99. Let's Plan A Cruise Together | Luxury Travel Planning for Virgin Voyages, Princess Cruises or Celebrity Cruises

Join me as I plan a trip for my clients' 25th anniversary celebration! Based on their needs and luxury travel preferences, I break down the different itinerary options and cruise lines. If you're planning a cruise, you don't want to miss these comparisons! Will we go with Virgin Voyages' modern chic and adults-only vibe, Celebrity's refined luxury, or something in between? Tune in to find out!

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This episode was produced by The Podcast Teacher: www.ThePodcastTeacher.com. 

Transcript

Hello, jetsetters, and welcome back to another episode of jetsetting with me. It is I, Michelle, your extra AF hostess, ready to plan a cruise together with you. It's gonna be really fun, and it's all based on a true story. But really quickly before we do, this is episode 99. Ah, yikes. That means that in just one more week, next week, I am putting myself on the hot seat, and someone who has known me say, maybe, almost all my life. Who knows? And probably has some dirt to spill on me. Well, I'm putting myself in the hot seat, and that person is gonna interview me.

Plus, some giveaways are happening, which you can win if you will only go to the show notes and fill out the form there and register. We will announce the winners next week, so you have until next Wednesday night to do this. Yay. Go. Now, on with our show. So this is based, as I said, on a true story. I recently held a cruise night with two of my favorite cruise lines, Virgin Voyages for my ocean cruising, and Avalon Waterways for my river cruising, and they came in IRL. We did a cruise night together, and two of my clients slash friends came to support me.

And I didn't know this until they walked in the door. They love to cruise or cruisers, and they have not yet celebrated their twenty fifth anniversary. Now that night, they fell in love with both lines, River and Oceane, Avalon and Virgin. But for this particular amount of time that they had on vacation and this particular budget, the Ocean Cruise Line definitely worked better, and they were definitely sold on everything they learned about Virgin Voyages. But then, and a lot of you people do this, I know, you get so excited about what I, as the expert, have to share with you, and then you go to Reddit. Stay off the Reddit. Or maybe you go to YouTube, and you're watching all the videos, and one person out of a thousand posts was really loud, and it wasn't quite my scene, and yet that's the one you hone in on. Come on.

I know it. You're smiling. You're raising your hand. You're saying to yourself, yes, Michelle. That is me. I do that. It's natural. It's natural.

But then I spent an hour on the phone with them. We priced all different cruises, probably six or seven different itineraries, couple different cruise lines. And guess what? They went into the overwhelm. So now this is the email that I got. We need help making up our minds. Any recommendations? Criteria includes Caribbean, 7 To 9 Days, balcony cabin, November or December excluding Thanksgiving, no Bahamas, Jamaica, Cozumel, or Cancun, preferably Eastern or Southern Caribbean, Celebrity, virgin, princess, or royal. Well, that gave me a lot to think about. And so here is how I have done the research and responded to these friends, friends first, clients second.

First is that all four of the ships that they mentioned, royal, virgin, celebrity, and princess, they all have very different vibes. So first, royal Caribbean, hard no. Easy to get rid of that, narrow it down to at least three ships or three lines. Hard, hard no. It's built for families. It gives Disney a run for the best family cruise line every single year. It's multigenerational because it's got things that teenagers like and great kids clubs. But for a twenty fifth wedding anniversary where you're not bringing your family with you, hard no.

Moving on. Okay. They've sailed on Princess before, these clients, so they've got that return traveler. It's a known product to them, which is great. And in Alaska, I actually highly recommend it because they're one of the only cruise lines that actually owns its own lodges at Denali, so you can do a cruise land experience with Princess that is absolutely phenomenal. But because it is that traditional cruising experience, it's got formal dining, It's got slightly older demographic. It's probably a little less vibrant onboard for an ambiance for a younger, aka my age, or even a highly active traveler like mister jet setting with me. And we are, like, ruby level with Princess, so we've sailed on them a lot.

So I know from what I speak, probably not what I would necessarily recommend for a young empty nester couple celebrating a twenty fifth wedding anniversary. So I've got it narrowed down really between Celebrity and Virgin. So Celebrity is known for its refined service. It does have exquisite dining. It is, luxury, known for its refined service. It does have a higher price point compared to more mainstream options, and we'll talk about that price point in just a minute when I get to why Virgin Voyages. First of all, it's adults only, so it's perfect for couples who are seeking that child free environment, which that would scream me. It's modern and chic.

I mean, come on. Their fourth ship is just now launching in the fall. Their oldest ship, which is only four years old, just got a huge glow up in dry dock. I mean, their ships still have new ship smell. It's a very nontraditional cruise experience. It has incredible innovative dining, and it's got a vibrant nightlife that will make you laugh. The shows are a little like Cirque du Soleil, some of them, so they make you go, Done and done. Okay.

Let's talk a little bit about the different cruising. So we've got Eastern Western Caribbean, and then we have Southern Caribbean. So Eastern Western typically include ports like Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Roatan, Belize. It does not include The Bahamas, Jamaica, Cozumel, or Cancun. Those are actually common stops, but they can be worked around. Eastern Western Caribbean has a vibrant marine life, very diverse cultures, Mayan ruins. It's great for adventure, excursions, snorkeling. Ziplining started in Costa Rica.

Like, you can go to the original zipline. Really incredible adventurous excursions. Some of the best snorkeling in the world, exploring ancient sites like the Mayan culture, great traditional local foods. It does offer a mix of some beaches, rainforest or cloud forest, and rich historical sites. Okay. Now let's talk a little bit about Southern Caribbean because these are places people get less frequently. So their destinations include the charming islands of Aruba, Barbados, which, as I've said numerous times on this podcast, one of the best excursions I've ever had was in Barbados at the Mount Gay Rum Factory. I won a shot out of a $300 bottle of rum.

That was, like, six years ago. God knows what it costs now, and it was the best rum I've ever had. Saint Lucia, which is one of my most favorite islands, as I talked about when I talked about how excited I was to go there on my sea cloud cruise, hashtag Fail, Curacao, the ABC Islands Of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. So definitely some amazing places to go. Also, the experience in the Southern Caribbean, it's renowned for its less traveled islands. It's more exotic beaches. It's very colorful cultures. It offers a quieter, more laid back atmosphere.

And as I said, those beaches are stunning and pristine, not much sogrom, seagrass. You guys know what I mean. It's got some very unique local culture as well. One of the one things I did love about my Sea Cloud cruise was going to one of those islands near Barbados. It was called Beckway Quay. Amazing. And the scenery is very captivating. It's got the dramatic coastlines, which you could see on my Instagram, the mountain backdrops, but also the beach coastline.

So let's talk about the weather. Both regions, Western, Eastern, and Southern high, we're all in The Caribbean, have favorable weather in November and December. However, November is the tail end of the hurricane season, so that could result in lower prices and fewer crowds if you're going in November as opposed to December when hurricane season technically, hurricane season ends November 30. So Southern Caribbean often enjoys slightly drier and more stable weather. It's a more predictable choice for seamless sun soaked getaway. Western Caribbean and Eastern Caribbean typically offer shorter sailings because they go out of US ports like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa. That can be appealing if travel time or budget is a consideration. The Southern Caribbean often features those longer itineraries.

It's a little further from The US shores. You typically have to fly to get to the ports, or you have to leave from Florida, and it takes two days to on sea to get where you're going. So, again, that extended immersive longer cruising experience. And, also, I will say and this is just anecdotal from my personal experience. I definitely felt like I was closer to what a European experience or a very foreign experience would be in the Southern Caribbean. I feel like the Eastern And Western just feel very touristy and Americanized, and I hate that we've done that to those beautiful, you know, to those local people, but that's just how it felt to me. I just felt like the Southern Caribbean was more of a passport journey or to say it mildly. Okay.

Let's talk a little bit about comparing activities and excursions. So I already said Eastern And Western has great snorkeling, the adventure travel, does offer also more cultural and historical excursions despite what I just said about how we've Americanized it. They are touristy, but the Mayan ruins are cultural and historical. And these itineraries are especially appealing if you want to explore ruins or you wanna do adventurous activities. The Southern Caribbean is much more for beach hopping, engaging with the diverse island, sea cloud, rainforest type environments, exquisite natural beauty. There's maybe less to do in some of the Southern Caribbean ports other than just look at beautiful landscaping, which I really love to do that when I'm trying to get some detox from the world, destress, a little r and r. I mean, the Southern Caribbean is perfect for that. So for this particular cruise, the twenty fifth anniversary, it's a milestone.

I personally would recommend the Southern Caribbean. They said in their email to me they have seven to nine days. That's a really good opportunity to get a little further from The US, to have a little more picturesque and intimate setting with the tranquil beaches and the breathtaking mountain landscapes that are perfect for making those lifelong memories. And the extended daylight hours and the exotic allure of those southern islands, that just promises to me to be a seamless, captivating anniversary cruise. Again, a little more weather worthy, so to speak, for their time frame. I'm just going all in on Southern Caribbean. Now to create the perfect recommendation, let's consider the couple's preferences and the nuances of each cruise line based on a request for here's the following. To remind you, they wanted romantic, exclusive, memorable twenty fifth anniversary celebration.

They wanted either Western, Eastern, or Southern. I already recommended Southern. We talked about different cruise lines. I'm gonna go with the Virgin. Again, the adults only thing just always swings me to that side. I just it's really, really unique. And despite what the one YouTuber out of 25,000 whatever who says it was too loud, like, I'm not a late night person. I'm in bed by ten every night.

It wasn't too loud for me. And that hammock on my balcony, it literally sways with me, and I love it. And I can take long naps out there, and look at the beautiful stunning scenery while I do. So for me, for this particular client, that is really honestly and truly where I land. It's an upscale luxury premium cruise line. As I said before, she still has new ship smell on all of her ships, but in addition, Virgin Voyages has cabin mood lighting, the red hammock on the balcony. It just screams perfect for couples who want that refined romantic experience. The culinary excellence, Pink Agave, their Mexican restaurant, and it is true Mexican.

It is not Tex Mex. Those chocolate tacos, chef's kiss. It actually has one best restaurant at sea, but all their specialty dining is included, and there is no buffet. It's like a food hall. You can go up to each one. It is not self serve. And if you want to be served, you can sit down at the table, raise your flag, scan the QR code. Someone will come over and get your order, and then your food arrives.

So you don't have to move from your chair if you don't want to. I, of course, like to wander around to all the stations and see what's cooking, but that's just me. Intimate experiences, we could have gotten this on either celebrity or virgin with the smaller ships. But, again, I swung to virgin because of the other things. So the smaller ships, as I mentioned in talking about my c cloud cruise, it does mean access to exclusive ports, less crowded experiences, more privacy and tranquility. It has a great destination focus. Many, many, many Virgin Voyages itineraries include late nights. Some of their itineraries even have overnight stays, but you get the longer, like, sunrise to sunset, which is really cool for an immersive cultural and scenic exploration.

So for someone looking for a milestone anniversary cruise, this really allows me to find an excursion for them that would take them off to a waterfall. Let's say they can go off an excursion to a waterfall, where just the two of them could have a picnic and then maybe swim under the waterfall with the photographer. Very private, unique experience that I'm gonna be able to do for them because the ship is gonna stay in port longer. Now, again, Virgin Voyages does have some really cool things. Again, you would find a couple's massage package on the beach or onshore on Celebrity also. But with Virgin Voyages, you can shake for champagne once. There's also other celebrations that include brunch at one of their specialty dining. Again, no additional cost.

Now let's talk about that price point because, really, that is what pushed me over the edge. I know I said it was adults only, and that's true. But between Celebrity and Virgin Voyages, and, again, I have loyalty with both of these crew lose lines as well. Celebrity is going to be more expensive, and that might be fine. But in this case, you don't have to go with the more expensive option. The reason it's gonna be more expensive is because Virgin already includes over a thousand dollars, such as Wi Fi, exercise classes, basic beverages, like soda and drink coffee and specialty dining. Plus, I'm gonna get you some onboard credit that you can go to use at the spa. Now Celebrity is gonna have a lower deposit.

But if you want all that other stuff, the ultimate price is gonna be higher. So based on all of this information, I would recommend to my client slash friends a Southern Caribbean cruise on Virgin Voyages to balance between that relaxation, the exploration, that elegance, that celebration, all under the warmth of the Caribbean sun. Until next week, jetsetters, happy travels. Now I do have one quick PS for you if you are still listening, and that is that all of that research that I did, I compiled into a wonderful email response. And I just wanna let you know, I got back the response that they want to look at one more princess and one more celebrity itineraries and see if one of those will work. So suffice it to say that one of my secret superpowers as a travel advisor who travels, hashtag I know because I go. I'm telling you, I know what these clients would love the most, and it is one of these. It is a Virgin Voyage itinerary.

That being said, they're the clients, and they're always right. So you have to weigh how much you trust your instincts against someone who knows and goes all the time. And with that, happy travels. See you next week for our big hundredth anniversary or our hundredth episode.