Nikki's Travel News - April/May 2026
Welcome back to my monthly blog post, where I share a little bit of travel and a little bit of life to give some insight to what it's like to be part of our agency!
Trips I've Been Planning
Obviously, every trip is important to us, as we love our clients and want them to have the best experience! But sometimes hearing what other people are doing provides great inspiration, and so I will try to do that in this section.
During April and May, bookings slow way down as people are busy with Easter, graduations, end-of-school events, and the Indy 500 festivities. This is a welcome break because it allows me to catch up on training and projects that I've been too busy to work on.
During these two months, my overall top supplier was Royal Caribbean, with Celebrity in second, but I also booked Norwegian, Holland America, Apple Vacations, Sandals, Scenic, Viking, and Princess. The bookings were pretty much even between the rest of 2026 and 2027.
I got to start planning some fun trips during these months. One client is celebrating a milestone birthday with a group on Norwegian's Pride of America in Hawaii, and another is celebrating her birthday at Sandals. I got to help plan a honeymoon to a Secrets resort, and a couple of anniversary trips!
Trips I Can't Stop Thinking About
Again, I love to travel (hence why I chose this profession), but sometimes there's a trip I plan that I have to add to my bucket list!
I had a couple that sailed on Celebrity Flora in the Galápagos trip, and I was so excited for them to experience it! They called when they got home and truly loved their trip. Will and I decided to book it at the last minute, and we will be going next month! (I still can't believe we are going! We typically aren't spontaneous, and you'll see later that I just got back from a big trip!
From My Travel Journal
As I mentioned, I just returned from an Alaska cruise tour with a friend. We sailed on Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas from Vancouver to Seward, with 4 nights on land, split between Denali Park Village and Fairbanks. While I have done an Alaskan cruise before, this was my first time experiencing the land portion, and it was fantastic!
While I typically don’t recommend this, we flew into Vancouver the same day as the cruise. Thankfully, it all worked out seamlessly, but we had booked our flights through Royal so they could help us if there were any delays. The terminal in Vancouver is a little different than some other ports, so it took about 45 minutes from being dropped off to get on the ship.
The first day, we mainly explored the ship, took a quick nap, enjoyed a lovely dinner (our wait staff was superb!!), and headed to a comedy show before going to bed!
Day 2 - was a sea day. We got up and had brunch in the main dining room, then tried to go for a walk outside, but it was pretty cold and windy. We chose instead to go play cards by a window and keep an eye out for whales, and we saw some playing out in the ocean! I was SO excited (visit our
Facebook page or our
SmugMug link below for the video)!
We then spent some time reading and relaxing before dinner. It was French night, which meant my favorite dessert (crème brûlée) was on the menu (and yes, I had two!) We spent our evening in a venue called Two70. This area cost 33 million dollars when it was built. By day, it gives a 270-degree view of the outside and by night transforms into a unique theatre-type space!
Day 3 - we woke up in Ward’s Cove (adjacent to Ketchikan). We had some bald eagles perched in the trees right outside our balcony. We had breakfast, went for a walk, and then had reservations to try out the North Star, a capsule on an arm that elevates guests 300 ft.
There are packages that cost money for longer rides or during peak times, but for a shorter time, it’s complimentary, though you do need a reservation (make it through the app when you get on the ship on day 1).
Then we took the complimentary shuttle to Ketchikan, where we walked over to the Creek Street area and wandered through the streets and shops before shuttling back to Ward’s Cove. Back onboard we tried out the RipCord skydiving simulator (also complimentary for some packages but needs to be reserved in advance!).
Then we headed for dinner (Italian night!) before watching The Nashville Tenors in the theatre. The weather was superb (which is unusual for Ketchikan, where it always rains!)
Day 4 - After breakfast, we relaxed and read for a little bit, played some cards, and then in the afternoon, we docked in Icy Strait Point. We got off the ship and did a gondola ride that goes up 1500 feet to get some great views. We then took a tram into an area that had some restaurants and shops, and a walk into Hoonah.
Day 5 - This morning, we headed out to Sitka. There’s a shuttle that takes you to the main town, which is helpful to reserve in advance (although our ship got in early, so they didn’t look at our reservation time).
I really wanted to whale watch here, so we booked an excursion with a max of 6 passengers. It was the best way to do it! When we saw whales (and other sea creatures), there wasn’t a mad push to see them. Plus, we had absolutely gorgeous weather again. It was completely perfect!
Back on the ship, after dinner, we went to The Price is Right in the theatre and then enjoyed some time on our balcony.
Day 6 - Skagway. We went for a quick breakfast before heading in to explore Skagway. A few years ago, there was a rock slide that affected the dock area, so now certain ships need to shuttle past that area. We headed for the national park office, where we got some hiking options. Again, we had the perfect weather- just in t-shirts today!
After doing one of the hikes, we explored the shops in this quaint town known for the gold rush. Then we headed back to the ship for lunch, work, a nap, and games before dinner at the Japanese steakhouse Izumi! This is probably my favorite specialty dining venue with Royal Caribbean. It does have an upcharge, but sometimes you can score a deal.
After dinner, we went to the production show “A Beautiful Dream”. Royal Caribbean is known for its entertainment, and the cast was great.
Day 7 - We woke up a little before 7 to see Hubbard Glacier. It’s a little different experience than some of the other glacier viewings I’ve had, but always amazing to think of the years the ice has been packed in! The rest of the day, we were at sea, so we spent the day relaxing, packing, shopping, and saying goodbye to our favorite crew members!
Day 8 - We disembarked the ship in Seward, but we weren’t as sad as we normally would be because it meant we were headed to Denali! After meeting our tour guide and getting on our coach bus, we headed for Anchorage. We had some fun pit stops along the way, and he also prepared us with our itinerary for the next few days and some additional excursions on land that we could choose.
For lunch in Anchorage, we chose a restaurant called Humpy’s. I had the low-carb salmon, and it was delicious! After that, we had some free time for about an hour, so we utilized our free pass to the Anchorage Museum.
We had a stop at a grocery store to load up on snacks (and we bought breakfast foods) so that we could save money. We had another pit stop at a cafe/gift shop that had amazing cinnamon rolls and some great views of Mt Denali!
We made it to our lodge around 6:30 in the evening, and we headed out soon after for a flightseeing excursion. WOW!! It was about $500 per person, but worth every penny!!
Day 9 - We headed out early for a wilderness tundra tour in Denali National Park. Right away, we saw a moose on the side of the road. Not too far later, there was a grizzly bear right next to us on the side of the road! As we traveled through the park, we got to see the full north side of Denali, more moose and a couple more bears, quite a few caribou, and a couple of sightings of Dall sheep.
It was about a 6-hour tour, and they gave us super cute snack boxes with a map of a portion of the park. We got back to the lodge and explored our little village area. Then we walked to a Thai food truck for some amazing pad Thai!
Day 10 - We checked out of the Denali Park Village and headed to “Downtown Denali” for some shopping. Then we took a detour to see the Denali Canyon (great road signs!) before heading to the national park for lunch and free time. We then boarded the train for Fairbanks and ate a delicious dinner on board. In Fairbanks, we had some time to explore the area around our hotel.
Day 11- our final day! In the morning, we headed for the Riverboat Discovery Tour aboard a sternwheeler cruise, where we saw a floatplane demonstration, sled dog demonstration, and a living history village showcasing Native Alaskan culture.
After that, our guide pivoted our plans, and we had a picnic lunch on the bus and visited the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor museum. We then went to Santa Claus’s house in the North Pole (so fun!) and stopped at the Valdez pipeline.
This experience was amazing! If you have the time and the budget, I really recommend doing both the cruise and the Denali area.
Travel Updates You'll Want to Know
As Carnival prepares to change its loyalty program, if you were previously enrolled in its VIFP club, you'll need to opt in to the new program. It won't roll over automatically. You can do so at https://carnivalrewards.com/get-started
Carnival Corporation also had a data breach. You can find out more information here... https://www.carnivalcorp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Website-Notice-Substitute-Notice-05.27.26.pdf
Norwegian announced it will be opening its waterpark on its private island in the Bahamas starting on Sept 4th. If you have a sailing scheduled, you can buy the day pass in your account (or if you need a sailing there, please reach out! ).
Life Lately
Sometimes being a travel agent is harder than expected. While in Alaska, I got news that one of my clients had passed away unexpectedly. My goal is always to build a relationship and have repeat bookings, which means that some of my clients are really dear to my heart. This news hurt badly. This client was part of two couples that loved meeting together to plan their trips, and they always had me rolling on the floor laughing. No one warned you that this job would break your heart sometimes.
On a happier note, I am still loving my treadmill walking times with my buddies!
Will and I finished the West Wing! Overall, loved it! We also watched the movies Remarkably Bright Creatures (on Netflix) and Pressure (technically, this was in June). We really enjoyed them both!
Our daughter came for a visit and brought Hektor (her new puppy). Here's how cute he was helping me work (background blurred to protect any information)!
Thanks for reading, and have a great month!
Nikki Gott, Co-Owner, Magnified Vacations
Nikki Gott is a travel advisor based in Avon, IN, specializing in cruises, all-inclusive resorts, and Hawaiian vacations. Affiliated with Dream Vacations, Nikki is known for her deep destination knowledge, personalized service, and genuine care for her clients — many of whom have trusted her with their travel plans for over a decade. Whether you're planning your first cruise or your fiftieth, Nikki is dedicated to making every trip seamless, memorable, and perfectly tailored to you.
