Travel Information and Cancellation Policy

Multi-Day Tours

Death Valley – 3-Day Tour

A place of unexpected contrasts, this valley of sand dunes and salt has an abundance of natural wonders that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. While staying within a lush oasis, we will explore the wealth of geological phenomena this vast area has to offer at this delightful time of year. Joining us on board and throughout the tour will be geologist, Dr. Howard Shifflett, who will provide fascinating commentary as we travel through this national treasure, Death Valley.

Tour Highlights:

• Extensive guided sightseeing of Upper and Lower Death Valley with knowledgeable and entertaining geologist, Dr. Howard Shifflett

• Famous and unique sites including Ubehebe Crater, Harmony Borax Works, Zabriskie Point, Devil’s Golf Course, Furnace Creek Inn and Badwater – the lowest point in the western hemisphere

• Guided tour of Scotty’s Castle to learn about the stories surrounding the legendary “Death Valley Scotty”

• Barbeque dinner at the Furnace Creek Ranch

Daily Itinerary:

Day 1 Sunday, 3/7/2010 - Arrive In Death Valley

Following a morning departure from our departure points, and a stop for lunch, we will arrive in the Valley in the late afternoon. After checking into the Furnace Creek Ranch, which will be our lodging for the next two nights, you are free to enjoy the ranch amenities. The Ranch offers a spring-fed swimming pool and tennis courts and is situated in a lush oasis surrounded by the vast and arid desert. The Ranch, which takes you back to the early West, has been an operating business since 1881 and was the original home of the now famous Borax 20-mule team. Meals: none

Day 2 Monday, 3/8/2010 - Upper Death Valley

Enjoy an included breakfast buffet – the perfect fuel for our day of touring castles and craters in Upper Death Valley. This morning our geologist guide will provide commentary about local and regional history, geology, legends and wildlife as we tour Death Valley National Park. We will visit the castle of the desert and learn of the Valley’s greatest legend – “Death Valley Scotty.” On a living history tour of Scotty’s Castle, you will learn how and why this shady cowboy that toured with Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show came to build a castle in the middle of Death Valley. In the afternoon, we will visit Ubehebe Crater, formed round 6,000 years ago when a powerful volcanic explosion created a crater a half-mile in diameter and more than 500 feet deep. Ubehebe Crater is the largest in a series of craters found in the area. Later, we visit the Harmony Borax Works and learn how Borax was discovered in this area, how 20-mule teams transported it, and what importance Borax still has to the world today. An included box lunch will be provided. Our late afternoon arrival back at the Ranch will provide time for you to relax at your leisure. This evening includes a dinner at the Wrangler Restaurant at the Ranch. Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 3 Tuesday, 3/9/2010 - Lower Death Valley

Enjoy an included breakfast buffet - then we join our guide and tour Lower Death Valley. Highlights include Devil’s Golf Course, Badwater - the lowest point in the western hemisphere, the Furnace Creek Inn and Zabriskie Point. Our afternoon departure from Death Valley will return us to Southern California and our drop-off points in the evening. Meals: Breakfast

Tour Inclusions:

• 2 Nights accommodations at Death Valley’s Furnace Creek Ranch

• 4 Meals: 1 dinner, 1 lunch and 2 breakfasts

• Transportation aboard a deluxe touring motorcoach

• Luggage handling, hotel taxes and local taxes

• Geologist-led sightseeing

• Professional Good Times Tour Director

Additional Information:

Recommended tour cancellation insurance is available for
$28 per person (double) and $40 per person (single.)

Presenter: Good Times Travel

$100 deposit per person payable to Pasadena City College upon registration.  Student will be contacted by Good Times Travel to arrange for payment of the balance.

NOTE: Please call the Info Line (626-585-3195) no later than two days before your trip to confirm departure time and location.

Central Coast by Rail – 3-Day Tour

Join as we journey to the tranquility of Cambria and California’s Central Coast. We will board Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train for a ride along a beautiful stretch of coastline not visible from the highway. Your accommodations will be at a quaint beachside inn.

Tour Highlights:

• Stay two nights at the Fogcatcher Inn, a charming thatched roof property with fireplaces in every room and just steps from Moonstone Beach

• Sightseeing along Pacific Coast Highway including San Simeon, the elephant seals at Piedras Blancas, and ample time to shop in the quaint village of Cambria, home to many artists’ galleries and one-of-a-kind boutiques

• Optional tour of Hearst Castle (4 different tours available)

• Ride along California’s coast aboard the Coast Starlight with the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop

• Visit a miniature horse farm in the Santa Ynez Valley

Daily Itinerary:

Day 1 Wednesday, 3/17/2010 - Journey To Cambria

This morning we embark from our departure points for the tranquility of Cambria and California’s Central Coast. We travel by motorcoach to Oxnard where you will board Amtrak’s California Starlight train. Your luggage will be transported directly to the Fogcatcher Inn. You will not be seeing your luggage until you arrive at your room, so take anything you might need in a small tote. During the ride north along a beautiful stretch of coastline not visible from the highway, you are free to move around the train, get lunch from the snack bar or sit in the dining car. Check out the view from the sightseeing dome viewing car or just relax in your seat in the coach car. Upon our arrival in San Luis Obispo, our coach will be waiting to take us the rest of the way to the quaint seaside village of Cambria. Cambria is an artist’s colony nestled in a forest of towering Monterey Pines. It has a leisurely pace and country village atmosphere reminiscent of a small town. We will spend the next two nights at a quaint inn on a spectacular stretch of rugged coastline, just steps away from Moonstone Beach, offering an extraordinary array of tide pools and walk-able boardwalks. This evening includes a dinner with a choice of entrée at a local favorite. Meals: Dinner

Day 2 Thursday, 3/18/2010 -Cambria, Hearst Castle

Today we will tour the seaside community of Cambria and the surrounding coastal area and make a visit to the spectacular Hearst Castle. Following an included breakfast, we embark and take a ride along the ocean with frequent stops to take pictures and soak in the fabulous vistas. A highlight will be a stop to see the elephant seals along the coastline at Piedras Blancas. There will be time for lunch and shopping in the quaint village of Cambria. This afternoon, take an optional guided tour of Hearst Castle, once the hilltop estate of newspaper publisher, film producer and art collector William Randolph Hearst. You will have the opportunity to investigate the lavish grounds and buildings designed by architect Julia Morgan during her 28 year association with Mr. Hearst. You may choose from one of four tours that highlight different parts of the estate. This evening we will travel to San Luis Obispo and take part in the weekly street fair featuring fresh produce for sale, barbecue and other food vendors and entertainment. Meals: Breakfast

Day 3 Friday, 3/19/2010 - Solvang, Journey Home

Following an included breakfast, our morning departure will provide us with plenty of time to journey along the back roads of the Central Coast as we journey home. The Santa Ynez Valley has long been considered the horse breeder’s Kentucky of the West. We will learn about this and pay a visit to a miniature horse ranch with an opportunity to get up-close with these adorable animals. This afternoon there will be time for lunch and browsing in Solvang, America’s famous “Little Denmark.” Quaint old-world architectural styles blend with flower-lined streets to create a very walk-able village. Wonderful shops offer imported European wares and collectibles and the delicious bakeries and restaurants are a delight. Arriving at our drop-off points this evening, we will all relish in the memories of our time on the beautiful California Central Coast. Meals: Breakfast

Tour Inclusions:

• 2 Nights Hotel Accommodations

• 3 Meals: 1 dinner and 2 breakfasts

• Transportation aboard a deluxe touring motorcoach

• Luggage handling, hotel taxes and local taxes

• Professional Good Times Tour Director

Additional Information:

Recommended tour cancellation insurance is available for
$28 per person (double) and $40 per person (single.)

Presenter: Good Times Travel

$100 deposit per person payable to Pasadena City College upon registration.  Student will be contacted by Good Times Travel to arrange for payment of the balance.

NOTE: Please call the Info Line (626-585-3195) no later than two days before your trip to confirm departure time and location.

Important Multi-Day Tour Information

Parking/Pick-up

Unless indicated otherwise, tours include round-trip passage aboard deluxe, air-conditioned motor coach, and a professional tour escort.  Departure will be from the Pasadena area. Location, times and parking to be arranged.

Payments

Deposit per person due at time of booking. Student will be contacted by Good Times Travel to arrange for payment of the balance.  The minimum age for all travel is 18, unless designated differently. 

Refunds

Except where noted, cancellations/refunds must be received two weeks prior to the trip departure date and will be granted only if the space is re-sold by Extended Learning.  Tour fees paid to Good Times Travel: Travel protection, better known as cancellation insurance is highly recommended for all multi-day tours. Those who have purchased travel protection and must cancel for a covered reason, will be reimbursed by the insurance company the balance of any non-refunded funds (minus the travel protection premium). If travel protection has not been purchased, only recoverable funds will be refunded less a cancellation charge of $50 per person. Deposit paid to PCC: Refunds to reflect $15 processing fee per person.

Disclaimer

Due to unforeseen circumstances and/or conditions beyond our control, tour services may be changed, cancelled or services substituted. We shall not be held responsible for personal injury, property damages, travel itinerary changes due to mechanical difficulties or weather conditions or circumstances beyond our control.

All participants are required to sign a liability release waiver upon boarding the bus, prior to departure.  Pasadena City College requires all travelers to carry their own medical/accident insurance. Pasadena City College does not provide this coverage.

Contact Information

If you have any questions about trip details and/or the cancellation policy, please call Good Times Travel at (714) 848-1255. 

Travelers must call the Trips & Tour Info Line at (626) 585-3195 no later than two days before their trip to confirm departure time and location.  

For information regarding registration, please call Extended Learning at (626) 585-7608.  

Presenter

Good Times Travel is a family-owned and operated tour operator that began from the ground up more than 17 years ago. Today, Good Times Travel operates several hundred day trips annually throughout southern California as well as a wide variety of overnight tours throughout California, North America and International Destinations.

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