Cruise West Resurrects Mississippi River Cruises

If you've always romanticized about a cruise down America’s heartland on the Mississippi River, renewed hope is on the horizon. Cruise West, a leader in small-ship explorations, recently announced two new itineraries sailing on the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers, beginning in March 2011.

The Spirit of Adventure, formerly known as Spirit of Glacier Bay, will fill the gap left with the demise of Magic America Line and her fleet of long-sailing “Queens,” including the popular Delta Queen paddlewheeler. For centuries, America’s Great River Road played a major role in commerce as a vital transit route for passengers and freight alike. Although Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn traversed the river the hard way—on a raft—you’ll hardly be roughing it on the Spirit of Adventure.

Known primarily for up-close-and-personal Alaska itineraries, Cruise West recently revitalized the overall guest experience on the fleet with several enhancements, including a more robust enrichment program and an updated wine list with food pairings complete with US Sommelier Association-certified onboard servers.

Though small in size, every stateroom features a wide picture window or porthole, bathroom, a writing desk and ample storage. The newly-added Explorer Class cabins feature eco-friendly amenities, including soft bamboo fiber linens and towels, and water-conserving shower hea ds. The ship’s decor is sleek with light wood accents and plenty of public space for presentations, viewings, and getting to know fellow passengers.

The focus of Cruise West itineraries, however, is always the destination itself. There is no casino or lavish entertainment, and dress is casual. Ships have been known to divert from an itinerary to accommodate a wildlife sighting. See something outside the window during dinner? Watch passengers and crew alike abandon their tables and head to the best viewpoint. The onboard Exploration Leaders bring years of experience as naturalists and educations and delight in sharing their knowledge with passengers. On these ships, you’ll wear your jeans and gain new insights about each port of call...without the throngs of people vying for attention. We’re talking a max of 102 passengers here. In general, it's really not a kid-friendly line, although there is a Kids' Package offering a 50% savings for ages 2-18. Cruise West caters mostly to well educated adults who simply love to learn while traveling. 

The price tag is not cheap, however. After all, this is an American product paying American wages and catering to American tastes. On the other hand, prices are pretty inclusive, covering many shore excursions, transfers, and gratuities.

In addition to Alaska and the new Mississippi River itineraries, Cruise West sails in the Galapagos, British Columbia, Europe, Patagonia, Panama Canal/Costa Rica, the Sea of Cortes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, Hudson River, the Eastern Seaboard, and the Columbia & Snake Rivers. Also newly added are Voyages of the Great Explorers around the world.

The Norwegian Epic

The Norwegian Epic has arrived in Miami! She made her way across the Atlantic June 24 following short preview season in Europe. Country music star Reba McIntire, the Epic’s official godmother, christened her new godchild on July 3. Then, in addition to the usual fanfare and inaugural celebrations, the Epic served as host venue for the grand Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks event in New York. Did you watch? I confess I’m a fireworks snob and can’t get too much out of much less than what the big guys produce. This was quite a show! At the conclusion of this one, we switched over to the Boston Pops fireworks display and always enjoy it, too, both for the excellent choreography and to relive my family’s experience of attending the event when John Williams conducted the Pops back in the 80s.

Anyway, back to the Epic. She made her way down to Miami, arriving at Bicentennial Park July 7 for more inaugural events and her maiden Eastern Caribbean voyage which departed today from Miami. For passengers wanting longer voyages, the ship offers back-to-back Eastern/Western Caribbean sailings giving both sets of popular ports of call and much more time to enjoy the ship. Check out NCL's videos of the ship, her features, and inaugural events.

Reviews have been pretty darn good. Although Ben and I have been unable to attend the inaugural sailings, our agent colleagues and passengers alike have posted comments. The entertainment slat—from Blue Man Group to Legends at Sea, Second City, Howl at the Moon, and the Slam Allen Blues Band in “Fat Cats”—get thumbs up in almost every review I’ve read. NCL has pulled out the stops in this regard.

NCL excels when it comes to suites, and those on the Epic are nothing short of amazing. Standard and balcony cabins take some getting used to, however, because of the layout and a modified bathroom configuration. Innovation always brings challenges! Single cruisers have not been disappointed with the studio staterooms, though, which are smaller with a shared living area and come without a single supplement—a real financial plus.

Has all of this chatter gotten your attention? Our agency offers excellent extra value-adds on for sailings 8/28/10 and 5/7/11. You can be one of the first guests aboard the Epic and receive up to $150 per cabin onboard credit, as well as a reduced deposit. On Western Caribbean itineraries, you’ll visit Costa Maya, Roatan & Cozumel; going East, you’ll hit St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Nassau. Rates begin at $659 (Eastern) for an inside cabin. Balcony upgrades are available, too!  Please call us for details.

GUEST BLOG: JORDAN, BY JEFF & ERIN

Our son Jeff and his wife Erin are avid travlers themselves and recently returned from a trip to Jordan and Istanbul...just a hop across the Med from one other, of course.  I asked them to submit a guest blog about their experiences and hope you enjoy it.

Jordan: The New Middle East

Our friends know that Erin and I love to travel… but Jordan? Why would you guys go there?

Sadly, many American travelers are still hesitant to put the Middle East atop their lists of places to visit. Let’s face it: it can be quite the culture shock for the uninitiated. And yet there are some amazing and rewarding treasures the Middle East has to offer, both in terms of the physical, with its ancient sites and historic cities, and of the mind, by helping us open our eyes a bit more and appreciate what for most is a different way of life.

Jordan is the perfect country to dip your toes into the water, Middle East style.

Why? Well, it’s an incredibly Western country. Its pluralistic society means you’ll find many Christians living alongside Muslims. Sure, you’ll see a few women wearing burqas… alongside others wearing Prada suits and wearing their hair down. And best of all, nobody seems to care.

Many know Jordan is a monarchy, thanks to the famous and Western-educated King Abdulla II and Queen Rania. The entire country--and and much of the world -- is in love with the royal couple, almost evoking the glam of Monaco’s royalty. The (incredibly beautiful) Queen contributes much to the country’s western image and is practically a saint given all her charity work.

On to the sights… First, Petra!

One of the seven new wonders of the world, Petra is probably most famous to Americans due to its appearance in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. (The façade of Petra’s Treasury served as the entrance to the temple where Indy met the old knight and drank from the holy grail… penitently.) Petra is actually a large complex of dozens of fascinating buildings that pre-date the Romans, and it’s a must-see on any trip to Jordan.

The ruins are a considerable drive from the capital of Amman, which most travelers make their home base. Three hours down, four hours of exploration, and then three hours back makes for a full day. We booked a driver through our hotel concierge the day before -- pretty easy and worth every dinar.
What else? The Dead Sea!

This famous body of water also has to be on any visitor’s list, and taking a dip is a must. For us, the experience was surreal. It looks like water. It feels like water. And yet we were floating on our backs or stomachs without exerting a muscle. If you dare, take a quick (but tiny) taste, too. The salt water in the Dead Sea makes KFC’s Double Down taste sweet.

All along the Dead Sea are several beachside resorts which sell day passes. We went to “Amman Beach,” which offered a couple of nice swimming pools, basic showers, and beach access. More luxurious options were available for much more than the 30 dinars we paid, but we decided to go cheap and didn’t regret it. All of them are conveniently located about an hour and a half outside Amman.

Next up, we stopped at the site of Jesus’ baptism along the Jordan River, not far from the Dead Sea. The one hour tour literally walks you through the sacred site and offers up both historical and archeological factoids along the way. The tour culminates with a platform where you can dip your feet into the Jordan River yourselves. (How can you not?) Interestingly, there was a similar platform on the Israeli side of the river, not 10 feet away! We smiled waved to the armed guard.

So while those are some of the main attractions, Jordan offers much, much more that sadly our three-night say didn’t afford us to see. Then again, that gives us a great reason to return.

In the meantime, take a look at our photos!

Safe travels,

Jeff & Erin

And Happy Fourth of July to all of you!