Traveling into the New Year

January Newsletter 2023

Greetings!

We wish all of you a happy, safe, and prosperous New Year!

The travel industry continues to rebound even exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Of course, there are still some challenges. Recent storms here and abroad have created havoc for many travelers. Further, airlines, cruise lines and tour companies are still in the process of training new personnel attempting to alleviate long telephone hold times. We are hopeful their efforts will yield positive results soon.

We learned something important while trying to check-in for our Thanksgiving cruise. A couple of us forgot our passports. No worries, we thought; we have pictures of our passports on our phones. Sorry, we were told, “We can accept pictures of your birth certificates but not your passports.” We were able to get the missing passports prior to the ship departing and enjoyed an excellent cruise. So, we learned that while it is beneficial to have a picture of your passport on your phone in case it is lost during a trip, it is equally important to add pictures of your birth certificates as an additional backup, just in case!

This is Wave Season for the cruise industry. Every cruise line is offering incentives to make reservations for cruises from now through 2024. Contact us so we can provide you with information for any cruise line.

To capture the rebound, many cruise lines and tour companies are expanding services. For example, Princess has released its biggest UK cruise season ever for 2024 with 162 departures across 5 Medallion Class ships including its newest ship, the 4300 passenger Sun Princess.

Speaking of Europe, take a look at our just announced 9 Nights Eastern European Cruise sailing on the Odyssey of the Seas. The cruise is roundtrip Rome, so we can easily add a pre or post-trip land tour of Italy. The cruise will be visiting Naples, Santorini, Ephesus, Mykonos, Athens, and Crete.

Also, see the 10-Day Iceland to Southampton cruise departing Reykjavik this summer on the incredible Norwegian Prima. We enjoyed excellent experiences in Iceland!

In other industry news, Delta has announced the resumption of flights to Cuba departing from Miami. We thoroughly enjoyed our people-to-people tour a few years ago. It is a fascinating country to visit, and we can guide you through the travel options.

After 3 closures, Shanghai Disney has reopened as Covid related restrictions have eased. Some clients who are Disney aficionados told us the Shanghai Disney is unique and one of their favorites.

So, Where in the World Do You Want to Go?

Betty & Frank Villani

909-980-6040

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10 Night Caribbean Cruise

with Bermuda

Roundtrip - New York

NCL Gem

March 21 - 31, 2023

Sail away to Bermuda and some of the Caribbean's most breathtaking destinations, including St Maarten, St Thomas, USVI, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic!

Join Us!

April 18 - May 1, 2023

16 Days

Classic South Africa with Victoria Falls & Botswana Tour

All intra-flights: Cape Town-Durban, Johannesburg-Victoria Falls & Kasane-Johannesburg
14 nights accommodations: 4 in Cape Town, 1 each in Hluhuwe and Swatini, 2 each in Hazyview, Johannesburg, Victoria Falls and Chobe
Hotel taxes, fees & service charges
Hotel porterage

Special Features

Enjoy a tour of Cape Town, view the Castle of Good Hope, the Grande Parade and visit Table Mountain
Tour historic Robben Island*, a World Heritage Site and view the former prison cell of Nelson Mandela
During the Cape Peninsula Tour, visit the Cape of Good Hope reserve and view the penguin colonies at Boulders Beach
Game Viewing Cruise on the St Lucia Estuary, a uniquely diverse ecosystem

26 meals: 14 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 7 dinners
Sightseeing per itinerary in modern air-conditioned motor coach
Game drives in modern 10-seater safari vehicles
Services of English-speaking tour guide throughout
Entrance Fees per itinerary

Game drive through Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve
A thrilling game drive in an open-vehicle through Kruger National Park
In Soweto, the most metropolitan township, visit Nelson Mandela’s former home
Visit spectacular Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Enjoy a sunset cruise on the mighty Zambezi River
Game drive through Chobe National Park, in northern Botswana
Sunset game viewing cruise on the Chobe River

10 Day Northern Europe Cruise

NCL Prima

Reykjavik to Southampton

June 15 - 25, 2023

9 PORTS OF CALL

Reykjavik, Iceland
Isafjordur,Iceland
Akureyri,Iceland
Ålesund,Norway
Olden,Norway
Bergen,Norway
Amsterdam,Netherlands
Brussels / Bruges (Zeebrugge),Belgium
London (Southampton),England

Join Us!

Western Mediterranean Cruise

Celebrity Reflection

Barcelona to Rome

July 8 -17, 2023

Join Us! on this 9 night cruise aboard the beautiful Celebrity Reflection!

We'll visit some of our favorite ports, including Provence and Nice, France as well as an overnight in fabulous Florence.

7-Day Voyage of the Glaciers (Southbound)

Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska to Vancouver, Canada

Sapphire Princess

July 19, 2023

Cruisetour Available

5 Ports

9 Nights - Greek Isles Cruise

Roundtrip from Rome

Odyssey of the Seas

September 15 - 24, 2023

Visiting these stunning ports:

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Naples / Capri, Italy

Santorini, Greece

Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey

Mykonos, Greece

Athens (Piraeus), Greece

Chania (Souda), Crete

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Pharaohs & Pyramids

Nile River Cruise

Roundtrip - Cairo

September 25 - October 6, 2023

Uncover the secrets of Egypt and see the pyramids, explore the Temple of Karnak's 136 soaring pillars, Visit Queen Nefertari's tomb in the Valley of the Kings. All with expert Egyptologists on this amazing cruisetour aboard a magnificent Viking ship.

Other dates are available for this wonderful cruisetour, but they sell out quickly. Contact us today to book yours!

Click on the video below for some highlights.