If your kids are anything like ours, you are being reminded on a fairly regular basis that you’re old and out of touch. This is especially the case when it comes to our consumption of media – specifically Facebook and YouTube. Our kids have told us that we’ll only connect with old people on these two social media platforms.

If they’re right, then I know for sure those are exactly the channels we WANT to be on. We’ve dabbled on Instagram and TikTok, but we’re not reaching the right people on those sites.

Many of you read this weekly blog on Facebook (or read it by email, and then comment on Facebook), but today I’m going to talk about YouTube.

In the past year, we’ve doubled our YouTube subscribers – so thank all of you that have subscribed. The reason this is important is because there’s an aspect of “momentum” with YouTube, and the more subscribers you have, the most organic attention you attract, and in any business (especially a small mom & pop like ours), this is critical. If you haven’t had the chance to subscribe to our channel yet, please take a minute to do so (it really helps us!)

https://www.youtube.com/thepamperedcruiser

We’ve taken a bit of heat because our videos are not flashy and produced. This is fair criticism. However, if you want the flashy stuff, you can go to the cruise lines’ websites. Our footage is taken with an iPhone, and essentially the same thing that you’ll see: no special lighting, no professional models, no trick camera equipment – just raw footage of what we see when we’re taking the same sort of trips that YOU like to take.

Our most viewed video is a one-hour long “fireside chat” about travelling to Antarctica, from when I was there in 2018. This one’s getting a bit dated, but the images are still spectacular, and most of the information is still valid.

We have ship tour videos, itinerary videos, some interviews with cruise line executives, and some informational videos. YouTube only offers a handful of our videos in the preview pane when you arrive on our site. If you want to see ALL the videos, you need to click “VIDEOS” near the center under our logo.

We’re going to start posting videos again next week (we’ve taken the summer off from video editing), and we’ll post something new every couple of weeks after that.

Finally a word about ads on YouTube: they insert advertisements into OUR videos. We don’t get any revenue from this, and what ads you see are dependent upon YOUR browsing history. This (unfortunately) is the “price” of using their platform.

Today’s Travel Opportunities

AMA WATERWAYS

FRANCE: Paris, Normandy and Bordeaux back to backs for 14-nights

You’re going all the way to Europe anyway, so why not take in these completely different regions of France, with all the logistics between ships taken care of.
Start in Paris, then visit Les Andelys, Le Havre, Normandy Beaches, Caudebec-en-Caux, Rouen, Vernon (for Monet’s Gardens), the take the high-speed train to Bordeaux for the 2^nd week to enjoy the famed wine region, historic architecture, and ancient castles.
Visit during harvest! Depart October 2, 2025 from $8179 ($500 off)

MEKONG River to Vietnam & Cambodia from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap for 7-nights

Visit local markets and temples, do a local school visit, get a tuk tuk tour of Phnom Penh, and experience the amazing people, culture and food of the unique part of the world on a fully escorted trip.
See our ship tour video of AMA’s Mekong River ship: https://youtu.be/T6YIfrUbDwk?si=oXnRW6fNH9mvO9yX
2025: Depart October 20 from $3189 for a twin balcony room, with $150 per person on board credit.

Colombia: Barranquilla to Cartagena for 7-nights departing June 11

Visit a Carnaval celebration, take a stilt-house Village tour, enjoy a Jazz street performance, and San Felipe Castle and Walled city tour. Enjoy the latin music, sample the famous coffee, and take in the tropical rainforest.
Pre/post available to Medellin and/or Panama.
Fares from $3755

CRYSTAL CRUISES

We are getting great feedback from Crystal clients that knew the brand in its previous incarnation, and are now enjoying it again.

ICELAND & CANADA: Reykjavik to New York departing September 17 for 13-nights

Visit Greenland, 2 stops in Newfoundland, Cape Breton Island, Halifax, Boston (overnight), and New York (overnight).
Fares from $7200.

CARIBBEAN: Fort Lauderdale round-trip departing November 28, 2025 for 24-nights:

This one hits just about every island in the Caribbean including Cayman, Jamaica, Dominican, Puerto Rico, Martinique and Barbados.
Fares from $10,300

JAPAN INTENSIVE: Tokyo round-trip departing April 18, 2026 for 21-nights

Make 11 port stops in Japan, and 4 stops in South Korea.
Fares from $10,400

HX Adventure Cruises

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS and Quito for 9-days

2-nights in Quito, then fly to Galapagos (included in fare) for 6 nights. Visit Mosquera Inlet, Santa Fe, South Plaza, Santa Cruz, Charles Darwin Research Station in Port Ayora, Espanola Island, Eden Islet.
$7477 for departures in January, February, or March.

NORWAY FJORDS IN SUMMER: Midnight Sun cruises round-trip from Bergen for 15-days

10 port stops in Coastal Norway including Svalbard and Tromso.
Departures May through September from $4702.

NORWAY ULTIMATE NORTHERN LIGHTS: Oslo to Helsinki for 17-days

First, travel from Oslo to Bergen on the Flam Railway. Then board the Norwegian Coastal Express for 7-nights in the Fjords. Do a Reindeer Safari in Northern Finland, visit the Santa Claus Village, do a Husky Safari, stay in a Glass Igloo in Lapland, and finish in Helsinki.
Departures September 2025 through March 2026 from $6412 pp

LAND CRUISES WITH INTREPID TRAVEL

MOROCCO: Casablanca to Marrakech for 15-days

Visit the Museum of Judaism, and Mosque of Hassan II in Casablanca. Walk the Medinas and Souks in Meknes, get a home-cooked dinner in Fes, visit the desert oasis town of Erfoud, go for a camel ride during your stay at a Sahara Desert Camp, stop in at Ait Benhaddou (where Lawrence of Arabia, Game of Thrones, and many other movies have been filmed), stay overnight in a village in the High Atlas Mountains, and finish in Marrakech, where you’ll experience the crossroads of cultures that makes up the place.
Weekly departures year-round from $4520

COSTA RICA: San Jose to Tamarindo for 12-days

Visit BOTH Caribbean and Pacific Coasts, see a turtle sanctuary, enjoy coffee where it is harvested, hotsprings at Arenal Volcano, see the abundant wildlife in the rainforest, and take a surfing lesson in Tamarindo (or maybe just watch it!)
Departures November through February from $4947

In Case You Missed It:

Norway Fjords: Cruise ship traffic will be restricted starting in 2026. Here are the details:

https://pamperedcruiser.com/norway-fjords-better-do-it-in-2025/

Misconceptions About Travel: Our assumptions about other countries, and the people there are not always correct:

https://pamperedcruiser.com/deprogramming-travel-misconceptions/

Do You Have an Upcoming Viking Cruise?

Earlier this year, Viking replaced its Book on Board program with the BON VOYAGE incentive. This allows you to book your next Viking cruise in the 2 weeks BEFORE you board, and get some extra goodies for doing so: