interviews

Tim recently chatted with Michelle Van Deusen from Royal Caribbean about the latest news with that cruise line. Tim: When I sailed on the Oasis of the Seas in January I was very impressed with the entertainment options presented (especially “Hairspray the Musical”).  Tell us about some of the entertainment available on Royal Caribbean ships.  …

We recently talked to Alicia Steuart about the latest developments with Carnival Cruise Line: Family Travel Gurus: The Carnival Breeze just came out this summer and the Carnival Sunshine has its inaugural cruise in April 2013.  What are some of the new features of these new ships and what itineraries will they be sailing? We …

  Back in January we did our first interview with Disney Vacation Club (DVC) expert and DVC resale broker Shontell Crawford.  That interview proved to be popular with our readers so we are going to make this a regular feature – checking in from time to time with Shontell on the latest about DVC.  Shontell …

by Tim Larison One interesting part of being a travel agent is that you learn about places and events you were not aware of previously.  I recently had this experience when I interviewed Shannon Stitt of Collette Vacations for our website.  Shannon told me about the Oberammergau Passion Play.  “(This event) is truly once in …

We recently chatted with Carolyn Szekeres from Princess Cruises about Alaska and what Princess offers in general.  “At Princess, we consider ourselves to be the Alaska leaders.  We have invested so much in our Alaska product that we think we really offer the very best Alaska experience.  We have been named Best Cruise Line in …

by Tim Larison Last summer I took an Avalon River Cruise on the Danube through parts of Hungary, Austria and Germany.  It was a fantastic trip!  Tim was fortunate to have sailed with a river cruise “expert” on that voyage – Kathleen Kavanagh from Globus.  We recently talked with Kathleen about river cruising and what’s …

Having pets can sometimes put a crimp into family vacation plans.  Anne Manske of Lucky Mutts and More has a solution – hire a professional pet sitter!  We recently discussed with Anne the services she provides and the benefits of hiring a pet sitter in general. FamilyTravelGurus: What are some of the advantages of having …

One destination we consistently get good reports on from our clients is New Zealand.  “After one month I was surprised that I could have stayed another week or two. The New Zealand countryside is just gorgeous,” wrote one client after a trip we helped arrange.  “We loved New Zealand. Very progressive country and friendly people,” …

We are so looking forward to the debut of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas later this year!  The Oasis will be the largest passenger ship afloat and will have many unique features – such as the Aqua Outdoor Theatre pictured to the left. “What is unique about (our new ships) is that they will …

In our travels we often meet with private tour guides that we later recommend to our clients. Scot gave our family a terrific tour of the Vatican when we were in Rome in 2006. Scot and his wife Rina now offer personalized custom tours in Italy, specializing in the Tuscany area. “Tuscany’s popularity grows every …