A number of years ago, Seabourn was our very first experience on a small-ship luxury cruise, and they won me over. Cruise vacations are great value, and I was finally able to understand first-hand why people want to pay more for a small-ship experience:
- SMALL SIZE: With only 450 – 600 guests, you’re not competing with thousands of others for a deck chair, or for embarkation/disembarkation.
- INTIMACY: Because the crew is not dealing with thousands of guests, they get to know your name and your preferences quickly.
- INCLUSIVENESS: Having a waiter come and top up your glass of wine, rather than taking your key card is more like being a guest in someone’s home. Your gratuities and specialty dining is also included in the fare.
- SHORE STOPS: Some ports CAN’T handle 5000 people at a time, so you get to some places the mega-ships can’t go.
- SEABOURN MOMENTS: The crew go out of their way to surprise and delight. Like coming in from a cold day on a glacier hike, and returning to your room with a hot bath already drawn for you.
- CELEBRITY HOSTS. Seabourn has Celebrity Hosts on some voyages. Previous hosts include Dan Rather, Tim Rice, and Andrew Weill. If you’re a reader, here are some famous authors who will be hosting in the next year:
- Robert K Wittman on April 24, from Tokyo to Vancouver.
- Ann Cleeves on December 20, in Australia & New Zealand .
- Ann Cleeves on May 30, in Scotland and Iceland.
- Zelda La Grange April 27, on a Trans-Atlantic journey.
- EXPEDITION “LITE”: The Ventures Program in Alaska, and select other destinations allows guests to try out expedition-style shore excursions on a full service luxury ship. This is different than Seabourn’s purpose-built expedition ships (see below).
- ALL SUITES: If small cruise ship staterooms annoy you, all the rooms on Seabourn are spacious suites with luxury amenities.
Remote Destinations with SEABOURN?
Seabourn launched its EXPEDITION line of cruises with two purpose built ships. VENTURE was launched in 2022, and PURSUIT in 2023. Why might you consider these?
- With only 264 guests, you’ll get up close to nature in remote corners of the world.
- Both ships have PC6 Polar Class hulls, each with two submarines on board.
- The suites on board the Seabourn Expedition ships are the nicest ones at sea. Check out the two-story Wintergarden Suite!
- They go to remote corners of the planet, and take you there in comfort and style:
- Antarctica
- Kimberly Coast (Western Australia)
- Amazon River Basin
- Norwegian Arctic
- Canadian Northwest Passage
PRIVATE SALE DETAILS
- We’re running a private sale with Seabourn this month that can get you up to 10% OFF a long list of sailings in 2025 and 2026.
- European departures are eligible for a 5% discount.
- Seabourn’s luxury small ships, AND their luxury expedition ships are included.
Reach out for more details.
Dream-Travel-Share UNPACKED:
Check out our VIDEO BLOG where Kim & Bob talk about their experiences on Seabourn, and what you can expect on board: https://youtu.be/TSRzpOUnve4
In Case You Missed It:
CANADA: Our Northern neighbour (notice the spelling), is far too large to be considered ONE destination. Take a look at the different options:
https://pamperedcruiser.com/destination-canada/
TRAVEL HACKS: Currency? Language barriers? Telecom issues? Metric measures? Here are the systems and APPs we use when we’re abroad.
https://pamperedcruiser.com/travel-hacks-you-can-use/
BEING AN AMERICAN OVERSEAS: There’s lots of “news” stories about the treatment of Americans overseas. So far this year, we’ve visited Mexico, Canada, and six countries in Europe. Here’s what we experienced.
https://pamperedcruiser.com/being-an-american-abroad/
Featured YOUTUBE Post:
GALAPAGOS Snorkeling: Here’s a quick video of some of the things we saw UNDERWATER when we visited a year ago:
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Today’s Travel Opportunities
OCEAN -Seabourn
Our PRIVATE SALE can get you up to 10% off Seabourn’s best fares for itineraries in 2025 and 2026, as long as we book it for you in the month of August. Here are a few examples of the over 400 itineraries included in our PRIVATE SALE:
PANAMA CANAL departing LA on April 7 for 19-days
- Visit Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco, Puerto Chiapas, Guatemala, Costa Rica, daylight full transit of Panama Canal, Cartagena, Miami.
- Fares from $6799 (Less 10%)
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND departing Auckland on January 4 or 19 for 15-days.
- Visit Napier, Wellington, Kaikoura, Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin, Fjordland NP, Melbourne, Eden, Sydney.
- Fares from $7649 (Less 10%)
JAPAN for Cherry Blossoms departing Tokyo on March 16 or 30 (or April 13) for 14-nights
- Visit Kobe, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Busan, Shimonoseki, Hiroshima, Beppu, Kochi, Shimizu, Yokahama.
- Fares from $10,284 (LESS 10%)
ALASKA departing Vancouver for 7-nights on May 29 (with other dates available)
- Visit Queen Charlotte Sound, Ketchikan, Sitka, Hubbard Glacier, Inian Islands, Icy Strait Point, Haines, and finish in Juneau.
- Fares from $5898 (LESS 10%)
- OR go round-trip Vancouver for 14-nights, and also visit Wrangell, Misty Fjords National Monument, Prince Rupert, Whale Channel, and Alert Bay. Fares from $9498 (LESS 10%)
CANADA & NEW ENGLAND: NYC to Montreal departing September 13, 2026 for 12-nights:
- Visit Newport, Boston, Rockland (MN), Halifax, Charlottetown, Saguenay, Quebec City, Montreal.
- Fares from $9998 (LESS 10%)
- Depart October 19 from $8998 (LESS 10%)
DIDN’T SEE the right itinerary for you? We have over 400 itineraries in 2025 and 2026 eligible for our PRIVATE SALE.
SEABOURN REMOTE ADVENTURES
ANTARCTICA round-trip Buenos Aires departing February 6 for 11-days
- Itinerary: Overnight in Buenos Aires before flying to Ushuaia to board the ship. Two days to cross the Drake Passage, followed by 5-days of scheduled landings on the continent. Fare includes charter flights between BA and Ushuaia in both directions.
- Fares from $11,729 (LESS 10%)
- Depart February 28 from $9604.
AUSTRALIA: KIMBERLEY COAST from Darwin to Broome departing June 26 for 10-days
- See the waterfalls, visit fresh water reefs, see the horizontal waterfalls at Talbot Bay, visit with the Wunambal Gaambera indigenous peoples, learn about the pearl trade in Kuri Bay, and the mangrove forests at Hunter River, and Darwin.
- Fares from $9604 (LESS 10%). Other dates available.
AMAZON RIVER round-trip from Belem (Brazil) departing October 21, 2025 for 9-days:
- Visit Macapa to visit the Equator Marker, then do several days exploring tiny Amazonian villages, local markets in Santarem, and do scenic cruising, bird watching, and wildlife spotting by zodiac, kayak, and on foot.
- Fares from $5099 (LESS 10%)
These purpose built expedition vessels hold just 264 people, and allow you to explore the remote corners of the planet in luxurious comfort. There are also two submarines on board to experience what is UNDER the water.
RIVER CRUISES for Families with TAUCK
If you’ve ever wanted to travel Europe with children or teens, then Tauck has a number of voyages every year that are designed for families. These itineraries have specially curated excursions for younger guests, and take place during school holidays:
Amsterdam to Basel with departures in June & July for one-week
- Visit the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland
- Fares from $5690
Budapest to Vienna with departures in June & July for one-week
- Visit Hungary, Slovakia and Austria.
- Fares from $5190
Paris to Normandy with departures in June & July for one-week
- Visit Paris, Monet’s Gardens in Giverny, the Normandy Beaches and more.
- Fares from $5490
CHRISTMAS MARKETS on the Danube from Bavaria to Budapest for one-week
- Visit Munich, Regensburg, Passau, Wachau Valley, Melk, Vienna (overnight), Bratislava, Budapest.
- 2026: Depart December 22, 23 or 29 from $4990
REMOTE EXPLORATIONS with NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
You don’t have to be an elite athlete, but if you like to be active on vacation, here are some ideas. These trips are also perfect for PHOTOGRAPHERS:
WHALE WATCHING in MAGDALENA BAY (Baja California) for 6-days round-trip Loreto
- Whale Watching in Magdalena Bay for 6 days Jan, Feb, Mar.
- See the Gray Whales, explore the sand dunes at Sand Dollar Beach, and visit the fishing village of Puerto Magdalena. Go kayaking, zodiacs, paddleboarding, hiking, and cycling.
- Departures January through March from $3155, with additional incentives for January departures. Contact us for details.
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS round-trip from Quito (or Guayaquil) for 10-days
- Visit for 2 days in Quito or Guayaquil, then fly to Baltra to board Endeavour II in the Galapagos. Over the next week stop in at North Seymour Island, Isabella Island, Fernandina, Espanola, Floreana, Santa Cruz, Bartolome, Santiago, Genovesa, San Cristobal.
- Departures in January and February from $5722, with additional incentives available. Contact us for details.
BRITISH ISLES: England, Ireland, Scotland from London to Edinburgh for 12-days
- Visit London, Fowey (Cornwall), Scilly, Cobh, West Coast of Ireland, Inner Hebrides, Outer Hebrides, Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands, Aberdeen, Edinburgh.
- Depart April 26, 2026 from $12,745, with additional incentives available. Contact us for details.
LAND CRUISES close to home with COLLETTE
Northern California and Yosemite for 8-days
- Visit Monterey, Carmel, Modesto (for Yosemite), Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley, San Francisco.
- 2025: Departures in September & October from $3249
- 2026: Departures March through October from $3299
NEW YORK for 5-days
- Visit Greenwich Village, Wall Street, Chinatown, Central Park, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the 9/11 Memorial.
- Includes 4-nights in Times Square, 5 meals, and 2 Broadway shows.
- 2025: Departures in October from $2899
- 2026: Departures April through November from $2499.
- 1-minute ‘Spotlight on New York’ video: https://youtu.be/_rRyuJ38vYc?si=CKlmKP0UKvNXTT2j
NORTHERN LIGHTS in Alaska for 7-days
- Visit Anchorage, Prince William Sound, Talkeetna, and travel the railroad to Fairbanks
- 2026: February & March departures from $4399.
VISITING THE UK?
You now need to complete an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) if you are visiting or connecting a flight anywhere in the UK. England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland require US Passport Holders to complete this prior to arrival. Here’s a video we did that contains all the details: https://youtu.be/6NGfCqOsDKk
If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
