Can a river cruise be the perfect family vacation? In this episode of Luxury Cruising Podcast, Dr. Krystal Sodaitis welcomes travel advisor Nicole Damiano as she shares how an AmaWaterways Seine River cruise became a life-changing experience for her and her history-loving teenage son. From Normandy's beaches to intimate onboard moments, discover why river cruising may be one of the most rewarding ways to travel with children.
What if the best family vacation wasn't packed with water slides and endless entertainment, but with meaningful conversations, cultural immersion, and unforgettable shared experiences?
In this episode of Luxury Cruising, Dr. Krystal Sodaitis welcomes travel advisor Nicole Damiano, who shares her family's unique decision to trade traditional vacations for full-time travel around the world. Nicole recounts her memorable sailing aboard AmaWaterways' AmaLyra along France's Seine River, where she and her 13-year-old son explored Normandy, Monet's Garden, medieval castles, and French villages while enjoying the intimate atmosphere that makes river cruising so distinctive.
Nicole explains why river cruising offered something ocean cruises couldn't: slower travel, authentic cultural experiences, and quality family time without constant distractions. She also discusses AmaWaterways' family-friendly atmosphere, exceptional service, world-class cuisine, included excursions, and how thoughtful travel can nurture children's passions and curiosity.
Whether you're considering your first river cruise or wondering if river cruising is suitable for families, this conversation offers practical insights and heartfelt inspiration.
Episode Highlights:
Episode Mentioned:
Episode 77: AmaWaterways Soulful Experience
About the Guest:
Nicole Damiano is a travel advisor and founder of Adventures We Seek, where she specializes in creating meaningful travel experiences for families and adventurous travelers. After selling everything to travel the world with her family, Nicole now helps others design immersive journeys that combine education, culture, and unforgettable experiences. She believes travel should inspire curiosity, deepen family connections, and create lifelong memories.
Website: https://adventuresweseek.com
E-mail: Nicole@fgluxurytravel.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/adventuresweseek
About the Host:
Dr. Krystal Sodaitis is a pediatrician, executive, and life coach for neurodiverse physicians—and the passionate host behind Luxury Cruising. She brings expert insight and honest excitement to every interview, helping curious travelers elevate their adventures at sea.
📍 Website: luxurycruising.net
📧 Email: luxurycruisingpodcast@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/krystalsodaitis
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[00:00:00] Welcome back to Luxury Cruising. I'm your host, Crystal Sarditis, and I've got a really fun interview for you today. Nicole is here, and she is going to talk to us not just about her trip on AmaWaterways' AmaLyra, but also how she created an amazing experience and made river cruising fun for her son.
Nicole, please tell the audience anything you would like them to know about you.
All right. Well, hi, I'm Nicole Damiano, and I am a travel advisor. I have been a full-time travel advisor for two years now, and I started with Favorite Grumpy Travels, and have branched off as an affiliate now with them, and it's Adventures We Seek because that matches who I am as a person and how we operate as a family, which is where the river cruise came in.
Love it.
Yeah.
So give us some background. Like, [00:01:00] why did you decide on a river cruise? What was the adventure you were looking for?
Currently, um, my family and I, we've sold everything we own in the States and we're living abroad at the moment. Uh, just traveling around the world, educating our kids to be global citizens, and just learning as we go.
So, my kids have traveled quite a bit, and We've done a lot of ocean cruising and stuff. A lot of that becomes, you know, just the same destinations and pretty similar experiences every time you go, right? You know what you're getting into when you go on an ocean cruise. And I tend to travel with one child at a time to do something special.
Once a year, I try to do one trip with each kid. And my oldest is 13, but he's kind of like a 70-year-old in a 13-year-old's body, and he loves history to the extent that I don't even know what he's talking about half of the time. And we go to the museums and he talks to the dossiers, and he's just... [00:02:00] I don't know who he was in his prior life, but it was someone big in history.
So he talks up here, and I can't... So anyway, we're in Europe, and, you know, my two others aren't really as interested. And I thought that the river cruise in France, along the Seine would be amazing because it goes to Normandy, and that's something he wanted to see. But I know that no one else in my family really would appreciate it or wanna spend as much time there as he would.
And he also very much loves Napoleon. That's, like, for fun, and he's 13. So anyway, I thought that going on this river cruise along the Seine would be the perfect way to do it.
And I chose Ama because when I was at the River Cruise Expo, I went on all the different ships, and I tried to find one that I felt wouldn't be Oh, too classy, too over the top, too much of an experience that my child wouldn't [00:03:00] appreciate, or that would be a good mix with personalities for a family.
And I felt very warmed and welcomed on AmaWaterways. And so that is why I chose that sailing.
I love it. So not just the Lyra itself, but did you feel that Ama, because it is a family-owned cruise line-
Right. Mm-hmm ...
and so did you feel that the culture and the philosophy was more amenable to families that also may wanna try river cruising with their kids?
Yeah, so really great is that I got to sit down and speak with Kristen and some of the other heads of Ama, and I told them that one of my dreams would be to have not necessarily a chartered cruise, but quite a lot of families join a river cruise and do something where we had like an astronomy class at night on the top deck, and we'd have, you know, someone from [00:04:00] wherever we are like teach a special class for the kids on myths or on the queens or on cooking just geared for families.
And I don't know, it like sparked something in me that along this journey that was something that I wanted to create. And they were for it. And when we went, the ships were all decorated for Christmas, and they just felt like, okay, I can bring my kid and it's not gonna be like, "Oh God, there's kids on this cruise,"
Yeah, and as you're talking I could be wrong, but I think that Ama is the cruise line that has the relationship with Disney that hosts the- They do ... Adventures by Disney cruises. They do. Mm-hmm.
They do.
And we just had on the podcast when this episode drops, it might've been like two weeks ago, we just had someone talking about soulful experience cruises that are also on Amaway.
and we'll link it in the show notes, but these are cruises that are specifically focused around the African American experience and the African diaspora, and they really focus on that part of [00:05:00] Europ- not just European history, but they actually expanded it to South America and Europe.
And so if there is a cruise line that would be open to something... And the reason why I started was because one of her friends had mentioned it to them that wouldn't it be nice to start these sort of cultural experiences. And so if there is a cruise line that would be open to it, I would think Ama would be, beyond Adventures by Disney.
Correct. And, you know, Adventures by Disney is wonderful for certain, and Ama does do that. I feel like doing something that was more really focused on the education aspect and not necessarily all of the adventure part that Disney provides. It would be more like a world school journey. So it would be a little bit different, but obviously very much well catered toward kids.
And I mean, I know we'll get to this in a little bit. one of the things that I really loved about the river cruise was that there wasn't a lot to do when you were on that [00:06:00] ship and you had to be together. Like we go on the ocean liners and, you know, one kid is in the kids club playing video games.
One kid is in the park reading. Guess which kid? And then the other one is sitting right next to me or playing ping pong or we're not together and we're not just making time together. We're out riding water, like we're busy, really, really busy. And while that is wonderful making memories- We found friends.
Like Gavin, my 13-year-old, sat down with people who were what? Four times his age, probably more. I mean, if... I'm not very good with math. Maybe six times his age. And They, like, welcomed him. And it wasn't like, "Oh gosh, there's kids on the cruise." It was like Gavin could keep up with them and their history, and they made it more lively.
There was one other boy on the ship. He was 14 and they were able to bring a new life to the ship. They were fun. Like, we got off of one excursion, and we got back to the ship, and the kids were helping handing out the desserts. Like, it was just like, I don't know. We just [00:07:00] had time together.
We sat up and drew on the deck. We would've never done that. You have to be together, which is a good thing. It's a scary thing 'cause we don't really do that anymore. We think that's what vacation's going to be, and then it's usually just busy, busy. But river cruising provides that slow down and be together,
I love it. Okay. That is so good. I love it. So what was the decor of the ship like? You said you didn't want it to be, like, too fancy, too extravagant. So just-
No ...
can you describe for me the, sort of the decor
Well, this ship in particular was a little older. Um, it did not have a swimming pool. It had a hot tub that maybe could fit two pairs of legs in it.
It was very small. Which in a way it was a little bit bad because it was the hottest week I think France was having. But it was comfortable. I mean, it definitely wasn't... Oh my gosh. When I walked onto some of the other lines, I knew immediately that it wasn't for me personally because of [00:08:00] the way that it was really a nice fancy vacation.
Like, I don't think I even own, like, dolled-up dresses or... Like, when I go on vacation, I'm a much more, casually type just to relax and enjoy. And Amma It had that feeling. It was a little bit more relaxed. the decor...I mean, it wasn't anything to write home about.
It wasn't like it was extremely memorable and fancy. It was just, like, a comfortable space, I guess you could say. Like a living room.
Was it more sort of, like, traditional? 'Cause you said you've cruised on ocean ships, so was it ... like your older traditional, like, dark woods? Or was it-
a little bit more contemporary clean lines
No. It was done in I should know the name, 'cause I think that was on a quiz that we took with Ama. Their, um, yellowish rust terracotta orangey color that they have, it was a lot of that and tan. Like, it was definitely [00:09:00] felt a tiny bit dated, I will say, that ship.
It is older. And they did say that they've been, every winter they do, like, a piece to revamp it. Um,
yeah, I mean, it wasn't dark. Like, a lot of the ships now have that dark wood and the big chandeliers and things like that. this did not have that.
Yeah ... it definitely was just- Sounds like more neutral tones, almost like a- Yeah ... desert. That color almost makes me think of, like, a desert.
Yeah, but when I walked in, I thought it felt like we were sailing in the Mekong.
It had this big red circle artwork And I immediately thought that we were going in Asia, which it almost didn't fit the sailing where we were. But, I don't know, it was like a living room.
Awesome. And what about the room? what kind of room did you all have- Mm-hmm ... and what did you think?
Yeah. We just had a basic, D category, which is different on every ship, but it was a D category room on the third floor in the very back near the chef's dining room. And the gym was actually really [00:10:00] nice. But, we separated the beds, so each had a twin bed. It was very comfortable.
It was, like, firm. I like a firm bed. But the pillows, oh my gosh, I fell into them. And then we had, like, the French balcony, but we didn't open it at all well, I did once, but it was very hot. And so we actually kept the windows the curtains drawn most of the sailing. Even in the dining room they were kept closed 'cause it was so hot we got our water bottles, which is a very nice touch.
I know a lot of the river cruises do them now, but I love it to have my little water bottle. And if you don't know, they provide water bottles so you can refill them at the machines, and they keep them nice and cold. Um, and then the bathroom, the shower was big enough. So I'm only five foot.
I'm not that big of a person, but if you were a larger person, you would have room. It was built into the corner, so the shower had a lot of space. 'Cause I went in and I did this so that I could check for other people, and there is definitely room in there. I will say, though, if you're going to the restroom, and the door, there's not [00:11:00] a lot of room in there.
I, took my shower and went out 'cause there wasn't a lot of space in there. But there was ample closet space, ample hangers. Yeah. And each room had a Macintosh computer as the TV, so you could connect to the internet, yeah, on the computer.
That's interesting. Hadn't heard
that before. Yeah. I don't know.
The movies were very old history style, I don't know, like, um, Gone With the Wind. Just like really old classics, like very dated but fun to be, like more with your family. Like nothing was like Fast and Furious or anything.
Yeah. And were those included?
Yes. Everything in Ama is included, and that's what was another big draw because, so with a family of five
Or with four, whatever, you go on an ocean cruise, and usually you have to then add on your drinks and your excursions and all the things. I know probably many people who have listened to your podcast know what's included and what's not on ocean [00:12:00] liners. Pretty much nothing. And you pay for all your add-ons, right?
And so the ticket price at the beginning seems really affordable or not as high, but then a- after you pay your deposit and then you start adding your water and your... We don't ever buy the drink package, but you add on your drink package and then your four excursions and then the laser tag- The Wi-Fi Yeah, the Wi-Fi, everything, and it just goes up and up, and you don't realize it until you're like, "Oh my gosh."
But on Ama your excursions are paid for. They have two or three every day that you can pick from. They have bikes that you can take out into the towns if you don't wanna do a tour, or they have bike tours, or if you've done your tour you can then go out again. Uh, the Wi-Fi, and it was good Wi-Fi.
It was better in certain parts of the ship. Like I knew where I could work and where I couldn't. Um, good, bad, the entertainment is all included. when we got back from Normandy, they had a group of ladies, three of them that came in and [00:13:00] were dressed like oh my gosh, the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.
What is that? Do, do, do. I
can't think of it.
Yeah, like, like the USO? Like the USO shows? Yes, like the USO. And they came in and they sang and did like a little performance right when we got back, which I thought was so cute and like timely. Then your drinks are included at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
So if you wanna have alcohol breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and an hour before dinner, it's also included. Anything beyond that you do have to pay for. But I was very happy with my before dinner drink. It was plenty. Like it was great for me. I mean, I thought it was enough. All the food is included, and everybody gets to go to the chef's table one night.
Um, it's included. I feel really weird saying this, but it was the best food I have ever had, like ever. At
the chef's table?
The whole cruise. Like I ordered the fish every time and- I felt like I had the top suite on the ship the way that they treated me, and I literally had the bottom, you [00:14:00] know, tier room.
It was the most delicious food, the best service. My son, It was funny, he ordered a burger at dinner. It was only on the lunch menu, but they made it for him, and then the chef came out and he's like, "I came looking for the kid 'cause I knew it must be the kid that ordered the burger."
But they had pizza and burgers for kids, so there was something at both meals that they could have if they didn't want the other food. Always chicken breast was available for him. And then they had, like, endless gummy bears.
Wow, that's interesting. Endless gummy bears. Oh.
Yeah, like out at the bar there was a container of gummy bears, and that helped.
I mean, we probably went through quite a few bags. Bags for gummy bears.
I love it. So how is the food? So there's a main dining room-
yeah, this ship did not have multiple dining areas. I know some of the newer ships and the larger ships do have multiple dining areas, and other lines do, too.
This one, we just had the main dining room. There was a [00:15:00] lounge that had coffee machines, the bar, and then they had, like, very basic rectangle sandwiches, like ham and cheese or cucumber and cream cheese. And- That was it ...
were those for, like, snacks if you got hungry between meals? Or for lunch?
Yeah, they were available pretty much all day.
There was a pretty, like, bakery case that you could go over and get a salad or a sandwich, and then they'd have a couple of desserts in there. Um, most of the day those were out. In the morning you could also have a fast breakfast in the lounge if you didn't wanna go to the dining room. And then at night, late at night, maybe 10:00, they put out a little bit of some appetizers out there.
And then all day long they had canisters with the gummy bears, marshmallows protein balls, which was weird, but I did have a couple. They were really- Oh, yeah. I love
protein balls. Balls. Yeah. I love them. They're like peanut butter and oats and, like, some chocolate or [00:16:00] something.
Yeah, and it made me feel like I was doing something good, but I was having chocolate, so it was fine.
And then, um, some cookies and, like, a nut mix. So that was always out there in the lounge. And then they had the chef's dining room that you could go in one time on your sailing. If you ask nicely and there's room, they'll let you go twice.
Yeah. for some reason somebody doesn't wanna go or doesn't show up or-
Or your ship doesn't have a
full guest list. So yeah, so that was it. It wasn't like there were tons of places to go.
But the food was amazing.
The best food I've ever had. The Caesar salad was incredible. I felt silly ordering it, 'cause I was like, "Oh, it's just a Caesar salad." It was so good. The fish every night literally melted.
The best food. Best.
I love it. And that's from somebody living in France currently.
Yes. But also not eating as nicely as I did on the ship.
Yeah. That's high praise. So tell us about the excursions, especially the ones that Ama [00:17:00] curated and you know, how it was for your son and his, intense love of history.
So much love. So we only did the Ama excursions. Um, they're all included in the cost, and it comes up on an app for you I think it's 60 days before the sailing. So my son went on and he picked what he wanted us to do. We went to Monet's garden. Oh my gosh.
I eventually had to take out the earpiece. they give you earpieces, you know, around your neck, a VoxBox, so that you can hear the tour from wherever you are. But I was so just wanting to absorb it all, I ended up throwing it over my shoulder and just walking along and, like, spacing out. It was so beautiful.
And he usually was in the front with the tour guide asking more questions. it was like we were on two separate trips. Like, I was more just like, I'm just his ride, but enjoying the scenery, and he was like doo, doo, doo, doo. We did Monet's garden. we took the full-day US beach Normandy tour.
So you can do the US beaches or the Canadian and the [00:18:00] UK beaches. So we did... And what was really special, and they don't do it for everyone, is they organized a ceremony for us when we were at the, um, memorial and the graveyard, It was so moving. And we had veterans on the ship, which I imagine most Normandy will have a veteran on it, and they gave the wreath of flowers, and they played "Taps," and I mean, it was beautiful.
yeah, so then you got to go to the beaches, you got to see some of the bunkers. And I cried a lot on the sailing. I did. Look, I'm tearing up again. I don't get my son a lot of the times because he's so on a different brain level as me. Look, I'm tearing up. I'm such a loon. But, um, to sit there as a mother and watch your kid who you know has a hard time with other kids 'cause he's so different, or, I mean, he talks better to, you know, 70-year-olds than he does to peers.
And to see his emotion and his, " I can't believe I'm really here," you know, like, "That I got to do this," it meant [00:19:00] so much to me. We went to a castle where Richard the Lionheart, I wasn't really paying attention. He belted for, again, some more and just, Gavin was, like, living in there, and just his face.
And I didn't even go on the excursion. I went on, like, a chocolate and, cheese tour, and he went to a castle, and it was Napoleon's something castle. I know I should've been more prepared to tell you more of what it was. But he came back, and he was like, "I had no idea that that's what it was gonna be.
These people were just like, 'Come with me.'" And I'll tell you this about Ama. I went on the tour, and I thought he was staying on the boat. Our cruise director, uh, Joao, was amazing, and he actually texted me and said, " Gavin wanted to go on the tour. I told him it was okay. I hope it's all right. He's such a good kid.
You know, we'll all look out for him." And I was like, "Oh my God." It's like he had, like, 50 parents, 'cause I would be walking around, and be like, "Does anybody know where Gavin is?" And they're like, "Oh, we just saw him over there." Like, when you only have a couple kids on [00:20:00] the ship, everybody knows. Um, so everybody kept their eyes out on him.
But, I think that there's something to be said if you can find an experience for your child that will mean something to them no matter what their age is, right? Like, people take their kids to Disney so they can see, like, the Mickey Mouse and it lights up their spirit But as the kids get older, it gets harder to give them what they need to grow.
And bringing Gavin on this sailing, giving us time together, giving him peers that can enjoy what he enjoys It meant everything, yeah.
Absolutely. I mean, that's beautiful, right?
I do believe that there is a cruise for everyone. Yeah. And especially if you have a child that has, we'll say, like narrow interests, right?
That are very- Very specific, yeah ... specific and sometimes narrow interests, and you can find that cruise for them. It's not just amazing for them, but it's also for you as a parent to [00:21:00] watch them just sort of like blossom as they
experience
it. Yeah. It really is amazing.
Well, I felt like I hit the jackpot.
Like this is one for the mom bank, you know? Good job. But I feel like my daughter, she's only nine, but she would enjoy getting dressed up for dinner every night, where my son did not. Um, going on like the castle cruise, like with that she would be like, "Oh my gosh," and to go inside of them and pretend she's a princess and imagine everything that happened there.
I mean, There is something for everyone, and I think that parents, it's okay to dream a little bit bigger than what you're used to, um, with kids. I know river cruising is not the first thing that comes to mind when someone has a child or children and they wanna go on vacation. But the intimacy, and Gavin, every time I said that word, he got so mad at me, the word intimate.
I'm like, "It's so intimate here." But it's just because it's small and it- And
everybody's close. Like you said- Yeah ... like you had 50 parents and you talk to people
and I formed friendships ... it's- Like, oh my God, there [00:22:00] was this grandma there. She brought her grandson. That was the other kid, he was 14, and oh my God, we had dinner with her and she just cracked me up.
Like you feel like family. It's silly, but it's real.
It's true. You know? And it's very true. And because the ships are so small, and in many ways river cruises are slightly niche. Mm-hmm. And It's more likely that you're gonna find like-minded people-
Yeah ...
on that ship.
Right.
People to talk about whatever it is, whether it's the castles or Napoleon or music or- Yeah ... you know, um-
Or beer, like you go on a beer tour or a golf- Right ... you know, a golf cruise. There's tons. You know, you can go on a Mahjong cruise or whatever and it's incredible. And our ship only had 92 people on it instead of 142, or 93 instead of 142, so there was a lot of space and a more intimate crowd.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like you really got to know everybody.
[00:23:00] Yeah. That's beautiful. Yeah. Anything else that, um, you haven't mentioned either about your experience on Amaleera or about river cruising with kids that you wanted to share?
I would just say that if you have ocean cruised before and you want to try something to give you a different experience but still only wanna unpack one time, you wanna go to multiple locations. And another good part about river cruising is you're not going into the big ports like you do with the ocean cruises.
you're not getting off the ship with thousands of people and having to wait in lines and be bused. You walk off and you're right there. Like, you literally can get off and go grab a baguette in town. Even the chef, when we were walking around one morning, we saw him in the town getting cheeses and local breads to put on our lunch table.
We saw him, like, walking around town. We were like, "Hey, chef," you know, and they know who we [00:24:00] are. So you get a different experience instead of just the tourist experience that you get with a lot of ocean cruising. So to bring your kids into a real town, and not just a town built around tourism, is a completely different real global experience for them.
And that is something that we always try to do when we travel yeah, it's cool to see the big names that are-- like the Eiffel Tower and all the things that everybody sees, but to go into where people live and experience that feeling and maybe wake up and go grab a coffee or an ice cream at the shop and sit outside It's great.
And the distance that you're traveling between cities is not vast, so you stay quite a while in port. So even after your excursion is done, You just sign yourself in and out. And some of them have overnight, um, like during the World Cup, uh, we were there for the England game and we spent the night in the city we were in.
[00:25:00] You could scan out and go to an English pub and watch the game, and then come back when it's over. Like, you have so much freedom It's like your vessel for getting from A to B and your sleeping place, but it gives you the freedom to be among the locals.
Yeah. I love that. also because it's Europe, you're more around the locals in their everyday life.
Um- Right ... and people live in their everyday life. When you generally do ocean cruising you're going into ports that are very much built around- ... cr- the cruise ship tourism. Yeah. And you're seeing people, they're in their everyday life, they're working, like their job might be to, sell whatever
at the market by the port, but you don't see people going to their job at the bank orgoing grocery shopping at the deli or wherever.
Or just sitting outside having their coffee and they sit forever, like you learn to slow down, right? So I think to finish that thought about the kids [00:26:00] aspect, 'cause I didn't, I went off on a tangent, is that the experience that you will give them, especially in Europe or in Egypt or in now Colombia or in the Mekong, is it is a real experience.
It is a real... It's not a vacation. Like it is, but it's not. Like it's a travel experience, which in my mind is what truly... I mean, it's what I tell all my clients, but it's how I view travel. It's not just a vacation, like it truly is an experience to make us all better humans and to understand what's happening around us.
And so by being on a river cruise right there with the people in the villages and seeing it it brings other cultures, lifestyles, the real thing, like everyday life into ours. So I think it's good for kids. I think it's good for adults. I think it's good for everyone. But I think it is something that kids can really gain a lot from [00:27:00] instead of just what they see on,
Yeah
TikTok.
Their screen. Yeah.
TikTok.
Absolutely. let's take a step back from this particular cruise. And I wanna ask you something I ask everyone, and that is- Okay ... what is your definition of luxury?
Luxury is not having to do it yourself. That is it to me. Um-
There you go ...
that's it.
Did this experience- ... on Amalira meet that definition of luxury for you?
Absolutely. Absolutely. It was the best food of my life. Like I said, I didn't have to cook anything.
I knew if I wanted to go on the excursion, great. If I didn't, that was fine. I didn't pay for it. Nobody was forcing me. I could just show up in the lobby, grab my little colored ticket, and get on the bus or do what I wanted. You know, my bed was made twice a day, which they don't really do that anymore on ocean cruises.
I know I said it earlier, but I mean, I had the lowest room on the ship, and I was treated like I was in that front suite. Granted, I probably didn't get all the extras, but I didn't know what they were, so it was fine. But I was treated just as [00:28:00] special. Everybody knew my name.
Before we even got on the ship, when I was sitting in the lounge, someone said, "You must be Gavin," to my son. I mean, I'm sure they knew that there was only gonna be two kids on the ship. But I was like, "Oh, you know who he is?" AndIt absolutely felt like luxury. Like, I never have been on such a wonderful experience, and I mean that.
It was the best experience I've ever had on a trip.
I love that.
mean, I do believe that even on a mainstream cruise line, Mm-hmm ... in an interior cabin, the crew want- They do ... you to have the best vacation of your life every single time you sail.
Yeah.
And that is just- Oh my gosh, and
we did ...
multiplied on a luxury ship And I consider River to be luxury.
Absolutely. And I don't know if they do this every sailing, and they probably do, but we were there on Bastille Day, so which is their Independence Day. And so our captain, we left our port a little early, and he, [00:29:00] like, zoomed it to a town, and we were parked by the time the town fireworks went off for Bastille Day.
So we all got to sit on the deck and watch. We didn't hear any music that I can remember. They passed out drinks. We watched the fireworks, and it was like you could see all the locals along the shoreline watching also, and we were part of that. And then on the night that we were in Paris, which they probably do for everyone, but he was like, "The captain has a special surprise."
And at 10:45, I think, everybody went up to the deck, and the captain floated us down the Seine close to the Eiffel Tower, and we were all sitting up on the deck. And at 11 it sparkles. I don't know if you knew that, but at 11:00 at night it sparkles. And we were all there to watch it sparkle, and, like, they played, like, the most beautiful on the ship Paris, like, lovey music.
And we were just like, "Oh my God, it's the Eiffel Tower and we're in Paris." And it was luxury. Magical. It was amazing. Yeah, magical. Incredible.
Yeah, sounds magical.
Yeah.
Do you have a [00:30:00] dream cruise?
Like one that exists or one that I'm making up?
Either way
So one that already exists, I would love, love, love to take my husband down the Mekong. And that is because we eloped in Thailand and backpacked Asia on a shoestring and spent I think $12 a day was our budget. Like, we stayed in hostels and we experienced all of Southeast Asia on a shoestring.
We took three months. It was wonderful, but it was, I mean
Bare bones.
We have stories upon stories, but I think it would be incredible to take him on it so we could relive it in a more, incredible- Comfortable ... luxurious way. Yeah, way more comfortable, I'm sure. That would be really incredible for me.
And if it was the one that I made up, I mean, if money was no object, I would love to take a a charter, I'm making this up, right, down through Africa [00:31:00] and teach kids about the cultures in Africa and the animals and that it all still really exists in the villages and that's how people live every day.
Just to, like, give us all a little check. And I think that it would change so many lives if we could have educators and kids and parents all together listening to the music, playing the instruments, you know, dressing, dancing, being right there. So that's my one I would make up. And star gazing. Oh my God, can you imagine what you would stargaze on there?
Anyway, that's my made-up one.
That sounds absolutely beautiful. This has been so much fun. If someone wanted to reach out to you and talk to you about you curating an adventure for them, either on a river cruise or not, how would they do that?
Adventuresweseek.com is my website.
It's just Adventures We Seek. It's who we are. And then on Facebook, I'm just Nicole Damiano Travel Insider, something like that. But [00:32:00] that's my two big draws. My website is currently re-going through a rebirth. But it is existing and wonderful and it will show you very much about who my family is and how we travel.
And it goes all the way back to 2010 when we did that backpacking trip. So you can see how we really survived that trip. That
sounds amazing.
So yes. I do have an email but I know everybody likes to look at pictures and things so adventuresweseek.com, start there.
Awesome. Well, we'll put that in the show notes for sure.
Thanks again for being here and to listeners, thank you too. And until next time, I wish you safe and luxurious cruising.