travelwriter

If you’re visiting the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada, this year – and you should – there’s a route you definitely need to check out called the Bottleneck Drive Wine Route in Summerland.
Comprised of 10 local wineries, this newest driving route offers a great variety that is sure to become a top attraction with visitors from around the world:

1.    Hijas Bonitas (Beautiful Daughters) – 14 acres on Okanagan Lake
2.    Award winning Sumac Ridge Estate Winery
3.    Family run 8th Generation Vineyards
4.    Sonoran Estate
5.    Silkscarf
6.    Adora Estate Winery
7.    Thornhaven
8.    hush-hush Dirty Laundry
9.    Hollywood & Wine
10.    Premium wine vinegars of Vinegar Works

Check them out!  The wineries of the Okanagan Valley are amongst the most beautiful in the world as they overlook spectacular Lake Okanagan.  Not to mention of course, the Pinots, the Syrahs, the Merlots – oo-la-la.

Based in Miami, FL, Carnival Cruise Lines has recently begun testing six embarkation kiosks to improve the check-in process for guests.

Cruise guests who are from the USA, Canada, or are part of the Visa Waiver program are eligible to process their own check-in by swiping their passport plus they can also set up their Sail & Sign card by swiping a valid credit card.

And it’s that easy.  Carnival plans to expand to other ports including Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Houston.

For more information, visit: CarnivalCruiseLines

It’s not too late to come and enjoy the ‘Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’ – the Calgary Stampede!  Starting July 3, 2009, and running for 10 days, the Stampede welcomes an average of 120,000 visitors per day.

The Stampede events include Chuckwagon races, a Rodeo featuring some of the world’s best rodeo athletes, a Grandstand Show featuring music and entertainment, plus animals and agriculture by the corral full.

Tickets are still available; for more information, visit: CalgaryStampede

JD Power & Associates has just released their 2009 North America Airline Satisfaction Survey measuring overall customer satisfaction of both vacationers and business travelers.
The survey found that overall customer satisfaction with the airlines has declined for the third year in a row while the rate of on-time arrivals has increased, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

Ratings were based on overall satisfaction and the experience during the reservation process, check-in, boarding, de-planing, baggage, aircraft, flight crew, in-flight services, and cost/fees.

Low Cost Airlines:
JetBlue Airways was ranked as the number one low cost airline providing the highest overall customer satisfaction followed closely by Southwest Airlines as number two.  Westjet came in as number one for the ‘check-in experience’ as well as the ‘boarding, de-planing, and baggage experience’ while Southwest was number one for the ‘reservation experience.’

Traditional Network Airlines:
Alaska Airlines was ranked as the number one traditional network carrier with the highest overall customer satisfaction rate followed by Continental Airlines as a close second.  Continental Airlines was the number one airline for ‘cost & fees’ as well as for ‘in-flight services.’

 Why stay in a hotel if you can experience the amenities of a cruise and the benefits of land?  Norwegian Cruise Lines has a deal for you.

Enjoy the Vancouver 2010 Olympics from the comfort of your own cabin onboard the Norwegian Star cruise ship.  These unique accommodations include either a three or four night duration, including gourmet dining, return airport transfers, transfers to/from the Sea Bus Terminal in North Vancouver, city tour and more.

While onboard the Norwegian Star, you’ll be pampered and can enjoy 13 restaurants, 8 lounges, spa, fitness center, endless activities, Captain’s cocktail reception, complimentary 24 hour room service, and of course, top-notch nightly entertainment.

Rates for staying onboard the Norwegian Star during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics start at only $99 USD per person.  For more information, visit: Vancouver 2010 Cruise Ship .

For the second year in a row, Marriott Golf, is offering ‘a yearlong series of one day events’ to promote family togetherness in golf.

The Marriott International Family Golf Festival invites families to Marriott Golf properties for a fun afternoon of FREE instruction, golf clinics, activities, interactive games, plus a chance to win family vacation prizes!

Plus, after 3 p.m. on the Golf Festival day, children and families can golf for FREE.  An estimated 10,000 children and parents participated in the Marriott program in 2008.

Marriott offers more than 60 golf courses at 44 locations in 13 countries – with more than 1,000 holes of championship golf.  Visit Marriott.com to see a complete list of 2009 Golf Festival Dates .

With over 65 rides and attractions on over 2,000 acres, Silverwood is one huge theme park!

Located just minutes north of Coeur d’Alene, ID, Silverwood is a theme park inside a natural theme park with nearby rivers, lakes, mountains, and forests offering some of Idaho’s best outdoor adventures.

Silverwood has two world-renowned wooden roller coasters, a new mammoth Aftershock steel coaster and a 16-acre water park with rivers, wave pools and high speed slides, called Boulder Beach Water Park.

Weekends are a blast a Silverwood Theme Park – check out the Father’s Day Weekend when Dad gets into the park for FREE, and the Fireworks Extravaganza on the July 4th weekend.

For more information, visit Silverwood Theme Park & Boulder Beach Water Park. 

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary from May 28 to September 26, 2009, Bard on the Beach in Vancouver, BC, is sure to please.

For more information or tickets, visit: Bard on the Beach.

The Apple iTunes store is now offering iPhone and iPod Touch users FAMILY CAR GAMES , an inexpensive app to end car trip boredom forever. “Family Car Games,” created by the Greenwood family of four, is a $1.99 app with instructions for 100 different games families can enjoy together while riding in the car, or waiting at restaurants or airports.

“There are guessing games, word games, story-telling games, and singing games. We’ve even got games you can play using the car radio scan function,” says co-creator Ruth Greenwood. In addition to traditional favorites like Grandma Goes to the Beach, there are many more brand-new games. “You may know how to play GHOST or Who Am I but have you ever played Love is Like a Shovel or Pica Firma Nada?”

Greenwood, with her husband Todd and their two teens, have created a colorful, useful app to help road time fly by.  “The whole family, including the driver, talks and laughs together.  It really beats staring at a DVD player or getting carsick from staring out the window.  Not only don’t our kids say ‘Are we there yet’ any more–they want to keep playing after we stop!”

Games can be chosen at random, or selected by category or difficulty. Favorites can be bookmarked for repeat play.  “These games are also fun when you’re NOT in the car,” adds Todd Greenwood. “We’ve played them in restaurants, waiting rooms and supermarket lines, and have taught them to friends and family at picnics and other gatherings.  They’d work for school, camp or religious groups, too.”

The app, priced at $1.99,  can be purchased through the Apple iTunes store online.