Great News for Solo Travellers... EVERGREEN TOURS – EUROPE RIVER CRUISING – 2015 AT 2014 PRICES – SOLO TRAVELLERS – NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT – FLY FREE DEALS ALSO AVAILABLE – THREE GROUP TOURS Okay Everyone, I guess you’ve all noticed the Aussie Dollar has dropped from over a dollar to about eighty eight cents, against the US Dollar lately (I know that we are talking about Europe, where the Euro, or the Pound for the UK, would be the more appropriate currency to compare against the Aussie Dollar, but most people “know” what the Aussie Dollar is against the US Dollar, while not many know where the Aussie Dollar is against the Euro or the Pound – take it from me that these currencies move roughly in the same direction most of the time.) Anyway, with the lower exchange rate for the Aussie Dollar, what this means for overseas travel is that prices in Australian Dollars will go up, because our wholesalers will need to pay more Aussie Dollars to buy the equivalent number of Euros, plus they will need to buy a few more Euros next year, because of inflation, of course. We have already been advised by Avalon Waterways that their prices are going up by about 10% for all Europe River Cruises for this year not yet sold, before they even start looking at pricing for next year! Already we have had both Scenic Tours and APT Tours release their “pre-release brochures” for 2015 departures, and basically they are holding their prices for 2015 at the 2014 rate for early bookings – before their “proper” brochure is released in a couple of months – but only for departures in March and October to December, while departures in April to September have increased by a few hundred dollars compared to 2014 departure prices, and this is just for their “pre-release brochures”. Glen Moroney, the owner of Scenic Tours, told me at the Scenic Tours Awards Night a couple of weeks ago that prices will almost certainly be going up again once the “proper” brochures are released. And Angus from Evergreen Tours felt the same way at that dinner. Travel Marvel (the subsidiary brand to APT) has released their “pre-release brochures” and they don’t have any “2015 at 2014 prices”, merely their “best price guaranteed”, no doubt reflecting the impact of the recent movement in the Aussie Dollar. And their prices in their “pre-release brochures” has gone up compared to this year. I’ve just received the Evergreen “pre-release brochure” for 2015, and they have done the same thing as Scenic and APT, with early and late departures at the same price as for 2014, with departures between May and September at “Guaranteed best 2015 price”. You only need to pay a “$250 per person refundable deposit” to lock in either your “2015 at 2014 prices” deal or your “Guaranteed best 2015 price” deal with Evergreen Tours. Plus, if you book a Europe River Cruise with a coach tour, or with two city extensions, then both passengers will “fly free, including air taxes” – right through the cruising season, and in any cabin category – the most popular package for Australians is Paris to Prague, or vice versa, which combines the “standard” fifteen day Amsterdam to Budapest Europe River Cruise, with three nights in Paris and three nights in Prague, with transfers between the two “end” cities and your Europe River Cruise, and YES, this DOES qualify you for “free return flights, including air taxes”, for both passengers. Now here’s a “little trick” that we travel experts know about, that most people don’t. If you just buy the “standard” fifteen day Amsterdam to Budapest Europe River Cruise, and travel in April, for comparison purposes, you’ll pay $6495 in a Category E Stateroom, and if you book early, you can save $500 per person (in lieu of the “fly free” deal), making your price $5995. Now what does it cost to do this with Paris and Prague added on??? $8595. So this is an extra $2600. But this includes your return airfares, plus three nights in Paris and three nights in Prague. With the way the Aussie Dollar is going, you’d be very lucky to find an airfare to Europe for $2000, so that means you’re getting three nights in Paris, with breakfast, one dinner and a city tour, plus transfer from Paris to Amsterdam, plus three nights in Prague, with breakfast, one dinner and a city tour, plus transfers from Budapest to Prague, for under (probably well under) $600, by the time you take your return airfare into account. In Paris, you’ll stay in the Crowne Plaza and in Prague at the K+K Hotel Central Prague (or similar), so this is a real BARGAIN! Plus you don’t really want to travel all the way to Europe just for a fifteen day Europe River Cruise. These prices include all your meals onboard your Europe River Cruise, including beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner onboard. Plus at least one locally guided shore excursion each cruising day, plus gratuities, plus your own personal headset, so you can hear clearly what your local guide is telling your group about what you are looking at – this is ideal for those many seniors who are “a little deaf” – there’s nothing worse than having to strain to hear what your expert local guide is telling you. I’ll just give you a quick run through of what is included in the “standard” Amsterdam to Budapest Europe River Cruise itinerary and package. First of all, the Evergreen ships are BRAND NEW, the Emerald Sky and Emerald Star are still being built – they’ll be finished in March, and my wife JOAN and I are accompanying ANGUS, the General Manager of Evergreen Tours to Europe in April to “christen” one of the ships and then to take the first cruise, from Amsterdam down to Basel in Switzerland for eleven wonderful nights, then we’ll transfer to Zurich and fly home. Then there’s the wonderful Evergreen Cruise Director – they are just so knowledgeable – port charges and taxes are included (saving you $375 per person), all tipping and gratuities (saving you $400 per person), free airport transfers (saving you $150 per person), plus your fourteen nights onboard a brand new luxury river ship. Here are some of the premium inclusions: You’ll explore fifteen different cities, towns and villages with a guide during your included tours and shore excursions – these are included in your package price (there are some optional extra tours available, that you may choose to do, at additional cost, or you can spend time onboard, or possibly spend some free time in some of the villages or towns, if you prefer. The prices of these optional tours will be available in the full brochure out in a few months’ time.) In Amsterdam, you’ll take a canal boat cruise and a walking tour of the city centre; You’ll take a walking tour of vibrant Cologne; You’ll join the “winzerexpress” mini-train to Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum in Rudesheim; You’ll take a walking tour of the medieval Bavarian town of Miltenberg; You’ll watch a glass-blowing demonstration aboard your ship; You’ll absorb the sights of Wurzburg on a tour; You’ll take a tour of charming Bamberg; You’ll walk the cobblestone streets on a walking tour of Passau; You’ll visit St Stephens Cathedral – home to Europe’s largest church organ; You’ll tour Melk’s Benedictine Abbey – STUNNING – over 900 years old; In Vienna, you’ll take a guided sightseeing tour of the city; In Bratislava, you’ll take a city tour; And you’ll discover Budapest on a guided city tour. These tours above are all included in your package price. You’ll also enjoy the following included highlights: Traditional Bavarian Brass Band and dancing; Home hosted afternoon tea with a Slovakian family; And an EU (European Union) lecture onboard your ship. For those of you who think that “food” is a pretty important part of any holiday, especially one travelling across so many European countries, then there’s not a lot to worry about. The Europe River Cruise itself runs to 41 superb meals, including 14 full breakfasts, 13 lunches, 12 dinners and 2 Highlight Dinners (a Captain’s Gala Dinner and a traditional Hungarian Farewell Dinner), plus you’ll also enjoy a Captain’s Welcome Reception, and of course, complimentary beer, wine and soft drinks served with lunch and dinner while cruising. Contact STACEY or JAMES at Seniors Holiday Travel on Fre Call 1800-300-999 if you are interested. Remember it’s just a fully refundable deposit of $250 per person to secure the pricing currently available in the “pre-release brochures”.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 05:59:28 +0000
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