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Monday, March 08, 2010

Lemonade From Lemons

Hi Everyone --

I am happy to say that I received lots of emails from happy customers of my Speak on Cruise Ships program. If you want to get started cruising free you can check out this site: http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/

In any event, once in awhile I like to publish these emails (with permission) especially when they have value to new folks looking to cruise free.

Thus, the below post come from an email sent by Phil Calkins. Phil tells the story of how he made lemonade from lemons -- and still got to cruise free! I think his note is instructive not just a cruise speaker stand point but for any time you are asked to speak and something goes wrong...

Hi Daniel,


We just returned from the Explorer of the Seas, 9-night cruise out of Bayonne, NJ, and wanted to share an “the show must go on” experience. Since we had an early flight out of Nashville, TN the morning of Feb. 5, we drove down the night before. I still had a few e-mails to send out and read and when I was finished I shut down my laptop and packed it in the case. The afternoon of the 5th, while waiting for the muster drill I pulled out my laptop, plugged it in, and it was head as last week’s mackerel! It showed no power coming in at all. I removed the battery and still nothing. So I called guest relations, introduced myself as the enrichment speaker and they promptly sent up an electrician to check the outlet. He explained I was getting power from the outlet to the charger but nothing from the charger into the computer. I thought I must have twisted a wire or something, so when I met Nicky, the Cruise Activities Director, following the muster drill, I explained my plight and that I would do the talks without the PowerPoint. As it turned out, it was a great move. Let me explain.


All of my 5 talks were scheduled at 2PM (ship’s time) each of the 5 days at sea. The staff promoted each talk over the ship’s intercom as well as the Daily Compass, and I set up the day 1 attendees with a list of the up-coming talks and asked them to come back each day. I had about 60% repeat attendees each day plus new ones and averaged around 25-30 per talk (Day 2 was best at slight over 50!). At the conclusion of the last talk, people hung around talking and asking questions and taking my business card with my contact info. It reminded me of the end of the semester when the students leave but the bond was still their between them and me. Because of the computer crash, I made the talks even more interactive and engaged them by asking them to envision some of the scenes the slides portrayed.


I’ll still plan on PowerPoint for the future but it just shows that good prep and flexibility can still make lemonade out of lemons!


As I mentioned above, having the talks the same time, each day, at the same conference room was a big plus. Even though I didn’t need the projector, the cruise staff came by about 15 minutes early each day to check on any needs I might have, and stayed around mixing with the attendees and our warm up chats. I’m sure they reported the excellent repore’ shared by all.


I did record the first 12 minutes of my first talk on high def video and I’ll get that to you to forward to Celebrity ASAP. If it looks like I was gripping the podium for stability, I was! We went from a Cat. 2, hurricane strength storm about 5AM that morning and still had force 9 gale winds by early afternoon.


Thanks again for all your support and representation,


Phil Calkins, M.S., CFP



Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sunday, March 07, 2010

Freedom



Have you discovered the freedom of FREE cruising?


With SpeakersCruiseFree.com you could be travelling the world on board luxury cruise liners - with your cruise paid for by the cruise companies!!


Cruise companies need well prepared interesting speakers who can contribute to their passengers' experience. They call us "Enrichment Lecturers". We usually speak for up to an hour on subjects that we enjoy - lots of us choose topics that are a part of our lives anyway. And the best part is we only speak on the occasional day at sea.


So what's the catch? That is a good question!! And so far I haven't found one.


Since I visited SpeakersCruiseFree.com Kathy & I have enjoyed over $15,000 of cruises. And we didn't pay for them!!


It's true. I talk about things I enjoy, backed up by PowerPoint presentations. And in return we get free cruises - over 8 weeks in the last year alone!!


And it really is so much easier than you might expect. How? Well just contact Daniel Hall HERE and follow his simple advice. Daniel has all the essential tips - and the introductions.


Why wait visit SpeakersCruiseFree.com NOW!!!


Why throw away the opportunity for vacation freedom. Click HERE NOW!!!
Happy cruising FREE.




Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Consequences

As children we used to play a game known as "Consequences". In essence it made us think of the likely results of certain actions - and what might happen if we didn't take those actions.



We played the game with our own children as they grew up. And now I see that our older son is playing Consequences with his youngsters.



So let me ask you - "What would be the consequenes of visiting speakerscruisefree.com?"



I'll save you some time! If you click here now you could be on free cruises starting in a matter of weeks, if you are available. If you will not be available until later your free cruising can start then. You see it's in your hands! One simple visit to SpeakersCruiseFree.com and you will be on your way.



Right. So that's the consequence of visiting Daniel Hall's site. But what happens if you don't?



This one is just as easy! If you don't take that first step, that one CLICK you'll never know what you will miss. But let me give you some clues.

Firstly you will miss the leadership of the man himself - Daniel Hall.

Secondly you will miss the suport of the amazing community of folks like you, who enthuse at the opportunity to help other SpeakersCruiseFree.

But most of all you will miss the opportunity to reward yourself with FREE cruises!!



What have you got to loose?

That's easy too. If you don't visit SpeakersCruiseFree.com you will loose the opportunity to cruise the world at someone else's expense.

If you do click HERE you could loose a major part of your vacation expense - because the cruise companies will pay for their speakers' cruises.



YES it really is so simple.



Click HERE now to find out more



Happy FREE cruising,



Andrew

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Saying Thank You

I'm sure we were all well brought up - taught to say "please" and "thank you" etc. But in business settings it's all too easy to forget to say "thank you". And yet that one phrase can make all the difference to the person who's been helping you.


So I want to say a big "THANK YOU" to Daniel Hall. When I first visited speakerscruisefree.com I could not have imagined where it might lead me.


And today I say thank you regularly for the oportunities that have come from that speculative click. To find out more now click here.


And I recognise the value of an occasional pat on the back, so I make a point of saying "thank you" to our cruise company contacts when they fix us up for a cruise, when the contract arrives, when the cruise is complete - even if they have to make changes.


The result is that whenever I phone or email I always get their attention and I always get a response. Just two small words.


If you are not already cruising free give yourself something to say "thank you" for. Meet Daniel now here.
While you're at it read about my life in the sun. It's one big "thank you" click here.
And finally thank you for reading this. Don't miss the opportunity of a lifetime. Click here now.
Happy cruising - FREE
Andrew


Sunday, February 14, 2010

The Deal With Cruise Speaker Agents


I recently received an excellent email question related to using agents and my Speakers Cruise Free Program. I thought you might benefit from the information as well so I decided to post the question and my response here.

--------------------------------------------------------


I answer within the body of the email...


Hi Daniel, Let me see if I understand you correctly. Once I have been approved by one cruise line, I'm accepted on others.


(Daniel’s Response) ******** No, once you are approved by one line you continue to be approved by that SAME line as long as you continue to receive good reviews from both passengers and cruise director’s staff.

You don't mention agent fees.??? I have worked on Norwegian and Royal Caribbean for years by paying agent fees I have met others who say they don't pay an agent. So, that is what I am trying to find out about.--how do I get accepted without having to go through an agent.


(Daniel’s Response) ******** My system and way of doing things is all about booking direct with cruise lines and thereby circumventing agent fees. A caveat: working with agencies is great as long as you make an informed decision about using them. What I mean is that not only do you have to pay an agency fee but once an agency books you into one line you cannot later book direct with that same line. In other words, you are locked into using that agency for that particular cruise line. Thus, you would not in the future be able to book through Royal Caribbean and NCL; you would need to continue using the agency that first booked you. One other thing. The last time I checked you cannot book directly with NCL – they only use one agency.

I would appreciate any advice you can give me. Thanks.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Would you like to get started cruising free here: http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/

Friday, February 12, 2010

Good Fortune

Whenever I say how lucky we are a good friend of mine reminds me that "luck is when preparation meets opportunity".

I prepare for every cruise, well researched lectures with great PowerPoint presentations - and Daniel Hall presents the opportunities - pop now to www.CruiseImprove.Com/FREE

But best of all, after my first few cruises I had built up a stock of great, well illustrated talks, which I can easily adapt for future itineraries. So when I was invited to speak on a Mediterranean cruise in a few weeks time I spent a morning making a few adaptions and was ready to go. Everything you need to know is there waiting for you at www.CruiseImprove.Com/FREE

If you are not yet cruising free, you are not getting all the fortune that's awaiting you. There are 4 simple steps to follow - 1) visit www.CruiseImprove.Com/FREE 2) Prepare as Daniel will advise you 3) Get booked on appropriate itineraries and the 4) Put your talks and illustrations together.

Prepare now to be lucky - visit www.CruiseImprove.Com/FREE

And check out my book about life at Mediterranean pace at http://www.figleaf.org/

Happy cruising - FREE!!

Andrew

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

7 Awesome Tips for First Time Destination Guest Lecturers

TIP 1
Check whether you are required to be the Port Destination Lecturer or Enrichment Destination Lecturer.These are two different types of presenters and passengers expect the Port first and Enrichment second. Qualify this with your organizer, prior to preparation.

Group 1 – Enrichment Destination – Princess Cruise Lines - Please note: often our ships have Port Lecturers that have been recruited by our Shore Excursion Department. These lecturers talk specifically about each port from a “tour guide” or “local man on the ground” point of view, talking in detail about what to do and things to see in each port. Destination speakers should try to give a broader overview of cities or countries or entire regions to avoid overlap or repetitiveness (as suggested above), although some overlap will be unavoidable. Occasionally, when we are missing a Port Lecturer, we will request the Destination speaker function more like a Port Lecturer.

TIP 2
Use a hand held microphone or lectern rather than headset, which may not fit your head properly.

TIP 3
To prepare a lecture that caters to ALL cultures, limit humor, interaction, jargon and slow your pace of speech.

TIP 4
Success with your presentation will depend on your preparation. To suit all personality groups I suggest a power point slide with a graphic on one side and a statistic or fact on the side of the slide. Alternatively a full graphic slide or words in no smaller than 20 point font. This suits both personality styles and will suit all your audience members.

TIP 5
Take the time to research the passenger’s expectations AND the cruise ships expectations from the organizer. These should match.

TIP 6
A lecture style presentation is preferred for destination topics. Limit your interaction with your audience.

None is better than too much and fewer chances of mistakes.

TIP 7
Use facts in your information. EG.A large number of migrants emigrated from Greece after the war, is too general. The year and the number is what the passengers like to hear. In 1948 60,000 immigrants from Greece migrated to Australia.

Supplied by Janice Davies ASM, Professional Speaker, Business Trainer, Success Coach & Author
www.attitudespecialist.co.nz

----------------------------------------------------------------

Note From Daniel: Thank you Janice for your great tips! Now if you want to want to get started cruising free as a speaker -- get on over to http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/ and dip a toe with a free special report.

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Tax free bonus



When I was a thurusting young executive I was often amazed that I could command the income that I was earning. And I was always rather disappointed that I had to shell out 50% (or more) on my declarations to the revenue.
Well now I get regular bonus travel - and no money changes hands. Visit www.cruiseimprove.com/FREE
Thanks to Daniel Hall's "Speakers Cruise Free" system we and many other forunate, and well motivated, speakers cruise the world for free.
Fancy the South Pacific? - visit www.cruiseimprove.com/FREE
Always wanted to cruise through the Panama Canal? - visit www.cruiseimprove.com/FREE
Want to see Alaska? - visit it www.cruiseimprove.com/FREE
Get the idea?
Those of us in the know use this system to travel the world - Australia, Greece, the Baltic, the China Seas, the Atlantic Islands, New England in the Fall - and so much more.
If you're not yet cruising for free do yourself a favour now - visit www.cruiseimprove.com/FREE
And to learn about the fun and trials of moving to the latin speaking world read my book "Under Latin Skies", available at http://www.figleaf.org/

Happy cruising (for free!),

Andrew

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The Time of My Life

While sitting on the beach last week in Princess Cays, Bahamas, I turned to my mother (my guest for the cruise) and said, "Dreams really do come true."

In December 2008, I couldn't stop thinking about my desire to travel.

As luck would have it, a good friend had just recently met Daniel Hall. She shared his contact information with me and I downloaded his ebook about cruising for free a few days later.

I followed Daniel's directions and before I knew it I was approved to sail with Princess.

By May 2009, I had my trip scheduled!



What a fabulous experience. Everything about the ship and the crew exceeded all my expectations. And besides that, except for port excursions, cocktails and add-on services, my cruise was free.

Below I have included some tips for anyone cruising with Princess:

1. Speakers are housed in staterooms or in captain's quarters (with crew). If you do find yourself in the crew area, it is important to understand you will not have the typical "stateroom" amenities like soap, shampoo conditioner and/or blow dryer. Because you will not know your assignment until boarding, it is suggested you pack with the assumption you will be with the crew.



My mother and I were assigned a room with the crew.

2. If you are assigned a crew's cabin and have any difficulties with your keys, you must visit the Crew Supervisor (not Passenger Services).

3. Be prepared to speak in large venues. Although they do have smaller conference rooms, on my cruise the smaller rooms were occupied by card players. I spoke in the theater (holds 800) and then in one of the clubs (holds 400), even though audiences for scholarship programs (as they call them) are typically less than 100.

4. Bring an up-to-date laptop with you and a remote. If you have problems with your equipment, they have one on board (at least they did on the Emerald). Also make a backup copy of your presentation (on CD or memory stick) just incase you have to use their equipment.


5. Site all your photos and sources. Good practice for any presentation you make!

6. If you need pencils or pens, this request will need to be made to the Cruise Director staff. Your contact, the person assigned to you on the first day, can help you with "special" requests like this.

7. Recommend taking 50 copies for handouts. I ran out of handouts for one presentation. It's possible to ask for more or have them available at Passenger Services (later), if you run out during the presentation.

8. Practice, practice, practice. You do not want to use your cruise time rehearsing! Preparing destination lectures is time intensive. Give yourself plenty of time to create detailed, as well as entertaining slides. Use pictures, maps and other attention-getting additions to your PowerPoint slides.

9. If you have never used a microphone (hand held or headset), you might want to find a way to practice doing so before you step foot on board. Unless you are placed in a small conference room, you will need a microphone.
10. Be aware of the schedule. You might have events booked immediately ahead or behind you. Understand the time limits you have and make adjustments. For example, during one lecture, I was given 40 minutes (due to set up time). The lecture could have gone on for one hour. The night before, I cut slides and made adjustments. If you have an event booked in front of you,take your equipment early so that the technician can set up when it's convenient for him or her.

Personally, I can't wait to get back on board! Thanks for creating your program, Daniel. It works!

Allyn Evans

Monday, January 18, 2010

The Log From The Sea of Cortez

I just completed a week aboard Cruise West’s Spirit of Endeavor as the onboard speaker for this Steinbeck themed cruise. This was a TOUGH gig folks because it takes so much prep to get ready to speak on any themed cruise as the theme expert.












John Steinbeck was a Nobel laureate novelist with books and movies ranging from Grapes of Wrath to East of Eden. In 1941 he jumped on a sardine boat with marine biologist friend Ed Rickets and sampled the marine wildlife in an alcoholic frolic in northern Mexico.












The reason this speaking engagement was so tough is that it was billed as a Steinbeck cruise.











There were about 80 high net worth passengers.












Speaking Tip: So the lesson here is that if you are going to tackle onboard speaking on a small ship take it really seriously. Also try to make sure that the cruise line communicates to the passengers your credentials before the cruise. Best get them to put your photo and information on the website on the days you will talk.












Small cruise speaking is not a free cruise on the first time do to the massive amount of preparation involved. It is an opportunity to really shine as an advanced speaker. It is also an opportunity to make solid connections with extremely solid people out there in the world.












If you are (1) a top speaker … not a beginner or intermediate speaker and (2) trying to expand your repertoire and (3) very charismatic and able to be very unbiased for hours and days on end than this can be a fantastic opportunity for you to progress!

Prof. Scott Brown, Ph.D.

Professor of Finance, University of Puerto Rico

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Where in the World

Where in the World would you travel if your meals, accommodation and travelling around were paid by someone else? Last year we spent 10 weeks on board luxury cruise ships - all paid for by the cruise lines. To find out how click here - www.cruiseimprove.com/FREE.


We have visited Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Russia and the UK - all in one year. And the cruises were all free! See here - www.cruiseimprove.com/FREE.


All I have to do is talk to folks about the things I love - and that's all prepared and ready to go. This year we will be cruising the Caribbean, the Eastern seaboard in summer, New England in the fall and Southern Europe in Spring. All these cruises are free. If you are not already cruising free with us click now to join us. www.cruiseimprove.com/FREE. We will all make you very welcome! :-)


And if you'd like to read about the thrills and spills of moving to the Latin world check out my book "Under Latin Skies" at http://www.figleaf.org/.


Happy cruising,


Andrew

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Living like Kings

Today is known here in Spain as "Three Kings", the Catholic celebration of the arrival of the three wise men.


A couple of years ago we met one very wise man who introduced us to free cruising - all over the globe! Daniel Hall has devised an outstanding system that easily allows us and many others to talk about the things we enjoy, while travelling at someone else's expense to places we want to visit.


Check out www.CruiseImprove.Com/FREE to find out how easy it is.


Each year we make a list of the places we want to cruise (last year we took 5 separate cruises visiting 4 continents). Then we use Daniel's contacts, tips and his system to book cruises that match a number of those places.


We travel like kings. You can too. Just visit www.CruiseImprove.Com/FREE.


It is so easy - and you too could travel and live like kings.


Just click this link - www.CruiseImprove.Com/FREE


ENJOY your majesties............

On A Boat In The Sea of Cortez






I am about to cruise for free in the Sea of Cortez. I’ll be speaking on John Steinbeck, marine ecology,

and the political economy of Mexico. This is my fifth free cruise in 12 months after joining Daniel Hall’s Speaker’s Cruise Free club 18 months ago.

http://www.cruisewest.com/mexico-cruises-whales?mexico-cruises













I’ll be posting photos and speaking trips as the club roving reporter. This is a very advanced onboard speaking challenge so stay tuned. The speaking preparation took 5 hours per day for over a month!

I joined Speakers Cruise Free after having problems collecting the trip insurance on a cruise with my moth and step father. He had prostate problems and we had to cancel a cruise here in the Caribbean.

Here’s what my family has saved in trip costs:

Cruise

Line

Savings X 2

Brazil 7 Days

Royal Caribbean

$ 1,598.46

Argentina 7 Days

Royal Caribbean

$ 1,708.24

Mediteranean 14 Days

Royal Caribbean

$ 5,179.36

Mediteranean 14 Days

Royal Caribbean

$ 5,178.54

Sea of Cortez

Cruise West

$ 6,579.05

12 Month Travel Savings:

$20,243.65

So if you ask me if Daniel’s program works the only thing we can do is scream YESSS!!! … With a great big family smile!










And…my wife, Marisol, was wondering if there was a way to not only cruise for free AND make some money on the side. Daniel explained to me how effective his new program Travel Making Money is.

http://www.travelmakingmoney.com/main.html

I joined immediately when I got his launch e-mail. It took me a small investment of time and energy to get on the VIP onboard speaking list for two major cruise lines following exactly what Daniel taught me in Speakers Cruise Free (http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/ ) so I’m digging in like a tick on this new course to integrate everything into my new sideline as a onboard expert speaker on luxury cruise lines.

If you have any questions or doubts about how fantastic Daniels travel programs are you can contact me through him.

-Scott (Doc Brown)

www.WorryFreeWealth.com

Monday, December 28, 2009

New Year Resolutions

My resolution for this new year is to cruise new waters - FREE.


So far the cruise companies have taken us all over the Mediterranean; to the Baltic; through the Panama Canal; to the Western Caribbean; all over Australia and New Zealand - and on wonderful repositioning cruises across the Atlantic.


In 2010 we've included new ports in the Caribbean; New England in the fall - and a fabulous Iberia and Italy itinerary departing from Southampton.


When friends read our Christmas letter they call us "charmed" or " so lucky". Well we are of course. But I believe you make your own luck. And we made this little bit of luck by overcoming our schepticism and trusting Daniel Hall.


YES - it really works. Speakers really do cruise free!!!


To find out more, and to start your charmed life of free cruising click here now - www.CruiseImprove.Com/FREE

To read about our wonderful life in the sunny Mediterranean click here - http://www.figleaf.org/

Monday, December 07, 2009

Know where you are - or you can't work out how to get where you want to be!

Mandy Evans says "There is only one starting place I know of. It is here and now. Two of the least popular locations in time and space"

One problem with us all is the tendency to wish that we were starting from somewhere else as we look at what we want to achieve. Every so often I write a "wouldn't it be amazing" list. And I am often amazed by the number of unachievable things I achieve.

My list is based on -

  • A few minutes of "off the wall" thinking. If there were no barriers what would I like to achieve.
  • I then go back through the list to add the things I've always wanted but had forgotten.
  • The list then gets left for 24 hours and next day I review it adding in the things that my sub-concious has processed in the meantime.
  • And then, for each item on the list I ask my self "OK. That's good - but what would be better still?"
  • My list is then dated and tucked away for a few months. I put a diary reminder for around 6 months ahead - because by then I have always forgotten about it.

You know it's amazing how often the "impossible" six months earlier is already within my grasp - and often already in progress. Just a few years ago I wrote "speak on cruise ships - at someone else's expense". Within 6 months I was in contact with Daniel Hall, had submitted my resumé and was already booked for 2 cruises. When I wrote those words I could not have imagined what this would bring.

Today Kathy and I cruise the world at the cruise lines' expense - long luxury vacations and in return all I have to do is talk. I really rather enjoy talking!!!!

To find out more about cruising free visit www.CruiseImprove.Com/FREE.

To read the drama of life under the Mediterreanean sun visit http://www.figleaf.org/

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

De-stressing

As I write this I realise that I have met several very poorly prepared speakers. And preparation is everything in my mind.


Last year we cruised with a very eminent investment advisor who has made a fortune in his own investments and from advising others. Yet he sat in a lounge every evening stressing over the following day's lecture.


Kathy and I used our NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) techniques to get to the bottom of the issue. And it soon became clear that he was nervous because he had not prepared a strategy for his talks. We worked that through with him in a matter of 20 minutes, sealed his confidence by removing his anxiety and sent him off to do a little more preparation.


The next day we bumped into him at breakfast where he was eating a super meal and humming along as he redied himself to go on stage. That talk was outstanding.


He now uses those same targeted prepartion techniques in all his lecturing and has seen his portfolio and client list grow.


The key techniques - get your presentations produced well in advance; be clear that they match the descriptions that you give to the cruise company; get a colleague or friend to review with you. And check your personal strategy. Ask yourself what you will have achieved at the end of the next twelve months if this is to be the best year of your life. Then check how your presentations fit in helping you to achieve those goals.


You will probably want to make a few small changes to your style or content - but those small changes will be enough to provide the confident platform from which you will speak.


To find out more about travelling free as a cruise speaker click here - www.cruiseimprove.com/FREE


To discover the wonders and the frustrations of moving to the Mediterranean area visit - http://www.figleaf.org/

Friday, November 20, 2009

Big mouths get...

The Business!

Here's what's going on...

Public speaking is a great way
to attract more clients, generate
unlimited leads, and explode your
business growth effortlessly,
especially when you master the
skills of persuasion and influence.

Over the past several years, I've
discovered how powerful public
speaking is in growing my own
business. You can learn how too.

My friend Arvee Robinson, Master
Speaker Trainer has invited you
to attend a one day Persuasive Speaking
Mastery Seminar, Wednesday, December 9,
2009 in Ontario, CA.

The value of this training is $597.
Because you are receiving this
email you may come as my guest.

To register & attend at no charge go to:
http://www.persuasivespeakingmastery.com

The program is limited to 200 people.

Hurry!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Planning topics

I met one speaker who says he always gets in a panic about a month before each cruise as he has to decide what he's going to talk about each day!




I tend to work the other way. I now have a wide range of talks - destination, enrichment and life-style. And before I request any cruise I choose my topics - and note how much tweaking, if any, I must do to ensure that my talks are relevant to each itinerary.




Thus when I send in my application I can include the topics list, day by day. This shows preparation and relevance.




The cruise lines seem to like this attention to detail. Even though they know now that I deliver good material it helps to be reminded.




And of course I then make sure that I deliver what I promise. I don't let them down.




To find out how to cruise free visit - www.cruiseimprove.com/FREE




To lear about our life in Southern Europe visit - http://www.figleaf.org/

Monday, November 09, 2009

Read the Contract

On our last cruise two bridge tutors (booked through another agency) caused a terrible uproar because their session time was changed one day! And this in front of passengers. They even shouted to the entertainments manager "We've paid $60 a day to do you a favour!"


Anyone who reads Daniel's advice will know that times may change. We are all advised to check the daily newsletter to confirm times.


From this point on the cruise staff treated them with kid gloves - but informed the head office not to book them again. I learned two lessons from this little episode -


1) Respect the contract, which usually says something like "Lecturers and their guests should not discuss the details of the contract with other lecturers, cruise company staff or other passengers. The details of this contract are to be kept confidential."

2) Why on earth pay an agent $60 a day to get you booked (note this money stays with the agent - the cruise company are not party to this charge!) - why pay that money, when using Daniel's Hall's system you cruise FREE!!!


To find out more visit - www.CruiseImprove.com/FREE


To read about our wonderful life in the Mediterranean visit - http://www.figleaf.org/

Thursday, November 05, 2009

Memories

A lot of people were buying cameras in the various ports and even in the Solstice gift store. Some had forgotten their camera. One person had lost his camera, and two others were dealing with broken cameras.

All of this reminded me that confirming your photo equipment should be on your check list no matter where you're traveling. If you're going to upgrade your camera, it is recommended that you get the new one far enough in advance to learn how to use it. Every shot counts when you're cruising exotic places like the E. Mediterranean.

Check out a few of the great photos we took during 11 days with Celebrity
http://sn.im/med-cruise

Dale Collie
http://CourageBuilders.com
http://sn.im/contact-dale