Book Online

Book Online! It is an interesting term and appears to be straight forward, but I’m not always sure what it means. Many people (myself included) use internet access to make unassisted reservations for air, hotel, and car rentals. Those are certainly “booked online” and you can book those on our site too. However, Travel Industry data confirm that very few people actually make automated cruise or tour bookings.

For cruise and tour reservations most people who use the internet do so to visit sites to gather information, and then use the telephone or email to speak with an agent for advice and to confirm a reservation. Since much of the research and shopping experience was done through the internet people frequently say “I booked it online”. Ok, fair enough.

We have offered online booking since 1996, which is like the Jurassic period of internet commerce. The internet has evolved tremendously in the past decade and so has our online presence. No matter how you define “booking online”, it is our goal to make it the best possible experience for you.

We have made some recent improvements to our site. We know that people visit our sites for different reasons. No matter why you are visiting, it is our objective to make it the quickest most direct way to get what you need.

Hot Deals

Value Deals – for those who want to shop for price sensitive offers.
Elite Offers – for those who want a great deal on an upscale product.

Easy to navigate

All Cruises – so you can compare offers from different cruise lines.
Land Vacations – tours, spas, resorts, and hotel packages.
Air, Hotel, Car – book direct using all major reservations systems.
Groups – go directly to your private group, or join one of ours.
Special Interest Travel – shop for vacations that cater to your personal interests.

Customer Assistance

Live Person - chat online with a professional agents who can assist.
Travel Resources – Currency, weather, alerts, maps, flights, etc.
World Guide – Thousands of Travel and City Guides. Print & save.
Blogs – Informal articles from our team about topics of interest.
Customer Service – How to get in touch with Our Crew.
Forms – Submit your forms online and forget about the snail mail.

Cruise Lines - Go directly to your favorite cruise line’s inventory.

I’d love to know any of your thoughts for improvement on our site http://www.clearwatercruises.com/ . You can always reach me andy.schramek@cwcruises.com

Jamaica Reports Only Slight Damage from Dean

Jamaican Tourist Board (JTB) offered an update on the status of the island after a near miss by Hurricane Dean. The Jamaica Public Service Company has given its commitment to restore electricity service to most customers by the end of the week. The company began the phased restoration of power supply yesterday on Monday to critical services close to the power plants in Kingston and St. James. These include essential services such as airports, hospitals, and water supply facilities. Jamaica's golf courses are all open with the exception of the Tryall Golf Course which will open on Thursday.

Mount Rosser, Flat Bridge, the South Coast as well as the Negril to Montego Bay routes are all accessible to regular traffic. Treasure Beach roads have also been cleared, but the JTB is advising caution due to downed poles. Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay opened on Aug. 20.

Though all cruise lines cancelled calls for the rest of the week, all seaports are in working order with facilities open for business on Wednesday, Aug. 22. The Port Authority of Jamaica has confirmed that Royal Caribbean's Freedom of Seas will dock in Montego Bay, Aug. 22 with 4,500 passengers. No major damage was reported to tourism infrastructure in Montego Bay.

In Falmouth, a few trees were down and the Falmouth Court House received minimal damage. Most damages reported were to craft markets such as Old Fort, Holiday Village, Success and Bamboo Village. No damage was reported to the Montego Bay Cruise Ship Terminal. Chukka Caribbean Adventures in Montego Bay reported no damage, and operations were up and running by Tuesday including reinstalled canopy tour lines. All seven Sandals Resorts and three Beaches Resorts in Jamaica report no structural damage today as a result of Hurricane Dean. SuperClubs' six resorts and three affiliate hotels are open and fully operational in Jamaica. In the Kingston area the Hilton Hotel suffered water damage to furniture, carpets and foliage. The Pegasus Hotel received minimal damage to foliage and windows. Altamont Court hotel had minimal damage to roof and foliage. In the Ochos Rios area Dolphin Cove, Dunn's River Falls, Prospect Plantation and Green Grotto Cave were opened for business on Wednesday.

The Sunset Jamaica Grande, the Goldeneye and the Sandcastles Resort are open for business. In the South Coast area, the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville reported no damage. In the Portland area the Fern Hill Hotel reported no significant damage, while the Jamaica Palace reported minimal damage. In the Negril area Rick's Café suffered slight damage to the bandstand area. There was landscape damage at the Sunset at the Palms and the Tensing Pen sustained minimal damage and should be open for business by this weekend.

For more information, visit http://www.visitjamaica.com/.
Published in Modern Agent on: August 22, 2007

Cruise Lines Keep Wary Eye on Hurricane Dean

As Hurricane Dean threatened the Caribbean, cruise lines were keeping a close eye and altering ship itineraries as needed to avoid the storm. Carnival Cruise Lines changed itineraries for the Carnival Destiny and Carnival Miracle. The Destiny will remain at sea today, Aug. 17, instead of a scheduled call at Antigua, and on Aug. 18 will visit Tortola instead of a sea day. The Destiny is scheduled to return to San Juan as scheduled on Aug. 19. The Miracle is set to call at Grand Turk instead of San Juan on Aug. 18, Half Moon Cay instead of St. Thomas on Aug. 19, and Nassau instead of Tortola on Aug. 20. Royal Caribbean International said it is closely monitoring the path and progress of Hurricane Dean but had not altered any itineraries. The line said it would post an update on storm information at 1 p.m. Friday on its website. For more information, visit www.royalcaribbean.com or www.carnival.com.

Holland America Enhances Online Check

Holland America Line has improved its Signature Preferred Online Check-in process to collect credit card information on its website. The secure online registration process will enhance and simplify the pier check-in process. "Collection of credit card information at the pier takes the most time in the check-in process," said Richard Meadows, executive vice president-marketing, sales and guest programs. "By collecting this information online in advance with other information such as immigration details, we've significantly sped up the process for those guests who choose online check-in."

Guests completing and submitting required information online will print out a Signature Preferred Boarding Pass and proceed to a special line at the pier. Information is quickly verified, identification is checked, and guests are photographed for ship security. They can then proceed to the boarding area with their staterooms keycards. Credit cards are only authorized when information is transferred to the ship just before departure. To access the online check-in, visit www.hollandamerica.com/checkin/loginStart.do.

Your Booking number and last name are required to enter.

Published in "Modern Agent" on August 1, 2007