Every family has its own unique holiday traditions, those once-a-year activities that give us a sense of identity and belonging as we celebrate this special time of year.

Often (but certainly not always) these traditions revolve around food.

My favourite childhood holiday treat was chocolate peanut butter balls. My mom can still be counted on to have a batch of these on hand during the holidays. She was also famous for her butter tarts, made entirely from scratch including the crusts.

As an adult, I tended to adopt my mom’s recipes. My hand-written recipe cards are now faded, worn and splattered.

This year though, I tried a couple of new recipes, and I’ve decided that one in particular will become a new tradition for our family.

Cinnamon Stars, also known as “Zimtsterne” cookies, are a traditional German favourite.

If you’ve ever been to a Christmas Market in Europe (possibly while on a river cruise), you will have certainly seen these cookies.

Maybe you’ve even tasted them, or baked them yourself.

They are made out of ground nuts (almonds or hazelnuts) and lots of cinnamon, and are frosted before you put them in the oven.

Here is the recipe I used: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10210/cinnamon-stars/

(Tip: I used ‘almond flour’ from Costco and it worked great).

Much to my surprise the cookies turned out exactly as shown in the photo! I love the nutty taste combined with cinnamon.

If you try making these cookies, imagine that you’re eating them still warm from the oven, while you’re wandering through a Christmas Market and sipping on a glass of mulled wine.

I have never visited a Christmas Market in Europe, but I sure would love to experience a Christmas Market River Cruise one day.

Maybe next year!

Bob and I wish you a wonderful Christmas, with lots of yummy treats and the company of friends and family to enjoy them with.

All the best,

Sue Bradley

Cocktails anyone?

Many of the cruise lines have a predictable line-up for their promotions over the course of a year. 

As a case in point, every summer, we expect Princess to offer its “Sip & Sail” promotion where they include a Beverage Package with the fare.

This is an eagerly anticipated event, and many of our clients wait until the summer to book their Princess cruises.

So, we were a bit taken by surprise this week, when Princess launched their “Best. Sale. Ever.”, a never-seen-before promotion that not only includes the Beverage Package, but Gratuities and Wifi as well.

This is a solid offer from Princess.  Here’s what you get:

• Free Premier Beverage Package.  This includes adult beverages, as well as soda, premium coffees etc.  What we really like about the way Princess offers this is that it is truly inclusive.  Some of the other cruise lines’ “free” beverage packages end up costing you several hundred dollars in extra fees – meaning it is not even close to being “free”.  This one includes all taxes and tips on the drinks.
• Free Unlimited WiFi.  Princess is part way through upgrading all their ships for enhanced internet, so if you find yourself on one of their Medallion Class ships, the promise is for internet fast enough to stream video.  This is a significant improvement in and of itself.  Not having to pay extra for this service is a huge bonus for those who like to be connected at sea.
• Free Pre-Paid Gratuities.  Cruisers are accustomed to daily gratuities being added to their room charges, and these do add-up – particularly on longer itineraries.  The amount varies a bit but it is safe to say that this perk will save you around $100 per person, per week, based on the suggested gratuity amount.

There is a bit of fine print on this promo (like any other one), but there are no “gotcha surprises” like we have seen on some of the other lines.  Here is some of that fine print:

• All guests in the stateroom need to participate.  If you don’t value the beverage package, for example, there is no way to get onboard credits instead.
• Only for select sailings from April 2020 and after.  We went through and looked at the selected sailings and there are lots for Alaska, Europe, Asia, and Australia/New Zealand.  There are very few for the Caribbean. 
• WiFi is available for one device per guest, and speeds are not guaranteed.

While all the cruise lines have their own differentiators, I would suggest that Princess really shines in three areas:

• For families and multi-generational groups, Princess has an on-board program for everyone.
• Princess has some really interesting itineraries – particularly in Europe (both Northern Europe and the Mediterranean), as well as Asia and Australia/New Zealand.
• Princess is the largest operator in Alaska, and their shore packages (in collaboration with Holland America) are pretty hard to beat.

If you’re thinking about the Caribbean this winter, this offer is NOT particularly useful. 

On the other hand, if you’re looking at any other destination, and you were considering Princess, you’ll want to take a serious look at this offer.

Book now and you’ll get free Beverages, Gratuities, and Wifi ALL included in your fare!

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

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

The horrible flooding in Venice has put this UNESCO World Heritage Site on our radar recently.  Luckily, it looks like the waters are receding, and things should return to normal there fairly quickly.

But what is “normal” for Venice?

In reality, the city has been sinking for centuries, and without significant investment and effort, the place would have been uninhabitable decades ago.  They have begun to limit the number of cruise ships that visit Venice as a way to control the number of tourists.  Venice in the summer months is a little bit like Disney World at spring break.  The one big difference being that once Disney hits capacity, they can close the gates.  This is what they are thinking about for Venice.

I absolutely believe that tourism is one way that we can develop a better understanding of each other in a world where such sentiments are increasingly not valued.  In many cases tourism is an effective way to redistribute wealth from those in very fortunate countries (like ours) to those that are not as lucky as we are.

The other side of tourism is what we are seeing in Venice.  Too many visitors have created a situation whereby the locals are looking to limit the crowds – even though all those visitors come with open wallets. 

Added to this is the increasing affluence of China and India.  Those two countries combined have about half the world’s population.  China alone is 5 times larger than the United States, and every year the number of Chinese that have the economic means to travel increases.

I experienced this first hand last week when I was in Europe.  Even though November is quietest month of the year in many parts of Europe, it was still busy.  I also saw multiple tour groups from China – something that had been a rarity before now. 

So what does all this mean?

For me, it underscores the necessity of travelling now.  Besides all the regular hazards that may impact one’s ability to travel:  health, aging parents, political uncertainty, economic questions; there is now another hazard: Competition from other tourists.

Travel now, while you still can.

You just never know when that destination on your bucket-list will become unavailable.

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’s funny how we attract people who are much like ourselves.

Some of our clients are just looking for a quick vacation, but far many more are explorers who are curious about this magnificent planet, and all it has to offer.

Many have discovered this wanderlust as they’ve grown a bit older, but some have shown such symptoms their entire life.

Such is the case with Kay Moon.

We’ve been working with Kay and her husband Rick for the past several years.  They would contact us once a year or so to book their next cruise to various places, and then several months would pass before we spoke with them again.  Because our clients are all over the country, we knew Kay and Rick much like we know most of our clients:  through telephone conversations and email exchanges.

It’s always a treat to meet our clients in person, and (believe it or not) we do keep track of where you all are.  If there’s a chance we are ever in the same place at the same time, we usually reach out and make an attempt to connect.

A couple of years ago, the Moons were doing a cruise that circumnavigated South America, and they happened to land in Puerto Vallarta when we were there too.  So we spent an afternoon with them, and Kay revealed at that time that she had previously visited coastal Mexico when she and her family lived aboard a sailboard for five years.

She also was writing a book to share the experience. 

If you’re anything like me, this is the type of book you love to read.  It is personal, compelling, and interesting.  In my mind the next best thing to visiting places around the world yourself is to read someone else’s well-written account of their adventures. 

I picked up Kay’s book on Amazon for a recent plane trip, and could not put it down.  It’s particularly interesting to me after having met Kay and Rick in person, but you don’t have to know her to enjoy the book. 

Here’s the info:

Be Careful What You Wish For:  A true story of an American family’s five year adventure living on the high seas.  (ISBN: 978-1-7283-2629-0)

If you’re hardwired as an explorer and discoverer, you will love Kay’s book.

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

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

When people ask me what my job is, it can sometimes make me pause. 

Bob and I don’t really consider this a “job” – it’s more of a passion project we’re pursuing because we’re too old to be on a corporate food chain somewhere, and too young to “retire”. 

If this is a job, then there is no doubt it is the best job ever.

The most obvious perk is that we get to travel a fair bit.  This past summer, we were the onboard Virtuoso Hosts for an Alaskan cruise on the Seabourn Sojourn. 

But more on that in a minute.

What is a Virtuoso hosted cruise, and why might that make any difference to your experience?

Virtuoso is the travel consortium that our agency is affiliated with.  There are about 25,000 Virtuoso Travel Advisors world-wide, and it is through this network we are able to get you extra benefits and amenities on many cruises.

Sometimes, that additional benefit is just an onboard credit, but on Virtuoso Hosted Voyages there are often some interesting goodies:

• An onboard welcome reception exclusively for Virtuoso guests.  This is a great way to jump-start getting to know people on your voyage.  After having been a host, it is always amazing to me how much our Virtuoso guests have in common with each other, and how quickly they connect.
• An exclusive “Shore Experience”.  This is different than a shore excursion in so far as it is not something available for purchase by other guests.  Sometimes it is after-hours access to a local attraction when it is not overrun with tourists.  Other times it might be an exclusive dinner, or other food and wine experience.
• The services of the Virtuoso host.  The Hosts are not members of the ship’s crew, nor are they tour leaders.  It is more like travelling with a friend who knows the ropes really well. 

As I mentioned earlier, we were the Virtuoso Hosts on board the Seabourn Sojourn to Alaska this past summer.  It’s taken us a while to get our videos posted, but they are all on our YouTube Channel now.  Here is the link to that Playlist:

We can help with any cruise you may have in mind, but if the video clips inspire you to take a small ship trip to Alaska, NOW is a good time to book Seabourn for next season. 

Until November 20^th, Seabourn is offering the following booking incentives for Alaska:

• A Veranda Suite upgrade (get a Veranda for the price of an Oceanview stateroom)
• Up to $500 on board credit
• Up to $1000 Air Credit
• 300 free internet minutes
• 50% reduced deposit

As always on Seabourn, gratuities, all beverages (including an in-suite mini bar stocked and refilled with your preferences), and specialty dining is included in the fare. 

Seabourn ran this same promotion last fall, and we had more than one person that called us after the promotion was over asking us when it would come around again. 

It’s here now.

Book before Nov. 20^th to get the extra perks from Seabourn mentioned above.

Many of Seabourn’s Alaska sailings are hosted Virtuoso Voyages, so you’ll receive the Virtuoso benefits in addition to the Seabourn incentives!

You must book through a Virtuoso agency like mine to get the Virtuoso benefits (you will NOT receive these benefits if you book directly with the cruise line).

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

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley