• IS THERE ANY INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON WHERE YOUR SIGNATURE CRUISE WILL BE GOING IN 2028?

  Q – 10-2-26 – We have never been on any of your personally escorted Signature journeys over the years, but several of our friends have, and it all sounds wonderful. We have been Club Members for the past four years, so we know about the Portugal-Spain cruise next June on the new Prestige as well as the “Leaves and Lobsters” sailing in October from Boston to Montreal. Do you have any information you can share about what is being planned for 2028? We hear they sell out, and we do not want to “miss the boat.”

  A – Nothing definite to share yet, but it will likely be a summer sailing that takes us North – way North. Still in negotiations, but we will announce it here first. 

• IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG ON THE DUORO RIVER? WE HAVE READ THE GOVERNMENT IS SEVERELY RESTRICTING RIVERBOAT TRAFFIC AND WE ARE PLANNING TO DO A RIVER CRUISE IN PORTUAL IN 2028.
  Q – Based on some wonderful feedback and what we have read on riverboatratings.com, we have plans to sail the Douro River in 2028. But we just read a post that implied that the government is shutting down the Duoro. What is the real story?

  A – Be careful; not all the travel posts on “TruthSocial” are accurate. It is true that the Portuguese maritime agency has decided to limit future riverboat traffic on the Duoro. Those boats already there will be able to continue, for the most part, to operate, but the Duoro will have strict limits on the number of new riverboats it will allow to sail. This means that only a very small portionof the dozens of new riverboats scheduled to enter European waterways in the next ten years will be able to be based on the Duoro.

  This is not at all political or even, really, environmental. It has to do with hard operational restraints. The reality is that the Duoro River has hit its physical and navigational ceiling.

  The Duoro’s lock system is at maximum operational capacity. The river’s locks are small and slow and they cannot be expanded without major engineering work with huge infrastructure costs.

  The Duoro is much narrower and more winding than the Rhine or the Danube. That is why Portuguese tourism officials are now referring to the Duoro as a “managed capacity” destination.

  We see traffic on this river becoming capacity-controlled for the foreseeable future.  Guests who want to sail this beautiful waterway will be able to in future years, but reservations should be made 10-16 months in advance as experts anticipate that Duoro-based vessels will soon reach 100% annual capacity. 

   

• THERE WAS A POST ON REDDIT ABOUT A GROWING TREND TOWARD NUDIST RESTAURANTS IN EUROPE. IS THIS REALLY A TREND??
  Q – I was following a travel thread on Reddit that suddenly drifted toward the growing proliferation of nude restaurants in Paris and elsewhere on the continent.  Is this really a thing? I can’t imagine being concerned while spending $300 on dinner that we might be surrounded by fellow diners who are unclothed. 

  A – No worries – several years ago there were some high-profile stand-alone nudist dining outlets like O’Naturel in Paris and The Bunyadi in London. There also were a number of pop-up (excuse use of the term) Nudist outlets in Tenerife and even Milan. But the economics were not on their side, and most true nudist dining establishments have found it extremely difficult to turn a profit.

  That is not to say that those who would prefer dining au natural will not be able to find options.  In Cap d’Agde, France, there is a massive nudist village with multiple “clothing optional” restaurants.  Domaine de la Jenny, in Gironde, France, is a naturist tourist enclave on the Atlantic coast famous for its fresh oysters and seafood served in a clothing-optional environment.  Just shucked oysters and diners to the left and right of you who are naked – is that a pretty picture?

• CAN YOU SETTLE AN ARGUEMENT HAVING TO DO WITH THE WAY EUROPEAN VIEW AMERICAN TRAVELERS?

  Q – We had an interesting discussion over dinner last night in Las Cruces. Wish you could have been there. It had to do with the way that Americans are currently viewed in terms of friendship and our relationships within Europe.  Over Osso Buco, most of us took the position that the Second World War was not that long ago and Europeans still consider us friends and Allies. I just don’t believe that has changed that much.  My friends, Ralphie and Peter, disagreed, and they are putting off any immediate travel to Europe because they feel like we are no longer viewed as “Allies” in places like France, Germany, Italy, and England. 

  Sure, there are ups and downs, but I still gotta believe that the Europeans know we will come to their aid just as we did in the very recent past. Is there any way to factually look at this to prove them wrong? If we can, I think we can get them to pick up the tab during our next dinner together. 

  A – We are first trying to get over the fact that you were enjoying Osso Buco in Las Cruces. Great to hear, but we are afraid that Ralphie and Peter have a free dinner coming. The European Council on Foreign Relations issued a report earlier this year that showed that only 11% of Europeans across 15 European countries view the United States as a supportive Ally. That is a historic low down from 22% in 2024. So yes, it appears that European memories are, indeed, short.  Or, perhaps, they follow US news reporting more closely than we imagine. 

  Despite this disheartening statistic, there is still very little evidence that the residents of Europe who interact with visitors from the United States are anything but polite. It is true, however, that they are increasingly seeking to vacation in places where we’re not.
• AMANGATI OVER NEW YEARS YES OR NO?
  Q – We have heard relatively little about the new Aman Yacht, Amangati, in the Caribbean this winter. My husband and I love the Aman Hotels, and I noticed they have a nice Caribbean seven-night itinerary from Bridgetown to St. John’s on December 26th.  What do you think is really special about this new vessel? We have cruised more than a dozen times, including seven of the Cruisetruth Top Ten Lines. 

  A –  The benefits are almost too numerous to list, but let’s start with the fact that there are 47 terraced suites.  They have four restaurants for fewer than 100 guests, including a Med-centric dining room, a Japanese outpost, and a unique grill experience. 

  The Marina is extensive, with two floating platforms. 

  The ship has a two-story Japanese serenity garden with Aman Spa luxuries like banya renewal, a hammam with private treatment rooms, and private treatment suites, each featuring its own terrace and whirlpool bath. 

  The PR materials state that Amanpuri will explore the Caribbean, promising “transformational experiences and rare discovery.” If any other cruise line made that claim, we might giggle a bit and toss the press release.  But with Aman running things, we would guess that the claim will be fully supported by guest experiences.  There seems little doubt that some of the better-known cruise lines will be moving down a slot in the Rankings given the likely performance and impact of Aman Yachts. But we will need data before making any specific claims as to the lines’ standing in the industry. 

   

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