If you are one of those who has stopped waiting for the end of the pandemic, and are simply adjusting to travelling during the pandemic, then you appear to be in good company. Quite a few of our clients traveled to Europe and a few other places in July and August, and all of them came back with very similar assessments of their vacations:
- The onboard experience was not diminished. With lower passenger loads, many suggested the service was even better than they had experienced previously.
- Shore attractions were less crowded. There are fewer tourists out there right now, and that was obvious to many of our clients as they visited the sites in Europe that are usually at maximum capacity in the summer months.
- There are some extra hurdles. Passenger locator cards, advance PCR tests, and proof of vaccination are all part of the international travel experience right now. These things will go away at some point, but for the foreseeable future, these will be the hoops we will need to jump through if we wish to go abroad.
The very clear trend amongst both travellers and travel suppliers is adjusting to HOW to travel during the pandemic, as opposed to sitting at home and waiting for the pandemic to end.
This shift in mindset is nothing but good for those of us involved in the travel industry, and perhaps more important for the millions of people employed in the hospitality industry both here at home and abroad. It is difficult to articulate how challenging the past 18 months have been for all those people, so to have them back at work is a huge step in the right direction.
Here are this week’s travel ideas:
Buy a Uniworld River Cruise & Get a Second One at 50% Off:
This is an incredible opportunity for those ready to travel between now and the end of the year.
The booking deadline is September 9th, 2021. Call us at 800-876-0168 to make a reservation.
The fine print on this offer is that it is only good for 2021 departures, so unless you enjoy spending a lot of time on trans-Atlantic flights, it probably means doing back-to-back river cruises (maybe with a few days in between in your favorite city).
The combinations are endless, but here are a few I thought of:
- France:
- Week 1: Paris to Normandy ($3999 pp). Round trip Paris
- Week 2: Burgundy & Provence ($3599 X 50% = $1800 pp). Avignon to Lyon.
- Week 2 (alternate): Bordeaux ($3799 X 50% = $1900 pp). Bordeaux round trip.
- European Christmas Markets:
- Week 1: Rhine Markets ($3899 pp). Basel to Cologne.
- Week 2: Danube Markets ($4099 X 50% = $2050 pp). Frankfurt to Nuremberg.
- Italy, Switzerland, Germany & Amsterdam
- Week 1: Po River, Italy ($3899 pp). Milan to Venice.
- Week 2: Rhine River ($2999 X 50% = $1500 pp). Basel to Amsterdam
Check out the possibilities and create your own combination: https://pamperedcruiser.uniworld.com/us/current-offers/2021-second-cruise-savings
As an exclusive benefit of booking through us, we also have a $200 per person onboard credit.
Remember:
- Get 50% off the SECOND cruise
- Valid for 2021 departures only
- Must be booked by September 9, 2021.
Pacific Coastal (LA to Vancouver) with Viking Cruises
For those of you on the East coast who wanted to try out Viking Ocean, you’ve had the opportunity to go to Bermuda this summer. There is still space on September 10 & 17, 2021 with balcony cabins starting at $1799 pp. Bermuda may not be the most exotic destination, but what a great opportunity to check out Viking Ocean at an incredible price!
Now, those of us in the western half of the country have a similar opportunity. Here are the details:
- Los Angeles to Vancouver (or reverse), visiting San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Astoria (Portland), and Victoria (BC).
- Fares start at $2499 per person for a veranda cabin, and include all taxes and fees, transfers, a shore excursion in every port, specialty dining, beer/wine with meals, and wifi on the ship.
- Air add-ons between $199 and $399 depending on where you’re flying from.
- Departures on April 9 & 25, 2022 from LA, and April 17, 2022 from Vancouver.
If you’ve never been to the west coast, this is a great way to get a little sample of many of the cities out that way. It’s also a great price to check out Viking Ocean Cruises.
With Australia and New Zealand closed for this coming season, the cruise lines are having to redeploy their vessels. Viking is doing some interesting itineraries in both the Caribbean, as well as out to Hawaii and Tahiti in the coming few months. Here’s the link to our previous blog post about that: https://pamperedcruiser.com/hawaii-with-viking-cruises/
Have something to say about this?
Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/3084783311804162
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
