Rachel and David came to us to help them plan an extended family vacation that still allowed for a lot of couple time. They wanted to have a vacation that would allow them to spend some time with family, and some time dining alone and maybe some dancing. They wanted to go somewhere warm, but due to their grandmother’s age, they couldn’t fly. Working closely with the 8 members of the family, ranging in age from 2-84, we were able to come up a cruise itinerary that met their needs and exceeded their expectations. We planned:

A 7-night Mexican Riviera Cruise aboard the Mariner of the Seas
Staterooms that allowed for privacy, while maintaining close proximity to other family members
In cabin babysitting so the parents could go out at night knowing their children were tucked safely in bed
Specialty dining reservations at romantic tables for 2
A couples massage while the kids were with other family members and the kids camp
Excursions in Mexico that allowed everyone to have their own style of fun
Deliveries of wine and other treats to the cabin daily—complimentary!

As Rachel says, “Rosemary obviously had a ton of experience within the travel industry and really listened to the kind of vacation we wanted.  She helped us pick the right cruise line, the right destination, the right stateroom, and gave us lots of extra tips and tricks for having a great vacation that only an insider would know.  She was available for us by phone or email anytime I needed her, and answered every question I had – and I had a lot!

A while before our trip, I had a health emergency and needed to postpone our trip, but the date had passed for us to change the reservation without losing our deposit.  For our large group, that was going to be $2000! Without my knowledge, Rosemary spent days on the phone working her way up the ladder and got the fees waived for us.  She saved us 2 GRAND! We rescheduled the trip, and in February, my whole family had the most wonderful trip aboard the Mariner of the Seas. We stayed in the beautiful Family Suite and had a blast!  The entire trip would have been so different had I tried to plan it myself, without all the great knowledge Rosemary had about the cruise industry.  Not only did she make it a more luxurious and special vacation, she saved us so much more money than I could have ever done myself.  No matter where we want to go in the future, I will always be calling Rosemary to help us out.

Cindy came to Honeymoons are Forever to help her plan her daughter Jess’s wedding in Alaska. She knew that her daughter wanted to get married at sea, but didn’t know what cruise line, what ship or how to make the experience come together. Working with Cindy, we were able to come up with an Alaskan cruise on the Golden Princess sailing the Inside Passage in July. Coming from Minnesota, they had many questions such as; is the wedding legal, how we transport the wedding dress, how do where do we stay in Seattle before the cruise, etc… We spent some time working with the Princess wedding department to get clearance for the wedding, and then put together a custom package that included:

Round trip airfare for all 8 members of the family coming from different locations
A 7-night cruise aboard the Golden Princess in varying cabin categories
A pre-cruise and post cruise stay
Private limousine and SUV transfers for every portion of their trip—from airport to hotel to cruise ship and back—complimentary!
Shore excursions in Alaska
The wedding conducted by the captain of the ship and all the accompanying details
Travel insurance that covered each member of the group in case the unexpected occurred

Cindy says, “THANK YOU, ROSEMARY!”  This is what everyone in our family said every time something went great on our Alaskan Cruise and Wedding Adventure. And we said it, literally, hundreds of times!

The Pre-Trip Planning: Clear communication and so totally thorough. “Thank you, Rosemary!”
The Flights: Blue skies and smooth landings, thanks to your arrangements. “Thank you, Rosemary!”
The Transports: Right on time and soooo classy! “Thank you, Rosemary!”
The Hotels: The Doubletree Arctic Club was Seattle charm at it’s best. The Airport Radisson was just right to get us underway early for our return trip to Minnesota. “Thank you, Rosemary!”

The Cruise: No words to describe how amazing it was: from our beautiful staterooms, to the fascinating itinerary, to the delicious meals. (Our waiter’s name was actually Romeo—We gave you credit for that, too, Rosemary!). Absolutely incredible! “Thank you, Rosemary!”
The Wedding: Perfect, perfect, perfect! Everything was just as we had imagined, and more. Petra and her assistant were wonderful and had everything ready exactly as planned: flowers, candles, music, photographer, cake. Captain Binetti was so gracious and performed the ceremony with great eloquence and style. Craig Hill, the photographer, was incredible! He is a very talented young man, and we could not have chosen anyone better to help us remember the day. The music was lovely. The meal at the Crown Grill was fantastic, and the cake was gorgeous decorated with fresh flowers and white chocolate shells. It was all so special, I’m still crying! “Thank you, Rosemary!”

If I continued to list everything you did to make this the trip of a lifetime, this message would go on for pages and pages. I hope you know by now how very appreciative we all are for your outstanding efforts as our travel consultant. Rest assured that you will be hearing from us again, and that we will do our very best to let everyone we meet know about your excellent service. And though it hardly seems adequate, I just want to say once more… “Thank you, Rosemary!”

Kim and Alex came to us to plan the perfect South Pacific honeymoon. Kim’s sister spent her honeymoon in the Cook Islands, so Kim wanted to go there after hearing so many wonderful things about the islands. Kim and Alex wanted a relaxing beachfront resort in Rarotonga for a couple of days, and then fly on to Aitutaki to spend some time fishing, relaxing and sailing. Alex said, “I want to go somewhere where it looks like the Corona commercials, laid back and relaxing”. Working with the couple we were able to create a customized honeymoon that included:

Round-trip Transpacific airfare to Rarotonga
Round-trip transfers in the islands—complimentary!
A 3-night stay in a Deluxe Beachside Suite at the Rarotongan Beach Resort and Spa
A couples massage on the day of arrival
Gift basket with a Bloody Mary set up upon arrival—complimentary!
Round-trip airfare to Aitutaki
A 2-night stay in a Beachfront Bungalow at the Aitutaki Lagoon Resort and Spa
A full-day lagoon cruise in Aitutaki
Breakfasts included at both resorts
Comprehensive travel insurance

Kim said, “I wanted the perfect relaxing and romantic honeymoon and that’s exactly what I got from Rosemary. She worked to get us precisely the trip we wanted and still within our budget! It was amazing and I would definitely recommend using her.”

Bonnie and Wayne came to us to plan their first trip to Europe together. They were going to stop off and see their son studying in Germany and wanted to build a trip to Europe around that visit. They wanted to see England, France, Italy and Germany, yet weren’t sure how to go about it, wanting to squeeze as much as they could into a 15 night trip. Working with the Bradleys we were able to customize a European Adventure that sent them all over the Continent. Their trip included:

Roundtrip Transatlantic airfare to London
A 2-night stay in the heart of London
Airfare to Rome
3 nights in Rome
Airfare to Venice
2 nights in Venice on the Grand Canal
Airfare to Nice
2 nights in Nice with a side trip to Monaco
Airfare to Paris
2 nights in Paris near the Champs Elysees
Train tickets to Heidelberg
A 4-night stay in Heidelberg, Germany
Airfare from Germany back to the US
Comprehensive Travel Insurance
Breakfast at every hotel location
Detailed transfer directions and itinerary suggestions
Assistance during the trip via BlackBerry Messenger

Bonnie says, “From the moment Rosemary met us at our home, we knew that we were dealing with someone we could trust. She asked us so many questions, and listened to what we really wanted from this trip. We changed our minds multiple times, and not once did she bat an eye! When the time came to go, we felt so prepared with all the information Rosemary put together for us. It was really comforting to know that she was there for us even while we were away. I could ask her questions via Blackberry and she even set up a private car in Paris with no notice! There is no way that we could have planned this trip without her expert knowledge and guidance. We had the time of our lives and we are so grateful for all Rosemary did to make it happen!”

Janie and Andrew came to us to plan their honeymoon. They are a young, adorable couple who wanted to go to Alaska. Knowing the age range that Alaskan cruises can have, I was hesitant to send them on a 10 day Alaskan cruise on the Sea Princess. However, since the couple did not want to fly, this was our only option. After meeting and getting to know this couple, it was clear that not only would this cruise be an option – it was an amazing choice for them. Andrew is active and is a photographer – perfect for Alaska. Neither of them was interested in late nights or dancing until dawn – perfect for Alaska. They wanted a longer cruise experience than just 7 nights – perfect for this Alaskan itinerary. Working with them, we created a customized honeymoon that included:

A 10-night Alaskan cruise aboard the Sea Princess
A 7 category upgrade!
A cake delivered to them in the dining room to celebrate their first night onboard
Door-to-door transportation to the cruise port in San Francisco Porter assistance
Honeymoon Registry set-up
Shore excursion and port information
A $50 on board credit

As Janie says, “Andrew and I had never been anywhere where it was just the two of us, so we knew that we needed a honeymoon that would allow us to just be together. When I was referred to Rosemary, I asked her to match a price I saw online. However, rather than talk about price, she showed me why I needed to care more about my experience rather than the price of it. She met with us and showed me all the ways that I would benefit from using a honeymoon planner, rather than booking our trip online. I was blown away at all the things she did for us, and I never would have thought that someone would have been as helpful as she was. She even set up my honeymoon registry because I had so much to do!

When our cruise came, Rosemary drove us to San Francisco and we boarded our ship. Never having sailed before, I was so excited and nervous, but I really felt that Rosemary gave us so much information about what to expect. We spent the next 10 nights so relaxed and happy, that it was so hard to come home. But, as soon as we got home, we started thinking about all the other places we want to go, so we called Rosemary and are planning our next adventure!”