What A Great Idea!

Cruisetours aren't a new idea in cruising.  They sometimes go through evolutions, such as some lines offering pre- or post-cruise tours in Europe, one-upsmanship and marketing placements such as fully-escorted tours and refinements such as the Princess programs for family-oriented cruisetours and Alaska cruisetours round-trip from Seattle.  But it's rare to see a truly innovative idea in the field.  But Princess has done it!

One of the downsides of traditional cruisetours is the fact you have to do the whole packing/unpacking and moving around thing, the avoidance of which is one of the reasons people take cruises in the first case.  How much would you love to see interior and historic regions of Europe as part of your cruise package without most of that annoying luggage hassle?  Raise your hand if you're interested!  (Raising my own hand here.)

Announced today is a new European Cruisetour from Princess, incorporating one of the best ideas I've seen in a long time.  Combining a 7-night river cruise along the Rhine with a traditional Baltic cruise on Princess!  How brilliant is that?

Offered only once in 2011, July 31, the package schedule includes arrival in Zurich and transfer to Basel, a 7-night cruise along the Rhine River from Basel to Amsterdam on the Avalon Felicity®.  During the river cruise, included are excursions to Strasbourg, Heidelburg, Mainz, Rüdesheim, Koblenz & Cologne while you sail through the Rhine Gorge and past the Rock of the Lorelei.  At the end of the river cruise, enjoy 1 night Amsterdam with sightseeing, before you fly from Amsterdam to Copenhagen, spending 1 night in Copenhagen before boarding the Emerald Princess' 11-night Scandinavia and Russia cruise roundtrip Copenhagen.  Talk about dream trip!

Fares start at $6,549/person, and will of course be extremely limited, as the Avalon Felicity only accommodates 138 passengers.  If this is your idea of the perfect way to see Northern Europe, give me a call or email me for more details!