Hello everyone!

I know it has been a while since I have made a post.  With so many people trying to book summer honeymoons and with 5 bridal shows in the next 10 weeks, it has been a bit crazy in my office.

I just thought I would do a quick post about an Italian honeymoon I am putting together for some clients of mine, Amanda and Angelo.  With three whole weeks to spend in Italy, this pair want to see and do as much as they can without being too rushed.  Here is the Itinerary I built for them, and let me tell you, I would go on this honeymoon myself!  By putting them in some excellent 4 star hotels, the cost of this honeymoon with all you see below (except for the air and train tickets), this honeymoon is only going to cost a little over $7,000 total for two.

October

10
Depart LAX

11
Arrive Venice
12
Gondola Ride
Venice

13
Train to Milan
Milan

14
Last Supper Tour in Milan
Train to Florence in the afternoon
Florence

15
Morning Visit to Accademia to see David
Day at leisure
Florence

16
Morning visit to Uffizi
Day at leisure
Florence

17
All Day trip to Chinque Terra
Evening at leisure
Florence

18
Afternoon trip to Pisa
Evening at leisure
Florence

19
Train or Taxi to Tuscany area
Evening at leisure
Tuscany

20
Maybe wine tour from hotel
Evening at leisure
Tuscany

21
Day at leisure
Tuscany

22
Taxi to nearest station.  Train to Rome.
Evening at leisure
Rome

23
Vatican tour
Evening at leisure
Rome

24
Tickets for open city bus for day at leisure
Rome Night walking tour
Rome

25
Tickets for open city bus for day at leisure
Rome

26
Train from Rome to Naples
Evening at leisure
Naples

27
Pompeii and Herculeam tour
Evening at leisure
Naples

28
Capri and Anacapri excursion
Evening at leisure
Naples

29
Taxi or bus from Naples to Sorrento or Positano
Sorrento/
Positono

30
Sorrento/
Positono

31
Sorrento/
Positono

November
1
Train/Taxi to Naples.  Fly Naples to Rome, Rome to  LAX

If you are planning an Italian honeymoon, and are not sure what to do, where to go or how to make it fit into your budget, give me a call or send me an email!

Day Six

Thursday, November 8th 2007

Still docked in Rouen, we got up this morning to leave for Le Harve and Honfleur.  We were not sure what to expect, as neither of us had heard of either place.

We basically did a driving tour of La Harve.  The city is the largest in Normandy, and is known as the first large export port in France.  In World War Two, 5,000 people were killed during the battle of Normandy and over 12,000 homes where destroyed.  The entire city had to be rebuilt from scratch.  It wasn’t to my taste, as it was rebuilt in the modernist style by Augeste Perret.  Not to mention that we just drove through it. 

The reason we had to see it was because it is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Sight, and all tour companies who lead tourists through Normandy must at least provide a driving tour of it.

We arrived at Honfleur at about 10:30.  We did a brief walking tour to highlight some of the Honfleur sights.  The first thing that was pointed out was an ancient salt hold.  The original building was thought to be built by the Romans, although the current building only dates back to the 13th century.  It was huge, probably the size of a soccer field and as tall as a modern three story building.  That’s a lot of salt!

We walked by the past homes of several artists, most of which look exactly the same as when they lived there.  Honfleur was home at one time to Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet and Johan Jongkind.  The most famous paintings of Honfleur feature the boats in the harbor and the funny homes on the harbor edge.  These homes are very thin, and are about 8 stories tall.  The story behind why they were built this way is quite entertaining in itself. 

Apparently, a mistress of one of the past rulers (I can’t remember which, or who the lady was), loved to own land, and so the king gave/sold her a bunch of land right along the edge of the harbor.  When the people wanted to buy the land to put up housing and shops, she would only sell about 10 square feet at a time to each builder.  Thus, the buildings were very skinny and very tall! 

Honfleur is also home to the oldest all wooden cathedral in all of France.  It was interesting, but at that point we had seen so many churches, what is one more?  It was pretty nice. 

The walking tour only took an hour, and then we had three hours to ourselves.  Uniworld provided us with 15 Euros per person for lunch, and encouraged us to be adventurous and pick our own restaurants.  The only hint Emmanuelle and Dominique gave us was to look for a restaurant that was filled with locals.  They also encouraged us to try the local delicacies, mussels and Calvados.  Calvados is a brandy made from apples, the Normandy provincial fruit.  It is supposedly one of the most potent French liquors, and thus I passed.  Mom was also not adventurous about the Calvados. 

We walked all around and came across an indoor café.  It was really cold, so the indoor part was important.  We found a place offering a three course meal with a glass of white wine for 15 Euros per person exactly.  It was filled with locals, and there were no tourists in sight, so we went for it.

No one spoke any English, but that did not deter us.  We had Emmanuelle write down some French phrases to tell them what we wanted.  Mostly, we ended up pointing and grunting.  Then it suddenly dawned upon the waiter that we were English speakers, and he brought us an English menu.  Mom had the soup, I had the salad, and we each ordered mussels, mom’s in cream sauce, mine in wine sauce.  For desert course, I had a cheese plate and mom had a parfait.

The salad and soup were pretty good.  Then we were each brought a HUGE POT overflowing with mussels.  They were fabulous!  We also got a huge pot of French fries to share, and let me tell you there are called FRENCH fries because the French make them the best.  They were the freshest, tastiest French fries I have ever had.  We ate them with garlic mayonnaise, as the locals do.  The wine was tasty, and I loved my cheese plate.  We made a good dent in the mussels and in the fries, but we didn’t finish anything because it was so much food.

We exited the restaurant and took a picture of Les Boucaneers, The Pirates Café!  Should you make your way to this place, have the mussels and enjoy!  But make sure to ask for an English menu if you do not speak French.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking off our meal and looking in the shops.  Keep in mind that most of the little cities and villages in Europe, shops all close between 12 pm and 2 pm for lunch.  That means shop first and eat second.  We finished eating at about 1:30, so most places were opening up as we walked along.

After a lovely stroll, it was time to go back to the ship.  We arrived in Rouen at about 4pm, and had one hour to do some last minute shopping before we left the port.  Mom and I dashed out, buying some souvenirs, and did some Christmas shopping.  We were late, and the ship is calling for us to check in over the PA system.  We scooted in at 5:15 on the minute, which is the exact time they are suppose to be pulling out of the port. 

Honfleur was my mother’s number one favorite day (not counting Paris of course!).  If you have the opportunity to go there, you too can experience the charm this classic French town has to offer!

Day Two- Arrival In Paris, Exploring Paris on Our Own

Sunday November 4, 2007

To our excitement, we woke up on the plane 45 minutes to landing in Charles de Gaul airport, Paris. The landing was extremely smooth. Customs was a breeze, and all of our luggage arrived safe and sound. The Uniworld representative was waiting for us. We met several nice peoples , including Debbie, who would be joining us on the River Baroness.

By the time we were transported to the ship, and our bags unloaded, it was 9:45 am. Most of the guests were in the lounge, but my mom and I decided to explore. The shipped was docked in a pretty good area, right across the street from the Metro station. Uniworld provided us with a map, metro tickets and off we went. Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower, which was only 4 metro stops away. We got off the metro, and were walking around cute buildings from the eighteen hundreds. There was a sudden gap in the buildings and there it was. It was so beautiful!

We got plenty of pictures with the Eiffel Tower. We really wanted to ride to the top, but the lines just to buy tickets were three hours long. We decided to skip it and go somewhere else…like Notre Dame!

Notre Dame was only two metro stops after the Eiffel Towers, so onward we went. What a sight! It was Sunday, so when we entered at about 12:30 pm, high mass was going on. There was a full choir singing while mass was said in beautiful French. The sounds of the choir reverberated in the cathedral. It gave me chills all the way to my soul. We walked around the cathedral, taking in the impressive sculpture and art. The stained glass windows were also amazing, especially the famous rose window. After the first mass ended, we snagged front row seats for the next mass, which was just as beautiful.

After the mass, we tried to get into the catacombs, which were closed for renovation. Then we wanted to climb to the top of the bell towers, but the line was several hours. Instead, we walked across the street to explore the small and turning streets that make up Paris. They were full of cafes, markets, artists selling prints and canvases. There were street performs and venders. We bought crepes with natella (similar to hazelnut, but more like sweet milk chocolate) and peach jam. Suddenly, at about 4 pm, it hit us. We were exhausted!

We made our way back to the River Baroness and were escorted to our rooms. Awaiting us in our suite was a bottle of wine and fresh fruit. We unpacked and freshened up. At
6 pm local time, all the passengers were invited for a welcome drink, and let me tell you that Uniworld has some AMAZING champagne! We met our cruise director, the fabulous Emmanuelle and the sweet Hotel Manager Sebastian.

And on to dinner! Let me preface the rest of these posts with how incredible the food was. There are no words. Every meal, from breakfast to dinner, was a parade of gourmet delicacies. And if you were allergic to any thing, or the menu didn’t float your boat, they would make you ANYTHING you requested! The service was always impeccable, and the staff really got to know you well.

While we were feasting on the incredible spread laid before us, the boat left port. We sailed past the Eiffel Tower during the light show, and viewed the night lights of Paris. The best part of the sailing was that we could not even feel the movement. It was so smooth. Not only that, but it was extremely quite. The engines made some noise pulling away from the shoreline, but once we were moving down the Seine, it was silent.

After the great dinner, we collapsed into bed, hit hard with the day’s activities and jet lag. Awaiting us was a folder telling us what was to follow the next day, along with some history notes about Paris, and different things to see. The most exciting addition was a personal invitation to join the Captains table for the Captain’s Welcome dinner. My mother found the beds extremely comfortable, where as I did not. I chalk it up to my difficulties sleeping anywhere not my own bed.

Thus ended our second day!

Hello all! I am back from my amazing river cruise aboard Uniworld’s River Baroness. This cruise started and ended in Paris, with a large portion of our time spent cruising the Seine river. I am going to give you a blow by blow blog of my experience, with one blog for every day, plus a recap of the over all experience with Uniworld, and my suggestions as a travel agent. So stay tuned for more.

Day One- Departure from Los Angles, arrival the next day in Paris

Saturday November 3, 2007

This morning was surprisingly relaxed. With all of our packing done the night before, all my mother and I had to do was wake up, take a shower and jump in the car. Our flight was departing on American Airlines at 11:25 am, and we arrived at the airport at 9:45 am. The lovely people at the Ontario American Airlines desk were very helpful, even recommending places to see in Paris.

We got our boarding pass and made it through security in record time, and walked up to our departure gate at 10 am. It was about that time that my mother realized she forgot her French phrase book and her novels at home. But that was the only real glitch.

We left Ontario and arrived at our connection in Dallas on time. The only problem on the Paris flight was that all the overhead bins were full. My mother, despite my warning, had decided to buy tickets on Orbitz.com. Thus, we were in the last row of our section up against the smelly toilet. Our chairs barely reclined and there was even less leg room, because the overhead bins were full and our carry-ons were shoved in front of our feet. We managed to get some sleep, thankfully, as the movies were so terrible!

We were so excited to know that in just a few hours, it would be tomorrow, and we would be in Paris!

Next week, I am going out on assignment.  For one week, I will be sailing down the Sine river on a Uniworld River Cruise.  The itinerary is called Paris to Paris, and we start and end in Paris.  My goal is to write a blog every day about the sights, with recommendations about what to see, what to do, where to eat and more!  I will scope out the best of the best for all travelers, especially honeymooners!  I am also going to write up a full, no nonsense, honest to goodness report on Uniworld cruise line.  If anyone would like me to answer a specific question, simply leave a comment on the blog before, and I will do my best to answer it in the next blog.

So bon voyage and au revoir!  Look for my first Paris post on November 4th!

The other day I sold a honeymoon for seven nights to the St. Regis in Bora Bora, Tahiti.  This world renowned resort plays host to a number of celebrities and the wealthy elite. 

But you would be surprised at the price…

It is only about $1,000 more to stay in an over water honeymoon villa at the St. Regis than if you were to stay at a moderate Bora Bora resort.  Bora Bora and Tahiti are pricey destinations in the first place, so if you are going to spend the money anyways, go all the way!

 Make sure to let all Tahiti resorts know you are honeymooners so that you will get extra amenities and prices.  Just don’t leave your marriage certificate at home.  This document is a must to allow you to get the honeymoon perks.

I have really worked hard to be as accessible as possible for clients and potential clients, and so I am proud to announce yet one more innovative way I am here to serve all of you honeymooning couples out there. I will now be able to receive instant messages via AOL instant messenger, also known as AIM. My screen name will be AMEXHoneymoons, and I will be happy to field any questions, comments or concerns. Feel free to contact me at any time!

Everyone interested in travel, wether it is for a family vacation or a honeymoon, fears hurricanes in tropical destinatons. In responce to my clients many concerns, I wrote this article about travel and hurricanes. Enjoy!

When is hurricane season? Depending on who you ask, the answer is usually different. Some will say that for the Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific, it’s from August until October, while others say June to November. Some say the South Pacific is prone to hurricanes from November to May, while others say it is year round. Basically, there is not certain way to predict any type of weather, and these “seasons” are mostly based on when past years data. The problem is, each year is different, and sometimes drastically so. The reality is that a hurricane can happen at any time in any month at any sea side destination!

Hurricanes could happen in any costal region in the world at any time of the year. Without trying to sound harsh, there is no way to be able to avoid a hurricane other than traveling to a land locked destination. But this does not mean you should never travel. You could step outside your door tomorrow and be struck by lightning, but that does not mean you should become a recluse. Fear should not drive most of decisions you must make in life. So if you want to take a vacation, honeymoon or destination wedding to a costal region during one of the supposed “hurricane seasons”, do it.

And what if, of all the 365 days out of the year, out of all the islands and coastal regions in the world, a hurricane hits your destination during one of your luxury vacations? Take actions to protect yourself. When you purchase your vacation, simply purchase travelers insurance. Most insurance protects you and the money you invested in your vacation in cases of a natural disaster. The best recommendation is to book your trip through American Express Vacations and add American Express’ Cancel For Any Reason Plan. This insurance runs from $89.00 to $129.00 per person, and must be purchased at the time of deposit. It covers the complete cost of your trip, including air, plus medical protection, baggage loss and emergency evacuation costs. And you can cancel for any reason, so that if a hurricane hit the week before and your reconsider, you will not be stuck with the bill. Seize the day, but protect yourself just incase!

There is no reason to get into a fuss about hurricanes. Your travel could be affected by the break out of wars, famine, illness, terrorism and other natural disasters. The fact is, these variables could suddenly come into play at any time. Its the same story with hurricanes. The best you can do is not to panic. Do not let fear of the “what ifs” dictate they way you live or travel. Purchase travelers insurance for those what if situations, take a deep breath and enjoy!

It was nice to see so many happy couples this weekend at Bride World’s two day LA wedding expo. Brides and grooms from all over Los Angles flocked to this event. Brides with plans from 2009 to brides with less than a month left to go were looking for a great place to honeymoon. The top three most popular places were Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean. Europe was so popular, we ran out of brochures on both days. The hot topic was our free honeymoon registry, which I am proud to announce is FINALLY going to be automated on our website so that brides, grooms and guests can view the registry online and gift online! There were lots of people also interested in destination weddings, especially in Hawaii. There was one couple who is all set to be married in Spain! Everything was incredible. The Bride World people really know their stuff! Check out their show in Costa Mesa in October at http://www.brideworld.com where we will, of course, be show casing our stuff.

One of the most frustrating things I here in my line of work is “Well, Expedia is beating your price by…” Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity claim to offer the best price…sometimes even guaranteed. Others offer to beat any price or to match it. These new sites have put many a travel agency out of business, and claim to have conquer the consumer base by offering quality product at a lower cost. The volume done by these sites is said to make up for their marginal profit. So, I am happy to explain to travelers and honeymooners alike what exactly the difference is between online travel services a travel agent, and to debunk these myths!

When you call your local travel agency and ask for a price quote on honeymoon package, most consumers will check against one of the more popular travel websites to see what prices better. True, two thirds of the time, you will find that the internet will beat the travel agent price by about $150. So what is the difference? The travel website will assure you that it is the same package. They will even give you the exact same flights. But when you book with Orbitz or Expedia, they often do not take the seats off of the availability list immediately like travel agents do. This makes it easier for your flight to be over sold. And because your seats were the last tickets to be issued, you will be the first travelers to be bumped on an overbooked flight.

In addition, your hotel room will be in a “less requested area”. This means that while your room will be the category promised, you might have the ocean view room next to the ice machine or the ocean view above the resort night club. Maybe it is in the only wing that did not receive renovations. And the worst part is, once you arrive and discover your room to be lacking, the help desk with the internet travel sight can do nothing to help you, if you even get through in the first place. The resorts and hotels are aware that you are going to be in the most unfavorable rooms, in fact, that is why they sold them to the internet travel site at a discounted rate in the first place.

Travel service sites proudly proclaim that they are able to further save customers money by selling large volumes of travel and collecting a smaller fee. There is some truth to this. Orbitz and Travelocity do have a large volume of travel reservations made, but what little they make in commission they make back in changed or canceled reservations. When you book your package, the price may not cover a number of other fees, such as a daily resort fee, an out of state car fee or some other taxes and fees that are asked to be paid at the airport, resort or cruise ship. Travel agencies will include this in their pricing.

And heaven help you if you have a change in plans. Depending on which site you book with, small changes to your itinerary can cost you between $50 to $100. Most travel agencies offer a travel insurance that covers you and your travel companions if you should have to cancel for a medical or personal emergency. American Express Travel offers a cancel for any reason insurance that even covers your airline tickets. These internet booking engines are now beginning to offer “insurance”, but it rarely covers cancellations in full. Should you have to cancel your internet trip, you might get less than half of the total cost of your vacation, or none at all.

So buyer beware! The internet is a beautiful thing, but for travel arrangements, it is not always as good as it seems. Your local travel agent is there to offer the customer care you need back at home while you’re traveling abroad. When it comes to planning a luxury travel vacation, you are truly better off using a travel agent. You will be guaranteed your place on a plane. If you don’t like your room, your travel agent can have it fixed in a matter of moments. And should there be a problem or if you should need to cancel, your travel agent will fight the battle to reschedule your plans at the lowest cost possible. Travel agents are not focused on quantity, but quality. In this day in age, travel agencies stay afloat with their repeat clients, who swear by them. So travel safe, not sorry, and call a travel agent to hear more benefits that each agency offer their clients.