Announcing new partnerships and
voyages
Opinion
Our macro world – nationalism,
patriotism, societies, and religions
The Encarta Dictionary defines
“nationalism” as the “desire to achieve political
independence” thereby implying a source or stimulus for
change. “Patriotism” on the other hand is defined as
“proud loyalty and devotion to a nation” implying a
nation where political independence exists. Are
nationalism and patriotism mutually exclusive? Can one
be patriotic and nationalistic at the same time? Would a
Kurd, a Sunni and a Sheik fight shoulder to shoulder to
defend their homeland? Did the North American Indians
who fought alongside the French and others who fought
alongside the English integrate into those societies?
Not that long ago Christian Rulers sought permission
from the Head of the Church to wage war; jihad, however
persists.
I believe the interplay amongst
these four factors produces persistent tension. Its
admixture has provided the stimulus for war, for
regress, and progress. But what a trail it has left us,
as we seek history in our travels, and what a legacy we
ourselves create for those who follow.
Music, a common language we share
internationally, oftentimes reflects the pervading mood
of a period. For example, “soul music” can be akin to
wailing; baroque can be sombre; classical can be
jubilant. Ever listen to the underlying abandonment of
war-time dance music? Jazz, jitterbug, ...
Our transition from primarily a
“Middle Sea” (the Mediterranean) existence to a global
society could be said to have been driven partly by
curiousity and daredevil explorations of our planet.
Today, despite the cessation of NASA’s space
explorations by the Obama Administration, we see
application of this acquired technology in space-travel
start-ups. Just recently I watched in amazement as a
reporter showed images of debris in outer space and
discussed the need to clean it up. Is this an
opportunity for a new wave of Waste Management? Will
there be a cost-sharing program that mimics the evolving
carbon tax?
I believe the explorer in us and our
continuous thirst for knowledge creates an innate need
to travel; be it new frontiers, or just discovering our
roots ...
Cruise Holidays of Clarkson adds to
its first-tier suppliers
Travel Agencies such as ourselves,
specializing as we do in cruise travel, undertake a wide
scope of operations. Our services span all components of
travel, resorts, excursions, expeditions, air travel,
accommodation, etc.. As your agent, our foremost role
and responsibility is to represent your interests to our
suppliers. Your level of satisfaction relies heavily on
how well we understand your expectations and how well we
match them with the style and quality of services our
suppliers deliver.
Prior to this year, our “first-tier”
or “inner-ring” of suppliers has been GLP Worldwide
Travel, Expeditions and Tours (GLP), Regent Seven Seas,
and Oceania Cruises. We are pleased and excited this
year to add three suppliers to our “inner circle” of
partners. They are Crystal Cruises, Avalon Waterways,
and Silversea. These relationships extend our capability
to seamlessly match your expectations without breaking
stride. By virtue of these relationships, our partners
add amenities that enhance your travel experience
thereby heightening the value proposition.
Our first-tier relationships and
featured destinations
Part of the Globus Family of brands, Avalon
has a history exceeding 80 years. Its river cruise
operations cover Europe, Egypt, and Asia; as well as the
Galapagos Islands. Avalon’s 2012 voyages have limited
availability and the company has turned its focus to its
2013 voyages with bonus savings offers. Call us for
details.
Crystal’s President Michel Gregg
makes this statement about his company:
“A steadfast commitment to
excellence has earned us unprecedented recognition as
the World’s Best for an incredible 18 years – an
accomplishment unmatched by any other cruise line, hotel
or resort anywhere in the world.”
Zaneta and I will be hosting a
Copenhagen to
Stockholm voyage
departing June 15, 2013 (witness the White Nights and if
lucky, catch an Aurora Borealis). This voyage has two
overnights in St. Petersburg, and an overnight in
Copenhagen. We are encouraged by your positive feedback
on the voyages we host and have made this an annual
event.
GLP is best
described as our invisible partner. They are our gateway
to AMA Waterways, other operators in Asia, and the Far
East, and tours in virtually any country in the
world.
On November 2nd, 2012,
Zaneta and I will host the “Deluxe Orient
Experience” -- a
voyage that starts in Bangkok, Thailand, travels by rail
to Singapore, then flies to Bali for 4 nights and Hong
Kong for 2 nights. If you haven't done so already, book
now! We promise an exceptional and exotic experience. A
video on our website provides a glimpse
of this luxurious train.
Oceania Cruises describes itself as
“Entry Level Luxury”: an apt
description of their status. Renowned for its cuisine a
la Chef Jacques Pepin, Oceania has added two newly built
ships to its fleet. Marina was
launched last year and Riviera this
year. This addition has more than doubled Oceania’s
passenger carrying capacity. Refer to our www.clarksontours.ca for our partnered sailings.
Zaneta is currently sailing with
fellow travelers on Oceania’s Regatta from
Sydney Australia to Auckland, New Zealand. The group
returns home March 10th.
A solid member of the luxury class,
we refer to RSSC as the “It’s included” cruiseline. Just
as budget airlines seek to add incremental charges for
incidentals such as seat selection, baggage handling,
onboard meals, ear-phones, etc., RSSC operates on the
flip side of this. And they do so with elegance and
style.
We have
partnered with RSSC on the “Arabian Adventures” voyage
from Luxor to Mumbai; this voyage departs November
14th 2012, and features 3-night hotel stays
(Regent’s Luxury Hotel Program) pre and post cruise to
explore the wonders of Ancient Egypt and the Taj Mahal.
Book now! All excursions are included!
Regent has wonderful savings opportunities particularly to Europe! Go to our Group Departures page to check them out!
A quote from Silversea’s
documentation helps us understand one of Silversea’s
main points of differentiation. It states:
“These elite and intimate ships are
specifically designed for fewer guests, featuring more
space and the highest levels of personalised service.
Accommodations are amongst the largest at sea; all have
ocean views and butler service and most feature private
verandas.”
Ask us about Silversea’s single
supplement offers ranging from 105% to 125% of double
occupancy fares (rather than the typical 200%). See our website for partnered voyages such as circumnavigation
of the British Isles (May 12, 2012 and May 16, 2013)
Barcelona to Las Palmas (Canary Islands October 29,
2012), and ‘round trip Cape Town South Africa (January
25, 2013) to the east coast -- preferred region for wild-life viewing. Call us! Or if you prefer, search Silversea's destinations.
On March 22nd at 7:00PM
at our store we have an information night with Kathryne
Cuthbertson of Oceania. See a video of Riviera, and why Riviera and Marina are considered to be amongst the most
revolutionary design in 50 years. And learn about
Oceania’s extended reach brought about by their dramatic
increase in passenger-carrying capacity. Click to Confirm your attendance.
On April 3rd at 6:30 PM
at the Ontario Racquet Club (ORC) we welcome you to join
Melanie Dickie of Avalon Waterways and Beverley Vickers
of RSSC. At this presentation, you will learn about the
services and travel experience on board Avalon’s and
Regent’s vessels. Click to Confirm your attendance.
About our “Refer a
Friend” program
We invite you
to take advantage of our referral offer. Refer a friend,
have your friend book and you earn CAD 150 bonus savings
on your next booking.
Why Cruise Holidays of
Clarkson
Cruise Holidays of Clarkson is an
independently owned travel agency specializing in group
and individual leisure travel services. Our business
relies heavily on word of mouth and the promise of a
lifetime travel experience. .
We are part of the Travel Leaders
Group franchised operation and benefit from supplier
amenities that accrue to us by virtue of scale of
operations. This positions us to provide significant
value to our clients.
Cruise Holidays of Clarkson is a
member of Cruise Holidays’ President’s Circle (2009,
2010, and 2011) and recipient of Royal Bank Insurance’s
award for quality business.
Best
regards,
Zaneta Rochemont
President,
Cruise
Holidays of Clarkson
earth.
The heart of the country is in the
vast Outback—one of
the oldest landscapes in the world. Its dramatic red
rocks (Uluru
being the most majestic one), ochre plains and purple
mountains are topped by brilliant blue skies. A “dinner under the
stars” at sunset and a visit to Uluru at sun
rise is a must--nowhere else will you see such dramatic
display of nature’s beauty. It is here that the
indigenous inhabitants of Australia, the
Aborigines
settled 60,000 years ago. For thousands of years they
hunted 
to overcome widespread poverty.
Nowadays, Australians are
increasingly aware of the rich heritage of the Aborigines, and
the society is trying to reconcile and make amends for
injustice committed by their ancestors over 200 years
ago. Even though the first European
settlers were convicts, and Australia is
known as a penal country, very few Australians
have true convict origin. Within only one generation of
the arrival of the First Fleet in
1788, Australia had become a nation of immigrants.
A visit to the Outback
followed; here we witnessed the most dramatic landscape
dominated by Uluru. The
highlight here was the dinner under the stars
overlooking Uluru at
sunset, and the dramatic sunrise at the footsteps of Uluru, followed
by the Liru
Walk where we retraced the paths of the Liru Ancestors
through the bush land near Uluru. We then
flew to Sydney,
Australia’s largest city. Sydney embraces
its harbour, taking the sea and natural waterways to its
heart. The grand style of the Opera House has
made the city the landmark of the South Pacific.
We drove through the historic “Rocks” area
where Australia was
first founded with its maze of terrace houses, pubs and
restaurants. Here we boarded Oceania’s elegant
Regatta—our
home for the next 17
days.
its many of the prison’s original
facilities. After cruising the Tasman Sea for
two days, we reached the western coast of New Zealand’s South
Island and sailed along the fjords of Milford Sound.
Our first port of call was Dunedin—New Zealand’s
oldest city well known for its Victorian and
Edwardian architecture. Next, we called on Wellington, New
Zealand’s capital city and most northern port in the
South
Island. Apart from the stunning bays and
exhibitions. We then sailed to the
North Island and called on Napier, nestled
in Hawke’s
Bay, for an introduction to New Zealand’s most
popular wine region with over 70 wineries. Bursting with
taste sensations, Hawke’s Bay is
one of New Zealand’s leading food and wine destinations.
Tauranga was our next port 
A great planner of meals, Zaneta
applies her gourmet expertise to creating a group travel
smorgasbord. We at Clarkson all get an opportunity to
serve up voyages from her menu as we escort you on
several. Zaneta herself will travel with the Australia
and New Zealand group in February / March. At this time
her sous-chefs have the following serving
assignments:
Galapagos, part of Ecuador, has a
strong association with Charles Darwin. It is said that
Darwin developed his theory of evolution here, observing
as he did wild life seemingly preserved in time. It is
amazing that some species of the giant turtle survived
extinction (from the onslaught of whalers and other
explorers who sought their fat). Today, Galapagos is a
national ecological park. Its pristine and peculiar
beauty has attracted curious-minded travelers for some
time. Typical travel to the area includes tours of
Ecuadorian sites (see inset map from Avalon Cruises) and
can be supplemented with a visit to the Amazon for the
nature seeker. There is significant benefit that one can
derive from touching, and experiencing