Next Chapter Voyages

Next Chapter Voyages River cruising, ocean cruising, and everything in between.

I help empty nesters and groups experience the world by water, guided by an advisor who understands exactly where they are in life and handles the details so they can focus on the journey.

I was on a webinar with AmaWaterways earlier this week, and this came up. Didn't want my people to miss it.AmaWaterways ...
06/05/2026

I was on a webinar with AmaWaterways earlier this week, and this came up. Didn't want my people to miss it.

AmaWaterways is running a limited-time offer on their 2026 Christmas Markets sailings, and I wanted to share it while there's still time to act.

Through June 30, select departures are available with up to $2,000 off per stateroom, plus a choice between complimentary airfare to Europe and a pre- or post-land package.

Christmas Markets sailings book early, and the combination of those savings and the added benefit makes this one of the strongest offers I've seen this season.

Have you been considering a river cruise in 2026?

Drop a comment or send me a message, and I'm happy to walk you through what's available.

06/02/2026

⛳ Tee Sponsors get something every marketer wants: a captive audience.

Put your business right where players gather, chat, and wait to tee off. It's simple, affordable, and a great way to generate visibility and support community initiatives.

Reserve your sign today!
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/torigian-golf-classic

"What actually happens at the Sip & Sail?"Here's the honest answer.You show up.Salem Wine Imports takes care of the wine...
06/02/2026

"What actually happens at the Sip & Sail?"

Here's the honest answer.
You show up.
Salem Wine Imports takes care of the wine.
AmaWaterways walks through what river cruising actually looks like for couples in their 50s.
I answer questions in plain language.
No pitch. No contracts. No pressure to do anything.
Just a small room of people having an honest conversation about travel they've been putting off.

Tuesday, June 9, at Olio in Peabody. 6 PM - 8 PM.

If that sounds like your kind of evening, there are still a few spots left.
Registration link in the first comment.

Where will the water take you next?

Cruise Pricing: What's Actually IncludedOne of the most common conversations I have with new cruise clients is about wha...
05/28/2026

Cruise Pricing: What's Actually Included

One of the most common conversations I have with new cruise clients is about what is actually included in the fare they are looking at. The answer depends entirely on the line, and the gap between published price and final cost can be meaningful if no one walks them through it first.

Here is what to expect across the lines most empty nester clients ask about.

Wi-Fi is included on Viking. Often included on Celebrity at the Always Included rate. Add-on for Holland America without the Have It All package.

Gratuities are built into the fare on Viking. Built in on Celebrity Always Included. Add-on for Holland America unless you bundle.

Specialty dining is included on Viking. Built into AquaClass and The Retreat on Celebrity. Add-on for Holland America without the package.

One shore excursion per port is included on Viking. Add-on across the board for most other lines.

The point is not that one line is better. The point is that the fare you see is not always the fare you pay. Comparing brochures without running the final number means comparing different products.

If you want help pricing out a true comparison for a specific itinerary, that is something we do for every client before we book.

Where will the water take you next?

The base fare is the headline number. It’s rarely the whole number.On a European AmaWaterways sailing, a lot is already ...
05/28/2026

The base fare is the headline number. It’s rarely the whole number.

On a European AmaWaterways sailing, a lot is already inside that fare. All onboard dining. Beer and wine at lunch and dinner. The daily Sip & Sail hour. A guided excursion in every port. Ship-wide Wi-Fi. Bicycles ashore. Airport transfers. Port charges built in, not added later.

What sits outside the fare is predictable: airfare to Europe, gratuities, and travel insurance. Optional extras like a pre or post-cruise stay in Prague or Amsterdam, spa services, premium drinks.

None of it is a surprise when you plan for it.

The reason river fares can look higher than ocean fares is that dining, excursions, drinks, and Wi-Fi are already sitting inside the number. Add those back into an ocean fare and the gap usually narrows.

The goal isn’t the lowest fare. It’s knowing what your fare actually buys.

I walk every client through this line by line before they book, so there are no quiet add-ons later.

Weighing a river cruise for 2026 or 2027? Send me a message or book a call through the link in my bio.

Where will the water take you next?

How to Read a Cruise Fare (And What the Numbers Actually Mean)Cruise pricing is more complicated than the brochure makes...
05/27/2026

How to Read a Cruise Fare (And What the Numbers Actually Mean)

Cruise pricing is more complicated than the brochure makes it look. Here's how I break it down.

When most people see a cruise price, they see one number. What I see is three or four, and the gap between them is usually where the confusion starts.

The headline fare is what gets advertised. It's almost always quoted per person, based on two people sharing the room. So the price you see is for one of you, not both. That alone catches a lot of people off guard.

Then there are taxes, fees, and port charges. These are separate from the fare itself, and they're not optional. They cover things like docking at each port and government assessments. On a typical week-long sailing they can add a few hundred dollars per person, and they vary by region. Alaska and the Caribbean don't carry the same fees.

After that, the real question is what the fare actually includes. This is where two cruises at the same price can be completely different trips. One fare might cover your dining, gratuities, drinks, and shore excursions. Another might cover only the room and the buffet, with everything else added on once you're booked. The lower number on paper is not always the lower number when you get home.

And then there are the optional add-ons. Specialty restaurants, beverage packages, internet, spa, and excursions. None of those are wrong to want. They just need to be planned for, not discovered.

This is the part of my job that clients tell me they value most. Not finding the lowest fare, but making sure the fare they're comparing is actually comparable. When you know what each number represents, the decision gets simpler, and the trip gets better.

If you're weighing a few options and the pricing isn't adding up the way you expected, that's exactly the conversation I'm here for. Book a discovery call and we'll walk through it together.

Where will the water take you next?

“What’s included?” is the question I hear most about Viking Ocean, and the honest answer takes more than a fare quote.So...
05/26/2026

“What’s included?” is the question I hear most about Viking Ocean, and the honest answer takes more than a fare quote.

So I’m starting a series that breaks cruise pricing down line by line. No hype, no surprises, just the full picture before you commit.

Viking quotes one number, and it covers more than most ocean lines: your veranda stateroom, every dining venue, beer and wine at meals, Wi-Fi, the thermal spa, and one shore excursion in every port. A few things still sit outside it, mainly gratuities, premium drink packages, extra excursions, and airfare.

Here’s the part worth sitting with. Viking’s fare looks higher at first glance. But once you add back what other lines charge separately, the gap narrows. The real value is how little you have to think about once you’re onboard.

Save this if a Viking sailing is on your radar, and tell me which line I should break down next.

Where will the water take you next?

Something I think every traveler deserves before they book a cruise: a clear picture of what the final number actually i...
05/26/2026

Something I think every traveler deserves before they book a cruise: a clear picture of what the final number actually includes.

The base fare is rarely the whole story. Wi-Fi packages, daily gratuities, specialty dining, premium beverage tiers, and shore excursions. None of these are hidden in a sinister way, but they do tend to surface one at a time, and if no one walks you through them up front, the total can feel like a moving target.

This is one of the quiet reasons people tell me they appreciate working with an advisor. Part of my job is to lay out the entire picture before you commit, so you can choose with full information rather than discovering line items later.

Sometimes the right answer is a cruise line that bundles more into the fare. Sometimes it is a line with a lower starting point where you add only what you actually want.

Both can be smart. What matters is that you knew, and you decided.

River cruising tends to be more inclusive by nature, which is one of the things couples find reassuring about it.

Ocean cruising offers more customization option, which some people prefer. Neither is better. They are just different, and understanding the difference ahead of time is what keeps the experience feeling relaxing instead of surprising.

If you have ever looked at a cruise fare and wondered what else was coming, that question is worth asking out loud before you book.
I am always glad to be the one who answers it.

Where will the water take you next?

05/25/2026

Today is not a travel day.
It is a day to be still, and to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to this country. They did not come home. The trips they never took, the chapters they never got to write, are the reason the rest of us can.

I think about that often in my work. People come to me ready to plan the next part of their lives, the part they have been waiting for. That freedom to choose where to go and who to become is not a small thing. It was paid for.

So today I am not thinking about rivers or oceans or itineraries. I am thinking about the families who carry an empty seat at the table, and about gratitude that runs deeper than any words I can put here.

To everyone who lost someone in service: thank you does not cover it, but it is sincerely meant.

Where will the water take you next? That question can wait until tomorrow. Today, we remember.

A note to the empty nester thinking about cruising alone.I talk with a lot of people in this season of life who've quiet...
05/21/2026

A note to the empty nester thinking about cruising alone.

I talk with a lot of people in this season of life who've quietly been wondering if a cruise on their own is even something they're "allowed" to want.

Maybe you've been recently widowed.
Maybe you're divorced.
Maybe your partner just isn't a traveler, and you've spent years waiting for them to be.
Maybe your kids are grown, and the idea of going somewhere without coordinating with anyone else feels both freeing and unfamiliar.

Whatever brought you here, I want you to know something.
Solo cruising is not a consolation prize.

It's one of the most thoughtful ways to travel at this stage of life. You set your own pace. You linger over breakfast as long as you want. You choose your excursions based on what genuinely interests you, not what works for the group. You eat dinner at a shared table if you want company, or at a quiet two-top if you don't.

The ship handles the logistics. You handle the experience.

A few things I tell solo travelers I work with:
You're not as alone as you think. River cruise ships, in particular, have a built-in rhythm for meeting people without forcing it. Shared dining, small group excursions, and evening lounges. Connection is available, never required.

Cabin choice matters. Some lines offer dedicated solo staterooms without the single supplement. Others waive it during certain sailings. This is where having an advisor saves you real money and frustration.

The first one is the hardest. Almost every solo client I've worked with has told me the same thing afterward. They wish they'd done it sooner.

If you've been turning this idea over quietly, you're not the only one. And you don't have to figure it out alone.

Where will the water take you next?

Address

Peabody, MA
01960 / 01961

Website

https://calendly.com/kevin-giles-nextchaptervoyages/30min, https://www.linkedin.com

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