LUXURY IN NYC
The
Four Seasons New
York is offering a
variety of terrific
promotions including a third
night free, second room
for families at half-off
or
up to $400 per night
hotel credit. The
later two offers are
available through
January 2, 2011 while a
third night free is
available through March
31 and again in the
summer from July
1-September 4.
Specific room categories
may apply. The
hotel's
Family Value
Package (second room
half off) also includes
customized
Play NY
itineraries,
specialty food items and
welcome gifts for
children (ages 17 and
under). Note that
hotel
credits can be used
for incidentals or towards your
accommodations (but not
for tax).
Some promotions are combinable.
Located in the heart of
Midtown East at E. 57th
St. between Park and
Madison, the
contemporary designed
Four Seasons New York
offers 368 rooms and
suites,
spa, gym and tempting
restaurants.
Luxuriate in NYC!
Photo courtesy of Four
Seasons Hotels and
Resorts.
DEALS
GALORE AT VAIL
Savings are considerable this ski
season
at Vail and Beaver Creek!
Children ages 2-12 fly free with United
and American Airlines for
direct flights to the Eagle/Vail airport
in Colorado with the purchase of an
paid adult fare. On arrival,
children also receive free
transportation to Vail or Beaver Creek
via Colorado Mountain Express with a
paying adult and free lodging with a
paying adult at select properties.
Also save with Fly In Ski Free at
Vail and Ski Free Stay Free
promotions that include a buy three, get
one free lodging and lift ticket offer.
If you are flying into Eagle from
Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas,
Detroit, Miami or
Newark through April 11, you can also
ski free on your arrival day at Vail or
Beaver Creek (just be careful of the
altitude!).
Ski Vail/Beaver Creek through
April 18!
TWILIGHT
TOURS
Attention fans of the Twilight
books and movies: The Hotel Monaco in
downtown Seattle is offering The
Ultimate Twilight Adventure.
The package includes hotel nights and a
full day guided tour that explores all
the film's highlights. The
adventure begins with a f
erry
ride to the Olympic Peninsula, followed
by a guided tour of Forks, Hoh
Rainforest and the La Push community.
The tour concludes with dinner at Bella
Italia in Port Angeles, the scene of
Bella and Edward's first date. The
tours are available Wednesdays and
Saturdays and just need to be booked at least
five days in advance. The Hotel
Monaco is located in Pioneer Square not
far from Pike's Marketplace. This quirky
hotel from the Kimpton chain has a
fortune teller every Wednesday and
Saturday, complimentary chair massages
on Thursdays, wine hour each evening
(with Guitar Hero on Fridays) and is pet
friendly too!
Vampire fans
unite in Seattle.
CHILDREN
FREE ON CRYSTAL
Children 17 and under cruise for free on
two of Crystal Symphony's European
voyages this summer. Children can sail
as third berths with two full fare
adults on the June 14th Ballad of
Britain cruise round-trip from
London to Guernsey/St. Peter Port; the
Channel Islands; Waterford, Dublin and
Belfast, Ireland and Liverpool or the
August 7th sailing called Russian
Inspiration from Copenhagen to
Stockholm with visits to Tallinn, Estonia
and St. Petersburg, Russia (for two
nights). Junior Activities
Directors will be onboard to oversee
organized activities from arts and
crafts and story time for little ones
to disco-themed pool parties for older
children and teens. Additional
promotional discounts apply.
Also note that Crystal's excursion
program is now offering tours that focus
on Jewish heritage. The excursions
allow you to absorb a region's diverse
spiritual culture, explore Judaic
history and even trace your roots in the
cities of Jerusalem, Berlin, Odessa,
Rome, St. Petersburg and more.
Tour options vary from visits to
Sachsenhausen concentration camp from
Berlin, the Irish Jewish Museum in
Dublin and synagogue tours in
Montevideo.
Experience the luxury of Crystal.
Photo courtesy of Crystal Cruises.
SAVE WITH
UNIWORLD
Children ages 4-18 can save half off
Uniworld's unique family river
cruises this summer. Choose from
two different 9-day itineraries that are
perfect for multi-generational travel.
Choice one is an historical cruise along the Seine River from Paris
to Normandy starting July 3 or July 17
with stops in the French countryside
(including Giverny) on the way to the
World War II beach towns. Starting
on July 10 or August 7, cruise from Basel
to Amsterdam for Uniworld's Castles
Along the Rhine. This tour
really lives up to its name as the
middle Rhine Valley has more Medieval,
Gothic and Renaissance castles than any
other river valley in the world.
Family activities on board both cruises include
foreign language lessons, spending time
with the captain in the wheelhouse
learning how the ship operates, making
pastries with the ship's chef, movies
and more.
Explore European rivers with Uniworld!
NICKELODEON AT SEA
Norwegian Cruise Lines is teaming
up with Nickelodeon for special
programming on select ships.
Beginning this April, the Norwegian
Jewel and then starting this summer o
n
board the brand-new Norwegian Epic, your
family can enjoy character meet and
greets, story hours, interactive games
(like SlimeTime LIVE!), special poolside
performances, dance parties, special
excursions and related activities and
crafts. Some activities will be
integrated into the Kid's Crew
programming.
Special Nickelodeon theme cruises will
also be offered annually that will
include more live game shows,
characters, show premiers and special
appearances by Nick network stars.
Get slimed at
sea!
FLY FREE
TO NASSAU
Receive a free companion airfare to
Nassau and Paradise Island for travel
through March 1
8
and again from April 11-December 22 when
staying at 15 participating hotels for a
minimum four night stay. Florida
residents looking for a quick getaway
need only stay three nights. Some black out
dates apply. Participating resorts
include all the Atlantis properties, One
& Only Ocean Club, Comfort Suites
Paradise Island (with full access to
Atlantis), Sandals Royal Bahamian (great
for a couples getaway), Graycliff Hotel, Sheraton Nassau Beach
Resort and more. This promotion
must be booked by November 27 and one free
companion airfare is available per room.
Experience the beauty of The Bahamas!
FAMILY TIME IN JAMAICA
Half Moon Resort in Jamaica is
offering Winter Family Time starting at $2,517 for a 3 night
stay through April 15. The package
includes luxury accommodations, 3 meals
per day, premium drinks, airport
transfers and daily nanny service for
children age 4 years and younger.
A minimum three night stay is required
and a variety of room sizes are
available. Our families enjoy Half Moon
for its array of recreation including water sports, tennis,
squash, gym, equestrian center, golf,
bike rentals, children's programs with
playground, spa, their own dolphin
program, game room and pools galore.
Plenty of dining options and a shopping
center round out the amenities at this
luxury resort in Montego Bay.
Book now for the best availability!
Photo courtesy of Half Moon Resort.
SAVE
IN ST.
CROIX
The family-friendly and family-owned
Buccaneer in St. Croix gives you 20%
off through Decembe
r
20. Rates include daily breakfast,
non-motorized water sports, kids camp, wireless
internet, welcome cocktail and more!
Children pay a supplement through April
15, but families can get a second room
for half off from April 15-December 20
(some black out dates apply). High
season rates start at $400/night and
low-season rates at
$288/night. Our families love The
Buccaneer for its three lovely beaches,
tennis, golf, spa, daily activities, art
classes, nature walks, jogging trail,
evening entertainment, several dining
options and family size accommodations.
And no passports needed!
Enjoy St. Croix!
Photo courtesy of The Buccaneer.
DISNEY
ADVENTURES FOR LESS
Disney
Adventures is introducing lower
prices with
their new Gateway Collection.
These tours offer expanded free time to explore on your
own
and are priced 20-30% below their
regular tour prices. Currently
London and Paris or Costa Rica are available for 6
nights or explore Italy (Rome, Florence and
Venice) for 7 nights. These tours
still include meet and greet airport
transfers, quality hotels, some meals
and a nice variety of tours including
private excursions, hands-on cultural
experiences and kids only activities.
Up to 50 people travel on one tour.
Rates begin at $2,489 per adult and
$2,239 for child 12 and under.
Disney magic at a lower price!
PORTUGAL
AWAITS
Thomson Family
Adventures, one of our favorite soft
adventure tour companies for families, has added Portugal as its
newest travel destination with
spring and summer departures f
rom
March through July. Your family
will explore castles, gardens, villages
and mountains with travel to the capital
of Lisbon, the Lousa Mountains and the
charming northern town of Amarante in
the Porto region. Adventures
include kayaking, hiking, trips to a
local water park and aquarium and a port
wine tour. With all of Thomson's
terrific tours, children get to meet
their pen pals that they can correspond
with before your family travels. Portugal
is an exciting destination with a rich
history, great food and wine and less
tourists than elsewhere in the
Mediterranean.
Boa viagem!
ASIA FOR
FAMILIES
Pan Pacific Journeys, a
tour operator specializing in
amazing cultural immersion tours to Asia
is now offering
Family Fun Vacations to China,
Thailand and Vietnam through 2010.
These tours have been designed for
multi-generational travel with plenty of
activities and adventures for all ages.
Two different 13-day Thailand tours
include a mix of Bangkok, a deluxe camp
on the River Kwai, Chiang Mai, Elephant
Hill, Rainforest Safari and Phuket.
Activities include camping, elephant
riding, canoeing, fishing, golf and
more. Adult rates start at $2,000
per person. Children under age 12
start at $1,350. In China, a
14-day tour includes Beijing, Xi'an, Chendu, Guilin/Yangshuo and Shanghai.
This tour includes a visit the Great
Wall, meeting a local family and making
a traditional dumpling lunch with them,
riding on a bamboo raft and a visit to a
panda research center. Adults
rates start at $2,640 per person with
child rates pending. A 12-day soft
adventure tour of Vietnam will include
Saigon, Hoi An, Hanoi and a Halong Bay
cruise with rates starting at $2,165 per
adult and $1,420 per child.
Plan your Asian experience today!
TRAVEL
TIP
For peace of mind, Safetytats are
temporary child ID tattoos that you
apply to your children's skin with your
contact details in case they get lost.
They are available in tattoo or band-aid
like forms. Great for amusement
parks and other crowded destinations,
the IDs come in a variety of
designs for all ages. They were
designed by a mom with three children
who got tired of rewriting her phone
number on her children's arm in case anyone
got lost. Special needs, allergy
and special medical needs stickers are
also available. Check out
www.safetytat.com.
TRAVEL
REVIEW
Mindy's family returned to the
Riviera Maya for the third time over
winter break with a second visit to the
Grand Mayan Riviera Maya resort. Her
family (2 adults and 2 children ages 11
and 12) enjoyed their spacious one
bedroom accommodation with 2 single beds
in the living area. No sharing a
sofabed! They
booked their stay through one of our
newest suppliers, Holidays Systems, Inc,
a company that offers time share weeks
at substantially lower rates. The condo
featured a full kitchen with granite
countertops, dining room and pati
o
with a small wading pool. The Valenci's
rented a car for their stay which
allowed them flexibility to explore
local towns and enjoy authentic
restaurants, shopping areas and
attractions.
One highlight of the trip was a visit to
Kantun-Chi for a privately guided grotto
tour of the underground cenotes where
they swam and snorkeled to view the
impressive stalactites and stalagmites
in the
Grutaventura Cavern. The children,
however, are still talking about their
visit to Kuxi K’aax,
The Jungle Place,
a 20-acre natural paradise in the jungle
of the Riviera Maya. The grounds of The
Jungle Place are a sanctioned reserve
for the endangered spider monkey and
royal toucan. The family prearranged an
afternoon tour of the facility that
included an interaction with the rescued
spider monkeys. The emotional experience
is something they will never forget.
The Valenci's vowed to return to this
area to further explore the culture
and ecological richness the Yucatan has
to offer.
Thanks for choosing to use a professional travel agent for your
vacation needs. The Family
Traveler takes great pride in the time we spend
planning each and every trip. We are
here to help, enhance and advise every
step of the way (including before,
during and after your trip). We are booking
great getaways each and every day for
families from around the country.
A great trip is not just a click away. Thanks for your support and your
referrals!
Experience the
World One Trip at a Time!