Arthur Frommer's Blog, page 44
July 18, 2011
With a Free Fourth Night, Vegas' Cosmopolitan Hotel Has Set Off a Price War
The recently-opened Cosmopolitan Hotel of Las Vegas is a 4,000-room behemoth that should never have been built; Vegas was already known to have a surplus of luxury rooms when construction could have been halted. But egged on by its stubborn owners at Deutsche Bank, open it did, and numerous observers immediately claimed it could never recoup its cost.
In a summer season when Vegas' luxurious Vdara Hotel (1,500 units, all of them deluxe suites) was charging as little as $109 a night per suite, you would have thought that the Cosmopolitan would keep its minimum rate to as much as that, especially since it could be claimed that the Cosmopolitan Hotel's balconies (the only giant Vegas hotel to offer balconies attached to many of its rooms) would make its accommodations the rough equivalent of the Vdara. And yet a few days ago, the Cosmopolitan Hotel announced it would give a fourth night free to persons booking for three nights. The result is that on many nights when the charge for a "terrace studio" at the Cosmopolitan is only $135, guests at the Cosmopolitan are paying as little as $101 a night for a four-night stay.
And what happened? The Vdara Hotel has now lowered its overnight rates for a suite to $105, for several of the weekdaynights in the remainder of July. And the Vdara has lowered the rate to $105 on many of the weekday nights (Sunday through Thursday) in August.
So here's a big opportunity for those of you willing to withstand the sweltering temperatures of Las Vegas in July and August. I firmly believe we will never again see Vegas prices quite that low for luxury so great. And with suites selling for as little as $105 a night, why stay at any other hotel?
For a fast picture of the budding price war, go to www.mgmresorts.com , insert the word "Vdara," and click on the booking calendars for July and August.
In a summer season when Vegas' luxurious Vdara Hotel (1,500 units, all of them deluxe suites) was charging as little as $109 a night per suite, you would have thought that the Cosmopolitan would keep its minimum rate to as much as that, especially since it could be claimed that the Cosmopolitan Hotel's balconies (the only giant Vegas hotel to offer balconies attached to many of its rooms) would make its accommodations the rough equivalent of the Vdara. And yet a few days ago, the Cosmopolitan Hotel announced it would give a fourth night free to persons booking for three nights. The result is that on many nights when the charge for a "terrace studio" at the Cosmopolitan is only $135, guests at the Cosmopolitan are paying as little as $101 a night for a four-night stay.
And what happened? The Vdara Hotel has now lowered its overnight rates for a suite to $105, for several of the weekdaynights in the remainder of July. And the Vdara has lowered the rate to $105 on many of the weekday nights (Sunday through Thursday) in August.
So here's a big opportunity for those of you willing to withstand the sweltering temperatures of Las Vegas in July and August. I firmly believe we will never again see Vegas prices quite that low for luxury so great. And with suites selling for as little as $105 a night, why stay at any other hotel?
For a fast picture of the budding price war, go to www.mgmresorts.com , insert the word "Vdara," and click on the booking calendars for July and August.
July 15, 2011
Just Back from Europe: 10 Lessons of Rewarding, Cost-Conscious Travel
My daughter's recent trip to Europe (to Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Poland) was of one month's duration, and my own recent trip there (to Poland) was for four days. We both agreed, on returning, that no matter how frequently we fly trans-Atlantic, and for whatever length of time, there were lessons to be learned or emphasized from the experience. (Some are painfully obvious, but need periodically to be discussed.)
[image error] Photo Caption: Street scene in Gdansk, Poland. The Wordsmith/Frommers.com Community
1.) Increasingly, the most pleasant and yet economical way to experience Europe is to establish a base in one city for five days to a week, and to rent an apartment rather than a hotel for lodgings. Pauline did this in Northern Ireland, where she and her family stayed for a week, later in Krakow (Poland) where she and her younger daughter stayed for five days, and later in Gdansk (five days). In all three places, a housekeeping apartment gave them both the most pleasant of spacious lodgings for far less than they would have spent at an equivalent hotel.
2.) The best means for obtaining such an apartment were local real estate brokers in two locations (found through Google) and an actual apartment owner in another. She concluded that she had greater confidence in the worth and value of those apartments than if he had gone through one of the giant international real estate brokers that can't possibly be familiar with all the properties they rent.
3.) Never change your money at airport or train station kiosks, or by using any commercial money changer -- all of them basing the transaction on badly disadvantageous rates of exchange. Use those facilities only for the smallest amount of money you will need on arrival, and then change all additional amounts at a bank ATM machine now found in every city. ATMs give the best rate.
4.) Unless you are certain you will need to use unattended gasoline filling stations or unattended rail ticket kiosks in the course of your trip, don't succumb to the offer of a U.S.-issued chip-and-PIN credit card. Currently, the cost of such cards and the rates of exchange on the foreign currencies loaded into them, are grossly unfavorable. You can generally rely on your own, U.S., magnetic-stripe card unless you know in advance that you will at some point need to use an unattended kiosk.
5.) Using one of the budget airlines -- Easyjet or others -- for your intra-European trips may save you a great deal of money, unless you are carrying large and heavy suitcases whose weight will incur catastrophic extra charges. If you are traveling light, then even the charge for your checked luggage will fail to wipe out the savings these airlines provide.
6.) Be careful to turn off "data roaming" on your cellphone while traveling in Europe. Charges can otherwise be disastrous.
7.) Sharing dishes at a European restaurant is an important means of saving money. Portions are usually huge, too much for comfortable dining, and you will not simply save large amounts but emerge from your meals feeling vigorous and at ease.
8.) Independent sightseeing is almost always to be preferred to the escorted variety. By not taking guided tours on hop-on hop-off buses, Pauline and her daughter felt like discoverers when they stumbled onto the Royal Road in Gdansk or into the historic cores of Krakow and Warsaw. They later took a walking tour of both Krakow (lousy; they aborted 15 minutes into it; it was a free one) and Gdansk (very good) to get some background, but approaching it on their own and forming their own impressions was much more satisfying.
9.) Reading about the destination in advance makes an enormous difference. Because Pauline read about the rapaciousness of the Teutonic Knights before she arrived in Poland, she had a very different reaction to Malbork that she would have derived from the sanitized version conveyed by the local tour companies.
10.) Finally, make a check-list for the contents of your suitcase, and adhere to it. If you do, you'll end up taking half the clothing you otherwise would unnecessarily bring, and your trip will be tremendously improved by the tiny suitcase you bring along.
[image error] Photo Caption: Street scene in Gdansk, Poland. The Wordsmith/Frommers.com Community
1.) Increasingly, the most pleasant and yet economical way to experience Europe is to establish a base in one city for five days to a week, and to rent an apartment rather than a hotel for lodgings. Pauline did this in Northern Ireland, where she and her family stayed for a week, later in Krakow (Poland) where she and her younger daughter stayed for five days, and later in Gdansk (five days). In all three places, a housekeeping apartment gave them both the most pleasant of spacious lodgings for far less than they would have spent at an equivalent hotel.
2.) The best means for obtaining such an apartment were local real estate brokers in two locations (found through Google) and an actual apartment owner in another. She concluded that she had greater confidence in the worth and value of those apartments than if he had gone through one of the giant international real estate brokers that can't possibly be familiar with all the properties they rent.
3.) Never change your money at airport or train station kiosks, or by using any commercial money changer -- all of them basing the transaction on badly disadvantageous rates of exchange. Use those facilities only for the smallest amount of money you will need on arrival, and then change all additional amounts at a bank ATM machine now found in every city. ATMs give the best rate.
4.) Unless you are certain you will need to use unattended gasoline filling stations or unattended rail ticket kiosks in the course of your trip, don't succumb to the offer of a U.S.-issued chip-and-PIN credit card. Currently, the cost of such cards and the rates of exchange on the foreign currencies loaded into them, are grossly unfavorable. You can generally rely on your own, U.S., magnetic-stripe card unless you know in advance that you will at some point need to use an unattended kiosk.
5.) Using one of the budget airlines -- Easyjet or others -- for your intra-European trips may save you a great deal of money, unless you are carrying large and heavy suitcases whose weight will incur catastrophic extra charges. If you are traveling light, then even the charge for your checked luggage will fail to wipe out the savings these airlines provide.
6.) Be careful to turn off "data roaming" on your cellphone while traveling in Europe. Charges can otherwise be disastrous.
7.) Sharing dishes at a European restaurant is an important means of saving money. Portions are usually huge, too much for comfortable dining, and you will not simply save large amounts but emerge from your meals feeling vigorous and at ease.
8.) Independent sightseeing is almost always to be preferred to the escorted variety. By not taking guided tours on hop-on hop-off buses, Pauline and her daughter felt like discoverers when they stumbled onto the Royal Road in Gdansk or into the historic cores of Krakow and Warsaw. They later took a walking tour of both Krakow (lousy; they aborted 15 minutes into it; it was a free one) and Gdansk (very good) to get some background, but approaching it on their own and forming their own impressions was much more satisfying.
9.) Reading about the destination in advance makes an enormous difference. Because Pauline read about the rapaciousness of the Teutonic Knights before she arrived in Poland, she had a very different reaction to Malbork that she would have derived from the sanitized version conveyed by the local tour companies.
10.) Finally, make a check-list for the contents of your suitcase, and adhere to it. If you do, you'll end up taking half the clothing you otherwise would unnecessarily bring, and your trip will be tremendously improved by the tiny suitcase you bring along.
July 14, 2011
A New Home Exchange Firm Features Up-Front Photographs of the Homes or Apartments Available for Exchange
I've just made the acquaintance of a new, one-woman home exchange firm. Because I enjoy recommending a brave, small, start-up in a field increasingly dominated by big companies, I'm hastening to draw your attention to World Home Exchanges (
www.worldhomeexchanges.com
).
It seems, at a hasty glance, to be no different in any major respect from any other home exchange company, except that it is obviously a labor-of-love of the individual, Jennifer Margell, who runs it. She is herself a successful home exchanger, and she obviously enjoys putting her members in touch with other gracious exchangers around the world. And her website places far more emphasis than is usual on inviting would-be home exchangers to post photographs of the homes or apartments they are offering for exchange. That takes a lot of the guesswork out of what is sometimes an anxious procedure.
I like the spirit with which Jennifer Margell approaches the possibilities of home exchanges, and the care with which she assists such exchanges. Her website is an attractive one, and I think you'll enjoy scanning and/or using it.
It seems, at a hasty glance, to be no different in any major respect from any other home exchange company, except that it is obviously a labor-of-love of the individual, Jennifer Margell, who runs it. She is herself a successful home exchanger, and she obviously enjoys putting her members in touch with other gracious exchangers around the world. And her website places far more emphasis than is usual on inviting would-be home exchangers to post photographs of the homes or apartments they are offering for exchange. That takes a lot of the guesswork out of what is sometimes an anxious procedure.
I like the spirit with which Jennifer Margell approaches the possibilities of home exchanges, and the care with which she assists such exchanges. Her website is an attractive one, and I think you'll enjoy scanning and/or using it.
The Floodgates Slowly Open as Additional Tour Operators Announce Extensive Programs to Cuba
Add Friendly Planet Travel to the slowly-expanding list of tour operators that will be offering extensive tour programs to Cuba. Starting with a departure from Miami on Sunday, October 23, and continuing through mid-April, that well-known packager will be offering "humanitarian missions" to Cuba, all as described in a special segment of its website found at
www.friendlyplanet.com/sponsored/cuba.html
.
[image error] Photo Caption: Havana street. Adrien Broom/Frommers.com Community
Unlike Insight Cuba ( www.insightcuba.com ), which does not yet include airfare in the price of its recently-announced program to Cuba (but will be guaranteeing a charter flight from Miami, and perhaps soon from New York-JFK as well), Friendly Planet does include a round-trip charter flight between Miami and Havana in the price of its once-a-month departures between October and April. It also includes Cuban-mandated health insurance and virtually every other element of an all-inclusive trip, resulting in a total price of $3,099 per person in October, November and December, and $3,199 per person in January, February, March and April, for a tour spending seven nights in Cuba.
Friendly Planet's tours place participants in a four-star Havana hotel for five nights and in an all-inclusive four-star beach resort (near the city of Trinidad) for two nights, and feature visits to every major attraction in the Cuban capital. The packages become "humanitarian" in aspect, according to the tour operator, because participants are brought on one visit to a Cuban elementary school, where they make a donation of school supplies (pens and pencils, paper, and drawing supplies) to the students. On another afternoon, they visit a medical clinic and make a donation of medical supplies (like pain relief medicines, syringes and antibiotics) to that facility. Participants are given an allowance of 15 pounds per person of humanitarian supplies that they can bring with them on the charter flight to Cuba.
You'll find the program described in great detail at the website address listed above (but not on the standard Friendly Planet website). This is clearly among the first of many dozens of such programs that will be announced by America's tour operators in the weeks ahead. For all intents and purposes, it will now be possible for Americans seriously interested in seeing Cuba to make that trip.
[image error] Photo Caption: Havana street. Adrien Broom/Frommers.com Community
Unlike Insight Cuba ( www.insightcuba.com ), which does not yet include airfare in the price of its recently-announced program to Cuba (but will be guaranteeing a charter flight from Miami, and perhaps soon from New York-JFK as well), Friendly Planet does include a round-trip charter flight between Miami and Havana in the price of its once-a-month departures between October and April. It also includes Cuban-mandated health insurance and virtually every other element of an all-inclusive trip, resulting in a total price of $3,099 per person in October, November and December, and $3,199 per person in January, February, March and April, for a tour spending seven nights in Cuba.
Friendly Planet's tours place participants in a four-star Havana hotel for five nights and in an all-inclusive four-star beach resort (near the city of Trinidad) for two nights, and feature visits to every major attraction in the Cuban capital. The packages become "humanitarian" in aspect, according to the tour operator, because participants are brought on one visit to a Cuban elementary school, where they make a donation of school supplies (pens and pencils, paper, and drawing supplies) to the students. On another afternoon, they visit a medical clinic and make a donation of medical supplies (like pain relief medicines, syringes and antibiotics) to that facility. Participants are given an allowance of 15 pounds per person of humanitarian supplies that they can bring with them on the charter flight to Cuba.
You'll find the program described in great detail at the website address listed above (but not on the standard Friendly Planet website). This is clearly among the first of many dozens of such programs that will be announced by America's tour operators in the weeks ahead. For all intents and purposes, it will now be possible for Americans seriously interested in seeing Cuba to make that trip.
July 13, 2011
For Just $39, You Can Go Island-Hopping in the Caribbean This Winter with JetBlue
In addition to announcing new service to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic (from Boston or New York), JetBlue Airlines has made something of a hub out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. In addition to its long-standing service between both New York, Boston, Tampa, Orlando, and Ft. Lauderdale to San Juan, it will start flying -- in late November and early January -- and then throughout the winter, from San Juan to St. Maarten (in the Netherlands Antilles) and to Saint Croix and to St. Thomas (in the U.S. Virgin Islands). And to inaugurate those three short hops in the Caribbean, it will be charging only $39 each way to persons who book by July 15 (taxes and fees add about $7).
It will also start flying this winter from San Juan to Santo Domingo (in the Dominican Republic) and will charge only $59 a ticket each way (plus $38 in taxes and fees) to persons who book that short hop prior to July 15.
So if you act quickly, you'll be able -- cheaply--to combine San Juan and another close-in Caribbean location for winter vacations. And obviously, there will be further deals of this sort announced by the growing JetBlue, to which you should now pay attention if you're at all attracted by the Caribbean this winter.
It will also start flying this winter from San Juan to Santo Domingo (in the Dominican Republic) and will charge only $59 a ticket each way (plus $38 in taxes and fees) to persons who book that short hop prior to July 15.
So if you act quickly, you'll be able -- cheaply--to combine San Juan and another close-in Caribbean location for winter vacations. And obviously, there will be further deals of this sort announced by the growing JetBlue, to which you should now pay attention if you're at all attracted by the Caribbean this winter.
Only 30% of All American Travelers Leave Tips for the Chambermaids Who Clean Their Rooms
Jim Byers, travel editor of The Toronto Star, recently disclosed a study of tipping practices by American travelers, a cause for dismay. At a time when the scandal involving Dominique Strauss-Kahn has drawn our attention to the immigrants and other low-income people who perform those cleaning functions, we all need to sharpen our consciousness about the failure of people leading comfortable lives to share their good fortune with people less privileged.
Only 30% of all American travelers leave such a tip. Having paid, in many cases, as much as $200 a night for their room, they are apparently unwilling to leave even as little as $10 for the chambermaid. A tip of $20 seems to me a minimum for a two-night stay.
For arduous, uninteresting labor, chambermaids apparently earn as little as $10 an hour in a city as expensive as New York. Four hundred dollars a week, pre-tax, is no longer a living wage. All of us should take heed of our obligation to augment that income with our tips, and all of us should constantly remind ourselves of this obligation -- and do something about it -- when we travel.
Only 30% of all American travelers leave such a tip. Having paid, in many cases, as much as $200 a night for their room, they are apparently unwilling to leave even as little as $10 for the chambermaid. A tip of $20 seems to me a minimum for a two-night stay.
For arduous, uninteresting labor, chambermaids apparently earn as little as $10 an hour in a city as expensive as New York. Four hundred dollars a week, pre-tax, is no longer a living wage. All of us should take heed of our obligation to augment that income with our tips, and all of us should constantly remind ourselves of this obligation -- and do something about it -- when we travel.
July 12, 2011
Finally! A Bargain-Basement Outfit Has Entered the Field of European River Cruises
Want a rock-bottom-priced cruise of the Rhine or the Danube? In a field where companies have boasted about the deluxe nature of their river cruises (and charged accordingly), a celebrated champion of cheap vacations -- the long-in-business YMT Vacations -- has suddenly made a surprise appearance. Using two specially constructed river boats commissioned by its new owner (Europe's giant TUI Tours), YMT has now launched a program of 14-night vacations in 2012, each including seven days on the Rhine or Danube and seven days of land arrangements in nearby capitals, for a total of either $1,899 or $1,999 per person (plus airfare to Europe). Tipped off to the development by a top official of TUI (whom I've known for years), this Blog may very well be the first travel source of that news, independent of the fact that the website YMT Vacations (tel. 800/922-9000;
www.ymtvacations.com
) now carries a description of the program.
[image error] Photo Caption: Rhine River Valley, Germany. Dave Philip/Frommers.com Community
YMT Vacations (the initials originally stood for Your Man Tours) has long been proud of its ultra-low-cost packages to Hawaii, California, and the Far West. Its clientele has always been advanced in age, and certainly among the most cost-conscious of all Americans, and its advertisements have headlined remarkable bargains in price, like $999 for an escorted two-week tour from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to Big Sur to San Francisco. I once intercepted a YMT tour outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, and was tremendously impressed by the enthusiasm of its low-income passengers, who were all thrilled to be on the vacation of a lifetime. None of them was at all dismayed over being lodged in simple motels throughout the trip, nor of being taken on a motorcoach tour in which one person was both the driver and the tour guide. They had booked a low-cost tour, and they were proud of it.
YMT has been bought by Europe's enormous travel conglomerate, TUI, and will now have unimpeachable financial resources behind it. It is apparently TUI that arranged to build two custom-designed river boats for it. And it is these river boats that will now be taking Americans on the one-week river cruise portion of a longer, 14-day trip. Whereas other river cruise companies charge $1,899 and up (way up) for a mere seven-night cruise, YMT will now give you a complete 14-day trip for as little as $1,899. If you have retired relatives, or know of other folks with limited resources and anxious to enjoy an inexpensive fortnight in Europe, you might direct them to the YMT website where the new river-cruise-included tours are described.
Note that on all river cruises in Europe, airfare to Europe -- usually costing about $1,000 round-tri---is not included in the basic price of the cruise. And that's the case, as well, for YMT's program.
The 40-year-old YMT Vacations, headquartered in Los Angeles, is not hesitant about proclaiming that it caters to a mature audience. Its river cruises priced at $1,899 and $1,999 will be operated in April, July and September of 2012.
[image error] Photo Caption: Rhine River Valley, Germany. Dave Philip/Frommers.com Community
YMT Vacations (the initials originally stood for Your Man Tours) has long been proud of its ultra-low-cost packages to Hawaii, California, and the Far West. Its clientele has always been advanced in age, and certainly among the most cost-conscious of all Americans, and its advertisements have headlined remarkable bargains in price, like $999 for an escorted two-week tour from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to Big Sur to San Francisco. I once intercepted a YMT tour outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, and was tremendously impressed by the enthusiasm of its low-income passengers, who were all thrilled to be on the vacation of a lifetime. None of them was at all dismayed over being lodged in simple motels throughout the trip, nor of being taken on a motorcoach tour in which one person was both the driver and the tour guide. They had booked a low-cost tour, and they were proud of it.
YMT has been bought by Europe's enormous travel conglomerate, TUI, and will now have unimpeachable financial resources behind it. It is apparently TUI that arranged to build two custom-designed river boats for it. And it is these river boats that will now be taking Americans on the one-week river cruise portion of a longer, 14-day trip. Whereas other river cruise companies charge $1,899 and up (way up) for a mere seven-night cruise, YMT will now give you a complete 14-day trip for as little as $1,899. If you have retired relatives, or know of other folks with limited resources and anxious to enjoy an inexpensive fortnight in Europe, you might direct them to the YMT website where the new river-cruise-included tours are described.
Note that on all river cruises in Europe, airfare to Europe -- usually costing about $1,000 round-tri---is not included in the basic price of the cruise. And that's the case, as well, for YMT's program.
The 40-year-old YMT Vacations, headquartered in Los Angeles, is not hesitant about proclaiming that it caters to a mature audience. Its river cruises priced at $1,899 and $1,999 will be operated in April, July and September of 2012.
July 11, 2011
Careless International Travelers with Cell Phones Will Still Get Hit with High Roaming Charges Until Mid-2012
Who among us hasn't known a traveler who foolishly forgot to shut off data roaming on their cellphone? Returning from a trip to Western Europe, they discover charges amounting to hundreds of dollars because of that neglect.
This past week, several newspapers have carried articles on the apparent decision of the European Union to drastically cut the size of roaming charges assessed to travelers within Western Europe. But the long-awaited change won't go into effect until around mid-2012. In the meantime, you'll perform a kindly service by reminding other travelers of the need to watch the data roaming charge. On vacation in Western Europe, they should turn on data roaming only for those short periods when they wish to make or receive a call or message, or want to activate -- again for a short period only -- some other internet-dependent service performed by their cellphone.
Relief is coming, but only in summer of 2012.
This past week, several newspapers have carried articles on the apparent decision of the European Union to drastically cut the size of roaming charges assessed to travelers within Western Europe. But the long-awaited change won't go into effect until around mid-2012. In the meantime, you'll perform a kindly service by reminding other travelers of the need to watch the data roaming charge. On vacation in Western Europe, they should turn on data roaming only for those short periods when they wish to make or receive a call or message, or want to activate -- again for a short period only -- some other internet-dependent service performed by their cellphone.
Relief is coming, but only in summer of 2012.
The Re-Positioning Cruise to End All Re-Positioning Cruises: 21 Days from Europe, Including 9 Consecutive Days at Sea
"I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky," wrote poet John Masefield, and if you, too, are in love with that vast expanse of water, you'll want to know about a remarkable 21-day cruise on a luxury ship for only about $140 a day. It's a marathon voyage on the 700-passenger Azamara Journey, an upscale ship of luxury class (one of the original vessels of Renaissance Cruises) able to stop in ports too small for the standard large cruiseships, and that offers an elegant sailing experience including free wine with lunch and dinner (and every other upscale touch).
[image error] Photo Caption: The harbor at Monaco. Jean Cardia/Frommers.com Community
The departure: October 4, The itinerary: Rome to Livorno (Italy) to Monte Carlo (Monaco) to Villefranche-sur-Mer (France) to Barcelona (for two nights), then one day at sea, then Motril (Spain), Cadiz (Spain), the Strait of Gibraltar, Cadiz (Spain), Lisbon, Portugal (for two nights), then nine full days at sea crossing the South Atlantic, before a next-day arrival in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Twenty-one days in all.
In addition to accommodations in a verandah stateroom, you'll receive round-trip air from New York to Rome and from San Juan to New York (add-on from South Florida $99), and overnight in a four-star Rome hotel before the cruise on October 3. You also receive transfers from airport to hotel and hotel to port in Rome, and from port to airport in San Juan -- as well as free gratuities aboard the deluxe ship.
The total price: $2,999 per person ($142 a day), plus $259 in cruise and air taxes. For an Azamara Club Cruise (now owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises), this is an extraordinary price and a unique travel opportunity.
If you're intrigued, you can obtain more information, or book, through the cruise discounter called Travel Themes And Dreams (tel. 877/870-7447; www.travelthemesanddreams.com ).
[image error] Photo Caption: The harbor at Monaco. Jean Cardia/Frommers.com Community
The departure: October 4, The itinerary: Rome to Livorno (Italy) to Monte Carlo (Monaco) to Villefranche-sur-Mer (France) to Barcelona (for two nights), then one day at sea, then Motril (Spain), Cadiz (Spain), the Strait of Gibraltar, Cadiz (Spain), Lisbon, Portugal (for two nights), then nine full days at sea crossing the South Atlantic, before a next-day arrival in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Twenty-one days in all.
In addition to accommodations in a verandah stateroom, you'll receive round-trip air from New York to Rome and from San Juan to New York (add-on from South Florida $99), and overnight in a four-star Rome hotel before the cruise on October 3. You also receive transfers from airport to hotel and hotel to port in Rome, and from port to airport in San Juan -- as well as free gratuities aboard the deluxe ship.
The total price: $2,999 per person ($142 a day), plus $259 in cruise and air taxes. For an Azamara Club Cruise (now owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises), this is an extraordinary price and a unique travel opportunity.
If you're intrigued, you can obtain more information, or book, through the cruise discounter called Travel Themes And Dreams (tel. 877/870-7447; www.travelthemesanddreams.com ).
July 8, 2011
Insight Cuba's Broad Program of Government-Approved Tours to Cuba Starts on August 11, Using Charter Flights There from Miami
For the first time since 2004, Americans will soon be able to make either one-week-long or weekend-long tours of Cuba in a totally-legal, government-approved fashion. Yesterday, I recorded an interview with Tom Popper, director of Insight Cuba (a division of Cross-Cultural Solutions, Inc.) for airing on this Sunday's "Travel Show" (WOR710.com, Sunday from noon to two). Insight Cuba hopes to be a leader in the number and frequency of tours offered.
Popper advised that his tours have been selling rapidly since last week's announcement that his firm has received a government license to sell those travel opportunities (one of the very few companies, so far, to receive such permission). He also emphasized that actual tours would be conducted by English-speaking residents of Cuba. And that the subject matter will differ markedly from the normal sightseeing approach; passengers (limited to 16 persons per group) will be engaged in meetings throughout the day with Cuban organizations, Cuban officials, at Cuban workplaces, at other gathering areas -- utterly unlike the normal sightseeing program.
Several of the tours will begin as early as August 11, using charter flights to Cuba from Miami.
You'll learn a great deal more about the program from my radio interview with Mr. Popper (which will probably lead the second hour of The Travel Show). But for more immediate information, go to www.insightcuba.com, or phone 800/450-CUBA.
Popper advised that his tours have been selling rapidly since last week's announcement that his firm has received a government license to sell those travel opportunities (one of the very few companies, so far, to receive such permission). He also emphasized that actual tours would be conducted by English-speaking residents of Cuba. And that the subject matter will differ markedly from the normal sightseeing approach; passengers (limited to 16 persons per group) will be engaged in meetings throughout the day with Cuban organizations, Cuban officials, at Cuban workplaces, at other gathering areas -- utterly unlike the normal sightseeing program.
Several of the tours will begin as early as August 11, using charter flights to Cuba from Miami.
You'll learn a great deal more about the program from my radio interview with Mr. Popper (which will probably lead the second hour of The Travel Show). But for more immediate information, go to www.insightcuba.com, or phone 800/450-CUBA.
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