Opera & a Luxury Cruise

Asheville Lyric Opera continues its program of offering fine musical cruises worldwide. Last fall we offered an Adriatic cruise with Marilyn Horne. Now—see the eastern American coastline as you have never seen it before!

In the luxury of this small 100 passenger ship with 50 outward facing suites, many with private balconies, you can spend 14 days with singers of The Metropolitan Opera. Enjoy and learn more about opera with these fine young singers. Starting in Palm Beach, visit our Southern states, historic Yorktown and Williamsburg, mansions of Newport, Portland and scenic Bar Harbor Maine, our Canadian neighbors––Halifax, the fascinating Fortress of Louisbourg, Argentia and Placentia Newfoundland and end at St. John’s Newfoundland.

Be immersed in the sights and history of the USA and Canada with qualified guest lecturers’ discussions on both art and history. Enjoy the operatic repertoire of aboard recitals by three artists who have graced the stages of La Scala, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, the operas of Chicago, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Glimmerglass and of course the stage of the Metropolitan. You will be identified as an Asheville Lyric Opera supporter and...

$700* OF YOUR CRUISE FARE WILL BE DONATED IN YOUR NAME BY WILLIAMSBURG TRAVEL AMERICAN EXPRESS TO THE ASHEVILLE LYRIC OPERA!

The intimacy of this elegant and handsomely appointed small luxury vessel with outstanding personalized service and cuisine, spacious suites and inviting public areas that foster an atmosphere of effortless conviviality allows you all these wonderful benefits and more:

Free — all shore excursions, beer/wines at meals, open bar, free water for shore excursions and more! Book a larger suite and you will be pampered with full-time butler service! No single supplement!

NO hassles waiting for hundreds of people to get on/off. No shops or sales pitches. No casinos or nightclub shows — BUT interesting lectures, concerts and wonderful fellow like-minded passengers.

PLUS — you will visit 10 exciting ports in the United States and Canada. You will be in the company of pleasant informative guides and lecturers — not only with you during the tours, but also readily available aboard ship.

You may have been to Savannah and Charleston, but enjoy it now as you learn in depth of the history and tales of the various places to be viewed. It’s an entirely new dimension!

*Book by December 15 so $700 per cabin will be donated in your name to the Asheville Lyric Opera. Book by January 15 it will be $500. Thereafter it is $300. Book early to secure best suites and make the largest donation!

Most of your fellow travelers are Travel Dynamics past cruisers. Their interests, like yours, are very much alike. It is easy to make new friends. Join this small intimate group Depart from either Palm Beach or Charleston.

SAVE $4000 per person. Discounted rates start at only $5995. NO single surcharge. All shore excursions free!

Have fun and support your Asheville Lyric Opera

ENRICHMENT PROGRAM On this unique itinerary we are pleased to offer an equally unique enrichment program. Expert guest lecturers will lecture on the history of our ports of call, and musicians selected by The Metropolitan Opera Guild will perform for our enjoyment.

Below are short biographies of the artists and experts who will accompany us on the voyage.

Performing Artists

Jeffrey Brown is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Natalya Antonova. Recent performance highlights include the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Artist Presentation Society in St. Louis, the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in Chengdu, China, and summer festivals in France, Italy, Germany, and Austria. Currently, he is Assistant Professor of Piano at Western Illinois University.

Soprano Julianna Di Giacomo recently made her Italian debut in the 2008-09 season at La Scala as Lucrezia Contarini in I due Foscari.

She also appeared this past season at Carnegie Hall for the New York Choral Society’s Rossini Stabat Mater and Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem. A graduate of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, she is in the midst of a rich career, performing with a variety of opera companies including New York City Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and Opera Orchestra of New York. In addition, Miss Di Giacomo will be heard as Lina in Stiffelio at Metropolitan Opera under the baton of Plácido Domingo in January of 2010.

Chad Johnson, originally from Muskegon, MI, has participated in the young artist training programs of Chicago Opera Theater, Santa Fe Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and the Tanglewood Music Center where he sang Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte under the baton of Maestro James Levine.

Recent engagements include Gérald in Lakmé (Florida Grand Opera), Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (New Orleans Opera), Paolino in Il matrimonio segreto (BAM) as well as concert appearances with the Atlanta Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic.

Guest Lecturers

William R. Ferris is the Joel R. Williamson Eminent Professor of History at UNC and an adjunct professor in the Curriculum in Folklore. He is widely recognized as a leader in Southern studies, African-American music and folklore.

Dr. Ferris, who served as chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 1997- 2001, has written and edited 11 books and created 14 documentary films dealing with southern topics, and he co-edited the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.

Dwight Young has been actively involved in historic preservation for over 30 years. He joined the staff of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1977, and moved to Trust headquarters in Washington in 1992.

The author of several books, including Alternatives to Sprawl, Saving America’s Treasures, he is best known as author of the “Back Page” feature in Preservation magazine. In 2003, the National Trust published a collection of these essays titled Road Trips through History. Dwight has enriched countless National Trust tours to historic destinations all over the world.

Itinerary

Sunday, May 16, 2010 FLY FROM HOME CITY | ARRIVE PALM BEACH, Florida, USA | EMBARK ON CLELIA II (D)

Monday, May 17 AT SEA (B, L, D) Tuesday,

May 18 SAVANNAH, Georgia, Georgia´s oldest city, founded in 1733 by Robert Oglethorpe overlooking the Savannah River. In 1864, the city fell to Sherman´s troops and was spared certain destruction when Lincoln intervened. Visit a private home as well as the Telfair Art Museum and enjoy time to stroll the lovely streets and squares. (B, L, D)

Wednesday, May 19 CHARLESTON, South Carolina Arrive in Charleston, one of the East Coast’s loveliest cities. A cosmopolitan seaport as far back as colonial times, it was here in Charleston’s harbor that Confederate troops first fired upon Fort Sumter, thus starting the Civil War. Tour the extensive historic district, including the Heyward-Washington House, an 18th-century structure which features an enchanting garden. In the afternoon, drive to Drayton Hall.

Theoldest surviving example of Georgian Palladian architecture in the United States, Drayton Hall is also one of the only pre-Revolutionary houses that remain in close to original condition today. Or, take the ferry to Fort Sumter, site of the 1861 beginning of the Civil War. (B, L, D)

Thursday, May 20 AT SEA (B, L, D)

Friday, May 21 YORKTOWN | COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG | YORKTOWN, Virginia From Yorktown, our excursion leads to Colonial Williamsburg. The capital of the Virginia colony from 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg is the nation’s premier living museum, offering a glimpse of life as it was in the 17th and 18th centuries. A guided tour leads along the Duke of Gloucester Street, Williamsburg’s main thoroughfare, past the Capitol, courthouse, Governor’s Palace, and Bruton Parish Church, which has held Episcopal services since 1715. Enjoy lunch at the historic King’s Arms Tavern before free time to explore the museums and side streets, which are filled with taverns, bakeries, and restored houses of coopers, apothecaries, and other tradesmen. Later, visit your choice of the Yorktown Battlefield, site of the decisive 1781 battle, or the award-winning Williamsburg Winery. (B, L, D)

Saturday, May 22 AT SEA (B, L, D)

Sunday, May 23 NEWPORT, Rhode Island Clelia II sails into the yacht-filled harbor of Newport, the one-time summer playground of New York’s wealthiest families. Many of the grand “cottages” they built are now cared for by The Preservation Society of Newport County and are open to the public. See The Breakers, the 70-room Italian Renaissance mansion of Cornelius Vanderbilt II. Visit the National Museum of American Illustration, housed in Vernon Court Mansion and exhibiting works by Noman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish, and N.C. Wyeth. Also enjoy time at leisure exploring the historic harbor at Newport with its fine architecture. (B, L, D)

Monday, May 24 PORTLAND, Maine Arrive in Portland, Maine’s largest city, and explore the charming Old Port district, with boutiques and restaurants lining cobblestoned streets. The nearby Arts District is home to many art galleries, antique shops, and artist studios. In the heart of this quarter is The Portland Museum of Art, home to more than 18,000 works dating back to the American Colonial era. Also see the landmark Portland Observatory and one of America’s best preserved Victorian residential neighborhoods, situated on a cliff. (B, L, D)

Tuesday, May 25 BAR HARBOR, Maine Explore Bar Harbor, set amid Maine’s dramatic coast. Surrounded by Acadia National Park, this quaint fishing village on Mount Desert Island was a fashionable resort in the late 1800s and the summer home of influential families, including the Astors and Rockefellers. Tour Acadia National Park to discover the Wild Gardens of Acadia, showcasing over 300 native plant species. Also visit the Abbe Museum’s collections chronicling Maine’s 10,000 years of Native American culture and history. (B, L, D)

Wednesday, May 26 HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, CANADA Arrive in Halifax, a vital port city with impressive cultural and historic delights. See the sandstone Province House, St. Paul’s Church, the oldest building in the city, the Citadel National Historic Site and the Public Gardens. Spend the afternoon at leisure to explore Halifax’s vibrant attractions such as Historic Properties, which mixes Canada’s oldest surviving warehouses with charming boutiques and restaurants. (B, L, D)

Thursday, May 27 LOUISBOURG Call at Louisbourg, home to the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, Canada’s largest historic park. Often called the Williamsburg of Canada, the French defended this fortified settlement many times against the British from 1713 until 1758, when they were finally defeated. Today it is a living museum that re-creates 18th-century life through costumes and reconstruction. Visitors are transported back to 1744 thanks to the partial rebuilding of the settlement, including the ramparts, King’s Bastion, homes, businesses, and streets. Actors play the roles of 18th-century inhabitants, including bakers, soldiers, musicians, and royalty. (B, L, D)

Friday, May 28 ARGENT IA | PLACENT IA | ST. MARY ’S ECOLOGICAL RESERVE, Newfoundland Overlooking a bay on the Avalon Peninsula, Argentia is one of Newfoundland’s finest harbors. From here, there will be a choice of excursions. Explore Placentia, a picturesque town that was once the French capital of Newfoundland, with its Castle Hill National Site, the remains of 17th- and 18th-century French and British Fortifications, the O’Reilly House Museum, and other buildings. Or, travel to St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve, one of the largest bird sanctuaries in North America, and nesting place for over 70,000 kittiwakes, razorbills, and other birds. (B, L, D)

Saturday, May 29 ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland | DISEMBARK | FLY TO USA (B)

Program Inclusions

• 13-night cruise aboard the all-suite,100-guest Clelia II
• Welcome and farewell cocktail receptions aboard ship
• All meals aboard ship, including house wine, beer, and soft drinks with lunch and dinner
• Open bar aboard ship throughout the cruise
• Complete program of excursions
• Educational program of lectures and discussions by accompanying guest lecturers
• Recitals by accompanying performers
• Travel Dynamics International tour staff
• Transfer from the ship to the airport in St. John´s on the designated program departure date
• Port and embarkation taxes
• Gratuities to porters, guides, and drivers

NOT INCLUDED: Airfare; visa and passport fees; luggage and trip cancellation insurance; meals, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages other than those specified above; personal expenses such as laundry, telephone calls, faxes, and e-mail service; and gratuities to shipboard personnel

If your birthday or that of your traveling companion falls within the dates of this trip, our tour operator, Travel Dynamics International, will extend a celebratory 50% off from one person´s listed cruise and land rates. Please note that this offer cannot be combined with any other offers.

Clelia II, elegance in small-ship cruising

More like a private yacht than a cruise ship, Clelia II accommodates only 100 guests in 50 suites.

Clelia II’s limited guest capacity, fine facilities, and distinctive style of operation attract like-minded travelers who return again and again to enjoy its custom-crafted itineraries and a style of cruising that is rarely found today.

More than just a cruise, each voyage provides a comprehensive experience that reveals the singular aspects of the destinations. Aboard, a sense of community and a spirit of camaraderie prevail. All of Clelia II’s suites face outside, providing views of the sea and landscape. Several have a private balcony.

There are expansive open deck areas and attractive lounges and other facilities, including a gym, spa, library, beauty salon, two lounges, a sun deck with Jacuzzi, and an outdoor cafe. An elegant restaurant accommodates all guests in an open, unassigned seating. The cuisine is outstanding, and the overall service is efficient and friendly while unobtrusive.

An elevator serves all decks. A resident physician attends a well-equipped infirmary. Served by 65 seasoned officers and crew, Clelia II complies with the latest international safety regulations, including those of the U.S. Coast Guard, meets the requirements of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and is outfitted with the most current navigational and communications technology.

Please Contact
Deanne Dallo CTC DS – Your Expert in Travel
Williamsburg Travel American Express
Tel: 800/375-6248 - Direct 770/650-2768 - Fax 770/650-5990

New England’s Fall Foliage

The undeniable highlight of this tour is Mother Nature’s dazzling display of colorful foliage that is unparalleled anywhere in the world. The scenery ranges from the charming villages of Vermont to the Northeast’s tallest peak and the rugged Atlantic coast.

Excursions & Sights

• Experience the quintessential fall foliage of New England and its historical attractions
• See some of Boston’s most famous and fascinating historic sites
• Stop at Quechee Gorge for fall foliage picture taking
• Visit quintessential New England Woodstock and see its famous covered bridge
• Visit the Cabot Creamery, learn about cheese making and sample products
• Visit the Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks in Montpelier
• See the Silver Cascade Waterfall and travel through the White Mountains
• Enjoy the rugged scenery of the famous Maine coast
• Visit the seaside villages of Kennebunkport and Rockport

Guided City Tours

• In-depth sightseeing tours of the Green Mountains and the White Mountains
• Orientation tours of Boston, Woodstock, Stowe, Kennebunkport, Portsmouth & Rockport

Insight’s First Class Services

• Airport arrival and departure transfers on the first and last day of your tour
• Escorted by a professional Tour Director – maximum group size of 40 people
• Luxury air-conditioned coach with extra legroom and restroom facilities
• First-class hotels with all service charges, taxes and porterage

Quality Dining

• 7 Full Breakfasts, 2 Hotel Dinners and 2 Highlight Dinners in Stowe and Portsmouth

Hotels -

Luxurious hotels located right in city centers, such as the historic Omni Parker House in Boston and Sheraton in Portsmouth, combine with wonderful resorts and lodges, including the famous Trapp Family Lodge, owned by the family who inspired the classic musical.

This whole itinerary has been expertly planned to appeal to nature lovers who wish to experience the beautiful autumnal colors of New England. Besides the glorious scenery, those who enjoy delicious food will not be disappointed!

Tour Pace -

This tour allows you to fully enjoy New England’s unique fall foliage. Relax with two-night stays in Stowe and North Conway, explore historic attractions, discover quaint towns filled with Americana appeal and sample delectable local specialties.

Stops will be made at Boston International Airport and the Insight hotel in Boston. Please do not schedule fights before 4 p.m. (B)

Day 1 – Arrive Boston

Welcome to Boston! Your tour begins with a complimentary transfer from the airport to the tour hotel. Please join your Tour Director at 6 p.m. for a Welcome Reception at the hotel. Hotel: Omni Parker House

Day 2 – Boston – Williamstown

Discover some of the city’s most famous sights as your Tour Director takes you along the Freedom Trail. Then enjoy the colorful scenery as you travel west to Stockbridge for a visit to the Norman Rockwell Museum, the largest and most significant collection of original Rockwell art.

Next, travel through the stunning rolling hills of the Berkshires to your wonderful hotel in the beautiful college town of Williamstown. Hotel: The Orchards Hotel (B,D)

Day 3 – Williamstown – Stowe

Leaving Massachusetts, journey through the fabulous fall foliage of Vermont. After a photo stop at Quechee Gorge, visit the Rockefellers’ renowned Billings Farm & Museum, a working dairy farm and farm life museum. Next is the quintessential Vermont village of Woodstock with its picturesque covered bridge.

There is time to stroll the quaint streets before heading for Stowe for a two-night stay. It was the breathtaking alpine setting that attracted the Von Trapp family, of The Sound of Music fame, when they arrived from Austria in the late 40’s and built their fabulous hideaway.

This evening, enjoy a delicious five-course dinner at the lodge. Hotel: Trapp Family Lodge (B,HD)

Day 4 – Taste of Vermont Excusion

Enjoy beautiful rural scenery ablaze with fall colours and views of Vermont’s tallest peak, Mount Mansfield. Visit Cold Hollow Apple Cider Mill and taste fresh cider in the making, then sample flavours of a different kind on a guidedtour of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory.

Learn all about cheese-making at the Cabot Creamery and nibble on the “World’s Best Cheddar.” Return to the charming town of Stowe where the rest of the day is free to wander the quaint streets, hike in the woods, or enjoy the lodge’s amenities. (B)

Day 5 – Stowe – North Conway

Visit Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks and taste a Vermont tradition: “sugar on snow” – maple syrup served with a donut and pickle! Next, head for New Hampshire’s White Mountains and enter Franconia Notch. Get your cameras at the ready as you ride the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway for panoramic vistas over New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, New York, and Canada.

Then journey through the dazzling crimson and orange hues of the famed Kancamagus Scenic Byway to North Conway. After dinner, enjoy an interpretive presentation by a naturalist on the North Woods’ wildlife and ecology. Hotel: North Conway Grand Hotel (B,D)

Day 6 – White Mountains Excursion

Another morning of brilliant fall foliage colours as you journey through Crawford Notch. Stop for pictures at the beautiful Silver Cascade Waterfall and Breton Woods offering stunning views of Mount Washington, the tallest peak in the northeast at 6,288 ft. Back in North Conway, the afternoon is yours.

Explore the township, join your Tour Director on a walk through the woods, or shop at the tax-free outlet stores near the hotel. (B)

Day 7 – North Conway – Portsmouth

Leaving New Hampshire’s glorious fall foliage, enter the deep green pine forests of western Maine. At charming Kennebunkport, enjoy the scenic drive along Ocean Drive with stunning views of the Maine coastline and the palatial homes of Kennebunkport’s rich and famous, including the summer retreat of President George H.W. Bush.

There is time to browse the many galleries and shops, or walk along the waterfront before continuing on to the charming and historic port city of Portsmouth. Late afternoon, head for the seaside village of York and watch the sun set at Nubble Lighthouse, followed by a traditional “lobsta” dinner served at a delightful beach restaurant. Hotel: Sheraton Harborside Portsmouth. (B,HD)

Day 8 – Portsmouth – Depart Boston

Continue south to the charming seaside village of Rockport on Cape Anne. Stroll down flower-filled lanes lined with wooden fishing shacks, quaint stores, and art galleries before heading back to Boston.

This New England tour package has been put together by Insight Vacations. Contact one of our tour specialist and find the right tour package for you.