The year 2015 is on its last legs, but it’s not too late to book a getaway to mark the new year. Here are some trips that will put you in a (hopefully) better place as 2016 arrives. But you have to act fast.
*Foreign Independent Tours has a six-day/five-night package in Italy that starts in Rome and ends with two days in Perugia, in the Umbria region. The first night in Perugia will be New Year’s Eve and includes dinner and wine. Cost of the land-only package is $1,379 per person double occupancy. Info: 800-248-3487, http://tinyurl.com/otkh8xn
The same company also can have you exploring another part of Italy with time in Milan and Langhe, in the Piedmont region at the foot of the Alps. That’s where you’ll spend New Year’s Eve with dinner and wine included. That’s priced at $1,129 per person double occupancy and also is land only. http://tinyurl.com/op36alw
Go-Today can put you in Dublin to welcome the New Year with a package that includes round-trip air from New York and four nights’ lodging. Depending on departure date, the website says this could be as low as $1,299 per person double occupancy, but given the volatility of airfares the lowest price we found was a little more than $1,400. Info: 800-227-3235, http://tinyurl.com/npwckw9
Closer to home, you can take a New Year’s Eve dinner cruise aboard the Sanibel Harbour Princess in Fort Myers, Fla. Cost is $110 per adult, which includes tax and tip. Info: 239-466-2128, http://tinyurl.com/q4bgh78
Ring in the New Year in the eastern Caribbean with an eight-day cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., aboard Royal Caribbean International. The cruise from the Online Vacation Center has inside cabins priced from $1,258 per person double occupancy and balconies from $2,071. Info: 800-760-5417, http://tinyurl.com/nllzequ
End the year with a cruise of the Mexican Riviera on Holland America Line. The seven-night itinerary from San Diego is priced from $999 per person double occupancy. Info: http://tinyurl.com/qc6772t
Colorado River cruise with Santa
If you’re in the Las Vegas area around Christmas, you can spend Christmas Eve day rafting with Santa on a trip down the Colorado River, departing from the base of Hoover Dam in Boulder City, Nev. Santa and his helpers will pilot the motorized inflatable rafts on the smooth-water river trip offered by Black Canyon River Adventures. The 12-mile trip takes about 41/2 hours and costs $92 for age 16 and older, $87 for 13-15 and $58 for 5-12. Round-trip transportation from Las Vegas is another $49 each, or you can drive to the site. The Santa trip isn’t specifically listed on the website, but if you book the Dec. 24 Black Canyon Raft Tour, you’ll get it. Info: 800-455-3490, http://tinyurl.com/nrmu3b5
Marty is a freelance reporter.
