Another plus is that Cruise Specialists is connected with the Virtuoso network. Virtuoso often provi

Those were the first words we heard as my husband and I boarded the 700-passenger Regent Seven Seas Voyager for a 17-day cruise from Hong Kong to Beijing, China with stops in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.
We had already begun to experience the relaxation of an all-inclusive holiday with the airfare, airport pickup, and three nights at the 5-star Shangri-La hotel part of the package. We upgraded to a harbor view room for a small additional amount to watch Hong Kong's nightly light show and, as it turned out, a glimpse of The Voyager gliding past our window in the early morning mist on the day we were to sail.
It means the luxury of not having chits to sign and no unexpected charges on the bill that always appear at 4:00 a.m. on disembarkation day. With Regent , it means airfare included, no expensive drinks packages, no charges for tips, tours, use of laundry room, wine, specialty coffees or bottled water, a pre-dinner drink or a nightcap, or, if you want, even a bottle of single-malt for your room.
Passengers can dine at any of their restaurants including Prime 7 for steaks and chops, or Signatures for French cuisine without extra charge. Don't want to go to the main dining room, the Compass arthur rutenberg homes virtual tour Rose, for dinner? No problem – just order their menu to be served course-by-course in your suite. And no charge for the Sunday champagne and caviar brunch or the transportation from the port of Tianjin to Beijing and our one-night stay in the Shangri-La China World hotel before the flight home.
When I peruse the cruise brochures that land in our mail, the cost comparison comes immediately to mind . For this cruise, we intended to take as many tours as possible, which is very expensive on other cruise lines. We also wanted a generously-sized balcony suite, to use Regent's air arrangements (which means they'll help if you get stuck), and a stay at each end of the cruise. The lectures on regional cultural history and world affairs as related to the places we would visit were a plus that enhanced arthur rutenberg homes virtual tour our travel experience and broadened our horizons.
TIP: If you don't need an air or hotel package, tours, the opportunity to dine at specialty restaurants, or don't enjoy wine with meals, you may not find all-inclusive fits your needs. We did the math and found this cruise was an affordable luxury that provided what we wanted in a vacation. In fact, many comparisons will show that all-inclusive is actually less expensive than cruises with all the add-ons.
I posed that question to Ray Solaire, our Cruise Director, who came out of retirement after nearly 40 years on other lines to work for Regent, arthur rutenberg homes virtual tour planning all of the entertainment and activities. He said that the clientele are generally mid-lifers or active retirees who enjoy the small-ship arthur rutenberg homes virtual tour atmosphere and who are interested in learning. Although cruising only gives passengers a glimpse "around arthur rutenberg homes virtual tour the edges," for this cruise, he arranged lectures on topics such as the political situation in Korea, modern China, and the culture of Japan to deepen the understanding of the countries we were visiting.
arthur rutenberg homes virtual tour Americans make up the majority of passengers, with mostly Europeans for the remaining percentage, although it varies depending on the itinerary. On our cruise, there were about 25% non-Americans. Because of the ship's small size, it was easy to meet the other travelers , such as our new friends from Morocco and Brazil, along with several from Australia, in addition to Canada and Europe.
After sipping our welcome-aboard champagne, we unpacked, arthur rutenberg homes virtual tour put away the bottle of bubbly awaiting us on the coffee table for later, and headed to the pool deck for the sail-away party. The light show was illuminating Hong Kong's harbor as the ship's band played Anchors Aweigh. Three blasts of the ship's horn and we were off, the bow s wake making a lacy collar of foam in the dark water.
Tip: One thing to consider when booking a cruise is the choice of a travel agent. We use Cruise Specialists . Because of their nationwide volume of business, they may be able to provide special pricing or generous on-board credit or a rebate on return. They also have on-board hosts, Kevin LaGraff and Susan Atkins, for the longer itineraries. Both are experienced people who know the ropes and can help with any unforeseen issues.
Another plus is that Cruise Specialists is connected with the Virtuoso network. Virtuoso often provides extras for its clients: we were treated to a Chinese banquet at the famous Peace Hotel in Shanghai and a tour of the ship's galley with the Executive Chef, along with several social events to meet other passengers.
arthur rutenberg homes virtual tour About the Author Judith Works lives near Seattle after ten years in Rome enjoying La Dolce Vita. Her memoir, Coins in the Fountain, is available on Amazon and other platforms. When she isn't traveling she works on a novel set in Rome, blogs at A Little Light Exercise , and volunteers for arts organizations.
The Plum Deluxe philosophy is that life is worth savoring. Every day brings the freedom to slow down, embrace quality, and make thoughtful, deliberate choices. Our mission is to share all the little ways today can be celebrated.