www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday July 12, 2008 - 21 From Sam's mail bag The mail bag is getting full again. Here are a few: Dear Sam: We will be celebrating out 45 wedding anniversary in October and I would like to know if there is a cruise that we could take that will be not too expensive. Faithful Reader Dear Faithful: Congratulations! FortyFive years is something special. October is not peak season, so you will already be saving money. It is close to the time when cruise ships reposition and sail back from Europe to the Caribbean. These cruises are a tremendous bargain, but they do sell out quickly, so you need to book now. You need a travel agent who specializes in cruising, and knows where the deals are. Don't be afraid to ask agents about their experience. Check to see if they have a CLIA (Cruise Line International Association) certification. CLIA's most comprehensive training is the Cruise Counsellor Certification Program, which requires agents to successfully complete a number of compulsory training courses and exams, attend cruise conferences and conduct ship inspections, among other things. www.CLIA.ca is a great place to start your research. Cruise expert Stewart Chiron agrees with me. "Competition among cruise lines for your vacation dollars is intense. It's a buyer's market right now." To get even more bang for your buck he recommends researching online, but not booking online. "You'll never be sure you're getting the best deal possible," he says. He recommends using a travel agent who can research transport him by air unless I was staying a very long time. He has some" issues" and I'm sure flying would be one of them. This week he's recovering from the black flies in Muskoka, and is perfectly happy to be at home. He thinks air conditioning was invented for long haired dogs. Have you thought about taking VIA? Your pal could ride in the baggage car, and you can walk him and feed him when the train stops along the way. You'll need to look into it carefully as not all trains have baggage cars, and they aren't all air conditioned, which would make for an uncomfortable journey. Check the VIA site under baggage. This fabulous journey could be a highlight of your trip. VIA got a top spot in this year's Agents 'Choice awards beating out Rocky Mountaineer, and even the Orient Express. Dear Sam: Hi Sam, remember one of your columns in the Oakville Beaver addressed a shuttle available from Burlington (a hotel perhaps) to the Buffalo airport. We live in Oakville and may need to fly to Atlanta soon and flying out of Buffalo would make sense. Your help would be appreciated. Reader Dear Reader: You're looking for Jetways Shuttle. Check the web www.jetways.ca or call 1-866953-8929. They now offer three locations for pickup. 1. Burlington - The Holiday Inn and Conference Centre 2. Hamilton - The Sheraton Hotel 3. Brantford - Best Western Brant Park Inn Sam Ion can be reached at sion10@cogeco.ca. CRYSTAL CRUISES VOTED "WORLDS BEST" With its highest score in five years, Crystal Cruises has been voted the "World's Best Large-Ship Cruise Line" by readers of Travel + Leisure magazine for a 13th consecutive year. The ultra-luxury Crystal Cruises is the only cruise line, resort or hotel to have won the prestigious award each year since the award's inception. Crystal's 2008 World's Best score of 90.67 marks the highest score of any cruise line large and small. Crystal Cruises' luxurious, awardwinning fleet consists of the 940-guest, 50,000-ton Crystal Symphony and the 1,080-guest, 68,000-ton Crystal Serenity, which cruise worldwide on itineraries of 7 to 106 days. RCCL WINTER CRUISES TO AUSTRALIA, ASIA, EUROPE From boomerangs to chopsticks to maracas, travellers can match a travel accessory for each of the 59 Royal Caribbean sailings recently announced for 2009-10. The cruise line is offering extensive options for cruises in Australia, Asia, the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean, ranging from 3 to 18-night itineraries, aboard one of three Royal Caribbean ships. Brilliance of the Seas will continue its second year-round deployment in Europe in 2010 from Malaga, Spain. Rhapsody of the Seas will embark on its third season in the South Pacific and Australia and Legend of the Seas will sail Royal Caribbean's third consecutive winter season in Southeast Asia. Bookings for these cruises are open. Rhapsody of the Seas will return to the land "Down Under" from September 2009 through April 2010, offering 17 voyages to Hawaii, the South Pacific islands, Australia and New Zealand. From January through April 2010, Brilliance of the Seas will continue to offer Europe cruise options for the winter season, offering 16 round-trip sailings from Malaga on alternating 7-night itineraries to the Canary Islands and the Western Mediterranean. Legend of the Seas returns to Asia in October 2009 for its second season, offering 19 sailings, ranging from 3 to 15-night itineraries, calling at a total of 21 ports in 11 countries. Of particular interest for North American vacationers a 15-night Exotic Asia itinerary on 10 January, 2010 sailing from Singapore to Hong Kong and featuring overnight stays in Singapore; Bangkok (Laemchabang), Thailand; Ho Chi Minh City (Vung Tau) and Hanoi (Ha Long Bay), Vietnam; and Hong Kong. various discounts offered by the cruise lines, which can include regional specials, and senior discounts. Chiron says these discounts can further reduce upfront costs as well as securing possible stateroom upgrades. Carnival Cruise Lines has launched a new sales promotion "Endless Summer Celebration" offering different weekly specials on "Fun Ship" cruises booked during the month of July, for three to 12-day "Fun Ship" cruises to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico and Europe in 2008-09, with a different promotion featured each week. Upcoming offers for the "Endless Summer Celebration" sales event include shipboard credits; stateroom upgrades; special rates for third and fourth guests in a stateroom; holiday offers and regional savings; and discounts on a variety of fall, winter and spring departures. Dear Sam: I know you travel with your dog. Do you just take him when you are in the car, or when flying also? I want to take my dog when I go out west, but I don't want to drive. He's a fairly large dog, so he wouldn't fit under the seat. Dog lover, too Dear Dog Lover: McDuff does join me from time to time, but I would not Visit McTavish At: www.mctavishtravel.com "It's yachting, not crusing." 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Oakville 905.849.0333 www.totaltravel-oakville.com Voted Best Travel Agency Best Cruise Company Best Travel Agent Thanks Oakville! Hopedale Shopping Centre 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville Ont Reg No 2766538 Relax... you're with us (905) 827-1100 fax: (905) 827-4982 e-mail: travel@mctavish.com Oakville Town Centre I 300 North Service Road, W. Oakville 905.849.0333 www.totaltravel-oakville.com 221 Lakeshore Road E. 905-337-2228 www.hookedoncruising.com