If you’ve been following the news, there’s been several events of note this week for travellers.
But first… a very short Social Studies lesson: Did you know that France has a self-governing territory in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Newfoundland? The island nation of Saint Pierre and Miquelon uses the Euro as their currency, they speak French, and when you visit, you’ll experience French food, wine, and music. It’s the only place in North America where you’ll see an abundance of European license plates.
I’ll get back to why this seemingly useless bit of trivia might be of interest, but first the news:
Earlier this week, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Union, stated that fully vaccinated American tourists will be welcome in the Europe this summer. Her announcement was lacking in detail, but this is by far the strongest signal yet that travel is beginning its slow return to a new normal.
The second encouraging bit of news came on Thursday when the CDC announced that cruise ships will be allowed to depart from US ports starting in mid-July for fully vaccinated guests.
What should we expect next?
It’s important to keep in mind that the cruise lines have not been operating for over a year, and it’s not a simple matter of flipping a switch to return to service. They need to recall their crews and ensure all of them are vaccinated. This will be a significant undertaking.
They also have to arrange port spaces – something that is normally done years in advance. Canada is closed to cruise ship traffic until 2022, and we’ve been given no indication they plan to change that directive.
The other consideration is that cruise ships typically move AWAY from Florida in August and September due to hurricane season.
The combination of these factors brings us back to our Social Studies lesson.
I think there’s a good chance that the cruise ships will return late summer/early fall to the Northeast for the normal Canada-New England season. You’ll board in New York or Boston, run up the coast of the New England States, and perhaps over to St. Pierre & Miquelon instead of Canadian ports in order to satisfy the Passenger Services Act foreign port requirement.
Alaska is a bit more complex. Theoretically ships could run out of Seattle or Anchorage, but Canada is the only foreign country nearby, and we haven’t been given any indication yet that the Congress is going to get its act together to temporarily amend the Passenger Services Act. It is a shame that everyone agrees what the right thing to do is, but miraculously they can’t get it done.
So, what is cruising going to look like for the balance of 2021?
It’s hard to say, but early indications are that ships will be deployed to individual countries where there are willing governments, port space, and passenger demand. We’ve already seen this in Iceland, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Barbados and Greece, and these cruise destinations have been selling quickly (and in some cases, sold out completely). This list will likely expand, and you may have to make decisions quickly when new itineraries are released by the cruise lines.
Our clients tend to fall into two categories of traveller:
- “I need to get away as quickly as possible; please keep me informed of the opportunities”
- “I’m happy to sit it out until next year, so help me make plans for 2022”
We’ll continue to serve both groups, and to that end, here are today’s travel opportunities:
Viking Cruises
People know Viking as the river cruise people in Europe, but they also have ocean and expedition ships, as well as operating on rivers in Asia and Africa. Viking takes you to all seven continents, and they will be our Partner of the Month in May. If you book any Viking Cruise with us in May, we’ll get you an extra $100 per person onboard credit that you would not receive by booking direct. More details to come next week. Click to learn more about Viking Cruises.
Antarctica
One thing the pandemic has taught us is that we need to knock off items on our bucket list when the opportunity presents itself. You can visit Antarctica on an expedition ship, like I did a couple of years ago. Here’s a link to my video: https://youtu.be/3c-2TBXw6ls
Another Antarctica trip that caught my eye is on the Seabourn Quest. This will be the FINAL year Seabourn will be sending its regular ships (450 guests) to Antarctica. The thing I like about this trip is that it also visits Patagonia, Chile, the Falkland Islands, and Argentina over the course of 21 days, with 6 days of scheduled landings in Antarctica. The Seabourn Quest is an all-suite vessel, with extraordinary service and amenities. If you want to go to Antarctica in style and comfort, this is how you do it. There is a departure from Buenos Aires on February 3, 2022, with suites starting at $14,999. Bob didn’t visit Antarctica when I went, so we are eyeing up this trip ourselves.
In Case You Missed It:
- “Land Cruises” to our National Parks are very popular this year. Click here to learn more about a 12-day National Park trip.
- Alaska Rail and Lodge Tours. Normally there are up to 2 million visitors to Alaska in any given summer. This year it will likely be 15,000 – 20,000. There are lots of ways to see Alaska by land, and here’s one example: https://pamperedcruiser.com/land-cruise-ideas-for-spring-2021/#lodges
- River Cruising the US. Cruises resumed on the Mississippi in March, and by all accounts everything is going perfectly. Check out our video about river cruising in the US: https://youtu.be/LLPzn1wD8_Y
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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
Sue Bradley
