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Three New Boats Ready to Showcase the Infamous Niagara Falls In 2014

Last year (2012), Hornblower Niagara Cruises [NiagaraCruises.com], won the contract to operate cruises from the Canadian side of the Niagara Gorge to the base of the Horseshoe Falls. Maid of the Mist Steam Company has been operating the tours since 1854 (originally they were ferries between Canada and the U.S. as far back as 1846) – and will continue to offer tours from the U.S. side of the river.

For anyone familiar with the sights of the Maid of the Mist boats, it’s going to be quite a surprise to see the new catamarans running alongside the traditional-looking boats.

The catamarans’ features include: improved manoeuvrability in the water, enclosed viewing areas for those who don’t want to get wet, an outdoor deck with tiered viewing areas to provide maximum sightseeing and they’ll also have seating, on-board washrooms and licensed concessions for new evening and night time cruises.

The catamarans, (26 metres long and 10 metres wide), will arrive in Niagara Falls sometime in January 2014. One has already been built, with the second one soon to be completed. The boats are being built by Hike Metal in Wheatley, Ontario and will be constructed, disassembled into three sections and then shipped to Niagara Falls on six large transport trucks whereupon they’ll be re-assembled and tested prior to use.

A third boat, called “Guardian of the Gorge”, has already been built and the 150-passenger vessel will be used for rescue efforts as well as for private charters. The two un-named-for-now (see below for a unique competition) tour boats have a 700 passenger capacity compared to the present Maid of the Mist VI and VII boats that have a maximum of 600 passengers (Maid of the Mist IV and V have maximum capacities of 200 passengers)

Hornblower’s Senior Marketing Manager, Madalena Phillips said: “These boats will be unique to any other boat we operate, they are built to optimize our operations in the Niagara Gorge, and designed with special features which will hopefully allow us to start earlier (in the season) and finish later.”

A variety of tour options will be offered, including sunrise and sunset rides, fireworks cruises and more. Online ticketing with timed arrivals will be available to avoid long waits in line. “We’re creating a new experience for visitors to Niagara Falls,” said Phillips. “We’re reinventing the iconic boat tour.”

The California-based cruise boat company has more than 30 years of experience in countries around the world. They are scheduled to start operating on the Canadian side of the Niagara River – near the base of the Horseshoe Falls – in mid-April, weather permitting.

Unique Competition
Hornblower is launching a world-wide contest to name the two catamarans, starting Friday November 15th. The company is inviting members of the public to submit Read More

Take a road trip, take a picture, win a free road trip

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

SYLVANIA Canada is offering Canadians the opportunity to win a free road trip just by posting their photos on Instagram using the #SeeCanadaBetter hashtag.

TORONTO, Nov. 4, 2013 /CNW/ – SYLVANIA Canada is encouraging Canadians to share their views of the country through photos. Using Instagram, anyone across Canada can submit their photos of the way they’ve seen Canada.

“Canada has such a rich, beautiful landscape and while the seasons might be changing from surfing the coast to skating on backyard rinks, as proud Canadians we never let a cold front keep us indoors,” said Colleen Applebough, OSRAM SYLVANIA communications and marketing services manager. “For us Canadians, the difference between 20 degrees above or below zero is simply a matter of whether or not you’re boarding on the lake or on the slopes. We want you to show us the photos of your Canada.”

Now anyone can take in a virtual tour of the country through the cameras of Canadians everywhere. By checking out the #SeeCanadaBetter hashtag on Instagram, visitors can enjoy pictures from British Columbia to Newfoundland; Nunavut to Ontario.

“The great thing about making Canada the back drop to all your selfies”, said Applebaugh “is that your picture could turn into the free ticket to your next adventure.”

Sylvania Canada is offering Canadians the opportunity to take a three (3) day, three (3) night, road trip for two (2). They’re picking up the tab for a deluxe RV with a driver/tour guide, breakfasts and airfare, plus $500 in tourist attraction tickets.

The contest ends November 30,2013 and is already in full swing with weekly winners of SilverStar Ultra headlights being announced along the way. Our weekly winners will automatically be entered to win the grand prize.

Overview of the Contest:

Get on the road. No journey is too short or too long to make you eligible to win.
Capture your journey on your camera or cell phone.
Post the picture on your Instagram account using the #SeeCanadaBetter hashtag.
See what others are sharing @SylvaniaCanada.
Follow @SylvaniaCanada on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to see if you’re the weekly or grand prize winner.
Visit www.SeeCanadaBetter.ca for full contest details.

SOURCE Sylvania Canada

TravelBloggers.ca, Wolf Park, wolfpark.org, Battle Ground Indiana, Monty Sloan Seminar

November Desktop Calendar Now Available!

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

We’ve added November’s Desktop Calendar to our “Downloads” page.

This month it’s Wolf Park – Battle Ground, Indiana … we hope you like it!

Survey Shows That Canadians Have A Poor Understanding of Travel/Vacation Health Coverage

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

Vacations aren’t always carefree – 21% have required medical attention and 6% don’t pack underwear

TORONTO, Oct. 22, 2013 /CNW/ – The Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THiA) conducted a national survey^* of Canadians about their travel habits and their understanding of provincial health coverage.

The survey revealed that 35% of Canadian travellers do not buy travel health insurance.

“Only six per cent of Canadians realize that provincial health plans cover approximately nine per cent of medical expenses when travelling outside of Canada,” said THiA President, John Thain. “Travel health insurance is designed to protect against unforeseen medical expenses.” Read More

Iconic Neuschwanstein Castle – An Inspiration For Fairy-Tales and Children’s Dreams

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

Touring one of the world’s most infamous castles
Walt Disney built his empire around a beautiful castle, that castle was inspired by the magnificent Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany. Neuschwanstein Castle and the surrounding village of Schwangau are spectacular and quaint all at the same time. The splendour and grandeur of the castle paired with the rustic feel of the country-side with the distant sound of cow bells echoing through the valley – this truly is a place where fairy-tales are born.

Neuschwanstein Castle (pronounced: Noysh-vine-stine) is one of the most popular of all the palaces and castles in Europe, seeing more than 1.4 million visitors annually, with up to 6,000 per day in the summer, so depending on when you visit and try to book a tour, your wish may or may not be granted – so plan ahead! Read More

Karlsruhe Zoo – Is It A Park With A Zoo Or A Zoo With A Park?

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

After driving around in circles for what seemed hours (but was only a few minutes), we found a parking garage and parked. Phew! Glad that was over..We’d been following our friend through the modern and very clean city of Karlsruhe – trying not to lose him, while at the same time making sure we were not running red lights or breaking the law! (Karlsruhe is located 50km south of Heidelberg)

For a city this large it was strange to see plenty of parked cars by the side of the road but few people actually walking about. Street after street of parked cars, but there was no inclination that there could possibly be a park – let alone a zoo in this neighbourhood. Once we’d parked the car, we came out of the underground garage into a large open plaza surrounded by buildings. On the far side were a few trees and off we went towards them – still wondering how they’ve managed to hide a zoo in the middle of the city. We got to the trees and there it was the entrance – to a park. Through the gates we could see people slowly walking about enjoying the beautiful autumn afternoon. Read More

TravelBloggers.ca, Whale Watching, Killer whales, Orca, Monterrey California

October Desktop Calendar Now Available!

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

We’ve added October’s Desktop Calendar to our “Downloads” page.

This month it’s Monterey California – Whale Watching … we hope you like it!

Travelers Mobile – The Goal Is To Eliminate Expensive International Mobile Roaming Fees

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

Celebrating its first anniversary, Canadian Travelers Mobile Limited is working to eliminate international roaming fees by using the natural forces of completion.

Vancouver, British Columbia (PRWEB) September 10, 2013

Travelers Mobile was launched in September 2012 to offer Canadian and international travelers visiting the USA access to a local carrier, operating on the American AT&T network – effectively eliminating roaming fees and saving travellers up to 98% on their phone bill.

Since the launch, Travelers Mobile has added Canada and the UK to its list of destinations. Visitors to Canada are able to access service on Rogers Wireless, Canada’s largest mobile carrier, and travellers to the UK have access to service on Lebara, which has special international rates and runs on the Vodafone network in the UK. Read More

Dress for the Fest – Oktoberfest!

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

A few months back, Gail and I were telling her BFF about our trip to Germany and our Oktoberfest experience when she said: “Let’s get dressed in the German outfits and go to Oktoberfest in Kitchener this year!”

Having gone to Oktoberfest in Stuttgart, it was seeming kind of odd that we’d travelled some 5,000+ kilometres to Germany, but had never bothered to drive an hour up the highway to visit Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario for Oktoberfest – especially since it’s said to be Canada’s best Bavarian Festival!

Gail & I looked at each other…and thought, hmmm not a bad idea, but we’re not German – wouldn’t we be insulting them if we bought authentic Bavarian outfits and went to Oktoberfest as frauds?

What to do!? … Google it (of course)! After a bit of quick research we found that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with dressing up as Bavarians – quite the opposite in fact! Information we found indicated that lots of people get in the spirit and “fake it ‘til they make it” at Oktoberfest – in fact, most people said that the festival was that much more fun wearing the right outfit! And so THAT would be the key – find the right outfit and do it with class – not some cheesy T-shirt or a cheap Halloween costume. Read More

Angry Customer Buys Promoted Tweets To Bash British Airways For Losing His Luggage

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

Could this be the next trend for people to finally get the attention of large companies with bad customer service? It’s so much easier now to embarrass companies through Twitter and Facebook by reaching out the very customers they need to stay in business. Unfortunately it will lead to crack-pots doing the same thing for minor or insignificant claims – or competitors doing likewise to ruin good reputations. This could be beneficial for a short time until it’s abused and then companies might abandon Twitter & Facebook altogether! – TravelBloggers.ca

Angry Customer Buys Promoted Tweets To Bash British Airways For Losing His Luggage
British Airways allegedly lost a man’s luggage, then wouldn’t return his emails. The man turned to Twitter to vent. But he didn’t just vent to his 500+ followers.

TravelBloggers.ca