The Pampered Cruiser

Your sports and your vacation plans were only two of the events disrupted by the pandemic. Even the Olympic games were postponed by a year. But did you know there was another big event originally scheduled for 2020 that occurs just once every DECADE? It was re-scheduled for 2022 and will be sold out within the next month or two.... The Passion Play takes place just once every 10 years in the small Bavarian town of Oberammergau in Germany. The play is about the last days of Jesus Christ and was originally performed in 1634 as a vow to God for the town being spared from the Bubonic Plague (and it’s worth keeping in mind that plague was exponentially worse than our 21st century version). Since the 17th Century, the residents of Oberammergau have performed the Passion Play every 10 years with just a handful of cancellations or off-cycle performances during that time. It is still performed by the local people, and the 2010 production involved over 2000 Oberammergau residents. Unlike other plays you may have seen, this one has a 3-hour intermission between the opening and closing acts, and during that time they feed you dinner. The river cruise packages attached to this play normally involve 2 to 4 nights on shore in Germany and/or Austria either before or after the river cruise. The ship travels between Bavaria and Budapest on the Danube, OR between Amsterdam and Basel on the Rhine. Originally, the Passion Play (and the associated river cruises) was scheduled for May through October of this year. The decision was made this past spring to put it off until 2022 as a result of the coronavirus. Most of the river cruise packages that offered tickets to the Passion Play for 2020 were sold out 2 years in advance, so we’ve been waiting patiently for the various river cruise lines to announce their plans for Oberammergau, because we know it will sell quickly. We’ve been given the heads up that Viking will begin selling Oberammergau river cruise packages within the next few days. There are four different itineraries being offered, with various dates from May through September of 2022... [Click to read the full article]

You can’t be surprised that the New Normal keeps changing. If nothing else, the greatest public health threat in a century has taught us all to remain malleable in our expectations! We were recently asked by an industry panel what we’re seeing with our cruise clients throughout all of this, and here’s what we said about you: [Click to read the full article]

Do you remember the old adage about NOT wearing white after Labor Day? I don’t think people pay too much attention to that anymore, but there’s no doubt that Labor Day is second probably only to New Year’s Day for marking transitions. For those of us in the northern half of the country, Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, even though there are a few weeks left of it on the calendar; the kids go back to school, and we start making plans for the fall and beyond. Wha...t does this mean in the world of cruise? Normally September is amongst the busiest months for cruise bookings, but we weren’t sure what to expect this year with the effects of the pandemic still very much influencing people’s travel plans. It turns out that people are booking cruises, but rather than booking 2 or 3 months in advance, they are booking six, twelve or more months out. Many of the river cruise, and small ship ocean lines are reporting to be more sold-out for 2021 when compared to this time last year. There is some logic to this many people who had their cruises cancelled in 2020, simply moved their plans ahead a year. When you combine this with people’s need to have something to look forward to, it’s not a big surprise that some travel providers are seeing increased demand. This month (September 2020), our agency is the Partner of the Month for Oceania Cruises. What this means is that on just about all their scheduled cruises in 2021 and beyond, we can get you FREE gratuities when you book a veranda cabin or higher category. Normally you would be charged between $16 and $23 per passenger (per day) for gratuities, so this exclusive perk could be worth several hundred dollars depending on the length of your cruise. Oceania has 6 ships that travel to 6 continents, so there are hundreds of itineraries, but here are a few examples... [Click to read the full article]

If you’re like other avid cruisers, there is plenty that attracts you to cruising as a mode of travel: - The inclusive nature of cruising, and value it represents compared to travelling independently. - The consistency of your favorite cruise brand in terms of the quality of food, service, and amenities compared with the consistency amongst hotels and resorts. - Getting to see multiple destinations in a single trip.... - Having someone else manage logistics and details to the point where all you really have to do is get to your departure airport on your own This is fantastic, but what if you want to visit a place that not near the ocean or a major river? [Click to read the full article]

When can we travel again? Where are people most interested in going next? How will it be different?... [Click to read the full article]

Please leave your comments below: - What destinations would you consider travelling to in the next six months? - What type of experiences would you consider at this time? - With the shorter-term focus on domestic travel, which destinations in the Lower 48 are of the most interest to you?... - Are there any other questions we can ask on your behalf of the leaders of these travel vendors at Virtuoso Travel Week 2020? [Click to read the full article]

If you are inclined to take a virtual cruise this summer, here are our recommendations: [Click to read the full article]

Here are some examples of what you can expect when cruising resumes: - Reduced capacity Fewer people on the ship, and restrictions on the number of people at a time in restaurants, entertainment venues, fitness centers, and elevators. - New embarkation procedures Assigned times for boarding, temperatures checks, and health questionnaires prior to boarding.... - Enhanced cleaning protocols Luggage will be disinfected prior to boarding. More frequent disinfection of high touch areas with medical grade disinfectants. Even more hand sanitizing stations. - Social distancing and facial covering guidelines. Masks will be provided and required for guests and crew in spaces where social distancing is not possible (tenders, elevators, etc.). - Health monitoring throughout a cruise. Temperature checks and medical screening. - Medical Resources New testing equipment and quarantine facilities on ships with separate air filtration systems. - Dining Self-serve options eliminated. [Click to read the full article]

Recovering from a pandemic must be a marketing professional’s dream. There are a million different promotions out there, all trying to attract people to travel again! For those of us in the travel agent trenches, it seems like a full-time job to keep track of who is marketing what, and identifying companies that are actually sending out value-added offers rather than just generating noise. While sorting through all of this in the past few weeks, I’ve discovered another dimen...sion: how multiple or varying offers from the same company combine for the best value. I went looking to see if there was a secret password or a decoder ring that would allow me to figure this all out. Alas, the only path through all these offers is to simply cross-check one against the other and look through the fine print for exclusions and/or combinability. Sound confusing? Yes, it really is. However, the effort is worth it! Here's what I found. [Click to read the full article]

In a normal July, we would typically be seeing people planning their winter trips for November through March. For our clients, July is when they most often book trips to Australia/New Zealand and Tahiti, and also the exotic, extended cruises through SE Asia and India. This year, not so much probably not a big surprise.... Here's what we're seeing instead. [Click to read the full article]

Do you remember what you did on Independence Day in 2003? Nope me neither. I’m guessing 2020 will be a year we all remember, though. ... For some, it will be the Independence Day when they stayed at home with family and had a more muted celebration. Others may attend some form of community event, but it won’t be the same as other years there will some variation of social distancing in place, and some activities will not be possible. It would be very easy to look at these scaled-back celebrations along what we’ve all endured for the past several months and feel great despair. And yet, I’m hopeful. Here's why... [Click to read the full article]

Next week starting on July 1st, you will see Hurtigruten advertising a one-week Flash Sale, promising fare reductions of up to 50%. I’m always skeptical of such offers, but this one is the real thing. They have a number of sailings that actually are 50% off, and as such represent solid value if you’re in the market for an expedition cruise.... Here are a few examples... [Click to read the full article]

As every year passes, there are two paradoxical effects that travelling has on me: 1. I enjoy travelling more. I like to think this is because I gain wisdom as I age and have a deeper appreciation for the wonders the world has to offer. 2. I find it harder on my body. This is probably a natural function of aging, but I find I need to have more and better measures in place to make sure I don’t return from a trip looking and feeling like Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.... This reality has encouraged me to put some protocols in place, and I’ve been thinking a bit more seriously about this lately to ponder my next trip (whenever than might happen). [Click to read the full article]