Social Central Coast: Hikes, Treks Travel AND Friends & Fun!

This Zoom Overseas Q & A is a monthly event.

Here is a true Meetup to fill your summer with joy, adventure and new friends!
Join us for a 10-night Alaska Inside Passage & Glacier Cruise that’s packed with impact, not just time at sea. Let’s trade the summer heat in the city with glacier-draped landscapes, wildlife, and endless scenic seas and share it with like-minded people!

Why This Meetup Trip Is Pure Magic?

• We sail round-trip from San Francisco, making travel easy for all Californians.
• Discover Alaska’s stunning fjords, glaciers, and coastal towns—epic scenery everywhere you look.
• It’s more than a standard cruise—this is Meetup community time at sea, with mixers, games, and social adventures included!

Our Route:

• Mon Aug 3 – Embark from San Francisco at 4:00 PM
• Tue–Wed Aug 4-5– Fun Days at Sea (relax, explore onboard!)
• Thu Aug 6 – Juneau, 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM
• Fri Aug 7 – Skagway, 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM
• Sat Aug 8 – Tracy Arm Fjord, glacier cruising!
• Sun Aug 9 – Ketchikan, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
• Mon Aug 10 – Prince Rupert, BC, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
• Tue–Wed Aug 11-12 – More at Sea — swim, spa, dance!
• Thu Aug 13 – Arrive San Francisco at 8:00 AM

Our Ship is Carnival Luminosa:

• Opened 2009, refurbished 2022—bright, welcoming, and full of light.
• Onboard features: Alchemy Bar, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, RedFrog Rum Bar, Playlist Productions, Punchliner Comedy Club, Cloud 9 Spa, and Serenity retreat.
• The ship keeps the fun going with bars, shows, a spa, and more!

Special Group Pricing:
As a Meetup group, we’ve locked in a special rate:

Join us on this gourmet gastronomic holiday as we rendezvous with the cuisine & culture of France.

This is a foodie’s dream. Around every corner we will find open-air markets, artisanal chocolatiers, macaroon shops, boulangeries, cheesemongers, local butcher shops with the finest cured sausages and hams
. . . and YES - world-class wine shops where we can savor the flavors!

We will start in Paris, home of some of the world’s most prestigious museums, including the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Pompidou, Champs-Élysées, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and so much more. Of course, we get to visit some of them...BUT French cuisine is such a huge part of this country's culture and history! Learning about it and experiencing it, is the main goal of this tour.

In Paris, we will savor the culinary artistry of Michelin-starred chefs and indulge in the city's iconic pastries. We will journey to Normandy, where lush landscapes yield exquisite cheeses and apple-infused delights. We will follow the Loire River to discover the vineyards and châteaux of the Loire Valley, where fine wines and gourmet experiences await. Let the flavors of France enchant our palate as we explore these culinary treasures!

Cooking classes, gourmet food tastings, wine tours, and enough free time to explore to our heart’s desire with centrally-located first class accommodations.

The Itinerary in brief:

Day 1 Paris arrival and Welcome Dinner with Corsican Cuisine
Day 2 Paris sightseeing tour, Seine river cruise,French bread making class
Day 3 Paris Museum Day. Dinner along Canal Saint-Martin
Day 4 Paris-Auvers Sur Oise Auver. Pay homage to Van Gogh and the many famous painters who lived there. Paint our own masterpiece! On to Giverny for a visit to the Gardens of Monet. Overnight in Rouen.
Day 5 Rouen - Camembert - Caen. Cheese tasting
Day 6 Caen - Mont St Michel. Stop in Calvados. Apple brandy, anybody?
Day 7 Mont St Michel - Rennes - Nantes. Cooking Class
Day 8 Nantes - Tours with stops at 3 Chateaux Vineyards for wine and chocolate tastings
Day 9 Tours - Orleans. Stops at Château of Clos Lucé, Leonardo Da Vinci's home. Visit an underground cave for farming mushrooms. And yes, some mushroom tastings!
Day 10 Orleans - Paris On the way, a stop at an artisan chocolatier and more wineries
Day 11 Paris. Visit the famous Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen (the flea market) for some amazing shopping. Farewell Dinner in the Montmartre Area

Join us for an unforgettable feast for the senses!

The Orient Express. . . you heard about it many times. The romance, the mystery, the adventure! Of course - the opulence too!

While the original Orient Express train is now part of history, our journey revives its spirit—crossing Europe from Paris to Istanbul, echoing the legendary route that once defined luxury rail travel.

This experience brings back the magic of the rails—without the inflated cost of old-world extravagance. Instead, we focus on service, comfort, and contemporary refinement, blending iconic train travel with thoughtfully curated experiences.

We retrace the route of the original Orient Express using a mix of modern night trains, high-speed day trains, and select short flights, creating a seamless and unforgettable journey.
Our route takes us to:
Paris → Venice → Vienna → Prague → Budapest → Istanbul

Included:

• Train transportation between 4 cities.
• 2 nights on an actual night train with sleeping compartment
• Air transportation Paris / Venice and Budapest / Istanbul
• 11 nights in First Class hotels with best central locations
• Daily breakfast + select lunches and dinners
• All transfers (hotels, train stations, airports)
• Guided tours in every city
• Entrances to many museums.
• And more thoughtful touches throughout the journey

We travel as a group, and also have the flexibility of hop-on, hop-off tours and museum passes with "skip the line" so you can enjoy complete independence. The trip is designed for curious, like-minded travelers who value both freedom and shared experiences.
It is all included in the price!

You are free to do your own thing, cater to your special interests, visit other sights and locations in the cities, while still being guided and helped with all the arrangements. A balance of independence when you want it and being included in all group activities when you prefer it.

The idea is: come alone, meet new like-minded people and make lifelong memories . . . without being stuck with the "one size fits all" tour formula.

Here is a basic thumbnail:
· Paris – 3 nights
Evening flight to Venice
· Venice – 1 night
Night train to Vienna
· Vienna – 1 night
Evening train to Prague
· Prague – 2 nights
Night train to Budapest
· Budapest – 1 night
Evening flight to Istanbul
· Istanbul – 3 nights.
Sleeper Cabins on the trains and First Class centrally located hotels in each city.

What was The Orient Express?
It was long-distance passenger train service that began in 1883 with the original endpoints being Paris to Istanbul. The original name became synonymous with intrigue and was a showcase of luxury with comfort at a time when traveling was still rough and dangerous.
In Istanbul the Pera Palace Hotel, built in 1892, was the accommodation at the terminus. And we are staying in it!

The original Orient Express ceased operation in 1977 and we are not using the original old train. It no longer exists.

EVERY aspect of this trip is epic.

• Visit picturesque and storied cities.
• Enjoy trains and experience the enchantment of the rails.
• In the end you will have visited 6 countries: France, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary and Turkey!

The tour starts in Paris on Sep 20 and ends in Istanbul on Oct 03.
$5490 total cost per person, double occupancy.
$7090 total cost for solo occupancy.
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE AIRFARE. This allows for your flexibility and convenience. We are happy to give you an airfare quote.