Arizona Travel Agent
by Anne Larison
If you are planning a trip outside the US anytime after December 31, 2006, new identification requirements will be in effect. Starting December 31, a passport will be required for travel by sea or air to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Central and South America. By December 31, 2007, a passport will be needed for all international travel, including land crossings such as the Tijuana border.
by Tim Larison
With the recent tragic death of Steve Irwin (fatally injured by a stingray sting off the coast of Australia) some cruisers are thinking twice about doing a “swim with the stingrays” type of shore excursion that is commonly offered at some caribbean destinations (Grand Cayman for one).
by Tim Larison
When Anne and I visited Hawaii’s Big Island on a Norwegian Cruise, one of the best excursions we did was flying over the active Kilauea volcano. We arranged our short flight with Island Hoppers ( www.hawaiiislandhoppers.com ) on a small fixed wing plane with an experienced pilot. I took the picture above from our flight – we had some great views!
by Anne Larison
We are often asked by clients who are considering a trip about the weather during a particular month or how does the weather in this location compare to that one. The following web site provides helpful information related to average temperature, average number of days with precipitation, and other helpful statistics:
by Tim Larison
Alaska voters will go to the polls on August 22nd to decide if cruise passengers will pay an additional $50 per person state head tax, and also require cruise lines to make some changes in the way they operate in Alaska.
by Tim Larison
According to a recent poll of travel agents by American Express, many of the family friendly U.S. and international destinations continue to hold strong for families this summer.
By Andrew Larison
I’m here to tell you all about the great pasta on cruise lines. As a big pasta fan I know the best of the best, which is almost everything in my case. The best pasta dishes have to have garlic and creamy sauce, that’s all there is to it. On the Holland America Cruise I had some of the best pasta and the worst. My best pasta was the classic spaghetti and creamy tomato sauce, Man that’s good stuff! But the worst I dread to tell you.
By Josh Larison
When I sailed on my Royal Caribbean cruise on the Mariner of the Seas when I was 10 years old, I learned that the cookies were great! Every time I got them, they were soft, chocolaty and fresh. They were so good, I wanted to get some every day.
by Tim Larison
Beginning in 2007 all sailings of the Regent Seven Seas cruise line will include all the liquor you can drink in the cruise price. In an interview with Travel Weekly Christian Sauleau, vice president of operations for Regent, said that the policy would cost the company somewhere between $12 and $16 per person per day, but that the increased cost per day to guests would be less than that. He estimated between $9 and $10 per day. Regent already has a “liquor inclusive” policy on its World Cruises and that has worked well. “Customers always say ‘include the beverage’ because we can meet in the bar and there is a better atmosphere. They don’t have to think about who’s paying and who’s not paying and worry about offering someone a drink,” said Sauleau.
by Tim Larison
Carnival Cruise line recently announced it will outfit its fleet of 22 ships to enable guests with any cell phone service to make and receive calls at sea or send and receive text messages on their phones and hand-held devices. Carnival says their entire fleet will be outfitted with this technology by the 1st quarter 2007. Calls will be charged at international roaming rates, and will be billed directly to the passenger’s cell phone bill.