A mother walks her child into Dr. Seuss, a family reading area next to Camp Ocean onboard Carnival Vista. The largest and most innovative cruise vessel in Carnival Cruise Line's fleet, Carnival Vista measures 133,500 tons, 1,055 feet long and has a guest capacity of almost 4,000 passengers. ANDY NEWMAN/CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE


Emerging cruise destinations in-


CONTACT INFORMATION:


Camie Boskus at Discount Trip Source, 870-421-3007. Online: http://dis- counttripsource.com/ Julee Hopper at Professional Travel Services, Inc., 870-425-7666. Online: http://www.professionaltravel.org/ Renae Schocke at Cruise Planner Travel at 870-491-5215. Online: www.landandseacruises.com


clude Northern Europe and Iceland, which are summer cruises, said Schocke. Those are comparable in cost to the European river cruises. If you want to see Alaska, you need


to book a year in advance, because the season is short and it sells out, these experts echoed. “May through September is the only


time you can do Alaska. June and July are peak times,” Hopper said. If you are looking for a deal to Alas-


ka, then May and September you will find the best prices. However, the weather is colder at


those times and the animals are not as active if you add the land tour portion to the trip, warned Boskus. For Alaska, you can do a simple


cruise or opt for a cruise tour, which includes a train trip through Denali. This is popular, but it significantly in- creases the cost of the trip — by thou-


20 Living Well i January/February 2018


sands of dollars for a couple. European river cruises used to be


out of reach pricewise for many people, but Hopper has seen an increase in sales the past three years because Vik- ing is offering a lot of two for one deals. “I have put more people on their


ships because of that deal,” Hopper said. Look at the big picture of airfare and


excursions when planning a cruise, said Schocke. “The Rhine and Danube are most


popular for first-time river cruises and it goes from there. One of the things that is unique is they often include shore excursions. Some river cruise lines try to customize excursions based on your desired activity level to any city. The less active may take you by van to the destination and the active may walk to it, or there may be bicycles you can ride,” Schocke said. Of the various river cruise lines,


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