Thanksgiving Reflections for 2020

HAPPY
THANKSGIVING 

I hope that you, your family, and friends have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. I know that I have plenty of things to be thankful for, including my health, family, and friends and the ability to share my love of cruising and traveling with all of you. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to explore new worlds with family and friends again this year, if only for a short time.

Thankful for ... 

 

Experiencing New Destinations 

We arrived in Melbourne, Australia on February 14th to begin our adventure.  As usual we took our own advice of arriving a couple days before we cruise.  This takes the stress our of the vacation since you don't need to worry about missing your ship.  It is especially important when traveling far.  

After 19 hours of flying, we checked in our hotel and then headed to Melbourne's Sea Life Aquarium. We had pre-booked an all day tour with West Tours to Phillip Island for the next day.  The main highlight of that tour was the penguin parade.  Unfortunately, just before the parade, we got an email from Princess Cruises that our cruise would be shortened.  We would not be sailing on to Singapore as scheduled.

See More Southern Australia Pics (here)
See our diary from our cruise from Melbourne, Australia

The weather in Southern Australia in February is gorgeous compared to the cold and snowy winter back home.   The Caribbean isn't the only place you can escape the weather.   We encourage you to expand your cruise vacation destination list to beyond the Caribbean.

The cruise industry is resilient as ever with new ships still being introduced and planned even during a pandemic.  The CDC is working with the cruise lines to formulate plans to allow for resumption of cruising.   It will be a slow process with the first sailings being shakedown cruises to be sure the protocols are in place to assure safety and health for passengers, crew, and destinations.

The value of cruising has never been stronger. Even in these tough times, more and more families are planning to take to the seas. As the pause in cruising continues, in order to accommodate the CDC requirements, the cruise lines have offered bonus FCCs to passengers impacted by the cancellations.  There is a pent up demand for cruising and other vacations.   

Thankful for ... 
Our Travel Partners

Cruises Inc., Cruise One, and Dream Vacations had been scheduled to hold the 2020 National Conference on Celebrity Apex which was starting its inaugural season.  The pandemic had other plans, and our conference switched to a virtual event.  Our cruise line and land partners still participated in this four day event sharing the latest industry news and insights as we begin the recovery process.   

Throughout the pandemic, our travel partners have been there for us and you, providing regular updates, introducing cruise with confidence and relaxed cancellation policies so that our guests could modify their vacation plans as the current situation would dictate.   

We wonder what the Pilgrims, who came to the New World in Tall Ships, would think about Celebrity Apex.  Their ships measured 110 feet, held 150 passengers at most, and took months to cross the Atlantic.  The Apex is about 10 times that length (1004 feet), holds 3405 passengers (double occupancy) and 1320 crew, and took just a couple weeks to cross the Atlantic.

Thank you for making our blog column a part of your lives in 2020.   I hope that the information we share helps you to dream about future cruises or land adventures of your own. I'd be honored to help you plan those trips. I have the best job in the world - helping make dreams come true. For that, I'm truly thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

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Thanksgiving Reflections 2018

Thankful for ... 
Experiencing New Destinations & Ships

See More Southeast Asia Pics (here)


See our diary from our cruise to Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia

The weather in Southeast Asia in January is gorgeous compared to the cold and snowy winter back home.   The Caribbean isn't the only place you can escape the weather.   We encourage you to expand your cruise vacation destination list to beyond the Caribbean.

HAPPY
THANKSGIVING

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here already. Where did 2018 go? As has become my tradition, I'd like to share with you some of the things that I'm thankful for and highlight some of my adventures this year.

I hope that you, your family, and friends have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. I know that I have plenty of things to be thankful for, including my health, family, and friends and the ability to share my love of cruising with all of you. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to explore new worlds with family and friends again this year.

The cruise industry is strong as ever with new ships and added capacity helping to keep prices reasonable for those that plan ahead.

The value of cruising has never been stronger. Even in these tough times, more and more families have taken to the seas.  Indications are that the record discounts offered the past two years will be coming to an end.  In the meantime those discounts have made cruising an even better value, and consequently we have seen a surge in first-time cruisers.

Thankful for ... 
Sailing on Brand New Ships

Q Smokehouse Norwegian Bliss

Cruises Inc., Cruise One, and Dream Vacations will hold the 2018 National Conference on Norwegian Bliss which just started its inaugural season.  We sailed out of Los Angeles for the Mexican Riviera, but were diverted to San Francisco, San Diego, and Ensenada due to Hurricane Willa.   We enjoyed experiencing this amazing new ship.  It was the largest ship to ever dock in San Diego, so there was quite a lot of excitement in the port area from locals.




We wonder what the Pilgrims, who came to the New World in Tall Ships, would think about the Norwegian Bliss.  Their ships measured 110 feet, held 150 passengers at most, and took months to cross the Atlantic.  The Bliss is about 10 times that length (1082 feet), holds 4990 passengers (double occupancy) and 1750 crew, and took just a couple weeks to cross the Atlantic.

We will be sailing a preview cruise on Celebrity Edge this weekend - this is the most anticipated new ship for 2018.  Be sure to follow us on our social media for live images.

Thank you for making our blog column a part of your lives in 2018.   I hope that the information we share helps you to dream about future cruises of your own. I'd be honored to help you plan those trips. I have the best job in the world - helping make dreams come true. For that, I'm truly thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

Connect With 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

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Norwegian Epic - Main Pool

HAPPY
THANKSGIVING

 

Where is Chris?

Treetops - Vancouver, Canada

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here already. Where did 2010 go? As has become my tradition, I'd like to share with you some of the things that I'm thankful for and highlight some of my adventures this year.

I hope that you, your family, and friends have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. I know that I have plenty of things to be thankful for, including my health, family, and friends and the ability to share my love of cruising with all of you. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to explore new worlds with family and friends again this year.

While this has been another tough economic year, it appears that the cruise industry has weathered the storm once again. Just this month, we have been highlighting the introduction of Allure of the Seas. Just a year ago, her sister ship was added to Royal Caribbean International's fleet.  The two ships are the largest ships afloat.

The value of cruising has never been stronger. Even in these tough times, more and more families have taken to the seas.  Indications are that the record discounts offered the past two years will be coming to an end.  In the meantime those discounts have made cruising an even better value, and consequently we have seen a surge in first-time cruisers.

The photos above are from some of our cruises this year.  Cruises Inc. and Cruise One held their National Conference on the brand new Norwegian Epic and we were fortunate to be able to attend.  Just like the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, several new innovations were introduced on the Epic.   Although it isn't quite as large as the RCI ships, it is no small ship.   The entertainment and food on the Epic take center stage along with the studio suites, which allow solo travelers their own haven at a price point to match. The Epic has much to offer cruisers.

Norwegian Epic alternates between Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.   Our conference was on the latter itinerary which included stops in Costa Maya, Roatan, and Cozumel.   The picture of me in front of the Epic was in Roatan where we hired a local cab driver to take us around the island after we did a bit of shopping near the pier.


In June this year we attended Cruise3Sixty, CLIA's annual conference.  This year it was held in Vancouver, Canada.  We extended our stay following the formal conference which allowed for touring of some of the local attractions, which despite many trips there in the past, we had not had time for.  I'm pictured here hiking through Treetops at the  Capilano Suspension Bridge.

Boardwalk

The highlight of the year is yet to come.   We will be sailing on Allure of the Seas for one of the pre-inaugural sailings.   The final cruise of the year will be on Azamara Club Cruises Journey.   We will tour the West Indies on that cruise.

We wonder what the Pilgrims, who came to the New World in Tall Ships, would think about the Allure of the Seas.  Their ships measured 110 feet, held 150 passengers at most, and took months to cross the Atlantic.  The Allure is more than 10 times that length (1182 feet), holds almost 8000 passengers and crew, and took just a couple weeks to cross the Atlantic.

Thank you for making our blog column a part of your lives in 2010.   I hope that the information we share helps you to dream about future cruises of your own. I'd be honored to help you plan those trips. I have the best job in the world - helping make dreams come true. For that, I'm truly thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

  

Thanksgiving Greetings 2009

Keukenhof Gardens - Holland

HAPPY
THANKSGIVING

Lepreau Falls - Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here already. Where did 2009 go? As has become my tradition, I'd like to share with you some of the things that I'm thankful for and highlight some of my adventures this year.

I hope that you, your family, and friends have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. I know that I have plenty of things to be thankful for, including my health, family, and friends and the ability to share my love of cruising with all of you. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to explore new worlds with family and friends again this year.

While this has been a tough economic year, it appears that the cruise industry has weathered the storm. Just this month, we have been highlighting the introduction of Oasis of the Seas. Royal Caribbean International has set the standard bar quite high with this new marvel. The value of cruising has never been stronger. Even in these tough times, more and more families have taken to the seas. There were some record discounts offered, making it even a better value, and consequently we have seen a surge in first-time cruisers.

The photos above are from some of our cruises this year. The true highlight of the year was our Tulip Time river cruise on AMA Waterways Amalegro. We sailed out of Amsterdam, Netherlands visiting the surrounding Belgium and Holland area. My favorite memories are of the Keukenhof Gardens (top photo) where we saw thousands of tulips in bloom and Brussels where we feasted on Belgium chocolates and freshly made Belgium waffles topped with fruit and chocolate.

Mid-year we visited Canada and New England stopping at Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada (middle photo) and Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Reversing Falls in Saint John and a Tall Ship Sailing Experience were two of my favorite things from that cruise vacation.

Our National Conference departed last month from Baltimore, Maryland (bottom photo), and sailed to Port Canaveral and then on to the Bahamas. Carnival Pride is now sailing year-round from this port which is within driving distance of many parts of the Eastern United States. Our visit to Baltimore was definitely a highlight of this trip as was our all day excursion to Blue Lagoon.

When the Pilgrims came to the New World, they came in Tall Ships, much like the one we sailed on in Halifax. The average length of those ships were 110 feet. The length of the Oasis of the Seas is more than 10 times that at 1182 feet. The Pilgrim ships had 32 - 150 passengers while the Oasis can hold more than 6300 (not counting the crew). It took months to cross the Atlantic while the Oasis of the Seas took 14 days (due to the storm encountered in the Northern Atlantic).

Thank you for making my blog column a part of your lives in 2009. I hope that the information I share helps you to dream about future cruises of your own. I'd be honored to help you plan those trips. I have the best job in the world - helping make dreams come true. For that, I'm truly thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

Holiday Thanksgiving Sailings - Europe

FlowRider®, RockWalls, Zip Lines and more - talk about stuffing!

What is the reason for the season? Togetherness. Start a new holiday tradition this year – a tradition of traveling with your loved ones onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise. You can expect the highest quality vacation at a great value – personalized Gold Anchor Service®, experience, innovative amenities, plus Royal Caribbean ships sail around the globe, so you can host your holidays in a new destination each year.

Europe Sailings

Splendour of the Seas® 10-Night Mediterranean
November 21, 2009
Venice, Italy • Dubrovnik, Croatia • Corfu, Greece • Cagliari (Sardinia), Italy • Malaga, Spain • Cadiz, Spain • Lisbon, Portugal

Vision of the Seas® 14-Night Transatlantic
November 19, 2009
Lisbon, Portugal • Funchal (Madeira), Portugal
Tenerife, Canary Islands • Recife, Brazil • Salvador De Bahia, Brazil • Rio De Janeiro, Brazil • Sao Paulo (Santos), Brazil

Voyager of the Seas® 7-Night Mediterranean
November 22, 2009
Barcelona, Spain • Naples, Capri, Italy • Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy • Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy • Villefranche (Nice), France • Provence (Marseilles), France • Barcelona, Spain

SAVE UP TO 35% OFF ORIGINAL PRICES ON SELECT HOLIDAY SAILINGS AS OUR GIFT TO YOU. THERE’S NO PRESENT LIKE THE PRESENT – SO RESERVE TODAY.

Additional Thanksgiving Cruises on Royal Caribbean:

Holiday Thanksgiving Sailings - Short Caribbean

Holiday Thanksgiving Sailings - Caribbean & Mexico

Holiday Thanksgiving Sailings - Europe

Christmas & New Years Cruises on Royal Caribbean

Holiday Christmas & New Years Sailings – Caribbean, Mexico & Europe

Holiday Christmas & New Years Sailings – Short Caribbean

Based on my past experience, holiday sailings book up fast. Don't be disappointed by waiting too long to book. Visit my website to request a quote, call me, or send me an email NOW !

Holiday Thanksgiving Sailings - Caribbean & Mexico

FlowRider®, RockWalls, Zip Lines and more - talk about stuffing!

What is the reason for the season? Togetherness. Start a new holiday tradition this year – a tradition of traveling with your loved ones onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise. You can expect the highest quality vacation at a great value – personalized Gold Anchor Service®, experience, innovative amenities, plus Royal Caribbean ships sail around the globe, so you can host your holidays in a new destination each year.

Caribbean & Mexico Sailings

Explorer of the Seas® 8-Night Eastern Caribbean
November 21, 2009
Cape Liberty, Bayonne, New Jersey • Port Canaveral, Florida • Nassau, Bahamas • CocoCay®, Bahamas • Cape Liberty, Bayonne, New Jersey

Grandeur of the Seas® 14-Night Special Caribbean
November 19, 2009
Baltimore, Maryland • KingsWharf, Bermuda • Tortola, British Virgin Islands • Philipsburg, St. Maarten • Willemstad, Curacao • Oranjestad, Aruba • George Town, Grand Cayman • Cozumel, Mexico • Tampa, Florida

Jewel of the Seas® 10-Night Caribbean & Panama
November 20, 2009
Miami, Florida • Labadee®, Haiti • Cartagena, Colombia • Colon, Panama • Puerto Limon, Costa Rica • George Town, Grand Cayman • Miami, Florida

Liberty of the Seas® 7-NightWestern Caribbean
November 22, 2009
Miami, Florida • Labadee®, Haiti • Ocho Rios, Jamaica • George Town, Grand Cayman • Cozumel, Mexico • Miami, Florida

Mariner of the Seas® 7-Night Mexican Riviera
November 22, 2009
Los Angeles, California • Cabo San Lucas, Mexico • Mazatlan, Mexico • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico • Los Angeles, California

SAVE UP TO 40% OFF ORIGINAL PRICES ON SELECT HOLIDAY SAILINGS AS OUR GIFT TO YOU. THERE’S NO PRESENT LIKE THE PRESENT – SO RESERVE TODAY.

Additional Thanksgiving Cruises on Royal Caribbean:

Holiday Thanksgiving Sailings - Short Caribbean

Holiday Thanksgiving Sailings - Europe

Christmas & New Years Cruises on Royal Caribbean

Holiday Christmas & New Years Sailings – Caribbean, Mexico & Europe

Holiday Christmas & New Years Sailings – Short Caribbean

Based on my past experience, holiday sailings book up fast. Don't be disappointed by waiting too long to book. Visit my website to request a quote, call me, or send me an email NOW !

4th Quarter Celebrity Cruises Panama Canal

Celebrity Cruises

4th Quarter Panama Canal

Cruise Rates From ONLY $69 Per Person Per Day

I've talked about the Panama Canal cruise before and how this could be one of you most memorable cruise vacations. Celebrity cruises has some fantastic rates on 4th quarter Panama Canal cruises.

Have you been procrastinating on scheduling your vacation time this year? Many companies have tightened their "use it or lose it" vacation requirements in recent years. Have you figured out if you need to take a vacation in the 4th quarter so that you don't lose vacation time? Now is the time to check and take advantage of these great Panama Canal deals.

Here are a sample of Just a Few of our "Smoking HOT" 4th Quarter, 2009 Panama Canal Cruise Deals AND Some Incredible "Independent" Air Add-Ons!

November 22, 2009, Celebrity INFINITY (Thanksgiving Cruise!)

"Let Celebrity Do ALL The Cooking This Thanksgiving!"

13 Nights, San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale

(NOTE: Why not form a GROUP and take the entire extended family with you!)

From ONLY:
$69 Per Day! (Or) Just $899 Interior! (AND Just $1,798 For TWO!)$77 Per Day! (Or) Just $999 Ocean View! (AND Just $1,998 For TWO!)
$104 Per Day! (Or) Just $1,349 Veranda! (AND Just $2,698 For TWO!)

NOTE: Independent Air From ONLY $120! (On Delta, for Return Flight Home December 5, from Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego)

November 22, 2009, Celebrity CONSTELLATION...

"The # 1 Rated Large Ship In The World" - 4 Years in a Row (And Counting!)(Thanksgiving Cruise!) "Let Celebrity Do ALL The Cooking This Thanksgiving!"

14 Nights, Miami to San Diego

(NOTE: Why not form a GROUP and take the entire extended family with you!)

From ONLY:
$75 Per Day! (Or) Just $1,049 Interior! (AND Just $2,098 For TWO!)
$93 Per Day! (Or) Just $1,299 Ocean View! (AND Just $2,598 For TWO!)
$121 Per Day! (Or) Just $1,699 Veranda! (AND Just $3,398 For TWO!)

NOTE: Independent Air From ONLY $135! (On Airtran, for outbound flight, November 21, from LAX to Ft. Lauderdale)

December 6, 2009, Celebrity CONSTELLATION...

"The # 1 Rated Large Ship In The World" - 4 Years in a Row (And Counting!)

14 Nights, San Diego to Miami

(NOTE: Celebrate the holidays early - take your whole extended family group!)

From ONLY:
$69 Per Day! (Or) Just $949 Interior! (AND Just $1,898 For TWO!)
$85 Per Day! (Or) Just $1,199 Ocean View! (AND Just $2,398 For TWO!)
$115 Per Day! (Or) Just $1,599 Veranda! (AND Just $3,198 For TWO!)

NOTE: Independent Air From ONLY $256! (On Continental, for return flight, December 20, from Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego)

Make plans now to sail Celebrity Infinity or Celebrity Constellation. Let me help you plan your cruise vacation this 4th quarter to the Panama Canal.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that you, your family, and friends have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season.

I know that I have plenty of things to be thankful for, including my health, family, and friends and the ability to share my love of cruising with all of you. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to explore new worlds with family and friends again this year.

The highlight of the year was our cruise to the Galapagos aboard Celebrity Xpedition where we got to see the magnificent widlife and scenery of the Archipelago. Highlights included Blue-footed Boobies, Flightless Cormorants, Frigate Birds, Galapagos Penguins, Sea Lions, Galapagos Turtles, Land and Marine Iguanas, and Sally Light-foot Crabs.

What a wonderful world that has been created for us to explore. As I started to write this article, I couldn’t help but think about the innovative and brave explorers who ventured into the unknown seas in search of a New World. Without those first ship-builders, captains, and crews, who passed their knowledge down from generation to generation, I suspect I wouldn’t be writing to you about our recent voyages.

Our cruise to Bermuda was another highlight of this year. We sailed from New York to Kings Wharf, Bermuda where we docked for two days. This is a small country which can be explored by public transportation including bus and ferry. Once again, you can't help but think about the early explorers, especially when visiting the Dockyards or Fort Hamilton.

I can only imagine what it would be like sailing the open seas without knowing where you were going or what you would find when you arrived at your destination. I am thankful to those explorers that made it possible for us to journey to far away places.

Another highlight of this year was a pre-inaugural cruise that I took on Celebrity Solstice, their newest and most magnificent ship yet. Those early pilgrims sailed the oceans in ships that were made of wood, not steel like those of today. They had no engines to speed them along, but instead had to rely on the wind to guide them to their unknown destinations.

The Solstice, complete with all the latest navigation technology, makes the job of the Captain quite easy. The early explorers had their sextants and crude charts which might have been enhanced by information from previous voyages.

I’ve been on several Trans-Atlantic cruises over the years. Usually there are about 7 sea days as the ship crosses the Atlantic from the last port of call (depending on the itinerary). Contrast that with the 65 days it took for the Pilgrims to sail from Plymouth, England to the New World. I’ve often sat on my balcony, during one of those sea days, and let my mind wander. Once again, I’d find myself thinking back to those first voyagers and what they must have been thinking as all they saw was water around them. They put their trust in their captain to get them safely to their destination. Today, modern technology, along with the skills of the captain and crew, get passengers to their destinations in very comfortable accommodations.

The final highlight from this year was an Inside Passage Cruise to Alaska. I've not processed our pictures from there yet, but when I do, this will be another cruise I'll share with you. Imagine the explorers sailing into the unknown waters of Alaska with icebergs surrounding their ship. Today, modern technology keeps the vessel safe as it gently pushes the icebergs away as we journey closer to the glacier that lies ahead.

Those of you, who have been sailing in the past, join me in thanking those early voyagers whose knowledge helped form this transportation industry which we perhaps take for granted. I wish you all good health, so that you will be able to continue to travel around the world exploring new sights.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that you, your family, and friends have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season.

I know that I have plenty of things to be thankful for, including my health, family, and friends and the ability to share my love of cruising with all of you. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to explore new worlds with family and friends again this year. The highlight of the year was our cruise to the Arctic Circle / Northcape (Norway) where we got to see the magnificent fjords of Norway. While we’ve been to Norway before, crossing the Arctic Circle and stopping at Northcape (the northernmost point of Europe) were new for us. What a wonderful world that has been created for us to explore.

As I started to write this article, I couldn’t help but think about the innovative and brave explorers who ventured into the unknown seas in search of a New World. Without those first ship-builders, captains, and crews, who passed their knowledge down from generation to generation, I suspect I wouldn’t be writing to you about our recent voyages.

Another highlight of this year was a pre-inaugural cruise that I took on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas, their newest and most magnificent ship yet. Those early pilgrims sailed the oceans in ships that were made of wood, not steel like those of today. They had no engines to speed them along, but instead had to rely on the wind to guide them to their unknown destinations. While on the Liberty OTS, I got a back-stage look at the ship’s bridge, with all the latest navigation technology. The early explorers had their sextants and crude charts which might have been enhanced by information from previous voyages.

I’ve been on several Trans-Atlantic cruises over the years. Usually there are about 7 sea days as the ship crosses the Atlantic from the last port of call (depending on the itinerary). Contrast that with the 65 days it took for the Pilgrims to sail from Plymouth, England to the New World. I’ve often sat on my balcony, during one of those sea days, and let my mind wander. Once again, I’d find myself thinking back to those first voyagers and what they must have been thinking as all they saw was water around them. They put their trust in their captain to get them safely to their destination. Today, modern technology, along with the skills of the captain and crew, get passengers to their destinations in very comfortable accommodations.

Those of you, who have been sailing in the past, join me in thanking those early voyagers whose knowledge helped form this transportation industry which we perhaps take for granted. I wish you all good health, so that you will be able to continue to travel around the world exploring new sights.