Karl Kuenzel - Houston, TX Travel Leaders Agent

(19 Reviews)
95% Recommended

Karl Kuenzel

Houston, TX

Luxury Cruise Travel Specialist

What sets me apart from other travel agents is my experience and expertise that I can provide for you. I have been cruising for over 25 years. I have been around the world more than twice -- once on a world cruise and the other times on segments o...
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Food-Lover Cruising

Chef's Table Dinner

Chef's Table Dinner

One of the reasons that I enjoy cruising is that it provides me access to Michelin quality chef-prepared food that I ordinarily would have to travel to a large city to access.

I can prepare and eat a good meal at home. I can visit a local restaurant and have a tasty meal. But the quality varies with each place I eat. It is not just the ambiance. It is also the culinary training, knowledge, and skill of the person preparing the meal. My wife and I are not trained chefs. The person cooking the food at the local restaurant may have been given some cooking tips and read some books, but is not a chef. However, when I get on board a cruise ship and go to a specialty restaurant, I know I am getting food prepared by a specially trained chef, if not a Michelin star chef.

My favorite dinner on a cruise ship is known as "The Chef's Table." The quality of this varies greatly with the levels of cruise line.

A mass market cruise line may have a sort of "chef's table", but the food is only a step above what you would receive in the buffet line. You have to cruise on a premium cruise line or a luxury cruise line to have the kind of "chef's table" that I am talking about. The difference between the "chef's table" on a mass market cruise ship and a premium and luxury cruise ship is the same as between food from a fast-food restaurant and a fancy steak house.

The "Chef's Table" should include an instructive tour in the galley, sampling a variety of wines, special appetizers, and then a multi-course dinner with an introduction and explanation by the chef.

If you love great food as much as I do, contact me and I will help you book a cruise with this exceptional food.

My Travel Albums

Chef's Table

Chef during Galley Tour

Food On Luxury Cruise

My Reviews

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Our Cruise Was an Enjoyable, Memorable Experience!

Karl listened when I explained what kind of vacation we wanted to have. He thoroughly researched and presented us with a couple of options. We selected the one we wanted and Karl did the rest -- planning, organizing, and arranging everything for our cruise as well as our pre- and post- cruise stays. He is great! He did everything for us. Karl has traveled in South America and previously took the same cruise we did. Our vacation was well worth the the cost! Much better than I could have done on my own. I am already talking with him about our next trip.

By EdwinK from Sun City, Texas
Traveled to Chilean Fjords ~ Chile ~ South America

I would not recommend this agent to my family and friends

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Dedicated Professional

Karl is super smart, super organised and super experienced. He is also dedicated to making sure his clients get the best treatment possible while traveling.

By Heather G from Cuenca, Ecuador
Traveled to Ecuador ~ South America

I would recommend this agent to my family and friends

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4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Are We Glad We Booked Our CruiseTour with Karl

I was talking with a coworker last week. We both went on a cruisetour in Alaska this summer. I booked through Karl. My coworker booked with one of those online travel sites. My coworker traveled on one of those big ships with waterslides. They spent a few hours in a couple of ports in the Inside Passage, arrived in Seward, got on a bus, spent a night in Anchorage, got back on the bus the next day and rode up to Fairbanks. They spent two nights in Fairbanks and then flew back home. Karl told me that my family could take one of those less expensive cruisetours so that we could say that we had visited Alaska. Or, we could let him arrange a tour for us. We got to meet with native Alaskans, learn about the Athabascan people including their traditions, dances, and totem poles; learn about the Gold Rush and rode the Great Pass train; saw glaciers, whales, eagles, moose, and bears; stayed two nights at Mt. McKinley and two nights at Denali; saw a Gold Dredge, and learned culture in Fairbanks.

By PK from Taylor, TX
Traveled to Alaska ~ USA

I would recommend this agent to my family and friends

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5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Alluring vacation

Karl was up-to-date on everything, including Covid regulations and accessible options for our cruise on Allure of the Seas. He secured an early boarding time for us and assisted us in booking shore excursions. The trip was very relaxing and I didn't have to worry about a thing as he coordinated all the details with me. He was aware of our needs for assistance and booked an accessible balcony for us. That room had better facilities than any I've seen. Thanks for your help, Karl, in planning this vacation.

By Lee from Houston TX
Traveled to Caribbean

I would recommend this agent to my family and friends

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5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Enchanting cruise on Enchanted Princess

Karl carefully researched and provided the most appropriate options for my cruising experience. I'm older, don't like a lot of noisy "music", like to eat, etc. So he interviewed me and used that information to plan my trip , calculating costs and interests and matching that with the cruises available as well as my budget. It was a late season cruise - no hurricanes - and we had smooth sailing all the way. Enchanted Princess was lovely and we were welcomed in all the ports that she visited. Karl advised me about Covid restrictions for each location - much easier when coming on a cruise ship than when you fly into one of these islands! He checked with me regularly to make sure everything was on schedule, my flights and hotels were appropriately booked, and that I was content with the choices I had made. He followed up with me after the cruise to make sure all had gone as planned and offered his services for my next cruise. I will be delighted to use him again!

By Lee from Houston Tx
Traveled to Caribbean

I would recommend this agent to my family and friends

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Destination Expert:

At Sea
Germany

Travel Specialist:

World Cruises
Luxury Cruises
Religious
Accessible Travel
Escorted Tours

Top Travel Partners:

Oceania Cruises
Holland America Line
Celebrity Cruises
Princess Cruises®
Silversea

Certifications/Awards:

CTA
Certified Travel Advisor - The Travel Institute
Certified Cruise Counselor - CLIA
Verified Travel Advisor - ASTA
Certified Alaska Specialist
Certified Celebrity Expert

Connect with Me:

karl.kuenzel@gmail.com

Industry Affiliations:

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