It's All New!

I put a survey together yesterday and am already starting to get feedback on it.  I can't wait to see what all of you have to say.  I hope it will help me to figure out how I can be of service to you and others. At the very least I hope it will help me to figure out if you need someone like me.  The link is posted on the Places You Will Go Facebook page as well as the Linked In page and Twitter.  Please respond if you get a chance.

Yesterday was a pretty eventful day.  I re-ordered business cards.  The exciting thing is that I ordered them totally different this time.  This time they have my original art on them.  The front is a photo I took in Hawaii and the back is the logo I created a few months ago for Places You'll Go Travel.  This is what you will see with the new business cards....

The photo was taken at sunset during a luau.  It is the wallpaper on my desktop at home.  It relaxes me.  There are really few things that relax me more than a sunset with a sailboat between me and the sun.  You see that during every sunset at Mallory Square in Key West and at every sunset that I saw on the Hawaiian Islands.  I would assume that you see that at anyplace worth seeing a sunset.  What I am interested in finding out is whether or not it feels just as good (or even better) to see the sunset from the sailboat.  Do you suppose it's better when you are actually on the boat????  I can't believe that it is any better.  But I have no point of reference.  I only know that I like a sunset when there is a sailboat in front of the sun.

I always imagine what is happening on the sailboat.  I usually imagine that a marriage proposal is taking place.  I mean, look at that sunset!!!!  If a marriage proposal isn't taking place on that boat, some guy is totally missing the perfect opportunity.  If I was the girl on that boat, I'd say yes to any man smart enough to propose during such a sunset.  One of my favorite things about this photo is the colors reflected on the water.  I wonder what they looked like from the boat as the proposal was taking place.  I bet it was spectacular!  I hope that she was smart enough to look at that and treasure it so that she could describe it to their grandchildren in years to come.

The other thing I ordered along with my business cards was a couple of polo's with my logo on them.  I am really anxious to get them.  I'll be going on a cruise in January and I figure that they will look good with shorts and just think of the great audience I'll be able to advertise to on a cruise ship.  I mean clearly, these people enjoy travel.  And that logo just screams at cruisers, right?  Plus the cruise originates from Texas so surely there will be a lot of people from here who I will be able to work with if only they see my quirky little logo on  my shirt.  I was also going to order magnets today.  But as it turns out, magnets are really expensive!  Who knew???!?!?!

Luggage tags were another option but you can only put an image on one side of them and that all has to be about identifying the traveler.  I would like to have put my logo on one side and then given them room on the other side for their identification.  Why wouldn't Zazzle.com have considered that?  I wonder if they are really getting a lot of business from people who want to create one sided luggage tags that they have their info printed on instead of writing their info on a card and inserting it?  I doubt it.  I know before I needed to get my name on things I never even knew that Zazzle existed.  So how much business could they really be getting from people in the private sector?  Okay, maybe I wasn't the norm.... but still, I'm not stupid and I had never heard of Zazzle prior to October.

I hope you all have a very Happy New Year!  I will be posting much more in 2013 than I ever did in 2012, but don't expect to hear from me again until the 2nd of January!  I'll be celebrating the new year and recovering until then.  :-)  Happy New Year!!!!!

My Travel Year in Review

Well, this was a fairly uneventful travel year for me.  It should have begun with a Caribbean cruise in February.  But I canceled it, so that didn't happen.  It was one of those cruises that I had booked almost two years in advance, so I had really been looking forward to it and had gotten a great deal.  But alas, it just was not meant to be.  

Then in April I got laid off from the former employer who shall not be named and a good friend of mine suggested that there could be no better time for travel.  I scoffed at first.  How irresponsible would I be if I just took off traveling without a job???!?!?!?  Then I mentioned it to my Dad and he said, "why not"?  My friend had suggested a transatlantic cruise.  Dad thinks on a smaller scale so I wound up planning a 4 night road trip to Arkansas of all places.  I had never been to Arkansas, it was drivable, the trip wouldn't be expensive, I read that there are several wineries there (don't believe everything you read on the internet) and Mom and Dad wanted to go too so I thought it would be nice to travel with them again since I hadn't done it in a long time.  So, off we went in May on a hillbilly road trip.  (If you are from Arkansas, I apologize for the hillbilly reference.... but I'm a Texan, it's what we do...)

Our first stop in Arkansas was for lunch at a Wendy's/Conoco station in Hope.  We tried to find a Dairy Queen in Hope, but it apparently went under.  I've never heard of a Dairy Queen closing down before, so I suppose times must really be hard in Hope.  After lunch, we made our way on up to Hot Springs where we were spending our first two nights.  We stayed at a Hampton on the lake.  It was nice.  There I got my own room.  The balconies overlooked the lake and we had dinner that first night at an amazing taqueria that I had found on Trip Adviser.  You are not often steered wrong when eating at a well reviewed place on TA, even if it is a hole in the wall taqueria in Hot Springs.  In case you are planning to be in Hot Springs soon and want to give it a try, it is called Taqueria El Amigo.  It is scary looking from the outside, but don't let it fool you.  It is amazing.  

The next day we did a lot of the touristy things in Hot Springs.  We finished our sightseeing day by hitting a little wine tasting place in town.  The "wine" was horrible and yet I talked myself into buying two bottles.  For some reason, when I go to a place like that, I think I will offend the proprietor if I don't purchase any of their wine.  Dad and I talked about that before we even went in and still we both bought wine that we didn't like.  I think I finally threw away the last of it last week as I was cleaning and preparing for Christmas.  

When we left Hot Springs, we went to The Lodge at Mount Magazine stopping at three "wineries" along the way.  I understand that we all have different tastes, but I'm really having difficulty believing that anyone out there is sitting at home right now thinking....  "Crap!  I'm all out of Arkansas wine!  Guess, I'll be making a trip to Altus, this weekend!!!!"  We were supposed to have stopped at a 4th winery that day and none of us could make ourselves do it.  Sadly, I purchased wine in two of them.  It has all been disposed of now.

Moving along I must say that in looking back several months removed, I still feel that the Lodge at Mount Magazine really was a wonderful place as long as you don't eat.  I would like to return.  I think Mom and Dad are planning to spend their anniversary there this year.  I just went back and reread my review on Trip Adviser to refresh my memory.  I think I might have been overly generous when I suggested that "perhaps we just hit the restaurant on a bad night" in the review.  If so, there have apparently been a lot of other bad nights since then according to other reviewers.  But I think most travelers agree that the views and the lodge itself are spectacular.  Just bring along peanut butter, jelly and bread to make sandwiches in your room.

Our final stop on this journey was in Eureka Springs.  I'll simply say, it has been marked off my list.  I know that a lot of people really like Eureka Springs so I don't want to be too negative.  It's a cute little town and if you are into that Ozark-y kind of thing, you would probably love it.  I'm not much into the Ozark way of life. Oh and if you looooooove BBQ, don't go to Bubba's.  In fact, if you love BBQ, just stay in Texas.

A month or so later, my travel buddy, Jenny and I "headed out to San Francisco" as you may have heard Jimmy Buffett say from time to time.  Only we weren't there for a "Labor Day weekend show".  Jenny had never been and I found a really great deal that we couldn't pass up on direct flights.  We stayed at the Hotel Carlton which is a small boutique hotel on Sutter St. with a free 30 minute wine happy hour each evening that we only made it to once because we were so busy.  

While in San Francisco, we did all of the normal tourist stuff including riding a cable car, visiting Lombard St. (which incidentally we arrived at from the wrong direction, make sure you arrive at the top of the hill and NOT the bottom like we did), we spent several hours walking through Chinatown and even found the fortune cookie factory before making our way back to the hotel for happy hour. 

Our second day was spent on a preplanned trip to Muir Woods and the wine country.  It was a full day on a 25 passenger bus that included a two hour "breakdown" of sorts in the parking lot at Muir Woods (there was no extra charge for the breakdown).  Even with the bus trouble it was still a terrific day and I wouldn't have traded it for anything.  Our driver treated us to an extra stop on the way back into the city at an overlook of the Golden Gate Bridge for some amazing shots of the fog rolling in.  We finished this day having dinner at the hotel restaurant which is called Saha.  Who knew Yemenese food could be so good?!?!?!

We purchased tickets for the HOHO (that's Hop On Hop Off bus for those of you not in the know) on our third day and hit a lot of locations using it as our mode of transportation.  We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge which, I must say ticked an item off of my bucket list.  We had lunch in Sausalito.  Back in San Francisco later in the day we made our way to Fisherman's Wharf and also went to Pier 39 to see the sea lions sunning themselves before ending the day at Scoma's which was recommended by a friend and couldn't have been better.

On our final full day in San Francisco, we got to go to a baseball game at AT&T Park and see the Giants vs. Rangers in a Saturday afternoon game.  I have to say, it was a real highlight for me as a baseball fan even though the Rangers lost.  And as it turned out at the end of October, we had seen a home game by the 2012 World Series Champs, not too shabby.  We finished up by heading back to Fisherman's Wharf and having dinner at Bistro Boudin at the Wharf.  The clam chowder in a sourdough bowl was to die for.  

Amazingly, that is all of the traveling I did in 2012 unless you count the roadtrip to Lubbock two weeks ago for my nephew's graduation from Texas Tech, I don't count it.  If you have to drive through a dust storm, even if it is a minor one, it doesn't count.  Also, if your cute little Kia Soul is attacked by a tumbleweed or if the door is nearly blown off when caught in the wind, you are not on a vacation.  I feel a little sad that I never left the country in 2012 but it was a year of changes and I suppose it was smart of me to remain close to home throughout.  In a few short weeks, I will be making up for staying close to home in 2012 with a 7 day cruise in the Caribbean.  We won't be visiting any new places.  But it will be warm, we will go to one place where English is not the native language and in each place we visit, life is like a Jimmy Buffett song.  That, my friends, is a vacation.

I hope you had a great 2012 and got to visit all of the places you wanted to during the year.  Have a terrific 2013 and don't forget you have a friend in the travel business if you want to book that dream trip or even if you just want information about a future dream trip!

Oh!  The Places You'll Go!!!!!

Excursions for the Upcoming Cruise

In 23 days I'll be boarding Mariner of the Seas and setting sail on a Western Caribbean cruise via Royal Caribbean.  We'll be sailing out of Galveston which is great.  It means no money wasted on a flight which means more money to spend on the cruise.  It also only takes about 4 hours to get there from here.  So, it's really just enough time for a nice long chat.  I haven't looked this forward to a cruise in a really long time.

Our first stop will be Cozumel, Mexico.  In Cozumel, we will be doing the Dune Buggy & Beach Snorkel excursion.  I've done this before.  In fact, I think a picture of it is currently my Facebook profile picture.  That was with my Mom and niece, Rebecca.  We had a blast that day.  Then when I took my nephew, Matt on his graduation cruise, he and I did the Jeep & Beach Snorkel.  It is the same thing except that you drive a Jeep rather than a Dune Buggy.  You even go to the same stops.  In fact, Matt and I even had one of the same guides that Mom, Rebecca and I had.  I believe his name was Pancho.  Here's a picture of Matt with our guides.  Pancho is the one on the left.

In reality, Pancho's name is probably Joe or something like that.  He just tells the American tourists to call him Pancho as part of the experience.  If choosing between the Dune Buggy or the Jeep on this excursion, I would always recommend the Dune Buggy.  After all, you can go down the street to your local Chrysler dealer and test drive a Jeep anytime you want.  But how often do you get to drive a Dune Buggy even if you don't get to go across any dunes????

Our next stop will be at Georgetown, Grand Cayman.  Many of you already know that this is among my favorite places in the world.  I'm not sure why I love it so much.  But I do.  At Grand Cayman we had not planned on doing an excursion.  But now I think we are starting to re-think that.  I had planned to rent a car and get around the island that way.  But now it is sounding like getting the car will be a hassle and I really don't want any hassles during this vacation.  So, maybe an excursion is the way to go.

I generally always recommend ships excursions since it gives you the comfort of knowing that if something happens and you are late returning, the ship won't leave you.  If you are so late getting back that the ship cannot wait any longer, then they will pay to get you to the ships next stop.  So, going on a ship sponsored excursion just gives you a little safety net.  I hear a lot of people complain about the price of ship excursions saying that they could arrange the same outing for less money and that is usually true.  But for the added $20 or $30 you pay to do their excursion, you get the peace of mind knowing that you won't be stuck in a foreign country with no hotel reservation for the night and trying to arrange a flight either to Jamaica or back to the US for tomorrow.  So, for me, the extra $20 or $30 you pay is well worth it.

In Grand Cayman in the past, I have swam with the sting rays and gone to Hell and the Turtle Farm.  I loved all of those things.  I have also just spent time on Seven Mile Beach and walked around town visiting various restaurants, bars and gift shops.  But there are still parts of the island that I haven't seen.  I'd like to hit some of those, which is why I had thought that renting a car would be nice.  It is sounding like today, I might be going back through excursions one more time.

Our final stop before returning to Galveston will be Falmouth, Jamaica.  I've been to Jamaica a number of times but I've never been to Falmouth.  I think it is up by Ocho Rios which is good.  I far prefer the village feel of Ocho Rios to the big, overcrowded and depressing Montego Bay.  At Jamaica we will be on another excursion.  This time we will be sailing on a catamaran and then snorkeling.  I think it also takes us to one of the Margaritavilles in Jamaica.  I just hope it is a Margaritaville that I haven't been to before.  I have already been to a few of them in Jamaica.  I like doing the catamaran snorkel excursions just because I always enjoy the boat ride.  Even if you don't snorkel, the boat ride is fun.  But I love snorkeling too so it is a win - win for me.

In Jamaica there are a number of fun excursions to do.  Once we did a tour that takes you up to the Appleton Rum Distillery.  It was interesting but I probably wouldn't recommend it.  It is a very long drive through mountains on winding roads.  My niece was with us and got motion sickness from the drive.  She never had any trouble at all on the ship but as soon as she got in that van in Jamaica she was a puking machine.  So, that may have swayed my opinion somewhat.  But I just didn't think the Appleton Estate was enough to make up for that long drive even if I hadn't been forced to hold a bag full of puke for the half of the day.  To the right is a picture of me, Mom and Rebecca along with some "rasta mon" pre-puke.  It's not nearly as funny as the post puke picture which is featured at the end of today's blog.  Poor Rebecca was really miserable.

I went to the Dunn's River Falls on another occasion.  It was a lot of fun and there was no puking involved, but I think once you have climbed the falls, it isn't something that you need to do again.  If my travel buddy, Jenny had expressed a serious interest, I probably would have done it again since she never has done it.  But she didn't.  So, I'm kind of glad.  I hope that my Mom and Dad join us on the Jamaica excursion.  I think they will like it and they hardly ever get off the ship in Jamaica so I think it would do them good.

I will stop writing now so that I can work on travel stuff.  Have a good day!

Poor little 13 year old Rebecca after a day of puking all over Jamaica... :-(

A Heads Up for My Traveling Friends

Are you heading out this weekend either to visit family for Christmas or to get away from family and escape to an exotic location?  Well let me help out.  Here are a few things you should be on the look out for during your journey.

BEWARE OF CHATTY PEOPLE WITH MAGAZINES!!!!
The only thing worse than a chatty person with no reading material when you just want to read the book you brought along is a chatty person with a magazine that she thinks you might be interested in.  I can tolerate almost anything for a few seconds.  But having a complete stranger read a recipe to me will totally push me over the edge.

NEVER TAKE ADVICE FROM A SERIAL HIKER!!!!
If anyone from Colorado, Utah or Sweden wearing Birkenstocks, socks and a backpack ever offers you this commentary; "It's just a fun little hike, you'll enjoy it!"  RUN, don't walk, the other way.  That sentence is code for "Hey fatso, that hike is going to kick your ass.  But if you survive, it is going to be so much fun listening to the story when you get back!!!"

WATCH THE LOCALS!!!!
When in Manhattan if it is 65 degrees and sunny and you see more than one person getting on a subway wearing a coat and carrying an umbrella, return immediately to your hotel for any sub zero gear you may have brought along.  If you didn't bring any, buy some before the weather hits and all the other tourists storm the shops for mittens and hats.

THEY DON'T REALLY SPEAK ENGLISH!!!!
When you ask anyone in a foreign country whether they speak English and get the following response in any language other than English "un poco", "un peu", "trochu", "een beetje", "ein wenig", "is beag" or "hemhoro".  You may think that means "a little", but what it actually means is, "I know 3 cuss words in English, but I mispronounce all of them."  They can't help you.  Find someone else.

THEY'RE NOT REALLY BEING NICE!!!!
"Américain stupide" in France, "hloupý Američan" in the Czech Republic, "Dummer Amerikaner" in Germany, " Americano tonto" in Mexico, "愚かなアメリカ" in Japan, "Глупый американский" in Russia and "Stupid Kaskazini" in Tanzania all mean the same thing.  Look it up.

DON'T ORDER A COKE!!!!
The reason everyone tells you meals are so expensive in Europe is because they went to Europe and ordered a Coke.  Wine is much cheaper!!!  Just drink the wine.

This is all of the advice I have for today.  I would spend more time giving you little pieces of advice but unfortunately, my cookies aren't going to bake themselves.  If you are traveling for Christmas, be safe.  Have a happy holiday!

Top Ten Times of the Year to Travel

I know how much you all enjoy my Top 10 lists.  Being the authority on so many topics is really quite tiring.  But I know I can't continue to deprive my audience of my extensive knowledge.  :-)  So, today I will let you in on the best times to travel.  There aren't 5 or even 8 good times to travel.  No sir, in order for a list to be worthy of my attention, it requires 10 entries.  So, here we go....

10.)  The last week of August before your school starts.  If you need to travel when school is out because of kids or because you are a teacher, this is a good week to do it.  Many others in your same circumstance are at home preparing for a new school year and those of us who do not travel with kids are afraid that people with kids will be traveling so we tend to stay home.  Generally, the closer you are to school having started the lower the prices.  However, I wouldn't suggest planning a trip to the Caribbean during this time unless you are doing it last minute so that you can be sure that the weather will cooperate.  Of course, you can and should always purchase travel insurance, but then you have the headache of dealing with it, plus you have already taken off from work and gotten really excited about the trip and now, a terrible storm is ruining everything.  Also, the cruise lines generally will do anything to avoid canceling a cruise, so without the travel insurance, you are stuck.  The last thing you want to do is avoid high prices and other people's kids who are less perfect than your own only to be accosted by a category 5 hurricane.

9.)  The 1st week of June.  This is sort of the same as August only you don't have to worry about hurricanes in the 1st week of June.  Public schools in the Northeast go until the middle of June so the crowds can still be better at this time.  If you are looking at an Alaskan cruise, these first two choices would be ideal.  The further you go into June the more the prices go up on Alaskan cruises.  In late August those prices start to come back down a little.

8.)  The last week of October.  Kids are in school so prices are down.  Most of hurricane season is behind us and if you live in the north, temperatures have already started dropping making you long for a nice Caribbean vacation.  Halloween is a blast on a cruise.  Everyone dresses up and there are huge parties.  Plus, think of all the money you will save by not buying Halloween candy!!!!  That could pay for your vacation....

7.)  September 12-30.  I know what you are thinking, that sounds pretty specific, right?  But I have a rule against traveling on 9/11.  I just don't see the point in doing it if it can be avoided.  But September is a great time to travel since even the schools in the Northeast have started back up but the weather is still pretty good throughout most of the northern hemisphere.  Again, if you are planning on going to the Caribbean, I recommend doing so as a last minute trip so that you can look at 10 day forecasts and make sure that there are no evil looking storms out there.  Also, this is a great time to get on a repositioning cruise as they are coming back from Alaska and Europe to begin the fall and winter Caribbean cruise season.

6.)  First week of May.  School is not out yet, but the weather is perfect for enjoying many parts of the US.  If you want to come and see us in Texas, you can't beat the 1st of May.  May begins Alaskan cruising season and fares are lowest in May since the weather is still pretty cool up there.

5.)  Last two weeks of January.  I know that you are thinking I am insane, but the winter months are the best months for any trip to the Caribbean.  Imagine boarding a ship in late January in the US.  The weather is in the 60's to 70's at best and that's only if you go to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale to board.  It could be in the 30's or 40's depending on your luck.  You leave your port and go to bed that night.  The next morning you wake up and walk out on your balcony to a perfectly sunny 80 degree morning.  January is the start of the dry months in most of the Caribbean.  There is no better time of year to get away from the rat race and enjoy some warm Caribbean sun and blue water.

4.)  The weekend before Thanksgiving.... now hear me out.  I have found that if you are traveling to other parts of the world and not returning until after the weekend following Thanksgiving, the crowds are not so bad.  Americans stay home or visit family in the US during this time of year.  So you can get decent fares to Europe and such if you don't mind some cold weather during your visit.  I visited southern Europe during this time of year and the crowds were practically non-existent and the temps were generally in the 50's and 60's most of the time.

3.)  First two weeks of March.  Obviously, no hurricane season in the Caribbean, school is in as long as you travel before Spring Breaks start up and again, the prices are lower as long as you steer away from Spring Break weeks.

2.)  Last two weeks of April except in a year with a late Easter.  See #3.

1.)  Call me crazy, but I think the last two weeks of February are the very best time to go on vacation.  The weather here SUCKS!  Cruise prices are lower after Valentine's Day than any other time of the year.  Practically every kid between the ages of 5 and 18 in the world with the exception of home schooled kids, Australians and African's are in school.  The weather in the Caribbean is perfect!  If you are a skier, there will be no resort in the northern hemisphere that will not have powder at the end of February.

I hope this helps you narrow down some times to plan your 2013 travel assuming we all survive the end of the Mayan calendar on Friday.  Obviously, if you have kids that you travel with, the summer months, Spring Break and the Holidays will usually be your only options.  There are a lot of things to be said for traveling during those times. But to get the most bang for your buck, you will always come out ahead if you can arrange to travel while the kiddies are in school.  Have a good day and happy trails.

Airplane & Airport Etiquette

Something happened to our society a while back.  Things changed.  Many changes are for the better.  While others should be carefully rethought.  The way people act in airports, on planes, while boarding planes and disembarking from planes are some of the things I think might need a little re-thinking.  So, for your convenience, I have put together a few rules that you might consider following the next time you choose to take flight.

1. In the terminal, until they call your boarding group, remain seated.  They even tell you this before they start calling boarding groups.  There is a reason for it.  It keeps you out of the way so that the people in the boarding groups that have already been called are able to get to the gate without weaving through dozens of people who have stopped in the middle of everything with 3 suitcases piled up around them and earbuds in so that they can't hear the constant "excuse me's" of people trying to navigate around them.  They simply remain oblivious to the havoc they are creating by merely existing in that 4' X 4' space.  
2. NEWSFLASH!!!!  Both bottled water and Starbucks coffee are liquid.  This means you cannot carry them in any form through the TSA checkpoint.  Once you are capable of distinguishing a solid from a liquid, all the rest of this stuff gets easier.
3. Once you get on the plane, choose an overhead compartment as close as possible to your seat to place your carry-on in.  You idiots who take the first available space after coming out of 1st class when you know you are seated in 34F are the reason those other idiots felt the need to stand in everyone's way during pre-boarding.  It was their pathetic attempt to be the first in their boarding group so that perhaps they could get a space just above their seat for their carry-on.  
4. When the flight attendant says it is time to turn off all electronic devices, say goodbye to Mary Lou and turn your damn cell phone off.  Yes, I am talking to you.  None of us want to hear your stupid conversation with your secretary in which you are just trying to sound much more important than you really are.  P.S.  Unless you are a big time executive, you probably don't even have a secretary anymore, there's this little thing called Microsoft Office and most people take care of their own spreadsheets and documents now.  So, if you are pretending to have a secretary, be aware that you probably should also be traveling in 1st class or on a corporate jet.  
5. One full week before you travel, start taking mega doses of Vitamin C, Airborne, Ziacam and eat all of your spinach.  I don't want your cold.  I'm not sure what about an airplane forces people who seemed perfectly healthy during pre-boarding to suddenly begin coughing and wheezing as though they have just contracted TB, but I don't want your germs.  If you have to do it, cough into your elbow or better yet get up and go to the lavatory so that I can remain oblivious to the fact that I am being exposed to TB.
6. There are public restrooms in practically all airports now days.  Use them before boarding.  I understand that during a long flight, going to the lavatory may be unavoidable.  But when you are flying from Houston to Dallas, I think you can "hold it" for 45 minutes to keep everyone in your row from getting up and letting you out of your window seat.  If you are one of those people who has to "tinkle" every 10 minutes, then do us all a favor and request an aisle seat.
7. If you are traveling with a small child or infant, prepare for your flight upfront.  Be aware that flying is not comfortable for your infant.  Popping ears are uncomfortable.  I hear that Benedryl works wonders for getting an infant through a flight.  Small children require entertainment for a long flight.  Quiet toys, coloring books, IPads full of movies with earbuds and other forms of quiet electronic entertainment will go a long way toward insuring that your fellow travelers don't want to kill you and stuff your body into the overhead compartment.  Please keep in mind that we normally feel only sympathy for the child while we fantasize about ways in which to dispose of your body.
8. Unless you are wearing sandals, do not take your shoes off on the airplane.  If anyone in the world wanted to inhale smelly feet, there would be cardboard air fresheners on strings with a "smelly feet" fragrance built in.  There are not.  That is because it is a disgusting odor and the rest of the human race doesn't think that your sweaty feet smell good.  Keep them to yourself.
9. The person forced to sit in the middle seat gets first dibs on the armrests.  If you are on an aisle or a window seat, you have one armrest.  The poor pathetic soul who got stuck with the middle seat gets both of the armrests in the middle.  End of discussion.
10. If a person seated next to you is reading, listening to anything with earbuds or headphones, or simply going out of their way to keep from making eye contact with you, it means they prefer not to make light conversation with you.  Respect their privacy.  
11. Please don't get up until the captain has turned off the seatbelt sign....  idiot.
12. Once the plane has made a complete stop at the jetway and the captain has turned off the seatbelt sign, if you are in seat 34C, there is really no point in jumping out of your seat as though you were spring loaded into it and immediately opening the overhead compartment hitting the people seated around you with your overweight carry-on as you drag it down so that you can stand for 10 minutes waiting.  There are 33 rows that must exit the aircraft before you can even begin to get off.  Relax!
13. Once you walk through the airplanes door entering the jetway, it is conceivable that you might need to readjust the load that you are carrying.  There is a wide spot there where the jetway connects to the airplane for wheel chairs, strollers and so on.  If you can move into that spot to make your adjustments, go for it.  However, if you are unable to move over so that other people can get around you, then just tough it out and get out of the way before you drop everything and start working on adjusting your shoulder strap just right.  You will survive until you get out of the jetway before getting perfectly comfortable with the load you are carrying.  
14. As you walk off of the jetway, move over to one side before stopping to view the TV screens with departure and baggage terminal information.  Others still need to get off of the airplane.
15. Your entire traveling party of 10 people does not need to stand up against the baggage carousel to retrieve the 3 checked suitcases.  Those not picking up a suitcase, can stand out of the way with all of the carry-on's so that others who actually do need to retrieve a bag can get to it.  
16. The white area is for loading and unloading only.

Maybe I am wrong, but I really don't believe that any of this is rocket science.  Chances are your 2nd grader knows all of these rules.  Most of them are common courtesy or simple logic.  I know, I know....  Courtesy???  Logic???  As a tax paying American, you shouldn't have to think of anyone but yourself.  It's all about you, right?  If you want to stop right in the middle of a walkway, the rest of the world just needs to deal with it and go around.  Maybe... or maybe we'll just keep walking and run you over with our overweight carry-ons.

Knowing Your Limits

Well, I don't know where you are reading this from today.  But I will tell you that it is cold in Dallas.  Just in case you don't know me, let me just say that I am not a fan of cold weather.  If you read many of my posts, you will come to know that better than you know just about anything.  Over the years, it has become apparent to me that I was just born in the wrong place.  I was probably supposed to have been born on the Yucatan peninsula or maybe on some pretty little eastern Caribbean island.  Right now there is probably a bar on Antigua missing it's bartender because I never showed up to take the position that God intended me to have.  

As much as I love to be warm and as much as I love to travel, I must admit that I have never been to one of those all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean.  I don't know if they are for me.  But it would be nice to find out. I have been looking at them lately for a friend who has an anniversary coming up.  I must say that they are pretty intriguing.  Many have private hot tubs on your rooms balcony.  Others have alcohol dispensers in the room.  Some have both which sounds like a dangerous combination.

I think that the problem I would run into is that eventually, they would either make me pay more to continue to stay there or they would make me leave.  No one really wants to see me being taken away from some tropical paradise kicking and screaming.  It just kind of ruins the relaxation thing that the rest of the visitors have going.  And we all have to know our limits.  Maybe that's the biggest problem that any of us encounter when we find our paradise, knowing what the limits are and when we have reached them.  I saw this happen once on board a ship after a day in Costa Maya.

My travel buddy, Jenny and I had just come back from a day of zip lining in the jungle and went to the pool area to meet my parents who were also on board for a "drink of the day".  Many of the people apparently hadn't returned yet from their excursions so we were able to get a good table between the pool and the bar and there were only 20 or so people around which is very unusual when you consider that you normally have to turn sideways while the ship is at sea to walk past the table we were sitting at.  We were all talking about what we had done that day.  Of the 20 or so other people on deck, a group of 3 women had parked themselves at the bar.  They were all having a good time with the bartender and dancing between drinks.  I am fairly certain that they had been in this approximate location for the entire day.  While we had been "flying" through the jungle on a zip line there can be no doubt that these 3 women had been "flying" through a case of tequila.  As we sat and talked, I was facing the bar and my Mom and Dad's backs were to the bar.  Over my Dad's shoulder, I noticed that two of the women had gone to dance again and tried to talk the third one into going with them, but she had insisted on staying put.

As they walked away their friend apparently lost her grip on the bar.  She began sliding down the barstool, not gracefully collapsing next to it, but she went butt first and sort of got lodged between two barstools with her butt about 6 inches off the ground, her arms trying to hang on to the two barstools and her legs dangling in the air.  I stopped in mid sentence and said, "I think that person is falling".  I had time to say all of that because she was falling in slow motion.  Even after I said it, everyone else had time to turn and still see her in the process of falling.  At about this time, the bartender also noticed that she was having a problem "navigating" her barstool and he reacted, as well.

As we all continued to watch, her friends came over and tried to help her get back on her barstool.  She was like liquid and there was no way to prop her up on that stool.  The bartender apparently had called for help and soon some other people from the ship arrived to take her away.  She attempted to convince everyone that she was okay and could stay exactly where she was.  But eventually even her friends began to try to convince her that she was in no shape to remain on deck at the bar.  So, the ships personnel eventually brought a wheel chair out and started to take her away in it.  She did try to make one more break for it attempting to leave the wheel chair before they got off deck, but once your body has become liquid, you lose quite a lot of your speed, making escape very difficult if not impossible.

Finally they got her off deck.  I am sure that the next day, she probably required a wheel chair simply to haul her head around if she tried to move at all.  It couldn't have been pretty.  To this day, if you are around me and Jenny very much you will hear us refer to the incident.  One of us might order a glass of water when everyone else is getting another glass of wine and you could hear one of us say something like "if I drink more, they might have to bring a wheel chair out".  When the topic of wheelchairs come up, you know that one of us has reached a level that means we should start ordering water.  So, let this be a lesson to you.  Anytime you walked into a bar but require a wheel chair to leave the same bar, your limits may have been achieved.

I think one of the the things that helps to keep most people in check on board a ship is having to sign a receipt showing how much you have just spent each time a new drink arrives.  It's sort of sobering for most of us.  A drink dispenser in your room might actually have to run out of alcohol to have the same sobering effect and by then, it could be too late.

Let's Go to Vienna and Prague!

I told you a few days ago about the greatness of Globus, a tour company that takes the hassle out of travel. Today let's talk about one of the other companies under the Globus umbrella, Monograms.  Monograms also provides travel packages but with a lot more freedom for you to decide what you will do.

Instead of putting you in the hands of a tour guide or director at all times, you have a "Local Host" in each location who will welcome you to the city and give you any advice you might need along with suggestions for meals, excursions and help getting around town.  They will then take you on a 1/2 day or shorter sightseeing and orientation tour hitting the biggest landmarks and monuments with a group.  Once that is completed you will be left on your own until you reach your next destination.  You can call the Local Host if you need further help during your trip.  But otherwise, you won't see the Local Host again unless you need him or her.  

A sample trip with Monograms might go like this....  Let's say you want to go to Vienna and Prague and only have a week to spend there.  On Day 1 you would arrive in Vienna, Austria and be welcomed by your Local Host who would provide you with your Destination Guide, city information and answer any questions you might have right away.  On Day 2 you would have a morning guided tour which would include Schonbrunn Palace.  You would also see Prater Park with the giant Ferris wheel, monuments along the Ringstrasse, Heldenplatz with Hofburg Palace and the National Theater.  Once that tour is complete you would again be left on your own to continue exploring Vienna.  Day 3 would be a full day on your own in Vienna.

Finally, on Day 4 you would journey on the high speed train (first class) to Prague arriving in the middle of the afternoon.  On the morning of Day 5 you would have your guided tour visiting Hradcany Castle, walking the Castle Courtyards.  You would visit Staromestske Square, you would visit the Astronomical Clock and go to Charles Bridge, one of the oldest bridges in Europe.  Days 6 and 7 would be spent on your own in Prague with your flight leaving sometime during day 7.

In each city Monograms offers dozens of excursions at an additional charge or you can simply choose to tour on your own with your trusty Rick Steve's guide book.  A hot breakfast is included each day.  You are on your own for lunch and dinner but thanks to your Local Host, you will have many suggestions on places to go.  Your hotels include the Hilton Vienna Am Stadtpark and the Hilton Prague Old Town, both 4 star accommodations.  You can choose to stay additional nights at either location with the Monograms rate.  If you book your flights through Monograms, your ground transfers to and from the hotel will be covered.  Your high speed train pass is covered along with hotel transfers on that day.

This 7 day trip is available March through September and pricing starts out at $1,515 per person / double occupancy prior to adding the flight.  As with Globus, Monograms will work to get you the least expensive available flights and will rearrange them for you if anything changes with your trip so that once you decide to book your flights with Monograms, the worry is all theirs.

Obviously, the Globus trip that I told you about on Wednesday and this Monograms trip could both be done on your own and each could probably be done cheaper than through Globus and Monograms.  But when going through the Globus family of companies, worrying about train schedules and transfers becomes someone else's problem.  You are able to stay in a nice hotel at a lower price thanks to the negotiated rates that they are able to get.  Plus you have a contact in each city with Monograms while with Globus you are traveling with a tour director and a group of other tourists for added peace of mind.

As with Globus, Monograms has hundreds of tours to choose from so your possibilities are endless.  If you are interested in learning more about either of these companies, let me know.  I'm always here to help.

Are You a Globus Traveler?

I know there are people out there who do not like cruising and others who have never been on a cruise but have a feeling that they would not like it.  I am not going to pretend to understand that since I don't.  But I will tell you today about some amazing travel options that do not include sailing anywhere.

Ever heard of the Globus family of travel?  Globus is the original company in this group.  They specialize in tours.  They have been around for 85 years and with them you can travel Europe, Asia, Africa, the South Pacific and they have various tours in the USA in case you have an aversion to flying across an ocean.  If you want a land based vacation to just about any location you can imagine that requires no thought from you once you finish packing your bags, Globus might be for you.  Planning a vacation with Globus can be as simple as deciding on a location to visit and a date to leave and then allowing someone else to take over.  From there your vacation can be totally planned out for you down to tours, dinner times and cocktail hours.  You are personally guided through the entire experience and it is all included in the price of your vacation.

If that sounds like a little too much of the control has been taken away from you, you might opt for Cosmos which is also a part of the Globus family.  With Cosmos, your hotels, transportation, some meals and some or all tours are also included in the price of your package, but you have more options of spending time on your own.  You can opt out of tours or opt in.  It is your call.  As with Globus you still have the world class tour directors at your disposal, but it is your choice whether or not to use them.

If you like the idea of being more on your own but want to plan things out before you leave rather than winging it during your journey, you might be interested in Monograms.  It is more for the independent traveler who wants to be in control of their vacation while still having the benefit of a travel professional available during the trip.  With Monograms you can personalize every aspect of your trip and still get the great group rates that come with Globus travel.

Globus also owns Avalon Waterways which is a river cruising supplier and since we are steering away from water today, I won't mention them beyond just saying that if you are interested in a river cruise just about anywhere in the world, Avalon might be for you.  You can also combine your Globus, Cosmos or Monograms tour with an Avalon package for your trip of a lifetime.

Let's spend today talking about Globus specifically.  First of all, your Globus vacation can be planned either with or without air included.  If you need to fly to your location, Globus will coordinate flights that best suit your tour and since they are an independent travel company, they will work with all airlines to ensure that they find the least expensive flight options for you.  If any changes are made to your trip either by you or Globus, they then will rearrange flights to ensure that you don't miss a thing.  No effort from you is required in getting this done.

Some of the inclusions on a Globus tour are:  sightseeing, transportation including high speed trains, deluxe motorcoaches and transfers, many meals from wine tastings to traditional meals at local restaurants to help you experience all that your location has to offer, top hotels, tour directors and local guides.  On some days, almost every moment of the day is planned out, but on others, you have free time in which you may simply rest or you can plan other activities at an additional charge.  Also, some meals will be on your own.  Breakfast is almost always included in the price of the trip.  Lunch is almost always not included and dinner varies.  But you will know prior to leaving which days you will be fending for yourself as far as meals go so that you can make your own plans.

They offer over 400 locations in more than 70 countries.  So your only problem might be in deciding where to go.  For today's purposes, let's just say that you have 11 or 12 days available and you would like to see all that England and Ireland have to offer.  If that is the case, you might decide to do the Essential Britain and Ireland tour which is 10 days long but will require an additional day for travel to London making it 11 days total for travel to and from London.  This package is available for travel from March 19, 2013 through October 29, 2013.  March and April departures are the least expensive starting at $1,889 per person, double occupancy without air with the price going up to $2,189 for departures in the first two weeks of August since travel during this time also includes an Edinburgh Military Tattoo ticket for each traveler.

On this trip you will see Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath.  You'll have a welcome dinner at Newport.  A guided tour of Cardiff Castle is included as well as a crossing of St. Georges Channel by ferry.  In Waterford, you will enjoy a guided tour of the House of Waterford Crystal and an Irish Coffee because how can you go to Waterford without experiencing the coffee????  At Avoca you will have a guided tour of the handweaving mill.  At Glendalough there is a guided tour of the St. Kevin's center of Irish Christianity.  In Dublin, you will visit Trinity College.  From Belfast, you will take a ferry ride across the North Channel to Cairnryan and then you'll go on to Edinburgh where you will have a guided tour of Edinburgh Castle.  You will also visit Jedburgh, York, Stratford-Upon-Avon where you can see Anne Hathaway's cottage and Shakespeare's birthplace.

Hotel accommodations include stays in London at the Hilton London Metropole, Newport Hilton, Waterford Tower, Dublin Clarion IFSC, Edinburgh - The George and York at the Novotel.  Breakfast is included each day.  Three 3-course dinners are included with your choice of menus.  All motorcoach and ferry transportation is included.  By the way, all motorcoaches have free WiFi.

On your first day, you arrive in London and have the afternoon to yourself.  The optional Taste of London excursion is recommended which includes dinner followed by a guided illuminations cruise on the River Thames.  The second day of your trip sightseeing begins at 8 a.m. when you meet your tour director and leave for a day visiting Stonehenge, Salisbury, Bath and finally Newport, Wales where you will have a welcome dinner with your traveling companions at the Newport Hilton.  Day 3 is spent in Newport, Cardiff and ends in Waterford Ireland where you will be treated to dinner followed by Irish Coffee.  On day 4 after your guided tour of the House of Waterford, you travel around Ireland ending the day at Dublin where you can finish your day off with the optional Irish cabaret evening including dinner, dance, song and laughter.  Day 5 will be spent entirely in Dublin with tours in the morning followed by an afternoon at leisure.  You might choose to take in an optional dinner outing to the Guinness Storehouse.  I know I would!

On Day 6 you will leave Dublin and head on to Belfast, Northern Ireland.  Leaving Belfast you will take a ferry to Scotland's southwest coast followed by a drive through the country to Edinburgh.  You might choose to end this day with an optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers, bagpipers and the Ceremony of the Haggis.  Day 7 is spent entirely in Edinburgh with tours of New Town and Old Town as well as the Castle.  For the afternoon you are free to explore Edinburgh on your own.  If you are traveling during the first two weeks of August, at this time you will have tickets to the world-renowned Military Tattoo which is a spectacle of massed Scottish pipe bands that takes place in the arena on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.

On Day 8 you will leave Edinburgh heading to York, England.  On this day you will visit the house of Mary Queen of Scots, Northumberland National Park and a section of Hadrian's Wall.  You will have a dinner in York.  On Day 9 you will leave York traveling to Stratford-upon-Avon where you can take pictures of Anne Hathaway's house and visit Shakespeare's birthplace returning to London in the middle of the afternoon.  Day 10 following breakfast you are on your own in London as you prepare to travel home.

As you can see from this example, you are not left to your own devices too much during a Globus tour which for many would be a great relief if you are intimidated by being own your own in a foreign country.  You will spend most of your time with a large group of people who you can get to know quite well during your visit.  Additionally, you will be working with a tour director each day so that if questions or problems arise, you have a "go to" person.  Tomorrow we will talk about travel from Globus that is a little more independent.  If you have questions in the meantime about Globus, let me know.  I'm here to help.

You Might Need a Vacation

Maybe I'm the Jeff Foxworthy of travel.  But I believe I can determine whether or not you need a vacation simply by examining the forces around you.  For instance, you might need a vacation if your office cubicle is smaller than the space I am currently sitting in under my staircase.  So, how about we just figure this out....

You might need a vacation if......

• You and only you are responsible for every course in your Christmas dinner.
• You have more than 3 kids under the age of 10.
• Your mother-in-law lives within 5 miles of your home.
• Your mother lives within 10 miles of your home.
• Your adult daughter lives within 20 miles of your home.
• Your spouses job revolves around sales of any product that is not a necessity to life... like encyclopedias.
• Your ex has successfully filed a restraining order against you in the last year.
• The voices are telling you to commit any act of violence.
• Both (or all) of your exes are planning to be in town for Christmas.
• You set your coffee maker up 30 minutes ago and started cussing it 10 minutes ago because it still had not beeped indicating that the coffee was ready and you just walked in the kitchen to discover that you never turned it on.
• It has been necessary to re-boot your computer twice just to get this far in reading this list.
• You didn't wake up until 8:35 this morning and still that resulted in only 3 hours of sleep last night.
• You have recently discovered that your cat, dog, hamster or goldfish is indeed the boss of you.
• You really believe that 50 is the new 40 or that anything else you are is actually anything else you aren't.
• It is only December 3rd and you are certain you have been hearing someone or something that sounds suspiciously like a fat man and 8 tiny reindeer prance on your roof for the last 20 minutes.
• The only day of the month you are registered for 3 webinars and have a 5:00 meeting in Frisco also happens to be the only day of the month that the foundation guys could fit you into their schedule.
• You only woke up at 8:35 this morning because the cat was attempting to eat the index finger on your left hand.
• You moved over the weekend and decided to save money by not hiring a moving company and using Bubba's truck and now your box spring is in the middle of LBJ.
• ....Two sofa cushions are on Central Expressway.
• You have heard the following phrase from your mother or mother-in-law even once in the last 30 days....  "I was just trying to help."
• Your child discovered that the dog was dirty and the washing machine wasn't in use and you didn't figure out where the noise was coming from until the spin cycle.
• The band-aid on your left index finger is really hampering your typing but the bleeding won't stop from where the cat attempted to eat you for breakfast so you have to leave it on.
• The men in white coats carrying the straight jacket keep repeating that they can't come back on Wednesday when you are less busy.
• The Living Social handgun class specials are starting to sound like a wise investment.
• aljkndggjhioi=====================  The cat just laid on your keyboard indicating it is time to stop working on your blog.
• All of the above.

Get in touch with me.

Susan

Places You'll Go Travel

susmeyers@yahoo.com

469-828-0254

The Wonder of Disney

Yesterday I promised that I would tell you about the Disney Wonder which will start sailing out of Galveston next September, so here we go.  It will arrive in Galveston via a Panama Canal cruise that leaves from Los Angeles on September 14th.  Now, I don't know about any of you, but this is something I have always wanted to do.  I have gone through some minor locks in boats before.  But I have never spent a day sailing through locks on a ship.  I have to say, it seems like a pretty amazing experience.  I won't get all into the book I read a number of years ago that got me so interested in this.  But I will tell you that it is probably a top fiver on my bucket list.  (If you are interested in the book, let me know, it's a great read.)

So, the ship leaves Los Angeles at 4 p.m. on the 14th which is a Saturday.  If I were doing this and had not been to LA before, I would arrive on Thursday and spend a few days seeing the sites of the area.  A lot of people bad mouth LA, but there is really a lot to do there that everyone should do once in their lives.  I used to go there for work quite a lot so I wouldn't really feel a need to arrive before Saturday morning and go straight to the cruise ship terminal, but again, if you have never spent time there, you need a few days to see everything.  The first stop after one day at sea is Cabo San Lucas.  I've never been to Cabo and think that it would be really cool.  The following day you have a stop at Puerto Vallarta.  If you are a life long Texan like me, you probably haven't seen the west coast of Mexico too much.  So, I think these Mexican Riviera stops would be fun.

After that you have 4 days at sea for nothing but relaxation, reading, pool time, games, shows and just general chilling out.  Honestly, it will probably take you one of those days just to figure out where everything on board the ship is located.  Finally, on Sunday the 22nd, you will arrive at the Panama Canal bright and early in the morning and spend the entire day cruising through the canal.

In my mind, you need a cabin with a balcony for a cruise like this.  I mean, up on deck, people will be clamoring for a space on the rail when you get to the cool parts that everyone wants to see.  If you have your own balcony, you have your own 8 feet of rail that no one who is not in your cabin can push you away from.  On the other hand, it is liable to be a real party type atmosphere on deck and maybe you are into that.

The following day after coming out of the canal, the ship stops in Cartagena, Colombia.  I personally, cannot think of Cartagena without thinking of the drug cartels of the 70's, 80's and 90's.  According to websites, a strong military presence keeps the city a safe place.  Although in the Colombian countryside, the drug battles continue.  I think if I were to visit Cartagena on a cruise, I would take an excursion that stayed near the port area and on nearby beaches.  Pictures of the city look beautiful.  Trip Advisor lists 52 things to do in Cartagena.  So, I am sure that you could find plenty to do in a safe environment.  And who knows... Maybe you'll get to see a hot guy dressed like Don Johnson with the sleeves of his light colored suit pushed up walk by....  (Am I the only one who thinks of Miami Vice when I think of 1980's drug cartels?)

Leaving Cartagena, there are two more days at sea before arriving at Cozumel.  Again, you can't take a cruise either from or two Galveston without spending time in Cozumel.  But the water never stops being beautiful there and the people never stop being friendly.  Finally after one more day at sea you arrive in Galveston.  Once there, the Wonder will call Galveston home through the end of 2013.  I am currently trying to talk my parents into taking this cruise.  They have been looking for a Panama Canal cruise for a number of years.  The price couldn't be better.  A balcony room for this 14 night cruise starts at $5,179 for double occupancy.  Oceanview rooms are available for $4,479, double occupancy.  If you think you would like cruising through the canal on deck near the pool, inside cabins are a mere $3,611 for double occupancy.

Once the Wonder starts running regular itineraries out of Galveston the routes again will be a little different from those of other cruise lines sailing out of Galveston.  They will run a 7 night Bahamian route that will stop in Key West, Castaway Cay (Disney's private island in the Bahamas) and Nassau.  The 7 night Caribbean route which starts up in October will consist of stops in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.  Those two 7 night itineraries continue through November.  Then in December they add a couple of 4 and 6 night cruises back to the schedule while the kiddos are out of school.

Overall, Disney cruises seem to be very well priced when you consider that you will be getting the quality that comes with the Disney name.  I have not personally been on a Disney ship YET.  But when I put the photos of cabins on board Disney up against those of any other cruise line, most of the other cruise lines come up lacking.  The ships are beautiful.  If you are like me and the only thing keeping you from a Disney cruise is the possibility of it being a giant floating daycare center, I think taking a 7 night cruise out of Galveston during the school year when there are no holidays will help with that.  Additionally, the children's programs on board Disney seem to be some of the best at sea.  So, even if there are a lot of toddlers on board, you may not see much of them.  Finally, if all else fails, they have an adults only pool and a number of adults only dining and drinking venues.  And I don't know about anybody else, but my balcony is almost always adults only! :-)

So, what's your excuse?  Tell me which itinerary you are interested in and let's get this thing started.  Have a nice relaxing Sunday and call or email me if you want to look into a cruise....  I'll be manning the phones all day. :-)

The Magic of Disney!

Okay, we talked a few weeks ago about Disney Cruises out of Galveston.  But I don't think I did the subject justice as I delve further into the "Wonderful World of Disney" as it were.  So, you are going to have to read about it some more.

I am really intrigued by Disney.  As a single person with no kids I never thought I would want to sail on one of their ships.  I just never really felt like I wanted to spend my vacation on a floating amusement park.  But I think I am coming around on the idea of a Disney cruise.  Let me tell you why.  First of all, Disney ships sail out of Galveston almost exclusively during the school year which will limit the number of kids on board.  Second, as I have researched the ships, I have discovered that there are actually a number of adult only spots on board.  Third, the ships are very beautiful and luxurious.  Finally, they have some pretty cool itineraries.  Let's take a look at those itineraries.

First of all, Disney is one of the few cruise lines that will now have a ship in Galveston most of the year.  The Magic of Disney is there right now and running three different itineraries.  There are two different Western Caribbean itineraries.  The first is 7 nights and includes Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and Cozumel.  That is one of the typical itineraries that all cruise lines sail out of Galveston.  The other is a 6 night that just skips Costa Maya.  But the third itinerary is something that we don't normally see out of Galveston.  It is an 8 night cruise that takes you to Key West, then Costa Maya and Cozumel.  So the Key West stop kind of tricks things up a little.  It is kind of cool because you don't get into Key West until 12:30 in the afternoon and you stay until 11:30 p.m. which means you can do a little Duvall Crawl that evening.

In January, it really gets interesting if you are a big Disney freak.  They add another itinerary to the mix that I've never seen before.  You leave Galveston on a Friday for an 8 night cruise, first stop is Castaway Cay which is the Disney owned island off of Florida, then you head to Port Canaveral which is the port closest to Orlando.  You are there from 6:15 a.m. until 12:45 a.m. the next morning.  So, you have a full day there and time to hit a Disney park.  From there they take you to Key West which I suppose you could consider more of an "adult amusement park" although, they only give you about 4 hours in Key West and from there you head back to Galveston.  They only run that itinerary once in January.  Their other three trips out of Galveston in January are Western Caribbean trips.  Two of them being the 6 night trips and one being the 8 night itinerary.

In February, they run that 8 night trip again that allows you to go to Disney.  Additionally, they have added a 4 night cruise to the schedule which only stops in Cozumel.  If you have never cruised before and worry that you will feel cooped up on a ship, a 4 night cruise might be a way to find out if this is for you.  They also continue with two more 6 night Western Caribbean trips in February.

The Magic continues on with that sort of schedule until May.  Then on May 18th is the big repositioning transatlantic cruise.  If you ever wanted to do a transatlantic cruise, this could be the one for you.  Since it leaves from Galveston, you could drive to Galveston and with a little creative planning only have to book a flight back from Barcelona making the trip quite a bit cheaper.  Let's talk about the cruise itself.  It is a 14 night cruise leaving Galveston on Saturday.  Sunday and Monday are days at sea.  Tuesday you stop at Castaway Cay (Disney's private island).  You leave there at 3:30 in the afternoon and then you are at sea for the next 6 days making your crossing.  Finally, on your 11th day of the cruise, you stop at Funchal (Madeira), Portugal for your first taste of Europe.  After another day at sea you hit Gibraltar, UK and honestly, who hasn't wanted to visit the Rock of Gibraltar?  Finally on June 1st you disembark at Barcelona, Spain which I can tell you from personal experience is one of the coolest places you will ever visit.

The price on this 14 night cruise, for two adults starts at the ridiculously low price of $2,362.16.  That price includes your taxes and cruise fees.  That means other than your flight back home and parking in Galveston, this trip costs two adults a mere $169 a night.  I defy any of you to go on a vacation with all of your meals paid for and spend less than $169 a night.  Of course that price is an inside cabin and who wants to spend all of those nights at sea with an inside cabin?  Not me.  So, the price of a balcony for two adults is.... are you ready for this?  Can I get a drum roll, please????  A whopping $3,622.16 which is $258 a night.  Again, two adults eating 3 meals a day plus a fairly luxurious cabin and people waiting on you hand and foot and it is your transportation to Spain all for $258 a night.  You really can't beat the price.  Additionally, Disney provides terrific accommodations for guests with disabilities.

Sadly, June through August there will be no Disney ship in Galveston.  But in September, the Wonder of Disney will sail in on a repositioning cruise through the Panama Canal that I will tell you all about tomorrow.   This is the one I want to do.  But you will have to read tomorrow to find out exactly how wonderful it will be.  Have a great Saturday and try not to OD on football this weekend!

Memorable Vacations and First Snow

What's your most memorable vacation?  It's really hard to say for me.  They have all  been good and that makes it hard to narrow down.  That is partially because the worst moment of vacation is better than the best moment working.  That's just a fact.  I know they say that about fishing.  But if you think about it, fishing and vacation are sort of the same.  Both are times spent in quiet contemplation... except of course while you are catching a great big fish or zip lining through a jungle.

I used to love the family vacations we all took together.  The bulk of those memories occurred in the backseat of a Ford, be it Fairlane, LTD or Granada.  Most of them while driving through Colorado.  No matter where we went, I always remember the parts when we were driving through Colorado.  I guess it's just a memorable state.  I have a friend who amazingly enough is able to remember back to when she was two.  I can't do that.  I am challenged to remember things I did yesterday.  I don't remember much from when I was four that wasn't recorded on Dad's 8mm movie camera and played over and over again throughout my childhood forever embedding it in my memory.  If it wasn't for that 8mm camera I probably wouldn't have any memories of one of the best vacations of my life.

When I was four we lived in Alvin, Texas.  Robbie, Ronnie and I had never seen snow and I guess Mom and Dad decided to pack us all up in the Ford Fairlane for a November vacation to Colorado in search of snow. For those of you who weren't fortunate enough to experience the beauty of the 8mm movie camera, I'll explain.  There was no sound.  So your Dad would stand in front of you with the camera running and you would stand at attention as though you were being photographed by a still camera and then he would say, "Do something!"  Your first response was to wave at the camera and say "Hi!!!"  Then he would say, "They can't hear you...." and you would start making faces.  My parents have reels and reels of 8mm film and about 40% of it is me and my brothers waving and then jumping around and making faces.  Anytime my Dad was on the screen, it means my Mom was filming and you can read Dad's lips in the footage saying "There's no film in the camera" over and over again just to mess with Mom.

So anyway, on this memorable vacation in November of 1967, they packed us and our coats and the 8mm movie camera up and we went off in search of snow.  There are movies of snow on the side of the mountains as we drove along in the car.  I suppose Mom filmed that as Dad drove which is really funny to me since she never wants to watch home movies because she says they give her motion sickness.  Seriously?  Maybe if she hadn't filmed from a moving car, this wouldn't be a problem.  But anyway, we finally stopped at a roadside park and we were all excited to get out of the car and play in snow for the first time.  Apparently, Dad got out first and turned the camera on to film all of us getting out of the car.  Robbie, my older brother, who would have just been turning 7 at the time got out with his arms sort of stuck out in the air.  He was wearing a bomber jacket and one of that hats with the flaps that come down over your ears.  After a minute Mom walked over to him and took his jacket off, turned it right side up and put it back on him.  He had put it on upside down with the collar around his waist in his excitement at seeing snow.  The whole family always gets a big kick out of that part of the movie.

I have to say that my parents were very attractive in this home movie.  Mom was really skinny and wore pencil capris's and a really cute winter white "leather looking" car jacket.  I say "leather looking" because it was the 60's we were in a Ford Fairlane and there is no doubt in my mind that Mom would not have spent the money for a real leather jacket.  But I would love to have that jacket now if I could pull it off like she did.  She had platinum blond hair and was really cute.  The incident with Robbie's jacket was really the only thing of any interest that took place at that first stop.

Later in the movie, we stopped to play in snow.  Once again, we all piled out of the back of the Fairlane in the movie and then the "fun" commenced.  There was a snowball fight.  For those of you who really know me, I was even less coordinated at age 4 than I am now, if you can believe it.  In the movie I am wearing a really cute little houndstooth coat with black fur trim that buttoned up.  I have a black fur muffler that goes around my neck and you put your hands in to keep them warm.  I was precious... right up until my dad threw a snowball that hit me right smack in the face.  Then I was a crying, screaming, bundle of 4 year old anger the likes of which no one wants to get locked up in a car with.  In the home movie, I was red and crying with a wet face (the snowball had disintegrated on impact and the cold, wet remnants had slid down my face into my coat).  Perhaps this was the moment when I initially discovered that I HATE to be cold and vacations are best if taken in a tropical climate.  To make me stop crying, my parents told me to hit Dad with a snowball, but again, I had no coordination, so I couldn't throw a snowball and hit the broadside of a barn, much less my Dad.  So finally, he bent down and I sort of rubbed a snowball in his face and everything was better.

The next footage on the 8mm film is of Ronnie attempting to walk on ice.  I must tell you that there are few things better than taking a 3 year old who has barely mastered the art of walking on a flat surface in warm dry Alvin, Texas and sticking him on a sheet of ice and watching him walk.  The footage of Ronnie walking in Colorado could entertain you for hours.  But to his credit, he never gave up.  Each time his feet slipped out from under him and he wound up on his back he immediately got up and tried again.  At times, if the fall didn't make you laugh out loud, the effort he put into trying to get back up and falling again numerous times will.  All of these years later, it is still one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

Those highlights that were filmed on the movie camera are really about all I remember of the trip.  But they were great.  That trip, even though I was cold and probably whiny the entire time, is still one of my best vacation memories.  VHS cameras were not invented until much later and my Dad never got one until I was an adult so, we don't have talking home videos of us as kids.  All of ours are silent which probably makes the memories better.  After all, who wants to hear a screaming 4 year old whine about the melted snow sliding down her front?  Not me!

Top Ten Places to "Get Away From It All"

Getting away from it all.... that's the trick, right?  It's what we all strive to do on a regular basis.  Maybe the hardest part of getting away from it all isn't in the "getting away" part, but in figuring out what "it all" is.  For you "it all" might entail a tedious 60 hour a week job that becomes an 80 hour a week job if you count the hours of sleep that you lose over it each week.  To another person, it might mean the constant arguing with kids to get homework done, take baths and get in bed in a timely manner with somewhat clean teeth.  For yet other people perhaps "it all" is simply the constant motion and noise of a big city.

Regardless of what you are attempting to "get away" from, there is probably an ideal location in which you can escape.  For me, my ideal escape must have warm weather and salt water in the mix.  But maybe your get away is the slope of a snow covered mountain.  I haven't done a top ten list in a few weeks and I know that there has been a lot of clamoring for more of my top ten insight.  I know, you people starve for my knowledge.  So here are my thoughts....

10.)  Whistler, BC Canada - I don't care how warm and sunny the Caribbean is, just look at a few pictures on the Whistler tourism website and your troubles will begin to melt away.  Seriously, the picture below looks like one of those village scenes you display on your fireplace mantel at Christmas time.  How could you not want to be a part of that little Christmas village?  You can't!

9.)  Hawk's Cay Resort on Duck Key - Ummmm.... It's in the Keys.  Do you really need to hear more?  Okay then, how about this....  Not only do they have an exceptional conventional hotel and spa but the property also includes villas that you can rent by the week in which you have your own private pool just in case your "get away" does not include sharing chlorine with others.

8.)  Wild Dunes, South Carolina - I know what you are thinking... Who's taken over Susan's travel blog???!?!  But I'm still here.  Today's top ten list includes a little something for everyone.  Are you a golfer? Then perhaps you'll be interested in this top rated South Carolina golf course just 30 minutes from Charleston which incidentally is considered to be the the birthplace of golf in America.  There are only two words to describe this place - Beautiful and Peaceful!

7.)  San Juan Islands, Washington - On the day that I visited the San Juan Islands I had left my purse containing my credit cards, drivers license, money and lipstick in a Starbucks in Lynnwood and did not get it back until late that evening and STILL it was one of the most relaxing days of my life.  I'm just saying, this is a laid back part of the world.  In my mind, it would be the perfect place to rent a house for a week and forget that the rest of the world even exists.

Downtown Friday Harbor

6.)  Grand Wailea - Maui, Hawaii - Maui was voted "best island in the world" by Conde Naste readers for the 17th time this year.  The readers of the Maui News voted the Grand Wailea the best Resort, Restaurant and Resort Spa of 2012 which I guess means that the Grand Wailea is quite simply the BEST.  I haven't been there, but with all of those "bests" how can you possibly go wrong?

5.)  Santorini Island, Greece - Now, this is my idea of an island get away.  In fact, if I went there I'm not sure I would ever want to get back to here.  The Santorini 360 degree view on this site will show you everything you would need to know before booking your trip to paradise.

4.)  Blue Hole of Belize - Okay, you don't have to say it.  It is a hole in the water.  You can't stay there.  I understand that.  But there are a myriad of places on land near the Blue Hole where you can stay so that you can dive at the Blue Hole.  Just look at the picture below and tell me you don't want to experience this!  I dare you!

3.)  Overwater Bungalows in Bora Bora - Hey!  I didn't say these "get aways" were affordable, I said they were away and they are.  WAAAAAY away!!!!  How many times have you dreamed of going to a place like the one in the picture below?  Just imagine walking down those steps and into the crystal clear waters of the South Pacific.  You know you want it....

2.)  Christmas European River Cruise - What better way to get away from the hustle and bustle of a commercial American Christmas than by floating down the Danube in the luxury cabin of a riverboat as you stop in various cities to enjoy centuries old churches and villages?  I'm in!

1.)  Sugar Ridge - Jolly Harbour, Antigua - I have only two words for you.... All Inclusive.

I hope you have enjoyed my Top Ten Places to Get Away From It All.  I know I enjoyed looking them up on the internet.  Whether you agree with the order that I have placed them in or not, you must agree that any of them would be a welcome vacation.  Have a great Thursday!

Ahhhh... Grand Cayman!

Everything is set for my January cruise except that the wine package has not been purchased yet.  I think that will be done today though.  Then it is just a waiting game.  This is when the waiting gets tough.  When there is nothing left to do but think about how wonderful it will be the time really starts to drag.

Last night I dreamed that we had boarded the ship and gone to our cabin.  Our luggage had already been delivered to the cabin, so my travel buddy, Jenny unpacked and put all of her things away and slid her suitcase under her bed.  Then she left the room and I began to unpack and opened the closet door to discover that previous guests had left clothes, shoes and evening bags in the closet and there was no room for me to unpack.  But instead of calling the cabin steward to have it all removed, I started going through  and trying it all on looking for shoes that matched.  The worst part was that none of the shoes had their mates.  Just a single shoe from each pair was left behind except one cheap looking pair of size 9 shoes.  In the dream, I actually tried them on my size 6 feet just to be sure they wouldn't fit.

I'm not sure what all of this means except that the next 53 days will be VERY long.  When anticipating a vacation, I become consumed by it.  I can't help it.  I now have 53 days ahead of me in which I can spend each waking moment trying to decide how to spend my time in Grand Cayman.  You see, Jenny and I booked excursions for each stop except Grand Cayman.  We did this for several reasons but the outcome is that I now get to research and plan a full day in Grand Cayman.  I have been there a number of times.  On all but one visit there, I had excursions booked prior to leaving the ship.  The one time I was there with no excursion planned, I was traveling alone and had decided it was the place I would just wing it.  I am so glad that I did.  I enjoyed a wonderful lunch on a balcony overlooking the tender boat drop off.  The pictures below were taken from my table at lunch.

Okay, granted, the cranes do nothing for the view.  But this photo was taken 6 years ago, so they have probably been moved since.  Following lunch, I shopped.  I'll just tell you that lunch was the least expensive hour of the entire day.  I bought everything from rum to pendants and earrings.  Yes, you read that correctly, pendants... plural.  You see, I made the mistake of going to the shopping lecture during the day at sea before arriving in Grand Cayman in which the shopping guide talked about black coral which is only found in a limited number of places with the Cayman Islands being one of them.  She also talked about the shops where you could buy coin pendants.  Jewelry shopping is never a good idea if you don't have someone with you to talk you out of your purchases.  The coin that I purchased was minted in the 1400's in Genoa, Italy which is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.  I got a certificate of authenticity for it.  And yes, I drank the kool-aid.

I like Grand Cayman because it is one of those Caribbean islands where they drive on the wrong side of the road and English is the first language of the citizens.  It is also very pretty and there are a lot of neat things to do there.  On previous visits to Grand Cayman, I have gone to Hell, visited the Turtle Farm and been out to Sting Ray City.

 Hell is pictured to the left.  It is a small town outside of Georgetown that has a post office and a store and behind the post office and store, you see the rock formation in the photo.  The tour operator told us that they are not sure how the rock formation came to exist but the belief is that it was an old reef that came to be above water due to an earthquake or some other natural occurrence.  Whatever the case, it is a bed of grayish colored rock that you cannot touch.  You walk on a boardwalk above it and take your pictures.  The attraction is apparently in buying a post card and mailing it from the post office so that it is post marked from Hell.  I mailed one to myself.  Oh, the town was named Hell because when it was discovered by some Brit, he called it that because the rock is very jagged and cuts you if you touch it and he thought that this must be what Hell was like.

The Turtle Farm is one of my favorite things in Grand Cayman.  The photo to the right is my mom holding a yearling at the Turtle Farm.  They let you do that.  From what I understand, now you are also able to swim with the turtles in one of the tanks.  When we were there, this was not an option.  Some of the turtles are enormous.  I'm not sure why I like turtles so much, but I do and so I think this is a very cool place.  They also have iguanas and parrots at the turtle farm in case you want to see them up close.  Or you can walk through the tourist market in Georgetown and see parrots and iguanas at random stalls.

Sting Ray City is a really interesting experience.  When you read about the trips out there, it is described as "swimming with" or "snorkeling with" sting rays.  In my experience, the water at the sand bar is so shallow and there are so many people there that it is really more of a case of standing and wading in the water with sting rays.  Take a look at the picture below taken from our boat and you will see what I mean.

Sting Ray City is far enough from Grand Cayman that you can barely see land once you get out there.  Yet you are on a sand bar so the water is only about hip deep.  There are generally dozens of boats there which each brought dozens of people.  The sting rays come to the sound of the boats arriving because they know they will get fresh squid when a new boat arrives.  The rays do have barbs and they can sting, so you have top be careful to shuffle your feet through the sand rather than picking them up and stepping down.  Some of the ones we saw had a wingspan of 4 feet.  The one in the photo below was probably about 3 feet across.

There is also a rum cake factory you can visit in Grand Cayman and of course, the beaches are terrific.  Seven Mile Beach is one of the most popular beaches in the Caribbean.  I am not sure what we will do on this visit.  We have talked about renting a car and going to Rum Point Beach and maybe visiting the Turtle Farm too.  Jenny has never been there.  So it should be a lot of fun.  I'll let you know what we decide to do.

Oh!  I'll leave you with one more photo today.  This is the view as you come into Georgetown on your ships tender.  I love this view.  The building in the background with the sign that says Landmark is where I had lunch that day I was there alone.  I sat on the left corner of the second floor balcony.  I wish I was there right now.  Have a good day!