Most of you are cruisers, but I’ve been getting a surprising number of inquiries lately from those that have either NEVER taken a cruise, or they sailed one of the floating amusement parks out of Florida in the 80s and hated it.  The two main questions:

Why should I consider a River Cruise?

How is River different than Ocean?

First of all, I would never try to talk someone into something, but there are reasons why cruise is the fastest growing segment of the leisure travel industry for several years running (and no signs of slowing down).  

Here are some points I put forward to answer the two questions above:

• Cost-Effectiveness:  River cruises in Paris (for example), cost between $350 and $600 per night.  There’s no chance of staying in a 5-star Paris hotel, eating three meals a day, enjoying entertainment daily, and visiting the sites for this amount.
• Efficiency:  River Boats and Cruise Ships often move at night – a distinct advantage over having to travel between places by motor coach in the daytime.
• Unpack Once:  If you want to see a bunch of different cities and villages in Europe, think of a River Boat as a 5-star hotel that moves with you on your journey.  Yes… There are motor coach tours that do very similar routings if you’re willing to be in a different hotel every night. 
• Destination Immersion:  Unlike Ocean Ships (especially those floating amusement parks), a River Boat is NOT your destination.  It is a vessel that enables your exploration of the region you’re sailing through.  A river cruise experience is made up of what you do on shore, and those aspects of shore that are brought back on board for you (like local food and entertainment).
• Minimal Motion:  On a River Boat, you often must look out a window to figure out if you’re moving.  Even the most stable Ocean ship will be pitching and rolling in high seas.  
• Fewer People:  River Boats hold between 60 and 180 people – something you notice most when embarking and disembarking.
• River cruises are busy:  There are no sea-days on a river cruise, and you spend most of your time on shore.  Activities on board the River Boat are more limited than the ocean because of this.  
• Inclusions:  All River Cruises we deal with include daily excursions, beer & wine with meals, wifi on the ship, and a very high quality culinary offering.  Some include an open bar and gratuities.  Regardless, you won’t find your room charges exceeding your fare, like you do on some of the mega-ships.

NEXT WEEK:  I’ll chat about how those people I mentioned above that did a mega-ship cruise 30 years ago and hated it, may want to look at small-ship cruises, and how different they are from the floating amusement parks.

Today’s Travel Opportunities

AMA Waterways — Free Gratuities

Our friends at AMA are offering included prepaid gratuities on many of their European itineraries until January 31.  Here are 2 examples.

Bucharest to Budapest for 7-nights departing June 17

• Visit Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania.  
• $3249 cruise only
• $5229 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 
• $2999 cruise only (Nuremberg to Luxembourg)
• $3999 for the cruise and EITHER 3-night Prague Pre-Cruise, OR 3-night Paris Post-Cruise
• $5279 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

• Visit Paris, Monet’s Gardens, Normandy Beaches, Le Havre, Caudebec En Caux, Rouen
• $3749 cruise only.
• $4499 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, wifi on the ship, and if you book this month free pre-paid gratuities on many departures (but only if you book through the Pampered Cruiser). 

DON’T see the AMA cruise you’re looking for?  There are several other departures in Europe and the Mekong with FREE GRATUITIES.  Please inquire. 

Uniworld Ultimate France.  

If you’ve got the time, this is a great way to see ALL of France on 3 different rivers and 3 different ships (with all your transfers between).  Most of our clients do pre and post when they cruise in France, so this gets you to 3 distinct areas to complete your French immersion: 

Bordeaux to Marseilles for 22-days departing June 30.

• Week 1:  Bordeaux:  This is all about wine, but you also visit Toulouse-Lautrec’s house, do an Oyster tasting, and optional bike rides.  
• Week 2:  Paris and Normandy:  Visit La roche Guyon, Monet’s Gardens, a private concert at Rouen Cathedral, see Joan of Arc’s resting place, Honfleur, Normandy Beaches, Versailles, Paris City tour.
• Week 3:  Provence:  Visit Lyon (the Gastronomic Capital of France), see a silk weaving demonstration, Burgundy Winery visit, Hermitage Vineyard visit, Roman Ruins at Viviers, Truffle Farm, Roman Viaduct at Avignon, explore Roman Ruins and Van Gogh’s work in Arles.
• Prices start at $11,999 for all 3 cruises and transfers in between.  Includes an open bar, a shore excursion in every port, gratuities and wifi on the ship. 

Viking Mississippi

If you’re looking for something a bit closer to home Viking is offering FREE round-trip air, a stateroom upgrade, and $200 per person on board credit.  

New Orleans to Memphis departing July 27

• Visit New Orleans, Darrow, St. Francisville, Natchez, Vicksburg, and Memphis
• Experience the French quarter, former plantations, southern mansions, Cajun cooking, Civil War historical sites, and Graceland.
• Veranda Rooms departing July 27 from $4999.  Includes round-trip air, transfers, beer/wine with meals, a shore excursion in every port, and wifi on the ship.

Ocean ships that feel more like a River Boat:

Viking Polaris and Octantis hold only 378 guests when fully loaded, and have some itineraries closer to home in the summer months:

Fort Lauderdale to Toronto departing April 2 or April 10 for 16 days:

• Visit Fort Lauderdale, Charleston, Norfolk, NYC, Lunenburg, Cape Breton Island, Cap aux Meules, Quebec City, Trois Rivieres, Toronto.
• If you’ve done a Canada/New England cruise before, but want to visit new ports of call; you want to check out this Expedition Ship, OR you just want a reasonably priced Viking cruise, then this is worth checking out.  
• Nordic Balconies from $4995.  Includes round-trip air, transfers, beer/wine with meals, a shore excursion in every port, and wifi on the ship.
• See our Ship tour video of Viking Polaris here:  https://youtu.be/izwAZ6NdFOo?si=x0h0UU5iqNS7AbRl

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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 more about packaged land vacations, so I thought I’d feature one of the companies that does this type of trip really well.  Tauck is a family-owned company that has been in business for 98 years.  They have trips in more than 70 countries on 7 continents.  They have also made Travel & Leisure magazine’s “World’s Best” list for the past 25 years.  

What is a Land Cruise?

Many of you are dedicated cruisers, and like the inclusions and structure that cruise vacations offer.  Activities on a cruise are a diverse menu that you choose from, and you can participate or not.  Land cruises are structured the same way.  Here are some other similarities:

• Logistics are taken care of from start to finish.
• Land cruises are busy, with lots of options for activities, and seeing several different places in one trip.
• You’re moving from one place to another, so the scenery and activities change daily.
• You pay once, and have most things included.
• You get to learn and interact with the local people where they travel.
• You get to travel with other like-minded individuals and make friends to last a lifetime.
• They include entertainment, lectures and learning experiences. 

Things to consider when choosing a Land Cruise:

There are even more Land Cruise providers than there are cruise lines, so here are some of the questions you’ll need to consider when choosing a land-tour provider:

• HOTELS:  The quality of places you prefer to stay (3-star, 4-star, or 5-star).  Tauck uses 5-star hotels wherever possible. 
• PACE:  Are you in each place for 1 night, 2 nights or longer?  This will make a big difference in how you experience the destination.  You also need to decide how much packing and unpacking you wish to do (one distinct advantage to cruising).
• INCLUSIONS:  Are meals and drinks included?  How about excursions (those optional activities just like on a cruise).  Tauck includes just about all meals (depending on the itinerary), but in some places you are better off doing your own thing.
• SIZE OF GROUP:  this ranges between 8 and 52 people.

How Tauck Differentiates:

• Tauck compares well with the top end of the cruise lines based on the accommodations provided, and the inclusions.  
• Exclusive access to places not open to the public, or access before or after hours.  For example:  A private dinner at Palais Pallavicini in Vienna.  OR a private wine tasting at the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum in Florence hosted by the Ferragamo family. 

There is no doubt that cruising is an “efficient” and cost-effective way to travel if you want to do more than be stationed in one place for your vacation.  However, not every destination can be explored by ship (or even river boat), so the idea of a Land Cruise makes a lot of sense for some locations.  

The National Parks in both the United States and Canada, for example, are spectacular, and draw people from all over the world.  With very few exceptions, these natural wonders can’t be accessed by ship, so a Land Cruise is how you want to experience them. 

Today’s Travel Opportunities

Here are some Tauck Land Cruises that may be of interest:  

Domestic & Canada

Canadian Rockies for 8-days round-trip from Calgary:

• Visit Kananaskis, Lake Louise, the Icefields Parkway, Jasper NP, Athabasca Glacier on an Ice Explorer Vehicle, Banff NP.
• From $5790 for departures May through September.

Hawaii 4-Island Journey for 12-days with departures January to October:

• Visit Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the big Island (with flights to get between them)
• Stay at the Mountain Home and secluded retreat of Queen Emma of Hawaii, do a Helicopter tour of Kauai, feast at a Luau in Maui, a Pearl Harbor visit, pre-hours private tour of Iolani Palace, an Outrigger canoe ride, see Volcanoes NP, visit a Kona Coffee Plantation, Allerton Garden, and Mount Haleakala.
• From $12,190 for departures January through October. 

Tauck Bridges

Cruising is great for multi-generational groups, and Tauck excels in that space for Land Cruises, if you want to take your kids or grandkids away:

Ireland for 1-week round-trip from Dublin

• Visit Dublin, Kildare (for the Irish racehorse experience), Cobh (for the titanic experience), Killarney (sheep dog and falconry experience), morning cruise on Lough Leane, and the Cliffs of Moher.
• From $5890 for departures June through August

Phoenix to Las Vegas for 1-week:  Red Rocks & Painted Canyons

• Visit the Grand Canyon for a light hike, Zion NP, flight-seeing over Lake Powell, Private off-road tour in the Navajo Nation, Trail Ride in Bryce Canyon, Glen Canyon rafting.
• From $4990 for departures March through August

Tauck River Cruises

Yep… Tauck offers more conventional River Cruises too: 

Christmas Markets on the Rhine from Dusseldorf to Lucerne

• Visit Dusseldorf, Cologne, Rudesheim, Heidelberg, Baden-Baden, Strasbourg, Lucerne.
• 7-nights departing November 29 starting at $3890. 

Paris & Normandy for Families (Paris round-trip)

• Take you kids or grandkids on this river cruise, and only unpack once. 
• Visit Paris, Giverny (for Monet’s Gardens), Les Andelys, Rouen, Normandy Beaches, Versailles
• 7-nights departing July 3, starting at $4990

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.

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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

“Happy New Year!”.  It’s a common salutation at this time of year, but I prefer to think of it as a directive.  How can I make sure this is a happy year for me, and those in my orbit?

Bob and I both feel extraordinarily fortunate because we work every day in a job we love.  The travel perks are great, but the day to day “grind” is helping people with their vacation plans.  This is not without occasional frustration, but it is easy to be happy when interfacing with people in this way. 

Bob and I, both individually and as a couple have always been travellers.  Neither of us particularly enjoy sitting on a beach and drinking Margaritas (although we’ve known to enjoy that on occasion!), so I was trying to figure out why I love travel (even before being part of the industry).

I think it’s about learning and discovery.  It’s about seeing how people in different countries live their day to day lives, and realizing how much we have in common with them, and simultaneously seeing what they do differently.  When you live in the United States, it’s very easy for us to remain oblivious or disinterested in how other people live.  I’ve decided to work harder at paying attention.

You might not ever have heard of the Cantril Ladder – it’s an attempt to empirically measure “Happiness” around the world using a standard criteria.  We’re ranked 15^th in the United States (the top 14 are Northern/Western European nations, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada).  It’s my goal to help us rank higher on this list – primarily through the tremendous privilege of travel.

My theme for 2024:  LESS SCREEN TIME… MORE TRAVEL TIME.  The first part is to minimize a force that is proven to make people UNHAPPY.  The second is to increase what makes people HAPPY.  

Join us on this mission, and see if we can’t bump up a couple of rungs on the Cantril Ladder.  

Today’s Travel Opportunities

DOMESTIC & CANADA with NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

The Pacific Northwest has some of the most stunning scenery in the world.  Here are two trips to experience it:

Columbia River Cruise from Portland to Clarkson

• Visit Portland, Astoria, Columbia River Gorge, several locks on the Columbia River, Multnomah Falls, Walla Walla, private vineyard tour, Palouse River, and Clarkston
• Go Kayaking, Zodiac boat rides, light hiking, or just take in the scenery. 
• Departures for 8-days in March, April and September from $5768.

British Columbia and San Juan Islands – round-trip Seattle.

• Visit Victoria, Desolation Sound, Alert Bay, BC’s Gulf Islands, Friday Harbor, Washington’s San Juan Islands.
• This corner of the world is one of the best kept secrets out there.
• Departures for 8-days on September 29, October 6 or 13, from $5730.  

LOOKING TO 2025

Many of you are planning your trips a year or more in advance.  Oceania is launching its next ship in June of 2025.  The Oceania Allura will be the identical twin of the Oceania Vista.  If you like idea of sailing on a brand new ship, here’s some ideas:

Barcelona to Athens departing June 25, 2025 for 12-days

• Visit Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Sardinia, Tunis, Valletta, Cephalonia, Alexandria, Cairo, Santorini, Athens.
• Verandas from $5999 with a $300 per person shore-excursion credit.

Lisbon to New York departing September 16, 2025 for 14 days

• Visit Lisbon, Madeira, the Azores, Newfoundland, Halifax, Bar Harbor, Boston, Newport RI, and NYC.
• Verandas $5799 with a $300 per person shore-excursion credit

Remember that Oceania includes the shore excursion credit, specialty dining, beer/wine with meals, and wifi on the ship. 

AMA WATERWAYS FREE PRE-PAID GRATUITIES

Our friends at AMA have offered us some departures with Free Gratuities in addition to their regular promos.  Here are some examples:

Wine Cruise!  Amsterdam to Basel departing November 7, 2024

• Visit Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Rhine Gorge, Rudesheim, Ludwigshafen (for Heidelberg or Speyer), Strasbourg, Breisach (for Riquewihr or Freiburg), Basel.
• Included wine tastings and events both on ship and on shore.  
• $3299 cruise only or $5729 for the cruise and 6-nights on shore (2-nights Amsterdam, 2-nights Lucerne, 2-nights Zurich)
• Includes Pre-paid gratuities and $150 per person On Board Credit.

Vietnam & Cambodia departing December 30, 2024 for one-week

• Visit Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, Angkor Ban, Oudong, Phnom Penh, Tan Chau, Sa Dec, My Tho, Ho Chi Minh City.  
• $2949 cruise only for a Twin Balcony Room.  OR 
• $4399 for cruise plus 2-nights Hanoi, 1-night Ha-Long Bay, 3-nights Siem Reap, and 2-nights Ho Chi Minh City.  
• Includes Pre-paid gratuities and $150 per person On Board Credit.
• See our ship tour video here:  https://youtu.be/T6YIfrUbDwk?si=TU2RRzT4Zd1CwCWC 

Budapest to Bavaria on AMA Magna departing July 21 for one-week

• Visit Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Krems, Spitz (for Wachau Valley), Linz, Passau, Vilshofen.
• $3649 cruise only.
• $4399 for the 7-night cruise PLUS 2-nights Budapest pre-cruise, or 3-nights Prague post-cruise.  
• Includes Pre-paid gratuities and $150 per person On Board Credit.

Remember that AMA includes a choice of several shore excursions in each port of call, beer/wine with meals, wifi on the ship, and if you book this month free pre-paid gratuities on many departures.  
DON’T see the AMA cruise you’re looking for?  There are several other departures in Europe and the Mekong with FREE GRATUITIES.  Please enquire.

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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

I hope you have enjoyed the holidays.  For us, it’s a time to clean up some remaining details of the year ending, and to make plans for the next year.  Part of this is making guesses at what to expect for the coming year.  

We do this with one eye on what we’ve been booking for departures in the next twelve months, and new patterns and trends we may be seeing.  

There is a very high margin of error, and in some ways I’m reluctant to comment – mostly because someone next year around this time will pull out this piece, and point out all the things I got wrong!

Here you go anyway (and please be forgiving if you’re reading this in late 2024):

• It will remain busy.  2023 was our biggest booking year ever, eclipsing 2019 by almost 100%.  This is typical from what we hear from our peers.  The average time between booking and travelling is about 11 months.  So based on what’s on the books now, it’s going to be busy out there.
• You are booking close-in (3 months or less), and further-out (beyond 12 months).  Having two or three vacations on the books is the new normal.  This is a wise strategy:  any deals we see are usually for travel in the next several weeks (hence the close-in bookings).  Due to excessive demand, you need to book well in advance for those bucket-list trips (hence the bookings for 2025 and 2026).
• You are going away for longer.  This might be making up for lost time after 2020 and 2021, or it might be to get maximum return on the investment in pain and frustration involved with flying anywhere. 
• It will cost you more.  Inflation is real, it is global, and it’s not cycling back as quickly as we’d like.  We’ve seen this manifest in hotel prices, but not as much in cruise pricing – although I don’t know how long it will stay that way.  You may want to lock in your price now for your 2024 and 2025 trips… they’re not going to get cheaper. 
• Europe will be busy this summer.  The Summer Olympics take place in Paris in late July and first half of August.  France will be particularly busy, but you can expect more traffic throughout Western Europe and the UK.  
• Foodie Tourism – There’s a strong link between a place, its culture and its food.  For this reason, we’re seeing more food and culinary themed cruises and shore excursions. 

Destinations

For the last 18-months it’s been Portugal, Egypt and Japan.  Here are some destinations we are seeing more interest in 2024:

• Europe:  Croatia, Slovenia, Lower Danube (Hungary to the Black Sea), Malta, and Morocco (yes… I know it’s in Africa, but cruises that originate in Europe end up there). 
• Domestic & Canada:  National Parks (in both countries), Great Lakes Cruises, Quebec, Newfoundland, and Greenland (yes… I know Greenland is not the USA or Canada, but it’s nearby, and people want to go there). 
• Across the Pacific:  Those concerned about the geopolitical situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and Eastern Europe are looking across the Pacific Ocean:  Mekong River (Vietnam & Cambodia), New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Tahiti.
• South America:  Likewise, South America offers new destinations far away from war zones:  Galapagos Islands, river cruises in Columbia, Buenos Aires to Santiago cruises, Amazon River.

Today’s Travel Opportunities

Denver to Salt Lake City with Tauck for 8-days (including 2 days on Rocky Mountaineer)

• Visit Denver, Denver foothills, Glenwood Springs, Moab, Flightseeing over Canyonlands NP, Arches NP, Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake City
• Departures May to September from $7590.  

Regensburg to Amsterdam. Three-River Journey with Tauck for 10 days.  

• Highlights include: Regensburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Frankfurt, Cologne, Bonn.
• Departures in July and August from $6390. 
• A great mix of Rhine, Main, and Danube Rivers. 

Explora Journeys

This exciting new brand is currently offering some itineraries at up to 35% off.  All suites are large verandas, and your fare includes an open bar, gratuities, specialty dining, and wifi on the ship.

Barcelona round-trip departing November 10 for 10 days

• Visit Cadiz, Arrecife, Casablanca (overnight), and Gibraltar
• $3835 (represents 35% off)

Miami round-trip departing January 14, 2025 for 10-days

• Visit New Orleans (overnight), Cozumel, Merida (overnight), Ocean Cay (Bahamas) 
• $4800 (represents 25% off)

Miami to Lisbon for 14-nights March 14, 2025

• Visit San Juan, St. John’s, Santa Cruz de la Palma, Madeira, Lisbon
• $5625 (represents 25% off)
• A great way to avoid one-way of a trans-Atlantic flight.  You could then do a river cruise from Lisbon to Spain & Portugal. 

Viking Free Air Promo Codes

We’re seeing a number of Free Air Codes from Viking right now.  If the dates work for you, it’s worth taking a look.  The Catch:  must be booked by December 31:

Destination	Departure Date for Free Air
Mississippi River	Throughout 2024
Antarctica	November & December 2024
Scandinavia (various itineraries)	May to July 2024
Great Lakes	April through October 2024
Longer European River Cruises (12 – 14 nights)	March & April 2024

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.

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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

Last night, at about 10.30 Eastern Time, we experienced the winter solstice (do you feel any different?).  Yep… today will have a little more daylight than yesterday… we’re over the hump.

The longer nights do, however, make it much easier to see the Northern Lights, and many of you have been asking about this recently, so I thought I’d offer some perspectives.

• The best conditions to see the Aurora Borealis are dark, clear skies, and the further north, the better.  But occasionally mother nature lets us see them further south, and in twilight conditions. 
• They are most visible between October and March.
• A common question is whether you will see them on an Alaskan Cruise.  The Alaskan cruise ship season runs from May to September, so it would be extraordinarily rare to see them from a cruise ship in Alaska. 
• Likewise, you won’t see the Auroras on an Antarctic Cruise… because it’s the Southern Hemisphere’s summer.  
• Many people prefer to see them from a cruise ship because the logistics are easier: you can usually embark and disembark from places easier to get to/from.  Ships can also adjust course to find better places to see the Northern Lights (the big impediment is usually clouds).
• There are some land-based locations where seeing them is fairly reliable.  Bob worked in the Oil Patch in Northern Canada for a couple years, and reports seeing them frequently.  However… I don’t think you’d be all that excited if I sent you to Fort McMurray, Alberta.  Luckily Alaska, Iceland, and Scandinavia all have properties from which you have a reasonable chance to see the Northern Lights.  
• Some of you worry about the cold… I’m afraid I can’t solve that problem for you, but can tell you that most cruise lines and land resorts will provide some winter clothing for you, so you don’t have to buy an entirely new wardrobe if you’re chasing the Northern Lights.  

Here are a few ways to experience the Northern Lights:

Viking Ocean for 13-days between London and Bergen

• Visit London, Amsterdam, Narvik, Tromso (overnight), Alta (overnight), Bergen (overnight).

• 2024 is mostly sold out, but you can go in January through March 2025 in a Veranda starting at $4999 per person.
• For those that love Viking, or prefer a small-ship luxury experience, this trip fits the bill. 

Northern Lights Promise with Hurtigruten for 12-days round-trip from Bergen.  

• Hurtigruten offers the “Northern Lights Promise”.  They are confident enough that you’ll see the Northern Lights, that if they don’t appear, they’ll offer you another cruise free.
• This ship also doubles as a Norwegian Coastal ferry and makes several stops a day.  You won’t find a more authentic way to see these remote parts of Norway, but it’s not a traditional cruise experience.  
• Window rooms with a Queen Bed from $4820 per person in March, or $3688 in November. 

If you’d prefer to see the Northern Lights from Land, here are some suggestions:

Alaska Northern Lights for 7-days with Collette.  

• Visit Fairbanks, Talkeetna, and Anchorage.  Travel by Alaska Rail, go dog sledding, and a Winter Glacier cruise in Prince William Sound.
• Depart March 25 or 30 from $3899

Churchill, Manitoba for 7-days with Natural Habitat Adventures

• Churchill is in the northernmost part of the Canadian Province of Manitoba, on Hudson’s Bay.  It’s about a 3 hour flight north from Winnipeg.  Churchill has some of the most intense Auroral activity on earth, and you can see it from their 360 glass Aurora Pod.
• Churchill’s other claim to fame is that it’s where people go to see Polar Bears in the wild.  
• You can visit January through March for 7-days from $7395 per person.  They provide all the parkas and other cold weather gear for you.  
• This location is much closer and easier to get to than Alaska or Norway.

Merry Christmas if that is what you’re celebrating this week.  If you’ve just finished your Hanukkah celebration, then Crag Sameach.  If there are other festivities in your plans for the next week, then I hope you are able to enjoy a peaceful and happy holiday with those most important to you.  

Today’s Travel Opportunities

In the event you’re looking for something different than the Northern Lights, here are a few things that came across my desk this week:

Oceania Happiest Holiday Sale

Our friends at Oceania are pretty good at letting us know when they’re going to raise prices, and that will happen on January 1, 2024, so you may want to take a look now – particularly at those cruises they’ve included in their holiday sale:  https://www.oceaniacruises.com/special-offers/holiday.  Here are a few examples, and due to our exclusive arrangement with them, we can get you free prepaid gratuities on these cruises:

Vancouver to LA departing September 14 for 12-days

• Visit Ketchikan, Sitka, Wrangell, Prince Rupert, Victoria, Astoria
• Verandas from $4599 with a $400 shore excursion credit and prepaid gratuities.

Dubai to Trieste (Italy) departing May 14 for 15 days

• Visit Dubai, Fujairah (UAE), Cephalonia (Greece), Corfu, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Split, Venice (Trieste).
• Verandas from $4299 with a $500 shore excursion credit, and free prepaid gratuities. 

London to Barcelona departing September 22 for 10-days.

• Visit Bordeaux (overnight), Bilbao, La Coruna, Oporto, Lisbon, Valencia, Barcelona
• Verandas from $4199 with a $400 shore excursion credit and free prepaid gratuities. 

Uniworld Early Booking Bonus 10% off

If you’re looking ahead to 2025, then Uniworld is offering 10% as an early booking bonus on many cruises: https://pamperedcruiser.uniworld.com/us/current-offers/2025-early-booking-savings.  Here’s two examples:

Portugal & Spain departing April 6 or April 13, 2025 for 7-nights

• Portugal is mostly sold out in 2024, so you may want to look at 2025. 
• Round-trip from Porto.  Experience wineries, scenic cruising, roman ruins, and the Moorish influence of this corner of Europe.  
• Fares starting at $4899 LESS 10% early booking discount

Amsterdam to Bucharest for 24 days departing April through July

• Explore 10 different countries from the Atlantic to the Black Sea, and only have to unpack once on Uniworld’s Boutique riverboat. 
• Visit the Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Romania, and Bulgaria. 
• Fares starting at $10,199 LESS 10% early booking discount.

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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