Posted by David Porter on June 4, 2016 · Leave a Comment
Last-minute flash-sale offering 15-day Grand European Tour sailing from Amsterdam to Budapest. Staterooms start at $2,999/person (Cat C-F). Offer expires June 17, 2016.
Imagine 15 magical days along the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers. From Holland’s windmill-studded tulip fields to Germany’s fairytale castles, from the engineering marvel of the Main–Danube Canal to the picturesque vineyards of Austria’s Wachau Valley, this epic voyage presents the highlights of Holland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Savor a decadent Sachertorte in a Viennese café and panoramic views of imperial Budapest and along the way, discover the legend of the Lorelei, the ancient art of glassblowing, the music of Mozart and more. Guests who choose this voyage soon see why it is Viking’s most popular itinerary.
We brought you a flash-sale offer on this sailing back in early April and it was so well received, we booked 12 sailings in one weekend. This offering has less availability, but the price has dropped $1,000/person.
A 15-day European vacation starting at $2,999/person is a remarkable offer!
Before we get started, there are a few things you need to know:
- These offers are not advertised to the general public and will not be found on the Viking River Cruises website. We bring our clients and readers access to these offers because of our relationship with Viking. We do a lot of business with Viking, and they only make these offers available to their best travel partners.
- These offers are very limited in supply. Viking is filling up the remaining staterooms on this sailing, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. So, if you’re interested, don’t delay.
- Because these are very special and limited offers, Viking will require full payment at booking, or within 90 days of departure, if earlier.
- All of the prices below are per person prices based on double occupancy.
- Lastly, these last-minute offers are for new bookings only.
If you’re interested, and want to check on availability, call our office at (480) 550-1235. Or, use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
OK. Now that we got that on the table, let us tell you about this wonderful offer from Viking River Cruises…
All this is included:
- 15-day cruise with river-view stateroom
- 12 guided tours with audio headset
- All meals: 14 breakfasts, 13 lunches & 14 dinners, featuring regional specialties and including Welcome Cocktail Reception & Dinner
- Complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks with onboard dinner and lunch service
- Visit 9 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Culture Curriculum: Enjoy concerts aboard and ashore, ranging from Austrian classics to baroque organ music; attend lectures on current affairs in Germany, Holland & the European Union; learn how to make your own Rüdesheimer coffee; experience the wonderful scents of a Viennese market
- All port charges
- Free Wi-Fi, connection speed may vary
June – October 2016 Departures
While these prices are certainly attractive and worthy of your immediate response, perhaps the most exciting part of this last-minute offer is that the balcony staterooms are being offered at $3,999/person.
I just peeked at Viking Website to compare these special unadvertised last-minute offers and the staterooms above are listed at $4,762/person and the balcony staterooms start at $6,962/person. So, as you can see, this last-minute offer is really quite remarkable. To be frank, there’s no way in creation you could have a 4-star+ European, all-inclusive vacation at these prices.
What to do
If you’re interested, and want to check on availability, call our office at (480) 550-1235. Or, use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
We’ll get an idea of what dates work for you and then check with our back channels at Viking to check on availability. Please know that at these prices, these staterooms will get scooped up quickly. Therefore, don’t delay!
Here’s the fine print: Cruise from $2,499 per person (Cats E-F); $3,999 per person (cats A-B) based on available June, July, August & late October 2016 departures of Grand European Tour. Other months higher; call for details. Combinable with Viking Explorer Society Travel Credits and Viking Referral Rewards. Other restrictions may apply; ask for details. Pay in full by June 30, 2016, or within 90 days of departure, if earlier. Offer expires June 17, 2016. Single Travelers Offer: Valid on available June-October 2016 departures of Grand European Tour. (Viking Longships Cat A-F for 175% of one person’s double occupancy price).
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Posted by David Porter on June 2, 2016 · Leave a Comment
As Mark Twain has quipped in his rather famous travel quote, there is no better way to test a friendship than to travel together.
You know, Carol and I have found this to be true. We have friends that we love to travel with, and there was also that one experience that turned out to be hell on earth.
Definition of Hell on Earth: (‘hel ‘on ‘erth) – being trapped on a two week travel adventure with friends who are demanding, self-centered, irritable, whining, and who are all-around so miserable that you consider jumping off a cliff rather than spend another day in their company.
Get the picture? 😟
After our hell on earth experience, Carol and I vowed to never allow that to happen again. So, here’s a few guidelines we use when considering travel with others:
6 Tips for a Successful Travel Experience with Friends
- Choose Travel Partners Carefully – if you have friends who are somewhat of a challenge to be around for a few hours at dinner, then it is very likely that it would be very difficult to deal with their drama for a prolonged period of time. Imagine spending a long day traveling, peppered with a dash of hunger pangs, where all you want to do is hit the bed, take off your shoes, and chill out for a while. If you are traveling with folks who cannot control themselves in such situations, then you are headed for “hell on earth”.
- Start Small – don’t make your first adventure with friends hiking across Africa’s Serengeti. First tackle a short weekend trip to see how the four of you blend together. If there were no nuclear explosions leaving behind radioactive fallout, then begin to take on longer excursions together.
- Create a Basic Daily Itinerary – there is nothing worse than getting to a travel destination a little weary from travel, and then trying to decide amongst the four of you what you plan to do at this location. Have a travel planning dinner, uncork a nice bottle of wine, and make these types of decisions before you even leave home. Having these decisions agreed to ahead of time will save yourselves from great amounts of stress. Think: manage expectations.
- Create Space – make certain that each day allows for a little space between couples. Perhaps one couple wants to relax and read a book while the other wants to pursue further activities. Make some free-time in your itinerary to give yourselves some breathing room.
- Be Flexible – there are a great many things that can send even the best-laid plan spiraling to disaster. Weather, illness, out-dated information, crowds, changing of the mind, etc, etc, etc,. When traveling with friends, you simply must be willing to give up on your top desire if the group seems to desire something different. Three happy people and one sad-sacked moaner does not a happy trip make. Be honest, share your feelings, and make a group decision. Once the decision is made – don’t look back.
- Have Fun – it is a well-known fact that baby boomers enjoy traveling with friends. Therefore, make certain that you understand why you are taking this trip with friends in the first place. Exploring the world with great friends, deepening relationships, and having a blast! Right?
Well, there you go. We’ve found these ground rules effective for our sanity. We hope you find them useful. And, after you’ve determined who your travel friends will be, click here and pick out something fun to do.
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Posted by David Porter on June 1, 2016 · 3 Comments
There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding the Zika Virus and travel to potentially affected areas by those who are not of childbearing age.
Health professionals at the CDC are only warning those who might be of childbearing age to avoid those areas affected by the Zika virus. And while the Zika virus is now understood to be transmittable through sexual contact, the only way a young mother might put her child in danger is through direct contact with an affected mosquito, sexual transmission, or through blood transfusion.
Therefore, the Zika virus poses no threat to a traveler who is not a woman of childbearing age, or those who might have sexual contact with a woman of childbearing age and thereby potentially affecting a fetus.
Can baby boomer travelers get the Zika virus?
Yes. But the symptoms generally go unnoticed, or at the worse give flu-like symptoms. And, after 7-days the symptoms are gone and the carrier is likely immune to the virus in the future. To learn more, watch this video by Dr. Sanjay Gupta as he answers questions about the Zika virus.
Zika Virus and the Travel Industry
The Caribbean and Mexico are very popular destinations for honeymooners and young folks. These regions offer affordable travel and are replete with all-inclusive destinations. Sadly, this has caused these young, childbearing aged folks to steer clear of the region and has now started to affect the wallets of these destinations.
However, on the flip-side, baby boomer travelers desiring to visit the affected regions are likely to start finding fabulous travel offers as travel brands look to woo older travelers to their direction.
Therefore, while it seems callous to say, this pesky little mosquito is going to give the boomer traveler a likely financial travel boon. We expect to see a new breed of offers coming from cruise lines as well as Mexican and Caribbean destinations.
To learn more from the CDC on the Zika virus, click here.
Unfortunately, we agree with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, if you’re a young couple of childbearing age, don’t go to affected areas.
Disclosure: we are not medical experts and don’t profess to provide expert medical opinions on this subject. We are simply passing this information along to keep our readers and clients informed.
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Posted by David Porter on May 26, 2016 · Leave a Comment
A few days ago, we wrote an article about the advantages we bring to our clients and readers through our invitation to join the Four Seasons Preferred Partner Program, a invitation-only network of high-end travel advisors from around the world.
If you’re not familiar with the island of Lanai, take a peek at the video to the right.
The island of Lanai is a private island 98% owned by billionaire Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle. And while private generally means “keep out”, here you’re welcome to roam about just as you are on any of the other Hawaiian islands.
Lanai is far less congested than its neighboring island of Maui. So, if you’re looking for peace and quiet, maybe a round of golf, or a stroll on a secluded beach, Lanai just might be your ticket.
Plus, if you want the hustle and bustle, shopping, and nightlife of Maui, it’s a fairly quick ferry ride away.
Interestingly, there are two Four Seasons Resorts on this small island. However, the Four Season Resort Lanai has just undergone a major multi-million dollar refurbishment and this is the resort we’ll highlight in this particular article.
Take a peek below at some of the photographs we have to share from the Four Season Resort Lanai website. Further, if you would like to browse a PDF file on the resort, click here.
Exclusive Offer: Four Seasons Resort Lanai
When you book through our Four Seasons Preferred Partner Program, you will receive all of the following benefits:
- Exclusive Summer Promotion –
- Fourth Night Free – Complimentary fourth night with every three consecutive paid nights. Rates for this offer are based on best available Room Rate for the dates chosen.
- Daily full American breakfast for two people per bedroom, served through In-Room Dining or in the hotel restaurant (including buffets).
- Food and beverage credit of USD100.
- Upgrade of one category, based on availability at time of check-in (excluding signature suites and villas).
- Complimentary basic Internet in all guest rooms, complimentary premium Internet in all suites.
We checked the rates on the day we wrote this article, and we found nightly rates starting at $492/night (4-night stay) when you factor in the fourth night free. You should know that hotels use capacity controls for their rates, and rates are subject to change at any time and are only guaranteed once they’re booked.
When you take a peek at all that is included here, I think you’ll agree that this is an outstanding offer. Right? 🙂
For more information, or to book your stay with our complimentary VIP perks, call our office 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 May 25, 2016 · Leave a Comment
We have 14 remarkable, unadvertised, and exclusive offers from Regent Seven Seas Cruises just for you. Alaska, Baltic, and Mediterranean cruises with savings up to $7,500/person+ and up to FREE business class air.
I hope we have your attention, because you couldn’t sail many of the entry level cruise lines for the prices we’re about to share with you!
If you’re not familiar with Regent Seven Seas Cruises, you need to know that it is one of the world’s very best luxury cruise lines, their ships only hold a maximum of 750 people, all of their staterooms are suites that start at a comfortable 250 sq. ft., and you’ll enjoy free unlimited shore excursions in every port.
In fact, you’d be hard pressed to spend a nickel while aboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Take a peek at the video below…
Before we get started, there are a few things you need to know:
- These are unadvertised offers and are exclusive to our Cadence network. In fact, there are only three other travel agencies across the nation who have these offers available to their clients. Regent Seven Seas Cruises only makes these unadvertised specials available to their very best agencies.
- A few of the offers are so remarkable, Regent Seven Seas Cruises has asked us not to publish them on our website. Therefore, in order to explain a few of the offers, we can only do that over the phone. We’re prohibited from putting some of them here on our website.
- These unadvertised offers are “capacity controlled”. In other words, as these offers begin to fill up, Regent Seven Seas Cruises can pull the offer off of the market with no warning. When they’re gone, they’re gone.
- All of these offers include FREE coach air in the smaller suites and FREE business class air in the larger suites. Plus, if you have points and prefer to buy your own air, you can buy the sailings without included air for an even lower price.
- All of the offers are strictly for new bookings, and the prices are based on double occupancy.
- Again, you will not find these offers on the Regent website. These are exclusive, unadvertised specials and you must call us for booking.
- There are 14 separate offers, in two separate classes: smaller suites with free coach air, and larger suites with free business class air. Plus, there are an equal number of offers without air (if you like). Therefore, that makes 56 different offers. We can’t possibly explain them all in this post. So, if you have the slightest interest, call us and we’ll explain.
- There are offers on:
- 6 Alaska 2016 sailings. Two in June, two in July, and two in August.
- 6 Baltic 2016 sailings. One in June, three in August, and two in September.
- 2 Mediterranean sailings. One in July and one in August.
OK. Now that we’ve got all of that on the table, let me share with you what all the fuss is about.
Here’s how this special unadvertised special works:
Two Classes of offers:
- On their suites, Regent has knocked the price down $2,000/person on their lowest priced suite and they are offering up to a four category suite upgrade to boot (first come, first served).
- On their penthouse suites, Regent has knocked the price down up to $7,500/person on their lowest priced suite and they are offering up to a three category suite upgrade to boot (first come, first served).
So, let’s look at a few examples:
Alaska 7-Night Sailing – 8/3/2016:
- Their entry level suite on this sailing is normally $6,199/person. They take $2K off the price, and make available a 4-category upgrade that would normally be $7499/person. Therefore, your price is $4,199/person, or $6,600 off of the total price, plus FREE coach air and you spend no money on the ship.
- Using a similar formula on their penthouse suites, you can sail in up to a Penthouse Suite A for only $5,499/person AND get FREE coach class air, and you spend no money on the ship. That is saving you up to $7,800!
Baltic 10-Night Sailing – 10/14/2016:
- Their entry level suite on this sailing is normally $8,999/person. They take $4K off the price, and make available a 4-category upgrade that would normally be $10,699/person. Therefore, your price is $4,999/person, or potentially $11,400 off of the total price, plus FREE coach air and you spend no money on the ship.
- Their lowest priced penthouse suite is normally $13,499/person. They take $6,800/person off the lowest priced penthouse suite and give you that price on “up to” a Penthouse A suite that is normally $14,299/person. Therefore, if you can snag one of the Penthouse A suites at the special price of $6,699/person, you’re saving $15,200 off of the total price. Plus, you get FREE business class air and spend no money on the ship.
So, here’s the bottom line on these sailings:
Alaska 7-Day:
- Entry level suite for $4,199/person (with a possible 4 category upgrade) with included FREE coach air.
- Penthouse suite for $5,499/person (with a possible 2 category upgrade) with included FREE coach class air.
Baltic 10-Day:
- Entry level suite for $4,999/person (with a possible 4 category upgrade) with included FREE coach air.
- Penthouse suite for $6,699/person (with a possible 2 category upgrade) with included FREE business class air.
Plus, there are 10 other similar offers on different dates/destinations.
As I said in the beginning of this article, you can’t sail most entry level cruise lines with thousands and thousands of people on board for these prices. If you’re at all interested in an Alaska, Baltic, or Mediterranean cruise, you need to call us right now.
Listen, I know this is complicated. It took me several hours to write this post. Just call me. 🙂
To learn more, or to book your fabulous luxury cruise in Alaska, the Baltic, or the Mediterranean, call our office at (480) 550-1235. Because of the complexity of these offers and the very limited time line, we simply can’t try to communicate with you on these offers by email. Sorry. Call us. We don’t bite. Really!
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The Roaming Boomers
