Next Chapter Voyages

08/12/2026

If you are thinking about flying out of Boston between the end of August and mid-November, there may be delays due to runway construction.

The closure runs up to just before the Thanksgiving Holiday period.

08/12/2026

Most people picture Holland when they think of tulips and cruising. Flat fields, windmills, the Keukenhof Gardens in full color. That version exists, and it is worth every bit of the reputation it has built.

But tulip season by water is not a single experience.

I work with three very different itineraries for spring 2027, each one built around the same season and a completely different travel style.

The first is the classic European river experience. Viking covers the Netherlands and Belgium in ten days: the tulip fields, the canals of Amsterdam, Bruges, and the windmills at Kinderdijk. Everything is included, and the itinerary is structured around the Keukenhof bloom window. For anyone who has been thinking about tulip season for years and wants to do it properly, this is where I start.

The second is a small ship ocean experience on Windstar. Their Star Legend carries 212 passengers through the same Dutch and Belgian geography, but on a small ocean yacht rather than a river longship. All-suite, open bridge policy, a crew-to-passenger ratio that changes the feel of the whole trip. For travelers who have done a European river cruise before and want something more intimate, Windstar is the right comparison.

The third one surprises people. American Cruise Lines runs a nine-day Puget Sound voyage in March and April that sails directly into the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival window in Washington State. The fields around La Conner rival anything in Holland, set against the Cascade Mountains and the Salish Sea. No international flights, no passport required, and the itinerary also includes Butchart Gardens in Victoria and the San Juan Islands.

Three itineraries. Three completely different trips. Same season.

I wrote through all three in detail on the blog this week, including who each one fits and what the full experience actually looks like.

Spring 2027 bookings are open now for all three. The stateroom categories worth having fill before most people start looking.

Which of the three sounds most like your kind of trip?

08/05/2026

This needs to be everywhere

08/04/2026

Which side of the ship is best for the Panama Canal?

It depends on three things, and most people only hear about one of them.

The first is direction of travel. If you are sailing eastbound, Pacific to Atlantic, the starboard side gives you better views of the Miraflores Locks control tower and the Bridge of the Americas. If you are sailing westbound, Atlantic to Pacific, the port side has the advantage through the Gatun Locks. That is the answer most people find when they Google it, and it is a good starting point.

The second is sun and heat. The Panama Canal runs roughly north to south, and during a westbound transit the afternoon sun tracks directly onto the starboard side during the lock passages and the Gatun Lake crossing. Port side is shaded. In 85 to 90 degree heat, that is a meaningful difference if you are planning to spend the transit day on your balcony. It is also a photography consideration. Shooting from the starboard side in the afternoon means shooting into the sun, which can wash out the detail on the lock walls.

The third is the most important one, and almost nobody mentions it. During the actual lock passages, your balcony is not your best viewing spot. The lock walls sit higher than most balcony railings, which means your sightline is partially blocked. The serious viewing happens on the open decks, particularly the bow, where you get an unobstructed 360-degree view as the ship moves through each chamber.

My practical advice for clients booking a Panama Canal itinerary: choose your cabin side based on direction of travel as a starting point, prioritize a balcony for the early morning and evening hours on transit day when the heat is manageable and the light is better, and plan to be on an open deck for the lock passages themselves. If you can find a corner or wrap-style balcony, those angled views forward along the ship's path are worth seeking out.

One more thing. Lock lane assignments can change based on canal traffic on the day of your transit. The best preparation is knowing the factors rather than counting on a specific outcome.

The canal day is long, methodical, and genuinely one of the more remarkable things you can watch from a ship. Going in with the right expectations and the right cabin makes it significantly better.

If a Panama Canal sailing is on your list for early 2027, now is the right time to talk through which itinerary and which ship fits.

Which matters more to you on a trip like this: the cabin or the open deck time?

07/27/2026

The fare you see advertised is about sixty percent of the trip.

I price cruises for a living, so let me show you the math on a real example. A 7-night Caribbean Celebrity Cruises sailing in February 2027, balcony stateroom, two people.

The fare gets your room, which is chosen by the cruise line, your main dining, and the ship. Then the rest arrives. Gratuities run about $19 per person per day. A beverage package is around $90 per person per day if you want one. WiFi is another $25 or so per day. Specialty dining, $50 to $120 per person each time. Shore excursions, often $100 to $150 per person per port.

Add it up and a $3,000 fare becomes a $5,500 trip. That gap is where the frustration lives, and it's why so many people come home feeling nickeled and dimed even after a good vacation.

Here's what changes the picture. Not every line prices this way. Some include gratuities, WiFi, and every restaurant on board in the fare, so the number you see is much closer to the number you spend. Others keep the base fare low and sell the rest back to you. Neither approach is wrong, but comparing the two on advertised price alone will steer you to the wrong ship.

When I plan a trip, the first thing my clients see is the full number. Fare, tips, drinks, excursions, all of it, before anyone commits to anything. No surprises on the last night.

February and March 2027 Caribbean sailings are in their booking window right now.

If you've cruised before, what was the line item that surprised you most on the final bill?

07/15/2026

Traveling alone isn’t the obstacle people think it is. This guide is for empty nesters considering their first solo cruise.

Holland America is adding solo cabins across six ships. Lines don’t invest like that for an exception.

What brought you to solo travel matters less than what comes next.

Unpack once. Wake up somewhere new. The framework’s already built.

Join the hosted table or ask for one of your own. The choice resets every day.

Solo pricing ranges from fully waived to double. Deciding early gets you the best structure.

Small ships create connection. Big ships offer variety and anonymity. Neither is better.

13 pages on supplements, solo-friendly ships, and the questions to ask before you book. Comment GUIDE.

07/08/2026

It is not about money. It is not about time. Here is what actually keeps most empty nesters from booking.

I talk to a lot of couples who are stuck on something they can't quite name. The house is quieter. The calendar finally has room in it. And after twenty-some years of planning everything around the kids, nobody really knows what a trip for just the two of you is supposed to look like. So it gets pushed off. Not because of the cost. Because getting it wrong feels worse than not going.

Here's what I tell them. A river cruise doesn't need you to have it figured out. Unpack once, wake up somewhere new, walk a town before lunch, sit on the deck with a glass of w**e after dinner. Nobody's managing logistics. Nobody's checking the schedule. You get to find out who you are as travelers now, and honestly, that part is worth more than the itinerary.

So let me ask. If you had two open weeks and no one to check with, where would the water take you next?

07/06/2026

We came home knowing we wanted to keep cruising. So I started researching. Cruise lines. Ships. Itineraries. Dining. Dress codes. Hidden costs. It took me weeks to feel like I understood what I was looking at. And I love research.

If this is happening to me it is happening to others.

That is why I started Next Chapter Voyages. Not to sell trips. To help people who are exactly where I am figure out what travel looks like in this season of life.

If that is you, the link in my bio is a good place to start.

Where will the water take you next?

07/02/2026

Come out for a great day of golf on August 31, 2026, as the Wilmington Tewksbury Chamber of Commerce presents the 2026 Chamber Golf Classic

Trull Brook Golf Course
170 River Road
Tewksbury, MA 01876

$150 Per Player
$600 Per Foursome
Includes 18 Holes with Cart, Continental Breakfast, Swag Bag, Networking, Fun Contests on the Course with Prizes, Awards & Buffet Lunch
$20 Additional Per Person for Golf FUN Pack (1 Mulligan, 3 Course Contest Entries, 5 Raffle Tickets)

Website

Join us for a day of golf at the beautiful Trull Brook Golf Course followed by a lunch reception and awards ceremony. This foursome best-ball scramble tournament is great for golfers of all abilities and lends itself to networking with fellow members of our local business community. Our Annual Golf....