There is something wonderfully dangerous about putting a group of curious travelers together, handing them a glass of wine, and sending them down one of Europe’s great rivers.

One cruise leads to another. One destination introduces us to the next. Before long, an entire year begins filling itself with places we haven’t been, meals we haven’t tasted, and people we haven’t met yet.

We already have two extraordinary Dorothy adventures ahead of us—one wrapped in Christmas lights and the other dripping with butter, chocolate, olive oil, and wine.

But I’m considering adding one more cruise in 2028, and I want you to help me decide where we should go.

Next Year: Christmas Markets Along the Danube

Our German Winter Market Cruise begins in Nuremberg on December 1, 2027, and carries us along the Danube to Vienna.

We’ll begin with an included hotel night at Le Méridien Grand Hotel in Nuremberg on November 30, giving everyone time to arrive, recover from the flight, and prepare for the festivities.

Then we board the Avalon Impression for seven days of Christmas markets, medieval streets, glowing town squares, steaming mugs of mulled wine, and enough gingerbread to make us question our previous understanding of portion control.

We’ll visit Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Melk, and Vienna—each dressed for the holidays and showing off its own traditions.

This isn’t simply a shopping trip with a boat attached. It’s the kind of experience that makes winter feel magical again.

Picture yourself walking beneath strings of lights while musicians play in the square. You’re wrapped in a warm coat, holding something hot and possibly alcoholic. The air smells like cinnamon, roasted nuts, evergreen, and pastries. Then, when you’ve had enough winter for one evening, you return to the warmth of the ship for dinner, drinks, and the company of people who understand that travel is always better when there is someone beside you saying, “You have to taste this.”

Our Christmas Market cruise is already attracting a wonderful group, and I can already tell it will be one of those trips people talk about for years.

July 2028: Delicious Decadence in France

The following summer, we are trading gingerbread and mulled wine for cheese, chocolate, olive oil, French pastries, regional wines, and unapologetic indulgence.

Our Delicious Decadence Culinary Cruise sails from Arles to Lyon from July 18–25, 2028.

This is France experienced through its kitchens, markets, vineyards, bakeries, and dining tables.

We’ll begin in Provence, where the light is golden, the markets overflow with color, and lunch is treated as an important social event rather than something eaten hurriedly over a keyboard.

The experiences include possibilities such as:

• Exploring Les Halles market in Avignon
• Participating in French cooking classes
• Sampling olive oils at a traditional press
• Tasting wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Beaujolais, and Burgundy
• Visiting the legendary Valrhona chocolate factory
• Discovering the nougat traditions of Montélimar
• Learning the secrets of Lyonnaise cooking
• Dining in a city shaped by the culinary legacy of Paul Bocuse

Let me be clear: this is not a diet cruise.

This is a cruise for people who believe that tasting the cheese, ordering dessert, lingering over dinner, and accepting a second glass of wine are all legitimate forms of cultural education.

We’ll sail through Provence and Burgundy before spending our final two nights docked in Lyon, widely regarded as one of the great culinary cities of the world.

The entire experience is being built for curious travelers in the second half of life who are still hungry for more—more flavor, more beauty, more laughter, more friendship, and more reasons to keep exploring.

Now I Need Your Help

I may add one more Dorothy cruise in 2028.

I’ve narrowed the possibilities to three very different experiences, and I want to know which one genuinely excites you.

Not simply which one looks pretty in a brochure. I want to know which one might make you say:

“Nick, if you organize that trip, I want to come.”

Choice One: Continue From France to the Romantic Rhine

Our French cruise ends in Lyon on July 25. Just four days later, Avalon has a seven-night Romantic Rhine cruise departing Basel on July 29 and sailing to Amsterdam.

That creates the possibility of an extraordinary European double feature.

We could travel from Lyon to Basel by train, spend a few days enjoying Switzerland or Alsace, and then board another Avalon ship for Strasbourg, Heidelberg, Rüdesheim, the Rhine Gorge, Cologne, and Amsterdam.

You could join us for France, the Rhine, or both.

It would be a magnificent two-cruise European summer, although we would still be traveling during the warmest part of the year.

Choice Two: Portugal’s Douro Valley During Harvest Season

The second possibility is a seven-night AmaWaterways cruise through Portugal’s Douro Valley in late September or early October.

This would be a completely separate journey centered around Porto, Portuguese wines, terraced vineyards, historic villages, local food, and the traditions of the grape harvest.

The weather should be more comfortable than the intense heat of July and August, and the vineyards would be approaching their most beautiful and active time of year.

For anyone who loves wine, food, Portugal, and spectacular scenery, this one could be difficult to resist.

Choice Three: The Mekong Through Vietnam and Cambodia

The boldest possibility is Avalon’s seven-night Mekong Discovery cruise, sailing from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh in late November.

This would be an intimate experience aboard the Avalon Saigon, which carries only 36 guests.

We would travel through Vietnam and Cambodia, visiting riverside villages, colorful markets, temples, workshops, farms, and communities whose daily lives remain connected to the Mekong.

Late November moves us into the region’s drier and more comfortable travel season. It would also give us something completely different from our European cruises—more intimate, more adventurous, and culturally fascinating.

Which One Calls to You?

So now I’m handing the decision to you.

Which additional 2028 cruise would make you most likely to pack your bags?

RHINE — Continue from France to Basel and Amsterdam
DOURO — Portugal’s wine country during harvest season
MEKONG — Vietnam and Cambodia aboard an intimate 36-passenger ship

Reply and tell me your choice.

Please only vote if you are serious. If there's enough interest for one of the trips, I will be building a sales page so that people can register. Again, this is for 2028.

I can’t promise that I’ll add another cruise—but if enough of you raise your hands for the same destination, I may have no choice but to start making phone calls.

And we all know what happens when I start making phone calls.