Where Do You Turn For Travel Advice?

Are you one of those people who before you decide on a vacation type or destination do a lot of personal research. Are you someone who wants to know what others are saying about it.

Often we will talk to friends but many, if not most, will turn to the Internet. After all, "if it's on the Internet it has to be true."  Cruisers will turn to a website like Cruise Critic where they will find reports on the various ships and destinations and most importantly reports of the experiences people like them have had on a particular cruise.  Others might turn to Trip Advisor where folks (myself included) make regular reports about our experiences at destinations, resorts, hotels, restaurants etc.

Let me up front acknowledge that I visit these site regularly to see what people are saying. However, because I have been around a while I know that just because it is on the Internet does not mean it is true or that any one review represent what is normally experienced by folks at a destination, resort or cruise. Keep in mind that these sites are tools and like any tool you need to know how to use it. Used properly they can help you and your Travel Agent plan the perfect vacation. When used improperly they might cause you to miss out on a great vacation.

 Now, having said that I want to make a few suggestions on how you should use these tools that the Internet has placed at your disposal.  

The first thing I do is look at the date on the latest three evaluations. It's really pretty simple. If the dates of the latest opinions is an old date then the opinion is an old opinion. That is,  it is out of date and may reflect a condition that at the time was accurate but no longer exists. So my first rule of thumb is that you make sure the date of the review is reflective of what is going on today not a year ago.

Pay attention to the number of reviews for your event. One or two reviews is totally inadequate for making a decision. This is especially true if they are made on or near the same date. When you have a bunch of opinions within a short time period it usually means that a supplier is either hyping their product or being critical of a competitor's product.  Another possibility is that it is a lot of people who, lets say were on the same cruise that went bad but certainly does not reflect what is normal for that particular cruise. Personally, I want to see a dozen or more entries from a variety of people living in different parts of the country.

Always keep in mind that people who are disappointed or angry over something are more prone to say something that people who are happy. People who perceive they have been "short-changed" will tell 25 people where as people who are happy with their experience will only tell 5 people. Translated to the Internet you can count on unhappy travelers to report their opinion more often and in more places that those with happy experiences. You should also understand that what might leave one person disappointed may be exactly what another is expecting.

 Another thing to consider is whether all the reviews are critical or they are positive. No vacation product has ever pleased all the people all the time. So I suggest simply disregarding or skipping over those. I'd also look askance at any set of reviews that sound too much alike.

I am not suggesting that you not use these resources. To the contrary, I encourage you to seek opinions  from as many sources as you can. Tell your friends what you are contemplating and ask their opinions.  Go to the above mentioned websites and see what others are saying about what you are thinking of doing on your vacation. However, the most important piece of advice I can give you is that while you are doing all this research you also consult with a travel agent/consultant. They usually know these travel suppliers or they know how to find out what the real story is on a given vacation supplier. You travel agent can help you find your way through this maze of positive and negative information you've found on the Internet. They can help you choose a vacation that will fit your needs and offer you the best opportunity for a great vacation. Many of them have actually done what you are thinking of doing or been where you are considering going and thus have personal experiences upon which they can draw. Trust me, because they want your repeat business they will never intentionally steer you in the wrong direction.

So, the bottom line is this, even if you want to do all that research USE A TRAVEL AGENT to book your cruise.

Trade Shows & Forums

Because I have a limited amount of money to spend on trade shows and travel forums I have traditionally limited myself to two major events. I try and attended at least one OSSN sponsored Home Based Travel Agent Forum and Trade Show and one CLIA Cruise3Sixty.

These two events fit the bill for my needs.  That, however is changing. The Home Based Agents Forums has, while embracing technology, remained true to its constituency, i.e, the travel agent. The forum meets most of my needs for meeting suppliers, networking and learning the trends in the various travel sectors.

Hence, the forum with its classes, seminars, workshops, panels and speakers are relevant to what I do as a travel consultant. The Trade show allows me to speak with the suppliers whose products I promote and sell as I discover new suppliers and trade support companies. The only thing missing is a strong cruise line representation and CLIA certified courses both of which I personally would like to see present.

CLIA on the other hand has embraced technology but not to enhance the Travel Agent and Cruise Consultants experience. They have embraced it for convenience, efficiency and cost cutting.

To be sure they still have the Trade Show, the classes, and the dinners. What they no longer have is the in person ship inspections. Instead all ship inspections will be virtual (virtual is just another word for "not real"). Just send me the tour on a USB Flash Drive and I'll view it at my convienence and as often as I like.

A virtual ship inspection is the next best thing to an actual ship inspection. However, you only want the next best thing when the best thing is no longer doable. It's like having a virtual girl friend. She looks good but she has no real personality and you can't really interact with her. In the case of CLIA that means no more "onboard" ship inspections. It means that cruise3sixty, perhaps the most popular and successful industry specific trade show created gives way to cruisExcellence and virtual ship inspections.

What does that mean to me, the cruise consultant/travel agent. It means that by-in-large the spending of my hard earned cash on airfare, hotel, meals etc. is no longer necessary. From now on, when it comes to learning about cruises and the various cruise ships I'll rely on personal cruises, virtual ship inspections on CD or USB Flash Drives. It means instead of needing a classroom in Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, or Vancouver I'll just take the course online, attended a local class or go to a particular cruise lines' travel agent website.

The only thing that I see remaining at these events of any value that can't be obtained in other places at a more leisure pace is personal face-to-face networking. But I've solved that problem I'll just attend two OSSN sponsored Home Based Travel Agent Forums and Trade Shows instead of just one.

I suggest that if the cruise lines want their sales reps, BDM's and corporate people to actually meet and influence the people actually selling their product and not just the CEO of some hosting agency, OTA or Consortium who don't sell or service a single product themselves they best get a booth at one of these shows.

Some will say that the Virtual Ship Inspections are better than the "In Person" Ship Inspections because the agent will see "all" the features of the ship. My answer to that is that what the agent will see is a sterile view of the ship and a crew who know they are on parade. By personally boarding a ship for an inspection the agent gets a "feel" for the entire guest experience. We not only learn about the features of the ship but we get to first hand observe how the crew relates to guests, the quality of the food, the accessibility of services and, most importantly, which of our clients best fit a given ship.

The virtual tour does not give a true picture of the sights and sounds of a ship. It only shows the structure. One cannot assume the value of the wine simply because it is in a pretty bottle. Just as the wine must be tasted to learn its value, the ship has to be personally experienced to truly know what a cruise experience on a given ship should be.

So, the long and the short of the matter is that I'll see my fellow Travel Agents in Orlando in October at the Home Based Travel Agent Forum and Trade Show October and will skip the cruisExellence there in June.

A Balcony Is You Best Cabin Value

There is an illusion out there that at Texas Cruise and Travel we are all
about and only about cruises. Truth is we do know a lot about cruising but it is not all we are about. Just so you know, we are also all about all-inclusive vacations as well. We are Texas Cruise and Travel because we intended to use the initials for our name in all our promotion but someone beat us to the TC&T and besides it sounds like a railroad. However, just to be clear our business is pretty evenly split between cruises and all-inclusive vacations.

Today I want to talk cruises . . . not just cruises in general but cabin choices. Now, right from the start let me say I have never had a bad experience on a cruise because of my cabin selection. Whether and inside cabin or a suite any cruise I get to experience is a good cruise.  

The choice of cabin is largely determined by what one expects in general from the particular cruise they are taking.  There are some people who on certain cruises should select an inside cabin. These are usually the least expensive cabins on the ship and provided the same basic creature comfort  Inside cabins are generally for single people who plan to do little more than bath and sleep in their cabin. It is for people who are on the ship more for the activities than the amenities. You get the basics in human comforts as you get in a suite. You get a room with a door that locks; a bed; a shower and toilet; a television; a small safe; and a few other creature comforts. Also, when you shut the door and turn out the light it is like sleeping in Carlsbad Caverns without the lights on . . . it is dark than a thousand midnights. So, if you don’t like it that dark, leave the light on in the toilet.

At the other end of the spectrum is the suite. These are large spacious cabins with large verandas. They usually have a mini-bar . . . not the little refrigerator with a few drinks and nuts in it but a full fledged bar with a sink, wine glasses etc. The toilet is separate from the shower/tub and the tub often doubles as a Jacuzzi.  There is room for entertaining without the feeling of being in a sardine can. It is far more than a place to bathe, shave and slumber (sleep it off?). It is your private refuge where you relax and rejuvenate.

 So, you don’t want that cramped inside bungalow and you’re not ready to drop a dime on that luxury suite . . . what to do. Do what I do . . . get a balcony cabin. Now it used to be that a balcony was twice the price of an ocean view cabin (An ocean view cabin is generally speaking an inside cabin along the hull of the ship with a window). By the way, these are a good alternative to an inside cabin for people short on cash and long on claustrophobia.  These days a window will cost you about a hundred dollars per person more than the inside cabin.

In my book the best buy on any cruise ship is the balcony (Veranda) cabin. It’s going to cost you about $15 per person per day more than the ocean view cabin (roughly $100 pp on a seven night cruise) but it’s going to give you everything you get in the inside cabin and about half what you get in a suite. What I am trying to say is that cost really should not be an issue in choosing a balcony cabin instead of one of the lower category cabins (inside or ocean view). Now if those best meet your other needs go for it but I’m here to tell you that a balcony cabin is your best cruise buy.

I cannot think of a seven days or longer cruise where a balcony isn’t the best choice (value). Trust me, the longer the cruise the more cramped that inside/ocean view cabin will become. You will discover, because of the balcony, you will spend more time in your cabin than you expected. Again, the longer the cruise the more you’ll find yourself enjoying that balcony.

It really doesn’t matter where you are going on your cruise a balcony is a good choice. However, it is an especially good choice if you are sailing where there is scenery. If you're sailing in the Mediterranean or any particularly scenic destination, the view is definitely worth the money. Even on an Alaskan cruise it's so refreshing to sit on your very own balcony watching the glaciers. Sitting on your very own balcony beats the fire out of standing on the rail of the Lido deck.  We often enjoy having breakfast on our balcony as the scenery passes. There is even something about having coffee on the balcony in the fresh sea air on sea days when land is out of sight.

 So take my advice, if you can make it work on your next cruise choose a balcony cabin. You’ll be glad you did.

Let me make a suggestion here that is totally aside from choosing a balcony on a cruise ship. If you are already a balcony or suite person when it comes to cruising and if you really enjoy watching the scenery go by let me suggest that you consider a river cruise. There are paddle-wheeler cruises all over America (especially the Mississippi River system) and in a couple of years Viking River Cruises will be offering a European style river cruise on the Mississippi. 

Many ocean cruisers never come back to the big ships after they do a river cruise . . . just warning you . . . River Cruising is addictive.

Dancing With The Stars Cruises

Watched a Barbara Walter's special on the all time greatest television programs. As I suspected the number one all time best televsion program as selected by one million voters was Lucille Ball's I Love Lucy Show. However, when it came to special categories the Reality TV category selection was Dancing With The Stars.

Dancing with the Stars is in fact one of the biggest television shows on earth, teaming celebrities and professional dancers to compete for the coveted mirror ball trophy.

Holland America Cruise Line has teamed with the ABC and the producers of the show to offer six "Dancing With The Stars Cruises" in 2013-14:

• February 16, 2013 ms Eurodam, 7-Day Eastern Caribbean
• June 22, 2013 ms Veendam, 7-Day Canada & New England
• June 30 and July 7, 2013 ms Oosterdam, 7-Day Alaska
• January 5, 2014 ms Nieuw Amsterdam, 7-Day Eastern Caribbean
• January 12, 2014 ms Nieuw Amsterdam, 7-Day Western Caribbean

On these cruises guests will have the opportunity to learn the steps, meet the stars, and join in the fun. These theme cruises will feature “Dancing with the Stars” events including dance lessons; a chance to meet the dancers, ask questions and take photos; and a dazzling production starring celebrities and the famed dance pros, complete with glamorous costumes and routines from the TV show.

Currently scheduled to appear on select sailings are two-time champion pro dancers Mark Ballas and Kym Johnson; pros Tristan MacManus and Lacey Schwimmer; and some of your favorite celebrity competitors. Additional stars will be added.

This is a remarkable opportunity for fans of this show. However, there is only a limited number of those opportunities. In fact, one is already gone. We here at Texas Cruise and Travel can and are more than happy to put you on any of these cruises as long as cabins remain available. However, we have space reserved on the January 5, 2014 sailing that will offer special pricing and some added amenities to our guests.

One of the reasons Texas Cruise and Travel chose this particular cruise was to enable our guests to experience not only the Dancing with the Stars theme experience but also the newest of Holland America's cruise ships.

Nieuw Amsterdam, further defines and expands the Holland America Line premium brand with new concepts such as the innovative pan-Asian Tamarind restaurant and Silk Den lounge surrounded by panoramic views overlooking the ocean expanse and the Lido pool. Other additions are an Explorer's Lounge Bar, a premium wine-tasting lounge, an elegant luxury jewelry boutique, new atrium bar area, enhanced and reconfigured show lounge, and a new photographic and imaging center.The ship will continues several much-admired Holland America Line features, including outside-view, glass elevators at midship; the Explorations Cafe -- a cyber-coffee house powered by The New York Times; the Pinnacle Grill and Pinnacle Bar; the innovative Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine Magazine, where culinary experts provide cooking demonstrations and intimate classes in a state-of-the-art onboard show kitchens; an expanded Greenhouse Spa and Salon with thermal suites and hydro-pool, the largest gymnasium ever built for Holland America Line; and a youth facility that includes the teens-only Loft. In addition the ship will feature the family-style Canaletto's Italian restaurant.

Just as we selected the ship for it's ameneties we selected the sail date for it's itinerery. This is an Eastern Caribbean cruise leaving from a easily accessible port. Our itinerery includes: Fort Lauderdale; Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Half Moon Cay, Bahamas.

You have a choice of booking into our group or as an individual booking. Only those who select our group pricing will receive the additional group amenities. Our group cabins are categories: Inside J & I; Ocean View F & E, DD, D, & C: Verandah VD & VC; Suites SY.  Prices start at $699* for an inside category MM cabin while our group prices start at $719* for a category J inside. Ocean View, Verandah and Suite cabins are available as well. Emal us for pricing. Every cabin in our group can accommodate up to 4 people. The 3rd & 4th person in all categories is $699 per person.

Visit our Facebook event page for more information and to indicate your interest in this or any other Dancing With The Stars cruises. To book now or get more information email us at Texas Cruise and Travel.

Visit our website for additional vacation opportunities.


*Prices are per person, for cruise or cruisetour only, based on double occupancy. Price reflect best fares available for each stateroom on one date that this itinerary is available, from a snapshot taken in the last 24 hours for staterooms in each category. Changing the dates may change prices. Prices do not include Government Fees & Taxes. Pricing and availability subject to change without notice. Stateroom availability varies by ship and category. Images shown are representative of a stateroom in that category. Room measurements are approximated, and rooms in the same category may vary in size and/or have different furniture placement, windows or fixtures from those pictured.

One Great Cafe: Da Wabbit

Spent a couple of days in New Orleans this past week and as usual had a great time.  I did so without even stepping foot in the French Quarter. In fact as close as I got to the French Quarter was to view it from the freeway. Contrary to most people's thinking the French Quarter is not all there is to New Orleans.

Did get down to the River though. Took a quick tour of the Chalmette Battlefield where the Battle of New Orleans was fought. While not far from the city center it is inconvenient to the average tourist it is worth the little extra effort to visit. There is also a Civil War era cemetery on the battlefield grounds.

Also saw the Malus-Beauregard House built sometime between 1833 and not to be confused with the Beauregard-Keyes House in the French Quarter was the home of the son of confederate general P.T. Beauregard. It is empty now from flooding from Katrina. It is amazingly small by mansion standards.

 

By the way, if you find yourself in New Orleans and only have a couple of days don't miss the World War II Museum. This is one of the most informative and interesting WWII museums anywhere in the world. Even if you have been to the museum in the past you'll want to see it again as the museum has opened two new buildings. The US Freedom Pavilion houses a number of WWII planes and a submarine experience that is unbelievable.

 

But what I want to talk about is found on the West bank of the river where tourist do not usually go.  There is a restaurant called Cafe 615 (Da Wabbit). Located on Kepler Street "Da Wabbit" opened shop in 1949, and has been slinging hash ever since. For most of its was better known as a bar with card games in the back rooms than for its food. The current owners took over  performed a serious renovation to the interior, fixed the neon sign and turned it into a great place to eat.

 

This Cafe, I know the sign says "drive-in" but trust me it's not and you'd better arrive early because it is going to be packed.  While all the tourist are hitting the "famous name" restaurants the locals are flocking to this place. I've heard all my life that if you want to know where the best food is served follow the locals.  

We arrived about 5:00 p.m. and the place was already hopp'n. However, we were greeted by a friendly voice and a smiling face and seated almost immediately. The atmosphere is "down home" and relaxed. The most popular item on the menu appears to be the gumbo. However, I had the grilled catfish stuffed with crab meat and covered with a white wine brulee sauce. It was absolutely "the best!"  In fact, Tom Fitzmorris, a New orleans food blogger says of Da Wabbit, "It would be the Mandina's of the West Bank if Tony Mandina's weren't already there."

 

Often local restaurants aren't always friendly to "out-of-towners" and we often get the idea that they are places where only regulars are welcome, Da Wabbit is among the friendliest neighborhood joints in New Orleans. Believe me, you'll feel right at home.

 

By the way if you're accustom to ordering appetizer just order one. At Da Wabbit appetizers are huge and one order is enough for two people. Just saying, there are a lot of great places to eat in New Orleans and for my money Da Wabbit is one of them.

Those Pesky Hotel/Resort Add-on Fees

In a previous post I warned you to look closely at what you are going to be charged once you check into your hotel or resort. These wonderful properties are adding more and more fees. Most of the fees will be for things you will never use while at the property. The basic add-on fee is the so called "resort fee." This fee is added to your bill and generally covers things like local telephone calls, Internet service and a few other extraneous items.

Caesar's Entertainment Group is the latest Las Vegas group to add these "resort fees." Upon until now the phrase "No Resort Fees" was as familiar for the properties of Caesar's Entertainment as "what happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas" is to the Las Vegas Tourist Board. Well, it is now a thing of the past. They have just announced that they will be charging resort fees ranging from $10 to $25 per day depending on which property is booked.

Just in case you don't know Caesar's Entertainment in Las Vegas properties include Paris, Bally’s, Bill’s, Flamingo, O’Sheas, Imperial Palace, Caesars

Palace, Rio, Harrah’s, the Quad and Planet Hollywood.

Why the change? Well according to Caesar's Entertainment you wanted it. Apparently their surveys show that you want to pay extra for services like local phone calls, use of the exercise room and pools and Internet service.

When asked about whether or not you could opt out of the charges Gary Thompson, a spokesman for Caesars Entertainment said that guests cannot opt out of the fee and it will be added automatically to the bill.

He told NBC News, “We do a lot of surveys of our customers and most of them were, one, accustomed to paying resort fees at our competitors and, two, they wanted us to provide them with a package price instead of having the inconvenience of separate fees,” "Resort Fee" is that not a separate fee?

If you believe that I have some ocean front property in Arizona that is for sale. Believe me when I tell you that when the charge is mandatory the customer never asked for it. Think about it, when did you ever walk up to the desk and ask, "Could you charge me an extra fee to make local calls?"

It really is just another way for the property to get more money out of their guests without adding any real value. Think about it, when did you last make a call on a hotel phone . . . that's what I thought, you used your smart phone because your being smart. Not anymore . . . go ahead and use your smart phone but you'll pay for the room phone you didn't touch anyway. Same phone makes the hotels WiFi useless. These are pure profit.

These fees account for some 2 Billion dollars in pure profit to the hotel and resort and they don't have to add any new service to make it. Granted most Vegas hotels have charged these fees for some time now. But they never used "No Resort Fees" as a tag line for their product as Caesar's Entertainment has.

Basically their response was that they know people will not like is but they'll get used to it. Their better no on will cancel their Las Vegas trip because of it. Not canceling might have more to do with the fact that the hotel has already hit their credit card for the for the first night's stay.

Reminds me of the old couple who were traveling across the country by car. After having driven for some 10 hours they decided they would stop at a hotel and get a room so they could get a few hours of sleep before going on down the road. They stopped at a fairly nice hotel checked in went to their room slept for about 4 hours and then got up to continue their trip.

When they went to the desk the person at the desk handed the man his bill. The old man was shocked when he read that his four hours in the hotel was $350. He asked the guy behind the desk about the price and was told that in addition to the cost of the room they added the tax and resort fees. The old man said, "I understand about the tax but what are the resort fees?" After a few minutes the manager was called and explained each charge. "This one," he said, "is for the use of the pool." The old man replied, "But I didn't use the pool." The Manager answered, "But it was here and you could have used it."

Then he said,"This charge was for the Internet and telephone." But I didn't use it," said the old man." Again the answer from the manager was the same, "But it was here in case you wanted to use it." This went on as they went through all the charges. Finally the old man gave his wife the checkbook and angrily said, "Pay Him."

She took the check book, wrote out a check and handed it to the manager. He looked at the check and said, "This is not right, you have only written the check for $98.00." She replied I deducted a charge for sleeping with me." He protested and said, "Lady I didn't sleep with you." She said, "I know, but I was here and you were here and you could have if you had wanted to. It's not my fault you didn't take advantage of the service."

Kinda expresses my feelings on this "Resort Fees" concept. We should only pay for what we use or consume not availability. Let those who use the service pay for the service. But then that would turn the resort into a grocery store. Hope the grocery store doesn't start charging me a fee for the shopping cart whether I use it or not . . . after all it was there if I wanted to use it.

How's Business These Days? he asked.

I was visiting with a couple of friends a few days ago and we were talking about the economy and how so many of our community's small businesses were closing down. In fact, knowing that I have chosen to work from home one guy suggested, "You might want to consider getting some space in one of the strip malls space out to be cheap right now since there is so much of it."  I replied, "No I can't imagine why would I want to get up early and drive 20  miles to a small store when I can wake up just down the hall from my office?"  He then asked, "By the way, "How's business these days?  Are people still traveling as much as they used to?"

There is no question that the economy has been through some tough times and that has meant tough times for small business owners.  I've seen some businesses that just a year or so ago were bustling and looking at expanding close their doors. I'm sure there will be more. So, in answering the question I replied, "Well, we have certainly seen a change in people's traveling patterns. They have not stopped traveling but they are taking shorter vacations. Two years ago I rarely sold a four or five night cruise. They were all seven days or longer. No we sell quiet a few short cruises."

Money is tight. . . . there is no getting around it. Flying has become one off the major expenses people are struggling with these days. I priced an Eastern Mediterranean for myself. The 15 day cruise was less than the airfare.  However, the solution is not to forget the vacation but rather to adjust it.

If you are used to flying somewhere on vacation, try going on a cruise out of a port that you can drive from. Not purchasing airfare can save you a lot of money and with the money you save, you can upgrade to a balcony from an interior stateroom and have money left over.

In our area, we have sailing out of Galveston alone 4 cruise lines and 5 ships. Royal Caribbean has the Mariner of the Seas, Carnival has both the Carnival Magic and the Carnival Triumph, The Disney Magic and the Crown Princess. Soon Norwegian will add their own ship to the mix in 2014 when it bases a ship out of the Bayport Terminal. Princess will start using the Bayport Termnal in 2013.

Further down the cost ships are sailing from Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans, LA, which are all within driving distance from the Mid-South area. So whether you live in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama there a lot of choices.  Many of our clients are using these ports and pocketing the cost they saved by driving instead of flying.

Another great way to save some money on a cruise vacation is to go as a group. Maybe your kid's ball team (Parents and children) could be a group. Everyone belongs to some kind of group that could put together with the help of a Travel Agent a cruise group. I have a group sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida this coming January called The Dancing With The Stars Cruise that will actually feature some of the dancers from the show.

If you don't like cruising, we can, through some our supplier partners put you and your family in a great all-inclusive resort for a lot less than you might think.  So whether its Canada, Costa Rico, Mexico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic or the Virgin Islands we can help you get there.

Don't want to leave the country. You can also have a great vacation in places like Nashville, St. Louis, Atlanta, Branson, Gatlinburg, Las Vegas and any number of other places.  I suggest a week on the San Antonio Riverwalk.

Is the economy down? You bet it is. Does that have to change your vacation plans? Maybe a little, but at Texas Cruise and Travel, we work to find ways for you and your family to have a great vacation while staying within a budget you set.

Give us a call at (713) 385-0080 or drop us an email at: info@texascruiseandtravel.com.  Check out all the possibilities by visiting our website at www.texascruiseandtravel.com.