One of the things you have told us is that paying for your river cruise 12 or 15 months ahead of time is an irritation to an otherwise great experience.

AMA Waterways has also heard this feedback, and they think that paying 12 WEEKS ahead of time is a bit more reasonable than 12 months (or more) in advance.  

You’ve probably heard of AMA Waterways, but you might be wondering how they are different than the other river cruise companies out there.

All of the river cruise companies that we deal with in Europe offer a luxury guest experience, so they are LESS differentiated than the ocean cruise lines.  This means you’ll have a fantastic experience regardless of who you travel with, but it does make it confusing if you’re trying to make a decision between river cruise lines.

AMA Waterways fares include transfers, a choice of several different included shore excursions in every port, beer/wine with meals, and wifi on the ship.  

When we’ve travelled with AMA Waterways, there’s a few things that stood out for us:

• The Rooms – there are window rooms available for those looking for the best price, but most of the rooms on decks 2 and 3 are combination veranda and French balcony (you get both!).  So the room feels much larger.
• The Wellness Coordinator – each sailing has a crew member on board that can lead more active shore excursions, as well as offering fitness, yoga and pilates classes on board the ship included in your fare.  There is also a small gym on board for those that wish to stay active.
• Bicycles for Borrowing – it’s nice to be able to go for a bike ride right off the ship in your spare time.  You might even be able to ride along the dike to meet the ship at the next port of call!
• Happy Hour – Beer and wine is included with your meals, and for the hour or so before they start seating for dinner, there is a happy hour in the main lounge where your drinks are also included.  It’s a small thing, but a nice touch.
• Choice of Shore Excursions – in most ports of call, you have a choice between 2, 3 or 4 different included activities.  This works really well if you’re travelling with group of people that may have different interests.  My favorite example of this is in the Rhine port of Rudesheim, where AMA offers a choice of six different included excursions.  You can choose 2 of those excursions.  This is much better than the standard walking tour of the town.  
• Trip Extensions – There are some interesting pre and post cruise land packages, and on many of those, the cruise manager travels with you on the extension.  
• Itineraries – AMA Waterways is the only company operating on the Magdalena River in Columbia, and the Chobe River in Southern Africa (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa & Zimbabwe).  Imagine doing an African Safari from a River Boat!  

AMA operates on all the main European rivers, as well as Egypt, Viet Nam/Cambodia, South Africa, and Columbia.  They do a number of themed cruises each year, so they are a good choice if you’d like to do a Wine or Golf Themed Cruise.

I am leaving today to travel AMA’s Mekong itinerary in Vietnam and Cambodia… so I’ll have fresh product knowledge to share soon about this exciting itinerary.  I will be travelling with Kim, our Head of Sales, but Bob and the rest of our team is still at our office “minding the store”.  If you have any specific questions about the Mekong or AMA Waterways in general, they’ll be able to respond.  Any detailed questions about the Mekong itinerary, they will collect and send to Kim and me while we’re there, and we’ll chase up the answers for you.

Today’s Travel Opportunities

We have a private sale running with AMA for the month of September.  For any cruises booked this month, we can offer:

• $100 per person on board credit on ANY AMA WATERWAYS cruise
• $200 per person on the select sailings.  Some of these special departures are listed below. 
• If you want to travel in 2023, (there’s still space on some Christmas Markets Cruises) we can get them to throw in Pre-Paid Gratuities.  
• THE CATCH:  Must be booked by September 30.

Christmas Markets on the Danube departing December 11, 2023 for 7-nights

• Visit Vilshofen, Passau, Linz, WEISSENKIRCHEN, Vienna, ESZTERGOM, Budapest
• Prague/Munich pre/post available 
• $3499 for a window.  $5198 Veranda,

Tulips Time Cruise departing March 28 for 7-nights

• Visit Amsterdam, Hoorn, Middelburg, Ghent, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Schoonhoven, 
• Amsterdam pre/post available 
• Window:  $2560.  French Balcony: $3859.  Twin Balcony $4459. Prices reflect 20% off. 

Magna on the Danube departing July 21 or Aug 4, Oct 27 for 7-nights

Magna is twice as wide as a standard European River Boat, but only holds 20% more guests – so the rooms are much bigger, and there’s more public space.

• Visit Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Krems, Linz, Passau, Vilshofen,
• Extensions available to Prague or Budapest
• Window:  $3520, Veranda $5819.  Prices reflect 20% off

Rhine Castles & Swiss Alps departing August 12 or November 4 for 7-nights

• Visit Amsterdam, Cologne, Rhine Gorge, Rudesheim, Ludwigshafen (for Speyer or Heidelberg), Strasbourg & Basel
• Pre/Post available to Amsterdam and/or Lake Como, Italy.
• Window $3200, French Balcony $4499, Twin Balcony $5099

WINE CRUISE:  Vineyards of Rhine & Moselle departing June 26 for 7-nights

• Visit Amsterdam, Cologne, Rudesheim, Mainz, Lahnstein, Cochem, Bernkastel, Luxembourg. 
• Pre/post available in Amsterdam and/or Paris
• Window $3499, French Balcony $4898, Dual Veranda:  $5498.  Prices reflect $500 OFF

Portugal: Douro River departing July 6 or November 12 for 7-nights

• Round-trip from Porto.  Visit Entre os Rios, Regua, Pinhao, Vega de Terron, Barca d’Alva
• Pre Extension available to Lisbon
• Window: $3799, French Balcony: $5098, Veranda $5698.  Prices reflect $500 off

Mekong River (Vietnam & Cambodia) departing September 30 for 7-nights

• Visit Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho, Cai be – Sa Dec, Tan Chau, Phnom Penh, Oudong, Kampong Tralach, Oknhatey, Angkor Ban, Kampong Cham, Siem Reap.

• $1999 for a 251 square foot twin balcony.  Price reflects $1000 off per person
• Available trip extensions to Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap, Hanoi and/or Halong Bay

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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 asked about the pending changes for US passport holders for entering Europe.  These are good questions – in large part because as usual, the TV “News” is offering half-truths, partial information, and no context for what is actually happening.

The new entry system is called ETIAS.  Here’s what you need to know:

It’s Not really a Visa.  Some countries require you to send your passport to their embassy in advance of travel, and often you need to hire a lawyer to get it done.  The Europeans are putting in place an Electronic Travel Authorization… not a visa requirement.

It’s no big deal.  Visitors to Australia and New Zealand have been doing this for a couple of decades, and generally find the process to be painless.  We expect the same from the EU.  At this point MOST countries require some form of advance authorizations – this is not new.  

What countries does it cover?  ETIAS will cover all 27 countries in the Schengen Zone.  This covers just about all the countries our clients visit in Europe.  The exceptions are mostly in Eastern Europe (Albania, Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Turkey)

What about the UK?  The British chose to leave the European Union, so ETIAS will not cover your trips to the England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.  They will be putting in their own Electronic Travel Authorization soon, so at some point in the future if you have a trip to Europe planned that also includes some time in the UK, you’ll have to get authorization for each separately.  There are lots of opinions around BREXIT – but there little question that this aspect of it makes very little sense.  

What are the requirements?  You need a valid US-Passport, and a credit card to pay the fee.  You will also be asked questions about your previous travel history, and your occupation.  If you have any criminal convictions, you will be required to disclose those.  I have completed many visas and electronic travel authorizations, and these questions are quite standard.  

What’s the process?  Sometime in advance of 96 hours before you go, you’ll need to go to the ETIAS website, and complete your application, and pay the fee (if applicable).  Once you’ve gotten ETIAS authorization it is good for 3-years for multiple entries for up to 90-days.  The system is expected to issue approvals within a few minutes (or up to 24-hours).  They are currently not taking applications, but once this begins, it makes sense to apply well in advance.  

What’s the cost?  €7 if you’re between the ages of 18 and 70.  If you are older or younger, it will be free.  

When does this begin?  There have been several false-starts, but the current time-table is for this to start in 2024.  The have been some media reports that this will start in November of 2023, but there is no mention of this on the official website.  What it does say is that they intend to be forgiving about the whole process for the first few months while they work out the bugs, so for anyone traveling in the next several months, there really is nothing to worry about. 

Don’t be cranky about this.  It’s worth noting that citizens of the EU have been required to get an electronic authorization to visit the USA for more than a decade, and they have to apply every time they come to the US at a cost of $14.  The conditions the Europeans are imposing on us are notably less than we’ve imposed on them.  

Where can I learn more?  https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en 

Today’s Travel Opportunities

Oceania

For those that love food, Oceania is the perfect fit – they really do stand out for their culinary program.  They also have a new fare structure that includes all specialty dining, beer/wine with meals, a shore-excursion credit, and wifi on the ship.  If you want to learn more about the new fare structure, here’s a short video we put together:  https://youtu.be/0115RvMoa6M?si=DmJgYzfHkBkTAJPT 

Istanbul to Venice for 10-days departing June 19. 

• Visit Istanbul (overnight), Izmir, Santorini, Argostoli, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Hvar, Slovenia, Venice.
• Veranda rooms from $4999, with a $400 per person shore-excursion credit, and on this sailing, we can get pre-paid gratuities thrown in too. 
• This cruise is on board the brand new Oceania Vista.

Amsterdam to Oslo for 12 days departing  June 24 

• Visit Amsterdam, Antwerp (overnight), Le Havre (for Paris), London, Guernsey, Cork, Dublin, Glasgow, Stavanger, Arendal, Oslo.
• Fares start at $3999 with a $400 shore-excursion credit.
• OR take advantage of upgrade sale, and get veranda for the Ocean View price of $4949.

Explora Journeys

The reviews are in, and this new contemporary European brand is knocking it out of the park.  No main dining room, but a series of (included) specialty restaurants.  You’ll also have a huge 375 square foot veranda room.  Your fare includes an open bar, wifi, specialty dining, and gratuities.  If you missed our vendor focus on Explora… here’s the link:  https://pamperedcruiser.com/explora-journeys-world-debut/ 

Los Angeles to Vancouver for 7-days departing April 12

• Visit SF overnight, Astoria for Portland, Victoria, 
• Verandas start at $3250 per person
• This cruise is a great opportunity to check out this new brand close to home.  Extend your stay in Vancouver before it gets busy for the tourist season. 

Vancouver to Hawaii for 10-days departing April 18

• Visit Hilo (overnight), Honolulu (overnight)
• Verandas start at $7200 per person

SilverSea

SilverSea is the traditional luxury brand with several goodies on offer right now.  The ships have a maximum of 700 people on board, is fully inclusive with every room being a suite. 

• A Suite upgrade in select categories
• $500 per person on board credit
• An exclusive 5% discount that is only available through our agency. 
• THE CATCH:  you must book by September 15 to get all these offers.  

There are nearly 500 cruises that qualify for these offers.  Here’s a link to their website if you’d like to shop:  https://www.silversea.com/best-luxury-cruise-deals/suite-upgrades.html 

Here are a couple of examples.  Remember a further 5% discount is available (on any SilverSea cruise), but it has to be booked through us:

New York – Barbados for 16 days departing November 18

• Visit NYC, Norfolk VA, Hamilton Bermuda (2 nights), San Juan PR, St. Thomas, St Barts, St. Kitts, St. John’s, Martinique, St. Lucia, Bridgetown. 
• Veranda suites start at $7150

Auckland to Sydney for 14-days departing Jan 4

• Visit Gisborne, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hobart (overnight), Port Arthur, Burnie, Sydney.
• Windows at $5650.  Verandas start at $7150.

Hong Kong to Toyko departing March 14 for 16 days

• Visit Hong Kong (overnight), Jeju (South Korea), Seoul (overnight), Busan, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Osaka (overnight), Tokyo
• Windows from $7950.  Verandas from $9450

Recently booked a Viking Cruise?  

Viking makes it really easy to book direct, either online or by phone.  Our clients worry that if they book on-line, that they’re cutting us out, but if you let us know after you’ve booked, then we can still help you with your reservation.  

We’ll check over your booking to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal, and we will also add some onboard credits that are not available on direct bookings.

We can add at least $100 per person onboard credit to any direct Viking reservation made in the last 60 days.

There is never a situation where you’ll get a better deal by booking directly with Viking (or any other cruise line).
Also, in case you’re wondering, there is NO fee to work with us.  We get paid commission by the cruise lines after our clients travel.  So, please get in touch to let us know about your existing reservations (including those made while on board).

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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

Perhaps the first time you imagined Venice was after seeing it represented in a cartoon as a child… or maybe in a James Bond film.  There is no doubt that Venice is a unique place that captures the imagination.

Given its position in the Mediterranean, it’s also in a prime location for servicing cruise ships, which it did very well until 2021.  After sabre-rattling for years about cruise ship traffic in the Venetian Lagoon, the Italian Government acted with uncharacteristic swiftness in outlawing any cruise ship over 25,000 tons (which is essentially all of them).  This left cruise lines scrambling to find alternative docking locations that could still provide reasonable access to the many attractions in Venice. 

If you are booked (or are considering) a Mediterranean Cruise, it’s worth asking where you’ll be docked if you’ve not been to Venice previously.  Here’s the most common docking locations currently in use for Venice:

• Porto Marghera – this is the closest port, and it is on the mainland side, close to the airport.  It’s about 20 minutes into town.
• Fusina – this is near Porto Marghera.  It’s about 30 minutes by car or water taxi into the city center. 
• Chioggia – this charming little town is sometimes called “Little Venice” and is on the opposite side of the Venetian Lagoon from Venice.  By car or bus it’s about an hour from Venice.  You can also take local (boat) transit, and transfer at Lido to get into Venice.
• Trieste – this is about 120 kilometers or 90 minutes from Venice.  You will want to look at a cruise line transfer to get here to/from Venice.
• Ravenna – is actually the port for Bologna.  If your ship is docked here, it’s about 150 kilometers or between 1.5 and 2 hours into Venice. 

The bottom line regardless of where your ship is docked is that you’ll be some distance from the Venice city-center – at least compared to prior to 2021 when you could walk right off your ship, and into the sites of Venice.

The cruise lines are still operating shore excursions in Venice – there’s just a bit longer of a motor coach ride to get there from the ship.

Even without this complication, Venice is a place that warrants more than a few hours to explore, and most people using Venice as an embarkation or disembarkation port spend a few days pre or post.  If you want to stay on or near the Grand Canal, you won’t find many cheap hotel options – for those you should look near the airport (about 30 minutes out of town).  

If you’re thinking of staying 3 or 4 days pre or post in Venice to really see the region in depth, you may want to look at Uniworld’s river boat La Venezia that resides in the lagoon.  It’s well under 25,000 tons, so it is not forbidden from the City of Canals.  You’ll be staying waterfront everyday in a different location, but you only have to unpack once.  They run one-week itineraries that start every week on Sundays.  You’ll also find that a week aboard La Venezia (that includes all your drinks, meals, gratuities, transfers, and daily shore activities) will be more cost effective than staying in a hotel in the city.  

Uniworld is the Boutique Hotels operator on the rivers, and there’s no doubt when you’re on board La Venezia, that you’re in Venice.  Here’s our ship tour video from when we were on board in 2022:  https://youtu.be/hUDyly0PG4w?si=1YLOPZt2CtGPfiTb

Today’s Travel Opportunities

If you’re considering pre/post in Venice, here’s a bit more information about Uniworld’s La Venezia:

• Departs every Sunday, round-trip from Venice (yes – they actually port in the city-center)
• During your week on board, you’ll visit several spots in Venice, and a bit further afield in the Venetian lagoon:  Venice (several locations across several days), Padua, Tocello, Murano, Mazzorbo, Burano, and Chioggia.
• Sites visited:  Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, colorful fishing village of Burano, Glass Blowing in Murano, Po River Delta, as well as the townships mentioned above. 
• Available March through October with pricing starting at $3299 – $3799 (dependin on your departure date).
• All 2024 departures eligible for a 10% early booking discount, AND a $150 per person on board credit. 
• Includes transfers, open bar, a choice of included shore excursions daily, gratuities and wifi on the ship.  

Here are some ocean cruises that start or finish near Venice:

Istanbul to Venice for 10-days departing June 19 on OCEANIA VISTA

• Visit Istanbul (overnight), Izmir, Santorini, Argostoli, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Hvar, Koper, Trieste.  
• Verandas from $4999. 
• Includes $400 per person  shore excursion credit, beer/wine with meals, specialty dining, wifi on the ship. 
• Do post-cruise on Uniworld’s La Venezia from $3499

Venice round-trip for 9-nights departing September 8, 2024 on AZAMARA PURSUIT

• CROATIA intensive voyage:  Visit Opatija, Sibenik, Split, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Hvar, Zadar, Pula.  
• Verandas from $3599
• Do pre-cruise on Uniworld’s La Venezia from $3799

Venice to Athens for 7-nights departing April 28 on SEABOURN ENCORE

• Visit Vodice, Kotor, Corfu, Sami, Nafplion, Athens
• Verandas from $3609
• Do pre-cruise on Uniworld’s La Venezia from $3799

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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

First order of business:  We are VERY sorry.

Many of you received our email multiple times last week, and I’m fully aware of how annoying this was, and I want to personally say “I’m sorry”.  

There are about 30,000 of you who receive these notes every week, so we use an email service to deliver them, and they experienced a technical problem that resulted in multiple deliveries.  They have assured us that they’ve determined the root of the problem, and that it won’t happen again. 

So thank you for your patience, and thank you to the overwhelming number of you who reached out to us to let us know we had a problem.  Our entire team worked through the weekend to try to personally respond to the several hundred messages we received, so I hope you heard back from us.

The overwhelming majority of the emails we received were of this nature:

“Oh-oh.  Just a heads-up, I received this message 10 times in a one minute period.  Just wanted to make sure you were aware of the problem”

Yes – we quickly became aware, but still really appreciate so many of you taking the time to tell us so.

We also received some hate-mail.  For your entertainment, here are some of them:  

Is this really necessary?  One message is enough…nine messages (all identical) is “overkill marketing and solicitations”.  ONE TIME ONLY.

Good grief. You filled my inbox with emails. One a day is plenty.

Yesterday I received at least 3 identical messages . Today it was 5. Somebody has to pay attention .

Really?????  9 emails in 10 minutes?

And these were the polite ones… I’m not going to publish those filled with excessive anger and vitriol.  

If I received 10 identical messages, I know I’d be annoyed, but I’d quickly realize an error had been made and exercise my index finger on the delete button.  

Many of these people have received a solitary once-a-week email from us for literally years, but this mistake still managed to set them off like fireworks on the 4^th of July. 

So we removed all those people from our mailing list.  

Not because we don’t sympathize with their irritation – it’s very frustrating.

We unsubscribed them because travel requires being able to roll with the punches.  Things happen – flights get delayed; hotels overbook; ground transportation can be late; there are traffic jams; attractions close at the last minute; cruise lines cancel ports.  The list of potential issues when you travel is endless.

The best travellers are those who have enough resilience to quickly recover when things don’t go their way.  

Those who get set off by an email error are not resilient, and are probably happier sitting in their basements looking for other reasons to be angry than out there learning more about the world.  Either way, we really don’t want to deal with them.  

So, as much as we regret the inconvenience and annoyance of last week’s email mishap, we were very much encouraged by the number of high-quality people on our subscriber list.  Out of 30,000 people, we only unsubscribed a few dozen angry souls.  In percentage terms, this is significantly less than 1%.

So thank you for sticking with us, and for being tolerant of this error.  It won’t happen again.  

Today’s Travel Opportunities

AMA Waterways – 20% Off Sale

Our friends at AMA are offering 20% off select European departures in 2023 and 2024.  AMA is a bit different than some other river cruise lines.  For example, you get:

• A gym, spa, and pool on board.  
• A “wellness coordinator” on every cruise who leads complimentary yoga and fitness classes, as well as more active shore excursion options. 
• Final payment due 90 days prior to sailing.
• A choice of several different included shore excursions in every port
• Included happy hour before dinner every night, as well as wine and beer with lunch and dinner

If you want to see the complete list of sailings with the 20% discount, here’s the link:  https://www.amawaterways.com/agent/pamperedcruiser/save20-2023 

Here are a few examples (prices below already include the 20% discount):

Danube River between Budapest and Vilshofen (Bavaria) for 7-nights: 

• This sailing is on board the AMA Magna, which is twice as wide as the standard river ships, so there’s a ton of space.

• Visit Budapest (overnight), Bratislava, Vienna, Krems (for Durnstein), Wachau Valley Scenic Cruising), Linz, and Passau.
• November 12, 2023: 252 square ft. Veranda for $5059 pp (this one’s a wine-themed cruise!)
• July 21, 2024:  $5819 pp (Veranda)
• Add on 2-nights in Budapest pre-trip, AND 3-nights in Prague post-trip for $1560 pp.

Vineyards of Rhine & Moselle between Amsterdam and Luxembourg for 7-nights

• From the beer halls in Cologne to estate wineries in the Moselle Valley, this itinerary is great for those who have been to Europe previously. 

• Visit Amsterdam (overnight), Cologne, Rudesheim, Mainz, Lahnstein, Moselle Valley, Bernkastel, and Luxembourg. 
• 2023:  Sold Out
• July 24, 2024 for $4499 pp (French Balcony)
• Add 2-nights in Amsterdam pre-trip AND 2-nights in Champagne, AND 1-night Paris post-trip for $2100 pp.

Douro River in Portugal – 7-nights round-trip from Porto

• Visit Entre-os-Rios, Regua, Pinhao, Vega de Terron, and Barca d’Alva
• December 2, 2023: $3979 pp (French Balcony)
• August 3, 2024:  $4739 pp (French Balcony)
• Add 3 nights in Lisbon pre-trip for $900 pp.

Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel for 7-nights

• Visit Cologne, Rhine Gorge, Rudesheim, Ludwigshafen (for Heidelberg), Strasbourg, and Breisach (for the Black Forest).  
• November 16, 2023:  $3359 pp (French Balcony).  Wine-themed cruise!
• May 9, 2024:  $4019 pp (French Balcony)

Viking FREE Air Promotion

The folks at Viking are offering free round-trip air on a handful of dates and itineraries.  The Catch:  it must be booked by August 31, and for departures in 2023, the full payment will be due within 24 hours of booking.

Western Mediterranean Quiet Season

• 13-days from Rome to Lisbon departing Nov 30, 2023
• Visit Rome, Florence/Pisa, Monte Carlo, Marseille, Montpellier, Barcelona (overnight), Valencia, Cartagena, Granada, Seville, and Lisbon (overnight)
• There are a few Balcony Cabins left at $5299 pp.

Australia & New Zealand

It is extraordinarily rare to see free air applied to Australia/New Zealand bookings, so if you would like to spend Christmas down-under, this is a great opportunity:

• 15-days from Auckland to Sydney departing December 19, 2023
• Visit Auckland (overnight), Rotorua, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Faveaux Strait, Tasmania, Bass Strait, Melbourne, and Sydney (overnight). 
• Balcony Cabins from $6999 pp with Free Air on the December 19th departure.
• Conversely, go January 16 or 30, 2024 for $7999 pp, with air starting at $1999 pp.

Greece & Turkey

• 11-days round-trip from Athens departing December 12th, 2023
• Visit Athens (overnight), Volos, Thessaloniki, Ephesus, Rhodes, Santorini, Crete, and Nafplio
• Balcony cabins from $3899 pp with Free Air on the December 12th departure.
• Or, go in February 2024 for $4999 pp with air starting at $1299 pp

Remember that Viking includes all taxes & fees, round-trip air (where indicated), transfers, a shore excursion in every port, beer/wine with meals, and wifi on the ship.

Costa Rica & Panama: Land + Cruise Combination with Tauck

If you’d like transit the Panama Canal by small ship, but don’t want the Florida to California trip, here’s a great alternative:

• San Jose, Costa Rica to Panama City for 12-days with 4-nights in hotels, and 7-nights on a 184 passenger yacht.  
• Visit San Jose (Costa Rica – for waterfall, coffee plantations, volcanoes, rainforests, and wildlife sightings), Playa Herradura (for bird watching, Pura Vida Gardens), Quepos (for Manuel Antonio NP and coral sand beaches), Darien (Panama – to visit an indigenous village), Panama Canal (full transit), San Blas Islands, Colon, and Panama City.  
• Depart January 15 for $8990 pp, OR February 1 or 15 for $8790 pp

Recently booked a Viking Cruise?   

Viking makes it really easy to book direct, either online or by phone.  Our clients worry that if they book on-line, that they’re cutting us out, but if you let us know after you’ve booked, then we can still help you with your reservation.  

We’ll check over your booking to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal, and we will also add some onboard credits that are not available on direct bookings.

We can add at least $100 per person onboard credit to any direct Viking reservation made in the last 60 days.

There is never a situation where you’ll get a better deal by booking directly with Viking (or any other cruise line).
Also, in case you’re wondering, there is NO fee to work with us.  We get paid commission by the cruise lines after our clients travel.  So, please get in touch to let us know about your existing reservations (including those made while on board).

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/pfbid0K3LFmddnmija7q6JqTqBpjxjkvi3w1Sb7WQVVY8XHjvQvbLs93Aq6n9KQTFxjg88l

If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

New travel products don’t come along very often – particularly in the cruise sector.  Virgin Voyages has attempted it – but that product is not quite right for our clients (although if you’re a 30-something looking to get a tattoo on vacation, it’s perfect!).

Explora Journeys is a luxury lifestyle brand created from scratch, and their Maiden Voyage set sail from Copenhagen earlier this month.  We have several travel industry peers aboard, and the reports of the ship, crew, food and service are glowing.

There is just one ship operating currently, but there are 5 more near-identical ships on order that will hit the water between now and 2028.  Explora I will hold 922 guests when fully loaded, and the ship is 64,000 tons.  If you’re wondering how this compares with other small ship luxury ocean lines, here are the stats.  A higher passenger space ratio indicates more space per person, overall. This space can be part of passenger suites but also includes public spaces.

	Guests	Size (tons)	Passenger Space Ratio
Explora Journeys	922	64,000	69.4
Oceania	1200	67,000	55.8
Seabourn	600	40,000	66.0
Viking Ocean	930	48,000	51.6

Here’s a bit more detail about this exciting new brand:

• Spacious Suites – The entry-level stateroom on Explora ships is a 377 square foot suite with a king-sized bed, walk-in closet, and a veranda (or “Sun Terrace” as they call them) large enough for 2 chairs AND a daybed for soaking up the sun.
• Inclusions – The fare includes an open bar (including an in-suite mini-bar), all specialty dining, gratuities, taxes/fees, and high speed internet… it really includes everything other than shore excursions (Explora calls these “Destination Experiences”).  This is because in preliminary surveys, potential guests indicated they would rather make their own decisions about allocating dollars to shore excursions.  To be clear – the cruise lines that include shore excursions are not offering them free – they are simply pre-paid.  With Explora (as with Seabourn) you have complete control over the choice.  
• Dining – there isn’t a main dining room on Explora, where everyone shows up at an appointed time.  Instead, much like a land resort, there are a variety of choices (9 of them!) where you can either make a reservation ahead of time OR come as a “walk up”.  One of the restaurants will be themed for the specific area through which you are travelling (e.g., when you’re in Greece, it will be a Greek restaurant).  Frank Garanger, the Head of Culinary, was formerly with Oceania (well known for their amazing food), so we are expecting great things with Explora’s culinary program.
• Entertainment – much like the restaurant situation, Explora does not have a big main theatre that cranks out the Vegas-style production shows.  Instead, there are a wide variety of smaller venues (10 of them!) with different styles and types of entertainment, that are intended for you to drop in at your whim.  No more setting your watch to rush through dinner to make the show.
• Size – With 922 guests, Explora ships are small enough to offer a luxury experience, and large enough to be able to offer the multiple food and entertainment venues mentioned above.
• Price – Currently the entry level price point (remember, no matter which room you choose, you’ll have a huge veranda suite with a king bed) is between $350 and $600 per person, per day.  With all the inclusions, this translates to really good value – particularly when you compare it to a European urban city stay (which it resembles more so than a cruise, in many ways).  Explora has already revealed that their prices will increase (not decrease) as the departure date approaches. Right now, with Explora trying to attract new guests, the pricing is at a real sweet spot.
• Itineraries – Most Explora itineraries start and finish in major ports, making flight arrangements very easy.  In between, you’ll visit many lesser-known places, which makes this perfect for people who have travelled extensively.  You’ll get to the out-of-the-way places, but you don’t have to take a private plane or multiple connections to access them. 
• Itineraries (Part 2) – Explora I does not have a home port but rather roams the world continuously.  There are many 6-to-10-day itineraries you can combine with the segment immediately before or after, meaning you can string together cruises and be on board as long as you like WITHOUT repeating any ports.  When staying at a hotel, you can pick your check-in and check-out dates… Explora Journeys has come as close as you can to replicating that on a moving vessel.  Also consider the possibility of creating a Custom World Cruise.   You choose the segments you want to be on board, and in between segments you can stay for a while in a destination that intrigues yyou… then fly to catch up with the ship for your next onboard segment.
• Casual European Luxury – often, luxury cruise lines have things like caviar luncheons and butlers with white gloves.  Some people love that stuff.  Others in that situation (like me) feel like Gilligan on a ship full of Mr. & Mrs. Howells.  Explora has struck the perfect balance between luxury, food, beverage, amenities and service that you can enjoy in a golf shirt (not a tuxedo).

Bob and I are amongst a small number of travel agents invited to be on the Advisory Board for this exciting new brand.  As such, we can get you an exclusive 300 Euro “Journey Experience Credit” (onboard credit) to spend on ANY Explora cruise that’s 7 nights or longer.

We have an explainer video about Explora Journeys on our YouTube channel.  Bob interviews Aimee Price – the Head of Sales for USA West and Canada.  Besides participating in an in-depth discussion of what to expect from Explora Journeys, Aimee also provided a bunch of photos and videos about the ships and their amenities.  Here’s the link:  https://youtu.be/qxtqmE94EBg 

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