Atlantis Hotel Dubai – The Palm

Atlantis “The Palm” Dubai is now open!

A star-studded event that rivaled the Oscars was held on November 20th for the grand opening of the resort. Gerard Butler, Robert De Niro, Janet Jackson, Charlize Theron and many other starts traveled the globe and flocked to the 1.5 billion Persian Gulf resort to party during the grand opening events.

Atlantis is the majestic focal point of Palm Jumeirah, a man-made Island that has captured the world’s imagination with its magnificent scale and ingenuity. From the moment of arrival you’re immersed in a dazzling world of imagination, pleasure and luxury.

Whether over the sea or under the sea, your view is always unique in 1373 spacious guest rooms and 166 suites designed with subtle oceanic and Arabic influence overlooking the azure Arabian Gulf or Palm Jumeirah. If you would like to check availability or make reservations for the Atlantis Dubai please you can check here.

The Lost Chamber Suites have you looking into the ocean rather than overlooking it with floor to ceiling windows offering a view into the Ambassador Lagoon with exotic marine life gliding by.

In the Royal Towers you have your choice of deluxe guest rooms, executive suites, terrace suites, royal suites and presidential suites, all offering unique amenities and balconies to enjoy the views.

The Imperial Club is a resort within a resort offering that extra level of service with a more intimate feeling.

The Bridge Suite has a private elevator to the top of the Royal Tower with a dining area seating 16, a library with media center, 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms

Taste the World with 4 world famous chefs for your dining pleasure. Whether choosing local and international specialties or a snack by the pool, dining is always an experience, with 8 restaurants including a New York Style Steakhouse, Asian inspired cuisine, beachside grills and kiosks serving a range of healthy and classic snacks.

The Spa & Fitness Center offers 27 treatment rooms and a state-of-the art Technogym with personal trainers for one to one attention.

Interact with the Dolphins in a 90 minute program or just be an observer. Dolphin Bay will serve as a marine mammal rescue rehabilitation centre in Dubai.

Experience water adventures for all ages. Slide down the 30 ft tall Ziggurat into shark infested waters, if you dare. Ride the rapids, visit Splashes, the children’s water playground or just relax on the 700 metre sand beach.

Keep your younger children occupied with “Kids Club” . The preteens have full rein of Club Rush until 6pm, when it is turned over to the 13 – 17 year olds until midnight. They’ll find video games, movies, the nightclub with a live DJ and their very own smoothies bar.

For the adults, retail therapy is foremost with the world’s most exclusive boutiques. Take tea in the Arabian Coffee House. Sip cocktails in the oceanic space of Barazura. Dance the night away at Sanctuary night club.

The resort offers relaxation and thrills for couples and families, alike. If you would like to check availability or make reservations for the Atlantis Dubai please you can check here.

Atlantis Dubai $20 million Party with Celebrities

Green River Cruises

Viking river cruises recently unveiled the Viking Legend, a “green” ship with hybrid engines which are 20% more energy-efficient.  The ship will be sailing a 15 day Grand European itinerary from Amsterdam to Budapest along the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers. The cruise visits 5 countries with 14 guided tour included in the cruise fare. The world’s largest river cruise line, Viking River Cruises was established by a Scandinavian and Dutch consortium experienced in cruising. With 25 ships, Viking River Cruises continues to expand to new destinations, and builds innovative vessels that provide all the comfort of a fine hotel with attentive Swiss management. Viking River Cruises offers European river cruises, China river cruises along the Yangtze, and Russian river cruises.

Norwegian Cruise Discounts

Looking for Norwegian Cruise discounts? There is no better time to book an NCL cruise than now!Norwegian Cruise line launched their latest cruise deals and discounted fares, offering ship board credits on every 3+ day cruise. Prices are amazing starting in the Caribbean at $99 pp on select 3 day cruises. There’s never been a better time to be an NCL cruise.

 

Norwegian Cruise Line’s On-Board Credit Offers Up to $500 per stateroom.

Get ready to save with NCL´s Freestyle Resolution Sales Event. Receive up to $500 in on-board credit per stateroom and it´s good for almost all of NCL´s great activities and amenities. So, whether you want to use your credit to get a relaxing spa treatment, hit the casino, or just enjoy a delicious meal in one of our specialty restaurants, the choice is yours.

But you have to hurry, this offer is for a limited time. So, book now and get ready to do…whatever, with up to $500 in on-board credit and our exclusive Freestyle Cruising®. 

On-board Credit Chart

3-5 Day Sailings
$30	Inside Stateroom
$40	Oceanview
$80	Balconies
$100	Mini-Suites
$150	Suites & Villas
6+ Day Sailings
$50	Inside Stateroom
$100	Oceanview
$150	Balconies
$300	Mini-Suites
$500	Suites & Villas

*Exception: Cat AE on Norwegian Sun & Pride of America receives $300

Restrictions may apply. Atlas also has select sailings that have additional exclusive amenities such as wine, pre-paid gratuities and more. Call or email for details.

Barbados Port Overview

Barbados is one of the best developed, most popular tourist destinations of the southern Caribbean. Often called the “Little England” of the Caribbean, blends the finer elements of British tradition with warm island hospitality. Barbados is one of the first democracies in the New World and a regional leader in education and commerce. Explore the many beaches, rolling countryside, charming villages, old sugar mills and plantations that represent the colonial past of the island. Tour the East Coast where the Atlantic Ocean’s waves are a surfer’s paradise. Shop in the capital city or stay out late to party in the nightlife. The average annual temperature ranges from 70°F–87°F.

Ships dock at the Bridgetown Cruise Terminal, about a mile west of downtown Bridgetown.  You can shop for crafts and souvenirs in the terminal area. Barbados offers plenty of duty free shopping for jewelry, perfumes, liquor, pottery & cigars. Not interested in shopping, enjoy Barbados’ endless beaches, natural beauty, attractions and fine dining.  You can tour Barbados via car, 4 x 4, bus, catamaran or helicopter.  Snorkeling and scuba diving are popular shore excursions as well.

Rather than use the cruise line’s shore excursions, we wanted to book a private tour to create our own itinerary. We booked through Glory tours. Confirming everything via email was easy. Please note that the tour operators cannot come all the way to the ship, so there is about a 1/4 mile walk to where you meet up with the tour guides. Our interests were the Mt. Gay Rum Factory, the Barbados Wildlife reserve, Harrison’s Cave, St. John’s Church & Bathsheba.

The day did not go exactly as planned. There had been a small earthquake the day before and it was rumored that there may be an aftershock. So we opted for a 1/2 day tour rather than a full day. We got great pictures of area beaches and made it to the Wildlife Reserve. If I had it to do again, I would have skipped the reserve. Although it was interesting, it took up too much time and I did not get to see a Green monkey which was the main reasons I wanted to go and see them in their habitat. Apparently the monkeys normally come out around feeding time which is 3 p.m.  In my opinion, there are many other “must-sees” that you should spend your day in port enjoying:

Harrison’s Cave:  Travel through the winding tunnels in specially designed trams and make your way into the specially lighted caverns, view the majestic stalactites and stalagmites which have been growing from the floors and ceilings for many centuries. Cascading through the caves, the crystal blue waters form magnificent pools and waterfalls.
Get their early to avoid the lines.

Bathsheba:  It is said that Bathsheba, wife of King David, bathed in milk to keep her skin beautiful and soft. The surf covered white waters of Bathsheba are said to resemble Bathsheba’s bath in both appearance and health giving value. It is breathtakingly beautiful dramatic coastline of striking rock formations against which the Atlantic rollers break in cascades of foam.

Mt. Gay Rum Factory:  Discover the colorful history of Mount Gay Rum Learn how the world’s finest rum is made and then taste it. Enjoy Bajan cuisine in the verandah restaurant overlooking the sea. Then take home a taste of the Good Times from their store. 

We are looking forward to going back to see these island highlights.  

Princess Cruises Balcony Bonanza Sale

Princess Balcony Bonanza Sale extended until February 28,2009. Don’t delay in booking to get the cabins with the best location on the ship. Princess is offering some great prices, and free upgrades from ocean view to balcony on select sailings. Keep in mind that your cruise deposit is refundable until the time of final payment, so there is no risk in booking your Princess cruise early. Many sailings have added amenities including ship board credits, wine and more. Call for details.

BALCONY BONANZA EXTENDED! Summer 2009 EUROPE/ALASKA/CARIBBEAN/ CANADA & NEW ENGLAND Free upgrades from oceanview to balcony!^ Extended through February 28, 2009!

EUROPE 10 DAYS SHIP: ITINERARY: EMERALD PRINCESS® Scandinavia & Russia Sail roundtrip from Copenhagen 12 DAYS SHIP: ITINERARY: RUBY PRINCESS® Grand Mediterranean Sail between Venice & Barcelona GRAND/CROWN PRINCESS® RUBY PRINCESSSM Greek Isles Sail between Rome & Venice CROWN PRINCESS® British Isles Sail roundtrip from London CROWN PRINCESS® North Cape & Norwegian Fjords Sail roundtrip from London GRAND PRINCESS® Egypt & Aegean Sail roundtrip from Rome ALASKA 7 DAYS SHIP: ITINERARY: ISLAND/CORAL/DIAMOND/ SAPPHIRE PRINCESS® Voyage of the Glaciers Sail between Anchorage & Vancouver GOLDEN/STAR PRINCESS® Inside Passage Sail roundtrip from Seattle CARIBBEAN 9 DAYS SHIP: ITINERARY: CARIBBEAN PRINCESS® Bermuda & Eastern Caribbean Sail roundtrip from New York CANADA & NEW ENGLAND* 7 DAYS SHIP: ITINERARY: CARIBBEAN PRINCESS® Canada & New England Sail roundtrip from New York 10 DAYS SHIP: ITINERARY: CROWN PRINCESS® Classic Canada & New England Sail between New York and Quebec BOOK EARLY FOR BEST AVAILABILITY!

^FREE BALCONY UPGRADES APPLY TO SELECT SUMMER 2009 SAILINGS ONLY ON A SPACE AVAILABLE BASIS AT TIME OF BOOKING. *BALCONY BONANZA FARES FOR CANADA/NEW ENGLAND WILL BE AVAILABLE ON DECEMBER 13, 2008. This offer applies to lower berth passengers only. Offer may not be combinable with other discounts, promotions, or shipboard credits, and is available to residents of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico only. Call Princess for applicable fares and air add-on program. Please refer to the applicable Princess Cruises brochure for terms, conditions and definitions which apply to the booking.

Support Climate Change Research in Antarctica

Antarctica is currently the fastest warming area on the planet, with temperatures & related ice-melt increasing at an even faster rate than had been predicted. The effects of global warming will have an impact on marine, animal & human life around the planet.

Join a mission with luxury tour operator, Abercrombie and Kent aboard MV ‘Minerva’ with award-winning scientist Dr. James McClintock to an Antarctic research station, where they present equipment critical to the monitoring of Antarctic climate change. Along the way, travelers journey in Zodiacs and on land to explore the region’s coastline and wildlife.

Book now, and you also save $1,000 per person on this voyage, as well as other 2009-10 Antarctica trips.

Don’t Overspend on a Cruise

Cruises are an excellent value. Food, entertainment and many onboard activities are included in the price of the trip. Still, it is easy to overspend if you’re not careful.

Where can the spending add up? Watch the beverages, shore excursions, spa treatments and items ship sell onboard. Many are over priced.

Talk to your travel agent about the port you are visiting and read online blogs. In many islands you can just walk off the ship for shopping and beaches, where on others you will want to buy an excursion or take a cab.

Want a relaxing massage or facial? Regular prices are about 20 to 30% higher than you would pay at a local spa. The best time for a Spa treatment is the days you are in port, where they will run $20 to $60 off per treatment. Keep in mind even if you have an excursion planned for the day, the spa is open until 10 p.m. Try to avoid getting your hair & nails done onboard. They are expensive and usually do not offer any specials on these services. Also, they will try to sell you products at the end of your treatment. Ask questions and write the name of the items down but purchase it when you get home. You can usually find cheaper price on the Internet. Elemis for example often offers 10% off on online purchases.

Consider purchasing packages, such as the soda, wine, beer, coffee or ice cream programs. I was recently on a 7 day cruise where it cost $29 per person. When you consider that each soda costs $3, and my husband usually drinks a minimum of 5 per day, he easily would have spent $80 or $90 on soda versus the $29.  Tea, coffee, milk & juice is free onboard, but name brand coffee such as Seattle Best or specialty coffee drinks, there is an additional charge. Ice cream can be ordered each night in the dining room with your choice of topping and whip cream, so perhaps pass on the $3.50 ice cream sundae and wait for dessert. You can always order 2 desserts if something else on the menu interest you. Chocolate cake with a side of vanilla ice cream perhaps? Don’t forget about Internet packages. If you know you want to check emails, buy minutes ahead of time in blocks of 15 minutes or longer. It takes a little longer to log in at sea anyway, so you need to have a little extra time set aside. If you don’t purchase a package, they charge as much as .70 to .80 cents per minute, where packages bring down the cost to .30 to .50 cents per minute depending on the amount of time you purchase and the cruise line.

Specialty dining: In recent years ships have now offer restaurants that have a cover charge.  The food & service in these venues are usually top notch, but if you are on a budget, you can skip it without being cheated. It’s not that $20 or $25 is not worth it for Brazilian Lobster or Kobe beef, but depending on  the ship you are on, there is usually a great selection in the regular dining room without paying additional. The menu’s are posted early each day outside of the dining room, so take a look and see what interests you. If you don’t feel like dressing up, then the buffet usually has the same items being offered in the formal dining room.

Gratuities: Your bar bill include 15% tip each time you order. There is no need to tip additional money, unless you feel the service is “above and beyond.”

Watch the casino! Cruise lines are making it easier for you to spend your money. On many ships, In the slot machines, you just insert your room key and you can deduct the amount you’d like right from your account. It is harder to keep track of how much you are spending versus using cash, since no receipt prints out. Best bet is to have a budget in mind for each night, take cash and walk out when it’s gone.

Last but not least shopping. Although items onboard are duty free, chances are you can purchase the items cheaper in port. You can “negotiate” with local vendors most of the time to get the price down, where on the ship it is a fixed price.  Also be aware of the shopping allowance per person. When visiting the Caribbean, you are eligible for a $800 pp exemption. You may also bring back 1 liter of alcohol, up to 200 cigarettes and up to 100 non-Cuban cigars. You will be asked to complete a form prior to disembarking the ship that explains all of these exemptions.  Keep all of your receipts handy just in case you are questioned by customs.

If you are on a budget, you can spend an entire cruise vacation reading, watching movies, swimming, enjoying shows and eating at at no cost to you. Children can spend hours in the kids club, so you do not have to have a lot of out of pocket expenses unless you want to.

We’d love to hear any other money savings ideas from past cruisers.

Norwegian Cruise Line: Sustainable Travel

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has been named a finalist in Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s 2008 World Savers Awards. The awards honor 38 travel companies from around the world for their leadership in social responsibility in five key areas: poverty alleviation, cultural and/or environmental preservation, education, wildlife conservation & health.

In 2007 alone, the recycling program saved 2,200 mature trees, 2,300 gallons of gas & 672,000 gallons of water. This translates to enough saved timber resources to produce more than 27.28 million sheets of newspaper; enough gasoline to drive more than 64,500 miles; & enough fresh water to meet the daily fresh water needs of more than 8,960 people.

NCL began recycling used cooking oil from its ships at the Port of Miami in early 2007. More than 15,000 gallons of used cooking oil have been offloaded & donated to an organic farmer in Vero Beach, Fla., who converted the oil to 870 gallons of usable bio-diesel for his farming equipment.

London Vacation – Globus Monograms

Fabulous London is the perfect destination for a travel experience befitting royalty. You may want to spend time in the British Museum, cruise the Thames River, shop along Bond Street, walk through Trafalgar Squre or check out the city view from the London Eye. Better yet, spend an afternoon at Vinapolis: City of Wine as you wander the airy vaults of this old cellar & listen to the history of wine while you sample some of the subject matter. Why not add on Paris for a few nights?  With Monograms, you design the perfect trip. Four days in London start at just $549 pp

France Vacation Packages and The Eiffel Tower

Paris…each year millions of people come to visit this extraordinary city. Also known as the city of lights, you cannot miss a visit to the main landmark, the Eiffel Tower. Engineered by Gusatave Eiffel, the Eiffel Tower was built in 1887 as the entrance arch to the Exposition Universelle, the World’s Fair. What was considered an eyesore for the Parisians at the time of its construction, is now a monument linked to many historical events, and a structure that represents France to people around the world. It is a “must see” for anyone going to Paris.

The tower has three stories, with the first two accessible by stairs and elevator, while the top floor is accessible solely by elevator. The view is not all the Eiffel Tower offers though, there is a skating rink on the first floor during winters and the facility is free to use. Apart from the rink, there is the Altitude 95 on the first floor, a restaurant able to cater to up to 200 people. The second floor has a reservations only restaurant, with a private elevator. In addition, a post office, a photo studio, souvenir shops and beautiful gardens. The view from the top, as expected, is phenomenal. You cannot miss the Eiffel Tower at night. The “metal lady” is illuminated by 352 projectors of 1000 watts and twinkles every 30 minutes in the evening with 20.000 bulbs and 800 fairy lights.

With the popularity of the monument, you can expect to face long lines, but the end view from the top of the tower is a worthwhile experience. If you travel with a tour operator, you can typically skip the lines as they get preferred access. Packages include hotel accommodations, breakfast daily and a half day city tour with prices starting at $599 pp for 5 nights. If you don’t like the idea of being on a motorcoach the entire time, there are not “city stays” that allow flexibility, while still having the essentials taken care of. You can also combine stays with surrounding cities such as London or Nice, take a cooking class, visit a wine vineyard, stay in a luxury resort, or take a river cruise. For more information on France vacations, visit www.escortedfrancetours.com