Stephanie Serino's Travel Blog

Join my husband Michael and me on a Windstar Cruises sailing from Turkey through the Greek Islands to Athens. Come aboard our ‘private yacht’ and enjoy the treasures of the Aegean Sea! We chose the perfect ship to explore these fascinating destinations. The Wind Star departs Istanbul on June 13, 2009, for a 7-night cruise to Athens (arriving June 20, 2009). Ports of call include Kusadasi (tour the ruins of Ephesus), the Aegean beach resort of Bodrum in Turkey, and the Greek Islands Santorini, Rhodes and Mykonos. Our tall-masted sailing ship accommodates a maximum of 148 guests, while the crew of 94 will pamper us onboard. She offers luxurious stateroom amenities (including iPod Nanos and Bose SoundDocks), and a Water Sports Platform with complimentary equipment. We’ll enjoy excellent cuisine with open seating and no dress codes. Of course the ship also has a pool, Jacuzzi, fitness center, casino and wireless internet access (so I can stay in touch with those of you not able to come al...

I inspected the Celebrity Constellation in October 2008 and am finally posting the review (click here for slideshow ). The truth is that I liked this ship but didn’t love her. The staterooms were attractive with decent design, the public areas were very nice and the space was well utilized. So why am I lukewarm? It looks like a lot of other cruise ships, and there were no distinctive elements to impress me. In fairness, Celebrity is one my favorite Premium Cruise lines and I loved sailing on the Celebrity Century (before the big stretch and refurbishment in 2006). That ship had a very boutique hotel design with delicious color, space-age furniture, great tile work (especially in the spa) and fabulous carpets. Aesthetically she had a very distinctive personality, which I loved. The Celebrity Constellation was the last of the four “Millennium Class” sisters (Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Summit, Celebrity Infinity); she began cruising in 2002. Nine hundred and seventy five staterooms ...

My dream has come true! They have finally invented an audio phrasebook that can download to your iPod (or iPhone). No need to struggle when asking for the time, just click and the properly pronounced phrases are whispered in your ear to repeat at will. Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek and German are currently available. And they’re only the cost of one song: 99 cents! Lonely Planet offers audio phrasebooks too, including Cantonese, Czech, Japanese, Mandarin, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese. They’re $9.99 each.

Happy New Year! After careful consideration, I have decided NOT to increase service fees, at least for the first half of the year. Here is a summary of the current service fees: TICKET PROCESSING • Advise best price, times, routing, connections, and seat options. • Inform you of airline fees (baggage, etc) and security procedures. • Arrange car rental, hotel reservations, and travel insurance with no extra service fees. • Monitor schedule changes until departure • Negotiate with airlines on your behalf if schedule changes are unacceptable, and re-accommodate you, including re-issuing tickets. • Provide assistance during travel if flights are delayed or cancelled (24 hour hotline available for clients). $25.00 Domestic Ticket Processing Fee (capped at $75 for family traveling together on the same itinerary) $50.00 International Ticket Processing Fee (capped at $150 for family traveling together on the same itinerary) $15.00 Hotel and Car-only Reservation Fee VACATION PLANNING I don’t be...