Peter Deilmann Cruises, known for its eight luxury river ships – four- and five-star vessels that are small floating hotels with exceptional passenger-to-crew ratios of 2.5 to 1, is offering 255 deluxe European river sailings between March 22 and November 8, 2009 — sailing the classic rivers of Europe on 7- to 14-night cruises with the vast majority running seven nights. The cruises intimately explore the main arteries and byways of these rivers and provide memorable visits to countryside villages and sophisticated cities.

The Danube River is the focus of weekly cruises of two five-star Deilmann ships — the Mozart and Casanova — that sail round-trip from Passau in southeastern Germany, just two hours from Munich. One-week cruises of these two vessels call at Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava and picturesque wine villages and small towns in Austria and Hungary, including Melk, Esztergom and Dürnstein. 10- and 11-night cruises between Passau and Romania’s Tulcea are offered in June and July. One-week cruises are $1,610 to $5,120 per person, double.

The Elbe, Havel and Moldau Rivers as well as the historic cities of Berlin, Dresden, Prague and Potsdam are on the cruise itineraries of the five-star Katharina von Bora and the Frederic Chopin on weekly sailings between Potsdam, just outside of Berlin, and Prague, while the five-star Dresden makes it way along the Elbe River between Dresden and Hamburg. All three deluxe ships take in the smaller towns of Wittenberg, Meissen and Bad Schandau, offering a full spectrum of sightseeing opportunities — Fortress Königstein, the birthplace of Martin Luther’s Reformation, Meissen’s world famous porcelain and Saechische Schwiez National Park are examples. Seven-night cruises are $1,625 to $3,895.

The five-star Cézanne and four-star Princesse de Provence, both popular with Americans, sail along France’s most appealing rivers: the Seine, roundtrip from Paris and between Paris and Rouen, and the Rhône and Saône, roundtrip from Lyon and between Lyon and Arles. The 148-passenger Princesse de Provence sails the Rhône and Saône, putting in at Arles, full of exceptionally well preserved Roman ruins; Lyon, the capital of French gastronomy; Vienne, whose Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is home to many beautiful 11th- and 12th-century murals; and Mâcon, birthplace of the romance poet Alphonse de Lamartine. Fares range from $1,545 to $2,430.

The 100-passenger Cézanne, completely renovated in 2006, travels the romantic Seine. Highlights include Giverny, best known for Monet’s house and gardens; Les Andelys, set beneath Château Gaillard, the most famous castle on the Seine; Rouen, the half-timbered city where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake; and picturesque Honfleur. Prices are $1,700 to $3,500.

Among the 110-passenger Heidelberg’s itineraries are seven-night cruises roundtrip from the capital city of Amsterdam to large and small Dutch cities – Rotterdam, Dordrecht and Middleberg and the historic Flemish cities of Ghent, Antwerp and Volendam in Belgium. Amsterdam to Mainz (Frankfurt) sailings combine the Rhine and Moselle Rivers calling at the modern port city of Rotterdam, historic and art-filled Cologne with its grand cathedral, Koblenz at the confluence of the two rivers, and the Rhine wine town of Rüdesheim. Seven-night classic Rhine itineraries, between Amsterdam and the centuries-old Swiss city of Basel, offer ports in four countries — Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland. Other offerings aboard the Heidelberg include four-night sailings between Düsseldorf and Basel, a six-night cruise from Düsseldorf to Amsterdam and seven-night itineraries between Amsterdam and Trier, Trier and Basel, Basel and Cologne, and Cologne and Trier. Fares range from $1,615 to $2,965.

The Deilmann ships provide relaxing travel through the heart of Europe on a deluxe European floating hotel without the bother of packing and unpacking. The river cruises are designed for both the first-time and frequent vacationer who likes traveling in comfort with attentive service and fine dining. Dining on board is single seating on all the vessels and the cuisine is continental. Mid-afternoon tea and coffee is served every day both on deck and in the lounge and there is a late evening buffet. The friendly, multi-lingual staffs are there to cater to passengers’ every wish. A non-smoking policy applies to the interiors of all Peter Deilmann River vessels.

The details on these unique itineraries can be found when you click on “more” below.

Golfers on the Danube Region’s “MV Mozart Golf Cup 2008” sailings play at courses in Germany, Hungary and Austria, including one of Austria’s best (and toughest) courses at Golf & Sports Club in Oberwaltersdorf. Or “Summer on the Rhine,” which takes in the courses nestled in Germany’s Rhine region such as the Luxembourg Golf Course set amid the 18th-century Domaine de Belenhaff Estate; the “Saône and Rhône Golf Cup 2008” program, visiting France’s Chalon Sure Saône, Monthieux, Arles and Mallemort; and “Paris 2008 Golf Cup,” kicking off at Paris’ Adam Isle Golf Club with its fast greens and elegant 18th-century clubhouse, and traveling on to courses in Caudebec-en-Caux and Rouen. The 12-day golf packages include green fees, transfers, caddies, pull carts and use of driving ranges when available, along with a golf instructor on board.

Four seven-night programs for gardeners –“German Garden Classics, “The Cottage Gardens of Holland and Belgium,” “Splendor Gardens of the Danube Monarchy” and “Dream Gardens Along the Rhône and Saône Rivers” — transport travelers to an eclectic array of some of the most magnificent gardens in all of Europe, with tours led by gardening and landscaping experts. Hikers on the seven-night “Hiking Through Provence” itinerary stride through the Beaujolais and Rhône regions, across the Alpilles to St. Remy, Arles and Avignon; while those “Hiking Through the Danube,” also seven nights, take in Austria’s Dunstein, Vienna and its majestic mountains, the Wachau region, and Hungary’s Budapest and Esztergom en route to Burgberg Mountain.

Cyclists can choose between four itineraries of eight nights each. The Danube River itinerary has guests pedaling around Passau and then heading off to visit the Wachau wine region, Austria’s Viennese forest, Hungary’s Budapest and Slovakia’s Bratislava. A Normandy program out of Paris showcases the Alabaster Coast and its rippled chalky cliffs as well as a visit to Claude Monet’s house and garden at Giverny. A Provence and Burgundy itinerary travels through Southern France and the Beaujolais wine region, Arles and the Alpilles Mountain, Les-Baux, Avignon and the Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyards. Highlights of the Elbe region itinerary out of Hamburg includes cycling the Elbe Bend from Bad Schandau to Rathen, en route to the Bastion region’s massive rock formations, and the magnificent Gardens of Worlitz.

Peter Deilmann Cruises offers more than 265 leisurely European river sailings aboard nine deluxe river ships (seven five-star and two four-star) between late March and early November that sail the classic rivers of Europe on mostly seven-night cruises. The ships include the MV Mozart on the Danube; the MV Casanova on the Danube, Dutch Canals and Main-Danube Canal; the MV Princesse de Provence on France’s Rhône and Saône and MV Cezanne on the Seine; the MV Dresden, MV Katharina and MV Frederic Chopin on the Elbe, Havel, Moldau and Oder; the MV Heidelberg on the Dutch Canals, Rhine and Moselle and the MV Konigstein on the Dutch Canals and Rhine.

For 2008, Peter Deilmann Cruises continues to hold the line on pricing. Prices have increased a modest 3% increase for cruise only itineraries and 3% to 5% for cruise-tour combinations.

Cruising on a Peter Deilmann river cruise is unlike cruising on almost any other ship, click “more” to learn about the Deilmann cruising experience.

The Deilmann ships provide ease of traveling through the heart of Europe on a deluxe European floating hotel without the bother of packing and unpacking. The river cruises are designed for both the first-time and frequent vacationer who likes traveling in comfort with attentive service and fine dining. On board, guests can relax and enjoy the changing river scenes of historic cities, pastoral countryside, castles perched on hillsides, old world villages and sun-dappled vineyards. Adventurous shore excursions add to the fun.

Dining on board is single seating on all the vessels and the cuisine is continental. Mid-afternoon tea and coffee is served every day both on deck and in the lounge, and there is a late evening buffet. The friendly, multi-lingual staffs are there to cater to passengers’ every wish. New for 2008 will be a non-smoking policy for the interiors of all Peter Deilmann River vessels. Key to understanding the Peter Deilmann difference versus competitive vessels is the ratio of crew to passengers. With one crew member for every 2.5 guests, Deilmann has the most crew per passengers of any river cruise company allowing it to offer a very high level of food and service.

“We are happy to have our river ships smoke free now that the laws in Europe are evolving to ban smoking indoors and we are adjusting our policy to reflect this shift in sentiment. The changing attitude in Europe helps us please our American guests even more”, Ron Santangelo, Deilmann’s North America president, said in announcing the new policy.

“This change fits surprisingly well with the growing interests of the majority of Americans who seem to prefer non-smoking environments. Over the years, more and more of our guests have indicated such preferences and we are absolutely delighted to offer them a smoke-free restaurant, a smoke-free lounge for evening entertainment and smoke-free cabins and corridors,” Santangelo said.

Deilmann’s golf and sailing holidays on the 513-passenger ocean liner MS Deutschland include two itineraries that focus on the British Isles – the Britannia Golf Cup, July 31-Aug. 11, with play at St. Andrews and Gleneagles in Scotland and four courses in Ireland, and the Great Britain Golf Cup, Sept. 3-17, with play in Scotland, Isle of Man, Liverpool, Milford Haven in Wales and Wentworth, venue of the British Open.

The cruise line offers free air transportation on these cruises from New York and 16 other U.S. cities and low air supplements of $110 and $150 from an additional 34 cities in the Midwest and West. The sailings also provide free airport-ship transfers and deductions for non-golfers of between $800 and $1,310 per person.

You’ll find the details on Deilman’s golf programs when you click on “more” or call us at 888-286-9827

The Britannia Golf cruise combines an 11-night sailing with rounds of golf in Scotland at the 18-hole link courses at St. Andrews and the world-famous 36-hole Gleneagles and four courses in Ireland: Ballybunion in Foynes, Fota Island in Cobh, Old Kinsale Head in Kinsale and Marriott Druids Glen and Hotel Country Club in Dublin. Prices start at $5,706 per person for a twin-bedded cabin and all meals, roundtrip air from the U.S. to Hamburg, airport-ship transfers, six rounds of golf, transfers to the courses, green fees, golf escort, pull carts and tips.

The 14-night Great Britain Golf theme cruise also begins with an overnight flight from the U.S. to Hamburg and includes play at three courses in Scotland – Gleneagles in Leith, the 27-hole Greenock course and the parkland course at Mount Murray on the Isle of Man – and the Royal Liverpool Golf Club surrounded by dunes and the ocean, Tenby in Milford Haven, Wales, and the Wentworth Golf Club, site of the British Open, in Surrey near London.

A 20-night sailing with golf from Phuket, Thailand to Hong Kong, Dec. 18, 2007-Jan. 6, 2008, has overnight stays in Phuket and Singapore and two nights in Benoa on the island of Bali and in Hong Kong. The ship calls at Pare Pare on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, Sandakan, gateway to Borneo’s wildlife, in Malaysia, and Puerto Princesa, known for tropical birding, in the Phillippines.

Golf is played at the Blue Canyon Country Club in Phuket, Raffles Country Club in Singapore and Mission Hills in Hong Kong, largest golf resort in the world with 10 courses designed by 10 top golfers. Deilmann passengers play on courses designed by Jack Nicklaus or Nick Faldo. Cruises rates for this sailing for U.S. participants also include round-trip air transportation from Frankfurt and one-night pre- and one-night post accommodations at the Frankfurt Sheraton Airport Hotel.

Golf theme cruises are scheduled on six Deilmann river ships beginning with the Spring Golf Cup aboard the five-star MV Casanova sailing from Basel, Switzerland, to Passau, Germany, on the Rhine and Main rivers and the Rhine-Main Canal, May 19-31. This golf package combines a seven-night cruise with five nights at the five-star Steigenberger Hotel in the resort town of Bad Kissingen in Germany and six rounds of golf. On the cruise itinerary are the Alsatian city of Strasbourg, the wine town of Rüdesheim, the baroque city of Würzburg, medieval Bamberg and historic Nüremberg.

The 12-night cruise and golf program is priced from $3,446 per person for an outside twin cabin, all meals on board, five hotel nights with breakfast, six rounds of golf in Strasbourg, Miltenberg, Bamberg, Bad Kissingen and Würzburg, green fees, guides, pull carts and half-day excursion to the High Rhön nature reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Non-golfer deduction is $680.

Golfers on the two Normandy Golf cruises sail the Seine from Paris to Rouen and enjoy seven nights on the five-star MV Cezanne, seven rounds of golf and three nights at the deluxe Hotel Hostellerie de Tourgeville in a large park setting, a few minutes from Deauville, May 19-31 and Sept. 15-27. Golf is played at courses in Paris, Vernon, Le Havre, Omaha Beach Golf Club at Bayeux, the Deauville Golf Club and the St. Julien Barrier Golf Club. The 10-night cruise and golf package is priced from $4,507 per person, outside twin, and includes transfers, green fees, guides, pull carts, full-day excursion to Honfleur and Deauville and all transfers. Non-golfers deduct $1,068 from the cruise rate.

Depending on the itinerary, non-golfing river cruise companions deduct between $660 and $1,068 from the river cruise golf package price. Golfing guides for each of the river cruises are players and tour managers from different clubs in Germany. Deilmann arranges air transportation, meet and greet service, transfers between airports and ships, hotel stays and reduced-rate shore excursion packages for the river cruises. Additional cruise dates are available for groups of six or more players.

The weekly Seine River cruises aboard the 50-cabin Cezanne sail to Les Andelys, the small town of Caudebec-en-Caux, the ancient city of Rouen with its fine cathedral and Musée des Beaux-Arts with paintings by Impressionists Monet, Sisley, Boudin and Pisarro and the charming town of Vernon to visit Giverney. The Cezanne cruises provide overnight stays on the ship in Paris, Caudebec-en-Caux and Rouen. Most of the cruises sail roundtrip; three will sail one way from Paris to Rouen and three from Rouen to Paris. These six will feature two nights on board ship in Paris.

Click “more” to find out about these itineraries, or call us at 888-286-9827 for more information or to book onboard.

Deilmann’s optional money-saving package of Seine excursions – a Paris city tour, the majestic ruins of Château Gaillard at Les Andelys, the seaside village of Honfleur with its rich artistic and historic heritage, Rouen and the home and gardens of Impressionist painter Claude Monet at Giverny – cost just $205 when purchased in advance.

Among the ports of call on the Saône and Rhône cruises sailing from Lyon on the Princesse de Provence are Tournus, Chalon-sur-Saône, Macon, Trévoux, Tournon, Avignon and Arles. Optional excursions take passengers along Burgundy and Beaujolais wine routes to vineyards for wine tastings, to countryside chateaux, churches, tranquil villages and animated cities with tree-lined avenues, sidewalk cafes and ancient monuments dating from Roman times.

Passengers can tour the Burgundy wine region visiting medieval Beaune, center of the wine trade. At Mâcon, there is a choice of excursions to the remains of the 12th century abbey at Cluny or to the wine-growing region of the Maconnais and a wine tasting. From Trévoux, there is an opportunity to tour the lovely Saône valley and the vineyards and villages of Beaujolais wines.

In Arles, passengers have a full day to explore the city’s many Roman antiquities or visit the Camargue, the nature reserve that is home to herds of white horses, black bulls and pink flamingos. Within the walled city of Avignon are the immense 14th century papal palace, 12th century cathedral, late Gothic churches, museums, elegant town houses and cardinal’s palaces.

Deilmann offers five different cruise tours on its French cruises, both independent and escorted. One of the most popular is the 16-day “Exploring France” cruise tour that combines the Seine and Rhône cruises into one itinerary. The 15-night program begins in Lyon, ends in Paris, provides a TGV train connection from Lyon to Paris and includes 11 shore excursions. There are seven departures between April 6 and Oct. 26 and prices start at $3,100 per person, double occupancy.

Among escorted cruise tours is a 12-day “Coast of Normandy” program that combines a Seine cruise with three nights in Deauville at the Hotel Normandie Barriere with daily breakfast, four sightseeing tours, five shore excursions and the services of an experienced tour manager. Departures begin May 9 and prices start at $4,199 per person, double occupancy. The cruise line’s “Discovery Add-ons,” also allow travelers to extend their stay at a choice of destinations.

Special interest theme cruises on the Cezanne and Princesse de Provence offer biking, hiking, gardens and golf. New hiking programs are part of five cruises on the Seine and Rhône with departures between May 19 and Sept. 22. Four Cezanne sailings between June 2 and Aug. 18 offer biking theme programs, two garden themes are scheduled in June and two golf theme cruises depart Sept. 15 and Oct. 6. Details on these programs are available online at www.deilmann-cruises.com by clicking on Theme Cruises.

The fully air-conditioned MV Cezanne and Princess de Provence have attractively designed outside cabins, sun decks and stylish public rooms that include an elegant restaurant, bar, lounge and library. The restaurants accommodate all passengers in a single seating and offer French and continental cuisine and wines from many regions. The ships offer a high level of service with one crew member for every 2.5 passengers.

The MV Cezanne features twin cabins of 162 square feet and queen cabins of 178 square feet and provides all the amenities of a small luxury hotel in the heart of France. The 70 cabins of the Princesse de Provence offer full-length French doors on the upper deck and picture windows on the lower deck.

Cruise-only rates for seven-night sailings on the Cezanne range from $1,525 to $2,595 per person for a twin-bedded cabin. Princesse de Provence cruises are priced from $1,375 to $2,200 per person for a twin cabin. Deilmann arranges air transportation, meet and greet service and transfers between airports and ships.

This past week Norwegian affirmed their commitment to the Port of Los Angeles’ clean air initiatives.

Silversea reschedules their test of the Privilege Passage program.

Carnival announces big casino tournaments for 2007. Click here for the full list of itineraries where you can participate in the tournament.

Princess hosts special Superbowl celebrations and Valentines Day commemorations onboard their ships.

Peter Deilman offers free air AND shore excursions on select sailings, while Cruise West is ending their East Coast itineraries.

We’ve got a new group, Deb from Red Shoe Ramblings is going on vacation and you’re invited to come along! Click here for the details on Deb’s vacation. If you’re a spinner or a knitter, check out the Fall Fiber Frenzy.

This week’s Deal of The Week is a Trans-Atlantic sailing, details are here.

As always you can find the show over in iTunes, or click below to download the show to your computer or play it right in your browser window.

The free air offer is available from New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Atlanta, Miami, Pittsburgh and 10 others in the East. The low air supplements are $110 for Zone 2 cities such as Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Louisville, Nashville and 12 others in central states and $150 from Zone 3 cities – Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle, Portland and eight other western gateways.

The free airport-ship transfers are included in any air arranged by Deilmann Cruises. For those who would like to use frequent flyer miles, Deilmann will deduct $750 per person from cruise rates. The first voyage, a 10-night cruise around Norway, June 4-14, sails to the beautiful small city of Bergen on the southwestern coast, then to Olden and Trondheim, scenic Hellesylt with dramatic waterfalls, the fjords of Geiranger and Eidfjord, home to one of the world’s largest reindeer herds. Cruise rates start at $4,324 per person double while single staterooms start at $4,892.

You’ll find more details about these itineraries when you click on “more” or call us at 888-286-9827 to take advantage of these special offers.

The July voyage, 19 nights, to the Norwegian Fjords, Spitzbergen, Iceland, Danish and Scottish islands also offers cruisers major cost-savings as does the 23-night August sailing to Norway, Spitzbergen, Iceland, the fjords of Greenland, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Ireland.

The fjord cruise, July 9-28, begins in the famous sailing city of Kiel, near Hamburg, Germany. Bergen is the first port of call in Norway and the Deutschland sails on to the fishing village of Gravdal and other towns surrounded by breathtaking views of lakes and forests. The ship heads north through the grandeur of the fjord-cut coast of Spitzbergen to Ny-Alesund and the pristine wilderness of Longyearbyen and to Reykjavik, Iceland, for an overnight stay. Thorshavn in the Faroe Islands of Denmark and Lerwick in the Shetland Islands of Scotland are port calls on the return to Kiel.

The Greenland and Canada adventure cruise, Aug. 12-Sept. 3, sails to Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands to view Neolithic tombs and bronze-age monuments and to the Danish island of Runavik to visit the maritime museum with exhibits that date from the Viking period. After a day’s visit to Reykjavik, the ship cruises through Prince Christian Sound in Greenland where passengers view majestic fjords, rocky reefs, icebergs and whales and go ashore in quaint towns. The ship continues to the town of Sydney, Nova Scotia, and St. John’s, Newfoundland, for an overnight stay. The return sailing to Hamburg makes two port calls in Ireland at Glenngariff and the seafarer town of Cobh on the Irish coast.

A classic ocean liner with just 286 staterooms, the Deutschland was launched in 1998 and is meticulously refurbished every year. The prominent styles of the nine-deck ship are art nouveau and art deco that recall earlier days of ocean travel. Three exceptionally well designed restaurants and an outdoor dining terrace provide formal and informal settings for dining, while intimate lounges with music provide before and after dining entertainment. The high level of service adds to passengers’ comfort with a 2-to-1 ratio of passengers to crew.

New this year is an expanded program of pre-arranged Wellness packages that start at just $150 for ladies’ facial beauty treatment, body bath with rose petals, milk and oil and classic back massage. Gentlemen’s grooming and relaxation packages start at $155 for a two-hour treatment. There are also daily classes in Pilates, Nordic walking and aqua jogging, make-up and fitness consulting sessions.

For solo travelers, the Deutschland offers 67 single cabins and charges considerably less for single supplements than other cruise lines.

Free airport-ship transfers are among the added attractions to these sailings that depart from Hamburg and Travemunde, Germany. Air supplements cost just $110 from 19 Midwest cities and $150 from 15 cities in the West. For passengers who arrange their own air, there is a $750 reduction from the cruise fare.

An extra inducement for U.S. travelers to these Grand Hotel Voyages is the 100% free pre-arranged packages of English-language shore excursions. Prices on these cruises start at $4,571 per person twin for the 11-night sailing, including roundtrip air transportation.

Click “more” for additional information about these itineraries, or call us at 888-286-9827 to book your reservation.

The first Baltic voyage, May 20- June 1, 2007, is 12 nights and departs from Hamburg. The cruise sails through the Canal Passage to the North Sea and Gothenburg, Sweden’s largest port, then to Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, the Polish ports of Baltiysk and Gdansk and the historic Polish city of Stettin. Overnight stays are in Gothenburg, St. Petersburg and Gdansk.

The 11-night cruise, June 14-25, also overnights in St. Petersburg and visits Stockholm, the Finnish Island of Aland, the capitals of Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga and the lovely old city of Gdansk. The third Baltic cruise, June 25-July 5, 2007, spends two nights in St. Petersburg, and one in Stockholm. Riga, Helsinki and Copenhagen are other port calls on the 14-night cruise, which ends in the famous German sailing city of Kiel.

A classic ocean liner, launched in 1998 and meticulously refurbished every year, the nine-deck ship is richly decorated in art nouveau and art deco styles reminiscent of earlier days of ocean travel. The ship’s three beautifully designed restaurants and outdoor dining terrace provide formal and informal settings for dining, while intimate lounges and cafes with music offer before and after dining entertainment. The high level of service adds to passengers’ comfort with a 2-to-1 ratio of passengers to crew.

The Deutschland’s 286 staterooms are well appointed with ample storage space, color TV, min-bars, bathrobes and slippers; bathrooms offer quality toiletries and hairdryers. Passengers are greeted on arrival with champagne and a gift tote bag. Outdoor and indoor swimming pools, three sun decks, open-air promenade deck, an elegant theater for film screenings and lectures, fitness center, sauna, Turkish bath, grand two-level ballroom with dancing and international revue shows, shopping boutique, beauty salon and infirmary are among other features of the ship.

The ship’s expanded Wellness Spa offers Thalasso Therapy, Cleopatra Bath, a broad range of massage therapy and other health and beauty treatments. There are daily classes in Pilates, Nordic walking and aqua jogging, make-up and fitness consulting sessions.

The Danube cruises sail from the old world town of Passau in the Bavaria region of Germany situated at the confluence of three rivers – the Danube, Inn and Ilz. The ship’s route takes travelers to three capitals – Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava – and the Austrian wine village of Dürnstein and other towns in Austria and Hungary.

You’ll find the details on these special sailings by clicking on “more” or call us at 888-286-9827.

In addition to the regular shore excursions offered on the Danube itinerary, the music cruises add a focus on the musical traditions of Vienna visiting the Theatre of Vienna where Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute” was first played, St. Stephen’s Cathedral where Mozart married and Figaro House where he wrote “The Marriage of Figaro”. Participants also visit the State Opera House and the Museum of Musical Instruments in Vienna’s Hofburg Palace. In Budapest, music cruise participants will attend an evening performance at Budapest’s concert hall or the Hungarian State Opera House.

Dürnstein, the ship’s first morning call, is an Austrian wine village with narrow, hilly streets, 16th and 18th century town houses, cozy wine taverns and the ruins of the medieval castle where Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned.

The Mozart sails on to Vienna, the incomparable Austrian city, and then through river locks and under bridges to the Hungarian capital of Budapest where cruisers will discover the pristine, restored Buda hill district rising high above the river on one side and bustling, commercial Pest on the other. Austria’s grandiose Baroque abbey at Melk and Gothic town of Grein, the Hungarian city of Esztergom with its cathedral styled after St. Peter’s in Rome and Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, with its restored old town, are other destinations on the itinerary.

Deilmann’s five-star Mozart is notable for cabins of 203 square feet, largest of any river ship. Highly rated for six years by readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine as one of the best small cruise ships, this boutique-floating hotel has 100 cabins, 95 outside and identical in size, and two suites of 406 square feet. Refurbished in 2003, the vessel’s décor features polished rosewood and original works of art.

Passengers will find a spacious panoramic lounge, two bars, café, full-size indoor pool, sauna, fitness room, library, shop, beauty salon, laundry and infirmary with a doctor. Dining is single seating in the non-smoking restaurant surrounded by windows and breakfast, morning bouillon or coffee service, lunch, afternoon tea service, a six-course dinner and midnight snack are served each day. The cruise line expanded its no-smoking restrictions last April to include ship cabins and corridors. As on all vessels in the Deilmann river fleet, service is of the highest standard with one English-speaking crew member for every 2.5 passengers.

Price of the music cruises start at $1,800 per person, outside double, for both value season sailings. Upper deck outside cabins are $2,520 and outside single rates start at $2,450. Rates include seven nights accommodations, six meals daily, transfers and onboard musical performances. The onshore performances in Vienna and Budapest plus all shore excursions are included in an optional package priced at $325 per person.

The October music theme sailings will offer the same cruise itinerary, performances and sightseeing program. A post-cruise package to Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart, is an added attraction to both music cruises. The optional program includes transfers from the ship in Passau to Salzburg, two nights at the first class Salzburg Sheraton with breakfast, chamber orchestra concert with dinner at the Hohensalzburg Fortress and half-day city sightseeing tour. The Salzburg two-night program is priced at $490 per person double.

Deilmann’s eight river ships will operate on the Danube, Rhine, Moselle, Rhône, Saône, Seine, Elbe, Vltava, Oder and other rivers from late March through mid-November 2007. Deilmann plans to replace the Danube Princess, which was sold to another company, with a five-star vessel in 2008.

Peter Deilmann will offer 10 different cruise tours in 2007 with more than 100 departures. The river cruises will have itineraries that feature special events in 2007 and new destinations. Selections will include independent cruise tours sailing the Seine, Rhône, Danube and Elbe rivers, Dutch and Belgian canals.

Call us at 888-286-9827 for more information about Peter Deilman Cruises’ river cruise itineraries, or click on “more” to get additional details about the line’s 2007 season.

Deilmann will have complete cruise-tour information available in October. “Discovery Add-ons,” a concept introduced in 2006 in independent cruise tours, will once again give travelers added flexibility in selecting tour options by allowing a choice of destinations at the beginning or end of a river cruise.

In 2007, the cruise line’s special interest cruises will feature new music, golf, gardens, cycling and hiking themes. This is the third year Deilmann is offering these theme cruises on the Danube, Rhine, Rhone and Elbe.

The 96-passenger Casanova will cruise on three rivers – the Rhine, Moselle, Danube – and the Main-Danube Canal and will offer a 14-night grand cruise between Amsterdam and Budapest. The Frederic Chopin and the Katharina, both 79-passenger ships, will alternate one-week sailings from Potsdam (Berlin) and Prague on the Havel, Elbe and Vltava (Moldau) rivers.

Rhine and Moselle sailings on the 110-passenger, four-deck Heidelberg will sail to four countries calling at Rhine cities and towns that include Amsterdam, Cologne, Rüdesheim, Koblenz, Basel, Strasbourg and at the wine villages and towns of Bernkastel, Cochem and Trier on the smaller Moselle River. Ghent, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Bruges and Brussels are destinations on the Dutch and Belgian canals in April on cruises that feature tulips and other flowers on roundtrip sailings from Amsterdam.

The popular seven-night Danube cruises from Passau in southern Germany, two hours from Munich, will operate on the 200-passenger Mozart, known for the largest cabins of any river vessel, 203 square feet. Both the 100-cabin Mozart and 48-cabin Casanova will sail 10- and 11-night cruises on the Danube from Passau to the Black Sea in Romania.

The 100-passenger Cezanne will cruise from Paris on the Seine offering itineraries that feature an overnight stay aboard the ship in Paris and sailings from Rouen as well as Paris. The Rhône and Saône river cruises on the 140-passenger Princesse de Provence call at towns and villages with the well-known vineyards of Côte du Nuits, Beaujolais, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Macon-Villages and other wines and the history-rich Provencal cities of Avignon and Arles. Cruises originate in Lyon and Avignon.

The Elbe River ship, the 106-passenger Dresden, will offer alternate weekly sailings from Hamburg and Dresden to Luther’s town of Wittenberg, porcelain-famous Meissen, the formal gardens of Pillnitz Palace as well as the gracious sea port city of Hamburg, historic Dresden, returned to its former glory, and excursions to the fascinating, continually changing capital of Berlin. Berlin and the Czech capital of Prague, with its elegant Old World churches and spires are the focus of the seven-night cruises of the twin ships Katharina and Frederic Chopin.

Seven of the eight river vessels sailing in the Deilmann fleet are five-star. All the ships are known for fine dining, a high level of passenger service with a 2-to-1 passenger-to-crew ratio and the elegant decor of the vessels. Readers of Travel + Leisure magazine voted Peter Deilmann Cruises one of the top 10 small ship cruises lines in the annual readers’ survey of best cruise lines, which appears in the August 2006 issue.

Renowned Michelin-star chefs will spend a week as guest chefs aboard the Mozart on July 30, Sept. 3 and Oct. 29. They will also present tips and techniques on preparing their specialties in afternoon cooking shows for passengers. The Sept. 3-10 cruise will have two guest chefs on board – Stephan Mattersberger, whose starred restaurants include Alpenrose Post, Esplanade Berlin and two French specialty restaurants, will be the guest chef for the week, while Alfons Schuhbeck, a Michelin star recipient, Gault Millau chef of the year and author of 20 cookbooks, will be guest chef for one day.

For more information about these culinary exhibitions onboard click on “more,” or call us at 888-286-9827 to find out more about Peter Dielmann Cruises.

Master chef Christian Müller of the Munich Kempinski Airport Hotel restaurant and the Deilmann flagship Deutschland, will present a cooking show displaying his culinary skills on the Mozart cruise, July 30-Aug. 6. A master chef from Wiesbaden’s famous Ente (Duck) restaurant, Michelin star-rated for 27 years, will create the gala dinner menu and present a cooking show of his creations on the Oct. 29-Nov. 11 cruise. Some cabins are still available on the Oct. 29 cruise.

The Wellness program on the Deutschland cruise, departing Sept. 21 from Hamburg to French and Spanish destinations, features a nourishing chocolate facial and body treatment; sea water Thalasso therapy with algae peeling and body massage; Cleopatra milk bath with rose petals and body massage with ethereal oils; Yoga, Qi Gong and Tibetan relaxation exercises.

Participants discover a world of fragrances and sample fine champagnes while attending the fitness and make-up workshops. The Wellness package also includes captain’s welcome reception with the spa manager and make-up expert from Clarins, the captain’s farewell reception, guided “Treasure Hunt” city tours, wellness lectures, daily meditation and movement exercises and Clarins or Molton Brown care products. The Wellness 13-night cruise starts at $4,188, per person twin, including air fare from the 16 U.S. cities in Zone 1. Deilmann also has low air supplements from 32 cities in Zone 2 and 3 in the Midwest and West.

A similar Wellness package is available on the trans-Atlantic crossing from Spain’s Canary Islands to Barbados, Nov. 20-27. Free air and airport-to-ship transfers are included in both Wellness sailings. Rates on the seven-night South Atlantic crossing to the Caribbean with the Wellness package start at $2,590, per person, including air fare from Zone 1 cities. Details on the Wellness programs are online at www-deilmann-cruises.com under theme cruises.

Ports of call on the Danube cruises are the Austrian wine village of Dürnstein; Vienna and Budapest for overnight stays; Bratislava, capital of Slovakia; the Austrian baroque abbey at Melk and the small town of Grein. The five-star Mozart accommodates 200 passengers in 97 cabins of 203 square feet, largest of any river ship. The vessel also offers two suites of 406 square feet.

The ship’s open-air deck with comfortable lounge chairs and blankets allows passengers to view the passing riverside scenes, marvel at the many bridges they sail under and locks they transverse on the river. The panoramic restaurant serves breakfast, multi-course luncheons and dinners in a non-smoking environment, while mid-morning and mid-afternoon coffee, tea, fruit and pastries are served on the upper deck and in the panoramic lounge. The Mozart has a remodeled and expanded indoor swimming pool and fitness center, spacious lounge with dance floor and Mozart café and bar for drinks and late night buffet. Rates for the October cruise start at $1,745 per person for an outside twin.

The 513-passenger Deutschland has 286 cabins, including 17 singles. The five-star ship, built in 1998 in art nouveau and art deco styles to recall the grand days of ocean travel, is refurbished annually while its gleaming wood finishes and etched glass decorations are polished discreetly on every voyage.

The five-star liner has three restaurants offering gourmet cuisine, a resplendent ballroom for dancing and shows, comfortable bars and lounges, indoor and outdoor pools, fitness center, massage and sauna facilities, sundecks, cushioned teakwood lounge chairs for relaxing and reading in the sun and shade, elegant theater for film screenings and lectures, shopping boutiques, beauty salon and infirmary.

You’ll also find some great specials from all of the cruise lines and tour companies that we represent and even coupons for some great items and reduced deposits on many sailings.

Not on our mailing list?  Give us a call at 888-286-9827 and we’ll send you your copy.

One is a 13-night cruise that sails the Atlantic to the Mediterranean from Hamburg to Malaga calling at Amsterdam, Zeebrügge (Belgium), Honfleur, St. Malo, St. Nazaire and La Palice in France, Santander (Bilbao) in Spain and Lisbon, Portugal, Sept. 21-Oct. 4. The other is a Black Sea cruise roundtrip from Piraeus (Athens) to Varna (Bulgaria), Odessa and Yalta in Ukraine, Constanta in Romania and Sinop and Istanbul in Turkey, Oct. 17-27. Passengers can fly free roundtrip from 16 U.S. cities and save up to $1,194 on the cruise rates alone.

Click on “more” to get more details on these great rates from Peter Deilmann Cruises, or visit Cruise Planners for more information.

An added incentive for U.S. travelers to book these Grand Hotel Voyages is the 50% reduction on pre-arranged packages of English-language shore excursions and free airport/ship transfers. Reduced cruise prices begin at $3,398 per person for the Black Sea sailing, while single staterooms start at $3,737. The ship has 67 singles and charges considerably less for single supplements than other cruise lines.

The free round-trip air transportation is available from New York City, Boston, Miami, Washington and 12 other eastern U.S. gateways. Air supplements from 19 Midwest gateways cost just $60 to $70 and $150 to $170 from 13 cities in the West. For those passengers arranging their own air, there is a $750 reduction from the cruise fare.

For the Hamburg-Malaga 13-night sailing, reduced rates start at $3,679 per person twin and $4,069 for a single stateroom. This Sept. 21 cruise also offers an optional golf package featuring courses in Deauville (Honfleur), Chateau des Ormes Golf Club (St. Malo), La Baule International (St. Nazaire), the Real Golf de Pedrena near Santander and the Oitavos Quinta de Marunha golf course near Lisbon with spectacular views of the Atlantic.

The air/sea golf package, starting at $4,379 per person from New York, Boston, Washington, Miami and 12 other U.S. cities includes air transportation, the cruise and golf program with six rounds of golf, free transfers to and from the ship, green fees, pull cart, use of driving range if available, golf escort and tips. Non-golfing companions deduct $700 from ocean golf cruise prices.

On the Oct. 17th sailing from Piraeus, the Deutschland cruises the Aegean, the Dardanelles and Bosphorus to the Black Sea and Varna, Bulgaria’s third largest city and main port with a cosmopolitan atmosphere that dates back to 580 BC. Odessa, Ukraine’s major sea port and Black Sea summer resort, founded in 1794, known for its parks, architecture and opera house, is one of two port calls in Ukraine. The other is Yalta, center of the Ukraine Riviera and site of Livadia Palace where Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin decided the future of Europe in 1945.

The Turkish city of Sinop with one of the most beautiful natural harbors on the Black Sea coast is among other destinations on the cruise. Its extant monuments include a ruined ancient citadel rebuilt during Byzantine and Seljuq periods, ruins and old walls and dating from the early Greek and Roman periods, and mosque dating from 1214. A 13th-century religious school now houses the local museum. Sinop is linked by sea with Istanbul, an overnight stay on the cruise.

A luxury ocean liner that recalls the days of grand ocean travel, the MS Deutschland was launched in 1998 and is refurbished annually. The five-star ship has just 286 beautifully appointed staterooms for a maximum of 520 passengers and offers a very high level of service with a 2-to-1 passenger-to-crew ratio. Peter Deilmann built the Deutschland for discriminating travelers who want a traditional cruise experience in a gleaming ship designed in art nouveau and art deco styles.

To both relax and stay fit, the nine-deck ship has outdoor and indoor swimming pools, three sun decks with teak steamer deck chairs, an open-air promenade deck, fitness center, exercise and dance classes, sauna, solarium, Turkish bath and putting green. The expanded Wellness Spa offers Thalasso Therapy, Cleopatra Bath and other health and beauty treatments and a wide choice in massage therapy. Passengers can participate in daily fitness classes of exercises such as Pilates, Nordic walking and aqua jogging as well as make-up and fitness consulting sessions.

Should you wish to receive your complimentary issue, please just drop an e-mail with your mailing address to letsgo@mycruiseplanner.info.  Please note we will not use your e-mail address or contact you directly, unless you request us to.  We do not want anyone to miss out on these special offers.

In addition, over the upcoming months we are going to be offering special merchandise from various cruise lines to our readers.  Please stay tuned to this space for more details.