Posted by David Porter on October 7, 2020 · 2 Comments
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Puget Sound & San Juan Islands Cruise
A Puget Sound & San Juan Islands cruise has been sitting on our bucket list for way too long.
We hope to fix that real soon.
However, if you’d like to beat us to the punch, let me tell you about this cruise from our friends at American Cruise Lines.
If you’re not familiar, a “sound” is an ocean inlet that is wider than a fjord, or a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land.
The Puget Sound is in and around Seattle, Vancouver, and Vancouver Island.
Further, the San Juan Islands are a collection of islands within the Puget Sound. They are revered for their stunning beauty as well as a place to view Orcas that visit in the summer months.
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The Best Time of Year for a Puget Sound & San Juan Islands Cruise
American Cruise Lines offers these cruises from April through November.
If you click on the chart to the right, you can get an idea of the region’s temperatures, rainfall, and hours of daylight.
However, don’t let the weather be your only deciding factor. For example, if you want to visit the Tulip Festival, then you would want to travel in April.
Further still, if your goal is to view the Orca, then the best months are generally June through September.
And, the best time of the year to avoid rainfall is during the months of July and August.
Puget Sound and San Juan Island Cruises
The folks at American Cruise Lines offer two different itineraries for the Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands:
The 8-day cruise offers 78 different excursions from April through November. In comparison, the 11-day cruises are available in April, May, September, and October.
Furthermore, if the availability and your dates match, we would recommend the new American Constellation as your ship of choice. The longer 11-day cruises all feature the American Constellation.
For more insider tips, book with us, and we’ll let you in on our secrets. 🙂
How to Book a Cruise with American Cruise Lines
Of course, you can book this cruise directly with the cruise line.
However, the price is the same booking with us as it is booking direct.
With that being the case, why not take advantage of our relationship with American Cruise Lines and let us do all the work.
Like we say, “We do the work. You have the fun!”
Free Perk When You Book With Us
Furthermore, as a perk for booking with us, we will throw in a Premium Shore Excursion in Anacortes: Skagit County Museum & SeaBear Salmon Tasting.
Enjoy a complimentary Salmon Tasting from Roaming Boomers Travel.
Here’s a description of the fun excursion:
Travel to nearby La Conner and learn more about this charming town as you explore the downtown area and visit the local Skagit County Historical Museum. Upon your return to Anacortes, stop at the SeaBear Smokehouse for an exclusive tasting and tour.
Since its founding in 1957, SeaBear Smokehouse has been smoking salmon in the centuries-old traditions of the Pacific Northwest. During your visit, sample a variety of smoked salmon, including San Juan Sliders and Smoked Salmon Chowder. YUM! 🙂
For more information or to book an American Cruise Line cruise, please call Roaming Boomers Travel Services at (480) 550-1235 or use our convenient online information request (click here), and we’ll reach out to you.
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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on October 5, 2020 · Leave a Comment
Viking Opens 2022 Oberammergau Bookings
Viking River Cruises opens bookings for the 2022 Oberammergau Passion Play beginning today!
And when you book with Roaming Boomers Travel Services, we have complimentary VIP perks to add to your booking.
If you’re not familiar, this Passion Play has been performed every 10-years since 1634 by the inhabitants of the village of Oberammergau.
Book with Roaming Boomers Travel. We have VIP Perks!
According to legend, an outbreak of bubonic plague devastated Bavaria during the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648). Bad Kohlgrub was so depopulated that only two married couples remained alive. The village of Oberammergau remained plague-free until 25 September 1633, when a man named Kaspar Schisler returned home after working in the nearby village of Eschenlohe.
Over the next 33 days, 81 villagers would die, half of Oberammergau’s population. On 28 October 1633, the villagers vowed that if God spared them from the plague, they would perform a play every 10 years depicting the life and death of Jesus. Nobody died of the plague in Oberammergau after that vow, and the villagers kept their word to God by performing the passion play for the first time in 1634. (via Wikipedia)
Viking 2022 Oberammergau Passion Play Itineraries
Viking’s Passion Play bookings will come in four different flavors:
- Oberammergau, the Passion Play – Munich to Budapest
- Oberammergau, Innsbruck & the Rhine – Amsterdam to Oberammergau
- Oberammergau with Salzburg – Munich to Budapest
- Oberammergau, the Alps & the Rhine – Munich to Amsterdam
If you remember, the COVID-19 coronavirus caused the cancelation of this once-a-decade performance. Therefore, the 2022 performance is certain to sell out quickly.
For more information or to book a Viking Oberammergau river cruise, please call Roaming Boomers Travel Services at (480) 550-1235 or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our travel newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.
Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on October 5, 2020 · Leave a Comment
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Cruise Industry’s New Health Safety Protocols
The cruise industry’s Healthy Sail Panel has just released 74 recommendations in their new health and safety protocols.
In a video message to the cruise industry, Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, mentioned that they plan to first run a series of sailings without guests onboard to assure compliance of their new protocols.
Let’s take a peek at the Healthy Sail Panel’s press release:
“New recommendations from a panel of globally recognized medical and scientific experts say that by relentlessly focusing on prevention and other measures – including the testing of guests and crew members – public health risks associated with the pandemic can be mitigated in a cruise ship environment.
The Healthy Sail Panel submitted its recommendations today to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in response to a CDC request for public comment that will be used to inform future public health guidance and preventative measures relating to travel on cruise ships. The Panel was formed in June by Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NCLH).
The Panel comprises globally recognized experts in medical practice and research, public health, infectious diseases, biosecurity, hospitality and maritime operations that have applied the best available public health, science and engineering insights to their recommendations.
The Healthy Sail Panel’s 65-plus-page report includes 74 detailed best practices to protect the public health and safety of guests, crew and the communities where cruise ships call. Recommendations include testing, the use of face coverings, and enhanced sanitation procedures on ships and in terminals. The Panel is chaired by Governor Mike Leavitt, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb
“The Healthy Sail Panel spent the last four months studying how to better protect the health and safety of guests and crew aboard cruise ships,” said Dr. Gottlieb. “Taken as a comprehensive approach, we believe the Panel’s robust public health recommendations will help inform strategies for a safe resumption of sailing.”
Gov. Leavitt said: “This Panel undertook an ambitious, cross-disciplinary, public health examination to develop standards and guidelines that create the highest level of safety in the complex environment of a cruise ship. We studied the industry’s experiences combating the pandemic – and we then incorporated the many lessons learned and advances made by medicine and science over the past six months. The Panel’s recommendations are grounded in the best scientific and medical information available and are intended to meaningfully mitigate public health risks to those who sail.”
“We understand our responsibility to act aggressively to protect the health and safety of our guests and crew, as well as the communities where we sail, and we asked the Panel to help us learn how to best live up to that responsibility,” said Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. “We were inspired by the depth of the Panel’s work and their determination to help us establish the strongest protocols in the travel industry.”
“The Healthy Sail Panel’s recommendations are robust and comprehensive, and they reflect the intense focus the panelists brought to their work,” said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. “We know that both authorities around the globe and consumers expect cruise lines to provide the safest, healthiest vacations we can, and this work demonstrates our commitment to doing just that.”
Fain and Del Rio said each company will use the Panel’s recommendations to inform the development of new, detailed operating protocols, which will be submitted to the CDC and other authorities around the globe for review and approval– an important milestone in the process of resuming sailing around the world. The Panel’s work is open sourced for others to incorporate in their protocols as well; Governor Leavitt and Dr. Gottlieb expressed appreciation that authorities and other cruise companies had already engaged in the Panel’s work as observers.
The Healthy Sail Panel identified five areas of focus every cruise operator should address to improve health and safety for guests and crew, and reduce the risk of infection and spread of COVID-19 on cruise ships:
- Testing, Screening and Exposure Reduction
- Sanitation and Ventilation
- Response, Contingency Planning and Execution
- Destination and Excursion Planning
- Mitigating Risks for Crew Members
In each category, the Healthy Sail Panel created practical and actionable recommendations to address specific safety concerns. Among the recommendations are key strategies such as:
- Taking aggressive measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 from entering a ship through robust education, screening and testing of both crew and guests prior to embarkation
- Reducing transmission via air management strategies and enhanced sanitation practices
- Implementing detailed plans to address positive infection on board, including contingencies for onboard treatment, isolation and rapid evacuation and repatriation
- Closely controlling shore excursions
- Enhanced protection for crew members
The full Healthy Sail Panel report can be found here: Royal Caribbean Group or Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
For more information or to book an AmaWaterways river cruise, please call Roaming Boomers Travel Services at (480) 550-1235 or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our travel newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.
Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on October 2, 2020 · Leave a Comment
Free Night: Hyatt Luxe Brand Hotels
Enjoy a free night when you book three or more nights at a Hyatt luxe brand hotel.
One of the great benefits of booking 4 and 5-star hotels and resorts through Roaming Boomers Travel Services is the complimentary VIP perks we can bring to your booking.
We have invitation-only relationships with the world’s greatest hotel and resorts brands. And because of our relationships, YOU benefit.
Book With Us. Enjoy Complimentary VIP Perks.
For example, we are Privé members with the Hyatt brand of hotels and resorts.
This includes hotel and resort brands like Park Hyatt, Miraval, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Andaz, joie de vivre, and more.
And when you book Hyatt luxury brand hotels through our travel agency, you will enjoy great benefits like complimentary room upgrades (subject to availability), complimentary breakfast for two, resort credits, and more.
Enjoy a Free Night on Us
As you begin to contemplate your next exciting adventure, let us bring you a complimentary night’s stay when you book through Roaming Boomers Travel. Here are the details:
- Book three or more nights at any of these hotels and resorts between now and December 31, 2020, for stays between now and March 31, 2021. And when you do, we’ll use our clout to get you a complimentary one-night stay in addition to our complimentary VIP perks.
Between the free night and our complimentary VIP perks, you will enjoy additional values worth hundreds and hundreds of dollars! How cool is that! 🙂
Travel Tip: If you’re booking a 4 or 5-star hotel or resort anywhere in the world, you should never do it on your own. You can’t match the benefits we can bring you. We are part of a $20 billion travel network. Because of this, hotel brands bring us all kinds of goodies to share with you. And like we say, “you can’t VIP yourself.”
How to Book a Stay and Get Our VIP Perks
- Click this link and pick one of the scores of properties in the list
- Go to that hotel/resorts website and determine your desired dates and the type of room or suite you desire
- Click this link and let us know your desires
That’s it. We will take care of the details.
You should also know that our offer allows for cancelation up to 24-hours in advance with NO penalty.
For more information, please call Roaming Boomers Travel Services at (480) 550-1235 or use our convenient online information request (click here), and we’ll reach out to you.
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our travel newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.
Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on October 1, 2020 · 2 Comments
State Department Warns: Passport Delays
The U.S. State Department warns international travelers about significant passport processing delays.
On September 28th, the State Department put this notice on its website:
“You can now apply for routine service and expect to receive a passport in 10-12 weeks. You also have the option of paying an additional $60 for expedited service to receive your passport in 4-6 weeks.
These processing times apply to applications submitted by mail and in-person at an acceptance facility in your community. Most acceptance facilities such as post offices, clerks of court, and libraries are open and accepting passport applications. We encourage you to apply by mail when possible because it is a safe, contactless option for certain services.”
The website further goes on to explain that they have a current passport backlog of 934,000.
How to Avoid Passport Processing Delays
When we finally get this COVID-19 mess behind us, I expect to hear sad stories about expired U.S. Passports.
Please don’t let that happen to you.
Pull out your passport to see when it expires. If your passport expires in 2021, it might make sense to plan on getting your passport renewed right away. If you don’t have a passport and will need one in 2021, apply now!
To learn more, visit the U.S. State Department’s website at this link.
You might also enjoy this article: 15 Important Travel Tips for International Travelers
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our travel newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.
Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40