The Sterling Travel Times - May 2006
Your Source for Travel Information

<< Back to Newsletters Main

See Alaska by Sea

With wide open spaces, rare wildlife, stunning scenery and unique culture, Alaska is a terrific choice for a summer vacation. The greatest challenge of planning an Alaskan vacation may be the sheer vastness of the state: it's virtually impossible to see everything Alaska has to offer during a single vacation trip, so vacationers must carefully choose which sights to see.

One of the best and most convenient ways to see the wonders of coastal Alaska is by cruise ship. Cruise travelers can board the ship, unpack in a comfortable cabin, and head up on deck to watch the ever-changing scenery. The long twilight of the summer months maximizes the time available to enjoy the spectacular sights.

Alaska's cruise season begins in early May and extends through mid-September. Some ships sail along the Inside Passage, taking passengers past the stunning natural scenery of Glacier Bay Park and the historic port towns of Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Sitka and Haines. Other sailings venture farther north to the Gulf of Alaska, typically sailing between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Seward, the port for Anchorage. This route takes the ships past glittering Hubbard Glacier and College Fjord.

Alaska cruise passengers can complement their cruises with a wide variety of shore excursions. The specific excursions available vary by cruise, but can include everything from "flightseeing" in a helicopter to kayaking along Alaskan waterways.

Cruise passengers can also combine their cruise with a land vacation before or after their voyages: for example, taking a rail journey to a rustic wilderness lodge and sightseeing in Denali National Park; or enjoying the city of Vancouver.

When booking a cruise to Alaska, one important item to consider is the size of the ship. Larger ships usually have more on-board activities and dining options, which may be important if you're traveling with children. Smaller ships may have fewer entertainment features, but can often come much closer to the scenery on shore than larger ships can.

Fortunately, our travel professionals can help you decide which ship, and which itinerary, are best for you. Talk withus today to find out more about cruising Alaska.

Celebrate Mozart in Salzburg

This year marks the 250th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the musical prodigy who wrote his first symphony by the age of seven. Salzburg, Austria, the city of Mozart's birth, may be the best place for travelers to celebrate the man many believe to be the greatest composer who ever lived.

In Salzburg, more than 250 concerts will be devoted to Mozart's music, including a series of 29 weekend concerts in the Great Hall of the University Mozarteum. During the Salzburg Festival, July 21-August 31, all of Mozart's 22 operas will be performed.

Mozart's boyhood home in Salzburg is now a museum that contains some of the composer's personal belongings and notes he wrote on his travels throughout Europe. Visitors can also see the violin Mozart learned to play as a child, and a copy of a 1764 composition he wrote at the age of eight. At the Carolino Augusteum Museum, the exhibit "Viva! Mozart," features manuscripts, letters, paintings and other artifacts related to Mozart's life and times.

Travelers to Salzburg who want to see more of the places that Mozart lived and worked can also visit Makartplatz, where he lived with his family as a young man; and the Magic Flute Lodge, where he is said to have written part of the opera "The Magic Flute," one of his most popular works. The city, which is known for its baroque architecture and its proximity to the scenic Alps, also has many statues of and monuments to the composer.

While Salzburg could be considered "Mozart Central," travelers can take part in the composer's 250th birthday celebration in many other locations around the globe. Special exhibits and performances are scheduled in Vienna, Austria; London, England; Turin, Italy; New York, N.Y.; and San Francisco, Calif., to name a few cities. Talk withus about how you can enjoy hearing the music of Mozart during your summer travel.

Travel: The Perfect Gift

It's the season for graduations, weddings and anniversaries - not to mention Mother's Day, Father's Day and early summer birthdays. If you're looking for gifts that will truly be treasured by the receiver, consider the gift of travel.

Travel gift certificates are a convenient and thoughtful way to help family members and friends of any age achieve their travel dreams. It's also a gift that puts the recipients in control: they decide when and how to use it. For example, a new graduate might use a travel gift certificate to help fund a tour of Europe, while a honeymoon couple could apply it toward an island vacation or a cruise.

While travel gift certificates can be used for grand vacations, they can be used for to closer-to-home getaways, too, such as a weekend at a luxury hotel in a nearby city.

Travel gift certificates are available in a variety of denominations to suit gift budgets from $25 dollars and up. They are also easy to purchase: simply call ouroffice and ask about gift certificate options.

Cruise Ship Travel: To Tip or Not to Tip?

One of the features of cruising that makes it such an enjoyable way to travel is the high quality of service delivered by a ship's crew.  On a cruise ship, as on land, excellent service is rewarded with a tip.  However, tipping guidelines and procedures vary between cruise lines, and it's always a good idea to discuss tipping with your travel professional at the time you book your cruise.

Some cruise lines include all tips in the base price of a cruise, eliminating the need for passengers to calculate and distribute individual tips.  Others include tips for some crew members, such as cabin stewards and waiters, in the fare.  However, tips for other helpful crew members, such as bar stewards, deck stewards, fitness trainers or massage therapists, may not be covered.  Other cruise lines leave all tipping to the discretion of the passenger.

So, what is considered "normal" tipping for a cruise?  While your travel professional can provide suggestions from specific cruise lines, following are some general guidelines:

•  Cabin steward: $3.00 to $4.00 per day, per person, paid at the end of the cruise.
•  Waiter: $3.00 to $3.50 per day, per person, paid at the end of the cruise.
•  Assistant waiter: $2.00 per day, per person, paid at the end of the cruise.
• Busboy: $1.50 per day, per person, paid at the end of the cruise.
•  Servers at reservation-only on-board restaurants: $3.50 to $5.00 per person, per meal, paid at the time of service.
• Bar or wine steward: 15 percent of the bar or wine bill (if not added automatically), paid at the time of service.
• Salon and spa personnel: 15 percent of the bill (if not added automatically), paid at the time of service.
• Maître d', deck steward, night steward, butler, cabin service waiter and others: your choice based on the type and level of service received, paid at the time of service.

When tips are paid at the end of the cruise, the cumulative total can provide passengers with a bit of "sticker shock," especially on a longer cruise.  For smooth sailing, ask us to help you include an appropriate amount for tips in your cruise budget.

TropicalEscapes

Receive $100 in Spending Money when you book May 1-31, 2006

Try parasailing over warm blue waters, put on your goggles and come face-to-face with colorful aquatic life or set off on an exploration through historic towns. We've made vacationing in Mexico, the Bahamas and the Caribbean all the more affordable with $100 in Spending Money!

31 Hotels from which to choose! Below is just a sample:

All-inclusive Mexico

• Dreams Tulum - 5 nights from $815pp
  Riviera May, Mexico
• Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort - 5.nights from $915pp
  Cancun, Mexico
• Le Blanc Spa Resort (Adults only) - 5 nights from $1325pp
  Cancun, Mexico

Nassau/Paradise Island

• British Colonial Hilton - 5 nights from $599pp
  Nassau, Bahamas
• Atlantis - 5 nights from $959pp
  Paradise Island , Bahama
• Radisson Cable Beach & Golf Resort - All-inclusive - 5 nights from $999pp
  Nassau, Bahamas

All-inclusive Caribbean

• Breezes Curacao Resort, Spa & Casino - 5 nights from $599pp
  Curacao, Netherlands Antillies
• Secrets Excellence Punta Cana (Adults only) - 5 nights from $655pp
  Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
• Breezes Runaway Bay Resort & Golf Club - 5 nights from $795pp
  Runaway Bay, Jamaica

LONGER STAYS AVAILABLE

Prices do not include airfare. Ask about special air-inclusive rates from Los Angeles.

ALL PACKAGES INCLUDE: Hotel accommodations, taxes, roundtrip airport transfers.
ALL-INCLUSIVE PACKAGES ALSO INCLUDE: All meals, beverages, snacks, and much more!

Call or visit us today!

SAVINGS ARE OFF OF ORIGINAL CONTRACTED RATES AND ARE REFLECTED.ABOVE. Prices are per person, land only based on double occupancy accommodations, valid for select travel dates Other travel dates are available. Rates are subject to change without notice, availability, holiday blackouts, peak period surcharges and other restrictions apply. GOGO Worldwide Vacations is not responsible for errors or omissions in the content of this ad. Spending Money offer will be in the form of Travelers Checks, is per applicable booking made May 1-31,.2006 and is provided exclusively by Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

Alaska - The Last Frontier

Join Hugh Hewitt and Professor David Allen White and see this rugged and wild coast aboard the Seven Seas Mariner

This is what the Earth must have looked like at the dawn of Early Man. More wilderness than can be charted. More wildlife than can be counted: bears, bald eagles, moose, deer, whales, spawning salmon. Its immensity overwhelms. Glaciers advance and retreat forming ridge after ridge of mountain peaks receding into the distance. In spring, swift streams somersault over 1,000-foot precipices in a headlong rush to the sea. Dense, dark green primordial forests stretch as far as the eye can see. Everything seems larger than life. But it's not just the size; it's how you fit into its gigantic proportions that is the soul-searing beauty of Alaska. With activities that range from the mild to the wild, and everyone succumbs to the wonder. No wonder they say that once you've been to Alaska, you never really come all the way back.

To cruise to Alaska is to journey back in time - to an Earth yet unspoiled - a vast wilderness where sunlight comes to spend the day and lingers in the dusky midnight sky. This pristine frontier is as big and beautiful as anyone's dreams - the mountains, the glaciers, the fjords and the wildlife - the magnificent wildlife. And once encountered, you will shiver... not from the cold, but from the realization that there may be a greater hand at work than you might have imagined.

Seven Seas Mariner is the world's first all-suite, all-balcony ship, as well as the first to offer dining by the famed Le Cordon Bleu® of Paris in Signatures, one of four single, open-seating restaurants. Catering to only 700 guests, she is one of the most spacious cruise ships afloat, and, her staff to guest ratio of 1 to 1.6 provides the highest level of personal service in the six-star tradition of Radisson Seven Seas.

Radisson Seven Seas Cruises 6-star distinctions

700-guest all-suite, all-balcony Seven Seas Mariner « Open seating dining and alternative restaurants«Lavish spa by the renowned Carita of Paris« Shipboard gratuities included «Complimentary in-suite bar setup « Complimentary soda, juices and bottled water throughout your cruise « Complimentary fine wines with dinner.

Treat yourself by enhancing your Alaska cruise experience by sailing with nationally syndicated radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt and Naval academy Professor David Allen White on the August 9, 2006 ms Mariner sailing from Whittier to Vancouver. These two talented and interesting men will inspire and entertain you at private receptions and events and you'll receive $100 per person in shipboard credit to use during the cruise.

Call us at 800-777-6540, to reserve your space. If you're considering a cruise vacation in 2006, want a 6 star luxury experience and want the most cruise for your money then you owe it to yourself to take advantage of this opportunity.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. We're looking forward to hearing from you.

Business Travel

Preventing Lost Luggage
Recent reports that airlines lost - if only temporarily - 30 million bags last year is a concern for business travelers.  Of course, 30 million bags total only one percent of the three billion bags processed by airports in 2005.  Still, if you travel frequently on business, you may experience the inconvenience of a lost bag at some point.

The good news is that because finding lost bags represents a significant cost, the airlines are always working to improve the situation.  Still, the possibility for luggage handling errors always exists.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help ensure that a checked bag makes it to your destination along with you:

 Before you pack, make sure your bag is in good condition, with no rips or tears.  Check that all snaps and zippers work correctly.  Peel off any old airline tags.

 Attach a sturdy leather or plastic tag, with your name and phone number, to your bag, and place a duplicate tag with your information on the inside as well.

 Don't over pack your bag, which could place strain on snaps and zippers.  Make sure your bag does not exceed airline size and weight restrictions.

 Be sure to pack anything truly essential - such as prescription medication, business documents, your computer and other valuables - in the bag you'll carry on to the plane.

 Arrive at the airport at least an hour before flight time (two hours for international flights) to ensure sufficient time for your bag to be loaded on the plane.

 Remove any detachable straps before checking your bag.

 Watch as airline counter personnel tag your bag - make sure the airport abbreviation on the tag matches your final destination for the day.  Keep your portion of the tag in a safe place: it will provide helpful information in the event your bag is lost.

 When retrieving your bag from baggage claim, always double-check that you are really taking your own bag and not a look-alike.

 If your bag is lost, immediately locate a baggage agent for your airline.  The agent should be able to tell you if your bag is on a different flight or if the situation will require more investigation.  Make sure the baggage agent knows how to reach you, and chances are good that you'll soon be reunited with your bag.