Newsletter Dated September 2, 2008 Dear Vacations To Go Customer, Most cruisers were watching the weather last week, as Hurricane Gustav wound its way through the Caribbean, passing directly over Jamaica as a tropical storm and through the Cayman Islands as a hurricane. Considering the storm's potential, these islands escaped relatively unscathed. All Caribbean resorts and cruise ports are open and operating at full capacity. After pounding the western tip of Cuba, Hurricane Gustav entered the Gulf of Mexico as a category 4 hurricane, but weakened to category 2 before making landfall west of New Orleans in Louisiana. Hurricane Gustav caused at least 8 deaths in the U.S. plus flooding and wind damage, but it could have been much worse. It may take several days for all coastal evacuees to return to their homes, as power and water must be fully restored. As is typical when tropical storms or hurricanes move through the Caribbean, cruise ships scheduled to be in or near Gustav's path were diverted far away from the storm to ensure the safety of passengers and crew and to provide a stress-free and enjoyable cruise experience. For example, Carnival and Royal Caribbean altered the itineraries of some Western Caribbean-bound ships, sailing to ports in the Eastern Caribbean and Bahamas instead. Also, Carnival ships that had been scheduled to return to Galveston and Mobile on September 1 will now return on September 3, due to the temporary closure of those ports (two bonus days of cruising). Guests on the now-abbreviated sailings that follow may cancel with a full refund or cruise with a partial refund and future cruise discount. Meanwhile, another storm system, Hanna, is hovering between tropical storm and hurricane status and could reach the southeast coast of the U.S. later this week. As I write this, Hanna is expected to come close to the Bahamas, so lines are expected to cancel calls there and divert to different destinations such as the Western Caribbean or Bermuda. We're keeping a close eye on this storm, and will report any impact on our resort and cruise destinations next week. Here's a list of specialty cruises, discounts and resources we offer. Some are available only to certain types of travelers, and others are available to all Vacations To Go customers. Click the links below for more information: Age 55+ Rates Grand Voyages Group Cruises Hosted Singles Cruises Interline Rates Military Rates (U.S. and Canadian) Past Passenger Rates Police/Firefighter Rates Teachers' Rates Travelers with Special Needs Discount programs like these can be issued or withdrawn at any time by the cruise line, and are not normally combinable with one another. Always tell your Vacations To Go cruise counselor if you qualify for a military or interline discount, are a past passenger of the line you are calling about, or if anyone in the cabin will be 55+, so that he or she can make sure to check for any additional discounts to which you may be entitled. Here are today's Top 10 Cruises, brand new specials from the world's best cruiselines. Click the FastDeal # for details. 1) Caribbean, 7 days on Carnival, departs Miami Nov 30, starting at $379, save 77%, FastDeal # 21075 2) Bahamas, 4 days on Royal Caribbean, departs Port Canaveral Sep 29, starting at $169, FastDeal # 26553 (Royal Caribbean does not provide brochure rates for this cruise, so we are unable to show a savings percentage.) 3) Mexico, 7 days on Carnival, departs Long Beach Oct 26, starting at $469, save 72%, FastDeal # 20967 4) Caribbean, 7 days on Princess, departs San Juan Nov 2, starting at $547, save 53%, FastDeal # 13149 5) Panama Canal, 10 days on Holland America, departs Fort Lauderdale Dec 9, starting at $999, save 50%, FastDeal # 12405 6) Bermuda, 7 days on Norwegian, departs Boston Oct 26, starting at $499, save 62%, FastDeal # 27227 7) Mexico, 7 days on Holland America, departs San Diego Nov 1, starting at $499, save 50%, FastDeal # 12062 8) Canada/New England, 10 days on Princess, departs Quebec City Oct 13, starting at $705, save 70%, FastDeal # 10372 9) Caribbean, 7 days on MSC Cruises, departs Fort Lauderdale Feb 21, starting at $549, save 51%, FastDeal # 13062 10) South America, 15 days on Silversea, departs Barbados Nov 26, starting at $5397, save 50%, FastDeal # 14314 For all last-minute cruise specials in the next 90 days, click here. To search for discounts on cruises departing more than 90 days from now, click here. For escorted tours worldwide, or air/hotel packages to London or Paris, click here. For hotels in the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Bermuda or the Bahamas, click here. Para visitar a nuestro sitio web de cruceros en español, haga clic aquí. Once you've found a FASTDEAL, call us toll free at 800-338-4962 (US and Canada) and a cruise counselor 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. Please e-mail me your comments, suggestions and questions at alanfox@vacationstogo.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 Vacations To Go