Travels with ATS

Book Your Cruise Through an Experienced Travel Agent

Booking a cruise is an involved process, and Web sites cannot provide the expertise and judgment the process requires. For instance, if you book online, you may end up with a smaller balcony than you requested and at the opposite end of the ship. And forget about upgrades!

Our recommendations:

1. Research online, but buy through a cruise specialist. Use the Web to review itineraries and pricing, but book through an agent. At Antietam Travel Service, Inc., we have built solid relationships with most of the major cruise lines, so we can find the right cabin for you at the right price.

2. Choose the right ship. The only thing worse than being in the wrong cabin is being on the wrong ship. Each cruise line attracts different clientele, so let an experienced travel agent match you with the right crowd. Size matters also. If you want to see small islands and pretty harbors, you're better off on smaller ships.

3. Find out what's included - and what's not. Don't let the bargain fares fool you. All cruise lines charge for shore excursions, alcoholic drinks, sodas, and, of course, for items in their shops onboard. Some also have upscale restaurants that charge a nominal fee and art auctions for passengers that are interested in buying fine art at reduced prices. Your travel agent can help you navigate the maze of choices.

4. Get the timing right. If there are only one or two ships or cabin types that suit your needs, reserve early. If group space is limited, book early. You may be able to book a cabin at a reduced rate if you wait until the last minute, but many times that cabin will be in a bad location. And if the price drops before sailing, we usually can get the difference refunded to you. A web site won't do that!

The expert travel agents at Antietam Travel Service, Inc. can help you with all the aspects of planning your next cruise. We will also help you navigate the fine print of travel insurance policies, something the cruise lines and Web sites don't.

ATS Cruise Special - Carnival Miracle from Baltimore in 2004

Join Antietam Travel friends for a memorable Caribbean cruise aboard Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest ship, the Carnival Miracle, a Spirit-class ship that is 963 feet in length, 88,500 gross tons, and cruises at 21 knots. It has a guest capacity of 2,124 (double occupancy) and a staff of 934. Currently under construction at Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Helsinki, Finland, a photo taken by Linda Cleveland, owner of Antietam Travel Service, Inc., on June 11 is shown below.

This Baltimore itinerary takes you to Key West, Florida and Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas.

Key West, the "Conch Republic," is a festive island of colorful bars and equally colorful characters in what may as well be the tropics. America's southernmost tip, where Harry Truman spent his summers playing poker and running the country, is a non-stop delight. Visit Hemingway's house where you'll find his original manuscripts and many of his famed "six-toed" cats. And while you're on the island be sure to sample its culinary treasures such as conch and Key Lime Pie.

What makes Nassau so special? Picture an idyllic place with stretches of perfect white sand beaches, gracefully swaying coconut palms offering oases of shade, and warm, crystal clear waters revealing the secrets of incredible multi-colored marine life. Whether you spend the day shopping for duty-free gifts and mementos, taking a carriage ride past sorbet-colored buildings, or touring in a glass-bottom boat, chances are you'll leave this happy place in the Bahamas with lots of beautiful memories.

Freeport is a sportsman's paradise with endless opportunities for snorkeling, sailing, scuba diving, and one of the most impressive golf courses in the world. If shopping is your sport you're sure to score big at the duty-free shops, where you can find excellent deals on cameras, watches, porcelain and fine jewelry. Or you can just kick back and enjoy the sun on one of the many gorgeous, white-sand beaches that abound.

The Carnival Miracle offers all these plus shows, dancing, first run movies, health club, swimming, bingo, casino and much more.

Prices start at $601.00* per person, double occupancy, for an inside stateroom; $751.00* per person, double occupancy, for an outside stateroom; and $851.00* per person, double occupancy, for a veranda stateroom, depending on date chosen! Some staterooms can accommodate a third and fourth passenger. Please call for availability and rates. Call Antietam Travel Service, Inc. at 301-662-8080 for further details or check out our specials on the ATS Web site at http://www.antietamtravel.com/specials/.

* Rates include all port charges and taxes and are subject to change without notice.

Travel Destination - St. Petersburg, Russia

St. Petersburg, a relatively young city, by both Russian and European standards, was founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great. Despite its short life so far, St. Petersburg has a rich and exciting history. From the early days of Peter the Great's "Venice of the North" to the modern events of the 1991 coup d'etat, the city has always bustled with life and intrigue, revolution and mystery.

St. Petersburg is a beautiful and fascinating holiday destination and one of the most intriguing and historically significant cities in Europe. Whether you chose to visit the city in the midst of a romantic and snowy Russian winter or during the dazzling White Nights of the summer months, you will be spellbound by St. Petersburg’s culture and beauty.

When Peter the Great re-claimed the lands along the Neva River in 1703, he decided to build a fort - the Peter and Paul Fortress - to protect the area from possible attack by the Swedish army and navy. The fortress was founded on a small island in the Neva delta on May 27, 1703 (May 16 according to the old calendar) and that day became the birthday of the city of St. Petersburg. The Swedes were defeated before the fortress was even completed. For that reason, from 1721 onwards the fortress housed part of the city's garrison and rather notoriously served as a high security political jail. Among the first inmates was Peter's own rebellious son Alexei. Later, the list of famous residents included Dostoyevsky, Gorkiy, Trotsky and Lenin's older brother, Alexander. Parts of the former jail are now open to the public.

From the 1760s onwards the Winter Palace was the main residence of the Russian Tsars. Magnificently located on the bank of the Neva River, this Baroque-style palace is perhaps St. Petersburg’s most impressive attraction. Many visitors also know it as the main building of the Hermitage Museum. The green-and-white three-story palace is a marvel of Baroque architecture and boasts 1,786 doors, 1,945 windows and 1,057 elegantly and lavishly decorated halls and rooms, many of which are open to the public.

The Winter Palace was built between 1754 and 1762 for Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. Unfortunately, Elizabeth died before the palace’s completion and only Catherine the Great and her successors were able to enjoy the sumptuous interiors of Elizabeth’s home. Many of the palace’s impressive interiors have been remodeled since then, particularly after 1837, when a huge fire destroyed most of the building. Today the Winter Palace, together with four more buildings arranged side by side along the river embankment, houses the extensive collections of the Hermitage. The Hermitage Museum is the largest art gallery in Russia and is among the largest and most respected art museums in the world.

The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great purchased a collection of 255 paintings from the German city of Berlin. Today, the Hermitage boasts over 2.7 million exhibits and displays a diverse range of art and artifacts from all over the world and from throughout history (from Ancient Egypt to early 20th century Europe). The Hermitage’s collections include works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, a unique collection of Rembrandts and Rubens, many French Impressionist works by Renoir, Cezanne, Manet, Monet and Pissarro, numerous canvasses by Van Gogh, Matisse, Gaugin and several sculptures by Rodin. The collection is both enormous and diverse and is an essential stop for all those interested in art and history. The experts say that if you were to spend a minute looking at each exhibit on display in the Hermitage, you would need 11 years before you would seen them all!

The Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood, a marvelous Russian-style church, was built on the spot where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in March 1881. After assuming power in 1855 in the wake of Russia’s disastrous defeat in the Crimean war against Britain, France and Turkey, Alexander II initiated a number of reforms. In 1861 he freed the Russian serfs (peasants, who were almost enslaved to their owners) from their ties to their masters and undertook a rigorous program of military, judicial and urban reforms, never before attempted in Russia. However, during the second half of his reign Alexander II grew wary of the dangers of his system of reforms, having only barely survived a series of attempts on his life, including an explosion in the Winter Palace and the derailment of a train. Alexander II was finally assassinated in 1881 by a group of revolutionaries, who threw a bomb at his royal carriage.

The decision was taken to build a church on the spot where the Emperor was mortally wounded. The church was built between 1883 and 1907 and was officially called the Resurrection of Christ Church (a.k.a. The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood ). The construction of the church was almost entirely funded by the Imperial family and thousands of private donators. Both the interior and exterior of the church is decorated with incredibly detailed mosaics, designed and created by the most prominent Russian artists of the day (V.M. Vasnetsov, M.V. Nesterov and M.A. Vrubel).

The church was closed for services in the 1930s, when the Bolsheviks went on an offensive against religion and destroyed churches all over the country. It remained closed and under restoration for over 30 years and was finally re-opened in 1997 in all its dazzling former glory.

Linda and Bill Cleveland, owners of Antietam Travel Service, Inc., visited St. Petersburg in June.

Source: taedge destinations & saint-petersburg.com

Travels with ATS
is brought to you monthly by the professional travel consultants at
Antietam Travel Service, Inc.

We never send unsolicited email. You are receiving this newsletter because you have requested it or because you subscribed using the instructions below. See our Privacy Policy.

To subscribe to this newsletter, please send an email to Subscriptions with "subscribe_ats_news" (without the quotes) as the subject of the message. In the body of the message, please indicate which version you want - HTML or plain text.

To request that your name be removed from future mailings, please send an email to Subscriptions with "unsubscribe_ats_news" (without the quotes) as the subject of the message.