Photography River Cruises
Avid photographers can appreciate and hone their craft with a National Geographic Photography Sailing aboard Adventures by Disney’s 2022 river cruises. Sail aboard the beautiful and upscale AMALyra along France’s Seine River with photo-driven excursions. Your family can also learn about the history and culture of this charming region with a variety of hiking, kayaking, walking, and biking outings, culinary experiences, and visits to quaint villages. The 8-day trip sails round-trip from Paris. Highlights include visiting and photographing the provincial landscape of Monet’s beloved Giverny with a stop at his home and museum. Your family can also honor the memory of brave soldiers lost on the beaches of Normandy. Departures on June 9, June 23, and July 14, 2022 are now available for booking! Book early and save $500 per person when you book by April 11, 2021.
New Expedition Cruises
Adventures by Disney has announced their first expedition-style cruises. The all-new Adventures by Disney Expedition Cruises will sail to Antarctica beginning in late 2021 and to the Galapagos Islands in 2022. The Antarctica and Patagonia Expedition cruises will sail on either Le Boreal or Le Lyrial with the upscale and French boutique cruise line, Ponant. Choose from 11- or 12- night itineraries. This exciting experience will start in Buenos Aires, move onto Patagonia, and then sail to Antarctica with a variety of daily excursions included exploring the untamed nature of these regions and the vibrant culture of Argentina. For Galapagos, Disney will use the locally owned and operated Galapagos Legend for 9-night sailings. The cruise explores these special and unique islands with a naturalist through hiking, snorkeling, and kayaking activities. Wildlife abounds on land and sea. Also, included with Galapagos is time in Ecuador with a riverboat trip to the Amazon and a variety of amazing cultural experiences. Excursions include special programming just for children, and photography workshops to get stellar memories of your trip and for your social media feeds. Bookings just opened and should sell fast!
Disney Wish Update
Disney Cruise Line has announced its newest ship, the Disney Wish, will now make its maiden voyage in Summer 2022, after being delayed a few months by the coronavirus pandemic. It has been nearly ten years since the cruise line’s last ship debut! The 144,000-gt ship will represent an all-new class of ship for Disney and will be slightly larger than the line’s two most recent vessels, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. Disney Wish will be one of the first vessels to be powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), a cleaner-burning fuel than traditional heavy bunker oil that propels most vessels. Disney also announced a new and wide array of itineraries for 2022, including a return to Hawaii and sailings from homeports including New Orleans, Galveston, San Diego, Miami, Port Canaveral, and Vancouver, Canada. Disney’s books are currently open through May 2022.
EMBARK NCL Spotlight
We are as passionate about the arts as we are of travel. We are so please that Norwegian Cruise Line continues to commit to their performing arts community with its second EMBARK NCL Spotlight episode, Live From Broadway, following the highly successful debut of its first episode, The Choir of Man – Live From London, which was viewed by over 500,000 people in the first week since it aired. The latest episode is now on-demand at https://nclembark.com/. Top talent from the musical theater world united in New York City for an exclusive showcase of the Broadway and West End caliber entertainment from across NCL’s fleet, including songs from Jersey Boys, After Midnight, Footloose, Million Dollar Quarter, Kinky Boots, and more. In addition to the performances, your family will get a front-row seat to behind-the-scenes conversations with cast members regarding what it means to them to perform for the first time in many months.
Disney Cruise Line’s “Frozen”
In time for the holidays, Disney
Cruise Line has shared the full video of the cruise line’s production
of Frozen, A Musical Spectacular. Your family can now enjoy this wonderful show
on land until it can be seen live again shipboard exclusively on Disney Wonder
and Disney Fantasy. It is a full-length retelling of Anna and Elsa’s Frozen
adventure in Arendelle based on the Disney animated movie. Disney previously
shared just a sneak peak of the show, but this is the first time Disney has
shared a full performance. Running time is just over an hour. You can find the
video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgL3vp8bEK0&feature=youtu.be. Disney
has been keeping fans invested by releasing other productions online since the
pandemic started and cruising was put on hold. In the spring, Disney shared a
virtual compressed version of Beauty and the Beast and in the summer,
the full show of Tangled, The Musical was released. Disney is now booking cruises through early
May 2022 with more flexible change and cancellation policies. Please call for more details.
Always Included
Celebrity Cruises just introduced a new approach to cruising called Always Included, putting an end to what it says are confusing promotions, complicated add-ons, and limited-time offers. Thanks Celebrity! From now on, every Celebrity vacation (except the Galapagos sailings) will include Wi-Fi, drinks, and tips:
Unlimited Drinks: Classic cocktails, wines by the glass, beer, sodas, specialty coffees and teas, juices and bottled water can be fully enjoyed without worrying about the tab.
Unlimited Wi-Fi: A free, always-on connection to social
media, email and the web allows you to surf the Internet as much as they want.
Daily Gratuities: Tips are taken care of, allowing your
family to relax and enjoy the service delivered by Celebrity’s crew.
You can also upgrade to one of two packages. Elevate includes unlimited premium drinks and adds $200 per person in shore excursions while Indulge includes the Elevate amenities plus unlimited streaming Wi-Fi and up to $400 per person in onboard credit.
All guests in The Retreat—Celebrity’s vacation concept featuring stunning all-suite accommodations and all-exclusive experiences, including a private restaurant, lounge and sundeck, and a dedicated team of butlers and concierge staff—will receive the same amenities as the Indulge package at no additional charge. Captain’s Club members will also find new perks and special onboard experiences with a re-invented program.
Lock In Alaska
Nature lovers looking to explore Alaska by sea in 2022 can be guaranteed 2021 rates with Lindblad Expeditions when you book by January 31, 2021. Their 5- to 21-night itineraries range from compact and highly active to in-depth adventures that roam further afield to the heart of Alaska’s epic wilderness. Lindblad has several unique ways to enhance your experience such as hydrophones to listen in on the whales, a video microscope to understand more about sea life, an onboard undersea specialist who captures the amazing marine life, a photography instructor, and more. Their exclusive family program, National Geographic Global Explorers, gives your children the opportunity to learn from certified field educators; plenty of wildlife and nature interaction, and the chance to create amazing storytelling projects through writing, video, photography, and more.
Galapagos Luxury
Silversea’s brand new and first destination-specific ship, Silver Origin, will begin sailing the Galapagos Islands on December 5, 2020. The 100-passenger ship (the maximum allowed in this region) will include a team of Ecuadorian national expert guides, the highest crew-to-guest ratio in the Galapagos, and 8 Zodiacs. Also featured are an observation & stargazing platform, educational lounge, and all-suite accommodations with butler service. The spacious suites feature balconies that can be enclosed, stocked minibars, and some feature ocean-view bathtubs to relish the views! Guided excursions, all meals, most drinks, kayaking, and snorkeling are all included. The ship is also the most environmentally conscious ship Silversea has ever built. Choose from 7- to 11-day sailings now available to book through April 2022! Their latest promotion includes air from Quito to the islands, airport transfers, two-night hotel stay in Quito, and an evening Quito tour.
Small Ship Family Affair
Save 25 percent with Aqua Expeditions when you book three of more inter-connecting suites which are ideal for large families and multi-generational groups. Their intimate and upscale ships feature only 15-20 spacious suites. Interesting and varied itineraries with authentic experiences will engage the whole family as you learn about the unique cultures along the Amazon River in Peru, the Mekong River in Cambodia and Vietnam, and the East Indonesian Archipelago. The group savings is available on all 2020 and 2021 departures when booked by June 30, 2021. If you book by the end of this year, flexible booking conditions will allow for rebooking and postponing your trip for 18 months or to another vessel free of charge.
Florida Yacht Charters
Explore the Gulf Coast of Florida by sea! The Moorings is now offering charted sailings with or without a captain that depart from St. Petersburg. The Gulf Coast’s unique combination of steady winds, year-round sunshine, short passages between seaside towns, secluded anchorages, and fine marinas make for an ideal experience. While the city of St. Petersburg has plenty of attractions, like the world-famous Salvador Dali Museum and the historic Sunken Gardens, there is also plenty to discover in the waters offshore including notable locations like Egmont Key State Park, Tarpon Springs, Clearwater Beach, Captiva Island, and Sanibel Island. Experienced boaters can even make their way down to Key West and the Dry Tortugas. A variety of activities including fishing, dolphin-watching, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding are available. Rent either a catamaran and monohull yacht ranging from 34-52 ft. and with two to four cabins. The boats sail out of the lovely Vinoy Renaissance Resort which you can take advantage of before or after your sailing.
