Nikki's Travel News - December 2025

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. 

This month, the cruise line I booked the most was Royal Caribbean which isn't uncommon.  I also booked Celebrity, Virgin, Princess, and Globus (guided tour).  In December, the length until the departure was spread out pretty evenly among close in cruises (leaving 1st quarter of 2026), the rest of 2026, or farther out (2027/2028 bookings). 

I mentioned the Globus tour, and that's something some people may not think of when they think of travel experiences.  Guided tours are a great way to see a lot of places in a short amount of time, while having everything taken care of. 

This one is a faith based tour of the Footsteps of Paul... you can see more information here... https://agents.globusfamily.com/travel/footsteps-of-apostle-paul/TP?season=2027&referral=eyJhZ2VuY3lJZCI6MzM2NDg1LCJhZ2VudElkIjo2MjcwMjd9

Here's a map that shows the itinerary...

Globus also has Escape tours, which are discounted and take place during off seasons so there are less crowds.  

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 month, I had a sweet couple depart on a Viking river cruise doing Christmas markets on the Rhine and Moselle, with an extension where they spent Christmas Day in Paris!

Our family had the opportunity to do a river cruise experiencing European Christmas markets in 2024, and we had a blast!  It's one of my favorite trips we've ever done!  This itinerary is one for me to go back and do someday!

From My Travel Journal

This month, our family spent Christmas on Holland America's Nieuw Statendam, cruising in the Caribbean.  It was such a sweet time for our family, as our grown son and daughter got to come with us.  Will and I splurged and stayed in the Neptune Suite, which I highly recommend if you can swing it!  Our kids were in their own cabin, and it worked out perfectly. 

We got to go to Half Moon Cay (a private island owned by the cruise line in the Bahamas, Jamaica, Grand Cayman (my first time making it there!), and Cozumel (although we didn't get off the ship here).  Stay tuned for my blog post with more about our time onboard, but let me just say it was AMAZING!  And thank you to our clients who allowed me to take most of the week off to spend time focused on our family!

For now, you can also check out some pictures we took at https://magnifiedvacations.smugmug.com/Holland-America-Nieuw-Statendam

Travel Updates You'll Want to Know 

Last month, I shared about Celebrity's new ship, the Xcel, but failed to mention Disney's new ship, the Disney Destiny, with its villain theme!  In December, one of our associates had the opportunity to sail on the Destiny, so if you are interested in any details, please let me know!  Here are some of her thoughts from her experience...

The Haunted Mansion and DeVil’s venues are a blast. The Hercules stage show was awesome. They shower the left side of the audience with roses and release confetti on the main level. Guests were lining up 45–60 minutes early on both levels to get good seats, and I’d recommend doing the same. It’s offered twice—at 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM. 

Definitely see the Frozen show as well. People lined up early for that, too, though the wait wasn’t as long. The food in Pride Lands is very African-inspired and surprisingly good. The Marvel restaurant has a Groot theme, which was cute, though different from the experience on the Disney Wish.

I loved the comedy shows at the Grand Stage. The chandelier show throughout the day was also super fun.  Bring a power bank and your own USB chargers, because there are no standard USB ports in the rooms—only USB-C. MagicBands would have been very helpful on a ship this new, so I’d recommend bringing them. The horns are amazing and play at noon each day—don’t miss them!

Royal Caribbean also opened its new beach club in Nassau on Paradise Beach.  This is a great alternative for people who have been to Nassau and want something new. The beach club consists of 3 neighborhoods, 3 pools, 3 dining spots, and 10 bars.  There are a variety of cabanas. It does require purchasing a day pass to go there, though there are a couple of different options to choose from. 

Life Lately

December went quickly, and our main excitement was our Christmas cruise.  One fun thing that happened was one night Will and I went to dinner with our son, and one of our clients who has become a good friend walked in.  She refers quite a few people to us, and several of them were with her, so we got to meet them in person and put faces with names!  It was a fun surprise blessing! 

Overall, the month was quieter than normal, so I got to have some relaxation time and some time to exercise (something I need to do more!)   We spent New Year's Eve with some friends playing games and tried a new restaurant!

Wishing you and your family a wonderful start to 2026!

Nikki Gott