John Galligan Travel

07/08/2025

Big Happy Birthday to this legend - hope you have the best day John and enjoy all the celebrations 🍾 🎊🎉🎂

22/07/2025

JGT EXPLORES “ EXPLORA JOURNEYS”

“Not a cruise company”, says Anna Nash, Global President of Explora Journeys. “More of a luxury hotel experience at sea”. Anna had flown in from Geneva to meet us at the glorious Wineport Lodge near Athlone yesterday.

Anna headed a high-powered delegation including Priti Martha, Head of Sales and Jenny Wade, Business Relationship Lead. They came to Athlone so we could learn more about their beautiful new cruise line.

Definitely the new boys on the block, Explora launched their first ship, appropriately named Explora I, in 2023. The next one came last year and there are four more planned over the next three years. Almost identical ships with about 900 passengers, they are firmly aimed at the top-end both in price and quality.

The decor, suites and public areas look beautiful and they claim to have among the best cuisine afloat. We hope to find out for ourselves soon but in the meantime feedback from those who have cruised on Explora has been very good.

Nothing is ever 100% so we needed to know the points that make Explora different from the other beautiful cruises that we specialise in. Yesterday was a great help and we are much better positioned to advise our more discerning clients of the fine differences between cruises at the very top of the range.

JOHN GALLIGAN TRAVEL. 5-Star Johnnie!
(01) 207 6555 [email protected]

21/07/2025

JGT CHECKS OUT AZAMARA JOURNEY IN DUBLIN LAST FRIDAY

The last time we sailed with AZAMARA was the launch of AZAMARA Pursuit in 2018. A lot has happened since then and in cruising, nothing stands still (get it?). So we needed to see what the ship looked like after all the refurbishments in the intervening years.

As it happens “Journey” is due for refurbishment again soon, which is incredible, given the magnificent condition she is in now. Azamara’s four ships were all part of the glorious Renaissance fleet. The other four are owned by Oceania. Being that bit older, they have inside cabins and some of the balcony cabins are a little on the small side, given today’s competition. However, if you want an upper-premium cruise experience at a really affordable price, pick one of those and enjoy the beautiful dining, public spaces and entertainment.

AZAMARA include drinks & gratuities. Two of the 6 restaurants (the ship only carries 700 people) are speciality restaurants and charge a fee. Otherwise, it is open dining wherever you like. They also include special events on one evening.

AZAMARA are a lovely cruise line with really elegant small ships. With the lead in prices, you can experience a better quality for the same (or even less) than one of the big ships.

JOHN GALLIGAN TRAVEL - You don’t have to be a millionaire to do posh!
(01) 207 6555 [email protected] #

17/07/2025

CRUISING THE GREEK ISLANDS WITH SMITHSONIAN JOURNEYS & PONANT CRUISES

In only a short week, last week, we started from Piraeus near Athens and visited Patmos, Symi, Amorgos, sailed through the caldera of Santorini at sunset before stopping in Milos, Delos, Mykonos and finally Nafplion before disembarking again in Piraeus. All that in a week and despite the travel, it was a really relaxing cruise.

The theme was "Ancient Greek Civilisations" and to help us explore them were two professors - both based in America but one of whom is Irish. Dr Joanne Murphy is from Ringsend and is currently a professor in the University of Greensboro, North Carolina. She and Dr Sanjaya Thakur gave entertaining lectures but also had dinner with guests every night, personally escorted the tours and generally made themselves available to chat with guests.

We hadn't sailed on Ponant before and we weren't quite sure what to expect. As a French cruise line, they usually do announcements, meetings etc. in both French and English. That can be a bit tiresome but Smithsonian journeys are fully in English. The ship is small - only 198 capacity and hadly ever sails with that amount. It has 150 staff, so the ratio is right up there with the best. The cuisine was superb but the real surprise was the quality of the service. Cabins are small enough, unless you go up the range but they are perfectly adequate.

All in all, a really nice cruise experience and we expect to be talking to a lot more clients about this little known cruise line in the coming years.

JOHN GALLIGAN TRAVEL - The Real Cruise Experts
(01) 207 6555 [email protected]

11/07/2025

SUNSET IN MYKONOS TONIGHT

John Galligan Travel - this is cruising!
01 207 6555 [email protected]

07/07/2025

WHAT SORT OF A CULTURAL CRUISE DO YOU CALL THIS?

No sooner than we had returned from our cultural visit to the home of St John, than the captain ordered everyone to walk the plank!

Well, not literally. In fact we walked a very high-tech platform which was lowered into the sea for us to climb into the Med. Safety boats, life guards, flotation devices. Cultural cruises are supposed to be for old farts but Ponant Cruises didn’t seem to get that memo.

When we get back, we’ll be writing a strongly worded letter. Down with this sort of thing!

JOHN GALLIGAN TRAVEL - We even walk the plank for our clients. 01 207 6555 [email protected]

07/07/2025

WHAT DOES A CULTURAL CRUISE LOOK LIKE?

Ponant Cruises are best known for Antarctic & Arctic expeditions. And they do them very well with a fleet of 12 expedition ships designed for the most rugged conditions.

In summer, their highly qualified expedition teams are replaced by highly qualified academic experts, such as Joanne Murphy, an Irishwoman who is a professor of Ancient Mediterranean studies, currently working in the University of North Carolina. However Jane is here, in Greece, lecturing on - well you guessed it.

We are having dinner with Joanne tonight and we are really looking forward to learning more about Ancient Greece.

Currently in Patmos, where St John is reputed to have written the Book of Revelations. Now listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Very interesting place. To cap it off, the weather is gorgeous. The sea is azure blue.

Tomorrow, we are off to Symi. Never been there before. Looking forward to another first. Every day you get up, you learn something new.

JOHN GALLIGAN TRAVEL - You’re never too old to learn new tricks.
01 207 6555 [email protected]

07/07/2025

SMITHSONIAN JOURNEYS ON PONANT CRUISES - NOT WHAT WE EXPECTED!

The Smithsonian Institute is a world renowned historical and cultural institution. They do a series of themed cruises in conjunction with the French cruise line - Ponant. Although all these cruises are exclusively in English rather than the usual French/English dialogue.

JGT are aboard the beautiful, petite”Le Dumont D’Urville” this week visiting small remote but historically important Greek islands like Patmos, Delos, Symi, Amargos, Mykonos and Napflion on the mainland.

Because of the nature of the theme , we expected an older group on board but we are amazed at the number of young people here. Mostly due to multi-generational families with three generations. But it makes it a much more age diverse cruise than most. With 150 passengers and 150 crew, we are enjoying the best of service.

This is really tough work but we are not grumbling. Anything to maintain our place as “The Real Cruise Experts”.

JOHN GALLIGAN TRAVEL 01 207 6555
[email protected]

03/07/2025

CRUISE FROM or TO DUBLIN WITH JGT IN 2025 & 2026

Interested in a cruise that departs from or cruises into Dublin? Click on the attached JGT web page to see a list of the cruise ships that are picking up or dropping off passengers in Dublin for this year and next. While on our web site, also check out our other page that features cruises that both depart and terminate in Ireland i.e. No-Fly Cruises for 2025, 2026 & 2027.

This information is only available from The Real Cruise Experts - JOHN GALLIGAN TRAVEL. Call us to book on (01) 207 6555 [email protected]

Imagine walking up the gangway in Dublin, Belfast or Cork! No worries about baggage allowances or putting lip gloss in plastic bags for someone to inspect. No huge queues nor crowding around. Just give your bag to a steward and stroll on down to the bar for a cocktail. Enjoy sitting on the deck as y...

03/07/2025

JGT CUTS THROUGH THE BU****IT ABOUT CRUISING!

Every time we hear someone complain that they wouldn't like a cruise beacuse it is "boring, they would be stuck on a ship with nothing to do and would hate the people and the food", we ask - "Have you ever been on a cruise?" The answer is always "NO".

As anyone who has purchased the "right cruise" for them will tell you, cruising is an unbeatable holiday. "The right cruise" is the key here. The only person we came across, who had actually cruised and who was announcing to the world that it was an awful holiday, had booked a cheapo on a Readers Offer. It was an 18-30's booze cruise and he and his wife were in their 60's and used to the finer things in life. He booked it direct and they hated it. Rather than admit that he had screwed up, he was telling everyone what an awful holiday cruising was. This is the kind of bu****it, skilled cruise experts like JGT have to counter on a daily basis.

Book the right cruise for you and you'll love it. Book the cheapest and don't moan afterwards. Cruising is very complex now with many, many different options available. To cut through the bu****it and get that "right" cruise, you need to talk to The Real Cruise Experts - John Galligan Travel. No bu****it here!

(01) 207 6555 [email protected]

Does the idea of a cruise not float your boat because of all the tales of passenger woe floating around the blogosphere?

28/06/2025

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Jennifer
Happy Birthday to you.

Wishing Jen another great year ahead.

Enjoy the cakes over the next few days.

John & all @ JGT

19/06/2025

CARIBBEAN CHRISTMAS SILVERSEA FLY-CRUISE FROM €5,900pps

- FINAL 24 HOURS OF SALE! DEPART 22 DECEMBER FOR 14 NTS.

BOOK BY 1500 FRIDAY 20 JUNE. WHEN THEY ARE GONE, THEY ARE DEFINITELY GONE.

ONLY FROM JOHN GALLIGAN TRAVEL (01) 207 6555 [email protected]