One of the great things about being alive in this century is our seemingly endless opportunities to travel and explore the world. 

The flip side of this blessing is to overlook or discount what is in our own backyard.

The stretch of the country in Oregon and Washington falls into this “overlooked” category.  No one disputes the beauty and attraction of San Francisco, Seattle or Vancouver.  However, what occurs between those cities is often underestimated.

Portland, Oregon is a great example of this.  Years ago, I remember driving from Southern California all the way to Vancouver, and was awed by the scenery and attractions along that route.   At that time, though, I considered Portland to be little more than a gas station stop. 

No longer – Portland is “ground zero” for craft breweries in the United States, and has a funk factor that rivals better known West Coast cities. 

It is also at the mouth of the Columbia River – perhaps the most overlooked place in North America for cruise experiences. 

The geography and scenery in Washington and Oregon rivals that in Alaska.  You won’t find calving glaciers, but you will find waterfalls, impressive rainforests, volcanoes, and wildlife.

While the Alaska cruise run attracts over 2 million visitors a year, the Columbia River attracts only a small fraction of that. 

So what do you do on a Columbia River Cruise?

First – you spend a few days in Portland – it seems no one has ever been there, so you’ll have instant bragging rights.  You should also check out the Oregon Coast – one of the best-kept secrets in the entire country – miles of beautiful beach and sand dunes. 

Once you board your ship, there are a wide variety of activities:

• Enrichment lectures on the Lewis & Clark expedition that initially explored this area.
• Wine – believe it or not, Washington State produces some incredible, world-class wines.  The long summer days at high latitude work really well for some varietals of grapes.
• Educational opportunities to learn about the rich indigenous culture of the area.  The totem poles, long houses, and cultural artefacts normally associated with Alaska and British Columbia are also on display in Washington and Oregon.
• Water sports – for those more active, there are river rafting and kayaking opportunities on the Snake and Columbia rivers.  Many sections of the river are quite remote, so it’s a unique nature experience.
• Jet boating – if it’s more fun NOT to paddle

The other obvious advantage to the Pacific Northwest is the travel logistics – flight times are relatively short to get there, and you don’t have to check if your passport is up to date. 

There are two types of cruise on the Columbia/Snake rivers: 

1. River Cruises – American Cruise Lines and American Queen Steamboat Company both have ships here.
2. Expedition Cruises – UnCruise Adventures has ships here in the summer and fall months as well.

Washington and Oregon are great trips on their own.  Or, if you wanted to extend your Alaskan cruise, it’s very easy to get from Seattle/Vancouver to Portland or Spokane, Washington where these cruises start and finish.

Don’t overlook your own backyard!

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

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

Marketing is a bit of a dark art. 

The idea is a noble one – try to get people interested in whatever product you’re selling by talking up the benefits.

Somewhere along the line some marketing professionals decided to try to use “the new math” to market their wares.  So how does this apply to the cruise lines?

Some of the mass-market cruise lines are quite blatant about bumping up their prices the same day they advertise a 50% off sale.  That’s not really chatting up the benefits of your product as much as it trying to baffle people with the math.

In reality, there are cruise deals worth watching for.  The struggle we have is when someone contacts us, and thinks they are actually getting a 2 for 1 deal.  Sorry – those deals don’t exist… or I should say that no one ever pays full price, so the 2 for 1 does exist.  It just exists in perpetuity.

So how can you make sure you’re getting the best price?

Here are a few things you can do or avoid to make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck:

1. If you want to take a cruise at peak season – you’re going to pay peak price.  This probably seems obvious, but if you want to go to the Caribbean in March, or Alaska in July, you should be prepared to pay whatever the posted rate is – because the cruise lines don’t have any trouble filling their ships at those times
2. Conversely – consider shoulder season.  We really like Europe in April and October, for example.  You don’t go to Europe to bask in the sun, so why not go when there are fewer people there?  Alaska is worth considering in late April or May for the same reason.  The Caribbean is cheaper in August/September, but it is hurricane season so be prepared.  The Panama Canal often has great deals when they are relocating the ships in spring and fall.
3. Look at the entire package.  People often become far too fixated on the fare, when they need to also look at the included amenities.  Some of those amenities like free gratuities, or on board credits are really easy to value.  Beverage packages, free specialty dining, spa treatments or other goodies are worth as much as YOU would be willing to pay for them.  Different people will assign different values to these things, so figure out what it’s worth to you. 
4. See where the cruise lines are adding capacity.  Any consumer driven business is subject to the laws of supply and demand, and cruising is no different.  There are literally thousands of new rooms coming onto the market every year.  Part of this growth will be consumed by the increasing number of people choosing to make cruise ships their format of choice for vacation, but in other cases there will be some extra capacity in the system.  In 2019, we see some extra rooms in Alaska – there are four new ships there this coming year (two of them over 3500 passengers), so that will put some downward pressure on prices – particularly in the spring and fall.

The moral of the story is that it is always good to look at the sales, but rarely do we see substantial discounts in the cruise market – particularly in mass-market cruise lines where things are already very competitively priced compared to other vacation options.

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

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

Bob Wiley (in the movie “What About Bob?”) was so apprehensive about being on the water, they had to tie him to the mast.  Hopefully, you have no such aversion – otherwise you might want to stop reading now.

Star Clippers is a cruise line that you may not have heard about, but might be of interest to you, especially if you’ve already “been there, done that” in the Caribbean.

They have 3 ships – all true clipper ships, which give you an authentic tall ship experience.

Step aboard these unique vessels and discover a new age of sail, where the traditions of the past are happily married to the comforts and amenities of the present day.  These are modern cruise ships in every way, created for luxury-loving passengers who also love the traditions and romance of the legendary era of sailing ships. 

Each ship is about 5000 tons (compared to 30,000 tons for a small cruise ship ship, and 230,000 tons for the biggest cruise ship).  They hold between 170 and 225 people, and the best part is they will take you to unique places the other cruise lines simply don’t go. 

Star Clippers sail in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and Southeast Asia.  I’ve recently been dealing with a client who has been to the Caribbean well over a dozen times, and has been to all the standard ports of call.  He simply asked, “is there anything new or different?”.  He doesn’t have time to fly across one of the oceans for a cruise, but really wanted a unique vacation.

Star Clippers fit the bill for him, and it might be worth considering for you as well.

Star Clippers is a very casual offering – you will spend most of your cruise barefoot and in shorts.  They put a strong emphasis on the food, but there is no doubt that the focus of these cruises is on the tiny coves and villages that you just can’t get to on the bigger ships.

Some people have enquired with us before about the idea of chartering a sailboat in the Caribbean, but are usually turned off by the price, or the fact they will have to share a marine toilet with 12 other guests.

I’m happy to report that all of Star Clippers staterooms have private toilets.  I’m equally pleased to report that the cost to get on board the Clipper Fleet is in line with what we see on many other cruise lines. 

Here are a couple of examples:

7-nights: Round trip from Philipsburg in St Maarten in February/March 2019:  Cabins range between $1400 – $3300 per person.

If you’re looking for something a bit longer:

14-nights: Panama Canal starting in Barbados, finishing in Panama City in the fall of 2019.  Cabins range between $4000 – $7800 per person.

There are no Broadway shows (local entertainers are brought on from shore), and you won’t find a casino anywhere on a Star Clippers ship – so if those are required features for your cruise, we would be happy to recommend an alternative.

Right now, Star Clippers has some really great booking incentives:

• $200 Onboard Credit per Cabin and Pre-Paid Gratuities Per Person
• OR a Complimentary 1 Category Upgrade (Categories 2-6 only) and Pre-Paid Gratuities Per Person
  
• OR a Complimentary Massage Per Cabin (Double or Single Occupancy) and a Bottle of Champagne and Sweet Treats in Your Cabin

This special offer applies to all 3 ships, all destinations, and all dates!  You must book by Jan. 31st. to receive these perks.

Who knows… maybe you’ll even meet Bob Wiley – up on deck – strapped to the mast.

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

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

It would be hard not to notice the incredible growth of Viking Cruises – both on the rivers and the oceans.  Since 2010, they have doubled their market share, and now have over 50% of the European River Cruise market.  This is made more impressive by the fact they achieved this during a time when the whole river cruise market was growing – so their growth in absolute terms is even larger. 

Their growth can be attributed to a variety of factors:

• Their overwhelming direct marketing campaigns – if you’re anything like me, you probably get printed flyers and brochures delivered to your house several times a month.
• Their TV advertisements on PBS, and their promotions with Downton Abbey have certainly worked.
• The Viking Air program, where air is included or significantly reduced makes it easy for people to anticipate their costs.
• The Viking referral program where past guests can refer others and each get a $100 credit is also a stroke marketing genius. 

Most often their fares are several hundred dollars less than their competitors, which sometimes made me wonder – is Viking cutting some corners in order to keep prices low?  

As travel agents, we often get invited to sail on ships for what is called a “FAM” (or familiarization) trip.  Normally, travel agents are invited on board for off-season or shortened versions of a regular itinerary so they can experience first-hand what their clients will with a specific travel product.

It’s extraordinarily difficult to get a FAM trip on board Viking, because most of their ships are full, most of the time.   So I felt extremely honoured – and was paying close attention – this past September when I was on board the Viking Egil on the Romantic Danube itinerary.

The short answer is that I don’t believe that Viking is rounding any corners. Instead, their price leadership is based on a number of other factors:

1. Scale – when you own more than half the market, you should be able to conduct business at a lower cost than competitors.  Viking does this well.
2. Number of people per ship.  The river ships are all approximately the same size.  This is a function of having to get under bridges, and navigate the bends in the rivers.  Most of the river ships hold between 140 and 180 people, and the costs to run them would be very similar regardless of how many are on board.  The Viking ships are near the higher end of this range  (although I never felt crowded on board their ships).
3. Bicycles, gym equipment and spas.  These are amenities that some of the other river cruise lines do offer that Viking does not.  For our clients who find such things an important part of their choice of ship, we will push them to a different river cruise line. 

Inevitably people want to judge quality of food and service compared to their perceptions of those things on the ocean cruise ships they have been on.  If there were more than 1500 people on your last ocean cruise, then you will have been on one of the mass-market lines.  These ships definitely serve a purpose in the market, but you will find the quality of food and service to be higher on Viking, than any of those lines. 

Some people have asked if Viking is down-market version of the European river cruise (similar to what is available on a very cheap ocean cruise). That is certainly NOT the case – you will find the food, service and quality on Viking to be comparable to any 5-star hotel – and they just happen to be very competitively priced as well.

If you’re thinking of a Viking cruise, please don’t book directly with Viking!  When you book through me, you’ll gain extra onboard credits that you wouldn’t otherwise receive (other than that, the pricing is exactly the same).  The specific perk varies depending on when you book, and which itinerary and departure date you’re looking at.  Please get in touch for specific information. 

For example, you’ll receive $350 onboard credit per stateroom on select departures for the following itineraries in 2019:

• Viking Homelands

• Rhine Getaway

• Romantic Danube
• Danube Waltz
• Paris & the Heart of Normandy

• Lyon & Provence

• Châteaux, Rivers & Wine


If you’ve already booked with me, then you can rest assured that I’ve gotten you the maximum perk possible for your situation.  To get that $350 onboard credit mentioned above, you’ll need to be very flexible with your dates, as the selection of departure dates is extremely limited.  There is also some ‘fine print’ – the biggest one being that this perk is not combineable with Viking’s popular referral program. 

Anyways, like I say, please get in touch so that I can find out exactly how much onboard credit I can get for your specific situation.  I look forward to hearing from you.

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

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley