Where will we travel this spring?
Last week we floated the idea of shortlisting two trips for each season in 2021, and then get YOUR feedback as to which one we should set up a group on, if case any of our readers wanted to join us. So here are our picks for this coming Spring.
If you’re not ready to travel this spring…we’ll follow with picks for the summer and fall in the coming two weeks. Stay tuned.
American Queen Lower Mississippi River Cruise
There are a ton of cruise variations on the Mississippi River system, the most common being the lower Mississippi itinerary between Memphis and New Orleans.
The Deal:
- May 30th, 2021 (New Orleans to Memphis), or June 6th, 2021 (Memphis to New Orleans).
- $1500 off per person from mid-May through Mid-June (all stateroom categories). These are the discounted prices:
- Window: $2799 per person
- Open Veranda: $3099 per person
- Private Veranda: $3599 per person
- Includes: pre-cruise hotel night, shore excursions in every port, unlimited beverages, open bars and lounges, alternative dining and room service, unlimited wifi.
We did a video on American Queen recently on our YouTube channel. Here’s a link if you want to get a better feel for American Queen Steamboat Company: https://youtu.be/LLPzn1wD8_Y (the prices in the video are outdated though).
What we like about this trip:
There is no doubt that a significant and important portion of this country’s history relates to the history and culture of the Mississippi River. So often we marvel at the history, art, food and culture of Europe, and appropriately so – it is impressive. However, given that the Europeans have a 1000-year head start on us in this regard, we should not discount the amazing history and culture of our own country.
Nowhere is this more vibrant than along the Mississippi River.
Who it appeals to:
- Those with a keen interest in American history – particularly the civil war era.
- Those who love the music scene will enjoy both New Orleans and Memphis
- Those travelling with children or grandchildren.
Insider Tip: If you sail upstream (starting in New Orleans), you get one whole day of river cruising. If you sail downstream (starting in Memphis), you get a port stop in Baton Rouge LA, that is not included on the upstream trip.
Alternatives:
- If the dates aren’t quite right, you can do this trip at almost any time of the year.
- Two-week trips between Minneapolis and New Orleans are available in the summer months.
- Trips along the Mississippi tributaries such as the Ohio River through Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
- Columbia River in Washington and Oregon.
Small Ship Alaska
Our other option for a trip this spring is also a domestic trip, but Alaska is really unlike any other state. This cruise leaves from Vancouver (a great destination in itself), and visits Ketchikan, Sitka, Icy Strait Point, Haines, Hubbard Glacier, and the Inian Islands, before arriving in Juneau.
The Deal:
- May 28th, 2021 departing from Vancouver for 7-nights, finishing in Juneau.
- We blocked some staterooms quite a while ago on this cruise, so we’ve got a significant price advantage over what is currently available through Seabourn:
- Penthouse Suite $6699 ($7999 at Seabourn.com)
- Veranda $3799 ($4799 at Seabourn)
- Window $3499 ($4299 at Seabourn)
- We have an extremely limited number of staterooms set aside at these prices.
- All the staterooms on Seabourn are suites (minimum 300 square feet). Includes unlimited beverages, gratuities, specialty dining, wifi, and a $250 per person on board credit.
We did a similar trip to Alaska with Seabourn in 2019. Here’s a link to the playlist with our daily video blogs if you want to get a feel for the ship, or any individual port of call: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA1r3eOMaDVGIkLzMGzGDOfx8xOSpC2Vt
What we like about this trip:
- This cruise combines some Alaska favorites such as Ketchikan and Juneau, with more rarely visited locations such as Sitka and the Inian Islands. It’s great for first-time Alaska visitors, or those who may have visited on a bigger ship previously.
- Alaska is best seen on a small ship. The Seabourn Odyssey holds 450 people, and at only 30,000 tons you can get into places the big ships just can’t go.
- It’s on the Inside Passage that is not only more scenic, but much calmer waters than the open Pacific.
- You can add a Denali Package after disembarkation in Juneau.
- Ventures by Seabourn provides some expedition-ship features all while enjoying the luxury comfort Seabourn is famous for.
Who it appeals to:
- Those who might have been to Alaska previously on one of the Megaships.
- Those that want the choice of glacier viewing from the deck of a cruise ship OR from a sea kayak or zodiac boat.
- Those ready for a true luxury, small-ship experience (NOTE: if you’ve been on a river cruise and enjoyed it, that’s a good indicator)
- Foodies – Thomas Keller has a restaurant on board, included in your fare
- Spa People – The spa and wellness program is by Dr Andrew Weil.
Insider Tip:
Go two or three days early. Fly into Calgary to take the Rocky Mountaineer train across the Canadian Rockies. The scenery on this famous train trip is every bit as spectacular as what you’ll see in Alaska, and yet completely different. This is a perfect add-on to an Alaska cruise.
Alternatives:
- Seabourn is in Alaska all season from May through September if these dates don’t work for you
- Just about all the cruise lines are in Alaska this year, so there are tons of options on other lines if you have a preference for one of the others.
Summer and Fall
Next week, we’ll do a similar article for our two summer choices: The Great Lakes from Chicago to Toronto, or the Rocky Mountaineer Rail trip from Denver to Moab. The following week, we’ll look at our winter plans for either Tahiti, or the Christmas Markets in Europe.
Have something to say about this?
Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/2910581315891030
If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
