Around this time last year, we started hearing about a potentially dangerous virus in Asia that could potentially alter our clients’ travel plans. 

I don’t need to recap for you what happened after that. 

For many of us, it has been more than a year since we’ve been able to travel freely, as we had been accustomed to.

The travel trade is still going through its reckoning as a result of taking a year off, and there are plenty of pundits out there offering people like me advice on how to survive and reinvent ourselves as the situation drags on.

In reality, we’ve spent most of the past year re-booking our clients’ cancelled travel plans.  The downside of this is we only get paid after a client completes their trip (ouch!). 

The upside has been that working with clients on their vacation plans is the truly fun part of this business.  So, when the pundits started telling us that we needed to reach out to Millennials because they were more willing the travel in the past year, we briefly considered the idea… before soundly rejecting it.

Here’s why:

We feel a particular association with our clients. 

It’s true that YOU – our clients – come from all over the country with a wide variety of opinions and world views, but there are a few common threads that join all of you together:

• You mostly fall in the 55 – 75+ year-old age group.  Bob and I are both part of this cohort, so perhaps that’s why we were resistant to dealing with Millennials (although I’m sure many of them are delightful).
• You like to do a lot of your own research, and navigate the internet well in order to do so.  We are often very impressed by the questions we receive.
• Many of you have done independent travel in the past, but now prefer to have many of the frictions of independent travel taken out.  This is what makes you gravitate to cruising and packaged tours.  Sleeping in a train station in Europe provides great stories to tell after the trip, but most of our clients are well past such heroics (and so are we!)
• You have an urgency to travel.  Some people express this is “we need to go while we can”.  If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that we really DO need to do the things we want while they are still available. 
• You are not necessarily looking for the cheapest product out there, but you do want to understand that you’re receiving good value.  River cruises (about half our business), and small ship ocean cruises (the next 40%) are not cheap, but they do offer additional value for the additional cost.  The story we often hear is from our clients who end up taking their grandchildren on one of the mega-sized floating amusement parks out of Florida.  While there’s no doubt these cruises are incredibly cheap, our clients can hardly wait to get back on board a river ship or small ocean vessel where they’ll be “treated like a lady” (as Bob likes to say).

So, what’s next?

• You – our clients – are optimistic about returning to travel, but also pragmatic.  In some cases, that will mean waiting a few more months.
• Many of you have European River cruises planned for this summer and fall.  All the indications we have now are that those ships will sail as scheduled. 
• You have also used the pandemic to expand your horizons.  While many of our clients have been avid cruisers for years, many are now also exploring packaged land tour options as well.
• We’re seeing particular interest in rail trips – both in North America, and in Europe.
• Domestic travel continues to drive the “immediate-travel” market.  We get daily phone calls asking what’s available in the next month or two.  Sometimes the answer is a Mississippi river cruise, other times a National Parks Tour, sometimes it’s a week at a Ranch or Spa.  Cruisers are mixing things up!

As bad as it can be here at home, we must never forget that there are many people living less fortunate lives in other countries.

We need to remember that besides being responsible for 1 in 10 jobs in the US, the travel industry does a very effective job of redistributing some level of wealth from rich countries to those still developing economically.  It is vitally important for us to get back out there as soon as it is safe to do so.

Thank you for sticking with us this past year.  We’d love to help you with your next trip whenever you’re ready.

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/2927751150840713

If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

If you’ve missed it, we’ve been shortlisting two trips for each season of this year and inviting our readers to chime in with your comments if you’ve done a similar trip – and maybe even join us if it suits you!

For the Spring, we suggested a Mississippi River Cruise or a small-ship Alaska experience: https://pamperedcruiser.com/spring-2021-alaska-or-mississippi/

The summer will take us to either the Great Lakes or on a luxury rail trip through the Rockies: https://pamperedcruiser.com/this-is-a-tough-decision-maybe-we-should-do-both-trips/

Today we’re considering two international trips for travel this fall, and they couldn’t be more different. 

These two trips are at opposite extremes in just about every dimension.

Christmas Markets Danube River Cruise

There are Christmas markets all over Europe (and the rest of the world), but the real enthusiasts insist the Germans do it better than anyone. 

The Deal:

• AMA Waterways.  7 Nights from Vilshofen (Bavaria, Germany) to Budapest departing December 13, 2021:
  • Standard (window) room:  $2595 per person
  • French Balcony:  $3294 per person
  • Prices include taxes/fees, a $300 on board cabin credit, a shore excursion in each port of call, beer/wine with meals (and during the daily pre-dinner Happy Hour).
  • The prices above represent $1000 per person off regular prices

What we like about this trip:

• Europe is great in the off-season.  It is true that the Christmas Markets have brought more tourists to Europe in winter, but it is still much less crowded than the summer months.
• More than knick-knacks.  The Christmas Markets are much more than an outdoor shopping mall full of stuff you’ll get rid of at your next garage sale.  There is music and art and culture specific to that unique part of Europe.
• The Budapest Christmas market has strict rules about selling only handcrafted items (no mass-manufactured goods allowed!)

Who it appeals to:

• Previous Europe Travelers.  This is a way to see it from a different perspective.
• Shoppers.  Most obviously, there are markets at every port stop.
• Christmas People.  You know who you are – those who unapologetically revel in the wonder of Christmas.

Insider Tip:  

People often come back with way more luggage than they left home with on these trips.  If you’ve got “nesting” luggage, pack your small suitcase inside your large one, and if you need extra room for all your purchases, you can check two bags on the way home.

Alternatives:

• If you are less interested in the markets themselves, but want to experience Europe off-season, go in the first three weeks of November.  It will be a bit cheaper, and even less crowded.
• There is similar pricing on these Christmas market trips:
  • Dec 9:  Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam
  • Dec 11:  Vienna to Nuremberg

Tahiti

If beach wear is preferable to parkas, then maybe you’ll want to go in the other direction.  Rather than northeast to Europe, how about south and west to French Polynesia?

The Deal:

• 7-night cruise through French Polynesia with Paul Gauguin Cruises, departing November 6, 2021.
• Prices start at $6045 per person including flights from Los Angeles, all transfers, meals, drinks, gratuities, specialty dining and watersports such as kayaking and paddle boarding.  Book by Feb. 15^th and get a $200 per person shipboard credit… and a box of chocolates for your sweetie.

What we like about this trip:

• We’ve all seen the pictures of the bungalows over water and put it on our bucket list.  Now’s the opportunity.
• It’s immersive.  Paul Gauguin brings Polynesia on board.  Some of the most frequent visitors to Tahiti and French Polynesia are residents of Hawaii, who say it reminds them of their home before it became overrun with tourism. 
• This departure is being hosted by our Virtuoso colleague Scott Harvey from the Folie a Deux Winery in the Napa Valley.  Any time wine is involved, it can’t be bad!

Who it appeals to:

• The Romantics – Paul Gauguin is currently running its aptly named “Take your Sweetie to Tahiti” promotion.  It’s not just for honeymooners.
• People who really need to get some sun after a long stretch of being stuck at home.
• Those who love Hawaii but have found it has become a bit too crowded and busy.
• People who might otherwise go to a tropical all-inclusive resort.

Insider Tip:  Tahiti is only 2 hours further by plane than Hawaii.  While other South Pacific Islands are much more difficult and time consuming to get to, it is not unreasonable to do a quick, one-week getaway to Tahiti.

Alternatives:

• The Treasure Islands – One week trip on a Star Clippers sailing vessel that only holds 170 people.  Tahiti’s pretty hard to beat, but the Eastern Caribbean has some incredible white sand beaches and tropical islands.  Pricing in November starts at $2320 per person.
• The Seabourn Odyssey (450 guests) is also in the Eastern Caribbean this coming winter.  It doesn’t have sails, but it does have a drop-down marina right off the ship, like Paul Gauguin.  Round trip from Barbados for one week from $3499 per person.

Will you embrace the winter, Christmas experience, or the tropical, sunny one for your trip this fall?

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/2921276298154865

If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

Have you sorted out your travel plans for the summer?  Our travel planning for 2021 is starting to look like one of those reality TV shows – although not quite as mindless and with fewer people shouting at each other. 

For each season of 2021, we’ve shortlisted two trips, and are asking our readers to either weigh-in if they’ve done similar trips before, or to join us if they so choose.

Last week we revealed our Spring short list.  It was a toss-up between a Mississippi River cruise on an authentic paddle wheeler OR a small ship cruise to Alaska.  Here’s the link if you missed it:  https://pamperedcruiser.com/spring-2021-alaska-or-mississippi/

This week, we’re eyeing up a couple of options for the summer months.  If you’ve done similar trips in the past, or have an interest in joining us on one of these trips, please leave your comments on our Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/2915496158732879

Great Lakes Cruise from Chicago to Toronto

People come from all over the world to experience the Great Lakes.  It seems the only ones who don’t explore this fascinating part of the planet are the Americans and Canadians that live around the Lakes.  Here’s a chance to correct that oversight. 

The Deal:

• 11-days, departing Chicago on July 20, 2021.
• $1500 off per person, so the pricing starts at $3699 per person (Ocean view stateroom) on the 200 passenger Victory I.
• Includes a hotel stay in Chicago the night before embarkation, all meals, beer/wine, juices, premium coffee, etc., shore excursions in every port, wifi on the ship.
• We are able to get this $1500 discount for any departure all summer if this date does not work for you.

What we like about this trip:

• Both Chicago and Toronto offer incredible urban experiences for pre- and post-cruise stays.
• Both cities are well served by air (both are amongst the largest 5 airports in North America)
• Sandwiched between these two urban greats, are a myriad of tiny ports that are really only (easily) accessible by ship:
  • Mackinac Island, Michigan – A National Historic Landmark with no cars, and  preserved in the Victorian period.  Your fare includes a horse-drawn carriage ride.
  • Sault Ste. Marie – (pronounced “Sue Saint Marie”)  Its name alone is exotic.  This is actually TWO towns (one in the USA, one in Canada) with the same name.  They used to be one settlement but were divided in the war of 1812.
  • Manitoulin Island, Canada.  Visit the world’s largest freshwater island and see indigenous culture on full display. 
  • You also visit Detroit (visit the Henry Ford Museum), Cleveland (visit the Rock n’Roll Hall of Fame), and Niagara Falls.

Who it appeals to:

• Road-trippers/RVers – those who like to explore America will love this trip, and you’ll visit places you can’t get to in your RV.
• People who need to get away this year but would prefer to stay a bit closer to home.

Insider Tip:  

Your ship will depart from the Navy Pier, right in downtown Chicago.  Spend an extra day or two exploring the Windy City.  There is also a 13-day version of this itinerary that drops you off in Montreal, if that is preferable than Toronto for you.

Alternatives:

• This same itinerary is available May through September.
• There are variations of this cruise that include Boston, Detroit, Niagara Falls, and Montreal as embarkation or disembarkation ports.
• If you wanted to explore central Canada, we can offer you small group land tours between Toronto and Montreal.
• Small group land tours between two cities named twice:  New York, New York to Quebec (City), Quebec.

Rocky Mountaineer Luxury Rail trip from Denver to Moab, Utah

We were very excited by Rocky Mountaineer’s announcement this past fall about their pending expansion to the United States.  For the past 30 years, Rocky Mountaineer has run a luxury rail trip through the Canadian Rockies that has quickly become one of the world’s “must-do” train trips.  The experience on the Canadian route is spectacular, and we have the same expectations for the trip between Denver, and Moab, Utah with extensions to either Las Vegas or Salt Lake City. 

The Deal:

• 7-nights departing Denver on September 14^th visiting five National Parks (including the Grand Canyon), finishing in Las Vegas.
• Pricing from $3910 per person includes all transportation (between Denver and Las Vegas), accommodation, National Park entry fees, and meals/beverages while on the train.

What we like about this trip:

• Even if you’ve travelled through the Rockies before, the rail route is much different than the car trip, and you’ll get to see things not visible from the highway.
• There is a high concentration of National Parks on this trip for those looking to get more stamps in their National Park Passport.
• The urban experiences in Denver and Las Vegas are both spectacular in their own way… and could not be more different

Who it appeals to:

• Train enthusiasts – this product will quickly join its Canadian cousin as a legendary rail trip (this is not Amtrak!)
• Photographers – there is a reason so many National Parks are concentrated in the states on this route. 
• Road trippers – there are self-drive options between Moab and Las Vegas, OR Moab and Salt Lake City that can be added onto the rail journey. 

Insider Tip:  Rocky Mountaineer reserves 52 spots on each train trip for “Silver-Leaf Plus” service.  This gives these few passengers access to an exclusive lounge car, and outdoor viewing platform.  At $400, the extra cost is somewhat modest, and we think this class of extra service will sell out very quickly. 

Alternatives:

• Alternate Dates:  There are several departures a month, August through October, with itineraries ranging between 2 and 8 days. 
• Rocky Mountaineer – Canadian Rockies.  There are several different routes and packages ranging between 2 and 12 days over the Canadian Rockies between Vancouver (or Seattle) and Calgary.  Tours run March through October.
• National Parks Land Tour – We can offer you several small group land tours that start/finish in either Las Vegas or Phoenix and explore a number of the National Parks in the Southwest.

Next week, we’ll do a similar article for our two choices for Autumn:  A Christmas Markets River Cruise in Europe, and a trip to Tahiti with a cruise through French Polynesia.

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/2915496158732879

If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

Where will we travel this spring?

Last week we floated the idea of shortlisting two trips for each season in 2021, and then get YOUR feedback as to which one we should set up a group on, if case any of our readers wanted to join us.  So here are our picks for this coming Spring.

If you’re not ready to travel this spring…we’ll follow with picks for the summer and fall in the coming two weeks.  Stay tuned.

American Queen Lower Mississippi River Cruise

There are a ton of cruise variations on the Mississippi River system, the most common being the lower Mississippi itinerary between Memphis and New Orleans. 

The Deal:

• May 30^th, 2021 (New Orleans to Memphis), or June 6^th, 2021 (Memphis to New Orleans).
• $1500 off per person from mid-May through Mid-June (all stateroom categories).  These are the discounted prices:
  • Window:  $2799 per person
  • Open Veranda:  $3099 per person
  • Private Veranda:  $3599 per person
• Includes: pre-cruise hotel night, shore excursions in every port, unlimited beverages, open bars and lounges, alternative dining and room service, unlimited wifi. 

We did a video on American Queen recently on our YouTube channel.  Here’s a link if you want to get a better feel for American Queen Steamboat Company:  https://youtu.be/LLPzn1wD8_Y (the prices in the video are outdated though).

What we like about this trip:

There is no doubt that a significant and important portion of this country’s history relates to the history and culture of the Mississippi River.  So often we marvel at the history, art, food and culture of Europe, and appropriately so – it is impressive.  However, given that the Europeans have a 1000-year head start on us in this regard, we should not discount the amazing history and culture of our own country.

Nowhere is this more vibrant than along the Mississippi River. 

Who it appeals to:

• Those with a keen interest in American history – particularly the civil war era.
• Those who love the music scene will enjoy both New Orleans and Memphis
• Those travelling with children or grandchildren.

Insider Tip:  If you sail upstream (starting in New Orleans), you get one whole day of river cruising.  If you sail downstream (starting in Memphis), you get a port stop in Baton Rouge LA, that is not included on the upstream trip. 

Alternatives:

• If the dates aren’t quite right, you can do this trip at almost any time of the year. 
• Two-week trips between Minneapolis and New Orleans are available in the summer months.
• Trips along the Mississippi tributaries such as the Ohio River through Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
• Columbia River in Washington and Oregon.

Small Ship Alaska

Our other option for a trip this spring is also a domestic trip, but Alaska is really unlike any other state.  This cruise leaves from Vancouver (a great destination in itself), and visits Ketchikan, Sitka, Icy Strait Point, Haines, Hubbard Glacier, and the Inian Islands, before arriving in Juneau.

The Deal:

• May 28^th, 2021 departing from Vancouver for 7-nights, finishing in Juneau.
• We blocked some staterooms quite a while ago on this cruise, so we’ve got a significant price advantage over what is currently available through Seabourn:
  • Penthouse Suite $6699 ($7999 at Seabourn.com)
  • Veranda $3799 ($4799 at Seabourn)
  • Window $3499 ($4299 at Seabourn)
• We have an extremely limited number of staterooms set aside at these prices.
• All the staterooms on Seabourn are suites (minimum 300 square feet).  Includes unlimited beverages, gratuities, specialty dining, wifi, and a $250 per person on board credit. 

We did a similar trip to Alaska with Seabourn in 2019.  Here’s a link to the playlist with our daily video blogs if you want to get a feel for the ship, or any individual port of call:  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA1r3eOMaDVGIkLzMGzGDOfx8xOSpC2Vt

What we like about this trip:

• This cruise combines some Alaska favorites such as Ketchikan and Juneau, with more rarely visited locations such as Sitka and the Inian Islands.  It’s great for first-time Alaska visitors, or those who may have visited on a bigger ship previously.
• Alaska is best seen on a small ship.  The Seabourn Odyssey holds 450 people, and at only 30,000 tons you can get into places the big ships just can’t go.
• It’s on the Inside Passage that is not only more scenic, but much calmer waters than the open Pacific.
• You can add a Denali Package after disembarkation in Juneau. 
• Ventures by Seabourn provides some expedition-ship features all while enjoying the luxury comfort Seabourn is famous for.

Who it appeals to:

• Those who might have been to Alaska previously on one of the Megaships.
• Those that want the choice of glacier viewing from the deck of a cruise ship OR from a sea kayak or zodiac boat.
• Those ready for a true luxury, small-ship experience (NOTE: if you’ve been on a river cruise and enjoyed it, that’s a good indicator)
• Foodies – Thomas Keller has a restaurant on board, included in your fare
• Spa People – The spa and wellness program is by Dr Andrew Weil.

Insider Tip: 

Go two or three days early.  Fly into Calgary to take the Rocky Mountaineer train across the Canadian Rockies.  The scenery on this famous train trip is every bit as spectacular as what you’ll see in Alaska, and yet completely different.  This is a perfect add-on to an Alaska cruise.

Alternatives:

• Seabourn is in Alaska all season from May through September if these dates don’t work for you
• Just about all the cruise lines are in Alaska this year, so there are tons of options on other lines if you have a preference for one of the others.

Summer and Fall

Next week, we’ll do a similar article for our two summer choices:  The Great Lakes from Chicago to Toronto, or the Rocky Mountaineer Rail trip from Denver to Moab.  The following week, we’ll look at our winter plans for either Tahiti, or the Christmas Markets in Europe.

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/2910581315891030

If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

If you’re like many people, you might have made a New Year’s resolution or two. 

I gave up on these years ago – apparently, I don’t have the discipline to follow through in any meaningful way.  I do, however, use these first few days of each year to do some planning, and the best part of that is travel planning.

It will be particularly sweet this year, after spending an entire year “on the bench”.  I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get out there again.  The last time we were on a plane was almost exactly one year ago (and a domestic flight at that).  By rough calculation, I haven’t been “grounded” this long since the mid 80s.

My challenge now becomes narrowing down my travel choices 2021.  I’m having a hard time deciding so I thought I would put it out to our readers and ask for YOUR opinion. 

Under normal conditions, we take a trip approximately once per quarter – part of the fun of being the travel industry is that we get to call this our “job”.   

My thought here is to put forward TWO ideas for each quarter of the year and get feedback from our readers.  Based on your feedback, we’ll do one of those trips, and put a group together so any of you that want to join can come along.

In the next two or three weeks, I’ll provide a better description of each of these trips, but here’s a sneak preview for you:

Winter: 

We’ll be sitting it out for the first quarter.  Even if there weren’t a bunch of restrictions in place on where and how we can travel, we are insanely busy.  It seems that many people have decided that a year “on the bench” is enough, and they want to get busy planning.  This is the part of the job we enjoy most, so we’re happy to help people book that next trip.

Spring: 

Here are two trips that have caught our eye for this spring:

• Mississippi River Cruise:  We’ve loved our river cruise experiences in Europe.  Now it’s time to explore our own back yard.
• Alaska on a small ship:  We go to Alaska just about every year, and really missed the opportunity in 2020. 

More on both of these options next week.

Summer: 

If you want to join us, here are the two trips we’re contemplating this summer.  We’ll offer more details in the next couple of weeks:

• Great Lakes:  Yes…believe it or not there are cruises on the Great Lakes, and they visit some really interesting corners of our own backyard.  We are eyeing up a cruise from Chicago to Toronto with a whole bunch of port stops in between that most of us have never heard of!
• Rocky Mountaineer Denver to Moab, Utah:  Although Rocky Mountaineer has been traversing the continental divide through the Canadian Rockies for 30 years, the US route is a brand-new product we can hardly wait to check out.

Autumn:

The two trips we’re considering in the fall are a study of contrasts.  Maybe we’ll do both!  We’ll provide more detail on these options in three weeks:

• French Polynesia on Paul Gauguin:  It’s time to live the Polynesian Dream, complete with a few nights at one of those over-water bungalows you see on the cover of all the travel magazines.
• Christmas Markets in Europe:  A Rhine or Danube River cruise looks much different in the winter months, and the European Christmas Markets have been imitated in other countries, but never matched. 

Over the few weeks, we’ll provide more details about these trips.  We invite your feedback if you’ve done any similar trips previously, or if you might be thinking about that trip yourself.

Have something to say about this?

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/2905074876441674

If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley