Oceania “Regatta” Ship Tour

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Oceania is an upper premium cruise line offering many distinctive amenities and itineraries. Oceania was introduced in 2003. This cruise line is known for its “points of distinction”. One area of distinction is the culinary experience. The lunch on board was wonderful with many choices. The feeling you get on the Oceania Regatta is country club casual. They want the passengers to leave the tuxedos and evening gowns at home. They provide passionate service on board where the atmosphere is very relaxed. The ships are mid size (ranging from 684 to 1250 passengers) so when you are in a small port like St. Barts you are not docked next to 5 other mega ships.

The Oceania is a great line for retirees that are experienced cruisers looking for a more intimate cruise.  An added benefit is the specialty restaurants do not charge extra for dining in them.  The onboard life is extensive. There is an artist loft and a great library that houses many books and has a warm inviting feel. The shows are musically focused and many itineraries have guest lecturers for more enrichment.   Hands on cooking experiences are offered on two of the ships.

Oceania cruises all over the world. Another distinction is the many overnight stays and late night departures so guests have the extra time to explore the destinations.   For example in Monte Carlo you can experience the Casino at night since the ship is not departing at 5:00 pm. Unique itineraries are the norm, for example when the ship is in Italy it visits Cinque Terre since the ship can get close to the port. In the Caribbean they travel to the British Virgin Isles and Tortola. Also the air is included in the brochure prices which can be a great bonus.   You can sail on Oceania from 7 day cruise to a 120 day around the world cruise.

If a client that normally cruises on Holland America or Princess is looking for a different more intimate cruise experience, then Oceania Cruise Line would be a great recommendation.

US Virgin Islands – The Caribbean Without a Passport

Photo courtesy of Travel42

What are you doing for New Year’s Eve?  Wouldn’t it be great to watch the sunset in the US Virgin Islands, where no passport is required?  Instead of long lines at the chair lift this holiday season, point your toes in the sand.  Water skiing anyone?

A trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands is the closest thing to a Caribbean sampler that you can get, as it provides several different island experiences in one territory.  Form bustling beaches, nightlife and great shopping in St. Thomas to the unspoiled scenery and quiet surroundings of St. John.  For the best of both islands choose St. Croix where it balances a fair amount of shopping and attractions with a relaxed atmosphere and historic architecture.

Early Booking Savings! Save up to 35%!  Bolongo Bay Beach Resort from  $613

For more information on any of the U.S. Virgin Islands, contact Darby at Darby’s Destinations darby@darbysdestinations.com

Vacation inclusions: Hotel only package. Price does not include airfare. Prices quoted are per person based on double occupancy, are not retroactive, and are subject to limited availability. All prices were current as of date posted. Fares are subject to change. All rates are subject to change with or without notice.​

The Barbie™Cruise Experience

Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean International

My girls would love to spend the holidays with Barbie™ at sea on a Royal Caribbean cruise.  I can just see them dressing up for the Fashion Show on board.  The girls would love to get their new Barbie’s™ in their cabin when we arrive on the ship.  They will receive all kinds of new outfits to dress them in for the tea party.  This fun experience is limited to 10 – 15 girls per sailing, so girls will make new friends while enjoying the excitement of Barbie™.  Christmas with Barbie, what fun!

Meet new friends, make lifelong memories and set sail in true Barbie fashion with the Barbie Premium Experience, only on Royal Caribbean. Girls age 4 to 11 can set sail on a Barbie dream cruise complete with:

• Barbie Stateroom Package: adorned in signature pink with take-home Barbie® doll, accessories and more!

• Tiaras and Teacups Party: Enjoy treats while having fun learning tips on table etiquette.

• Mermaid Dance Class: Learn surf-inspired moves from the hit movie Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2.

• Fashion Designer Workshop: Sketch and create your own unique designs for your Barbie doll.

• Fashion Show: Walk the runway and unveil your original Barbie fashion creation.

This exclusive package is available for $349 per child on all Royal Caribbean International® sailings*!             *Guests will receive a limited experience for $75 (no tea party or fashion designer workshop) on 3-4 night sailings.

 To plan your Barbie Dream Cruise, contact your Travel Professional, Darby Wojick at Darby’s Destinations.

Getaway with The One You Love!

Are you and your significant other thinking of getting away for the holidays?  Get out of the cold and spend a romantic week in the sun and sand.  Leave all your cares at home and spend the holidays at a “Luxury Included” Sandals resort in the Caribbean, where everything is included.   For a really special getaway, a butler room is sure to be please your love one and let you focus on what is most important–each other.

Up to $555 Instant Savings on a Sandals Resort Luxury Included^® Vacation in the Caribbean

Book now and receive instant savings per room, per stay on Luxury Included^® Getaways in the Caribbean PLUS free nights*!

LUXURY INCLUDED^® VACATIONS FEATURE:
Resort accommodations
All meals up to 15 restaurants per resort
Unlimited premium brand drinks including Beringer^® Wines
Land and water sports including scuba diving for certified divers^†
Red Lane^® Spa options (additional cost)
Roundtrip resort transfers
Resort tax and service charges
Entertainment and much more!

Choose from the resorts below with the following instant savings:

Jamaica
Sandals Grande Riviera Beach & Villa Golf Resort 
Spanning a luxuriant stretch of the Ocho Rios coastline, Sandals Grande Riviera is created to enchant guests with two distinctive resort experiences in one: on the beach or in the mountains.   First night free on every 6 nights stay or longer or First 2 nights free on every 7 nights stay or longer.

Sandals Negril Beach Resort & Spa
Set on the longest stretch of Jamaica’s famed Seven-Mile Beach, Sandals’ Negril vacations conjure up tropical vibrations with a casual, understated elegance.  First night free on every 6 or 7 nights stay or longer.

Saint Lucia
Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort 
The only all inclusive St. Lucia resort cradled on both sides by the Caribbean Sea, Sandals Grande St. Lucian’s sheltered mile-long beachfront is home to the calmest waters in all of St. Lucia.  First night free on every 7 nights stay or longer. 

Plus More Sandals Resort to choose from!

For an unforgettable romantic getaway contact Darby at Darby’s Destinations 508-576-7495 or darby@darbysdestinations.com

Stree Free Holidays

Disney Magic® – Grand Cayman Disney Cruise Line®
©Disney Ships’ Registry: The Bahamas

Start off your holidays stress free with a getaway cruise before the relatives arrive.  A Disney Cruise® is a great way to get away as a family or a couple.  The Disney Magic® has been “reimagined” with the new AquaDunk waterslide and new adult after-hours entertainment.  Experience the Disney Magic® cruise ship, sailing from Miami, FL this fall.

5-Night Western Caribbean Cruises – Starting from $99 per person, per night / $495 total and 4-Night Bahamian Cruises – Starting from $99 per person, per night / $396 total, based on double occupancy for Category IGT, Inside Stateroom with Restrictions, for Oct. 27 and Nov. 20, 2013 sailings.

Book through October 31, 2013.

To book your Magical Disney Cruise® vacation contact Darby’s Destinations today at (508) 576-7495 or darby@darbysdestinations.com.

Visit Darby’s Destinations blog again to see more articles in the holiday vacation planning series.

Coyaba Beach Resort & Club, Montego Bay, Jamaica

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Coyaba Beach Resort is a small luxury hotel located in Montego Bay, Jamaica just 10 minutes from Sangster International airport.  Coyaba is a family owned and operated.   The resort is in a great location for exploring all that Montego Bay has to offer.  The feeling I got when we stepped on property at Coyaba was intimate and relaxing.  The resort has only 50 rooms, three restaurants, three bars, a private beach, a freshwater pool and hot tub both with a sea view.  You can either opt for the all inclusive plan to include all your food and beverages or you can opt for the al la carte plan and experience other dining establishments in the area.

When you enter the lobby of Coyaba there is rich woods and a quaint sitting area where they check you into the resort.   In the main lobby building there is one of the bars and the main restaurant.  We had our lunch in The Vineyard restaurant which consisted of chicken spring rolls, crispy sweet potato crab cakes, native spiced mahi mahi and lemon cheese cake.  The food was wonderful with all of the Caribbean tastes.  The Polo Grounds bar is located in this main building and has an “old world” feel with all sorts of equestrian and polo memorabilia.

The rooms are well appointed with either two double beds or a king size bed.  Each of the 4 room category has French doors that open to the private balcony with a garden or ocean view.  The junior suites offer a sitting area with sleeper sofa.  A note on the resort, there are no elevators. For guest that may need assistance, requesting a first floor room will insure a great stay.

The grounds at Coyaba are lush and green.  There are many areas to relax under the palm trees.  For families there is a great playground that the little ones will not want to leave.  Beyond the playground is a tennis court where they offer free tennis clinics.  The pool and hot tub overlook the Caribbean ocean.  The private beach is lined with palm trees and offers a great area for swimming.  One great feature at the resort is the dock that juts out into the ocean with benches for relaxing.  And if you like planes, a great place to watch the planes come into Jamaica.  When you get hungry from swimming and watching the planes, head over to the Docks Bar and Grill which is at your service by the pool deck.  The resort offers sailing, kayaking, snorkeling, and pedal boats at no charge.

For clients looking for a quiet, intimate resort with your family, Coyaba Beach Resort has much to offer in Jamaica for a memorable vacation.

Darby Wojick

Darby’s Destinations

www.darbysdestinations.com

darby@darbysdestinations.com

Iberostar Rose Hall Jamaica From a Travel Agent’s View

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The Iberostar Rose Hall Jamaica offers clients three distinct resort properties within one location.  Each of these properties caters to a different clientele, detailed below. This beach front resort is located just 20 minutes from Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport.  There are great all inclusive features included with your stay at the resort: all meals, beverages, including alcoholic beverages, daily activities, gratuities and taxes, meals, nightly entertainment, non-motorized water sports, a kid’s club and snacks. The resort offers a casino, a music bar, and a convention center, with each resort offering nightly entertainment and its own theater. The spa offers many services including a wellness pool with several different whirlpools to choose from.  They have different saunas to choose from, like the “Rustic Shower” and the “Swedish Shower”.  The features that stood out to me during my visit to this resort were the shops and the library.  All of the rooms are non smoking and the resort has a quiet relaxing feel, to just get away from it all.

The first resort at the Iberostar Rose Hall Jamaica is the Rose Hall Beach.  This is the entry level property for budget minded families, such as not including free wireless or 24 hour room service.  At Rose Hall Beach, guests have the choice of 6 bars, 2 buffet restaurants and 3 specialty restaurants.  When guest chooses the Beach resort, they only have access to restaurants, activities and pools within Beach section.

The next step up the ladder is the family section called Rose Hall Suites.  At the Suites, vacationers can choose from junior suite, ocean view junior suite, or ocean front junior suite accommodations.  The Suites has 3 outdoor pools, 2 children’s pools, a lazy river, 6 bars, 2 buffet restaurants, and 4 specialty restaurants.  There is 24 hour room service and concierge service and free internet in rooms and wireless internet in the lobby.  When staying at the Suites, guests also have access to all the restaurants, bars and activities offered at the Beach.

The top rung is the adult’s only (age 21 and over) all suite Grand Hotel. Guests staying at the Grand Hotel have access to both the Suites and Beach properties.  This resort offers its guests 4 pools, 6 bars, 2 buffet restaurants, and 4 specialty restaurants.  The accommodations are very luxurious, with an option for ocean view or ocean front.  All suites have a large balcony with both a hammock and a comfy couch.  The exclusive services offered to guests staying at the Grand Hotel Rose Hall are butler service, pillow menu, complementary round of golf, and a wide range of classes including Yoga, Spinning, wine tasting, and dance.

This Iberostar Rose Hall is a wonderful property for an extended family to vacation together.  Since you have one resort for adults only and two resorts for families and friends, it offers the seclusion that the adults may want and they can still enjoy spending time with other family members with children.

A Great Couples Retreat in Jamaica

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The Couples Resort in Negril Jamaica was a wonderful resort to tour.  Couples Resort is located on 18 acres of lush tropical gardens and a long private stretch of white sand beach.  Our tour started in the open air lobby overlooking the inviting pool and the beach beyond with views of the crescent shaped Bloody Bay.

The Couples Resorts caters to couples only and has beautifully well appointed rooms for any romantic getaway or honeymoon.  Each room has a view of the bay or the lush gardens with bold color décor and local artwork.  All rooms have a patio or balcony with a quiet sitting area.  The one bedroom suites offer a hammock for two on the patio or balcony.  All accommodations have king size beds with flat panel TV’s and a wet bar stocked throughout your stay.  The baths are very spacious with a tub or shower and the suites have a double vanity.  All accommodations at Couples Negril are inviting and relaxing.   The atmosphere is all about romance and privacy where couples can escape with each other in a very intimate setting.

The pool is a beautiful oasis with the white sand beach beyond.  The pool bar is great for relaxing with other couples enjoying a cold tropical beverage.  There are whirlpools adjoining the main pool and there is also a quieter pool near the water sports area that they use for the complementary scuba diving lessons that are included with the all inclusive feature.  Couples Negril offers five different restaurants and four bars to choose from.  The cuisine offered ranges from Jamaican, Caribbean, to Mediterranean and Asian and there is always plenty of food to choose from.  The resort also offers shuttle service weekly to the renowned Margaritaville and downtown Negril for shopping excursions.  Couples Negril also offers exchange privileges with its other Negril property, Couples Swept Away.

The beach at Couples Negril is private and offers many areas to lounge in the sun.  For the guests who want to sun au natural the west side of the beach offers privacy.  There is a large gym for anyone looking to keep up on their work out routine.  The resort offers many classes from couples massage to yoga.  There is a game room with slot machines.  The spa at Couples Negril is inviting with its wonderful aromas and offers many different spa treatments both within the spa and also at tree house massage rooms overlooking the beach and tropical gardens.

From the moment I stepped on property, this resort was warm and inviting and would be a great romantic getaway for couples of all ages.

Darby Wojick

Darby’s Destinations

www.darbysdestinations.com

darby@darbysdestinations.com

Sandy Haven Resort, Negril Jamaica from a travel agent’s view

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Sandy Haven Resort is a quaint boutique hotel on seven mile beach in Negril, Jamaica.  When you walk up to the open air reception desk you are warmly greeted by Heather the sales manager.  Many times the owners Stephen and Antoinette Ueker are there to greet you.  Once you check in they will bring you to one of the five categories of rooms at the property. You can choose from Superior Garden or Ocean View, a Junior Suite Garden or Ocean View or a Deluxe Ocean Front Room.  I stayed in a Superior Room with Garden View.  The room has two double beds or one king bed, with a flat screen TV, nice desk area and a wine cooler.  The bathroom is very spacious; each has a large changing area with double sinks.  The shower and commode are behind a separate door.  The shower is a large tile enclosure with river rocks on the floor with a rain shower head.  Each room has a private balcony or patio to enjoy.

The grounds of Sandy Haven Resort are lush and tropical.  You have an intimate pool area between the two buildings with a large hot tub.  Walk along the path to the outdoor breakfast deck, which overlooks the beach bar and seven mile beach and the Caribbean Sea beyond.  The resort has a restaurant and bar area call Bongo’s where they have weekend entertainment.  Sandy Haven Resort offers all inclusive and European plan meals. The resort is adults only and is very quiet and intimate for those who want to get away from it all but have access to a beautiful beach were you can stroll for miles.  The beach area has comfy cabanas to rent if you want some shade from the Jamaican sun and plenty of lounge chairs right next to the beach bar.

Our stay at was very relaxing and enjoyable, I would recommend this resort for any client who wants an intimate luxury hotel right on seven mile beach Negril, Jamaica.  To learn more about Sandy Haven and other great Negril resorts, contact Darby’s Destinations by calling 508-576-7495 or emailing me.

Darby Wojick

Darby’s Destinations

darby@darbysdestinations.com

www.darbysdestinations.com

Negril, Jamaica the “Capital of Casual”

Negril Jamaica

Horseback riding on the beach in Negril

Negril, Jamaica is about an hour and 15 minutes from Jamaica’s Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica.    The drive from Montego Bay brings you along the coast with many small villages like Lucea.  The scenery is beautiful.  You will see a wide array of typical Jamaican homes as well as million dollar villas to small boutique hotels to large luxury resorts.  In Jamaica they drive on the left side of the road, not the “wrong” side of the road as we say here in the states and watch out for of the many goats grazing along the road sides.

Negril is nick named the “capital of casual” due to the laid back lifestyle of its residents.  In Negril no building can be taller than the tallest palm tree and another note on Jamaica it has the most churches per square mile of any other Caribbean Island.  There are two areas in Negril, seven mile beach and the West End Cliffs which is on Bloody Bay.  In the seven mile beach area you can literally walk the whole stretch of seven miles of beach.  Along the way there are many restaurants, shops, hotels and resorts.  When you get thirsty stop in and have a Red Stripe Jamaican beer.  When visiting the West End Cliffs, be sure to stop in at Rick’s Café a great bar and restaurant along the cliffs.  At Rick’s you can watch cliff divers or take a leap into ocean yourself.  The highest platform is at 35 feet but only the very experienced attempt this dive.

In Negril there are many hotels, small and large to choose from, that fit any type of vacation to any budget.  I visited many resorts while I was there and in the next blogs I will give you some reviews of my favorites.  If you are thinking of a trip to Negril, Jamaica, call or email me and I can help you plan your Jamaican escape.

Darby Wojick

Darby’s Destinations

darby@darbysdestinations.com

www.darbysdestinations.com