ETA Travel and the history of motorcycle cruising

ETA Tour Stop - Waikiki Beach Bar, St. Martin's. (Photo: ETA Travel). Additional photos can be viewed by clicking here.

I asked Steve Wallach, President of Entertainment Travel Alternatives, Inc. how he came up with the idea of motorcycle cruises.

“I had a dream.”

“You mean, 'I Have a Dream' like Martin Luther King, or you had a dream while you were sleeping?” I asked.

“No, I had a dream! I woke up at 2:30 in the morning from a dream that I took my motorcycle on a cruise ship. I was so excited by the idea that I called my buddy at three in the morning. He didn’t answer. I left a message and he called me back the next morning, wanting to know what the 3 am phone call was about! Motorcycle Cruising was born out of that dream!”

According to Steve, it took two years to get all of the “T’s crossed and I’s dotted” before ETA Travel booked their first motorcycle cruise. As a former Cruise Director, Steve had a thorough understanding and lots of contacts in the cruise industry, which helped him navigate the red tape.

Prior to ETA Travel, no one had ever booked a motorcycle cruise before. Required permits, permissions and approvals included: the US Coat Guard, US Customs, Homeland Security, the cruise line and various Caribbean island authorities. According to Steve, ETA Travel holds the rights to book motorcycle cruises throughout the Caribbean. They are the only travel agency booking motorcycle cruise vacations.

In 2002, ETA Travel booked their first motorcycle cruise. That first year, ETA booked a total of three week-long motorcycle cruises. Seven years later, ETA now books between seventeen and twenty-three motorcycle cruises each year!

ETA Travel books solely on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Royal Caribbean’s itineraries closely match ETA’s needs and Royal Caribbean has been a fantastic host to motorcycle cruising.

ETA currently books cruises that sail out of:

Bayonne, New Jersey – 9, 12 and 13 night motorcycle cruises
Fort Lauderdale, Florida – 7 and 8 night motorcycle cruises
Miami, Florida - 7 and 8 night motorcycle cruises

Steve gave me an exclusive on ETA’s most exciting news: beginning on 2010, ETA Travel will book several 5 & 9 night motorcycle cruises out of the Port of Baltimore! ETA Travel will formally announce Baltimore as their newest Port of Call within the next two weeks.

ETA currently books motorcycle cruises aboard Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and Independence of the Seas. In January, ETA will begin booking motorcycle cruises aboard the largest cruise ship in the world, Oasis of the Seas!

ETA Travel prides themselves on “delivering exceptional events.” Proudly boasting a “repeater” rate of between 42% – 47%, ETA travel has booked groups as large as seventy people, from as far away Budapest, Hungary!

ETA Travel lists their prices on their website. According to Steve, their prices include: "all cruise fees, reserved motorcycle space on the cruise ship, private cocktail parties, riding escorts on each island and all port fees." The only add-on fee is a single “per bike” fee, which covers insurance and fuel on the islands.

ETA Travel maintains a minimum of three staff members aboard each motorcycle cruise. On the islands, ETA staff members are assisted by local guides who Steve says are "real bikers who know the islands." Local guides help ETA staff maintain ride safety. They also assist in providing motorcycle cruisers a tour of places on the island rarely seen by tourists!

Island stops are dependant upon Royal Caribbean itineraries, but can include: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, St. Kitts, Bermuda, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Puerto Rico, Tortola, The British Virgin Islands, Nassau, Aruba and Curacao.

Talking to Steve Wallach and ETA Operations Manager Tami Newton, it is clear they love their jobs. They’re in the business of “fun” and I’m convinced it is a job they do well!

Steve, save me a space on one of those Baltimore departures - I can’t wait!

Be sure to check out the slideshow below. These are photos provided by ETA Travel exclusively for this article!

Other articles in this series:

Motorcycle Cruises: Take Your Motorcycle on a Carribbean Cruise!

Motorcycle Cruising Through a Rider's Eyes

Baltimore Motorcycle Cruise Dates Set for 2010

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