Posted by David Porter on September 11, 2020 · 4 Comments
Cruise Lines Vocal About Reopening
America’s cruise lines are getting vocal about reopening, according to a recent article in Cruise Industry News.
According to the article, “Cruise line CEOs aggressively called for a smart return to service during a meeting of the Miami-Dade County Tourism and the Ports Committee on Thursday morning.
“Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation, said the company had been working non-stop with governments, health authorities, medical and scientific experts, and stakeholders across the globe to develop science-based COVID-19 protocols. He pointed to Costa Cruises, the company’s Italian brand, which returned to service this week in Italy.”
Further, Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, said, “All we are asking for is the opportunity to demonstrate we take this very, very seriously. Health and safety are buzz words we hear every day, but that has been the backbone of our industry forever. “Enough is enough,” Del Rio continued. “It’s been more than six months. We, as an industry, we, as a society, have learned a lot on how to live alongside COVID. “ Del Rio said the company’s Healthy Sail Panel in collaboration with Royal Caribbean Group was a week to 10 days away from submitting its plan.”
Our Thoughts About Cruise Line Reopenings
The major cruise lines have been working on new health and safety protocols for quite a while.
I wrote about this in my article “Will We Ever Cruise Again?” back in July.
The cruise lines are asking for a “smart” reopening beginning with sailings from U.S. ports. While they didn’t define a smart reopening, I suspect it has to do with significantly reduced occupancies on the ships. Further, an intelligent reopening will give the cruise lines time to get the new protocols under their belts.
I say, let’s take a peek at their new health and safety protocols. And if they seem adequate, let them begin sailing for the upcoming Caribbean cruise season.
The Caribbean is a significant revenue generator for the cruise lines. And opening, say in November/December, would give them all a much-needed revenue boost.
There are voices that would keep them shut down until COVID-19 is conquered. However, if you keep them shut down past next summer, I think we’ll begin to see bankruptcies.
Airlines are flying. Hotels are operating. I don’t see a reason to prevent the cruise lines from getting in the game with a “smart” reopening.
The cruise lines understand very clearly that all eyes will be on them when they do reopen.
We wish them great success, and we look forward to the whole travel industry getting back to some semblance of normalcy. 🙂
What do you think? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Posted by David Porter on September 10, 2020 · 6 Comments
Arizona Backroads: Schnebly Hill Overlook
If you’re looking for an Arizona backroad scenic adventure, then the Schnebly Hill Overlook should be high on your list.
Carol and I found this scenic road back in 2011 and wrote about it in this article.
A Word of Caution
We entered Schnebly Hill Road from the I-17. As you pass a popular camping area, there is a sign warning 4×4 vehicles only. So, DO NOT attempt this drive in a passenger vehicle.
We were driving our SUV and had just installed trail-rated tires for adventures just like this. However, the farther along we got, the worse the road became, and we found ourselves climbing over a road full of granite rocks at speeds of 1-2 mph.
CLICK PHOTOS FOR LARGER VIEWs.
It was tedious going, and I was thrilled that I had new tires. I don’t think that the tires installed on most SUVs would have made it down this road without a puncture.
Our SUV has 8 inches of ground clearance, but I found myself wishing that I had a few more inches like the many true 4x4s that were passing us along the way.
After enjoying some time at the overlook, we decided to continue our journey the other 6 miles down the steep hill.
The moment we began, we found that the road conditions had worsened significantly. The road was much narrower with certain death on one side as we were now driving on the edge of a cliff.
I was determined to keep going, figuring that this was just a particularly bad spot in the road. Plus, past experiences driving this road told me that the road would improve shortly. I was wrong!
Continuing Our Harrowing Drive on the Schnebly Hill Road
We encountered a Jeep 4×4 coming up the road. He pulled alongside us and told us in no uncertain terms that we should NOT go any further. He described an even rougher road than what we were currently experiencing with sharp granite ledges in the road that dropped a good 12 inches. We would never make it through that.
So, we found a place to turn around and white-knuckled it back up to the vista overlook. I’ve never seen my wife so scared as we climbed over granite rocks on the road, trying not to stare at the cliff’s edge just a few feet away from the driver’s door.
When we got back up to the vista overlook, Carol said that she wanted to get out and kiss the ground.
She didn’t kiss the ground, but we did say “OMG”. And, as you might expect, Carol had more to say and included words like, never again!
Moral of the Story?
I will be doing a lot more homework on road conditions from now on. And for you, if you want to experience this remarkable vista, consider renting a Jeep 4×4 or an ATV to get you there.
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Posted by David Porter on August 25, 2020 · Leave a Comment
Gillespie Dam Bridge: Phoenix Day Trips
Are you looking for a Phoenix Day Trip? If you’re a fan of historic bridges, let us recommend the Gillespie Dam Bridge (Wikipedia Link).
While on international travel lockdown from the COVID-19 pandemic, Carol and I are out exploring the beautiful state of Arizona is a series of day trips.
Completed in 1927, the 1,667-foot long Gillespie Dam Bridge was built as a part of U.S. Route 80 designed as a transcontinental highway between San Diego, California, and Tybee Island, Georgia.
However, over the years, Arizona State Route 85 was built. As a result, the rerouting of the traffic left this bridge seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
Our Gillespie Dam Bridge Photographs
© 2020, David A. Porter
An Arizona Ghost Farm
If you are approaching the bridge from Highway 85, when you’re done poking around the bridge, head north a bit to view a “ghost farm”.
The Arlington Cattle Compay has its roots from the early 1900s. Over the years, the property changed hands until the property went into receivership with a portion of the property now owned by the State of Arizona.
The property has been unused for decades, with a vast array of stock pens rusting in the Arizona sun across the street.
© 2020, David A. Porter
Agua Caliente Road
If you’ve got another 3-4 hours to spend, you might want to explore some or all of the Agua Caliente Road.
Driving our SUV, we enjoyed a freshly graded surface. Therefore, the road was remarkably smooth, with no chatter bumps.
The drive was beautiful, and we only passed one other vehicle on the entire journey. However, it only took one rock on the road to blow out our right rear tire.
We were very fortunate that our blowout occurred at the end of the road with four bars of service on our phones. Otherwise, we would have been in a real pickle.
Warning
DO NOT attempt this part of the day trip without a high-clearance vehicle equipped with all-terrain tires. Furthermore, you will be without cell service for much of this road, so please do not take this drive without someone knowing where you are and when they should expect you home. You do not want to encounter a problem on this remote drive with no way of communication.
We called AAA, and they sent a tow truck to change our tire. We then limped home on our “doughnut” spare tire. While waiting for the tow truck, a forest ranger stopped to see if we needed help. He mentioned that he was going to do his rounds on the Agua Caliente. So we would have found help. But what a dork I was to take this remote drive on primarily beefed up passenger tires. Shame on me.
Sadly, that blown tire overshadowed this part of our journey, but if you’ve got a high-clearance vehicle with all-terrain tires, this is a beautiful drive. And, you might want to plan a little extra time to poke around the ghost town of Sundad.
Well, what an exciting and drama-filled journey this turned out to be. We’re having a set of Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S tires installed on our SUV and we’re looking forward to our next Phoenix Day Trip. 🙂
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Posted by David Porter on August 14, 2020 · Leave a Comment
2020 Cruise Cancelation Update
Now that we are just over halfway through 2020, let us give you a cruise cancelation update.
European River Cruises
As of this writing, the European river cruises for American travelers are shut down through the end of October. Although, Viking River Cruises just announced that they are suspending all river cruises worldwide through the end of the year.
In contrast, a few of the European river cruises branded for European travelers have slowly restarted operations. Further, AmaWaterways has put one of their river cruise ships in operation for German travelers. All eyes will be on these first-out-of-the-gate cruise lines.
While I’m not certain and hope to be wrong, I’m guessing that European river cruises are a bust for the rest of the year. Again, I hope I’m wrong.
If you are interested in a European river cruise for 2021, we recommend booking with us soon that later. Those itineraries are well over 50% sold out.
To explore river cruises for 2021 and beyond, explore all brands with our river cruise search tool.
American River Cruises
American-owned river cruise brands are all currently on pause with hopes of commencing sailing in the fall. If you’re not familiar with the American river cruise brands, take a peek at this article: Best U.S. River Cruise Companies.
American Cruise Lines 175-passenger coastal cruise liner.
American Ocean Cruises
The U.S. law prohibits internationally-flagged ocean cruise lines from sailing to U.S. ports without at least one international port in the itinerary. This is why, for example, that most Alaska cruises will begin in Vancouver.
However, American-owned and flagged cruise lines can build itineraries that sail exclusively to American ports.
These ocean cruises are generally very small ships with 175 people or less. They also generally avoid the vast open seas. Instead, these cruises might offer destinations all up and down the east coast, Alaska without the long “at sea” days, the Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest, and even cruises on the Great Lakes.
To explore these American destination cruise lines, give these links a click:
Silversea Cruises Silver Muse
International Ocean Cruises
Ocean cruises that serve American travelers are currently suspended through the end of October. Further, Viking and a few other cruise lines have suspended their ocean cruises through the end of 2020.
At the moment, these cruise lines have high hopes to begin sailing in the Caribbean and destinations south of the equator in January. If we see COVID-19 cases significantly drop by then, I think that might be a possibility.
As with river cruises, bookings for 2021 ocean cruises are in high demand and we advise booking sooner than later.
To explore ocean cruises for 2021 and beyond, explore all brands with our ocean cruise search tool.
COMPLIMENTARY VIP PERKS!
How to Book an Ocean or River Cruise
Did you know that when you book an ocean or river cruise with Roaming Boomers Travel Services that the price will be exactly the same as booking directly with a cruise line?
Plus, when you book with us, you will get our expert advice and often extra perks on top of the cruise lines best offers.
Further, many cruise itineraries offer our Virtuoso Voyages Perks.
Take a look at this article to learn more about the advantages we bring to your cruise booking.
For more information about our services or to book your next fun 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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Posted by David Porter on February 21, 2020 · Leave a Comment
A Record-Breaking 117 New Cruise Ships Are on Order for the Coming Decade
117 new cruise ships are on order for the coming decade, according to Cruise Industry News
This shatters previous decades new cruise ship orders. Here’s how the orders stacked up in previous decades:
- The 1990s: 37 new ships
- The 2000s: 69 new ships
- The 2010s: 27 new ships
So, as you can see, as we step into the 2020s with 117 ships on order, this will be a decade like no other.
Viking’s New Expeditions Ships
Here’s this from Cruise Industry News:
“For the new decade, the industry is preparing for its largest 10-year fleet and passenger capacity growth.
During the 1990s, however, with additional ships entering service later in the decade, the fleet grew from 117 to 230 ships by 1999, increasing the passenger capacity from about 4 million to 10 million, double occupancy, according to the Cruise Industry News Annual Report.
In the decade 2000 to 2009, a total of 47 new ships were added to the fleet, boosting the fleet to 277 ships and the passenger capacity to nearly 17 million.
Further, from 2010 to 2019, an additional 127 ships were counted during the decade, increasing the annual passenger capacity to 28 million on 404 ships.
Starting the new decade with 116 new ships having been ordered for deliveries so far through 2027, the annual global passenger capacity will grow to an estimated 41 million sailing on some 520 ships.”
To see the complete list of confirmed new cruise ships, CLICK HERE.
Why Are They Building All of These New Cruise Ships?
You might ask, what on earth is causing all of this increase in cruise ship capacity?
It’s pretty simple really: a booming economy and 80,000,000 baby boomers hitting their retirement years.
These boomers want to do two things: visit their grandchildren and travel. 🙂
As you contemplate booking an ocean, river, or expedition cruise, remember that many of the world’s best cruise brands are part of our Virtuoso Voyages program.
When you book your next cruise with Roaming Boomers Travel Services, you will get the cruise lines best offers, plus our renowned complimentary VIP perks. To search for your next cruise, CLICK HERE.
For more information or to book your next 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.
Further Reading:
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