Signature Collection

The CruiseOne/Cruises Inc family is proud to announce a new ensemble of vacation experiences targeted to the traveler who is looking for something more intriguing and special than the normal cruise. Launching first is the Signature Collection Western European Ensemble for 2012. These packages blend products like Azamara Club Cruises and Avalon Waterways river cruises with Monograms land packages, packaging them with private exclusive excursions, private tour guides/hosts, and special parties.

Love to garden or simply appreciate the best in horticultural expertise? Coming up next May 14 is an Azamara Journey cruise from Amsterdam to London that begins with two nights in Amsterdam to include a private excursion to the Chelsea Flower Show. You'll have a chance to explore the 2012 World Horticultural Expo, Floriade, taking place in a stunning park in Venlo, the Netherlands, which is known as the world's most famous flower show. In addition, you’ll have a private excursion to the Flower Auction and Keukenhof Gardens. The non-horticulturist won’t be left behind, either, with stops in the world diamond capital of Antwerp, Belgium, and in the charming Dutch port town of Vlissingen where the Schelde River, here more than two miles wide, flows into the North Sea. Need more? Check out the cruise itinerary itself by clicking here.

Ben and I are already leading a group through Provence next May on the AMA Waterways Amadagio, but if the August timeframe works better for you, check out the Provence to Paris Signature package August 17. You will begin with two nights in Monte Carlo and then cruise seven nights from Cote d’Azure-Port St. Luis to Chalon-sur-Saone, France. En route you’ll enjoy an exclusive tour and Beaujolais wine-tasting event, as well as an exclusive tour of Cormatin Palace, built by the Marquises of Huxelles in the early 17th century. Upon disembarkation, your motorcoach will transport you to the City of Light for two nights in magical Paris.

My favorite of all, however, is the 11-night French & Italian Riviera cruise on the Azamara Journey, beginning in Monte Carlo and calling on the ports of Portofino; Porto Venere (Cinque Terre); Florence/Pisa; Sorrento/Amalfi (overnight!); Taormina, Sicily; Capri (overnight, with a private full-day tour of Capri and the Blue Grotto); and Rome. The package includes two nights pre in Monte Carlo and one night post in Rome with guided sightseeing.

Let us know if we can provide additional information on these or any of the packages listed.

Speaking of “Signature” collections, Ben and I are pleased to announce that we were recently selected as members of the elite Circle of Excellence out of over 1300 agents in our company, an honor bestowed only to those at the highest sales level. We thank you for continuing business!

My next blogs will come to you from Italy and then from our Holy Land cruise on the Norwegian Jade. Ben and I are escorting groups on each event and looking forward to visiting both new and familiar places in Italy and seeing Egypt, Israel, Cyprus, and Alanya (Turkey) for the first time.

Ciao until then!

Closing Thoughts: Our Rhine Cruise & Italy Travel

In my blog posts about our Rhine River cruise, I focused primarily on our itinerary rather than the ship itself, so I want to add a few lines here about the beautiful Amalyra. Ben and I had sailed on two of her sister ships previously and were already familiar with the design. River ships aren’t very big, and all are easy to navigate with functional, if not huge, cabins offering plenty of storage space.

Breakfast and lunch were served buffet style or via a menu, and dinner featured a variety of local and regional dishes. Regional wines, as usual on AMA’s ships in Europe, were free-flowing and excellent. The pastry chef onboard was one of the best we’ve ever had. I can usually turn down pastries all day long; not this cruise. And her homemade ice cream was to die for!

We were fortunate to have Marion Juhnke again as our Cruise Manager. We marveled at her expertise during our Portugal Douro Valley cruise last year and were delighted to find her assigned to this Rhine sailing. It takes a special person to manage people, itinerary glitches, and the multitude of other issues that can occur on a cruise. Add to that the Northern European drought that left the Rhine’s water level so low as to require docking changes, and you learn quickly how important that level headed manager must be. Thank you, Marion! We hope to see you next year in Provence!

Actually, the entire staff and crew of the Amalyra, from Captain Rien Pols to our cabin stewardess, made each of us feel welcome and did everything possible to ensure our trip was enjoyable. One elderly member of our group needed a walker and/or wheelchair assistance, and both staff members AND our group of friends pitched in to help her whenever needed.

That brings me to another point. Travel in Europe can prove challenging for those with mobility issues, from those signature cobblestone streets to steep stairs. Oftentimes, rest rooms are located on lower or upper levels of buildings accessible only by stairways, not elevators. Much of Europe would hardly receive a stamp of approval by the ADA! Even in the “gentle walker” sub-groups river cruise lines form, guests must keep up—and those on walkers can have a difficult time doing so. Now, Ruth, our wonderful friend from church who joined us, did an amazing job for a woman of 86, moving as quickly as she could, bailing out of the trickier excursions, and never once complaining; but every outing required more advance planning, more “thinking through” the next several hours, and most of all, more time. The beauty of river cruising, however, is the cruising itself. The day our ship sailed through the Rhine River Gorge was perhaps the most enjoyable of all for Ruth and her cousin Margaret. Well, that and maybe riding up Mt. Pilatus in Lucerne via bus, cogwheel railway, cable car, and chairlift! These ladies kept shaking their heads in disbelief that they were actually making that exciting trip.

Finally, a few words about train travel in Europe. Admittedly, this was Ben’s and my second venture into Europe’s rail system, so we don’t pretend to be experts. Our goal was a more relaxed trip from Switzerland to Italy without flight hassles or car rentals, and that’s what we got for the most part. About 60 days before the start of our train travel, I ordered first class tickets from Zurich to Ancona via Rail Europe.  An easy purchase, and tickets arrived in just a few days. There is some beautiful scenery along that route, although tunnels interfered with part of the journey. We were dragging bags, of course, which are a lot more trouble than backpacks on a train. However, a porter was hovering outside our train in Milan just waiting to assist someone, and we gladly accepted his offer and his open hand for the tip so well earned. Upon arrival in Ancona, the only issue was needing to go downstairs, under, across, and up again to the station—and we couldn’t get the elevator working. Many thanks to the helpful man who at least got it going for me!

We bought our last set of tickets from Ancona to Chiusi in Tuscany at the Ancona train station. I learned, however, that there really wasn’t much of a price difference, and I could have more easily purchased them from home. Our departure from Ancona was complicated by one of those nasty Italian strikes that can last just minutes or a few hours, in this case delaying us by about an hour and a half. As a result, our train was more full than usual, and disembarkation in Chiusi was almost a disaster. We didn’t get to the exit door soon enough, and the stream of incoming passengers totally blocked our departure. Ben finally got off, but I was caught in the door while it was trying its best to close on me! With Ben holding one hand, me holding my remaining bag, and the conductor yelling at us for causing the delay, it’s a miracle we proved stubborn enough to finally get bodies and bags off the train! But we did. And the bruises on our bodies healed in a week or so....

We love river cruising! These lines cater primarily to those 60+ in age, but days are full with walking or touring excursions once or twice each day. What we are able to see, however, far outweighs the rich schedule. Provence in May 2012, anyone? We have two cabins remaining...