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Go Cruisin' Through the Tulips With Discounted Dutch Tour

December 1, 2003 -- Spring is the perfect time to be in Holland - trust me, I was there last May and ended up proposing to my girlfriend. The weather is mild and the tulips at the famed Keukenhof Gardens are in miraculous bloom, showing seemingly fluorescent colors that you never knew could be seen in nature. Alas, my column from April about the Keukenhof has expired, but here's the description from our Holland guide: www.frommers.com/destinations/amsterdam/0043034645.html.

If you're willing to plan ahead, Uniworld has a pretty good deal on two unusual trips to Holland. Uniworld specializes in river cruises -- floating hotels that meander their ways along the many waterways of the quite wet Netherlands. Seeing the country from the water, the way the Dutch used to travel centuries ago, gives you a languorously unique perspective on a country where managing the flows of the sea is a matter of survival.

An unusual journey like this isn't cheap, but Uniworld brings the price down a bit. For a seven-day cruise of Holland (www.uniworld.com/trip_overview.asp?Cruise_ID=418) starting April 10, departing from New York, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles or San Francisco, the price per couple has dropped from $5,300-5,900 to approximately $3,916. (Sorry, singles, this isn't for you.) That includes airfare, taxes, all meals, and a slew of structured excursions to Amsterdam, Edam, the Hague, the Keukenhof tulip gardens, and other places. Cuddling up in a ship cabin that's meandering slowly down a local river is pretty darn romantic, too. Based on an average $500 per person airfare, that's about $200 per person per night, the same as you'd pay for a decent hotel and decent meals on land.

For a nine-day cruise through Holland and Belgium (www.uniworld.com/trip_overview.asp?Cruise_ID=419) starting on April 11, taking in Amsterdam, the Keukenhof, the villages of Hoorn and Edam and the spectacularly picturesque Belgian cities of Bruges and Antwerp, you'll pay $4,576 per couple including tax, a savings of up to $1,800 per couple over the normal price.

These prices are about the same as the prices being charged for cruises on the same dates from Uniworld's competitor Viking (www.vikingrivers.com/cruise-itinerary.do?region=hobe&voyage=20040410-VPR-01&cruise=hobe-adjo) and are a bit lower than the prices from Grand Circle (www.gct.com/gcc/general/default.aspx?oid=45313), so shop around and buy before December 31 to get the best rates.

Flights from other US gateways are also available, at an extra cost. Ask Uniworld for more details. To find out more or to book, call 800/653-4464 or go to www.uniworld.com.

How does Uniworld compare as a river cruise operator? Discuss the issue on our Message Boards.


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