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Cool New Tour Company Pecora Verde Pitches #outofthecrowd Experience

7/27/2014

By John Roberts

A longtime concern with cruisers has been whether to book an excursion independently to save money while adding flexibility and control over your tour. Most factors favor this approach to your day ashore, but you lose the guarantee you get with the cruise line's shore-excursion program that the ship won't leave you if you are late to return to the dock for the scheduled departure time from port.

I discussed these points in a previous post: 3 Reasons to Go Independent For Your Cruise Excursions

A new trend bodes well for cruisers being able to eventually get the best of both choices. At least one company has designed a tour program that includes insurance in the price, with a guarantee to get you reunited with your ship if your excursion suffers a setback that causes you to miss your departure time.

Pecora Verde, which runs tours in Europe, includes this language in its website's FAQ section.

Q: May I run the risk of missing my ship if I book an excursion with Pecora Verde?

A: Our operators are extremely familiar with the schedule of your ship and constantly monitor the stages of each excursion, guaranteeing you get back onboard in time. Anyhow, the ticket price includes extra insurance to cover unforeseen difficulties, should they occur; in such case Pecora Verde's staff will provide you with all the support you need. That means we will get you back on your ship . . . !

Your ship still won't wait for you, but you won't be saddled with the costs of making your own arrangements to get back onboard at the next port. Also attractive to In The Loop Travel is the company's concept of small group excursions with adventurous types. Pecora Verde (green sheep in Italian) is a startup company that boasts an #outofthecrowd travel experience.

"If you don't like touring around in a large group, but setting out on your own isn't your thing either and you just want to be around people who think the way you do, then you're already Pecora Verde people. There will be no lack of enthusiasm and camaraderie . . . as well as time all to yourself," the website states.

I look forward to trying out a Pecora Verde tour ASAP and to more tour companies using this approach that offers cruisers a more unique experience as well as better peace of mind.

Elsewhere . . .

Un-Cruise Adventures, a small ship line, announced a Quito and Galapagos adventure itinerary for its 2016 sailing season. Un-Cruise, which features a fleet of ships with capacities from 22 to 88 passengers, will debut its nine-night Galapagos itinerary at $8,995 per person onboard the 48-person La Pinta. The rate includes land tours, transfers and wine, beer and spirits onboard the ship.

Carnival Cruises has added a batch of longer cruises out of Galveston, Texas, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, for its winter 2015 season.

Carnival Triumph (above) will sail two new 10- to 12-day cruises out of the Port of Galveston and one from San Juan:

An 11-day southern Caribbean voyage Feb. 9 to Feb. 20 from Galveston to San Juan, with stops in Grand Cayman, Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada, Dominica and St. Maarten.

A 10-day exotic eastern Caribbean trip Feb. 20 to March 2 from San Juan to Galveston, with visits to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Kitts, St. Croix and Falmouth (Jamaica).

A 12-day "Journey of Discovery" cruise March 2 to March 14 roundtrip from Galveston, featuring Grand Cayman, Limon (Costa Rica), Colon (Panama), and Cartagena and Santa Marta (Colombia). From Colon, guests will have the opportunity to take an optional excursion for an up-close view of the wonders of the Panama Canal. The call at Santa Marta will mark Carnival's first visit to the beautiful Colombian seaside city.

The three voyages can be combined to create a 33-day adventure visiting 15 ports and two continents.

The new sailings complement Carnival Triumph's previously announced series of 10- and 11-day cruises from Galveston and San Juan in 2015 and 2016. Two 11-day cruises sail from Galveston to San Juan Oct. 24, 2015, and Jan. 16, 2016, and two 10-day cruises will operate from San Juan to Galveston Nov. 4, 2015, and Jan. 27, 2016.

Princess Cruises is offering onboard credit or a balcony upgrade on select cruises booked by Aug. 19 for several spring and winter sailings to destinations such as the Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska, Panama Canal, Europe and Transatlantic voyages. Cruises eligible for the summer sale depart between December 2014 and May 2015.

Cruisers booking a mini-suite or suite will receive an onboard credit of $50 per person for six- to nine-day cruises, $100 per person for 10-11-day cruises or $200 per person for 12 days or longer. If you book an oceanview stateroom, you will be upgraded to a balcony. Check for details on the promotion at princess.com/sale

Thanks for reading. Travel happy!
JR

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New Smoking Policies on Carnival Cruise Lines and Norwegian Cruise Line

7/21/2014

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By John Roberts

Two major cruise lines joined the growing tide and banned smoking on stateroom balconies in the past month. It's now off-limits to smoke on your balcony on Carnival Cruise Lines and Norwegian Cruise Line cruise ships. The vessels still have dedicated areas by the pool, and some feature indoor areas such as cigar lounges and casinos, where passengers can smoke.

Holland America remains the lone big cruise line that allows balcony smoking, but it seems like it won't be long before the practice is banned on those ships, too. (How soon before all ships ban smoking outright?)

Cruise lines are moving to institute new policies on smoking, citing health concerns chiefly among the reasons for doing so. Smokers are in the extreme minority, and the percentage of the population who smoke shrinks every year.

The lines know they risk alienating a loyal and vocal minority of passengers, but overall, it's simply the right move. I know I severely dislike the smell of smoke wafting up to my outdoor sanctuary when I'm on my vacation. I wouldn't want to be the source of displeasure for others. I know smokers often feel they are being persecuted, but perhaps they could try to view the multiple reasons these types of policies make more and more sense.

How do you feel about the new policies that further limit smoking areas on ships?

Elsewhere . . .

Norwegian Cruise Line has plans in place to add two more fun-filled ships to its fleet.

Already an active traveler's favorite, especially with the new ships Breakaway (sailing out of NYC) and Getaway (out of Miami), along with under-construction Escape (due to hit the Caribbean out of Miami in November 2015) and Bliss (due for delivery in 2017), NCL announced that it would have two more ships built in the Breakaway Plus class (Escape and Bliss). The third and fourth 4,200-passenger ships in the class are due in 2018 and 2019.

These ships are known for their wide range of dining options, including waterfront outside seating, and full range of exciting activities, like the largest ropes courses at sea. These ships are a favorite of In The Loop Travel because you'll always find something unique to do and somewhere new to eat so you don't fall into a rut during your weeklong sailing. We also like that NCL typically runs a lot of promotions that allow you to get onboard at attractive prices.

And, because it's never too early to plan for that once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Antarctic, Poseidon Expeditions is offering early-bird savings on cruises to the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and Falkland Islands for the 2015-16 season. Adventurers who make reservations for the voyages, ranging from 12 to 23 days, aboard 114-passenger expedition vessel Sea Spirit will save as much as 25 percent off regular rates.

You have to book by December 31, 2014 to get the savings on these journeys:

Antarctica, Falklands and South Georgia, Oct. 31 to Nov. 21, 2015, 22 days

Antarctica, Falklands and South Georgia, Nov. 20 to Dec. 9, 2015, 20 days

Classic Antarctica, Dec. 8 to 19, 2015, 12 days

Christmas in Antarctica, Dec. 18 to 29, 2015, 12 days

New Year in Antarctica, Dec. 28, 2015 to Jan. 8, 2016, 12 days

Classic Antarctica, Jan. 7 to 18, 2016, 12 days

Classic Antarctica, Jan. 1 to 28, 2016, 12 days

Antarctica, Falklands and South Georgia, Feb. 17 to March 10, 2016, 23 days

These types of trips are pricy (starting around $8,000 per person for a 21-night cruise, for example), but with this offer, you can save $1,424 to $6,499 per person, depending on the departure date and stateroom category booked.

Thanks for reading,
JR

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How to Keep Travel Fires Kindled When Not on the Road

7/17/2014

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Stave off your restlessness with a little help from your friends, travel documentaries.

Just because you aren't going anywhere for a bit, doesn't mean your mind can't.

By John Roberts

When you have the travel bug, it can emerge as a kind of obsession. For me, that means I will be thinking of my next adventures even as I sit on my couch at home in Central New Jersey. That's what we do. If we're not actually on the road, we are planning our next trip.

And while we wait, there's always the Netflix library to explore for ideas and inspirations.

That brings me to my current restlessness. We're awaiting our next journey and have about a month before we take our next cruise. So, I filled up my Netflix queue with some interesting titles that I am working through.

I was hoping to get some input from you, too, to help me place some must-see documentaries, movies and shows on my list for any future periods when I need something to keep the wanderlust at least held at bay while in between trips.

Here's what I have found to keep us occupied.

Michael Palin's Himalaya, Sahara and New Europe -- Three titles from the Monty Python alum explore the regions of the world in this multipart documentary series.

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown -- The chef hits unique parts of the globe to try the cultures and cuisines in this CNN series.

The Summit -- A 2012 documentary film directed by Nick Ryan looks at a 2008 K2 climbing disaster that led to 11 people dying.

Mile . . . Mile & a Half -- A group of friends hike the 219-mile John Muir Trail in California from Yosemite to Mount Whitney.

An Idiot Abroad -- Ricky Gervais' hilarious production that put social misfit Karl Pilkington out of his comfort zone and into the world. You have to see it to love it! (Three seasons' worth of episodes.)

Muscle Shoals -- A documentary about the small town in Alabama that became an unlikely hotbed of music-making. I never knew! Enlightening and fascinating.

180 Degrees South -- The documentary follows surfer-mountaineers as they make their way to Patagonia.

Pururambo -- An enthralling look at life on New Guinea with a culture that had no previous contact with white people.

Some of these are much better stories than others. But all of these productions at least offer wonderful imagery that gives a nice sense of the unique destinations featured. This helps me add to my growing list of places I want to get to some day.

I know there are many more out there that I should be watching, so chime in with your top picks and thumbs-up or thumbs-down.

Thanks for reading.

Also, make sure to subscribe to the blog so that you never miss a new post.

Travel happy!

JR

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Cool New Tour Company Pecora Verde Pitches #outofthecrowd Experience

New Smoking Policies on Carnival Cruise Lines and Norwegian Cruise Line

How to Keep Travel Fires Kindled When Not on the Road

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