River Cruise Newsletter

Dear Reader,

This week, I'd like to share some news from Gate 1 Travel, a popular tour operator that's well-known for its competitive pricing.

First, the company has just released its 2009 river cruises, featuring early booking savings of $400 to $600 per couple ($200 to $300 per person). You can view them by clicking here.

Next, I'd like to tell you about a great deal that Gate 1 is offering for travel at the end of this year: Book a 2008 Christmas market cruise on the Danube River and you'll save $600 per couple ($300 per person). This savings also applies to four sailings over New Year's Eve. Click here to see the applicable itineraries.

Gate 1's Christmas market cruises sail between Regensburg and Vienna or Nuremberg and Vienna. Some include land packages with hotel stays in Budapest, Prague or both.

Christmas markets are a beloved holiday pastime in Germany and Austria. They are set up outdoors, usually in front of the city hall or main cathedral, and typically begin in the last week of November and run through Christmas Eve.

Rows of booths decorated in twinkling lights and evergreen branches sell ornaments, gifts and other items. Visitors line up at food stalls to buy grilled bratwurst, gingerbread, crepes, crispy potato pancakes and paper cones filled with warm sugared nuts. Shoppers stroll the aisles clutching mugs of the hot mulled wine known as gluhwein. Some markets have rides and puppet shows for children, as well as performances by choirs and musical groups.

Germany's largest market, in Nuremberg, is also thought to be the country's oldest, first mentioned in writing in 1628. At Regensburg's small Lucrezia Market, which is near the main market, artists sell high-quality items crafted of glass, wood, pottery, textiles and more.

The stately Schonbrunn Palace forms a spectacular backdrop for one of Vienna's markets. In Prague, the market in the Old Town Square is dominated by a massive tree brought from the Sumava mountains.

All Christmas markets, though, have one thing in common: Their warm and festive atmospheres are guaranteed to fill you with the spirit of the holidays.

Here are this week's Top 10 Gate 1 river cruises. All prices are per person, based on double occupancy, and subject to availability.

1) 8 Day Christmas Danube River Cruise (Vienna to Nuremberg), 8 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins in Vienna and ends in Nuremberg with stops in Melk, Passau and Regensburg. Save $600 per couple. Land/cruise-only starting from $999. Departs December 19, 2008. Book now!

2) 8 Day Christmas Markets Danube River Cruise (Nuremberg to Vienna), 8 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins in Nuremberg and ends in Vienna with visits to the Regensburg Christmas Market, Passau and Melk. Save $600 per couple. Land/cruise-only starting from $1,039. Departs December 13, 2008. Book now!

3) 9 Day New Year Danube River Cruise (Nuremberg to Vienna), 9 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins in Nuremberg and ends in Vienna with visits to Regensburg, Passau and Linz. Save $600 per couple. Land/cruise-only starting from $1,199. Departs December 25, 2008. Book now!

4) 8 Day Christmas Markets Danube River Cruise (Regensburg to Vienna), 8 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins in Regensburg and ends in Vienna with visits to Passau, Melk and Vienna's Rathaus Christmas Market. Save $600 per couple. Land/cruise-only starting from $1,279. Departs December 1, 2008. Book now!

5) 10 Day Christmas Markets Danube River Cruise (Nuremberg to Vienna with Prague), 10 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins in Prague and ends in Vienna with stops in Regensburg, Passau and Melk. Save $600 per couple. Land/cruise-only starting from $1,319. Departs December 11, 2008. Book now!

6) 11 Day New Year Danube River Cruise (Nuremberg to Vienna with Budapest), 11 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins in Nuremberg and ends in Budapest with stops in Regensburg, Passau and Melk. Save $600 per couple. Land/cruise-only starting from $1,399. Departs December 25, 2008. Book now!

7) 10 Day Christmas Markets Danube River Cruise (Vienna to Nuremberg with Budapest on MS Royal), 10 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins in Budapest and ends in Nuremberg with stops in Melk, Passau and Regensburg. Save $600 per couple. Land/cruise-only starting from $1,479. Departs December 5, 2008. Book now!

8) 12 Day Christmas Danube River Cruise (Vienna to Nuremberg), 12 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins in Budapest and ends in Prague with visits to Vienna's Rathaus Christmas Market, Passau and Regensburg. Save $600 per couple. Land/cruise-only starting from $1,449. Departs December 17, 2008. Book now!

9) 10 Day Christmas Markets Danube Cruise (Regensburg to Vienna with Prague), 10 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins in Prague and ends in Vienna with visits to the Regensburg Christmas Market, Linz and Melk. Save $600 per couple. Land/cruise-only starting from $1,529. Departs November 29, 2008. Book now!

10) 12 Day Christmas Markets Danube River Cruise (Vienna to Nuremberg on MS Royal), 12 days with Gate 1 Travel. Begins in Budapest and ends in Prague with stops in Vienna, Melk and Regensburg. Save $600 per couple. Land/cruise-only starting from $1,729. Departs December 5, 2008. Book now!

US River Cruises

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Once you've found a river cruise that interests you, call us toll free at 800-510-4002 (US and Canada) and a river cruise specialist will attend to your needs. Customers from the UK, please call toll free 0800 279 8084. All other international customers, please e-mail or call us at 001-713-974-2121.

To search for a river cruise anywhere in the world, click here. To see our worldwide listing of escorted tours, independent tour packages, train tours and safaris, click here. For hotels and resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Europe, Canada and the continental US, click here. For savings of up to 75% on ocean-going cruises, click here.

Please e-mail me your comments, suggestions and questions at alanfox@rivercruise.com and I will respond the same day.

To send one sample copy of this newsletter to a friend, click here.

Sincerely,

R. Alan Fox
Chairman & CEO