Greetings!
Summer Insights
Some of you have asked for information on rail adventures. We embark on our second Rocky Mountaineer itinerary on July 4, and we will provide you with some feedback in next month’s newsletter. However, here is some train info you can use right now. The start of summer in Duluth, Minnesota, is when The Duluth Zephyr begins its daily journey up the shoreline of Lake Superior, providing riders with city and lake views on the North Shore Scenic Railroad. The 75-minute train ride begins at the Duluth Depot and runs directly along the lakefront. With an option to upgrade, travelers can purchase a ticket in the first-class, “SkyView Dome Car.” From behind the large, rounded windows, guests can experience the panorama of Lake Superior and the rolling green of Duluth hill country. Interested? Give us a call, and we can help you plan!
It is no secret that the travel industry has rebounded in a big way. Our pent-up demand from two years of lockdowns and another year of reorganizations has created a travel surge. Now, we have arrived at the inevitable “too-much-of-a-good-thing” scenario as locations impacted by this huge surge have started bursting at the seams. Accordingly, many are now beginning to restrict capacity. Juneau, for example, signed an agreement with the cruise industry capping the daily number of cruise ship passengers.
Likewise, Greece is mulling action against cruise over-tourism on the islands of Santorini and Mykonos. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has promised action to curb the rise in cruise ship traffic. This could result in a bidding process for the limited berth slots. The Greece cruise industry grew by 23% last year with over 800 cruise ship visits to Santorini, reflecting what we have already noted. Similar actions are growing across Europe’s big tourist hotspots, with Venice, which has already forced most cruise ships to dock in Ravenna, Barcelona, Mallorca, and Amsterdam, all taking action to curb the negative impacts of cruise ship tourism.
What does all this mean for us? Expect fewer cruise ships visiting these ports and higher prices, as the cruise lines may pay significantly more for berths (think Port Fees!). With competition for berths increasing, the necessity for reserving your cruise as early as possible becomes ever more critical. Reach out to us as soon as you are considering plans. Do you know most cruise lines have opened their reservations for 2026?
For a short period of time, Virgin Voyages is giving its sailors an opportunity to match their status with what passengers have earned with other cruise lines. This is a golden opportunity to book a Virgin Voyages cruise and instantly receive an upgraded status. You may recall from a previous newsletter that we took our first Virgin Voyages cruise last January, and we were so impressed that we made reservations for another cruise with them for this coming January. Would you like to join us and see for yourselves what we found so compelling?
Princess is taking a different route by announcing a new Captains Circle Accelerator Program to reward guests with double cruise credits. Guests get double rewards when purchasing the inclusive Princess Plus or Premier Packages. Princess guests sailing with a Princess Plus or Premier Package on voyages between August 1 and December 1, 2024, will receive double the cruise credits to fast-track them closer to the next loyalty tier. This may be an excellent opportunity for those of you who have still not made plans for late summer or fall vacations.
Here is an opportunity to take advantage of the Princess offer on our new Mexican Riviera cruise, round-trip Los Angeles, from November 16 – 23, 2024. The cruise is on one of the newer Princess ships, the Discovery Princess. If you have interest, contact us as soon as possible; stateroom availability is quite limited.
For fans of the British Isles, please consider our just-announced Viking Ocean cruise from Bergen, Norway, to Tilbury, England, from March 28, 2026, to April 11, 2026. This incredible itinerary includes the Scottish Highlands, Edinburgh, Belfast, Liverpool, and Dublin, among others. This small ship is bound to fill up early!
So, Where in the World Do You Want to Go?
Betty & Frank Villani
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15-Day Off the Beaten Path
Alaska Cruisetour
Vancouver to Anchorage
Grand Princess
August 14 - 29, 2024
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Cruise first (7 days), followed by land (8 days)
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Best of Scandinavia
August 16 - 28, 2024
Roundtrip: Rotterdam
Celebrity Silhouette
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Enjoy 12 nights aboard the Celebrity Silhouette, visiting these amazing ports:
Rotterdam, Netherlands;
Berlin (Warnemunde), Germany;
Gdansk (Gdynia), Poland;
Visby, Sweden;
Tallinn, Estonia;
Stockholm, Sweden;
Copenhagen, Denmark
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North to Alaska
7 Nights
August 18 - 25, 2024
Roundtrip: Seattle
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Cruise the beautiful Majestic Princess to these 5 stunning ports:
Ketchikan, Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier (scenic cruising), Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, Canada.
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Ancient Mediterranean Treasures Cruise
8 Days: September 18 - 25, 2024
Athens to Istanbul
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Visit 2 countries and 6 ports: Athens, Heraklion, and Rhodes in Greece and Ephesus, Troy, and Istanbul in Turkey, and discover the wonders of these ancient lands. |
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7 Day Cruise
Canada & New England
Boston to Quebec
NCL Gem
October 4 - 11, 2024
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Visiting these amazing ports:
- Boston,Massachusetts
- Bar Harbor,Maine
- Halifax,Nova Scotia
- Sydney,Cape Breton Island
- Charlottetown,Prince Edward Island
- Saguenay (La Baie),Québec
- Québec City,Canada
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Turning Leaves
October 7 - 17, 2024
Boston to Quebec
Emerald Princess
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Experience the beauty of fall and visit these stunning ports:
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Mexican Riviera Cruise
Round trip: Los Angeles
November 16 - 23, 2024
Discovery Princess
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Set sail on the amazing Discovery Princess from Los Angeles for 7 nights and visit these stunning ports in Mexico:
Cabo San Lucas
Mazatlan
Puerto Vallarta
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Join Us!
10 Night Voyage
Southern Caribbean
Round trip: San Juan
January 11 - 21, 2025
Resilient Lady
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Join Us! on the amazing Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady visiting Tortola, BVI; St. Kitts; Antigua & Barbuda; Martinique; Barbados; St Lucia and St Vincent from San Juan. This will be a fabulous cruise!
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3 Night Cruise
Ensenada, Mexico
Round trip: Los Angeles
Navigator of the Seas
January 24 - 27, 2025
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Sail away on the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas for 3 amazing nights. You'll visit Ensenada and have a full day at sea on your return trip to Los Angeles! |
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Join Us!
11 Day Japan Explorer
Round trip: Tokyo, Japan
March 25 - April 5, 2025
Diamond Princess
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12 Nights British Isles Cruise
Roundtrip: Amsterdam
Celebrity Eclipse
April 27 - May 9, 2025
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Visiting 7 stunning ports:
Amsterdam, Netherlands;
Cork (Cobh), Ireland;
Waterford (Dunmore E.), Ireland;
Liverpool, England;
Holyhead, Wales;
Belfast, Northern Ireland;
Glasgow (Greenock), Scotland;
Lerwick, Scotland;
Amsterdam, Netherlands
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10 Night Cruise
Greece, Italy & Croatia
Round trip: Rome
Celebrity Ascent
May 16 - 26, 2025
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VISITING: Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy; Olympia (Katakolon), Greece; Corfu, Greece; Split, Croatia; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Bar, Montenegro; Sicily (Messina), Italy; Naples, Italy; Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy |
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7 Day Mediterranean Cruise
Athens to Barcelona
June 21 - 28, 2025
Sun Princess
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Aboard the NEW Sun Princess.
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Mediterranean Cruise
Athens to Venice
October 5 - 15, 2025
Seven Seas Grandeur
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Sail aboard the luxurious Seven Seas Grandeur from Athens, Greece to Santorini, Greece; Heraklion (Crete), Greece; Katakolon, Greece; Tirana (Durres), Albania; Kotor, Montenegro; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Zadar, Croatia; Koper, Slovenia and Venice, Italy. |
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British Isles Cruise
March 28 - April 11, 2026
Bergen, Norway to London
Viking Ocean Cruises
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See it all on this spectacular Viking Oceans Cruise to the British Isles:
15 Days | 12 Guided Tours | 6 Countries
Travel from Bergen, Norway to:
Shetland Islands (Lerwick), England; The Highlands (Invergordon), Scotland; Edinburgh (New Haven Harbour), Scotland; Orkney Islands (Kirkwall), Scotland; The Highlands (Ullapool), Scotland; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Liverpool, England; Holyhead, Wales; Dublin (Dun Laoghaire), Ireland; Scenic Sailing through the English Channel; Dover England; arriving in London (Greenwich), England.
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