Have you sorted out your travel plans for the summer? Our travel planning for 2021 is starting to look like one of those reality TV shows – although not quite as mindless and with fewer people shouting at each other.
For each season of 2021, we’ve shortlisted two trips, and are asking our readers to either weigh-in if they’ve done similar trips before, or to join us if they so choose.
Last week we revealed our Spring short list. It was a toss-up between a Mississippi River cruise on an authentic paddle wheeler OR a small ship cruise to Alaska. Here’s the link if you missed it: https://pamperedcruiser.com/spring-2021-alaska-or-mississippi/
This week, we’re eyeing up a couple of options for the summer months. If you’ve done similar trips in the past, or have an interest in joining us on one of these trips, please leave your comments on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/2915496158732879
Great Lakes Cruise from Chicago to Toronto
People come from all over the world to experience the Great Lakes. It seems the only ones who don’t explore this fascinating part of the planet are the Americans and Canadians that live around the Lakes. Here’s a chance to correct that oversight.
The Deal:
- 11-days, departing Chicago on July 20, 2021.
- $1500 off per person, so the pricing starts at $3699 per person (Ocean view stateroom) on the 200 passenger Victory I.
- Includes a hotel stay in Chicago the night before embarkation, all meals, beer/wine, juices, premium coffee, etc., shore excursions in every port, wifi on the ship.
- We are able to get this $1500 discount for any departure all summer if this date does not work for you.
What we like about this trip:
- Both Chicago and Toronto offer incredible urban experiences for pre- and post-cruise stays.
- Both cities are well served by air (both are amongst the largest 5 airports in North America)
- Sandwiched between these two urban greats, are a myriad of tiny ports that are really only (easily) accessible by ship:
- Mackinac Island, Michigan – A National Historic Landmark with no cars, and preserved in the Victorian period. Your fare includes a horse-drawn carriage ride.
- Sault Ste. Marie – (pronounced “Sue Saint Marie”) Its name alone is exotic. This is actually TWO towns (one in the USA, one in Canada) with the same name. They used to be one settlement but were divided in the war of 1812.
- Manitoulin Island, Canada. Visit the world’s largest freshwater island and see indigenous culture on full display.
- You also visit Detroit (visit the Henry Ford Museum), Cleveland (visit the Rock n’Roll Hall of Fame), and Niagara Falls.
Who it appeals to:
- Road-trippers/RVers – those who like to explore America will love this trip, and you’ll visit places you can’t get to in your RV.
- People who need to get away this year but would prefer to stay a bit closer to home.
Insider Tip:
Your ship will depart from the Navy Pier, right in downtown Chicago. Spend an extra day or two exploring the Windy City. There is also a 13-day version of this itinerary that drops you off in Montreal, if that is preferable than Toronto for you.
Alternatives:
- This same itinerary is available May through September.
- There are variations of this cruise that include Boston, Detroit, Niagara Falls, and Montreal as embarkation or disembarkation ports.
- If you wanted to explore central Canada, we can offer you small group land tours between Toronto and Montreal.
- Small group land tours between two cities named twice: New York, New York to Quebec (City), Quebec.
Rocky Mountaineer Luxury Rail trip from Denver to Moab, Utah
We were very excited by Rocky Mountaineer’s announcement this past fall about their pending expansion to the United States. For the past 30 years, Rocky Mountaineer has run a luxury rail trip through the Canadian Rockies that has quickly become one of the world’s “must-do” train trips. The experience on the Canadian route is spectacular, and we have the same expectations for the trip between Denver, and Moab, Utah with extensions to either Las Vegas or Salt Lake City.
The Deal:
- 7-nights departing Denver on September 14th visiting five National Parks (including the Grand Canyon), finishing in Las Vegas.
- Pricing from $3910 per person includes all transportation (between Denver and Las Vegas), accommodation, National Park entry fees, and meals/beverages while on the train.
What we like about this trip:
- Even if you’ve travelled through the Rockies before, the rail route is much different than the car trip, and you’ll get to see things not visible from the highway.
- There is a high concentration of National Parks on this trip for those looking to get more stamps in their National Park Passport.
- The urban experiences in Denver and Las Vegas are both spectacular in their own way… and could not be more different
Who it appeals to:
- Train enthusiasts – this product will quickly join its Canadian cousin as a legendary rail trip (this is not Amtrak!)
- Photographers – there is a reason so many National Parks are concentrated in the states on this route.
- Road trippers – there are self-drive options between Moab and Las Vegas, OR Moab and Salt Lake City that can be added onto the rail journey.
Insider Tip: Rocky Mountaineer reserves 52 spots on each train trip for “Silver-Leaf Plus” service. This gives these few passengers access to an exclusive lounge car, and outdoor viewing platform. At $400, the extra cost is somewhat modest, and we think this class of extra service will sell out very quickly.
Alternatives:
- Alternate Dates: There are several departures a month, August through October, with itineraries ranging between 2 and 8 days.
- Rocky Mountaineer – Canadian Rockies. There are several different routes and packages ranging between 2 and 12 days over the Canadian Rockies between Vancouver (or Seattle) and Calgary. Tours run March through October.
- National Parks Land Tour – We can offer you several small group land tours that start/finish in either Las Vegas or Phoenix and explore a number of the National Parks in the Southwest.
Next week, we’ll do a similar article for our two choices for Autumn: A Christmas Markets River Cruise in Europe, and a trip to Tahiti with a cruise through French Polynesia.
Have something to say about this?
Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/2915496158732879
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
