NOVEMBER 13, 2013 • RIM REVIEW | 3
TRAVEL TALK | KEN BROOKS
HOLIDAY TRAVEL SUGGESTIONS Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s can be different for many of us. Some enjoy the pleasures of seeing old friends and relatives and even visiting some of them. Others would rather just stay home and drink-in the joys of the season in their own homes and towns and cities. Today, we will try and give you a few ideas if you want to consider leaving the homestead and branching out to other destinations. Las Vegas, Nev. is one of the most outstanding locations in December. More than three million people flock there to celebrate the holidays. There is even a Santa Claus road race, exclusively for Santa impersonators! There is ice-skating at Lake Las Vegas with its floating ice rink. Every year, Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall KEN BROOKS creates a winter wonderland spectacular. There will be over a half-million Christmas lights, a futuristic Christmas laser show and dreaming of a white Christmas. Christmas on the Strip is perhaps the most celebrated at the Bellagio Hotel as the fountains are already must-see and will dance only to Christmas music. And, the 49-ft. Christmas tree will feature a breathtaking display of decorations with a 5-ft. star on top. In fact, every resort and casino along the Strip will be trying to top one-another with Christmas decorations and events. You can take in the Winter Lights Festival at Springs Preserve, where an eight-acre garden will be lit. Don’t forget to take in one of the spectacular shows while you are there. If you and the extended family plan to get together with travel plans, you might do well to check out the Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim. You and the grandkids can race through the desert, soar over California, journey under the sea with Ariel or play with Woody and Buzz. Be sure to check out the World of Color nighttime spectacular and countdown to fun with the Pixar Play Parade. The family might enjoy dining at the Hollywood Golden Age eatery. For reservations at the Disneyland Hotel, phone 1-714-778-6600. And, don’t forget that Disney now has four beautiful cruise ships in the water operating in various parts of the world. These ships offer attractions for the young ones as well as adults. We took the grandkids on a Disney Cruise last October that took us to the Western Caribbean area. It was seven days in length and every day was filled with activities from morning to night. We all came together as a family during the dinner hour in the dining rooms. There are separate lounges and pool for adults. The cabins are rather large for a cruise ship and feature separated bathrooms. People can use the sink and toilet in one area while others are using the shower and bathtub in another room. If you can,
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Christmas on the Las Vegas Strip is perhaps the most celebrated at the Bellagio Hotel, and the fountains are already a must-see.
book a cabin with an outside balcony. Disney Cruises offer a one-week cruise Dec. 21 out of Galveston, Texas that docks in Cozumel, Mexico and Grand Cayman on the Disney Wonder. You can book a two- or three-day cruise on the Disney Dream out of Port Canaveral, Fla. for a Dec. 27 cruise to the Bahamas. Your travel agent can check availabilities and fares for you, or you can find them on the Web. While in Florida, why not rent a car and travel the short distance over to Orlando and visit some of the parks there. You’ll find Disney World with all of its parks as well as Universal Orlando and several other interesting parks. One of the most Christmassy places in America is Branson, Mo. Branson is nestled in the Ozark Mountains. It was once a dying lumber town but, is now the country’s live entertainment capital. It is home to scores of theaters and resort hotels that appeal to tourists year-round. Christmas time is very special here with its Branson Area Festival of Lights. The city expects about a million and a half holiday visitors this year to see the many offerings in each theatre, plus the Annual Adoration Parade which is a really big, old-fashioned Christmas parade with many of the theatre stars seen on floats. You can see real cowboys at the Branson Great American Wild West Show. There will be Christmas décor all over the city during the holiday season. Some of the music theatres will feature music of the season which can be enjoyed by all family members. The Branson Tourism Center can be reached at 1-800-785-1610. Branson Vacation Planning is available at: 1-866417-2726.
We have to mention New York City to visit this time of year. There you will see hundreds of stores in the Christmas mode along with features in Central Park, Radio City Music Hall, and the ice-skating at Rockefeller Center where you can rent skates. The shopping sales will be on, so take an extra suitcase to carry the new purchases home. In Santa Cruz, Calif. with a seaside on the Pacific will be decked out along the main avenue and boardwalk and there will be glittering displays for the holidays. Santa will visit this city by automobile. San Antonio, Texas will shine during the holiday season along the San Antonio River Walk, where 122,000 lights form a twinkling canopy over a riverside path. There will be a one-hour parade along the walk with over 185 schools and churches offering Christmas music and events. The National Christmas Center is the only Christmas museum in the entire world. It opened in 1998 and now overflows with hundreds of thousands of Christmas items, some more than 200 years old. This collection can be found in Paradise, Penn. Another place to shop is in Minneapolis, Minn. with the famous Mall of America. If you have relatives living in the area, perhaps they will put you up for a few nights while you and they do some serious shopping. I have seen many malls and so have you, but the Mall of America beats them all. Some of you will perhaps wish to stay in some of the very fine resorts and hotels in sunny Mexico. The beaches there are wonderful as are the resorts. All will be rather expensive over the holidays but, so is everywhere else. And, of course, we will suggest a Caribbean cruise out of Florida. The cruise in the end is your best travel value as we
often say but, check it out on the Web or with a travel agent. Some of you have wanted to visit or revisit the Hawaiian Islands and perhaps the holidays may be the best time for you to do Hawaii. The Four main islands offer so much to see and do. My favorites are Maui and Kauai. Where you stay is also important. Don’t select some poor-rated property thinking you won’t stay long in and around your hotel. I have found personally that the better the resort or hotel, the better we enjoy our trip. Hawaii offers balmy weather and southing breezes. It’s a little pricey this time of year, but everything is. If this is to be your destination, book your air and hotel as soon as possible. Seats and rooms fill fast this time of year. Remember, Phoenix and Tucson offer fine resorts and this is not so far to travel. A few fly over to London and Paris to enjoy the holidays. Both cities offer much to do and see. Be sure to bring warm clothing and a rain coat and umbrella. Also, take an extra suitcase to fill with shopping items. Remember, British Airways has several non-stop flights each week from Phoenix to London round-trip. A few people are discovering interesting destinations in Central America. Again, a travel agent can assist you with these areas or investigate on the Web. Many of the people in Costa Rica speak some English, which is always a help in getting around. We are planning a two-week cruise the first part of December, but will return home a couple days before Christmas where we plan to spend time with our good friends and relatives. Good luck in planning your holidays.