooms and a restaurant. It was bit pricey but the food was good. We stayed a few hours and then we dropped off downtown across from the port. We had time for some shopping if that is what you wanted to do. Sandy headed to the Harley store. I headed back to the ship.

 The ship from the top of the hill

More view of the Bay

 Magen's Bay - Gorgeous Water

 The Beach was not too crowded

A view of some of the homes on the hillside

 Just in case a Tsunami hits

what is a picture without a Lizard 

According to NCL their top five shore excursions are the following:

1. St John Beach Escape & Snorkel

2. Castaway Shipwreck Sail & Snorkel

3. PowerCat Snorkel & Beach

4. The Best of St. Thomas

5. Legendary Kon-Tiki Beach & Sightseeing

There are also many other tour company's who have tours and have the same guarantee to return you to the ship on time or get you to the next port. The excursion I really wanted to do was a Sea Turtle interaction at the Coral Ocean World Park.

I would love to go back to St Thomas again but with so many things on my bucket list it is not very likely to happen. I do recommend this cruise and they have lots of great promotions with Norwegian at this time. Other cruise lines also offer these ports as well. 

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NCL Escape 2

So I left off my last blog with me sailing away from Miami aboard the NCL Esacpe. For those of you wondering the buffet and a few restaurants open for food so if you wanted an early lunch it was available.
I finally got into my cabin and my luggage had arrived and I hate to say this but I seemed to have not taken any pictures of my inside cabin. Not quite sure how that happened. The bathroom is small. Toilet and shower stall beside each other and a counter with a full length mirror and sink. Outside the bathroom their is a vanity with a few drawers and another mirror, plug in's and a mini fridge/bar. There were two separate twin beds and a night table between the two of them. Also a closet and a flat screen television on the wall. Honestly for the amount of time we actually spent in our cabin (pretty much sleeping and changing)  it was adequate for two people to stay in. I did hate the fact that it was always dark but I had a no problems sleeping because of that and sleeping on a working cruise is important.
Sitting on my bed was my Freestyle Daily (Day 1) this will show up every day of your cruise. It lists everything going on for the day as well on this day it has important information on some of things you need and want to know for a first cruise.

This was great pamphlet that came in daily. Granted on sea days I was in class until 4:00 pm everyday so I missed out on a lot of the activities going on. But I can honestly say their is something for everyone and every age to keep you happy when you are at Sea or if you decide to stay on board during a port day as well.

Norwegian has a beverage packages available with or without alcohol. I do not drink pop and because it was a work event we had cocktail parties scheduled and wine with dinner so I figured I did not need the ultimate beverage package. I do highly recommend the package especially if you are taking it as free at sea promotion (you do have to pay the 18% gratuity when you purchase the package). You can also pre-purchase 1l bottles of water before your board or on boarding day. I ordered 6 to have one for everyday and they were perfect. I probably should have drank more water than I did because I was quite swollen when I got home from my vacation.

We had dinner every night in a sit down restaurant so I did get to check out Taste, Savor and the Manhattan Room which are the complimentary restaurants. I also got to try La Cucina (Italian) and Le Bistro (French) where charges apply.  They were both a la carte. The food was amazing and plentiful. My only problem was that we were a large group broken into smaller groups to eat but our dinner times were fairly late which made it difficult to see the entertainment on board.

The Garden Buffet was great for breakfast and especially for lunch as it was quick to get back to class on time. They also have snack times so the buffet is constantly changing all day long.

First Nights dinner awesome crab cake at Taste

 All dinners at the French restaurant are served this way and the waiters take them all of at the same time

 Awesome Scallops

Almost all of my desserts were chocolate (a given)

If you really want interesting experiences I do recommend specialty dinning with Free at Sea (again you pay an 18% gratuity) I was sorry I did not get a chance to try Moderno (Churracaria) and Teppanyaki (Japanese). I am hoping to try at least one of these when I am on the Getaway.

Another important feature of a cruise in your internet availability. With Norwegian it is only available to purchase until 10pm of your second day. 250 minutes of internet is available as a Free at Sea option. I chose the unlimited Social Chat which was $5.00 USD per day. It allows app to app chat such as Facebook messenger. I used this to keep in touch with family and friends. I knew when I was in ports I would have access to my phone's 3G plan and could check emails etc then. I am with Rogers and Roam like home was $5.00 per day in the US and $10.00 per day in the Islands. The second option was Unlimited basic internet which allowed the following: app to app chat, send/receive attachments via chat or Facebook, check email and general web surfing. This cost $27.00 USD per day. The third option is Premium internet which allowed the following: app to app chat, send/receive attachments via chat or Facebook, check email and general web surfing, video streaming (netflix, youtube, hulu) and VPN. This cost $35.00 USD per day.

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NCL Escape 1

So on April 22nd I boarded the Norwegian Cruise Line Ship the Escape for my first ever cruise and my first ever Travel Agent Next Door Conference. Needless to say I was little worried about this vacation. Travelling alone not knowing any of my fellow agents and sharing a room with a stranger as well as being on a ship. Lots of first. Let me start out by saying that this working vacation was amazing and I have already signed up for next year's Conference at an All Inclusive Resort in the Dominican Republic. I have also booked my second cruise which was to be a family cruise in December of 2018 but turns out it will actually be my third cruise as I am headed on the Freedom of the Seas with Royal for their Seminar at Sea this September cruising the Mediterranean.
So because I was cruising I decided to come in a day early so that if there were any problems with my flight I would be okay. I knew winter storms should be long gone but always afraid something could happen. Well my gut was right. A fellow agent and I missed our connection in Montreal as our flight from Ottawa was late departing and then we had to get from gate 11 to gate 89 and pass through US customs at the same time. My fellow agent had a Nexus card and made it faster than I did but they still would not let us board as our luggage had already been removed from the plane. We went straight to Customer service and were put on a flight leaving right away for Orlando. Not too bad we were not getting to Miami but at least we were headed to Florida. Thankfully Mandy texted her husband just before we boarded and had him reserve a car for us so we could drive from Orlando to Miami. We arrived at 9:00 ish collected our luggage and headed to the car rental spot.

Line up rental car counter Orlando Airport

The line was three turns long. Many people with kids. So there we stood for over two hours. Finally we got our rental vehicle a lovely SUV with GPS and we were off. I was starving. I had a lovely Unicorn Frapuccino at the Ottawa Airport with a muffin and nothing else since. You see I had planned to get something at the Montreal airport which did not happen. No problem you say get something over priced on the plane. I figured I would do that but guess what in the air they can not accept visa debit nor prepaid visa cards nor will they take cash.

Starbucks Unicorn Frapuccino (it was extremely sweet)

So we made a stop on the expressway and at almost Midnight I was grabbing a Wendy's burger and a fry. It took us about three and a bit hours to get to Miami. It was a great night for driving not a lot of traffic at all and great conversation getting to know a fellow agent from Brockville. Mandy dropped me off at my Sheraton Miami hotel we booked at different hotels and away she went on to hers. I had a roommate at the hotel and she was already asleep. Now I was supposed to get up early and grab a hotel shuttle to the airport and then grab my shuttle to the pier. But I was really tired and decided sleep was a better idea. My roommate and I grabbed a noon shuttle from the hotel at $10 USD per person over to the pier. 

 Sheraton Miami stocks my favourite coffee although I did not have one

The gorgeous beds in the room at the Sheraton Miami

Unfortunately there is a Pier B and C and there we said goodbye as we were in different stateroom categories and were boarding from separate areas. The lines at the pier were also very long (even though you do pre boarding online you still have people who do not or have issues). I was very fortunate as I was directed to the priority line for latitude rewards members and so my wait was cut in at least half if not more.

Selfie while filling out the customs form before boarding

So I check in and use my prepaid visa to put down a deposit so I can use my card to charge to my room makes things easier while on the ship ( a day later my account is frozen and guess what they also can not at sea accept prepaid visa's or visa debit so I end up putting down a cash deposit). Cabins are not yet ready so you can take the time to explore the ship. I was still really tired so I sat in the atrium grabbed a cupcake from the bakery (totally forgot to take a picture it was so amazing). I waited until we could check in with our group and then I watched us sail away from the Miami pier from the Internet Cafe. What an awesome sight to see.

 The Large Screen in the Atrium

 Carnival Ship in Port

 A view of Miami

 Another view of Miami

 Yachts 

 People heading to South Beach

 Sailing away

Celebrity at the Port

So this is just the start of my seven day vacation. Stay tuned for the next posts with more details on the ship itself and on each of the ports of call and what I did for excursions and what are also available.
Remember cruising is awesome for families, couples, multi-generational trips, reunions, groups and more!!!

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How Travel Agents Get Paid

The biggest question I get is how do Travel Agents get paid. There are actually several answers to this question. Most travel agents get paid commission directly from the suppliers. The percentage paid out depends on a few different things such as volume and who your host agency may be.
Travel agents do not charge more for the trip itself. So for an example if a Disney trip for a family of four is $4000 directly with Disney it is $4000 with the travel agent through Disney. We are paid the percentage directly from Disney which means you are getting a one on one service directly with your agent who follows you from the booking right through your travel and follows up when you get home.
A travel agent only gets paid once you have booked your travel, paid in full and traveled. So when asking a travel agent for lots of quotes or shopping around they put lots of time and effort and get no compensation unless you actually book and travel.
Some travel agents have put into place plan to go fees. This is where you are charged a planning fee and once you book it is applied to the booking as a payment. Many travel agents do this especially when booking wedding or group travel because of the scope of work required to handle group bookings.
Other agents have straight up fees. Some are a standard amount and some charge based on the type of trip being booked. It really depends on when searching for a travel agent you need to ask questions up front about what it costs.
For myself personally I do usually charge a $50 fee for a Disney booking and I will help you with everything. Making and suggesting your dinning reservations. Fast pass+ reservations as well as suggested itineraries.
Our agency also charges a cancellation fee. This is charged only if you cancel your vacation as it is the only way we will get paid for the work we have done. As once you cancel we lose our commission from the supplier.
Most travel agents work very hard for their clients going above and beyond being available most of the time. You can reach us while you are vacationing if problems should arrive. Should there be issues with a flight we can often find a solution to get you home while other people are standing in a line waiting for a reservation clerk at the airport. Online booking engines do not provide you with this same service. If you do call in you get a different agent helping you every time while with s Travel Agent we are your service provider from start to finish.
We do have a booking engine on our website which can help you look for what you are interested in or book quickly if you think rates are going up. If you book on our website you will still get that same service all the way through and should anything happen again we will be the dedicated person to help you.
It is a shared site so if you do book just make sure to put the agents name you want to book with in the notes to make it easier on all of us.

Here are my details: www.exclusivetoyoutravel.ca or www.exclusivetoyoutravel.com
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Family Reunion

So this past weekend we had a family reunion with my husband's side of the family. There were over 80 people in attendance and many who did not make it for various reasons. This was the first year that we were able to make it.
His cousins were kind enough to open up their home. They have a lovely large backyard, above ground swimming pool and a hot tub. The kids had an awesome time meeting cousins, swimming and filling their faces.
The sad thing with extended family is that you tend to only see them at funerals and weddings and the odd special even like this reunion. As family ages the weddings are a lot less frequent and the funerals get to be too frequent.
The time together goes by all too quickly even if you are the type who lasts to the wee hours of the morning (trust me with four kids I am not one of those). This is why Family getaways have become more popular with extended family getting together whether it is a cruise or an all inclusive. With a cruise each family can receive group benefits and be part of the group but stay in the class of cabin that works well for them. You can spend as much time together or as a little as you want. So when your crazy Uncle is getting on your last nerve you can find another spot on the cruise to enjoy.
Even port adventures can be done in smaller groups or one big large group. Smaller groups tend to work better so that the more adventurous and active can do what they want and those who just want to relax can enjoy a tour. You can split up for shows, entertainment etc. With a cruise their is something for everyone. It also means after a few hours you are not having to reluctantly say goodbye to each other.

I have set up a group cruise in December 2018 right now it is just my family, and my parents are going but hoping that more friends and family can come and enjoy with us.
Here are the details:

Norwegian Getaway - Western Caribbean CruiseDecember 16th to December 23rd 2018
Sail Aboard - Norwegian Getaway - to the sizzling Caribbean. Taking Freestyle Cruising to another level, Norwegian Getaway has everything you're looking for in a vacation, indulge in three seafood restaurants. Discover remarkable entertainment, including Broadway shows like Change to Million Dollar Quartet and Burn the Floor. Splash around at Aqua Park with Free Fall, the fastest waterslides at sea. Get ready to discover how exhilarating Norwegian Getaway:
Ship Highlights:- 28 Dining Options- 22 Bars & Lounges- 2 Broadway Shows- Illusionarium- 678 Ocean Place- The Waterfront- Aqua Park Featuring 5 multi-story water slides- Three -level sport complex- Getaway Casino- Mandara Spa- The Haven by Norwegian- Studios for solo travelers- Complimentary youth programs for kids & teens
December 16th MiamiDecember 17th At SeaDecember 18th Roatan, Bay IslandsDecember 19th Harvest Caye (Belize)December 20th Costa MayaDecember 21st CozumelDecember 22nd At SeaDecember 23rd Miami
The following amenities are available to chose from. 2 per stateroom- Unlimited Beverage Package (1st and 2nd guests only)- Prepaid Service Charges (1st ad 2nd guests only)- Internet package - per cabin (250 minutes)- $50 per port Shorex Credit - per cabin- Dinning Package (1st and 2nd guests only)- 20 photo package - per cabin- $75 USD On Board Credit - per cabin
Inside Cabin $1178.58 CAD each for 1st and 2nd guestBalcony Cabin $1553.46 CAD each for 1st and 2nd guest
***Please contact me for pricing for 3rd and 4th guest
Deposit required at Booking is $301.25 CAD per cabin
Final Payment is due September 4th 2018


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