Showing posts with label windstar. Show all posts

4.26.2021

vaccination — your ticket to ride

E.U. Set to Let Vaccinated U.S. Tourists Visit This Summer .

It's been way too long. I was last in Europe in the autumn of 2019 when we took a Baltic cruise on Windstar, a luxury small ship cruise line that can get into smaller ports that cannot accommodate the large ships. We loved the cruise and enjoyed out-of-the-way destinations as well as highlights like Gdansk, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Stockholm. We finished up our tour by flying to Paris (my favorite city in the world) for a few days before flying home.

A lot has happened since 2019. Covid-19 struck with a vengeance in March 2020, forcing me to cancel a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii to see the brand new Mauna Lani as well as inspect the new room product at Four Seasons Hualalai. I held out hope that things would settle down by April, letting us visit Amsterdam during tulip season, then board our Tauck River Cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland ... but little did any of us know 13 months ago. Covid sadly necessitated the cancellation of that trip.

But Europe promises to be back this summer for vaccinated U.S. tourists. Anticipating its reopening, I was able to rebook my Tauck River Cruise three months ago and was able to score a pair of business class "Saver" award tickets on United. I received my second Pfizer vaccine on Feb. 19th, and Claire got hers on April 5th, so we're all set to go.

Getting vaccinated is your ticket to ride. I can't offer medical advice because I'm not a M.D., but if you're feeling a strong desire to travel the world again, vaccines offer the path forward to satisfy your wanderlust. If you're curious about the remarkable scientific advances that enabled the development of RNA-based vaccines, I highly recommend Walter Isaacson's recent book, The Code Breaker. A well-told story and a good read, the book provides an accessible introduction to the technology that led to the creation of the highly effective Pfizer and Modern vaccines.

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5.17.2020

will Hawaii open for tourists on July 1st?

Hoping to travel again soon? I sure am. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we have been sheltering in place for over two months. I was forced to cancel two trips, a site inspection trip to the Big Island of Hawaii and a Windstar river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel.

Many travelers are hesitating for obvious reasons. We all prioritize our health and the health of our families. Beyond that, no one wants to fly off on a vacation and be surprised with a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. Flexible reservations are an absolute must. Before making a reservation, we want the flexibility of waiting as long as possible to assess the situation before committing to a trip.

Major luxury hotel brands are responding to what travelers need. New, flexible cancellation policies have been announced by Four Seasons, Marriott International (parent company of Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, etc), and others. With only slight variations in wording, their new policy is this:

If you have an existing reservation, you can cancel it without charge up to 24 hour prior to arrival* as long as the cancellation is made by June 30, 2020.

If you make a new reservation before June 20, 2020 for any future date, 2020, you will be able to cancel that reservation without charge up to 24 hours prior to arrival*.

*This policy may not apply to Festive Season bookings, to dates with special event restrictions, or to periods of peak demand.

Please be patient. It takes time for new policies to be reflected in hotel reservations systems. Every rate for every room category at each hotel has to be modified. Please reach out to your travel advisor to iron out the details with the hotel or resort of your dreams.

copyright (c) 2020 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

12.20.2019

small ship cruise around Japan

Windstar is one of my favorite cruise lines. Two things I loved about my Windstar experience — and what keeps Windstar guests returning for more: (1) the luxury small ship experience and (2) the creative itineraries.

Each week there's a special sale on seven selected cruises — and the sale lasts just seven days. This week's specials include an 11 day tour of Japan aboard the Star Breeze that really appeals to me. Passengers will have opportunities to...

Discover the beauty of UNESCO site Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain, when you get to Shimizu
Take in the scenery as you cruise around the abandoned island of Hashima, near Nagasaki
Explore Shingu's UNESCO site Makimura-jinja Shrine, part of the Sacred Sites of Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range
Respectfully remember "Never Again" at the Peace Memorial Parks of Nagasaki and Hiroshima
Enjoy the cuisine of Hiroshima, with not-to-be-missed Okonomiyaki savory pancakes
See the 16th century Osaka Castle, the city's main historic landmark

On sale is the September 20, 2020 sailing. Sale prices begin at $3299 per person for a Porthole Suite ... or, for just $100 more, I recommend you upgrade to an Ocean View Suite. And for an even better value, you can choose an additional perk — either a shipboard credit, an air credit, or unlimited WiFi.

Is there a cruise around Japan in your future? You'll need to book this special fare by Christmas — reach out to Team@OurismanTravel.com and we'll be happy to help.

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

11.24.2019

am I warming up to cruising?

I've always loved traveling on land. Nothing beats a comfortable hotel in the heart of a great city ... or relaxing at a gorgeous resort nestled alongside a white, sandy beach. I love walking out the front door before dawn to capture pictures of a sunrise ... or wandering through picturesque streets to explore a new destination. You really can't do these things while cruising. Ocean ports are not in the heart of a city, nor do ships dock next to beautiful, secluded beaches.

But I been on two cruises this past year with a third cruise planned for April. Could I be warming up to cruising?

My first cruise experience was aboard Seabourn Ovation last May. Along with some Brownell colleagues, we enjoyed the final four days of an eight-day Athens to Barcelona cruise. Boarding in Rome, our stops included ports in Corsica, the south of France, and the northeast of Spain before completing our experience in Barcelona. Seabourn is a pretty all-inclusive cruise line with a lot included in your fare including all beverages and Thomas Keller-inspired dining at your choice of restaurants. My cabin was large and comfortable with a bedroom, living room, and large walk-in closet.

My second cruise experience was aboard Windstar's Star Pride last August. We chose this cruise because of its fascinating itinerary around the Baltic Sea — Gdansk, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and more... This was a small ship with just 200 guests, and we felt an instant connection with our fellow passengers.

And now I have a third cruise experience to look anticipate — a Tauck River Cruise aboard the Inspire. The map above shows the route we'll take. The cruise begins in Amsterdam in mid-April (an ideal time to see the tulips) and sailing up the Moselle and Rhine rivers toward Basel. We'll spend a couple of days in Amsterdam before we begin and explore the Interlaken area of Switzerland at the end.

Here are five cruising tips for hotel lovers.

Look out for creative itineraries that you couldn't do any other way.
Choose a ship whose size corresponds to your favorite hotels. For instance, a ship with 200 cabins is like a typical Four Seasons. Avoid the huge mega-ships unless you really enjoy large convention hotels with thousands of rooms.
Do splurge for the extra space. Cabins are much more compact than hotel rooms. If you can book a Suite with 300 square feet or more (admittedly smaller than most hotel rooms), you'll be happy.
Don't be fooled by low come-on pricing by premium cruise lines. It doesn't matter what you pay to get on the ship; it's what you pay to get off the ship that matters. Many guests booking a lower-end ships at a "bargain" fare are shocked when their bill at check-out exceeds the initial cost of the cruise. Look for the magic words "all-inclusive." A true luxury line may cost less than the bargain advertised price of a mere "premium" cruise line.
Enjoy the pack-and-unpack once experience of an ocean or river cruise as your hotel room floats with you from port to port.

And here's a special value ... book a Tauck River Cruise before the end of the year and enjoy a complimentary pre- or post- hotel stay. Contact us for more details!

8.31.2019

should you take a guided tour?

Is going on a guided tour worth it? Now that we're back from our Windstar cruise around the Baltic Sea, I wanted to reflect on this question. Whether you're on a cruise — or touring a new destination by land — you always have the choice of exploring independently, joining a group tour, or hiring a private guide. Here are my thoughts about making that choice.

Independent exploration is typically the most cost-effective option open to you. Some tourists do extensive research in advance of their trip. It's always a good idea to consult a guide book or to google "ten best things to see in ..." Select the attractions that most interest you, map them on a google map, save the map to your iPhone, even copy notes to your map — or simply tear the relevant pages out of your guide book and bring them along.

But don't discount the value offered by a great group tour or private tour.

(1) Benefit from expert local knowledge. Do you know to avoid the Vatican Museum in the mornings (when the groups from the cruises are all there)? Do you know that the Louvre is closed every Tuesday? Do you know the attractions that are truly engaging and not just tourist traps?

(2) Bypass long lines. Catherine's Palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia is a phenomenal place to visit. So is the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. But both have LONG lines. You can easily waste three hours waiting on queue when visiting Catherine's Palace. With our private guide, we skipped the lines and got right in to the palace, ahead of all these people.

(3) Get in before the thundering herds.

We arrived at the Hermitage a bit before 10 a.m. There were already long lines of tourists waiting for the doors to open at 10:30 a.m. Our guide got us in at 10 a.m., thirty minutes before the general public, thirty minutes before the hallways were choked with hoards of people. We saw this grand staircase shortly after we entered. 30 minutes later, these stairs would be full of people. (Pro tip: if you've purchased early admission, make the most of it by visiting the WC in advance!)

(4) Wander purposefully. Think about the last time you visited a famous museum. Did you know how to map out an ideal visit? Or did you find yourself wandering aimlessly, glancing at some of the paintings, but not really knowing what to look at or why it was significant? A great guide can transform a museum visit. I still remember our visit to the Prado Museum in 2009. In one efficient hour, our private guide (an art historian) gave us a comprehensive lesson on Goya and Velasquez and took us to all of their works (which happened to be scattered throughout the Prado in various galleries). Not a step wasted!

(5) Hear and enjoy the whole story. Look again at the picture at the very top of this article. This was taken during our group tour of the Hill of Witches near Klaipeda, Lithuania. Now, it's totally possible to go there on your own, take the round-trip path up and down the hill, and look at the elaborate carvings. And the visit would be free (except for the cost of a taxi or rental car to get there).

But we had the most incredible tour guide. She was such a gifted storyteller. The dozens of carved statues portrayed traditional stories from Lithuanian folklore. Our guide grew up hearing and loving those stories. She told those very stories every night to her own young daughter. She exuded so much delight when she told them to us, and her voice conveyed an authentic sense of drama. Our guide was utterly captivating and treated us to an unforgettable introduction to Lithuanian culture.

The expertise of the guide makes all the difference. Of the nine guides we had over the course of our cruise, this guide in Klaipeda was superlative. We had seven very good guides, one mediocre guide, and one guide (in Tallinn) who was totally crappy — bored with his job, boring to listen to, and lazy. He gave the group "free time" several times — totaling 75 minutes of a four hour tour. He called it "time to shop," but we could have done that on our own time, not his. It would have been better to explore Tallinn on our own than walking around with a crappy guide.

So how can you avoid guides who are crappy and get the best? Use a Virtuoso onsite who knows the best guides in their areas of expertise. And book early — the best guides are the first to be reserved!

8.27.2019

Gdansk, old and new

Another postcard from my Windstar cruise... Gdansk, Poland was a most interesting place to spend a day. We booked a 5 hour private tour ... and then customized it as soon as we met our guide.

Pro Tip: When you book a private guide, realize that you've bought her time, not the itinerary. The advertised 5 hour tour proposed visits to the Old Town of Gdansk — but also to Sopot and Gdynia. However, I did my own research. Creating a google map of the proposed itinerary, it became clear that visiting Sopot and Glynia would eat up two hours of our time without offering anything that really interested us. I had read compelling reviews, on the other hand, of the Solidarity Centre and the World War 2 Museum, both in Gdansk. So when we first met our guide, we proposed these revisions to our itinerary. As it would mean less driving for her, there was no absolutely no issue making the change.

Old Town Gdansk was perhaps the most charming port on our entire cruise. The photograph above shows the picturesque facades of the town's historic buildings. We walked the streets with our guide, visited some old churches, enjoyed their art, strolled along the waterfront, smelled the aromas of what was cooking in the food stalls, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Our walk took us past the Museum of the Second World War, pictured above. There wasn't time to tour the exhibits, but we did walk into this stunning museum and enjoy its distinctive design. Then, continuing on our way, we came to the Gdansk Shipyard, ground zero of the Solidarity worker strikes, and to the European Solidarity Centre, the library and museum that commemorates the end of Communist rule of Poland.

Our guide literally came alive when we entered the Solidarity Centre. She had lived through the history displayed in the museum, and she described those events with deep emotion. It's an amazing thing to walk through a museum, guided by someone intimately familiar with what you're seeing. She told us the story of those amazing years. She spoke of the courageous leadership of Lech Walesa, the Solidarity leader seen above signing the agreement negotiated with the Communist Party. (She is pictured in front of this larger-than-life black-and-white photo). She gave witness to the bold leadership of Pope John Paul II; his courage and charisma gave hope to the people of Poland and was so instrumental to the winning of Polish freedom.

Gdansk, well worth a full day if you find yourself in town!

8.20.2019

so I went on a cruise...

So I went on a cruise, perhaps a surprising admission from a hotel specialist who loves nothing better than stepping out the front door of a luxury hotel into the heart of a wonderful city. Claire and I are back from our 11-day, 10-night Windstar cruise from Copenhagen to Stockholm with stops in places like Gdansk, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, and Helsinki. What's my take-away?

1. Pack and unpack one time is indeed the selling point of cruising. We enjoyed the hospitality of our little home at sea for 10 days as our ship took us every evening to a new and interesting port.

2. A ship's cabin will never be the equal of a top five-star luxury hotel room. Our cabin was 277 square feet. While large for a cruise ship, this is postage-stamp sized for hotels. However, the cabin made efficient use of space and was perfectly adequate. If you upsell to a larger Suite, you'll be very happy.

3. The food was pretty good, and everything we consumed (including in-between meal snacks, espresso drinks, soft drinks, and bottled water) was included in one quite reasonable fare.

4. It's about the itinerary, not the cruise itself. We took this cruise because we fell in love with the itinerary. There was no other way we could have visited seven new countries in ten short days.

5. Shore excursions can be very good if you get a great guide. Our guides in Bornholm and Klaipeda were fabulous, but our guide in Tallinn was boring and disinterested. (Each of these was an excursion sold by the cruise company itself). You can always book private guides through Virtuoso onsites, Shore Trips, or Viator; we enjoyed some excellent experiences this way.

6. Small, boutique ships are the way to go for most luxury hotel aficionados. Four Seasons fans should be happy on a ship with around 200 cabins. On the other hand, I can't imagine myself on a mega-ship, equivalent to a Vegas mega-hotel but bobbing up and down in the middle of the ocean.

We truly enjoyed our experience on Windstar's Star Pride and will sail again when we find an itinerary that's calling our name. In the meantime, there are some great values out there... including up to a $1000 shipboard credit on 2019, 2020, and 2021 voyages if you book before September 30th.

7.25.2019

so why am I going on a cruise?

Some travelers are born cruisers who revel in the shipboard experience. Viewing sunrises and sunsets as they sail the seven seas, taking perhaps too much advantage of 24/7 dining opportunities, enjoying myriad opportunities for on-board entertainment, all this comes with one, affordable cruise fare. I'm not one of those travelers! Given my druthers, I'd much rather stay in the center of things with all the attractions of a city, village, beach, or mountain resort just outside the front door of my hotel.

So why am I, a hotel specialist, going on Windstar's Baltic Delight next week? Here are the top three reasons why I'm really excited about this trip...

I love this itinerary. I'm especially looking forward to Tallinn and St. Petersburg, but I've never been to any of these countries. Denmark, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Finland, and Sweden are brand new destinations for me to check off my bucket list.
Pack and unpack just once... that's really appealing when you're on a 10 day cruise and get to visit all the ports on the map above. Touring by day and traveling while we sleep, I can't think of any other way to see all these places in 10 days.
Our ship is small, intimate, and luxurious. Star Pride (formerly Seabourn Pride) has just 106 suites, and even the smallest one is 280 square feet — small for a hotel room but large for a cruise ship. You'll never catch me on a mega-ship with thousands upon thousands of guests crammed into half as many tiny, postage stamp rooms. Large ships are like Las Vegas casino hotels floating in the middle of the ocean. If Vegas doesn't float your boat for travel luxury, don't settle for a huge Vegas-sized ship at sea.

A true luxury cruise ship line, Windstar is not as all-inclusive as Seabourn or Regent Seven Seas, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Drinkers can take advantage of a very reasonable beverage package, but unbundling alcohol from the cruise price works to the advantage of non-drinkers.

Choosing shore excursions has been a LOT of fun! Claire and I immersed ourselves in the lists of excursions offered by Windstar, Shore Trips, and Viator. Looking at all the possibilities got us excited about each destination. We eventually chose excursions from each of these three companies. (I now realize how time consuming planning shore excursions can be, so do rely on your travel advisor's destination knowledge to enhance your cruise).

As I'll be posting periodically during the tour on Travel Horizons and Facebook, subscribe to Travel Horizons (use the link in the right column) and follow me on Facebook.

7.02.2019

our impulse travel purchase

the itinerary of Baltic Delights, our Windstar cruise

This was an impulse purchase. Here's the story of how it came to be...

Act I — an intriguing itinerary

The dream of this trip began last August (11 months ago) when a travel blogger I follow wrote about Tallinn. In his words,

Europe in general has so many charming “old towns,” though Tallinn has the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. Period. The old town is large and adorable.

Tallinn sounded so interesting. Searching Virtuoso.com, I looked for itineraries including Tallinn and found what is shown above — a Baltic cruise on Windstar, a boutique luxury cruise line. A lot of these places are on my bucket list — Copenhagen, Tallinn, and especially St. Petersburg, Russia where the cruise will dock for two full days.

The prices were reasonable for a 10-day luxury cruise, but I was hoping for travel agent rates — I've been spoiled; there were none to be had. So this cruise went on the back burner, and I forgot completely about it, until...

Act II — a compelling cruise fare appeared

Last Monday, just eight days ago, Windstar sent out an email blast with agent familiarization fares. By a stroke of luck, there was an agent's rate for the very sailing we had been looking at. I applied for the rate, but everything depended on finding...

Act III — reasonable air

When it's just one month before departure, the least expensive business class air fares buckets have usually sold out. Note: I'm not going to fly from San Francisco to Europe if I can't lie down flat and get some decent sleep on the way over. Bottom line — there's lie-flat business for about $6500 per passenger round-trip, but at that price, the trip was a no-go.

So I began searching. Could I accomplish some travel agent magic on my own behalf? Yes!!! I eventually discovered a consolidator rate to Copenhagen and back from Paris (not Stockholm) for about $2350 per passenger, round trip. I spent some Amex points for the inexpensive flight from STO to CDG ... and ended up with four bonus nights in Paris!

Act IV — so the cruise is on

Let it be known, I'm not a cruiser — at least not to this point — but Claire and I have grown more and more excited about our Windstar adventure as we've started planning our days. There are many sources for shore excursions — Windstar itself but also independent vendors like Shore Trips and Viator. We've looked into all of them, read the tour descriptions, and have become more and more...

Act V — ... excited to go!

We're actually surprised at the degree of excitement we have for this trip. After all, we travel so much. We even have an epic trip to Australia at the end of September ... but we're giddy with anticipation for this Windstar cruise.

Sometimes making an impulse travel purchase is the very thing to do. By the way, Windstar just published an Independence One Week Sale with prices as low as $1599 ... get in touch if you'd like to make your own impulsive travel purchase!

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