Sherman's Travel

Truth be told, my only experience with a repositioning cruise was as a precocious 6-year-old sailing Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 instead of flying when my family moved back to the U.S. from Paris. Our week at sea was spent watching the newly released Beauty and the Beast and splashing in salt water swimming pools. Even our poor cat, Fuzzy, came along for the ride, although I think she had significantly less fun than we did. (Apparently this trip made quite the impression on me, as the parent volunteers from my first grade class still to this day remember how I regaled them with tales of the QE2.)

Fond childhood memories aside, these types of cruises generally offer the best deals around, since cruise lines need to move their ships from one place to another and offer significant discounts on “one-way” passages. The itineraries can cost as little as $42/night – though note since you spend less time in port you’re more apt (so the cruise lines hope) to open your wallet for the ship’s onboard activities and specialty restaurants.

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Fresh from a $25 million facelift that gave its staterooms a glamorous dash of retro-meets-modern panache, eight-year-old Crystal Serenity embarked on a series of cruises through the Baltic Sea. Onboard for the most recent 11-day “Jewels of the Baltic” segment, I sampled the award-winning hospitality, service, and cuisine for which Crystal (www.crystalcruises.com) is renowned – all while visiting a half dozen fascinating and historically romantic cities, from Stockholm to St. Petersburg to Copenhagen (shown above at left).

Crystal’s cruise product is luxurious from aft to stern (and, accordingly, Serenity fares start at about $675 per person per day), but the line’s attention to quality is evident in everything from the chic new stateroom decor to the delicious and ambitious menus in the seven dining outlets.  At 68,870 gross tons and 1,070 passengers, Crystal Serenity (shown at right) is larger than most of its luxury competitors (many of whose ships accommodate 300 to 700 passengers) and it strikes a nice balance between a small and large-ship experience. The crew’s top-notch service gives Serenity a feeling of intimacy while its size gives it recreation options (two pools, two Jacuzzis, paddle tennis courts, and a walking and jogging track that encircles the Promenade Deck) that smaller ships lack.

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Spring usually means the arrival of warmer weather, blooming flowers, and higher airfare to Europe. Fortunately, KLM is breaking tradition and slashing rates on flights to London, Venice, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Rome, Barcelona, Helsinki, Oslo, Prague, Madrid, Zurich, and Stockholm! This sale coincides with the start of festival season in Europe, so why not pop over to Budapest for the Palinka food and wine festival, Barcelona or Madrid for May Day fiestas, and Stockholm for the popcorn film festival?  Fly now through May 15 from Chicago, New York, Dallas, or San Francisco for rates as low as $278 one-way.

Sample Fares (O/W)
•    New York City – Barcelona: $278+
•    Dallas – Amsterdam: $313+
•    Chicago – London: $336+
•    Miami-Budapest: $374+
•    Washington – Oslo: $379+
•    Houston – Venice: $384+
•    San Francisco – Madrid: $419+

THE VALUE: Fares to Europe in April and May are often close to $500 each way, so this sale saves you an average of $400 round-trip.

THE CATCH: Taxes and fees are not included, and these one-way prices are based on round-trip purchases.

THE DETAILS: Click here to book your flight with KLM.

WE’VE GOT MORE: Use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the best hotel deals in Europe.

Topping an already incredible airfare deal to Europe, Atlantis Events just announced two new 2-for-1 deals that brings down prices on two of its mega gay summer cruises to amazingly low levels.

For the 11-day Copenhagen to Amsterdam Pride sailing July 29–August 8, “Fly for Free” with 2-for-1 airfare promotion on already low base fares, such as $499 return from Boston, New York (JFK), and Newark. Buy one flight at a regular price with Atlantis and they’ll fly the second guest over for free, minus taxes. Offer valid from any city in the U.S., Canada, or Europe, but cannot be applied to existing reservations.

Or “Cruise for Free” later in the summer, with a 2-for-1 deal aboard its 10-day Athens to Barcelona (August 24–September 2) trip on the slick new Celebrity Equinox, featuring an overnight in Tel Aviv. Book one stateroom in categories 2B-Deluxe Balcony ($2,149, per person/double occupancy) to AQ-Aquaclass ($2,899) and receive a second stateroom in the same category for free (port fees and gratuities still apply). Offer extended to current passengers if their booking qualifies.

See www.atlantisevents.com or call 800-6-ATLANTIS for booking and specific terms. Both promotions end July 15.

For more summer bargains, search our Cruise Travel Deals.

If you’ve been dreaming of a European vacation then you will want to take heed of the slashed rates that Icelandair is currently offering. Round-trip flights out of New York City, Boston, Minneapolis, and Seattle start as low as $419 and take you to cities like Reykjavik, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, and more! With 15 destinations to choose from and prices resembling one-way fares, it seems as though travelers from all walks of life will be reveling in this European sale.

Sample Round-Trip Fares (Excluding Taxes):
•    Boston–Reykjavik: $419
•    New York–Amsterdam: $579
•    New York–Stockholm: $589
•    Minneapolis–London: $609
•    Boston– Paris: $659
•    Minneapolis–Oslo: $659
•    Seattle–Glasgow: $669
•    And more!

THE VALUE: These rates average out to $300 cheaper than competitor round-trip fares, depending on the airline and the route. At no additional charge, passengers on Icelandair are allowed two checked bags at 50 pounds or lighter.

THE CATCH: Travel is valid between September 20 – October 15 from New York, Boston, and Seattle and September 18 – October 9 from Minneapolis

THE DETAILS: To see a list of all sale fares and to book a flight visit www.icelandair.com

WE’VE GOT MORE: Check out our Hotels page or use our Travel Search comparison tool to find top accommodations during your stay.

Check out our Europe Travel Guide.

Find other flight deals.

FOUND A BETTER DEAL? Tell us!

After last month’s volcano chaos that shut down the skies over Europe, Iceland Express is making amends with travelers by offering unheard of  rates on round-trip transatlantic flights for just $399. Throughout the month of June, fly from Newark to London, Berlin, Copenhagen, Krakow, Oslo, Warsaw, Luxembourg, Gothenburg, and more. These fares include all taxes and fees and are available nearly every day – perhaps making this the best deal on peak-season flights to Europe thus far this year. Tickets must be purchased by June 21, for travel though June 30.

THE VALUE: Flights to Europe have skyrocketed this year. The lowest rates on competitor airlines range from $950-$1,600 (or more) so this deal easily saves you well over $500. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find these prices during the chilly off-season months.

THE CATCH: The flight isn’t direct. You’ll stopover in Reykjavik (Iceland’s capital).

THE DETAILS: Book this deal at icelandexpress.com.

WE’VE GOT MORE: Need a hotel once you touch down? Check out our Europe Hotel Deals page.

Interested in learning more about dining, sightseeing, shopping, and nightlife in Europe? Our Europe Travel Guide gives you the inside scoop.

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At least three new cultural spaces are turning heads this summer: 1) The new Jean Nouvel–designed Danmarks Radio Concert Hall of Copenhagen (pictured) wears an electric blue sheath. Inside, its four venues of various sizes include digs for the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. 2) In May, the massive Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago opened to the public. Renzo Piano designed the glass-and-limestone structure to house the museum’s modern and contemporary collections. 3) Winding describes both Zaha Hadid’s futuristic design of the MAXXI in Rome and its prolonged gestation. And now Italy has its first national museum of contemporary art and architecture at last.