Remember Y2K?  Simultaneously it seems like yesterday AND a million years ago.

In 2000, the largest cruise ship was the Explorer of the Seas (137,000 tons).  Now we have ships well over 200k tons, as well as a long list of small ships created to accommodate those people who don’t subscribe to “bigger is better”.  The river cruise industry was in its infancy, and expedition cruising was a restricted to the hard-core explorer type traveller.

The cruise industry also doubled in size between 2000 and 2010, and then doubled again between 2010 and 2020.

And then, the whole industry got a year or more time off (the pandemic “break”), when questions about the industry weren’t just about WHAT the future might look like, but IF the cruise industry could survive.

Apparently, those who love to cruise have clearly signalled they want to continue to travel in this way, because 2022, 2023, and 2024 bookings far exceed any previous years to date.  Undoubtedly, part of this is a reaction to being unable to travel for many months, but it seems the industry will continue to thrive.

The time off has also enabled a bit of a re-think about how to proceed, and here are some of the early trends we are seeing:

• Smaller is bigger.  We knew that luxury-leisure would be the first segment of cruising to recover, but the trend towards smaller ships with higher levels of quality and service will continue to grow faster than the industry as a whole.  Don’t worry… the massive floating amusement parks will still have a place in the market – those ships will just be slower to return to service and bookings will grow at a more moderate rate.
• More Inclusions.  Higher-end consumers have signalled they would rather pay up-front, rather than be ‘nickel and dimed’ when on vacation, so look to see more inclusions in the fare.  For a listing of inclusions by cruise line, see this article we posted a few weeks ago:  https://pamperedcruiser.com/how-to-get-the-best-value-for-a-cruise/
• Rivers.  This segment continues to grow quicker than others – perhaps because it attracts both ocean cruisers as well as those who hate the megaships.
• Expedition is the “new river”.  River cruising was a novelty 20 years ago and grew quickly.  We are seeing signals that Expedition Cruising is at the front end of that trend now.  Most obviously, people want to go to Antarctica so they can say they’ve been to all seven continents, but demand for the Galapagos Islands, the Arctic, Greenland, the Northwest Passage, the Amazon, and other more remote places continues to intrigue people.
• Less Frequented Ports.  We are seeing cruises start and finish in larger ports (primarily for easy access to larger airports) but have the ports of call be small, out of the way places, so people can return to regions they’ve been to before and still see something new.
• Overnight Stays.  Places look and feel different at night (particularly cities), and cruise ships are spending more time docked at night, so guests can experience these places after dark.
• Wellness.  Cruise ships used to be the place you would go to sit on a deck chair for a week between trips to the buffet, where you’d gain 2 pounds for every day aboard.  Spas, fitness and wellness classes, as well as guest lecturers are now quite common.
• Sustainability.  There is no doubt a 5000-passenger megaship represents gluttony and excess to many people.  The cruise industry faces significant challenges to overcome these perceptions.  Some cruise lines have taken this seriously by re-engineering their ships to consume far less energy and making decisions around things like reusable plastics to cut down on waste.  There is still much work to be done here, but the fact the discussion is occurring is encouraging.
• Longer Voyages.  This trend may be directly related to the pandemic, but people want to be away longer.  Many cruise lines have designed their schedules so you can do back-to-back cruises without repeating any ports, giving guests the option of how long they want to stay aboard. 
• Ship Innovations.  The most imminent engineering improvement is better internet at sea, and the integration of APPs and other technologies that increase connectivity on board.  There are more innovations coming with all the ships currently under construction (and there a lot of them).

Today’s Travel Opportunities

Close to Home with American Queen Voyages

You may have caught the news last month that American Queen Steamboat Company is consolidating its river brand with its Victory brand.  The impact for guests is that you can now get all the things you love about river cruising on the ocean and Great Lakes.  Here’s some examples:

• Yucatan Peninsula: 10 days, departing January 4^th, starting at $1799 per person.  Start in Cozumel, then visit Campeche, Progreso, and Valladolid, and fly home from Cancun.  A great way to see the part of Yucatan that hasn’t been completely overrun by tourism.
• Costa Rica to San Diego: 20 days, departing April 18^th, starting at $4099 per person.  This is the inaugural voyage of the Ocean Victory – a brand new Expedition ship with only 186 guests.
• Portland, Maine to Toronto: 12 days, departing April 28^th for $4049 per person.
• Chicago to Toronto – 11 days.  Multiple departures May through September – $4699 per person.

The Victory ships only hold just 200 guests (186 on Ocean Victory), and have all the inclusions the river ships have: pre-cruise hotel night, unlimited shore excursions, all beverages, Wi-Fi on the ship, etc.

Viking Ocean Cruises

We are seeing some incentives from Viking Ocean for warm-weather cruises, a bit closer to home.  All these cruises include free air and a stateroom upgrade if booked by October 31^st:

• Eastern Caribbean: Round trip from Ft. Lauderdale for 2 weeks, departing Nov 3^rd, for $3299 pp.
• Panama Canal (Full transit): From Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles (or reverse) – 18 days, 6 countries.  Departures:
  • Nov 17^th ($3999 pp)
  • Feb 6^th ($4599 pp)
  • March 23^rd ($4599 pp)
• Panama Canal (Partial Transit): Round trip Fort Lauderdale for 2-weeks – 7 countries at $3999 pp.  Departures on Nov 26^th, Dec 10^th, Feb 23^rd, March 9^th
• Hawaii: 17 days round trip from LA, for $3999 pp.  Departures Dec 4^th and Dec 20^th

The prices listed above are for the best-priced Veranda Room and include all taxes and fees.  These cruises are all protected by Viking’s Risk-Free Guarantee, and Viking’s price always includes airport transfers, a shore excursion in every port, beer/wine with meals, and Wi-Fi on the ship.

Uniworld Boutique River Collection

We are seeing some VERY interesting offers from Uniworld, and we recently released a video about this on our YouTube channel.  In the video, you’ll discover:

• 5 ways Uniworld is different. (One way: they offer Rail add-ons in Europe, so you can take a luxury train journey before or after your river cruise).
• How to COMBINE river cruise discounts for best value and lowest prices. We give you multiple examples with exact prices, including some for less than $1999 per person.
• How to get 50% off a Christmas Markets River Cruise.
• Are you a good fit with Uniworld? Answer 4 simple questions and you’ll know for sure.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/5inci9xXT0M

Book by Oct. 31st, 2021 to get the prices mentioned here and in the video.

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/3122839177998575

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

More about our NEW River Cruise Video further down in this article.

But first, a few words on what’s happening with the pandemic.

Most of you who’ve followed us for a while, or chatted with us on the phone, know that we’re a “blended” family: Bob was born and raised in Canada while I was born and grew up in Iowa.  This means we celebrate the holidays of both countries, and it was Canadian Thanksgiving this past Monday.

Canadian Thanksgiving is a much more muted affair than it is in the US, but they still get together with their families and reflect on the things they are thankful for.  For me… it’s a chance to get a jump on such thoughts, so I get to articulate what I’m thankful for six weeks early.

I am especially thankful that many of you have started to travel again.  We never stopped being busy through the entire pandemic, but you are probably aware that travel agents only get paid AFTER people travel, so it’s nice to be busy AND earn an income (after many months of working hard for NO income).

In the past few weeks, there have been several signals that we are transitioning from “pandemic” to “endemic”.  The pragmatic effects of this are hard to articulate because travel conditions have actually changed very little.  This is more of a psychological change in terms of how people are viewing the world and travel within it.

To over-simply the change:  People have stopped waiting for the pandemic to be over and are instead asking what they need to do to manage the impact the pandemic will have on their travel. 

The signals we are getting from other regions most commonly travelled by Americans (Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Caribbean) is that the current hurdles required to enter their countries are likely to remain in place for some period of time yet.  The good news is that clients returned from recent trips have overwhelmingly reported that these hurdles are quite manageable.  A pain in the butt, perhaps… but manageable.

So, here’s a sentence I NEVER thought I would write:  “I am happy for the endemic nature of covid”… at least if it means we can travel again.

Here are today’s travel opportunities, and today it’s all about layering-up multiple offers on top of each other for amazing value with our two MOST inclusive cruise partners:

Regent Seven Seas

We have access to an EXCLUSIVE sale in partnership with Regent Seven Seas, with savings between $300 and $2000 per suite for select cruises booked by October 21^st.

This is for a product that is already very inclusive (the MOST inclusive of all ocean cruise lines). Your fare includes:

• FREE Roundtrip Air (Business Class for flights to Europe)
• 1-Night Pre-Cruise Hotel Package in Concierge Suites and Higher
• FREE Unlimited Shore Excursions
• Unlimited Beverages, Including Fine Wines and Spirits
• Open Bars and Lounges, Plus In-Suite Mini-Bar Replenished Daily
• Pre-Paid Gratuities
• Specialty Restaurants
• Transfers Between Airport and Ship
• Wi-Fi on the ship

Best of all, the savings from this exclusive sale are combinable with the Virtuoso perks we normally get you any time you book through our agency.

Here are some examples:

• Miami round-trip.  7-nights at $3499 departing Feb 14, 2022.  PLUS $250 per person On Board Credit.  PLUS a $125 per person personalized experience credit.
• Bridgetown, Barbados round trip.  7-nights at $3499 departing April 1, 2022.  PLUS $250 pp OBC.  PLUS $125 personalized experience credit.
• Barcelona to Istanbul (via Italy & Greece).  12-nights at $10,299 departing May 2, 2022.  PLUS $250 pp OBC.  PLUS $175 personalized experience credit.

To maximize the value of all these offers, you must book by October 21, 2021.  If you’re looking for a getaway in the early part of 2022, there are several other options as well, in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. 

Uniworld Boutique River Collection

If you prefer to travel on the river, we’re seeing some interesting promotions with Uniworld.  Much like Regent, they are allowing us to layer up various promotions that, when combined, provide truly compelling value.  Uniworld is the most inclusive river cruise line. 

We recently added a video to our YouTube Channel about 5 things Uniworld does to differentiate itself in the world of River Cruising. 

Click here to watch the video:  https://youtu.be/5inci9xXT0M

Here are some examples from Uniworld:

• Amazon River & Machu Picchu.  14-nights at $8999 per person ($5000 off). Depart on January 19^th OR March 9^th, 2022.   This itinerary is round-trip from Lima, Peru.  One week on the Amazon, 3 nights in lima and 4 nights near Machu Picchu.
• Rhine River from Basel to Amsterdam.  7-nights at $2199 per person.  March 20, April 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 2022 departures.
• Danube River from Budapest to Passau.  7-nights at $2199 per person.  March 13, 27 or April 3, 10, 2022 departures.
• Po River in Italy from Milan to Venice.  9 nights at $2699 per person ($1000 off). Depart on April 8, April 15, or May 13,2022.

Here’s where the layering of offers comes into play:

• You can take an additional 10% off the above prices if book and pay for your trip by the end of October.
• We can get you $200 per person on board credit on any of these departures – but remember, you must book through us (The Pampered Cruiser).

PLUS:  Anyone who wants to travel in the next few weeks can still get “Buy one river cruise, get the second one 50%”.  The applies to any of the remaining departures in 2021.

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/3117670808515412

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

You have told us again and again that the least satisfactory part of any vacation are the flights required to get there and back. 

I feel your pain… Bob and I fly often, and we regularly employ multiple “life hacks” to try and make the whole experience more tolerable.  One of those survival tactics is to fly Premium Economy when going overseas. 

To be clear, Premium Economy is NOT the marketing exercise that our domestic carriers use in order to extract a few more dollars from us by giving 2 extra inches of legroom in the first few rows of Cattle Class. 

Premium Economy is a class of service that really only exists on international flights, although there are a few exceptions.

What is Premium Economy?

The best comparison is that Premium Economy is equivalent to Business Class service on domestic flights.  You get an extra 4” or 6” of legroom; the seats are about 3” wider (this makes a huge difference on a long flight); there are fewer seats across a row; you get more attentive service; and you get priority check-in, priority bags, and priority boarding.  For the record, Business Class on overseas flights usually features lie-flat pods (hence the huge price).  The details change slightly from carrier to carrier, but Premium Economy will give you just enough extra space that you can arrive at your destination rested and refreshed rather than completely exhausted. And it’s affordable for regular folks like you and me.

How much does Premium Economy cost?

If you’re like me, you might have occasionally queried Business Class fares for overseas flights, and still have the scars on your retina from where the ransom the airline was attempting to extract was burned into your consciousness.  Business Class fares can be anywhere from triple to TEN TIMES the price of an Economy seat.  Clearly, this is out of reach of many of us.

There is variation in all air pricing, but as a rule of thumb, you can expect Premium Economy to cost about $1000 more (round trip) on a flight to Europe.  Yes, that is a lot of money, but here’s how I look at it:

• An Economy class ticket will cost about $1500 return.
• A Premium Economy ticket will cost about $2500 return.
• This means you’re paying an extra $500 each way
• On a 10-hour flight, this equates to $50 per hour to NOT be jammed into the plane like a sardine.
• You also get to bypass long check-in lines (longer now with all the extra documentation required to fly abroad), and you can board the plane when you want, without having to worry about where to store your carry-on bags. 

Premium Economy fares were seeing increased demand before the pandemic, and that demand has increased exponentially now that people value personal space so much more.  This has reached a point where many carriers are reducing their overseas Business Class cabins (because who knows if/when business travel will recover), and replacing them with Premium Economy seats.

So, you may want to consider paying a bit more to get a higher level of comfort and service.  If that’s not right for you, don’t worry – there’s still lots of room in Coach.

This week’s travel opportunities:

2021 Christmas Markets – 50% Off AND Room Upgrade (Uniworld)

This might be the best year ever to visit the Christmas Markets in Europe.  Yes, there are a few extra hurtles to travel abroad, but there are also far fewer tourists over there right now. 

Uniworld is offering those who travel in 2021 a second cruise at 50% off, so if you’re ready for 2 weeks on European Rivers this November or December, it won’t get better than this. 

Here are two examples:

• Rhine & Danube Christmas Market combination:
  • Week 1:  Rhine Markets ($3899 pp).  Basel to Cologne.
  • Week 2:  Danube Markets ($4099 X 50% = $2050 pp).  Frankfurt to Nuremberg.
• Germany & Austria Christmas Market combination:
  • Week 1:  German Markets ($4099 pp).  Frankfurt to Nuremberg
  • Week 2:  Danube Markets ($4299 X 50% = $2150).  Nuremberg to Vienna

If you want to spend a few days between cruises in Europe, we can find a combination of cruises that will accommodate that scenario. 

You will also receive a 2-category room upgrade on select itineraries and departure dates.

This offer ends on Oct. 31^st.  However, the offer is capacity controlled and may be modified or withdrawn at any time. 

Browse 2021 river cruises here: https://pamperedcruiser.uniworld.com/us/current-offers/2021-second-cruise-savings

US East Coast (Lindblad / National Geographic)

We don’t often equate Expedition cruising with the US East Coast, but the folks at Lindblad are doing just that this spring and summer on the National Geographic Sea Lion (capacity 62 guests). 

If you’ve ever wanted to see the little corners of the Atlantic coastline without sharing port stops with thousands of others, this is a fantastic opportunity. 

Here are some sample itineraries:

• Charleston, NC (round-trip, 6 days).  Visit Beaufort, Port Royal Island, St. Phillips Island, Edisto Island, Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Awendaw, Francis Marion National Forest.  Fares from $3990 per person.
• New York to Cape Cod (8 days).  NYC and Boston are the ONLY port stops of size on this trip, as you explore all the nooks and crannies of the spectacular northeast coast.  Fares from $5590 per person
• Jacksonville, FLA, to Charleston, SC. (8 days).  If the Southeast Coast is more your speed, this trip has fares starting at $5590 per person.
• Chesapeake Bay, round-trip from Washington DC (6 days).  Cruise from Annapolis to Cape Charles stopping daily at remote islands and bays along the route.  Fares start at $3990 per person.

Feb-Mar 2022 Panama Canal – Free Flights (Viking Cruises)

Viking was forced to redeploy a ship that was originally scheduled for Australia/New Zealand this winter.  That results in some great opportunities for the Panama Canal if you’re looking for a warm getaway this winter or spring.  If you’re able to leave in the next few weeks, similar deals are available.

• Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles departing March 23^rd (or departing LA on February 6th) – 18 days.  Includes FREE flights, and a stateroom upgrade.  From $4599 per person for a 270 square foot Veranda stateroom. Details here: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/caribbean-americas/panama-canal-and-the-pacific-coast/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser
• Ft. Lauderdale round trip (depart February 23rd, or March 9th) – 15-days.  If you don’t want to do a full transit of the canal, and prefer to do a round-trip cruise from Florida, this cruise also includes FREE flights and a stateroom upgrade.  From $3999 per person for a 270 square foot Veranda stateroom.  Details here: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/caribbean-americas/panama-central-america/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser

Viking always includes all taxes & fees, airport transfers, shore excursions in every port, beer/wine with meals, and Wi-Fi on the ship. 

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/3111747355774424

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

We offer just one piece of advice when it comes to travel insurance: You definitely need it.

We normally provide our clients with two different insurance quotes: one from the cruise line or tour operator, and another from a third-party insurance company (Roamright).

We provide copies of the Description of Coverage offered, but we cannot answer questions about the coverage or give advice about which one to choose.

At the same time, we always highly recommend consulting a licensed insurance agent for guidance.  Insurance pros have access to a much wider variety of insurance plans and can give you knowledgeable advice about which one would be best for your unique situation.

We have occasionally frustrated our clients who are looking for a recommendation about which insurance is the best choice for them, but we refer them back to the written policy or to the insurance company. 

There are two reasons we don’t give insurance advice:

1. Our passion and expertise is travel, not insurance.
2. As travel advisors we are required to offer travel protection, but we are not allowed to interpret the coverage.

Here is a bit of guidance to help you when you are speaking with an insurance pro:

Three Aspects of Travel Insurance

Most travel insurance policies bundle these three aspects together, but if you only wanted one of them, a good insurance broker can help you with that:

1. Trip Cancellation.  This covers you if you are unable to make the trip (for specified reasons).  Without this coverage you are risking whatever you paid for the trip.
2. Trip Interruption.  This is for annoying things like flight delays or when your luggage goes missing.  You are not mitigating much risk with this type of insurance, but it does make your life way easier, when things go wrong.
3. Travel Medical.  This is the critical one, and you are taking a significant risk if you leave home without this.  It can cost you tens of thousands of dollars if you are caught without this type of insurance.  There are no circumstances that I can ever see where I would leave home without this – including those who live near the Mexican or Canadian borders and may drive across for a few hours. 

Here is some of the rationalization we sometimes hear from clients about insurance, and why they may want to talk to an insurance professional about the flaws in their logic:

“Health Care is Free in Europe/Canada/Australia/NZ”.  It is true that in all other developed nations that health care is available to residents without a direct charge.  This is NOT extended to visitors, who will pay (a lot) for medical attention.  We often hear this from clients going to Alaska because some of those cruises start and finish in the United States.  You will be in Canadian waters for most of that trip, and the small communities you visit in Alaska may require evacuation for a serious medical issue to the nearest major hospital – probably in Canada.  They will undoubtedly be polite about it, but you will pay dearly. 

“I’m insured on my credit card”.  Check the fine print – you may or may not be covered, and there may be significant limitations to that coverage.  Unfortunately, this probably means reading through a few hundred pages of legal double-speak, but if you’re relying on such coverage, make sure you know what’s in there (and what is not).

“I’ll just fly home if I have a problem”.  This is truly asinine, and a really poor risk mitigation strategy.  You are betting everything you own that if you become sick or injured, you’ll be able to fly across the world on a commercial jet.

Cancel for any reason?

One final thought on insurable reasons for cancellation.  Most travel insurance policies will cover cancellation for specified reasons.  Usually this means you or your travel partner are not well enough to travel, there’s a death in the immediate family, or some other unforeseen catastrophic event.  People get into trouble when their version of “catastrophe” does not align with that of the insurance company.  As a spoiler-alert, the insurance company (and their army of lawyers) is always going to win this argument.   You will pay much more for a trip cancellation policy with a “Cancel for any reason” clause, but it might be worth it.

The pandemic has added to the complexity of travel insurance, underscoring the need to chat it though with an insurance pro. 

To summarize:

1. Always make sure your out-of-country trip is protected by insurance.
2. Be informed about what you’re buying when you purchase insurance
3. Consult an insurance specialist

This week’s travel opportunities:

Seabourn Canary Islands

This is a great opportunity to try a luxury small ship cruise for a great price.  Seabourn just announced the Seabourn Encore will be running 10- and 11-day round trip cruises from Lisbon starting in February.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Canary Islands, they are a territory of Spain comprised of 8 islands off the northwest coast of Africa.  The Canary Islands is a collision of cultures between North America, South America, Europe and Africa.  It’s a popular destination for European sun-seekers and nature enthusiasts.

Here are the departure dates (all round-trip from Lisbon) with prices starting at just $3699 per person.  On a per-day basis, this represents remarkable value on Seabourn:

• February 19^th, 2022:  10-days
• March 1^st, 2022:  11-days
• March 12^th, 2022:  10-days
• March 22^nd, 2022:  11-days

The Seabourn Encore holds only 600 guests, and the fare includes all taxes and fees, gratuities, beverages and specialty dining, onboard lectures and activities, and the legendary service and attention to detail that Seabourn is famous for.

Seabourn includes “An Evening with Sir Tim Rice” on all its cruises, where the Seabourn entertainers perform his classic songs in between pre-recorded explanations by Tim Rice himself.  If you’d like to meet Tim Rice in person, he will be on the February 19^th sailing.  Perhaps you can have dinner with him at the Thomas Keller Restaurant (on board, included in your fare) and ask him about Elton John or Andrew Lloyd-Webber.

Oceania 2023 Itineraries

If you’re an Oceania fan, you’ll want to pay attention to this.  Oceania had their highest booking day EVER a couple of weeks ago when they made itineraries for the new Vista ship available for booking. 

Next week on Wednesday, October 6th, Oceania’s 2023 itineraries will be available for booking, and many of them will sell out quickly.  These are posted on the Oceania website now if you want to get started on your “shopping”.  If you’re worried about something selling out, let us know in advance of next Wednesday so we can get you in the queue. 

American Queen Voyages

As of this week, “American Queen Steamboat Company” is now “American Queen Voyages”, consolidating their brand to include their Great Lakes and Atlantic Coast sailings on the former Victory Cruise lines, and their brand-new Ocean Victory expedition ship.  We’ll have more on this in the weeks to come.

Today, I’ll talk about their Fall 2022 Sale for sailing on the Mississippi River System, and the Columbia River in Washington & Oregon:

• Memphis to New Orleans – 9-days.  Music, Cajun Food, American History – it’s all on this itinerary.  These are offered all year round, and many of those departures early and late in the season are included in the fall sale from $1699 per person.
• Minneapolis to New Orleans – 16-days.  Talk about getting to see the whole country!  This itinerary is only offered in summer and fall, will prices starting at $4699 per person.
• Portland OR to Spokane WA – 9-days.  Retrace Lewis & Clark’s route, visit one of the many wineries on the Columbia, or maybe just sit back and take in the scenery and wildlife.  These cruises run from March through November, with prices starting at $2149 per person.

American Queen always include a hotel night before embarkation, transfers to the ship, an open bar on the ship, shore excursions in every port, Wi-Fi on the ship, and no passport issues!

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/3106970162918810

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

Our clients are typically NOT asking for the cheapest price – they know that in travel, amongst many other applications, you get what you pay for.  If you’re typical of our clients, then what you really want to understand is the value equation of a particular cruise line or travel brand.

You’ve heard the old adage “the devil is in the details”.  That statement is true for many things, and for cruising and packaged vacation tours I would add, “the devil is in the inclusions”.

Many of the cruise lines spent their “time off” during the pandemic reassessing and modifying their inclusions (and ultimately their value equation), so I thought a quick run-down would be timely. 

Here’s a quick summary for a variety of ocean cruise lines:

• Celebrity – Celebrity relaunched after the pandemic as a fully inclusive brand, attempting to elevate themselves above their premium cruise category competitors.  The fare now includes beverages, gratuities and wifi.
• Holland America – HAL’s “Have it All” fare includes a shore excursion credit, specialty dining, wifi and beverages.  “Have it All” will cost you an additional $50 per day over the cruise-only fare.
• Oceania – Their smaller ships have allowed them to position themselves higher in the market than Celebrity, HAL or Princess.  However, they are going to need to review their inclusions if they want to maintain that status.  Currently, you can choose from a cruise-only fare, or the O-Life Choice fare, which includes your choice of ONE of the following: a limited beverage package (beer/wine with meals), a shore excursion credit, or an onboard credit.  Oceania still really stands out for their culinary program, but they need to catch up to their competitors when it comes to inclusions.
• Princess – they offer cruise only fares, and for an additional $40 per day you can have the beverage package, gratuities, and wifi included in your fare.  If you plan on having more than 2 cocktails a day, this package makes sense
• Regent Seven Seas – Literally everything is included; sometimes they even throw pre- and/or post-cruise land extensions.
• Seabourn – Once you’re on the ship it’s all included.  Normally the only onboard charges are for shore excursions or spa treatments.
• SilverSea – Flights, transfers (both at your destination AND from your home to the airport), all drinks, tips, shore excursions.  Including shore excursions is a welcome change and including a sedan to get you to/from your home and airport is true luxury touch.
• Viking Ocean Cruises – Flights (on longer cruises only; discounted flights on shorter ones), airport transfers, beer/wine with meals, shore excursions, wifi, taxes and fees.  About the only thing not included is gratuities.
• Windstar – for $79/day, you can get all drinks, tips and wifi included.  Windstar excels in really unique itineraries, and their ships hold only 312 guests, making it really attractive for the right client.  Much like Oceania, they need to review their inclusions if they want to be considered a luxury brand.

For this week’s travel opportunities, we will focus on SilverSea.

As discussed above, SilverSea is truly all-inclusive.  They have several promotions running right now, and when you locate cruises where multiple promotions apply, you discover some really compelling offers.  It is a VERY rare situation when we are allowed to combine all these promotions together like this (normally there are exclusions).

Here are a few examples.

Note: The deadline for these prices is fairly tight.  You must book and pay in full by Sept. 30^th.

Fort Lauderdale to Halifax departing May 3, 2022 for 11 days, visiting Morehead City, Norfolk, Baltimore, New York, Newport, Cape Cod, Portland, and Bar Harbor. 

• $8200 regular cruise fare (per person) – 240 sq ft. ocean view suite
• – 1640 – 20% early booking discount
• – $328 – Further5% discount for booking through my agency
• $6232 – This is what you’ll actually pay [If you attended the Silversea webinar on Sept. 22^nd you receive the additional discount promised, reducing the price even further]

This cruise is perfect for those who would prefer to stay a bit closer to home this coming year, but still want to do something unique and special.

Estimated Value of Inclusions (per person)

• $300 – On board credit per person – exclusively from our agency.
• $500 – Round-trip economy flights
• $100 – Sedan transfer from your home to the airport, and then back again
• $125 – Transfers from airport to ship for embarkation, and again at debarkation
• $125 – Pre-cruise night hotel ($250 for 2 people)
• $200 – Approximate value of onboard gratuities for 11 days
• $650 – Approximate value of all-inclusive beverages (other cruise lines charge $60 – $75 per day for beverage packages)
• TOTAL $2000 per person = Total value of the inclusions articulated above.  So for an 11-day cruise, you can compare this example to a less inclusive cruise on another line priced at about $4232 per person (i.e. $6232 price above minus $2000 for all the inclusions). This is comparable to what some of the mass-market ships charge for a room of a similar size – plus you get the additional features that much harder to quantitate e.g. less crowding because there is much more space per passenger; more personalized service because the crew to passenger ratio is much higher; smaller shore excursion groups; higher quality food etc.

I would invite you to do your own math if you value the inclusions differently than I have above.  Also remember that Wifi on the ship as well as SilverSea’s legendary service are also included in the fare.

Here are a couple more examples (without the math lesson!)

Barcelona to Rome departing April 7, 2022 (7-nights)

• Visits Palamos, Marseilles, Monte Carlo, Portofino, Livorno, and Corsica.
• $3952 per person (includes 20% early booking discount + further 5% discount for booking through my agency) for a 312 square foot ocean view room.
• If you attended the Silversea webinar on Sept. 22^nd you receive the additional discount promised, reducing the price even further
• Inclusions:
  • $300 per person on board credit (exclusively through our agency)
  • Round-trip economy flights, and all transfers both at home and in Europe
  • A shore excursion in every port of call
  • All beverages on the ship, gratuities, and Wi-Fi

Anchorage to Vancouver departing June 23, 2022 (7 nights)

• Visits Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, and Ketchikan
• $4332 per person (includes 20% early booking discount + further 5% discount for booking through my agency) for a 287 square foot ocean view room.
• If you attended the Silversea webinar on Sept. 22^nd you receive the additional discount promised, reducing the price even further
• Inclusions:
  • $150 per person on board credit, OR hosted shore event (exclusively through our agency)
  • Round-trip economy flights, and all transfers both at home, in Anchorage and in Vancouver. 
  • A shore excursion in every port of call
  • All beverages on the ship, gratuities, and Wi-Fi

Finally, if you’re looking for something a bit different than the cruises above, here are some other itineraries where we can layer up various promos to get you excellent prices:

• Ushuaia to Buenos Aires, departing March 2, 2022 (10 days)
• Lisbon to Barcelona, departing April 1, 2022 (7 days)
• Singapore to Yokohama, departing May 6, 2022 (18 days)
• Halifax to London, departing May 14, 2022 (18 days)
• Norwegian Coast (round-trip Longyearbyen), departing July 20, 2022 (6 days)

You cannot get these prices and perks if you book directly with SilverSea. You will need to book through the Pampered Cruiser to get the full discounts and onboard credits given in the examples above.

Remember, to get these heavily discounted prices you must book and pay in full by Sept. 30^th.

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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