Tours & Cruises
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Mammoth Mountain bus getaway
The drive from Southern California to the Mammoth Mountain ski resort can be tough on busy holiday weekends. Pacific Sports Tours offers a bus trip over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend for skiers and boarders (and families too) that might take the angst out of getting there.
Dates: Jan. 13-16
Price: $279 a person, based on four to a room (two queen-sized beds) at Sierra Nevada Lodge; also, $299 a person for a triple and $369 a person for a double. The price includes round-trip transportation via coach, daily shuttle to Mammoth, meals on the bus, welcome party and continental breakfast daily. Lift tickets aren’t included but may be purchased at a discount: Three-day lift tickets for adults cost an additional $229 and $169 for children ages 13 to 18.
Info: Pacific Sports Tours, (310) 798-1234, email dm@pacificsportstours.com
THE BAHAMAS
Fishing in tropical waters
Andros Island in the Bahamas offers year-round bonefishing in the shallow tropical waters of the Caribbean. Frontiers Travel takes anglers on four-day trips to a lodge at Kamalame Cay with a discount of $815 a person for February departures. Relax at the lodge and go fly-fishing with a guide to find dorado, wahoo, king mackerel, grouper, tuna and marlin.
Dates: Trips leave year-round, but February trips are discounted.
Price: $2,955 a person (with discount), double occupancy. It includes four days of fishing with a guide and five nights at the lodge as well as use of snorkeling equipment and sea kayaks. Airfare is not included.
Info: Frontiers Travel, (800) 245-1950, https://www.frontierstravel.com
BRITAIN
Castles, countryside and city life
Shakespeare meets the Beatles, Robin Hood and Beatrix Potter on a guided 13-day coach tour next summer of England, Scotland and Wales. The trip begins and ends in London, host of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, and covers cities and villages as far north as Edinburgh, Scotland, and Durham, England. The countryside of the Cotswolds, the city of Bath and palaces and castles are on the itinerary for the English leg of the trip. In London, sightseeing stops include Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, Piccadilly Circus and Windsor Castle.
Price: Lowest prices are the May 3 and Sept. 27 tours, at $1,699 a person, double occupancy; $900 single supplement. It includes 12 nights accommodations, daily breakfast and four dinners, baggage transfers and guided tours. Airfare is not included.
Info: YMT Vacations, (800) 922-9000, https://www.ymtvacations.com
ANTARCTICA
Sailing in pursuit of natural wonders
Travel company Antarctic Dream is offering half-off an 11-day trip to Antarctica in December that features close encounters with humpback whales, leopard seals and orcas on daily Zodiac raft excursions amid blue ice and glaciers. The small-ship expedition begins and ends in Ushuaia, Argentina, then spends two days crossing Drake Passage each way. Stops include Cuverville Island, known as a rookery for Gentoo penguins; Aitcho Island; Neko Bay; Pleanu on Petermann Island; and Deception Island.
Dates: The discounted rate applies to the trip leaving Dec. 11.
Price: $5,990 a person for any cabin type, double occupancy, although some cabin types have sold out. It includes accommodations on the ship, daily meals, on-board lectures and exhibits, and insurance. Airfare and visa costs are not included. The price for this trip usually ranges from $6,900 to $11,450.
Info: Antarctic Dream, (877) 238-7477, https://www.antarcticdream.com
— Mary Forgione
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