Travel Deals, Specials & Promotions

NYC Personal Photography Tour

Here’s something you may not have noticed yet over on Viator.com. We are now highlighting some of the great prices that our wonderful, passionate, intelligent, travel-loving staff (um, we must be nice to these people, they’re the ones who actually track down all these cool tours and things to do!) have discovered. Every day we’re spotlighting a few top travel deals and discounts on the Viator.com homepage (look for it in the right-hand column, just below our list of destinations).

Today deals? Tours in New York City. I was in New York a few weeks ago and now I wish I had booked a NYC tour with a personal photographer. Or the NYC SkyRide. I’ve also read Rod’s post about the Hip Hop Look at New York, which at 20% off sounds even better.

Keep an eye on those specials, as many of them don’t last for long (and many sell out). And no — I’m not doing a hard sell here. I’m just telling it like it is. We don’t want you to be disappointed.

Here’s sample of the specials we’re running today in New York City. Happy travels.

• Save 10%: NYC Harbor Lights Cruise
• Save 20%: Private New York Tour with a Personal Photographer
• Save 20%: A Hip Hop Look At New York
• Save 30%: NY SKYRIDE

–Scott McNeely

Be nice to Planet Earth

Are you tired of reading about Earth Day on the Viator blog and over on Viator.com?

No problem. Give your tired eyes a rest while you download an Earth Day podcast from Viator’s very own Rod Cuthbert. Rod claims he’s the CEO and founder of Viator; we think he’s actually a slightly mad globe-trotting surfer in disguise.

Either way Rod has some tips on minimizing your carbon emissions and greenhouse gas contributions. Rod is a firm believer in the importance of sustainable living and sustainable travel. Download the podcast and hear what else Rod has to say…

• Download an MP3 version of the Viator podcast
• Download an iTunes-friendly version of the Viator podcast
• To hear a streaming version, head over to the PR Podcast Website and click “play”

When you’re done getting environmentally inspired, head over to Viator’s Earth Day Writing Contest for a chance to win 100,000 miles of carbon offsets and Viator.com gift certificates.

–Scott McNeely

I am not afraid to admit it. Some of my fondest childhood memories include a haunted house, a handful of pirates in the Caribbean, a toad in the English countryside plus a roller coaster in space.

Clearly, I grew up with Disneyland and Disney World in my blood. I was humming the theme to ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ years before Johnny Depp put on the mascara and hoop earrings. Don’t get me wrong. I actually liked the recent films. All I’m saying is, I was there first. (Actually, my best friend’s dad worked the Jungle Cruise on opening day in 1955, so I guess he wins a “there first” award.)

Now that I have an 11-month-old son, it’s time to start planning our father-son pilgrimage to Disneyland and, since I’ve never been, to Disney World in Orlando. My son is still too young to enjoy the parks, and he’s not yet ready to consume my favorite theme park combo: cotton candy hot dog red licorice rope popcorn ice cream sandwich, followed by a spin on the tea cups.

(Please note: I am legally required to warn potential copycats that, yes, if you follow my recipe above, you are 99.9% likely to lose your lunch literally and figuratively.)

My Disney train of thought got started this time around by a promotional notice sent from Disney about the “Year of a Million Dreams” celebrations:

“Disney’s renowned heritage of personal service will be hitting a high point. The Disney Cast will be empowered like never before to make Disney vacations dreams come true. Each and every day during The Year of a Million Dreams, the Disney Cast will be surprising guests with enchanting dream-come-true entertainment and magical moments happening during this very special year. Suddenly you are not watching a parade, you are IN the parade. Not only do you see a princess, you BECOME a princess. Or a pirate. It’s imagination in full force. Make-believe, made real.”

Am I up for becoming a pirate? Avast me mateys, of course I am. I’ll see you in New Orleans Square.

Heading to Walt Disney World® in Orlando? Viator has a special on 4-day Magic Your Way tickets and 7-day Magic Your Way tickets. You can also search Viator for more Disney tours and tickets, things to do in Orlando and Florida theme parks.

–Scott McNeely

While I was planning my trip to England, I focused primarily on all kinds of local things to do in London. With only a week for sightseeing, I wanted to hit London’s highlights and take advantage of the expense of the long trip from San Francisco and hop the pond for a day trip to Paris.

I definitely wanted to take the Chunnel and looked into the options for Eurostar tickets from London. Planning the trip and picking train arrival and departure times to accommodate all the Paris tours I wanted was a hassle, and quickly became too expensive for my modest budget. One option was more than my airfare from the US to London! And then I found the Budget Rail Tour to Paris from London that includes a Visit Paris Pass to get you around the city and past the long lines. Viator’s deal on this independent tour of Paris is phenomenal and if you are looking for an inexpensive option to see Paris from London in a day, this is your tour.

After poking around among the various options, I also discovered that the luxury version of the Paris from London tour is one of our highest rated products for London (a whopping 5 out of 5 stars!). The fully escorted trip to Paris on Eurostar includes reservations on the train, a full schedule of sightseeing tours in Paris for the day, enough free time to sit at a cafe or visit an extra museum, and dinner on the ride home. As one of our customers says, “(it’s) the way to see Paris ‘in a flash’.” -Roberta E, US

And if you want to wring the last very drop out of your sightseeing dollar in Paris, the day tour from Paris to to London is also a fantastic option.

-Suzann M

My first day of sightseeing in London over New Year’s came along with grey skies and cold weather. In fact, if it weren’t for the 8-hour time difference and the jet lag, I could have sworn that I hadn’t left San Francisco. So, I bundled up in my best winter gear and jumped on the double-decker bus tour for a day of semi-sheltered sightseeing. Big Ben & the Houses of Parliament, London Eye & the London Bridge, and the Tower of London & the Tower Bridge all made sense after taking this tour. And, given how much time I spent the rest of the week cruising around town on the Tube (underground in other words), the hop on hop off tour was hands down the best way to get my bearings in and around London.

If you are planning on taking this tour, I’ve got a few tips:

1. Start your hop on hop off tour as early as possible in the day. Tours start around 9AM most days and getting there early gets you a choice seat and the personal attention of the tour guide. Our tour guide tailored her narration based on where we were from and what we wanted to know about London. Go ahead and ask about the statue of George Washington in front of the National Gallery.

2. Hop off and get back on another bus with a different guide. While each guide will deliver the highlights, each guide will have varying skills for both entertaining and informative banter. So, take a stop off for some up close sightseeing and hop on another bus to see what you could be missing. Our first guide gave us history, our second guide gave us celebrity gossip!

3. Use the bus tour for both sightseeing and transportation. Thrifty travelers use the tour to both get their bearings and shuttle themselves between destinations. If you start early enough in the day, you can make the full loop with the guide before most people wake up and manage to cram all sorts of sightseeing in by the end of the day. (Viator’s even got a special 2 days for the price of 1 running until February 28th.)

As someone who usually forges my way with good map and guidebook, I’ll admit that I was skeptical about the value of the hop on hop off tour. But after one loop of the sightseeing tour, I was able to identify landmarks and streets well enough to get around London without getting too lost. And, for me, spending a little less time being lost gave me that much more time sightseeing!

-Suzann M

Find all Viator blog posts about London

It happens every year, the often-dreaded office holiday party. For some it’s an excuse to let loose, eat free food and drink too much white wine. For others it’s an event to fear: small talk with co-workers, small talk with the boss, small talk with your cube mate.

A whole industry has grown up around the office holiday party. There are some websites that specialize in office party etiquette (um, don’t drink so much). Others offer advice on office party land mines to avoid (um, don’t drink so much). Others have ideas on how to host an office party on the cheap (McDonald’s, are you for real??) or how to deal with the agony of celebrating the holidays with your co-workers.

All in all, it seems like the annual office party is causing a lot of unnecessary grief. Which is where Viator comes in. We can help. We really can. We’ve just launched a group services feature that is all about having fun. About having an experience that’s more than just finger foods and cheap white wine. About not standing around in your office on a Friday night pretending to enjoy yourself.

For groups of 18 or more, Viator can create a unique holiday or corporate event that you, your staff, your friends, your co-workers and even your family will enjoy. We can arrange group helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon, a rock ‘n’ roll walking tour in New York City, wine country tours in San Francisco, snorkeling trips in Mexico, hot-air balloon rides from Phoenix to Buenos Aires, and dozens of more tours, activities, shows and personalized experiences. If you can think of it, we can probably make it happen.

And we promise that we can do it at a reasonable group rate. So let Viator plan and book a travel experience tailored just for your group, conference or other event. We have thousands of tours and activities in hundreds of locations around the world. Have a look at our Group Services page and let us help you plan something that is a lot better than awful, more pleasant than awkward, and far more exciting than dull.

Here are some ideas to kick-start your group planning:

• Helicopter tours
• Shark diving!
• NASCAR drive-alongs
• Tornado chasing
• Astronaut training programs!
• A Broadway show
• Wine tasting tours
  
• Las Vegas nightclubs

It’s never too early to start planning next year’s office party, group event, corporate outing or family gathering.

-Scott McNeely

As a special “thank you” to Viator.com customers, we’ve scored an exclusive deal for anybody and everybody who is lucky enough to be in Sydney, Australia, this upcoming New Year’s Eve.

You can spend New Year’s cruising on Sydney Harbour, take in the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Fort Denison and one of the world’s finest (this is no exaggeration) firework displays as midnight rolls around. The Sydney Harbour New Year’s cruise includes a live band, entertainment, drinks and a three-course meal. Celebrate 2007 in style!

Best of all, Viator has negotiated a 10% discount for all adult tickets booked on viator.com. At the risk of sounding like a commercial, this is a great deal. Seriously. We’re not kidding about this. Almost every harbour cruise we know of is already sold out. So if you’re interested in spending New Year’s on Sydney Harbour, with all the trimmings, why not save yourself 10%? A very good question, indeed.

-Viator’s Australia Team

As a gift to our blog friends and family this holiday season,

Viator is offering 15% off all purchases made by December 31, 2006.

(more…)

Action in the VIP at Belo

Wednesday night last week, before Thanksgiving, was outrageous for nightlife in San Diego. Most people took Thanksgiving off to sleep away their turkey comas, but on Friday they were back in force at Red Circle Club, where the go-go dancers got the crowd going. I knew On Broadway was going to be good when I saw the line snaking around the corner, but we had nothing to fear: our group of 4 had the San Diego VIP Nightlife Passport and we breezed right through the VIP entrance. We walked in just as DJ George Acosta was taking over the decks, talk about perfect timing.

On Saturday it was off to Aubergine, where DJ Collette sang her soulful vocals over house tracks. If DJ Collette comes to a club near you, make sure to catch her act. Collete played in Aubergine’s recently renovated front room.

Coming up this week are some great parties, with DJ Scribble at Belo on Thursday. If you haven’t checked out Belo since the E Street Alley days you are in for a major surprise, its future / retro design makes me feel like I am in part of a scene in an Austin Powers movie.

On Friday, December 1, check out DJ Irene at On Broadway, she is a local favorite and is sure to pack the house. On Saturday at Belo, DJ Hernán takes over the decks. He is on tour in support of his own CD series released through Renaissance, called Sequential, which has earned him top rankings in leading music zines. Also at Belo, Alan B will be playing the warm-up set. Also on Saturday at Aubergine, it’s the first installment of “Lounge Nights” with The Light 100’s performing live, featuring Dan Reed and Dan Marks.

Note: All of the venues and events reviewed are partners in the VIP Nightlife Passport program, which gets you VIP line / no-cover-charge access to 11 of San Diego’s top nightclubs.

– Josh Miles

With the holidays looming and loads of gift shopping left to be done, it’s about the time of year that I start thinking about what to do to entertain my out-of-town guests. While I often use these very visits to play “tourist” in my own town (I have been to Alcatraz three times in two years), the combination of holiday working-shopping-partygoing usually leaves me with little time to play tour guide for my guests. So, I share with you my biggest entertaining secret, the city pass.

If you live in or near New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Amsterdam, Barcelona, or Chicago, there are multi-attraction passes that will keep you or your friends and family busy from dawn to dusk. In fact, Viator carries attraction and city passes in cities from Prague to Philadelphia or Stockholm to Seattle, and odds are that you live near one of them. So, if you are visiting somebody this holiday or have someone visiting you, pick one up and give yourself or your host a break from entertaining with a little sightseeing. You can also read more about city passes on the Frommer’s website.

-Suzann M