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Dustin Maher’s 3rd Annual Fitness Cruise on the Norwegian Pearl

Join me on my next fitness adventure by coming on board the Nowegian Cruise Line – Pearl. This is one of the nicest cruise ships in the world! Some of the highlights onboard include, rock climbing wall, full basketball court, 2 pools, hot tubs, bowling alley, and state-of-the-art gym. Check out a virtual tour of the ship!

We will have optional daily bootcamp workouts in the morning (not too early) before we go eat breakfast.  There isn’t really a set schedule of what the group does, you are free to do what you want when you want.  We try to eat breakfast together, and let each other know the plans for the day in case we want to pair up, and then get together in the evening for dinner and talk about all the adventures we had.

Feb 28th, 2009, I took a group of 19 on a fitness cruise to Grand Cayman and Cozumel.  We had a wonderful time bonding with each other, eating great food, and taking part in fun bootcamp style workouts on the ship!  Check out one of the workouts we had!

It really wasn’t as cold as it looks from the video!

The following year I decided to do a Bahamas cruise.  Here is a little video from the workout.

The first two were so successful that I decided to do another! Anybody is invited to join me on this adventure.  You don’t have to have met me before or even want to take part in any of the planned activities.  You might be someone who is just looking for a great deal on a cruise!

I searched out all the cruises and found the perfect one that will fit into everyone’s budget and hopefully schedule.

Click Here To Download the Entire Brochure For All the Details on How to Sign Up!

When: March 6th, 2011 – March 13th, 2011

Who: Any person or family looking for a great time and a little exercise!

What: Fitness cruise in the Carribean

Where: Leave out of Miami, and stop at Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Great Stirrups Cay.

Why: Because you only live once and you might as well spend the cold winter in warm weather, on a ship, being active!

Cost: $749 (doesn’t include gratuities or airfare), $50 on-board ship credit given to each room!

Note: Prices do not include roundtrip airfare. Burkhalter Travel will offer roundtrip airfare to each person that registers for the cruise from their home city.

INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:
· Selected cabin accommodations for 7 nights aboard the Norwegian Pearl
· All meals and entertainment onboard ship
· Port charges, taxes and fuel surcharge
· One Burkhalter Travel document holder per cabin
· 1 shipboard coupon books per cabin
NOTES TO PRICING:
· Roundtrip transfers are available from Miami Airport for $31.60 round trip.
· Prices do not include incidental items of a personal nature.
· Alcohol and soda are available at an additional charge.
· A passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the conclusion of your trip is required for travel to the Caribbean.

If you have questions or to sign up, contact Judy Windschiegl 608.241.7500/800.414.7166 or email jwindschiegl@burkhaltertravel.com

Samana, Dominican Republic


Samana, is located on the same island as Haiti.  White sandy beaches, cool azure waters, balmy Caribbean nights: the Dominican Republic’s Samana Peninsula is this and more. Coconut-covered mountains that march down to the sea, majestic capes that plunge to the ocean’s depths where vibrant, coral reefs teem with brightly-colored fish and spiny lobster, crystal-clear streams that wend their way through the peninsula’s lush arroyos, playful waterfalls tumbling down the verdant hills, the shrill chatter of bright green, Dominican parrots, the murmur of the ever-present trade wind caressing the feathered arms of the coconut palms, cicadas singing through the starry night, the melodic strains of bachata, merengue and salsa: the sights and sounds of Samana are never far away

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas


St. Thomas is known as an idyllic vacation spot today, but its history is not so peaceful. In the 18th century, the island was at the center of a bustling pirate culture, as swashbuckling pirates such as Blackbeard and Drake traded stolen wares in the port of Charlotte Amalie. This world-renowned Caribbean island is home to amazing beaches, gorgeous sea and landscapes and unbelievable duty-free shopping.

Tortola

Powdery white-sand beaches, lush green mountains, and a sheltered yacht-filled harbour characterize the island of Tortola, where the past of the West Indies meets the present of the BVI. The largest island in the chain, Tortola offers a variety of exciting vacation possibilities.

The protected anchorages at Brandywine Bay, Cane Garden Bay, Hodge’s Creek Marina Cay, Soper’s Hole and Trellis Bay are ideal for boaters. Secluded palm-shaded beaches at Apple Bay, Brewer’s Bay, Elizabeth Beach, Josiah’s Bay Beach, Long Bay Beach and Smuggler’s Cove make for excellent swimming and snorkelling. There are also many well-equipped facilities for fishing, snorkelling, scuba diving and more.

Wander through centuries-old ruins such as Fort Burt, Fort Recovery, the Mount Healthy Windmill and Callwood’s Rum Distillery, which is still in operation, and explore Tortola’s history at the BVI Folk Museum in Road Town.

Main Street in Road Town, the capital city, has an array of shops and restaurants; offering everything from local spices, jams, rums, and soaps to handcrafted jewellery, silk-screened fabrics, and local art.

The cuisine of Tortola reflects the island’s rich cultural mix, whether it’s a four-star dinner at a converted sugar mill or a delicious West Indian roti at a pastel-painted cottage. Local delicacies such as fresh lobster, conch, spicy goat, curries and Johnny Cakes make each meal memorable.

Escape to the cool slopes of Sage Mountain National Park, where traces of a primeval rain forest can still be seen at higher elevations. On the mountain ridge that runs through the island, observe local Caribbean life with its gentle rhythms, farms, settlements and churches. Outcroppings and vertical ghuts, or dry steam valleys, expose the deep, rich earth of this volcanic island. In Road Town, the J.R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens offers peaceful walks through pergolas and pathways covered with colourful vines, as well as a miniature rain forest and a fern house.

Great Stirrups Cay

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Great Stirrup Cay is the northern most island in a chain of islands known as the Berry Islands in the Bahamas. It is situated in an area along the Northwest Providence Channel. As sailing vessels gave way to steamships, shipping traffic increased through this channel. As a result, in 1863, the Imperial Lighthouse Service erected the lighthouse on Great Stirrup Cay. Although it was manned for many years, it is currently timed and solar-powered.

The first known settlers on the island were Lucayan Indians, relatives of the Arawaks who populated the Caribbean around 600 A.D. The Spanish arrived in 1492 followed by the British in early the 1600′s. The well-protected cove at Great Stirrup was also frequently visited by pirates and offered them safe anchorage in between plunders of the gold-laden Spanish vessels returning from South America. The island was used during the Civil War as a landfall for provisioning by Federal troops. During World War II, American troops utilized the island for defensive purposes to guard the eastern shores of the U.S. and the US Air Force later erected a satellite tracking station. One of the best-known settlers of more recent times was Captain Bertram of the British Navy, after whom Bertram’s Cove is named.

NCL purchased Great Stirrup Cay from Belcher Oil Company in 1977 and became the first cruise line to have a private “out island.” Improvements to the island and existing structures were made in preparation for NCL’s passenger’s first “island experience.”

Since 1988, NCL made numerous major improvements to the island, which included construction of four new buildings; the main bar and deck, a water sports hut on the west beach, another bar at the main beach and the Dive-in Center. Additions were made to the Straw Market, the beach area was extended and a sea wall erected to reduce beach erosion.

Have you ever gone on a cruise similar to this one?  I would love to hear your experience!  If you have any questions relating to the cruise which are not questions that the travel agent would answer, please post them on this page at the bottom and I will answer them.