Things happen fast in Cruise World.

A few months ago we reported that Viking Cruises was getting into the Expedition business, and was taking reservations – but only from previous guests. 

We recently spent some time with our Viking contacts in New York and were told there would be a big press release this week.  We assumed this would be to announce that their Expedition Cruises are now available for public booking – and as of January 15^th that is indeed the case!

But Wait…. There’s More.

We knew back in October that Viking would launch one expedition ship in 2021 and another in 2022.  They also told us that those ships would do Antarctica in the southern hemisphere summer, and the Arctic in our summer season.  We also knew that Viking was looking to put its own stamp on expedition cruising. 

The other bit of big news that was released this week is that their first expedition vessel, the Viking Octantis, will be plying the waters of the Great Lakes & Canada starting in April of 2022. 

This provides an outstanding opportunity for those who would like to try an expedition-style ship, but maybe are not as excited about visiting the polar regions. 

There are a few different itineraries on the Great Lakes:

• Thunder Bay, Ontario to Milwaukee, WI (or reverse).  1 week starting at $6695 per person.
• Toronto to Milwaukee.  1 week starting at $5995 per person
• New York to Toronto.  13-days starting at $8995 per person.

As per other Viking Ocean Cruises, fares include a balcony stateroom, excursions in every port, all meals, all taxes, drinks with meals, wifi. 

Book before Feb. 29^th, 2020 and ALSO receive:

• Round-trip Flights included in the price
• Free Silver Spirits Beverage Package
• “Book Now and Pay Later” – Final payment due 6 months prior to departure rather than the usual year ahead

Take a look at the artist renderings of the ships’ public areas and staterooms:

https://www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/ships/viking-expedition-ships.html

What I really like about the itineraries is the small, unique ports they choose to call in on.  Lots of other cruise lines sail the St. Lawrence River, and stop at Boston and Halifax.  Far fewer stop in at places like Point Peele, Ontario or Cap-aux-Meules, Quebec.  The big cruise ships also have to stop moving up river at Montreal because they can’t fit in the locks to make it all the way to Toronto.  So with Viking you’ll explore further and deeper into the Great Lakes & Canada.

This is an exceptional opportunity to try out small ship cruising (there are only 378 guests).

The Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway attract visitors from all over the world with the mix of natural beauty and the urban offerings of our north-eastern cities as well as Toronto and Montreal.

Now’s your chance to explore your own back yard.

Remember, if you book before Feb. 29^th your final payment date  will be extended and you’ll receive Free round-trip Flights AND the Free Silver Spirits Beverage Package.

Planning a Cruise?  I’d love to help!  Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

If you live in the northern half of the country, and you’re anything like me, January can be a bit of a struggle. 

When it’s not light out until 8.00 in the morning, and the sun sets before 5.00pm, it’s hard to find the energy to do much other than work and what in minimally required to maintain the house.

I’ve found that one of my coping mechanisms for the dark and cold is to use January to transform some of my travel dreams into reality.  But sometimes planning an adventure several months into the future is far too abstract to act as therapy to the winter blues.

Some people choose this time of year to go to Florida and hop on a ship to the warmer climes of the Caribbean.  This is a great way to get some sun, but for me, the Caribbean is somewhat routine and dull as a travel destination.  Plus – it is at this time of year that the cruise lines charge a premium to get on board in that region.

Last year we kicked the winter blues with a river cruise in France in March.  Here’s a link to our video blogs if it is of interest:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA1r3eOMaDVEP9ouRrZGrhocmhYp7EUPW

We put this trip together on fairly short notice (for a river cruise); we booked it about 3 months in advance. 

If you feel the need to have something to look forward to this spring, there is some availability left in April.

There is no doubt the weather can be a bit of a gamble in April, but it is not too cold.  The average temperatures in Paris, Amsterdam and Budapest at this time of year are in the 60s, and there are typically between 5 and 7 days of rain during that month.

The other nice thing about being a month or two earlier than the normal tourist season is that the historical and cultural sites in Europe are far less crowded than they are May through September.  The trade-off of having to pack a sweater and a rain coat is well worth NOT having to fight the crowds as much.

Taking a quick look at river cruise availability this April, Viking is mostly sold out.  This is generally what we would expect so close to departure.  However, I can see some availability on AMA and Uniworld for those who might want to beat the crowds to Europe this spring. 

I can see base fares between $2800 and $3500 per person, which is also pretty good value for river ships in Europe. 

If you need a lift from the post-Christmas blahs, and you were thinking about a European river cruise, now might be time to book.

Planning a Cruise?  I’d love to help!  Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

The media is already jammed with reviews of the past year, and predictions for the next year, so I write this with some reservation.  However, based on trends we’ve seen in the past several months, and new innovations and announcements from our cruise partners, I thought it might be interesting to offer our perspective on what we see as trends for 2020 and beyond.

One thing there is no denying is the incredible growth of the cruise industry in the past several years.  That continued in 2019, and is projected for 2020, where we see year over year growth in the high single digits.  The cruise industry has almost doubled in size in the past decade.  It seems that people really like to travel by ship!

That growth, however is not equally distributed, and here are the trends we see as we move into 2020:

1. Environmental Sustainability.  As a whole, the cruise industry does not have a stellar reputation for their environmental practices.  Look for this to change significantly in the coming months and years.  Most cruise lines have already made some moves to reduce waste and recycle.  Hurtigruten is leading the pack with the elimination of single use plastics, and the debut of the world’s first hybrid cruise ship.  We participated in the North American inaugural voyage – here’s a video link of our experience: https://youtu.be/1L_ByDqhGR0
2. Cultural Sustainability.  The cruise lines have figured out that many us of don’t like to be amongst 25,000 cruise passengers disgorging into small towns with only a few hundred permanent residents.  Many cruise guests are looking for more authentic experiences where they can participate in the local culture without overwhelming it.
3. Expedition Cruising.  We are still at the front end of the curve with this type of travel, and as travellers run out of Caribbean Islands and Mediterranean ports to visit, they are looking to visit more remote areas of the planet such as Antarctica and Galapagos.  Many cruise lines are investing heavily in this trend to meet projected demand.  For example, Viking Cruises recently announced it is launching 2 new expedition ships in 2022 (bookings are currently limited to past Viking guests, with general sales opening in early 2020).
4. Communication Technology on Board.  The jokes about how slow internet connectivity is on cruise ships are not all that funny if you really need to connect.  The cruise lines are running to play catch-up, and it will only get better.  Princess promises internet speeds fast enough to stream video on its ships that have been upgraded to Medallion class.  The other cruise lines will be sure to follow suit.
5. Overnight Stops.  We are seeing more and more cruise itineraries that include port stops longer than 8 hours, satisfying demand to experience more of what these ports have to offer, including during the evening.
6. Small Ship Cruising.  This transformation has been occurring for a few years now, but we get more and more requests for ships with 1000 guests or fewer.  There will always be a market for the cheap vacations with 4000+ passengers, but a growing segment of travellers is making it very clear they will pay more to be on a ship with fewer guests, more inclusions, and a higher quality of food and service.  We see Seabourn as leading the pack with this trend.
7. River cruising.  About half of the cruises we book now are on rivers.  This trend has been occurring for a few years as well, but we see no signs of it slowing.  People really like the cultural immersion that you can only get on a river ship, as well as being able to visit ports not accessible to ocean vessels.

So cruising has come a long way since the 1970s when the Love Boat was cruising up and down the Mexican Coast from LA (although that itinerary is still very much available).  

We continue to see cruising get cheaper on the mega-ships as they pack more people on board to drive the costs per passenger even lower.  Our clients have largely trended the other direction, towards small ocean ships, river ships, and more unique, authentic, and higher quality experiences. 

We’ll continue to look for new products and experiences to share with you into 2020 and beyond, but hopefully the above has given you a few ideas for your next vacation.

Happy New Year to all.

Planning a Cruise?  I’d love to help!  Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

Every family has its own unique holiday traditions, those once-a-year activities that give us a sense of identity and belonging as we celebrate this special time of year.

Often (but certainly not always) these traditions revolve around food.

My favourite childhood holiday treat was chocolate peanut butter balls. My mom can still be counted on to have a batch of these on hand during the holidays. She was also famous for her butter tarts, made entirely from scratch including the crusts.

As an adult, I tended to adopt my mom’s recipes. My hand-written recipe cards are now faded, worn and splattered.

This year though, I tried a couple of new recipes, and I’ve decided that one in particular will become a new tradition for our family.

Cinnamon Stars, also known as “Zimtsterne” cookies, are a traditional German favourite.

If you’ve ever been to a Christmas Market in Europe (possibly while on a river cruise), you will have certainly seen these cookies.

Maybe you’ve even tasted them, or baked them yourself.

They are made out of ground nuts (almonds or hazelnuts) and lots of cinnamon, and are frosted before you put them in the oven.

Here is the recipe I used: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10210/cinnamon-stars/

(Tip: I used ‘almond flour’ from Costco and it worked great).

Much to my surprise the cookies turned out exactly as shown in the photo! I love the nutty taste combined with cinnamon.

If you try making these cookies, imagine that you’re eating them still warm from the oven, while you’re wandering through a Christmas Market and sipping on a glass of mulled wine.

I have never visited a Christmas Market in Europe, but I sure would love to experience a Christmas Market River Cruise one day.

Maybe next year!

Bob and I wish you a wonderful Christmas, with lots of yummy treats and the company of friends and family to enjoy them with.

All the best,

Sue Bradley