Ready to visit Cuba? Better be sure about that

by Chris Owen on

The good news is that, thanks to President Obama, you can visit Cuba. Policy changes encourage more contact between Americans and citizens of Cuba. The not-so-good news is that you probably won’t be lounging on the beach all day and bringing back a box of Cuban cigars. Your trip will be jam-packed with required educational opportunities and an immersive Cuban experience.

The United States Treasury Department is once again granting the “people-to-people” licenses, created under President Clinton, stopped under President Bush, which greatly expand travel opportunities for Cuba-bound American visitors. Still, travelers won’t be surfing the Internet to buy a flight, coordinating it with a hotel stay and rental car on their own any time soon.

Traveling to Cuba requires planning your trip through one of several groups authorized to operate the “people to people exchanges” and the rules are strict. The Treasury Department says the tours must “have a full-time schedule of educational exchange activities that will result in meaningful interaction between the travelers and individuals in Cuba.”
Ranging from about $1700 for a weekend to over $4000 for a week, the trips are packed with immersive travel opportunities enabling us to meet local citizens and learn about Cuba’s culture. Going it on our own? Not going to happen. Still, booking a package is easy.

“All a U.S. citizen has to do is sign up for an authorized program and they can go to Cuba. It’s as simple as that” Tom Popper, director of travel company Insight Cuba told the New York Times.

This is a really good example of travel plans that can benefit greatly with the aid of a qualified travel professional. Actually, this is probably the best example ever of how valuable a qualified travel professional can be: the packages put together by these authorized groups make using a travel professional required. Rightfully so, requirements are strict for the program content, traveler documentation and putting the packages together takes a great deal of planning.

“We’ve been preparing for this day for seven years” said Popper. “Now that we have the license in hand, anyone and everyone can reserve their spot on one of our carefully crafted travel programs to Cuba from August 2011 through September 2012. We’ve created six exciting new experiences, which can be found on our website, providing unique access to people and places the average traveler rarely sees.”

Insight Cuba hand-picks exclusive experiences for its 16-person (maximum) groups and has an in-country host/escort along for the ride. The all-inclusive packages feature some of the best hotels, all meals, ground transportation, domestic flights in Cuba (where required), all entry fees, professional guide services, U.S. Treasury Department license and Letter of Authorization, and travel insurance. Insight Cuba has these six itineraries with over 130 departures through September 2012:

A single supplement of just $300 ($200 for Weekend in Havana) is available also.

Another company, USA Cuba Travel specializes in travel to Cuba and urges would-be travelers to Cuba to take a very realistic view of what is ahead of them.

“Cuba which is still a socialist country, lives at a slow pace. At the same time, the country is very popular with the almost 2,000,000 tourists who travel there each and every year. In Cuba there is no central reservation system equipped with sophisticated computers that is open 24 hours a day” the company says on it’s website adding “It takes time, (up to one week) to make any reservation.”

Learn more about travel to Cuba at the US Treasury Department website.

Flickr photo by flippinyank

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Vote for America’s favorite park!

by Kraig Becker on

Earlier this week, the National Parks Foundation, in conjunction with Coca-Cola, launched the second annual “America Is Your Park” campaign, during which American’s are encouraged to vote for their favorite local, state, or national park. The campaign will run through September 6th, with the park receiving the most votes winning a $100,00 grant to help restore and enhance recreation areas for visitors.

There are four different ways to cast your vote for your favorite park, most centered around the website LivePositively.com. Visitors to the site can sign on and cast a vote directly for the park of their choice, or alternatively they can upload a photo of themselves in that park. Beginning August 10th, they’ll also have the opportunity to upload video as well. Photos and videos also count as votes. Alternatively, starting July 11, you’ll be able to vote by checking into a park by using Facebook Places on your mobile phone too.

Last year, more than 1.6 million votes were cast, earning Bear Head Lake State Park in Minnesota the distinction of being “America’s Favorite Park.” A similar number of votes are expected this year with the top three parks all earning a slice of the money to help with enhancement projects. First place gets the $100,000 mentioned above, while second place earns $50,000 and third gets $25,000.

This is your chance America. Vote for your favorite park and you just might have the chance to make it even better.

Grill your own dinner on new cruise ship, get free apron

by Chris Owen on

Celebrity Cruises new 2,886-guest Celebrity Silhouette will debut soon with all the bells and whistles of her previous 122,000 ton Solstice-class sister-ships. Look for iPad art tours, a “trendsetting onboard experience“ and larger than normal staterooms. Sailing from New York, a whole lot of New Yorkers and tri-state area residents will be on board, starting their vacation without taking a flight, maximizing their vacation time. Also on board will be something new and unique to this vessel; the industry’s first interactive, open-air grilling restaurant The Lawn Club Grill.

“People tend to associate grilling with the relaxing, carefree mood of summer – exactly what a Celebrity vacation is all about,” said Jacques Van Staden, Vice President, Culinary Operations. “What can be better than experiencing something that’s popular among so many cultures around the world, while relaxing near a lawn of growing grass, surrounded by an endless view of the sea?”

The highlight of the dining experience at the 58-seat Lawn Club Grill will be the opportunity for guests to serve as their party’s “Grill Master,” by being paired with a Celebrity Cruises chef to assist in preparing the menu for their table over custom-built, ventilated grills. This unique, one-on-one interaction will give the Grill Master a one-of-a-kind, firsthand lesson in proper grilling techniques and other tricks of the grilling trade.
“Our guests consistently tell us that fresh, exciting culinary experiences are essential to their enjoyment of their vacation, and we are always looking for new ways to deliver that to them,” said Van Staden.

All guests will have the opportunity to choose from a gourmet salad bar, a la carte “build your own” pizzas and more than 12 grilled specialties. “Grill Masters” will receive a complimentary apron as a memento.

“Just as we introduced the ‘uniquely unordinary’ experience of using iPad-based menus to design individual culinary journeys featuring dishes presented in unexpected ways in Qsine on Celebrity Eclipse, we are introducing customized, open-air grills to the cruise vacation dining experience.”

By combining a premium culinary experience with the sensation of relaxing on the top deck of a ship, surrounded by live grass and cool ocean breezes, Celebrity’s aim is to celebrate the passion people have for grilling, as they enjoy their precious vacation time.

I think they might just get that done when guests grill their own dinner at The Lawn Club Grill.

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Photo of the Day- the old and the new

by Chris Owen on

Today’s Photo of the Day comes from flicker user Kumukulanui who tells us “The ‘Pride of America’ cruise ship moored off Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Just in front of it is a small craft made in the style of the traditional wa’a kaulua (twin-hulled canoe) that Hawaiians used to travel around the Pacific Ocean in centuries past.”

Do you have some photos from your travels that you would like to share? Upload it to the Gadling group pool on Flickr. If we like it we might just select it to be a future Photo of the Day.

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Luxury yachts host just a few guests in spectacular destinations

by Chris Owen on

Earlier this year, Gadling introduced InnerSea Discoveries, what we called the Alaska Adventure Cruise for people that hate even the idea of a cruise. Called the “Un-Cruise” its an up-close personal adventure experience that just happens to travel on water. The line’s moderately priced inaugural season sold out fast and reports back from the field validate the adventure nature of the travel experience.

Now, InnerSea’s sister-line American Safari Cruises, promising luxury in the pursuit of adventure, has released its 2012-2013 Schedule Of Active Yacht Adventures deployment detailing voyages for its three yacht fleet.

The nimble yachts, 12-guest Safari Spirit, 22-guest Safari Quest and 36-guest Safari Explorer, specialize in expedition cruising with flexible itineraries. Destinations include Southeast Alaska, Mexico’s Sea of Cortés, Columbia and Snake Rivers, Hawaiian Islands and Washington and British Columbia.

“We are releasing our brochure a bit earlier this year” said Tim Jacox, executive vice president of sales and marketing. “We had a stellar year in 2011, and we want to get the new brochure in travelers’ hands now to book 2012 as early as possible.”

In all destinations, the yachts sail flexible itineraries in order to maximize wildlife viewing opportunities and provide one-of-a-kind active adventures for guests. Activities may vary by destination and include kayaking, hiking, biking, yoga, beachcombing, snorkeling, stand up paddle boarding, tubing, sailing and skiff rides. Expert guides and naturalists lead many excursions.
Let’s take a look at what they are offering in the upcoming season.

Washington and British Columbia
For 2012, the 22-guest Safari Quest sails weeklong Pacific Northwest Passages cruises along the coasts of Washington state and British Columbia from September 14 to November 16, 2012 and from March 29 to May 3, 2013. Sailing roundtrip from Seattle, WA, the yacht visits Victoria, Jervis Inlet and the Harmony Islands, Princess Louisa Inlet, Nanaimo and Gulf Islands, B.C.; and San Juan Islands, WA.

Hawaii
Introduced in 2011, the 36-guest Safari Explorer continues sailing seven-night Hawaiian Seascapes cruises between Maui and the Big Island (and reverse) from January 4 to May 3 and November 3 to December 29, 2012; January 5 to April 13, 2013. The inter-island yacht cruise explores Moloka’i and its picture book Halawa Valley, Lanai, Maui, Molokini and the Big Island.

Southeast Alaska
All three luxury yachts sail roundtrip from Juneau, Alaska from May 11 to August 24, 2012. The seven night Discoverers Glacier Country cruises spend two full days in Glacier Bay National Park with opportunities to hike and kayak with park rangers. The yachts will explore around Icy Strait, Frederick Sound, Admiralty Island, Fords Terror and Endicott Arm.

The 15-day Famed Inside Passage cruise from Seattle to Juneau (or reverse) visits San Juan Islands, WA; Canadian Inside Passage; Misty Fjords National Monument, Ketchikan, Petersburg, LeConte Bay, Baird Glacier, Frederick Sound, Red Bluff Bay, Pavlof Harbor, Glacier Bay National Park and Icy Strait, Alaska. In 2012, spring dates include May 11 on Safari Quest and April 27 on Safari Spirit. Returning from Alaska, the Safari Quest departs on August 31 and the Safari Explorer and Safari Spirit depart September 7.

Mexico’s Sea of Cortés
From January 7 to March 31, 2012, the 22-guest Safari Quest explores this UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve on weeklong Aquarium of the World cruises sailing roundtrip from La Paz, Baja California Sur. The itinerary explores Isla Partida, Bahia Agua Verde, Isla Coyote, Isla San Francisco, Los Islotes, Isla San José and Isla Espiritu Santos.

Columbia and Snake Rivers
The 12-guest Safari Spirit sails from Portland, OR to Lewiston, ID (and reverse) on weeklong Rivers of the West cruises September 29, October 13 and 20, 2012. The itinerary visits the Columbia River Gorge, Bonneville Dam, Hood River, Washington Wine Country, Palouse River Canyon and Hells Canyon.

Culinary and Wine Discovery cruises travel the same route but include an on board visit by a guest sommelier, visits with winemakers, food and wine pairings, a visit to the Maryhill Museum and winery tours in the Walla Walla, Red Mountain, Columbia Gorge and Yakima Valley appellations. Culinary and Wine cruises depart October 6 and 27 and November 3, 10 and 17, 2012.

Here’s the best part. These very-inclusive cruises include all from-the-yacht activities and equipment; transfers; exquisite meals; fine wine, premium spirits and microbrews; and all port charges, taxes and fees. All yachts feature a hot tub, Tempur-pedic mattresses, heated tile floors in all bathrooms and upper category balconies. Some also feature saunas, a complimentary massage and Jacuzzi tubs.

With all that, an all-American crew and a guest-crew ratio of 2 to 1 this is too could be called an “un-cruise”.

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