Nikki's News- June and July 2026
Nikki's Travel News - June/July 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, so I'll try to do that in this section.
June and July are normally slower, as they are the two summer months in our area (kids start back at school at the end of July). This typically is a good time for me to travel and continue catching up on some projects. But this summer, we were busier than normal- which was a pleasant surprise!
During these two months, my overall top supplier was Royal Caribbean, and Princess was second (we have a lot of special pricing for them!), but I also booked Celebrity, Norwegian, Holland America, Apple Vacations, Silversea, and Viking. The bookings were pretty much focused on 2027, although there were still quite a few for 2026 and five for 2028!
I got to start planning some fun trips during these months. I got to help plan a mother/daughter trip, several friend groups, a surprise birthday trip, a last-minute European cruise for a different vacation that had fallen through, a graduation trip, and a multigenerational trip.
An interesting trend is that Alaska 2027 is getting sold out for some things. My husband Will had a group of friends that wanted a certain cruise tour on Princess, and there wasn't a date in the summer that had 6 spots for the cruise tour. And I sold the last two cabins on a sailing that would hold more than two people. I don't remember Alaska being so sparse a year out before!
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 guests in Alaska, Ireland (a guided tour), Turks and Caicos (resort), the West Coast (out of LA), Canada/Bermuda, the Caribbean (of course!), and European cruises. I love so many of those destinations and would go to any of them again.
But if I had to pick one to add to my "travel list," it would be a trip some clients took to Japan, mostly because my son really wants to go and I know I'll end up there in the next several years! They sailed on Celebrity, although this summer I also booked some clients to go there on Silversea in 2028 during the Cherry Blossom season.
From My Travel Journal
Travel Updates You'll Want to Know
Celebrity recently announced an increase to their gratuities. I've reached out to my clients who don't already have them on their booking. You can prepay them at the original rate if you do so several days before sailing.
Royal Caribbean cancelled sailings to their private destination in Labadee, Haiti, through June 2027. They also took possession of the Legend of the Seas, which started her inaugural season in Europe. She will come to the US in November. Stay tuned because I plan to be onboard for the US inaugural/naming ceremony.
Life Lately
Our family jumped on the World Cup bandwagon (although we were a house divided on who to root for!).
I shared last month the loss of one of the clients that had us heartbroken. In July, we unfortunately experienced more loss. The first was the mother of one of my dearest friends. Ms. E was 99 years old and was full of fun stories. I'm so thankful she lived close in the past several years so that I could spend time with her.
We also lost a close family friend unexpectedly. I'm a picture person, and after I heard and processed the news, I immediately thought of a picture we had taken as a family in 2018 on a cruise. It was a good reminder to take the trip while you can and make all the memories because tomorrow isn't promised.
On a happier note, here is some Hektor cuteness!
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.
