Did you grow up with a single telephone mounted on the wall at the end of the hallway for the whole family to share? We tell our kids such stories and they laugh with delight at how primitive life must have been for those who grew up in the 20th century.
I bring this up because this past week, I had much more “on-the-phone time” than “off-the-phone time” – a necessary (and positive) consequence of the huge surge in booking requests we are getting right now from clients.
It’s a far cry from that single phone on the wall at the end of the hall.
Both Bob and I are on the phone all day, every day.
Bob handles most of the in-person client work – so almost all the time, you’ll end up speaking with him on the phone.
My own job includes managing our relationships and bookings with the cruise lines and other suppliers, and email correspondence with clients between time of booking and time of travel.
Others in the travel biz compare our process to how Elton John and Bernie Taupin write songs together. It’s a bit unusual, but it works for us.
It also explains why we usually try to book phone appointments with our clients. When we’re on the phone with someone, we want to ensure that person has our complete attention, so the phones are forwarded to voicemail, and we will never interrupt a conversation to answer a call on another line.
This past week, we’ve also been dealing with dozens of rebooks (some of you for the third or fourth time) from recently cancelled sailings originally scheduled for June and July.
Thank you to all of you for your patience as we sort through all of this. We’re doing our best.
New Travel Opportunities:
The CDC’s erratic behavior as it relates to cruise ships continues, so more and more cruise lines are bypassing them altogether, and sailing from foreign ports. This is devastating for the 250,000 Americans employed by the cruise ship industry, and hopefully those jobs will eventually return to the US, but until the Federal Government provides instructions to the cruise lines as to what hurdles will be required to sail from US ports, the cruise lines will continue to deal with more cooperative governments.
Here are some examples:
Bermuda
Viking Cruises recently announced brand new one-week cruises round trip from Hamilton starting in June 2021:
- If you find Bermuda a somewhat uninspiring port of call, you might want to view this as unique opportunity to try out a Viking ocean cruise. It might also just be a nice change of scenery for a week.
- Fares start at $1799, with air add-ons at $599.
- The best priced cabin on Viking is a 270 square foot veranda, so this is a very competitive price compared to other cruise ship rooms.
- At the same time the Bermuda itinerary was announced, Viking also released one-week cruises in Iceland, but those already sold out (within a week!). If they deploy another ship, and more space opens up, we’ll let you know.
We continue to get a ton of requests for domestic travel options that depart in the next few months. Here are some ideas:
Glacier National Park, Montana
The Pacific Northwest is one of the best kept secrets in the country, with spectacular scenery, a number of National Parks, and wide-open spaces. On this 10-day trip, you’ll travel between Chicago and Seattle by train.
- Available June through October.
- 2 nights in Chicago, 2 nights in Seattle, 3 nights at Glacier National Park. There are also two nights aboard the train, and sleeper cabins are available on this route.
- Glacier NP covers more than 16,000 square miles, two mountain ranges, and includes 130 lakes.
- $2749 per person based on double occupancy.
- Travel through 7 states retracing large parts on Lewis and Clark’s journey.
- This itinerary is unique in that you get to visit some of the most remote parts of the country, in between the two great urban experiences of Chicago and Seattle.
Mackinac Island, Chicago, and Detroit
If you want to explore the Midwest instead, this “land-cruise” guided tour caught my eye:
- Two nights in Chicago, then on to Traverse City for one-night; followed by 2-nights at the charming and famous Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island; then to the Bavarian town of Frankenmuth; and finally, 2-nights in Detroit where you can visit the Henry Ford Museum and take in Detroit’s other attractions.
- 7-nights starting at $2799 per person, for departures June through October.
- Includes all breakfasts, and 4 dinners
In Case You Missed It:
- Floriade – This horticultural expo is happening in the Netherlands next year.
- American Queen Steamboat Company resumed sailing on the Mississippi about a month ago, and by all accounts, things have been going just fine.
- Caribbean Cruise from St. Maarten on the Celebrity Millennium.
- Rocky Mountaineer Rail Packages between Denver and Las Vegas or Salt Lake City
I hope this helps. We’ll continue to respond to your requests for vacation ideas that you can take in the next few months. It seems we’re not the only ones ready to get away!
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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
