Crystal - clearly the best.

The November issue of Conde Nast Traveler lists the results of its annual reader's poll, and, once again, Crystal Cruises was named the number one cruise line. Crystal is a large ship luxury cruise line. Smaller ship competitors are in the premium/deluxe category.

Crystal Cruises had one of its highest scores ever (94.1)--more than five points ahead of all competition, large ships and small. This year, Crystal has won not only the Conde Nast Traveler award, but the CNT U.K. award, the Travel & Leisure Award and CNT's Best Cruise Line spa award--all voted by travelers.

"Cruise Week" correspondent Art Sbarsky, having returned recently from a Crystal Serenity cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean, highlights several aspects of what differentiates a luxury cruise in today's marketplace, focusing on how the largest luxury ship compares to the premium/deluxe lines.

Sbarsky notes that some of the features formerly associated primarily with luxury cruises--e.g., balconies, exotic itineraries, alternative restaurants--are now available on all kinds of ships, but the luxury lines still have the edge in space ratios and the crew per guest ratios. In the case of Crystal Serenity, space ratio is 63. As for stateroom size, the luxury lines pretty much have the bigger rooms and a higher percentage of balconies.

An overall feeling of quality is important in defining the difference between the top of the quality pyramid and the others. As virtually all ships now have different places to dine for meals, what is it that sets a brand like Crystal apart in that it continues to win the big awards? The answer lies in the immeasurable details.

For example, on Crystal Serenity guests are offered perhaps the best duo of alternative restaurants at sea: first is Silk Road, and its dining room and sushi bar are operated under the auspices of Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa. All of the chefs are from Nobu restaurants around the world; all menu items are as well. The ship's Italian restaurant, Prego, has its menus overseen by Piero Selvaggio. And meals here are offered for the extremely small (gratuity) of $7 per guest, a teeny percent of what it would cost to eat shoreside at the restaurants operated by Nobu or Selvaggio.

And Crystal shines with things like the quality of lecturers. On a particular Crystal Serenity cruise, the two lecturers were both former United States Ambassadors. Their lectures on the history of the region, foreign cultures, the English language, and more are enjoyable and of very high quality. Other high-quality learning activities are featured as well; the wine lectures are certainly a cut above--conducted by a Master Sommelier, one of only eight Americans to be so designated. The sessions are informative and very entertaining.

And then there's the less tangible: staying in touch while at sea has become more important. Crystal has done its fair share to keep up with wi-fi and cell phone access throughout most of the ship. However, certain areas are blocked so as not to disturb the ambience of various areas for the bulk of the guests. The Internet connection, using the same technology as the navy, is absolutely the fastest at sea. It symbolizes the smoothness of the whole experience.

Each traveler has their own set of priorities in defining what is best. Individual opinions count, but the majority opinion is clear – Crystal is the winner – by a long shot.

Pike Place Market - the heart of Seattle

I fell in love with Seattle quite by accident. In a former life when I worked for Princess Cruises my responsibilities periodically called me to Alaska. In those days our sister company Princess Tours was based in Seattle. It made sense to stop by on my way to or from our giant state in the north. Visiting as an accidental tourist, the Emerald City captured my affection.

Pike Place Market is, in many ways, like a tour of Seattle itself. It is a nice microcosm of what Seattle has to offer.

The market turned 100 this past August, and Seattle celebrated the centennial with a week-long gala in the alley where it all began. To celebrate Pike Place Market is really to celebrate Seattle itself: The city and the market are so organically entwined that it’s impossible to distinguish the two. Pike Place Market is an enduring experiment that defines a city, a perennial coming together of steadfast individuals with a penchant for taking things into their own hands. Modern Seattle has grown up around the market, and much of the city’s vibe can be traced directly back to the DIY attitude that spawned Pike Place.

Pike Place Market is a rowdy and energetic beehive of activity. It’s a maze of fragrant flowers, polished produce, fresh-baked pastries, ethnic delicacies, handmade crafts, cheeses, wines, antiques, and fresh seafood — some fish is packed in ice, some of it flies through the air as workers toss the catch of the day to each other. A cornucopia of aromas greets you, from the bold smell of raw saltwater fish to the soothing redolence of baking bread, blooming plants, and freshly ground coffee.

In the early 1900s, farmers from the Rainier Valley hauled wagons loaded with fruits and vegetables to Produce Row where wholesalers who would sell the produce to grocers, restaurants, hotels, and consumers. The wholesalers were notorious crooks. Farmers rightfully complained they weren’t getting their fair share, and consumers bellowed at the outrageous price increases. When the price of onions rose from 10 cents a pound in 1906 to a dollar a pound in 1907, the outcries from farmers and shoppers poured into city hall. The Seattle City Council designated the newly built boardwalk alongside the Leland Hotel at First Avenue and Pike Street as a public market.

Off to a rocky start on the first market day August 17, 1907, the farmers and buyers quickly worked out the details and Seattle’s Pike Place Market was a quick success – without the middlemen. The farmers were from diverse ethnic backgrounds so the air was filled with Italian, German, Norwegian, and Mandarin dialects, a multi-ethnic cacophony that persists in the market today.

The market now encompasses nine acres of restaurants, shops, and stalls with nearly 200 year-round businesses, 190 craftspeople, 120 farmers, 240 street performers, and 300 apartment units. Also on site you’ll find a dentist, a medical clinic, a barbershop, an herbal apothecary, an optometrist, an Irish pub (in a space that used to be an embalming room), and a child day care: It’s practically a city unto itself.

In short, Pike Place Market is just as much about people as produce. In that sense, the vibe is unmistakably bohemian. “There’s a grittiness to the market that’s appealing, that you don’t get in a mall,” says Scott Davies, public information specialist for Pike Place Market.

With a unique policy called “Meet the Producer” any craftsperson or farmer occupying a day stall at the market must grow or produce what they sell. This guarantees that most of the products are one of a kind and that visitors to the market can meet and talk shop with the producers. The market also encourages family-run businesses; it’s not uncommon to find two or three generations of a family working under one roof.

That grass roots business mentality spilled over into Seattle and spurred impressive list of groundbreaking brands born in and around Seattle including; Boeing, Starbucks, Nordstrom, REI, Eddie Bauer, and UPS, while Microsoft and Nintendo can be found in nearby Redmond. Like Pike Place Market, many of these companies started small: Nordstrom began as a modest shoe store, and UPS was founded with a $100 loan. And like the market, these businesses tend to look out for their own. REI, Starbucks, Nordstrom, and Microsoft were ranked in the top 50 of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work for in 2007.”

But, what about the infamous Seattle rain? It is as synonymous with Seattle as the Space Needle, grunge rock, and coffee. Truth be told, Seattle receives an average of 37 inches of rain per year. But that amount is considerably less than that of a host of U.S. cities, including New York, Atlanta, Houston, Memphis, St. Louis, Mobile, Miami, and of course my hometown in Tampa bay.

My Seattle friends joke that they rust rather than tan. “We have our Seattle mist,” says Jeff Renner, chief meteorologist for Seattle’s KING 5 News. “People just recognize that it’s a fairly constant thing so they tend to go out regardless”. Renner also says that you can tell the tourists in Seattle because they’re the ones carrying umbrellas.

Rain does not keep the locals inside and it shouldn’t hamper your visit. This active city lends itself to walking tours, particularly around the waterfront and Pike Place Market. In addition, 80 percent of the city limits are surrounded by water, so tour boats also abound. To fully enjoy Seattle be prepared to go boating, and bring a comfortable pair of shoes.

If you are lucky enough to visit Seattle for more than a quick stop, plan to be active. It is not a place that fosters couch potatoes. Visitors and locals alike revel in the outdoor activities the city's situation provides for. Seattle sits on the shores of two large lakes and Puget Sound, with remote wilderness less than an hour away, and it is flanked by two major mountain ranges (Olympics and Cascades), with Mount Rainier in full view from the city. It is also within easy reach of the San Juan Islands, Pacific Ocean beaches and major rivers. Adventure opportunities are abundant.

If you are only in Seattle for a brief stay, make Pike Place Market your priority, where you’re likely to encounter a cross-section of Seattle: doctors and rock stars, software programmers and meteorologists, the ultra-rich, and the regular locals. When in Seattle I like to stay at the Four Seasons, opulent in accommodation, and only a short walk away from the heart of Seattle culture, Pike Place market.

How to complain - effectively

We are exceedingly fortunate in our jobs. Client satisfaction rates are remarkably high. According to our Welcome Home Surveys 92% of our clients rate our preferred suppliers as Excellent, and Clearwater Cruises is rated Excellent by 98% of our clients.

But alas, life is not perfect, and eventually someone encounters something on vacation that does not meet expectations. I personally answer all client complaints, and you are welcome to bring any concerns directly to me. Through years of travel management I have seen my share of complaints from both the supplier side, and the agency perspective. Here are a few things that I have found help to heal a situation gone bad.

First, make your disappointment known to on site personnel at the time it occurs. That may sound a overly basic, but I’m always surprised when a client tells us they did not like something but failed to tell the front desk, purser, or tour escort. If you find the situation embarrassing it may be easier for you to leave your concern in writing for management to act on. Make sure they know how to find you for follow up.

If the situation was not resolved to your satisfaction with the on site personnel you may want to direct your complaint to senior management. This usually means a follow up after you have returned home.

There are two variables that the Customer Service Representative must deal with. Perceptions of good and bad are registered very differently by people in the exact same circumstances. And people have a very wide range of expectations when they file a complaint. These representatives are not clairvoyant so you must tell them what is important to you.

Here is how it works best:

1. Put your complaint in writing. Be specific with dates, times, and names of persons involved.

2. Don’t send your complaint directly to the supplier. Address it to us, your agent. We will add our cover comments, direct it through proper channels for customer service, and copy you on all correspondence. Each travel company has a different procedure, and we make sure it gets to the proper person for response. We most probably have thousands of other customers with this same supplier. That helps validate your complaint and adds additional clout to your concerns.

3. Don’t join in with other travelers for a group complaint. If there is a circumstance that affected other travelers too it may seem like there is strength in numbers, but ganging up on the supplier almost never achieves the objective. Suppliers are reluctant to compensate people in a gang because it can be overly costly to resolve the problem. If they give something to one person, they will have to give the same to everybody, so they get very stingy when compensating groups of people. An individual complaint about the same circumstance is more likely to receive a favorable response.

4. If you feel there is something specific that will make up for your disappointment, be specific and spell out exactly what will make it ok for you.

Clients are often uncomfortable with # 4. It is the most critical part of the process, and satisfaction depends on it. Here is why.

People with complaints generally fit into one of these categories.

• They just want to make sure that management is aware of a situation so it does not happen to someone else.
• They are disappointed and feel they deserve an apology.
• They feel they did not get what they paid for and expect equivalent compensation.
• They are looking for a windfall because they are part of the "gotcha" segment of our society who try to turn any perceived shortcoming into their personal profit.

Customer Service representatives must deal with everything from polite informants, to “slip & fall” con artists. In our hyper litigious society they are careful to protect their company’s interest. If you are not specific about what will make you happy the Customer Service representative will have to guess what will be ok for you. Their safe route is to assume that you just wanted them to be aware of the situation, and they will thank you for your input. That’s it.

It does not work to your favor to say: “I’m mad, and you better do something about it”. If you don’t know what will make you happy, they won’t either. If you are not specific about your request, they will offer you the least that they feel they can get away with, which may be disappointing to you. I have never seen them miraculously pop up with a better deal than a client expected, and once an offer of compensation is made they don’t renegotiate. Be honest about what you want – you may get it.

It is never our position to suggest what would make it ok for you. That is personal, and must come from you. If you want an apology, then you need to ask for it. If you expect to travel for free in the Owners Suite for the rest of your life, then you need to ask for it. Customer Service reps respond best to specifics.

We don’t make any promises about results. I can promise you this – if your complaint is legitimate, and you follow these suggestions, we have the greatest probability of correcting your complaint to your satisfaction.

Credit Card Reject

The complaints dribble in every month or so: Someone runs up a big hotel charge or other bill in Europe, then is caught flat-footed when a vendor won't accept a U.S. credit card. The issue: Many countries in Europe have switched to a "chip and PIN" system, meaning credit cards are embedded with microchips, and instead of signing receipts, users type in a PIN.

Obviously, cards with a magnetic strip -- the old "swipe and sign" cards issued in the United States -- are still widely accepted, or the howls of complaint would be deafening. MasterCard, Visa and American Express representatives say every business that accepts their cards must agree to accept “swipe and sign” as well as “chip and PIN”. So why are problems still reported?

There might be the occasional person at the till who didn't get the memo, so to speak. Insist that the cashier try the card, because it will nearly always work. Ask to speak to a manager. That works too. Also, beware of self-service machines, particularly at train and gas stations. Plan ahead; buy train tickets when stations are staffed, and don't wait until your gas tank is empty to look for a place that takes your card or cash.