Today's Caravan Stop: Win Dream of Italy Newsletter and DVD

It's too bad that I'm a participant in this year's Travel Bloggers' Caravan & Giveaway. Too bad because I'm not eligible to win any prizes. Darn! I'd love to win what's up for grabs today: a one-year online subscription to the Dream of Italy newsletter and bonus DVD.


If you're interested in travel to Italy, you must visit the Dream of Italy website. Kathy McCabe is the founder, editor, and publisher of the award-winning subscription travel newsletter. The seven-year-old newsletter has been lauded by USA Today, National Geographic Traveler, and others for its insider travel advice that can't be found elsewhere. Earlier this year, McCabe was named a top travel "tweeter" on Twitter by several publications, including The Telegraph (U.K.)

Visit the Dream of Italy blog, comment on today's post and you'll be entered to win!

(Winner selection and prize fulfillment is at the discretion of DreamofItaly.com. LuxuryCruiseBible.com cannot be held responsible for the late delivery or non-delivery of prizes given away by other bloggers in the 2009 Travel Bloggers' Caravan.)

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

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Don't miss the Travel Bloggers'
Caravan & Giveaway!

Visit the Luxury Cruise Bible blog each day between December 1 and 15. Link to the Caravan's "blog of the day", post a comment on that website, and you'll be entered to win. Prizes range from hotel gift cards and overnight stays to digital cameras and noise-cancelling headphones to camera bags and luggage to guidebooks and DVDs.

Today's Caravan Stop: Win a $100 Marriott Gift Card from LuxuryCruiseBible.com

December is one of my favorite months! While the rush leading to the holidays can be a bit crazy, I try to savor the moments spent with friends and family. And, we always take at least a week off to reflect on the past year and plan for the next.

So how do I plan to spend my free time this month? Well, I know I'll be baking cookies, surfing the web to plan our next vacation, and listening to holiday music (I highly recommend Brian Setzer's Ultimate Christmas Collection).

I also plan to closely follow the 2009 Travel Bloggers' Caravan for the next two weeks. (See my post from yesterday about the Caravan.) A group of 15 travel bloggers have banded together to celebrate the season and bring all of our readers the chance to win some fun prizes, including hotel gift cards and overnight stays, digital cameras, travel guidebooks and DVDs, and luggage and camera bags.

Today the Caravan stops right here at the Luxury Cruise Bible blog. I'm giving away a $100 Marriott gift card. Just what you'll need the next time you book your pre-cruise hotel accommodations.

Win a $100 Marriott Gift Card

One lucky reader will be randomly chosen from all eligible entries to win a $100 Marriott gift card. Contest starts at midnight on December 2 and ends the same day at 11:59 pm. You must have a mailing address within the United States in order to be eligible to enter and win.

How to Enter

Comment on this post between 12:00 am (midnight) and 11:59 pm on December 2, 2009. You'll need to include your e-mail address so I may make contact if you are the winner. Good luck!

Win More Prizes This Month!

Don't forget to enter the daily Travel Bloggers' Caravan & Giveaway. The Caravan stops at DreamofItaly.com tomorrow. Visit, comment on the post of the day, and win a one-year subscription to Dream of Italy and a bonus DVD. See the entire Travel Bloggers' Caravan schedule here.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

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Don't miss the Travel Bloggers'
Caravan & Giveaway!

Visit the Luxury Cruise Bible blog each day between December 1 and 15. Link to the Caravan's "blog of the day", post a comment on that website, and you'll be entered to win. Prizes range from hotel gift cards and overnight stays to digital cameras and noise-cancelling headphones to camera bags and luggage to guidebooks and DVDs.

Orion Expedition Cruises Gets Second Ship for 2011

When you've exhausted the usual cruise itineraries in the Mediterranean, Baltics, and Caribbean, start looking to Australia's Orion Expedition Cruises for something a bit more adventurous.

This luxury expedition cruise line previously had just one ship, the 106-passenger Orion. Today the company announced the long-term charter of a second vessel and will dub her Orion II. Setting sail in May 2011, Orion II will sail Southeast Asia and will call upon Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, the Indonesian archipelago, Japan, and Borneo. (I can't wait until details about the Borneo cruise are revealed!) Expedition teams are scouting locations now and itineraries will be released in 2010.

This long-term charter is of the Clelia II (to be renamed Orion II in May 2011), a a 100-passenger, all-suite luxury expedition ship. Recently subject to a $19 million refurbishment coordinated by the ship’s current operators, with emphasis on technical enhancements and upgraded environmental systems, Clelia II will also undergo additional cosmetic enhancements to bring her fully into the Orion Expedition Cruises style.

Orion II will accommodate 100 guests in 50 oceanview suites that range from 215 to 285 square feet with either a sitting area or separate living room, twin or queen beds, and air conditioning.

According to Orion, the vessel complies with current international and U.S. Coast Guard safety regulations and is outfitted with navigation and communications technology as well as retractable fin stabilizers for smooth sailing, an ice-strengthened hull for Antarctic voyages, and a fleet of heavy duty Zodiacs to enable easy shore access in remote locations.

For more information, talk with your travel agent or contact Orion at (877) ORION US.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photo courtesy of Orion Expedition Cruises