Vacationing When We Can Travel Again

What's Next From a Cruise Specialist's Perspective

Traveling has been put on pause in 2020.   This year has been filled with fear, anxiety, and lot's of stress for most families.  If you are like me, you've been cut off from friends, co-workers, favorite restaurants, churches, and much more.  Perhaps you didn't realize how much you could miss those things. 

Vacationing, when it is safe to do so again, will play a large part in the healing process.  There is hope since the CDC has just published a framework that will allow cruising from America to resume.  Europe has already been sailing.  It may be possible to vacation soon, so let's dream together.

Tropical breezes are blowing, the surf is calling, but if you are like most Americans, you are feeling guilty about taking time off to relax with your family, even though you desperately need to.   This year, those feelings might be more intense.

Did you know that most Americans, earn on average 14 days of vacation compared to Britain (24 days), Spain (30 days) and France (36 days). Also, a recent study discovered that most Americans don’t even use their vacation time. 

Another study discovered that women who took holidays were more satisfied with their marriages and less likely to become depressed, while a separate study showed that among men who were at high risk for coronary heart disease, those who took vacations had a lower death rate. So don’t feel guilty about taking a vacation; it’s healthy for you to do so.

While tropical breezes sound inviting, you are yearning for something different.  If you are going to take time off,  it has to be all about the experience.

So while that is sinking in, let’s pretend that you’ve decided to take the big plunge. You call me and say that you have a large bank of vacation time stored up, you’ve always wanted to go to Norway to see the Fjords, and experience the Northern Lights.  You and your family want to get away for a couple weeks. Checking the available itineraries, looking at various demographics, your budget and other factors, I recommend the 12 Night Coastal Voyage on Hurtigruten Vesteralen which departs from Bergen, Norway.   I suggest adding the pre-cruise Train from Oslo to Bergen.  This time of year it will be amazing with all the snow capped mountains and other scenery.

Fast forward to departure time for your Norway adventure ...
You sleep on the plane ride over the pond, you are already feeling relaxed even before you get off the plane in Oslo. Your pre-cruise stay included bus transfers from the Oslo airport to the Bus Terminal which was down the block from your hotel. After a short walk you arrive at Clarion Royal Christiana Hotel. After checking in, you drop off your luggage and explore the neighborhood in search of a restaurant for dinner. You notice that the train station is just across the street, so it will be quite easy continuing your journey in the morning. You decide to head back to your room to relax and get some sleep.

After a good nights sleep and breakfast, you were ready for the adventure in this winter wonderland to begin. A short walk from the hotel, and you were inside Oslo Central Railway Station. Checking the departure board, you found that the train's departure track wasn't posted yet. You'd given yourself plenty of time so that you didn't have to run through the train station to get to the platform on time. Once the track was posted, you headed to the entrance gate.

The European rail system is a very reliable way to travel. The train arrived at the station on time and you made your way to car 7, stowed your suitcases, and found your reserved seats. You were off on a six hour journey through the Norwegian countryside.

Onboard the train you were able to communicate using free Wi-Fi. When you got hungry, you purchased sandwiches from the dining car. Winter in Norway brings lots of snow in the mountains. You got your first glimpses at the beautiful scenery you'd be experiencing throughout the rest of the adventure.

The train arrived in Bergen on time and you gathered your luggage and headed towards the station exit. There you were greeted by a representative from Hurtigruten who directed you to a shuttle bus for the short ride to the ship. Once at the pier, you dropped off your luggage, and checked in to get your cabin keys. Before you got onto the ship, there was a mandatory safety drill where they showed a safety movie and demonstrated how to put on the thermal protection suit and life jacket. This was the only compulsory activity of the voyage. The ship sails on time and you get ready for dinner and your first night at sea.

Let's fast forward to the morning of arrival in the first Norwegian port, Alesund. You step onto

the deck and get your first glimpse of the Norwegian Fjords. In the still of the morning, the only sound is that of rushing water from a nearby waterfall flowing from one of the nearby mountain peaks. The sight exceeds your expectations. You pinch yourself to make sure you are awake. This is truly beautiful country. You are now extremely happy that you took your cruise vacation.

Several days have passed, you've seen amazing sights, gone dog-sledding and crossed the Arctic Circle.   There's still one highlight that you can't wait for.   You go to dinner and share stories about your adventures with your table mates and then head to the lounge for some coffee and entertainment.  The loud speaker cuts in with an announcement ... Northern Lights have been spotted.  Everyone races outside to watch the lights dancing in the night's sky.  The lights fill the night sky and you can't believe the amazing sight unfolding before your eyes.

Clap! Clap! Wake up! Have you been dreaming? It's time to go to work, or you'll be late! You reluctantly come back to reality, but alas, you've decided that you DO really need to plan a cruise vacation. You've worked hard and you deserve some time away from work with your family. Don't wait too long, you might change your mind. Give me a call and tell me about your dream. Every day I help clients plan their dream getaway. No matter if it's a 3 night Bahamas cruise or a 108 night World Cruise that you are dreaming about, let me put my 30+ years of cruise experience to work for you to plan your well deserved vacation. Until then, sweet dreams.

This Concludes the 2020 National Plan a Cruise Month Mini-Series


We hope that this series of articles has answered some of your questions about cruising, for those that have never experienced it before, and sparked your desires to continue your life's adventures at sea.

Continue to follow our blog as the story has just begun. We will continue bringing you our personal experiences and industry updates.  If this Norway getaway sounds interesting, check out my mini-series, Diary Hurtigruten Classic Voyage Bergen, which details our 12 night roundtrip from Bergen.

When you decide to travel again, please reach out to your Travel Professional.   Like your favorite local restaurant, their doors have been closed this year.   They have been keeping in contact with their suppliers to stay updated on the latest industry news as well as protocols which should be followed for safe traveling once it resumes.

They've always had destination and industry knowledge to help find the perfect vacation for you, while making it a stress free trip.   

If you don't already have a Travel Professional you work with, I'd be honored to plan your next vacation.   Besides cruises, I can also assist with land-based adventures such as resorts or tours.

Looking Forward to Traveling Again Soon

 

Click the banner above for the latest cruise promotions

 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Choose Cruise Month (click for mini-series)

Follow Us On

       

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Where have you explored? 

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Vacationing, from a Cruise Specialist’s Perspective

Tropical breezes are blowing, the surf is calling, but if you are like most Americans, you are feeling guilty about taking time off to relax with your family, even though you desperately need to. Did you know that most Americans, earn on average 14 days of vacation compared to Britain (24 days), Spain (30 days) and France (36 days). Also, a recent study discovered that most Americans don’t even use their vacation time. Another study discovered that women who took holidays were more satisfied with their marriages and less likely to become depressed, while a separate study showed that among men who were at high risk for coronary heart disease, those who took vacations had a lower death rate. So don’t feel guilty about taking a vacation; it’s healthy for you to do so.

While tropical breezes sound inviting, you are yearning for something different.  If you are going to take time off,  it has to be all about the experience.

So while that is sinking in, let’s pretend that you’ve decided to take the big plunge. You call me and say that you have a large bank of vacation time stored up, you’ve always wanted to go to Norway to see the Fjords, and experience the Northern Lights.  You and your family want to get away for a couple weeks. Checking the available itineraries, looking at various demographics, your budget and other factors, I recommend the 12 Night Coastal Voyage on Hurtigruten Vesteralen which departs from Bergen, Norway.   I suggest adding the pre-cruise Train from Oslo to Bergen.  This time of year it will be amazing with all the snow capped mountains and other scenery.

Fast forward to departure time for your Norway adventure ...
You sleep on the plane ride over the pond, you are already feeling relaxed even before you get off the plane in Oslo. Your pre-cruise stay included bus transfers from the Oslo airport to the Bus Terminal which was down the block from your hotel. After a short walk you arrive at Clarion Royal Christiana Hotel. After checking in, you drop off your luggage and explore the neighborhood in search of a restaurant for dinner. You notice that the train station is just across the street, so it will be quite easy continuing your journey in the morning. You decide to head back to your room to relax and get some sleep.

After a good nights sleep and breakfast, you were ready for the adventure in this winter wonderland to begin. A short walk from the hotel, and you were inside Oslo Central Railway Station. Checking the departure board, you found that the train's departure track wasn't posted yet. You'd given yourself plenty of time so that you didn't have to run through the train station to get to the platform on time. Once the track was posted, you headed to the entrance gate.

The European rail system is a very reliable way to travel. The train arrived at the station on time and you made your way to car 7, stowed your suitcases, and found your reserved seats. You were off on a six hour journey through the Norwegian countryside.

Onboard the train you were able to communicate using free Wi-Fi. When you got hungry, you purchased sandwiches from the dining car. Winter in Norway brings lots of snow in the mountains. You got your first glimpses at the beautiful scenery you'd be experiencing throughout the rest of the adventure.

The train arrived in Bergen on time and you gathered your luggage and headed towards the station exit. There you were greeted by a representative from Hurtigruten who directed you to a shuttle bus for the short ride to the ship. Once at the pier, you dropped off your luggage, and checked in to get your cabin keys. Before you got onto the ship, there was a mandatory safety drill where they showed a safety movie and demonstrated how to put on the thermal protection suit and life jacket. This was the only compulsory activity of the voyage. The ship sails on time and you get ready for dinner and your first night at sea.

Let's fast forward to the morning of arrival in the first Norwegian port, Alesund. You step onto

the deck and get your first glimpse of the Norwegian Fjords. In the still of the morning, the only sound is that of rushing water from a nearby waterfall flowing from one of the nearby mountain peaks. The sight exceeds your expectations. You pinch yourself to make sure you are awake. This is truly beautiful country. You are now extremely happy that you took your cruise vacation.

Several days have passed, you've seen amazing sights, gone dog-sledding and crossed the Arctic Circle.   There's still one highlight that you can't wait for.   You go to dinner and share stories about your adventures with your table mates and then head to the lounge for some coffee and entertainment.  The loud speaker cuts in with an announcement ... Northern Lights have been spotted.  Everyone races outside to watch the lights dancing in the night's sky.  The lights fill the night sky and you can't believe the amazing sight unfolding before your eyes.

Clap! Clap! Wake up! Have you been dreaming? It's time to go to work, or you'll be late! You reluctantly come back to reality, but alas, you've decided that you DO really need to plan a cruise vacation. You've worked hard and you deserve some time away from work with your family. Don't wait too long, you might change your mind. Give me a call and tell me about your dream. Every day I help clients plan their dream getaway. No matter if it's a 3 night Bahamas cruise or a 108 night World Cruise that you are dreaming about, let me put my 30+ years of cruise experience to work for you to plan your well deserved vacation. Until then, sweet dreams.

This Concludes the 2018 National Plan a Cruise Month Mini-Series


We hope that this series of articles has answered some of your questions about cruising, for those that have never experienced it before, and sparked your desires to continue your life's adventures at sea. Continue to follow our blog as the story has just begun. We will continue bringing you our personal experiences and industry updates. Our next mini-series will be about our National Conference on the brand new Norwegian Bliss. Check out our Cruise Diaries for more about the Hurtigruten Norway Coastal Voyage and some of our other favorite cruises.

 

National Plan A Cruise Month Promotions 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Choose Cruise Month (click for mini-series)

Follow Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers


Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat 

3 Top Attractions Flåm Norway

Save Best For Last

Norwegian Fjords Cruise 

Flåm, Norway

It's hard to believe but Flåm, Norway was our last Norwegian Fjord port of our 12 Night British Isles / Norwegian Fjords cruise. There is so much to do in this area, so we've narrowed the list to our Top 3 Picks.  These sites can be seen, with adequate time for each, during your port call in Flåm.

In order to see our top choices, we booked an organized Royal Caribbean tour, Overland to Voss, Tvinde & Stalheim. There were two offerings of that tour, one did the train first (as described in the tour description) and the other did the train in the afternoon following lunch. We opted for the latter.


Stalheim

Our day began with an early start by motor coach to the Stalheim Hotel. In order to get to the hotel, our motor coach had to navigate spectacular hairpin bends of Stalheimskleivane, the steepest road in Norway. The drivers definitely deserve every krone they receive in wages and tips.

Our bus driver did a wonderful job getting us to our destination safely. Once there we entered the hotel for coffee, tea, and cakes. We had plenty of time to explore on our own, taking in the splendid views of the Naeroy Valley, the river that runs through it and the magnificent waterfalls that graced the mountain walls.

Words cannot describe the scene adequately, so take a look at our Stalheim photo album for some pictures we took.

Tvinde 

Descending the windy mountain roads, our motor coach continued the tour to our next destination, Tvinde Waterfall.

As you can see from this picture, the waterfall cascades down the mountain side. There are rocks at the foot of the waterfall which make for great portrait shots with the waterfall in the background.  These are just a sampling of images from the waterfall. View the rest of our pictures in the Tvinde photo album.

Voss

We had time for a quick refreshment and then we reboarded the motor coach for our trip to Voss, where we would have a traditional Norwegian Lunch Buffet at the Fleischer's Hotel.

Following lunch we had time to explore the quaint town of Voss before heading to the train station for our trip back to Flåm.

In the center of town is Voss Church - Vangskyrkja which was built between 1271-77. It is still in use today. There is a small charge if you want to enter the church and take photos. My husband paid the fee and included in our Voss photo album, you'll find photos of the interior of the church.

Our all day tour continued via the Flam Railway from Voss to Myrdal Station. We changed trains in Myrdal. There was enough time between trains to explore the gift shop at the station and get some ice cream. Make sure you get some ice cream when you are in Norway - it was one of our favorite things to do.

Kjosfossen Waterfall
 
The final highlight of the tour was the photo stop at Kjosfossen Waterfall . We were allowed to disembark the train to get close up pictures of the magnificent waterfall. I have to admit, this is the first time I've been on a train which stopped for photos. The waterfall powers the Flåm Railway. For more pictures of the train trip from Voss to Flåm see our photo album.

Our train pulled into the station at Flåm. As we disembarked the train, we could see the Jewel of the Seas docked just a short walk away. There was some time for shopping in the stores by the pier before boarding the ship for our final sail-away in Norway. We had a day at sea the following day, then on to our final port, Amsterdam, Netherlands before returning to Harwich, England.

We hope that you've enjoyed your trip to the Norwegian Fjords. It's not quite the same as being there in person we know, so hopefully you will get there some day. If you've not quite had enough of the Norwegian Fjords, fear not -  we had another cruise which included the Norwegian Fjords, so in future articles, we'll tell you about that trip.

3 Top Things To Do in Hellesylt Cruise Port

Hellesylt, Norway

Recall from last time that we left the Jewel of the Seas in Geiranger, Norway for an all day tour, Journey to Briksdal Glacier . Usually you begin and end your tour in the same port of call, but that isn't the case with Geiranger. The ship stayed there for most of the day so people could stay in town if they chose to. At 3:30 PM, it set sail for Hellesylt, where the majority of the passengers, who'd been on tours, would rejoin the ship.

During My Cruise Stop in Hellesylt I'd...

Photograph a Waterfall

The site of the village on the mountain sides at the end of the Sunnylvs Fiord is exceptionally picturesque. Right through the centre, 100 meters from Grand Hotel, the Hellesylt waterfall gushes down into the Fiord. This waterfall is one of the most photographed sites in Norway. Of course, we were obliged to get a few pictures of our own.

Relax & Enjoy Picturesque Views

Hellesylt is a small village in the Stranda Municipality, which is a part of the Møre and Romsdal County in the western part of Norway. Our motor coach arrived in this little town and parked near the dock where we would board a tender boat to rejoin our ship.

Hellesylt is well known for for its colorful history, and in the old street most of the old buildings are still intact.  Our tour was behind schedule, so we didn't have much time before we had to board the tender boat.

Not Miss Sail Away

Before boarding the last tender boat, we clicked a few more pictures of the waterfall and of our ship, which despite its 90,090 gross tons, was dwarfed by the fjords.  Words cannot describe the view - you must bring a camera, or at least your smart phone, with you to capture this moment in time to cherish forever.

The tender boat had an upper level, which we selected so that we could capture images of the fjord and our ship from this vantage point.  The ship grew larger as we approached, but it was still dwarfed by its surroundings.


We had late dinner plans, so we were able to relax on our aft balcony verandah, enjoying a glass of wine with friends, as we sailed away (see photo album).

From Hellesylt we sailed for our next port of call, Flåm , where we would see an even more amazing waterfall.

Our 12 Night British Isles / Norwegian Fjords cruise continued to be an exceptional cruise with wonderful memories. When updating my website, and posting to this blog, I can't help but recall those fabulous days in the Norwegian Fjords. I do hope you get to experience this magnificent country some day. 

During My Cruise I'd Walk On a Glacier

Have You Visited Alaska?
Wasn't It Amazing?
Want To See More Spectacular Views?

Imagine a place where you'll see fertile valleys, majestic mountains, waterfalls and glaciers. Yes, you can even get up close to a glacier like the people in this picture. Join us on our journey to Norway and the exquisite Norwegian Fjords.

Geiranger, Norway

View from Your Balcony

I've left you imagining the Norwegian Fjords long enough. I can assure you that the picture you have in your mind is about to be surpassed. To the left is a picture from our balcony as we arrived in Geiranger, Norway. The stillness of the morning was broken by the sound of rushing water. The ship doesn't dock alongside a pier in Geiranger. Instead, the ship uses its lifeboats to tender the passengers ashore.

We booked the Journey to Briksdal Glacier RCCL shore excursion so we were one of the first passengers to disembark the vessel. We boarded our motor coach and drove through the small village of Geiranger arriving at the Flydal Gorge (approximately 1,000 feet above sea level) where we had a fantastic view of the fjord and ship below as you can see in this picture. Look how small the Jewel of the Seas looks in the middle of the fjord. From this overlook, we continued our journey up the mountain to Dalsnibba which is at 4500 feet elevation.

Dalsnibba is a mountain in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. It is located above the town of Geiranger, 7 km away from Geirangerfjord. It offers very good lookout opportunities and thus is a very popular tourist destination. Dalsnibba is often covered by the snow even in the summer. It is hard to tell whether you'll have a good view until you get to the mountain top. Unfortunately, there was extensive cloud cover and fog when we arrived. It did start to clear as we descended the mountain peak. Note the hairpin curves that the motor coaches had to make. There were times when one bus had to back up to allow another one to pass. It sure makes one glad they aren't the driver. Even with the overcast sky, the view was amazing.


Our tour continued as we drove down the mountain on our way to Briksdalen Mountain. When we arrived at at the Briksdalen Glacier, we disembarked the motor coach and entered Briksdal Inn for a typical Norwegian lunch. Following lunch we had free time to explore the glacier on our own.

There are three ways to get near the glacier - walking, riding in a horse cart, or riding in a jeep. Regardless of the method you choose, you will still need to walk on rugged terrain to get close to the face of Briksdal Glacier. Since we had limited time there, we opted for transportation by jeep. There is a nominal charge for both the jeep and the horse cart, so make sure you have some cash. You will definitely want to have a good pair of hiking shoes.

Here is a closeup of the glacial ice for those of you that haven't seen a glacier before. You'll notice the telltale bluish tint to the ice. It is possible to go onto the glacier itself, but it isn't practical with the limited amount of time during this particular organized tour. You probably wouldn't guess that we weren't on the glacier when we took this closeup picture. With today's cameras, it's possible to get great photos from a distance. We have two albums with pictures from this shore excursion. See our Geiranger album and Briksdal Glacier album for some more photos of this wonderful port of call.

Our tour wasn't complete at this point in time, so next time I'll tell you about our trip back to Hellesylt where we rejoined our ship.