Holland America 2010 Mexico Cruises

Holland America Line
2010 Mexico Cruises - Now Available for Booking

The excitement of the Mexican Riviera and wildlife-rich Sea of Cortez await you on a Holland America Line Mexico cruise vacation. Revel in the pulsing energy of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Acapulco, and then relax in the quiet beauty of the Sea of Cortez with unique, off the beaten path destinations like La Paz, Loreto, and the Copper Canyon. Throughout Mexico discover historic sites, shop for local treasures, and enjoy all manner of beach and water activities. Perfect for family vacations, our award-winning shore excursions and onboard amenities allow every guest to experience a tailor-made Mexican cruise fiesta.


Holland America Line offers a variety of Mexico cruise itineraries from 7 to 14-days, all beginning and ending in downtown San Diego where the pier is conveniently located just minutes from the airport on beautiful San Diego Bay. Begin and end your cruise sailing past Coronado Island, Cabrillo National Monument and Point Loma.

Holland America Line will have two ships in the Mexican Riviera for the 2010 sailing season: Oosterdam and Zaandam. The sailing season goes from January 2nd with Oosterdam sailing a 7-day round-trip from San Diego and ends with a 14-day repositioning cruise from San Diego to Vancouver again aboard Oosterdam.

More information about Oosterdam Itineraries

More information about Zaandam Itineraries


Whether this is your first trip to the Mexican Riviera or a return trip, you will truly enjoy the color and scenery of this part of the world. We have been there several times, and keep returning there. Experience it in style on one of Holland America's ships.

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Princess Announces 2010-2011 Caribbean & Mexican Riviera Program

Announcing the Fall 2010 - Spring 2011

Caribbean & Mexican Riviera Program

Princess® - Escape to sunny isles in 2010 - 2011

Nothing says escape like the warm, welcoming islands and colorful cultures of the turquoise Caribbean. Princess® has a variety of festive voyages sailing eastern, southern or western Caribbean on six of their grandest ships in 2010 and 2011, visiting over 25 of the region’s very best ports. Frolic on white sand beaches and swim above reefs teeming with colorful sea life on islands such as St. Thomas, Antigua, Tortola, Barbados, Grenada and more.

The convenience of Ft. Lauderdale, New York and San Juan.

Princess sails year-round in the Caribbean and departs from a variety of convenient ports including Ft. Lauderdale, New York and San Juan. Choose from easy week-long sailings to a relaxing 14-day itinerary. For an extensive Southern Caribbean exploration, departures from Barbados are also available.

Six spectacular ships.

The Princess Caribbean fleet includes some of the best ships in the region. The magnificent Ruby Princess® sails 7-day Eastern Caribbean voyages from Ft. Lauderdale. Caribbean Princess® sails two alternating 7-day port-intensive Southern Caribbean itineraries from San Juan. Crown Princess® sails a week-long Western Caribbean itinerary, Emerald Princess® sails on two alternating 10-day itineraries to the Eastern and Southern Caribbean, Sea Princess® a range of 14-day Eastern and Southern voyages from Barbados and Grand Princess® the immersive 14-day Caribbean Collection from Ft. Lauderdale among other options. Whichever ship you sail, you’ll enjoy warm, welcoming Princess service and wonderful amenities including Movies Under the Stars,® the adults-only retreat, The Sanctuary, the freedom of Anytime DiningSM and more.

Princess Cays® — a private paradise in the Bahamas.

All 7- and 10-day sailings from Ft. Lauderdale feature a call at Princess Cays,® Princess own Bahamian paradise where the relaxing options range from sunbathing and shopping for crafts to volleyball and snorkeling.

Warm Sandy Beaches are Calling You!

Why not grab a group of your friends and plan a Caribbean vacation for next winter. There are special offers for early booking and groups. For more details, visit me on Facebook and my website.

Mexican Riviera Program (information on my Facebook page)

Request More Information on Princess 2010-11 Caribbean & Mexican Riviera Program via email

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Viking River Early Booking Offer

Early Booking Discount Offer! Ends May 31, 2009

Have you ever considered trying river cruising? If so, take advantage of this special offer for booking your 2010 cruise. Viking River Cruises itineraries and services provide an excellent value.

Receive the following benefits when reserving your 2010 river cruise vacation by the end of this month:

• All-inclusive 2-FOR-1 fares starting as low
  as $1,156 per person


• Per-day rates starting at $132—including
  accommodations, tours & meals—less per day
  than many hotel rooms


• Air savings of $1,000 per couple off brochure
  prices—reduced roundtrip international air
  including all government taxes, fees, surcharges
  & transfers, now starting at $495 per person


• Complimentary wine: special with our
  2010 Early Booking Discount


• Cancel-for-any-reason Travel Protection
  Program covers your entire vacation—cruise,
  land & air—when purchased all through Viking


• Price Guarantee: pay in full by May 31, 2009 to
  lock in price & savings


• Service Guarantee: the only river cruise line
  to guarantee its award-winning service


• Space is limited—get your first choice of
  itinerary, ship & departure date
  

Hurry! Limited-time Offer! Just book & pay in full by May 31, 2009. Various restrictions apply; contact me for complete details.

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Norwegian Epic Sneak Peak

THE NEXT GENERATION OF FREESTYLE DINING IS HERE

A few days ago, I announced the ability to begin booking on Norwegian Epic. Now, I'm offering you a sneak peek at this new ship.

Click on the banner or on the link to learn more about Norwegian Cruise Line and while you are there, once again, click on the banner to go to a customized website that provides an insider's look at this engineering wonder.

This is not just another new ship. This is a step forward. This is cruising re-imagined, with a ship unlike any other. This is world-class entertainment that is way beyond your expectations. A wide array of accommodations, with different levels of suites and staterooms having keycard-only access to private lounges, exclusive pool decks and the spa. And every oceanview stateroom is a Balcony Stateroom. Plus, discover the most diverse collection of restaurant choices ever assembled at sea. This is Norwegian Epic – the most spectacularly innovative ship in NCL's fleet or, quite frankly, any other.

Be one of the first to experience the Norwegian Epic.

Reminder New Passport Rules Effective June 1st

There has been much attention given to the new travel requirements going into effect on June 1, 2009, and I would like to revisit this topic. In my previous post, New Passport Rules Starting June 1st - Are You Ready, I summarized the new rules, the list of 19 affected countries, and provided links to various government resources that would help you decide what documents are required in your particular circumstance. I'll repeat the links here for your convenience.

In this post, I want to call out a couple of the caveats that I referred to in my previous post. I suggest you read both posts and visit the websites if you are not certain what requirements pertain to your circumstance.

Closed-Loop Cruises
While the new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requires valid passports for land and sea travel, a final ruling was issued allowing leniency for “closed-loop” cruises, i.e., sailings that both originate and terminate in the same U.S. port.

U.S. citizens taking “closed-loop” cruises are not required to have a passport but will need proof of citizenship and a government-issued photo ID, such as an original or certified copy of a birth certificate and a driver’s license. Children will also be required to carry a birth certificate and a photo ID if over the age of 15.

Although a passport is not required for “closed loop” cruises, we strongly recommend all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel), a passport card or an enhanced driver’s license (EDL). Having these documents will enable them to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port in the event they miss their scheduled embarkation or to fly back to the U.S. if they need to disembark the ship mid-cruise due to an emergency.

If a cruise begins and ends in different U.S. ports or begins and ends in a foreign port, a valid passport or other recognized WHTI-compliant document is required. A valid passport is required if you are traveling on any Europe cruise.

Rules for Children
U.S. citizen children under the age of 16 will be able to present the original or copy of their birth certificate, or other proof of U.S. citizenship such as a naturalization certificate or citizenship card.

Groups of U.S. citizen children ages 16 through 18, when traveling with a school or religious group, social organization, or sports team, will be able to enter under adult supervision with originals or copies of their birth certificates or other proof of citizenship. See the Department of Homeland Security's GetYouHome.gov for more information on the changing travel requirements.

Here are the links to useful websites once again:

State Department - overview of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) - see Travel page
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – see Crossing U.S. Borders page
Canada Border Services Agency - for travel to/from Canada

Plan For Unexpected
I cannot emphasize enough that you need to take both land and sea requirements into consideration when deciding what document you need to satisfy the new WHTI rules. In my previous post and above, I've already cited a couple of very common situations where the unexpected can find you traveling by plane instead of by sea. In emergency situations like these, the last thing you want is to be denied boarding due to the lack of proper documentation.

You may be denied boarding if you do not have the proper identification. I suspect that there will be some delays in boarding as the rules take effect, but after they have been in effect for awhile, this should speed the boarding process at airlines and cruise ports across the world.

Finally, don't forget to complete your online cruise check-in, providing the passport numbers. This will help the cruise line comply with government manifest requirements and also speed the boarding process.

Holland America 3 Day Sale

Holland America Line - 3 Day Sale

Get the best fares of the season

when you book May 27-29, 2009

Where do you want to go on your next cruise vacation? Holland America Line has announced a three day sale now through Friday, May 29th. Virtually all of their destinations are on sale with special pricing and other offers.

Perhaps one of the following offers might appeal to you. There are way too many cruises to list in this blog, but I'd be happy to provide details on any of the itineraries - just call or email me for more information.

Sample of the offers:

Get an outside for the price of an inside!
• Alaska Cruise / Cruisetours
• Asia & Pacific Rim
• Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific
• South America & Amazon
• Holiday Cruises
• Panama Canal Cruises

Upgrade to an outside from $50-$100 on select sailings
• Asia & Pacific Rim
• South America & Amazon
• Canada & New England Cruises
• Hawaii Cruises

Upgrade to a Verandah from an Ocean View from only $50 on select sailings! Plus enjoy limited-time savings on Verandah Suites!
• Northern Europe Cruises
• Mediterranean & Western Europe Cruises
• Transatlantic Voyages

There are also special pricing on Caribbean sailings. Savings start today for Mariners.

Thoughts on Memorial Day

History of Memorial Day: Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. May 30th was chosen for Decoration Day because it was believed that flowers would be in bloom all across the country.

On Memorial Day the flag should be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon only, then raised briskly to the top of the staff until sunset, in honor of the nation’s battle heroes. In the early days of our country, no regulations existed for flying the flag at half-staff and, as a result, there were many conflicting policies. But on March 1, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower issued a proclamation on the proper times.

You will notice in the collage above, that the flag is flying at half-staff. Those pictures were taken during our visit to the American Cemetary in Normandy, France. It was very moving seeing row after row of graves. For more pictures from our visit to Normandy, see my previous posts on the topic and also our cruise vacations website.

I've mentioned several times in the past about the opportunity to relive history while on a cruise vacation. This is especially true in Europe due to the large battle field from the World Wars. Whether your cruise vacation takes you to Normandy, France or Honolulu, Hawaii, please take some time to visit a historical site and pay your respects to the troops that fought to keep America strong. We have done so on several cruises and of all the trips we've taken, those tend to stand out in my mind. Don't forget to bring you children with you so that they too can learn about war first hand.

As Albert Schweitzer said "... Wargraves are the great communicators of peace ..." Perhaps another more striking quote was by George Santayanan who said "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

And who can forget those immortal words of President John F. Kennedy: "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. "

To the brave men and women, living and deceased, who have taken President Kennedy's charge to heart, Thank You for your Service. May we never forget the sacrifices you have made.