The Chad Mitchell Trio's final cruise!

This is it...the FINAL performances of the renowned Chad Mitchell Trio. 
This popular group has been delighting their fans for over 55 years! 
We were privileged to have them join us on 5 previous trips and
were thrilled by the great sound that they still have.

It is our pleasure to announce that they have agreed to do one final cruise. 
Come cruise with us for your last chance to hear them perform together.  You don't want to miss this!
 

Traveling Troubadour joins together with the Chad Mitchell Trio in expressing our sadness at the loss of long time member, Joe Frazier, who passed away on March 28, 2014. Ron Greenstein, who has performed with the CMT since 2009 playing bass backup, will be filling in on some of the vocals as he did on their Ireland tour with us in 2012.
 

Joining The Chad Mitchell Trio as special guests on this cruise will be Jim and Anne Curry with their tribute to John Denver!  The Mitchell Trio is where John Denver got his start, so it is fitting that we include the Currys on this final CMT cruise as we celebrate these music legends! 

Tribute artist Jim Curry, who's voice was heard in the CBS-TV movie Take Me Home: The John Denver Story, has performed Denver's music in sold out shows throughout the country and has emerged as today's top performer of Denver's vast legacy of multi-platinum hits. Jim's uncanny ability to mirror John's voice and clean-cut look takes you back to the time when "Rocky Mountain High" "Sunshine" "Calypso" and "Annie's Song" topped the charts, and his popular music had the heartfelt message of caring for the earth and caring for each other. Denver's message is worth repeating: "Be kind to the Earth and to each other."                                                                           

Jim will appear with his wife, Anne who plays mandolin and guitar, sings harmony and generally keeps Jim in line! Together, they will take you on a musical journey of the heart, where you will be invited to sing, clap your hands, stomp your feet and howl at the moon. Don't worry, you already know the words to the songs.  (Photo of Jim and Anne Curry by Valerie Nestrick)

Together we will explore the wonder of the Panama Canal

March 6-16, 2015!

Colossal locks and a massive manmade lake that bridges the Divide. There’s really no way you can fathom the engineering wonder of the Panama canal other than to pass through it!  Come with us as we travel the most storied miles in history, brought to life by a Canal commentator ready with fascinating facts and insights. Listen to the stories of extraordinary human vision, sacrifice and triumph.  Any way you slice it, cruising the Panama Canal’s manmade marvel of engineering fulfills a lifetime’s dreams of exotic journeys, and inspires even more memories.

A world of wonders awaits your exploration!
The Chad Mitchell Trio and Jim & Anne Curry invite you to experience it with them.
 

Our incredible Panama Canal odyssey begins in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where we board our luxury ocean liner and begin our journey into the Southern Caribbean Sea. Before boarding the ship in Fort Lauderdale you might want to spend a day enjoying the abundance of things to see and do in the area; visit the newly redesigned Ft. Lauderdale Beach and cafes, stroll the historic Riverwalk, shop the luxurious stores on Las Olas Boulevard or venture to the Everglades for an intriguing air boat excursion!

Our first port is Half Moon Cay, Bahamas! While Holland America Line is committed to keeping 96 percent of its pristine private island wild, Half Moon Cay offers everything you need for a day of play on your Caribbean cruise. Park yourself in an air-conditioned cabana along a two-mile crescent of blinding white beach. Visit Stingray Cove to feed and learn more about the gentle creatures. Ride your horse to a deserted beach and into the surf. Part of the Bahamas, Half Moon Cay lies about 100 miles southeast of Nassau and is visited on nearly every Caribbean itinerary.

After a day at sea we arrive at the beautiful island of Aruba! Colorful floating markets, wondrous coral reefs and landscapes dotted with curiously bent divi-divi trees await on this, the "A" of the Netherlands Antilles' famous ABC islands. (Bonaire and Curacao round out the trio.) Any visitor will create their own Aruba cruise experience, but here are two to try. First, there is the Aruba of beaches, sun and shopping. And why not? The beaches shimmer. The sun grants its benedictions through dry, 82-degree days all year long. And the shopping buzzes along Main Street and Lloyd G. Smith Boulevard. Second, there is the time-sculpted Aruba. Arikok National Park covers nearly one-fifth of the island and is home to species you'll find nowhere else, caves for exploring, and ragged, wind-torn bits of coastline. Of course, there are a million other Arubas.  Go find yours!

Willemstad (Curacao), Antilles awaits us on Tuesday!  If there were no canals, the Dutch would have invented them. Behold Willemstad, with its deepwater harbor, interlacing waterways, and narrow shop fronts that seem always to be stretching to their full height. The capital City of Curacao is a Caribbean cruise delight. Willemstad graces the Shottegat harbor with neighborhoods that mix Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese urban styles and then dresses them in effulgent pastels. It's a combination seen nowhere else in former Dutch colonies. Wander the shops and markets of the Punda and Otrobanda districts and soak up some color.

After a relaxing day at sea being pampered by the staff on our new floating home, we arrive at the Panama Canal at approximately 5:00 a.m. on Thursday morning.  Watch in wonder as we enter the locks of this incredible engineering marvel!  A Canal transit commentator will be on board to answer our questions and offer insights on the history and construction of this wonder of the world.  Holland America’s knowledgeable Explorations team will illuminate the art, culture, history and cuisine of the region.

After we go through the locks we will arrive into the scenic manmade Gatun Lake.  Here is human labor on an operatic scale: When it was created, Gatun Lake was the largest human-made lake in the world. All it took was the world's biggest dam to create it. And all that took was one of the greatest feats of engineering in history. The Panama Canal stretches 48 miles from the Caribbean Sea in the north to the Pacific Ocean in the south. Much of the journey is a narrow cruise through the jungle, but 21 miles of the transit is across the sprawling Gatun Lake, a haven for sailors, scientific research, and anglers chasing peacock bass.

Gatun Lake is key to supplying the water necessary to operate the locks system. Formed by an earthen dam across the Chagres River to keep the water 85 feet above sea level, the water runs downhill to fill the locks. No pumps, no power other than the force of gravity! Fact: It will take about 52 million gallons of water to float your Holland America ship through the locks.  Here we will make a short service call at Gatun Lake, Panama before continuing our scenic cruising of this beautiful mountain lake.

At approximately 1:00 p.m. we will exit the locks and cruise to our next stop--Colon, Panama!  Colon lies on the stunning Caribbean coast of Panama, where unparalleled beaches and lush tropical scenery are de rigueur.  In nearby Portobello, discover the ruins of Spanish forts, watch colorful yachts sailing in the bay or hunt for treasures in the local markets.

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica will be our final stop in Central America.  From Costa Rica's Caribbean coast go in search of iridescent blue morpho butterflies, sloths, turtle nesting grounds and wise old shamans. Explore the capital city of San Jose, where museums beckon and markets burst with luscious local tastes - mangoes, bananas, pineapples, papayas.  In the surreal world of the Costa Rican rainforest, the tropical hothouse environment pushes life into a constant state of fast forward. Holly species change sex. Plants live on air, not soil. Orchids instruct insects where to land. Puerto Limon, on the Caribbean coast is a gateway to all that bio-fantasia. There are national parks, refuges, and reserves in all directions, from the coast to the jungled mountains to the volcanic parks on the road to San Jose. Closer to town, highlights for cruise visitors include Playa Bonita beach, a couple miles from downtown, and a panga-boat ride along the Tortuguero Canal, which encompasses more than 100 miles of waterways along the coast.
 

Our next two days will be relaxing days AT SEA as we head back to Fort Lauderdale.  This will be our last chance to enjoy our floating paradise—the Ms Zuiderdam!  At the heart of our beautiful ship, suspended in a three-story atrium, a Waterford Crystal Seahorse sets the mood for exquisite pieces of art to be seen throughout this elegant ship. Other notable pieces include a painting of Queen Beatrix by pop culture artist and icon, Andy Warhol, medallions by Frank Lloyd Wright, cast aluminum elevator doors inspired by the art deco work of the New York Chrysler Building, and a massive floral painting by Charles Ben. You will also discover a large collection of antiques and centuries-old paintings throughout the ship. 

Sadly our wonderful adventure must come to an end as we arrive back in Fort Lauderdale on Monday and prepare to head home.  However, we will always carry with us fond memories of this very special time together as we reminisce with old and new friends.

Come join the Chad Mitchell Trio and special guests, Jim & Anne Curry, as we embark on 10 days of cruising through the Southern Caribbean, watch in awe as we lock through the engineering wonder of the Panama Canal and sail into beautiful Gatun Lake.  Fall into the rhythm of relaxing and inspiring days and indulge yourself in the trip of a lifetime!

As part of the exclusive group that will be sailing with The Chad Mitchell Trio and Jim & Anne Curry,
in addition to the regular shipboard entertainment, you will enjoy special private shows by
The Chad Mitchell Trio and Jim & Anne Curry and will be invited to join us at private receptions onboard ship!

 The Chad Mitchell Trio and Jim & Anne Curry will NOT be playing to the public on the ship. 
You must reserve through Traveling Troubadour to be a part of this private group.

***Note:  All U. S. and Canadian citizens must carry a passport that is valid for six months beyond the duration of the cruise.
Please make sure that your passport is valid through August 17, 2015! ***

Sold Out!

Call (540) 887-8491

Questions?  E-mail:  lynette@travelingtroubadour.com

For more info about The Chad Mitchell Trio click here!                                       For more info about Jim and Anne Curry click here!
 

©2014 Traveling Troubadour, L. L. C.