Why to have a Honeymoon

A honeymoon is one of those extra special events in your life that many newlyweds consider passing up. After all, a honeymoon may be too expensive for a new couple, it takes you away from your "real" life, and it involves planning — when you may already feel overwhelmed by wedding details.

We highly encourage engaged couples to take serious thought into taking a honeymoon and too look at the big picture. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to cherish each other outside of your every day lives.

There are valid and compelling reasons to organize a honeymoon and schedule it as close to your wedding as possible. These are some of my favorite reasons to have a honeymoon:

To Relax: Even the simplest weddings are stressful and tiring. And if you're like most couples, you'll spend more time with your guests than your new spouse at your wedding. A honeymoon is your opportunity to relax alone together.

To Celebrate: You're married! Allow yourselves some time to kick back and celebrate your new status as an official couple.

To Offer Undivided Attention: You may not need to travel to a new location to do this, but on a honeymoon you can enjoy each others company for hours without anyone disturbing you. Doing so in a beautiful setting away from home fosters intimacy, a cornerstone of a strong marriage.

To Explore: A honeymoon sends a couple out into the world together, and it's one of life's joys to experience new places, foods and opportunities together.

To Plan for the Future: A honeymoon gives a couple quiet time to imagine a new future together. What type of family do you picture together? Where do you want to be in five years? How about in ten or twenty?

If you’re at all concerned about the price of a honeymoon, a great option we offer our honeymooners is a honeymoon registry. You can encourage your bridal shower and wedding guests to contribute to your honeymoon fund through your travel agent to reduce your out of pocket costs as a couple. Speaking of travel agent, even if you’re stressed with the planning of a wedding, your travel agent can take care of the research, details and planning for you. Finally, there’s nothing wrong with taking a break from your “real life” to enjoy the newlywed stage and de-stress. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of days ahead of you to tackle “real life.”

If you’re ready to start planning your honeymoon, I encourage you to visit our honeymoon travel web page. You can submit a request form for more information, or call one of our many honeymoon travel specialists at 888-369-8785.

New Disney ship “Dream” to Feature Water Coaster

Our travel specialists are very excited when it comes to the onboard plans of Disney’s Cruise Lines’ newest and third ship, The Disney Dream, set to debut in early 2011.

This new 4,000-passenger ship will feature the first-ever shipboard water coaster that is four decks high. Riders seated on inflatable rafts will zip through a 765-foot-long tube (that’s more than two football fields) from the ship’s highest point, through a funnel and a tube 13 feet off the ship’s side. Get a sneak peak at the water coaster here!

Other new features of the Disney Dream are animation-driven, such as "enchanted art" placed throughout the ship that will animate when passengers approach it and will change depending on who is looking.

One of the most unique new amenities we’ve seen includes unique upgrades to typically windowless inside staterooms. Now, they will actually feature "virtual portholes" offering live video feeds via cameras outside the ship, corresponding to the cabin’s place onboard, and you’ll also see animated starfish and pirate ships through the new portholes.

In the children’s area, the Dream will have an animated turtle that engages kids in conversation about ocean life. The turtle will "remember" the children's names.

Purpose-built for families, Disney’s ships have always been focused on creating separate spaces for children in different age groups, and also for adults. The ship will be almost 50% larger than the current Disney ships.

The Dream will have Disney’s first tween area, called “Edge” rounding out youth programming that has always had specific areas for babies, children and teenagers. On the Dream, it will add a space just for children ages 11 to 13, who don’t quite identify with high schoolers but are too old to for the elementary school kids.

A 9,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor space will give teenagers a private deck area on the ship’s bow with wading pools and fountains for cooling off, and deck games such as ping-pong and foosball.

They also get a dance floor where they can get in the DJ booth and try their hand at spinning tracks.

The younger Dream passengers will have playrooms themed around Disney movies, such as a Toy Story room, a Monsters Inc. area and a Finding Nemo space.

For adults, an area on the ship called the “District” will encompass five nighttime entertainment areas. The District will have a dance club, sports bar, champagne room and lounge where virtual cityscapes change daily.

The cruise travel agents at Fox World Travel can’t wait to share more of the unique amenities with current and future clients, especially families. If you’d like more information on when you can reserve your staterooms on the new Disney Dream, please call 888-369-8785 to speak with a travel agent today!

Go For a Personalized Cruise Experience

With the help of our travelers and expertise of our travel specialists, we have compiled a list of cruising tips and have segmented our most popular cruise lines, helping you start on the right track to a personalized vacation experience with Fox World Travel.

Tips from some of our Facebook Fans:

• Spend the extra money on a balcony, and take advantage of the great shore excursions!!!


• Take advantage of the refillable soda cup deals when you get on board. They save you quite a bit of money over the course of your cruise and you may as well start using them right away.


• Go on some of the more unique shore excursions. The memories will be worth the initial cost.


• Take advantage of the laundry service they offer. Then you don't have to pack so much. I think the cruises we were on offered $10 for a laundry bag twice during the week. I packed it full rolled everything in to tight rolls! and then I had less wash when I got back. Definitely worth it.


• The new trend in cruising is being able to eat whenever you want. If you are planning on this type of dining plan, keep in mind that you may end up waiting for long periods of time before being seated and served like at a very busy restaurant. To avoid the crowds, go to the dining room a bit earlier or later than normal dinner hours. Or skip it all together and go to the buffet!


• Make sure to take advantage of the themed menu nights when the dining room will serve meals from the region you are sailing through at that time.

There are many cruise lines that are popular, but how choosing the right cruise line, destination, cabins and excursions is extremely important to ensure you receive the most personalized cruising vacation experience. We can give you a few quick insights into the travelers each cruise line caters too, but our travel agents are the true experts in customizing your cruise experience.

The following cruise lines are more “contemporary”:

• Carnival Cruise Lines
  
  Fun, casual, value oriented cruise line appealing to the young at heart of all ages.


• Disney Cruises
  
  Legendary attention to detail, amazing adventures for all ages and Disney-style entertainment, a Disney cruise vacation brings magic into your life.


• Norwegian Cruise Line
  
  Intimate modern ships offering many activities, but in an intimate environment focused on Freestyle Cruising.


• Royal Caribbean
  
  Well run, activity filled, value oriented cruise line with a casual yet sophisticated atmosphere.

These cruise lines are one step up and could be classified as “premium”:

• Celebrity Cruises
  
  Premium, semi-formal, value line with excellent food, service, and attention to detail.


• Holland America
  
  Premium, elegant, classic cruise line with a semi-formal and yet relaxed atmosphere.


• MSC Cruise Lines
  
  From the world-famous authentic Italian cuisine to the personal attention and friendliness of an Italian crew, guests are treated to the finest Italian hospitality.


• Oceania Cruises
  
  Offers highly personalized service, pampering, catering, and incomparable luxury, including cuisine that is simply the finest at sea.


• Princess Cruises
  
  Premium cruise line focusing on passenger choice in dining, entertainment, activities, and accommodations.


• Windstar Cruises
  
  Created in the mid-1980's with the vision to offer an alternative to the typical cruise or resort vacation.

Finally, at the very high end you will discover “luxury” cruise lines:

• Crystal Cruises
  
  Luxury line with six-star quality service, yet with all the amenities and choice of modern cruise ships.


• Cunard Cruises
  
  Traditional luxury line that began in 1840; its flagship, Queen Elizabeth 2, is the world’s most famous ship.


• Regent Cruises
  
  Offer voyages of exploration and discovery to over 300 ports on six continents, including Antarctica.


• Seabourn Cruise Line
  
  Luxury line with six-star quality service, yet with all the amenities and choice of modern cruise ships.


• Silversea Cruises
  
  Award-winning six-star luxury cruise line with unmatched, all-inclusive value; voted "Best of the Best Cruise Line" by the Robb Report in 1999.

Choosing of these cruise lines is just the initial choice you need to make. Next comes your preferred departure port, preferred port destinations, number of nights, what type of balcony or cabin you would prefer, what excursions will most interest you, and the list goes on. As an award-winning full-service travel agency with increased buying power, our travel specialists can help you with all of these unique aspects of your cruise experience to ensure you have a memorable, personalized vacation.

Great Escape 2010 - Join Eric Church & Love and Theft in Puerto Vallarta

Each year Fox World Travel, a full-service premier travel agency teams up with numerous country music radio stations throughout the nation to organize popular "media trips." These are unique vacations with popular country music recording artists joining each year. Past artists include Sugarland, Chuck Wicks, Julianne Hough, Holly Williams, Danielle Peck, Jimmy Wayne and many more!

This year Fox World Travel has just announced it will team up with Y100 out of Green Bay, FM106.1 out of Milwaukee and The New Star Country 96.3 out of Madison for GREAT ESCAPE 2010. This year's trip featured recording artist Eric Church, along with the the hot new group Love and Theft.

Join them at the Barcelo La Jolla de Mismaloya in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! It’s your choice…travel January 29th – February 5th departing from Chicago or Milwaukee or January 30th – February 6th and depart from Chicago or Milwaukee.

The radio stations broadcast live throughout the vacation and participants have special exclusive events and autograph sessions with the stars! Package prices start at just $1499.99 plus taxes & fees. It's a great price for peak season travel.

To book this trip or learn more call 866-GO-FOX-GO or click here for details.

Fox World Travel's Online Travel School

Growth within the travel industry, during the technology age, has increased substantially. Therefore, it’s a natural fit for education to reach beyond the traditional brick and mortar setting. Fox World Travel, the 19th largest travel company in the US, has successfully taken its travel school of 27 years into that new world online.

Travel & Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. As the industry evolves, so has our organization's commitment to providing comprehensive programming for those interested in pursuing a career in the travel industry.

“With the benefit of enrolling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, this newly evolved Travel and Tourism program is based on the same successful components used in our land-based curriculum. Opening the online program affords individuals throughout the country the opportunity to learn and work in the travel industry,” according to Kathy Vorpahl, Admissions Administrator and Student Facilitator.

Through Fox World Travel School Online, students enroll, have access to class materials, take exams, check grades, and communicate with instructors all from the comfort of their home. Students are given a target completion date of six months with extensions as needed.

Fox World Travel School is committed to promoting professionalism within the travel industry by providing a thorough, well-planned education. This is accomplished by:

•Teaching the students the skills necessary to be successful in the travel industry; salesmanship; and reservations system operations;

•Providing the students the basic knowledge in destination geography, booking & ticketing, travel products, sales & service, and industry standard procedures;

•Assisting the students in successfully mastering the materials.

Established in 1981, Fox World Travel School is approved by the State of Wisconsin Educational Approval Board, whose primary function is to insure consumers privately operated schools are well run, educationally sound, and financially stable. Many travel agents, flight attendants, marketing individuals and others in the industry have successfully completed the land-based and/or online travel program

For additional information please visit www.foxworldtravelschool.com or contact our Admissions Administrator, Kathy Vorpahl at (920)236-8022 Ext 1153 (kvorpahl@gofox.com).

Cruising Hawaii

Hawaii is an amazing vacation destination with lush tropical rain forests, magnificent volcanoes, and beautiful waterfalls. There is so much to see and do in the 50th state that the planning may become overwhelming. Which islands should we visit? How much time should we spend on the islands that we select? Which side of the Big Island should we stay on? One way to eliminate that uncertainty is to cruise the Hawaiian Islands. This is especially true for those who have not yet experienced the islands.

Norwegian Cruise Lines offers a seven-day Hawaii inter-island cruise on the Pride of America. This ship was built in 2005 and offers nine restaurants, nine bars and lounges, two swimming pools and a golf pro shop. NCL features Freestyle Cruising which means that you can eat where, when and with whom you want. You can also dress the way you want and at the end of your cruise, get off the ship on the schedule that works best for you.

The cruise begins in Honolulu and visits the ports of Kahului, Maui, Hilo and Kona, Hawaii, and Nawiliwili, Kaui. Passengers will have time to explore all of these ports as NCL has scheduled over 100 hours of port time. Excursions can be booked in advance and include adventures like jungle kayaking, a Haleakala Crater visit, glass-bottom boat rides, or a visit to Volcanoes National Park just to name a few.

Many passengers fly into Honolulu a few days prior to their sailing to acclimate themselves to the time difference and so that they can visit Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian Cultural Center, and the beaches of Waikiki.

Cruising the Hawaiian Islands is not only time-efficient but also cost-effective. The ship becomes your floating resort so you save valuable beach time as well as the airfare that you would spend to fly between the islands. The tedious packing/unpacking cycle that comes with visiting two or more of the islands is eliminated. And of course, all of your meals are included in the price of the cruise.

Throughout Hawaii there is present an unseen force that is felt by those who visit; it’s called the Spirit of Aloha. Aloha is a Hawaiian word commonly heard as a greeting but it also means love, kindness and compassion – feelings that surround you the moment you step foot on one of the Hawaiian Islands. Why not experience the Spirit of Aloha with an NCL Hawaiian Cruise? The Hawaiian Islands are waiting to say “e komo mai”. Welcome!

Popular Cruise Line Owned Island Ports

As our travel agents consult with our travelers who are considering a cruise, they have discovered that many clients are unaware that most popular cruise lines actually own their own private islands in the Bahamas and use these as exclusive popular ports of call.

Many cruise lines have invested their resources into buying and upcoming small islands. These islands have become popular ports with cruisers in the Bahamas for multiple reasons:

•Beautifully maintained and clean beaches
•The same valuable customer service as you would receive on the ship
•Chairs, hammocks and activities are all set on the beach for guests on the ship
•Lunch is FREE and included as part of your cruise!
•Often times you can use your room key to make purchases on the island (based on specific cruise line)
•It’s a private island paradise with little development and developed areas are owned by the cruise line.

Popular Private Island Ports of Call Include:

•Coco Cay – Owned by Royal Caribbean International
•Castaway Cay – Owned by Disney Cruise Line
•Great Stirrup Cay – Owned by Norwegian Cruise Line
•Princess Cays – Owned by Princess Cruises
•Half Moon Cay – Owned by Holland America Line

So, the next time you’re working with a travel agent or booking a cruise online, take a look at the ports of call on cruise itineraries in the Bahamas and you’re sure to see these islands as a port. You won’t be disappointed!

Alaska Continued

Yesterday we disembarked the wonderful MS Statendam. Although our group was sad to leave the comfort, amenities, wonderful service and outstanding cuisine of the ship, we were excited about the second half of our Alaskan Adventure.

The land portion of our trip began with the Kenai Fjords National Park Tour; a boat trip which departed from the Seward's Small Boar Harbor. It was rainy and bit a chilly, but our enthusiam was not dampened as the trip promised to be an in-depth experience showcasing the Kenai Fjords National Park's abundant wildlife and alpine and tidewater glaciers. It was a promise that was kept!

Our group had the good fortune to be assigned to the newest vessel to join the fleet, the m/v Orca Voyager. She was commissioned into service in October of 2008 and provided excellent views from every angle (inside and out). Kenai Fjords Tours has combined the expertise of their captains—certified through the National Association of Interpretation—with the National Park Service to bring a multi-dimensional experience to their National Park Tour.

We cruised from Resurrection Bay and then through Harding Gateway and headed toward Aialik Glacier. Here I was thrilled to hear and see the loudest and most spetacular calving I had yet to experience. On our way we saw cormorants, horned and tufted puffins, bald eagles and common murres as well as sea lions, sea otters, and habor seals. We continued on past Holgate Head, Harbor Island, and Chisell Islands, with more wonderful wildlife viewing but as the six hour trip seemed to be coming to an end, we were all rather sad that we had not seen the "big one". But then with about an hour left of our journey, the captain reported that another ship had seen some whales, so we changed course slightly in quest of orcas.

As I stood on deck I heard from inside a shout of "port side - ten o'clock". My hands shook with excitement as I grabbed my camera and binoculars simultaneously. Off in the distance I saw the "blow". The captain announced that we were in the midst of a pod of orca whales and that it was possibly a "super pod" which is a combining of several pods; and that is exactly what it turned out to be. We then spent twenty minutes in what could be called "orca heaven". We experienced blows (the exhaling and replenishing of oxygen through the blowhole which produces a spray that can be seen up to a mile away) and flukes (the lifting of the tail as the whale begins its dive). And then I saw one of the most amazing things I've seen in my life - a complete breach of an adult whale. During a breach, a whale thrusts at least 75% of its body out of the water but this whale must have been an over-achiever because his entire massive body was completely out of the water. What a thrill!

If your travels ever find you in Seward, Alaska, this tour is not to be missed. And who knows; maybe you'll have the same luck that I did and experience the grand champion "breacher".

North To Alaska

I’m five days into my fourteen-day Alaskan Adventure and each day’s scenery, ports of call, and shipboard experiences have exceeded all of my expectations. I am traveling with the WTMJ Listeners Group and many friendships have already been formed.

I had breakfast today with Colleen, the tour manager from Fox Select Vacations, the group travel division of Fox World Travel. She developed and customized this itinerary which starts with a seven day inside passage cruise on Holland America’s MS Statendam and continues with a seven day interior Alaska land tour. Our conversation turned to the best way to do a land/cruise Alaska journey; cruise northbound first and then experience the land versus doing it in the reverse order. There are arguments for both.

One theory is that if you begin in the inside passage on a cruise ship you are “building” to the climax of “the Great One”, Mount McKinley. It truly does give one the sense of going “North, to Alaska”.

Then there is the equally compelling argument that you should begin your trip on land as that tends to be the more active part of the trip. The cruise is then considered to be a relaxing way to finish your Alaskan vacation.

Since I’m traveling north, I am going to make a bold statement and say that this is the best way to do it (until my next Alaskan Adventure when I may change the order and thus change my mind. It is after all, a woman’s prerogative).

So far we’ve seen Ketchikan and Juneau; both were great and the weather cooperated. We have two days at sea coming up which will give me the opportunity to fill you in on more of the details, but right I’m off to explore Skagway.

Booking Travel Online - Is The Thrill Gone?

Making your travel arrangements online was all the rage just a few short years ago. Discussions about travel became contests to determine who had "outsmarted" the system and found the cheapest cruise, all-inclusive Caribbean resort, or airfare online. But the thrill that many do-it-yourselfers had experienced when making travel arrangements online has turned into frustration as many of the web sites used to book travel online have become less user-friendly and more complex.

Last year the e-travel business grew by eight percent according to PhoCusWright Research. But we are seeing a bizarre development; while more people are making their travel arrangements online, they are less satisfied when they do.

Henry H. Harteveldt, a Forrester Reach travel analyst said, "What we've seen is growing frustration." He explains that "travel companies expect the consumer to behave like a travel agent. The question I always ask these guys is 'Could your mother-in-law use your web site without havng to call you for help?' The answer is always no." (See the entire article in the New York Times at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/business/04frustrate.html?_r=2&ref=global).

So if you are one of those online travel bookers for whom the "thrill is gone", remember that a full service travel agency like Fox World Travel is a phone call away. For those who still enjoy researching online and comparing prices side-by-side in front of you, but would still like reassurance from a travel agent, Fox World Travel does offer the ability to book travel online, but you can chat live with a travel agent or call while doing it for added support and reassurance.