Golf With a View

  

How about some golf and incredible views this summer along with complimentary golf, greens fees, and transfers? There are some terrific inclusions available at Sandals in both The Bahamas and St Lucia. Check it out, and then let's chat to get you booked! https://tinyurl.com/GolfwithaView

Sandals' St Patrick's Day Sale!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

What better way to spend this day than at Sandals Resorts, with unlimited amounts of your favorite cocktail at no additional cost! Book your Sandals vacation during their St. Patrick's Day sale and receive a FREE Private Candlelight Dinner for two when you book a Club level room or higher. Bottoms up!

#SandalsTravelAgent

It's Been a Full Day!

 

It was a very long day here in NYC booking great vacations for people! Hot topics of the day included Alaska, Bermuda, Sandals resorts, and European River cruises. I'm excited with the results thus far and looking forward to another great day tomorrow. After the show, it was great to eat in one of my favorite places here in the city - Junior's Restaurant, where I enjoyed an enormous roast beef sandwich. After such a big meal, the cool night air feels great as I walk back to my hotel for a little rest before the show starts again tomorrow. Good night from Times Square!

More Than Just Cruises!

I just returned from Beaches Turks & Caicos, and the AMEX More Knowledge Conference. During the conference, I was able to update and renew my Certified Specialist status for the Sandals & Beaches Resorts, and expand upon my first-hand knowledge of that particular resort, which goes a long way when talking with clients and potential clients about their vacation experience desires and needs. Attending on-site conferences, seminars and tours is an important part of continuing education within my chosen profession, just as it may be in yours.

I'm pleased to be a certified specialist, as well as a WeddingMoons Certified Specialist, which I first earned at Sandals Royal Bahamian, where I also had the pleasure of serving as best man in a wedding! Feel free to ask about that one!

Many people get easily confused by the name of my franchise - Cruise Planners. They tend to think that selling cruises is all we do... but it isn't. Did you know that my personal selling mix is actually about 60% LAND vacations, and only 40% CRUISES? I sell a lot of all-inclusive resorts, Disney & Universal vacations, honeymoons, rail, golf, and more... all in addition to the cruises that I sell. Please don't rule me out for your next vacation just because you see Cruise as the first word in the name!! Your business and referrals are greatly appreciated! You can learn more about what I do, and what I can help you with at: www.icanshowyoutheworld.vacations and it would be awesome if you would like my business page at

facebook.com/showyoutheworld

Beaches Turks & Caicos From Above

My friend & colleague, Russ, captured this image of the resort on his flight off the island this afternoon. What a great shot! Key West Village with the blue roofs, Italian Village with the red roofs to the left of Key West; Caribbean Village with the light roofs to the left of Italian; and French Village with the grey and red roofs below the Caribbean.

#beachesturksandcaicos

Snorkeling Fun!

We were treated to a snorkeling adventure yesterday. The resort features a fleet of 13 watercraft - 5 of which are motorized: a catamaran, 2 diving boats, a snorkeling boat, and a glass-bottom boat. (The rest are non-motorized - kayaks, sailboats, Hobie cats, and pedal bikes). They also feature an assortment of paddleboards and floating rings. We went out about 10 minutes from the shore and enjoyed a nice 45-minute swim. I did not have my underwater camera with me, but a colleague did, and she'll be sharing her pics with me later. I'm looking forward to seeing them!

I saw some Midnight Parrotfish, Yellowtail Snapper, Graysby, Bermuda Chub, Sargeant Major, Sea Cucumber, Brown Tube Sponge, and Bar Jack. It was pretty nice. I liked that it wasn't an extremely long excursion, but was very happy we got to do it. ( I looked at a fish chart this morning to identify what I saw... I didn't know all of the names without that bit of assistance! )

Unlimited Diving is Included at Sandals & Beaches

Diving anyone? PADI Certified? Unlimited diving is included. Not yet certified? You can get Sandals certified for a year at any Sandals resort for $100. Full PADI certification also available. #beachesturksandcaicos

I Love Cookie Monster...

Look who I got to meet! Sesame Street fun, only at Beaches Resorts! Cookie, cookie, cookie, that's the monster for me. #beaches #familyfun #greatmemoriesmadehere

The Hot Tub Called to Me

Good morning from Turks & Caicos! A little pre-breakfast hot tub time was on today's menu before the conference's activities begin in earnest for the day. Make it a great day wherever you are.

Something for Everyone at Beaches Turks & Caicos

Here are things you can amuse yourself with at Beaches Turks & Caicos on your next all-inclusive vacation:

On land: Volleyball, Soccer, Tennis, Shuffle Board, Table Tennis, Billiards, Outdoor Chess, Pool Tables, Basketball, Board Games and Croquet.

On the water: Kayaks, Windsurfing, Snorkeling, Aqua Trikes, Hobie Cats, Paddleboards, Underwater Vision boat. Scuba Diving with Unlimited diving for certified divers. For those who wish to experience scuba diving for the first time, PADI Discover Scuba course is offered for a nominal fee. This course will be valid for one year and will only allow you to dive at all Sandals and Beaches Resorts.

For the little ones: Camp Sesame - a spacious air-conditioned building with Nannies and Counselors to cater to children from ages 0 – 11 months, 12-24 months, 3-4 years. Camp Sesame is equipped with cribs, swings & rockers. Children’s Swimming pool with canopy, separate play area, kids playground, arts & craft & more! All nursery & babysitting staff are trained in child care. Camp Sesame is found in both the Caribbean Village and Key West Village. Sesame Street Live parade every Tuesday evening, plus assorted other Sesame Street character breakfasts, meet & greets, and activities.

For bigger kids & teens: Scratch DJ Academy ‘DJ 101’ is the exciting partnership between Beaches and the New York City-based Scratch DJ Academy. Combining copyrighted curriculum and hands-on training; ‘DJ 101’ offers aspiring music enthusiasts the chance to learn how to mix, blend, scratch, and beat juggle. There's also the X-box® Play Lounge -a partnership with Xbox that brings the most exciting and powerful gaming experience to the Resort. The state-of-the-art Xbox Play Lounge features the Xbox video system exclusively and offers gamers and families the chance to play the hottest XBOX games.

More water! There are 10 pools, plus an on-site water park featuring 10 slides, a lazy river, and bodyboarding wavemaker.

For yourself: Fitness Center, Saunas, Spa, and more.

Gotta Love Getting to Hang Out with Friends While in the Islands

I'm at Beaches Turks & Caicos for a learning conference, along with several of my CP colleagues. This evening's kick-off reception by the water's edge finds me with friends this evening, before dinner. I love my CP peeps - it really is like a great big family! So fun to be able to get together on different adventures together throughout the years.

My Suite Life at Beaches Turks & Caicos

I made it to Turks & Caicos and this amazing resort! Pictures to come... But let me just say WOW! If you're looking for a fantastic family beach vacation...THIS is it! I won't steer you wrong. Beautiful waters. Gorgeous accommodations. Plentiful restaurants. I can't wait to get the touring started tomorrow. Initial pictures will be uploaded later and throughout this learning adventure... except for this first glimpse of my room's front verandah (there's a back one too).

Welcome to my suite in the Key West Village at Beaches Turks & Caicos. Anyone ready for a party? There's room for many in here! With a fully stocked supply of included top-shelf liquors and Mondavi wines (replenished daily as needed), local island-brewed beer, soft drinks, bottled water, and juices, within a full kitchen it's ready for company - although the stove is just for looks, as it's non-functional, just there to complete the look, as explained to me by my Concierge Hostess who escorted me to my room and gave me my tour upon check-in - and yes, all guests receive the same treatment.

Moving to the back of the suite, there's a beautiful bedroom with a queen-sized bed, and gorgeous bathroom, with a washer & dryer, so any family could a) pack less, and b) enjoy the comforts of home while they dry the beachwear each evening quickly and efficiently.

The bedroom opens out onto the back verandah, which includes another table & chairs for outdoor enjoyment. The front verandah overlooks the main courtyard of the Key West Village, and the back verandah overlooks a beautiful grassy knoll and the Italian village.

On this trip, agents are scattered about within the resort in different villages. The fact that I got this beautiful Concierge Suite was just the "luck of the draw", but it's really cool to be able to experience it. There are 44 different room categories at this beautiful resort - ranging from beachfront villas to island-style cottages, luxurious rooms for two, and suites to accommodate families up to five - and more... there are even suites ranging up to four bedrooms (three stories tall!) to accommodate multi-generational families. Butler Suites and Concierge Suites add to an amazing mix of accommodation options that really are unrivaled on the island.

The resort is divided into 4 distinct themed "villages" - Caribbean, Italian, French, and Key West. Add to all of that the 21 restaurants, 14 bars, 10 pools, and 10 waterslides in their own on-site waterpark; and unlimited included watersports and this resort is a total wow factor for so many who choose to stay here. I can't wait to get to explore it all tomorrow!!

stopher's stuff - Typhoid, Hepatitis and Yellow Fever, Oh My!

And so another week begins.  The calendar is already quite full with things to get accomplished – both new and in follow-up from last week.  The “to do” list never seems to dwindle, that’s for certain.  Whether for business, home, family or planning for personal enrichment, there’s just always something begging for my time. 

There's a lot to read up on, in preparation for this trip!

This past week one of those time concerns was getting my immunizations and updating shots for my trip to Africa this fall.  Thus the title of this entry – Typhoid, Hepatitis and Yellow Fever, oh my!   Five shots and 3 band-aids later, my arms were sore, but hopefully, I’ll be protected now from those various diseases (and others) that the nasty little mosquitos tend to carry.  My week has been filled with reading a whole host of literature provided to me by the nurse.  It has been a lot to digest mentally, but at the same time, it’s been good to know what kind of possibilities exist in the months to come. 

Then this weekend was our first “team-building” meeting. Sadly not all of our team were able to be present (we’re up to 30 people now), but it was a great time of “getting to know” each other, as well as more about Kenya, and what to expect while on this mission trip.  Things that we’ll be doing, as well as everywhere we will be going. 

We also learned who has supported us financially so far.  That was awesome to learn, as I had no idea yet how much I had been able to raise in support gifts, nor who had contributed.  I’m a third of the way to the total trip cost now.  That’s great news and a very solid beginning for only a month of fund-raising.  I have another couple of months of activity to go and pray that the funds will continue to come in.  I’m very grateful for those who have contributed financially already and pray that still, more will step up to help in the days and weeks to come.   It’s a big undertaking to do all by yourself, but as we have mentioned to all of those asked to consider a financial gift, it’s light work when shared by many.  Personally, I’m paying 25% of the trip’s $3,200 cost, which is nothing to sneeze at either.

And then still another cool thing happened this week;  this time within the framework of my travel business.  I had applied to be considered , and found out this week that I have been accepted, to attend a FAM (familiarization) trip to Sandals Royal Bahamian resort the first week of June.  I’m so excited.  I’ve been working hard to get into the wedding/honeymoon segment, and this training will definitely help solidify it.  So now I have back-to-back months of great new experiences to continue to expand my personal knowledge of destinations and suppliers.  I’ll be sailing on Norwegian’s newest ship, BREAKAWAY for her inaugural sailing in early May out of New York City, and then in early June headed to the Bahamas to experience the Luxury Included vacation experience known as Sandals.  I would LOVE to be accepted for the Holy Land FAM next January too… but only time will tell about that one. 

What new and exciting things have been going on in your world this past week? I’d love to read your comments with your news.

Until next time,