There are about 30,000 of you that receive this email every week.  Bob and I have been very deliberate about how we communicate with people, and now that our team is a bit bigger, I thought I’d explain a few things – mostly so you don’t think you’re dealing with some big corporate machine.  We’re a mom & pop business… we’re proud of that, and want to conduct ourselves accordingly.

Our Email Broadcasts

• Bob and I write all these notes.  Normally the topics come from YOU.  If we’re seeing a question or concern repeatedly come up, we often write a post about that.
• We don’t buy content.  There are some excellent services out there, but we don’t use them.  This is partly because we’d rather do our own thing.  It’s also because the services that write for travel agents, provide their content to everyone.  We want to have a unique voice.
• We don’t sell your information.  You can probably imagine that a list of 30,000 luxury travel clients is probably quite valuable.  We’re playing the long-game, and know if we sold your contact information that it would reflect poorly on us and our brand.  It’s also not the right thing to do. 
• We don’t use vendor content.  We certainly collect information and ideas from the vendors we deal with, but we don’t forward their marketing materials to you under our name.  Some of it is really good, but we’ve decided NOT to forward vendor marketing emails.  
• We have never paid for subscribers.  All of you on this list signed up at some point for one of our original content pieces (some of you several years ago!).  

Our YouTube Channel

• We conduct ourselves on YouTube with the same principles as above.  We don’t re-post vendor content, and we don’t pay for content. 
• Our videos are hokey… and we’re proud of that.  The videos we post on YouTube are NOT slick and produced.  The majority of the images and video are taken with our iPhones (although we do use some cruise-line B-roll to fill in the gaps).
• Ship Tour Videos are what get the most viewership, so we post one of those EVERY time we travel.  There are also itinerary videos, and some interviews with cruise industry experts that we think you’ll find interesting. 
• No professional models or drone footage.  Just us, and other REAL people enjoying their vacation.  You can find the slick, professional stuff at the cruise lines’ websites.  We want to be authentic.  

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here, if you’re not already:  https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePamperedCruiser 

Our Facebook and Instagram Feeds

• We try to use our own photos and original content here.  Rachel, on our team helps us make sure the content is posted regularly, and does the technical stuff, but the content is ours. 
• Our weekly blog posts appear here, as well as things related to whatever travel opportunities we highlighted that week. 
• We post when we’re travelling.  We usually post daily so you can come along with us.  Often this is delayed a few days, but nevertheless, you can come along with us on our adventures. 

Follow us on Facebook here:  https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/ 

Our communication and media strategy will continue to evolve, and we’ll try new things that we hope you’ll like.  However, any new content or channels will be consistent with the personal content we have always delivered.  It has worked for us, and we really don’t want to mess with a good thing. 

Today’s Travel Opportunities

OCEANIA WORLD CRUISE 2026

Oceania world cruise itineraries sell out fast.  Luckily, for 2026, they are using the 1200 passenger VISTA, so there should be a bit more space.  I won’t list all the ports, but here’s a quick summary:

• Depart LA on December 20, 2025 for 197 days with fares from $62,999, OR
• Depart Miami on January 6, 2026 for 180 days with fares from $57,999, OR
• Depart San Diego on March 7, 2026 for 120 days with fares from $41,999.
• If you start in LA from the very beginning, you’ll travel through the canal to Florida, then down around South America, and back to California,  Hawaii, Tahiti, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, India, Egypt to Mediterranean, to UK, Iceland, Canada,  and Eastern Seaboard before finishing in Miami.
• You’ll see 43 countries, stop at 101 ports, do 11 overnight stays, and tick-off 81 UNESCO world heritage sites on your bucket list. 
• Fares include free 1st Class Air, transfers, all taxes & fees, $1000 pp OBC, free laundry, gratuities, $9600 Shore Excursion Credit, wifi, specialty dining, beer/wine with meals.
• The best priced cabins (French Verandas) will sell out very quickly.  
• We were on VISTA for her pre-Maiden voyage.  Here’s our ship tour video: 
• https://youtu.be/nN5lyXCEy_g?si=6LNHumFIPB0Eowd_ 

If a world cruise isn’t your thing, here’s a couple of other offers from Oceania:

Japan & SE Asia for 24-nights departing Toyko on February 14, 2025

• Visit Toyko (overnight), Shimizu, Kagoshima, Ishigaki, Manilla, Boracay, Puerto Princesa, Borneo, Muara, Java, Surabaya, Bali (overnight), Jakarta (overnight), and finish in Singapore.
• Fares from $7699,  with a $500 per person shore excursion credit, and we can get you free pre-paid gratuities on this departure.

British Isles & Norwegian Fjords departing London for 14-nights  on June 14, 2025

• Visit Belfast, Killybegs, Isle of Skye, Shetland Island, Alesund, Geirangerfjord, Nordfjordeid, Flam, Stavanger, Kristiansand, Skagen, Oslo (overnight).
• Fares from $7799,  with a $500 per person shore excursion credit, and we can get you free pre-paid gratuities on this departure.

UNIWORLD EARLY BOOKING – 10% OFF 2025 VOYAGES

Uniworld ships are floating boutique hotels, with each one designed and decorated to reflect the area it is travelling:

Danube River: Budapest to Prague for 10-days

• Visit Budapest (overnight), Vienna, Krems (Wachau Valley), Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg, Prague (2 nights).
• Fares from $3869 in May, June, July, August, 2025.  LESS 10%.
• Includes Gratuities, $150 pp OBC, open bar, a choice of shore excursion in each port of call, and wifi on the ship. 

Italy:  Milan to Rome for 13-days

• Visit Milan (2-nights), Venice (7-nights on the ship including Chioggia, Mazzorbo, Burano), and Rome (3 nights).
• Fares from $5309 for departures in July & August 2025.  LESS 10%. 
• Includes Gratuities, $150 pp OBC, open bar, a choice of shore excursion in each port of call, and wifi on the ship. 

WINDSTAR SMALL YACHTS

Athens round-trip departing July 27 for 7-nights:

• Travel on the Windstar… a 4 masted sailing yacht holding 148 guests.
• Visit Mykonos, Ephesus, Patmos, Santorini, Monemvasia, Nafplio, 
• Fares from $4522 (includes gratuities, an open bar, and Wifi on the ship).  We can also get you an additional $150 per person on board credit on this voyage. 

Iceland:  Reykjavik round-trip departing August 9 for 7-nights:

• Visit 6 port-stops around Iceland, and see the volcanoes, waterfalls, wildlife, and be there when it’s light out almost 24 hours per day.  
• Fares from $4222 (includes gratuities, an open bar, and Wifi on the ship)
• This 312 guest, All-Suites yacht was completely rebuilt in 2021.

COLLETTE DOMESTIC LAND TOURS

You’ve been asking for more domestic offers.  Here’s two from Collette: 

National Parks of America – Phoenix to Rapid City for 12-days

• Visit the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Jackson Hole, Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP, and Rapid City.
• See Old Faithful, the Hoodoos at Zion, Bighorn Mountain, visity the Sioux Nations Territory, Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Monument, Navajo Bridge, and the Buffalo Bill Center
• $4999 for departures in August, September & October. 

America’s Music Cities:  New Orleans, Memphis & Nashville for 8-days

• Do a walking tour of French Quarter, a jazz show in New Orleans, the Grammy museum in Oxford MS, Graceland Mansion, National Civil Rights museum, Sun Studio, Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame, RCA Studio B, and the Johnny Cash Museum. 
• $3399 for departures in June through November.

Recently booked a Viking Cruise?

Viking makes it really easy to book direct, either online, by phone, or on board.  Our clients worry that if they book on-line (or on board), 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 reservation 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).

If you recently booked a Viking Cruise, please let us know as soon as possible.

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/pfbid02JLvbYDcyixdCxPNq2JB2RXQM33WfLccu1KdEx3DnnoFY8uJzThcuvgQV4nnNyNacl

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

One of the questions you all ask most frequently is about the uncertainty regarding travelling to certain regions in the world – particularly when the TV “News” is plastering images of death and destruction 24-hours a day.  

My answer probably frustrates you sometimes:  “I don’t know”.  

I don’t know for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is:

1. I don’t have a crystal ball, and therefore can’t foretell the future
2. I am not on the ground in these locations to get an accurate account of what is actually happening. 

So what do you do if you’re feeling a bit nervous?  I’ll share these ideas, but before the hate-mail begins, I make no claims about being expert in geopolitical affairs, not do I offer any guarantees about an ever-changing world (see point #1 above).

• The Cruise Lines are incredibly risk averse, and they are constantly managing both what is actually happening in these places, AND travellers’ anxiety about their perception of what’s happening.  Here are two examples that tell a story:
  • Egypt:  Despite its proximity to the conflict in Israel, none of the cruise lines cancelled operations there.
  • The Red Sea & Suez Canal:  Just about all the cruise lines have adjusted their itineraries away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal due to the drone attacks by Houthis, and the counter-activities by the British and American Navies.
• The cruise lines have people on the ground in these locations and are well positioned to assess actual and perceived risk to tourists.  
• Another example:  Bob and I were in Paris during the Gillet-Jaune (Yellow Jacket) protests in 2019.  The protests and military counter-action was a fraction of what the media made it out to be.  None of the Cruise lines cancelled their itineraries as a result.  We felt completely safe. 
• State Department Advisories are NOT particularly helpful.  If you followed all the State Department’s advisories, you’d never leave your basement.  Their primary goal is to ensure that if someone does run into harm’s way overseas, they can say “we told you so”, so as to insulate themselves from litigation.
• TV “News” is equally dubious.  TV “News” is produced to sell advertising, and to do that they need to attract viewers.  They’ve proven repeatedly that they get more viewers by being more sensational (translation: blood, violence, destruction).  Context and nuance have been missing from the news for a long time now, so even though the reporting may be based on a true story, it is not an accurate representation of the situation.  

The bottom line to all of this MUST be your own level of comfort.  If you’re going to be looking over your shoulder the entire time you’re away, then you shouldn’t go, and I would be the last one to talk you into it.  

Today’s Travel Opportunities

TAUCK RIVER for FAMILIES

Tauck has a handful of voyages that are specifically designed for parents and grandparents to share the river cruising experience with children.  Bring the history and culture of Europe alive for these young minds.  We love Tauck, and we’ll be talking a lot more about them in the coming weeks.  

Here are a couple of examples:

Rhine River departing Basel, Switzerland on June 19 or July 10 for 8-days:

• Visit Basel, Lucerne, Strasbourg, Heidelberg, Speyer, Rudesheim, Cologne, Amsterdam.
• Enjoy a private dinner at a moated medieval castle.  Take a train ride to Lucerne for Mt. Pilatus.  See the ruins of Heidelberg Castle.  Scenic cruising through the Rhine Gorge. Visit a Chocolate Museum in Cologne, and do a windmill & canal cruise in Amsterdam.
• Fares from $5190 per person.

Danube River departing Budapest on July 2 or 9 for 8-days

• Visit Vilshofen and Passau (Bavaria), Linz, Salzburg, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest.
• Enjoy an evening at a Viennese Palace for dinner and music.  Take a class to make Marzipan.  Do a bike ride on the riverside, see the Hellbrunn Castle, visit the Sound of Music sites.  Scenic cruising in Wachau Valley.  See where King Richard the Lionhearted has imprisioned.  Visit the legendary Schonbrunn Palace.  See a Knight Tournament, and a Fencing Show.  
• Fares from $4990 per person.

HURTIGRUTEN GALAPAGOS ISLANDS for departures between April 27 and September 25 2024, for 9-nights

If you’re considering the Galapagos Islands this year, this offer from Hurtigruten will be hard to beat.  Bob and I are doing this trip in a couple of months (my choice, to my 60th birthday) and we can’t wait!

• Includes internal flights from Quito to Baltra, 2 hotel nights pre-cruise in Quito, a tour of Cotopaxi NP, Galapagos National Park admission fee, all meals on the ship, beer/wine, wifi on the ship, kayaking, snorkeling, and a glass-bottom boat. 
• Visit Quito, stand on the equator with one foot in each hemisphere, walk the sandy dunes on Baltra, visit a tortoise reserve to see the endangered giant tortoises, go to the Charles Darwin Research Station, see the sugar plantations and miles of coral beaches.
• Wildlife viewing: Sea Lions, Blue Footed Boobies, Sally Lightfoot crabs, mockingbirds, lava lizards, albatross, finches, rays, reef sharks, and many more.  Nature is alive here!
• Fares from $5778 per person.  Extensions to Machu Picchu available 

PRINCESS LOVE BOAT REUNION CRUISE August 31

Most of our clients are small-ship people, but there are luxury touches available on some of the bigger ships, and every now and then some interesting itineraries come up:

Love Boat Cast Reunion departing August 31, round-trip from New York City for 7-nights

• Join Julie McCoy (your Cruise Director), Gopher (your Chief Purser), Isaac (the Bartender), Vicki (the Captain’s Daughter), and Doctor Bricker.  Yep… the actors that played these roles will all be on board. 
• Visit Newport RI, Boston, Rockland MN, Saint John and Halifax (Canada)
• Our small-ship guests would probably prefer a Penthouse Suite, which is more comparable to the staterooms on the small ships.  These are 419 square feet, with a separate bedroom, full bathroom and powder room. 
• Includes complimentary access to the lotus spa thermal suite, complimentary laundry and cleaning, priority dining and shore excursion reservations, priority embarkation/disembarkation, and specialty dining
• Penthouse fares from $3998 pp.  

Holland America Repositioning Cruises

HAL has 7 ships in Alaska (they have a HUGE presence up there), and they need to reposition in September.  Here are two interesting itineraries with a great cost per day:

SOUTH PACIFIC: Vancouver to San Diego — via Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, and the South Pacific Islands

• Depart Vancouver on September 25, 2024 for 56 days.  A great way to see the South Pacific without the long flight. 
• Visit California (3 stops), 5 stops in Hawaii, American Samoa, 4 stops in Fiji, Tonga, 2 stops in the Cook Islands, 6 stops in French Polynesia including an overnight stop in Papeete. 
• Oceanview for the inside price of $9999 pp.  Or Vista Suite for $17,199 pp.

PANAMA CANAL:  Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale departing September 19, for 28 days

• Visit San Francisco, San Diego, Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco, Puerto Chiapas, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, full transit of the Panama Canal, Aruba, Turks Caicos, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Bahamas
• Veranda for OceanView price of $5639 pp

LAST MINUTE HAL CARIBBEAN

If you’re ready to travel this month, and are looking for reasonably priced getaway, here’s one:

• Fort Lauderdale round-trip for 14-nights on Nieuw Amsterdam
• Visit Nassau, Grand Turk, Dominican Republic, Half-Moon Cay, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, 
• Balconies from $2629 pp.  Suites from $3349 pp.

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/pfbid02bxoMXTvFvWLg5UcfvZucuA3fpAWcu8FcZaxoPBcJ9aXr26a1VZisenvoTY8ZnhJZl

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 probably know Viking best as the River Cruise people.  You’re probably also aware they have a fleet of small-ship luxury vessels, and two expedition ships.  Viking is also such a powerful marketing machine (how many brochures a month do you get from them?!?), that I often struggle to offer information in this space that you don’t already know.  

So here’s an attempt to provide an update on all things Viking. 

The hottest news is that Viking has renamed the Viking Sun the Di Yun, and permanently relocated her to China.  It’s still the Viking Ocean experience you’ve come to expect, but this move gave them the opportunity to offer itineraries and trip extensions that nobody else is doing.  

They will be doing 10, 15, and 20 day itineraries in China starting this September, and they are available for booking now.  We expect these to sell out quickly.   Here’s a link to that page on their website: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/asia/countries/china/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser

Here are some of their other new OCEAN itineraries:

• London to Venice for 20 days.  Visit England, France, Spain, Monaco, Italy, Greece, and Croatia. Details here: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/iberian-and-mediterranean-odyssey/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser
• San Juan to Los Angeles for 16 days.  Great for those in the Western half of the country who don’t want to fly all the way to Florida for a canal cruise. Details here: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/caribbean-americas/caribbean-and-panama-canal/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser
• Malta & Morocco for 16 days round-trip from Barcelona.  Visit France, Corsica, Italy, Malta (overnight), Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Spain.  A great way to tick Africa off your list. Details here: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/malta-morocco-and-the-mediterranean/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser
• Sydney to Singapore for 28 days.  Visit Australia’s east and north coasts, then to Indonesia (3 stops), 2-nights in Vietnam, Thailand, and then to Singapore. Details here: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/world-grand/jewels-of-australia-and-asia/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser

If you’re looking for something new on the RIVER, here’s some ideas:

• Amsterdam to Basel for 10 days in January and February.  Viking just finished its first crack at the Rhine River in the winter months.  Judging by the popularity this year, I fully expect them to offer it on the Danube river next year (and again on the Rhine). Details here: https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/cruise-destinations/europe/treasures-of-the-rhine/2024-amsterdam-basel/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser
• Nuremberg to Basel for 11 days on the Main, Moselle, and Rhine Rivers.  Great for those that have already done the Rhine and the Danube. Details here: https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/cruise-destinations/europe/rhine-and-main-explorer/2025-nuremberg-basel/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser
• Avignon to Amsterdam for 15 days.  See Provence in Eastern France on the Rhone, then over to the Rhine River from Basel to Amsterdam. Details here: https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/cruise-destinations/europe/lyon-provence-and-the-rhineland/2024-avignon-amsterdam/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser

Expedition is more than just Antarctica, and Viking has some innovative new itineraries for Octantis and Polaris.

• Toronto to Nuuk for 15 days.  Visit Toronto, the Quebec townships (4 stops), Newfoundland (3 stops), and then 4 stops in Greenland. Details here: https://www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/cruise-destinations/great-lakes-canada/canada-and-greenland-explorer/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser
• Fort Lauderdale to Toronto 15 days.  Visit the Quebec townships (3 stops), Cape Breton Island, Lunenburg, Norfolk VA, Charleston SC.  https://www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/cruise-destinations/great-lakes-canada/canada-east-coast-explorer/index.html?return=true?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser
• Santiago to New York for 20-days.  With stops in Chile, Peru, full transit of the Panama Canal, Jamaica and the Bahamas (2 stops).  Details here: https://www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/cruise-destinations/caribbean-americas/panama-canal-and-the-americas/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser

Remember that “Expedition” doesn’t mean you have to be a performance athlete capable of scaling Everest.  It does mean you need to be curious about a region, and like to get out and explore those areas. 

We found Viking’s Expedition ship to be one of the best thought-out vessels we’ve ever sailed on. Click here for a “walk-around” video of the ship with Bob:  https://youtu.be/izwAZ6NdFOo?si=fBkcEpISHZVb6EZZ 

Today’s Travel Opportunities

VIKING OCEAN China Itineraries

You will probably hear much more from Viking soon about them renaming the Viking Sun (now the Viking Yi Dun), and giving her a permanent home in China.  Starting in September of this year, Viking will escort you through China on 10, 15 and 20 day itineraries:

Shanghai to Hong Kong (or reverse) for 10-days.

• Experience the urban cultures of Shanghai and Hong Kong with colonial buildings juxtaposed with brand new sky-scrapers, explore the Chinese coastline and fishing villages, visit ancient temples, 
• Visit Shanghai (overnight), Zhoushan, Dongtou, Pingtan, Xaimen, Hong Kong (overnight)
• Departures in September & October 2024 – Verandas between $4499 to $5299 with FREE FLIGHTS if you book before Feb. 29th.  
• Pre and post land stays available in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
• See more here:  https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/asia/countries/china/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser

We expect these voyages to sell out quickly – particularly with the FREE AIR promo.  

Viking Great Lakes from Toronto to Milwaukee for 8-days

• Visit Toronto, transit the locks in the Welland Canal, Niagara Falls, Point Pelee NP, Detroit, Alpena MI, Mackinac Island, and Milwaukee (overnight). 
• Nordic Balconies from $5995.  
• More information here: https://www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/cruise-destinations/great-lakes-canada/niagara-and-the-great-lakes/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser

UNIWORLD Flash Sale on until February 29

This is one of those rare occasions when a 2 for 1 sale is actually that.  The catch is that it is on select sailings only, and only a handful of dates and itineraries:

• Paris & Normandy – 8-days round-trip Paris
• Bordeaux – 8-days round-trip Bordeaux
• Burgundy & Provence – 8-days between Arles and Lyon
• Tulips & Windmills – 10-days between Amsterdam & Antwerp
• Lower Danube – 10-days between Budapest and Bucharest

All the 2 for 1 dates are in the next few months, but if you’re able to travel quickly, this is a great deal.  Here’s a link to their page for more information:  https://pamperedcruiser.uniworld.com/us/current-offers/2024-leap-year-flash-sale 

TAUCK AIR PACKAGES to Europe

If you’re contemplating a trip to Europe this summer, be aware that the Paris Olympics has put demand-pressure on flights to ALL of Europe.  Tauck is taking that irritation away with flat-rate air to Europe with the purchase of any of their land tours:

First the Air Add-On:  

• Economy:  $990 per person
• Premium:  $1790 per person
• Business:  $3890 per person

England, Scotland & Wales for 14-days

• Visit Edinburgh, the Lake District, Walled city of Chester, Conwy, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Stonehenge, Bath, London.
• Stay in the heart of London, and take in a West End Show, tour the Caernarfon Castle in Wales (a UNESCO site), see the Hampton Court Palace, and visit Westminster Abbey. 
• $8990 per person for departures May through October 2024.

Portugal & Spain Douro River Cruise for 8-days

• Have a Private Dinner with wine pairings at an Estate winery, see a Port wine cocktail making workshop, bike tour through Vinho Verde Wine country, see Roman Ruins, visit UNESCO world Heritage sites, and drink tons of wine.
• Fares from $5490 for departures May to November

OCEANIA NEW YEAR SALE – Ends February 29.

Oceania has some really competitive fares as part of their Waves Season promo.  The Catch:  must be booked by the end of the month.  Here’s a link to the cruises included: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/special-offers/new-year

ROCKY MOUNTAINEER – Canadian Rockies round-trip from VANCOUVER

If you want to see the majesty of the Canadian Rockies, there’s no better way to do so than on the rails, and Rocky Mountaineer is one of the world’s MUST-DO train trips.  There are tons of different itineraries, but here’s the one I like:

• 10-nights round-trip Vancouver.  Get to see this thriving metropolis city, AND the remote beauty of the Rockies with visits to Banff & Jasper National Parks.
• Visit Vancouver (2 nights), Kamloops (1), Jasper NP (2), Banff NP (2), Kamloops (1), Vancouver (2). 
• Prices from $5049 per person.  

Recently booked a Viking Cruise?

Viking makes it really easy to book direct, either online, by phone, or on board.  Our clients worry that if they book on-line (or on board), 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 reservation 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).

If you recently booked a Viking Cruise, please let us know as soon as possible.

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/pfbid02mbBoTMUvH9bLhcTbatm2sggLD2MTp2rygefz1mqwxCQKXjNVpBtiYxTPGERaf9V1l

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

January and February are what the Cruise Industry calls “Waves Season”.  These two months are the strongest sales of the year for the cruise lines.  

But are the offers really that much better, than other promos throughout the year?

“No”… in most cases.  

The cruise lines generally “tinker around the edges” offering an additional goody here or there, that might be different at another time, but the net-net of what you pay is usually pretty close, regardless of WHEN you book.

Here’s some of the promos often run by cruise lines, and some commentary as to whether you should pay attention or not:

• Reduced Deposits:  The value of this depends on when the final payment is.  If you get a really low deposit this month, and the final payment is due next month, then who cares?  If you get to keep your money for an extra year, then it has some value.  
• Upgrades:  This is usually marketing nonsense, and it means a “location upgrade”.  It’s very rare we see people move entire categories (Inside to Oceanview, for example).  I suppose it’s nice when you pay for an aft cabin and get upgraded to mid-ship… but you’re not being upgraded to the Penthouse.
• Free or Reduced Air:  The devil is in the details here.  Sometimes it can work out well.  Other times the air offered can be really restrictive.  As a rule of thumb, make sure you’re saving a lot of money.  If it’s only $100 or $200 different from what you can get on your own, you’re usually better off managing your own air.
• 2 For 1 Fares:  This is pure marketing nonsense (nobody ever pays the full price), and outside of the United States the cruise lines have had to discontinue such marketing because it runs contrary to consumer protection laws. 

Often the cruise lines will offer you additional amenities as a booking incentive.  You need to decide whether those amenities have value for YOU (and that might be different depending on the individual). 

• Free Gratuities:  This has a tangible value ($18 – $20 per day) because you would otherwise have charged these to your shipboard account.
• Free Beverage Package:  This depends on how much you think you’ll consume, and what is offered in your fare (ie:  Beer/Wine with meals).  You’ll pay restaurant prices for drinks on cruise ships, so it’s worth doing the math to figure out what value YOU would place on this.  ALSO – beware of service fees on beverage packages.  The higher-end cruise lines tend not to have any, but if you’re travelling on one of the mega-ships, the service charge for your beverage package could be $20 per person, per day. 
• Free Transfers:  This depends on the port(s), and a quick google search can tell you what this is worth (for example: In Rome, it’s worth a lot.  In Vancouver… not so much).
• On Board Credits:  This has tangible value if you would charge things to your room anyway.  On the more inclusive cruise lines, your only choices to spend OBCs are Spa Treatments, Optional Shore Excursions, and purchases at on board shops.

Finally… some of these cruise line offers have dozens of pages of fine print (written by lawyers), that exclude or limit the goodies they’re advertising.  When you see “on select sailings”, or “capacity controlled” amongst other catch phrases, you need to look carefully at the fine print.  

Today’s Travel Opportunities

AMA Waterways – Combinable Promos!

AMA is offering us some incentives for booking this month that ARE real, and oddly enough combinable (normally cruise lines don’t allow you to mix and match promos).  On all AMA Waterways bookings for Europe (except Portugal), and the Mekong (Vietnam & Cambodia) made between now and February 29, we can offer you:

• $200 per person off – due to our exclusive Private Sale this month, AND
• FREE Prepaid gratuities – due to our exclusive arrangement with them, AND
• FREE Land Packages – as indicated in their current promotion.  This varies based on the itinerary, and is on select voyages.  We can help you navigate this.  AND
• $150 per person On Board Credit on the voyages below.  

Bucharest to Budapest for 7-nights departing June 17

• Visit Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania.  
• $3049 cruise only
• $5029 for 2-nights pre-cruise Bucharest & 2-nights post cruise in Vienna.
• Includes pre-paid gratuities and $150 pp On Board Credit.

Wine Cruise!  Prague to Paris departing August 7 for 7-nights

• Visit Nuremberg, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Wertheim, Rudesheim, Rhine Gorge, Koblenz, Bernkastel, Luxembourg 
• $2799 cruise only (Nuremberg to Luxembourg)
• $3799 for the cruise and EITHER 3-night Prague Pre-Cruise, OR 3-night Paris Post-Cruise
• $5079 for cruise and 3-nights Prague pre-cruise AND 3-nights Paris post-cruise.
• Includes pre-paid gratuities and $150 pp On Board Credit.

Paris & Normandy departing November 7 for 7-nights

• Visit Paris, Monet’s Gardens, Normandy Beaches, Le Havre, Caudebec En Caux, Rouen
• $3148 cruise only.
• $3849 for 7-night cruise, and 2-nights in Paris. 
• Includes pre-paid gratuities and $150 pp On Board Credit.

Remember that AMA includes a choice of several shore excursions in each port of call, beer/wine with meals, and wifi on the ship.  

There are also many other sailings where you can get all the goodies listed above. Click HERE for a full list.

AZAMARA Small-Ship Journeys

Azamara’s ships hold just 680 guests… a great way to experience cruising with some really interesting ports of call.  Azamara fares include and open bar, gratuities, and on the sailings below a $750 on board credit as long as it’s booked by February 23.  

Australia & Bali departing for 22-nights on February 20, 2025

• Explore the less travelled South and West coasts of Australia
• Visit Sydney, Eden, Melborne, Adelaide, Esperance, Albany, Margaret River, Perth, Geraldton, Bali, Semarang, Singapore (overnight). 
• Verandas from $7199 with a $750 on board cabin credit.

Rio Carnival & Amazon River departing for 25-nights on February 25, 2025

• Visit Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro (overnight for Carnival), Salvador de Bahia, Macapa, Amazon River, Boca de Valeria, Manaus (overnight), Parintins, Santarem, Bridgetown.
• Verandas from $7380 with a $750 on board cabin credit.

Holland America Last Minute Voyages

HAL is showing some solid pricing for those ready to travel between now and then end of March.  Here are some examples:

Caribbean & Panama Canal for 24-days OR 29-days departing March 30

• Fort Lauderdale to San Diego (24 days) OR Vancouver (29 days)
• Visit the Bahamas, Turks/Caicos, Dominican Republic, Curacao, Cartagena, Full Transit of the Panama Canal, Costa Rica, Huatulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, San Diego, Portland, Victoria BC.
• Verandas from $4479 to San Diego, OR $5284 to Vancouver

Japan Intensive Voyage for 14-days departing March 16

• Toyko round-trip
• Visit Naha, Ishigaki, 2 stops in Taiwan, Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Kochi, Kobe (overnight) 
• Verandas from $2969.  Suites from $4119

Caribbean round-trip Fort Lauderdale for 17-days departing March 27

• Visit the Bahamas, Turks/Caicos, Dominican Republic, Curacao, Bonaire, Aruba, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands.
• Verandas from $3454.

HAL’s “Have It All” price includes the beverage package, wifi, a shore excursion credit and specialty dining for two.

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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

Many of you have been asking for more domestic options, so for the purposes of this post, let’s include Canada.  In many ways Canada-New England cruises that include stops in New Brunswick and Quebec serve a dual purpose:  they are close enough to be considered (almost) domestic, but the French Language and unique culture makes it feel somewhat European.  Some Canada/New England Cruises also include a stop at the last remaining territory of France in North America: St. Pierre & Miquelon.  

The autumn months are when these journeys usually occur, and if you’re looking at THIS fall, things are filling up quickly.

This is partly because of the fall colors (or “colours”, if you’re on the Canadian side), and partly because the St. Lawrence Seaway is a pleasant place to park cruise ships during hurricane season in the Caribbean.  

Some cruise lines focus on the larger ports: New York, Boston, Halifax and Montreal.  All these cities are well worth a visit, but I like the itineraries that also include some of the smaller, lesser known places.  Charlottetown is infinitely charming, and Bar Harbor is increasingly frequented by cruise ships, but still an interesting stop. 

If your cruise starts or finishes in Montreal or Quebec City, then hopefully you get to visit some of the Quebec townships that dot the St. Lawrence.  If you ever doubted Canada was a French speaking country, a visit to small-town Quebec will clear it up right away.

Quebec City is often an embarkation or disembarkation port on the longer Canada & New England Cruises.  It is North America’s only walled city, and is full of history for both Americans and Canadians.  You’ll want to stay an extra day or two here, and feel the European vibe (and have a glass of wine at the Chateau Frontenac – the world’s most photographed hotel).  

Almost all the cruise lines have some presence in Canada & New England, and the most interesting ones, in my mind, are those that have a mix of the big ports with some more remote ports that you’ll probably only ever visit on a cruise like this.

The best part about these cruises is that for many of us, the journey to the port can be made by a short domestic, or cross-border flight.  Those living in the Northeast may even be able to drive to the port.  

Canada & New England cruises offer a great opportunity to explore something new that is really our own backyard.  There are enough itinerary variations, that even if you’ve already done a cruise in the region, you can probably find another with almost completely different port stops.

Today’s Travel Opportunities

OCEANIA

Our friends at Oceania have TWO ships in the St. Lawrence this fall.  Both ships hold 680 guests for a great small-ship experience, with their exceptional culinary program.  As a bonus, on both the cruises below we can get your FREE prepaid gratuities due to our exclusive arrangement with Oceania: 

Montreal to Miami departing October 28 for 12-days

• Visit Montreal, Quebec City, Saguenay, Sydney, Halifax, Portland, Boston, New York, Charleston, Miami.
• Verandas from $4799 with a $300 per person shore excursion credit

London to New York departing August 17 for 15-days

• This itinerary is the best of the UK and Ireland, as well as Canada/New England.  The best part is you only have to fly one-way to Europe.  It also visits St. Pierre – the small island in the St. Lawrence River that is part of France!
• Visit London, Bruges, Paris, Dublin, Belfast, Killybegs, St. John’s, St. Pierre, Portland, Newport, NYC
• Verandas from $6599 with a $400 per person shore excursion credit

These Oceania voyages include the indicated shore excursion credit, beer/wine with meals, wifi on the ship, specialty dining and FREE prepaid gratuities.

HURTIGRUTEN

If you’ve already done a cruise to Canada/New England, but would like to see some of the more remote ports, then Hurtigruten might be your best choice.  You also get to sail on the world’s first hybrid-electric cruise ship.  See our ship tour video here:  https://youtu.be/1L_ByDqhGR0?si=ewhsmbCCokL3W1ac 

Halifax to Boston for 8-days departing September 14

• Halifax, Sable Island, Lunenburg (UNESCO World Heritage site), Eastport MN, Rockland and Castine (MN), Bar Harbor, Provincetown, Boston.
• Veranda suites from $4250 per person (represents $2000 off), with a €90 on board credit.

Vancouver to Halifax for 26-days departing August 20

• This one is for the true explorers – a trek from Pacific to Atlantic across the Arctic Ocean.  Arctic cruises are like going to Africa on Safari – although you’re looking for polar bears and icebergs. 
• Visit Vancouver, Nome, 4-days in the Bering Sea, 8-days traversing the Northwest Passage, 2 stops in Greenland, Red Bay (Newfoundland), Cornerbrook (NFLD), Halifax.
• Includes pre-cruise hotel night in Vancouver, transfers, expedition jacket, use of expedition gear.
• Fares from $22,594

Hurtigruten includes beer/wine with meals, wifi on the ship, and due to our exclusive arrangement, a €90 per person on board credit. 

SILVERSEA

If classic luxury is more your speed, then SilverSea is a great option.  The Silver Shadow will be in Canada/New England this year, and with only 388 guests!

Quebec City to New York City for 12-days departing June 30

• This is one of only a handful of Canada/New England cruises that DON’T sail in the autumn months.
• Visit Quebec, Saguenay, Gaspe, Halifax, Saint John, Portland, Boston (overnight), Newport, NYC.
• Fares from $4950 per person

New York City to Quebec City for 10-days departing September 18

• Visit NYC, Newport, Boston, Portland, Halifax, Sydney, Charlottetown, Saguenay, Quebec City.
• Fares from $5950 per person

SilverSea includes all taxes & fees, an open bar, a shore excursion in each port, butler service, gratuities, and wifi on the ship. 

SEABOURN REPOSITIONING

Seabourn’s 264-guest expedition ship is relocating for the season to Antarctica, and you can catch a ride part of the way for a fantastic price.

St. John’s Newfoundland to Barbados for 10-days departing September 27

• This is a great way to check out an expedition ship to see if it’s right for you.  You also get to visit both Newfoundland AND Caribbean Islands.
• Visit St. John’s, San Juan, Great Harbor Jost van Dyke, Carambola Beach, Fort de France, Bridgetown
• Veranda suites from $3519 per person 

Recently booked a Viking Cruise?

Viking makes it really easy to book direct, either online, by phone, or on board.  Our clients worry that if they book on-line (or on board), 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 reservation 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).

If you recently booked a Viking Cruise, please let us know as soon as possible.

Have something to say about this?

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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