Pick a card, any card — and win yourself some discounts

By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Staff, 4/06/2003


		All Along Destinations Get in gear Going Strong Outbound Real deals Sensible traveler Taking Off Where they went

Sometimes travel savings are in the cards -- discount cards issued by tourism bureaus that, when presented at a ticket window, can cut the price of a city's most popular attractions. Here are four examples:

A new Madrid Card, costing about $30, gets you into 40 museums, monasteries, and cultural institutions in the Spanish capital and its environs. It also provides complimentary use of public transportation (five trips); unlimited use of the Madrid Vision tour bus for a day; a guided walking tour of Old Madrid on Saturdays; a guidebook and map of the city; and discounts and reduced prices at 42 shops, restaurants, night spots, and on car rentals.

The card is sold at the Municipal Office of Tourism Information, 3 Plaza Mayor; the Regional Office of Tourism Information, 2 Duque de Medinaceli; at any of the Madrid Vision buses; and at the kiosk next to the Prado Museum at Calle Felipe IV. Cards are also available at www.madridcard.com.

For further information about the card, e-mail madridcard@madridcard.com or call 011-34-917-130-444 or 011-34-915-882-900. For more information about Spain, call 212-265-8822 or visit www.okspain.org.

The free Orlando Magicard is good year round in that entertaining Florida city. Valid for up to six people, the card allows vacationers to save at 108 area establishments, including attractions, accommodations, restaurants and dinner theaters, ground transportation, and shopping malls. The Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, which issues the card, says a family of four staying six nights could save up to $500. (Note the use of "up to" in such offers; many will save less.)

For a card, call 800-551-0181 or visit www.orlandoinfo.com. A complete information package, including a visitors guide, will come with the card. Magicards are also available at the Official Visitor Center, 8723 International Drive. To speak with a travel counselor about the Orlando area, call 407-363-5872 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. any day except Christmas.

St. Louis also claims possible savings of $500 or more with its free Family Attractions Card, good all this year. Sample savings include two-for-one admission to the Missouri Botanical Garden's Butterfly House; The Magic House, St. Louis Children's Museum; the St. Louis Carousel at Faust Park; giant-screen movies at the St. Louis Science Center; Mississippi River cruises; and meals. Also with the card, guests at the Jellystone Park camp resort get free Six Flags tickets. Card users can get into Raging Rivers Waterpark for $12 (regular adult admission is $15.95).

Visit www.explorestlouis.com and click on "Tickets and Deals," or call 800-916-0040. You can get a visitors' guide at the same time.

The free BostonUSA Specials! Value Card provides more than 50 discounts or added values on lodging, museums, night life, restaurants, sightseeing, shopping, theater, and transportation. For more discounts, the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau also has a free Family Friendly ValuePass. A Boston CityPass, on the other hand, costs $34 for adults and $19.50 for children 17 and younger, but is worth $60 in admissions to six attractions, ranging from the New England Aquarium to the Skywalk Observatory at Prudential Center.

Call 888-SEE-BOSTON or visit www.bostonusa.com.

Zurich has just launched the ZurichCard, good for public transportation in greater Zurich, free admission to 43 museums, reduced admission to the city's zoo, welcome drinks in 24 restaurants, free car-rental upgrades, half off a strolling tour through the old town, and other amenities. Cost is about $11 for a card that is valid for 24 hours and $22 for a 72-hour card. The cards are available at the Tourist Service, VBZ ticketarias, the airport railway station and others, and at participating hotels.

Visit www.zuerich.com.

No plane needed

People who love to cruise but hate to fly might check the website of Cruise Brothers, www.cruisebrothers.com, and click on "Hate to Fly." Among other things, you'll find a listing of East Coast ports within driving distance from Boston (including Boston itself). The company, which is based in Cranston, R.I., says it is a buyer's market for cruisegoers, with rates as low as $59 a night. Those kinds of prices are helping to keep the industry afloat: Cruise Brothers says its sales are up 49 percent so far this year.

Speaking of cruises

Carnival Cruise Lines has a five-day inaugural cruise to Mexico aboard the new 2,794-passenger Carnival Glory, operating round trip from Port Canaveral, Fla., July 14-19, before starting the ship's year-round seven-day Caribbean program from the same port. Prices begin at $549, double occupancy. Air fare is extra and can be booked through Carnival.

The Mexican ports will be Costa Maya and Cozumel.

Call 800-CARNIVAL or visit www.carnival.com.