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Here I am in Seattle...
...and having trouble with the internet. I wanted to write my weekly "Travel Articles of Interest" post on my Wordpress blog, but things are not working properly. See if you can get onto luv2cruz.wordpress.com -- click here. Anyway, it's hotter than normal here, but not as bad as the forecasts had predicted. The Southwest Airlines pilot took us around the north side of Mt. Rainier on our approach, so we got the best view of the mountain that we've ever seen -- truly spectacular! Dinner last night was excellent (as always) at Palisade. Anyone cruising...
Posted on 28/7/09Read More...
Alaska, Europe 2010 Preview
Attention cruisers -- now is the time to start looking ahead to 2010 Alaska and Europe cruises! Even air is available to book now for trips up to 330 days out. Speaking of air, fares appear to be holding steady, so looking at some of the early "2 for 1 plus air" deals is worthwhile. Oceania in particular is off to a strong start with aggressive pricing designed to fill up their ships fast. Every year, people end up disappointed because they wait too long to act -- right now, you can have confidence that booking an Oceania cruise early is the smart way to go.&nbs...
Posted on 25/7/09Read More...
The Fine Art of River Cruising
Destination of the Week -- the Heart of Europe... European waterways, after hundreds of years of development, have become so sophistacted that you can actually cruise all the way from the North Sea to the Black Sea...
Posted on 20/7/09Read More...
The Carnival Victory is Victorious!
Some folks just returned from their Carnival Victory cruise (this is the "7 Islands in 7 Days) cruise out of San Juan -- here are some of their comments: "The ship was really beautiful" "The food was excellent" "We loved all the islands" "It was so much fun they even got me into the pool this time" "We loved our spa room and being so close to the (thelassotherapy) pool) "The shows were really good" "Everybody was so friendly and nice" So there you have it -- plenty of great reasons to choose the Carnival Victory f...
Posted on 16/7/09Read More...
Destination of the Week
Because Fall is so fabulous there, and bargains abound if you go off-season -- I've chosen Paris! I'm thinking of a package as the best way to combine air, hotel, and tours and get the best values on all 3. In Paris, your hotel is all about the location, location, location -- if you don't do it right you'll spend all of your time and money just getting to where the action is. Taxis are very expensive in Paris, so why not spend a bit more up-front and be right where you want to be? As in every big city, hotels tend to get cheaper the further out you go, but that doesn't mean th...
Posted on 13/7/09Read More...
Great "Get Away From the Heat" Suggestion
I had asked people to send me their "get away from the heat" fantasy vacations, and one person kindly obliged with a great idea -- it's not a wild fantasy but it's easy and practical -- a trip to New England! She lives in Connecticut so this idea was a no-brainer to her, and she says it's absolutely beautiful up there right now. Of course, I have a Canada-New England cruise planned for the end of September, so I agree with her advice! My choice was because of the Fall color season, but I think this time of year would be equally nice and families could take the kids before ...
Posted on 9/7/09Read More...
Land Package Client Review
Everyone's looking for the best deals at the hottest destinations, and I just got the latest scoop on one of them from a newly-returned, very satisfied client: She got a great vacation package from American Express Vacations, and first of all she was impressed with the document case that she received. So many companies now are going "paperless" (which just means that the customer has to use his or her own ink and paper) it was refreshing to get a lovely case with compartments for organizing all her vouchers, passports, itinerary, a pen, and such. It also cam...
Posted on 6/7/09Read More...
Destination of the Week
Alaska! OK, maybe I'm a broken record -- but really, people! This is the year for Alaska! C'mon, you know me -- I'm not trying to "sell" you something -- this is the real deal, and it's not too late to capture an amazing cruise deal. My recommendation is a 7-night Inside Passage cruise round-trip from Seattle: the airfare is reasonable, you pick up 2 hours of time flying West so you don't have to fly in a day ahead; you get to see glaciers, all the classic Alaskan ports-of-call; and you get an amazing, magical evening in Victoria! Please don't pass up th...
Posted on 5/7/09Read More...
Hope you had a wonderful 4th of July weekend!
Ahhh -- I had a "mini-vacation" here at home, just relaxing and spending time with my husband, son, cats, garden, and Facebook! Cooking...always cooking...this weekend featured barbecued chicken, grilled T-bones, and a pasta dish (with the leftover chicken) made with fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden. We had garden green beans with the T-bones last night -- awesomely yummy! And here's a recipe for oven-fried potatoes I'd like to share -- they're easy to make and I know you'll quickly add them to your favorites: 4 or 5 small to medium sized potatoes, was...
Posted on 5/7/09Read More...
