2025: Where I’m Going

Next year’s travel looks a bit different than this year’s. Because somehow 2025 has become the year of cruising.

FACT: I have never been on a cruise before.

FACT: I have three cruises planned for 2025.

I don’t have all of my travel for next year planned out yet, but I am really excited about these cruises! 

First is a river cruise in France on Avalon Waterways.

My host agency, Gifted Travel Network, is hosting a conference on the river cruise - chartering the whole ship - and I am thrilled to be going to this event! My first river cruise, my first cruise, and my first time going to this event! Not only can I sneak in a few extra days in Paris before the start of the trip, but I’ll also have a chance to spend a night in Marseille before we depart. Our cruise will travel northbound on the Rhone River from Arles to Lyon (one of my favorite cities). While we will have conference content to attend, we will also have the chance to do some shore excursions and explore some of the beautiful cities and towns along the Rhone, eat delicious food and drink excellent wine, and experience all that Avalon has to offer - including the Panorama Suite with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows. 

Next up is a cruise to Alaska!

I always thought my first cruise would be an Alaskan cruise - so close! My father-in-law is taking the family on a Celebrity Cruise leaving out of Seattle next summer. I’ve never been to Alaska and I’m so excited to experience this beautiful part of our country from an incredible cruise ship. We’ll be sailing on the Celebrity Edge and have Infinite Veranda rooms so we can take in the beautiful scenery along the coastline. Of course, there is plenty to do on the ship, especially on those days when we are at sea. The Edge has 29 different dining venues, spa, live entertainment, a rooftop garden, pool, casino, and shopping. This will be a very different experience than river cruising as the Edge has capacity for nearly 3,000 people. 

And finally, I had the great fortune of winning a 7-night European river cruise from Ama Waterways at our host agency conference in September.

While we have not yet decided on where we are going yet, my husband and I are so thrilled to have this incredible opportunity. He’s also never been on a river cruise AND we’ve never been to Europe together.  Perhaps we’ll take Ama’s cruise along the Danube, starting in Budapest and traveling through Austria and Germany, ending the cruise in Nuremberg.  Or we can explore some of Europe's most beautiful castles and villages along the Rhine river. Ama is known for having fully included shore excursions, with a mix of active and more relaxed options, incredible dining, and the ultimate in service. It’s a favorite river cruise line of our host agency for a reason, and I am so excited to experience it for myself. 

We’ve also thought about another French river cruise - there are so many different itineraries for the river cruises in Europe that you can experience something new with each one. And if you’ve always wanted to visit the Christmas markets in Europe, there are river cruises specifically designed to take you to some of the most famous Christmas markets along Europe’s dazzling rivers. 

Our cruise partners have so many incentives and sales right now for 2025 and 2026 cruise bookings. If you feel like next year (or the year after) might be the time you also board some cruise ships, we’d love to help you find the right cruise and the right itinerary! This is the perfect time to book that cruise with all of the incredible promotions available with our preferred cruise partners!