 You have spent weeks, maybe months, planning a wonderful trip, and your travel date is coming closer. Or, you are in the middle of your dream vacation, having the time of your life. Most of the time, this story will have a simple, happy ending. But... you just never know when your vacation could hit a snag, while you’re away or even before you leave. Consider what could happen if…
In each of these situations, you could be protected and assisted if you had purchased travel insurance. Without insurance, unexpected events like these could not only spoil your trip, but you could end up losing your money or incurring large expenses. There are several different insurance plans to protect any type of travel. Brentwood Travel strongly advises that you never plan a vacation without including travel insurance as part of the package. Ask your travel consultant for more information. Email Brentwood Travel or call (314) 439-5700.
0 Comments
 Dianna, We absolutely loved our Alaskan trip! It was such an amazing adventure. Princess really knows how to vacation. At every event, bus, and resort change they were ready with complete instructions and connections. We also appreciated your tip about Shoretrips. We were so pleased with the service we received from our excursions. This trip was truly a "trip of a lifetime". Thank you so much for all your help, we couldn't have done it without your expertise . This was the first time we used a travel agency for our vacation, and we are so glad we chose you. We will happily recommend Brentwood Travel to all our friends. We have attached some of our favorite pictures, we have many more! Thank you, Gary and Barb L. 2016  In May, 2016, my parents and I arrived at the Vancouver, Canada cruise terminal to embark on our first Alaskan cruise with Princess Cruise Line. We boarded the Crown Princess to enjoy a week of adventure while exploring the Alaskan Inside passage.  We enjoyed the food and activities on the Crown Princess while sailing through beautiful Alaska! We were really glad that we had a balcony from which to enjoy the fabulous views! I enjoyed seeing the comedians and the ‘Magic To Do’ Broadway show.  The Crown Princess
We had such a fantastic day gliding through Glacier Bay National Park. Alaska has an estimated 100,000 glaciers.
Loved all the picturesque towns—an authentic dose of the past.
 Don’t miss the Mendenhall Glacier Tour in Juneau!  In addition to our cruise, we decided to tack on two more days in beautiful Vancouver. 
|
 |  |
The Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest.
The first official night of the cruise was spent onboard our ship, docked in downtown Budapest. The next morning was a leisurely cruise to Vienna, where we toured the city…such fun seeing the home of the famed Lipizzaner stallions! While in Vienna, you must visit the exquisite Schönbrunn Palace, a palatial complex which is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. A special Viking treat was an evening at the Opera – a private performance of “The Marriage of Figaro,” where we met the cast members.
The Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna
Cruising upriver took us through the beautiful Wachau Valley, blanketed with vineyards and dotted by colorful villages. Another high spot for us was the Melk Abbey, a massive baroque Benedictine monastery with beautiful ceiling paintings and more than 90,000 volumes and rare manuscripts.
Inside the beautiful Melk Abbey
We really enjoyed Passau, Germany – great gift-shopping – even though I got separated from our group (too much photo-taking) and followed my map on my own walking tour around Old Town, talking to friendly locals as I found my way to our meeting spot…actually a lot of fun
On our walking tour of Regensburg, one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval cities, we saw impressive13th and 14th century church spires, towers and homes. One optional tour I urge you to take is a visit to the BMW factory. It is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a combination of robotics and “worker-friendly” assembly lines
On our walking tour of Regensburg, one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval cities, we saw impressive13th and 14th century church spires, towers and homes. One optional tour I urge you to take is a visit to the BMW factory. It is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a combination of robotics and “worker-friendly” assembly lines
Authentic brats and kraut at the Sausage House in Regensburg, Germany
The last stop on our cruise was Nuremberg. While our day there was more sobering, it was an eye-opening look at history we only thought we knew. We saw Zeppelin Field, the former Nazi parade grounds, and the Palace of Justice. We also opted for an unforgettable tour of the World War II Museum, a fascinating interactive experience using an audio guide that I highly recommend.
A big part of traveling is wonderful food, and we had some great culinary experiences. Recommendations: historical Wurkstkuchl of Regensburg, the oldest sausage tavern in the world (bring back a jar of homemade sweet mustard); Figlmüller in Vienna, serving up the most delicious Frisbee-sized schnitzel you’ve ever seen or eaten (take a friend to share with); Strudel House on the Pest side of Budapest, where you can watch them hand make mouth-watering savory and sweet strudels. Some of our finest meals were onboard our Viking ship. They featured regional cuisine that brought our destinations to life, a variety of menu selections at every meal and an extensive wine list. Desserts were artistic and delicious, and the service was always impeccable.
Schnitzel for one... Vienna Style!
Our ship was elegant, and service and food were tops. Our roomy stateroom had a beautifully-appointed bath and a balcony. For us, this trip was really about the experience, and our shore-excursions were first-rate with English-speaking guides bringing us closer to the history and culture of the area
There's never been a better time to plan a Viking River Cruise!
For a limited time, select 2017 Danube River Cruises start at $1,299/person.*
Email us or call (314) 439-5700 for more information.
*New bookings only; available on October 2017 departures of Danube Waltz.Other restrictions apply. Must book by 8/16/16.
Get your passports; you’re invited to a destination wedding!
Long before there was a ring, Paul and I knew we wanted to have a destination wedding. While we enjoyed attending traditional 'ceremony and reception' weddings, that just wasn’t us. We wanted something smaller, low-key and intimate but we wanted more than a ceremony and a private room at a nice restaurant. We love to travel and we knew that inviting our closest family and friends on a vacation with us was going to be our ‘perfect’ wedding.
Long before there was a ring, Paul and I knew we wanted to have a destination wedding. While we enjoyed attending traditional 'ceremony and reception' weddings, that just wasn’t us. We wanted something smaller, low-key and intimate but we wanted more than a ceremony and a private room at a nice restaurant. We love to travel and we knew that inviting our closest family and friends on a vacation with us was going to be our ‘perfect’ wedding.
After weighing different islands and resorts, we decided on Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana. We wanted to go to an island that we had not been to before and we liked how our guests from the U.S. could get a charter flights from St Louis, Chicago, and Milwaukee. Paul and I had vacationed with AMResorts before and loved the food and service, and wanted to go with a brand we trusted. Since this was a group booking, we were able to get our guests a discounted rate on their package. We then chose our date and deposited!
The stress started to settle in... I had never planned a wedding, let alone on an island that I’ve never been to and at a resort I’ve never seen! Then I was put into contact with our wedding coordinator at the resort - she had so much information for me and gave us an abundance of options. She sent over a whole ‘wedding menu’ full of flowers, photographers, decorations, ceremony and reception locations, sample menus, etc. We chose a ceremony late in the day with a cocktail hour with a trio of musicians playing Caribbean music then a buffet dinner with a full bar with a bonfire. Our wedding could have been anything from very simple to extremely extravagant - they can cater to all tastes.
The stress started to settle in... I had never planned a wedding, let alone on an island that I’ve never been to and at a resort I’ve never seen! Then I was put into contact with our wedding coordinator at the resort - she had so much information for me and gave us an abundance of options. She sent over a whole ‘wedding menu’ full of flowers, photographers, decorations, ceremony and reception locations, sample menus, etc. We chose a ceremony late in the day with a cocktail hour with a trio of musicians playing Caribbean music then a buffet dinner with a full bar with a bonfire. Our wedding could have been anything from very simple to extremely extravagant - they can cater to all tastes.
Our departure date finally arrived and we were finally at the resort. After we settled in, our wedding planner found us. She took my dress and Paul’s slacks and shirt to be pressed. We sat down with her and went over a few more details, such as if we were still happy with the décor, and she then showed us around where we would be having the ceremony and reception (we chose to have both on the beach).
We had our wedding on a Wednesday, which gave us time to be with our guests before and after the wedding as we wanted to vacation with everyone as well. It was also great to have so many things to do at the resort as it catered both to people that wanted to be more active, and those who just wanted to lounge by the pool.
The wedding day came, and my attendants and I had our hair and makeup done at the spa at the resort. They did a fantastic job! This was another facet that I was stressed about, considering most brides have hair and makeup dry runs with their stylist prior to their weddings, and we were going into this without a dry run AND with a language barrier. I gave them picture torn from a bridal magazine and it was duplicated perfectly. Our wedding coordinator kept checking on us throughout the day, and eventually we made it back to our room to dress.
We had our wedding on a Wednesday, which gave us time to be with our guests before and after the wedding as we wanted to vacation with everyone as well. It was also great to have so many things to do at the resort as it catered both to people that wanted to be more active, and those who just wanted to lounge by the pool.
The wedding day came, and my attendants and I had our hair and makeup done at the spa at the resort. They did a fantastic job! This was another facet that I was stressed about, considering most brides have hair and makeup dry runs with their stylist prior to their weddings, and we were going into this without a dry run AND with a language barrier. I gave them picture torn from a bridal magazine and it was duplicated perfectly. Our wedding coordinator kept checking on us throughout the day, and eventually we made it back to our room to dress.
Like all weddings, not everything can be controlled. There was a storm off the coast and our coordinator was watching the radar. As we were having our ceremony and reception outside, she gave us the option to move it indoors, but we had to decide fast. Paul and I decided that we would be more disappointed if we decided to move inside and it didn’t rain than we would be if it rained on us. We won that gamble - not a drop!
We did find out that it was too windy to do the bonfire after the reception, so we rescheduled it for the night before everyone left. That worked out phenomenally, as we the chance to get together as a group one more time before going back to reality.
We did find out that it was too windy to do the bonfire after the reception, so we rescheduled it for the night before everyone left. That worked out phenomenally, as we the chance to get together as a group one more time before going back to reality.
Everything went better than I expected. Dreams Palm Beach exceeded our expectations by a long shot. Everyone was so accommodating, and it was more beautiful than we could have imagined.
Even as Paul and I attend weddings now, either one of us will whisper to the other “I’m so glad we had a destination wedding.”
Even as Paul and I attend weddings now, either one of us will whisper to the other “I’m so glad we had a destination wedding.”
Tips for your destination wedding (and how to learn from our mistakes):
- Start putting a bug in people’s ear long before your save-the-dates go out that you’re considering a destination wedding. This is a much larger investment for your guests than a set of towels from Pottery Barn. We got engaged in the Spring and wanted to have a Fall wedding, but we decided on a longer engagement so that people wouldn’t feel as pinched to make a decision.
- Don’t be upset if people can’t go. We had quite a few people that couldn’t attend due to homes being purchased and babies being born. This is just part of having a destination wedding.
- Get your save the dates out ASAP. This reminds people to contact your travel agent and start asking off from work. We sent out luggage tags as our save the dates.
- Book the Honeymoon Suite or Master Suite. This is the first of only two aspects I would have changed. We booked a Preferred Club Ocean View room which was more than enough room for the two of us, but adding in my attendants, mom, photographer, and wedding planner. That room got small quickly!
- The second change I would have made is booking private transfers. The shared transfers were not bad, but looking back, I wish it would have just been my soon-to-be husband and me sharing our nervousness in the car.
- Don't forget welcome gifts. We put together beach bags for our guests that included a tour book of the Dominican, sun screen, aloe, and bug spray. Our maid-of-honor made beach towels in our wedding colors with our wedding date. You can get the resort to deliver them to everyone’s rooms, but we opted to deliver them by hand so we could personally thank our guests for coming and this gave us one-on-one time with everyone. Also - it was easy to identify our guests on the beach or by the pool since everyone had the same color bags on their chairs.
For more information about destination weddings, email Carrie or reach out to one of our other specialists.
