Tammy Phillips, DS, LS, CTA
Interests & Specialties
Tammy has been with Central Travel for 15 years and loves to travel! She has completed the Certified Travel Associate course and holds Destination Specialist (DS) designation for Alaska, the Caribbean, North America and St. Lucia. She also holds a Lifestyle (LS) designation for Spa travel. Tammy has also completed the Maui S.T.A.R. program and is a Sandals Certified Specialist.
Tammy is located in the Lambertville Michigan office and can be reached at 734 856-2900, 800 252-1660 or tammy@centraltravel.com
Expert Bio
Hawaii is certainly Tammy's favorite destination. She has visited the islands several times. Her favorite island is Maui and having completed the prestigious S.T.A.R. program she knows where to stay, how to dine and all the fun activities Maui has to offer. Tammy has also spent time in the Caribbean, Bahamas, Mexico and cruised the Caribbean with Princess and Royal Caribbean International.
She has cruised to Belize with Royal Caribbean and visited Bermuda last year with Royal Caribbean. She recently did site inspections in Las Vegas visiting the 4 and 5-star properties and visited Beaches Jamaica earlier this year.
My Recent Trips
I recently returned from a cruise on the Caribbean Princess in the Southern Caribbean. We visited St Thomas, Tortola, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados and Puerto Rico. In St. Thomas we just went to Magen's Bay to play in the sand, in Tortola we went to Cane Garden Bay for a day of swimming (not the best terrain), in Antigua we went on the Black Swan pirate boat. The people of Antigua are so nice. Friendly, beautiful island, lots of history.
My favorite island was Barbados. A very wealthy island, taxis and buses are much nicer than most Caribbean islands. The people are well educated and very nice. We connected with a local limousine driver at the pier who took us to Sandy Lane, let the kids feed the monkey's – then took us to Carlisle Beach - best beach I have ever been to in the Caribbean!
This cruise was for my parent’s 40th wedding anniversary. My favorite part of Princess is we get 4 balcony cabins together and we can open the doors between our cabins and have one big balcony. On board the Movies under the stars was so fun! Every night after dinner that was a highlight to watch.
Then ShoreTrips, our private Ensemble shore excursion supplier was our perfect ending in San Juan. Shore Trips was absolutely great! They were waiting there for us even though we got off the ship 30 minutes early; they were the 1st bus parked right when we walked out the pier doors. We went to the fort and our guide interacted with both kids and us adults. He was very knowledgeable and fun! Highly recommend ShoreTrips! I certainly enjoy cruising with Princess and would love to help you plan your next experience!
I am back from breathtaking Kauai! Hawaii’s island of discovery! The natural beauty of Kauai is sure to entice anyone who visits this truly fascinating island. Families, couples, honeymooners and especially those seeking adventure will be completely satisfied with all that Kauai has to offer. Kauai is complete with waterfalls, endless gardens, great beaches, fabulous sunsets, and sea life that will amaze you. Humpback whales are visible Jan-May and sea turtles and spinning dolphins seem to be there to entertain you. There are endless activities on Kauai including kayaking, zipline tours, catamaran snorkel tours, movie tours, whale watching and did I mention golf?
The 1st two nights of the Kauai destination specialist program I stayed at the ever popular Sheraton Kauai. The Sheraton is very inviting hotel with excellent service and comfort that any Starwood property has to offer. There were many honeymooners and families here. They offer a great beach, fine dining, a small pool and a great view of the sunsets that Kauai has to offer. The Sheraton is also part of the Monk Seal endangerment program where they get guests involved in helping to save this dying creature. I was lucky enough to have a fellow monk seal come up on shore during my stay and was able to learn and see them up front. The Sheraton also participates in the movies under the stars where 1 night a week they show a modern film out on the beach under the stars. They also have a luau 2 nights a week right on property. The Sheraton is a deluxe property I would recommend to anyone.
The ever luxury Princeville Resort up in the north shore of Kauai is soon to become the St. Regis collections Princeville Resort. The word luxury says it all! This hotel caters to couples many who are vacationing for a special anniversary. The phenomenal views of the mountains and beach are great at this resort. Princeville is also well known for their golf and has renowned awards for their courses. They are even adding a new spa to be completed in 2008!
The last two nights of our program I stayed at the only air conditioned condo in all of Kauai the new and fascinating Outrigger Waipouli Resort. These condos consist of mostly 2 bedroom brand very modern facilities with all the latest appliances. This resort is located on the east side of Kauai and is on a great walking beach however not a great swimming beach for it is very rocky and a ton of reefs. They offer a swimming pool complete with waterslide, a beachside bar and they are building a restaurant to be complete in fall 2007. I would recommend this property to those looking to stay for a long length of time or 2 couples traveling together. There is a food store across to street to shop to fill your gourmet kitchen.
Whether you are looking for adventure, romance, or fun family filled vacation Kauai has a ton of great things to offer to everyone. I look forward to assisting you on your next trip to KAUAI!
Royal Caribbean's spectacular ship "Radiance of the Seas" was a great way to experience Alaska's Inside passage.
Royal Caribbean is a cruise line for all ages offering many activities from Rockwall climbing to excellent shows, casino games, bingo, to even billiards tables onboard. There are many dining options including specialty restaurants serving 5 star fabulous dinners and excellent service throughout the ship.
My first suggestion to anyone looking to cruise Alaska is to book a balcony cabin. I cannot stress enough how much you will definitely utilize your own private balcony for viewing. Alaska has the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen and the freshest air I have ever breathed. Picture yourself each morning sipping your hot cup of coffee and taking in the sights of beautiful waterfalls, snow capped mountains and if you are lucky like I was, a view of a humpback whale breeching!
We sailed from Vancouver to Anchorage with our 1st stop being Ketchikan. Ketchikan is an adorable town with great shopping, fabulous view of the mountains and an abundance of bald eagles and is a great stop to take on a salmon bake for it is the Salmon capital of the world! Our next stop was Juneau, Alaska's state capital which offers the famous Mendenhall glacier and wonderful wildlife and whale watching tours. Sea Lions, humpback whales, and orca's were the highlight for me of this fascinating port. Our third stop was Skagway which is a quaint little town well known for it's Klondike Gold Rush of 1898 and the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad which is a must see. Next stop, Hubbard Glacier! All I can say is bring your camera.....a wall of ice that will certainly take your breath away. Anchorage was our last stop and is the largest city in Alaska offering many luxury accommodations, museums, the Alaska zoo, great skiing and my favorite highlight - Moose! The bear and moose population in this area are abundant and quite a sight to see.
To me Alaska is a must see whether you cruise or take a land package. Trust me when I say you will not be disappointed. Alaska's travel season is May - September and we still have lots of space available so I look forward to booking you and sharing my experience with you for your next trip to Alaska!
