Disney Cruises

For a variety of experiences that give you thrills and let you chill out when it’s time to relax, there’s not cruise line like Disney. All ages can find a special kind of magiccreated just for them. Young cruisers can enjoy the most spectacular kids’ area afloat, where they can party with pirates or play with Disney princesses. Teens get their own private club, parties, activities & more. Adults can escape to exclusive areas for a pampering spa treatment, dance to the music at a cool club or enjoy a romantic dinner for two. Everyone can have separate, age-appropriate cruise experiences, then gather together to share the most magical moments of all – family time.

You can combine a Disney cruise with a resort stay, or choose just a 3, 4 or 7 night cruise. Disney is also offering Europe cruises again as well. All cruises stop at Disney’s private island paradise, Castaway Cay!

Book by December 15th & receive two Disney themed watches per booking. Code EV1312

For a virtual tour of Disney Cruise line, click here

Europe Budget Travel

Travel during value season (November through April,) with Trafalgar, and you’ll discover how the savings add up! You’ll beat the heat, beat the crowds and all at unbeatable prices. With your choice of 29 itineraries & hundreds of departures, Trafalgar offer an unsurpassed selection of expertly designed travel experiences during the value season.

Choose from vacations to Italy, France, England, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Greece and many other European destinations. Choose from escorted trips or independent travel. The choice is yours!

Holland America Caribbean

Holland America offers more 10+ day Caribbean itineraries. Look deeper, and discover some of the best kept secrets of the Caribbean. With an array of 10 to 14 day itineraries, Holland America Line immerses you into the must-see parts of the region, from the rain forests of Dominica to the villages of St. Lucia. Most ships also visit Holland America’s award-winning private island, Half Moon Cay. Days at sea are filled with an array of choices including a cooking class, spa treatments and more.

January through March have some excellent prices for the Caribbean. The Westerdam has prices from $449 pp on inside cabins & $499 for ocean view on several 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruises. The brand new Eurodam has prices starting from $649 pp for inside & $749 pp for ocean view & you can book a 10 night Southern Caribbean Seafarer cruise aboard the Noordam for as low as $899 pp inside/$949 pp ocean view. 

Promotion details: Pinnacle Grill lunch experience is included for 2 with any booking.  Some sailings include added amenities such as shipboard credits or pre-paid gratuities. Call for details. Prices do not include fuel surcharges or taxes. Restrictions may apply. Offer is for new bookings only & deposit must be made by December 15, 2008.  Call for details, or price your cruise online

River Cruise Specials

It’s a buyers market! Viking River Cruises is one of the many suppliers offering booking discounts and incentives for 2009 travel. Here is their latest promotion:

If you reserve now for 2009, you can get great value for your cruise dollar. Plus, with our new Ocean Cruisers Savings, if you have ever taken an ocean cruise, just tell us when and with which cruise line to save $500 per guest ($1,000 off per couple)! This is in addition to the up to $2,000 per couple Early Booking Discount for a total savings of up to $3,000 per couple.

Discount offer applies to the Grand European 15 day Amsterdam to Budapest; the Romantic Danube 8 days Budapest to Nuremberg; 13 day Waterways of the Czars St. Petersburg to Moscow & Imperial Jewels of China 12 day Beijing to Shanghai.

Offer valid through December 19.

Australia Vacation

Anticipating a rush on Downunder travel after this week’s release of the movie, Australia, Qantas Vacations is premiering an array of Outback-themed Vacations, including an “Outback Airpass” for $1,199 which includes international airfare, three domestic flights within the Outback and a savings of at least $400 per couple! Other tour operators are offering up to $500 off per couple.

Visit our Australia web site for a great selection of vacations, cruises & tour packages, including a special section of itineraries that visit the areas where Australia The Movie was filmed, or contact an agent for a customized trip. Book every kind of vacation including eco tours, rail tours, cruises, group & escorted tours, self drive, and luxury hotel & resort holidays in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific.

Watch the ”Australia” Movie Trailer:

 

Cunard One Month Sale

You still have time to take advantge of our Cunard one month sale. Book a Europe or Transatlantic voyage from Nov 10-Dec 10, 2008 and receive up to $300 per cabin onboard credit in addition to a 50% reduced deposit.

Promotion details: Ship board credit offer is $100 for inside/ocean view cabins; $200 for balcony cabin; $300 for Grill. Some restrictions may apply. Call for details.

Royal Caribbean “Floats Out” Oasis of the Seas

Scheduled to make it’s debut in December 2009, the Oasis of the Sea is currently under construction at STX Europe in Turku, Finland. The ship reached an important maritime milestone today when she was “floated out,” which means moved from dry dock to wet dock to being the final stages of interior work. Official ceremonies were held at the shipyard. RCCL estimates that the ship is 65% complete.

The line chose this important milestone to announce that Oasis of the Seas will enter service under the command of Captain William S. Wright and Captain Tor Olsen. Wright, a 15-year veteran of Royal Caribbean International, was also the start up Captain for Freedom of the Seas, currently the largest ship in the world with sister-ships Liberty of the Seas and Independence of the Seas. Wright also is one of the few American captains in international cruising and currently serves as the senior vice president of Marine Operations for the cruise line.

Oasis of the Seas will span 16 decks, encompass 220,000 gross tons, carry 5,400 guests at double occupancy, and feature 2,700 staterooms. She will be the first ship to tout the cruise line’s new neighborhood concept of seven distinct themed areas, which include Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone.

Do you plan to sail on the Oasis of the Seas or is the ship too big?

Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas arrives in Ft. Lauderdale

Royal Caribbean Cruise line’s latest Freedom-class ship, debuted in the U.S. yesterday at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Touted as one of the world’s largest cruise ships, it will be Royal Caribbean’s first Freedom-class ship to sail from Port Everglades.

When it comes to onboard activities, Independence of the Seas offers an unbelievable array of choices. For those who love to go wild on vacation, you can hang-10 on the popular FlowRider, take your frustrations out in the boxing ring, putter around on the nine-hole miniature golf course, or cool off at the ice-skating rink. For travelers who want to just sail away from it all, the ship offers plenty of soothing distractions such as whirlpools, a day spa, solarium with an indoor/outdoor pool, and a library. Plus, children will love the fun designed just for them with the H20 Zone interactive water park and the Adventure Ocean Youth Program.

Hungry? The three-deck-high main dining room serves your favorite dishes from around the world. Cruisers can also enjoy casual eateries like the buffet at Windjammer Café, Johnny Rockets 50s-style diner, Sorrento’s pizza parlor & Ben & Jerry’s. Independence of the Seas also has two specialty restaurants: Portofino Italian Restaurant & Chops Grille. After dinner, you can burn off those calories with scores of entertainment options. Drop off the kids for evening activities at the Adventure Ocean club, & press your luck at the Casino, perform like an “American Idol” during karaoke classic at the On Air Club, or dance the night away in the castle-themed nightclub, The Crypt. Want fun for the whole family? Shoot for the high score in the arcade, watch a movie together in the theater, or take the whole bunch to see the ice skating show or headline performance at the Broadway-style venue Arcadia Theatre.

Independence will sail from Ft. Lauderdale & alternate between eight-night Eastern Caribbean & six-night Western Caribbean itineraries. The Eastern Caribbean itinerary will call at San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Phillipsburg, St. Maarten and Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private beach destination in Haiti. The Western Caribbean itinerary will call at Belize City, Belize; & Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico.

Venice Carnevale 2009

Winter in Venice shines with a different glow – a pale, almost lemon-hued sun pushes through the mist that rises from the lagoon. And in those heady days before Lent descends, the streets pulse with a cadenced rhythm that rises and falls with the light: It is Carnevale with its grand gala evening costume balls in ancient palazzos and casual piazza afternoon soirees with hand-held masks. At once bright and chatty, shrouded and whispered. Are you ready to experience the magic? Choose this extraordinary escape – Venice Carnevale – a five night homage to a millennium-old celebration. The city’s Grand Canal and those who wander its alleyways and bridges are transformed into characters in one of life’s great plays.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF VENICE CARNEVALE
Since 1162 Farewell, meat! From the Latin, comes today’s Carnevale. All meat, butter, and eggs had to be consumed before the liturgical season of Lent began, and so became a superb excuse for a religious celebration – one that harked back to pagan festivities. Venice Carnevale first commemorated a military victory on Shrove Tuesday, but in 1228 the first “masks” appeared, and a new celebration was born. The 18th century – and its excesses – allowed Carnevale to blossom. A decline in the 1900s was reversed in the latter part of the century, and this historic tradition was revived in earnest. Within a few years the image of the masked reveler – unique to Venice Carnevale – had become an icon worldwide.

Want to Experience a Luxury package to the 2009 Carnivale? It will only cost a mere $6,999 for a small group 6 day package that includes deluxe hotel accomodations, sightseeing & attendance to costume balls including 5 day costume rentals.

Giada’s Wine Country Weekend

Popular Food Network TV Chef Giada De Laurentiis, took her Oct. 2nd episode to the Napa/Sonoma regions. She experienced a balloon ride over the valley, olive oil tasting in St. Helena, wine tasting and biking along the country roads of Sonoma. No visit to the region is complete without going to COPIA: the American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts.

Want to experience a similar trip but don’t know where to start planning?  Consider Collette’s California Wine Country package which is 7 days from $1,999 per person. The package includes 10 meals, accommodations at the Westin in San Francisco & FountainGrove Inn in Santa Rosa as well as lots of sightseeing. Highlights include a visit to Muir Woods, sightseeing in San Francisco and 4 nights in the wine country region. Enjoy lunch aboard the Napa Valley Wine train, a visit to Korbel & Kendall Jackson Winter Center, walk around COPIA and enjoy free time

Globus offers a similar 8 day package San Francisco & the Wine Country.  Trip highlights include a San Francisco tour as well as a Bay cruise. In Sonoma  you visit Roche Winery, have a picnic at Viansa Winery & Italian marketplace, tour Sebastiani Vineyards, as well as food & wine pairing at Buena Vista Winery. In Napa have lunch aboard the wine train, visit Mumm, Envy Wine & COPIA. A farewell dinner is included at Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant…Prices from $1,989 per person.

“Wine to me is passion.  It’s family and friends.  It’s warmth of heart and generosity of spirit.  Wine is art.  It’s culture.  It’s the essence of civilization and the art of living.” ~ Robert Mondavi, Autobiography, “Harvests of Joy”