Cruise Planners - Beth German

10/13/2026

🇭🇷 CROATIA ADVENTURES continued with Ancient Cities, Adriatic Cruising & Croatian Traditions! ⛵️

Sunday brought another wonderful day exploring Croatia, with centuries of history, beautiful architecture, and the beginning of a new adventure along the Dalmatian Coast!

🇭🇷 ŠIBENIK - A HIDDEN GEM

We began our day with a short drive from Trogir to Šibenik, a charming coastal city filled with narrow stone alleyways, winding staircases, and beautiful medieval architecture.

One of the things I love most about Croatia is that these ancient towns aren’t just historic attractions. People still live, work, and gather in places that have been part of everyday life for centuries!

A few fascinating facts about Šibenik:

⛪ The Cathedral of St. James is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built over more than 100 years beginning in 1431. Its remarkable stone construction is considered an architectural masterpiece.

👀 If you look closely at the cathedral, you’ll see its exterior features 71 carved human heads, believed to represent actual people from the 15th century. As our tour guide, Sibi, said…”some of them are so realistic that you can almost imagine their eye color!”

🏰 Šibenik is also home to St. Nicholas Fortress, part of a second UNESCO World Heritage designation. The city actually has four historic fortresses.

🎬 And then, there is the Game of Thrones connection! Šibenik’s medieval streets served as filming locations for the fictional city of Braavos.

🇭🇷 A uniquely Croatian city. Unlike many other Dalmatian cities founded by Greeks or Romans, Šibenik developed as a Croatian settlement and was first documented in 1066. There are so many layers of influence in the architecture here, sometimes in the same buildings.

Next, we took the motorcoach to Trogir where we boarded our ship the MS Desire and…

🚢 A NEW ADVENTURE BEGINS!

The MS Desire is a private premium-class small cruise ship booked for us by Collette and it will be our home for the next seven nights!

I’m especially excited about experiencing Croatia this way. Small-ship cruising offers a more intimate experience, access to charming coastal towns and islands, and the opportunity to enjoy the Adriatic from an entirely different perspective.

And there’s certainly something wonderful about unpacking once while continuing to explore new destinations!

But in the meantime, before we embark the next morning (small ships cruise during the day not at night), we get to experience Trogir.

⛵ TROGIR - MORE THAN 2,000 YEARS OF HISTORY

Trogir’s entire historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded by Greek colonists in the 3rd century BC, this tiny island city has been shaped by Greek, Roman, and Venetian influences. Its narrow cobblestone streets, medieval buildings, and beautiful waterfront make it feel like stepping back in time.

A few interesting facts:

⛪ The Cathedral of St. Lawrence features an extraordinary stone portal carved in 1240 by Master Radovan. The cathedral reflects several architectural styles because its construction and additions literally spanned centuries.

🦁 Venetian influences are everywhere. Trogir spent centuries under Venetian rule, and symbols of Venice, including the winged lion of St. Mark, are reminders of that history.

🎥 Another Game of Thrones location! Trogir was used for scenes depicting the fictional city of Qarth.

And there’s certainly something wonderful about unpacking once while continuing to explore new destinations!

🎶 A VERY SPECIAL CROATIAN WELCOME

Our evening included a captain’s welcome dinner accompanied by traditional Klapa music, a beautiful form of Dalmatian singing recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Klapa is typically performed by a small group singing in harmony, often without instruments. In this case it was by three men singing three part harmony. The songs told stories of love, friendship, the sea, and home…and we know that because some of us were using our apps to translate!

The word klapa loosely means a group of friends, making it a particularly fitting way to begin our week together aboard the ship!

❤️ One of my favorite things about travel is discovering what makes each destination unique. It’s not just the famous landmarks, but the stories behind them, the traditions that continue today, and the people we share these experiences with.

And now, seven nights exploring Croatia’s spectacular Dalmatian Coast by sea! 🇭🇷⛵️

10/10/2026

🇭🇷 Croatia Adventures - Krka National Park, & Skradin

Today was all about waterfalls, history, beautiful scenery, and the wonderful people we’re sharing this Croatian adventure with!

Our day began with a visit to Krka National Park, one of Croatia’s most spectacular natural treasures. Known for its cascading waterfalls, emerald-green water, and winding wooden walkways, Krka is one of those places where photographs simply can’t capture the full beauty of what you’re seeing. As hard as I tried, it’s just not possible to capture water that is this clear.

💦 One of the most fascinating things we learned was Krka’s connection to the history of electricity!

In 1895, the Jaruga hydroelectric power plant became the second hydroelectric power plant in the world as it began operating on the Krka River, just two days after the hydroelectric power station at Niagara Falls began generating electricity! The Krka plant helped bring electric street lighting to the nearby city of Šibenik, making this area an important part of the early history of alternating-current electricity.

After exploring the park, we enjoyed a scenic boat ride along the Krka River to the charming town of Skradin. Surrounded by beautiful hills and waterfront scenery, Skradin is a picturesque little Croatian town with a history stretching back thousands of years. We had time to enjoy lunch there before continuing our day.

And once again, our timing with the weather couldn’t have been better! Although rain was in the forecast, it held off throughout our visit to the park, our boat ride, and only fell when we were under outdoor umbrellas at lunch. We returned to our hotel in Vodice by mid-afternoon, and shortly afterwards the rain arrived there.

The afternoon gave everyone a chance to enjoy a little downtime in their own way - naps, walks, catching up on work, or simply relaxing.

Rather than heading in different directions for dinner, our group decided to eat together at our hotel’s 10th-floor restaurant, where we enjoyed an amazing view and even better company. Good food, wonderful conversation, and plenty of laughter made for a lovely ending to the day. Sometimes the simplest moments turn out to be some of the most memorable.

There’s a travel sentiment I particularly love:

“The best part of any journey isn’t just the places you discover, but the people you share them with.”

That really captures what I’m enjoying about these 11 days in Croatia with our Meredith College alumni group.

Travel is certainly about discovering new places, experiencing different cultures, and learning about the world. But it’s also about the friendships, conversations, laughter, and memories created along the way.

The places make the trip beautiful. The people make it unforgettable. ❤️

10/10/2026

🇭🇷 Croatia Adventures - Day 1, Part Two!

After a wonderful day exploring Zagreb, we boarded our bus and headed south toward Vodice, where we would be spending the night.

Along the way, we stopped for dinner at Gospodarstvo Roca, a family-run Croatian farm (think hogs and grapes!) and restaurant offering an authentic taste of the region. What a treat!

Dinner was served buffet-style, with a wonderful selection of traditional Croatian dishes and local specialties. Pork in many delicious dishes. But, actually, everything was absolutely delicious! One of my favorite parts of traveling is experiencing the local food, especially at places like this that give you a real taste of the country’s traditions and hospitality.

After dinner, we continued on to Vodice, a beautiful coastal town along Croatia’s Adriatic Sea. Also sharing a photo from our balcony at our beautiful hotel location this morning.

And now for a little teaser of what’s next…

💦 Today we’re visiting Krka National Park! Known for its spectacular waterfalls, turquoise waters, and beautiful natural scenery, Krka is one of Croatia’s most famous national parks. I have a feeling there will be LOTS of photos from this stop!

Stay tuned for Part Three! 🇭🇷📸

10/09/2026

🇭🇷 Greetings from Zagreb, Croatia!

We are traveling again…this time on a tour through Collette Tours with Meredith College Alumnae Travels. Having never travelled with Collette before, I’m looking forward to this opportunity to review the experience.

In addition, during our 11 day tour that includes land as well as a small ship experience with only our group on board, I’ll be sharing about this fascinating country!

Today we explored Zagreb, Croatia’s beautiful capital. Zagreb is a charming European capital filled with beautiful architecture, cobblestone streets, colorful markets, outdoor cafés, and centuries of history. But one of the things I found most interesting is its collection of very unusual museums! And I do mean unusual! You could honestly spend quite a bit of time here and go to a different one each day.

A few of the museums you can find here:

💔 Museum of Broken Relationships - Dedicated entirely to failed relationships, with personal objects donated by people from around the world, each with its own story. I’m including a pic of the chocolate bars you can find in their museum gift shop!

🍷 Museum of Hangovers - Yes, really! A museum featuring funny stories, unusual objects, and interactive exhibits about nights out that didn’t go quite as planned!

🍫 Chocolate Museum - Because most people like chocolate and some even have an obsessive love of it, you can g here to learn about the history of chocolate, with opportunities for tasting along the way!

🌀 Museum of Illusions - Filled with optical illusions, mind-bending rooms, and exhibits that challenge your perception of reality.

📺 Zagreb 80’s Museum - Step back into the 1980s with a recreated Yugoslav-era apartment filled with furnishings, electronics, and everyday objects from that time. This very much interested me as the 80s in this country would have been very different than the 80s that I remember in the US.

And a few other interesting things about Zagreb and Croatia:

👔 The necktie originated in Croatia! During the 17th century, Croatian soldiers wore distinctive scarves around their necks as artistically tied by their wives before going to war. The French adopted the fashion, calling it the cravat, which eventually evolved into the modern necktie. Spoiler alert…that’s what will be coming home for souvenirs for some people!

⚡ Nikola Tesla was born in what is now Croatia! Born in 1856 in the village of Smiljan, Tesla became one of history’s most influential inventors. Zagreb even has a technical museum named in his honor.

🚋 We rode Zagreb’s historic funicular, which connects the Lower Town with the Upper Town. At just 66 meters (about 217 feet), it’s one of the shortest public-transport funiculars in the world. As someone in the group commented…that wasn’t much longer than a sneeze!

🥕 The farmers market was bustling today, giving us a chance to enjoy a little of everyday life in Zagreb. I always love seeing the local markets when we travel!

🥘 We also enjoyed štrukli at La Štruk, a restaurant specializing in this traditional Croatian dish. Made with delicate dough and a fresh cheese filling, štrukli can be boiled or baked and is a beloved specialty of the Zagreb region. I had some for breakfast as well not knowing what it was. However, at La Štruk, we had a variety of sweet and savory options that several of us shared. All were delicious (unless you’re someone who doesn’t care for truffles…I’m not huge on those so I didn’t try that one!)

📸 And, of course, I had to photograph Zagreb’s manhole covers! If you’ve traveled with me or followed our adventures, you know I photograph manhole covers everywhere we go. Zagreb has some distinctive ones featuring the city’s coat of arms, so naturally I couldn’t pass those up! It’s one of my quirky little travel traditions.

🚌 We’re now back on the bus, heading south to Vodice on Croatia’s beautiful Adriatic coast!

One of my favorite things about traveling is discovering the history, traditions, food, and little details that make each destination unique. Zagreb certainly gave us plenty to appreciate today, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of Croatia has in store for us!

🇭🇷❤️

10/02/2026

Yes! Viking has finally brought back the “Your Choice” Sale!

If you’re already one of my Viking clients with a current booking, please know that I’ll be reviewing your reservation to see whether this new promotion provides a better overall value.

With Viking, it’s not always as simple as seeing a lower cruise fare or a new perk and making the change. Viking allows only one promo code per booking, so I look at the entire picture-including your current cruise fare, airfare, shipboard credit, beverage package or other benefits-to make sure we don’t gain something in one area while losing more somewhere else.

As I do whenever new promotions are released, I’ll assess the net benefit before recommending any change, and I will always contact you before making adjustments to your booking.

After what has felt like a few months of rather underwhelming Viking promotions, October may be shaping up to have some good ones after all!

10/01/2026

Paris to Normandy is an itinerary that I'm often told by clients is a "Bucket List" trip.

If you're considering adding one last getaway before the end of 2026, now may be the time to check this one off the bucket list!

Viking has two especially good Paris & Normandy river cruise values right now...both with FREE airfare on select departures.

🇫🇷 Paris & the Heart of Normandy

November 2026 departures from $2,599 per person
✈️ FREE Airfare

Spend 8 days sailing the Seine roundtrip from Paris, with stops in charming Normandy towns and opportunities to visit historic sites including the D-Day beaches.

🎄 Christmastime in Paris & Normandy

From $2,999 per person
✈️ FREE Airfare

PLUS, (on this one only) choose one:
• $500 Shipboard Credit per Couple
OR
• Silver Spirits Beverage Package

And remember, Viking River cruises already include so much in the fare:

• One complimentary shore excursion in every port
• B**r, w**e and soft drinks with onboard lunch and dinner
• Wi-Fi
• Ground transfers when air is purchased (and with FREE airfare, that means FREE transfers) through Viking

If you’ve been thinking about a last-minute European getaway, these are two of the best late-2026 Viking River values I’m seeing.

📩 Message me for the best available dates, staterooms and current pricing.

10/01/2026

Well, this was a pretty exciting way to start October! 🎉

Back in April, I decided to create several Facebook groups centered around some of Viking’s most popular itineraries. My hope was simply to create a place where travelers could ask questions, share experiences and connect with others planning the same journey.

Today, my Viking Rhine Getaway group reached 10,000 members!

What started as a little idea six months ago has turned into such a wonderful community. I occasionally jump in with things I’ve learned from my own travels and from helping my clients, but what I love most is watching the members help each other by sharing excursion recommendations, answering questions, comparing experiences and getting excited about their upcoming trips.

And Rhine Getaway is just one of the Viking itinerary groups I’ve created. I now have groups for several of their most popular itineraries, and I love seeing those communities grow too.

If you’re considering a Viking itinerary,
or already have one booked, ask me about it! I may have a group for your itinerary, too.

10,000 members. In six months. I’m pretty excited about this one. ❤️

09/27/2026

🌎 SOLO TRAVELERS — THIS ONE IS FOR YOU! 🚢

Are you a solo traveler who wants to cruise but doesn't want to pay the massive "single supplement" typically included with your fare?

Now may be the time to consider travelling with Windstar Cruises!

Windstar is offering REDUCED SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS on select sailings, making it more affordable to enjoy a beautiful stateroom all to yourself!

✨ Why I love this opportunity:

✅ Small, intimate ships rather than thousands of passengers
✅ A welcoming atmosphere where it's easy to meet fellow travelers
✅ Your OWN stateroom without the usual hefty solo surcharge
✅ Incredible destinations, including Europe, Tahiti, the Caribbean, and beyond
✅ The freedom to explore independently while still enjoying the companionship and amenities of a cruise

And here's something important: Traveling solo doesn't have to mean traveling alone! Windstar's smaller ships make it easy to connect with other guests while enjoying the freedom to do exactly what YOU want.

Whether you're single, widowed, have a spouse who doesn't enjoy traveling, or simply want an adventure of your own, this could be a wonderful opportunity!

📩 Message me, and I'll be happy to help you explore the eligible sailings, compare solo fares, and find the itinerary that fits your travel dreams.

Don't wait for someone else to be ready to travel. The world is waiting for YOU! 🌍

🔗 Explore the offer: https://www.windstarcruises.com/specials/reduced-single-supplement/

Reduced single supplements apply to select voyages and are subject to availability.

Windstar's reduced single supplement offer makes solo cruises more affordable. Explore solo traveler cruise deals on intimate small ship voyages with waived or reduced single supplements.

09/25/2026

✈️ WHAT IF YOU COULD PROTECT AN ENTIRE YEAR OF TRAVEL FOR JUST $108.75 MORE THAN INSURING ONE TRIP?

My husband and I personally use the Allianz Annual Premier Plan, and I wanted to share why I think more travelers should consider annual travel insurance!

Our policy costs $1,530 annually for BOTH of us, with $15,000 in trip cancellation/interruption protection.

A comparable single-trip policy would cost us $1,421.25. That's just $108.75 MORE to protect an ENTIRE YEAR of eligible travel instead of one vacation!

Even more interesting? In less than two years, when we're both in our 60s, our comparison shows the annual policy would actually be approximately $135 LESS than the single-trip plan!

🌎 Here's what our Annual Premier Plan includes:

✅ $15,000 in cancellation/interruption coverage shared by our household annually
✅ $50,000 in emergency medical coverage per person, per trip
✅ $500,000 in emergency medical transportation per person, per trip
✅ $2,000 in baggage protection per person, per trip
✅ Travel delay and baggage delay protection
✅ Rental car protection (where available)
✅ 24/7 travel assistance

And this isn't just for cruises or international travel...eligible trips at least 100 miles from home can be covered, including domestic vacations, road trips, weekend getaways, and more.

Consider this: A medical evacuation from Europe could cost $50,000-$100,000 or more! One unexpected emergency could cost far more than your entire vacation. And as I have always told my children we don't call things accidents or emergencies because we planned for them to happen! But being prepared for them is something we can plan for!

❤️ WHAT I LOVE MOST: Allianz offer the ability to insure your entire household under one plan. No need to purchase a new policy every time you travel! If only we had known about this when all of our children were still under our roof!

There are multiple coverage levels available, so you don't have to select the $15,000 plan we use.

If you travel more than once a year, an annual plan is absolutely worth exploring!

And, if you're interested in a no obligation quote, please feel free to click this link https://www.curatedcompasstravels.com/form/Insurance_Quote

09/25/2026

🌍 SPAIN, MOROCCO & PORTUGAL - 7 NIGHTS STARTING AT JUST $893 PER PERSON! 🚢

Looking for something a little different for your summer 2027 vacation? How about exploring THREE countries on one incredible cruise?

Join Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas, July 23–30, 2027, sailing from Barcelona, Spain, to Lisbon, Portugal!

This itinerary is particularly appealing because it combines beautiful Mediterranean destinations with TWO ports in Morocco — an opportunity to experience a little of North Africa without planning a separate trip!

📍 YOUR ITINERARY:

🇪🇸 Barcelona, Spain - Embarkation
🇪🇸 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
🌊 Day at Sea
🇪🇸 Málaga, Spain
🇲🇦 Casablanca, Morocco
🇲🇦 Tangier, Morocco
🌊 Day at Sea
🇵🇹 Lisbon, Portugal - Disembarkation

HERE'S THE PART I REALLY LIKE...THE PRICING!

I currently have access to the following rates for TWO guests sharing a cabin, including taxes and fees:

🛏️ Interior Cabin: $1,786.92 TOTAL
🌊 Oceanview Cabin: $2,294.92 TOTAL
☀️ Balcony Cabin: $2,698.92 TOTAL
✨ Oceanview Balcony (Category 2D): $3,800.92 TOTAL

That's as little as $127.64 per person, per night for your accommodations, meals in included dining venues, entertainment, and transportation between these incredible destinations!

And why not add a few nights in Barcelona before your cruise or spend some time exploring Lisbon afterward? I would be delighted to help you turn this into a memorable European vacation and can tell you what my favorite parts of are of most of these stops.

As your travel advisor, I can help with your cruise, flights, hotels, transfers, excursions, and travel protection so you can enjoy the experience without juggling all the details yourself.

🔗 Explore the sailing and current cabin availability through the photo below and the link included in the comments and note...many of these are showing up as fully sold online as they're currently being reserved through this group rate option:

Or send me a message! I'd love to help you start planning.

Rates are based on double occupancy and include applicable cruise taxes and fees. Airfare, gratuities, and optional purchases are additional. Pricing and availability are subject to change until booked.