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Hello from Lynnwood, Washington,
Winter is coming. Here in the Seattle area, we’ve had some clear, sunny days but cold days…it’s that time of the year.
Our tours keep selling out in record time. Today, we have 200 Travel With Alan travelers flying to Europe for “back-to-back” river cruises….one on the Rhine and one on the Rhone. Our March Panama Canal cruise sold out all 400 spots in just a few hours…We are busy!
Meanwhile, the offers keep coming in from the various cruise lines, and we are continuing to increase our staff to meet the demand. Please keep watching our e-mails but remember, we can only help you with the specific departures that you see in our e-mails. We truly never know what’s coming up, I’m always looking for a deal!
A few weeks ago, I wrote to you about an amazing Panama Canal cruise on Seabourn. If you’ve been reading my emails for a while, you know that Seabourn is the best of the best. The Seabourn Quest carries only 458 guests in ultimate “country club” luxury. This cruise is a great way to spend the holidays and to escape the cold for a full month. While you’re enjoying the Caribbean and Central America sunshine, you will also visit some exotic ports in the Caribbean and Central America. If you would like to spend the holidays, passing BOTH WAYS through the Panama Canal, in the lap of luxury…have I got a deal for you!
Join our group on December 7th as we fly from cities across the U.S. and Canada to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We have a two-night pre-cruise package for you in Florida including two nights at a first-class hotel, breakfast daily, a yacht tour of the waterways of Fort Lauderdale, a special “Welcome Dinner”, and all transfers.
On December 9th, we will transfer to the Port of Miami where you will board the elegant Seabourn Quest. This ship is a beauty. The Seabourn Quest carries only 458 guests at full capacity. She carries a crew of 335, so there is almost one crew member for every passenger. The service is impeccable.…each guest is pampered in ultimate luxury. The minimum Veranda Suite on the Quest measures more than 300 square feet, including the veranda.
Here are some of the features in every suite on the Seabourn Quest:
• A full-length window and glass door to private veranda
• Comfortable living area
• Queen-size bed or two twin beds
• Dining table for two
• Walk-in closet
• Interactive flat-screen television with music and movies
• Fully stocked bar and refrigerator
• Makeup vanity
• Spacious bathroom with separate tub and shower
Seabourn ships are nearly all-inclusive, with fine wines, top spirits, caviar and more all included. Even the tips are included. On Seabourn, the answer is almost always “yes”. The crew are all there to spoil you and make certain that you have the best vacation possible. The food is outstanding. Besides the complimentary in-suite dining, there are four dining venues including The Grill by Thomas Keller, and all are complimentary.
Even though this ship carries a maximum of 458 guests, the Seabourn Quest offers almost all the features of a larger ship. It will be like traveling on a large, private yacht. There is a beautiful showroom with different shows every night. There are lounges with live music. There is a small casino and a beautiful gym and spa. There are different dining options, from a casual lunch by the pool to multi-course fancy dinners and more. Being a smaller ship, the Quest is often able to dock right in town and can sail itineraries that include some smaller towns, that the larger ships never visit. On our “Double Panama Canal” itinerary, you will visit some ports that many never visit, giving you a chance to explore the natural beauty of Central America and charming towns. What a great way to spend the holidays!
From the Port of Miami, you will visit:
• Key West, Florida, US
• Belize City, Belize
• Banana Coast (Trujillo), Honduras
• Bocas Del Toro, Panama
• Enter Panama Canal Cristobal
• Cruising Panama Canal
• Exit Panama Canal Balboa
• Golfito, Costa Rica
• Puntarenas (Puerto Caldera), Costa Rica
• San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua
• Quepos, Costa Rica
• Fuerte Amador, Panama
• Puntarenas (Puerto Caldera), Costa Rica
• San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua
• Quepos, Costa Rica
• Golfito, Costa Rica
• Enter Panama Canal Balboa
• Cruising Panama Canal
• Exit Panama Canal Cristobal
• Bocas Del Toro, Panama
• Banana Coast (Trujillo), Honduras
• Belize City, Belize
• Cozumel, Mexico
• Miami, Florida, US
This cruise is actually two cruises, back-to-back. You will sail from Miami, all the way through the Panama Canal, coming north on the West Coast to San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua, then back to Fuerte Amador, Panama. When other cruise guests leave in Fuerte Amador, you will remain on the ship, giving you a full day to explore Panama City. You will then do the same cruise in reverse, visiting the same ports of call. Your last port of call, on the way back will be in Cozumel, Mexico., instead of Key West.
This is an excellent itinerary. You are traveling at a great time of the year. You should have sunny, warm weather…when the weather at home is the worst. Your “White Christmas” will be the white sand on the beaches!
As usual, the best part about this cruise and tour is the price…$12,999 per person, based on double occupancy. Remember, this is a month-long, holiday cruise, on an ultra-luxury cruise ship. Most importantly, for this particular cruise, the pricing is ALL-IN. This is an almost all inclusive package. First of all, we’ve included the 2-night pre-cruise deluxe Florida package. Then, we’ve included the 28-day cruise with an automatic upgrade to a Veranda Suite. All of your transfers, coming and going, in Florida are included. After the cruise, we have included a Cuban “Foodie” tour in Miami’s Little Havana, and, on Seabourn, internet is included, most wine, beer, soft drinks, specialty coffees and other beverages are included, and gratuities are included. For this cruise, even the port charges, government taxes, and fees are included. Port charges, taxes and fees are always very expensive on Panama Canal cruises. For this cruise, the taxes and fees are $1630 per person… but they are INCLUDED in our price.
Also, for this cruise, we are adding eight complimentary shore excursions. These special, exclusive tours, just for our group, during the first half of the cruise are being organized now. I don’t know the exact content of each tour, but those of you who’ve been on my private shore excursions know that they are always interesting and fun. Four of the excursions will be half-day tours and four will be full-day tours, with lunch. This way, during the first half of the cruise, you can get the “lay of the land” on our private tour. Then, during your second visit to the port, on your way back, you can take a leisurely day to explore the town on your own, or sign-up for one of the ship’s tours, if there was something that you missed the first time around. In some of the ports, we won’t offer any tours, as there is little infrastructure. Some of these ports could never be visited by the big cruise ships. With the “private luxury yacht” size of the Seabourn Quest, you can visit these ports without any crowds. For our two largest ports, we are offering two excursions each. In Puntarenas, we will be doing a full-day tour to San Jose, the capital and, on our next visit, we will be doing a full day eco-tour, visiting many of the local attractions. By doing the “back-to-back” cruise, we will have two full days in Fuerte Amador (Panama City). We will have a full day Panama tour, including a visit to the Canal from the land side! Basically, for this one, you just show up and everything is paid for!
The Seabourn Quest will return to the Port of Miami on January 6th. Upon leaving the Quest, you will board our coach for a “Foodie Tour” of Miami’s Little Havana. You will then return to the Fort Lauderdale Airport, for your flight home.
As I said, everyone in our group will automatically be upgraded to a Veranda Suite. These are large, excellent accommodations. These suites may have a partially obstructed view. You can upgrade to a “Category V4 Veranda Suite” for $950 per person. These suites have a full view, a preferred location on the ship, and are about 365 square feet, including the veranda. You can also upgrade to a “Penthouse Suite” for an additional $7,950 per person. These suites feature a living area and a separate bedroom and are about 530 square feet, including the veranda.
This cruise is a great way to spend the holidays, while experiencing 5-star luxury. Give yourselves the best holiday present ever! Like all of our Seabourn offerings, this one should sell-out very quickly.
For faster service, you may now click on the
sign-up link below to use our new online
Travel With Alan Booking Form:
Travel With Alan Booking Form
OR
You can also call our Reservations Team at:
1-855-885-9252
If you prefer to call our office, please have the following information available for EACH guest:
· Full legal name, (first, middle and last), exactly as it appears on your passport
· Home mailing address (address where you receive your credit card statement).
· Two phone numbers, per suite booked
· Your e-mail address (where you would like to receive correspondence for this tour)
· Date of birth
· Credit card number, expiration date, and security code
If you would like to join us on this trip, please call us or beat the hold times and book online at your earliest convenience. We are open today until 5:00PM Pacific Time. Based on availability, we will resume taking reservations tomorrow morning at 9:00AM. Enjoy the rest of your week. I’ll be back next week, with more!
Alan
Alan Schiller
Group Coordinator
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