By all indications, you are ready to travel.
February was a bit overwhelming for Bob and me (but in a good way!), and it looks like it will go down in history as our highest booking month ever. It is true that many of those were re-bookings for those caught up in the April and May cancellations, and we’ll be MUCH happier when all of you are actually travelling, but it’s still evidence that the light is at the end of the tunnel (and it’s NOT an oncoming freight train).
The feedback we continue to receive is that you are happy to have trips on the books for late 2021 and into 2022 and 2023, but you’re also looking for options in the next few months.
We also know that most of our readers are avid cruisers who like the dining, entertainment, activities and easy logistics that cruise vacations offer. When the ships aren’t sailing, can those things be replicated on land?
YES!
Each of the vacation options below (that we are calling “Land Cruises”) is structured like a river cruise: included excursions/activities for part of the day, and free time to do your own thing for the other part of the day. You can do as much or as little as you wish – just like a cruise.
Here are a few specific ideas until your ship sails again – both literally and figuratively.
Land Cruise: Alaska By Rail
The 2021 Alaska season is still up in the air due to the Canadian port closures. In reality, Alaska by sea, and Alaska by land are two very different trips anyway. Why not consider doing a rail tour of Alaska this year to really explore those places the cruises DON’T visit? Without all those cruise ship passengers, you’ll have the place to yourself! There are tons of options, but here’s an example:
- 10 Days – June through September for $3749 per person.
- Start in Anchorage, visit Kenai Peninsula, Talkeetna, Denali NP, and Fairbanks.
- Includes sightseeing cruise through the Kenai Fjords, tour of Anchorage, sight-seeing tour of Denali National Park.
- All accommodations (at Gold Star Alaskan Cabins and Lodges)
- All transportation is by rail (this is different than the cruise line extensions, where most of your transportation occurs by motor coach). The views from a domed rail car are far more impressive than out the window of a bus.
Land Cruise: Hawaii
If you don’t want to wait until summer to visit the 49th State, then perhaps you’ll want to get out of the cold in the next month or two and visit the 50th State (or maybe do both!):
- When planning a trip to Hawaii, the first choice is whether you want to go chill for the whole time in one place, or whether you wish to island-hop. This land cruise is an island-hopper, covering three of the islands: Oahu, Kauai, and Maui.
- 10 Days in April, $3999 per person. Includes all breakfasts, and 4 dinners, transfers, and flights between the islands. Other inclusions:
- Oahu: Pearl Harbor tour & Honolulu City Tour. North shore Oahu tour to Hawaii’s surfing capital.
- Kauai: Tour of Waimea Canyon, and Coffee estate. Open Air boat cruise up Wailua river, hula dance demonstration.
- Maui: Tour of Lahaina, Optional tours to Road to Hana, Haleakala Crater,
- The first half of this tour is quite busy, so a few days pre/post on your own might be worth considering – particularly if you’re flying from the Eastern Time Zone.
Land Cruise: New York:
- 5 Days in June for $2199 per person.
- Includes accommodation at the Sheraton Time Square, Breakfasts and 2 dinners, 2 Broadway shows, a tour of the 9/11 museum, a guided city tour, a ferry cruise of New York Harbor, Ellis Island tour
- Optional Night walking tour of Greenwich Village including dinner
Land Cruise: New Orleans
- 5 Days in April $1399 per person
- Includes accommodation a the Royal Sonesta Hotel in the French Quarter, Breakfasts, 2 dinners, guided City Tour, a walking tour of the French Quarter, and a Swamp Cruise.
Again… we like these types of trips because the logistics are taken care of for you – just like on a cruise.
Other Cruise News:
- Oceania Tropics & Exotics: Their 2023 world cruise sold out in one day a few weeks ago. The 2022-23 “Tropics and Exotics” collection is available for booking on March 3rd, and we expect those to sell quickly as well.
- ONE Stateroom on Viking’s World Cruise 2022: This cruise has been sold out for months, but we have access to ONE Deluxe Veranda DV3 stateroom as a result of a cancellation. This is 118 nights from LA to London departing January 10, 2022. The price is $52,995 per person (double occupancy), and includes round-trip business class flights, airport transfers, all taxes and fees, gratuities, all beverages, all visas, luggage shipping service, a shore excursion in every port, Wifi, there are some nice onboard credits too – but with everything included, you might be challenged to spend them! We can only hold this option for a few more days, so if this is of interest to you please call us immediately: 800-876-0168.
- Mississippi River: American Queen Steamboat Company will have river boats on the Mississippi with passengers by mid-March. AQSC has a vaccine requirement, and coupled with the fact it is a domestic trip, we expect the remaining cabins in 2021 to sell out quickly. We can get you an additional $500 off just about any date on the Columbia or Mississippi. Cruises between New Orleans and Memphis (7-nights) in April start at $2099 (inside cabin), or $3699 for a veranda.
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I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
