The Danube Waltz by John Upchurch

We had a large group of 34 people traveling together for Gary Croty's 50th birthday. This amazing journey down the Danube started in Budapest traveling down the Danube River and ended in Passau, Germany. Budapest is an amazing combination of two cities with a viberant zest for life. To get a great understanding of the city we rented bikes for the day and toured the city and its beautiful parks. The visit however would not be complete without a stop in the famous baths. The next day after a full day of touring and eating Hungarian food we started the Riverboat crusie down the Danube in the ealry evening on the Viking Ledgend. I did not know what to expect with the stop in the Slovakian Capital of Bratislava, however this is a modern city with very friendly people. Again to explore I rented a bike for the day and rode the bike paths around the city and down along the river to Delvin. The highlight of the cruise was Vienna. The city itself is beautiful and full of history. We had the special experience of celebrating Gary's 50th birthday at Palace Auersperg. We started with champange in the courtyard under a perfect blue sky. We then prceeeded to be served a wonderful 4 course dinner all the while 6 musicians played classic music by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. The highlight was the lead violinist playing a stratavarious violin, while several opera singers performed for our small group. After the fun had ended we boarded the ship and continued on down the Danube. The next morning we stopped in Durnstein, Austria and 20 members of our group joined me for a twenty mile bike ride from Durnstein, Austria to Melk, Austria. Along the way we stopped and enjoyed the local culture like the wonderful beer. We were determined to taste all the beer flavors along the way. We also enjoyed riding through all the small towns and villages along the way. We ended our journey in Passau, which is a picturesque village in southern Germany. Then we boarded a motorcoach for the journey to Munich. The last party to celebrate our buddy turning 50 was one last night of beer drinking at the Hofbrauhaus. Several of us dressed for the occassion and ended up joining the band onstage for a couple of pictures.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS HALF OUR STAFF?????

It is Virtuoso Week in Las Vegas and Karen, John, Sherry, Kathy and Paula are there. Hundreds of hoteliers, cruise lines, specialty tour companies, airlines, and top notch travel advisors have flown in from all over the world to share their products and services with Virtuoso Travel Advisors. It's an exciting week, to be sure. It is such an important event that half our staff is there. Here at Odyssey Travel we want your travel experience to exceed your expectations and we put forth a lot of effort to learn as much as we can about the BEST travel products and services availabe for our clients.

NORWEGIAN FJORDS WITH SILVERSEA CRUISES

My husband, Lewis, and and I had the opportunity to host a Silver Seas cruise to the Norwegian Fjords in June 2013. The ship was the beautiful Silver Whisper and the cruise, well, how can you beat Silver Seas? We left a few days early and spend two nights in Copenhagen. It was our first time there and we really enjoyed the city. We took the hop-on hop-off bus tour and had the oppotunity to see just about every part of the city. Tivoli Gardens was beautiful with so many varities of flowers blooming at one time. The gardens are also an amusement park and the kids were having a terrific time. There were outdoor ballet performances, concerts, beer gartens, and wonderful restaurants. We visited the Rosenborg Castle and viewed the Crown Jewels, which are truly stunning. Lunch canal side in Nyhaven was a real treat with street performers were keeping all of the patrons entertained. On June 28th we boarded the Silver Whisper. The ship, one of the luxury small ships, is immaculate. Check-in was personal and easy and we were walking onto the decks within 5 minutes of arrival. The service on this ship simply cannot be beat. Many of the waiters and servers knew our names by the second day. The cabin was quite roomy with a walk in closet, full bath tub and separate shower, dual sinks and exquisitely set in marble. Of cource, the butler added a extra touch to our stay by taking very good care of us and surprising us with thoughtful acts-a soaking tub with candles, shoes shined, luggage cleaned, breakfast servied in-suite, all with the gracious smile of a finely educated and trained butler. The food was delicious. Our favorite restaurant was The Rocks. At night they convert the pool deck to an outside restaurant. Your food is served on a large platter accompanied by a piping hot lava rock upon which to cook it. Filet mignon, prawns, fresh mahi or corvino and all of the extras. Of course, on SilverSea, all of your drinks, including cocktails, beer and wine are included, as are the gratuities. The was a variety of food available in the main dining room and it was quite good. The food in the specialty restaurants, La Champagne and La Terrazza was scrunptious. With under 400 passengers to be pampered, you will enjoy the personalized service that is experienced everywhere on the ship. Service in the dining room was exceptional, and again, very personalized! The ports of call, Geiranger, Flam, Bergen, Kristiansund and Hellesylt were colorful and historic. The fish market in Bergen displayed an array of fish seafood, some of which we had never seen before. Cruising through the Norwegian Fjords was spectacular, with waterfalls at every turn. Simply beautiful. SilverSeas has an extremely high repeat guest ratio, and I can understand why. The ships circle the globe, calling on ports that the larger cruise ships simply cannot reach. It is an experience not to be missed!

Freedom of the Seas

On June 2, 2013 we set sail on the Freedom of the Seas to enjoy a family reunion. The ship was booked to capacity with many families. I was a little apprehensive with so many people onboard but there was truly something for everyone. The Freedom Class Royal Caribbean ships are packed with activities (or not, if you choose). The children's program kept the little ones happy and entertained, especially with the DreamWorks character breakfast and surprise appearances. The teens had their own space and activities and the adults, well, there is just so much to do. With the FlowRider surf simulator, boxing ring, rock climbing wall, golf simulators, theme bars, ice-skating rink, whirlpools, spa, casino. . . the list goes on and on. With deck parties and theme nights, dancing in the Royal Promenade and enjoying some of the best entertainment afloat, our family of 17 really had a fabulous trip. No one cooked, cleaned or had to plan events. We all did our own thing and then met up for dinner. If you haven't planned your family reunion at sea, you are missing the boat!!

Ruby Princess to the Eastern Caribbean

By Marian Blessing

I just returned from a week's cruise to the Eastern Caribbean on the Ruby Princess. It was a family reunion of sorts as our daughter and her husband and some very good friends joined us. It was wonderful to have time to spend together without having to worry about cooking or cleaning or where or what to eat! It was precious time!

The ship sailed out of Port Everglades escorted by U.S. Coast Guard cutters and waves of enthusiasm from the people in the condos lining the port entry. It was a very cherry send-off indeed.

Our first port was Cococay in the Bahamas. The water is beautiful, very clear and teaming with tropical fish. Princess has plenty of lounge chairs for your comfort and even has some island style cabanas, brightly colored, for rent as well. There are hammocks available and you can rent some great floats to relax in the water. A beach BBQ was served and enjoyed by all.

The next day was a sea day with time to explore the ship and take part in some of the onboard activities. Art auctions, trivia, gaming lessons, spa treatments, music poolside and those wonderful Jacuzzis are just some of the things you can do while the ship floats you from port to port. If you prefer a quiet corner to enjoy the sea breezes and ocean views, there are plenty of places on the ship to accommodate you. You can even try afternoon tea, complete with scones and clotted cream and jam (simply delicious!). We choose to relax poolside, sip some pina coladas, and enjoy the music. It was a good day at sea with plenty of time to catch up with one another.

St. Thomas was our next port of call. After doing our duty free shopping downtown we opted for a 1/2 day catamaran sail to Buck Island where we swam with sea turtles. They surfaced among us for a breath of air and then back down to the bottom to eat. It was amazing to see them. The water was incredibly clear.
The crew of the Catamaran Girl were great. They took a group of us on a snorkeling trail, pointing out some very interesting sea creatures. After the snorkeling we enjoyed some very "good" punch and were under full sail back to the Ruby Princess.
What an incredible experience.

St. Maarten was next and as usual, did not disappoint. We spend a few hours shopping in Phillipsburg, and then headed off to the French side and Orient Beach.
The beach is stunning. We rented lounge chairs and then, later in the afternoon, we opted to have lunch at the Kontiki. The restaurant has picnic tables just a few feet from the ocean. The tables are short with nice cushions and sun umbrellas. Our feet dangled in the sand as we lounged and enjoyed our sushi, pizza and tomatoes and mozzarella. Our waiter, Jean Luc, was terrific. It was a spectacular day.

Our last port of call was Grand Turk. It's a very compact island with gorgeous beaches. The cruise port has been developed there to accommodate the ships. There are plenty of lounge chairs, duty free shopping and an entire Margaritaville complex complete with restaurant, pools, entertainment and even a flow rider station.
We rented a car and took a very short tour of the island. We stopped at the Bohio Dive Hotel and had some of the best conch fritters ever. Well worth the stop!
That night we took advantage of the Movies Under the Stars. This ship has a giant screen on deck and shows movies and music videos. During the day you can lounge in the pools or jacuzzi and watch a movie (or you can go to the other pool and enjoy live music). At night the crew lines the deck with chairs, brings out the very comfy cushions and wool blankets and pops popcorn. It was such fun!

Over all I can say that we had a wonderful week onboard Princess. Captain Giuseppe Romano did a fine job!

For more information on traveling to the Caribbean, contact Marian at 800 333-8113 or e-mail at marian@odysseytravel.com

Trip to Utah

Grethe recently returned from a 5 day trip to Utah. She describes her trip:

Back home after 5 wonderful days in Utah. What a great place to visit!

Salt Lake City was a really nice city with good restaurants, and lots to do. We spent the first day exploring the city, and started the day on the rooftop of the library. From there we got a good view of downtown and the beautiful Wasatch Mountains. Afterwards we took the free tram to Temple square, and saw the Mormon Temple, the Mormon tabernacle and the Assembly Hall. What an experience!

The next day we rented a car and drove to Moab. The drive was just over 3 hours, with stunning scenery the whole way.

Moab is a small resort town at the center of some of the most stunning red rock landscapes on Earth. The next two days we were hiking in Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. It was just spectacular! In Moab you can do mountain biking, hiking, four wheel driving, or river trips of any length and experience level.

The last day in Utah we spent skiing in Brighton. It was a fun day for both kids and adults.

For information about Utah, contact Grethe at 800 333-8113 or e-mail at Grethe@odysseytravel.com

Silverseas

Nella just returned from hosting a Voyager Club Sailing on the Silver Cloud. She tells about her trip:

I highly recommend cruising aboard a Silversea ship. The ships are luxurious and well apopointed with the smallest cabin of 240 square feet and largest (the Owner's Suite) at 1668 square feet. You are bathed in luxury from the moment you step aboard. This "small ship" experience allows for very personalized service, such as a butler for everyone. Dining is gourmet and quite delicious.

Our cruise sailed from Barbados to Port Everglades, visiting St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Barts, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Grand Turk. The Virtuoso clients enjoyed an island tour and lunch at the famed Eden Rock Resort in St. Barts. The crystal clear waters of the Caribbean are awash with blues, greens and turquoise and are incomparable. If you have not been there yet-you definitely need to go. There is nothing quite like the combination of the islands of the Caribbean and an ultra luxurious ship!

For more information or to reserve your cruise on Silversea, contact Nella at 800 333-8113 or email her at nella@odysseytravel.com