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 What's your New Year's resolution? Norwegian Cruise Line is hoping it will be to spend some of its money, with the help of its new "Freestyle Resolution" promo. Book a sailing by February 1, and you’ll get an onboard credit of anywhere from $30 to $500 per stateroom. The amount of credit is calculated on a sliding scale, based the length of the cruise and category of stateroom. For example, a family booking an inside stateroom for a three-day sailing would get a $30 credit. If you booked a suite for a six-day sailing, you would get $500 to spend as you like on the ship. Book online or by calling NCL at 866/234-5647, or go through a travel agent. Mention code PGWAVE.
 If you’re a skier, you've probably got a big smile on your face about now. Huge snowfalls and deep discounts make this a super time to plan a family ski trip.
Looking for a one-stop-pleases-all destination? Consider Keystone, a three-mountain resort an hour west of Denver that boasts more than 3,000 vertical feet and over 3,000 acres of bowls, bumps, glades, steeps and groomers. There are loads of off-slope activities, too, to keep everyone in the family happy. From now through April 11, Keystone is offering a “Family Together Package” that bundles lodging and ski passes with some extra goodies. With rates that start at $300 per person for a four-night package, is this a good deal for families? Let’s do the math.
- Four nights’ accommodations in a two-bedroom, one-bath Forest Condominium, a 10-minute shuttle ride to the slopes (rack rate is $572 for four nights)
- Three-day ski pass for each person (worth $249/adult, $123/child 5-12, kids 4 and under ski free)
- A welcome package containing classic games such as Clue and Monopoly for in-room fun (worth about $30)
- Free and discounted activities with the Adventure Passport, such as GPS Adventure, NASTAR Family Racing and free ice skating (given to all guests staying at Keystone so no real “added value”)
- Optional two-for-one rates on a dinner sleigh ride (worth about $130, figuring one free adult ticket worth $85 + one free child ticket worth $45)
When we priced a four-night stay in late January 2009 for a family of two adults and two kids between 5 and 12, we got an average rate of $306 per person, for a total package price of $1224. If you purchase these elements separately, the total would come in at $1476, so the package shaves off $252, or a healthy 17% savings.
Prefer to stay slopeside? The same late-January stay in a two-bedroom condo at The Springs would cost $1695 while you'd pay just a shade under $1900 if you booked on your own. That $205 translates to an 11% savings.
Rates vary depending on your travel dates, but the savings generally fall in the 15% ballpark. We double-checked another long weekend in early February and got a package total of $1368 for a Forest condo ($252 less than the $1620 non-package rate, or a savings of 16%), and $1980 for the slopeside Springs condo ($332 less than the $2312 non-package rate, or a savings of 14%).
Deal or no deal? It's a deal, but noodle with different combinations of dates and accommodations to get the best possible savings. In the end, as always, it comes down to doing the math. Note: there are some blackout dates.
 If you’ve ever thought about trying skiing or snowboarding, now might be the time. January is "Learn a Snow Sport Month" at alpine resorts, Nordic centers,
state and national parks all over the US. There are special or discounted learn-to-ski and learn-to-snowboard packages available in 23 states, including California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Northern Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. The offers vary from state to state, so compare the programs in neighboring states before booking.
Vermont is offering one of the best deals out there. From January 4 to 11, first-time skiers and snowboarders can get free lessons, rentals and limited-lift tickets. The package is available at a dozen ski areas in the Green Mountain State including Bromley, Okemo (see our review), Smuggler’s Notch (see our review), and Stratton—where regular prices could easily run you $100 per person. This deal is for beginner, first-time skiers and snowboarders only, ages 6 and up, and is limited to one lesson per person. Registration just opened and spaces are very limited, so make tracks if you're interested.
Not interested in downhill? You can try out cross-country or snowshoeing for free on January 10, 2009 at one of more than 80 spots across the country. Now that's a breath of fresh air.
 If you've been thinking about taking your family on a Disney cruise, you'll want to know about a fantastic new deal. Kids age 12 and under can sail free on most three-night Bahamian cruises from January 22 to
May 28, 2009, when traveling with two full-fare guests in the same stateroom. The offer covers a variety of stateroom categories, ranging from deluxe family staterooms
with verandahs to standard inside staterooms. Act fast: There are a limited
number of staterooms available for this special offer. Book online or call 800/951-3532 or contact a travel agent. Be sure to use the booking code FREE.
Note: Our own review of a three-night Disney cruise aboard the Disney Wonder is coming next month.
 'Tis the season for spending quality time with the Big Man in the Red Suit, and the web is full of expert advice on where to find him. ABC News dished about 10 great places to see Santa, and we just love the idea of hitching a ride on one of the special Christmas trains operating this time of year. Feel like a longer getaway? Cookie magazine's Going Places blog has found some terrific Christmas packages at family-friendly resorts around the country.
 Nothing puts the white in your Christmas like a family outing to mark the season. All month long, we're turning for inspiration to ParentsConnect Local, whose amazing events calendar features hundreds of merry-and-bright happenings in 51 cities around the country. Here's a sample of what we found on the calendar for Denver:
Clubhouse Capers—The First Day of Winter: Kids 8 and under can explore the science and cultural significance of the winter solstice around the world as they take an imaginary journey to Persia (now Iran), Peru, Sweden, and other lands to learn how people celebrate the longest night of the year. Afterward, they can make their own winter solstice craft to take home. The event is free with paid museum admission. (Monday, Wednesday, Friday December 1-29, 2:30pm; 303/433-7444; museum admission: $7.50/child 2-8, $5.50/child 1-2, free for infants.)
 Christmas with the Children's
Chorale: Join the biggest caroling party in town as award-winning
Colorado Children's Chorale presents its annual Christmas show
featuring the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the full setting of Benjamin
Britten's Ceremony of Carols, and lots of popular holiday favorites. Advance tickets recommended. (December 6 at 2pm, December 7 at 7pm; 303/623-7876; tickets range from $24-$60.)
Christkindl Market: A traditional German holiday market is recreated in Skyline Park, where kids and parents can walk through handcrafted wooden booths, stocked with treasures—like nutcrackers—from European vendors. Merchants sell holiday food including gingerbread, roasted nuts, smoked sausages, and more. (Daily through December 23: Sunday-Thursday 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday 10am-9pm; 303/388-2522; free for all ages.)
See more holiday events in Denver on ParentsConnect Local.
 Want to slip a vacation under the Christmas tree? Nothing gives us that Santa feeling like an airfare sale. Yesterday we told you about JetBlue's airfare sale, which ends tomorrow. And today, Virgin America (another airlines that gives every passenger her own TV) announced its own fabulous airfare blowout, with one-way fares ranging from $59 to $149 between these six destinations:
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- New York
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Washington, DC
To nab the sale fares, you need to book by next Thursday, December 11, and travel between January 6 and March 1, 2009.
 JetBlue has just announced a major sale on flights with airfares ranging from $39 to $149 each way between over 56 destinations, including Mexico and the Caribbean. Fares on some of the
routes save you up to 50% off other airlines. The catch is that you need to act fast and book by Thursday, December 4. The travel window is January 7 to February 11. Here are some sample one-way fares from JFK:
Boston - $59
Washington, DC - $59
Charlotte -
$59
Raleigh/Durham - $59
Pittsburgh - $59
Jacksonville -
$79
Tampa - $89
San Francisco - $109
The Travelzoo staff test-booked this offer and found the lowest
prices on flights with Tuesday, Wednesdayand Saturday departures. January 20 is a blackout date.
 Cool gear and a great cause? Sign us up. We’re joining forces with other travel bloggers in a raffle to benefit Heifer International, a nonprofit organization that works to eliminate hunger and poverty around the globe. Here’s how it works: Each blogger is providing a prize to be raffled off, so head to Passports with Purpose to check out all of the loot. Select the prizes you covet the most, then click on the Passports With Purpose/First Giving link to make your donation. For each $10 donation you make, Passports with Purpose will enter you into the raffle for the prize of your choice. Note: be sure to enter your email address and the prize you want in the “Comments” field so you can be contacted if you win. Winners will be notified via email on December 30, 2008.
 If we do say so ourselves, our prize is a doozy: an Eye-Fi Explore memory card that makes your camera go wireless, automatically uploading your pictures to your computer or to one of more than 20 photosharing or social networking sites on the web (including KodakGallery, Shutterfly, Flickr and Facebook). You can upload through your home wireless network, or from more
than 10,000 wi-fi hotspots across the country—which means you can share your travel pix with family and friends in
real-time. This smart little gadget even geotags your photos with information about where the picture was taken. And did we mention that it all happens with no cords and no cables? TIME magazine named the Eye-Fi one of its “Best Inventions of 2008” and we agree. It retails for $129.99 but you could get one for a Jefferson if you win the raffle. Good luck!
 Wow! This month we were reminded that the best things in life really are free, especially when we're looking for ways to trim family travel costs. We are so grateful to all the guest bloggers who contributed to our Land of the Free series this month! In all, we posted 145 free things to do with kids in 26 different destinations around the country, from Boston and Baltimore to Baton Rouge and the Big Apple. We were amazingly astute in Atlanta and Aspen. We stuck to our budget in Berkeley, the Berkshires, and even bucolic Berks County, Pennsylvania. We spent not a dime in New York City, Nashville, or New Orleans—or even California's North Bay. We were the best kind of miserly in Milwaukee and Minneapolis. We were so super savvy in Seattle, San Francisco, and San Diego (and then once again in San Francisco and Seattle!). Hooray for horses in Lexington, hula on Oahu, and history in Tucson. And let's hear it for all the free fun in Chicago and Cleveland, Delaware and Disney World, and Pittsburgh and Portland. Thanks to all our contributors!
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