Travel Briefs

May 2008 issue | Appears on page 90

Crystal smoking policy

On ships of Crystal Cruises (888/799-4625, www.crystalcruises.com), the lounges, bars and entertainment areas have been primarily nonsmoking for years. A new policy prohibiting smoking on the verandahs of all staterooms and suites will go into effect May 7, 2008, for the Crystal Serenity and May 25 for the Crystal Symphony. Cigarette smoking will still be permitted inside private accommodations.

May 2008 issue | Appears on page 90

Chopper over Italy

On 16 of its Mediterranean itineraries, Crystal Cruises is offering optional helicopter excursions.

Examples — the 6-hour “Majestic Dolomites” tour ($3,268 per person) includes flying over Venice, Treviso, the Piave River and Mt. Civetta, with lunch in Cortina d’Ampezzo, and the 1½-hour “Mount Etna” tour ($1,995) overflies Europe’s largest active volcano, then lands in Taormina where guests can explore on their own.

The fifteen 11- and 12-day Mediterranean itineraries aboard...

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May 2008 issue | Appears on page 91

Camp­out in Antarctica

On selected departures of Quark Expeditions’ “Active Adventure” Antarctica itineraries, Nov. 22, 2008-Feb. 26, 2009, travelers can choose from these options: a day of mountaineering or cross-country skiing, kayaking trips through Antarctic Peninsula waters or a night of camping on the Antarctic snow.

The cruise price for the 12-day “Antarctic Adventure” itineraries ranges from $4,400 per person, triple, to $12,500 for a single cabin. The camping option involves no additional charge;...

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May 2008 issue | Appears on page 91

Thai junk cruise

The Rayavadee Resort (One Premier Corporate Park, Soi Premier, Srinakarin Road, Nongbon, Prawet, Bangkok 10250, Thailand; phone 66 2301 1850 or fax 66 2399 1060), on the coast of Thailand’s Krabi Marine National Park, offers excursions to the park’s tropical islands on the 54-foot Pla Luang, a renovated Siamese junk.

For two people, half-day excursions cost 14,000 baht (near $462) and full-day excursions, 16,000-18,000 baht ($528-594).

May 2008 issue | Appears on page 91

Mosaic workshops, Venice

In Venice, the Orsoni Glass Foundry (Cannaregio, 1045 - 30121 Venezia, Italy; phone 041 2440002 3, www.orsoni.com) is offering 3-, 5- and 10-day mosaic workshops. The foundry, which has operated since 1880, provides instruction on cutting the glass, judging colors and making an art piece.

A 3-day workshop costs €480 (near $711), a one-week class is €750, and 2-week portraiture and micromosaic classes cost €1,800.

Travelers also can book a stay at the bed-and-breakfast Domus...

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May 2008 issue | Appears on page 98

Tristan da Cunha
By Eric Wagner

Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic is about 2,400 kilometers from Cape Town, South Africa. A small volcanic island with an area of about 100 square kilometers, it is dominated by a central peak and is mostly surrounded by sheer rock cliffs. Only a sloping plateau on the northwest side of the island is inhabitable. Weather, which was beautiful on Valentine’s Day 2006 when I visited during a world cruise on Holland America’s Prinsendam, is subject to sudden change and can be...

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May 2008 issue | Appears on page 104

Germany Trabi tours

Several of the most-used cars of old East Germany, the smoky, 2-stroke Trabi, are used on guided tours of Berlin and Dresden in convoys for up to eight people.

In Berlin, the Classic Route covers historical sites and modern city life, and the Wild East Route focuses on relics of the planned economy and socialism. Dresden’s route takes visitors to parks, villas and the castles on the Elbe River.

A one-hour tour costs €30 (near $45) per person for four passengers per car, €35...

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May 2008 issue | Appears on page 104

Porcelain tour, Munich

The historical monument Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory (Nördlichaes Schloss­rondell 8, D-80638, Munich, Germany; phone +49 089 179 197 0, fax 179 50, www.nymphenburg.com) offers guided tours year-round every Wednesday at 10 a.m. (reservations recommended).

Visitors see the entire cycle of producing porcelain art, from refinery at the porcelain mill to the creation of pottery, free-hand painted cookware and delicate fine art pieces. The cost is €25 for the 1½-hour tour.