What's Inside

Insurance
Internet Bookings
Clients Log - Alaska on Holland America Cruises
New England & Canada
Watercolor Cruise...Just look at this great itinerary...
Girls and Boys of Illinois enjoy Caribbean Cruising
Special Holland America Fall Sailings...
Watercolor Cruise
Beat the Summer Heat


Insurance
Insurance - I know I have spoken to you several times about insurance; unfortunately, it continues to be a subject that needs additional emphasis and clarification.

Just a few thoughts to remember.

Most cruise line and/or tour operators' insurance does not cover you for pre-existing medical conditions. If that is the case, we will always notify of their policies at the time of booking. If you have pre-existing conditions and want to be covered, you will need to purchase a Global Care Deluxe Policy WITHIN 14 days of making your initial deposit. If this is not done, there is no coverage available for pre-existing conditions.

No cruise line or tour operators' insurance will cover you for their own financial default. The only way to be protected against default in these cases is to purchase a policy independent of the supplier. Again, we can advise you of the best way to receive coverage.

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Internet Bookings
Buying a cruise entails ironing out a lot of details, from choosing an itinerary to arranging international flights and hotel stays before or after the cruise. Cruise line Web sites are a good source for port descriptions, as well as deck plans, cabin details, and virtual tours. However, there's no upside to booking a cruise on the Internet. Even when you can make an online purchase, prices are rarely lower, and if you run into problems, you'll be alone with your mouse or an anonymous telephone sales marketer who may have never set foot on a ship. In our office, we have either inspected or sailed on the following Holland ships: Prinsendam, Rotterdam VI, Oosterdam,Zaandam, Zuiderdam, Amsterdam, Noordam, Statendam, Veendam and the Westerdam.

Recently, one of our groups that sailed out of a nearby port to Savannah, received these value added amenities: pre-cruise cocktail party, transportation to and from the port, an on board cocktail party, a complimentary bottle of wine and a tote bag. These were not amenities that we promised in advance, but as the group grew in numbers, we were able to offer them additional perks and bonuses. And, they still got the best pricing! We heard through the proverbial grapevine that other acquainted travelers did book on the Internet and let's just say they weren't quite as happy as our customers! And you can tell from all these photographs that we have happy customers!!!!

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Client's Log: Alaska on Holland America Cruises
Last summer, Kelly Bowie planned a vacation to Alaska while her husband was away. (Did you know that 70% of all travel decisions are made exclusively by women!!!) She made the travel dates as late in September as she could, and it was nerve wracking for everyone involved to see if her husband would make it home in time for the trip, but he did and here's what Kelly had to tell us...

"My husband, Josh, and I recently returned from our 10 day cruise/tour of Alaska on Holland America Cruise Lines. I had planned the trip as a celebration of my husband's return from serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and he made it home just in time. We started our cruise in Vancouver and traveled north on the Inside Passage. We did have rain in the southern Alaska cities, but we were well advised to bring rain coats so the rain did not slow us down at all. We enjoyed the shore excursions offered by the cruise. Our favorite was kayaking on a beautiful lake in Haines, Alaska. The service, food and entertainment on the Ryndam was wonderful. Our cruise ended in Seward, and we traveled north to Anchorage on a beautiful motor coach ride. From Anchorage we chose to take the 3 day Denali trip. This was certainly the highlight of our time in Alaska. We arrived in Denali during their 2 weeks of fall, and only 3 days after the first snow. The weather was beautiful, sunny, clear and cold so we had numerous opportunities to see Denali. We really enjoyed our tour into the park. Our guide was excellent, and we saw moose, caribou, doll sheep and a lynx. The colors changing in the park were wonderful from the leaves to the moss. Overall our trip was a wonderful experience. It was so relaxing and fun. We had a hard time going home."

Kelly and Josh began their vacation on September 15th. So, if you are ever wondering if you can still visit Alaska in September…it's a different experience from summertime, but all the same a wonderful one!

Susie Hart & Ken Lyon of Stamford, Connecticut, had also been dreaming about an Alaska cruise for a long time. As Susie teaches Marine Biology and Ken teaches Science at Greenwich High School, they both had special interests in all that Alaska has to offer. They initially were looking for a small ship experience, but timing just didn't permit that option and Holland America had the perfect sailing for their July dates.

They began their journey in Vancouver, cruised the Inside Passage and stopped in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Sitka, before disembarking in Seward. They enjoyed a full day excursion on the Kenai Peninsula, spent a night in Anchorage, followed by a quick trip to Denali.

So, what did they think…here are Ken's thoughts…

"Service was first class. Food was terrific. Entertainment was excellent. Wasn't too structured (fear we had). We didn't really realize how big Alaska was and this gave a good overview of the immensity of it.

Good naturalist guide - He had worked with whale research in Argentina and also worked with Stormy Mayo in Cape Cod area. He had a wealth of information and because most people were not that interested we were able to capitalize on his time and information.

Saw whales breaching, a big pod of killer whales, saw humpback whales on several occasions. Sea otters, sea lions, seals. Susie was in marine animal heaven.

Weather was good for the most part - not bright and sunny. But not bad enough to prevent you from doing anything. We were not sea sick at all.

In Vancouver, we went to Granville Island. Went to Aquarium there and that was a highlight for Susie. We also went to a museum that had ship models and fishing gear on the ground floor and a model train exhibit upstairs that was one of the best I have ever seen. Great layout and excellent construction.

In Sitka, the Raptor Center was great. Presenter was excellent working with birds. She was terrific, calm, cool - expert handler of bird.

Bear Watching/Ketchikan - We were a little disappointed in that one because we wanted to see the "big bears" and there were just the smaller brown bears. We did see 5 or 6 of them. To see the bears, we went to a salmon hatchery - which Susie liked because she had done her work on those

In Denali, we took the Tundra Tour, which is really too short to really see the animals. We would have liked to do the longer tour although we still saw a Moose within 15 minutes of starting the Tundra Tour…"

All in all, a vacation of a lifetime.

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New England & Canada
Verna and Lee Green of Weslaco, Texas, were not first time cruisers, but they chose Holland America for the first time to experience New England and Canada during the fall foliage season. Prinsendam, being smaller in size, was a perfect way to visit each of the ports. They began their journey in Boston, and they were originally scheduled to visit Bar Harbor, Halifax, St Johns, St Pierre, Charlottetown, and Quebec City, cruise through the Saguenay Fjord and on the St Lawrence River before disembarking in Montreal.

Lee tells us about their trip. “On October the 2nd we boarded the Prinsendam in Boston. What a cordial welcome. First stop was Bar Harbor, Maine. Because of a hurricane the previous week, the Captain determined we would have to forego Newfoundland. We then toured Halifax, Nova Scotia and were amazed at how many trees were uprooted and blown over on the rocky Island as a result of a hurricane. All of the public officials, police, fire, army and other townspeople were cleaning the streets. As result of the Hurricane, Holland America got busy organizing more ports of call and shore excursions in Cap-aux-Mueles and Gaspe, Quebec.

Cruising up the Saguenay Fjord afforded beautiful scenery and a view of the statue of the Virgin Mary – placed there by a captain hundreds of years ago when a ship wreck spared his and his crews’ life.

On the Prinsendam we found the entire staff very anxious to make our cruise pleasant, the food great, the entertainment above average. Verna particularly enjoyed the breakfast in her cabin each morning at no additional charge, We enjoyed all the ports of call. We also found the Canadian people gracious and accommodating.

We are looking forward to another cruise on the Prinsendam beginning on August 9th this year in the Baltics.”

Verna & Lee had originally chosen a 3 day post-trip option with Holland from Montreal to Boston so they could enjoy more of the leaves and New England scenery. Unfortunately, Holland did not have enough clients to operate the post trip option and it was cancelled. And, we had already ticketed the air portion of their vacation from Boston to Boston. What to do? Because we had to change their air itinerary, Holland worked with us and absorbed both the penalty and the additional airfare to leave from Canada. In the meantime, we worked with Brewster Tours and created an independent 5 day post cruise vacation to Toronto and Niagara Falls.

Sometimes things don’t go perfectly and the weather can be undependable, but we can count on Holland to make it right when they don’t!

Holland’s On Line Shore Excursion Confirmations - All shore excursions for any destination can be booked approximately 60 days prior to sail date and now for Canada, New England, and Europe, you can book even earlier! And, the online shore excursion bookings will be accepted until 10 days prior to sail date. Don’t be disappointed by missing out on your preferred shore excursion. When booking online, the shore excursions are prepaid. If, once you are on the ship, you decide you want to cancel or do a different excursion, you just need to cancel the original one within the required time frame.

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Girls and Boys of Illinois enjoy Caribbean Cruising
At the end of January this year, the Girls and Boys of Illinois, a Landings State Club. escaped the cooler climes of Savannah to enjoy a week long Western Caribbean cruise from Tampa on board Holland America’s Veendam. The ports of call included Belize City and Cozumel

This was a first travel experience for the Club under the leadership of Ken Johnston, and it was a resounding success. “It was a fun time for thirty-five Landings residents and friends aboard Holland America’s M/S Veendam.

Betty and Bob Norman escorted our “Girls and Boys from Illinois” group on a January Caribbean cruise. Pre-cruise and shipboard arrangements went off without a hitch. Planned events on board and ashore made the whole experience special for us all.”

Tom and Ruth Potterfield of Savannah, Georgia, also enjoyed a warm weather cruise at the beginning of this year. Tom told us, “We found our Western Caribbean cruise in January aboard the beautiful new Holland American ship, the Oosterdam, to be most enjoyable”. Our cabin with its balcony was especially comfortable and spacious. The personnel was exceptionally accommodating and friendly. As always, Betty and Edgewood Travel arranged a great vacation for us.”

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Special Holland America Fall Sailings...
All these "dam" ships have some "dam" great rates. These are Fall Splash group rates, but you don't need to be a group to take advantage of them...just call us and say you want to go.

September 18th	Fort Lauderdale	Western Caribbean	Zuiderdam	Balcony cabins at $819
October 16th	Fort Lauderdale	Western Caribbean	Zuiderdam	Balcony cabins at $857
October 24th	Fort Lauderdale	Eastern Caribbean	Oosterdam	Balcony cabins at $863
November 13th	Tampa	Western Caribbean	Veendam	Balcony cabins at $978
November 22nd	Fort Lauderdale	Panama Canal (10 days)	Rotterdam	Outside cabins at $1486
November 26th	Fort Lauderdale	Western Caribbean	Volendam	Outside cabins at $1128
December 5th	Fort Lauderdale	Western Caribbean	Westerdam	Balcony cabins at $816
December 11th	Fort Lauderdale	Eastern Caribbean	Zuiderdam	Balcony cabins at $755
December 11th	Port Canaveral	Eastern Caribbean	Zaandam	Outside cabins at $623
December 18th	Fort Lauderdale	Eastern Caribbean (5 days)	Zuiderdam	Balcony cabins at $593

All of the above rates are for 7 day sailings (unless otherwise indicated), cruise only, based on two people in a cabin, and include port charges and government fees. All are subject to availability and change. Email or call us at 912.351.0570 or 800.966.2779 for more Holland special rates and dates or click here.

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Watercolor Cruise
This 7-day Western Caribbean cruise sailing November 6, 2004 will surely add color to your life!

Susan Disney-Greenberg has made arrangements for the internationally recognized watercolor painter, Wayne Chambers, to instruct a number of classes aboard the beautiful Holland America ms Veendam.

Wayne Chambers, born in Crewe, Virginia always showed a passion for painting even as a young boy when he could be spotted painting oncardboard with house paints. He has a great love for nature and it shows, particularly in his most recent works.

Wayne has studied painting his entire life, exploring different techniques such as life drawing, oil painting, and composition at the New York Art Students League. He also studied with famous artists including, Richard Goetz, Hilda Terry, Robert Wade, Frank Webb, Judi Wagner, Barbara Nechis, Christopher Schink and Tony van Hasselt. Upon his retirement in 1999, Wayne moved to Savannah, Georgia where he became the Official Artist of the famed Mercer House from the book and movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", and he also opened his own art gallery in Historic Savannah's "Designer District."

Wayne was designated Featured Artist for the Southern Living Magazine's 2002 Designer Home and is a member of the Jekyll Island Watercolor society, the American Watercolor Society, and the Georgia Watercolor Society. His paintings are part of some of the most prestigious private and corporate art collections across the world, and his work is currently being exhibited in some of the finest art galleries on the East coast of the United States.

The Holland ms Veendam was amont the first to introduce soaring atrium lobbies, two-tiered dining rooms and suites with private verandahs. While aboard this 7-day Western Caribbean cruise you will enter the Caribbean of world-class diving and ancient ruins. You will be able to walk in the footsteps of Mayan kings one-day, snorkel with blue angels the next and all the while learning the world of watercolors.

Day 1	Tampa, Florida	5:00PM
Day 2	Key West, Florida	11:30AM - 5:00PM
Day 3	At Sea
Day 4	Belize City, Belize	8:00AM - 6:00PM
Day 5	Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala	6:00AM - 6:00PM
Day 6	Cozumel, Mexico	1:00PM - 11:30PM
Day 7	At Sea
Day 8	Tampa,l Florida	8:00AM

RATES	Student*	Non-Student**
A-Verandah Suite	$1777	$1427
D-Large Outside Stateroom	$1428	$1078
E-Large Outside Stateroom	$1400	$1078
K-Large Inside Stateroom	$1287	$937

*Student rates include cost of course, 3 days of art instruction onboard plus 1 full day off ship excursion with instruction.

**Non-student rates include 1 full day off ship excursion.

All rates include port chargfes, taxes, cocktail party aboard ship and a pre-cruise document party. Above pricing is per person based on double occupancy. We also have single, triple and quad rates available. Book Today! This cruise is selling out fast!

NOT INCLUDED: Trip cancellation insurance (cost depends on cabin category chosen) art supplies, items of a personal nature, transportation to/from Tampa.

IMMEDIATE: Total deposit of $350.00 per person to confirm your cabin assignment and $100 to Wayne Chambers LLC.

FINAL: Due on August 15, 2004. Please note a minimum of 15 students is required for trip to operate. If trip cancels due to lack of participation, all monies paid will be refunded.

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED: You may travel with a valid passport or a birth certificate with a raised seal plus a state issued photo ID.

Married women whose identification documents retained in their maiden name but who are traveling under their married name should also carry their marriage certificate or certified copy as further proof of identity.

For more information you can contact Susan or call at: 912-351-0570 or 800-966-2779

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Beat the Summer Heat...
Join Valerie Edgemon and Jim Crawford as your Giants Select Hosts onboard the Prisendam sailing the BAltic on August 9th. Beat the summer heat and visit some fantastic ports in this wonderful 14 day Emerging Eastern Worlds sailing. The Prisendam only carries 780 passengers so she is the perfect way to visit the Baltic. Two nights in St. Petersburg and two nights in Hamburg...not to mention visits to Tallinin (Estonia), Riga (Latvia), Visby (Sweden) and Gdansk (Poland). Plus the Scandinavian capital cities - Copenhagen, Helsinki and Stockholm. This cruise has it all. Join us for a complimentary onboard coctail to meet your fellow travelers and a complimentary daytime shore excursion in St. Petersburg to round out this great itinerary.

There is only cabin availability left in five categories as of now:

Large Outside Staterooms	Category H - $3062 Category G - $3139 Category F - $3239
Superior Verandah Suites	Category SS - $5713
Deluxe Verandah Suites	Category S - $9910

If you are a past passenger, lower rates may apply.

All rates are per person, based on double occupancy. Above rates do not include port charges of $229 per person and government taxes and fees of $108 per person. Airfare to Copenhagen and from Amsterdam is additional.

Call today so you don't miss this fantastic way to end your summer.

To entice you a little further, here's just two optional shore excursions that you could take advantage of on the above sailing...

"Gala Evening at Yusupov Palace"
Visit a beautiful Russian palace full of history and culture. It is a short motorcoach transfer to Uysupov palace, home of the rich and powerful Yusupov family. You are greeted by costumed Hussars at the entrance to the palace, and ladies in waiting line the staircase, at the top of which is a classical quartet. A tour of the palace is just the beginning of this marvelous evening ahead, including a viewing of the two rooms where the murder of the infamous Grigori Rasputin took place in 1916 (although he did not actually die until later in the evening). Enjoy a cocktail and canapes with live balalaika music before you enter the Uysopov Theater for a 50 minute gala performance by the St. Petersburg Opera Company. Highlights of some of the most famous operas are included, such as The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute and Don Juan. The performers are professional Russian opera singers and will be dressed in 19th century style costumes, accompanies by a 30 member chamber orchestra. (Dress code is formal) - $129 per person/3.5 hours.

"A Taste of Ice Cool Sweden"
In Stockholm's Old Town (Gamla Stan), you will stroll along the narrow, twisting alleys and cobblestone streets to see some of the city's finest sights. Savor the Bohemian atmosphere among houses that date from the 16th to 19th centuries - complete with Baroque doorways and rusting coats of arms. As you wander through the Stortorget (Great Square) in the hub of the Old Town, look for the old Stock Exchange, which now houses the Nobel Museum and the Swedish Academy. You tour will include time to stroll in the atmosphere of Gamla Stan, which is indeed a living historical monument. At the Nordic Hotel, in the heart of the city, you'll find the year round "Ice Bar." Inside, the temperature is a cool -5C and the entire interior (including the drinking glasses) is made of pure ice from the Torne River. Before entering, you'll put on a warm fur poncho, mittens and shoes. A vodka drink in an ice glass will be served as the staff explain the concept of the bar and its construction. $88 per person/3 hours.

For more information contact Valerie or call 912.351.0570 or 800.966.2779

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