Travel Articles - Travel & Leisure Magazine  

Vacations and holidays should be exciting, fun, and memorable travel experiences.  So why not enjoy your next vacation or holiday on board Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Oasis Of The Seas, the world’s most modern, super-sized resort hotel cruise ship, and cruise to the enticing warm waters and white sandy beaches of the beautiful, sun-drenched, Caribbean Islands? 
 

This majestic, colossal cruise ship is brilliantly laid out to maximize every passenger’s enjoyment and cruising experience.  It has 16 decks and 2,700 staterooms that range in size from inside staterooms of approximately 150 square feet to the Royal Loft Suites that are over 1,500 square feet with large balconies of about 800 square feet.  Royal Caribbean cruises leads all other cruise lines in the creation of this state-of-the-art ship that can comfortably accommodate well over 5,000 passengers.
 

The Oasis Of The Seas is a virtual miniature city with several “neighborhoods” running along the center of her outside deck with cleverly situated balconied staterooms or cabins overlooking the bustling activities of the passengers below. 
 

These seven neighborhoods, or themed zones are, in alphabetical order, Boardwalk, Central Park, Entertainment Place, Pool and Sports Zone, Royal Promenade, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, and Youth Zone.
 

Here is a brief rundown of what you will find in each of these seven neighborhoods.
 

To start with, the Royal Promenade, is where cruise passengers board the ship.  It is a virtual mall-at-sea and has a variety of retail shops, cafes, and bars.
 
Stroll along the Boardwalk that features a beautiful handcrafted carousel and experience the atmosphere of Coney Island.  At the end of  the Boardwalk, at the stern of this amazing  cruise ship, you will find a huge swimming pool where throughout the day passengers can swim, relax on deckchairs, sunbathe, or even take scuba diving lessons.  By night the pool is magically transformed into the AquaTheater which features a spectacular water show where numerous nozzles spout pressurized water high above the pool.  These turbocharged towering jets of water are synchronized with a music and light display. 
 

To top it all off, an innovative high-wire Zip Line stretches across the Boardwalk.  Passengers that book strategically located state rooms or who are strolling in this area can watch their thrill-seeking, daredevil fellow passengers soar along this exciting high wire.
 

Central Park is full of fabulous flowers, lush shrubbery, and trees.  This glorious greenery is maintained by gardeners who rotate the numerous flowers and plants to reflect the appropriate season.  In this large neighborhood park you will find a number of upscale and casual themed restaurants and bars for you to unwind and enjoy deliciously prepared food and alcoholic beverages.  
 

The Entertainment Place features the thousand-plus seat Opal Theater, a large dance disco ballroom, a nightclub, a jazz lounge, a comedy club, and of course the world’s largest cruise ship casino.
 

The grand Vitality Spa and Fitness Center is the largest spa on the seven seas.  It will appeal to all passengers that want to relax, unwind, and be pampered in the lap of luxury.
 

The Pool And Sports Zone, which is located high above the Boardwalk, features two surf creating FlowRiders, a pool dedicated to a variety of water sports, a full-size basketball court, a mini golf course, two massive rock climbing walls, and the thrilling Zip Line.
 

And last but not least there is the Youth Zone where trained personnel cater to parents’ babies and toddlers so their moms and dads can have some time to themselves aboard the ship.  For the older kids and teens there are a multitude of fun things to keep them occupied. 
 

If you have never gone on a luxury cruise before, maybe now is the time.  The Oasis Of The Seas has something that will appeal to almost everyone and is a destination in itself.  You will be very impressed.
 

Dorothy Yamich has a passion for travel. She has lived and traveled extensively throughout Europe as well as traveled in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.  She is a travel consultant and specializes in luxury cruises as well as vacation packages.  If you are looking for information on cheap airfares, discounted luxury cruises and great holiday deals, visit:  http://www.traveltipsguide.com
 

The recent spell of freezing cold weather in the UK and Europe has helped focus minds on escapes to warmer climes.  And according to the leading flight search engine Sksycanner Lanzarote is amongst the Top 10 destinations for British tourists during 2010.  Climbing four places from its previous position in 2008.

So what are the attractions of this small island in the Atlantic?  Lanzarote´s key attribute is undoubtedly its climate.  As along with the rest of the Canaries it can be found around 100 miles off the coast of West Africa.  And so enjoys a semi tropical climate that makes it an ideal holiday destination all year round.  As even during winter it’s warm enough here to enjoy days on the beach.

Lanzarote´s proximity to Northern Europe is another key factor.  As flight times of just four hours make the island the closest winter sun destination to the mainland.  A salient point when consumers are tightening their belts and looking for good value alternatives to more expensive and exotic far flung destinations.

Indeed flights to Lanzarote have never been cheaper – thanks to the recent introduction of new lost cost services from the likes of Ryanair and easyJet.  Which has dramatically reduced the cost of travelling to the island.  With prices now starting from as little as £9.99 return. 

Accommodation in Lanzarote is also of a high standard – and surprisingly affordable too in relation to many other holiday islands.  For example it’s possible to book apartments in Lanzarote from as little as £160 per week. Whilst reasonably priced holiday villas are also available across the island.

There’s a lot of good value hotel accommodation too – with over 200 establishments to choose from across Lanzarote.  With the largest selection to be found in the south in and around the fast growing resort of Playa Blanca.  Home to some glorious beaches such as Playa Dorada and Playa Flamingo.

Lanzarote also offers visitors a lot of different things to see and do.  There are over 90 beaches to explore – along with a host of charming little villages, such as Haria, Yaiza and Maguez.  Whilst the former island capital of Teguise is a fascinating excursion for anyone with an interest in history and architecture.  As this was the first Spanish settlement in the Canaries and is still home to a number of buildings that date back to the 15th Century.

It once was thought that “chauffeured” limousine service was affordable to only the most affluent and discriminating clientele. According to Limousine and Chauffeured Transportation (LCT), as of July 2005, approximately 3% of all the U.S. operators generated revenues greater than 7MM annually. The 2006 US Census Bureau identifies the Limousine Service industry has just over four thousand firms with 65% (2,646 firms) of the firms employing 0-4 employees and only 2% of the firms employ 100 or more. 

A current industry review by Dun & Bradstreet classifies this multibillion dollar a year industry as FRAGMENTED. D&B indicates livery companies with 20 or more vehicles get up to 75% of their revenue from corporate accounts.  LCT magazine states livery companies with three or fewer vehicles generate most of their revenue from weddings, proms, nights on the town and tours. There are only a handful of livery companies servicing all 50 states.  These companies traditionally charge much higher rates than the Mom and Pop local service providers.

For the consumer, I would recommend finding a limo company that is reasonably priced and offers qualified service. The combination of an affordable price point and premium service is a rare combination.  The big 5 limo companies attempt to provide the qualified service, however their price point is on the high end of the scale.  Small Mom and Pop companies are affordably priced but there service offerings are significantly limited.  Affiliate networks (groups of independent operators working together on one geographical area to provide collective service) can offer the right price point with qualified service, however there is no standardization over the service platform. The affiliate network often leads to changes for the customer resulting from the lack of a standard service platform such as how to book a reservation and how the terms of that reservation are communicated to the customer.

To get the biggest bang for the buck, I would suggest looking for a mid-level, no frills service provider. When I say no frills I mean no frills – a clean car with a smooth ride and a friendly chauffeur. Who really needs a copy of the Wall Street Journal in the back of the car?  Who knows how many people touched that paper before me…heck, isn’t there a little thing called Swine Flu going around? The true mid-level provider has more than competitive price points. In fact more often than not the mid-level provider offers the best price in the market because they can take advantages of the economies of scale.  The service offering is standardized with reservation and pick-up process the same from trip to trip.

A true mid-level limousine service provider offers a variety of service levels such as:

Shared Rides - Regulated to high volume corporate opportunities, Shared Rides allow dispatch to combine two or more individual airport transfer reservations into one trip, thus affording the individual customer a value proposition that is second to none. Rates are based on a per traveler charge.

Multi-load Rides - Similar to shared rides, this corporate or Meeting and Event product allows dispatch to combine reservations from a manifest. This service is priced per vehicle with the most appropriate vehicle being selected based on timing and number of travelers. On Site personnel (if offered by the limo company) will help coordinate the process.  Multi-load rides are the best value for large scale corporate or Meeting and Event activities. 

Private Car - the highest end service still can be affordably priced and can be used for airport transfers or point to point transportation.

Charter Service – this is uninterrupted service that is ideal for corporate events or personal occasions. A good mid-level service provider can meet any and all transportation needs from Luxury Sedans to Executive 55 Passenger Coaches.

In an effort to stay one step ahead of the competition, successful limo service providers have a number of innovative customer service initiatives that will keep the company a top service leader in the market.

For example premium service is afforded to corporate accounts with annual revenues in excess of a specific dollar amount such as $500,000.  Dedicated Account Manager(s) are assigned to a premium account. 

The Account Manager will be the primary point of contact for customer service, manifest reservation assistance as well as quality assurance and dispatching. 

The institution of the account manager concept is designed to provide a “boutique” feel to our most valuable accounts.  The account manager will be intimately involved in all aspects of the premium accounts travel plans.

In short, when looking for a limo company I would look for a no frills, mid-level service provider that can exceed all of my expectations as the customer and not cost an arm and a leg at the same time.

Ted Malecki has over 20 years of experience in the travel industry.  He has held roles as a Sr Director of Operations for Alamo and National car rental companies as well as Vice President and General Manager of the country’s 17^th largest limousine company.  Built on an economic and financial foundation, Mr. Malecki is a subject matter expert in operations management for car rental and limousine service providers.   you want to know more, please visit our website at www.NationalBlackCar.com

If you look at the websites for limo companies you see page after page about how beautiful and exotic their cars are and how their owner is smarter than everyone else.  I certain degree of bravado is essential for so the website will be found by your Google or Yahoo search, but is does the bravado make for good service?  Does the fancy car make or break the deal?  In my opinion the most important thing is the people and in particular the chauffeur.

In my opinion (and I have 20 years in the travel industry) a car is a car and that car is just the vehicle (pun intended) to provide good service.  Good service starts with the reservation and culminates with the chauffeur experience. When I travel I look for a company that calls the operator of the limo or sedan by the title “Chauffeur”.  Chauffeurs are not drivers and drivers are a far cry from being a chauffeur. More often than not, companies who employ drives are paying them $8-$10 an hour.  Hhmmmm, that’s about what a fast food company pays a fry cook.  Do you want someone driving you around (or one of YOUR clients or guests) who just the day before could have been flipping your burger?  I don’t think so.  When I look for a limo company, I look for a company that has seasoned chauffeurs. 

If you want to know more, please visit our website at www.NationalBlackCar.com.