Adventures By Disney Expands Popular River Cruise Offerings, Adds New Food & Wine Themed Sailing

New Rhine River Sailing is the Latest Addition to the Adventures by Disney River Cruise Portfolio,

 Allowing Travelers to Savor the Unique Culinary History of Four Countries.

 Adventures by Disney, a leader in guided group travel worldwide, recently announced an expansion

 of their popular river cruising vacations with AmaWaterways for 2017, offering an extended second

 season of cruises along Europe's Danube River, as well as launching new sailings along the Rhine River. 

 Adventures by Disney has announced the addition of a food and wine themed sailing along the

 Rhine River to next year's itinerary line-up.

Disney Culinary Director John State and Master Sommelier Brian Koziol worked hand-in-hand with

 Adventures by Disney to masterfully craft a new eight-day, seven-night epicurean sailing through

 Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands. State and Koziol have a proven track record of

 curating food and beverage experiences for popular Disney theme park events, such as the renowned

 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, which draw foodies from around the globe to visit Disney

 parks. Now they're bringing these same talents to Adventures by Disney, sailing aboard a river cruise 

ship through the heart of Europe with AmaWaterways, a premier luxury river cruise line.

Offering extraordinary food and beverage experiences both on and off the ship, this adult-exclusive

 vacation, which sets sail from Basel, Switzerland on Oct. 21, 2017, offers the following highlights:

• Learn about wine tasting and blending during vineyard tours and onboard seminars hosted
•  by Brian Koziol, one of only 230 Master Sommeliers in the world.
• Share in the history and culinary mastery of the authentic dishes of Europe during intimate
•  gourmet demonstrations and workshops with John State, culinary director for the Disneyland Resort.
• Stroll through charming Riquewihr, France on a guided walking tour that incorporates local
•  gastronomic delights, including sausages and French macarons.
• Discover the art of the Strasbourg specialty, tart flambé, during an interactive class, complete
•  with local beer and Alsatian wine pairings.
• Get hands-on during a French patisserie class in Strasbourg.
• Explore German vineyards and visit festive pubs while sampling the hearty cuisine of the
•  Alsace region.
• Tour the Heineken Factory, savor a special caramel waffle demonstration and learn how to
•  blend craft cocktails during a private workshop in Amsterdam.
• 
  

This new Rhine adventure is just the latest expansion of the successful Adventures by Disney vacation

 portfolio, which now includes 15 sailings along Europe's Danube and Rhine Rivers in 2017.

 Combining the award-winning service and luxury of AmaWaterways with the proven travel expertise

 of Adventures by Disney, these river cruise sailings offer a vacation experience that is all-inclusive

 and hassle-free. Travelers can customize their trip to fit their needs by choosing from a variety of

 activity options offered at ports and onboard each day.

"At Adventures by Disney we've had an incredibly successful first season of European river cruise

 vacations," said Ken Potrock, senior vice president of Adventures by Disney. "For 2017 we dreamt

 even bigger, expanding our offerings to include not only our already popular Danube sailings, but

 also exciting new experiences along the Rhine River. By adding this new food and wine themed

 sailing we're able to give our adult guests an even more customized way to travel with us, and the

 line-up of experiences we've planned for this epicurean adventure allow us to showcase the rich

 culinary stories of this region in a luxuriously delicious way."

Guests will sail on the Rhine River aboard the all-new AmaKristina, a river cruise ship being custom

 built by AmaWaterways. While the food and wine sailing is exclusively for adults, the Adventures by

 Disney river cruise portfolio offers vacation options for families as well. Designed with guests of all

 ages in mind, these sailings along the Danube and Rhine rivers allow families to explore Europe as

 a family in a way that is active, immersive and easy.

"AmaWaterways is thrilled to expand our relationship with Adventures by Disney and present

 additional options for family and adult travelers that are looking for a unique way to explore

 Europe," said Kristin Karst, co-owner and executive vice president of AmaWaterways. "Sailing

 aboard the exquisite AmaKristina, guests will enjoy flavorful dishes, perfectly paired wines and

 beautiful ports of call, while completely immersing themselves in the culture of a destination.

 October is also a fascinating time to cruise, as fall colors appear and the vineyards turn brilliant

 shades of yellow, orange and red. The food and wine sailing will truly be a magical experience for all!"

Bookings for the Adventures by Disney Rhine Food & Wine River Cruise are open now. For more

 details and to book reservations, call 1-800-543-0865 or contact a travel agent.

About Adventures by Disney

Launched in 2005, Adventures by Disney provides immersive, hassle-free group guided vacation

 experiences to destinations on six continents. Families traveling with Adventures by Disney receive

 exceptional service while taking part in extraordinary experiences at locations including: the South

 African plains, the great cities of Europe, Costa Rica's rich rainforest, the ruins of Pompeii and

 Machu Picchu, Australia's Outback, the Great Wall of China and some of America's most iconic destinations.

Adventures by Disney has been recognized by numerous travel organizations for its excellence in

 family tourism. It was recently voted Top "Adventure" Tour Operator in the Travel Weekly 2015

 Readers Choice Awards, and was previously named North America's Leading Tour Operator at

 the 2014 World Travel Awards. Adventures by Disney was also named World's Leading Luxury

 Tour Operator in the 2012, 2010 and 2009 World Travel Awards, and ranked No. 1 among Tour

 Operators and Safari Outfitters for Families in 2011 by Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards.

Offering Disney-trained Adventure Guides on each trip, engaging activities, VIP experiences and

 personal touches throughout, Adventures by Disney vacations are crafted to excite and delight

 everyone. Visit AdventuresByDisney.com to learn more.

4 Neighborhoods Parisians Think are Très Cool

Contributed by Stephen Lioy

Flickr/joel52

First-time visitors to Paris should definitely visit the Marais for art galleries and falafel shops, and Bastille for modern art and antique records, but these areas are just too “bobo“ to impress your Parisian friends. Instead, head for these lesser-known neighborhoods for a rendezvous that will show the world that you’re very chic. We’ve offered tips on a couple of places to visit in each neighborhood, but be sure to explore on your own to see what other surprises you can find.

Republique
You’ve probably switched metro lines here, but have you ever actually had a look around? Full of students, cheap bars, and affordable restaurants; Republique is a great place to hang out.

Do: Wander along the popular Canal St. Martin, and be sure to stop by Point Ephemere for artists’ workshops by day and live music by night.

Eat: For down to earth food, the traditional(-ish) crepes at West Country Girl are worth waiting in the line you’re likely to find.

Drink: The area around Republic Square is full of bars, and on busy nights your best bet is to listen for the music that draws you in. If you can’t make up your mind, Le Cinquante  is always a good bet for music and reasonable drink prices.

Belleville
Famous for its taverns as far back as the 14th century, until recently Belleville has been considered a fairly rough part of town that didn’t draw a lot of visitors. With great food options and tons of music and drinking dens, the area has seen resurgence.

Do: The terrace at the top of the Belleville Park offers an unexpected but impressive panorama of Paris. Though the park itself closes at 6:30 p.m. or earlier, the terrace is accessible all day and night.

Eat: Belleville is one of the best places in Paris to find East and SouthEast Asian restaurants and grocers. For a spectacular Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwich (for only €3.50/$4.75), visit the unassuming Panda Belleville restaurant.

Drink: Right in the middle of Belleville Boulevard, Le Buzz is a reliable favorite for undiscovered musical acts and cheap drinks any night of the week.

Menil Montant
Compared to Belleville’s rough-and-tumble feel just next door, Menil Montant is all arts and diverse blend of cultures. You can find a little bit of everything here.

Do: The Pere LaChaise Cemetery may be a popular tourist draw, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your time. Both a manicured park and a historic graveyard, it can be equal parts beautiful and atmospheric.

Eat: La Maroquinerie offers a limited but tempting dinner menu, and since you’re already here, you’ll be in prime form to catch a show here or at the Bellevilleois performance venue across the street.

Drink: Flea market by day and bistro by night, Eva Pritsky is something altogether different from most of Paris’ drinking spots. Stumble in here while a live show is on, and in a room where thirty patrons is a crowd you’d have to try hard not to make new friends.

Aligre
Despite the annual Festival d’Aligre and one of the most centrally located flea markets in Paris, the Aligre neighborhood remains relatively unknown. This area has a very down-to-earth, and welcoming, vibe.

Do: While the covered market at Aligre operates daily, with stalls selling meat, cheese, and everything else a Paris market should offer, the real draw here is the Sunday flea market. Antique and vintage goods abound, and there’s a fair bit of international art as well.

Eat: If you’re looking to eat a lot of good food without spending a lot of money, the couscous at the 3FC restaurant is a winner. At 16 rue Aligre, the restaurant is just steps from the flea market on the main square. 

Drink: After picking up groceries and vintage clothes at the market, and filling up at 3FC, celebrate your day with a glass of red wine at  Le Baron Rouge. On a sunny Sunday, after shopping at the flea market, this is one of the best ways to spend a day in Paris.

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Jumping Ship: Carnival’s New Money-Back Guarantee Explained

Contributed by Donna Tunney

iStock

Carnival Cruise Lines endured a negative media frenzy earlier this year when its Carnival Triumph lost power due to an engine room fire and became stranded in the Gulf of Mexico. Shortly after, propulsion and power problems affected two other Carnival ships, causing the suspension of a cruise and missed port calls.

In order to convince potentially weary consumers to book a cruise, the line has launched the “Great Vacation Guarantee,” a policy that enables dissatisfied passengers to disembark the ship and end their voyage early. They’ll also receive a 110 percent refund, free transportation home, and a $100 credit for a future sailing – that is, if they weren’t sufficiently spooked to never book again.

Taking a closer look at the new “guarantee” policy, a few things jump out:

To qualify for the refund, transportation, and $100 credit, passengers must notify the ship’s guest services desk within the first 24 hours of the voyage. That’s not much time. The first day of a cruise tends to be chaotic. People are unpacking, finding their way around the ship and recovering from travel. A Carnival spokesman said the clock starts ticking when the ship departs the port, and that’s typically 4 p.m. Twenty-four hours is probably not enough time for most passengers to make an informed decision about whether to stay or go. (But just enough time to make them think they can).

That being said, refunding 110 percent of the cruise fare paid is a nice bonus, albeit a small one. On a five-day Western Caribbean cruise from Miami in mid-December, for example, an inside cabin sells for $219 per person via the Carnival website, thus entitling the customer to an extra $21. Book a suite on that same cruise, for $699 per person, and the bonus refund is close to $70 – pocket change to some, but it could offset some portion of the onboard bill, which is not reimbursed under the guarantee.

The cruise line also pledges to cover return air fare, ground transportation, and hotel costs, if necessary, for those who call it quits. Consider that hotel rates are particularly high in the Caribbean during winter season, when a last-minute stay in a mid-range property can easily run $300 a night. As a result, this actually can have a lot of value, potentially worth hundreds of dollars, depending on the passenger’s final destination and whether an overnight is involved.

As a part of the guarantee, Carnival will handle the return arrangements. And if your vacation is coming to a close after just one day, you probably don’t need any more aggravation. Let the cruise line figure it out for you.

Our conclusion? The Great Vacation Guarantee is a solid, valuable offer that will entice mostly first-time cruisers to give Carnival a try, without fear of losing money or time.

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5 Cruise Myths, Debunked

Contributed by Donna Tunney

Christian Lambert Photography

Of all the vacation trip choices out there, cruising appears to have the greatest need to defend itself. Non-cruisers often are misinformed about shipboard life, landlubbers are anxious about the possibility of seasickness, and those who dislike closed spaces will avoid cruise ship cabins — just to name a few. But we think that these “obstacles” shouldn’t dissuade consumers from booking a vacation at sea. Here are five cruise myths, debunked:

1. Mass market ships are just party boats.
While it’s true that many cruisers aboard  lines such as Carnival Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean International are looking for a festive atmosphere, others who want peace and quiet can easily find it on those very same lines. Today’s cruise ships are large enough to provide tranquil spaces, in the form of adults-only pool and lounge areas, out-of-the-way bars, and intimate dining venues. Passengers can read a book, sip a drink, or enjoy dinner well away from the mayhem in all of these spaces. If you are looking for extra relaxation, take a look at a ship’s deck plans and review public area descriptions to see if the facilities fit the bill.

2. Cabins are claustrophobic.
Cruisers have a wide range of cabin choices these days. For those who don’t like closed spaces, a balcony cabin is the answer. Of course, not all vacation budgets can accommodate such staterooms — but options like a partial-view porthole cabin provide a less-cramped ambience at very small increases in cost. (A partial-view cabin refers to one that has a window that’s partly obstructed by something outside, such as a lifeboat.) Disney Cruise Line also boasts “magical portholes” in many of its inside cabins, featuring screens displaying outside views to give the illusion of a window.

3. Cruises are more expensive than land trips.
Cruise rates change very frequently, based on occupancy levels day to day and week to week. The industry currently is offering some of its lowest rates in years on summer and fall Caribbean cruises, many as low as $50 or $60 per person, per day. Considering that all meals and entertainment are included in the fare, consumers are likely hard-pressed to find a better value. (Tip: You can find one if not more of such cruises in ShermansTravel’s weekly Top 25 deals.)

4. I’ll get seasick.
High winds and rolling seas can make a cruise ship tilt from side to side as it steams toward its next port call. But anti-seasickness medications are always available — for free — from a ship’s medical office. Passengers have also had luck with anti-seasickness wristbands, found in any pharmacy and reusable.

5. I’ll be bored on a ship.
This statement may have been true 20 years ago, but certainly not today. Outdoor activities on many ships include ropes courses, climbing walls, basketball courts, mini-golf courses, dive shows, and more. Inside, a vast array of music performances, movies, games, and sports bars provide hours of entertainment. That’s not to mention shore excursions where cruisers can stretch their legs dockside (a weeklong cruise will typically have at least three ports of call).

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