Nikki's Travel News - August/September 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 into 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, so I'll try to do that in this section. 

With the kids back in school in our area, booking travel picked up again (which is normal for us). 

During these two months,  my overall top supplier was Royal Caribbean (by far!), and Princess was second, but I also booked Celebrity, Norwegian, and Holland America. 

I also had bookings for Tauck, Oceania, and Cunard, which are suppliers I don't often get the opportunity to book!  The bookings were pretty much focused on 2027, although there were still quite a few for 2026 and one for 2028!

I got to start planning some fun trips during these months.  I am helping several friend groups and families traveling together, from everywhere from the Caribbean to Alaska to Europe, with both transatlantic and transpacific sailings! 

I also got the pleasure of helping several first-time cruisers get booked- they don't know how great their vacations are going to be yet, and that's so exciting to me! 

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! This was an especially fun couple of months for me to watch my clients travel. 

I had several clients in Northern Europe over the past two months, which is an area I have yet to explore.  Check out some of these itineraries!

From My Travel Journal

 

August and September are months we usually stay home because of personal commitments.  But we got to spend several weekends with family visiting us from out of town, which we absolutely loved!

 

Stay tuned as November is a big travel month for me, and in December we always take our Christmas family cruise!

 

 

Travel Updates You'll Want to Know 

This has been a big couple of months for travel news! 

Carnival's new ship Tropicale opened for new bookings.  This ship will sail out of Galveston, TX starting in April 2028.

Norwegian's new Great Tides Waterpark on their private island, Great Stirrup Cay, in the Bahamas, has opened. Featuring 19 slides, cliff jumping at Cliffside Cove, a surprise-filled Wandering River, and Splash Cay- a perfect place for families with younger kids, this is a waterpark I can't wait to visit! 

Royal Caribbean announced the Legend of the Seas Godmother will be retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Lori J. Robinson.  Robinson has been described as a role model for women in service.  Gen. Robinson was the nation’s first female combatant commander and former leader of NORAD and NORTHCOM, inspiring generations through her example. The naming ceremony will be held on Veterans Day in Ft. Lauderdale. 

Royal Caribbean and Sandals also announced that the Royal Caribbean Group plans to buy a 50% stake in Sandals. I personally am very excited to see where this partnership goes in the future!

Princess recently announced an increase in price for their Plus and Premier packages, which will went into effect Oct 13th. 

Celebrity celebrated their first river cruise float-out!  The Celebrity Compass touched water for the first time, and it was exciting to get a sneak peek at what the vessel will look like in pictures of the event.  Celebrity's river cruises debut in August 2027.  They are pretty sold out for 2027, but if you are interested, I can get you pricing for 2028!

Life Lately

The past two months have been sweet times with family and friends.  My birthday is in August, and I celebrate the WHOLE month!!  :)  I enjoyed lots of dinners with friends, and our daughter came home for that weekend AND Labor Day weekend with Hektor, her dog. We also got to go to Iowa to visit family, and then last weekend they came here to visit us!

The fall is also when a lot of suppliers hold trainings and events, which are great opportunities to get updates, strengthen relationships with our suppliers, and connect with other advisors.

Football also started, which I love, but it's been a rough start for the Colts! 

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.