I have been a travel planning specialist for the last 8 years. I specialize in all- inclusive vacations to both Mexico and the Caribbean. I also specialize in creating customized travel experiences to the beautiful islands of Hawaii and Tahiti. In addition to handling land vacations, I am also a specialist with Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Cunard and Carnival cruise lines. I am a graduate of the Princess and Cunard Cruises' prestigious training academy and have been awarded a special status as an expert on both Princess and Cunard cruises. I have sailed several times with Princess and other cruise lines, always remembering the the smallest details to make my clients vacations the very best possible. My number one goal with all of my clients is to offer my very best at all times. I use my travel experiences to better address what ever questions or concerns you may have about your vacation. I believe in providing excellent customer service and have won awards to prove it.
Holland America Line: Eurodam 14-Night Pacific Coastal Cruise
By: All-Travel Agent, Sandra Weaver
I recently had the opportunity to sail on Holland America’s newest Ship, Ms. Eurodam. 
We departed from Quebec City, Canada to Sunny Fort Lauderdale, visiting such ports as Gaspe, Charlottetown, Nova Scotia, Portland, Maine, Newport, Rhode Island, Boston Mass, and New York City.
Ms. Eurodam is one of Holland America’s mid-sized luxury ships, with the capacity of 2104 guests on board. The ship itself is beautiful with fine woods throughout the ship, Roman statues, and master pieces of fine artwork. On the passenger decks you will find vintage pictures, dating back to the earlier sailing days of Holland America ships. 
There are 11 passenger decks, 2 pools with one having a retraceable roof for those colder itineraries. My favorite pool area is located on the Lido Deck 9, right next to the Greenhouse Spa and Salon Areas. This is where you will find the retraceable pool with pool side cabanas for daily rental. In each cabana you have a lounge sofa with fresh fruits, and bottled water, and other small perks such as suntan lotions. There is a menu available for dining in your cabana, nice thick robes for 2, and your own private crew member to take care of all of your needs. The Lido pool also has 2 whirlpools that are open until 10:00pm every night. The cost would be 199.00 per week, and 45.00 per day. You also have more cabanas that are located on Deck 11, overlooking the Lido Pool. This is an excellent area for group gatherings with family and friends. These Cabana rentals would cost 299.00 per week and 75.00 daily. 
The Greenhouse Spa, located also on Deck 9 is nicely appointed with several spa treatment rooms, a top-notch gym with all the latest exercise equipment and favorite fitness classes. You are also able to enjoy thermal suites, including a hydrotherapy and Thalassotherapy pool for 40.00 per day, with weekly rates available if you prefer. Imagine relaxing on one of her heated, ceramic lounges. Yes it’s okay to snooze. One of the best deals in the Greenhouse Spa was the offer of 3 spa treatments for 99.00 per person. This special was also offered on sea days.
There are 4 restaurants to choose from with three of them being specialty restaurants pricing from 15.00-30.00 per person. The Pinnacle Grill offers culinary delights ranging from aged Sterling Silver Beef to premium seafood dishes. The Tamarind offers pan- Asian flairs from sushi to other Asian cuisine. You are actually have lunch in the Tamarind opened from 1130am until 1:00pm at no additional costs to guests on board, reservations required. Dinner would be for 30.00 per person
Ms. Eurodam also offers Italian food at Canaletto, located within the Lido Restaurant, on Deck 9. Every night the restaurant appeared busy and full of lively guests.
The Lido Restaurants would be your Buffet Restaurant, located on Deck 9 for limited hours. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are served over limited times. If perhaps you are hungry in between dining times you do have pizza or burgers available. Burgers are available daily between 11:00Am and 5:00pm, with Pizza being available until 11:00pm, daily. 
The Rembrandt Dining Room offers 2 floors for guests wishing to have their meals in the formal dining room. The first level is for open dining, allowing guests to have dinner at from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. The second level are for those guests that have a set dining time. I had dinner on one of the formal dining nights. Service was great and I actually had a ball meeting those that I dined with. Another night I found something on the dinner menu that I liked, but choose to have my dinner in my stateroom instead. That was not a problem. Crew members took my order, and after a couple of minutes I was able to walk my dinner back to my stateroom. Room Service is available 24/7 and I never had to wait long for my order may it have been for lunch or dinner.
Even though I have to admit that the ship is less active than other Holland America ships, such as Ms. Oosterdam or Ms. Noordam, there were some good moments such as my complimentary digital camera class. Computer and digital classes are offered most days for one hour each. You also have 1 hour per day to “practice” what you’ve learned while on board at no additional costs.
I loved the Explorations Café, located on Deck 11. There were awesome views of the sea. I rented movies almost every night during my 2 weeks on board. Espresso drinks and pasties were available at an additional cost. This is also part of Ms. Eurodam’s library and internet café.
One of the things that I noticed about Ms. Eurodam, there were several rooms to select that would be great for group meetings and celebrations, from elegant lounges to meeting rooms.
Club Hal was available for young cruisers aged from 3 to 17 years. There are video and game rooms to keep your young tots happy. Even though the ship’s passengers were mostly senior retirees I did manage to see about 4 children on board.
The Screening room offered newly released movies daily, with a total of 36 seats for over 2000.00 passengers on board. I did hear complaints from guests. Apparently even though movies are shown several times daily, (same movie appears in the staterooms the next day) some guests really did not like the idea of waiting to see their favorite movie due to lack of space. I did manage to see a movie and must admit that the reclining seats are definitely upscale leather and very comfortable.
I stayed in a obstructed view stateroom that was actually quite nice. Our stateroom was positioned between 2 lifeboats, so we could see plenty. My travel companion really enjoyed her heavenly bed beside the window. She actually mentioned that she would love to own one of her own for home.
Our bathroom consisted of both tub and shower combination. I heard one passenger complain that they weren’t separate, and to be honest if you are over 5”9’ you may have a problem with the relatively small bathtub. We never had a problem with the water temperature and our room steward made sure that we never ran out of bath amenities by Elemis. I would have liked more storage space. We had plenty of closet space, and made use of the in room safe, however I like the dresser type drawers to keep my cloths separate. We were disappointed that there are no laundry facilities onboard to do your own laundry. There is a laundry service available at an additional cost. There was also a flat screen television and DVR in the room for entertainment. Movies can be rented from Deck 11 at the Explorations Café (combination library, coffee house, and internet café) at 3.00 per rental per day. 
I also had the opportunity to watch chefs from all restaurants prepare meals in the Culinary Arts Center. Samples were passed out, along with recipe cards during the presentations that were free of charge, and always very interesting.
The on-board entertainment was the usual, some of it good, and other entertainment not as good. ( I could have done better than their favorite comedian). The sail away parties were boring to say the least, and the only ones that I found in the nightclub was a birthday celebration for a family of five. The Casino offers slots from 1 penny to full gaming tables. Needless to say the casino did stay busy. I liked the way the casino was decorated. Holland America encouraged all guests to use their ship board card to play with, you get a certain amount of points, depending on your donation.
To summarize I heard more than enough compliants on board than I wanted to hear, considering that this is Holland America. I found myself wishing that there was more to do than just scrapbooking and gallery tours. Out of the entire crew I could only give 4 crew members high reviews on their “white-glove service and to be honest most of the crew members could have cared less. They had a job to do, and that was about it.
I will always hold Holland America as being one of the best cruise lines in the market and will definitely cruise again. This sailing just did not do it quite right for me.
Call your Holland America Experts Today at 800-225-3614 or click HERE.
Add a commentAll-Travel Agents Offer the Best Level of Customer Service
Lila (and Sandra),
The stay has been more pleasurable (the property itself is terrific), but we feel the service is still lacking (it takes three calls to get anything done around here!). And, recognizing this is an international Village owned by a French company, I am still surprised how few people speak or understand English. (That could just be the "ignorant American" and New Yorker in me, though...)
HOWEVER, we are beyond thrilled with the level of service and professionalism that you, Sandra and All-Travel have shown, and will use you and your agency when booking future trips. Please feel free to forward this email to your manager and whomever; I have never seen a better level of customer service than you and Sandra have provided us from the booking until completion of our trip; 110% amazing.
Best,
Allison W.
Add a commentThe Perfect Birthday Vacation From All-Travel
Hello Ms. Weaver.
I wanted to let you know I’m very impressed with your service. In all the trips I’ve been on through other agents, I have never gotten the personal, untiring service you have shown us. I trust your opinions totally. I know we will get the “perfect” birthday vacation through you. I’ve told several people about you already and have highly recommended you for their travel needs.
Thank you very much,
Larry L. Colding
Add a commentSandra Weaver and All-Travel Are Excellent!
First Name: Dale
My relationship with All-Travel: Leisure
Travel consultant you worked with: Sandra Weaver
Was prompt in responding to me: 4 = Exceeds Expectations
Was knowledgeable of relevant travel product and information: 5 = Excellent (worth a referral!)
Offered competitive fares and schedules: 4 = Exceeds Expectations
Paid attention to detail and accuracy: 5 = Excellent (worth a referral!)
Was friendly with a positive attitude: 5 = Excellent (worth a referral!)
What are the main strengths of All-Travel? Dedication to the personal needs of this individual.
In what ways can All-Travel improve? By promoting Sandra Weaver as a trainer or manager.
Any additional comments? Sandra worked on our case during her vacation. She kept me in contact about the situation with Swine Flu in Mexico that affected our plans and was able to get us an alternate location that actually fit our schedule better.
Add a commentAll-Inclusive Cancun Palace Resort Is Amazing!
Cancun Palace Resorts February 25, 2009
When I found out that I had the opportunity to travel to Cancun, Mexico I was so excited. I had not seen Cancun since Hurricane Wilma and wanted to see all of the new developments that had taken place after the hurricane.
My co-worker Lila Correa and I were both assigned to go to Cancun Mexico for 6 days. In those six days, we toured several Palace Resorts, Club Med Cancun, and Dreams Tulum.
The first thing that we must comment on is the issues of security in Mexico. Here at All-Travel, our first concern goes out to you, our clients. Your safety is important in any destination that you are in. May it be in Eastern Europe or your favorite Palace resort. We are here for more than taking your order for travel. Our e-mails and phones are always on, 24/7, keeping us on top of everything from great destination choices, to the safety of every part of the world. Our company CEO is on several travel committees that also keep him up to date. We appreciate your trust in us as travel professionals to lead you in the right direction. We work daily with our suppliers, always kept up to date on all aspects of your vacation.
During the time we were in Cancun, there was never a time I felt threatened and unsure of my safety. Other than the airport hustlers for transportation or time shares, I never saw anything to be concerned with. My only fear came when I talked myself into standing on that bathroom scale.
Arriving in Cancun, I was really amazed at how quickly and effortless my arrival went. I had heard that the Cancun airport has suffered major damage from Hurricane Wilma and had to be renovated, but there were places I still remembered. Very nice, though! There are plenty of shops, some with the same items that we had seen during our time there, but more pricey.
Our transfer went really smooth. We arrived when there was not a lot of traffic. We were staying near the hotel zone so our transfer was only 25 minutes. 45 to 60 minutes should you stay in the Rivera Maya, or Playa del Carmen.
We stayed at the Cancun Palace, where the first thing we were taught was that each Palace has a personality of its own. With 660 rooms, we stay on the ninth floor, ocean view. Wow so nice and comfy - we had the double room still with the Jacuzzi bathtub.
Everything that we could possibly need was there, from bathroom amenities that included a toothbrush and shaving kit (it's the little things that mean the most) to a fully stocked mini-bar with premium liquor dispensers (American sodas, coke and diet coke, plenty of juice, and bottled water). There was also a fruit basket with bottles champagne and red wine. We had robes and slippers, iron and ironing board, and alarm clock radio and a cd player. Even turn down service with chocolates on your pillow! The beds were perfect.
On the concierge’s level, you have a selection of nine different pillow types. I was comfortable on all three of mine. We also had beautiful views – we could see everything from the pool to the ocean. Not much of a beach to swim, but beautiful crystal blue. At night we could count the stars.
Even though we had more Spanish than English speaking programs there was a flat screen TV, a safe large enough for my laptop, hair dryer, Wi-Fi, and 24 hour room service at no additional cost. Yeah real nice.
There are 6 main restaurants, open from breakfast to late. One of the things I was impressed with at the Palace resorts was the variety of food. Reservations or time restrictions are not required for their a la carte restaurants.
One night we dined outside at The Steak, there I had a t-bone. Another night we were serenaded at Leonardo, where we were introduced to Italian dishes and fine wines. We also dined at Miyako where we had our own Master Chef, preparing our meal before our eyes. Wow Factor all the way. The service was always top notch. Even at El Mercado, Cancun Palace's main buffet, there were hosts to meet, greet, and escort you to your table (either inside or out). I've seen plenty of all inclusive resorts that are more seen then heard.
After filling ourselves with all of the delicious food, we were able to schedule a 25 minute spa treatment located in a small corner near the main pool. There was a waiting area with refreshing drinks and peaceful tranquility. My massage was very relaxing, making me want more when my treatment was finally over. You can schedule numerous spa treatments for both him and her.
There are also meeting spaces for any groups. The resorts are also perfect for families because they have children’s programs for ages 4 to 17. While the children program offers much, including a small waterpark on site, I did not see a lot that would keep my teenager content. There was a room for teens with playstations but I didn’t see the teens hanging out there for too long…
Why book with Palace Resorts? Their all-inclusive offers include exchange privileges with other Palace Resorts, there’s a Wet n' Wild Waterpark, Dolphin Experiences, unlimited local and long distance calls to the USA, select unlimited tours, golf and spa packages, unrestrictive dining, nightly entertainment, tennis courts, animal zoos, excellent service, and special amenities for any presidential suite or concierge's level rooms.
Overall I had a ball updating my knowledge on all there is to know about Palace Resorts.
Want to know more? Please feel free to call or e-mail me for more information Sandra Weaver ext. 503 SandraW@All-Travel.com.
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