Posted by David Porter on September 1, 2016 · Leave a Comment
Virtuoso® Reveals Where Upscale Travelers Are Venturing This Fall And Holiday Season
International luxury travel network Virtuoso® is answering the question on everyone’s minds: what are the hottest upscale destinations for this year’s holiday season?
Acknowledged as a prominent trend predictor in the industry, Virtuoso has sourced data from its warehouse of more than $35 billion in transactions to disclose the top destinations for the coming fall and holiday period. Luxury travelers are remaining true to European favorites, while turning their attention to warmer climes as the weather shifts at home. They also are seeking out more exotic locales worldwide, including a boom for African countries.
The Virtuoso Top 10 Fall & Holiday Luxury Travel Destinations
- Italy
- France
- United Kingdom
- South Africa
- Spain
- Mexico
- China
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Israel
Note: the destinations above are all links designed to help you learn more about each of these destinations.
The Top 10 analysis: Europe’s unrivaled popularity for summer travel continues into the fall. Travelers are enjoying lower average daily rates (ADRs) at Virtuoso partner hotels in major European cities as summer ends. In particular, Paris is down two percent ($1,087), Rome is six percent lower ($949), London is down seven percent ($704) and Barcelona comes in 15 percent lower than summer rates ($596). London and Barcelona in particular represent great value to travelers this fall and holiday season, as they are respectively 21 and 43 percent below the average ADR for Virtuoso partner properties in Europe, which is $853. Also noteworthy: Mexico’s appeal as a warm-weather getaway for Americans and Canadians holds fast despite Zika cautions. Australia and New Zealand are always favored destinations once the Northern Hemisphere cools. In spite of continued Middle East unrest, Israel’s popularity is undiminished. It is a sought-out destination not only for its religious significance, but also for its history, food, culture and adventure experiences.
As we ponder this information, our top three destinations this year have been Italy (by far) followed by France, the UK, and the Caribbean. Further, ocean and river cruises continue to dominate what our clients are looking to do into the future.
As you consider your travel plans for the fall and holiday season, is there somewhere we can help you explore? Why not give us a call and let us share with you why our travel agency is seeing nearly two-fold growth this year over last.
To inquire, call our travel agency 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 August 31, 2016 · 5 Comments
Dress Code Guidelines: Crystal Cruises
One of the most popular questions we get about cruise ships has to do with the dress code. It seems that our world has drifted towards the casual and most folks don’t even want to think about bringing a tuxedo on a cruise, luxury cruise or not.
Well, with Crystal Cruises, you’re in luck. If you want, you can leave your tux and suit home in the closet. Although, you might want to check with your wife first. As we know, many of the gals like to dress up for a nice evening out.
During our 10-day cruise with Crystal Cruises, every night was designated as “Crystal Casual” except for one optional formal evening where at least a dark suit was required for the guys. And, if that wasn’t to your liking, you could simply dine in one of the other restaurants that are Crystal Casual every single night.
So, for your reading enjoyment, here’s the current dress code policies direct from the Crystal Cruises website:
Daytime Dress Code
Throughout the day, our guests wear a mix of active resort wear. Dining room attire is casual during the day; however, swimsuits, cover-ups/robes and baseball hats are not appropriate. If you do not wish to change for a meal in the afternoon or evening, alfresco dining on deck is available. After 6 pm, casual daytime attire is not appropriate. Shorts and baseball caps are not permitted for men or women.
For days in port, be sure to bring comfortable walking shoes. Check with your travel agent for special items you might want to pack for your destination and the time of year you are traveling.
There are bathrobes, kimonos and slippers in each stateroom for your use during the cruise. Other amenities include a clothes brush, shoehorn, hair dryer, soap, ETRO S.P.A. Exclusive Sea bath products packaged exclusively for Crystal Cruises, sewing kit and umbrella.
Evening Dress Code
Keeping in line with the continually evolving, more relaxed dress codes reflected throughout the world today, we have simplified our preferred evening dress codes to two types: Crystal Casual and Black Tie Optional. Please refer to the dress codes described in detail below. After 6 pm, casual daytime attire is not appropriate. Shorts and baseball caps are not permitted for men or women.
Crystal Casual
Crystal Casual calls for a dressed-up version of casual looks.
Women’s Crystal Casual includes:
• Blouse
• Sweater
• Dressy slacks
• Skirt
• Dress
Men’s Crystal Casual includes:
• Open collar shirt
• Collared polo shirt
• Button-down shirt
• Dress shirt (no tie required)
• Dress pants or European smart trousers
• Sport coat (optional)
Black Tie Optional
A Black Tie Optional evening offers our guests a celebratory opportunity to dress more formally. Guests dining in the restaurants, with the exception of Tastes, are asked to adhere to the Black Tie Optional dress code. We ask that at least a jacket be worn by men for dinner. On Black Tie Optional evenings, if you choose to change your attire following the evening dinner festivities, please maintain a minimum style of dress in keeping with the dress code described above in Crystal Casual.
Women’s Black Tie Optional includes:
• Formal cocktail dress
• Evening gown
• Dressy evening separates
Men’s Black Tie Optional includes:
• Dark suit with/without a tie
• Tuxedo
With this policy, guests can expect the following:
• Cruises 7-days or less: Only Crystal Casual evenings (based on itinerary, see dress code for your specific cruise for details)
• 8- to 10-day cruises: May have up to 1 Black Tie Optional evening
• 11- to 16-day cruises: 2 Black Tie Optional evenings
• World and Grand Cruises, Holiday voyages and Crossings, including cruises 17+ days or more: Special dress code schedules will apply depending on cruise duration and/or special events or occasions.
Photograph from our Black Tie Optional Evening
Here’s a group photograph of Carol and I (top left) enjoying the black tie optional evening. As you can see, the ladies all look beautiful and there was a combination of dark suits with open collars, suits, and tuxedos. I brought a tie with me, but I decided to play the rebel and go open-collared. I’m guessing that 75% of the guys were wearing a tie of some sort.
After being dressed up in a three-piece suit for over 25 years, I personally don’t want to wear a tie unless I absolutely must. And, unless I’m being photographed in a wedding photograph, I can’t think of any other must-wear-a-tie situations. But, that’s just how I roll.
Oh, now that I think about, I did wear a tux for a national travel award we won this year. But, as I said above, most luxury cruise lines have become more relaxed in their dress codes than they were a decade ago.
So, there you have it. The dress code for sailing on the Crystal Cruises Serenity. Have fun! 🙂
Note: photographs courtesy of Crystal Cruises.
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Posted by David Porter on August 30, 2016 · 2 Comments
Margerie Glacier: Glacier Bay National Park
Click photo for larger view. ©2016, David A. Porter
Carol and I are just back from an exciting Alaska cruise with our friends at Crystal Cruises. We had a glorious sailing and you can read about our first impressions of Crystal Cruises by clicking here.
I snagged this photograph as the Crystal Cruises Serenity did a 360º spin in front of the glacier so that all aboard might appreciate her splendor. The skies were sprinkling light rain, and there were eerie low-hanging clouds enveloping the fjord all around us. While I was a little bummed to find the skies so full of rain, fog, and clouds, it does create a special photographic opportunity as the bright sunlight isn’t washing out the colors. Actually, in hindsight, this is now one of my favorite photographs of the Margerie Glacier.
To give you a sense of scale, the width of the Margerie Glacier is about 1 mile (1.6 km) and the total height at its terminus is about 350 feet (110 m) including 100 feet (30 m) that is underwater. So, you’re looking at ice that is 25 stories above the water. It’s monstrous! Another thing your senses will notice right away is that the temperature is about 10º cooler here than at the mouth of Glacier Bay National Park. When we got to the glacier, the temperature was 48º. A bit chilly, but it absolutely added to the drama of the moment.
If you’d like to learn a little more about Alaska’s most visited glaciers, read our article: Best Alaska Cruises for Glacier Viewing.
This was our third sailing in Alaska, and to be honest, we never grow tired of the beauty, majesty, and unspoiled wilderness that is constantly all around. We love cruising Alaska, and we highly recommend it to you.
If you would like to know more about cruising Alaska’s beautiful Inside Passage, call our office at (480) 550-1235, or use our convenient online information request form (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
To learn more about Crystal Cruises, click here.
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Posted by David Porter on August 30, 2016 · 4 Comments
It’s been a while since Carol and I have offered a group event, and so we’re excited to share with you that we’ve secured a Roaming Boomers® group booking with Windstar Cruises for a fun-filled Caribbean cruise.
We selected Windstar because we’ve always wanted to sail with them ourselves, we love the itinerary, and we’ve heard fabulous feedback from clients that have sailed with them in the past.
Plus, as you can see from the itinerary map, our sailing starts in St. Maarten, so we won’t be wasting precious days sailing from Ft. Lauderdale or Miami.
Come Join Us: Roaming Boomers® Group Sailing with Windstar Cruises
When: We depart 11/30/16 from St. Maarten.
Plus, through our relationship with Windstar Cruises, we’ve also secured a special group discount (see below) as well as $100/person shipboard credit.
Here’s our special group rates for the journey:
In addition to the fares listed above (which translates to roughly a 5% discount), each passenger will be responsible for port charges $290/person, taxes $120/person, alcohol, shore excursions, and gratuities. To learn more about this specific sailing, visit the Windstar Cruises website by clicking here.
What to Expect
We know that our group will come together with a wide variety of interests, physical abilities, and desires. Therefore, Carol and I don’t plan to have any special group events planned at each port of call. We’ll enjoy our time on the ship with you, break bread with you (if you like), and then you’re free to explore each of the islands on your own, as you see fit.
Carol and I have yet to sort out what we’ll be doing at each of the ports of call. As we’re travel agency owners and travel writers, we are likely going to meet with local tourism officials and make hotel inspections. So, from your perspective, that will be far less exciting than some of the fun shore excursions that you might do on your own.
Having said that, our sailing does include a fun, complimentary excursion on the island of St. Lucia, so we will certainly plan to be with our group at that event.
So, Want to join us? We hope so. It’s going to be a lot of fun!
What to do?
I’m certain that you have lots of questions, so call us at (480) 550-1235, or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
Thanks, and we look forward to sailing the Caribbean with our fun group!
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Posted by David Porter on August 24, 2016 · 1 Comment
For the second time this year, I (David) have come down with a very nasty respiratory infection after flying that has knocked me flat on my back with a horrific cough and nasty fever.
When we travel, I am ultra-conscious of keeping my hands away from commonly used spaces, I wash my hands frequently, and even carry around a small bottle of hand sanitizer. But even with all of these precautions, I still seem to be getting sick when I fly. Therefore, me thinks, the virus must be transmitting airborne. Consequently, after growing weary of being sick after our travels, I’m going to take on a new defense.
Here’s a few things I learned in a recent University Health News Article:
“With literally billions of people traveling by air every year now, researchers are finally starting to gather and publish more data about the health risks associated with airplane travel. In terms of the common cold, it is now well-accepted that acute respiratory infections are frequently experienced after air travel.
Studies have found a high prevalence and wide array of respiratory viruses in people who have recently traveled. Up to 20 percent of passengers may develop respiratory infections within one week after air travel and that flight attendants have significantly more respiratory infections than those who do not frequently fly.” YIKES!
The article goes on to describe why we get sick when flying, and then prescribes these remedies:
How to Not Get Sick While Flying
“To reduce your risk of getting a respiratory infection while on a flight, here are three specific actions you should take:
- Irrigate your nose (or your children’s) with a saline solution–both before and after the flight–by using a dropper or small squirt bottle. Nasal irrigation with a saline solution helps clean out at least some of the allergen, fungal and viral pathogens from the nose and thus can help to reduce the frequency of infections. Keeping the nasal cavity moist in the dry atmosphere of an airplane cabin is also most beneficial.
- Drink lots of water throughout the flight.
- Take an herbal medicine with immune boosting properties such as Echinacea for a week or two before the flight. Australian researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial to study whether a standardized Echinacea supplement is effective in the prevention of respiratory and other symptoms associated with long flights.[5] They gave 175 adults travelling for 15 to 25 hours Echinacea (root extract, standardized to 4.4 mg alkylamides) or placebo tablets starting 14 days before travel. The Echinacea group had lower respiratory symptom scores compared to placebo during travel. If you’re planning on traveling by air, you can give your own immune system a boost with Echinacea or other immune stimulating natural therapies starting at least two weeks before you travel.”
Lastly, as I am growing very weary of getting sick when I fly, I have decided that I am going to throw down my pride and vanity and wear one of the Breathe Healthy masks pictured above. I just ordered one today. Now, only time will tell if I’ll actually wear it. 😆
How ’bout you? Do you find yourself getting sick when you fly? Share your story in the comments section below.
Links:
University Health News Article
Breathe Healthy Mask
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The Roaming Boomers
