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Cliff Bainum
Cliff Bainum

Cliff Bainum

Seattle, WA Travel Agent

Cruise Specialists

24 Reviews
100% Recommended
25+ Years of Experience
Additional Languages
English

Luxury Cruise Expert

My passion for travel was ignited as a graduate of the International Aviation & Travel Academy in Arlington, Texas.For the past three decades, I have been dedicated to serving travel clients in a variety of roles — and for the past several years I’ve been with Cruise Specialists, a prominent luxury cruise travel agency. I am delighted to be part of the Cruise Specialists team, where I am dedicated to crafting enriching and memory-making cruise travel vacations. 

I create a seamless vacation for my clients, matching you with the right cruise — and, when desired, with hotels, airlines, tour operators and travel protection service to ensure the entire aspect of the trip is accounted for and worry free. I am an expert in handling every travel-related detail, understanding the needs of the cruise traveler and providing the best value possible. 

I work with a wide variety of luxury and premium cruise and land tour operators. As part of my ongoing education and efforts to provide recommendations for my clients, here are the ocean cruise lines I have recently inspected:

  • Crystal Cruises
  • Holland America Line
  • Oceania Cruises
  • Princess Cruises 

I excel at arranging lengthy, detail-oriented cruises such as World Cruises and Grand Voyages. The top cruise destinations I arrange are to Europe, Asia, Alaska and the South Pacific. I have personally been to much of the Caribbean and love the relaxed pace and warmth that it offers — along with close-to-home convenience. I lived in Europe for two years and have a comfort level and familiarity that makes it easy for me to arrange a Mediterranean or Northern Europe cruise for you. I’ve also been through the Panama Canal, Costa Rica and Mexico. A favorite travel memory of mine remains a two-week vacation through Thailand. It was a feast for the senses! 

My experience and commitment to customer service enable me to anticipate and handle all the little things that make for a perfect cruise vacation, no matter what the length. This attention to detail and the quality of service I provide is one of the primary reasons my clients come back time and time again! I eagerly await the opportunity to hear from you and learn more about your travel wishes.

Areas of Expertise

Destinations:

Antarctica
World Cruise
Trans-Atlantic
At Sea, Arctic Ocean
Netherlands
Ecuador, Galapagos Islands
Australia
Iceland
Alaska

Interests:

Cruises
Expedition Cruises
Luxury Cruises
World Cruises
Small Ship Cruises
River Cruises

Suppliers:

Holland America Line
Princess Cruises®
Oceania Cruises
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Seabourn
Celebrity Cruises
Viking Ocean Cruises
Viking

My Travel Specialties

Back to All Specialties
World Cruise Expert

World Cruise clients in South Africa

World Cruise Expert

<p>A World Cruise takes you to dozens of destinations around the world on one seamlessly organized vacation. You are treated to special events and theme nights, dine on the finest cuisine, enjoy enrichment programs developed for the cruise and enjoy the company of like-minded travelers eager to explore the world. Your cruise ship becomes your home-away-from-home for several months, and by the time the trip is over, you’re already starting to think about the possibilities for the next one.</p>
<p>Because of the length of a World Cruise and the financial investment, it’s imperative that you choose the right cruise line, cruise ship and itinerary, along with other details such as the stateroom or suite that matches your preferences. <strong>By working at Cruise Specialists, The World Leader to World Cruising, I have special access to programs and services that you simply can’t obtain on your own when it comes to World Cruises. </strong></p>
<p><strong>World Cruise Benefits</strong></p>
<p>Whether you are considering a World Cruise for the first time or have completed more than one, there are unique benefits you receive by working with me due to my role at Cruise Specialists. If you are new to World Cruising, you may have lots of questions. I am adept at answering whatever you may be wondering about, and I’ll spend the time to get to know you, so I can understand the types of travel you enjoy and other preferences. All of this adds up to matching you with the right cruise line to ensure that your home-away-from-home is the perfect selection for you.</p>
<p><strong>At Cruise Specialists, we provide a hosted World Cruise each year on Holland America Line,</strong> which provides you with a dedicated Voyage Host who helps create camaraderie on board and leads exclusive Cruise Specialists shore events. We have small group overland tours available, a welcome aboard reception and cocktail parties, special gifts, and a bon voyage event with pre-cruise hotel stay that helps everyone in our group get acquainted. Our World Cruise hosts have collectively been around the world dozens of times. They can offer you tips on the best coffee ships in various ports, must-see sites and hidden gems, and so on.</p>
<p><strong>In 2022, Cruise Specialists is also the exclusive agency to have a Voyage Host on the Oceania Cruises 180-day World Cruise.</strong> You will receive exclusive benefits only by reserving your cruise with us, and I’m excited to share more details with you.</p>
<p><strong>Repeat World Cruisers </strong></p>
<p>Once you have completed one World Cruise, I can provide services to you that are not available elsewhere. I offer you our unique hosted program as mentioned above, on select cruise lines. Beyond that, the relationship that we build pays off dividends for you.With each passing cruise, I understand more about your preferences. I gain a better understanding of which cabin you want, how you want your room set up, your dining preferences and more. It’s developing relationships that really pay off for World and Grand Voyages.</p>
<p><strong>More Cruise Specialists Benefits</strong></p>
<p>Regardless of which World Cruise you choose, we can plan a special shore tour just for you, or arrange for a private car and driver in a certain city you are eager to explore on your own terms. We also have specialists who work behind the scenes in operations and sales who assist with cruise documents and more, to save you time and make the whole experience more convenient.Our executives are also constantly in touch with each of our World Cruise line partners to ensure the pricing we’re offering is the most competitive and that our clients receive the special, yet discreet attention they deserve.</p>
<p>I’m truly dedicated to creating the perfect World Cruise experience for you and look forward to working with you. </p>

Other Specialties

Luxury Cruise Expert, Putting My Clients First

My passion for travel was ignited as a graduate of the International Aviation & ...

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Expedition Cruises

After having recently experienced an expedition cruise with HX Expeditions, I a...

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Hosted Cruise Expert

On a hosted cruise, there is a hand-picked Voyage Host who cruises along with ou...

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Reviews

24 Reviews
Cliff was on top of things from dealing with cruise line to reminding us is of trip requirements and deadlines. While we made many arrangements, tours, etc online, Cliff was a good sounding board.
Todd - Mediterranean
Cliff answered all of our questions quickly and presented us with many options. He was helpful getting us through the process of shore excursions and cabin perks. Working with Cliff was easy.
Patrice - Canada
Cliff is very thorough and efficient. He finds the best deals out there! He follows up and answers emails and calls ASAP. WE will definitely use him in the future.
Kathy - Japan

Certifications & Awards

Certifications

  • Travel Expert

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