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The Collette April Sale has been extended to April 27. This is your opportunity to save 10% on North America tours and up to 20% on other world-wide tours. Please give us a call today at 804-557-3006.
Today is the day! Call us at 804-557-3006 for the best offers for 2021 summer travel. The world is on sale this weekend. River cruises, tours, resorts, ocean cruises, your pick. See our website for exciting opportunities to overcome your cabin fever. Its time to plan now for the summer. https://www.gobucketlisttravel.com/special-deals
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
This morning, Rocky Mountaineer announced a new route in the United States for travel in 2021.
The “Rockies to the Red Rocks” route will be a two-day train journey between Denver, Colorado, and Moab, Utah, [ or reverse ] with an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, a resort city in Colorado [ elevation 5,761’ ] known for its hot springs.
The two-day rail journeys, including a one-night hotel accommodation in Glenwood Springs, will start from $1,250 USD plus tax per person.
For a limited time, we can reserve your 2021 departure with a refundable deposit of $25 USD.
Please call us at 804-557-3006 or email at info@gobucketlisttravel.com
You will journey through two days of extraordinary landscapes. Vast canyons, inspiring deserts, natural archways and enchanting hoodoos are just a start, a rail route is filled with highlights best seen by train, including Ruby Canyon, Mount Logan and crossing the Continental Divide.
For the 2021 preview season, Rocky Mountaineer will offer 40 departures across 10 weeks from August 15 to October 23, 2021, before launching a full five-month season schedule for 2022 and beyond. Guests will travel in SilverLeaf Service coaches and enjoy the complete Rocky Mountaineer experience, including onboard storytelling, premium cuisine, compelling scenery, and social atmosphere in a custom-designed glass-dome coach.
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
Wine makers speak with passion about their creations and we especially appreciate the opportunity to share in their enthusiasm. Our special thanks to our gracious hosts, Signore Antonio Deltetto and his lovely daughter Claudia , for their time and insights as we spent over three hours with them yesterday at the beautiful Deltetto family winery in Canale, Italy. Antonio happily explained the challenges and joys of the family wine business, now in its 60th year, and how the soils and hills of neighboring Piemonte Roero and Langhe regions lend themselves to different styles of wines based on the local Nebbiola and Barbera grapes as well as Arneis, Moscato, Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and other varietals.
Over 50% of the Deltetto label of elegant whites, fruity Pinots, noble reds and delightful brut and rose spumanti sparkling wines are exported to northern Europe and Scandinavia, Japan, Canada and the USA.
Antonio is especially proud of his Spumanti line which he started in 2000 and produces in the “Classic Method” of in bottle fermentation. We sampled Spumanti Brut Rose vintages going back to 2005 and were fascinated by the subtle differences. The 2007 was especially wonderful.
Overall, we lost count at how many bottles of the Deltetto line of fine wines we sampled through the morning. Antonio took us back to school for a morning well spent at the foot of a wine master about the great wines of Piemonte. We left with a notebook full of thoughts and look forward to our future shipment of Deltetto whites, reds and sparking wines.
A Passion for Hazelnuts
We are in the Piedmont region of NW Italy, close to the town of Alba, famous for its white truffles and home to Nutella, the hazelnut dynamo that has taken the world by storm.
Throughout this region countless hazelnut trees fill the valley floors and entrepreneurs such as Stefano and Isabella Barroero in the hamlet of Cortemilia have turned the nut into a thriving family business producing nearly 20 types of coated hazelnuts, creams, confectionery products, baked goods and more on their farm Cascina Barroero.
Stefano graciously spent a few hours with us this morning explaining the hazelnut business from grove management, harvesting, shelling, sorting, roasting and how the little nut gems are transformed into taste tempting products that he and his family ship worldwide, including to the United States. Isabella, meanwhile, was busy in the production kitchen and we learned the manic business of cookie production….and a little taste testing along the way.
Thank you Stefano and Isabella!
Ireland may get all the press about being green, but in Tuscany this spring the fields are green seas of winter wheat swaying in the wind. The harvesting has begun at some farms but today we saw acres and acres of wheat destined to become Italy’s famed pasta and breads.
With Spring coming to Italy the festival season is underway. This weekend lovers of artichokes will be flocking to the town of Ladispoli on the Mediterranean coast north of Rome for a weekend of culinary fun highlighting artichokes, remarkable artichoke art works and music.
Thinking of a quick getaway to Italy? We are seeing roundtrip air economy prices from JFK to Milan, Italy in May running in the $500 to $600 range. Give us a call at 804-557-3006 for details. From Milan the high-speed trains run to all corners of Italy, but be sure to stay in town for a day to see “The Last Supper.”
Harvest time brings out festivals around the world from apple picking here in Virginia to olive pressing in Italy. The annual Alba Truffle Fair, held each October to early November in the village of Alba in northwestern Italy, is ground zero for celebrating some of the world’s finest “tartufi bianchi,” or white truffles, considered by many as one of the world’s richest flavors. Even if you didn’t get an invitation to the auctions where fanatics will bid up white truffles into the tens of thousands of euros, you can join the happy crowds and browse the weekend town markets for truffle oils, cheeses, and more or settle into a local café for menus celebrating mushrooms in more ways than you thought possible. Naturally, no Italian celebration is complete without medieval costumes, parades and contrada – neighborhood – contests. In Alba they race donkeys in the annual competition for neighborhood bragging rights.
Please check out our website for a comprehensive list of Italian festivals.
This weekend, following a costumed procession through town, teams from the eight neighborhoods [contradas] of the Italian hill town of Montepulciano will compete for glory in the “Bravio della Botti” - a race rolling wine barrels over a mile up the main street of the town to the Piazza Grande.
At Piazza Grande, be sure to visit the Contucci Winery Cellars, famous for over 300 years for producing Montepulciano’s prized “Vino Nobile.” The cellars were built in the 13th century!
Tonight is a Magical Night In Pisa…..This is the best week of the year to be in Pisa, Italy. Tonight Pisa will celebrate the “Luminara di San Ranieri.”
Each year on June 16th buildings, bridges, towers and churches along the entire Pisan riverfront are illuminated by small glass-enclosed candles - some say over 120,000! The reflection off the water is magical. This tremendous effort dates back to 1688 as the citizens of Pisa come together to celebrate their patron saint.
Around 10 PM the city will erupt in a wonderful fireworks display…...Tomorrow crowds will line the river to cheer their district teams on for the 2 km boat race down the Arno River with a pole climb at the end to crown the winning neighborhood rowers.
Meet The Copper Master of Montepulciano
When we design your trip to Italy, we outfit you with ideas and plans that will give you the best opportunity to experience Italian life at your own pace and to gain understanding through the eyes of real Italians and artisans.
Thursday is market day in the Umbrian hill-top town of Montepulciano. As you walk up Via del Poliziano from the parking lot outside of the town walls, on right will be Via dell’Opio nel Corso. As you pass shops and markets you’ll see at #64 the Bottega del Rame with its horde of wonderful handcrafted artful copper works and premium culinary products that are cherished by master chefs around the world.
Further up the hill at Via del Teatro 4 you’ll find the workshop of the coppermaster himself, Cesare Mazzetti, a third-generation coppersmith. Drop in on Signore Mazzetti and you’ll be treated to a personal tour of his workshop and museum that will leave you overwhelmed with his passion for and love of the ancient art of copper.
Lucca, located in Tuscany northeast of Pisa, still maintains its charming medieval character with its 16th century enclosing city walls and a traffic-free interior. This fascinating and beautiful city will thrill you with its stunning sights, music, shopping and architecture - with some buildings dating back to the 6th and 8th centuries. There are plenty of places to eat and drink and some beautiful apartments and hotels to stay in. Lucca is small enough to easily get around. You’ll enjoy roaming its maze of narrow streets. These cobbled streets are traffic free but full of people on bicycles. The city walls are over two and a half miles around and wide enough at the top for bicycles and a picnic.
Lucca’s population of 84,000 is actually more than that of central Venice.
Each July Lucca comes alive with the Lucca Music Festival. This year the month-long celebration will host Elton John, Los Lobos, Bob Dylan, Lauryn Hill, Billy Idol, Snoop Dogg and more.
If your music tastes are more into opera and the classics, head to Church of San Giovanni for the Puccini International Permanent Festival. From March 31st to October 31st you’ll find evening concerts there nightly at 7pm. Each evening concert features a different cast of international singers and musicians.
Lucca is an easy day trip from Florence. The 1 hour, 19 minute train ride will cost you about $10 each way.
When we inspect hotels in Italy we make a point of checking out the roof-top patio and the view. Some can be austere but the best are garden settings with a handy bar nearby and maybe even a pool. There is something calming about knowing that there is a well appointed roof-top hideaway where you can take a break from sightseeing, grab a cool drink and enjoy the panorama.
Celebrating Easter Sunday today, the citizens of Florence, Italy and thousands of visitors turned out for the annual Scoppio del Carro “explosion of the cart” fireworks. An elaborate cart which stood almost three stories high was drawn through the city by a team of white oxen to the Duomo, the main cathedral. At the conclusion of High Mass a dove-shaped rocket slid down a cable from the altar at 11AM to the cart in the Duomo Square and set off the fireworks. A medieval costumed parade followed in the afternoon. Need an excuse to visit Italy? CLICK HERE to see our annual list of over 150 festivals and celebrations throughout the country. Experience Europe the Go Bucket List Travel way. Let us help you join the party!
Think a vacation or honeymoon in Italy is all about visiting art museums or churches? How about combining a vintage Fiat 500 road rally tour with a Tuscany wine experience! You’ll travel from Florence in a convoy of fun-loving fellow explorers as you drive a classic FIAT 500 right out of the 1960s. Just follow your expert guide into the picture-perfect hills of Tuscany for an afternoon adventure - he’ll stay in touch with you by radio so you won’t get lost. After arriving at a 15th-century villa and wine estate, you’ll participate in one of two wine tours: either a wine-tasting session and vineyard tour, or a winemaking experience where you’ll meet the head winemaker and stomp on the grapes! The entire afternoon of rally driving and wine experience lasts over five hours. pic courtesy of Our Friends at Viatour.
Fish for Dinner. We are spending the day in the seaside fishing port of Fiumicino, Italy. The fishing fleet comes in around 2pm up the Tiber River and the action starts as local chefs, fish mongers and the curious come down to inspect and buy the fresh catch of prawns, fish, squid and mussels. An hour later the fish mongers are auctioning the catch to other resellers.
Enjoying traditional festivals is always a wonderful excuse to visit Italy.
Each June 16 and 17, Pisa transforms itself into a fairytale kingdom as it celebrates the feast day of Saint Ranieri, Pisa’s patron saint with the Luminara di S. Ranieri, an event that dates back to 1688 and the Palio di San Ranieri which has its origins hundreds of years earlier. On June 16, the eve of the saint’s feast day, the Pisa paints itself with over 70,000 “lumini” [small glass votive lamps burning oil or wax] on the windows, balconies palaces, the parapets along the river Arno and the bridges while many other candles are set free to float on the River Arno. The evening concludes with a massive fireworks display.
The following day four boats representing the four Pisa districts compete in a rowing competition down the River Arno. The winning team isn’t selected until a rower climbs the 25 foot flag pole at the end of the course and captures the flag.
Traveling within Italy by train is easy, convenient and an exceptional value when compared with intercity air or driving but train travel can also seem very confusing. Depend on Go Bucket List Travel’s advice and services to arrange your Italy and European rail passes or individual city-to-city tickets and explain your options on which rail pass to buy, the better flexi-travel programs, the different train types, choosing 1st or 2nd class seating, making reservations, using special high-speed trains or night trains and so on.
Next to wheels on luggage, the “skip-the-line” tour maybe the most important breakthrough in Italian vacation travel. Our broad offering of wonderful day and half-day tours for Rome and Florence and elsewhere across Italy gain you special access to the most popular cultural, religious and historical sites and reserve seating for the weekly Papal Audience. Professional English-speaking guides will offer an expert’s perspective of Rome’s archaeological sites such as the Colosseum and the Forum, important religious sites including St. Peter’s Basilica and Sistine Chapel and the most important art collections in Italy such as the Vatican Museum, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Why waste your vacation waiting in long lines? Go Bucket List Travel will be delighted to design your sightseeing schedule to maximize your pleasure and satisfaction.
It is said that Italy is home to over 500 monasteries with 45 of the Benedictine Order alone. Many can be seen on Italian hill tops and we suggest that you add a monastery visit to your Italian holiday plans. Most are open to the public during certain hours and some even have lodging facilities that can be booked in advance.
Foremost among many is the Archabbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore in eastern Tuscany.
Founded in 1313 as the home to the Benedictine Congregation of Saint Mary of Monte Oliveto, the Abbey seems to appear suddenly out of the forest as you wind your way up the mountain. Let someone else do the driving as you’ll be enthralled with commanding views of the valley below. Crossing the 14th century drawbridge you quickly sense that you have left contemporary life behind.
We recommend that you give yourself at least two hours to tour the facilities and take time for Holy Mass. Holy Mass with moving vespers and Gregorian chant is celebrated daily at 6:15 PM and 11:00 AM on Sundays. The Abbey is open to the public from 9:15 AM-Noon and 3:15-5:00 PM.
Along with the Church, don’t miss its Cloister and Library, all open to the public during certain hours. The monks are winemakers so it’s not surprising that there is a wine cellar accessed behind the main building.
The church was renovated in Baroque style in 1772 and its 14th century wooden inlaid choir is renown.
The Great Cloister, the heart of the abbey, was constructed between 1426 and 1443 and is world famous for its frescoes of the Life of St. Benedict painted by Signorelli and il Sodoma and considered among the most important Renaissance artworks in Italy.
The stairs behind the Great Closter rise to the Library which houses some 40,000 volumes, including priceless rare hand crafted and early 13th century printed works.
Arriving at the Campo dei Miracoli - Field of Miracles – in Pisa, next to the Cathedral, one is struck by the sight of so many people engaged in what seems to be Tai Chi exercises. What they are really doing is posing for someone in the distance who is taking a photo of them holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa!
Tuscan and Umbrian villages and cities come alive in the late spring and early summer celebrating religious, historic and just for fun festivals. Off the beaten tourist track, little Spello on the SS75 route between Assisi and Foligno in Umbria will display its religious devotion on the ninth Sunday after Easter [June 21 and 22, 2014] by carpeting itself in street art made entirely of flower petals. The Infiorate di Spello is an annual competitive team event. Imagine the beauty and artistic skill required to produce such fragile, transient masterpieces!
It may go without saying, but Italians are passionate about their coffee. Twenty-three year old Giacomo Vannelli, Italy’s 2014 Champion Baristi Caffetteria, will represent Italy at the World Barista Championship to be contested in Rimini, Italy in June. In March we enjoyed afternoon coffee and delicious pastries at the Vanelli family coffee/pastry shop in Camucia di Cortona, in the province of Arezzo. Good luck, Giacomo!
Sampling small delectable bites at the local cicchetteria is a Venice, Italy tradition. Similar to Spanish tapas bars, the local Venetian “cicchetteria” is a small local restaurant-bar offering food and local wine. Much like a pub-crawl, we visited several one evening for a fun-filled way to meet locals and fellow travelers and an inexpensive way to sample Venetian cuisine.
Today we celebrate the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ reign. When in Rome be a part of the Wednesday Papal Audience. We have programs that include tickets, an expert English-speaking guide, seating and audio headsets for this moving experience. Call us today for details.
In Italy wine tasting can seem to be more like a meal then the “here’s a few tiny glasses, drink up and leave” experiences we often have back home. Be patient and enjoy!
Italian agriturismo (farmhouse) – working farm holidays, farm guest houses, B&B’s, farm restaurants and wine and olive farms draw thousands of visitors each year. Nestled in view of the beautiful Renaissance town of Pienza and overlooking the farmlands and estates in the Tuscan Val d’Orcia we found the Podere Il Casale cheesery and farm restaurant. Sandre and Ulisse, the owners of this 170 acre farm, have established a reputation for crafting wonderful goat and Pecorino cheeses and their private olive oils and wines. Following our meal featuring delectable products from their sustainable farm – such as chestnut pasta over lentils and kale and various cheeses, of course, Sandre escorted us through the farm full of baby goats, peacocks in full plumage, donkeys, chickens, sheep and pigs. In the cheesery she gave us a thorough understanding on the processes they use and what it takes to be a recognized sustainable farm in Italy.
We have met up with four close friends and seasoned Italy fans. Our host, Niek, from Holland, owns a lovely, spacious villa near Perugia that we are delighted to offer to our travel guests. (see our Italy itineraries). Our goal is to develop an itinerary for guests who would wish to rent Niek’s beautiful villa. Yesterday we toured the cellars of the Lungarotti fine winemakers. Last night was cooking lesson night as Letitia and Lydiana of the Agriturismo Malvarina near Assisi put us through our paces. We learned how to prepare authentic Umbrian farmhouse dishes including stuffed rabbit, gnocchi, fried artichokes, fresh pasta made with spinach, fried dough with mushrooms, dough-wrapped spiced pears and more. Following two hours of cuisine prep we enjoyed our farmhouse meal by the warm glow of the fireplace….a perfect evening.
Over the past five days we visited 27 hotels in Venice and Rome. While we had studied their websites and customer comments ahead of time, the collection was like that proverbial box of chocolates…each a surprise in some respect. We saw spartan monastic…luxurious retreat…functional elegance…modern reserved…neighborhood casual bed and breakfast….and the occasional bordello look-alike. While different in ambiance, age, size, location and price points, they all shared a common trait…all were highly recommended by our suppliers. The reality is while their styles may not appeal to everyone, there are customers out their who enjoyed each hotel. We came away as always with a strong appreciation for those in the hospitality trade who go out of their way to make each guest feel welcomed. Not all rated hotels are the same. Matching clients to properties is still very much an art form. We went to school this week so we may be of better service to you for when you plan your Italian adventure.
From an indoor pool to several rooftop terraces with panoramic views of the Eternal City, we were delighted by several surprises during our visit to seven four-star hotels here in Rome today. The management teams were gracious with their time and hospitality. The hotels ranged in size from 38 to 111 rooms. All offered the typical collection of standard or “classic” rooms to deluxe, superior and suites. Some hotels were richly appointed and there were those with clean simple styles. From standard up to superior rooms were defined by their size and benefits such as balconies or city views. Several hotels offered adjoining rooms to accommodate extended families. Others had rooms large enough for three beds for parents and children. Most of the hotels were already heavily booked through the high season into June and then again in September and October. The bottom line was to book early but also to have a clear vision of the sort of room that most appealed to you so you are thrilled with the selection.
We continued our hotel inspection tour heading on to Rome via an ultramodern Trenitalia Frecciargento train from Venice to Rome. This seven car train offered four levels of service and made six stops enroute, reaching speeds of over 155 mph as we cruised south through Tuscany. The trip took all of four hours. Our two coach seats cost 160 euros, about $225.
Of course Venice is known for its canals but we found Venice to be a city of church bells and glass. The morning begins with competing church bells as the faithful are called to mass and churches celebrate the end of the services. On every street there are stores and galleries displaying local Murano glass, from the cheap souvenirs to elegant works of art. We have been amazed by the many beautiful glass designs. Each of the thirteen hotels we visited boasted lovely Murano glass chandeliers or light fixtures. Tomorrow we are off to Rome for our next round of hotel inspections.
We are in Venice for a few days to inspect hotels. The weather is sunny and cool…. perfect for a lite jacket. The city is not yet overrun with tourists. Venice is a compact city… easy for walking..we recorded over 23500 steps!…. but the Vaparetto (water busses) are convenient for getting around. Our host, the Hotel La Commedia, perfectly located near the famous Rialto Bridge, offers modern appointed rooms and an attentive and caring staff.
If you are traveling with friends, sharing the rental fees for a villa or urban apartment in Europe will save you money over traditional hotels. Go Bucket List Travel has access to many wonderful properties. Most rent by the week and sleep four to six but some are large enough to sleep up to 10. We can also arrange for a variety of extras including a cook, daily tours, cooking lessons and other cultural immersion activities.
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
With St Patrick’s Day coming up, can we tempt you with a bucket list trip to Ireland this summer? This time of year we are awash in offers for escorted and self-guided tours of every shape and size. From busy Dublin west to the wild Irish Atlantic coast, you’ll be thrilled by the history and physical beauty of this island nation and the personal charm of its people. We can arrange tours from the lavish to the backpack, tours with many or a few as well as independent itineraries to get you to where you want to go. Want to see Northern Ireland and Scotland as well? We can make that happen. Leave all the details to us. Give Go Bucket List Travel a call today at 804-557-3006 or toll-free at 855-GOBUCKET [462-8253]
How to Experience Ireland on Your Own
Here are a few ways we can help you experience Ireland on your own:
1. B&B Vouchers. We can pre-pay you at over 900 3 and 4-star B&Bs. Your daily itinerary is unstructured and you just call ahead to book your next night’s room.
2. Pre-planned itineraries. Need a little structure? We can design your itinerary and pre-arrange your B&B stay as well as day tours and admissions.
3. Not sure about driving? We can arrange a professional driver for your and your group to take you on structured daily itineraries.
4. Always felt you were manor born? We have deals for itineraries that bed you each evening in elegant Irish manor homes or castles.
Please give Go Bucket List Travel a call at 804-557-3006 for more Ireland travel information and ideas and your 2016 early booking deals.
Next to wheels on luggage, the “skip-the-line” tour maybe the most important breakthrough in Italian vacation travel. Our broad offering of wonderful day and half-day tours for Rome and Florence and elsewhere across Italy gain you special access to the most popular cultural, religious and historical sites and reserve seating for the weekly Papal Audience. Professional English-speaking guides will offer an expert’s perspective of Rome’s archaeological sites such as the Colosseum and the Forum, important religious sites including St. Peter’s Basilica and Sistine Chapel and the most important art collections in Italy such as the Vatican Museum, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Why waste your vacation waiting in long lines? Go Bucket List Travel will be delighted to design your sightseeing schedule to maximize your pleasure and satisfaction.
If you are traveling with friends, sharing the rental fees for a villa or urban apartment in Europe will save you money over traditional hotels. Go Bucket List Travel has access to many wonderful properties. Most rent by the week and sleep four to six but some are large enough to sleep up to 10. We can also arrange for a variety of extras including a cook, daily tours, cooking lessons and other cultural immersion activities.
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
Next to wheels on luggage, the “skip-the-line” tour maybe the most important breakthrough in Italian vacation travel. Our broad offering of wonderful day and half-day tours for Rome and Florence and elsewhere across Italy gain you special access to the most popular cultural, religious and historical sites and reserve seating for the weekly Papal Audience. Professional English-speaking guides will offer an expert’s perspective of Rome’s archaeological sites such as the Colosseum and the Forum, important religious sites including St. Peter’s Basilica and Sistine Chapel and the most important art collections in Italy such as the Vatican Museum, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Why waste your vacation waiting in long lines? Go Bucket List Travel will be delighted to design your sightseeing schedule to maximize your pleasure and satisfaction.
If you are traveling with friends, sharing the rental fees for a villa or urban apartment in Europe will save you money over traditional hotels. Go Bucket List Travel has access to many wonderful properties. Most rent by the week and sleep four to six but some are large enough to sleep up to 10. We can also arrange for a variety of extras including a cook, daily tours, cooking lessons and other cultural immersion activities.
Calling all AmaWaterways’ Fans…..Ama is expanding in France.
AmaWaterways is repositioning two ships to France: the 443-foot AmaKristina to the Rhone River and the smaller AmaDante to sail the Seine.
AmaKristina will take on the “Colors of Provence” itinerary between Lyon and Avignon allowing the AmaCello to sail an expanded “Essence of Burgundy & Provence” itinerary into the Burgundy region on the Saone River between Chalon-sur-Saone and Arles. This cruise will include a French cooking lesson at a culinary school in Valence.
On the Siene, AmaDante will share duties with AmaLyra between Paris and Le Harve on the “Impressions of Paris & the Seine.”.
Please call us for 2021/22 sailing dates and prices. Go Bucket List Travel is your AmaWaterways expert. 804-557-3006.
pic courtesy of AmaWaterways
#iamabucketeer
We did dread coming home from Italy through Paris, having missed a flight connection in Paris once before due to long security delays, but our recent experience in transferring from the CDG Domestic Terminal 2E to the M Gates at International Terminal 2F went extremely well. The internal bus system kept us from having to make a long walk and we stayed within the security perimeter making it unnecessary to clear security review once again. On arrival at the International Terminal we were greeted by a friendly host and whisked into the Duty Free shops were we found ourselves happily sampling free champagne, foie gras and cheese.
Next to wheels on luggage, the “skip-the-line” tour maybe the most important breakthrough in Italian vacation travel. Our broad offering of wonderful day and half-day tours for Rome and Florence and elsewhere across Italy gain you special access to the most popular cultural, religious and historical sites and reserve seating for the weekly Papal Audience. Professional English-speaking guides will offer an expert’s perspective of Rome’s archaeological sites such as the Colosseum and the Forum, important religious sites including St. Peter’s Basilica and Sistine Chapel and the most important art collections in Italy such as the Vatican Museum, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Why waste your vacation waiting in long lines? Go Bucket List Travel will be delighted to design your sightseeing schedule to maximize your pleasure and satisfaction.
If you are traveling with friends, sharing the rental fees for a villa or urban apartment in Europe will save you money over traditional hotels. Go Bucket List Travel has access to many wonderful properties. Most rent by the week and sleep four to six but some are large enough to sleep up to 10. We can also arrange for a variety of extras including a cook, daily tours, cooking lessons and other cultural immersion activities.
We are delighted to announce our 2022 hosted Christmas Market Cruise on the Avalon Waterways ship Impression. Call us at 804-557-3006. This six-night cruise holiday will start in Nuremberg on November 28, 2022 and sail to Vienna. CLICK HERE to see our web site for details. As a special treat for our Bucketeers, you will receive an upgrade to a panoramic suite when you pay for a window stateroom, a savings of up to $1,100 per person. Optional pre-cruise custom packages for Munich and Prague also available. #iamabucketeer
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
Did you know that in Amsterdam the riverboats moor right next to the city’s major railroad terminal? This makes extending your Rhine or Lowlands tulip season river cruise a snap with easy rail access to cities of France, Belgium,Germany and even Great Britain.
Amsterdam, like much of Holland, owes its life to smart water management. Distant dikes hold back the tidal North Sea and a system of canals become major freeways in and through for excursion boats giving tourists a wonderful view of the city.
Next to wheels on luggage, the “skip-the-line” tour maybe the most important breakthrough in Italian vacation travel. Our broad offering of wonderful day and half-day tours for Rome and Florence and elsewhere across Italy gain you special access to the most popular cultural, religious and historical sites and reserve seating for the weekly Papal Audience. Professional English-speaking guides will offer an expert’s perspective of Rome’s archaeological sites such as the Colosseum and the Forum, important religious sites including St. Peter’s Basilica and Sistine Chapel and the most important art collections in Italy such as the Vatican Museum, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Why waste your vacation waiting in long lines? Go Bucket List Travel will be delighted to design your sightseeing schedule to maximize your pleasure and satisfaction.
If you are traveling with friends, sharing the rental fees for a villa or urban apartment in Europe will save you money over traditional hotels. Go Bucket List Travel has access to many wonderful properties. Most rent by the week and sleep four to six but some are large enough to sleep up to 10. We can also arrange for a variety of extras including a cook, daily tours, cooking lessons and other cultural immersion activities.
The Royal Caribbean brands of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines have extended the Cruise with Confidence Program until April 2021. This program allows cruisers to cancel their reservation for any reason up to 48 prior to sailing for a future cruise credit and price protection on a similar cruise up until May 30, 2023. Please call us at 804-557-3006 for details.
Later this month Sandals South Coast in Jamaica will debut the world’s first Swim-Up Rondoval Suites, positioned on a 17,040-square-foot pool oasis. Also, the resort will offer a “reimagined” 112-room Dutch Village with direct access to two new swim-up pools plus a modern wedding garden venue in the Italian Village.
Sandals first introduced the popular Rondoval design at Sandals Grande Antigua, followed by Sandals Grande St. Lucian, Sandals Grenada and Sandals Royal Barbados.
The 20 Swim-Up Rondoval Suites at Sandals South Coast each measure 22 feet in diameter with 20-foot conical ceilings. Indoors, they’ll have custom furnishings and suite bathrooms will include a suspended stone vanity with a Hollywood lit mirror.
Bringing guests closer to the water, these swim-up suites also will offer private plunge pools, ornamented with Italian glass-clad fountains and Indonesian limestone, plus guests can access the resort’s zero-entry, 17,040-square-foot pool, touted as the longest in the Western Hemisphere.
The new Swim-Up Rondoval Suites and renovated Dutch Village suites are now accepting reservations for arrivals beginning December 10, 2020.
Please call us at 804-557-3006 for reservations an information on the Jamaica COVID clearance process.
#iamabucketeer
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
Our friends at Royal Caribbean, our first choice for family cruising, alerted us today that we may now book reservations for RCCL 2022 Caribbean and Alaska summer cruises. Make plans now for a spectacular family vacation. Please give us a call at 804-557-3006 or send us an email at info@gobucketlisttravel.com
Congratulations to the Government of Jamaica for developing a reasonably priced island-wide visitor medical travel insurance program. Effective the end of November, visitors to Jamaica will be automatically enrolled in the Jamaica Cares Program at a cost of approximately $40 per person. This Government of Jamaica insurance program will cover the visitor for case management, transportation, patient care, with COVID-19 related coverage including testing for symptomatic travelers, quarantine and evacuations if necessary. The insurance covers medical emergencies up to $50,000 while on the island and $100,000 while traveling.
Traveling to Jamaica requires the completion of a Travel Authorization Form filled out five days before arriving on the island. [ see https://travelauth.visitjamaica.com/ for the form ]. Pre COVID testing is mandatory with samples taken no more than 10 days prior to arrival in Jamaica. For current information on what types of tests are accepted, please see the official Visit Jamaica website at [ https://www.visitjamaica.com/travelauthorization/test-req/ ] picture courtesy of Sandals
While the Bahamas Government did open the island nation to visitors at the beginning of July, the door is now closed again for the USA. Visitors are still welcomed from the EU and UK. More news to follow
Top Caribbean Family Hotels and Resorts for Mom - With Mother’s Day around the corner we are getting calls for special Mother’s Day gifts of family vacations in the Caribbean. Families are looking for children’s water and play areas, beautiful and relaxing locations, professional staffs, activities for teens – especially water sports, great food for any finicky appetite and fantastic facilities – including a spa for Mom. - Where would you like to go? Need a few ideas?
Here are this year’s Travelers Choice Award winners in the Caribbean Family Resort Category….but please share your best picks with us as well!
1. Beaches Negril Resort & Spa, Jamaica
2. Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Villages and Spa, Turks & Caicos
3. The Reserve at Paradisus Palma Real, Dominican Republic
4. The Reserve at Paradisus Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
5. Beaches Ocho Rios Resort & Golf Club, Jamaica
6. Playa Linda Beach Resort, Aruba
7. Memories Splash Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
8. Jewel Runaway Bay Beach & Golf Resort, Jamaica
9. Iberostar Rosa Hall Suites, Jamaica
10. Coconut Bay Beach Resort and Spa, St Lucia
11. Round Hill Hotel & Villas, Jamaica
12. Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa, Jamaica
13. Club Med Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
14. Caribbean Club, Grand Cayman
15. Las Casitas Village, Puerto Rico
16. Turtle Bay by Elegant Hotels, Barbados
17. The Tuscany, Turks & Caicos
18. Club Med La Caravelle, Guadeloupe
19. The Venetian on Grace Bay, Turks & Caicos
20. Sunset Beach Resort, Spa and Water Park, Jamaica
21. The Reef Atlantis, Bahamas
22. Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club, Aruba
23. Grand Isle Resort & Spa, Bahamas
24. Villa del Mar, Turks & Caicos
25. Comfort Suites, Bahamas
If you are traveling with friends, sharing the rental fees for a villa or urban apartment in Europe will save you money over traditional hotels. Go Bucket List Travel has access to many wonderful properties. Most rent by the week and sleep four to six but some are large enough to sleep up to 10. We can also arrange for a variety of extras including a cook, daily tours, cooking lessons and other cultural immersion activities.
Sad news from the Canadian Government. The Canadian port restriction has been extended through February 2022, ruining hopes for a busy Alaska cruise summer season and fall Canadian Maritimes cruises. Our Bucketeer hosted Alaska Inside Passage - Hubbard Glacier cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse, scheduled for June 27, 2021, has been rescheduled for August 7, 2022. Please call us at 804-557-3006 for details.
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
The Royal Caribbean brands of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines have extended the Cruise with Confidence Program until April 2021. This program allows cruisers to cancel their reservation for any reason up to 48 prior to sailing for a future cruise credit and price protection on a similar cruise up until May 30, 2023. Please call us at 804-557-3006 for details.
The Moongate is a national symbol here on Bermuda. Many homes are graced by this unique stone entrance. However, the Moongate is not a Bermuda invention. A sea captain returning from Asia brought the design to the island in 1860. Today, the Bermuda Moongate is a symbol of prosperity and good luck, especially for newlyweds who pass through.
The Royal Caribbean brands of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines have extended the Cruise with Confidence Program until April 2021. This program allows cruisers to cancel their reservation for any reason up to 48 prior to sailing for a future cruise credit and price protection on a similar cruise up until May 30, 2023. Please call us at 804-557-3006 for details.
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
Outside of Matamata, New Zealand on the North Island is The Shire, home of the Hobbiton movie set made for the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies. Over 42 hobbit holes are in the shire, part of a 1250 acre sheep farm owned by the Alexander family. Bag End, the largest hole and home to the Baggins family, has a commanding view of the Shire.
Running from $40K to over $100K are Australia’s famous “Beach Boxes.” Many popular beaches feature these brightly colored private refuges. Some can be over 100 years old!
During the Australian summer the penguin colony on Phillips Island is home to nesting boxes and hungry chicks, sometimes two to a box. Located 90 miles east of Melbourne, the Island is a must see attraction. Each evening a thousand penguins come ashore after gathering fish in the rich offshore waters and feed their chicks. The penguin parade of returning adults can be seen from viewing positions with the penguins only feet away from the spectators. Photos are not permitted of the parade but earlier in the day we did see these chicks awaiting their meal ticket.
Sad news from the Canadian Government. The Canadian port restriction has been extended through February 2022, ruining hopes for a busy Alaska cruise summer season and fall Canadian Maritimes cruises. Our Bucketeer hosted Alaska Inside Passage - Hubbard Glacier cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse, scheduled for June 27, 2021, has been rescheduled for August 7, 2022. Please call us at 804-557-3006 for details.
The Royal Caribbean brands of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines have extended the Cruise with Confidence Program until April 2021. This program allows cruisers to cancel their reservation for any reason up to 48 prior to sailing for a future cruise credit and price protection on a similar cruise up until May 30, 2023. Please call us at 804-557-3006 for details.
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
Our friends at Royal Caribbean, our first choice for family cruising, alerted us today that we may now book reservations for RCCL 2022 Caribbean and Alaska summer cruises. Make plans now for a spectacular family vacation. Please give us a call at 804-557-3006 or send us an email at info@gobucketlisttravel.com
#iamabucketeer
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
#iamabucketeer
Today is the day! Call us at 804-557-3006 for the best offers for 2021 summer travel. The world is on sale this weekend. River cruises, tours, resorts, ocean cruises, your pick. See our website for exciting opportunities to overcome your cabin fever. Its time to plan now for the summer. https://www.gobucketlisttravel.com/special-deals
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
Do you know that the blocks making up the great Pyramids of Giza average 2.5 tons each! Go see for yourself. We’ll match you up with a fantastic tour of amazing Egypt, just right for your interests, lifestyle, schedule and budget. #iamabucketeer
We are delighted to offer you 2022 and 2023 sailing dates on the new Viking Cruises Expedition ships to the Arctic, Antarctic, Great Lakes & Canada and to the Galapagos Islands & Machu Picchu. Please see our Specials Page for an exciting offer!
During the Australian summer the penguin colony on Phillips Island is home to nesting boxes and hungry chicks, sometimes two to a box. Located 90 miles east of Melbourne, the Island is a must see attraction. Each evening a thousand penguins come ashore after gathering fish in the rich offshore waters and feed their chicks. The penguin parade of returning adults can be seen from viewing positions with the penguins only feet away from the spectators. Photos are not permitted of the parade but earlier in the day we did see these chicks awaiting their meal ticket.
Several luxury ocean cruise lines have annual world tour itineraries, but this is a first for a river cruise line…. AmaWaterways will host a 2023 “Seven River Journey Through Europe” 46-night cruise. Imagine sailing through 14 countries, truly a remarkable experience. Please call us for details at 804-557-3006
We are delighted to announce our 2022 hosted Christmas Market Cruise on the Avalon Waterways ship Impression. Call us at 804-557-3006. This six-night cruise holiday will start in Nuremberg on November 28, 2022 and sail to Vienna. CLICK HERE to see our web site for details. As a special treat for our Bucketeers, you will receive an upgrade to a panoramic suite when you pay for a window stateroom, a savings of up to $1,100 per person. Optional pre-cruise custom packages for Munich and Prague also available. #iamabucketeer
One of our excellent river cruise suppliers is offering a generous, limited time offer. When you organize a group of five paying guests on a 2021 or 2022 European river cruise, you will receive a rebate the value on one person’s cruise fare based on the lowest cabin category booked. The industry standard group offer is 1 free space for every ten paying guests that travel so surely you can agree this current 1 in 5 offer is pretty unmissable!
The offer is valid on any 8 and 15 day cruises departing in 2021 or 2022.
Please call us at 804-557-3006 for more information and to arranged your group outing. This offer is good through January 31, 2021.
Click Here for more information on our Groups Program.
Now through January 15, 2021, AmaWaterways is offering special four and five day cruise extensions on select 2021 Rhine, Bordeaux and lower Danube river cruises. This is an exceptional deal. Some cruises may also be combined with free or lower air offers. CLICK HERE for details and call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
Today is the day! Call us at 804-557-3006 for the best offers for 2021 summer travel. The world is on sale this weekend. River cruises, tours, resorts, ocean cruises, your pick. See our website for exciting opportunities to overcome your cabin fever. Its time to plan now for the summer. https://www.gobucketlisttravel.com/special-deals
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
Do you know that the blocks making up the great Pyramids of Giza average 2.5 tons each! Go see for yourself. We’ll match you up with a fantastic tour of amazing Egypt, just right for your interests, lifestyle, schedule and budget. #iamabucketeer
Calling all AmaWaterways’ Fans…..Ama is expanding in France.
AmaWaterways is repositioning two ships to France: the 443-foot AmaKristina to the Rhone River and the smaller AmaDante to sail the Seine.
AmaKristina will take on the “Colors of Provence” itinerary between Lyon and Avignon allowing the AmaCello to sail an expanded “Essence of Burgundy & Provence” itinerary into the Burgundy region on the Saone River between Chalon-sur-Saone and Arles. This cruise will include a French cooking lesson at a culinary school in Valence.
On the Siene, AmaDante will share duties with AmaLyra between Paris and Le Harve on the “Impressions of Paris & the Seine.”.
Please call us for 2021/22 sailing dates and prices. Go Bucket List Travel is your AmaWaterways expert. 804-557-3006.
pic courtesy of AmaWaterways
#iamabucketeer
Our popular October cruise up the Douro River through the famous wine regions of Spain and Portugal has been rescheduled to October 15, 2022. We have been able to hold prices to 2020 rates, plus added air benefits. Please see our new Specials Page for more information or call us at 804-557-3006.
Our friends at AmaWaterways will offer complimentary Future Cruise Certificates for our heroes on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, good on Europe, Egypt and Asia river cruises through December 31, 2021.
Medical professionals, first responders and essential service employees with valid ID may call Go Bucket List Travel at 804-557-3006 to apply. We’ll handle all of the paperwork. Certificates are for those who share a cabin with a paying passenger.
“There are none more deserving of a river cruise vacation than today’s frontline heroes—the doctors, nurses, paramedics, police officers, firefighters and many other frontline professionals who are diligently helping others and inspiring hope during these challenging times,” Kristin Karst, AmaWaterways Executive Vice President
Did you know that in Amsterdam the riverboats moor right next to the city’s major railroad terminal? This makes extending your Rhine or Lowlands tulip season river cruise a snap with easy rail access to cities of France, Belgium,Germany and even Great Britain.
Sad news from the Canadian Government. The Canadian port restriction has been extended through February 2022, ruining hopes for a busy Alaska cruise summer season and fall Canadian Maritimes cruises. Our Bucketeer hosted Alaska Inside Passage - Hubbard Glacier cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse, scheduled for June 27, 2021, has been rescheduled for August 7, 2022. Please call us at 804-557-3006 for details.
The Royal Caribbean brands of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines have extended the Cruise with Confidence Program until April 2021. This program allows cruisers to cancel their reservation for any reason up to 48 prior to sailing for a future cruise credit and price protection on a similar cruise up until May 30, 2023. Please call us at 804-557-3006 for details.
#iamabucketeer
So how far away do you wish to go in 2021? How about to French Polynesia? The island nation is welcoming all guests who present a negative COVID PCR test taken within three days of arrival. Arrive by air from LAX in only 8-hours
Our friends at Windstar Cruises are offering a perfect 8-day cruise + air + hotel + drinks package, starting at $4,799 per person, double.
Call us at 804-557-3006 and book your cruise package by December 31, 2020 and you’ll receive a free Captain’s Exclusive Beverage Package.
Imagine, a luxurious 8 to 13 day Tahiti cruise with Windstar and with air from Los Angeles (LAX), 1 night pre-cruise accommodation at the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort in Papeete, transfers from the airport to the hotel and ship, plus a day room at the applicable Papeete resort post-cruise on your day of departure back to the USA.
If you haven’t seen one Tahitian island, let alone six, plan to see them aboard the romantic WIND SPIRIT, a sailing ship carrying only 148 guests, or the roomy STAR BREEZE, a newly transformed 312-guest all-suite yacht.
The islands of French Polynesia are a welcoming, serene destination. Your small-ship experience will bring you to hidden harbors, crystal-clear coves, and pristine white sands massaging your every step. The islands of French Polynesia invite you to discover their own distinct magic. Hop ashore to the enchanted landscapes of Moorea, or explore Raiatea’s lush forests and black pearl farms. Melt into the warm lagoons surrounding the exquisite peaks of Bora Bora. Relax on board as your ship glides into small bays other cruise ships can’t reach and drops anchor in shallow waters teeming with schools of tropical fish. Jump into a beautiful palm-fringed lagoon from the Watersports Platform. Or simply unwind on deck, enjoying paradise and endless pampering. This is how Tahiti was meant to be seen.
With Windstar’s Beyond Ordinary Care program featuring hospital grade health protections and the flexibility to cancel up to 48 hours prior on 2021 departures for 100% Future Cruise Credit, now’s the time to start planning your 2021 adventure. Call us at 804-557-3006.
Every Thursday evening our Windstar Specials Page lists seven Windstar cruises on sale for 7 days. This week the December 16, 2021 departure of the Star Breeze is available from $2,399 [cruise only] for a 8-day cruise Tahiti Cruise, roundtrip Papeete. Check it out!
#iamabucketeer
Today is the day! Call us at 804-557-3006 for the best offers for 2021 summer travel. The world is on sale this weekend. River cruises, tours, resorts, ocean cruises, your pick. See our website for exciting opportunities to overcome your cabin fever. Its time to plan now for the summer. https://www.gobucketlisttravel.com/special-deals
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
On its Facebook page today, Royal Caribbean posted a call for volunteers among past guests to help the cruise line recertify for service. The CDC requires cruise lines to conduct test sailings prior to starting commercial operations and to present to the CDC a clean report of success. Adults over 18 years old may apply at https://cruisesimulationform.questionpro.com/
We were delighted to hear from Celebrity Cruises this morning. Beginning on November 17, 2020, the cruise line will include its drink package, WIFI and gratuities with all future bookings, except for Galapagos, . Please call us at 804-557-3006 for more information.
Cruisers will have the opportunity to expand their amenity packages to include premium drinks, shore excursions and other options.
As befitting a premium brand, we see this as an excellent step which will do away with the weekly promotions and confusing, ever changing, amenity package offers.
Now through November 15th we have special reduced single supplement rates for most Azamara sailings. Please see our Specials Page for more information and call us at 804-557-3006
We are delighted to offer you 2022 and 2023 sailing dates on the new Viking Cruises Expedition ships to the Arctic, Antarctic, Great Lakes & Canada and to the Galapagos Islands & Machu Picchu. Please see our Specials Page for an exciting offer!
Outside of Matamata, New Zealand on the North Island is The Shire, home of the Hobbiton movie set made for the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies. Over 42 hobbit holes are in the shire, part of a 1250 acre sheep farm owned by the Alexander family. Bag End, the largest hole and home to the Baggins family, has a commanding view of the Shire.
Running from $40K to over $100K are Australia’s famous “Beach Boxes.” Many popular beaches feature these brightly colored private refuges. Some can be over 100 years old!
During the Australian summer the penguin colony on Phillips Island is home to nesting boxes and hungry chicks, sometimes two to a box. Located 90 miles east of Melbourne, the Island is a must see attraction. Each evening a thousand penguins come ashore after gathering fish in the rich offshore waters and feed their chicks. The penguin parade of returning adults can be seen from viewing positions with the penguins only feet away from the spectators. Photos are not permitted of the parade but earlier in the day we did see these chicks awaiting their meal ticket.
Royal Caribbean Lines has upped Disney Cruises “Magic Porthole” with the introduction of an 80-inch high “Virtual Balcony” for inside cabins on its newest ship - Quantum of the Seas, now sailing out of Port Liberty, New Jersey for the Bahamas and Caribbean. Each of the Quantum’s 373 windowless inside cabins comes with a “virtual balcony” - an 80-inch LED high definition projection screen that stretches from floor to ceiling. Now you can see a digital real-time view of the ocean and destinations visible from the ship’s exterior at sea and in port on the side of the ship your virtual balcony is facing…...an yes, you can turn off the screens whenever you want. On Disney ships inside cabins come with an round “Magical Porthole - an LCD flat-screen monitor in a nautical frame disguised as a porthole. Besides a view of the outside world, Disney animated characters pop in from time to time.
Beware the Internet Special.
Occasionally we hear from a client that they found an internet price for a cruise at a price below our quote. Be careful on the Internet. Our quote will always include the “hidden” charges such as taxes, fees and port charges that some websites, even the cruise lines themselves, put deep in the fine print. We generally have access to the same prices or better as any other agency, plus we return 10% of our commission to your favorite charity. We also track your cruise bookings and negotiate with the cruise line on your behalf to lower your costs prior to final payment if the cruise lines place the itinerary on sale, or we ask for cabin upgrades whenever possible. Our passion is to design for you the best value vacation package that meets your desires and budget and to thrill you with our service. Let us know what we can do for you.
We recently enjoyed a private guided tour of St John and the surrounding area of New Brunswick, Canada. Our local driver brought the tour to life with his recollections of life growing up in St John. If you have only a few hours to spend and want to cover the highlights or want to see something special ask us to arrange for a private day tour. Leave the details to your “Bucket List Concierge.”
The Royal Caribbean brands of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines have extended the Cruise with Confidence Program until April 2021. This program allows cruisers to cancel their reservation for any reason up to 48 prior to sailing for a future cruise credit and price protection on a similar cruise up until May 30, 2023. Please call us at 804-557-3006 for details.
Today is the day! Call us at 804-557-3006 for the best offers for 2021 summer travel. The world is on sale this weekend. River cruises, tours, resorts, ocean cruises, your pick. See our website for exciting opportunities to overcome your cabin fever. Its time to plan now for the summer. https://www.gobucketlisttravel.com/special-deals
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
Outside of Matamata, New Zealand on the North Island is The Shire, home of the Hobbiton movie set made for the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies. Over 42 hobbit holes are in the shire, part of a 1250 acre sheep farm owned by the Alexander family. Bag End, the largest hole and home to the Baggins family, has a commanding view of the Shire.
Top Caribbean Family Hotels and Resorts for Mom - With Mother’s Day around the corner we are getting calls for special Mother’s Day gifts of family vacations in the Caribbean. Families are looking for children’s water and play areas, beautiful and relaxing locations, professional staffs, activities for teens – especially water sports, great food for any finicky appetite and fantastic facilities – including a spa for Mom. - Where would you like to go? Need a few ideas?
Here are this year’s Travelers Choice Award winners in the Caribbean Family Resort Category….but please share your best picks with us as well!
1. Beaches Negril Resort & Spa, Jamaica
2. Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Villages and Spa, Turks & Caicos
3. The Reserve at Paradisus Palma Real, Dominican Republic
4. The Reserve at Paradisus Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
5. Beaches Ocho Rios Resort & Golf Club, Jamaica
6. Playa Linda Beach Resort, Aruba
7. Memories Splash Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
8. Jewel Runaway Bay Beach & Golf Resort, Jamaica
9. Iberostar Rosa Hall Suites, Jamaica
10. Coconut Bay Beach Resort and Spa, St Lucia
11. Round Hill Hotel & Villas, Jamaica
12. Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa, Jamaica
13. Club Med Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
14. Caribbean Club, Grand Cayman
15. Las Casitas Village, Puerto Rico
16. Turtle Bay by Elegant Hotels, Barbados
17. The Tuscany, Turks & Caicos
18. Club Med La Caravelle, Guadeloupe
19. The Venetian on Grace Bay, Turks & Caicos
20. Sunset Beach Resort, Spa and Water Park, Jamaica
21. The Reef Atlantis, Bahamas
22. Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club, Aruba
23. Grand Isle Resort & Spa, Bahamas
24. Villa del Mar, Turks & Caicos
25. Comfort Suites, Bahamas
Next to wheels on luggage, the “skip-the-line” tour maybe the most important breakthrough in Italian vacation travel. Our broad offering of wonderful day and half-day tours for Rome and Florence and elsewhere across Italy gain you special access to the most popular cultural, religious and historical sites and reserve seating for the weekly Papal Audience. Professional English-speaking guides will offer an expert’s perspective of Rome’s archaeological sites such as the Colosseum and the Forum, important religious sites including St. Peter’s Basilica and Sistine Chapel and the most important art collections in Italy such as the Vatican Museum, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Why waste your vacation waiting in long lines? Go Bucket List Travel will be delighted to design your sightseeing schedule to maximize your pleasure and satisfaction.
If you are traveling with friends, sharing the rental fees for a villa or urban apartment in Europe will save you money over traditional hotels. Go Bucket List Travel has access to many wonderful properties. Most rent by the week and sleep four to six but some are large enough to sleep up to 10. We can also arrange for a variety of extras including a cook, daily tours, cooking lessons and other cultural immersion activities.
We recently enjoyed a private guided tour of St John and the surrounding area of New Brunswick, Canada. Our local driver brought the tour to life with his recollections of life growing up in St John. If you have only a few hours to spend and want to cover the highlights or want to see something special ask us to arrange for a private day tour. Leave the details to your “Bucket List Concierge.”
So how far away do you wish to go in 2021? How about to French Polynesia? The island nation is welcoming all guests who present a negative COVID PCR test taken within three days of arrival. Arrive by air from LAX in only 8-hours
Our friends at Windstar Cruises are offering a perfect 8-day cruise + air + hotel + drinks package, starting at $4,799 per person, double.
Call us at 804-557-3006 and book your cruise package by December 31, 2020 and you’ll receive a free Captain’s Exclusive Beverage Package.
Imagine, a luxurious 8 to 13 day Tahiti cruise with Windstar and with air from Los Angeles (LAX), 1 night pre-cruise accommodation at the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort in Papeete, transfers from the airport to the hotel and ship, plus a day room at the applicable Papeete resort post-cruise on your day of departure back to the USA.
If you haven’t seen one Tahitian island, let alone six, plan to see them aboard the romantic WIND SPIRIT, a sailing ship carrying only 148 guests, or the roomy STAR BREEZE, a newly transformed 312-guest all-suite yacht.
The islands of French Polynesia are a welcoming, serene destination. Your small-ship experience will bring you to hidden harbors, crystal-clear coves, and pristine white sands massaging your every step. The islands of French Polynesia invite you to discover their own distinct magic. Hop ashore to the enchanted landscapes of Moorea, or explore Raiatea’s lush forests and black pearl farms. Melt into the warm lagoons surrounding the exquisite peaks of Bora Bora. Relax on board as your ship glides into small bays other cruise ships can’t reach and drops anchor in shallow waters teeming with schools of tropical fish. Jump into a beautiful palm-fringed lagoon from the Watersports Platform. Or simply unwind on deck, enjoying paradise and endless pampering. This is how Tahiti was meant to be seen.
With Windstar’s Beyond Ordinary Care program featuring hospital grade health protections and the flexibility to cancel up to 48 hours prior on 2021 departures for 100% Future Cruise Credit, now’s the time to start planning your 2021 adventure. Call us at 804-557-3006.
Every Thursday evening our Windstar Specials Page lists seven Windstar cruises on sale for 7 days. This week the December 16, 2021 departure of the Star Breeze is available from $2,399 [cruise only] for a 8-day cruise Tahiti Cruise, roundtrip Papeete. Check it out!
#iamabucketeer
Later this month Sandals South Coast in Jamaica will debut the world’s first Swim-Up Rondoval Suites, positioned on a 17,040-square-foot pool oasis. Also, the resort will offer a “reimagined” 112-room Dutch Village with direct access to two new swim-up pools plus a modern wedding garden venue in the Italian Village.
Sandals first introduced the popular Rondoval design at Sandals Grande Antigua, followed by Sandals Grande St. Lucian, Sandals Grenada and Sandals Royal Barbados.
The 20 Swim-Up Rondoval Suites at Sandals South Coast each measure 22 feet in diameter with 20-foot conical ceilings. Indoors, they’ll have custom furnishings and suite bathrooms will include a suspended stone vanity with a Hollywood lit mirror.
Bringing guests closer to the water, these swim-up suites also will offer private plunge pools, ornamented with Italian glass-clad fountains and Indonesian limestone, plus guests can access the resort’s zero-entry, 17,040-square-foot pool, touted as the longest in the Western Hemisphere.
The new Swim-Up Rondoval Suites and renovated Dutch Village suites are now accepting reservations for arrivals beginning December 10, 2020.
Please call us at 804-557-3006 for reservations an information on the Jamaica COVID clearance process.
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The Royal Caribbean brands of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines have extended the Cruise with Confidence Program until April 2021. This program allows cruisers to cancel their reservation for any reason up to 48 prior to sailing for a future cruise credit and price protection on a similar cruise up until May 30, 2023. Please call us at 804-557-3006 for details.
What better way to fight pandemic cabin fever than to plan your late 2021 or 2022 getaway? We are swamped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For us, Friday will be “Bucketeer Friday” as we thrill our Bucketeers with amazing travel specials. Check out our Bucketeer Friday webpage for 26 wonderful offers we selected for you out of so many we have received. Don’t wait for Friday. Call us at 804-557-3006. #iamabucketeer
Do you know that the blocks making up the great Pyramids of Giza average 2.5 tons each! Go see for yourself. We’ll match you up with a fantastic tour of amazing Egypt, just right for your interests, lifestyle, schedule and budget. #iamabucketeer
Calling all AmaWaterways’ Fans…..Ama is expanding in France.
AmaWaterways is repositioning two ships to France: the 443-foot AmaKristina to the Rhone River and the smaller AmaDante to sail the Seine.
AmaKristina will take on the “Colors of Provence” itinerary between Lyon and Avignon allowing the AmaCello to sail an expanded “Essence of Burgundy & Provence” itinerary into the Burgundy region on the Saone River between Chalon-sur-Saone and Arles. This cruise will include a French cooking lesson at a culinary school in Valence.
On the Siene, AmaDante will share duties with AmaLyra between Paris and Le Harve on the “Impressions of Paris & the Seine.”.
Please call us for 2021/22 sailing dates and prices. Go Bucket List Travel is your AmaWaterways expert. 804-557-3006.
pic courtesy of AmaWaterways
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On a recent conference call with our friends at Collette, we were surprised to learn that the tour company has run about 40 departures to the western USA national parks for groups of 15 to 20 since July. Management says that traveling during the pandemic was within Collette’s new wellness protocols. Travelers have adapted well to wearing masks and the tour company has departed by design with half-loads on its regular-sized busses, giving everyone space to spread out. Please give us a call at 804-557-3006 for details. pic of the Grand Canyon courtesy of Collette #iamabucketeer
With St Patrick’s Day coming up, can we tempt you with a bucket list trip to Ireland this summer? This time of year we are awash in offers for escorted and self-guided tours of every shape and size. From busy Dublin west to the wild Irish Atlantic coast, you’ll be thrilled by the history and physical beauty of this island nation and the personal charm of its people. We can arrange tours from the lavish to the backpack, tours with many or a few as well as independent itineraries to get you to where you want to go. Want to see Northern Ireland and Scotland as well? We can make that happen. Leave all the details to us. Give Go Bucket List Travel a call today at 804-557-3006 or toll-free at 855-GOBUCKET [462-8253]
Outside of Matamata, New Zealand on the North Island is The Shire, home of the Hobbiton movie set made for the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies. Over 42 hobbit holes are in the shire, part of a 1250 acre sheep farm owned by the Alexander family. Bag End, the largest hole and home to the Baggins family, has a commanding view of the Shire.
We welcome the Holy Father to the USA. Last week we brought our tour group to the Vatican to attend the weekly Papal Audience at St Peter’s where we had the privilege of seeing Pope Francis close up and listening to his sermon on the importance of family life.
Next to wheels on luggage, the “skip-the-line” tour maybe the most important breakthrough in Italian vacation travel. Our broad offering of wonderful day and half-day tours for Rome and Florence and elsewhere across Italy gain you special access to the most popular cultural, religious and historical sites and reserve seating for the weekly Papal Audience. Professional English-speaking guides will offer an expert’s perspective of Rome’s archaeological sites such as the Colosseum and the Forum, important religious sites including St. Peter’s Basilica and Sistine Chapel and the most important art collections in Italy such as the Vatican Museum, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Why waste your vacation waiting in long lines? Go Bucket List Travel will be delighted to design your sightseeing schedule to maximize your pleasure and satisfaction.
If you are traveling with friends, sharing the rental fees for a villa or urban apartment in Europe will save you money over traditional hotels. Go Bucket List Travel has access to many wonderful properties. Most rent by the week and sleep four to six but some are large enough to sleep up to 10. We can also arrange for a variety of extras including a cook, daily tours, cooking lessons and other cultural immersion activities.
Calling all AmaWaterways’ Fans…..Ama is expanding in France.
AmaWaterways is repositioning two ships to France: the 443-foot AmaKristina to the Rhone River and the smaller AmaDante to sail the Seine.
AmaKristina will take on the “Colors of Provence” itinerary between Lyon and Avignon allowing the AmaCello to sail an expanded “Essence of Burgundy & Provence” itinerary into the Burgundy region on the Saone River between Chalon-sur-Saone and Arles. This cruise will include a French cooking lesson at a culinary school in Valence.
On the Siene, AmaDante will share duties with AmaLyra between Paris and Le Harve on the “Impressions of Paris & the Seine.”.
Please call us for 2021/22 sailing dates and prices. Go Bucket List Travel is your AmaWaterways expert. 804-557-3006.
pic courtesy of AmaWaterways
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Wine makers speak with passion about their creations and we especially appreciate the opportunity to share in their enthusiasm. Our special thanks to our gracious hosts, Signore Antonio Deltetto and his lovely daughter Claudia , for their time and insights as we spent over three hours with them yesterday at the beautiful Deltetto family winery in Canale, Italy. Antonio happily explained the challenges and joys of the family wine business, now in its 60th year, and how the soils and hills of neighboring Piemonte Roero and Langhe regions lend themselves to different styles of wines based on the local Nebbiola and Barbera grapes as well as Arneis, Moscato, Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and other varietals.
Over 50% of the Deltetto label of elegant whites, fruity Pinots, noble reds and delightful brut and rose spumanti sparkling wines are exported to northern Europe and Scandinavia, Japan, Canada and the USA.
Antonio is especially proud of his Spumanti line which he started in 2000 and produces in the “Classic Method” of in bottle fermentation. We sampled Spumanti Brut Rose vintages going back to 2005 and were fascinated by the subtle differences. The 2007 was especially wonderful.
Overall, we lost count at how many bottles of the Deltetto line of fine wines we sampled through the morning. Antonio took us back to school for a morning well spent at the foot of a wine master about the great wines of Piemonte. We left with a notebook full of thoughts and look forward to our future shipment of Deltetto whites, reds and sparking wines.
A Passion for Hazelnuts
We are in the Piedmont region of NW Italy, close to the town of Alba, famous for its white truffles and home to Nutella, the hazelnut dynamo that has taken the world by storm.
Throughout this region countless hazelnut trees fill the valley floors and entrepreneurs such as Stefano and Isabella Barroero in the hamlet of Cortemilia have turned the nut into a thriving family business producing nearly 20 types of coated hazelnuts, creams, confectionery products, baked goods and more on their farm Cascina Barroero.
Stefano graciously spent a few hours with us this morning explaining the hazelnut business from grove management, harvesting, shelling, sorting, roasting and how the little nut gems are transformed into taste tempting products that he and his family ship worldwide, including to the United States. Isabella, meanwhile, was busy in the production kitchen and we learned the manic business of cookie production….and a little taste testing along the way.
Thank you Stefano and Isabella!
With Spring coming to Italy the festival season is underway. This weekend lovers of artichokes will be flocking to the town of Ladispoli on the Mediterranean coast north of Rome for a weekend of culinary fun highlighting artichokes, remarkable artichoke art works and music.
Harvest time brings out festivals around the world from apple picking here in Virginia to olive pressing in Italy. The annual Alba Truffle Fair, held each October to early November in the village of Alba in northwestern Italy, is ground zero for celebrating some of the world’s finest “tartufi bianchi,” or white truffles, considered by many as one of the world’s richest flavors. Even if you didn’t get an invitation to the auctions where fanatics will bid up white truffles into the tens of thousands of euros, you can join the happy crowds and browse the weekend town markets for truffle oils, cheeses, and more or settle into a local café for menus celebrating mushrooms in more ways than you thought possible. Naturally, no Italian celebration is complete without medieval costumes, parades and contrada – neighborhood – contests. In Alba they race donkeys in the annual competition for neighborhood bragging rights.
Please check out our website for a comprehensive list of Italian festivals.
Think a vacation or honeymoon in Italy is all about visiting art museums or churches? How about combining a vintage Fiat 500 road rally tour with a Tuscany wine experience! You’ll travel from Florence in a convoy of fun-loving fellow explorers as you drive a classic FIAT 500 right out of the 1960s. Just follow your expert guide into the picture-perfect hills of Tuscany for an afternoon adventure - he’ll stay in touch with you by radio so you won’t get lost. After arriving at a 15th-century villa and wine estate, you’ll participate in one of two wine tours: either a wine-tasting session and vineyard tour, or a winemaking experience where you’ll meet the head winemaker and stomp on the grapes! The entire afternoon of rally driving and wine experience lasts over five hours. pic courtesy of Our Friends at Viatour.
Top Chef and Tel Aviv
What fun! The excitement and fun of Top Chef is featured on each Celebrity cruise and today onboard the Celebrity SILHOUETTE we had the unique opportunity to participate. My husband Tony was selected from the audience to be a contestant chef while I was chosen to be a judge. Tony and his partner won the Quick Fire contest against another team and then Tony, assisted by the head chef for the wonderful Murano Restaurant, cooked up a tasty steaks. He won a bottle of French Blanc de Blanc for his dish.
Later this afternoon we landed in Israel and headed to the old city of Jaffa and then to Tel Aviv for the day. We learned so much about the history of this land and saw the church honoring where St Peter sailed west for Rome. We found Tel Aviv to be a vibrant, youthful city. Tomorrow we are off to Jerusalem.
In Italy wine tasting can seem to be more like a meal then the “here’s a few tiny glasses, drink up and leave” experiences we often have back home. Be patient and enjoy!
Italian agriturismo (farmhouse) – working farm holidays, farm guest houses, B&B’s, farm restaurants and wine and olive farms draw thousands of visitors each year. Nestled in view of the beautiful Renaissance town of Pienza and overlooking the farmlands and estates in the Tuscan Val d’Orcia we found the Podere Il Casale cheesery and farm restaurant. Sandre and Ulisse, the owners of this 170 acre farm, have established a reputation for crafting wonderful goat and Pecorino cheeses and their private olive oils and wines. Following our meal featuring delectable products from their sustainable farm – such as chestnut pasta over lentils and kale and various cheeses, of course, Sandre escorted us through the farm full of baby goats, peacocks in full plumage, donkeys, chickens, sheep and pigs. In the cheesery she gave us a thorough understanding on the processes they use and what it takes to be a recognized sustainable farm in Italy.
We have met up with four close friends and seasoned Italy fans. Our host, Niek, from Holland, owns a lovely, spacious villa near Perugia that we are delighted to offer to our travel guests. (see our Italy itineraries). Our goal is to develop an itinerary for guests who would wish to rent Niek’s beautiful villa. Yesterday we toured the cellars of the Lungarotti fine winemakers. Last night was cooking lesson night as Letitia and Lydiana of the Agriturismo Malvarina near Assisi put us through our paces. We learned how to prepare authentic Umbrian farmhouse dishes including stuffed rabbit, gnocchi, fried artichokes, fresh pasta made with spinach, fried dough with mushrooms, dough-wrapped spiced pears and more. Following two hours of cuisine prep we enjoyed our farmhouse meal by the warm glow of the fireplace….a perfect evening.