Repeating the Same Cruise Itinerary: How to Do It Right

Ever had that pull to go back to a cruise you loved? 

We're breaking down exactly what to consider before you rebook, from choosing the same cruise line vs. switching it up, to how time of year, ports, and even a different version of yourself can make the same river feel brand new. 

Plus, we share our own experience returning to AmaWaterways' Colors of Provence and what's making us excited to see it through fresh eyes.

We cover:

• Cruising on the same line vs. a new one
• When ports aren't the same twice
• Seasonal timing
• Themed departures
• Managing expectations of yourself, family and friends
• Visa and logistics traps to avoid
• And practical tips to consider before you book

Download our free worksheet to decide if repeating a cruise itinerary is right for you: https://sometimes-sailing.myflodesk.com/i0ol4p9hg9

🚨Programming announcement: We are publishing bi-weekly podcast episodes, so we can bring you more video content on our YouTube channel, @sometimes-sailing!

Transcript

Dan (00:35)

Hello and welcome. This week, we're gonna talk about the question, or we're gonna ponder the question, should you repeat a cruise itinerary? And if you do, we'll discuss a few things to consider along the way.

Mikkel (00:49)

So I think we're all familiar with that feeling of having an amazing vacation and that emotional pull of wanting to relive a great experience, especially what made it so memorable, and thinking about that as you consider repeating it. Maybe it was a special occasion and you have another one coming up. 

Maybe it was who you went with and you can go with that person again. Maybe it was wanting to bring other people in, other relatives, other friends who can experience it with you. But these are all things that you might be pondering when you are considering repeating an itinerary.

Today, we're going to dive deeper into this. We're going to talk about choosing the same cruise line or switching it up. You're going to learn through this podcast episode that sometimes the same itinerary doesn't mean the same ports. You're going to consider the time of year. And we'll bring up some cool things about different times of year. We are going to mention adding a theme, kind of a twist if you repeat an itinerary.

What you'll notice perhaps the second time around, if you choose to do an itinerary again and not overlooking some logistical changes. And then we're going to close with some practical tips before you book.

So why repeat an itinerary? Dan, we were asking ourselves the same question when the opportunity arose for us to go back and do the Colors of Provence cruise with AmaWaterways. 

There's only so many rivers and so many itineraries with cruise lines, so inevitably it could come up that you want to do the same itinerary. And then I was thinking of one that I would repeat just to experience it again — UnCruise in Hawaii is what I'm thinking of. So when that conversation came up, what were some things that went through your mind about going back to the southeast of France?

Dan (02:55)

I think a little bit was context, right? So that particular cruise, we did three cruises in France in 2022, that summer of 2022. It was a heat wave. It was like, we like, we've been on quarantine for two years. Like, we need to get out and go explore the world, and France seemed like a great place. With that being said, it was the third one, right? I think it was August or September of that year and it's like, "I love France, but I'm kind of Franced out at this particular moment."

Mikkel (03:27)

Franced out! The Francophile in you had left the trip, left the trip, left the building.

Dan (03:32)

The building. Yeah. So to go back now, it's been at least a year and a half, almost two years since we've been to France. To go back now is going to have a new fresh lens on it. And I think I'm going to appreciate that itinerary just a little bit more.

Mikkel (03:51)

I think also it's two years, it's a different you. We are living beings. We progress. Our life experiences change us. You weren't as into wines back then as you are now. Ironically, we went to Bordeaux. We did this itinerary we're talking about in the southeast, Provence, the Rhône. So different you, same river, let's say. So that's something to consider.

Dan (03:55)

Yeah. Correct. Mm-hmm, right. Ooh.

That's deep, so everybody just pause and take that in for a second. Same river, different you. But is it the same river? Hmm. It's always moving.

Mikkel (04:26)

Well, Pocahontas line Alan Menken, I think, said, "You can't step in the same river twice. The river's always changing, always flowing."

Dan (04:37)

Yeah, so welcome to Small Ship Cruise Talk, the philosophical hour.

Mikkel (04:42)

Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handy. If anyone listening remembers that SNL reference. So good. OK, I digress as usual. And we're back. Sometimes you didn't get enough time in that destination and you want to go deeper. That is a reason to repeat it. And then some of the other reasons to repeat are within the rest of this episode.

Dan (04:43)

Right. Back…and we're back.

Mikkel (05:05)

So let's talk about choosing the same cruise line or switching it up. Just because you sailed the Danube River, with Viking doesn't mean you can't sail it with AmaWaterways, for instance. Even Celebrity River Cruises is coming online next year. And right off the bat, the same with Century Cruises, where are they sailing? They're sailing on the Danube, right? Every river cruise line sails the Danube.

Dan (05:25)

Mm-hmm. Right, and those experiences are gonna be different with the cruise lines, but also the passengers that you're cruising with, or the people you bring along with you may be different.

Mikkel (05:40)

And I think that's a good point, because when you're talking about choosing the same cruise line or switching it up, there are some cruise lines that are more active. So Emerald has "Emerald Active." Even AmaWaterways has a active track. And they have a gym on board. Viking doesn't. So maybe you want a different kind of passenger makeup, like you're saying. And that's a reason to cruise on a new line even if you're doing the same itinerary.

Dan (06:09)

That’s such a great point: doing your homework and making sure that the cruise line is aligned to who you are right now. So maybe, like you said, I wasn't into wine as much when we cruising in 2022, but now I'm more interested in it. Well, I'm gonna try to find a cruise line that's gonna cater toward that, especially in the south of France.

Mikkel (06:31)

Right, and I think this automatically goes hand in hand with: the same itinerary doesn't always mean the same ports. So I think this is two sides of the coin, right? This could be a good thing, because you could say, I want to go on the Danube River again, but I don't necessarily love Melk, in Austria.

Dan (06:39)

Mm-hmm.

Mikkel (06:52)

Okay, well, maybe it's going somewhere else. Or maybe in addition to Melk, there is an excursion that takes you to Salzburg. Forgive me, geographically speaking. I'm not looking at a map right now, and I don't have enough geographical memory...

I know Austria and ports on the Danube aren't that far. But let's just say, right, nobody come after me and comment, you're wrong in the distance for Salzburg and Melk. But let's just say, like, you're going on Ama again, and they added going to Salzburg? Well, that's a consideration. Conversely, if you were dreaming of going back to Pasau, and you book a down to river cruise but didn't check the ports and you're not going there on this itinerary, it's worth considering because you don't want to be disappointed.

Dan (07:41)

That's such a great point. Just changing the excursions can make it a completely different trip.

Mikkel (07:47)

Right, like I know we were speaking to a friend who went to Dürnstein. It has that famous blue church by the water on the Danube River. And you can go outside of Dürnstein and do an excursion, a winery excursion, if it's during the right season. Or you can stay in Dürnstein and see the small town. So that could change your experience vastly, the excursion that you do.

Dan (08:08)

Yeah, absolutely.

Mikkel (08:10)

Another thing is we are talking about river cruises because they're perhaps the most popular small ship cruises that people think of and book, but it's worth bringing up that sometimes the ports aren't even mentioned. It's just the experience overall. 

So we're going back on Maine Windjammer in a couple of weeks and you just get on board, you know, the nights you're going for, you know, it's three nights, let's say, as opposed to four or five. And we know that we're going to be sailing Maine's coast but we don't know where we're going. So that's really exciting.

Dan (08:41)

That's such a great point because every single sailing is slightly different just on weather or whether the captain wants to stop.

Mikkel (08:51)

Weather or weather. Whether the weather affects you or not, and it's Captain's Choice.

Dan (08:56)

Right. Right. It is captain's choice. each inherently each cruise is going to be different even though it's in Maine and it's going on the coast of Maine.

Mikkel (09:05)

Right, like you have a friend in Stonington that we went to last time, but we're not really able to tell her if we're going to be there or not because we don't know. So she has to be on call. If we show up in the port that morning, we'll say, Barbara, we're coming to see you. So that's really exciting. Also, natural disasters can affect things.

Mikkel (09:25)

For example, UnCruise in Hawaii is one of my favorite cruises we've ever done. And they used to go on land in Maui, but because of the fires in Maui, they stopped going there for now. So that would be a reason to repeat it, right? Like, it's a totally different experience every time. There's 36 passengers. The waters are changing. It's never going to be the same twice. The people are changing, like you said. But maybe I would check if it goes on land in Maui next time because we weren't able to go on land even though we were in the oceans right next to Maui and snorkeling there.

Dan (09:59)

Yeah, weather, right? So maybe the water levels on a river, you couldn't get to a port. We were on Viking Ocean and we couldn't port. Yes.

Mikkel (10:04)

Great point. 

Santorini! Santorini!

Dan (10:12)

Right, so we couldn't tender in because of the weather. So that would be a reason in and of itself to redo that itinerary.

Mikkel (10:16)

Yes, 1,000%. It's almost like I blocked it out of my mind. We weren't excited to go to Santorini. I should rephrase. It's not that we weren't. We just didn't know much about it, except for what we've seen in Instagram. And then all of sudden, I went to a lecture and learned about the volcanic islands up Santorini. And then we saw it in the distance. And then the captain was like, due to weather, we can't go. We were just aghast. We were flabbergasted.

Mikkel (10:44)

We dream of going one day now.

Dan (10:44)

Well, it's one of those things like you didn't know you wanted to go until you couldn't go. And then, "How dare you take that away from me!"

Mikkel (10:50)

1,000%. Right, so it's like back to that emotional pull to it. And now we have an emotional attachment to it. So you're right, if there was a port on the itinerary that went to Santorini, I would definitely light up and say, this is a reason to go back on the Mediterranean and stop in Greece at this port. Great point. You the time of year changes everything as well.

Dan (11:10)

Yeah. Oh yeah, doing Europe Rivers in December, you're going to get a completely different experience than you would if you did it in the spring or in the middle of summer.

Mikkel (11:21)

Right, Christmas Markets Cruises. Right, I mean, look at cruising on the Hudson River even in the United States or up through New England and Canada. Right?

Dan (11:34)

Yeah, great. 

Mikkel (11:35)

If you cruise in early summer, you know, it's so far north, maybe there are still things blossoming, flowers that are not going to be the same as the incredible fall colors in October. People love, they call them "Leaf Peeping" trips. And they specifically book these itineraries to see the fall foliage versus the spring tulips, let's say in the Netherlands.

Dan (11:47)

Yeah.

Mikkel (12:02)

Or in Hawaii, are you going during whale season? Are you going to Alaska peak whale time in June, or are you going...

Dan (12:12)

Like seeing those natural events happening that maybe only happen once a year, cherry blossoms or salmon spawning or something like that, like that can completely change your experience a trip.

Mikkel (12:17)

Right. Right. Cherry blossoms. Yes. Right.

The first time we went to Alaska, it was August, and we could smell the salmon spawning everywhere at the end of the season. And it was such a part of the memories of that August trip. The next time we went, in May. And that was really different. To your point, if you go to Japan, is it sakura season? Sakura is the cherry blossoms. Is it fall?

Are you going to see those golden leaves surrounding the Golden Temple in Kyoto like you and I saw when we were there in October? Great points. Also, is there a risk with the weather? So did you go, unbeknownst to you maybe, or it was the only time you could cruise, did you go to the Caribbean during hurricane season and it was late October and you thought, "Oh my had rough seas. I didn't know we were going to. So let me try to go to the Caribbean in February when it's not hurricane season.”

And then also festivals, right? Carnival in South America or the Caribbean, the Cherry Blossom Festival, like you said, whether that's in the DC area, right? Check out American Cruise Lines, the Chesapeake area, Maryland, you know, DC area. you went before and it wasn't the time of year for that and now it is.

Dan (13:25)

Yeah. Something like Oktoberfest, right?

Mikkel (13:43)

Yes, great, great example.

Yeah, so maybe you went to the Danube and you went to Germany and Austria and Hungary usually that's the most popular on the Upper Danube, and it was not Oktoberfest. And now you are specifically going so you can go to this festival. I love that. That is a great point.

Another thing with the shifting of the seasons and peak time versus non-peak time is pricing shifts, right?

Dan (14:06)

Mmhmm.

Mikkel (14:07)

So maybe your budget was a little tighter because you went during a peak time last year so you weren't able to go on certain excursions that cost a little more or you weren't able to eat out at restaurants in some ports because your budget was tighter. But now if you go during a different time repeating the same itinerary maybe the costs are a little more affordable in the off season.

Dan (14:30)

But that's also a good point. Well, maybe you had money last year, but this year you need a budget trip, right? So it could be the same but maybe a different cruise line or something like that. And you can still hit those notes, but make it work within your budget.

Mikkel (14:44)

Speaking of Oktoberfest, add a theme or a special twist, right? You're doing the same itinerary, but for us, we're going on the Colors of Provence with AmaWaterways again because we are going to go for a Smithsonian Journeys cruise. Whereas last time, it wasn't that, it was was just, your normal Colors of Provence cruise. So this time, having those

Dan (14:47)

Mmm.

Mikkel (15:07)

Smithsonian Journeys experts on board. We're hoping — and one of the reasons we're doing it — it's going to add an additional layer of education.

Dan (15:17)

Right, right. Or sometimes they have maybe a guest chef on board and it's the same itinerary, but your food or your experience on board is going to be completely different, elevated and much more what you're looking for.

Mikkel (15:30)

Right. A great example of that is Scenic Cruises and Emerald started bringing on notable chefs. So I remember one chef, Michael Voltaggio, who was of Top Chef fame. They brought him on board and they're continuing that chef-led series on specific cruises. So maybe you're like, I've been on this itinerary, but I've never been there with a chef who's going to lead food tours and walks at the local market and then do a cooking class on board.

I love that.

What about things you're going to notice the second time around? Maybe it's the third time around and you're listening to this saying, actually, it's my third time considering going on the Rhine River. You're more confident in the destinations.

Dan (16:14)

So I think that allows you the opportunity to really go deep in the ports. Maybe you don't take an excursion, but you stop for a drink at this bar that's probably still there because it's been there since 1432. Right.

Mikkel (16:26)

True, not so uncommon in Europe.

Dan (16:29)

But you wanna go back there and then maybe explore a little bit more of this section of the city or go a little bit farther out or you've been doing your homework and there's, I don't know, a record store that you wanna go visit or something like that and you can really start to go deep into the cities or the ports that you're visiting.

Mikkel (16:46)

Something else the second time around that you should beware of, cause we're doing pros and cons here. Things to consider: there is that risk of disappointment, right? Like when we were in Italy, I think you know what I'm going to say. We went to this sandwich shop. It was the best sandwich I ever had. We went back. It's right in Florence by the Duomo, the famous church.

The entire trip, I could not stop talking about going back here. I made the mistake of telling them, make whatever you want. I love everything you do. When the truth was we'd only had two sandwiches there ever. I should have just told them to make that sandwich again. Unfortunately, the sandwiches weren't what we would have picked the second time around. And it kind of ruined that memory for me. Now, if we do go back there, I'm just giving you a heads up. We are going to go again so I can fix this. So there will be a third time.

Dan (17:19)

Sure. Yeah.

Mikkel (17:35)

But that is to say that the risk of disappointment is there, holding the trip to the standard of a memory rather than experiencing it fresh and trying new things. So just something to consider.

Dan (17:46)

Yeah, it does go both ways.

Mikkel (17:48)

Right. And also, if you are bringing somebody new, a new family member, a new friend, then it is something to consider. How do you manage the expectations for that travel companion who's never been when you already have such strong opinions?

Dan (18:03)

Right, yeah, that's a good point too. You can either become a default tour guide and say, we're going to all the places I love, but then it's also fun to experience it through somebody else's eyes too.

Mikkel (18:11)

I’ll say, be open to that, right? Maybe you didn't have a good experience in Vienna, let's say, but somebody's so excited to go there, and you don't want to poo-poo everything just because you'd already been there and not had a good experience. So just be conscientious of that.

Dan (18:31)

Yeah, that's a good point.

Mikkel (18:33)

So you had mentioned the water levels before, right? So that's kind of a logistical thing. It's out of our hands. The cruise brand, the cruise operators, the captain worry about that. But let's get into a little bit of not overlooking the logistics and how things change in terms of that.

Dan (18:49)

I mean, in the geopolitical environment, post-pandemic, just everything's always changing. So, maybe, countries that were closed or maybe more difficult to get to are now open or vice versa. There's stuff that you want to avoid because of conflict or just because of global tensions. So understanding those and then understanding regulations and law. It could be a different trip just from a logistics standpoint.

Mikkel (19:18)

Totally, right? And the biggest warning with this is that just because you're repeating the same itinerary doesn't mean you shouldn't check the visa and entry requirements, because that can shift without much notice. 

So a great example is last year, we had to get an ETIAS visa to go to the UK, right? The good news is it's good for two years. We're actually using it again this summer. But we did have to sign up for that, right? So just be aware that you need to check if your passport is still valid, not only that, you also need to check what are the requirements for my passport where I'm going? Does it have to be good for six months after I'm in the destination, shorter or longer?

Pricing can shift significantly as well. So don't get married in your head to an itinerary and then tell all your friends and family you're going before you book it and then realize that the fuel surcharges or the demand has increased or the currency exchange rate is going to prevent you from doing a pre or post cruise there. Or maybe it's the opposite, right? Like, we went to Japan in 2023 and the exchange rate was so good.

Dan (20:13)

Mmm. Yeah.

Mikkel (20:23)

I wish we just there a little longer. So that could go either way. There are also new competitors on routes all the time. Right? So check those things out. 

A lot of the things we're mentioning to consider are just like stacking a game of x, y, and z effects a, b, and c for you, or a, b, c, d, and f effect x and y. You know what I mean?

Dan (20:48)

Yeah. So another thing that can really transform a cruise that you've already done or an itinerary that you've already done is how do you spend your time pre and post? And maybe you tack on a few days upfront or at the end, or maybe country hop or something like that at the end. And that can really change the dynamic and change the memories of doing the same river.

Mikkel (21:14)

Right, absolutely. And I'm sorry to keep referencing this, but we are doing the Colors of Provence again with AmaWaterways. So it starts in Lyon, right? So we love Lyon, but we went to Dijon, which is kind of like a day trip, just a train away from there. And I said to you when we were there, this would be a great small city to stay overnight next time.

Dan (21:23)

Mm-hmm.

Right, yeah. So things like that can really change the flavor of the trip and then also, in our case, encourage us to go back. Because then we were like, this would be great. We already know we like the itinerary. Now let's go and spend a little bit more time in an adjacent city or a city that's nearby.

Mikkel (21:52)

You know, it's the perfect example? In the Netherlands, we went to Keukenhof — we went on a river cruise — and we realized, wow, there is so much more to Keukenhof than you can do in four or five hours in half a day on a river cruise. We must come back here. We went back. Not only did we stay the full day in Keukenhof, we went for two days.

And we stayed in the city where Keukenhof is located. So many people think it's in Amsterdam. It's not. It's in a city called Lisse. It's about 45 minutes outside of Amsterdam. And we went to so many other places then too. We went to The Hague. We went to Rotterdam. We went to Haarlem. So to your point, it just opens Pandora's box in the best way, right? Like, let Pandora free for your pre-cruise and consider

Dan (22:37)

Hahaha

Mikkel (22:43)

how that can change the same itinerary the second or third time around as well.

Dan (22:48)

Yeah, and there's some cruises that we've gone on that we've purposely, maybe because of timing and scheduling, but we've purposely not stayed pre or post. And if the cruise was great and the itinerary was great, it definitely is encouraging to go back and spend a little bit more time in that location.

Mikkel (23:11)

To your point, I think going on an itinerary the second time around takes the pressure off maybe from going pre or post if you don't have the time. So to me, another consideration is we love going to Europe for two weeks, including a river cruise for a week, but maybe we don't have all that time. So maybe we would say to ourselves, let's go to Bordeaux again. Let's cruise the Garonne. We know it's a really, distance-wise, a small itinerary. It's a really easy area to get around.

And we don't have all the time to do a pre or post. So we're not going to feel like we're missing out. We're not going to have FOMO — fear of missing out — for only going in for the cruise and then having to go back home because our work schedules don't allow. We just have other trips planned that we are committed to already.

Dan (23:45)

Right. Yeah. Yep.

Mikkel (23:55)

So let's finish with some practical tips before you book a repeat itinerary. Number one, first and foremost, you're already ahead of the game because you're listening to this podcast episode. But all joking aside, take notes from this. Look at our show notes. Write down kind of like a heading of things to consider when you are doing a repeat itinerary.

Where would you go that you didn't go to last time? Where did you go last time that excites you? What time of year do you want to go? All these things. Let's make a freebie for everybody listening. So if you got this far in this episode, In the Show Notes is a freebie for you. And it is a worksheet to consider if repeating an itinerary is good for you. It's a PDF. All you have to do is put your email in and you can sign up and get that.

Dan (24:44)

Yeah. The other thing I would say is not only the worksheet that we're providing, but if you're working with a trusted travel advisor, just let them know what you're looking for and

thinking about repeating an itinerary, but you want something a little bit different, a little more of this or a little less of this, and they'll be able to really just kind of point you in the right direction and brainstorm with you to make that trip different but maybe, maybe better.

Mikkel (25:11)

Right, and we are a great resource. I do travel planning. I'm not a travel advisor, but I travel planning. So reach out to me, mikkel@sometimessailing.com. And we have travel advisors that we recommend, travel agents who can book the trip for you as well. So if you're not working with a travel advisor and you want to, please reach out to us. 

And a travel advisor — which I'm usinginterchangeably with travel agents — the visa and logistic details can slip through the cracks, but hopefully, if you're working with the right person, they will let you know. They'll also let you know about discounts if repeat guests or a loyalty status that could make a difference and you don't want to overlook that practical tip as well. Also check your miles, right? Your airline miles. Maybe you have airline miles that are going to expire or that you keep forgetting that you have because it's attached to a credit card that you have. So that's another practical tip before you book.

Dan (26:12)

Yeah. So, overall, I think there's pros and cons to repeating an itinerary, but no matter what, even if you're on the same ship, same cruise line, same river, same ports, it's still going to be a different trip.

Mikkel (26:15)

Mm-hmm.

It'll never be the same and that could be in the best way possible and add to your previous memories as well. I'm curious if you're listening and you have considered repeating an itinerary or you have a memory want to share from repeating an itinerary, let us know in the comments. We'd love to hear from you. We have fan mail as well, if you are listening to the audio version on Buzzsprout.

And don't be shy. You know, overall, whether you repeat an itinerary or not, I hope that it keeps you on the waterways and keeps you cruising.

Dan (26:59)

So, until next time, keep cruising.