We host three events for our group travel. First, the "Tour Presentation" is held as an open house and with invitees. Secondly, a "Meet and Greet" session provides an opportunity for travelers to meet each other and for us to disseminate information. Third, the "Reunion" meeting provides an opportunity for old and newfound friends to meet, share a laugh, memories and pictures.

Our feature article in last July's issue of Evening Out focused on this same cruise tour that Victoria just completed. The cruise travels from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Our travel consultants travel with and escort groups on a rotating basis. This keeps us current on the regions we visit, and on the cruise lines with which we partner. In that way, we are better qualified to advise you on destinations and tour experiences.

As with last year, the Russian Waterways group fully enjoyed the tour's included opera and ballet performances and dinner with a Russian family (groups of 12 to each home). There was also the magnificence of standing in places of history such as Moscow, the Red Square, the Kremlin, the amazing sub-way stations that are decorated in museum-like art forms and the wonders of the riches of St. Petersburg (with its canals, the Hermitage and Peterhoff).

Next year, AMA Waterways will be replacing the M.S. Tolstoy with a new ship – the Amakaterina. This new ship demonstrates the cruise line's commitment to Russia, and reinforces its lead position in luxury river cruises.

"The Treasures of the Adriatic"
Last month, we were knee-deep in the weeds preparing details for our 2011 flagship cruise tour, to be hosted by Bill Anderson of the New Classical 96.3FM radio station. Aptly named "The Treasures of the Adriatic" this 13-night cruise departs April 29, 2011 for Venice; travelling along the Adriatic and through the Corinth Canal to Athens. We are very excited about this cruise tour! For our music lovers, we have included a mix of five folkloric and classical music performances. We have also organized custom shore excursions exclusive to this group. These excursions will provide historical detail of our past masters and visionaries. We will stand on location in the presence of artifacts from the time of the great empires of the past; in reality the seat of culture we enjoy today.

Brochures for this cruise tour are available now. When on air, Bill will invite you to join him and his wife Sharon. This will be our fourth voyage with Bill and Sharon, and we do our utmost to enrich these experiences and provide flawless execution of the detailed itinerary. This cruise tour ends in Athens with two nights in a four to five star hotel overlooking the Acropolis.

For this voyage on the Adriatic and Aegean seas, we have chosen a small, recently refurbished ship – the M.S. Aegean Odyssey. She has a capacity of approximately 350 passengers, and has staterooms and amenities that compare to the premium cruise lines. As with the river cruises with which Bill and Sharon have become accustomed, wine and other beverages are included with dinner. Our fares include gratuities for the ship's Cruise Director and crew.

Indulge yourself and join us! Zaneta and Joe will escort this cruise tour. For those who want single cabins, there are sixteen available – and they won't last long. Call today for details!

Grand European Adventure
We will be holding a "Meet and Greet" for our European Adventure cruise tour at our store on August 11 at 7 p.m. This voyage departs August 30 and starts in Istanbul. It then continues to Nessebar and Varna on the Black Sea, meandering to Bucharest where we board Lueftner Cruise Line's M.S. Amadeus Elegant, a new ship that started service in April 2010. You will cruise on the Danube through the Iron Gates into Belgrade, Osijek, Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna. At the end of the cruise, some of our passengers will continue on to the village of Oberammergau in Germany for the Passion Play Extension, and others will return home. Amani Armanious will escort this voyage. A limited number of cabins are still available!

The Mediterranean Sojourn in September
Treat yourself to one of our favourite luxury lines – Regent of the Seven Seas. The Mediterranean Sojourn departs for Istanbul on September 22, and visits ports in the Greek Islands before heading to the grandiose and spectacular Rome, Livorno, Portofino and Monte Carlo. Regent is a fully inclusive cruise line with stellar services, accommodation and gastronomical delights.

October group departures
In October, wewill have two cruise tours; the Opera Cruise from Marseilles to Athens (departing October 10), and Provence and Spain with Jean Stilwell of the New Classical 96.3FM (departing October 19.)
There is still room on board Le Ponant's Le Diamante for the opera cruise. Treat yourself to a great itinerary complete with tours. You will travel with a 12-member opera ensemble and enjoy their onboard performances.

Our Provence and Spain tour is sold out. It commences in Paris, sails from Lyon to Arles and then on to Barcelona (by way of Carcassonne). This is Jean Stilwell's second cruise tour with us, and we are excited to tell you that she will be performing on board AMA Waterways' Swiss Pearl, like she did when she traveled with us on AMA's Le Marguerite when sailing the Mekong in Cambodia and Vietnam. Patti Loach will travel with Jean and provide piano accompaniment. Jean is an accomplished mezzo-soprano.
Zaneta and Tal will escort this group.

Egypt
Amani will leave us again (she would have escorted our Grand European Adventure in August / September) in November to escort and lead a group to Egypt. Amani is a qualified Egyptologist and a licensed tour guide. She will escort a group of 20 guests, starting in Cairo and moving on to Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan and the treasures of the Nile on a 7-night cruise on the super-luxurious Sonesta Gt. George. Amani's in-depth knowledge of this region is amazing. This tour is held twice annually, and is not to be missed for those of you who are curious about this ancient culture and its wonders. The region is truly an open-air museum with on-going discoveries that continue to defy modern-day science.

2011 Group Travel
We are now in the process of filling out our 2011 schedule. Two of the highlights we have already told you about – South America and the Antarctic with Oceania Cruises in January, and the Treasures of the Adriatic in May on Aegean Odyssey – will be escorted by Zaneta and Joe.

Other tours we have planned for 2011 are:
● South Pacific (round trip Papeete) on Paul Gauguin in January
● Splendours of Egypt (February)
● Asian Empires on Oceania (March)
● The Tulips Time River Cruise (April)
● Russian Waterways River Cruise – on the brand new M.S. Amakaterina (May)
● The Blue Danube River Cruise/The British Isles (June)
● Scandinavian Splendours (Baltic Sea) on Oceania in July
● Alaska on Oceania (August)
● Portugal and Spain River Cruise (August)
● Magnificent Europe River Cruise (September)
● China, Tibet and Yangtze River Cruise (October)
● Splendours of Egypt (November)
● Vietnam, Cambodia and The Riches of Mekong River (November)
● Christmas Markets River Cruise (December)

Most of these groups are now available for bookings. Call our office for details ,and ask about our Early Booking Discount on selected departures. These tours are very popular, and the cabins fill up quickly. If you want to reserve a particular cabin, now would be the time to do so.

You can reach us at 905-855-1700 or come see us in person at 1739 Lakeshore Road West in Mississauga to get the details. We are planning a new series of cruise presentations at our office starting as early as September, and we'll tell you all about them in the September edition of Evening Out.

In the meantime, have a wonderful summer filled with joy and lazy summer days!