Costco Connection - February 2008

travel connection

You have the opportunity to join a Costco-members-only cruise and travel on the first-ever Kirkland Signature™ privately chartered yacht.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE! Space is limited.

Receive the following items valued at up to $1,000 per stateroom:

• $100 per-person shipboard credit • Cocktail party with appetizers • Dinner at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge^SM• Dinner at Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge^SM• Tundra Wilderness Tour in Denali • Alaska book and map set (one per stateroom)

SEADREAM

Kirkland Signature sets

sail on SeaDream yacht

Sail from Vancouver to Anchorage (Whittier)
aboard Island Princess®.
Seven-night cruise itinerary:

Inside Passage, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and College Fjord.

Join Costco Travel president Court Newberry on a special one-time-only yacht voyage. Just 100 Costco members will have the chance to experience a privately chartered yacht vacation aboard a SeaDream yacht reserved exclusively for Costco members. The adventure begins May 7, 2008, with two nights in a deluxe hotel in Marbella, Spain, before setting sail on what may just be your best travel experience ever. Members are encouraged to sign up quickly before all the staterooms are booked, as this exclusive sailing also includes more than $1,200 in added value and is offered at 25 percent off the SeaDream direct price.

Author Ralph Grizzle ( www.avidcruiser.com) has been writing about travel for 20 years. He booked a SeaDream cruise last year, and relates his experience for The Costco Connection.

Five-night land tour highlights:

• Two nights at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge^SM

• Two nights at Mt. McKinnley Princess Wilderness Lodge^SM

• One night in Anchorage

Receive an additional $25 per-person shipboard credit.

Balcony from $2,819 per person*

Mini-Suite from $3,049 per person*

Valid on 6/30, 7/14 and 8/11/08 sailings.

Visit costco.com or call Costco Travel toll free at 1-877-849-2730.

* Price shown is per person based on double occupancy, in U. S. dollars, is capacity controlled, is valid for select stateroom categories only, and is true and accurate at time of printing. Price does not include government taxes/fees of $131.44, fuel surcharge of $35 and gratuities. Restrictions and blackout dates may apply. All offers and inclusions are subject to availability, may change or be terminated without notice and are valid for new bookings only for first and second passengers only. Unless otherwise noted, offers are not combinable with select rate codes, coupons or other offers. Executive Member offer is valid for primary cardholder only. Travel purchases are not included in the Executive Membership 2% Reward program. Offer shown is cruise-tour-only and valid on select dates. Cancellation and change fees may apply. Please refer to the appropriate Princess Cruises brochure for terms, conditions, and definitions which will apply to bookings. Costco Travel disclaims liability for any inaccuracies or typographical errors. Ship’s registry: Bermuda. Costco Travel is a registered seller of travel and travel agency in the following states: Washington (WST 602042600); Ohio (8789302); Florida (Fla. Seller of Travel Reg. No.ST32555); and California (CST 2054248-50). Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the state of California. Nevada (Nevada Seller of Travel Registration No.2007-0060)

07TR0401 2/08

By Ralph Grizzle

IN 2006, READERS of Condé Nast Traveler ranked SeaDream Yacht Club as one of the top 100 travel experiences worldwide. In fact, SeaDream was the only cruise company to be included in the ranking; the other 99 winners were hotels and resorts. The company achieved the highest overall score for all cruise companies, large or small.

No question that SeaDream merits heaps of praise, but the only cruise line to be included in the top 100 travel experiences? How could that be? Last spring, I boarded SeaDream II to find out.

SeaDream seeks to differentiate itself from traditional cruises. The company’s slogan, “It’s yachting, not cruising,” suggests a more intimate, relaxed experience. Dress is casual; tuxedoes and formal attire simply aren’t seen.

The 100 or so passengers spend their time on the outer decks. On several nights of my cruise, room attendants even prepared special Balinese sun beds for couples who wanted to sleep under the stars (SeaDream also provides custom-embroidered cotton pajamas—a nice touch.)

Breakfast and lunch are served alfresco, as well as dinners on select evenings. Other evenings, dinners are served in the open-seating Dining Salon, with dining alcoves for two also available. Gratuities are included in the cruise fare, as is standard-brand alcohol.

SeaDream is not a bingo-and-shuffle-

board experience. After tendering ashore in Portofino, Italy, eight of us hiked with the captain to Santa Margherita and back, a three-and-a-half-hour trek.

Exquisitely small, the 110-passenger SeaDream II can get into ports that big ships can’t. (“Some of the tenders on the big ships carry more passengers than we do,” the captain joked.) Cycling the waterfront in Port-Vendres, France, where ours was the only ship in port, I stopped to watch fishermen roast freshly caught sardines. The fishermen extended a warm welcome to our small group in a way that they could not have done for a few thousand passengers. Recalling the day, Paul, an Australian traveling with his wife, remarked, “You’re lucky to have a day like that once in a lifetime, but to have it on the first day of our cruise is something spectacular.”

It could have been the weather (perfect for the whole trip), the ports themselves (idyllic in every way), the crew (friendly, service oriented and spirited) or the authenticity of the experience, but SeaDream gave me one of the best travel experiences of my life.