First order of business: We are VERY sorry.
Many of you received our email multiple times last week, and I’m fully aware of how annoying this was, and I want to personally say “I’m sorry”.
There are about 30,000 of you who receive these notes every week, so we use an email service to deliver them, and they experienced a technical problem that resulted in multiple deliveries. They have assured us that they’ve determined the root of the problem, and that it won’t happen again.
So thank you for your patience, and thank you to the overwhelming number of you who reached out to us to let us know we had a problem. Our entire team worked through the weekend to try to personally respond to the several hundred messages we received, so I hope you heard back from us.
The overwhelming majority of the emails we received were of this nature:
“Oh-oh. Just a heads-up, I received this message 10 times in a one minute period. Just wanted to make sure you were aware of the problem”
Yes – we quickly became aware, but still really appreciate so many of you taking the time to tell us so.
We also received some hate-mail. For your entertainment, here are some of them:
Is this really necessary? One message is enough…nine messages (all identical) is “overkill marketing and solicitations”. ONE TIME ONLY.
Good grief. You filled my inbox with emails. One a day is plenty.
Yesterday I received at least 3 identical messages . Today it was 5. Somebody has to pay attention .
Really????? 9 emails in 10 minutes?
And these were the polite ones… I’m not going to publish those filled with excessive anger and vitriol.
If I received 10 identical messages, I know I’d be annoyed, but I’d quickly realize an error had been made and exercise my index finger on the delete button.
Many of these people have received a solitary once-a-week email from us for literally years, but this mistake still managed to set them off like fireworks on the 4th of July.
So we removed all those people from our mailing list.
Not because we don’t sympathize with their irritation – it’s very frustrating.
We unsubscribed them because travel requires being able to roll with the punches. Things happen – flights get delayed; hotels overbook; ground transportation can be late; there are traffic jams; attractions close at the last minute; cruise lines cancel ports. The list of potential issues when you travel is endless.
The best travellers are those who have enough resilience to quickly recover when things don’t go their way.
Those who get set off by an email error are not resilient, and are probably happier sitting in their basements looking for other reasons to be angry than out there learning more about the world. Either way, we really don’t want to deal with them.
So, as much as we regret the inconvenience and annoyance of last week’s email mishap, we were very much encouraged by the number of high-quality people on our subscriber list. Out of 30,000 people, we only unsubscribed a few dozen angry souls. In percentage terms, this is significantly less than 1%.
So thank you for sticking with us, and for being tolerant of this error. It won’t happen again.
Today’s Travel Opportunities
AMA Waterways – 20% Off Sale
Our friends at AMA are offering 20% off select European departures in 2023 and 2024. AMA is a bit different than some other river cruise lines. For example, you get:
- A gym, spa, and pool on board.
- A “wellness coordinator” on every cruise who leads complimentary yoga and fitness classes, as well as more active shore excursion options.
- Final payment due 90 days prior to sailing.
- A choice of several different included shore excursions in every port
- Included happy hour before dinner every night, as well as wine and beer with lunch and dinner
If you want to see the complete list of sailings with the 20% discount, here’s the link: https://www.amawaterways.com/agent/pamperedcruiser/save20-2023
Here are a few examples (prices below already include the 20% discount):
Danube River between Budapest and Vilshofen (Bavaria) for 7-nights:
- This sailing is on board the AMA Magna, which is twice as wide as the standard river ships, so there’s a ton of space.
- Visit Budapest (overnight), Bratislava, Vienna, Krems (for Durnstein), Wachau Valley Scenic Cruising), Linz, and Passau.
- November 12, 2023: 252 square ft. Veranda for $5059 pp (this one’s a wine-themed cruise!)
- July 21, 2024: $5819 pp (Veranda)
- Add on 2-nights in Budapest pre-trip, AND 3-nights in Prague post-trip for $1560 pp.
Vineyards of Rhine & Moselle between Amsterdam and Luxembourg for 7-nights
- From the beer halls in Cologne to estate wineries in the Moselle Valley, this itinerary is great for those who have been to Europe previously.
- Visit Amsterdam (overnight), Cologne, Rudesheim, Mainz, Lahnstein, Moselle Valley, Bernkastel, and Luxembourg.
- 2023: Sold Out
- July 24, 2024 for $4499 pp (French Balcony)
- Add 2-nights in Amsterdam pre-trip AND 2-nights in Champagne, AND 1-night Paris post-trip for $2100 pp.
Douro River in Portugal – 7-nights round-trip from Porto
- Visit Entre-os-Rios, Regua, Pinhao, Vega de Terron, and Barca d’Alva
- December 2, 2023: $3979 pp (French Balcony)
- August 3, 2024: $4739 pp (French Balcony)
- Add 3 nights in Lisbon pre-trip for $900 pp.
Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel for 7-nights
- Visit Cologne, Rhine Gorge, Rudesheim, Ludwigshafen (for Heidelberg), Strasbourg, and Breisach (for the Black Forest).
- November 16, 2023: $3359 pp (French Balcony). Wine-themed cruise!
- May 9, 2024: $4019 pp (French Balcony)
Viking FREE Air Promotion
The folks at Viking are offering free round-trip air on a handful of dates and itineraries. The Catch: it must be booked by August 31, and for departures in 2023, the full payment will be due within 24 hours of booking.
Western Mediterranean Quiet Season
- 13-days from Rome to Lisbon departing Nov 30, 2023
- Visit Rome, Florence/Pisa, Monte Carlo, Marseille, Montpellier, Barcelona (overnight), Valencia, Cartagena, Granada, Seville, and Lisbon (overnight)
- There are a few Balcony Cabins left at $5299 pp.
Australia & New Zealand
It is extraordinarily rare to see free air applied to Australia/New Zealand bookings, so if you would like to spend Christmas down-under, this is a great opportunity:
- 15-days from Auckland to Sydney departing December 19, 2023
- Visit Auckland (overnight), Rotorua, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Faveaux Strait, Tasmania, Bass Strait, Melbourne, and Sydney (overnight).
- Balcony Cabins from $6999 pp with Free Air on the December 19th departure.
- Conversely, go January 16 or 30, 2024 for $7999 pp, with air starting at $1999 pp.
Greece & Turkey
- 11-days round-trip from Athens departing December 12th, 2023
- Visit Athens (overnight), Volos, Thessaloniki, Ephesus, Rhodes, Santorini, Crete, and Nafplio
- Balcony cabins from $3899 pp with Free Air on the December 12th departure.
- Or, go in February 2024 for $4999 pp with air starting at $1299 pp
Remember that Viking includes all taxes & fees, round-trip air (where indicated), transfers, a shore excursion in every port, beer/wine with meals, and wifi on the ship.
Costa Rica & Panama: Land + Cruise Combination with Tauck
If you’d like transit the Panama Canal by small ship, but don’t want the Florida to California trip, here’s a great alternative:
- San Jose, Costa Rica to Panama City for 12-days with 4-nights in hotels, and 7-nights on a 184 passenger yacht.
- Visit San Jose (Costa Rica – for waterfall, coffee plantations, volcanoes, rainforests, and wildlife sightings), Playa Herradura (for bird watching, Pura Vida Gardens), Quepos (for Manuel Antonio NP and coral sand beaches), Darien (Panama – to visit an indigenous village), Panama Canal (full transit), San Blas Islands, Colon, and Panama City.
- Depart January 15 for $8990 pp, OR February 1 or 15 for $8790 pp
Recently booked a Viking Cruise?
Viking makes it really easy to book direct, either online or by phone. Our clients worry that if they book on-line, that they’re cutting us out, but if you let us know after you’ve booked, then we can still help you with your reservation.
We’ll check over your booking to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal, and we will also add some onboard credits that are not available on direct bookings.
We can add at least $100 per person onboard credit to any direct Viking reservation made in the last 60 days.
There is never a situation where you’ll get a better deal by booking directly with Viking (or any other cruise line).
Also, in case you’re wondering, there is NO fee to work with us. We get paid commission by the cruise lines after our clients travel. So, please get in touch to let us know about your existing reservations (including those made while on board).
Have something to say about this?
Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/pfbid0K3LFmddnmija7q6JqTqBpjxjkvi3w1Sb7WQVVY8XHjvQvbLs93Aq6n9KQTFxjg88l
If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
