Get Out the Map Sept 30, 2011

Research Before You Go
By Mike & Darlene Jordan

One of the best things about travel is anticipation and planning. What will we see? What will we do? What are the things we don’t want to miss?

It won’t be long before we head out on another European cruise. This time it’s a long one. We’ll be flying to Rome and spending 3 days there, then boarding the Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas for a 16 night cruise all the way back to Galveston, Texas!

Along the way we’ll stop at Palma de Majorca and Cartagena, Spain, Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira, and the Canary Islands before crossing the Atlantic to Nassau, Bahamas and then Galveston.

We’re counting the days and have done quite a bit of planning already. For example, we’ve already made arrangements for pickup at the airport in Rome and a hotel for our short stay there with Ciao Italy!, a tour company that we’ve had some success with in the past. They’ll also provide a guided tour of the Vatican and transfer us from Rome to the port at Civitavecchia to begin the Mediterranean portion of our cruise. We’ve left plenty of time for roaming the streets of Rome on our own, too.

Now, we’ve been to Palma de Majorca before and we know a little about the area and what we want to do there, but we’ve never been to Cartagena, so join us now as we do a little planning…

Cartagena is a few hundred miles southeast of Barcelona on the Mediterranean coast. It’s a semi-arid climate and right on the ocean with an average daytime high of 88 degrees for the month we’ll be there, so we know we probably won’t need warm clothes.

The Royal Caribbean website has some suggestions for things to see, of course. At the top of that list are the ruins of the 13 century Cathedral of Santa Maria and the Roman Theater dating from the 1st century BC. It appears that there are lots of Roman ruins scattered around the city. That sounds pretty interesting—we love European cathedrals and we don’t see much evidence of “BC” civilization here in Colorado.

Hmmm…most of the shore excursions are some sort of city tour—not really into those. We like cities, but prefer to explore on our own. City tours tend to show you a lot, but zip right past many places we’d like to stop and snoop.

Another Google hit mentions arriving on a ship and that the ship docked within 3 blocks of the city gates…now we’re talking. It looks like there’s a tourism office that offers bicycles for the day to explore the city, we’ll find a way to verify that. It sounds like a great plan and a way to get a little further off the beaten path. Unless something else comes up, Cartagena may be a bicycle day. We’ll probably take in either the Concepcion Castle and/or the Roman theater. With a bike, we can probably do both and stop at a local restaurant for some tapas.

We’ll only have about 10 hours in Cartagena. We can’t see it all and we don’t want to rush. We think the plan is a good one for that day…unless we get there and change our minds. Then…who knows?

We’ll just have to…get out the map!

Mike and Darlene Jordan are franchisees of CruiseOne., and are based in Southern Colorado. You can contact them at 800-267-7613 or by email at mjordan@cruiseone.com.
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Mike and Darlene’s Weekly DEAL-Sept 30, 2011
Hello Everyone and Happy Friday!

Well, there’s no denying it now…here in Southern Colorado, the leaves are changing, the nights are getting cooler, and the bears are hungry! Must be Fall!

That means, turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings must be around the corner. Good food, but lots of work, especially for the cook.

Here is an opportunity to take that special chef in your family on a holiday trip to remember forever, and let someone else do the work!

We’ve offered Thanksgiving specials before, but we came across this one and wanted to share it with you. This one is aboard the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, a ship that doesn’t offer discounts very often. This is truly a LAST MINUTE DEAL, so don’t wait. If you want to experience this amazing ship…NOW is the time! The Oasis has a HUGE selection of casual, moderate and fine-dining options, the sooner you book, the sooner you can pre-arrange your Thanksgiving reservation.

Here is your Thanksgiving itinerary:

Royal Caribbean Intl Oasis of the Seas
7-Night Eastern Caribbean, Fort Lauderdale R/T

Sat 11/19/11 Ft Lauderdale Embarkation – 05:00 PM Times are subject to change

Sun 11/20/11 Nassau, Bahamas – Docked 07:00 AM 03:00 PM

Mon 11/21/11 At Sea

Tue 11/22/11 St. Thomas, USVI – Docked 09:00 AM 06:00 PM

Wed 11/23/11 Philipsburg, St. Maarten – Docked 08:00 AM 05:00 PM

Thu 11/24/11 At Sea

Fri 11/25/11 At Sea

Sat 11/26/11 Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida – Disembarkation – 07:00 AM Times are subject to change

Imagine…
Cruising the beautiful Eastern Caribbean, and spending Thanksgiving Day at sea. Relax all day while a professional chef prepares a feast for you and your family, then relax during the next day at sea, (sleeping off the feast???) or work out in the gym, erasing all of those gourmet calories. It’s your choice, you’re on vacation!

Here’s the DEAL:

While they last, interior staterooms on this amazing ship start at just $1055.00* per person, plus tax. And, there are some good deals on ocean view staterooms, but for a limited time, Balcony stateroom “guarantees” are a better deal at just $1199.00* per person, plus tax. Fares on the Oasis are generally much higher than this, especially for a holiday cruise-so call us NOW to take advantage of this DEAL.

If you’re treating your family to this trip, there are a very limited number of staterooms (in higher categories) that will accommodate 3 or 4 guests, so the sooner we hear from you, the better chance we have of finding what you want on this ship.

There are also some resident rates available for discounted upgrades. Call us to find out if you live in a qualifying state!

Feel free to contact us with any questions regarding the DEAL. We can be reached at 1-800-267-7613, or email us at mjordan@cruiseone.com, and we’ll get back with you right away to help you book your space.

In the meantime, have a great weekend, and enjoy the fall weather…it too is available for a limited time only!

Sincerely,

Darlene & Mike Jordan
CruiseOne/Mike and Darlene Jordan
http://ping.fm/TbI2A
1-800-267-7613

*Fares are based on double occupancy and are subject to change and availability. Port fees are included. Tax of $107.59 PP are additional. Airfare, transfers and optional travel insurance are additional.
Offer Based on Limited Availability.

Get Out the Map Sept 23, 2011

Off the Bucket List
By Mike & Darlene Jordan

In our business, we talk a lot about Bucket Lists, inspired by the movie of the same name in which two elderly men with terminal illnesses go AWOL to accomplish things they always wanted to do in life before they “kicked the bucket.” Most of those things were travel related, and the term has now become a part of the American lexicon.

We were thinking this morning, though, about places in the world where we really have no desire to go, at least not on vacation. The list isn’t long, but it’s not likely to get shorter.

This started after we saw a short piece in Time magazine about Pakistan. It’s not enough that Pakistan has more than its share of ethnic strife and terrorism; now, for the second straight year, they’re dealing with massive flooding that has killed over 200 people and has displaced 2 million more. While we might consider going on a humanitarian mission, we certainly wouldn’t spend our vacation dollars there.

Put Iraq and Iran on our “no thanks” list. We’re still trying to get our minds around why three young people from the United States would want to spend their summer vacation hiking along the border of Iraq and Iran while there’s a war going on. How in the world did they get a visa? To go to Iraq, you need a passport and a visa (no, you can’t just get one at the airport in Baghdad). You also have to give a blood sample within 10 days of arriving there, for crying out loud.

It’s possible, we suppose, that they entered through the airport in Kurdistan. According to travel.state.gov, the Kurds allow U.S. citizens to enter without a valid Iraqi visa, but you can’t travel anywhere else in Iraq on the Kurdish airport-issued visa. We presume that includes Iran, too.

How about Myanmar? Well, we have a problem visiting countries that just don’t like us very much (Americans, not us personally) and don’t really want us there. The government of Myanmar (actually, Burma, according to the State Department) is very restrictive as to who goes in and out. In fact, Burmese authorities have often prohibited entry or exit at most land border crossings unless the traveler is part of a pre-authorized tour group. Since the U.S. doesn’t have diplomatic relations with Burma, you must apply for your visa at the Burmese embassy in a foreign country, then you have to show a passport and a visa every time you go to an airport, train station, or hotel.

You may not want to keep a journal while you’re visiting Burma. The State Department warns that “many journalists and tourists mistaken for journalists have been harassed and some have had their film and/or notes and journals confiscated upon leaving the country.” We’d rather spend our tourist dollars somewhere else.

How about Somalia? Now there’s a dicey place. A few years ago, we read the book, Infidel, by Somali born activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, which included some insights into growing up in Somalia. It sounded awful…and that was when the country had something that a least resembled a government. Now, the country’s main source of revenue appears to be piracy and kidnapping. Terrorists and armed groups in Somalia have demonstrated the intent to attack airplanes at the Mogadishu airport, and successfully attacked the airport itself last year. The State Department issues travel warnings about things to be careful of in a number of countries, but they flat-out warn Americans against “all travel to Somalia.” There’s no U.S. embassy, consulate, or any diplomatic presence there, so, if you get into trouble, which is, apparently, quite likely, you have no one to help you.

There are lots of places we’d like to visit in Africa but we can’t see them all. We’ll just have to leave Somalia off the list.

Still, there are those who thrive on danger and adventure, but common sense must prevail. The world is full of beautiful places where people are welcome. For us there’s no reason to risk our own health and welfare just to be able to say, “we’ve been there.”

Until next time…get out the map!

Mike and Darlene Jordan are franchisees of CruiseOne., and are based in Southern Colorado. You can contact them at 800-267-7613 or by email at mjordan@cruiseone.com.
http://ping.fm/mMtoy

Mike and Darlene’s Weekly DEAL Sept 23, 2011

Hello Everyone, Happy Friday!

There’s still time to book a fantastic cruise vacation for a family Thanksgiving in paradise!
Get ready to pack for your 7-night Holland America Westerdam cruise, departing Ft. Lauderdale, November 20th.

We’ve found an amazing DEAL for you, offering the chance to spend Thanksgiving with family and friends aboard a luxurious Holland America ship. Spend Thanksgiving Day in Phillipsburg, St. Maarten, then get back onboard and have a great Thanksgiving dinner on the ship. No cooking, cleaning or stress for you, just fun, relaxation, and somebody else taking care of the mess for a change…what’s not to like?

Here is your holiday itinerary:

Holland America Line Westerdam
7-Night Eastern Caribbean, Fort Lauderdale R/T

Sun 11/20/11 Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Embark – 05:00 PM – Times subject to change

Mon 11/21/11 At Sea

Tue 11/22/11 Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos 07:00 AM 03:00 PM

Wed 11/23/11 San Juan, Puerto Rico 12:00 PM 08:00 PM

Thu 11/24/11 Philipsburg, St. Maarten 07:00 AM 03:00 PM

Fri 11/25/11 At Sea

Sat 11/26/11 Half Moon Cay, Bahamas 08:00 AM 04:00 PM

Sun 11/27/11 Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Disembark – 07:00 AM
Times subject to change

Now for the DEAL:
Interior staterooms start at only $588.98 per person, INCLUDING PORT FEES AND TAX! Upgrade to an ocean view for only $698.98 per person, and enjoy your own private balcony for just $788.98 per person. And here is something REALLY special! For a VERY limited time, there are “FLASH” rates available on Verandah Suites for an unbelievable $988.98 per person. But be advised, there is very limited availabilty on suites at this price, and once they’re gone, they’re gone…don’t wait, give us a call at 1-800-267-7613 and book your holiday in paradise!

To take advantage of this great DEAL (with unusually low fares for Holland America) call us for more information at 1-800-267-7613. But remember, fares are subject to change, and very limited availability, so call NOW, don’t miss out on a great treat for you and your family.

We look forward to hearing from you, and we’re happy to help!

Darlene & Mike Jordan
CruiseOne/Mike and Darlene Jordan

1-800-267-7613 or mjordan@cruiseone.com

Need more than a great ship and itinerary to get you packing?
Grand Turk: Grand Turk is the capital island of the Turks and Caicos, its historical heartbeat. Cockburn Town is the center piece of the island with a wonderful selection of historical buildings and rustic charm. Grand Turk is one of the main historical points of Turks and Caicos. You will find many Colonial style buildings and ruins, along with The Turks and Caicos National Museum.

One of Grand Turk’s main attractions is diving. With its many dive operators it can cater to novice snorkelers to experienced divers. There is an outstanding protected coral reef, which drops to 8,000 feet and is close enough to shore for beach dives.
And that’s just one port! You’ve also got the beauty of San Juan, the European charm of St. Maarten, and a great beach day on Half Moon Cay to look forward to!

Fares are based on double-occupancy and subject to change and availability. “FLASH FARES” are offered by Holland America for a limited time only. Payment is due upon booking, and is non-refundable. Fares INCLUDE port fees and tax. Airfare, transfers and optional insurance are additional.
Offer is good while inventory lasts.

http://ping.fm/nA54W
mjordan@cruiseone.com
1-800-267-7613

Mike and Darlene’s Weekly DEAL! Sept 16, 2011

Hello again, everyone, and Happy Friday!

Lost in the hoopla over cruises to the Mexican Riviera and the Caribbean Islands is a destination that features warm temperatures, golf, fishing, shopping, and fun in the sun…and it’s close to the U.S., too!

We’re talking, of course, about the British island of Bermuda! Just a day’s sail from New York or Boston, Bermuda is a place that’s on our bucket list and one that many of our customers have visited.

Well, now we’ve got something special for those of you who’d like to visit Bermuda and for those of you who are clamoring for a great last minute deal! It’s aboard the Norwegian Dawn, a ship we’ve sailed on and truly enjoyed.

Here’s the itinerary:

Norwegian Cruise Line-Norwegian Dawn

7-Night Bermuda, Boston R/T

Fri 10/21/11
Boston, Massachusetts – Embark – 04:00 PM
Time subject to change.

Sat 10/22/11 At Sea

Sun 10/23/11 King’s Wharf, Bermuda
11:00 AM

Mon 10/24/11 King’s Wharf, Bermuda

Tue 10/25/11 King’s Wharf, Bermuda
05:30 PM

Wed 10/26/11 At Sea

Thu 10/27/11 At Sea

Fri 10/28/11 Boston, Massachusetts – Disembark – 08:00 AM Time subject to change.

This is a great trip for those of you who’d like to stay in a port long enough to really see it! Well, you’ve got 3 days in King’s Wharf to see just about everything this fabulous island has to offer.

Another really great thing about this cruise is the price! Remember…this is a 7-night cruise and it starts at just…$299* per person, plus tax! Add some daylight with an obstructed ocean view room for just $50 more! This just might be the cruise to move up to a balcony stateroom…they start at just…$549 plus tax…for 7 nights! Hello…!

And that’s not all, the rooms come with $75 in onboard credit, too! But…get packing! This price is good on the OCTOBER 21, 2011, sailing only! It really is a “last minute deal!”

Give us a call at 800-267-7613 for complete details. Availability at this price is limited, so call today…then start packing!

Have a great weekend, and we’ll look forward to hearing from you!

Darlene and Mike
mjordan@cruiseone.com
http://ping.fm/ky6yz

*Prices include port fees, but do not include taxes of $146.97 per person, airfare, or optional travel insurance. Fares are subject to change and availability.

Mike and Darlene Jordan

(800) 267-7613 – (719) 379-3132
kdscruisesandtours.com
http://www.family-cruises.net/mjordan
http://www.SeaLuxe.com/mjordan
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Get Out the Map Sept. 16, 2012
Beware Media Sensationalism
By Mike & Darlene Jordan

Growing up, Mike’s mother was notorious for her repetition of an old adage, “Believe nothing you hear and half you see.” It’s old, but still true today.

We bring this up in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene and a recent unfortunate incident involving a cruise ship in Norway.

First, the hurricane. Yes, it was a doozy, caused a lot of damage, and inconvenienced a lot of people. Our hearts go out to the families of those who were killed as a result of the storm. There’s no minimizing their loss.

The media, however, love a big story. When they get one, they refuse to let go. While we don’t blame authorities for warning the public and evacuating areas in the path of the storm, there’s also a measure of sensationalism on the part of the media that stirs the pot and contributes to a sense of hysteria that may not be called for.

During the week running up to the storm’s encounter with the East Coast, 24-hour coverage over 3 days ahead of Irene’s arrival had many people who had business in New York during that time wondering what to do. We had calls from clients wondering if their ship would sail (a very valid question considering all of the hoopla). The only cool heads seemed to be management at the cruise line. On their website, they continued to report no change in the departure of their ship from New York City on Saturday.

Sure enough, our people and apparently all the others, made it to the ship with no problem (partly because everyone else in the city was leaving) and the ship sailed without a hitch. Yes, the water was rough for the first day or so, then the weather cleared and they enjoyed their cruise.

There really is a difference between sounding an alarm for the good of the people and fanning a fire to make for a bigger story.

Which brings us to another incident that happened just this week.

A cruise ship suffered an explosion in its engine room which killed 2 crewmen and seriously injured 4 others. Again this is a story worth reporting. However, the TV reporter with the story led with this: “Another in a string of tragedies in the cruise industry as an explosion rocks a Norwegian cruise line’s ship.”

A string of tragedies? What string of tragedies? A couple of years ago the Carnival Splendour had an engine room fire that required the ship to be towed back to port. It was inconvenient, but a tragedy? About 5 years ago there was a cruise ship that got hit by a rogue wave, but there were no serious injuries. Quite awhile ago someone tossed a cigarette off a balcony that blew into someone else’s stateroom causing a fire that was quickly extinguished. No injuries.

Yes, some people have done some stupid things on cruise ships that cost them their lives. To their families it was a tragedy, but those things had nothing to do with the cruise industry itself. Anyone who gets drunk and stands on a ship’s railing while the vessel is out on a rolling sea stands a good chance of becoming a tragedy to their families. The vast majority of cruise passengers don’t do that.

But the media loves it. To add insult to injury, the reporter in the story above reported that it was a Norwegian cruise line’s ship. That’s true. It was not, however a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship. It was a Hurtigruten ship, the MS Nordlys—a fact not reported in the TV news story we saw. What a difference capital letters make, and the reporter made no effort to clarify that Norwegian Cruise Lines is not a Norwegian cruise line. It is a big, American, traditional, large ship cruise line. We’ve sailed them many times. Hurtigruten is a small ship line based in Norway that specializes in cruises around and through the Norwegian Fjords and elsewhere in Europe and also has ships that do cruises to Antarctica and Greenland.

Take heed from the words of Mike’s dear old mother. There are many sources of news and information available today. If you check them all, you may be able to filter out the sensationalism and find the real story.

Until next time…get out the map!

Mike and Darlene Jordan are franchisees of CruiseOne., and are based in Southern Colorado. You can contact them at 800-267-7613 or by email at mjordan@cruiseone.com.
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Get Out the Map Sept. 9, 2011

Keeping your feet on the ground
By Mike & Darlene Jordan

Humankind does not live by cruise alone.
When we started in the travel business, we were almost exclusively cruise specialists and sent folks who wanted anything else off to another agent. That may sound crazy, but at that time cruises were hot (and still are) and we just didn’t get many calls for land vacations.

Things have changed a lot over the past 9 years. Land vacations have really started to pick up and consequently, we’ve gone to school to learn more about them.

Probably the number one type of land vacation we get requests for is the fully- or partially guided European tour. These vacations can vary from 7 days to 14 or more and usually involve at least two and often three or more countries.

We recently had a request for a trip from London to Paris and were able to help a group of ladies take that trip the LONG way…starting in London and going across the English Channel to Brussels, Belgium, then on to Frankfurt, Germany, Innsbruck, Austria, Venice, Italy, Lucerne, Switzerland, and (finally) ending in Paris.

Darlene recently found a trip to Italy that featured Lake Maggioure, a rail adventure to Locarno, Switzerland, small villages and 4 nights in a villa in Tuscany, a winery trip and much more. Vacations like these are available to almost anywhere in the world; use your imagination!

There are some things to keep in mind if you do decide to take a trip like this. To start with, make sure you understand how many meals are included in the trip. Almost all of the companies we’ve worked with offer at least breakfast every day, some lunches, and an occasional dinner as part of the package. Some tours include all meals.

This brings us to the second thing to consider: how much free time will you have? Many companies offer versions of tours with a lot of structure, a little, or none at all. How comfortable are you in foreign countries on your own? For our money a half-day of organized sight-seeing is plenty. We’d also like at least a half-day of snooping around on our own. It’s amazing how many surprises await if you’ll just take off on your own.

While in China, for example, we decided not to take the group tour one day and explored the city of Jiu Jiang on our own. We quite accidentally came upon a local music festival in a park where many local musicians and dancers were entertaining thousands of people. The other folks in our group saw a porcelain factory. We won.

In Montevideo, Uruguay, we happened upon a flea market being held in a park (yes, we bought something for the house, there) that also had music and a dance troupe that entertained the crowd. It was a top-5 travel moment for us.

Finally, a good question to ask is, “How much of every day will be spent on a bus?” “Motorcoaches,” as tour operators like to call them, are the most common method of touring transportation. Modern ones are very comfortable and have huge windows, but those things don’t replace getting out and up close to a particular site, not to mention meeting and sharing with the locals.

There are a number of travel companies offering tours like this. Some offer packages for small groups, some cater to larger groups, but you don’t have to be traveling in a group to join them. Your travel agent can help, and will usually work with all of them. In fact, many won’t book any way other than through a travel agent.

Land tours are a great thing to consider if you’d like to get off of the water for awhile.

Until next time…get out the map!
Mike and Darlene Jordan are franchisees of CruiseOne., and are based in Southern Colorado. You can contact them at 800-267-7613 or by email at mjordan@cruiseone.com.

Mike and Darlene’s Weekly DEAL-Sept 9, 2011

Book an ocean view and get a balcony…wait-what???

No, we’re not kidding!
Our company has held space on the beautiful Celebrity Solstice, sailing February 12, 2012. Want to be a hero? Book this cruise and surprise your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day. If he or she asks if you’ll be going out to dinner for Valentine’s day, say yes, but don’t tell him or her that you’ll be having dinner in San Juan, Puerto Rico! Save that for later!

Here’s your itinerary:

Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Solstice
7-Night Eastern Caribbean, Fort Lauderdale R/T

Sun 02/12/12 Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida – Embarkation – 04:30 PM
Times are subject to change
Mon 02/13/12 At Sea
Tue 02/14/12 San Juan, Puerto Rico – Docked 03:00 PM 11:00 PM
Wed 02/15/12 St. Thomas, USVI – Docked 08:00 AM 05:00 PM
Thu 02/16/12 Philipsburg, St. Maarten – Docked 08:00 AM 05:00 PM
Fri 02/17/12 At Sea
Sat 02/18/12 At Sea
Sun 02/19/12 Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida – Disembarkation -07:00 AM Times are subject to change

As you can see, you’ll be in San Juan late enough to enjoy some night life, have dinner, check out the casinos, whatever! What a great way to celebrate with your loved one!

Now, for the DEAL: We have LIMITED space in several categories, but the best values are $739 per person, plus tax, for an interior stateroom, or an ocean view for $949 per person. Here’s the kicker: Book that ocean view, and while our space lasts, we’ll upgrade you to a stateroom with a private balcony. Now, that’s romantic! And if you want to buy your loved one a nice gift onboard, we’ll boost your budget with a $75 shipboard credit to use any way you want; dinner at a specialty restaurant, a shore excursion, something from the gift shop…
But you must act quickly, we have only limited space, and on October 15th, any space left will be recalled. So, call us NOW at 1-800-267-7613, and we’ll help you create a Valentine’s Day to remember!

Fares include port fees. Government tax, airfare, transfers and insurance are additional. Fares are based on double occupancy and are subject to change and availability. SPACE IS LIMITED.
Offer Expires: October 15th or when space is gone, whichever comes first.

http//:www.mjordan.cruiseone.com
kdscruises@gojade.org
1-800-267-7613