Now Freestyle Certified

Wow, 2 posts: 1 week. I'm on a roll!

I'm just excited, because we just earned Freestlye Certified status from Norwegian Cruise Lines. Here's the press release:



Norwegian Cruise Line is proud to announce that Carmen Shirkey is among the first to graduate from its new online travel agent university, NCL University. This progressive, state-of-the art online school is geared to deliver an enhanced level of knowledge and insight into Freestyle Cruising - NCL's popular style of cruising, as well as NCL destinations, NCL ship programs and operations, and many other behind-the-scenes elements not available anywhere else. Each graduate is required, within one year, to earn a minimum number of credits through a choice of accredited courses and electives. The rigorous curriculum includes testing at every level in order to move forward.

Norwegian Cruise Line's online university opened its virtual doors in 2008 and is one of the most innovative and successful programs available to travel agents today. With thousands of registered students and growing, NCL U plans to expand its training from the interactive experience of its online program to a continuing educational experience that includes a Ph.D. @ Sea program aboard its ships.

At NCL, we highly recommend the use of a travel professional when booking an NCL cruise, says Andy Stuart, Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Passenger Services. "With NCL U, we are investing in our travel partners' product knowledge, marketing and sales skills so our guests will know they are relying on an expert who knows our product inside and out."

By earning NCL U's Freestyle Certification, Carmen is considered among the most qualified and expert representatives for NCL's cruise product. Contact Carmen at carmenandjim@cruiseshipcenters.com.

That's in ADDITION to our Princess Commodore status, earned late last year, and our completion of Carnival University. We've got a lot of cruise info in our heads!

Thursday 13 - Cherry Blossom Time

We went for a drive into DC last weekend to see the cherry blossoms. We battled a TON of people, but got some really nice photos. So this week, my Thursday 13 is 13 (okay, it's 14, so shoot me) photos of the blossoms for you to enjoy!

Home of the new Thursday 13

The Countdown Has Begun

Today is T-minus two weeks exactly until our journey to the Netherlands. I'm hoping and praying for at least a few sunny days while we're there, so I can tiptoe through the tulips!

PS: If you're on Twitter, and you want to follow my cruise agent antics, you can follow me at @Cruise7Cs

Happy St. Patrick's Day

In the hopes of getting some "Luck O' the Irish," I thought I'd celebrate by posting some of my favorite Ireland photos. :)

Pooh Bear Vs. The Foot!

If you can't tell that I love my new iMac and the iMovie that comes with it, here's the comic-style video I made of Pooh Bear.

Ask Me

I've noticed that a lot of folks recently come up to me to ask about a specific location, or for travel tips, etc.

So new feature. You ask me. Have a travel question? Ask away.

The dilemma

For our upcoming Amsterdam trip, we're considering a day-trip into Belgium. Why? Because it's there, it's close, and we'll have a week. So might as well add another country to the list, right? :)

We're having a dilemma. Where in Belgium do we go? I've been told that Bruges is gorgeous, however, it's at least a 4-hour train ride away, and that's if we hit all of our train connections. So I think that's a little much for a one-day trip.

That leaves us with Brussels and Antwerp. Brussels has a little more to see, I think, but Antwerp is closer.

What to do, what to do? :) If anyone has any suggestions, I'm up for hearing them.