No More Cruises to "Nowhere"....

Due to immigration laws, the major cruise lines won't be offering short cruises to "Nowhere" starting in 2016.  Apparently these short cruises that simply took cruises out into the ocean and back for a few nights were never legal in the first place.  Foreign flagged cruise ships that operate out of US ports are not permitted to sell cruises that do not stop at a foreign port. 

The cruises to "Nowhere" were popular for travel agents and those who didn't want a long vacation.  It was an option to get acquainted with a particular cruise line or cruise ship, or just to simply go on a 48 hour all-inclusive get-away and a very cheap price.  I personally never had the opportunity to sail on one of these short cruises, but many loyal cruise line passengers have enjoyed them and have indicated that they will be missed.

Please contact me, Matthew Dobeck, Travel Consultant,  at mattdobeck@outlook.com or 954-798-6573 to book your next cruise or vacation!

2016 Walt Disney World Resort Dates Opened Effective 6/22/2015

The 2016 dates for booking a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel have opened up as of today, Monday June 22nd, 2015.  Head over to Walt Disney World and check it out!

To book your next Walt Disney World vacation, or any vacation, contact me, Matthew Dobeck at mattdobeck@outlook.com or 954-798-6573

Upcoming Frozen Attraction at Disney's Epcot - Some Not So Excited....

The popular movie Frozen is an undisputed winner for Disney,  and Walt Disney World fans are anxious to get as much "Frozen" experience as possible on their visits to the Walt Disney World theme parks.  At Magic Kingdom, you can currently meet Anna and Elsa at Princess Fairytale Hall. If you visit Disney's Hollywood Studios, there is a "Frozen Fun" summer event taking place that includes parades and other magical activities.  Disney announced a new "Frozen" ride that will be opening in early 2016 at it's Epcot park in the Norway area of the World Showcase are of the theme park.  You can read all about it here.  

Some of the comments on the blog indicate that not everyone is overly thrilled about the placement for the new attraction.  Epcot has shut down an existing favorite attraction called Maelstrom in order to make room for the new Frozen attraction.  Maelstrom was a log-chute ride that carried guests through Norwegian-themed scenery and folklore.  Many argue that replacing this attraction with a ride that depicts the fictional kingdom of Arendelle from the movie Frozen defeats the concept of the "World Showcase" section of the park and that it takes away from anything that is truly culturally Norwegian.  Personally, I feel that anything Disney does is perfectly magical and I trust that I will be delighted.  What are your thoughts?

To book your next Disney vacation, please contact me at mattdobeck@outlook.com or 954-798-6573.

Adventures by Disney Introduces River Cruising!

Introducing family river cruising through Europe.

Come aboard, unpack, and let the world come to you.

8 DESTINATIONS, 4 COUNTRIES AND AN INFINITE NUMBER OF FAMILY MEMORIES. 

Adventures by Disney® is proud to announce their newest adventure. They’re sailing with AmaWaterways, a leader in luxury river cruising, on a river cruise along the Danube through Europe. Come aboard and sail to eight exciting destinations and experience four countries. Fall in love with the mountains, music and majesty of Austria. Get swept up in the rich history, flavors and fun of Germany. Be entranced by the medieval wonders of Slovakia. And bask in the majesty and stunning beauty of Hungary. Shore excursions are the ideal way to discover these amazing destinations, and they’re all included with your trip.

For all your travel needs, contact me, Matthew Dobeck, today at mattdobeck@outlook.com or 954-798-6573

Celebrity Cruises Plans Overnights At Caribbean Ports of Call In 2016

A trend usually only seen on Asian and European cruise itineraries, Celebrity Cruises is planning to offer overnight stays at select ports of call starting in 2016.  

When a ship stays overnight in a port, it offers the cruiser an opportunity to experience the night life the country has to offer.  It also allows for more extensive tours and excursions.  I think it's a pioneering move on Celebrity's part to introduce this in the Caribbean.  I am curious to find out how the different island businesses and governments will react to additional tourists from cruise ships into the late evenings.  For sure the nightclubs will benefit, but I expect we may unfortunately hear more stories of crime.  

Celebrity is planning the overnights on 43 of it's 2016 cruise and includes the following ports of call:  Aruba, Barbados, Cartagena, Cozumel, Curacao and St Maarten.  

Is anyone excited about the opportunity to hit the clubs in Aruba or watch the sunset go down while dining on a cliff in St Maarten?  You may get your chance soon.

To book your next Celebrity cruise, or any other cruise or land vacation, contact me at mattdobeck@outlook.com or 954-798-6573

Carnival Limits Bottled Beverage at Embarkation

Smuggling alcohol on cruise ships has been going on for decades.  Why pay high drink prices, when you can simply bring along your own vodka concealed in a 7-up bottle?  See that 32 oz bottle of mouthwash?  It tastes a lot like Bacardi when poured over ice!   Well, the game is over if you're planning a Carnival cruise.  Carnival just announced restrictions for what can be carried on:

- No beverages packaged in bottles, except for one bottle of fine wine or champagne
- Non-alcoholic beverages in cans or cartons are permitted but limited to 12 or less and should be in the passenger's carry on baggage.
- Carnival is lowering it's price for 12-pack bottled water to $2.99 if pre-purchased and $4.99 once the cruise begins.

The reason for the change has been attributed to helping decrease embarkation times, but we know this is certainly being done to decrease the chance of smuggling alcohol on board the ships.  

For me personally, I've never felt a huge need to "smuggle", as I try to budget any drink costs into my vacation costs, but I can't say I have never had a "few" airliner-sized bottles inside my checked bags.  As we see a trend towards "all-inclusive" cruising that is including alcoholic drink packages, my hope is that this change won't effect too many passengers in a extremely negative way.  Like most policies of this nature,  those that legitimately want to bring water or a brand of soda not sold on board are the ones being truly punished.  I will definitely be happy to sail a bit sooner when the staff don't have to scan endless cases of Aquafina!

What are your thoughts?  

Please contact me to book your next cruise or land vacation!  mattdobeck@outlook.com or 954-798-6573