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Teresa Skeim
Teresa Skeim

Teresa Skeim

Seattle, WA Travel Agent

Cruise Specialists

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

World Cruise & Hosted Cruise Expert

My mission statement is “Move life forward – live life now, don’t wait!” Whatever your interest: music, history, culinary wildlife, adventure, or something else, I can help you create your next travel memory. 

I started my travel industry career with Holland America Line at 24 years old and I understand that oceans connect and move us. They, along with the destinations that cruise ships bring us to, offer life, color and beauty. I have been with Cruise Specialists since 2012, and this allows me to bring together my passion for travel along with my desire to offer an enriching travel planning service to discerning travelers. My expertise lies in planning World Cruises and Grand Voyages, Hosted Voyages, river cruises (including unique back-to-back river cruises) and expedition cruises. 

My passion for travel has taken me to many intriguing places — I’ve been to Alaska at least 10 times and have covered much of the Caribbean several times over. I’ve experienced Europe, throughout western and eastern Europe (including a Danube river cruise), and many other wonderful places. Travel is what connects us and I cherish these memories, as well as helping my clients make their own. 

In order to be able to answer your questions and enhance the services I offer to you, I have experienced these cruise lines firsthand:

  • Silversea
  • Holland America Line (worked there for 10 years)
  • Oceania Cruises
  • Viking River Cruises
  • Windstar Cruises
  • Seabourn 
  • Scenic Luxury Cruises

I have also toured and inspected ships with the following cruise lines:

  • Celebrity Cruises
  • Oceania Cruises
  • Princess Cruises
  • Regent Seven Seas Cruises
  • Royal Caribbean
  • Seabourn
  • Silversea
  • UnCruise Adventures
  • American Queen Steamboat Company 

Some of my favorite cruise highlights include:

  • A two-week Crystal Cruise in the Caribbean. The all-inclusive nature of Crystal makes it such a relaxing experience! And the staff-to-guest ratio is truly outstanding.

  • A 7-day cruise on Oceania Sirena, from Barcelona to Malta. The cuisine on Oceania Cruises is touted as The Finest Cuisine at Sea. I can personally attest that their food is beyond incredible, with an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients their chefs gather in the ports being visited. 

While I have been on many more cruises, the above experiences help highlight some of the ways I am looking to enrich your travels. 

Voyage Host 

Another cruising highlight that has enhanced my understanding of client needs is that I have served as a Voyage Host. As a Voyage Host on a Windstar Cruise in the Mediterranean, I was an extra resource for a group of 40 travelers who had reserved their cruise through our special group. You can read more about this in my Hosted Cruises bio. 

Finally, as a Cruise Consultant with Cruise Specialists, I have the support of a strong and experienced team that helps me respond to any need you may have. We have decades of experience in working with detailed reservations, planning pre- and post-cruise hotel stays, travel protection and much more.   

I look forward to meeting with you via phone or email, hearing about your travel dreams and making your next trip unforgettable.

Areas of Expertise

Destinations:

Alaska
Egypt, Nile River
Australia
World Cruise
At Sea, Mediterranean
On the River, Danube
England
On the River, Seine River
Scandinavia
On the River, Rhine River
On the River, Douro River

Interests:

Cruises
Luxury Cruises
River Cruises
World Cruises
Small Ship Cruises

Suppliers:

AmaWaterways
Celebrity Cruises
Holland America Line
Oceania Cruises
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Silversea
Seabourn
Viking
Avalon Waterways
Atlas Ocean Voyages
Tauck

My Travel Specialties

Back to All Specialties
World Cruise Expertise Details

Saying "bon voyage" to my World Cruise clients!

World Cruise Expertise Details

<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. Through the years, by sending hundreds of travelers on World Cruises and listening to the feedback of my clients, and by working closely with World Cruise contacts at every cruise line, I have an innate knowledge of World Cruises and how to make your World Cruise experience the best it can be.  </p>
<p><strong>In 2019, I was Cruise Specialists’ top Oceania Cruises World Cruise sales agent.</strong> Although I sell World Cruises on several luxury and premium cruise lines, I have an affinity for selling Oceania Cruises because I believe it offers incredible value. I would be happy to share more details with you about Oceania’s World Cruise inclusions and World Cruise amenities, which are truly stunning. Their cuisine is impeccable, and I have inspected their World Cruise ship, <em>Oceania Insignia</em>, which has an intimate feel, carrying only 684 guests.  </p>
<p><strong>First Time & Repeat World Cruisers </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.  First, 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>My agency, Cruise Specialists, is The World Leader in World Cruising. <strong>We provide a hosted World Cruise each year on Holland America Line,</strong> which provides you with a dedicated <strong>Voyage Host</strong> who helps create camaraderie on board and leads exclusive Cruise Specialists <strong>shore events</strong>. We have <strong>small group overland tours</strong> available, a <strong>welcome aboard reception</strong> and <strong>cocktail parties</strong>, <strong>special gifts</strong>, and a <strong>bon voyage event</strong> with <strong>pre-cruise hotel</strong> stay that helps everyone in our group get acquainted.</p>
<p>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 2024, Cruise Specialists will also provide Voyage Hosts on the Oceania Cruises 180-day World Cruise and the Princess Cruises 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>For 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. </p>
<p>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. They are such special cruises. </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. </p>
<p>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. I’m truly dedicated to creating the perfect World Cruise experience for you. We will start with a phone call or email, and from there I work to create a lasting relationship so that each time we work together is even better than the previous one.</p>

Other Specialties

Luxury Cruises, World Cruises & River Cruises

My mission statement is “Move life forward – live life now, don’t wait!”...

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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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River Cruise Expert

A river cruise is the ideal way to immerse yourself with the comfort of seeing a...

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Silversea Cruises ~ Alaska

I recently had the sheer pleasure of sailing to Alaska on board the Silver Muse....

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My Oceania Experience ~ The Finest Cuisine at Sea

Oceania reputation for the Finest Cuisine at Sea is well earned. With locally so...

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Why Celebrity

  Celebrity continues to evolve and improve upon an already excellent cruise ex...

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Grand Voyages

For the past 35 years, Cruise Specialists has specialized in Grand and World Cru...

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2024 & 2025 Holland America World Cruise

Since 1989 Cruise Specialists has offered a hosted group departure on every Holl...

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Reviews

65 Reviews
I don&#39;t remember how many years Teresa has been my agent. I am very happy to have her as my agent. She has been very good at handling the many emails I send her and taking care of the bookings we make for our cruises with Holland America. We usually book our cruises on the ship and then Teresa takes it from there to make sure we receive our invoices from HAL and Cruise Specialists. She also handles the payments we make for our cruises and sends us updated invoices so we can keep track of our balance due. I not only consider her my agent, but also my friend.
Barbara - Japan ~ East and Southeast Asia
Teresa is the best in all respects!
Ronald - Europe
I have always had excellent service. Teresa has gone more than th4 extra mile to take care of this technology limited client.
Margaret - Cape Town ~ South Africa ~ Africa

Certifications & Awards

Additional Certifications

  • Viking Certified Expert: River, Ocean & Expedition

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