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Disney Money Saving Tips

2011-07-13T06:34:00.001-07:00

Since the U.S. recession hit, Disney has been offering many incentives to lure tourists to the Magic Kingdom, including complimentary dining plans and discounts up to 40 per cent off its onsite accommodations. Promotions come and go, however, and Disney is expected to phase out discounts by next year as the economy recovers.

Choosing an off-peak travel time offers the biggest savings. The “value season” for Disney World is September to October and January to mid-February. If you can avoid travelling around U.S. holidays, you’ll not only save on dining and accommodations, but the parks will be much less busy.

When you’re booking your stay, it’s important to know what’s a deal and what isn’t. If you’re staying at a Disney resort, the dining plan is a good buy. “Even when you have to pay for it, it still saves you 20 per cent or more on the cost of food.”

Andrea Hagman has visited Disney World five times and always buys the dining plan, which includes one counter-service meal, one sit-down meal, and one snack each day. The adult meals are so large, she says she and her husband can share their lunch with their two daughters and save the extra meal credits for the next day’s breakfast. “If you don’t use up the snacks, trade them in for snacks for the trip home,” she says. “Make it go as far as you can.”

One Disney deal that’s not so good is the “park-hopper” option that lets you visit multiple parks in a day. It’s just an added expense, and in a park that’s 122 square kilometers, “you’re not going to do it all.”

Renting a Disney stroller for $15 (U.S.) a day is also a waste of money, considering you can buy a cheap collapsible stroller for $30 or less.

If you buy a Disney photo package ahead of your trip, you get a discount, Ms. Hagman says, but she’s discovered that the Disney photographers are more than willing to snap a few pictures on her own camera, which she can print herself for much less.

Another place to save money is on your flight. Booking the flight separately from the Disney package is usually cheaper, as is flying from a U.S. airport.

Hurricane Earl - Canadian Port Changes

2010-09-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

After knocking nearly a dozen cruise ships sailing in the Bahamas and the Caribbean off course in recent days, a northbound Hurricane Earl is now having an impact on vessels that sail to New England, Canada and Bermuda.

In the most dramatic fallout so far, Holland America says the 1,258-passenger Maasdam, currently on a seven-night sailing to Canada and New England, will return to its home port of Boston today two days ahead of schedule to ride out the storm at dock. Calls at Sydney and Halifax, Nova Scotia, as well as Bar Harbor, Maine have been canceled.

"This will put the ship safely alongside (a dock) in Boston ahead of the storm's anticipated arrival," the line says in statement. "Guests are welcome to stay onboard the ship until Saturday morning."

Holland America also has announced the 2,104-passenger Eurodam, currently on a trans-Atlantic cruise to New York, will call Friday at Halifax instead Sydney, Nova Scotia to avoid the storm. The ship will remain at sea on Saturday and Sunday to stay out of the storm's path before arriving in New York on Monday.

Another Holland America ship that sails out of New York to Bermuda, the 1,350-passenger Veendam, will depart Hamilton, Bermuda on Friday several hours early to make its return trip to New York as the storm approaches.

Other lines with New York-based ships making changes:

-- Princess Cruises. The 3,080-passenger Caribbean Princess will skip today's call in Halifax and sail directly for New York to avoid the worst effect of the hurricane, the line says. In an unusual diversion, the ship will pull into a Manhattan cruise berth on Friday for the day before moving early Saturday to its normal berth across the harbor at the Cruise Terminal in Brooklyn in time for disembarkation Saturday morning.

-- Carnival. The line says the 2,124-passenger Carnival Miracle, racing to stay ahead of Hurricane Earl, will pull into New York late on Friday, half a day ahead of schedule, as it returns to the city after an eight-night voyage to the Bahamas. The ship skipped a scheduled call in Nassau on Wednesday so it could depart for home early.

Hurricane Earl Impact on scheduled port visits

2010-09-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

More cruise ships are altering course today as a "powerful" Hurricane Earl barrels north-westward toward the Bahamas and the East Coast of the USA.

Royal Caribbean says the 2,354-passenger Monarch of the Seas was unable to call today at CocoCay, its private island in the Bahamas. The ship instead is sailing directly to Nassau, Bahamas, where it will stay until midnight on Wednesday.

Also skipping a call at a private island in the Bahamas today was Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Jewel (scheduled to visit the line's Great Stirrup Cay). Like Monarch of the Seas, the vessel docked early in Nassau. Norwegian says that due to the approaching storm Jewel also may have to leave Nassau early on Wednesday.

Two other ships making last-minute changes today include the 2,354-passenger Majesty of the Seas, which extended its port call in Key West, Fla. today until early tomorrow morning. The ship now will spend the remainder of Wednesday at sea before calling on Nassau on Thursday.

The 2,758-passenger Carnival Victory, meanwhile, is replacing today's port call in Dominica with a stop in St. Lucia. The vessel now will visit Dominica on Thursday in place of St. Lucia. As previously announced, the ship has canceled a port call planned in St. Maarten for later in the week and pushed back a port call scheduled for St. Thomas.

The four new itinerary changes are on top of half a dozen others ann0unced over the past two days:

-- The 2,124-passenger Carnival Pride, which set sail from Baltimore on Sunday, is skipping a port call scheduled for Wednesday in Grand Turk and instead visiting Port Canaveral, Fla. A port call at Half Moon Cay has been replaced with a visit to Nassau, Bahamas.

-- The 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream is reversing the order of two port calls in Roatan, Honduras and Belize scheduled for today and Wednesday.

-- Norwegian Cruise Line's 4,100-passenger Norwegian Epic, which set sail from Miami on Saturday, has headed to the Western Caribbean this week instead of the Eastern Caribbean. Port calls in St. Martin and St. Thomas have been replaced with calls in Cozumel, Mexico and Roatan, Honduras.

-- Royal Caribbean's 2,446-passenger Enchantment of the Seas, which set sail from Baltimore on Thursday, skipped a call Monday in St. Thomas. The ship instead called at Samana, Dominican Republic and, today, at Labadee, Haiti. The vessel will spend Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at sea as it returns to Baltimore on Saturday as scheduled.

-- Royal Caribbean's 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas, which departed Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, is skipping its scheduled port calls in St. Thomas today and St. Maarten on Wednesday. The ship instead has headed to the Western Caribbean where it will stop at Costa Maya on Wednesday and Cozumel on Thursday.

Royal Caribbean's 3,634-passenger Freedom of the Seas, which set sail Sunday from Port Canaveral, has headed to the Western Caribbean ports of George Town, Grand Cayman and Cozumel this week instead of scheduled calls in St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

Taken together, the itinerary changes this week have affected the vacations of at least 30,000 people.

As of 2 pm AST, Earl was 175 miles east of Grand Turk Island and moving to the west-northwest at about 14 miles per hour. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 135 miles per hour, giving it Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

The National Hurricane Center says a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands, and a Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Southeastern Bahamas, although the storm is expected to pass north of the islands (click HERE for the USA TODAY Weather Page's related story on the storm's projected path).

The National Hurricane Center says the storm is likely to remain a powerful Category 4 storm for the next day or two.

Australia growing in cruise options

2010-08-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

Cruising Down Under

Consider this: Celebrity Cruises earlier this summer said it was canceling its departures out of Baltimore and would instead return to Australia and New Zealand next year, reversing a 2008 decision to leave the Down Under market and put a ship in Baltimore. That kind of mobility enables cruise lines to tap new markets and create new itineraries with relative ease, while the U.S. ports they serve enjoy no such flexibility.

Besides Celebrity, Royal Caribbean International, Holland America and Princess have all committed additional capacity to Australia over the next few years. According to Cruise Down Under, a regional, cooperative cruise marketing organization, that could mean an increase of as much as 20% in the number of cruise ships visiting the area during the winter 2011-12 season (the austral summer).

Princess recently said it was putting an unprecedented four ships in Australia in 2011; citing increased demand from Australians, Princess' sister company, Cunard Line, recently said that the Queen Mary 2 would be based in Australia in 2012 for a circumnavigation of the continent, a first for Cunard; Royal Caribbean will deploy two ships to Australia in 2011, adding the Radiance of the Seas out of Sydney. The Radiance will join the Rhapsody of the Seas, currently sailing its third Australian summer season.

Conde Nast Traveler - Celebrity Solstice is best mega-size cruise ship

2010-02-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

It is if you trust the readers of Conde Nast Traveler. The travel magazine's closely-watched annual readers poll of best ships, in this month's issue, puts the one-year-old Celebrity vessel at the tops among vessels carrying 2,500 passengers or more.

The 2,850-passenger Celebrity Solstice scored an 88.9 (out of 100) in the poll, putting it first among mega-ships in 2010. Disney Cruise Line's Disney Wonder scored 88.2 to place second. The next highest rated mega-ships were Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas (87.9), the Disney Magic (87.7) and Princess Cruises' Ruby Princess (83.6).

Conde Nast also ranked "small" ships carrying fewer than 500 passengers and "large" ships carrying from 500 to 2,500 passengers.

In the small ship category, the winner for 2010 is Sea Cloud Cruises' historic Sea Cloud II, originally built in 1931 for Marjorie Merriweather Post. It scored an almost perfect 98.0.

Runners-up in the small ship category were the Sea Cloud (93.6), Uniworld's River Duchess (91.5), The Yachts of Seabourn's Seabourn Spirit (91.5) and Seabourn's Seabourn Legend (90.8).

In the large ship category, the winner for 2010 is the Crystal Serenity with a score of 93.0.

Runners-up in the large ship category are Crystal Cruises' Crystal Symphony (92.4), Regent's Seven Seas Voyager (90.9), Cunard Line's Queen Victoria (90.1) and Regent's Seven Seas Mariner (90.0).

Carnival to Increase Prices

2010-02-25T06:23:00.000-08:00

Carnival Cruise Lines is reporting record wave season bookings, with strong reservations activity for 2010 departures. As a result of the strong booking volumes, a general price increase will be implemented effective March 22 for all summer sailings in June, July and August.

For the period of Jan. 1 through Feb. 21, 2010, bookings were at unprecedented levels for the line's 22 ships which operate three- to 15-day voyages from a variety of convenient North American home ports.

Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill said, "We're seeing significantly increased volume as consumers are taking advantage of the incredible value that a Carnival cruise provides. And while pricing hasn't fully recovered to 2008 levels, we are increasing prices and will implement an across-the-board increase effective March 22."

He said that the price increases will vary by departure date but will be up to 5 percent.

NCL Announces staterooms for Singles

2010-01-21T08:31:00.001-08:00

Norwegian Cruise Line will market the 100-square-foot studio accommodations on its upcoming newbuild, the 4,200-passenger Norwegian Epic, to solo travelers.

The Epic's 128 studio cabins will be designated and priced for single travelers, eliminating the so-called "single supplement" common for cruisers traveling alone, a rate that is typically equal to the price of the second berth in the cabin.

Prices for the studios start at $799.

"Solo travelers have typically been ignored by the cruise industry," Maria Miller, senior vice president of marketing for NCL, said during a webcast last week.

"We've taken the opportunity to reposition the studios and go after this market."

The studios, slightly smaller than standard inside cabins, have windows looking onto corridors. All passengers in the studios share exclusive use of the Living Room, a common space with a lounge, private bar and two large-screen TVs.

Miller pointed to data suggesting that there are 100 million single adults in the U.S., and that 35 million adults take solo vacations every year. However, less than 5% of those travelers take cruises.

Miller added that the single supplement has always been the "key barrier" to getting solo cruisers.

"Our goal is to break down that barrier and make it more comfortable for single travelers," she said.

"Solo travel is well suited to a cruise," she said. "Cruising is ideal for people who want to travel alone but don't want to be alone."

New Ships in 2010

2010-01-13T08:43:00.000-08:00

New ships: What, when and where

February

*
Costa Deliziosa, Costa Cruises
Tonnage: 92,700
Capacity: 2,260
Debut: Dubai
A sister to the Costa Luminosa, the Deliziosa will be the first cruise ship to be named in Dubai.
*
AidaBlu, Aida Cruises
Tonnage: 68,500
Capacity: 2,050
Debut: Western Europe
The AidaBlu is the German cruise line's fourth ship in the six-vessel Project Sphinx series.

March

*
MSC Magnifica MSC Cruises
Tonnage: 93,300
Capacity: 2,550
Debut: Mediterranean, Canada/New England
The fourth Musica-class ship will be MSC's first new ship to be based in the U.S.

April

*
Azura, P&O Cruises
Tonnage: 116,000
Capacity: 3,100
Debut: Mediterranean
A sister to the Ventura, the Azura will have P&O's first block of single-occupancy staterooms, 18 in all.
*
Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Cruises
Tonnage: 122,000
Capacity: 2,850
Debut: Northern Europe
The third of Celebrity's five-ship Solstice class, the Eclipse will spend its inaugural season in Europe.

The IndependenceJune

*
Seabourn Sojourn, Seabourn Cruises
Tonnage: 32,000
Capacity: 450
Debut: Northern Europe
The second Odyssey-class ship will be named in London and will spend the season in Northern Europe.
*
Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Cruise Line
Tonnage: 153,000
Capacity: 4,200
Debut: Caribbean
The Epic will have no main dining room or theater; it will have a bar made of ice and performances by Blue Man Group.
*
Independence, American Cruise Lines
Tonnage: 3,000
Capacity: 101
Debut: Atlantic coast
The Independence will operate its maiden cruise in the Chesapeake Bay and head north to Maine.

July

*
Nieuw Amsterdam, Holland America Line
Tonnage: 86,000
Capacity: 2,104
Debut: Eastern Mediterranean
A sister to the Eurodam, the Nieuw Amsterdam will be one of six ships HAL will operate in Europe.

September

*
Queen Elizabeth, Cunard Line
Tonnage: 90,400
Capacity: 2,092
Debut: Western Europe, Mediterranean
The second-largest ship Cunard has built, the newest Queen will embark on a 103-day world cruise from Southampton in January 2011.

November

*
Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International
Tonnage: 220,000
Capacity: 5,400
Debut: Caribbean
The Allure will share with the Oasis of the Seas the title of world's largest cruise ship.

New Airport Security Screening Measures - Canada

2009-12-28T06:58:00.000-08:00

We wish to remind our clients about heightened security procedures in place at Canada's airports and elsewhere. Revised security policies and procedures, particularly baggage rules, may vary by airport and airline, but generally affect air travel to, from, and within the USA.

Increased airport screening, including several carry-on baggage searches, and personal "pat-downs" can be expected, including at the gate or in the jetway. In most all cases, passengers enroute to or within the USA will not be permitted to leave their seats, access overhead bins, or keep blankets and personal effects in their laps during the last hour prior to arrival.

Some airlines will also disable inflight entertainment systems showing real-time route maps and enroute flight progress details.

Of particular concern is any inbound international passenger connecting in the USA for U.S. domestic destinations or for Canada or other countries. Due to increased security at departure, airlines are reporting delays in U.S. arrivals of between two and three hours. Passengers may miss connecting flights and have to be rebooked upon arrival in the USA. Air carriers are reported to be waiving rebooking fees for missed connections.

Additional information:

Air Canada

Effective Sunday, December 27, and until further notice, carry-on baggage will be restricted to one personal item (purse, computer bag, diaper bag, brief case or small backpack). All other items (including larger roller bags, large backpacks, etc) must be checked-in.

In order to facilitate these new security measures, Air Canada is waiving excess baggage charges for checked baggage on a temporary basis for U.S.-bound customers travelling from Canada. Air Canada recommends passengers travelling to the U.S. from Canada arrive early at the airport for their flight in order to allow adequate time for additional personal searches.

Under new rules enacted by Transport Canada and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, passengers travelling from Canada to the United States and their carry-on baggage will be strictly limited and subject to full searches at airport screening points.

WestJet

As a result of the increased security measures now in place for all flights to the United States including the limit of one carry-on bag per guest, WestJet will be waiving excess baggage fees for all flights to the United States.

As announced on December 25, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) will be conducting a secondary search at the departure gate. Each guest on flights to the United States will be required to submit to a physical pat-down search and carry-on luggage, which will be limited to one bag per guest, will be searched by hand.

These new procedures are scheduled to be in effect until at least December 30, 2009. WestJet will update guests as new information becomes available.

Other Carriers and General Information

Transport Canada and CATSA

Passengers enroute to the USA are now restricted to one carry on bag. Additional searches of passengers and their carry on bags will be carried out. Delays can be expected so passengers are advised to arrive at the airport three hours in advance of their scheduled flight. These measures are expected to be in place at least for several days.

U.S. Transportation Security Administration Q and A

Q: What additional security measures is TSA taking domestically?

A: TSA has a layered approach to security that allows us to surge resources as needed on a daily basis. We have the ability to quickly implement additional screening measures including explosive detection canine teams, law enforcement officers, gate screening, behavior detection and other measures both seen and unseen. Passengers should not expect to see the same thing at every airport.

Q: What additional security measures are being taken for international flights to U.S. destinations?

A: TSA issued a directive for additional security measures to be implemented for last point of departure international flights to the United States. Passengers flying into the United States from abroad can expect to see additional security measures at international airports such as increased gate screening including pat-downs and bag searches. During flight, passengers will be asked to follow flight crew instructions, such as stowing personal items, turning off electronic equipment and remaining seated during certain portions of the flight.

Q: Do passengers need to do anything differently to prepare for checkpoint security procedures? Has anything changed in terms of what passengers can bring in their carry-on or checked bags?

A: At this time, security checkpoint requirements for passengers departing U.S. airports remain the same. Passengers do not need to do anything differently, but they may notice additional security measures at the airport.

Q: Should passengers plan to arrive at airports earlier than normal?

A: Passengers traveling within the United States should give themselves extra time to check in and proceed through the security checkpoint before their flight, especially during the busy holiday travel season. TSA advises that passengers traveling on international flights to U.S. destinations allow extra time for security and arrive an additional hour earlier.

Q: How long will these measures remain in place?

A: TSA will continuously review these measures to ensure the highest levels of security.

Ship Itinerary changes due to Hurricane Ida

2009-11-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Ship Itinerary changes due to Hurricane Ida:

-- The Carnival Inspiration, which departed Tampa on Saturday on a five-night voyage, is skipping a call scheduled for today in Grand Cayman. The 2,052-passenger ship attempted to visit Key West on Sunday as an alternative but had to turn away due to high winds. The vessel will visit Cozumel on Tuesday as scheduled.

-- The 2,974-passenger Carnival Conquest, which departed Galveston, Texas on Sunday on a seven-night voyage, will call in Cozumel on Tuesday instead of Friday as it sails around the storm. Calls in Montego Bay and Grand Cayman scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, will be flip-flopped.

-- The Carnival Liberty, which departed Miami on Saturday on a seven-night voyage, will visit Ocho Rios today instead of Cozumel. The 2,974-passenger vessel is reversing its scheduled itinerary and will visit Grand Cayman and Cozumel on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

The Crown Princess, which departed Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, visited Princess Cay Sunday as it also sails a reversed itinerary. The 3,110-passenger vessel will visit Grand Cayman; Roatan, Honduras and Cozumel on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

Tips to Cruising with Teenagers

2009-07-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

The teenage years mark the transition between childhood and adulthood and depending on where on this spectrum your teens lie, your vacation experience can vary greatly. Cruising appeals to people travelling with teens for many reasons. It allows the young passenger the opportunity to enjoy the freedom of doing what you want, when you want, and the security of knowing that their parents or guardian is close by. After taking several vacations with our teenagers, here are a few tips to consider:

1. Choose a teen friendly cruise line. Royal Caribbean and NCL are good choices. On Royal Caribbean your teens will enjoy the teen programs and the ship’s many features such as ice skating, rock wall climbing, and surfing. NCL appeals to teens with their “freestyle cruising” allowing you to eat when you want at several different on-board restaurants. NCL has bowling, a rock climbing wall, and a waterslide to keep your teens smiling. Both lines have a high percentage of family travelers.
2. Compromise on excursions. Let your teens pick at least one shore excursion for everyone to enjoy and participate in. This will allow your teen to be involved in the planning of the cruise and gives them something to get excited about. It will also get you to experience something that you most likely would never have tried. Let’s just say I would not have tried an “aqua scooter” or inner tubing in Jamaica if not for our teens.
3. Consider using a small excursion operator. We used Port Promotions on our most recent cruise with NCL to the Mediterranean and they provided a driver and a minivan that held eight passengers while the cruise line ran the same excursions with busloads of people. There is a much better chance that the pace and the time spent at each attraction will be more appealing to your teens.
4. Don’t try to fill every day with tours. Allow your teens time to “hang out” and absorb their environment. Odds are it’s their first time in the port you are visiting. Your teens are taking-in all sorts of things that might not be interesting to you. They are looking at the way people dress, speak, drive, what they eat, the cell phones used, and cars that people own. So don’t be too insulted if they are tired of visiting museums or churches, to them there are so many things to see.
5. You will likely not be able to “plan” the memories of the trip. Your teens will most likely come home and talk about the crazy drivers in Naples, the yachts in Cannes, the shopping in Florence, or the cute guys/girls they saw. If you look however at the pictures they take, you will see the Coliseum in Rome, statutes from the Vatican Museum, the Tower of Pisa, the Amalfi coastline, the architecture of Gaudi in Barcelona, and the towel animals your stateroom attendant left behind each night.

July 12th Barcelona

2009-07-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

After a smooth disembarkation, we took a taxi for the short ride to Las Ramblas and dropped our luggage off at our hotel – Le Petit Palace Opera Garden. The hotel is only a few meters from the Rambla de les Flors and the beautiful flower stands that mark the area. The cab ride costs 15 euro from the port to the hotel and could be walked if you are in no hurry. We then continued to walk north and arrived at the hop-on / hop-off bus terminal at Placa de Catalunya. A day pass is 21 euro per person and allows access to 3 different routes.

In the morning we took the blue route and stayed on the bus for close to two hours. After lunch we rode the red route which passes by many of the same Gaudi designed architecture as the blue line but also includes a stop at the Sagrada Familia, the Gaudi designed cathedral. Both routes offer an amazing array of design and architecture that never fails to impress. We would have loved to stay an extra day to explore further many of these jewels. We enjoyed tapas on Las Ramblas and then strolled down to the old port to watch street performers and do some last minute shopping. The evening and trip concluded with a gelati and a stroll back along Las Ramblas as we returned to the hotel for a final sleep before our return flight.

Taxi transfer to the airport was 35 euro.

July 11th Cannes

2009-07-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

Our plans for the day were simple, walk the streets of Cannes and unwind from a very busy couple of days. We left the ship via tender and strolled through the port of Cannes marveling at the number and sheer size of the docked yachts. We marveled at the change of atmosphere that a single day had made. We were now strolling through the playground of the rich and famous. We browsed the shops that are one block north of the beach (Rue Antibes) in the morning, and girls found several bargains they could not resist. In the afternoon we back towards the ship via the famous Rue La Croisette where all of the famous designers have shops. We had lunch on the beach at a creperie where the girls enjoyed classical French fast food – a baguette and a crepe. We set sail for Barcelona at 3pm and prepared for our last night on the ship. The consensus was that Cagneys was the best restaurant so we decided to revisit for our final night.

July 10th Florence and Pisa

2009-07-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

Same plan as Rome, we left the excursion in the hands of Port Promotions and had the same positive experience. Our driver / guide was Massimo and he had the same eight passengers as the previous day. By now we were a cohesive unit. We all agreed that we would want to spend as much time as possible in Florence, so we instructed Massimo to cut our leaning tower visit down to just 30 minutes. Because we travelled in a van, we were able to dive up to the parking lot of the tower. Bus coaches had to park 20 minutes away in a large lot. We were on the road to Florence before the buses had even arrived at Pisa. Our Florence visit started with a stop on a hilltop (Michael Angelo’s) to get an overview of the walled city. Once again our van was able to dive to the front door of all of the attractions where as coach tours must drop you off outside of the city walls. Massimo lives in the old city of Florence so he also showed us places, vistas, and neighborhoods that coach tours would not be able or even know to visit. We had lunch on our own and had two hours to shop in a central market or you could visit a church. Well our teenagers had seen enough churches (including the Vatican) so shopping was the plan. Everyone returned to the van with arms full of shopping bags. We were dropped off at the ship by 5pm and said a fond farewell to Massimo. Dinner was at Tequilas for some Tex Mex. The food and service was very good, the only complaint was that the restaurant is located in the central atrium and the noise level is high and there are frequently guests passing through the restaurant on their way to their staterooms. Cover was $15pp. We only had time to watch the Second City improve night and once again smiles all around.

July 9th Rome

2009-07-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

How can you see Rome in 8 hours? We decided to use Port Promotions for our excursion. Their pricing was 20% less than NCL’s and offered a similar itinerary. We met the designated driver / host (Antonio)at our scheduled 8:00 am time. We were quickly loaded into an 8 passenger van with 4 other guests who had also booked with Port Promotions. What a fabulous way to see Rome pronto! While those who booked with the cruise line were hoarded onto busses, we had our own very intimate tour.

Our first stop was the coliseum, followed by a couple of secret stops that I promised Antonio I would not tell others about, we visited the Pantheon, a visit to Trevi fountain where we made our secret wishes, a drive by the Spanish Steps, and then we stopped for lunch where we were met by a local vineyard owner who had us sample his wines and olive oil while we enjoyed a very nice lunch. Our next stop was the Vatican where we spent 3 hours with Antonio acting as our guide (he does this almost daily so he is very knowledgeable). At 4pm it was time to return to the ship. All of us (except Antonio) had a little nap on the return drive which takes approximately 1 hour. The only regret we had was that there was just not enough time. In the evening we dined at the Asian restaurant and found the food was good but probably not worth the surcharge ($15pp). The entertainment was the Second City Comedy group. All four of us enjoyed the show and will return for the improve night later in the cruise. The comedians did a great job of tailoring the humor to the family crowd.

July 8th Naples

2009-07-16T07:27:00.001-07:00

The cruise ship port is at the foot of the city providing easy access to this busy metropolitan area. With nothing pre-planned we decided to walk into town and explore. As we left the pier, we spotted the ubiquitous “hop-on / hop-off” double deck bus. The price for a family of four was 66 euros, much less expensive than the ships Naples excursions and much more appealing to our teens. The bus runs three different routes and by chance we started with the “B” route which takes you along the shoreline of Naples and up into the seaside hills. The tour lasted 1.5 hours and we had taken dozens of pictures. All four of us enjoyed the sunshine and the wonderful seaside vistas. We returned to the city centre and walked the main shopping district. A shopkeeper provided a suggestion for our wish, which was to have a “real” pizza. He directed us to Brandi Pizzeria, founded in 1889 and once again all four of us were delighted. We had a mouthwatering pizza (one pizza could feed two people) and listened to a musician serenade the three ladies. Each pizza cost $9.50 euro which we thought was good value considering the quality and the bonus entertainment. We then took the line “R” hop-on / hop-off tour. This circuit lasts only 45 minutes and provides limited entertainment. It would be a useful route if you wanted transportation between the main attractions in Naples. Our day concluded with a Gelato and a short walk back to the ship. Dinner was in the main dining room and we found the service to be equal to that in the specialty restaurants and the food was good with a broad selection. Once again the ship’s singers and dancers put on a solid performance of hits from the 70’s. The girls knew about half of the songs.

July 7th Malta

2009-07-16T07:26:00.001-07:00

Our ship entered the harbor at 7:30 am and was a very impressive sail-in. The towering cliffs and fortress walls surrounding are stunning. We chose to walk into town, a 10 minute hike that is all uphill. Once we reached the city, we were impressed! The panoramic views were fantastic and the absence of cars on the main shopping street made browsing an acceptable pastime for even an old guy like me. We had a cold drink at an outdoor café that we enjoyed so much that we returned again for a sandwich at lunch. Prices were very reasonable, the four of us had a sandwich and drink for a total of 22 euros. The girls were fascinated with the different models of cars and since this was once a British colony, the fact that they were right hand drive. We were back at the ship for our 3pm sail to Naples. Dinner was at Tappanyaki – a Japanese restaurant where they cook at your table. We all agreed that the $25pp surcharge was better spent at Cagney's. The evening show consisted of a magician/comedian who provided good family entertainment for the one hour performance. The girls sat in the front row in the hopes that they would be called upon to volunteer. They had no luck at being called upon but did catch an idea as to how some of the tricks were done.

July 6th Day at Sea

2009-07-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

The effects of the overnight transatlantic flight were evident as we all slept-in, enjoying the very comfortable NCL bed. This sailing has over 700 kids travelling boosting the passenger well over the 100% capacity of 2446. Many of the clients are “locals” being from Spain or Malta. Our girls seem to enjoy the fact that there are so many kids – making the freestlye atmosphere on the ship even more relaxed. So far all of the activities and entertainment have been family friendly, including the poolside contests. The lifeguard has his hands full enforcing the adults only area of the pool deck but somehow manages to keep everyone happy. Dinner was at Cagneys (The steak house with a $25pp cover)and was fabulous. The service was attentive and very accommodating to our teenage girls. No request was met with anything other than “no problem”. The evening show called Colors was entertaining for teens and us older parents. Hit songs from the 70’s through to today were interwoven through the one hour show and the four dancers helped to keep interest through songs that might not have been familiar to those who are younger.

NCL Gem July 5th Med Cruise

2009-07-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

July 5th 2009 Embarkation – We arrived in Barcelona at noon and the four of us jumped in a taxi at the airport for the 25 minute ride to the Barcelona port. The transfer cost $35 euro for the four of us and would be a better option than waiting for a bus. A glass of Champaign was offered as we embarked and after our transatlantic flight all we really needed was a place to sleep. The two staterooms were ready by 2pm so the two girls had a nap while we went poolside on fell asleep in the two person loungers. We set sail at 7pm with a day at sea scheduled for Monday. A new option for us was a “teen” beverage passport book which provided 20 drinks – including smoothies and virgin options of Pina Coladas or their drink of the day for $34.50. The girls were excited to have the option of these premium drinks instead of the usual “Coke” card. Dinner was enjoyed at the Italian specialty restaurant for $10 per person. NCL had a supplemental wine list of local Italian wines that we took advantage of and our teenage girls started to use their dink coupons and enjoyed smoothies.

Agents key to cheap vacations

2009-06-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

Just because the economy is down doesn't mean you have to let your guard down in choosing a vacation.

There are a number of deals to be had. And by doing a bit of homework, you can get better deals. Just like any homework assignment, it's best to ask for help. A variety of Web sites can hunt for the the cheapest options — Orbitz.com, for example, has a price assurance guarantee, automatically sending a refund if another customer books the same flight for less.

But such sites aren't all knowing.

"Use a travel agent, especially for the first time visiting an area," Donna Douglas of North Brunswick said at the Association of Central Jersey Travel Professionals' last month in Freehold.

Douglas is the business development manager, specializing in travel agencies, for the Bermuda Department of Tourism. She was one of more than 50 vendors who exchanged information with association member-agents May 4.

"Agents are more familiar. They know everything from hotels to sightseeing," Douglas said.

But don't take Douglas' word. Princess Cruises, in its 2009-10 Americas cruises book, is offering an eight-day Bermuda and Eastern Caribbean sailing this October, leaving New York and arriving in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At the time the cruise offering was published, the starting price was $599 for an interior stateroom, $699 for oceanview. The guidebook doesn't differentiate between oceanview and oceanview obstructed, and all prices are per person, double occupancy, and do not include government fees or taxes.

If you book it through the cruise company's Web site, the price drops to $549 for either an interior or oceanview obstructed, while an oceanview is still $699. But a balcony at Princess' Web site is $799 compared with $839 published, and a mini-suite is $999, compared with a published rate of $1,049.

That's good. But there are ways to do better.

At CruiseCheap.com, which requires users to go through that site's travel agent, that same room was $549 for an interior or oceanview obstructed. But for a limited time, that Web site was offering each customer a chance to pay a lower deposit of $200 per cabin. The site also offers an onboard credit of $75 per cabin and a $325 value coupon book, good for various items and activities on the cruise.

But even without the added offers, an oceanview started at $674, a balcony at $784, and a mini-suite at $994. While it may not seem like much, every dollar saved means more money for ship and shore purchases.

In addition, a good travel agent should notify you if the price drops or any other changes happens in the ship's plans.

"Take the swine-flu incident. What do you do without an agent?" said Donna Carlin of Brick, Association of Central Jersey Travel Professionals' president as well as the owner of Stepping Out Travel Services, also based in Brick.

With cruise ships skipping Mexican ports and vacationers worried about a stay in the country, "I was up for hours trying to find the best available solution to their concerns on short notice," Carlin added. "Who do you turn to in that instance?"

NCL Epic - Bookings Begin!

2009-06-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

Norwegian Cruise Line saw demand for its largest ever Freestyle Cruising vessel Norwegian Epic skyrocket in the first week that the ship’s itineraries went on sale to the public, beginning Thursday, May 21, 2009. Norwegian Epic’s first week of bookings far exceeded opening week sales for the company’s last two new ships: Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Gem. All categories of staterooms were in demand, from the groundbreaking new Studios for the value-conscious traveler to the ultra luxurious villas, penthouses and deluxe owner’s suites. Prices start from $699 per person; however, based on high demand, prices increases are taking effect on some of the more popular sailings.

Norwegian Epic is scheduled to enter service in late May 2010, and will take part in inaugural events before beginning her Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings from her year-round homeport in Miami. The first Eastern Caribbean sailing from Miami is scheduled for July 17, 2010 and the ship’s alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries are available through April 2011.

Princess Cruises New Itineraries and Ports for 2010 Europe Season

2009-05-04T12:18:00.000-07:00

Princess announced their most comprehensive Europe program yet, with new and exciting 7-day cruises in both the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. For 2010, Princess will offer more variety than ever before with 96 spectacular departures including 39 unique itineraries. Princess offers the opportunity to see the many sides of Europe with itineraries that visit the most iconic destinations that are rich in history, architecture, cuisine and majestic beauty. This season, Princess have returning favorites and have added nine new exceptional itineraries, more 7-day voyages, and 11 new ports! Princess offers an array of distinct itinerary choices with six spectacular and intimate ships sailing the waters of Europe from April through December, covering the destination in its entirety. Ruby Princess continues to sail the signature Grand Mediterranean and Greek Isles program. Star Princess returns to Europe and sails the ever-popular 10-day Scandinavia & Russia itinerary in the summer followed by Greek Isles, Egypt, and a new Mediterranean Odyssey itinerary in the fall. Crown Princess starts the season with several Greek Isles and Mediterranean cruises before sailing to the British Isles as well as Norway & the Fjords. Grand Princess offers convenient 7-day & 14-day Mediterranean cruises from London. Pacific Princess sails the Mediterranean including the extraordinary Holy Land itinerary which offers a 2-day Egypt and 2-day Israel experience on every sailing. Ocean Princess offers seven new itineraries featuring a selection of Mediterranean & Northern Europe voyages ranging from 7 to 25 days. Grand Adventure sailings offer passengers the opportunity to extend their adventure by combining two voyages and receiving a $200 per person savings. Bookings for the season opened April 9th.

Swine Flu Advisory

2009-04-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

1. Currently, a Travel Alert for Mexico has been issued by the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada recommending that Canadian citizens avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico at this time.
• The Swine Flu has been confirmed in 19 Mexican states, including Mexico City, Mexico State, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Baja California and San Luis Potosi. Some, including Oaxaca, Mexico City and Baja California, have tourist areas, but authorities have not said where in these states the outbreaks occurred.
• The Swine Flu has also been confirmed within the United States in California, Kansas, New York, Ohio and Texas.

2. We provide the facts so our clients can make an informed decision about their travel plans.
• We closely monitor the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Web site for travel alerts for all destinations, including those that are most popular with our clients.
• Should we become aware of an issue for a specific destination, we alert clients who may be planning to travel there so they can make determine for themselves if they still wish to travel.
• Many major U.S. and Canadian airlines are waiving fees for passengers who want to change their tickets to Mexico.
• For our clients who plan to travel to Mexico, the Public Health Agency of Canada prescribes the following recommendations to reduce the risk of infection and help travelers stay healthy:
o Canadians already in Mexico should monitor local news bulletins and follow the advice of local authorities. Travellers should also contact their airline, tour operator or travel agent to verify travel plans.
o The PHAC recommends that travellers follow the same precautionary measures as with seasonal influenza. These include receiving a seasonal flu vaccine, washing your hands often, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when ill. Canadians who have recently travelled to Mexico and who develop symptoms of influenza or severe respiratory illness, especially high fever are advised to seek medical attention immediately. For more information, please see the PHAC Travel Health Warning and information page on human swine influenza.
• See a travel medicine specialist or a doctor familiar with travel medicine at least 4–6 weeks before you leave to answer your questions and make specific recommendations for you.
• Antiviral Medications: Travelers from the U.S and Canada going to Mexico who are at high risk of severe illness from influenza (for example persons with chronic conditions such as diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, and the elderly) are recommended to take antiviral medications for prevention of swine influenza during travel. The recommended antiviral drugs for swine influenza are oseltamivir (brand name Tamiflu®) and zanamivir (brand name Relenza®). Both are prescription drugs that fight against swine flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. These drugs can prevent infection if taken as a preventative. Talk to your doctor about correct indications for using influenza antiviral medications. Always seek medical care if you are severely ill.
• Antiviral chemoprophylaxis (pre-exposure or post-exposure) is recommended for the following individuals:
i. Household close contacts who are at high-risk for complications of influenza (persons with certain chronic medical conditions, elderly) of a confirmed or suspected case.
ii. School children who are at high-risk for complications of influenza (persons with certain chronic medical conditions) who had close contact (face-to-face) with a confirmed or suspected case.
iii. Travelers to Mexico who are at high-risk for complications of influenza (persons with certain chronic medical conditions, elderly).
• Antiviral chemoprophylaxis can be considered for non-high risk persons who are travelers to Mexico, first responders, or border workers who are working in areas with confirmed cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. For more information on CDC's recommendations for antiviral use during the swine flu outbreak, please visit www.cdc.gov/swineflu.
• Be sure you are up-to-date with all your routine vaccinations, including seasonal influenza vaccine if available.
• Pack a travel health kit that contains basic first aid and medical supplies.
• Identify the health-care resources in the area(s) you will be visiting.
• Check if your health insurance plan will cover you abroad. Consider purchasing additional insurance that covers medical evacuation in case you become sick.
• Should our clients become ill during a trip to Mexico with fever and other symptoms of Swine Flu like cough and sore throat, the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada recommends seeing a doctor, especially if they think you may have had contact with someone with Swine Flu or severe respiratory illness in the past seven (7) days before becoming ill.

3. Safety is our top priority for our clients.
• Our business is founded on repeat customers. Therefore, we want to be sure everything goes off without a hitch.
• We also work closely with respected hotels and resorts to remain informed of precautions they’re taking to guard our clients’ safety.
• We encourage our clients who travel to pay attention to announcements from the local government and follow local public health guidelines, including any movement restrictions and prevention recommendations.
• Regardless of where our clients travel, we encourage them to practice healthy habits to help stop the spread of germs, including washing their hands often with soap and water or use waterless alcohol-based hand gels when water is unavailable.

Celebrity Returns to Bermuda

2009-03-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

Celebrity Cruises plans several different itineraries from the New York area to Bermuda when it resumes sailing to the island nation in 2010.

The line says the 2,038-passenger Celebrity Summit will sail both traditional seven-night all-Bermuda voyages that include three days on the island and combination Bermuda/New England voyages that include a shorter visit to Bermuda paired with a visit to Newport, Rhode Island or Boston. Several longer voyages also are planned for the end of the season.

The sailings will depart from Bayonne, New Jersey on Sundays from April to mid-June of 2010. The line is opening bookings for the trips this week.

Celebrity also has announced details of its first-ever seven-night Canada/New England sailings, which will take place on the Summit throughout July and August of 2010. The itinerary includes stops in Saint John, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine.

Celebrity says in September and October of 2010 it'll offer its standard 14-night cruises of the region on the Summit with an overnight stay in Quebec City, Quebec, and stops in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

NCL - Port Canaveral

2009-02-12T09:49:00.000-08:00

Good news, Port Canaveral fans: Norwegian Cruise Line plans to home port a ship in the area for the first time in 11 years.

The line announced this week that it will base the 1,936-passenger Norwegian Sun at Port Canaveral seasonally starting in October of 2010. The vessel will sail alternating seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises out of the city departing every Saturday through April 16, 2011.

“By bringing Norwegian Sun to Port Canaveral, we are offering cruisers in Central Florida and to those vacationing in Orlando quick and easy access to Freestyle Cruising," says NCL president and CEO Kevin Sheehan. "In addition, Port Canaveral offers our guests a wide range of pre- and post-cruise packages with the ability to visit a number of family attractions.”

The Sun’s Eastern Caribbean itinerary will include a stop in Nassau, Bahamas; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Philipsburg, St. Maarten. The Western Caribbean voyages will include calls in Cozumel, Mexico; Santo Tomás de Castilla, Guatemala; Belize City, Belize and Key West, Florida.

The line also is promoting back-to-back cruises on the ship that will hit all of the above destinations while repeating no port twice.

MSC Sets Sail for Canada

2009-01-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

European line MSC Cruises' expansion into the North American market will continue in 2010 with its first voyages to Canada and New England.

MSC Cruises USA president and CEO Rick Sasso says the MSC Magnifica, a new vessel scheduled to debut in early 2010, will sail to New York in the fall of 2010 for a series of cruises to and from Quebec City in Canada. The 2,550-passenger ship then will head to Fort Lauderdale to join another MSC ship, the Lirica, for the 2010-11 Caribbean season.

Sasso says the company sees the heavily populated Northeast as a lucrative marketplace for its Italian-run ships. And it's eyeing the region's Italian-American market, in particular, he says.

The Magnifica will be one of the first MSC ships with a magrodome -- a retractable roof over the swimming pool that should appeal to cruisers heading to sometimes chilly Canada. The ship also boasts balconies with 80% of cabins, a strong selling point for leaf peepers on fall New England cruises.

Sasso says the Magnifica will set sail for the USA on Sept. 4, 2010 from Venice. After an 18-night trans-Atlantic journey to New York City that includes a call in Bermuda, it will depart Sept. 22 on its first New England and Canada cruise: A 10-night roundtrip voyage that calls in Sydney, Charlottetown, Quebec, Halifax and Newport. The Magnifica then will sail a series of seven-night, one-way voyages in October between New York City and Quebec City that include stops in Halifax, Charlottetown and other coastal towns in Canada and New England. The series ends with a nine-night voyage from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale departing Oct. 23 and calling in Sydney, Boston, Newport and New York City.

The one-way itineraries can be combined to become longer, 14- or 16-night voyages.

Christmas Market tips: By Julie O'Shea | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

2008-12-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

Prague, Czech Republic - My first Christmas abroad caught me by surprise. The heart and soul of my new home – Prague's highly esteemed Old Town Square – had been transformed, seemingly overnight, into a scene from a Charles Dickens novel.

Little, red, thatched-roof gift booths strung with garland, tinsel, and holly dotted the snow-covered square. Smoke from roasting chestnuts snaked through the air, and pretty women in colored dresses, earmuffs, and scarves sang carols as horse-drawn carriages stood waiting for their next fare.

Dazzling and magical hardly seemed like adequate descriptions for such a yuletide display. Rather, what I remember unfolding before me on that crisp winter afternoon two years ago seemed astonishingly surreal. I didn't think the holiday season could get much better.

As it turns out, the Czech capital's famous outdoor markets were just the prelude. Europe is renowned for its Christmas markets. Practically every big city has at least one, if not several. But – not to be biased – some of the best, biggest, and oldest seasonal marketplaces reside right in the center of Europe.

A few – such as the Striezelmarkt in Dresden, Germany – date as far back as the Middle Ages.

Nuremberg, Germany's internationally acclaimed Little Town From Wood and Cloth braces each year for the onslaught of foreign visitors that steamrolls in for five consecutive weeks, looking for those one-of-a-kind gifts to place under the tree.

For me, though, the region's Christmas markets are not so much about the shopping experience as they are about the atmosphere. Just imagine celebrating the holiday season against the backdrop of Munich's bustling city center, Prague's baroque landscape, or the extensive, snow-capped mountains of Salzburg, Austria. The view, quite literally, will take your breath away.

"This is the problem with [something that's considered] a paradise – once it is discovered, it is no longer a paradise," says Michael Weber, the general manager for Nuremberg's tourist office. "Indeed, the Christmas market is Nuremberg's biggest tourist draw. I would go so far to say that it is for Nuremberg what the Oktoberfest is for Munich."

Perhaps he has a point. After all, it seems almost impossible these days to find a traditional European Christmas market that hasn't already been thoroughly overpromoted by the tourism industry. Still, the fascination persists, and city officials here push aside talk of a global economic meltdown, insisting their winter tourism numbers will remain steady this year.

"There has been a certain fluctuation, yes," Mr. Weber admits. "Not because of weak economies but because of an increase in the number of good markets in Germany. That number grew faster than the number of possible visitors."

Farther south, officials in Vienna report that the city saw a decline in its hotel vacancy rates in 2007 when compared with the year before.

"The number of overnight stays in November and December has been increasing [over] the last [couple of] years," reported Eva Draxler, a spokesperson with the Vienna Tourist Board. However, she adds, "we cannot tell if it is solely because of the markets."

Still, there's an excellent possibility that the country's Christmas festivities play a major role.

Austrian cities all seem to try and outdo one another in seasonal flair, making it tough to decide where to begin. For two weekends last year, I picked my way through the country's endless outdoor marketplaces, enjoying an assortment of pastries I couldn't pronounce and washing them down with hot punch.

I bought sweet-smelling handmade soap in Salzburg and beautiful glass rings in Vienna, where I was overwhelmed by rows upon rows of gift booths lining the streets and parks of the city center.

"Since the '80s, there are Christmas markets all over the city," Ms. Draxler explains. "The most beautiful and nostalgic ones take place against the majestic backdrop of major palaces ... like Schoenbrunn Palace and Belvedere Palace."

My personal favorite is the park outside Vienna's sprawling City Hall. Every inch of the square is decked out in holiday glitz, from carolers and sweets to the towering Christmas tree and Nativity scenes scattered about. It's hard to know where to look first.

While some people have complained that the season has grown too commercialized with the expansion of Christmas markets, most cities seem vigilant about maintaining a local feel at their annual markets – and it shows.

In Prague, for instance, visitors can sort their way through endless displays of tree decorations, wooden toys, and marionette dolls. Grilled sausages, corn on the cob, and carp stands (a traditional Czech "delicacy") are also big hits here.

At the Dresden market – considered one of the oldest in Germany with history books first mentioning them in 1434 – it's a type of cake called stollen that takes center stage.

During the second weekend of the markets' annual run, a four-ton stollen creation is paraded through the streets of the city's Old Town and cut up for all to taste.

This tradition is so ingrained that it's even reflected in the name of the market, Striezelmarkt, as stollen was originally called Striezel.

Meanwhile, Nuremberg's jolly little Christmas "village" has gained such acclaim that city officials boast that some 2 million people from all over the world stop by for a visit each year.

There, a sea of wooden stalls decorated with red and white cloth (which give the market its nickname, the Little Town From Wood and Cloth) hawk some of the very best spicy gingerbread – Lebkuchen – baked in the country.

"It flatters me to hear that our Christmas market is considered one of the best in the world," said Nuremberg's Weber. "A Christmas market in a big city is not the snowy little place in the mountains next to a chapel with candles in the trees.... But we also try to maintain the local feel."

Truly, I have found, there is nothing quite like the Christmas markets in Europe. Visiting them is an unforgettable experience, even if you don't buy a thing.

Top Christmas markets

Dresden, Germany

Year of first recorded market: 1434

Must buy: Stollen loaves

Web: www.dresden.de/index_en.php

Munich, Germany

Year of first recorded market: 1642

Must buy: Rauchermann, small wooden figures used to burn incense

Web: www.christkindlmarkt-muenchen.de

Nuremberg, Germany

Year of first recorded market: 1628

Must buy: Nuremberg plum people, little figures made out of prunes

Web: www.christkindlesmarkt.de/english

Vienna

Year of first recorded market: 1626

Must buy: Vanilla crescents, traditional Viennese Christmas cookies.

Web: www.vienna.info

Salzburg, Austria

Year of first recorded market: 1491

Must buy: Mozartkugel, a tasty chocolate delight since 1890.

Web: www.christkindlmarkt.co.at

or www2.salzburg.info

Prague, Czech Republic

Must buy: Honey gingerbread

Web: www.czechtourism.com

Christmas Markets Hotel Fleming Vienna

2008-11-30T06:51:00.000-08:00

Day 8 – Disembarkation

The disembarkation process was very quick. You basically tell the staff the night before the time you plan to leave and they will order a taxi for you. When it is time to leave, you then pay your bill and walk off the ship as they load your luggage into the waiting taxi.

This really is a no hassle form of travelling. We had a very enjoyable time. It is as advertised – a “floating hotel” that comes with you as you visit cities along your route. You are normally just steps from the city centre and can do what you want / when you want. The food is very good. There is less choice but every meal is freshly prepared using local produce. We could buy local wines and drink them on board, and you are never in a line-up. At the end of a week you know all of the staff and many of your fellow passengers. Every tour was very informative and the guides were helpful. Any excursion was accompanied by a representative of Viking who ensured that everyone was looked after. Our only complaint was that the internet had spotty coverage and Viking informed us that in 2009 they are upgrading their internet service. Only question is…..where to next?

We moved our belongings to the Fleming’s Hotel. It is a VERY modern hotel and is only 8 years old. It is located on the U3 subway line so after a quick check-in we went back into the old city via the subway (3 stops) for a day of walking the streets and taking in even more atmosphere. Tonight’s dinner is at a traditional Vienna Heurigen. http://www.pfarrplatz.at/heuriger-eng.htm it is the former home of Beethoven and should make for a fun end to our Danube experience.

Christmas Markets Vienna

2008-11-30T06:22:00.000-08:00

Day 8 Vienna

Our day started at 8:30am with a one hour bus tour along the ring road of Vienna “Ringstrasse”. The road is lined with an impressive collection of museums, grand residences, palaces, monuments, and concert halls. It really was like trying to take a sip of water our of a fire hydrant as the tour guide pointed our the attractions in rapid succession. It is hard to grasp the sheer number of sites collected along this 4km stretch. We started our walking tour at the glorious St. Stephan’s Cathedral. Our guide pointed out famous shops and monuments. We walked by The Spanish Riding School as well as the former Royal Palace. After the tour we enjoyed a classic Vienna tradition – a brauner grosser (large coffee with whipped cream) and some pastries. The coffee is served on a silver plate with a glass of water. I had a slice of sacher torte – a dark chocolate cake. We then took some extra time to visit some of the high end fashion shops before taking the subway back to the ship.

We spent the afternoon touring the Schonbrunn Palace. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. Our guide walked us through each room of the Royal Apartments and we had an hour at the end to explore the Christmas Market. The setting sun brought the Christmas lights to life on the giant tree in front of the palace.

Later in the evening we attended a concert in the former stock market building. The 6 musicians, two dancers and two singers made the evening pass by quickly. Their performance was light hearted and very enjoyable. The first half featured the music of Mozart and the second half featured Strauss. The drive to the concert gave us a quick look at the spectacular light display at city hall.

Christmas Markets Melk

2008-11-29T04:36:00.001-08:00

Day 7 – Melk

After a brief bus ride we entered the Melk Abbey. The baroque styled Abbey overlooks the Danube and was founded 900 years ago by St Benedict. It is still a functioning monastery with 30 monks in residence and is also a private school for 900 students. The church was designed in the high baroque style. After our tour we wandered the streets of Melk. Only a few shops were open during the lunch hour and the Christmas markets are only open on Saturday. We decided to spend our time enjoying a true Austrian coffee (with a glass of water and a treat) and then later had a delicious bowl of soup at a local restaurant/hotel. We spent the afternoon sailing the afternoon sailing the scenic Wachau valley.

Christmas Markets Salzburg

2008-11-27T14:35:00.000-08:00

Day 6 Optional Tour Salzburg

Our coach tour started at 8:30 am when we were met by our driver and accompanied by a Viking representative. Approximately half of the cruise guests opted to go to Salzburg. The 1.5 hour bus trip passed by spectacular foothill mountains and every few minutes we would spot a new village nestled into the countryside.

Salzburg is the birthplace of the great composer Mozart and this historical fact has shaped the local community. Over 9 million tourists visit the town every year and all stop at the home where he grew-up as well as his birthplace. Our guide for the walking tour explained in detail the accomplishments of the town’s most famous composer. We also visited the stunning exterior of Schloss Mirabell, featured in the classic film, The Sound of Music. The guide pointed out the Mountains that the Van Trapp family was to ascend to reach Switzerland – in fact the other side of the mountain is still Austria and their target destination is over 200 miles away, obviously a Hollywood fib. We also saw the graveyard that was featured in the movie as well as several other movie locations.

Following a visit to The Church of Salzburg, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant that was founded in the year 900. We entered an upstairs dining room and we were mesmerized by the stunning Christmas decorations. In the centre of the room was a 20 foot Christmas tree decorated in gold ornaments. Lunch included a delicious turkey breast and a uniquely local desert dish – salzburger nockerl, which is like a large meringue with a raspberry sauce.

The balance of the day had us shopping at the local Christmas markets and we purchased a chocolate treat called a salzburger mozarttafel to sample. Our bus departed at 3:30 for the return to Linz When we arrived back at the ship, we decided to tour the city of Linz which was only one block from the dock. We looked at the Christmas markets and the local shops. This is a fantastic place to shop but we simply ran out of time. We decided to eat in the town and 10 of us enjoyed a dinner at a local restaurant and returned to the ship for a late night departure.

Christmas Markets Passau

2008-11-26T23:07:00.000-08:00

Day 5 Passau

The day started with a 9:00am walking tour of Passau. Once again we were docked just a few feet from the town. Our guide was a young lady who was born and raised in Passau. She explained that the 50,000 residents of the town are mostly Roman Catholic, in fact they have 50 Catholic churches! Her background made the tour more ‘authentic’ and less historical. She talked in detail about her own family Christmas traditions. Our tour included a stop at a local chocolatier / baker who has been in business for 4 generations. They gave a talk on gingerbread making and let us sample three types of gingerbread and a hot mulled wine punch. We concluded the tour at St Stephan’s church where we saw what is Europe’s largest pipe organ and a fantastic example of Baroque architecture – and to this point, the most beautiful church we have seen.

At 3:30 our ship departed and we bid farewell to Germany as we crossed into Austria. The late afternoon departure allowed for a glimpse of the Bavarian mountains that line the Danube river. Small towns which were blanketed with a dusting of white snow made for an idyllic setting. Our German experience left us with a new appreciation of the tradition and passion these people hold for Christmas. There is no “Happy Holidays”, no “Holiday Tree”, no piped-in Christmas carols played in endless repetition, no plastic Santa, and no reindeer. They do have a real respect for the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas Markets Regensburg

2008-11-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

Day 4 Regensburg

Our ship arrived at Regensburg in the early morning and docked only steps away from the ancient city founded in 179 AD. After breakfast we were met by a local guide who was not only a history professor but she also had a wonderful sense of humor. She provided a one and a half hour tour of the medieval city. Regensburg was spared from bombings during WWII and therefore is home to Germany’s best preserved medieval architecture. We were taken to the 12th century stone bridge, the old town hall, and the most impressive St. Peter’s church with its towering stained glass windows.

We had free time in the afternoon to visit the local shops. Absent was any real sign of “tourist trap” stores which made the afternoon pass by quickly for even us guys who don’t see shopping as a sport. We enjoyed wonderful Bavarian sausages for lunch along with a cold draft beer. These sausages are a local specialty and even after much prodding, our server would not reveal the secret recipe. We found a small restaurant (Hofbrau Dom Regensburg) www.hb-am-dom.de for dinner that served authentic Bavarian dishes. The waitress and waiter were dresses in local costumes and even though the restaurant was busy, we were the only non-locals dining there.

Our evening was concluded back on the ship where we enjoyed a bottle of wine that we had purchased in town and then we were entertained by a one-man band who had the whole ship clapping and laughing along with his routine. The ship departed at 9:45pm for our next stop.

Christmas Markets Nuremberg

2008-11-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

Day 3 Nuremberg – Cruising The Main / Danube Canal

Our day started off at 8:30am with a guided tour (via motor coach) of Nuremberg. Viking provided a local tour guide who was an American that had been living in Nuremburg for the past 18 years. The first part of the tour addressed the city’s infamous past. Nuremberg was a key centre for the Nazi movement and housed the party’s main parade grounds. We passed by the coliseum which was being built to allow party leaders the opportunity to spew propaganda to tens of thousands of followers. The interior was never completed but one can envision the magnitude of the plans the Nazi’s developed. A short drive later we got out of the coach at the Nazi parade grounds. This was the spot where Hitler would stand and inspect the thousands of troops and artillery. The guide provided pictures that made the grounds come to life and sent a chill through your body as we came to terms with the history of the area. Our next stop was a brief visit to the site of the Nuremberg trials. Since this is still a functioning courthouse, you are not able to ‘visit’ the interior. Our final stop was back in the old city at the site of the 400 year old Christkindelsmarkt. Here you are struck by the true Christmas spirit that the locals are passionate about. The market is filled with everything Christmas – all locally produced – all natural – all glittering. A light dusting of snow put you in the mood for some Christmas cheer. So off we went to have some fresh gingerbread cookies and a cup of mulled wine. We then returned to the ship and we were quickly on our way to Regensburg.

The canal is an engineering marvel. There are 16 locks that raise the ship over 1300 feet and was completed in 1992. It’s only when you pass through the locks that you appreciate the fact that these river cruise ships will never be any larger. We pass under bridges and through locks that allow for only inches of clearance. In fact the entire control room on the upper deck can be lowered into the floor so the ship can pass under several low bridges.

Viking provided a guest speaker for the afternoon of cruising. He is an expert in European history and spoke for close to an hour about the history of the area and the background to the formation of the EU. I would guess about half of the 150 passengers attended the talk while others played board games, read in the library or maybe caught a nap.

Christmas Markets Bamberg

2008-11-25T13:58:00.001-08:00

Day 2 – Bamberg Daytrip

We decided to organize our own day trip to Bamberg. The train runs frequently from Nuremburg and costs less than 10 Euros so we caught the 10:40 train to the town of Bamberg. The high speed service had us arrive 45 minutes later and we started to explore the city. Most shops were closed due to the fact that it was Sunday morning but we did find a small Christmas specialty store whose owner is a part-time tour guide. She was more than happy to offer up a few pointers on what to do and see.

We stopped for hot chocolate and enjoyed an apple desert before crossing a bridge that served as a gateway to the old city. We visited a couple of old churches including St Michael’s that dates back over 600 years. One can only marvel at the history and architecture that unfolds in abundance. Before we knew it, it was time to return to the train. 5 hours had passed in what seemed to be a blink of an eye. A quick stop back to the Christmas store to thank our impromptu guide turned into an opportunity to share a glass of Champaign and wine with the store owner as we explored her small boutique. The 3:45pm train has us back in Nuremberg in time to catch a taxi for a quick trip to the “port” where the Viking Spirit was awaiting our arrival. Check-in was more like that you would experience at a boutique hotel than a cruise ship. Within 3 minutes we were checked-in, bags delivered, and a friendly hostess showed us to the spacious stateroom.

After a brief orientation we went to the main dining room for our first gourmet dinner. The German inspired meal did not disappoint. A glass blowing demonstration was held back in the lounge for a very interesting and amusing performance by a local artisan. The day was over but was one that will not soon be forgotten.

Day 1 Christmas Markets

2008-11-23T00:38:00.000-08:00

Day 1 Travel to Nuremburg.

We boarded our KLM flight from Toronto to Amerstam. The 747 was the equipment used and proved to be a most enjoyable method of getting to Europe. Six hours of flying time passed quickly as we enjoyed a failrly good airline meal, compimentary wine and spirits, and friendly service. An hour before landing a small breakfast snack was served.

Amsterdam's airport is a fabulous option for European connections. We were through passport control in just a few minuites and had time to shop in the vast array of shops located in the terminal. It made us want to return to see what the city has to offer.

Our short one hour flight to Nuremburg was efficient and comfortable. The Nuremburg airport is small which means you get you luggage quickly and there is no problem getting a taxi. It costs 15 euros to get into the old city where our hotel Victoria served as our pre cruise base.

The hotel itself is located within the old city and provides a great base for you to explore the city. The room is typically european sized but clean and modern. The reception area is stocked with hot tea to welcome you back from your adventures. There is an Irish pub located in the basement which serves only beer and wine. A good option for food is a restaurant located beside the hotel - "Gasthaus Pillhoffer". Solid German food with some local dishes at a reasonable price. English speaking staff will serve you promptly and the locals were more than willing to help us Canadian plan our next day. We are heading out to wander the old city before retiring for the night

Disney introduces 3D theaters at sea

2008-11-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

Leave it to Disney to revolutionize theater entertainment at sea.

The entertainment giant is about to unveil the cruise industry's first 3-D theaters, to debut next Friday on the Disney Wonder and Dec. 6 on the Disney Magic.

Disney Digital 3-D, as the company is calling its proprietary technology, is being installed in two theaters on each of the 1,754-passenger vessels and will allow for the showing of the first 3-D movies at sea. But Disney has even grander plans for the technology.

Starting in early 2009 the company will pull off another first with the debut of a once-per-cruise theatrical extravaganza that combines 3-D movie projection with in-theatre special effects. Tridimensional images will combine with lasers, fog, streamers and lighting effects to create an immersive experience.

“With Disney Digital 3-D we can provide extraordinary cinematic experiences for our guests that no other cruise line can offer,” notes Tom McAlpin, president of Disney Cruise Line.

The 3-D theaters will be used to offer passengers exclusive viewings of first-run Disney films the same week they roll out in theaters on land. Indeed, Disney is timing next week's launch of the 3-D technology on the Wonder to coincide with the debut of its much-awaited new 3-D animated Disney film Bolt (John Travolta; Miley Cyrus).

The company plans a special midnight screening of Bolt on the Disney Wonder as the calendar turns from Nov. 20 to Nov. 21 -- the day the movie debuts in theaters on land. Characters from the movie will be in attendance.

Disney's move comes during a period of unusual innovation in cruise industry entertainment. Just this week Celebrity Cruises is unveiling the first glass-blowing shows at sea on the new Celebrity Solstice. The ship will be christened later today in Fort Lauderdale. Over the past year Royal Caribbean also has announced several groundbreaking entertainment concepts for its soon-to-launch Oasis of the Seas, including an outdoor AquaTheater for live water shows (another industry first).

The age-old tradition of watching movies at sea also has been revolutionized over the past few years by the arrival of huge outdoor movie screens on the top decks of ships. Just last week Princess Cruises, which pioneered the concept in 2004, announced it would add outdoor theaters to nearly all of its ships over the next three years due to strong demand.

The Disney theaters getting the 3-D technology on the two Disney ships are the Buena Vista Theatres (the traditional movie theaters on the two ships) and the Walt Disney Theatres (which house staged musicals and other productions).

Based in Port Canaveral, Fla., Disney's two ships sail three-, four- and seven-night itineraries to the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

Source USA Today

2008-11-06T17:14:00.001-08:00

Fans of those big outdoor movie screens that have been popping up on cruise ships in recent years -- and there are a lot of you out there -- got some good news today from Princess Cruises.

The line that pioneered the "Movies Under the Stars" concept in 2004 says it plans to take the monster screens fleetwide over the next three years in a big expansion.

Princess already has the 300-square-foot screens on the top decks of seven of its newest vessels -- the Caribbean Princess (where it all began), Crown Princess, Emerald Princess, Grand Princess, Star Princess, Sea Princess and soon-to-debut Ruby Princess. Over the next three years the line will add them to seven more ships.

The rollout will begin on the Golden Princess next May, followed by the Dawn Princess (June 2009), Coral Princess (October 2009), Sun Princess (April 2010), Island Princess (October 2010), Diamond Princess (November 2010) and Sapphire Princess (2011).

Princess uses the high-tech, LED screens day and night to show movies, sporting events such as the Super Bowl and concerts by the likes of Tina Turner and Elton John. The line even has been known to offer midnight showings of cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

Princess beefs up Hawaii

2008-11-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

Princess Cruises has launched a new Hawai'i cruise itinerary that will continue through April, providing a seasonal bright spot in a visiting-cruise schedule that sank in numbers after NCL America reduced its Hawai'i-based ships from three to one.
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For its 2008-09 schedule, Princes Cruises put its 951-foot Golden Princess into service in the Hawai'i market. The ship offers 14-day round-trip Hawai'i cruises from Los Angeles that include calls at Hilo, Honolulu, Kaua'i and Maui, through April 1, 2009.

Programs onboard the ship include a variety of cultural presentations and demonstrations, interpretive lectures, learning to play the 'ukulele, other hands-on activities and Hawaiian cuisine, said Jan Swartz, Princess' senior vice president.

FAMILIES GIVE TOP MARKS TO CRUISING

2008-11-03T12:20:00.000-08:00

Families take cruises and they cruise often because the price is right, the value for money spent is outstanding and the cruise experience offers unique advantages over comparably priced land-based vacations. Those are the conclusions to be drawn from a just released online survey of more than 1,000 households by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and Cruise Critic, the top online resource on cruise information.

“Experts tell us that family vacations are one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry and this certainly is true for cruises. It’s not just the amazing new generation of ships and shipboard activities and facilities for young travelers,” said Terry Dale, president and CEO of CLIA. "Most important, families are choosing to cruise because of price and, even more important, value. They recognize that a cruise vacation offers advantages and features that are simply not found on any other type of vacation.”

Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of Cruise Critic, agrees, "The cruise vacation is an attractive way to travel because many elements of a stress-free family trip are wrapped up into one tidy package for passengers. From accommodations and meals to entertainment and activities, the almost all-inclusive cruise experience appeals -- particularly to families -- because of the tremendous value and convenience it offers."

Among the key findings:

* Families take a lot of cruises. Almost half (46 percent) of respondents have taken two to four cruises with children under the age of 18; 15.2 percent have taken five to seven cruises, and 4.8 percent have taken more than ten.
* Outstanding value. Over 83 percent of families said cruise vacations are very good or extremely good value.
* The price is right. Among all family cruisers, 73.4 percent said that their last cruise was the same price or less than a resort vacation, with almost 50 percent saying that the cruise was slightly or much less costly.
* Multiple advantages over resort vacations. Family cruisers listed many key advantages to taking a cruise over a family resort stay, including: the opportunity to visit multiple destinations (62.8 percent); the all-inclusive nature of a cruise vacation – accommodations, meals, entertainment and shipboard activities included in one price – (57.7 percent); onboard kids programs and facilities (30.2 percent); the variety of onboard amenities (28.0 percent); and onboard entertainment (20.3 percent).
* Destination rules. 36.6 percent of families said that the destination or itinerary was the primary deciding factor in choosing a family cruise. Almost 30 percent were most motivated by price.
* Planning is easy. Almost 70 percent of respondents said that planning a cruise was easier than planning a resort vacation.
* Cruising is relaxing, hassle-free and provides for quality family time. The survey found that 44.3 percent of families spend about half their time together on a cruise, while 42.7 percent said they spend all or most of their cruise vacation together as a family.
* Over 30 percent of respondents said quality shared family time was the best thing about a cruise while over 20 percent cited the hassle-free “don’t need to plan anything” quality of a cruise as the most enjoyable feature of a vacation at sea. The opportunity to see multiple destinations, kids’ enjoyment of the cruise experience, the quality of shipboard service and amenities, and kids’ facilities and services were other leading reasons to choose a family cruise.
* Cruising can be a great choice for a multi-generational vacation. Over 60 percent of respondents say they sometimes or always travel as an extended family (with grandparents and/or grandchildren.)

* Almost 76 percent of families reported that their kids took advantage of kids-only activities, facilities and/or entertainment onboard ship.

Seabourn's newest ship

2008-10-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

Celebrate the debut of Seabourn's newest yacht, Seabourn Odyssssey.
We're celebrating the inaugural season of Seabourn Odyssey by giving an extra $1,000 off in addition to Early Booking Savings. This saving is available on all 50 of their 7-day Mediterranean cruises in 2009, aboard Seabourn Spirit, Seabourn Legend or Seabourn Odyssey.*
With more sailings, more ports, more caviar and champagne... and more savings than ever,it's the perfect opportunity for you to experience the enviable yachting life of Seabourn: the ultimate in small-ship luxury.
Offer ends December 19th, 2009.

NCL ends Fuel Surcharge for 2010

2008-10-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

Norwegian Cruise Line is following rivals Carnival and Royal Caribbean in cutting back on fuel surcharges. But as with the other companies, the cut isn't across-the-board and depends partly on the future price of oil.

The most definitive part of Norwegian Cruise Line's announcement is that it will eliminate fuel surcharges completely on all new bookings that come in for 2010 cruises, effective Nov. 10.

NCL also says it will refund the fuel surcharges that it already has collected from customers for sailings in 2009 and 2010 if the price of oil remains below $65.

NCL says it will measure oil prices each quarter over the coming two years to determine whether passengers will get refunds.

"Should the closing price on the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) of West Texas Intermediate fuel be below $65 per barrel two weeks prior to the beginning of the calendar quarter, the company will refund fuel supplements paid in the form of an on-board credit," the line says in a statement.

The formula is similar to one anounced last week by Royal Caribbean.

NCL adds that it will "continue to closely monitor global fuel prices to assess whether a reinstatement of the fuel supplement will be necessary."

NCL and other cruise companies began adding fuel surcharges a year ago when oil prices first spiked to $100 a barrel.

Royal Caribbean Changes Deployment

2008-10-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

Add Royal Caribbean to the list of cruise lines moving ships closer to home as the economy worsens.

The mass-market line says it is canceling cruises in South America scheduled for 2009 and 2010 aboard the 2,501-passenger Radiance of the Seas and instead keeping the ship in San Diego.

The line says the 90,000-ton vessel will sail 24 additional Mexican Riviera sailings out of San Diego between September 2009 and May 2010. The voyages will range in length from four- to 12-night and include calls in Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas, Ensenada, Huatulco, Ixtapa (Zihuatanejo), Manzanillo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.

Back from the Pearl

2008-10-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

Just returned from the NCL Pearl. What a pleasant surprise! The ship featured Freestyle Cruising 2.0 which is the latest enhancements to NCL's cruise experience. It starts with a glass of Champagne when you board and an escort to your stateroom. The ship has 5 specialty restaurants where you can eat what you want and when you want - this is the backbone of freestlye cruising. Almost all cruise lines have replicated this concept in one form or another. I really enjoyed the steak house restaurant (Casey's). It is just like eating at the Keg while at sea!

Our bed had a memory foam mattress and cotton sheets. This was by far the most comfortable bed I've slept-in while at sea.

If you are looking for a great value in cruising I highly recommend the NCL Pearl. To me it is like a Delta Hotel that travels with you. Clean and modern / no Four Seasons but enjoyable.

Welcome

2008-10-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my Blog! You will find my thoughts, observations and news about cruising. Being a Canadian we have unique needs when it comes to travel and specifically cruising. Our web site is http://www.gocruising.ca where you can find the latest deals on cruising.