Luxury travel is about more than just beautiful spaces—it’s about how you feel while you’re there. For life coach Bev Aron, her recent anniversary trip aboard a luxury kosher cruise was the ultimate lesson in effortless indulgence.
This episode is sponsored by: Deep Dive Coaching Institute
Experience exclusive, personalized coaching with Bev Aron. Whether you are growing a business, strengthening relationships, or embracing self-acceptance, Bev provides deep, transformative support.
Discover the most luxurious way to up-level your life at https://bevaron.com/
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What if luxury wasn’t about extravagance, but about ease? In this episode, Bev Aron shares how her kosher cruise on the Emerald Azura delivered a kind of seamless comfort that most trips miss. It wasn’t just about the gleaming yacht, the private beaches, or the gourmet meals—it was about waking up to the perfect coffee without having to ask, finding her place set at every meal without a word, and realizing that true luxury is never feeling like a guest in your own experience. This is a conversation about what happens when travel is designed around you.
Dr. Krystal Sodaitis is a board-certified pediatrician, healthcare executive, life coach for neurodiverse physicians, and the host of Luxury Cruising. With a passion for high-end travel, she helps listeners navigate the world of luxury cruising through practical advice, captivating stories, and expert interviews. Her goal is to inspire extraordinary travel experiences for everyone.
📍 Website luxurycruising.net
📧 Email luxurycruisingpodcast@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/krystalsodaitis
EP 10 Kosher Cruising in Luxury ===
[00:00:00] Welcome to Luxury Cruising. I am so excited to have Bev Aaron from Bev Aaron Coaching here to talk to us today about her Emerald River Cruise. Um, Bev Aaron Coaching is the exclusive sponsor of this podcast right now, and I am so grateful for her sponsorship and her support. And with that, I will pass it to Just tell the audience anything you want them to know about you.
Thank you so much, Crystal. Well, firstly, I'm so thrilled to be here with you. I was with you when you came up with the idea for this podcast. So it's so fun to see you actually making it happen. Um, I have been a life coach for the past 14 years and I specialize in exclusive coaching packages for people who want.
the very best. Absolutely. Luxury coaching on Luxury Cruising podcast. Yes, that is what we do. So tell us about this. Tell us [00:01:00] about your Emerald cruise. Was there anything special? Did you, were you looking for luxury? Yes. So my 30th anniversary was coming up and my husband and I realized we're four children, um, that we had not taken trip specifically for us.
That wasn't connected to work or to the children. And we decided we wanted to do something really special for ourselves. Um, we had, um, we wanted to go somewhere we'd both never been before. And, um, we. are kosher in how we eat. We're Jewish and we're kosher. And so usually when we travel to beautiful places, we eat only vegan or vegetarian food.
And so that's always sort of like a little sticking point for us. And, um, I was talking to my sister in law about it and she told me there's a company called Kosher River Cruises who partner with luxury lines and, um, offer exclusively kosher cruises on the typical luxury lines [00:02:00] with their crew and their beautiful yachts.
So I immediately went online and all it took was a video of the Emerald Azura. Which is the yacht that they were using for Costa Rica and Panama and that was it. I watched it I think 10 times in a row and that was it. It's like sold. Sold. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Tell us about the ship. Okay, so it's a yacht that serves a hundred people.
It's very sleek and white and gorgeous and all the suites are spacious with your own beautiful little And there's a gorgeous pool and there's a hot tub and, um, it just looks very gleaming. Yeah, it really is. It's very spacious. The carpets are very soft and the mirrors are always gleaming and everything's just polished.
There's always people vacuuming and polishing and [00:03:00] there's comfortable indoor areas. Gorgeous outdoor areas to search and to eat and to relax. Um, is this wherever you want to be? There's always a very comfortable place to be. There's bars all over, cappuccino all over. Beautiful, beautiful. And is it, it's gleaming so, is it more sort of like modern elegance or would you think of it more as like traditional like, cause when I think of traditional elegance I think of like the wood.
Yeah, no, this is not that. This is modern. Yes, modern, minimalist, simplicity, elegance. Amazing, amazing. So other than, you know, being really spacious, was there anything luxurious about the stateroom? So the stateroom, all the chairs were very comfy, huge windows. Wherever you were, it was just windows to see the ocean.
And, um, What felt very luxurious, we just happened to be lucky. We signed up for this trip, it [00:04:00] was waitlisted, and then they added a second one. So, although it, um, can accommodate 100, there were 35 on us with full crew, because they were going back from, um, Costa Rica to Panama. So, it was very spacious.
Wherever you sat, whatever chair, it just felt very comfortable. And there was a bar with Really fun bartender making whatever drinks you wanted and, you know, cappuccino machine if you wanted that. Um, so I haven't been on cruises before, so I can't compare. It just felt like a very, very, um, allowed where you want it to be.
Yeah. Yeah. Like plush seating and, you know, just the perfect, the perfect atmosphere. And so on this ship that usually has a hundred people, there were only 35, 35 of us. I think it was way more crew than, um, than people and the crew were amazing. I, I believe it was the sort of the cream of the cream because we spent a lot of time [00:05:00] talking to them because they had time.
Yeah. They're from all over the world, which I think is not typical, but the conditions, as I understand it, Emeralds are, they get paid way more and their working conditions, I think they're sort of double pay for half the amount of hours. So they were just really happy and felt privileged to be there and so fun to talk to and spend time with.
Yeah. And you know, when you get a crew like that, like their whole philosophy, like they, they know it's really important to, um, to cater to the guests and to, and service. Like for me, that's one of the things I think of the most of what I think of as luxury is like really good service, personalized service that isn't like in your face.
Yes, exactly. I agree with you. I think, um, a place that is luxurious, but feels very anonymous. We stayed at two hotels on either end, also high end luxury. The one was very small and very personalized. They knew us. They would be [00:06:00] following on their cart and not offer to pick us up. They knew where we lived.
The other's very big and busy. And for me, that doesn't feel like luxury, even though. Ace is luxurious. But here, for example, my husband and I like to always sit outside to eat. Even though it was very hot, most people didn't. So there would be always our place set for us. The minute I sat down, there was the exact coffee I like to eat.
There was the exact drinks. We didn't have to say a word. Yeah. Yeah. That's another thing too. The crew get to know you. So well, and you know, you come in and they call you by name and they have your specific drink and you know, it's just, it's just amazing. It's just amazing. It's very, um, it's very easy. I think you feel very relaxed when you know.
Every need is going to be taken care of. Every request is going to be a yes. You're not going to have to sort of fight or beg or maneuver for anything. So tell us about the food because you specifically were looking for [00:07:00] this because you wanted a cruise that was all, all of the food was kosher. Like you were really confident that you didn't have to worry.
About anything. So tell us something, because we were talking earlier that when I think of kosher food, I don't really think of luxury. Right? So , so tell us about the food. Yeah, I mean, kosher food is. Come a long way. I, since I know you said you grew up in the eighties, there's gourmet kosher wherever you, wherever you go, you can go, um, this, this cruise line actually is going to Antarctica next, um, next year.
So, okay. So what happens is big undertaking. They have to move in and change the whole kitchen around the, they have to have the. Kosher River Cruises has to bring in their own chef, their own staff, and, you know, people overseeing it to make sure that everything's done. So I believe it's not the typical menu, um, but lavish buffets every time, tons and tons of choice, meats and vegetarians and beautiful salads, fresh every [00:08:00] time, and I understood that they had to, they get their supplies.
For the seven days when they leave, because we don't really stop anywhere that, um, that's big because, because it's such a small yacht that, that, you know, you don't go to any of the ports, you, you, we go to tiny private beaches and, um, and stuff like that. But, and so I kept expecting the food to get old or repetitive or the salads to look wilted, but not at all, every time just beautiful, colorful, healthy, or decadent if you wanted.
And, um, one of the things that was cruises. We would go to private beaches, secluded beaches that, you know, certainly ships can't go to and other people couldn't go. And we went and we would arrive there and then we've gone and set up with. Tables with all the drinks and the snacks for us. And it's gorgeous, you know, fresh, fresh coconuts waiting for us.
Shays, lounges, all the toys, all the water toys just waiting. Oh, we would arrive back in the, um, [00:09:00] Zodiac. And as you come off, they're offering you, you know, a truffle or a freezing cold, freezy, if it's very hot. So he's just. It was just very sort of elegantly done, uh, to meet the moment. Yeah. Yeah. So even off the ship, it wasn't just, do you remember, what were some of the like ports and beaches that you went to?
So I, I was actually, I'm trying to look at the itinerary just before, but I don't, they don't seem to be offering it, neither Kosher River cruises, nor, um, Um, but the beaches were, they weren't ports. We didn't go to any ports. We went to just private, secluded beaches. I don't even know if they had names.
Most of the time there was no one there, but us, or there, it would be a nature reserve and there might be a small store or a small bar because I guess other days people come there. Um, but the idea was sort of Costa Rica and Panama unexplored. Yeah, that sounds gorgeous. [00:10:00] Right. So like, instead of, what a difference instead of like, Pulling into this giant berth where there might be like four other ships and, you know, 10, 000 people.
It's just you and 35 of your closest friends hanging out at this beach. Yeah. Much of the time, Crystal, you could walk all the way around the yacht and not see another boat. Wow. That's amazing. It was amazing. We stopped also at a nature, we went for an amazing nature walk at some kind of nature, but I, I can't remember.
What that was called either. Sorry. Um, so, and on the ship, was there, like, I'm just wondering, was there entertainment, or did you all just, what did you do in the evenings? So we had, um, some interesting lectures, which were brought on by, um, Coastal River Cruises. So they would have, um, a flavor of explaining, um, Jewish history in Costa Rica and in Panama.
Very, uh, he was a professor from, [00:11:00] Costa Rica, University of Costa Rica. Amazing, amazing man. So we had some interesting lectures with slides. We had, there was a rabbi also giving some interesting lectures, and then the crew were very talented. One of the, so we had them as well. So one of the, the sort of person who ran the activities had, had, um, graduated from, it's not Juilliard.
Um, he had trained in musical theater in London, like with Andrew Lloyd Webber. We had evenings of, of singing and theater and dance. And then we had karaoke kind of fun nights. So quite casual because it was so few of us. So everything was sort of very casual and come as you are, come if you want to, no need to dress up.
Um, that was pretty much the extent of the, I think it was a movie one night. But, uh, not, not enormous amount of entertainment, I would say. Yeah, more low key, not these like big giant [00:12:00] production shows with like, you know, pyrographics or whatever it is. Ah, no. Quackworks and drones and not any of that. It was more, you know, relaxed.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't think this kind of cruise, like, attracted people who wanted that. I just, for me, entertainment was being outside. Just watching the sun. The whales, the whales. Did you say? Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah. And just to relax. Like this, it seems like this was really just a great ship and opportunity to relax.
And I love like the nature and, and seeing, um, you know, if you wanted in the evening to, like you said, like interact with the crew and do karaoke or just probably go back to your room and read and relax. Relax. Yeah. The room was comfortable. The other thing that I discovered when you're In such luxury, luxury, both physically, but also the way you're taking care of is it's [00:13:00] so easy to just love the person you're with.
I mean, I do love my husband for sure. We've been married for 30 years, but it was so interesting to me to just observe how easy it was to just always like see him in this favorable, rosy, lovely light. Cause it's such an abundant place, which is just interesting to me. Yeah, I think that's fantastic because you know, you are, you're generally happy.
People are generally happy. And so, you know, you can just decide, like, we're just not gonna nitpick, you know, every vacation has its ups and downs, it's like, we're just not gonna nitpick. And when everything is taken care of for you, um, speaking of which, and just going back a little bit, I know some of the lines actually take care of like your transportation and your transfers.
Did they do anything for you for that? Or did you have to get yourself to wherever you embarked? So you could have, you could have signed up for, um, a night before and a night after and some touring and then it was from the airport to the port, but we decided to [00:14:00] extend and we wanted to spend a few days in Costa Rica in the beginning, Panama in the end, so they put us in touch with, um, a travel agent who took care of us beautifully on the Costa Rica side, um, on the Panama side, we just took care of ourselves.
Yeah. Yeah. Fine and easy. Amazing. Amazing. And so, um, Is there just, like, one dining room, or do they have, like, specialty dining, everybody eats together? Yeah, one dining room, um, they don't seat you, it's on our cruise, so there's tables of four, tables of two, indoor, outdoor, and, um, everybody eats together, there was only 35 of us, and, like, one seating.
Yeah. Yeah. Amazing food. Delicious food. So if you had to pick the most luxurious aspect of the trip, what do you think it would be?[00:15:00]
Oh, that's tough. I think I'm going to say the service. Yeah. I mean, you just couldn't walk anywhere without seeing crews scurrying around, making your bed, make it for the second time, for the third time, cleaning, greeting you, offering you something, cooking something funner, giving a joke. I think that probably was the most.
Luxurious part of it for me. I don't think I've experienced that anywhere else. That level. Amazing. Amazing. Yeah. Stepping back from this particular cruise, what, how do you define luxury? Hmm. Yeah, that's interesting because I don't, luxury sort of travel or luxury loving is, is not [00:16:00] what I would say how we live.
In general, or even aspire to probably if I think of, you know, my varied experiences, luxury and not gain, I think I'm going to go to the level of service and attention that I know I'm going to get. Sometimes I'll be in a luxury place and they just keep saying yes and it'll become a game, whether it's the cruise or the hotel, I want to find the limit.
So I just keep asking for things. And, um, we stayed recently in a, it was actually in a luxury Airbnb in Porto Vallarta and the, the, the property manager, Could not do enough for us place. Very luxurious. Very beautiful. But he defined the luxury for me and I just kept asking him for more and more outrageous things.
And on our last night, last day, my daughter wanted one of the coconuts, you know, that had the straw in it, right? Yes. The, the, the whole coconut to suck the water. So we went on the beach and by the time we had to leave, they hadn't arrived [00:17:00] yet, the people who sell them. So I called him up and go, could you get one for us?
He's like, yeah, we, you know, we have the, whatever, upstairs in the bar we have, no, no, no. We want, we want the full coconut with the straw. We don't want something from a bottle. So 10 minutes before our transfer is about to arrive, he walks in, he's carrying a wagon and he has four coconuts for us with a straw, freshly cut.
Amazing. It feels like luxury to me. Yeah. It's almost like. Luxury is, you know, all of your wishes are coming true, right? Yes. Yes. You help all my wishes come true. That is exactly right. That probably is how we define it. Yeah. Yeah. And I think it's important what you said. It's like, to have, you can have a luxury vacation.
And not, it doesn't have to define you. It doesn't mean that every vacation has to be luxurious. Like, this was a special occasion. And you know what? All out. Yeah. [00:18:00] Exactly. You know, and I love the fact that you watch the video and you're like, done. Oh my gosh. Yes. Yes. I, I, as you know about me, Chris, I'm very intuitive.
I make decisions intuitively. And as I'm watching it, I'm just like, I know this is exactly, everything they're showing me is real. And it's just going to be like made for me. Yeah. Any other luxury travel plans, cruise or otherwise? That's interesting, actually, because the same company is doing Vietnam and Cambodia on a riverboat.
In the summer, next summer, summer of 2025. And that is what you were talking about. Traditional elegance, wood paneling, very luxurious, all suites. And, um, we're thinking about that. That's going to be much more of a cultural trip. Apparently you go up and you learn about the culture. So that's the one option.
The other is, um, and Arctic, which my husband has always wanted to go to. So, um. Those are the ones that we're [00:19:00] considering. Nothing is, nothing is planned yet. We do have a bit of, quite a bit of travel planned, but none of it would be what we would call luxury. Very nice, but yeah. Those are definitely two luxury, two, like, bucket list trips for me.
And the key about the Antarctica, I would say, is it's really important to go to Antarctica on a small ship, because if you go on too large of a ship, you actually can't get off the boat. They don't allow people to debark above a certain number of guests. Interesting. I think this was 40 maybe? It's very small.
So you may actually be able to get off and step on. The continent. You want to check with them, as opposed to other larger ships that say they go to Antarctica, you're really just sailing by. Oh no, that would be an absolute no. Yeah, so something to, something to double check, [00:20:00] um, before you decide. And yeah, like That's on mine too, like Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
I think that's the Mekong River. Yes, that's it. Mekong River cruise. That's exactly right. I think there's some biking. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I do feel with cruising, I wouldn't want to do it if it wasn't luxury. I have no interest in, you know, huge mass market cruises. Like, that just makes me feel very Yeah. I'm excited.
Yeah. And especially after you've had this experience where it's a small group and hopefully you find other interesting. The other thing too I love about cruising is there's other people with sort of you tend to find people with similar interests that also want to hear about the area. They want to know what the cultural history, you know, what the history is.
They want to learn about the culture. Um, I mean, I do my fair share of, you know, I do my fair share of mass market. Yeah. Cruising as well, you know, especially with kids. I think that's, you know, a [00:21:00] benefit that's one of the benefits of the bigger ships is for kids, but even they're like. I can usually find someone who is also interested in travel or, you know, talking about cruising.
Um, and that's one of the things I love about, about cruising. Yes, it's true. Well, I mean, you're so good at that Crystal, you just find people to get to know, make friends with. But yeah, it is part of the fun of it. Well, awesome. And this one is, will also be, the next one will also be through kosher cruising.
Yes. Cause now that's what we want to do. We just want to know that we're just, it's part of the being taken care of. Yeah. Yeah. Food is taken care of for us. So yeah, yeah, yeah. So that will be the only one. There are other companies that do kosher cruises, but it's more in the mass market ships and then you have your own little private section.
So this just feels much more. Yes. Yes. Instead of being like hurried over to like one little area, then it's just the whole ship. [00:22:00] It's cool. The whole ship is yours. Oh, my. Yeah. And also, then that's the same thing, like, you're with other people where this is important to them. Yeah. Right? This is an important part of their life, important enough that they would Take the time and the energy and the expense to be on this type of trip.
Yes, and everyone's just so relaxed because everyone's needs are being taken care of. Yeah. Very conducive to just getting to know people in such a lovely way. Amazing. Amazing. Well, this has been so awesome. Do you want to tell people about Beth Aaron coaching? Oh, sure, I will. So, um, since we're talking about luxury today, I'm going to talk about my luxury, my private coaching, which is, it's really for people who have Already done some work, some personal growth work who are open to it, who love it.
Maybe you've done therapy and, um, you just know that you haven't touched the core of what you [00:23:00] need to uncover in order to be your very best, most vibrant self. And, um, that's what we do. We have fairly intense packages. It's, um, generally by referral only. So you would have to say you were a perfect crystal of luxury cruising.
And then, um. If it's a fit, we go, we dive deep. We, um, we do work in a way that's deeply healing and deeply safe. And also if I'm not the right person, I have trained over a hundred amazing coaches, like Crystal, who I can connect you with. Yeah. Can't, can't endorse Bev for coaching, teaching, all the things more.
So if you feel like, if anybody listening feels like they really are ready to dig, dive beneath the surface for coaching and self development, Bev Aaron Coaching. We'll put the link in the show notes. [00:24:00] Love it. Thanks, Crystal. Thank you.