HOLIDAY CRUISES & TOURS | 850-386-7327 |
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Greetings!
When the Halloween pumpkins are gone and the morning air is crisp, we welcome in the month of November, a very busy month:
- TODAY HCT will present the 2018 North Florida / South Georgia Travel Show. See the details below.
- On Tuesday November 6th please take time to vote. On Sunday the 11th, join us in celebration of Veterans Day, our annual observance that honors military veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces. (We will be open on Monday, November 12th).
- On Thursday the 22nd, we pause for Thanksgiving to give thanks for our many blessings.
- And, on November 27 - 30, we will be attending Signature's 2018 Conference and Trade Show where over 800 of our preferred travel suppliers will showcase their 2019 and early 2020 offers. If you haven't already planned ahead, now is the best time to get exactly what you want and secure the best price. Contact your travel advisor with any special items on your bucket list and we will be on the lookout for offers.
All of us at Holiday Cruises & Tours join in wishing you a bountiful Thanksgiving and a joyous Holiday Season and to thank you for being our client and friend.
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Best wishes,
Phil and Carol Swartz
Owners
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TODAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD
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Beer, Butts and Bathing Suits
Today (well, actually yesterday) we started our journey to a land not-yet visited by Carol and me—that being Iceland. As often happens on these kinds of trips, the flying was less than spectacular. Yes, you can dream of taking off on time, souring into the wide blue yonder and floating on clouds to your destination. But sometimes, like today, mother nature has other ideas—like a large storm front moving onto the east coast disrupting all the air traffic from
Crabapple
Cove, Maine to Sopchoppy, Florida.
So while our flight from Tallahassee to Atlanta was fine and on time, the rest of the day was… shall we say…. Tense! Our flight from Atlanta to New York was delayed a half hour… no, make that fifty four minutes… no, now make it one hour forty seven minutes. Ever notice how precisely the airlines time their delays? Ok, now let’s make it two hours and 51 minutes. Now it’s to the point that we MAY miss our JFK to Iceland flight, so sit tight. New post – now delayed three hours twenty minutes. OK, now we will DEFINITELY miss the Iceland flight. But NO, I just get a notice that the JFK to Iceland flight has been delayed an hour. YEA! We’ll make it… or will we? So far we have changed gates five times in Atlanta while we’ve been waiting, but here we go again—another gate change and more waiting. We watch the empty gate until a plane pulls it.
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MEDITERRANEAN MEANDERING
By Dabney Moloney
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Many options come into play when planning a Mediterranean cruise! Time of year, length of cruise, ports of call and more. John and I decided on Holland America’s Oosterdam sailing from Venice in early September. Crowds are expected to be a bit smaller at that time of year and hopefully, the heat of summer will have waned a bit. But this was a port intensive sailing and there were places we were eager to visit that were a little off the beaten path.
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Dubrovnik, Coatia, was a delightful stop. The picturesque medieval district is known as the filming location for the television program
Game of Thrones.
As such, this is but one reason Dubrovnik is becoming more and more popular as a port of call. You can easily see Old Town Dubrovnik in one day, but there are multiple other things to do with your time. Kayak in the Adriatic Sea, enjoy the cable car ride up to the peak of Mount Srd or check out the surrounding coastal towns.
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Sarande, Albania, was another stop that offered a different flavor. The port itself was not particularly appealing but from Sarande you can visit a number of impressive archaeological sites and the beautiful Blue Eye Springs. There were day trippers from Corfu six miles away, but we were the only cruise ship in port. Nice.
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Our stop in Naples gave us the chance to visit Pompeii. We toured the ruins and took pictures of Vesuvius while some others in our small tour group went on to hike up the mountain. And from the port of Livorno, we skipped the ever popular Pisa and Florence to go to Cinque Terre. From the Oosterdam we took a motor coach through the countryside to Portovenere. There we boarded a boat and cruised by the 5 hamlets perched on the cliff faces. The whole area along the coast is a UNESCO site and is well worth a visit.
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We ended our trip in Barcelona and after a couple of days enjoying the city and the amazing architecture of Antoni Gaudi, it was home again. What a great trip and cruising makes it easy to see so much!!
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P
ORTFOLIO OF EXCLUSIVE OFFERS
Click on the title of an offer to open the details.
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Featured Motorcoach Tour
8-day tour departs March 9, 2019
Host TBA
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Capture the essence of Texas in our San Antonio, Padre Island & the Gulf of Mexico coach tour. Stand where history took place at the Alamo, and also enjoy the IMAX movie "ALAMO: The Price of Freedom."
You will also get to visit Mission San Jose, established in 1720. This trip features a guided tour of San Antonio, with its many historical sites, and a visit to the Institute of Texan Cultures, devoted to the 26 different cultures that settled Texas. You will visit Fredericksburg, TX, home of the National Museum of the Pacific War, which tells the personal stories of World War II soldiers.
Included is a tour of the "LBJ Ranch" at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park. Finally, you will visit Padre Island on the Gulf of Mexico and stop at the stunning Texas State Aquarium on the way.
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Highlights of the Frozen Continent
With Astronaut Norm Thagard
13-Days departing November 17, 2018
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featuring the Tournament of
Roses Parade
Hosted by
WFLA's
Preston Scott
December 29, 2018
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Hosted by Jerri McKeel
Fly to Washington, D.C.
5 days, departing
April 5, 2019
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Oceania Cruises: Marina
Hosted by Phil & Carol Swartz
14 nights departing
May 3, 2019
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Symphony of the Seas
Hosted by Chynell Jefferson
May 18 - 25, 2019
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Epic route forged by
Lewis and Clark
Hosted by
Phil & Carol Swartz
8 days - Departing
August 31, 2019
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Step Up to a Luxury Cruise
Aboard Crystal Symphony
9 Nights - Departing November 8, 2019
from Ft Lauderdale
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Aboard Symphony of the Seas
7-Nights departing December 7, 2019
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Including a 7-Night
Danube River Cruise
Aboard AmaWaterways: AmaSonata
Hosted by-
Phil & Carol Swartz
May 21 - June 1, 2020
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Including a 7-Night
Danube River Cruise
U by Uniworld
"The A"
Host TBA
July 17 - 28, 2020
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Motorcoach Trip
Hosted by
Mary Brown &
Chynell Jefferson
5 Days - Departing
November 12, 2018
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Motorcoach Trip
Host TBA
8-Days - departing
March 9, 2019
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Featuring the Grand Canyon
Rail Tour
10 days, departing
May 15, 2019
Chicago or Los Angeles
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Rome, Florence
and Sorrento
Rail Tour
11 days, departing
May 29, 2019
Rome / Naples
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Motorcoach Trip
Hosted by
Chynell Jefferson
9-days Departing
June 22, 2019
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Motorcoach Trip
Hosted by
Chynell Jefferson
6-Days departing
September 12, 2019
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Motorcoach Trip
Host TBA
7 days departing
October 27, 2019
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November 11, 2018
This musical is based on the events surrounding the drafting and the signing of the Declaration of Independence…if only our founding fathers can agree to do it!
John Adams teams up with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson to battle those in Congress that oppose the movement to separate from England. Join in the funny, insightful, and compelling journey to pass the resolution that frees America from British tyranny.
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December 9, 2018
Elf the Musical is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas. This modern day Christmas classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner Elf.
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Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Its capital, Budapest, is bisected by the Danube River. Its cityscape is studded with architectural landmarks from Buda’s medieval Castle Hill and grand neoclassical buildings along Pest’s Andrássy Avenue to the 19th-century Chain Bridge. Turkish and Roman influence on Hungarian culture includes the popularity of mineral spas, including at thermal Lake Hévíz.
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Huka Lodge has enjoyed a location of great natural beauty, on the banks of the mighty Waikato River, since it was founded as a very simple trout fishing camp, in 1924. This legendary retreat continues to define absolute style, while offering privacy and relaxation, with authentic outdoor adventure, for those who appreciate exquisite cuisine, personal service and unique experiences. With just 25 guest suites, including two superb private cottages, within 17-acres of magnificent grounds.
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Our fleet of 14 modern classic ships offers more than 500 sailings a year visiting all seven continents. Cruises include both popular and less-traveled ports in the Caribbean, Alaska, Europe, Mexico, South America, the Panama Canal, Australia, New Zealand and Asia — as well as unique voyages to the Amazon, Antarctica and our extended Grand Voyages. We look forward to welcoming you aboard.
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COMMENTS FROM OUR CLIENTS
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- Great vacation from flight arrangements to pre-cruise stay in Milan to Venice Lagoon cruise to land package in Florence and Rome. Ruth Rennick's attention to detail and complete follow-through with us and with Uniworld were vital to this trip and much appreciated by us, just as with our previous bookings with her.
Karen
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THE HOLIDAYS WE CELEBRATE IN NOVEMBER
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Our Travel Magazines Online present a unique collection of articles, photos and videos to help make your travel dreams a reality.
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Win an Air-Inclusive, 5-night South Africa Vacation from Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris & South African Airways
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