Page 7 - AAA Now! – AAA Central Penn – July/August 2022

TRAVEL AGENCY
AAANOW!
Wine Country & Pacific Northwest Cruise
Set sail and discover the West Coast while you sail to Wine Country and the Pacific Northwest. Your cruise begins in San Diego, America’s Finest City, where you can visit the historic Gaslamp Quarter area or Little Italy the night before you embark. If you want to venture a little further from the port area, you could visit Old Town, site of the first European settlement in California, or nearby Point Loma or Coronado, home to the famous Hotel del Coronado, which opened in 1888.
The following day you will board the ms Koningsdam, one of the largest ships in Holland America Line’s fleet.
The first stop on your voyage will be Avalon on Catalina Island, just off the coast of Los Angeles, California. Santa Catalina Island is the third largest and easternmost of the Channel Islands chain. It is the most populous, with 90% of its nearly 4,100 residents living in Avalon. Much of the island’s development is credited
to William Wrigley Jr., the chewing gum tycoon, who invested
in many projects on the island. Wrigley’s name is still found on many landmarks around town, including the great icon of Avalon, the Catalina Casino, which opened in 1929. It is a casino in
the Italian definition, a “gathering place,” as it contains a movie theater on the lower level and a ballroom upstairs.
You will see more Channel Islands along the way as you
head to Santa Barbara, the jewel of California Central Coast. It
is known for its beaches, Spanish architecture and its proximity to the region’s wine country. Santa Barbara’s Urban Wine Trail brings wine from the nearby vineyards to more than two-dozen tasting rooms in the downtown area. For architecture, don’t miss the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in downtown or Mission Santa Barbara, built in 1820 and referred to as the “Queen of the Missions.” Along the way, stop to rest under Santa Barbara’s Moreton Bay Fig Tree, which, at 80-feet tall, provides the largest total shade area of any tree in North America.
Get ready for shade and make sure you are outside as the ship passes under the Golden Gate Bridge before docking in San Francisco overnight. There is so much to do in the city and surrounding areas, you should have a plan. Besides Lombard Street, the crooked street, and Pier 39, which offers dining, entertainment and views of the bay, there also is Alcatraz Island and the Walt Disney Family Museum. North of San Francisco is Napa Valley, California’s original Wine Country.
As you cruise into Canadian waters, you will pull into
Victoria, British Columbia, just in time for tea at The Empress, a Châteauesque-styled hotel that opened in 1908 and has hosted members of the British royal family. Nearby, tours are offered of the stunning British Columbia Parliament Buildings, Neo-baroque structures that are home to the Legislative Assembly.
A short jaunt up the Haro Strait and Strait of Georgia will land you in Vancouver, British Columbia, where you will leave the ship and catch your flight home with wonderful memories.
WINE COUNTRY &
PACIFIC NORTHWEST CRUISE
MARCH 31 – APRIL 8, 2023
FROM $1,959* PER PERSON, DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
CRUISE ITINERARY
San Diego | Avalon | Santa Barbara | San Francisco | Victoria, British Columbia | Vancouver, British Columbia
ONLY WITH AAA
Free parking with round-trip transfers to a local airport • Round-trip transfers airport/ hotel/pier/airport • One-night accommodation San Diego – pre-cruise • AAA onboard cocktail reception • Baggage handling • Services of a Discoveries Journey Manager
For reservations and information, contact your local AAA Travel Advisor at 888-743-2844.
*Rates are subject to availability at time of booking and include taxes, fees and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. All pricing and included features are based on a minimum of 20 full-fare passengers. Airfare is currently not included in the price of the trip. Airfare will be added when rates and schedules become available and may have a different payment and cancellation schedule from the cruise/land portion of the trip.
DISCOVERIES EDITION I JULY/AUGUST 2022 I 7