Priebe's Travel

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If you have never been to Cancun and the Riviera Maya, you may want to think about it.

Cancun and the River Maya have become a second home for North American travelers looking for great beaches, lots of sun and exciting nightlife. Mayan ruins sit next door to world-class accommodations and tourism facilities, with water sports and natural attractions close at hand. Only a couple of hours from many United States cities, Cancun is one of the most accessible international destinations available.

Read more about a Cancun and Riveria Maya Vacation.

We can help you get there. Give us a call or email us at: Priebe’s Travel

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Michael Priebe, Owner, Priebe’s Travel

LIQUOR POLICY
Carnival’s liquor and beverage policy allows adults, 21 and over, to bring on board one bottle of wine or champagne on embarkation day only. If you choose to consume the wine/champagne with dinner at one of the restaurants, a $10 corkage fee is charged; $14 for the steakhouse.

BEVERAGE POLICY
On embarkation day, each guest may bring a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages on board and only in their carry-on luggage. A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 bottles and/or cans, 20 ounces each or less.

“BOTTOMLESS BUBBLES” UNLIMITED SODA PROGRAM
Carnival gives each guest an option to purchase a “Bottomless Bubbles” unlimited soda program which will allow you unlimited soft drinks and juices for the duration of the cruise at a one-time purchase price. The Program can be purchased the first day at any lounge.

Prices, including a 15% gratuity, are as follows:
Child Rate Per Day $4.50 (17 years of age and younger)
Adult Rate Per Day $6.00 (18 years of age and older)

Please review the following link for all the details and relevant restrictions:


Carnival’s Liquor and Beverage Policy

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Michael Priebe, Owner, Priebe’s Travel

When planning your wedding, have you considered a NON-traditional approach such as a “destination wedding” on an island in the Caribbean such as Jamaica that includes tropical settings such as lovely beaches and crystal clear water. As wonderful as beach settings are, and they are plentiful in the Caribbean, Jamaica is more – much more. Jamaica is deep emerald green rainforests, waterfalls and mountain streams. Jamaica is an array of birds – colorful parrots, macaws, and hummingbirds with tails that curl three times their body length. Jamaica is reggae and intricate wood carving. Jamaica’s culture does not lurk around its edges. You do not have to go looking for it in museums. Jamaica’s culture permeates the island. It drifts through every breeze and wafts through every moment on the island, whether in the smell of roadside food preparation or in the rhythm and sound of the music present everywhere. Jamaica dances and invites you to dance with it. The Jamaican culture has endured slavery, oppression and bad times. Its culture, like its people, not only survives, not only endures, but thrives.

Its no wonder these days, more and more couples are exchanging or even renewing their vows by choosing to celebrate their wedding vows with an intimate group of close family and friend in more wildly romantic, exotic, intimate and historical settings. And it might be of interest to you, “destination wedding” costs are more often less expensive and more budget friendly than the traditional local ceremony approach.

We can help make your dream happen as we, at Priebe’s Travel, specialize in group travels and destination weddings. Wherever the destination, give us a call. We will handle the details–you go have fun.

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Michael Priebe, Owner, Priebe’s Travel

With the President’s recent proclamation that our society’s dependence on automation/internet has given each individual the ability to do their own thing, such as book their own travel “on-line,” naturally begs the question, WHY USE A TRAVEL AGENT at all?

While it is true the internet may give a person the ability to book travel themselves, but interestingly enough, it does not mean on-line travel sites are the best way to go. Just ask the many frustrated travelers who have pushed the wrong button, entered the wrong letter, and invariably, have to pick up that phone after all and find someone to help them. Only to find out, after maneuvering through the many phone banks and prompts, and different representatives, you find out you will never talk to that same person again. And, adding insult to injury, many would be travelers find out later that there is often a penalty to fix their mistake!

In addition, how many stories have we all heard or been told about of clients who initially chose to book their own vacations on-line, who, upon arrival at their destination find out the hotel they booked with does not have their reservation, or worse, has bumped them to another hotel because on-line bookings are low on the totem pole?

On the other hand, did you know that travelers who do book their vacations through a travel agent most often do NOT experience reservation problems and, are in fact, often offered free upgrades when they become available. How many times have you heard of travelers booking their own vacation receiving free upgrades?

Another important fact most people do not realize is travel agents, at no additional cost, can often help you make your dollars go farther while you are away. They have access to finding all sorts of deals ranging from flights to hotels to dinner recommendations. Travel agents offer you an array of options and price quotes from a variety of travel suppliers, many whom they have personally visited, giving you the upper hand when making your final travel decisions.

For example, your travel agent can help you prepare and organize any necessary document(s) that you may need in order to travel outside of the country. They can direct you to your local passport office; and they know which locations require a visa, as well as any other documentation that you might need along the way. In addition, with all the countless options for travel insurance these days, it can become confusing. A travel agent can help you navigate the options and pick the travel insurance package that works best for your specific needs.

No doubt, planning a trip can be and is stressful. Rather than book your vacation and or trip yourself and adding higher stress levels to your life, why not take advantage and choose the more relaxed option of allowing your travel agent to do the work for you, while you simply enjoy the anticipation of your upcoming trip or vacation.

With that said, we at Priebe’s Travel, are committed to ensure you receive stress free vacation planning service with a personal human touch.

It is our goal to take care of the details – you go have fun.

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Michael Priebe, Owner, Priebe’s Travel

First let’s make sure everything is in order. With your cruise invoice in hand:

• Check the spelling of your names.  This is a correction that needs to be made immediately.
• Confirm the ship and the sail date.  Do not take this detail for granted.
• Mark on your calendar final payment due date.  Cruiselines do not extend final date payments.  If you do not pay you could lose your cruise.
• Make the decision now on travel insurance. You have 14 days from your deposit to include pre-existing conditions on most travel insurance policies.  Most Cruiselines give you till final payment to buy insurance.  It is a huge peace of mind for a little price.

Now relax, you just planned a wonderful vacation!  SO, relax and begin looking forward to your cruise vacation.  It is easy to get excited when you visit the cruiselines’ websites.

If you have a reservation number then you are already in their system.  Go online to take a look at the cruise ship you will be sailing, view your itinerary, and see all the excursions available at the ports you’ll be visiting.

The “log-in” links to the major cruiselines are below. Have your booking number, ship name, and date of sailing, in front of you. You should find all that information on your invoice.

Cruiselines for the most part have stopped sending out documents and are now encouraging their guest to go online and register themselves.  You save precious vacation time by checking in online before you board.  This is very easy to do while you are logged into your cruise.  Just click on the links and follow the procedure by adding in the additional information needed.

For those that don’t have access to the Internet, or do not want to do this yourself, we will take care of this for you.

Additional information needed to prepare your cruise boarding papers:

• Name, number, address, and relationship of someone not traveling with you in case of emergency.
• Credit card for on board expenses.
• Travel Documents - For either a passport or a driver’s license, you will need the number, date of expiration, and state of issue. IMPORTANT NOTE: If using a driver’s license, a birth certificate is also required.  Cruiselines require a birth certificate for each guest without a passport.  The birth certificate must match the photo id, if not, then must include documents of name change.  For those who ask “Do I need a passport?”  we strongly recommend you get a passport!  Right now you can cruise from a United States port and return to the same port (closed loop) without a passport.  If for any reason your trip is interrupted and you need to fly home while out of United States territory, you will need your passport to be allowed on the plane.

That is it.  Once final payment is made and your boarding papers prepared and printed, there is nothing left to do but pack your bags.  Please remember if you buy travel insurance don’t forget to bring your Travel Insurance Policy Card with you when you travel.  That is your 24/7 concierge service while you travel!

Login to see your cruise.  Below are direct links to your cruiselines login pages.  Enjoy your vacation!

Carnival Cruise Line Guest Login

Celebrity Cruises Guest Login

Disney Cruise Line Guest Login

Holland America Line Guest Login

Norwegien Cruise Line Guest Login

Princess Cruises Guest Login

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Guest Login

Dee Priebe  |  www.PriebesTravel.com  |  www.facebook.com/vacationplanner

Book a Verandah or Oceanview stateroom and kids ages 17 and under, traveling with 2 full-fare Guests in the same stateroom, SAIL FREE* on select 7-night Alaskan cruises departing between May 3 to June 7, 2011. As part of the Alaska itinerary, guests will experience breathtaking scenery, an abundance of wildlife and the rich history and customs of Alaska’s native culture. Combined with unparalleled Disney quality and service, one-of-a-kind entertainment, immersive experiences plus favorite Disney Characters, it’s a vacation experience that every member of the family will feel was created especially for them.

Get it while the kids are free! Hurry! The number of staterooms allocated for this offer is limited. Contact me today before they sell out.

USA TODAY’s Gene Sloan just returned from a preview cruise on the new Disney Dream? Question about the Disney Dream? Click Here.

Let me first say that the Disney Cruise Line’s much-ballyhooed new ship, the Disney Dream, is a wondrous vessel. One of the most spectacular ever built (see our new comprehensive photo tour for a glimpse at its many marvels). But one person’s dream ship, of course, can be another’s nightmare.

To wit, as a “fair warning” to those thinking of booking, we hereby offer the Cruise Log’s list of Five Things on the Disney Dream that Could Drive you Nutty (lest you think we’re USA TODAY’s version of that little-known dwarf from Snow White, Snarky, rest assured we’ll be back later this week with a less irreverent companion list: Five Things on the Dream that will Leave you Dreamy):

1. Disney show tunes playing around-the-clock in hallways. True die-hard Disney fans will love this, but for the small remainder of us, it just might be a wee bit over-the-top. Three days after debarking the vessel, A Whole New World from the movie Aladdin remains on Continuous Loop in my head (please, make it stop!).

2. Disney-dominated cabin TVs. Yes, Disney, we know you own ABC, ESPN and The Disney Channel, but can we get a little diversity here? And I don’t mean the two extra channels that play Disney animated classics and animated features. Given the hallway situation mentioned in item No. 1, it’d be nice to fall asleep to something without a Disney song attached to it.

3. (Disney-hopped) kids. I love kids. I have three of them myself (ages 11 to 15). But with a stunning 1,500 extra pull-out bunks for children in a vessel with just 1,250 cabins, this is one ship that is going to be jam packed with the little ones. Even on last week’s far-from-full preview cruise, my head was spinning.

4. (Disney-hopped) kids high on soda. Kudos to Disney for not nickel-and-diming passengers with extra charges for soda and other drinks. It’s a great touch. But (free) soda machines on the pool deck? That’s all we need: The 1,500 kids mentioned in item No. 3 running around pumped full of sugar.

5. The omnipresent Mickey. We’ll get letters on this, for sure, but put me down in the camp that says the “hidden Mickey” phenomenon is just completely out of control. Do I really need mini-Mickey heads stamped into the plastic water cups at the buffet and woven into the carpets?

Cruise Loggers, am I a Disney-dumping spoilsport? Tell us what you do — and don’t — want to see on a Disney ship.