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

       

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 

Dining on a River Cruise

What's a typical evening onboard a river cruise like? 

When we last left our exploration of a river cruise, in River Cruise Anatomy - Safety First,  we'd had our safety briefing, welcome cocktail party, and port talk from the Cruise Director.  It's now time for our first meal onboard the vessel.  We'll use our Avalon Waterways Rhine & Moselle river cruise for real examples throughout this mini-series.

click images to enlarge - more pics in albums

Dining on a River Cruise

Dining on a river cruise is very similar to the large cruise ship experience, but on a smaller scale.  

Each evening the menu will offer starters, appetizers, main courses, and desserts that are unique, as well as selections that are always available.

On Avalon, several wine and beer selections are also offered - some for free, and others at reduced pricing. Most other lines are similar.

Our Dinner Selections

• Lamb's Lettuce with Potato-Bacon Dressing
• "Zuricher Geschnetzeltes" Pan fried strips of Veal Loin in Creamy Mushroom Sauce served with Rosti Potatoes
• Classic Vanilla Custard with Berries
• Freshly Sliced Fruit

View the rest of the menu in our photo album: Artistry 2 - Embarkation Dinner

Dining Room with a View

Dining on an Avalon river cruise is open seating.  There were several different size tables for you to select from.   Pictured here was a typical table for six. 

You'll notice the large picture windows in the background.   We had a front row seat for all the action as our ship entered one of the 35 locks we'd traverse during the cruise.  If you look at the rest of the pictures in our photo album, you'll see that we were lowered quite a few feet before our ship exited the lock.  Also, the sun was setting making for an enjoyable backdrop.

The evening isn't over - stay tuned to see what's next.

 

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

       

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 

#FoodTravelChat on Cruise Food & Travel

Where do You

Wanna Go?

As we discussed in our last post, Should My First Cruise be 109 Days or Less, most first-time cruisers begin with a short 3-5 night cruise to the Caribbean or Bahamas.

 After they are hooked on cruising, they try a 7 night cruise, usually to the Caribbean. Next up is usually a Trans-Atlantic or European cruise.

There are endless possibilities. The Cruise Diaries tab (which you can also access by clicking on the graphic above) lists several of our cruises beyond the initial typical beginnings of our cruising journey.

Tonight I'm co-hosting an hour-long chat on Twitter. #FoodTravelChat is a weekly chat where we talk about two of my favorite topics: #Food and #Travel. This week's focus is on "Cruise Food and Travel". You'll get tips for first-time cruisers, favorite foods on cruise ships, destination ideas and much more. It's a fun packed hour which goes by too quickly.

Hint: you'll probably want to eat something before the chat - you'll understand if you join and you haven't.

Join us at 8 PM Eastern to share your stories or get ideas for your first or next cruise vacation. Joining me (@ChrisPappinMCC) is another cruise expert, Alyson from @MyVirtualVaca.

This mini-series, for CLIA's National Plan a Cruise Month, focuses on many of the same topics. We've been writing this blog for many years and we encourage you to search for topics that interest you. We are highlighting many topics this month in this series as well. We invite you to spend some time exploring our blog to get excited about cruising #ChooseCruise.

 

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 

We will be co-hosting a very special #FoodTravelChat for #ChooseCruise month

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