We talked to some folks the other day about going with us to Alaska next July, and mentioned that they would need to get a passport to make the trip. They questioned why since we would be cruising in the United States. I reminded them that one of the current rules of the sea is that if you depart from a port in the United States, you have to visit one foreign port before you return to the states.
In the past 4-5 years, river cruising has become the cruise of choice for many of our more mature vacationers. One of the reasons for that is that the owner of one of the more popular river cruise lines, Viking River Cruises, has openly declared that the demographics of his ships is the 55+ passenger, and please, no children.
As the new year rolls in, the cruise lines have been busy in bringing on new attractions that will entice not only the first time cruiser, but also engender interest from the experienced cruise passenger. For example:
On Norwegian Cruise Line’s new ship coming out in 2015, the Norwegian Escape, they plan on offering the delights of Margaritaville on that ship. One of the complimentary dining venues will feature the 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar which will host live nightly performances, a separate music venue, and an outdoor bar on The Waterfront. There is no word yet on which other ships will receive the new venues, but you can be sure it is coming to other ships in 2015-16.
It’s that time of the year when our thoughts turn toward what we should give our loved one(s) for Christmas. Our favorite Christmas gift, or birthday gift, or anniversary gift, or pick-a-reason gift is the gift of travel. One of the reasons is that a travel gift never grows old. . .oh, the immediate experience of travel might grow old, but the memory will live on as long as you have a memory. Not so with many other gifts given at Christmas…the sweater will wear out, the toy will get broken, the game will be forgotten in a year or two, or the shower head will get corroded. That shower head illustration is a true one; a friend of mine confessed he gave a shower head to his wife for Christmas!!
I’m talking about Glacier Bay, a true UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site. The 3.3-million acre park was so designated in 1992.
I heard on the radio or read about it in the newspaper, that most Americans nowadays do not take their full vacation days. . .rather they continue to work. Some have to because they need the extra money, some prefer to in order to have a savings account, some just prefer to work, and consider it a sin to be idle.
One of the objections to cruising we often get has to do with the perception that it is an unsafe mode of transportation. Compared to what. . . automobile safety, airline safety, motorboating, horseback riding??? Cruising continues to be one of the safest and most regulated modes of transportation today.
Passports Are Vital For Your International Travel
We talked to some folks the other day about going with us to Alaska next July, and mentioned that they would need to get a passport to make the trip. They questioned why since we would be cruising in the United States. I reminded them that one of the current rules of the sea is that if you depart from a port in the United States, you have to visit one foreign port before you return to the states.
If you are like me, I just hate to have to pay for insurance. . . .of any kind. But I’m really proud of myself when I have to use it for something unexpected.
Protecting your travel investment with insurance is a wise move; at least it gives one peace of mind before you go on your trip or while you are on it. We sell it quite often, especially for those trips where there is considerable cost involved if you have to cancel. Most of the time we use the insurance offered by the tour operator or cruise line. Depending on the circumstances, we often will sell insurance offered by an agency that specializes in travel insurance, Travel Guard or Travel Insured.
One can find a lot of questions answered about traveling domestically and internationally at a government web site under the address of www.help.cbp.gov or another good one is www.state.gov/travel. A person could easily spend several hours reading up on what is required of a traveler nowadays.
People have all kinds of reasons to finally decide to cruise. . .some of it is the vacation variety that interests them, some of it is a recommendation from a friend, some of it is because of the instructions of an experienced travel agent.
Much of what I write today comes from the mind of a travel columnist who has an occasional article regarding cruising in today’s world. His name is Tom Stieghorst, and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I used some of his inspiration. He writes of a man who found himself on the same cruise itinerary over and over again following the loss of his wife. She had been in ill health and the two had shared numerous cruises on Carnival’s Elation before she passed away in the spring. So. . . he took 33 consecutive cruises aboard that ship. Why? He said the ship held special memories for him and that cruising was very therapeutic in helping him mourn his wife and come to terms with her death.
I’ve had the pleasure of being on the board of the local Better Business Bureau for several years, not so now, but in that time of service, I gained a deeper appreciation for the benefit of being a member of that organization. The main reason is that I recognized how hard that organization works to make sure the citizens of the Big Country are informed about business practices of companies that serve us. They also help us to recognize some of the people who try to take unfair advantage of our good will.
Last week we talked about the popularity primarily of the European river cruises, but I think it has piqued the interest of a lot of cruisers who might be interested in the availability of cruises in the rivers of the United States, as well as the small ship cruising of the U. S. coasts. Anyway, we’ve had more inquiries along this line recently.
Of course we are referring to river cruising. . . .especially Viking River cruising.
In the past 5 years, that company has brought more visibility to that cruising genre than any other, primarily because of their barrage of brochures to potential and past passengers, and the beautiful television ads which initially appeared during “Downton Abbey”, but also began appearing during pro football games this past year.
As we have noted in previous blogs, constant change in Las Vegas is a given, so we could easily report 3 or 4 times a year on different things going on in that vibrant city and not repeat ourself. I looked back on a previous report in May and was extolling the rehab of what is now known as The Cromwell, a new, up-scale renovated hotel.
Occasionally we will run across some really good cruise promotions that are simply fantastic.. . .can’t see how the cruise lines can offer all the things they provide at such a discounted rate. . .but it happens, especially if booked early.
Have you noticed that the “bigs” keep getting bigger? The banks are merging, the tech companies are merging, law offices are merging, and would you believe. . .it’s a disease that is rampant in the travel and hospitality business.
I’m not certain for sure when it started, but the airlines have been merging for several years now so that we really have only four major airlines in the United States that transport about 80% of the flying public: American, United, Delta, and Southwest. And you would think that they would all work together to enhance service to the traveling public……think again!! Southwest is getting into the “big” act lately by letting it be known that in the not to distant future they will be charging for luggage too; it’s become such an economic boom to the other three, the opportunity to “get in line” will just be too tempting.
One of the most often asked questions when folks are talking with us about taking a trip over the holidays is, “when is the best time to make a reservation?”. My normal response is “right now”!!! If you are thinking right now about holiday travel over Christmas or New Year, you are ahead of about 80% of the folks who will be asking that question in a couple of months.
Everyone likes hotels that don’t cost and arm and a leg just to spend the night. Everyone likes really nice hotels that are offered at a cheap price. . . .but they are getting harder and harder to find.
We made the announcement several months ago that we were planning another group trip to the Holy Land, March 3-12, 2015. Since then, understandably so, there has been some security concerns in that region that has caused inquiries by some folks interested in going whether we were still planning on taking the trip. At this point in time, we are still planning on enjoying exploring the ground where Jesus walked.
