A BGT Introduction and Insider’s View of Marina

Are you a regular reader of the Beyond Group Travel blog?  If so, take a guess at who the author is!  Did you guess Cindy?  Oops, you are incorrect.  Did you guess Linda?  I’m so sorry to say that you did not select the right answer, yet again.  It’s a face you may only have seen once on our blog.
Now you know our blog author  

I’m Krista Borchard, Assistant Tour Coordinator at Beyond Group Travel, Inc.  I met Cindy and Linda in May of 2010, just a few short months after the incorporation of BGT, and I began working with them at the beginning of August 2010.   For further interest, you can read about our entire staff here.  If you have traveled with us since that time, perhaps we have spoken via phone or you have received an email or two from me.  If we have not met or spoken, then I hope to hear from you soon as one of our travelers!

Now, to be fair in my above statements, the three of us compose these blogs together   We are, in fact, a team, and we eagerly put this information together to share with you via our blog.  That said, you remember that Linda and Cindy have seen Oceania Cruises most beautiful Marina, correct?!  Recall this post from their trip to Miami.

Now how do you suppose one composes a post about a ship she’s never seen?  You must rely on second hand information and photos, right?!  Well, not anymore!  This girl has now walked the fresh carpet of Marina!  I’m excited to share with you that I was able to make a day trip to Miami to see this ship in all her glory and, most importantly, beauty.  I was one of the lead stalker’s in the construction updates of Marina, and I agree with posts and reviews that this must be the best ship to sail the high seas in 50+ years (although I know there’s quite a few years in there that I was not able to vouch for).

With camera in tow (including additional lenses, batteries and memory cards), it was off to the races once I was onboard.  In just one hour’s time, I was able to capture over 200 photos across 10 decks.  Oh yes, hurrying was involved, don’t you worry.  I can imagine the picture that comes to mind of such an insane amateur photographer, but it’s ok; I don’t own a fanny pack and nor did I wear one.

More importantly, I was highly impressed with Marina’s décor, and even that is putting it lightly.  I think one would naturally expect a new ship to be constructed well and have new technology, all details engineers, architects, etc. would take great interest in.  But it’s the fabric on the chairs, the selection of furniture and lighting that peaks my interest!  Having seen this ship, I can’t imagine why one would sail on any other vessel   Oh wait…there is ONE other ship that I would make an exception for;  Marina’s sister ship, Riviera, which will take her inaugural sail April 2012.  You can actually join our group for this maiden voyage sailing of Rivieria!  She’ll travel from Barcelona to Athens for her first voyage.  We are able to offer 2 for 1 cruise fares, a free hotel night pre-cruise, free airfare, an a bonus $1,000 savings per stateroom if you reserve with us before August 31, 2011.  This actually applies to all of our 2012 Europe sailings!

Now, you may notice that I have not shared one single photo of my trek through Marina with you as we do in our normal posts.  Well, after over 200 photos, I did not presume you would like to scroll for days on end.  Thus, I present you with an easy viewing method of everything I captured onboard.  As I snapped away, I kept thinking about what, you, our travelers really needed to see about the beauty of this ship.  The abundance of Marina’s beauty, however, makes it difficult to chose just a few key points.

We hope you enjoy this look at Marina!

Our experienced clients can attest that we are experts with Oceania Cruises as they are our preferred vendor.  We are happy to help you with any sailing with Oceania, but you can also join Beyond Group Travel for the following group cruises!

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Baltic Treasures – June 20 – July 1, 2011 – Marina
10-day Voyage – Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Denmark, Germany

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Treasures of the Continent – July 29 – August 10, 2011 - Marina
12-day Voyage – England, Holland, Belgium, France, and Spain

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Grecian Glory – October 1 – October 11, 2011 - Marina
10-day Voyage – Greece, Turkey, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy

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Ancient Mysteries – January 21 – February 8, 2012 – Marina
16-day Voyage – Chile and Peru

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Splendors of Down Under – February 5 – 22, 2012 – Regatta
16-day Voyage – New Zealand and Australia

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Islands in the Sun – February 16 – 26, 2012 - Marina
10-day Voyage – B.V.I., St. Barts, Antigua, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos Islands

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Samba Serenade – March 8-22, 2012 –Insignia
12-day Voyage – Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil

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Mediterranean Tapestry – April 13-23, 2012 – Riviera
10-day Voyage – Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Greece

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Tuscan Artistry – May 11-22, 2012 – Marina
10-day Voyage – Spain, France, Monaco, Italy

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Exotic Lands – June 4-17, 2012 – Riviera
12-day Voyage – Spain, Portugal, Morocco

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Italian Reflections – November 7-15, 2012 – Marina
7-day Voyage – Greece, Italy, France, Spain

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Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours! 713.954.4825

The Best Way to See Australia and New Zealand

Recently, Anne Campbell of ShipCritic Blog wrote a remarkable post detailing cruises that should be considered even for those who ‘wouldn’t be caught dead on a cruise ship.’  We feel she made some tremendous points in stating that seeing Antarctica or Alaska best should be done by cruising.  Being able to see the vast size of a glacier from afar on the deck of a cruise ship truly gives you the full picture of the amazement of Antarctica.  Much the same, at the railing of a cruise ship, you might best capture breeching whales as you sail the coast of Alaska.

Anne’s words intersected a conversation that we recently had in our office about an upcoming group sailing we have on the 2012 Beyond Group Travel calendar with Oceania Cruises Regatta for Australia and New Zealand.As you look at the 16-day itinerary below, truly think about how you would actually do this much within the same amount of days yet by air/land.  Realize that, by land, you’ll be packing and unpacking for each destination.

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February 5th – Embark from Auckland, New Zealand at 10:00pm
February 6th - Tauranga, New Zealand from 10:00am to 8:00pm
February 7th - Cruising By White Island/Great Mercury Island
February 8th - Napier, New Zealand from 8:00am to 5:00pm
February 9th - Wellington, New Zealand from 8:00am to 6:00pm
February 10th - Christchurch (Lyttelton), New Zealand from 8:00am to 6:00pm
February 11th - Dunedin, New Zealand from 8:00am to 6:00pm
February 12th - Cruising the Fjords of Milford Sound
February 13th - Cruising the Tasman Sea
February 14th - Cruising the Tasman Sea
February 15th - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia from 8:00am to 6:00pm
February 16th - Cruising the Tasman Sea
February 17th - Geelong, Australia from 8:00am
February 18th - Geelong, Australia to 3:00am
                       Melbourne, Australia from 8:00am to 6:00pm
February 19th - Cruising the Tasman Sea
February 20th – Arrive Sydney, Australia at 8:00am
February 21st - Sydney, Australia

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Seeing this much of Australia and New Zealand in this amount of time is definitely a challenge by land.  Your travel time involved is excessive, requiring you to have additional days to experience each of these destinations above.  Not to mention, the beauty of White Island/Great Mercury Island, the Fjords of Milford Sound, and the Tasman Sea would all likely be missed.  With this fabulous Oceania Cruises sailing, you can pack once and return to the same accommodations each night.  There’s no change of mattresses to adjust to, learning a new hotel every night or two nights, or discovering a new place to eat in each destination.  You enjoy the plush accommodations of Regatta and delight in the magnificent cuisine, including Toscana, Polo Grill, Terrace Café, Waves and the extraordinary Grand Dining Room, of Oceania Cruises.  Not to mention, you can efficiently use your two weeks of vacation for the year!

For these reasons, we echo Anne’s comments when cruising is a necessity, and experiencing Australia and New Zealand during the same trip is the perfect time for a cruise.  This mode of travel allows you to see bodies of water that are a photographer’s dream, view country sides thought to be creations in movies, and visit landmarks that will fulfill your bucket list.  Even better, you still have additional time at the end of your cruise to see Sydney.  No other hotel arrangements are needed as you can return to Regatta to stay for your last night and continue to explore Sydney further the following day.

Without a doubt, we know you will enjoy this cruise with us!  After all, not only is it an incredible destination, but this cruise sails on the marvelous Oceania Cruises with the finest cuisine at sea and exquisite service.  Come see the splendors of Australia and New Zealand.

Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours!

Five European Countries in One Cruise

Wouldn’t you love to sip wine in France for your next vacation?

What about shopping for authentic and handcrafted Spanish ceramics and antiques?

How about taking a tour of a real Belgian chocolate factory?

Undoubtedly, you’d surely love a canal cruise through Amsterdam, no?

To top off your dream vacation, how about a ride on the London Eye to catch a full glimpse of the city of London?

Guess what?  You can do all of this and more on a 12 day cruise embarking this July!  Have you ever dreamed you could do all of the above and more in one voyage?  That’s FIVE different countries all in one vacation.  Wait…not just one vacation, a 12 day vacation.  You can take this summer’s vacation time and return to the office a well-traveled, cultured and relaxed individual.  Gander at this invigorating Treasures of the Continent itinerary:

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July 29th – Embark from London (Dover), United Kingdom at 6:00pm

July 30th - Amsterdam, Netherlands 10:00am to 10:00pm

July 31st - Bruges (Zeebrugge), Belgium 10:00am to 7:00pm

August 1st - Paris (Honfleur), France 9:45am to 11:00pm

August 2nd - St. Peter Port (Guernsey), United Kingdom 8:00am to 6:00pm

August 3rd - Saint-Malo, France 11:00am to 8:30pm

August 4th - Pont-Aven (Concarneau), France 11:00am to 6:00pm

August 5th - La Rochelle, France 8:00am to 6:00pm

August 6th - Bordeaux (Le Verdon), France 8:00am to 9:00pm

August 7th - Biarritz (Saint-Jean-de-Luz), France 8:00am to 6:00pm

August 8th - Santander, Spain 8:00am to 4:00pm

August 9th - Cruising the Bay of Biscay & English Channel

August 10th – Disembark London (Dover), United Kingdom at 5:00am

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As well as embarking on any one of the aforementioned excursions/activities, this itinerary allows you the opportunity:

• to visit Normandy and the landing beaches where D-day occurred.
• to learn more about the history of Anne Frank and visit the museum and home/annex where she and her family sought shelter during WWII.
• to visit Vannes, France (considered to be the premier tourist town in southern Brittany).
• to experience the Guggenheim Museum.

In addition to all of these sites, countries and marvelous outings…oh yes, there’s more…this sailing is onboard the ALL-NEW Marina!!!You’ll be able to experience each and every one of Marina’s fabulous details that we told you about from Cindy and Linda’s inaugural sail.  As if these destinations weren’t spectacular in and of themselves, your accommodations will be plush, exquisite, and all new with Oceania Cruises.  Without a doubt, you’ll dine in top notch restaurants onboard your brand new ship with exquisite cuisine under the direction of Chef Jacques Pépin.

Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind sailing as well as this new state of art ship that is being called the most sophisticated and elegant ship to debut in the past 50 years.  We have staterooms available for you, so give us a call today to make sure you are onboard the classiest ship at sea for the most exciting itinerary in Europe!

Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours!

Autumn Maritimes II on Seabourn Sojourn

We are thrilled and excited that our September 30, 2011 group sailing of Canada and New England with Oceania Cruises sold out so quickly!  As we still have clients requesting this itinerary, we thought it best to find a similar trip to satisfy the itch of our interested travelers.

We are excited to add this new group cruise program to our travel schedule for 2011!  We found another perfect Canada/New England sailing with one of our preferred cruise partners: Seabourn.  Turns out, it departs the same day as our Oceania Cruise and out of our favorite destination city; New York! 

With Seabourn’s current newest ship, Sojourn, currently at sea, Seabourn has received some great recognition, including this February 2nd Houston Chronicle article by Harry Shattuck.  He discusses Seabourn’s famous luxurious service and exquisite cuisine created by acclaimed chef Charlie Palmer, making this ship the benchmark in luxury small-ship cruising.

We look forward to having you join us on this Seabourn sailing to New England and Canada, Fall 2011.As guests set sail on Seabourn’s current newest ship, Sojourn, they will enjoy the following fabulous itinerary.

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September 30th – Embark from New York, New York at 5pm

October 1st – Cruise the Atlantic Ocean

October 2nd – Boston, Massachusetts 8am to 6pm

October 3rd – Bar Harbor, Maine 12pm to 6pm

October 4th – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 2pm to

October 5th – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 1pm

October 6th – Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada 8am to 5pm

October 7th – Cruising the Gulf of St. Lawrence

October 8th – Cruising the Saguenay Fjord

Port Saguenay, Quebec, Canada  1pm to 6pm

October 9th – Disembark Quebec City, Quebec, Canada at 8am

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These fall foliage filled destinations are a hot topic this year, so don’t miss your chance to see the beauty of New England and Canada with their historical sites and famous lighthouses along the coast; call us for further details and pricing information.  Don’t delay as this sailing will sell out!

Oh, and if the above itinerary wasn’t intriguing enough, have a look at your surroundings while on board the ship…

Come join us on this fabulous ship that is like no other as well as enjoy over-the-top service!  Contact us or call 713-954-4825.

Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours!

Marina’s Inaugural Sailing and Christening

Linda and Cindy had the wonderful opportunity to join Oceania Cruises for their preview sailing of Marina from February 5th-8th as well as be present for her Christening ceremonies complete with Marina’s godmother, Mary Hart.  Below you will see the wonderful spot Hart did for her show, Entertainment Tonight, about the festivities.

Oceania did a fabulous job and definitely pulled out all the stops for this Christening Ceremony.

A nebuchadnezzar $10,000 bottle of champagne was custom designed for the occasion by Armand de Brignac, and guests were permitted to sign before this bottle was used to christen Marina.  Of course, our ladies took the opportunity to leave their John Hancock.  This really shows just how large this bottle is!

Cindy and Linda were both highly impressed with the ship, and she far exceeded their expectations.  In waiting for embarkation and the christening ceremonies, Cindy got some great pictures of the ship in port.  She certainly is grand but still the perfect size.

After boarding the ship, the ladies learned that Marina is just large enough without being a challenge.  With a full ship, there are plenty of people to meet with lots of activities to do, yet still feel like you are on a small ship.  Speaking of meeting people, look who these ladies ran into!
It’s Chef Jacques Pépin himself!  If you are foodie, like our office is, then you’ll likely be familiar with him.  Otherwise, you may not have heard his name specifically, but perhaps you know of his work.  He’s fabulous, and he’s the master chef and inspiration behind the cuisine of Oceania Cruises, specifically his namesake restaurant, Jacques.

In further discovering Oceania’s brand new beauty, Cindy captured some great photos of some of the common areas of the ship. 
Delightful!  Don’t you just want to lay on a chair and bask in the sun?!
Looks like people did!
Compare this real photo to the artist’s rendering, but note the view is from the opposite direction.
The shallow lounge areas look so enticing, don’t you think?!

If you haven’t seen our previous posts about the excitement this office holds for the Bon Appétit Culinary Center on board, let us just bring you up to speed on how innovative and fabulous this enrichment program onboard Marina is.  Guests can take cooking classes while onboard their cruise to learn techniques and great recipes from Oceania’s well-trained and diverse chefs.  Classes range from single sessions of breakfast dishes or modern Greek to multiple sessions of Homemade Pasta!
Just as exciting, the staterooms were spacious, and the buzz about the bathrooms concurs in our office, too; the separate tub and shower with the extra square footage in the bathroom is a plus!  Oceania Cruises management team were right to make these bathrooms what cruisers have been asking for in a cruise ship.  This applies to every stateroom category.
To state it as conclusively as we can, Marina sets the new standard for what a cruise ship should be, and there is no way you’ll want to miss sailing on this beauty no matter where she goes!
Join us for one of our fabulous group sailings already scheduled onboard Marina, or call us about any other departure which provides interest to you. You’ll surely not be disappointed!

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Treasures of the Continent – July 29 – August 10, 2011
12-day Voyage – England, Holland, Belgium, France, and Spain

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Grecian Glory – October 1 – October 11, 2011
10-day Voyage – Greece, Turkey, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy

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Islands in the Sun – February 16 – 26, 2012
10-day Voyage – B.V.I., St. Barts, Antigua, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos Islands

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Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours!

The Benefits of Group Travel

No doubt, traveling with your spouse or significant other is fun and memorable.  Likely, traveling with your family is exciting, too. 

No? 

Ok, well, pretend it is! 

Even traveling with a friend has great benefits.

That said, adding to you and your spouse with several other couples, adding extended family members to your immediate family trip, and gathering a group of friends together for a trip makes for a wonderful and exciting time for all allowing multiple experiences and memories.

There are various benefits to group travel, but most often people find the greatest benefit is price.  Hotels, cruise lines, airlines, etc. are eager to provide group contracts with pricing at a lower cost because it’s less work for them.  We, your group travel agent, are able to pass those savings on to you!

Additionally, many people enjoy the opportunity of traveling with people of similar interest.  Joining a group for travel provides a greater energy and vibe than traveling with just your partner or small family.  In fact, we find many of our evaluations state that ‘this is the only way to travel.’

Enjoying a stress-free trip is a bonus for many as well, as there is little to no planning involved for each individual.  Allowing us, your group travel experts, to coordinate a trip for you permits you to sit back, relax and focus on the enjoyment of your trip instead of planning every hour of your journey.

This stress-free trip will likely come from having a group coordinator on your trip to travel with you!  Groups of a certain size (typically 20) will allow you to have a group coordinator on your trip!  Having this coordinator is key in ensuring that your group stays on their well-planned itinerary and is able to see all the sights and destinations that your group chooses to view.

With these great benefits, we trust you will want to join us for a group trip soon.  If you don’t see a trip you’d like to join us for, let’s create one for your group!

Below are some great ideas for groups:

• Large families
• Family Reunion
• Collegiate class year alumni
• All collegiate alumni
• High school class year alumni
• All high school alumni
• Destination Weddings
• Multiple couples and their children
• Bible study
• Girlfriends only
• Guys only
• Country club
• Garden club
• Tennis club
• Fitness club
• Golf buddies
• Anniversary with friends and family
• Birthday with friends and family

Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours!

US Open in New York City August 30-September 2, 2011

We are thrilled to announce a new trip on the Beyond Group Travel 2011 calendar!  Join us as we travel to New York City for the US Grand Slam event of tennis; the US Open. 

Trip highlights include*:

• Roundtrip airfare from Houston. (other air cities available on request)
• Roundtrip transportation between the airport and hotel
• Deluxe accommodations for three nights including hotel taxes at the Hilton Times Square
• Welcome lunch with open bar
• One (1) roundtrip Metro pass on Subway to Flushing, NY
• Baggage handling upon arrival in New York City
• One Upper promenade seat at Arthur Ashe Stadium including grounds ticket to USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
• Gratuities on included package features
• Trip managed and accompanied by Beyond Group Travel, Inc.

As you can see, we are returning to the Hilton Times Square, the hotel we fell in love with on the Maggie Dixon Classic trip.

Furthermore, here’s a few more details on the itinerary of your trip with us to the US Open.

Tuesday— Upon arrival in New York City, we will transfer from the airport to enjoy a Welcome New York Pizza lunch with open bar at John’s Pizzeria in Times Square, a popular NYC restaurant featured on The Food Network and The Travel Channel’s Top 10 Pizzerias in the US. Following lunch, stroll to the Hilton Times Square with your room key in hand and luggage conveniently stored in your room. The remainder of this day is open for you to explore on your own activities.

Optional theatre performance viewing such shows as Jersey Boys, Wicked, or Billy Elliot. Beyond Group Travel can help you find the right one for you.

Wednesday—This is our full day of tennis—strap on your comfortable shoes as we will travel by subway to Flushing, NY. Your ticket today provides access to the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as well as a reserved seat in the upper promenade section in Arthur Ashe Stadium for both the day and evening sessions.

Thursday—This day is yours to create. Choose from an optional second day evening ticket of tennis at the US Open or optional morning World Trade Center Site Tour by New York subway.

Friday—Before your return home this afternoon, you will have the morning free to enjoy shopping along Canal Street, take a walk through the world famous Central Park, or allow Beyond Group Travel to make arrangements for you to tour one of the many sights of NYC. Transfer to airport for flight home.

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Package Price:
$1,589.00 per person - double occupancy
$1,929.00 per person - single occupancy
LAND ONLY AIR CREDIT - $325.00 per person (transportation to/from hotel on your own)

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This trip is a great value!  Book by January 31, 2011 to receive this published trip price offering tremendous value. Rates will increase after this date due to ticket prices at the US Open.  Click here to view the brochure and contact us as soon as possible to reserve your space while you still can!

Additionally, we still have limited space available on the Mediterranean Mosaic sailing April 26, 2011!  If you are interested in sailing from Rome to Venice with ports of call including Portofino, Florence, and Amalfi, we would love to have you join us.  It’s not too late!  Deadline is Tuesday, January 25, 2011.

Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours!

*Trip highlights subject to change based upon hotel, tickets & theatre availability.

Beyond Group Travel is 1 year old!

Above: Top, Krista and Henry Borchard. Bottom, Linda and Gary Triplett, Cindy and Dave Chambers.

Happy New Year to all of you and Happy 1st Birthday to us!  Tomorrow, we celebrate one year from our Incorporation date.  What a fabulous year this has been!

Cindy and Linda started the year off running and quickly built fabulous clientele, terrific quality trips, all while keeping a straight and organized business.  All the while working on 2010, we were able to build on 2011 and EVEN 2012!  That’s right; keep up with us to see the exciting details we have planned for upcoming years.

We were pleased to host trips with various collegiate alumni travel organizations, country clubs members, garden clubs and more to the following locations in our first year of business:

• Fredericksburg, TX
• Santa Barbara, CA
• Guiliano Hazan’s Cooking School in Italy at Villa Giona
• Annual New York Theatre Trip (Linda has had the pleasure of hosting this trip for 25 years!)
• Austin, TX
• Thanksgiving in New York (our annual bucket list trip!)
• Holidays in New York
• Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York

As you can tell, New York is definitely the signature destination at Beyond Group Travel, Inc.  2011 is already packed full with new destinations and, by popular demand, we’ve included more cruise groups!  If you are interested in hosting your group (family, friends or any other type of group) contact us to discuss the options available to you.  We are looking forward to an even better 2012!

Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours!

Maggie Dixon Classic

Back in October, we told you about our upcoming trip to New York with the Traveling Aggies and Aggie Women’s Hoops for the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden.  This trip departed on December 17th and returned home on December 20th; it was fantastic!

Linda was fortunate to be able to travel with the group of 25 fans that gathered to cheer on the Aggie Women’s team.  Jennifer Bohac, Director of Traveling Aggies at the Association of Former Students at Texas A&M University, was also able to join Linda for this trip.

Accommodations were at the Hilton Times Square, and this is definitely a favorite NYC hotel for Beyond Group Travel.  Providing our clients with the largest hotel rooms in Manhattan is a plus, and the staff is great as well.  We are very pleased!

Our group also enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Carmine’s on Friday evening with all of the Aggie Women’s team, their coaches, and their staff.  The girls seemed to love the family style of dining!

Saturday, the Aggie Women’s team received a touching and well-planned tour by Linda through some of NYC’s highlights and on into the World Trade Center site.  That afternoon, our group of fans and the team were able to see the Rockettes in the Radio City Spectacular.

Sunday, the reason for this trip arrived, and it was time for the girls to dominate Rutgers in the Maggie Dixon Classic!

Our group of fans thoroughly enjoyed their NEAR COURTSIDE seats!  They commented on the fantastic view they had for not only the A&M game but the UCONN vs. Ohio State game following.  The Aggie Women’s team did a terrific job and indeed won their game against Rutgers.  Great job ladies!

It was a wonderful trip and one we hope to repeat!  We look forward to other trips with the team and Coach Gary Blair.  Thanks for a wonderful time to our travelers and the Aggie Women’s Basketball team!

Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours!