EITHER WAY - WE help you PLAN. We have a deep understanding of the components. What has to come first - second - next - and finally last. We get the step by step process of planning. We understand Planning, how and why. At the end of the journey is the REWARD!
First of all I want to point out that no one ever built a building, remodeled a space, or took a cruise vacation by accident. The Plan ALWAYS comes first.
The Plan itself is a journey. It is a sequece of decisions, and choices, followed by payments you are happy to make! Because it signifies progress and the final reward.
The reward in a building project is a completed buiding or space. That moment when you hang the "Open" sign on the door. It is your reward and it is also our reward. Usually it looks exactly like we envisioned it. That is why you hire an Architect. Because they can see things in their imagination that do not yet exist. They see them complete with paint and finishes, art and furnishings or equipment when they look at that blueprint. Most of our clients just see a floor plan or noted details that they don't understand that we see MORE.
The reward in a vacation planning project is of course the flawless CRUISE VACATION EXPERIENCE! You probably won't get a flawless experience if you DIY. Especially if you have never cruised before. Like a building, there are too many moving or overlapping parts that you just don't fully understand.. And that's okay - because that is our job as travel advisors - (and Architects) to make sure everything fits together correctly.
EXAMPLE: Your ship is returning from a 7 Night fabulously luxurious Island Hopping experience in the Caribbean. You could see on your itinerary that your ship would arrive in Miami at 6:00 am, so you booked a direct flight home at 8:30 am. But you are a first time cruiser, and you had no idea that getting off the ship is as much of an ordeal as getting on! There are scheduled guest time slots for disembarkation, to minimize the line in the customs building. You don't just wake up, and get off when you feel like it.. The cruise line has now assigned you to disembark (get in line) at 8:00 am - and just like that you missed your flight home! We don't want that to happen to you. So let us help you blueprint your cruise vacation carefully.
If you are a business owner I can't think of a better way to celebrate a completed BUILDING project than a well deserved Cruise Vacation! I bet a lot has changed since you last considered a week or two vacation. Most business owners are missing out on vacations. Because they think they have to. But that's not true anymore. 100% of our cruise vacations are peppered with a little work. We answer email, probably more quickly than we do when in the office. We carry computers along, and have reliable wifi service via the ship. Every ship at sea has it's own cell tower and sattelite. So if a client needs something we can and will do it!
GIVE US A CHANCE - LET US help you PLAN. Just like we help you plan how your construction project will be built, we can help you plan your precious vacation too. It is the same set of skills. We have a deep understanding of the components, because we have done it so many times ourselves. What has to come first - second - next - and finally last. We get the step by step process of cruise vacation planning. We understand what you need, why you need it and how to best obtain it to suit your personal circumstance.
Just like your business customers are naturally attracted to your brand because of your image, marketing and expertise, we can guide you toward the Cruise Brand that is the most suitable for your personality and budget. When a good match is achieved you will cruise with like minded people of your matching social class, in an environment that feels luxurious to you. If you DIY, and don't really understand the Brand Profiles, you may end up misserably unhappy.
EXAMPLE: Uniworld, a river cruise brand that really has what they consider to be luxurious decor, is just too gunky for my taste. I'm not sure I could sleep in this room... But you might think it's perfect!
To me it looks very French or "Gaudi". Now we LOVE some authentic Gaudi Architecture when visiting Barcelona. But no thanks to this ship with gunk everywhere. Yuck yuck.. We much prefer the simple, and clean lines of mid century modern or northern european decor like Ama Waterways or even Viking River Cruise Ships. But that doesn't mean you do!
I'm sure I would sleep much better in this room on an Ama Waterways Ship! Because design always matters.
The POINT being that we know the difference! And we can gently guide you toward something you will like, not just what we like.
When planning your Construction Project we need to select a building type, placing it suitabley in it's location, and select finishes that are of the correct durability and style for your business use. We need to make sure that your building and interior environment attracts the right customers for your product, and that the building materials fit in your budget.
When planning your Cruise Vacation Project we need to help you select a Cruise Type, Interesting Destinations, in an environment and demographic that will feel good, for you and your travel companions. Same thing - right?
EXAMPLE: We are very careful about who we are willing to book on a Carnival Cruise. Sure - they are the low price leaders, so it is easy for DIYers to make that mistake. They call themselves the "Funship's" for a reason. But some people just don't appreciate too much of that kind of fun. Do you know any of those types? I can tell you that I do, and trying out the cheapest cruise there was, ruined cruising forever for this person. Alternately there are new Carnival Ships sailing longer itineraries that attract a totally different demographic, that may be more suitable for these people. Carnival can be a good place to start with help from the right travel advisor. We understand that.
How to choose a room, or room type? Your Architect understands. Architects can read floor plans, de-code the category key, and understand the multi story, 3 dimentional layering of a ship. You don't want that room under the pool deck. Lots of activities go on there at all times of the day and night. Think loud music that carries a vibration to your room, or night time cleaning, or even just the clunking from re-arranging the lounge chairs preparing for the next sunny day! Let us help you choose a better room that will always be quiet.
Planning to take a Cruise Vacation in Retirement? Why wait? Rob and I have spent in excess of 8 months of our lives on a cruise ship at sea, and we aren't even retired yet! We have 30 years of personal experience. Visiting 4 Continents and 33 Countries. With or Without kids. Want the most affordable cruise for your family - take the kids out of school, because that's when the price is right.
Where in the world do you want to go next? A cruise vacation offers you 24/7 connection to your business office. Every ship at sea has phone and internet service which is often times included in the fare!
Haven't been anywhere yet? A cruise vacation can get you caught up FAST! There are as many as 7 different destinations on a typical 7 Night Cruise. Of course you can take it slower and choose one with only 3 destinations, and spend some time working or just enjoying the luxurious ship with all it has to offer. How does eating ALL of your meals in a nice restaurant sound? It's included in the fare!
Not sure if you like cruising? Try a short cruise. Cruises come as short as 3 nights! But do yourself a favor and get good advice from a brand expert. Don't just buy the cheapest cruise, unless that is your style. If you do that - NO COMPLAINING!
We would sure love to help more of our business owner friends and clients choose and book a cruise vacation!
You deserve a vacation just like your employees do! Let us help you plan a cruise vacation, where almost no one notices you are gone! We've all been conditioned to believe that it's not a vacation unless we completely disconnect and that is simply NOT TRUE! I think you might even appreciate that connection to your business that makes it a worry free experience.
No matter if we are planning Architecture or a Cruise Vacation, we listen to you and understand what is important to YOU. We tune in to which "amenities" have value for YOU.
In a construction project it may be the efficiency of how your factory or kitchen functions that matters most. In a Cruise vacation, it could be the way you want to dress that matters most.
Formal Night on Princess Ship vs. Any Night on Virgin Voyages Ship
Either way you are trusting us to help you plan how you will spend YOUR MONEY for the greatest personal satisfaction. A cruise vacation is a great value because you really get a lot! The Cruise Line or Brand carries a big part of the navigational planning so we don't have to. But you absolutely can't MISS THE BOAT! Let us share the joy of cruise vacation planning with you!
ONE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE!
When we do Architectural Planning with you - YOU have to pay us!
When we do Cruise Vacation Planning with you - The Cruise Company pays us!
Yep, you read that right! You get all of our Experience for FREE!
We have 30+ years of EXPERIENCE in both Architecture and Cruise Travel! 2022 is Belles Firm of Architecture's 30th year in business - and Rob took his first cruise even before that! To date we have logged 30 Cruises (wow there's that magic number again) on 14 different Cruise Lines for a total of 250 days at sea..
Lets get you started.... It's TIME.
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Segment 2 of our recent cruise from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale
16 Night full transit through the Panama Canal.
Missed Segment 1? See it HERE
Want to see more now? Visit our Travel Blog - www.TravelLikeAnArchitect.com
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