SW Vacations LUVS Las Vegas with a Great New Special!

Contact me TODAY to book your Las Vegas vacation with FREE Night, FREE Dining, FREE Show Tickets, and More!

Details:

Book a flight + hotel package for 3 or more nights at select Las Vegas hotels, and receive either a FREE night, FREE dining, FREE show tickets, or FREE room upgrade!

Book: 1/7/11 - 1/27/11 by 6:00 p.m. CT

Travel: 1/14/11 - 4/30/11

Offer only applies to room categories with the red text listed below.

Seven-day advance purchase is required. 

Las Vegas Hotel Offers:

FREE NIGHT

• Bally's Las Vegas - One Night Free

• Caesars Palace - One Night Free

• Flamingo Las Vegas - One Night Free

• Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - One Night Free

• Harrah's Las Vegas - One Night Free

• Hooters Casino Hotel - One Night Free

• Imperial Palace - One Night Free

• Paris Las Vegas - One Night Free

• Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino - One Night Free

• Planet Hollywood Towers by Westgate - One Night Free

• Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino - One Night Free

• Treasure Island – TI - One Night Free

• Tropicana Las Vegas - One Night Free 

FREE ROOM UPGRADE & ROOM DISCOUNTS
• Riviera Hotel & Casino - 30% off & Free Upgrade 

FREE DINING & ROOM DISCOUNTS

• Encore at Wynn Las Vegas - Save 20% & $100 Food & Beverage Credit

• Wynn Las Vegas - Save 20% & $100 Food & Beverage Credit 

FREE DINING

• Palace Station Hotel & Casino - Free Daily Breakfast

• The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas - $50 Dining Credit 

SHOW TICKET OFFERS

• ARIA Resort and Casino at CityCenter - Receive up to 2 Tickets!

• Bellagio - Receive up to 2 Tickets! 
• Circus Circus - Receive up to 2 Tickets! 
• Excalibur Hotel & Casino - Receive up to 2 Tickets!
• Golden Nugget - Free Gordie Brown Tickets • Luxor Las Vegas - Receive up to 2 Tickets! 
• Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino - Receive up to 2 Tickets!
• MGM Grand Hotel & Casino - Receive up to 2 Tickets!
• Monte Carlo Resort & Casino - Receive up to 2 Tickets!
• New York-New York Hotel and Casino - Receive up to 2 Tickets!
• The Mirage - Receive up to 2 Tickets!
• The Signature at MGM Grand - Receive up to 2 Tickets!
• Vdara Hotel and Spa - Receive up to 2 Tickets!
For complete details and restrictions on the up to 2 show tickets offer click here

FREE NIGHT & FREE DINING 

• El Cortez Hotel and Casino - One Night Free & $15 Food & Beverage Credit
• Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel - Free Night & Free Breakfast 

FREE ROOM UPGRADE
• The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino - Upgrade For complete details and restrictions on the free room upgrade offer click here

Customized vacation packages include:

•Roundtrip flight via Southwest Airlines® to Las Vegas
•Hotel accommodations (including taxes)
•Rapid Rewards® credit on flight portion
•24-hour traveler assistance
•First and second checked bags fly FREE (weight and size limits apply).

Disclaimer:

Savings apply for flight + hotel vacation packages at select Las Vegas hotels when booked 1/7/11 - 1/27/11 for travel 1/14/11 - 4/30/11. Blackout dates apply at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas 2/4/11 - 2/5/11, 2/28/11, 3/1/11, 3/17/11 - 3/19/11, and 3/22/11 - 3/25/11; Tropicana Las Vegas 1/21/11 - 1/22/11, 2/4/11 - 2/6/11, 2/18/11 - 2/20/11, 2/27/11 - 2/28/11, 3/21/11 - 3/26/11, and 4/22/11 - 4/24//11; MGM Resorts /International Properties 3/10/11 - 4/12/11; Riviera Hotel & Casino 1/17/11, 1/20/11, 1/28/11 - 1/31/11, 2/1/11 - 2/3/11, 2/10/11 - 2/13/11, 2/24/11 - 2/26/11, and 3/16/11 - 3/25/11; Treasure Island – TI 2/4/11- 2/18/11, 2/22/11, 2/28/11, 3/18/11, 3/20/11 - 3/25/11, 4/5/11 - 4/12/11, and is not valid for arrivals on Saturdays; and Bally's Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, Flamingo Las Vegas, Harrah's Las Vegas, Imperial Palace, Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, Planet Hollywood Towers by Westgate, and Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino are not valid for travel 3/1/11 - 4/30/11.

Seats are limited and may not be available on some flights that operate during peak travel times and holiday periods. Flight and hotel rates may vary by day of week. Surcharges may apply to weekends, holidays, and convention periods. Flights available on published, scheduled service only. Rates may be subject to change until purchased. All Rapid Rewards® rules and regulations apply. Discounts are valid per reservation before taxes are applied. Offer not valid on existing reservations and may not be combined with any other offer. Subject to availability. Restrictions apply. The Mark Travel Corporation is the tour operator for Southwest Airlines Vacations.

Why One Stays At Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Here are a few pictures to show why it's fun to stay at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.

These pictures were taken from our balcony this afternoon.

We were watching football on TV with the left eye and the savannah outside our balcony doors with the right eye!

Celebrating 15 Years-Epcot Food & Wine Festival

We're in Orlando enjoying Disney's 15th Food & Wine Festival at Epcot and our savannah view room at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.

During the Food & Wine Festival you can taste foods, wine, and beer for all over the world. In addition to the great food usually available at the restaurants in Epcot, there are 28 booths making up an International Marketplace around the World Showcase. 

As you stroll on the walkway around the World Showcase Lagoon, you can taste your way around the world by purchasing small samplings of food, wine, and beer. 

We've had Greek salad and spanakopita (Greece), lamb sliders (New Zealand), braised short ribs in cabernet with mashed potatoes and creme brulee (France). 

We had a Singapore Sling at Singapore, a dessert trio and Moet & Chandon Champagne. In the USA there was bison chili, heirloom tomatoes with blue cheese and many varieties of Samuel Adams (beer). And we haven't even stopped at all the booths!

We're also trying some of the new restaurants at Epcot. This afternoon we had pizza at Via Napoli (Italy). Sunday we'll try La Hacienda San Angel (Mexico).

At Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, we're enjoying our savannah view room. It's cool to walk out on your balcany and see giraffes, gazelles, elands, and Ruppell's Griffon vultures.

Tomorrow we're off to Hollywood Studios to ride Toy Story Mania . . . or maybe back to Epcot for more tastings!

Discover More of Hawai'i

Contact me today to start planning your DREAM VACATION to Hawai'i

Disney Adds Select 2011 Dates to Free Dining Offer

Disney has added select dates in 2011 to their Free Disney Dining offer! This offer is available for many nights* through September 29, 2011 and must be booked by December 20, 2010.

Disney also announced a new Free Disney Gift Card offer for stay of 5 nights or more. The Free Gift Card offer is available for select nights* through February 16, 2011 and must be booked by November 21, 2010.

Contact me today to start planning your magical Disney vacation!

* See flier below for specific dates.

See Fall As You've Never Seen It Before!

History and fall colors come alive in Atlantic Canada, and enchanting cluster of provinces known for their rugged coastline and distinct maritime culture. Located on the far eastern shore of Canada, Atlantic Canada offers four distinct tourist destinations.

New Brunswick is a land of small, friendly communities, and offers visitors many diverse cultural activities, including festivals, museums and galleries. 


Across the Bay of Fundy is Nova Scotia, a province filled with idyllic fishing villages, as well as Atlantic Canada's largest metropolitan area, Halifax. Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island is known for its amazing natural beauty and captivating historical and cultural roots. 


Visitors can venture to Prince Edward Island via the Confederation Bridge and tour the many attractions and festivals that pay homage to the much-beloved Anne of Green Gables novels. 


While in Newfoundland and Labrador, take a whale-watching expedition, visit scenic bays or get to know the friendly locals in one of the many small villages.


See these extraordinary places and beautiful fall color with your own eyes . . . call today to start planning your fall get-away to beautiful Atlantic Canada!


Virginia Ann Busceme - Your Personal Travel Connection

The Wonder of Big Bend National Park

What’s your favorite national park?

My husband, John, and I are often asked this question because for five years we lived in a motor home and toured the US. One of the driving forces behind our decision was to see America’s national parks. And today, after many miles on the road, we still can’t name one favorite park. There are too many scenic sights and vistas etched in our hearts and memories.

The #1 park on our must-see list was Big Bend National Park, one of the largest and least visited of America’s national parks and the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States.

Big Bend is sometimes considered three parks in one because it includes mountain, desert, and river environments. An hour’s drive can take you from the banks of the Rio Grande to a mountain basin nearly a mile high. In Big Bend you can explore one of the last remaining wild corners of the US and experience unmatched sights, sounds, and solitude.

So, where is it? Big Bend National Park is located in southwest Texas, hundreds of miles from the nearest cities and transportation hubs. The southern boundary of the park is 118 river miles of the Rio Grande and is the international boundary between the US and Mexico. You have to GO to Big Bend. It’s not on the way to anywhere; it’s not a stop on a trip to some other place.

The park is a study of contrasts; its climate may be characterized as one of extremes. Dry, hot late spring and early summer days often exceed 100 degrees in the lower elevations. Winters are normally mild throughout the park, but sub-freezing temperatures occasionally occur. The altitude ranges from approximately 1,800 feet along the river to 7,800 feet in the Chisos Mountains so there is a wide variation in moisture and temperature throughout the park. These variations contribute to an exceptional diversity in plant and animal habitats.

The 118 river miles include the spectacular canyons of Santa Elena, Mariscal, and Boquillas. The Rio Grande, meandering through this portion of the Chihuahuan Desert, has cut deep canyons with nearly vertical walls through three uplifts comprised primarily of limestone.

Few areas exceed Big Bend for the protection and study of geologic and paleontologic resources. Cretaceous and Tertiary fossil organisms exist in variety and abundance. Archeologists have discovered artifacts estimated to be 9,000 years old, and historic buildings and landscapes offer a glimpse of life along the international border at the turn of the century.

Cultural resources in the park range from the Paleo-Indian period 10,500 years ago through the historic period represented by Native American groups, such as the Chisos, Mescalero Apache, and Comanche. More recently, Spanish, Mexican, and American settlers farmed, ranched, and mined in the area.

There are 112 miles of paved roads in the park. But for those with a sense of adventure (and a high clearance/4-wheel drive vehicle) there are over 150 miles of unpaved road. These roads offer beautiful scenery, access to natural and historic sites, primitive roadside campsites, and some of the park’s most primitive and remote hiking trails.

And with more than 150 miles of trails, Big Bend is a hiker’s paradise with many options for day hikes or backpacking trips.

Casa Grande peak looms over the Chisos Mountain Lodge, the only hotel or motel in the park.  The lodge has a variety of rooms and cottages, a gift shop, and a dining room. There are a few motels outside the park in Terlingua/Study Butte.

A hotel room’s not your style? Big Bend offers three developed campgrounds—Rio Grande Village, Chisos Basin, and Cottonwood.

If green trees are your thing, Big Bend’s stark environments may not be to your liking. For us the scenic vistas of the river canyons, Chisos Mountains, and the Chihuahuan Desert rate right up there with Zion and Yellowstone.

For more information about visiting Big Bend, please call or send me an email. If you’d like to see more pictures, here’s a link to our travel photos.

http://www.tripstravels.com/Photo_RV/2004/0403AlongWay/AlongWay0403a.htm