The Dreaded Single Supplement

Hi Everyone, Sailor here.

As you may know, I'm a single guy.  I'm actually pretty content with that as it appears I had certain anatomical parts removed long ago.  And hey, I've got my Dorothy (& my Nana) for companionship.  Dorothy and Nana are also single, but that's neither here nor there.  They're happy, content, well-balanced and independent - kind of like me except they have opposable thumbs.

What does make my Dorothy unhappy is single supplements.  The "Gee-Nobody-Wants-to-Go-With-You", in your face punishment for traveling (gasp!) by yourself.  In fact, last year she accompanied a 50-passenger wedding group that she organized, and even though she is a travel agent and brought all this business to the cruise line (the one that had a ship without power in the Gulf of Mexico for several days last winter), they still made her pay the single supplement for the cabin she booked to accompany the group.  This was not a pleasure cruise, it was a WORKING cruise (sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it -working cruise - but don't hate her just because she has a cool job) yet she still had to pay through the nose to go with them.

The oceangoing cruise lines just plain expect people to travel two by two - I think it dates back to Noah's Ark.  And if any of those people want to sail on an oceangoing cruise as a single passenger they almost always have to pay a 100% single supplement.  That means they have to pay the cruise fare and the port charges as if two people were traveling, the only thing they don't have to pay twice is the taxes.  My Dorothy has lots of clients who are single due to death, divorce or just not currently being in a relationship - if they want to sail on an oceangoing cruise they have to find some friend or relative to sail with them (not always possible) or pay the "YOU ARE ALL ALONE" penalty.  Hotel rooms don't have single supplements, airlines don't have single supplements, restaurants don't have single supplements, but cruise lines do.  Makes me want to bite someone.  Admittedly there are a few (very few) single occupancy cabins out there, mostly on Norwegian Cruise Lines, and while I applaud them for that, they're all interior cabins - no daylight.  Guess what - single people like sunshine too!!

So here's one of the things she just adores about river cruises.  Many times, especially if you travel during shoulder season (Mar., Apr., May or Sept., Oct., Nov.), it's possible to get a cabin on a river cruise with minimal or no single supplement.  I think the river cruise lines get it.  I mean, studies have shown that more than half of US households are headed up by a single person - even counting on all four paws I can't count how many people that is, but it's a lot.  It's more than the number of cookies in 10 large boxes of Milk Bones.

So if you are drooling over the thought of going on a cruise, but don't want to have to dig up someone (like your great aunt, your weird cousin, best friend from 7th grade or litter mate) to go with you, ask my Dorothy about a no-single-supplement river cruise.  It just might be the solution to scratch that traveling itch!

Remember, keep your nose to the wind and all four paws on deck!  I think I'll curl up under my "Big Dog" blanket for the rest of the afternoon.



Dorothy Flannery is president of Top Sail Journeys, Sailor C. Flannery is Director of Public Relations and all around dogsbody.  If you would like to learn more about European river cruises, check out their sites at http://cruisethedanube.com and http://cruisetherhine.com or for special event cruises go to http://eventcruises.co. 

River Cruises: Reducing the Environmental Footprint & Helping Others

Hi Everyone, Sailor here.   Hope you’re having a flea-free day! 

Herb Garden on the Viking Odin

Speaking of environmental pests (well, I guess fleas have their purpose in the eco-system, though for the life of me I can’t figure out what it is) I’m proud of the efforts many of the river cruise lines are making to soften their environmental impact and even to help the people of the countries that they visit.  Two of the most visible sustainable cruising efforts river cruise lines have demonstrated are the solar panels on the top decks of Viking River Cruises new "Longships", and the herb gardens Viking has planted aboard the same ships to provide fresh, organic herbs for their fantastic cuisine.  

Several cruise lines are joined in "The Sustainable River Cruising Project” a concerted effort which focuses on developing measures to reduce water and energy use, and waste generation in the river cruising industry.  Many of the newer ships utilize diesel-electric hybrid engines specially designed for low vibration and minimal environmental impact.  They also encourage passengers to do their part by minimizing usage of air conditioning and turning appliances and lights off when leaving a cabin. 

Taking a “pay it forward” approach, Uniworld Cruises has also announced “Pack with a Purpose” – a new initiative that encourages passengers traveling on their “Timeless Wonders of Vietnam, Cambodia and the Mekong” river cruise and tour to leave room in their suitcases to bring needed educational and medical supplies to children in Siam Reap, Cambodia.  Things like books and crayons, pencils, vitamins, toothbrushes, clothing, sports equipment, even musical instruments!  And AMA Waterways is also helping in Siam Reap with their financial support of the ODA Free Village English School in association with the Orphans and Disabled Arts Association.  They also encourage passengers on their Vietnam, Cambodia and Mekong Delta voyages to bring things like notebooks, erasers, pencils, pens and highlighters, to donate to the school.

As you know, I was an orphan until my Dorothy came along and adopted me, so I’m a big fan of helping orphanages and innocent children who simply need someone to give them an opportunity.  I'm also pretty fond of the environment, getting close to mother nature every day.  So if you’re thinking about a river cruise, think of not only yourself and the great time you’ll have, but of the good you can do and how you can pay it forward by helping out wherever you go. 

Meanwhile, keep your nose to the wind and all four paws on deck!

Dorothy Flannery is president of Top Sail Journeys, Sailor C. Flannery is Director of Public Relations and all around dogsbody.  If you would like to learn more about European river cruises, check out their sites at http://cruisethedanube.com and http://cruisetherhine.com or for special event cruises go to http://eventcruises.co. 
 

Your Favorite Ship

Sailor again, hi everyone!  I had this great idea about what I would write, but then I got a phone call and now I’ve forgotten.  Let’s see if I can dig it up.

Oh right, got it.  You know, as I walk my Dorothy around the neighborhood we frequently get asked “What’s your favorite ship?”  Well, I’m a dog, and being a dog, everything is my favorite.  Walking is my favorite thing!  Sleeping – my favorite thing!  Dinner, my favorite thing!  Going for a ride in the car – my favorite thing!  That’s just how dogs are. 

Dorothy, is a bit like me in that all cruise ships are her favorite, because whatever cruise she’s on, she’s having a great time and while she’s on board, the ship she is sailing on is her favorite one!   But there’s really no “favorite”  ship that she can recommend to someone else because everybody has different tastes and requirements.  If you like mega-ships with casinos, Broadway shows and Las Vegas revues  then she is not going to recommend a river cruise ship.  If you want to sail with other passengers who are mostly American, she might recommend AMA Waterways, Uniworld or Viking River Cruises; and if you love being with Australians then you’d be barking up the right tree by choosing Scenic Cruises.

Then there’s the food (my favorite thing!).  Dorothy is no gastronome.  Her eating habits are hopeless, with Diet Coke figuring very prominently on her menu.  So she’s really not one to advise when it comes to the “best food”.  I have to say though, that food on board the river cruises – all river cruises,  is outstanding.  Chefs aboard the ships shop locally for fresh vegetables and produce and on some of Viking River Cruises’ new ships they even grow their own herbs on the top deck!  There are even “food and wine cruises” that focus on regional specialties and on which you can watch demonstrations and go to the market with the chef.  

Your favorite cruise ship is the one that meets the requirements for YOUR vacation: your budget, your timing, your destination.  Even narrowing it down by those three factors you may still have several ships to choose from.  Ask my Dorothy, she can help.

Until next time, keep your nose to the wind and all four paws on deck!

Dorothy Flannery is president of Top Sail Journeys, Sailor C. Flannery is Director of Public Relations and all around dogsbody.  If you would like to learn more about European river cruises, check out their sites at http://cruisethedanube.com and http://cruisetherhine.com or for special event cruises go to http://eventcruises.co.