Travel Factory Blog

Last month I reported on an amazing travel vacation investment with Viking River Cruise, cruising down the Rhine River in November 2017. It was a smart decision to plan for a vacation in '17.

Today, let me give you a tip on a more recent travel vacation that will really get you excited. It is especially good for couples who are celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, or any other special celebration. The cost is very inexpensive when compared with a week's vacation on land, or even one of those all-inclusive vacations to Mexico or Jamaica.

I'm referring to the Rudy Cruise on September 11-18, 2016. Rudy Fernandez has planned a cruise for his friends and listeners to KEAN and other TownSquare Media stations for the past 10 years on a Caribbean cruise out of Galveston. This year we will be on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas, a new ship in that market. They spent several million dollars in February while the ship was in dry dock, refurbishing her and putting many other enhancements for the enjoyment of their guests.

Folks are always asking me for some real good travel bargains, some tips on some inexpensive places to go. Well, I'll explain one that beats just about any bargain I have ever heard of, for sure the best one I've ever sold. The Rudy Cruise out of Galveston has always been a real good cruise bargain, but this one will almost top that one!!

We reserved some space on a Viking River Cruise ship for November 25, 2017 going down the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland. It's a 7-day Christmas market cruise where we visit several excellent ports in Germany like Cologne, Heidelburg, the French port of Strasbourg, and a day it the Black Forest. The price starts as low as $1,874 a person for a first floor room, based on availability at time of booking. A French Balcony starts at $2,624 a person; a Veranda on the Second Floor will put you back only $2,874.

Those prices include all your meals, and they are really good, take it from me. Also, beer, wine, and soft drinks are complimentary at lunch and dinner. They have coffee, tea, and cappuccino available at all times of the day, and if like the last ones we were on, cookies and muffins were available just about all day.

Travel Weekly, a magazine devoted to the travel industry, came out last month with the winners of their annual “Readers Choice Awards”.

Since we returned from our Viking River cruise last November, we have had the opportunity to sell several folks on a river cruise of their own. . .all with great success.

One effort that has not been successful is bookings on our group tour on the elegant Elbe River this coming November.  It was a 10-night cruise, and I think that might be one of the negatives of folks signing up as well having to cruise on an older ship.  If those were the objections, then we have re-imagined and have booked some group space on one of the new longships for only 7 nights. Also, we’ve changed rivers.  This one will be on the Danube River, cruising from Budapest to Passau.

Let’s just say. . . it’s different. . .in a satisfying, real good sort of way!!

We’ve just returned from a wonderful river cruise experience with Viking River Cruise Line on the Rhine River, from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland.  It was our first venture into this vacation option, and after over 60 plus ocean cruises under out belt, I can honestly say we were more than satisfied with the experience.