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October was just plain busy! So many of you were planning your annual winter escape to the sun or a very special holiday next Spring or Summer. November saw a very steady change in a favourable exchange rate with the U.S. dollar, which once again spurred many of you to make future travel plans.
So, in view of the above comments, you need to note the following. If you are thinking about a last minute Winter or early Spring vacation, you need to make your plans now. Aside from the first 2 or 3 weeks of January all of the better 4 and 5 star resorts are filling quickly. Our American cousins are travelling once again and Europeans are coming to the Caribbean and Mexico in droves. These travellers are inclined to pay top dollar for their accommodations and book further in advance than Canadians. Two week space is at even more of a premium as most charter tour operators only allocate 20% of their air seat inventory to this market. Don’t misunderstand me, there will still be last minute deals for 2 and 3 star hotels in Cuba, Dominican Republic or Mexico. However, better quality hotels at these destinations and at most resorts in Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Jamaica, etc. will be tough, if not impossible, to get at deeply, discounted, last minute prices.
Cruises, as well, are heavily booked in the better cabin categories for most prime winter holiday dates, and even more interesting, is the demand for Summer and Fall cruises to Europe and the Mediterranean. Speaking of which, we are offering a very special Greek Island Cruise on the Holland America ship, Rotterdam. This from Oct 3-16, 2005 and includes 2 nights post cruise accommodation and touring in Venice. There is an information session at the Oh Canada Eh Dinner Theatre on Feb 17th at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Please contact me if you would like to attend at
905-685-3272 or email .
Some of you may have noticed that the Grantham office of Carlson Wagonlit has changed name to the Vision 2000 Travel Group. The Vision Group is a much smaller and tightly run Canadian organization. The ownership is “hands on” and they are a skilled and entrepreneurial group, particularly well known and respected in travel industry associations in Ontario. They are very much involved with their clients and deliver exceptional service. I am very pleased to be associated with this company and the special tours and cruises they will be offering in the future.
This past December I was fortunate to make a quick escape to a wonderful sun destination - Panama! I enjoyed 4 days at the Royal Decameron Beach resort and an even more amazing 3 days at the Gamboa Rainforest Eco-lodge on the Panama Canal. This resort, in a protected national park, had monkeys, parrots and crocodiles readily available for up close viewing in a lush, tropical setting. The food at the resort was even more incredible. Watch for some pictures and a detailed report which I will put on this web site in the near future.
Speaking of holidays, after 32 long years of sending others on sun soaked winter retreats, I am taking my turn and escaping to the sun from Feb 5-15. Please note that I will be unavailable for that time period, but Mona or Laura at the Grantham office - 905-935-1381, can help you if your travel plans won’t wait until I return.
Cheers until next time!
Darcy
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