December 9-11 (Friday-Sunday)

North Pole Express & Festival of Lights

Southern Seacoast Connecticut

Day 1: Welcome Aboard!  Join us for a fun-filled get-away full of spectacular scenery, holiday cheer and yuletide spirit on the southern seacoast of Connecticut.  After checking into the Hampton Inn & Suites in Mystic, Connecticut for the next two nights, we are treated to a delicious dinner at a popular local restaurant.  Later we begin our holiday season celebration with a visit to “Festival of Lights” at the Olde Mistick Village.  At your leisure stroll along the Village pathways lit by 4,000 luminaria, exploring the specialty shops while enjoying the carolers, street entertainment and live brass band.  (D)

Day 2: After a hearty continental breakfast we depart for Newport, Rhode Island.  Upon our arrival we will tour the Breakers Mansion, all decked out in yuletide finery for the holidays.  Experience the elegance of the Gilded Age at the grandest mansion in all of Newport.  The Breakers is  a symbol of the Vanderbilt family’s social and financial preeminence in turn of the century America.  This afternoon enjoy some leisure time exploring the Brick Marketplace, shopping and having lunch on your own.  Later we return to our hotel where you will have time to relax and freshen up before this evenings special events.  We begin with a delicious dinner at a popular local restaurant before we board the Essex Steam Train, a locomotive-powered sleigh.  Settle into the clicked-clack of the rails for a magical nighttime journey to the North Pole.  Your private dining car is transformed into a stage for a live musical reading of “The Night Before Christmas.”  We celebrate the spirit of the season with Santa and Mrs. Claus, sing-a-longs, hot chocolate and cookies.  (B, D)  

Day 3: After a hearty continental breakfast we depart for New York City for a day filled with holiday cheer!  First we will visit the annual Columbus Circle Holiday Market for an early Christmas present.  Next enjoy some free time exploring New York City, shopping, sightseeing, and enjoying lunch on your own.  Do some holiday shopping or simply pick up a souvenir to remember your holiday get-away before we depart for home.  Happy Holidays!  (B)

Included:

?  Basic amenities

?  2 nights at Hampton Inn & Suites

?  2 hearty continental breakfasts

?  2 dinners

?  Festival of Lights at Olde Mistick Village

?  The Breakers Mansion

?  Visit Brick Marketplace

?  Essex Steam Train Ride, including:

          - The North Pole Express Journey

?  Visit Columbus Circle Holiday Market

?  Visit New York City

?  Attractions and admissions per itinerary

Price:

$399.00 Double/PP       $389.00 Triple/PP

$379.00 Quad/PP                   $499.00 Single

Price:  $309.00 (Child Ages 3-17)

Deposit:  $125.00/PP

Balance Due:  October 26, 2011

                             Depart                 Return

Gunther                 6:00 AM                8:45 PM

Carney                  6:45 AM                8:00 PM