. “yf a - . i t “Page B6, August 19,1979 “Sunday News: - - — ;caping th : Many options available - dead claustrophobics, cabins give you a look at the sea. Intérior cabins are well- It's about ninety degrees (F) in the shade today and it’s very difficult to deal with six letters from people who want to get away from the rain and snow next January! _ Here is a short run-down on some of your alternatives. CRUISE PACKAGES: These usually come witha reduced air fare if you want this.—Your—cabins_are_ the ‘lighted an For outside center. And, che Singles aren't ‘all that welcome! To enjoy your own cabin, you'll pay a healthy supplement — in many cases, damn near the cost of the double space. air-conditioned. | 4 person, per day for your cabin steward and your -_dining room steward (each!) and 15% of the tab to both. your wine steward and your bar steward. Expect to add about $25 per couple, per week for your Maitre d' (dining room) should he perform anything in the way. of special services such as anniversary celebrations, special foods’ or ~ unique seating. I rebel a bit at. On . some ‘occasions, basis of cost — the. best (ignoring those hideously expensive suites reserved for - millionaires) are. smack in> the middle of the chip. You. get the minimum of “rock and roll” if you’re near to Allow $125 per person, per day for good ac- commodation. Naturally, this includes your tran- sportation (ship) and meals. (usually fantastic). Add tips which will rim $1.50 per for a glimpse. No way am I going to tip him. Can I tell you a funny story? On one superb cruise, I did all the right things. All my tips went into THINK OF WINTER, then think of Jamaica or any other number of warm locations available to the many tourists from the rain forests of B.C. vee _ - Me oe. Cote The never _seen_ they _guy exeept — " by Barbara McCreadie monogrammed envelopes on the last night before docking. “I presented my envelopes and shook hands with all the crew. The Maitre. . d@ had been fantastic, seeing to it that we had so many special meals that I became addicted to crepes and escarpgot. All my tips were paid in Brazilian -cruizeros._And,_I Did I goof! I explained my stupidity to Vittorio and he™ roared with laughter. “For one whole year I've worried that I did something terribly stupid, Barbara. And, I. could never figure out what ~ it was!” I told him that I owed him $45 bucks! But he said: “It is worth it to me to know that I ‘didn’t make a mistake. Keep ~ d you can-buy me a drink in the bar!” I did! If you’re ever lucky enough -to meet. Vittorio Anselmi — don’t remind him about a stupid Canadian who handed out — unconsciously — the worst insult of them all! -| PACKAGES 7 All of Canada’s airlines are included in fly-stay and transfer packages. It may be Hawaii (cheap from BC) or 'the Caribbean (cheap from Toronto). Shop around! With SkyBus operating between both cities, you can you have extended medical coverage, too. As a matter of fact, that extension won’t do you any harm no mane where you gol Here, look for excursion rates on airlines. jner around! a ' ARE WEGOING? 1° I can’t tell you! If-I get a choice, it will be Argentina — for sure.. If I don’t get a choice — and we're too broke to go anywhere else, it will be Hawaii. My “middle - of the road” favorite is Haiti — simply because I’ve never ‘been there and some of the reports I’ve heard are next to magnificent! All this depends;-too;-on how many kids we plan to pack along: Next time you plan to pack a family of five to. a warm climate in January,. understand my problem! Only one of the~ ‘kids can qualify for half- price airfare. The schools get a bit touchy on the subject of hauling. students was sure I gave Vittorio Anselmi, the Maitre d’, fifty dollars! { ' It was over a year later when I met Vittorio again. We chatted- a lot about families ‘and old friends. Suddenly, he asked me: “Did I do something wrong on the ‘ cruise to Brazil?” — —No, -Vittorio! You were fantastic! There has never been a better Maitre d’!” “Barbara, this is em- barassin ne! But I must know! Why did you give me FIVE YOLLARS?” QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS South American vacations A year ago I wrote to you asking about our holiday plans. You wrote us a nice letter - which I kept -. and suggested that since my husband wanted to go to Mexico and I didn't that we should compromise on a -crufse that stopped - there. W.: did it, and had a won- grade nine simply because | didn’t want to spend a block of classe's sitting in the ‘study hall’. All hell used to break out there. The same broke out in the typing class, but . nobody noticed because the noise of 40 typewriters drowned ‘qut the din. My teacher passed me with derful-time. N&w-we're back~ “honors. See? to the same argument only different countries. Winter vacation fs coming up and we'd Ike to do something nice and have agreed to take your recommendations. We aren’t broke. By the way, where did you learn to type? As you sald, it’s a darn good thing that you've never had to be a secretary! Besides, you're much better doing what you're doing. Your good scmse saved us a terrible mess last year. ANSWER: Sorry about the typing. I dash off answers to my letters as soon as I reccive them and I can't be bothered with using a secretary. If I did, I'd-get lazy and you'd gel_a reply in the spring of 194. I learned to type in Get down to the nearest travel agent and book a flight into Rio de Janerio for Camivaie. Try to link it up with a cruise along the South American coast - cither south to Argéntina or north to Bahia and along. the Amazon to Manaus. Costa Lines does this. Get outside Rio when you choose a hotel or you won't get an hour's sleep. My favorite hotel is the Sheraton Rio. Simply NICE. And expensive. But, you said you weren't broke! passport while you wait ar ‘ ny. 988-9813 Don't wait one minute to book these arrangements because they are so popular that you might get left at the post. As an alternate, consider a CP AIR flight to--Sidney, ---& Australia and book a cruise ~ out of there to places like Singapore or Hong Kong. Remember, Sidney is mid- summer in February. WAIKIKI $369 8 Days, 7 Nights, Ar & Hote! WAIKIKI $439 15 Daya, 14 Nighta, Al & Hotel LAS VEGAS $189 5 Daya, 4 Nights, At & Hotel RENO $209 8 Days, 7 Nights, At & Hotei RENO $179 5S Days, 4 Nights, Aw A Hetel 689-7117 Mag. Travel AQent Me, 047-3 LEAVING A TRAIL? passes. probably get a package you can afford, either way. Book early! The accommodation in either place - gets tight after the end of the summer. ; In addition, a lot of tour companies, such as Strand and Club Med are offering resorts with all the extras — food, scuba and skin diving, water skiing,. entertainment. Great for couples, but equally good for. --singles. Expect a slight supplement if you're on your own. DO IT YOURSELF Every paper has condos for rent in places such as Pheonix, Waikiki, Barbados and “you name it.” Some of these private rentals can be great, providing you book early (they’ve + got more bookings for prime months such as January than they do for April) and you know what you're getting into. Some, in Mexico and Hawaii, come complete with maid service (in Mexico you even get a cook!) and a free car. If you've any doubts about your insurance, check with an agent before you go. If you're heading to the USA or Mexico, make sure Special Tour of Ship Sept. 2nd - P. Lawson Travel has a limited number of Invitations available for a special tour of the Island Princess. Those interested in the Princess Line and seriously interested in cruising are invited to call for boarding Call the Cruise Specialists: Suzanne Carson P LAWSON TRAVEL the hobdaymakers 754 North Mall ¢ Park Royal - - West Vancouver “Gut of classes for two weeks. Meanwhile, I’m just about due for , a second honeymoon! Remember — it’s August and the kids have been wall-to-wall for six weeks. Mothers get awfully crabby about now! DRIVING TO SUN SPOTS: If the gi $_problem stays the way it is, there should be no trouble with Ontario residents driving to Florida or BC people trying the California route. Expect ice storms and delays until you get far enough South to avoid the ice. Then, the gas delays won't seem so drastic! Leave yourselves extra time. Carry along a few gallons of gas. Ask a lot of questions from everyone you meet. Some old codger is apt to tell you, “Don’t try getting fueled-up in Barnesvill but the next stop is Simpleton and you can always get gas at Henry's Service Station. Plan your stops 24 hours ahead and phone _ for reservations in hotels (motels) recommended by the Motor Assoc. later than five . oititck. Planning ahead solves this Prey i. Jolin taland or Pacific Princess for South Pacific, Panama Canal or Mexican Riviera crulses. Rates from $1372 - $4725 U.S. Funds, depending upon availability. Nancy Lovell . 922-4131 |