Q&A
Cruising Through Life
Setting sail with AMA Travel Cruise Sales Manager Shelley Samycia
BY PAUL GALLANT
Book
it!
to
cruise. And with 97 cruises
(and counting) under her
belt, she has a very clear
idea of what she enjoys
most at sea. Cruising lets
you explore many exotic
destinations—while unpacking just once. “Plus, I get
the VIP treatment from
the wonderful crew,” says
Shelley. “I also get to meet
people from all over the
world, many of whom share
their interesting travel
experiences and tips.”
own way around
to get familiar
with it. I’ll find
Plan your cruise
the jazz club,
with an AMA Travel
wine bar or that
Cruise Specialist
special nook
1 866 989 6594
AMATravel.ca/
that might be a
Cruises
nice place to sit
and read the morning
newsletter. Every morning
of the cruise, I pick up
the daily newsletter to
highlight onboard activities
I don’t want to miss. I also
take it with me when I go
ashore, as it lists contact
info for the ship and port
agents, should I need it.
SHELLEY SAMYCIA LOVES
DANIEL WOOD
Why cruising?
I watched The Love Boat
on TV and thought, “This
looks exciting.” So in 1985,
I set sail on the Island
Princess to Mexico. It lived
up to expectations—even
if Captain Stubing was
nowhere in sight. Back then,
you could still throw streamers off the side of the ship
like they did on TV. Later in
my cruising life, I actually
got to meet Stubing himself (Gavin MacLeod)—a
youthful dream realized!
Do you have an all-time
favourite destination?
Sailing to South America
and onto Antarctica over
New Year’s with my family.
We spotted icebergs the size
of buildings, penguins playing on ice floes and whales
cresting in glacial waters.
When we approached
Antarctica, I was amazed
at how serene the feeling was there—we spent
peaceful days slowly sailing through calm channels.
Where should newbie
cruisers start?
I recommend a seven- to
10-day Caribbean cruise
during winter or an Alaska
trip in summer. Both destinations are close to home
and offer plentiful flight
options. They’re also great
for couples, families or
multi-generational travel
because there are numerous cruise lines to select
from: small, mid-size or
mega ships full of activities to please all ages.
And for more experienced cruisers?
I suggest a longer trip, more
exotic locales or river cruising. Look for a destination
that has recently opened up
as a cruise destinatio