I Have the Vacation You Need

I've got just the perfect get-away for you with plenty of time to save your pennies and your vacation days. Check out these fantastic cruises and come join in the fun...

March 12-17, 2012 Sail aboard Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas

• Prices starting at $519 CAD pp (based on double occupancy) for an inside cabin and $709 CAD pp (based on double occupancy) for a balcony cabin
• Ports include Labadee, Haiti and Ocho Rios, Jamaica
• Shipboard credit of $50 CAD per cabin
• Deposit to book the cruise will be $105 CAD pp before May 10, 2011 with final payment due prior to December 20,2011

March 18-26, 2012 Sail aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas

• Prices starting at $899 CAD pp (based on double occupancy) for inside cabin and $1,369 CAD pp (based on double occupancy) for a balcony cabin
• Ports include Nassau, Bahamas, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and Philipsburg, St. Maarten
• Shipboard credit of $75 CAD per cabin
• Deposit to book the cruise will be $265 CAD pp before May 10, 2011 with final payment due prior to December 20, 2011

Both cruises depart out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. You may choose one cruise or the other or both! For those choosing to sail aboard both sailings, Royal Caribbean will pay for your hotel night between cruises (the evening of March 17^th). The hotel will be Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Marina Hotel.

Flights are not included in this pricing and if you need assistance in booking flights, Amy at Luxe Personal Concierge will be more than happy to assist you.

Booking for these cruises will be through Amy at Luxe Personal Concierge. Please contact her with any questions or when you are ready to book. Here is Amy’s contact information:

Amy Olson, Luxe Personal Concierge, 805-550-8932, amy@luxeconcierge.net

Who's ready to cruise?

Vacation is an Essential Element of Any Job - Do You Get Enough?

Most people would agree that hard work, dedication and motivation are important elements that factor into being a success in corporate America. But what about vacation time? Is taking time off just as important when it comes to building successful careers? Some people think so, and believe that Americans have gone too far when it comes to putting in the time at the office, leading to a firestorm of negative consequences.

According to an Expedia.com survey, 63 percent of Americans work more than 40 hours per week and hand back more than $21 billion dollars in unused vacation days each year. The survey found that Americans took less vacation time this year than last, and feel guilty about taking time off. Joe Robinson, author of Work to Live: The Guide to Getting a Life and founder of the Work to Live movement, monitors this phenomenon and is working hard to change the tide. According to the movement’s Web site (www.worktolive.info), Americans put in two to three times more months in total hours on the job each year than Europeans and two and a half weeks more than the Japanese. There are other troubling facts listed on the site. For example, the average middle income family now works four months more in total hours than they did in 1979 (according to economists Barry Bluestone and Stephen Rose) and 26 percent of Americans take no vacation at all (Boston College survey).

What many people might not know is that America is the only industrialized nation that has no minimum paid leave law. Robinson is leading the Work to Live Vacation Campaign, to push for nationwide change. The organization’s proposal calls for a mandatory three weeks of vacation for anyone who has worked at a job for a year, increasing to four weeks after three years. While this amount of time will sound excessive to some Americans, several weeks of vacation is standard in the rest of the world. In Australia, employers are required to provide 20 days off per year. France requires a minimum of 25 days, Germany mandates 24 days and the United Kingdom requires 20 days. Even China requires a minimum vacation time of 15 days.

"In America, people struggle and are faced with a lot of guilt when it comes to taking vacation time because vacations are not legitimate in this country," says Robinson. "Because there is no law that regulates vacation time, American workers feel like they have to beg for time off."

So why do we have such a hard time taking our vacations and what are the consequences of this "overwork culture," as Robinson puts it? "We have been programmed to be workaholics," says Robinson. "For many people, their identity is 100 percent what they do for a living - it’s their job title. People mistake their identity for their jobs." He says this mistaken identity is causing major problems in our country, both for individuals and for businesses.

Not taking vacation time leads to a series of health hazards, including higher stress, burnout, sleeplessness, heart disease and more. Working too much can also negatively affect your relationships with family and friends. From a business perspective, there are many benefits of giving employees time off.

"Employees’ performance actually goes up after taking vacation and after breaks," says Robinson. “Several companies in my book found that when they increased the vacation time they offered to employees, the overall business productivity increased and company morale soared." Expedia.com’s survey found similar results. Eighty-four percent of survey respondents reported feeling rejuvenated and reconnected with family and friends after a vacation, and 80 percent reported having a more positive outlook about their jobs when they take time away.

It’s clear that taking time off is important. But what can you do if your company has a culture that does not support time off? Robinson says you have to put your foot down. "You have to set boundaries, just like in any relationship," he says. "If you don’t, you will get walked on." He suggests using the "what’s in it for them," strategy when asking for time off or negotiating for more vacation time. “You can prove that your productivity will go up after taking a break," he says.

If your supervisor still won’t give in and give you more paid vacation time, Robinson suggests asking to take unpaid leave, which is usually doable. He believes that taking vacation is important enough to warrant taking such a measure. "Leisure time is important. It’s exploring all that life has to offer, and it is during our leisure time that we really learn and grow,” he says. “You can be productive and have a life," he says. There's no better time than now to make a commitment to getting reconnected with your life - you and your employer will reap the benefits!

A Special Message from Captain Stubing (Yes, the Love Boat lives on)

The following article is #18 Essential Experience from Princess cruises. If you are looking for a dream vacation, Tahiti is it and there is no better way to see much of French Polynesia than a cruise. I did the 10-day French Polynesia cruise with Princess a few years back and it is truly a dream vacation. I highly recommend this trip for anyone looking for something off the beaten track. You sail on a smaller, more intimate ship, you visit many islands, interact with locals, and enjoy the most beautiful beaches anywhere. I cannot wait to take more friends and family on this very cruise in the future. This cruise is not easy on your pocketbook, but oh so worth it. And to make it more worthwhile, plan a couple days before and/or after the cruise to take advantage of the region. Don't know where to start booking a trip of a lifetime like this? I can help you get this vacation booked with ease! Read on and find yourself dreaming of French Polynesia and planning your trip there...

From Tahiti with Love

Tahiti, French Polynesia

Posted by Gavin MacLeod
Princess Cruises Ambassador (and “Captain Merrill Stubing” on “The Love Boat”)

February 14, 2011

But most of all, when I think of Tahiti I think of romance. Maybe it’s all those years on a show that focused on love and happy endings.

The beautiful turquoise waters of Moorea.

After 10 seasons portraying Captain Stubing on “The Love Boat,” actor Gavin MacLeod became an iconic symbol of cruising and romance. Since the show ended in 1986 Gavin has also been our ambassador at events around the world. We consider him part of the Princess family. So for the week of Valentine’s Day we’ve asked him to share his own essential experience … and could you guess it’s a travel adventure filled with romance?

The deep blue waters of Tahiti are a long way from the world I knew as a child. I had a modest upbringing in upstate New York, and then cruises were a luxury I couldn’t even dream of. It wasn’t until years later that I set foot on my very first cruise ship – and amusingly, I was instantly the captain! I’m pretty sure I’m the only “captain” who can say that.

I was lucky. I spent 10 memorable years playing “Captain Stubing” on “The Love Boat” – what a dream job! Every week I got to act in stories about love and romance … and I had the chance to meet some incredible guest stars. I couldn’t believe I was actually working alongside these amazing actors I had admired since my childhood – like Lana Turner and Ginger Rogers. Some were interesting folks, like Andy Warhol, and others were up and comers just starting out, such as Tom Hanks. It was an unforgettable experience.

We didn’t just shoot “The Love Boat” in our Los Angeles soundstage. Several times a year we actually boarded a Princess ship and shot scenes on an actual cruise. We sailed to Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Alaska. But one place we never got to on the show was Tahiti.

Tahiti! Doesn’t it sound magical? I envision Mitzi Gaynor “washing that man right out of her hair” in “South Pacific.” The wonderful tales of James Michener, who I had the great fortune to sail with aboard a Princess cruise years later. And, the colorful art of Paul Gauguin.

But most of all, when I think of Tahiti I think of romance. Maybe it’s all those years on a show that focused on love and happy endings. However, when I did finally get to Tahiti I was very glad my wonderful wife, Patti, was by my side.

We flew out a few days ahead of our cruise aboard Tahitian Princess along with my manager and good friend, Lee. Appropriately, Patti and I would be performing the two-person play “Love Letters” on the ship, so it was something of a working vacation. But really what this trip became was discovering one of the world’s most romantic places.

Our first glimpse of Tahiti from the air was one of vast expanses of turquoise water, punctuated with the occasional island. We were all seasoned travelers, but the excitement of descending closer and closer to this lush paradise felt like a new experience. The colors popped out even from the air – bright greens and blues as far as the eye could see.

Tahiti is famous for its beaches, and that was where we spent the bulk of our time before the cruise. Years before, I had travelled to Hawaii to shoot an episode of Hawaii 5-0, and thought the waters around those islands were amazingly beautiful. And yet I now discovered that they had serious competition with Tahiti’s sparkling blue seas.

That, to me, is Tahiti. Sparkling white or black sands. Water as clear and placid as a sheet of glass. And nothing and no one else for as far as the eye could see. Those picturesque overwater bungalows. No commotion or craziness. No worries except maybe when to go to dinner or which beach to try next. Just this tremendously lush landscape and the feeling of total relaxation and time to focus on your loved one.

A breathtaking Polynesian vista.

There’s something about the mystique of Tahiti that brings out the romantic in all of us. Surrounded by this tranquil atmosphere with nothing to disturb us but the lapping of the waves and the scent of tropical flowers in the air, Patti and I were able to relax, talk and really connect.

We did leave our reverie to visit some of the island’s sights. We saw historic Matavai Bay, where many early European navigators anchored, including the HMS Bounty – of “Mutiny on the Bounty” fame – and Captain Cook. We met warm, wonderful people speaking French, Tahitian and, thankfully, some English. We saw the open air Le Truck buses that run around the island and the Les Roulottes mobile restaurants serving movable feasts along the waterfront. But mostly we enjoyed time together marveling at the stunning vistas everywhere.

This peaceful feeling continued once we set sail on Tahitian Princess to tour the other islands of French Polynesia. We were in awe of the towering pinnacles and spectacular waterfalls of Moorea, we learned about the fascinating Polynesian culture in Raiatea, and we felt we had surely found the mythical “Bali Hai” when we first glimpsed the shimmering lagoon and lush greenery of Bora Bora. Every island seemed as if it was painted by an artist using the brightest palette of colors.

One day onboard, I joined my wife who was standing on our balcony, looking out at the sun setting just beyond jagged peaks of the islands. It was a picture postcard moment if ever you saw one. As I approached she mused, “Do you think heaven’s as beautiful as this?”

Well, I don’t know if heaven could be any lovelier than these stunning islands, but I do know I was lucky to share this little bit of heaven on earth with someone I love so dearly. It was our own personal “Love Boat.”

Gavin with his wife, Patti.

Gavin and Patti in a 1978 episode of "The Love Boat."

Princess Cruises Essential Experience 6

Check this out! I'm totally doing this when we cruise in March 2012!

Bobsledding Down the Unlikeliest Mountain

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Posted by Tim Donovan
Cruise Director, Emerald Princess

November 9, 2010

Maybe our berth number, 007, had put me in the mood for an adventure worthy of James Bond.

Bobsleds all lined up and ready to go.

As Emerald Princess pulled into berth 007 in Ocho Rios, the ocean breezes gave way to waves of heat. By 8 a.m. the temperature was a searing 90 degrees and the humidity made it feel even stickier. So, it’s hot, sunny and I’m going … bobsledding??

Maybe our berth number, 007, had put me in the mood for an adventure worthy of James Bond. And here in Jamaica, I had my pick — famous Dunn’s River Falls, a terraced waterfall that you can climb like steps; or the three-mile-long Martha Brae where I could lazily float down this picturesque river on a bamboo raft. But most intriguing to me was Mystic Mountain, a lush tropical paradise with its own hidden secrets, the most unusual of which was its bobsledding track.

By mid-morning, I found myself at the foot of the rain forest wondering how we would get up the mountain. The journey, it turned out, was effortless, with a chairlift as our chariot. Perched comfortably on the Sky Explorer lift, we rose up over the canopy of the forest to the summit, our legs dangling over tropical foliage, the air growing cooler as we ascended.

Some 20 minutes later a member of the Jamaican tour staff met us at the peak. “Yeah Mon, welcome to Mystic Mountain where every’ ting is cool.”

At the top of a chairlift, one might expect a snow-capped mountain, yet the reggae beats I was hearing from a local band, accompanied by the island dialect, which was itself a kind of music, and the local arts and crafts on display – all said tropical paradise. That plus the temperature which, even at the top of the mountain, was more suited to flip-flops than ear muffs.

Chair lifts carry anxious bobsledders atop the mountain.

Making our way to the bobsled area, we were met by the tour operator who gave us instructions on how to work the sled. Push the levers forward to release the brake. Going too fast? Just pull the levers towards you, and the brakes engage. So simple, even I could do it!

I lowered myself into a slick-looking bobsled, jet black with the Jamaican flag stripes down the side, and positioned my hand on the brake levers to my left and right. Could I really do this? Would I crash spectacularly like the Jamaican bobsledding team did so famously at the 1988 Olympics?

With no snow in Jamaica, our sled ran quite securely on a wooden track with metal rails. The steering I would have done on a cold course would be handled by the track. It was for me to determine how fast I wanted to go. Since the sleds go out at timed intervals, the chances of a collision are extremely slim. Still, as I sat anticipating the downhill run, adrenalin pumped through my body. The operator closed the canopy over my head and pushed me into position. I was next!

In a single motion he released the brake and I was off! It was a slow start as I used the handbrakes to keep my speed in check as I came to the first turn, but I let the sled gain momentum as I hit the decline. The exhilaration on the ride down made me laugh out loud – at least during the moments when I wasn’t outright screaming. Three minutes of pure speed. The quickest tour of a rainforest you could ever experience.

An adventurous participant accelerates down the mountain.

Do You Suffer From Scatterbrain Syndrome?

Occasionally I do. Yes, even as organized and prepared as I can be, I sometimes suffer from this. It usually occurs when too many things have to be done all at once. Or when I just am not in the mood to do what I'm supposed to do and I seem to create distractions to keep from working. Regardless, it happens to all of us and I thought it was interesting to see an actual term for this behavior. Take a read and maybe the ideas here will help you avoid that next bout of Scatterbrain Syndrome.

Do you ever feel like you are going in a hundred different directions but not really going anywhere? You start on a project and then abandon it when you think of something else? Or are you busy all day and get nothing done. This lack of focus or the “Scatterbrain Syndrome”

happens to everyone. Here are a few things to do that will help you focus.

Have a specific plan for each day. Know exactly what you want to accomplish each day. What is it the most important thing for you on this day?

Pick three or four tasks from your to-do list. If you have a huge, ongoing list it is easier to break it down. Looking at a large list can be overwhelming and distracting. Write three or four things on a piece of paper, on a white board or index cards or anyplace that separates them from the bigger list. Focus only on those tasks for the day.

Minimize distractions. Everything and everyone is fighting for your attention. If you want to finish something don’t answer the phone. Learn to tell people you are in the middle of something and will get back to them. Save internet surfing and TV as a reward for completing the task you want to do.

Stop multitasking. You might be proud of the fact that you can multitask but that makes your brain go in to too many directions. Start and finish a task before moving on to the next.

Take breaks. You probably think you don’t have time to take breaks, but what if they made you more focused and productive. During this 5-10 minute period spend some time meditating and clearing your mind.

Minimize stress. Stress can create a scattered brain, so you need to find ways to minimize it. The best natural antidotes are sleep and exercise. When you are tired, your coping mechanisms get weak. Doctors say that exercise is the best natural antidepressant on the market.

Keep an accomplishment journal. Sometimes it feels like you have the scatterbrain syndrome, when in reality you have accomplished more than you think. At the end of the day keep a journal of everything you did that day. This helps you focus on what you did do, instead of what you didn’t. Put your energy in the right place and give yourself the credit you deserve.

Being a scatterbrain does not mean that you are doomed to a life of forgetfulness or a lack of productivity or concentration. It probably means you’re pretty much normal, but you may need some new strategies.

Reasons To Use A Travel Agent

Reasons To Use A Travel Agent

CUSTOMER ADVOCACY: If you have a problem with a particular part of your travel experience, the agent is there to act on your behalf to see that restitution is made.

EXPERT GUIDANCE: Travel agents are experts in understanding and deciphering the myriad of travel information and codes out there. It’s what they’ve been trained to do and they do it every day.

PERSONALIZED SERVICE: Instead of an impersonal voice thousand of miles away, travel agents are your neighbors. They know what you want and what you value in your travel experience.

PROFESSIONAL ADVICE: Travel agents are there to make sure you get where you want to go, when you want to go and for the lowest price.

TIME: Instead of checking a long list of travel Web pages, which only provide rates and fares for the companies that have contracted with them, why not go straight to the source? A travel agent has all the information at their fingertips, saving you a few hours in front of the computer screen.

UNBIASED INFORMATION: Agents work for their clients, not for a travel supplier. It makes sense that a happy customer will be a repeat customer.

Make a Resolution to Take a Vacation This Year

Ten Healthy Reasons To Take A Vacation

The surf's calling, but if you're like many, you're feeling guilty about asking your boss for a little time off to relax--even though you desperately need it.

Not only do Americans get a meager amount of vacation time, they also tend not to use it all, according to Expedia.com's seventh annual Vacation Deprivation survey, conducted this spring.

Unsurprisingly, Americans got the least amount of vacation days per year among the countries surveyed, earning only 14 days vs. 24 days in Great Britain, 26 days in Germany, 30 days in Spain and 36 days in France.

In Pictures: 10 Healthy Ways To Take A Vacation

And despite reporting an average of 14 vacation days this year, compared with 12 days in 2005, 35% of the more than 4,100 U.S. adults questioned said they will not use all of their time off, leaving an average of three days on the table.

"Some people are fearful in this day and age about job security," says Munro Cullum, a professor of psychiatry and neurology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "There's a push for productivity, and that can make people really avoid taking a vacation. Some people just figure they'll relax when they retire."

Sound familiar? Your behavior may impress your boss, but medical experts say you're not doing your health any favors.

Workaholic Woes
Stress produces physiological changes in our bodies, including higher blood pressure and a surge in stress hormones, such as adrenaline, which can cause blood to clot and increase the risk of a heart attack. By working all of the time, you're constantly subjecting your body to these responses, says Dr. Harvey Simon, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and founding editor of the Harvard Men's Health Watch.

Likewise, Cullum says, stress can impair the hippocampal function, which is crucial for the acquisition of new information, such as names, facts, PIN numbers and meeting times.

It's not clear whether vacations cause better health or whether they are just an indicator of healthier lifestyles. But taking time off does appear to have physical and mental benefits.

A 2005 study that analyzed research on 1,500 Wisconsin women showed that those who took vacations more frequently were less likely to become tense or depressed. Those women also reported being more satisfied with their marriages.

Cathy McCarty, the study's principal investigator and a senior epidemiologist for the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, says vacations help ease tension, which can lead to depression. Not taking a break also seemed to indicate that women were not spending time focusing on their marriages.

Even worse, the findings showed that nearly one in five women in the study reported taking a vacation only once in six years.

"It's the whole work culture," McCarty says. "Even people who have worked for me come to me with this tone of, 'I'm sorry, but do you mind if I take a day off?' I tell them to go--it's better for their health."

The data are damning for workaholic men, too.

A 2000 analysis of the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial, a study of more than 12,000 men ages 35 to 57 at high-risk for coronary heart disease, showed that those who took regular annual vacations had a lower risk of death than those who skipped taking time off.

Dealing With Your Vacation
If you're out of practice when it comes to getting away, experts say there are a few things you can do to make sure that when you do take a vacation, it's a relaxing one.

First off, try not to leave for your vacation on a Friday straight from work. Lugging your suitcase to the office and rushing to finish a project before dashing to the airport in rush-hour traffic will cause unnecessary stress, Cullum says. Ease into your vacation by giving yourself a day to pack.

While a three-day weekend is better than nothing, consider whether it'll really be enough time for you to unwind and feel rested. If you need more time off, take it.

And always try to schedule your vacation during a slow period at work.

"If you're worrying about that deal going through at work, you're not in the moment," says Dr. Edythe Harvey, a psychiatrist with international psychiatric center The Menninger Clinic. "You're not allowing yourself that break from constant work to re-balance yourself."