Dee McConnell just celebrated her 20th anniversary with UnTours, and over those decades, she has worn many hats here. She is our air specialist and works hard to find and ticket good airfares, monitor schedule changes, and help out in the occasional crisis. I’ve always admired her chutzpah, never more so than when I’ve watched her go to bat with the airlines for our clients over the years.
She is an indispensable part of our Swiss Team, and helps run the Dutch UnTour. She also coordinates rail. And more recently, she has stepped up to help with our new cruise offerings in the UnTours Marketplace. Here, Dee discusses her newest hat, Cruise Coordinator.
After so many years working on the Swiss and Dutch UnTours, how did you end up coordinating cruises?
I found the idea of working on something other than an UnTour intriguing. I asked to be a part of the cruise department and my wish was granted. I love what I do, but it’s always fun to learn about a new product.
Which cruises have you taken?
My first river cruise was on the Rhone River from Arles to Lyon with AmaWaterways. We stopped along the way in beautiful French villages. In one village we were able to visit a truffle farm and tag along with the truffle sniffing dog to watch him perform his “duty.” Funnily enough, he seemed to eat as many truffles as he set aside. Afterwards we attended a truffle tasting and were able to purchase some of the truffle products produced on the farm. It was a very unique experience.
That cruise was preceded by a three day stay in Barcelona, which is a fantastic city that I’d love to visit for a longer stretch of time, on an UnTour.
My next river cruise was on the Danube, also with Ama. I started that trip off with a few days on my own in Budapest, and a few days in Prague at the end. It was a whirlwind trip, visiting so many countries and taking different excursions.
I failed to mention that each of these cruises were centered around wine and wine tastings. I would highly recommend these specialty cruises if you’re an oenophile. You’ll visit the wineries, get a chance to speak with the vintners, purchase some of their products, and of course, drink some fine wine. It was a very fun and efficient way to see the highlights.
How do cruises pair with UnTours? Which combinations do you recommend?
Quite often the cruise and UnTour mesh nicely with no lag days or just a few days in between the two. Some of the most popular river cruise combos are the Tulip Time Cruise with a Dutch UnTour, Portraits of Southern France and a Provence or Paris UnTour, and the Enchanting Rhine cruise followed by a Swiss UnTour. If you’re looking for something that offers the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean or the Aegean, a Variety Cruise topped off with a stay in idyllic Nafplio, home of our Greek UnTour, has drawn rave reviews.
Why should someone book a cruise through UnTours rather than directly with the cruise company?
We have personal experience on a number of these cruises and have a good working relationship with the cruise companies and their representatives. If we don’t know the answer to your question we know who to contact to get it. We’re always there to intercede on your behalf if something goes wrong. And as an added bonus we offer clients $100 in shipboard credit as a thank you for booking through us.
What current cruise offerings are you most excited about?
Cuba for sure. It’s a rare opportunity to visit the country with the People to People program. Some of the highlights are visits to museums, community and religious centers, schools, as well as a sea turtle breeding center. What an incredible chance to see a country that’s been frozen in time for 50 years. (I am hoping to visit Cuba myself! It’s been on my bucket list.)
On an entirely different note, we’re offering a Galapagos Cruise on a luxury yacht that sleeps only 16 people. We’ve just about filled the ship for two separate dates with UnTourists who are branching out beyond the European horizon. No surprise here I suppose, many are continuing on to visit Machu Picchu to round out the experience.
Any advice for UnTourists taking a cruise?
One of the most enjoyable things for me is the down time you have (there is very little), when you can sit on the top deck of the ship and move along the river. You can be as busy as you want to be and there is always another port right around the bend so it’s important to pace yourself. You know the old saying “I need a vacation from my vacation.” Try not to let this happen to you.
Cruising is a very good way to see a lot of highlights and then decide what you want to go back and see when you have more time to spend, such as on an UnTour!