WE FINALLY SAIL - WITH THANKS TO OUR TA!

As we head off on our great adventure, I wanted to take a moment to thank our travel agent, Dan Twomey of Cruise Specialists, 100 Rowland Way, Suite 210, Novato, CA  94945 (phone 800-544-2469, fax 206-281-0269), e-mail DTwomey@CruiseSpecialists.com, web site http://www.cruisespecialists.com/.

Although he wasn't able to do the 2 things I wanted most (a room upgrade and delivery of the beverages we wanted in our room), he and his company did several nice things for us:

1. They worked with Holland America Line ("HAL") to get us our 3% early payment discount, in spite of a minor "glitch" (and some initial resistance by HAL)
2. They give a $200 "tour dollars" per person, meaning our shore excursions to Nha Trang and Sicily are now FREE!
3. They picked us up at the airport in Ft. Lauderdale and took us to our hotel - for free
4. They provided our room at the Westin, Ft. Lauderdale - for free
5. They threw a "welcome" cocktail party and dinner at the Westin the night before we left - on them
6. They gave us a windbreaker and tote bag to use on our trip
7. Dan helped me compare and procure the best travel insurance
8. Dan helped me compare cruise lines and itineraries
9. Dan tried to get HAL to provide the beverages we were requesting onboard (unfortunately, HAL insisted on, e.g., marking up the cost of a Pepsi by 700%, so I took care of it myself)
10. He answered numerous e-mails and phone calls from me and was always cheerful and helpful, too!

For all of these things, I say THANK YOU!

FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO "WAVE" US OFF, YOU CAN CLICK THIS LINK TO OUR PORT'S "WEB CAM":  http://portevergladeswebcam.com/ (we'll be the ship leaving at 5 p.m. on January 6th)