Distance: Delhi ---> Mandwa is 257 kms
P.S: December is the month when lot of tourists land in Rajasthan. So if you really want all the arrangements to be done properly this has to be done before October end.
On Christmas Eve, MAXjet—the all business class airline—filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and halted all flights. Here's the announcement directly from MAXjet president William Stockbridge.Dear Friends of MAXjet:
It is with deep regret that I must inform you that MAXjet filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 24 December 2007. With today’s fuel prices and the resulting impact on the credit climate for airlines, we are forced to take this drastic measure. Our top priority is to assist our customers, particularly those who already have begun their travel with us, in securing alternative flight accommodations.
MAXjet has contracted with Eos Airlines for seats on Eos’ scheduled all-Premium service to accommodate passengers awaiting a return flight between New York and London. Passengers needing return travel between London, Los Angeles and Las Vegas will be contacted regarding their flight re-accommodations. Any customers who choose to make flight accommodations directly should seek a refund from their point of purchase (credit card or travel agency) for the unused leg of their journey.
We have also secured hotel rooms in London, New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles through early January 2008 which we will provide to affected passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted.
On behalf of the entire MAXjet family, we extend our apologies to you for the inconvenience. We are extremely saddened to discontinue a service that we so passionately believe in, and we thank our loyal flyers who helped build MAXjet since our start in 2005.
Sincerely,
William D. Stockbridge
President and CEO
Want to cruise Alaska in 2008? If you wish to do so aboard a luxury vessel, now is the time to snag a deal before the premium suites and discount deals are snatched up. Yes, it's only the beginning of winter and Alaska is the last place you may want to visit right now—you're probably counting down to your winter Caribbean cruise instead—but the allure of glaciers and whale watching is too much to ignore during the summer months. Even early fall can be a fantastic time to visit our northwest neighbors.
Eos Airlines is no stranger to travelers flying between New York's JFK and London's Stansted airport. The relative newcomer offers 48 comfortable "suites" on a 757 that's usually outfitted for 220 individuals. Your personal cabin is 21 square feet of personal space and when it's time for bed, you'll enjoy a 6' 6" lie-flat bed. The airline proudly touts that its service is more like a private corporate jet than a traditional consumer airline.
In India, when we have good amount of money to spend on vacation, we usually think about various travel destinations like UK, Switzerland, France, Italy, Singapore, Malaysia, etc., One item that is common in these destinations is none of them are in our country.
Due to a cracked propeller on the Wind Spirit, Windstar Cruises has canceled its December 8 sailing out of St. Thomas. The repair requires dry docking and the ship is expected to be back in service for the December 15 sailing.
On November 17 while docked in Bermuda, a small fire broke out in Crystal Serenity's engine room. The flames were contained within one piece of equipment and were put out quickly. The crew and guests were not at risk during this incident.
Last week while sailing near Tangiers, SeaDream I damaged one of its stabilizers. In order to make the necessary repairs before its scheduled cross from Lisbon to San Juan, the November 17 itinerary was cancelled. While SeaDream Yacht Club originally hoped to simply delay departure until November 21, poor weather conditions prevented SeaDream I from immediately entering dry dock.
Here's something of note: Crystal Cruises has announced that in addition to its certified Court of Master wine sommeliers, new "cheese sommeliers" will join the crew for all 2008 voyages.
SeaDream Yacht Club has announced its Caribbean itineraries for 2009 (January through April). They've done a great job spicing things up! I was just lamenting to someone the other day that all of my favorite luxury cruise lines are doing the same-old same old in the Caribbean. With SeaDream's new itineraries, there are quite a few that will lure even die-hard Caribbean cruisers who feel as if they've seen every bay and cove there is to discover.
The U.S. economy may be sagging but it hasn't hurt the luxury markets any. In fact, high-end travel companies are aggressively investing in the future. Just look toward The Yachts of Seabourn. We've all heard about the Seabourn Odyssey that will sail the seven seas starting in 2009. The company also has a second ship on orer with Italian shipbuilder T. Mariotti S.p.A.
Here's a fun holiday gift for SeaDream fans and those who like to tackle new recipes: the newly published Dream Cuisine: An Adventure for the Senses cookbook from the chefs aboard SeaDream I and SeaDream II.
I don't usually discuss specific cruise itineraries unless I'm writing a review, but here's a new offering from SeaDream that's a bit out of the ordinary. While there are many, many Western Mediterranean offerings, SeaDream I's voyage #1835 sailing from Istanbul, Turkey on August 23, 2008 will focus on the Black Sea.
Have you reserved a cruise during Seabourn Odyssey's inaugural season in 2009? If not, you might want to surf over to http://www.seabournodyssey.com to learn a bit more about this forthcoming 32,000-ton luxury cruise ship.
This was the moment of truth! We had just boarded NCLA's Pride of America and had our first glimpse of our Deluxe Penthouse Suite. Some fellow cruises asked if we got this cabin as the result of an "upsell" call from NCL. We actually booked this cabin from the get-go, so we did not receive the famed upsell call offering suite accommodations at a discounted rate.
Yes, the balcony for AB suite 10000 on NCL's Pride of America really is this big. It stretches across the bow.
Here's the hot tub that's on the balcony of NCL's Pride of America AB suite 10000. Unfortunately, it was broken when we arrived! Ten demerits for NCL. It took two entire days and several requests before anyone came to fix the tub. It turned out that the switch was broken and couldn't be replaced while we were onboard. We could use the hot tub, but we had to keep our finger on the button if we wanted the jets on. Nice and relaxing. The onboard mechanics told us it looked like the unit hadn't been used or serviced in a long time. So, if you've booked a room with a balcony hot tub, make sure your room steward(ess) cleans it thoroughly before you use it. Lots of yucky bacteria can grow in these tubs if they're left sitting without use for long periods of time.
Here's the bedroom that can be partitioned off by both French doors between the living room and bedroom and a heavy curtain between the bedroom and the closet/vanity area. What you can't see in this photo is a second flat-screen TV and the sliding glass door that leads to the balcony (opposite end from the hot tub). (The leis pictured here were NOT from NCL. We received them from LeiGreeting.com when we landed at the Honolulu Airport the day before.)
A few of the living room, looking into the bedroom with the French doors closed.
Here's the living room, dining area, and wet bar. (The second sliding glass door to the balcony is located right next to the chair in the foreground of this photo. This leads to the hot tub side of the balcony.)
The desk area includes an Internet connection for your laptop. Service is very slow and there were many times we couldn't get online. (See the entrance door on the near left.)
The dining room is one of the outstanding features of AB suites. It makes it easy to order room service and dine in the privacy of your own stateroom.
Here's the wet bar area where you'll find a coffee/cappuccino maker. There is also a mini-fridge located here, although when you arrive it will be empty except for one large bottle of water. Additional beverages may be ordered from your butler, but make sure to tell him how many of everything you want. We asked for the fridge to be filled with diet Coke and ginger ale and we received all of four cans for the week. Every time we ran out of soda, we had to call the butler to order refills.
The bathroom was incredibly spacious and had an "open" concept with two double sinks, a vanity area, a separate toilet, separate walk-in shower, and a jacuzzi with a window (one-way glass) looking out to the sea over the balcony.
This is the jacuzzi in the bathroom. It was terrific!
The walk-in shower. This also has a one-way window looking out onto the balcony.
As you walk from the bedroom to the bathroom, you pass this makeup/vanity area.
As I mentioned in my last post, we booked a one-night pre-cruise stay at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. Here are just a few reasons why this hotel is the ideal home-away-from-home while you're on Oahu:
While the hotel itself seems more suited to conventions and events, the rooms are comfortable and have terrific views of either Kuhio Beach or Diamond Head (some corner rooms even have two balconies so you get both views!).
The beach fronting the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa on Oahu.
Since the Waikiki Beach Marriott offers in-room high-speed Internet access, I’ll be able to post our initial impressions of the hotel, along with some pictures, late Friday or Saturday morning after we climb Diamond Head and before we check out. (The photo to the left shows the resort with Diamond Head in the background.)
Have you ever wondered why Norwegian Cruise Line America is the only line offering inter-island cruises in Hawaii? The answer lies deep in the heart of American politics. In order for any cruise line to offer inter-island itineraries in Hawaii, the line's ship must be flagged in the U.S. and manned by an all-American crew. Not an easy task. In fact, until the inception of NCLA (a subsidiary of NCL), there had been no such ships in nearly 50 years. Therefore, most Hawaiian cruises had to embark in Ensenada or Los Angeles or other port for intra-island passage.
Developed through the company's partnership with Viking Range Corporation, the Viking Cooking School on each Silversea ship features a custom-designed demonstration culinary theater equipped with state-of-the-art induction stove; sophisticated convection-microwave oven; and Viking professional-caliber cookware, cutlery, and countertop appliances. There is also a large rear-projection screen so guests can easily view different cooking techniques and utensils.
