Tips To Avoid Lost Luggage

Loosing your luggage can be frustrating and expensive so follow these simple steps to help protect yourself and your family when traveling.
Name Your Luggage
Your luggage is as unique as you are, so why not give it a name? Sounds funny- but you would be surprised by the number of travelers who forget to give their luggage an identity. Make your suitcase stand out with a large colorful luggage tag. Want to be different, personalize your luggage with a bright color ribbon on the handle. Another idea is to use different color electrical tape and make your suite case really stand out. Remember we are all individuals, your luggage should reflect its unique identify also. There is nothing worse than standing at baggage claim and looking for your black suite case that looks like every other black suitcase out there...hmmm. Lost luggage does not make for happy travelers.
Hand Out Bag Assignments to Everyone in Your Family and Keep A Running Count
If you are traveling with more than one other person, chances are you'll be traveling with lots of luggage as well. To keep track of all your family's bags, make each child responsible for one bag as well as their carry-on. If you and your traveling partner do this as well, you can maintain an easier control of who is in charge of what. Be sure to take an occasional overall Bag Count as well.
Mix Up Your Luggage
Split your luggage between your suitcase and your travel companions and have your children or traveling buddies do the same. This way if you do lose a suitcase along the way at least you will have some of your personal belongings with you!
VERY IMPORTANT - don't forget to put your personal information inside your luggage also. Should your suite case be stripped of its identity, your identity needs to be inside.

All Packed and Ready to go? Visit www.mycruiseoutlet.com to plan your trip for your personalized luggage!

Make the Most of Limited Vacation Days With a Shorter Cruise

Looking for a shorter trip during the school year but still want the experience of cruising on a large ship? The Carnival Destiny is the largest ship sailing shorter itineraries and is great for family cruise deals. The Destiny will sail four and five day itineraries from Miami departing Thursdays, Mondays, and Saturdays for a variety of Western Caribbean itineraries. Shorter cruises have been a noticeable trend at Carnival and are a great option if you only have a few days to get away with your family and want to make the most out of your vacation. They now have 13 of their 22 ships sailing three, four and five day cruises; talk about selection! Ten of these ships are year round and three sail seasonally. That means there are 29 different short cruise itineraries from 12 US home ports. No other cruise line comes close to the variety of short itineraries and home ports that a Carnival cruise offers. Call Kelly today at 877-543-0815 or visit mycruiseoutlet.com to find out to make the most of your family's short vacation time. You'll be glad you did!

We're also excited about our new Cruise Close to Home program. We're finding that many of our travel clients would rather drive with their families to their cruise port than fly and we are proud to bring that service to you. Let us help you find family cruise ships that you can drive to and avoid the hassle of flying! Find out more about the over 25 US departure ports that offer cruise destinations. Cruise Close to Home is the best cruise discount program out there right now and we are the family cruise specials. Call us today at 877-543-0815 to find out more about last minute family cruise deals, travel agent discounts and the best family cruise deals!

Traditional vs Anytime Dining on a Cruise

Travel agents tell us traditional dining has long been the standard for cruises. Traditional dining means there is a set time to eat dinner at night, at a specific table with the same people and the same waiters. Open seating gives passengers the option of when and where they prefer to dine, generally passengers choose between first and second seating in the main dining room and are seated where there is availability at any table. When you book a cruise, you are given the option to request a dining preference. Keep this in mind, especially if you have kids who should be in bed at a certain bedtime. There's nothing worse than a crabby, hungry child on your relaxing family vacation so plan accordingly.
Travel agents have mixed feelings when it comes to dining. If you book a cruise with a large number of people and you all want to sit together, it is almost necessary to choose a dining time. Just another consideration of group travel and well worth it! Early or late dining will depend on your groups preferences, just be sure to get a read before you set sail. The good and the bad of open seating offers passengers control of time to eat, different table each night, different people and waiters. Of course the buffet and casual dining options are always available! We offer family cruise packages and even family cruise deals that offer both traditional and anytime dining and would be happy to find what works for you!

Kelly's Tip for Credit Card Consideration While Cruising

Wow! That's a mouthful :) If your cruise has you sailing out of the country, travel agents suggest their clients notify their credit card companies. Travel agents recommend letting them know where you are going and how long you will be gone. Chances are when you book a cruise, you are looking at the itinerary as well as the ship and sale date. Consider all the countries, states and islands you and your family will visit. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when on vacation. And as always, call Kelly at 877-543-0815 if you have any questions!

Travel Prepared with My Cruise Outlet

Travel agents should remind clients to just in case prepare for a travel crisis especially when going on a family cruise. We don't like thinking about potential problems and travel agents don't usually talk about a travel crisis during a sale but we always think that it's better to Be Prepared! Last minute cruises are a perfect example of when should be extra prepared. Some people get so caught up in getting ready for the last minute cruise that they forget to prepare for the basics.
Book your last minute cheap cruise with your travel agent and make sure you have all your paperwork for the trip. Make 2 copies of your passport and a government issued photo id, (drivers license). Leave one copy at home, and take the other with you on your last minute cruise. Keep your copies separate from the originals but remember where you put them.
Technology is a wonderful tool for the travel agents as well as the last minute cruiser. Email a copy of your passport, photo id, and credit card information to your self. So when you are on last minute cruise, you will always be able to access your personal information.
Most travel agents agree, it is better to prepare for your family cruise than be without when there is a vacation issue. Remember to book an exiting and fun family cruise then immediately get your personal information together. And as always, call Kelly if you have any questions! You can reach me at 877-543-0815.

Meet Travel Agent Kelly Gunnels

Hello! I’m Kelly Gunnels and I am a professional travel agent at the family run travel agency Leisure Travel Enterprises. We are proud to bring you MyCruiseOutlet.com for great travel deals and we are always here to help you with all your family travel needs. Everyone has questions when they travel, especially when traveling with kids and groups, so feel free to email me your questions or call anytime at 877-543-0815.

As a professional travel agent in Fort Mill, SC just outside Charlotte, NC I have had my share of questions and have accumulated a wealth of travel tips and tricks to make sure your next vacation is as relaxing as possible. I can help you plan your next vacation whether it is family cruise travel, a resort package or maybe it’s time to leave the kids with Grandma and have a romantic get-away. My husband Tim, my kids and I all love to travel and have been to some of the most beautiful places in the world and know a lot about the best family cruises, family friendly cruises as well as cheap family cruises. We run a travel agency that is located in the Carolinas and are able to find great deals on Charleston cruises and other family cruise deals for our locals as well as amazing cruises prices for our nation customers. Call me today to find out our current cruise discounts, cheap last minute travels deals, exotic travel packages and any vacation you can imagine. We’re here to take the stress out of your family vacation!