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The
Joy of Cruising
"Senior Travel"
Love to travel but
hate the hassle? Would you love to go to Alaska
but know the huge distance between hotels and places is
insurmountable? Would you like to see other countries,
cultures and have different experiences but you don’t
want to go alone? How wonderful it would be to travel with
others with similar interests in a safe and fun environment.
Cruising is your
answer. On a cruise ship you
unpack only once.
After you are settled in, the ship is your
luxury hotel, taking you practically anywhere in
the world. How else could you visit five countries in one
week and return feeling relaxed, refreshed and pampered?
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Galaxy
Alaska |
In the summer
Alaska is perfect by sea. You are able to go from
Anchorage to Vancouver by ship passing some of the most
beautiful glaciers, lakes, and streams. And the wildlife
is spectacular. How about going to the Galapagos
Islands with your peers to see some of the
most exotic animals in the world or cruise the Panama
Canal while you have a bridge tournament with fellow
card players? Maybe you would like to explore the Big Easy,
New Orleans with your buddies both old and new. Do you enjoy
the casino or Vegas type shows? All
of these are easily done with other retired people.
If you would rather
not fly, look at the nearby ports of Charleston, Norfolk
or Baltimore. There are cruise ships leaving from these
ports year round now going to Bermuda, Canada, New England
and the Caribbean. Go
with a group and charter a bus to the port.
According to CLIA
(Cruise Line International Association) cruising
has the highest satisfaction rating of any form of vacation.
For the Senior market, cruising is both affordable and easy.
Make sure that you work with a trained cruise professional,
one that has been on many cruises and one that is associated
with a national consortium that will offer special discounts
and benefits. Cruises can
be very different. A cruise professional
will have been on many of the ships and know the differences
in the ships and help you choose one that is perfect for
you. A professional also will
be able to help you get the best rates, accommodations
and help you chose the best time of the year to go. They
will be able to tell you what excursions you might want
to consider and what clothes to pack.
For Seniors, a cruise
gives you all the independence you desire with all the security
you need. You will travel
with fellow Americans and your cruise agent can help insure
that your fellow passengers have similar interests.
Ideally, your agent can look for a group of seniors that
you can travel with. Not only will you have the extra benefit
of having like-minded travel buddies, you will probably
find many that share your interests whether they are golf,
cards, bingo or touring. By traveling together with
other Seniors, you have others that can assist you should
you need help. Unfortunately, some Seniors do not
have partners to travel with but may find much companionship
from the other people in your group. On
many cruises there are Gentlemen Hosts who would love to
be dance partners for the single ladies.
Retirement
Living Travel Club
Retirement
Living Travel Club is a new organization created
by CruiseOne and working with great partners such as Royal
Caribbean Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruise Line. The
purpose is to help seniors enjoy opportunities to travel
the world with other seniors in an easy, safe and affordable
way. In working with many local seniors
individually, particular characteristics were identified.
The Retirement Living Travel Club determined that:
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Seniors
love to travel.
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Seniors enjoy activities with other seniors.
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Seniors
feel more comfortable traveling with their peers from
their same geographic area with the same interests and
backgrounds.
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Seniors appreciate having customized activities available
that they can participate in when they travel such as
bridge tournaments, golfing, and tours.
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Seniors
like escorted trips where there is an activities director
to handle all the details such as transportation, events
and tours and any special needs.
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Seniors have traveled much in their lives and want to
have a variety of trips to choose from to both nearby
and exotic locations.
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Seniors,
most of all, love to cruise.
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As
the owner of CruiseOne, Kay Allred enjoys traveling the globe to learn
about destinations, cruise ships, itineraries and shore excursions to
share with her clients. She has found her life's calling in a business
where she can share her love of travel and her insistence on excellent
customer service. Kay has owned her own business for 8 years during which
time she has been on over 50 cruises and inspected over 100 ships.