Wednesday 9 February 2011

Derek Marks Blog - February 2011

Hello everybody and welcome to this month's blog.

Sorry it’s a little bit later than planned, but I wanted to come back to you after the two cruise fairs. Thank you to all of you who came along to Southport and Liverpool. It was a really great opportunity for me to meet so many of you, and hear your many varied experience of cruise holidays. I now understand that people who have been on cruise holidays do tend to go on more and more and more. It's a great opportunity for adventure for so many people and gives you the chance to visit many different countries all on one. I got the sense that people that have worked hard for many years are enjoying the chance to kick back, relax and enjoy not only wonderful destinations – but the company of meeting people just like you.

What I did notice in particular is how fondly you seem to treasure memories of their cruise holidays. I heard many stories of new friendships developing on the ocean wave – and how the cruise holiday works so well for groups of friends, and even single people who want to enjoy being part of something special.

Many people make lifeline friends on their cruise holidays, and often meet up and go on a variety of future cruises together. Of course, that isn’t for everyone – and I met couples who also liked the fact that they could simply escape from everyday life at home and just have the time of their lives at a reasonable price. Price of cruises are very important to people – with times being tighter, people are really spending the time to make sure that they are getting value for money. I hope that in some small way that our programmes really do bring to life the genuinely fantastic opportunities that the Liverpool Cruise Club offers. For instance, this month – we bring a variety of cruise offers from P&O, Fred Olsen and MSC Cruises. You can see that we are dealing with all of the biggest names, but negotiating for the TV and for YOU the very best prices we can. Don’t forget, if you have seen offers elsewhere that it will always be worth checking out what we can offer for you – whether it’s your first cruise, or your 31st (which I know it certainly could be).

For our future programmes, I also want to bear in mind a few of the things I learn from talking to people at the cruise fairs. Some people like to know before they go on a cruise holiday and things like how many passengers the ship holds, and whether it’s more of a family or adults only cruise. I’m also aware that many people hear from friends and family about just how great a cruise holiday is, but want to take a taster to find out if it is for them. Well, don’t forget that there are always options for you.

For those of you who don't know, I'm taking my first cruise holiday with Fred Olsen on 11th June from Dover on the Braemar, which I'm looking forward to incredibly and comes highly recommended by you. In fact the more I hear your stories, the more excited I become. A big thank you to those who have been sending us e-mails and messages – we’re responding personally to all of you. In the meantime, if you have any questions or queries – you can always call the club on 0800 655 6449 or e-mail me, derek@liverpoolcruiseclub.co.uk Until we speak again in March, I wish you very well.


Derek Marks

Presenter - Liverpool Cruise Club