AREA Vacations

 AREA Vacations has partnered with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines to offer you several unique opportunities to learn more about cruising from the comfort of your own home.   Specifically, the partnership will provide a series of Webinars that will be hosted by Royal Caribbean. What a great and convenient way to learn more about cruising.

Have you dreamed of an Alaskan cruise with a land package taking you into the heart of Denali?  Or perhaps sailing in the Mediterranean sampling some of the best food, wine and culture in the world? Maybe you want to sail the warm waters of the Caribbean on one of the two greatest and largest ships in the world, the Oasis of the Seas or the Allure of the Seas? Well, AREA Vacations has a webinar designed just for you!

The webinars will be offered in the evening giving your family the chance to gather around and learn about these incredible adventures that you can enjoy together. The presentation will undoubtedly answer many of your questions regarding these exciting itineraries and incredible ships.

To reward you for your participation, AREA Vacations will be providing a special offer available only by attending the webinar and reserving your Royal Caribbean vacation through AREA Vacations. So, don’t miss out on this great opportunity – here are the webinar times:

Tuesday, April 10 – 7:30 pm EST – Alaska and Cruise Tours

Reserve your webinar seat now at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/568789889

Tuesday, April 17 – 7:30 pm EST – European Vacations
Reserve your webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/893246617

Tuesday, April 24 – 7:30 pm EST – Oasis Class Vessels
Reserve your webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/353092200

For more information please contact AREA Vacations at 770-591-5552 or send an email to travel@area-vacations.com.

There is no “bad” time to book a cruise. But one of the best times is while you are on a cruise. Cruise lines know that while you are on a cruise you are being pampered, you’re relaxed, enjoying delicious meals, wonderful entertainment, exotic ports of call, and experiencing fun only cruise ships can provide. 

What a perfect frame of mind for you to consider booking your next cruise. Cruise lines offer a variety of incentives to get you to commit to your next cruise while aboard ship. Most will offer the lowest available price as well as some other bonus such as an onboard credit, upgraded stateroom, or reduced deposit. 

You will also have the option of booking a specific cruise or simply paying a deposit that can be used on any future cruise. Cruise lines are loyal to their travel agents so the agency that booked the current cruise will be credited with the future cruise unless you elect to have a different agency credited.

Future cruise sales are available on most ships and soon to be on all ships. So, next time you are on a cruise be sure to ask Guest Services where the Future Cruise Desk is located and check out the bargains associated with booking your next cruise while on a cruise.

For more information contact AREA Vacations or send and email to DickViti@area-ga.com.

Investors who love to cruise should consider owning 100 shares of Carnival Corporation (CCL) stock. Shareholder benefits include an onboard credit (OBC) of up to $250 when sailing on any of the cruise lines owned by CCL including Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Holland America, Seabourn, Cunard, and Costa Cruises.

The $250 OBC applies to cruises 14 days or longer; 7-13 day cruises provide a $100 OBC and cruises less than 7 days are rewarded with a $50 OBC. Not bad considering that each time you cruise the OBC adds to your return on the investment.   

At its current price of $30.47 per share just one 7-day cruise per year would provide a 3.28% return with ownership of 100 shares. Add to that CCL’s current $.25 dividend per quarter and you have a 6.56% return. One additional 7-day cruise and the return is just under 10%. The more you cruise, the more fun you have, and the better return on your investment. What’s not to like?

Royal Caribbean has a similar stockholder benefit as well. Check out ownership of cruise line stocks and start booking those cruises to take advantage of this terrific stockholder benefit. Of course all stockholder benefits are subject to renewal at annual meetings.

For more information about Carnival Corporation check out its Brand Essence Video. To book a cruise and have a travel professional assist with securing your shareholder benefits, please contact AREA Vacations at 770-591-5552 or by email at travel@area-vacations.com.

While most cruise lines offer current and former military personnel discounts on some sailings, Princess Cruise Line offers veterans onboard credits on every sailing. The aggressive benefits program, started over a year ago, is designed to attract current and former armed forces members to Princess. Veterans receive onboard credits of $50 for cruises 6 days or less; $100 for cruises 7-13 days; and $250 for cruises 14 days or longer.

Princess recognizes the service of active military, retired military, and many others who were honorably discharged. Veterans need only provide proper documentation to their travel agent who will then make the request on behalf of the veteran.

The program applies to members of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard or Reserves, Canadian National Defense – as well as the British Army, Royal Marines, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force or Reserves.

For more information or to book a cruise and take advantage of this special military benefits program from Princess Cruises, call AREA Vacations at 770-591-5552 or send an email to travel@area-vacations.com.

Strongest activity in 50 years according to NASA

Waiting to see the Northern Lights? Well, winter of 2012 may be the best chance of lifetime to see this amazing natural phenomenon. NASA predicts that this winter will see the strongest Northern Lights activity in 50 years and what better place to see them than from a Hurtigruten ship where they are set against the dark night sky, away from artificial light.

The Northern Lights have increased in intensity since 2007, and will be at their peak in 2012. The Solar Maximum, the period with the greatest solar activity, peaks around every 11 to 12 years. According to NASA, 2012 is the year that we will once again witness the Solar Maximum, and it will be stronger than at any time in the last 50 years.

The Northern Lights are at their most active in the late autumn and they occur most frequently and at their brightest in a belt of some 2,500 kilometers from the magnetic pole. Much of the Norwegian coast lies in an area with the greatest Northern Lights activity, especially the high Arctic above the Arctic Circle.

For more information or to book your Hurtigruten Cruise to see the Northern Lights, please contact AREA Vacations at 770-591-5552 or travel@area-vacactions.com.

One of the best “rewards” credit cards for cruise enthusiasts is the Carnival MasterCard. The card is available through Barclays Bank. The Carnival card tracks your purchases in FunPoints – one FunPoint for each dollar charged. The World and Platinum versions of the card double the points for eligible purchases made directly from Carnival Cruise Lines. Charge a $2,000 Carnival cruise and the card holder is rewarded with 4,000 FunPoints!

FunPoint redemption for small amounts is at the rate of approximately $50 for every 5,000 FunPoints redeemed or a 1% payback. FunPoints can be used like cash to offset air travel purchases or purchases from Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, and Holland America. 

What is important for Carnival MasterCard holders to know is that the rate at which FunPoints can be redeemed increases dramatically when redeeming 100,000 FunPoints or more for cruise purchases of $1,500 or more. Once that level is exceeded, the redemption rate will be $75 per 5,000 FunPoints or a 1.5% payback. If the FunPoints were accumulated by making cruise purchases at the rate of 2 FunPoints per dollar spent, the payback is actually a whopping 3%.

To get the best payback it is necessary to accumulate at least 100,000 FunPoints. Then purchase a cruise that is at least $1,500. For whatever reason, the payback calculator used in the program requires 149,900 FunPoints to pay in full a cruise purchase of $1,499. However, if you purchase a cruise that costs just $1 more – $1,500 - the FunPoints necessary to pay it off in full is just 100,000. That is 49,900 FunPoints LESS!

If you want help getting the most out of your FunPoints contact AREA Vacations to book your next Carnival Cruise.

Cunard Line, one of the oldest names in passenger shipping operating the youngest fleet at sea, will offer its guests onboard weddings. This is the first time in its 171-year history that the cruise line will allow its guests to say “I Do” during a voyage. Beginning in December, couples will be able book cruise marriages for sailing dates in the Spring of 2012 and later.

The new program requires that Cunard’s three ships be re-flagged – moving the registration from Southhampton, UK to Bermuda. English law does not permit marriages to take place at sea. Bermuda has no such restriction. Consequently, the Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Victoria will all be re-registered in Bermuda by the end of November.

Cunard is joining Princess, P&O Cruises, and Celebrity Cruises – other lines offering weddings at sea. For more information about cruise weddings or destination weddings, contact AREA Vacations at 888-883-9720 or travel@area-vacations.com.

Coinciding with National Cruise Vacation Week, travel agents across America will hold the “World’s Largest Cruise Sale” during the week of October 17-23. Member agencies of Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) and 25 cruise lines support the event with major incentives for travelers.

For the public this means potential savings of $100 to $5,000 or more in some cases, credits for shipboard spending valued at $50 to over $300, upgrades to suite accommodations, or other incentives such as complimentary shore excursions, reduced deposits, and more. Among the outstanding offers: Three to five day Caribbean cruises starting at $249; six to eight day sailings starting at $429; $2,000 savings per couple on a river cruise through Burgundy and Provence; and two-for-one fares with free airfare plus up to $5000 in bonus savings on sailings in Europe or the Pacific.

Additional cruise deals are expected to be announced in the days leading up to the event so contact your local travel agent for details. If you are planning to cruise in 2012 or 2013, book it during National Cruse Vacation Week.