WMAN’s Rusty Cates traded bleak Ohio winter weather for the deck of a Royal Caribbean cruise in early December 2017. Carson Travel’s Leigh Ann Arnholt, CTA, MCC, organized a week-long group departure trip for 14 community members from Richland County.
Arnholt began planning the group departure experience one year ago.
“For this tour we met with each client and went through a shortened version of our 3 Step Travel Planning Process,” Arnholt said. “Since the clients came into the office knowing they wanted to book the cruise, we skipped through our first step in the planning and discussed what they wanted to experience. Once we listened to what they wanted we proposed a few different cabins for them to choose from, and then booked what they thought worked best for them based on their wants and needs.”
“I had never been on a cruise before,” Cates said. “I was excited about it, and I knew my wife would like it. She likes warm weather, sun and blue water.”
Cates and his wife, Sue, enjoyed getting away from their daily routines. Sue spent much of her trip relaxing by the beach, while Rusty took advantage of activities on the ship.
“All of the arrangements that Carson Travel made were perfect,” Cates said.
The Cates’ appreciated Arnholt’s approach to designing the trip.
“Leigh Ann takes care of everything you need,” Cates said. “If you tell her you don’t want to have to worry about anything, she would take care of every detail along the way.”
Carson Travel advised each trip member on details such as obtaining a passport and planning for gratuity. The company also arranged travel to and from the airport.
“As we approached our departure, we helped each guest with any onboard bookings, such as dining or other activities, and any shore excursions they wanted to pre-book,” Arnholt said.
Cates describes the ship as a very nice hotel. The Richland County group traveled on a ship with 11 floors and used elevators to navigate the passenger area.
Since cruise lines face strong competition for business, the ships themselves are very clean. Workers on the ship were mostly young people in their 20s or early 30s.
“Every one of the workers was smart, polite and good looking,” Cates said. “Those people were just amazing. They folded towels to look like animals in the shape of an elephant.”
The ship featured a 900-seat theater, casino and two-story dining room.
“It boggles your mind when you see all the features,” Cates said.
Cates said the ship itself provided endless entertainment, but the opportunity to visit cities in the Caribbean added to the fun. The group stopped in Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico. Next, they traveled to Belize City, Belize.
Passengers departed the ship for excursions each day beginning at 8 a.m. and returned to the ship by 4 p.m. A variety of shopping, dining, parasailing, water skiing, historic tours, and beach excursions were available each day.
“Our best day was when we went on a Costa Maya beach excursion,” Cates said. “It was an open bar with clear water and blue sky. My wife and I still talk about that day and how wonderful it was to go to the beach.”
Cates appreciated Royal Caribbean’s assistance with making the most of each day of the trip.
“Every night when you go to your cabin, they have a pamphlet that lists what you can do the next day. Entertainment options and excursions were listed with a map.”
The food is another advantage to booking a cruise. The food is included, and there is plenty to eat.
“I ate food that might not have been my favorite because it was different than my usual cuisine, but I thought everything was wonderful,” Cates said.
Passengers can enjoy a buffet or multi-course dinner reservation. The served dinner lasts around two hours and allows passengers to slow down and enjoy conversation.
“We did that twice, but it cut into going to the evening shows,” Cates said. “I know the majority of people on the ship eat in the dining room all the time though.”
Guests enjoyed a Mexican grill one night, and fresh seafood was served after the stop in Cozumel.
Arnholt even arranged a special trip to a restaurant for the Richland County group.
“On the last sea day we had a nice lunch for the group and everyone enjoyed talking about what they experienced all week,” Arnholt said.
“She took everybody out to eat at Chops,” Cates said. “We wouldn’t have done that on our own.”
Cates recommends visiting Carson Travel in Lexington to design a trip. “It’s like you are going to a lodge to do your planning,” Cates said.
“Overall, the cruise was a success for the clients,” Arnholt said. “Many of them had never cruised before, and now I feel they understand that type of travel better. They can now say they are seasoned cruisers!”
This February, Richland Source is partnering with Carson Travel to raffle off a $2,500 trip credit! Sign up to become a Richland Source member to be included in the drawing.
Learn more about designing a trip with Carson Travel. Carson Travel offers many group departures that travel throughout each year from single day tours to multi-day tours.
