Hello! I am in the Guayaquil airport about to fly to the Galapagos islands for our cruise with Ecoventura. The name of our ship is the Eric and we are about to sail for seven days in the Galapagos Islands. The trip has gone well so far. We flew from Michigan to Miami and then from Miami on to Guayaquil. All went smoothly and I love flying on LAN, a great airline. Yesterday we spent the day …
Silversea, known for its luxurious ships and exotic destinations, has unveiled 17 specially tailored Grand Voyages for 2010. 
Designed exclusively for the traveler who relishes a more leisurely pace, this special collection offers extended voyages from 30 to 91 days. These unique odysseys
Hello again! Today I would like to introduce you to the Traveling Teddy that will be traveling with Chet and I to the Galapagos Islands this week. The Traveling Teddy is a geography outreach program sponsored by the Society of American Travel Writers (of which I am a past national president). It’s a great program and this year Build-a-Bear Workshops came online with us and is donating all of the bears. This bear is named Bob and …
Latin Dance Theme Cruises are being offered on select transatlantic MSC Cruises sailings of MSC Opera, MSC Lirica, MSC Armonia, MSC Orchestra, and MSC Musica across the Atlantic October through December. 
Learn the Tango, Mambo, Salsa, Samba, and Cha Cha during daily dance lessons with instructors teaching dancers of all experience levels-from beginner to more advanced/intermediate levels. Workshops highlighting the origins and special features of the different dance techniques, as well as dance shows, will be featured.
Viking River Cruises, the world’s leading river cruise line, has added three new holiday season cruises to its 2009 European offerings to meet the anticipated seasonal demand. These itineraries provide a far richer holiday lineup featuring the Rhine region, including multicultural Strasbourg, and magical Prague in the Czech Republic.
Viking’s holiday gift to travelers is 2-for-1 pricing on all five holiday season itineraries (details available on Viking’s website). Enjoy a 2009 Christmas markets cruise for as little as $1,214 per person (based on double occupancy) if purchased and paid in full by September 30.
The new cruises are:
v Christmas on the Rhine begins and ends in Cologne, Germany, taking guests on six guided tours with Christmas markets in Cologne, Strasbourg, Baden-Baden and Mainz. Guided tours of Cologne, Rüdesheim, Strasbourg, Baden-Baden, Mainz and the Alsatian Wine Country round out this 8-day journey on Viking Helvetia in late November or December.
Disney Cruise Line announced last week that it would offer an Alaska cruise season in 2011, operating seven-day cruises out of Vancouver on the Disney Wonder. The ship will spend four months in Southeast Alaska and offer 18 departures calling in Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway and visiting Tracy Arm fjord. The deployment will come a year after the 2010 summer season, when Alaska is expected to lose capacity equal to 140,000 cruise passengers as a result of …
The enthusiastic following for Princess Cruises’ recent online drydock journals for Golden Princess and Dawn Princess, has prompted yet another installment for Sea Princess’ current drydock. Visitors to www.princess.com can follow along through September 25 as the ship receives new interior furnishings and finishes, fresh hull paint and exterior refurbishment, plus the addition of the line’s adults-only Sanctuary.
The Sea Princess Drydock Journal features regular updates of the work in progress at BAE Systems San Francisco Ship Repair at Pier 70 in San Francisco. The journal can be found on the Sea Princess page in the website’s “Ships” section, and it will be regularly updated throughout the ship’s two-week drydock. The photos will also be posted to Princess’ Twitter feed, Facebook page and Flickr photostream.
Holland America Line guests who purchase Cancellation Protection Plan (CPP) can cancel their cruise for any reason whatsoever to receive a refund of up to 90 percent of the cruise fare paid. Two variations of the plan allow cancellation of a cruise up to 24 hours prior to the cruise or cruisetour departure for Standard CPP and right up to departure for CPP Platinum. “With Holland America Line’s CPP plans, guests can rest assured they don’t have …
Not sure which are the best shore excursions in Alaska? Princess Cruises has just recognized the best shore excursions, as recommended by its passengers.
If you are heading to Alaska, you would certainly want to consider these:
Windstar Cruises, which operates a three-ship fleet of luxury yachts that explore hidden harbors and secluded coves of the world’s most treasured destinations, won a 2009 Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Award in the category of “Cruise Line: Small Ships.” Condé Nast Traveller, the magazine for Britain’s most discerning travelers, also acknowledged Windstar as the best in the small ship category for ambience/décor and service/staff. Windstar was only one of six cruise lines making the prestigious 2009 …
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Heidi, Editor-In-Chief
