Testimonials

Traveling overseas to a foreign country for the first time can be an overwhelming task. Dean Barreca was a tremendous help to me in planning a trip with my daughter to Italy and Greece. He was a great listener and quickly grasped exactly what I wanted to accomplish while keeping things within my budget. He offered suggestions that I would have never known about if I had not spoken to him and he saved us money in ways that didn't benefit him at all. He truly looks out for the client's best interest which is a rare thing to find these days. My daughter and I had a trip that we will never forget and we owe Dean a big thank you for all of his help and suggestions that were absolutely perfect. I highly recommend him to anyone planning a cruise.

I am writing you this note because I want you to know what a great employee you have in Robin! We have worked with her now for at least two if not more cruises, and she always handles everything quickly and promptly and with ease for us. We have had to change dates a couple of times with the latest cruise we are booking with your company and she always handles it graciously and with ease. Robin is great to work with, and with customer service as good as hers is we will keep coming back to her for our travel needs!

Thanks!
Tyson

Carnival Miracle 7 day western Caribbean March 2006 - Tampa port, efficient embarkation, great Balcony room (Cat: 8i) plenty of room for two, great shore excursions: Cayman Island - turtle farm, Hell and swim with Stingrays, Belize: Altun Ha - on board service good, food okay, public areas well kept and easy to find. Pools okay. Shows were good, I didn't get into activities. Just my husband and I on this cruise and we got to do a lot of relaxing.

RC Radiance 6 day western Caribbean March 2008 - Ft Laud port more efficient, but surrounding area not as nice, I would have liked to relax and walk around some shops but there aren't any. SUPER balcony room (Cat: JS) more than enough room for three of us, excursions: Jamaica, Sandals resort was nice, but not "fancy" which was okay, Ft Laud: Everglades airboat was good, but more "commercial" than one we had previously taken (ending at the airport was a PLUS). Onboard service was fantastic, food - very good, public areas very well kept although some of the layout was confusing. Had a spa treatment and it was fantastic albiet a little expensive, but aren't they all? Pools very nice with the indoor solarium being adults only and open 24 hours Really enjoyed it, once I had to "shoo" a lady and baby in a diaper in the pool which is against the signage, but you know some people. On this cruise we took our all adult children and their spouses (9 people total) and we had a great time. Most of us are smokers. Good thing we all had balconies. Spent a lot of time around the smoking side of the pool, but the live music consistently got too loud. Definitely recommend this ship and crew.

I just wanted to write and let you know what a WONDERFUL time I had on the PRIDE OF AMERICA! It was a great cruise!

Our room steward was friendly and very accommodating. The shows were GREAT and we really enjoyed the different entertainers. The staff in the dining rooms where we ate breakfast and most lunches were engaging and fun, (only one older woman was slightly unaccommodating).

The Dining Venues were fantastic (we went to all except LAZY J) and found the food very fresh. I found the staff in the specialty restaurants added to the luxurious dining experience,and Little Italy’s chef even made us a special request pasta.

I really wanted to experience all of the specialty restaurants so when we boarded the ship, we went straight over to the dining sign up table where we were told we could only sign up for that day and the next. I did not mind this because I felt it gave everyone a more even chance to experience all the different dining options.

We went down each morning before we disembarked and signed up for the next day. This really wasn’t too bad except one day an officer (who I had never seen helping before) came and just started writing peoples names and which restaurant they wanted on
a piece of paper. I specifically asked if he was going to give me a confirmation card for the dining time and he got very agitated and said “No! We’ll call your stateroom and confirm."

I left feeling unsure and before we disembarked, I went back up to the desk and talked with one of the very helpful girls I had worked with before. She checked for me and not only was my name nowhere in the computer, But the time I wanted was gone so I just switched dining options for that night. I chose not to let it upset me.

My overall expense on this cruise was very good and I enjoyed myself very much, so I in no way want to be negative, but I felt it bore repeating as it may help others understand what could be a confusing dining booking system.

Louise Bowen

My husband and I went on our first cruise with NCL, Pearl. The ship was absolutely beautiful. The decor was colorful and creative. The staff were warm, caring, and helpful. The array of restaurants was initially overwhelming. However, once you check them all out, you can easily find one or more to suit your tastes. We enjoyed Cagney's Steakhouse, (a surcharge applied here, but worth it); La Cucina, (delicious Italian food, which we ate at twice, and tried a third time but were all booked up); Mambo's, (tex-mex and pretty good); Summer Palace, (no jeans allowed, upscale decor with ok food and noisey bowling happening overhead); Lotus Garden, (surcharge applies-don't waste your money, the service was poor and I had to send a meal back). We ate at the Garden Cafe, which is a huge buffet, for breakfast and lunch. If you get there early in the morning, there's less chance you'll have to wander the ship looking for a place to sit while balancing coffee, plate, and silverware. We loved the jacuzzis, pools, gym, bowling alley, and entertainment. One thing that we did not love was the constant 'pushing' of alcoholic beverages. We'd have a coke in front of us and be asked by no less than 8 waitstaff if we'd like to purchase a drink. This didn't happen just one day, it happened every time we sat on the deck by the pools. The other thing that we didn't appreciate was being bothered during dinner with the offer of being photographed with one animal-costumed individual or another. The casino was large but very smokey. Bingo was unbelieveably hokey and expensive. We took advantage of all of the ports and the fun excursions that were offered. They can be pricey, but we enjoyed them. We most enjoyed the Adventure Kart in Ketchikan. It was so much fun. We least enjoyed the Mendenhall River Float....boring. The port in Victoria, Canada was a huge disappointment. The shuttle to town was not included as with all the other ports. The activities were limited to a museum, a tea, and a garden. Not our kind of fun. Make sure to take the tram ride in Juneau. One thing we couldn't fit in but wanted to, was the rail ride, I believe it was in Skagway, while we were on the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari, not exciting, but a beautiful ride to the summit of a glacier. Overall, we would take a cruise on this ship again. The crew obviously love their jobs and working on this beautiful new ship. We enjoyed eating when and where we decided, the ship was impeccably clean, and the staff were top notch.

I've been on the Carnival and the Royal Caribbean. And now on the Oosterdam Holland America ship. I do have to say that the service and hospitality on the Holland America ship was the best. They went above and beyond for us....I would do another cruise with Holland America in a minute...

My wife and I had an amazing time! This was our first cruise and we can't wait to take another. It was a little cumbersome getting on board, as the computers were acting up a bit, but as soon as we got on board, it was smooth sailing.

The very best part of the trip was the balcony, where we began and ended each day. A close second was a dessert called, "Warm Chocolate Melting Cake". I think we had it just about every night for dinner. Truly a great experience.