Tips and News

Heading out on Royal Caribbean’s newest ship Odyssey of the Seas

November 10, 2021 by crystal Leave a Comment

Tomorrow is a very exciting day as we will be boarding the brand new Odyssey of the Seas sailing out of Fort Lauderdale! Make sure you check our Facebook and Instagram pages for pictures and live posts.

In the meantime, here’s a little more about the food options on Odyssey.

Introducing the first Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar. Royal Caribbean International’s transformed Italian dining experience debuts on the new, innovative Odyssey of the Seas. Learn about how the cruise line’s team of experts in food, beverage, product innovation and more cooked up this authentic, fresh taste of Italy at sea. Serving up a menu of Italian favorites – like an array of handcrafted pizzas, charcuterie boards and pastas – as many as 50 wines by the glass and classic cocktails with a twist, Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar sets the table for an experience guests of all ages can enjoy.

Royal Caribbean continues to be a leader in the industry with LNG

October 27, 2021 by crystal Leave a Comment

Again, Royal Caribbean is setting new standards and leading the industry!

Construction on Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International’s first ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), is well underway. Watch the recent installation of the game-changing ship’s first LNG fuel tank, which is 307 tons and 90 feet long. With energy-efficient technology to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, from LNG to shore power connection that removes emissions while connected at port, Icon will be a significant milestone in the cruise line’s journey to becoming emission-free. The first of the revolutionary Icon Class is set to make its debut in fall 2021, and it will make waves with a mix of innovations and adventures cruising’s never seen before.

Contact your favorite DWB Vacations advisor today to book your next cruise!

Comparing Credit Card Travel Protection to Tradition Travel Protection

October 24, 2021 by crystal Leave a Comment

DWB Vacations strongly recommends travel protection on any trip you purchase! Travel Insured International is our preferred provider for travel protection. Below is their blog post explaining the differences between the protection your credit card offers and the coverage of a traditional travel protection plan like the ones offered by DWB Vacations from Travel Insured International.

A common practice among travelers is choosing not to buy travel protection because they believe their credit cards have enough protection. What they may not realize is there can be significant differences between credit card travel protection and traditional travel protection. Those differences can really affect travelers if things go wrong on their trips.

Here are 3 differences to keep in mind:

Credit Cards May Not Offer Choices

Although many credit cards offer travel insurance, your credit card may not offer a variety of coverage options to pick from. Also, your card may only be able to provide protection for trip costs purchased on that card¹. It’s best to check a credit card’s benefit summary or contact a company directly to see what travel protection they offer or include². However, by purchasing a plan from Travel Insured, you can choose from among several different plans.

Credit Card Benefits May Be Limited

Credit cards that do offer travel protection may offer fewer benefits than a traditional travel protection plan³. Some cards with travel protection may offer trip cancellation/interruption, trip delay, lost baggage, and rental car protection^1,3. They also may offer limited or no medical protection, medical evacuation, or emergency evacuation coverages^{1, 3}. Those benefits may vary by card or not exist at all.

At Travel Insured, we offer those benefits and more. Benefits like:

Cancel for Any Reason
Significant medical protection
Significant medical evacuation protection

More benefits mean more comprehensive coverage for your trip, and who wouldn’t want that?

Credit Card Companies May Have Limited Covered Reasons

For both credit card and traditional travel protection plans, a traveler’s situation must fit a covered reason in order to be eligible for certain benefits, such as trip cancellation or trip interruption. Credit card plans may have a limited set of covered reasons for benefit eligibility^2,³. In comparison, Travel Insured’s Worldwide Trip Protector plan has 24 covered reasons that can make a traveler eligible for trip cancellation or trip interruption benefits.

Before you settle for what a credit card company has to offer in terms of travel protection, ask your DWB Vacations Travel Advisor for more information!

What you can do to make vacations less stressful

August 29, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

I, like so many of you, am a parent. We live in a day and age where everything that we do as parents is posted on social media almost the instant we do it. We get inspiration for things to do with our children from Pinterest, order them matching shirts on Etsy and spend hours micro planning every detail of our day because we somehow feel if we don’t we will be judged for not doing so, or worse, we will let our children down. What does all of this bring us- nothing but stress! This stress is intensified when we try to plan the perfect vacation for our children. I will let you all in on a little secret though. It is possible to plan your dream vacation without it being a stress filled, panic attack, melt down experience. Here are some ways it can be done.

Extend Your Time

While not always an option, taking longer vacations can eliminate a lot of the stress associated with your trip. In general people take two types of vacations. The first is where they plan to do as little as possible. The second and more common one is where they plan to do as much as possible. Whether it be on a cruise, in an all inclusive resort or at a theme park the temptation to see and do everything is great. When you plan a shorter vacation and then add in this temptation it is easy to become stressed. The goal of trying to fit everything in and not leave anything out in a small time frame can absolutely ruin a vacation. Adding in even j

ust one day of rest in the middle of your vacation can elevate that problem. Adding a few extra days makes the problem non-existent from the very beginning.

Go with the Flow

If you are a planner this is easier said than done. However the reality is that just because you are on vacation

the every day life events that pop up in your regular life that cause you to change your plans, don’t disappear when you are on vacation. Maybe its a change in the weather, or your spouse forgets the room key, or kid number one is screaming because they wanted the blue one and kid number two has the blue one. Whatever it is that causes a sudden change in your plans, go with it. A willingness to change your plans on the spot to accommodate whatever has happened is a great way to save your vacation.The more flexible you are the less stressed and upset you will become if there is a change of plans during your trip. This will allow you to enjoy the moment instead of focusing on the what could have been. Not one single ride, parade, meal, or attraction has to ruin your vacation. Your vacation memories are made by a collection of moments; not a single event.

Lower your Expectations

I can hear the gasp that just escaped your mouth, but hear me out. I know you have spent thousands of dollars on this vacation, you have planned every detail, bought new clothes and shoes, and are ready to

have the perfect vacation. However the reality is that nothing, absolutely nothing in this world is perfect. If you begin your trip with the idea that everything must be perfect or you will in someway failed (either as a parent, spouse, planner,etc.) then you will stress over every minute of your trip trying to ensure that it is in fact perfect so that you in turn do not fail. However, if you take the view point that there will be things that might go wrong (lost luggage, cranky child, bad weather) and that these things do not reflect on you or your desire to give your family a memorable vacation you will be able to roll with these moments and truly enjoy your time with your loved ones. Even terrible vacations can turn into cherished family memories that you can laugh together over for years to come. Having the mindset that there is no such thing as a perfect vacation will help you to have a much less stressful and way more enjoyable vacation. And as I said above, not one single ride, parade, meal, or attraction has to ruin your vacation. Your vacation memories are made by a collection of moments; not a single event.

Book with a Travel Advisor

We are here to help make your vacation as stress free as possible. There are so many benefits to booking your vacation with a DWB Vacations travel advisor, but perhaps the largest one is that you are able to receive our expert planning, advice, and problem solving.

We plan as much or as little as you would like so we are perfect for both the clients who want to plan every detail themselves, and the one who just wants to show up to a wonderfully planned vacation.

are on call 24/7 for you while you are traveling. So if you do have an emergency or have something go terribly wrong, we are able to step in and fix the problem, while you continue your vacation. Having a travel advisor is like having your own personal fairy godmother watching over you, making sure you are protected from things that can ruin your vacation.

Vacations are suppose to be a time to enjoy and relax with your loved ones. While they can be stressful at times it is important to remove that stress so that you are able to unwind and recharge. Following these few simple suggestions can help to erase some major stresses learning to a much more enjoyable vacation. Of course booking your vacation with a DWB Vacations advisor can help ensure that not only is the vacation less stressful, but the planning is too.

A breath of fresh air with Royal Caribbean Group’s new HVAC system

April 12, 2021 by crystal Leave a Comment

Guests can breathe easy knowing the existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems on Royal Caribbean Group ships continuously supply fresh, filtered air indoors. Validated in an independent assessment conducted by the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the National Strategic Research Institute, the findings were based on the scientists’ study of the HVAC on board a Royal Caribbean ship. Watch how they found that the robust system’s layers of protection make the transmission of aerosol particles (like those from a cough) between spaces extremely low to virtually impossible. In line with the Group’s mantra of “continuous improvement,” the cruise company is also adding extra measures for its HVAC systems to make for even safer and healthier cruises.

To find out more about the cruise lines are planning to keep everyone safe and healthy, contact your DWB Vacations advisor.

Odyssey of the Seas makes it way to the North Sea

April 1, 2021 by crystal Leave a Comment

This is amazing to see! Watch the second Quantum Ultra class ship, Odyssey of the Seas, make her way – backward – down the Ems River and to the North Sea on her conveyance. The 20-mile (32-kilometer), 10-plus-hour journey brings the highly anticipated ship one step closer to her debut in Haifa, Israel in May 2021. Odyssey is set to sail a mix of 3- to 7-night cruises to Greece and Cyprus for the summer before continuing her inaugural year in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to cruise the eastern, western and southern Caribbean in November 2021.