Pacific Delight Tours Posts Early Bird Special

Pacific Delight Tours introduced an Early Bird Special with up to $1,000 off per couple for bookings received by Feb. 28. The discount applies to all tours available via Pacific Delight’s Gold Experience Exclusive Collection, which includes the 13-day Historic Cities and Yangtze River Gold Exclusive. The luxury program guarantees intimacy and exclusivity as each departure is limited to 16 participants, and features the tour operator’s FiveStarPlus program with upgraded hotel rooms at five-star properties in Beijing, Xian, Guilin and Shanghai, as well as a Junior Suite with private balcony and top deck, a la carte dining on a five-star cruise provided by Victoria Cruises, the pre-eminent line on the temple-lined Yangtze River. Also included are meals (12 breakfasts, eight lunches and 12 dinners), all intra-China air/land transportation, as well as comprehensive sightseeing, special cultural activities and performances.

Pricing for 2009 departures of Pacific Delight Tours’ 13-day Historic Cities and Yangtze River Gold Exclusive begins at $4,490 per person double occupancy for Early Bird bookings made by Feb. 28, and $4,990 per person double, for bookings received after Feb. 28. International air is not included but can be purchased from Pacific Delight at the time of booking. Pacific Delight Tours is a market leader in escorted and independent tours to China, the Orient and Southeast Asia. For more information, call 800-640-4899

New River Cruise from Calcutta to Benares

Pandaw are thrilled to announce a new river expedition sailing between Calcutta and Benares on the Ganges and Hugli rivers starting September 2009.



The RV Bengal Pandaw was launched in Burma as Pandaw IV in 2004 and has twenty-eight promenade deck staterooms.  The eight hundred mile expedition will be of fifteen days duration. Only ten sailings are planned for the coming season.



The expedition takes in a number of the most important historical sites in India including the colonial splendours of Calcutta, the sacred places of Buddhism around Bodh Gaya and Benares, now called Varanasi, the great cultural centre of Hinduism.

In addition, the Pandaw will stop daily in smaller towns and villages to see handicrafts, rural life and a variety of local cultures as we pass from region to region.



Given the practical difficulties of crossing India by land, a river cruise makes the best sense covering a vast landscape in comfort and safety and exploring the real India well off the beaten track.

SPECIAL OFFER US$1000 OFF ALL CABINS FOR THE TWO MAIDEN VOYAGES -

28 SEPT AND 12 OCTOBER

More Information

New Web Site launched for Cruising Russia and Ukraine

The week the new web site cruisingrussia.com was launched including itineraries, ships, deck plans, passengers reviews and lower prices. Covering the Volga river in Russia and the Dneiper River in the Ukraine there are many itineraries to select from with prices from $1,599 per person.

You can read reviews on the site from passengers that have sailed the ships, eaten the food and slept in the beds.

This site joins other specialized sites for river cruising: Danubecruising.com. Rhinecruiseforless.com and rivercruisereports.com.

For more information contact Mike Davies 864-446-7524

CRUISE WEST ENTERS EUROPE MARKET IN 2009 WITH NEW DANUBE RIVER CRUISE

RiverBarge Excursions Schedules 2009 Program

RiverBarge Excursions, which this year is celebrating 10 years of "Sharing America's Stories," has announced its 2009 program America's inland waterways. Among the options is "The Route of Jean Lafitte" Feb. 12-19. The eight-day adventure includes an overnight stay in Galveston and explores the Inland Gulf Intracoastal Waterway with a passage through Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The cruise will visit Corpus Christi and San Antonio as well as a first-time, two-night stay in Brownsville. Fares start at $2,849 for accommodations on Royal Deck and $3,029 on Platinum Deck.

A new addition to the schedule in 2008, the Barge and Bus trips were such a hit they are included again in 2009. Passengers can join the trip after the June 25-30 Cincinnati roundtrip cruise for three days at French Lick Resort in Indiana. The land tour includes the French Lick Winery, West Baden Springs Hotel and a train ride on the Indiana Railway. Accommodations are provided by the French Lick Springs Hotel. The Cincinnati cruise is priced from $2,179 while the French Lick add-on is $625 double occupancy. On the first Nashville-to-Chattanooga trip July 7-14, the River Explorer will barge the farthest on the Tennessee River it has ever gone with a first-time visit to Chattanooga, Tenn. The cruise begins in Nashville and travels on the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers to Savannah and Shiloh, Tenn. and Florence and Guntersville, Ala. before concluding with an overnight stay in Chattanooga. Fares start at $2,859.

The first "Explorer Reunion" trip barges from Chattanooga to St. Louis July 14-23. Each year, RiverBarge hosts a trip to bring guests back together for a one-of-a-kind excursion. The "Explorer Reunion" trip will begin with an overnight stay in Chattanooga and travel on the Tennessee, Cumberland, Ohio, Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers with host landings in Guntersville, Ala., Florence Ala., and Grafton, Ill. Fares start at $3,469. Prices are per person, based on double occupancy. Platinum Deck staterooms have a small balcony. For more information, call Riverdiscounts 800-640-4899

General Tours Introduces Cruising to Oberammergau

General Tours World Traveler is offering four small ship journeys featuring the Oberammergau Passion Play in 2010. These 15 guaranteed departures combine all-inclusive luxury cruising aboard the five-star ships of Peter Deilmann with comprehensive escorted touring. Each itinerary concludes with two nights in the Oberammergau region and excellent seats for the 41st presentation of this historic Passion Play. Departing Amsterdam on May 8, 2010, Holland at Tulip Time & the Passion Play begins aboard the intimate MV Casanova. The one-week cruise through Holland and Belgium features 8 escorted excursions, including Bruges, Brussels, and the famed Keukenhof Gardens. Priced from $5,299, this 10-day, all-inclusive cruise & tour features 26 meals, complete sightseeing, luggage handling, and port charges.

Treasures of the Danube & the Passion Play on the MV Mozart cruises to Austria, Hungary and Slovakia with a deluxe hotel stay in Salzburg, a visit to Berchtesgaden, and two nights in the Oberammergau region with tickets for the Passion Play. With 29 meals and complete sightseeing, this all-inclusive cruise & tour is priced from $5,799. General Tours Oberammergau 2010 offerings also include two in-depth cruise & tours in Germany. The Rhine, Black Forest & the Passion Play begins in Amsterdam aboard the MV Heidelberg, flagship of the Peter Deilmann fleet. Priced from $6,799, this 12-day all-inclusive cruise & tour features 32 meals, complete sightseeing, luggage handling, port charges, and reserved A1 seats for the Passion Play. Berlin to Prague along the Elbe & the Passion Play is a 14-day cruise & tour priced from $7,399. As with all of the company's European river cruises, General Tours is promising guaranteed prices, no fuel surcharges and no currency adjustments on all 15 Oberammergau cruise & tour departures. For more information, contact Riverdiscounts 800-640-4899

Cruise West Announces 26 Itineraries in 29 Countries for 2009 Season

SEATTLE, Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading small-ship cruise line Cruise West has announced 26 itineraries for the 2009 season, including four new and one re-introduced cruise. The four new voyages will visit Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, the Danube River, the East Indies and Melanesia; the Vietnam itinerary is being re-introduced by popular demand.

The 2009 cruises include stops in 29 countries and 165 ports worldwide. The voyages will include 253 departures throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe and the South Pacific, with visits to 29 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Alaska, Cambodia, China, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Romania and Vietnam. Cruise West's nine small ships (with capacity ranging from 78-138 guests) allow for the company's trademark "up-close, casual and personal" experience, an opportunity not offered by larger cruise lines. Cruises range from three-night/four-day to 24-night/25-day, and start from $1,149 per person.

"Our Quyana Members (past guests) asked us to add new destinations and Cruise West listened by delivering four new distinctive itineraries and reintroducing Vietnam in 2009," said Dick West, chairman and managing director. "I personally scouted the Galapagos itinerary and the Danube River cruise. In honor of Cruise West's first European river cruise, I will host a Chairman's cruise on the first departure. As with all Cruise West voyages, these new itineraries will offer guests the hallmark Cruise West adventure -- an authentic experience."

NEW & REINTRODUCED 2009 ITINERARIES

-- Cruise West introduces the GALAPAGOS onboard the luxurious 40-guest Isabela II. The 10-day tour will start with two days in Quito before flying to Baltra Island to board the ship for an eight-day cruise. A post-cruise Machu Picchu Land Tour option is available. Three departures will be initially offered on August 23, August 30 and September 6, 2009.

-- Cruise West ventures to Europe for the first time with its 11- or 12- day Danube River cruise VIENNA TO BUCHAREST onboard the elegant new 148-guest Amadeus Diamond -- 2009 marks this vessel's inaugural year. This cruise highlights exclusive tours in Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and cruising in the Danube Delta. Four departure dates will be offered: July 16 and 24, 2009; and October 13 and 21, 2009. Add on a pre- or post-cruise Prague or Transylvania Land Tour.

-- VIETNAM is reintroduced by popular demand. Originally offered in 2007, this 12-day itinerary cruises Haiphong to Ho Chi Minh City via Ha Long Bay, Hue, Danang, Hoi An, Qui Nhon, Nha Trang and the Mekong River. One departure will be offered on November 21, 2009 onboard Cruise West's flagship, the 120- guest Spirit of Oceanus. Add-on a pre- or post-cruise Cambodia and Angkor Wat Land Tour.

-- Cruise the exotic East Indies, SINGAPORE TO SYDNEY for the holidays onboard the Spirit of Oceanus. Offered December 16, 2009, this new 17-day itinerary transits the waters of early European explorers and will feature mysterious cultures steeped in ancient history in Indonesia. Spend New Year's Eve in Sydney! Port calls to be announced fall 2008.

-- Extraordinary islands throughout Melanesia are featured on the new 17- day SYDNEY TO FIJI voyage departing December 28, 2009. Visit isolated cultures and pristine waters in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and more. Port calls to be announced fall 2008.

~ Up-Close, Casual and Personal Cruising ~

For Extra Savings for Cruise West Sailings Call 800-640-4899

10 new cruises for Hebridean Princess in 2009

Holland America Opens 2009 Alaska Bookings

Many of you have been anxiously awaiting this, and Holland America has finally opened their 2009 Alaska season. Technically, if you call HAL, they'll tell you the cruisetours aren't yet open, but I do have it available to book right now.

The Veendam, Ryndam and Statendam will be doing their cruisetour departures between Vancouver and Seward featuring Glacier Bay and the College Fjords on most departures, while the Westerdam and Zaandam will do 7-night Seattle roundtrips featuring Glacier Bay and the Amsterdam will also sail roundtrip from Seattle visiting Hubbard Glacier. From Vancouver, the Volendam and Zuiderdam will sail roundtrip with Glacier Bay visits.

The cruisetour itineraries remain the same as this year's, which will facilitate selection of your preferred itinerary.

If you've been waiting for Alaska to open up, now's the time to book!