A friend of mine asked me today about a short 4 day Caribbean cruise for himself and his wife. He mentioned it in front of one of his lunch buddies and he said that seemed like fun also. A few phone calls later and before you know it they have 10 cabins cruise going on an NCL ship in December.

Group vacationing is real hot right now.


Really it can be anyone. Think about it, your son's soccer team wants to go to Disney for the day, or your daughter's Cheerleading troupe wants to attend the Cheerleading show in Orlando together. Maybe you book club or the guys you golf with want to go to Las Vegas for a little RnR. And vendors eat up these groups, they love them.

With special perks and little bonuses. Not to mention reduced pricing for larger groups. You can all go on vacation for less than you know.

Take cruising for example, Cruise Lines Love Groups. They give out upgrades and ship board credits. Or cocktail hours foryour group or maybe even a free cabin (for larger groups).

And group travel can be lucrative to your club or Charity. A $300 cruise can be sold for $350 with $50 going to the Charity. I mean who wouldn't want to tke a relaxing cruise and give money to Charity.

And with a friend in the Travel Business (ME) wo will do all of the work for you, from booking to arranging all of the little details. That means no work for you.

Now I know we all know one group or another so put on those thinking caps, then drop me an email at bonbontravel@bellsouth.net. I will then send you back a personalized group quote and we can go from there.

By the way: I am also a Grpahic Designer, so those cool T-Shirts or Tote Bags that you see those other groups wearing, I can do all of that for your group too.

www.BonBonTravel.com

My previous post about traveling on the cheap, or doing your homework to get a great deals. Got me thinking about Las Vegas.

This town has it all. If you want to blow the budget and have a lavish vacation, this is the place to go. If you have a tiny budget and need to count every penny, this is the place to go. Vegas keeps on reinventing itself that it is hard to keep up.

From an adult destination, to ok for kids, back to an adult destination. Las Vegas has gone through some changes. This current incarnation is more geared to the adults. From to Topless Pool at The Mandalay Bay, to the countless risque shows up and down the strip. This is one vacation you might just want to go yourself and keep the kids at home.

Las Vegas is lasvish and in your face. But there is a certain charm to her. Go beyond the glitz and glamour, the casinos and the buffets. And you find a city that never sleeps.

You can litterally do everything 24 hours a day. Shop, dine, buy insurance, everything is 24 hours here. Walk around at 4 a.m. and it feels like 9 p.m. in any other city.

The hotels in themselves are all marvels to visit. There are way to many to list here in one seating so that is for another time.

Take a browse around my website www.bonbontravel.com and do a little thinking/ Is Sin City a good place for your and yours to unwind? You would be surprised.

Happy Travels

First I have to apologize. I have not been posting as much as I wanted to.

Well unless you have been under a rock or on a Cruise Ship in the middle of the ocean, then you have seen the ups and downs of the Stock Market this week. By Tuesday, we were all circling the wagons waiting for the firey pit of hell to open up and swallow us all. Then by Friday the Dow is up for the week, go figure.

All of this means great travel deals for all of you.

Take Las Vegas for example. Most najor hotels are cutting real good deals on stays of two or more days. Offering perks such as free gas, two for one spa packages, two for one shows and room credits.

Cruising. NCL has an offer of $99 per person for a three day cruise leaving October 3rd. Not bad. because most of us spend $99 in a weekend.

Orlando, this is the value season, Attendance at the Theme parks is usually real light these days. So avoid the holiday rush and ride some rollercoasters. Great deals on tickets and room are to be had.

It is easy to find the little three to four day getaway for all of my readers here. Why? Becuase you have a friend in the busness, me.

Drop me an email and let me know where you want to go.

Don't stay home with fabulous deals like this out there.

Well on the other side of Orlando there is a little theme park named Universal Studios.

Now I do not get to Universal much, why, well with annual passes to Disney, I can't bring myself to buy other tickets. Plus my daughter is young so I thought she would be afraid of the rides they had there.

I had to go to an awards dinner in Orlando at the Portofino Bay, so I said what the heck, it is my birthday, I will splurge and buy tickets to Universal.

That was a great idea. Because we had an amazing time. The Portofino Bay Hotel is the pinnacle of the three Universal Studios hotels. Built to resemble a small Italian town on a bay, this hotels is amazing. The walk down from the lobby to the Harbor Piazza, takes you back to Italy. Most of the guests rooms are situated in buildings on this u-shaped lake.

The rooms are big, real big. I entered the room thinking I was going to see the standard two queen set-up o most hotels. Well I was wrong. The Portofino does it better. They give you a huge king size bed for the parents and an overstuffed chair that converts to a full size bed for the kids. A welcome surpise if you ask me. With the Kurig coffe system in room and the huge bathroom this room is worrth every penny. In fact, these rooms are what the rooms at the Grand Floridian should look like. Unfortunately the Grand's room are smaller.

Our wing exited out ono the Piazza right next to the boat launch, which whisks you to Universal and Islands of Adventure (every 15 minutes).

3 pools, an arcade, and 8 restaurants including Bice, The Thrirsty Fish, A tasty Deli and Mamma Della's Ristorante. Round out the options here at Portofino Bay.

Plus everyone in your party gets Univerals Expres Pass. A line hopping pass that enables you to get onto every ride ahead of everyone else. Think of it like a permanent Fast Pass to every ride. A $30 or more value per person.

Now with all of this good there has to be bad right. The things I did not like.

The boat service runs only in good weather. So when it is raining (like it did when I was there) the boats do not run. So you have to either wait for a bus or walk back. Also it is a bit pricey, for people on a budget. Yes you get a lot and this is on the luxury side of hotels. So choose carefully. As with Disney, if you want to eat at places not on property you have to drive.

Overall, Universal has steped-up their game here. They are creating a world like Disney's, where if you stay on property your surrounded by Universal 24-7.

If you have the extra cash in your budget check this hotel out. You will like it I am sure.

Need help ith your vacations plans, visit www.bonbontravel.com

I have to admit it that I love watching the Olympics. To see someone, anyone run or swin or throw an 8 pound ball further than anyone has ever in the world is exciting to me.

Now I do not think I will be getting to China anytime soon. It is on my list mind you, but there are plenty of things to see before that.


Enter the China Pavilion at Epcot.

First, you cannot just breeze on by this pavilion. Because there is a lot to see. A lot of detail went into this slice of Epcot. The main focus is the Imperial Palace (or Forbidden City), and the Temple of Heaven. You enter China by passing under the Zhao Yang Men, or "Gate of the Golden Sun," modeled after the the one at the emperor's summer palace near Beijing. The yummy and currently under renovation Nine Dragons Restaurant, is to your left. Offering lunch and dinner mid September I hope. Also the Louts Blossom Café, a counter service outpost offering some quick but equally tasty treats.

The attraction here is the Circle Vision Presentation of the Relfections of China. This is one of those movies that is a must see each time I am at Epcot. It will take your breath away. But I am getting ahead of myself. Before entering the theater you must enter the temple of Heaven, and do not forget to look up at the amazing work the Disney Craftsmen did on the ceiling. Notice the Dragon and the Phoenix, two of China's most important symbols.

As you exit Relfections of China you enter Xing Fu Jie o "Strteet of Good Fortune." This was designed to make you feel like you are on one of those crowded streets of China that you just saw in the movie.

The kids should not forget to get their icons and stamps at the KidCot station here. Sometime the cast members will also write your name in Chinese on your mask. And there also might be some Olympic merchandise left when you arrive.

From the Koi Pond to the Acrobats that perform under the Gate of the Golden Sun, China is one of Epcot's special places. So the next time your walking around stop and marvel at the authenticity of this amazing place.

Remember to book all of your travel needs at www.bonbontravel.com

I know that school just got back in session and that the last thing we want to be thinking about is Christmas. But if we should do a little planning or else we could miss out.

Travel as Christmas Gifts.
You Mom has enough stuff, candles, jewelery, clothes. So why not take her on a Christmas Caribbean Cruise. Or go to a city and hang out for a few days. New York is great at Christmas, Los Angels, Miami, Orlando, all great places to spend some quality time relaxing.

The Kids. Why not get smaller gifts for the kids this year and use that extra money and go to Disney World or Disney Land. You can avoid the holiday rush by going either before or after the week of Christmas and New Years. And the kids will love it. You have not lived until you have seen Disney all done up for Christmas.

Skiing, January, February are not to far away, so why not go Skiing? Aspen, Brekenridge, Whistler, Blackcomb. All great spots. Heck feeling adventurous, then go skiing in Europe.

You will thank me, if you start your planning process on all of these great ideas now.

Really think about it, it does not cost anything to look right. Go to www.BonBonTravel.com and take a look around. Or drop me an email at bonbontravel@bellsouth.net, and lets see what we can wrap up for you this holiday season.

P.S., buy a trip from Bon Bon Travel and I will present you with a professional looking certificate for you to wrap up and give as a present this holiday season.