Let's talk today about spending a holiday at sea? I've done this a couple of times. It's a lot of fun. I once went on a Caribbean cruise on Freedom of the Seas out of Miami over Halloween. It was pretty cool to be on the ship on that day.
Halloween was a couple of days into the cruise and it was on a day at sea. So you had plenty of time to get ready and a lot of people were dressed in costumes all day long and having a great time goofing off on the ship. As you passed cabins along the halls, many of the doors had been decorated. Some people were even walking up and down the halls trick or treating although based on their demeanor I would guess that more alcohol than candy was distributed.
I took along a Pirate Wench costume and didn't don it until dinner time that evening. Some of the costumes on board were quite elaborate while others were obvious after thoughts. But everyone had fun. That night following the second dinner seating there was a costume judging contest. I didn't even come close to winning. If I remember correctly the winners were a huge group of people traveling together who came dressed as the zombie crew of the Loveboat. You haven't seen anything until you have seen Julie McCoy as a zombie.
Following the costume judging they had everyone dressed in costume walk down the Promenade in a parade while the guests who hadn't dressed in costume threw candy and beads at us. It was fun and I cleaned up in the candy department.
I was reading comments on Cruise Critic yesterday when they posed the question about dressing for Halloween on board ship. One man said that he had been on a Mediterranean cruise once and the day that they visited Rome was Halloween so everyone came to dinner that night wearing the sheets off of their beds as togas. He said it was totally impromptu but there were more people wearing togas than normal dining attire. I, on the other hand, put a lot of thought into my Pirate Wench costume. I thought it was totally appropriate for a shipboard costume and if you know me, you know that I'm a little obsessed with all things pirate anyway. But a toga would be a great costume for a ship leaving Rome on Halloween.
I also spent Thanksgiving on board a ship once. This was during the Mediterranean cruise that my travel buddy Jenny and I went on several years ago. On Thanksgiving day our stop was Palermo, Sicily. That night dinner was formal. Everyone at our dining table was American so I think we all ended up choosing turkey and dressing for our main course. But I remember thinking that the other dining options were pretty interesting as well. A good portion of the ships passengers were European and of course they weren't celebrating a holiday. But the ships crew did a great job of making the holiday as American as possible. I will tell you that Sicily doesn't seem to look any different on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year.
I have read that Disney Cruise ships do holidays better than any other afloat and I can believe that. Can you imagine what Halloween would be like on a Disney ship? I imagine it would be like Pirates of the Caribbean coming to life. I've read that Christmas on board is amazing! I think if I was going to do a Disney Cruise, I would definitely choose to go on Halloween if possible.
Once I was in the Caribbean just a few weeks before Christmas on a Princess cruise. You haven't lived until you have seen wreaths hanging on doors in Grand Cayman and decorated palm trees. I can't justify (for myself) ever going on a cruise over Christmas since the prices usually double that week. But I think it would be so much fun if you did.
Time for me to get back to work now. If you are of a mind to experience a Halloween Disney Cruise next year, I can hook you up. Have a safe and Happy Halloween!
Margaritaville
Margaritaville - Cozumel, Mexico
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Loyalty Pays... To An Extent...
What in the world is up with this weather? This humidity is killing me. But since the temperature is only in the low 70's, I'm having to turn my thermostat down to like 68 to try to keep it from raining inside my house. I think my windows are starting to frost up!!!! I bet the weather's nice in the Caribbean today. Let's check it out.
Okay, well.... If you are in the Dominican Republic today you are probably complaining about a little more than humidity and frost on the inside of your windows. You might be complaining about that tropical storm that is blowing your hut over. But I suppose, after it leaves, you'll have a great view of the beach.... cup half full, right? And if you were in the Dominican Republic today you would have the added advantage of not having to listen to Kathleen Sebelius sitting in front of Congress saying things like "I didn't do it..." rather than the Fox News shows that usually air while you work. I know, I could turn the TV off. But I really like having background noise while I work and the news is usually a good option since it doesn't generally distract me.
Today, let's talk about the advantages of cruise line loyalty. All cruise lines have loyalty programs. With some lines you have to enroll after your first cruise. On Princess, on your final day at sea of your first cruise, your cabin steward drops off your Princess loyalty information along with your membership pin. It's all automatic with them. I personally am a member of loyalty programs with Royal Caribbean, Princess and Celebrity. I've sailed on NCL and Carnival too, but was disappointed enough with each of those experiences that I didn't bother joining their loyalty clubs since I felt they would go unused anyway.
I know people who are absolutely loyal to one cruise line. I'm not sure that these people would go on a $5 cruise if it were offered by another line. On the other hand, there are a lot of people like me who want the advantages that a loyalty program offers but also want to experience what the other cruise lines have to offer. Royal Caribbean offers a Visa card that helps them get a great loyalty following. With it you can earn points for cruises or even on board spending credits during your cruise. In this program, you turn points in prior to your cruise departure in exchange for money that you can spend during your cruise. My parents do this each time they sail on RCI. If you use your RCI Visa card to book and pay for an RCI cruise, you get extra points. It's a great incentive to sail with Royal Caribbean.
But even with the RCI Visa, some people don't sail exclusively with Royal Caribbean. For instance, I just processed a final payment for a Princess cruise for clients last week using their Royal Caribbean Visa card. So, they're going to get Royal Caribbean points for sailing on Princess. Additionally, I would imagine that they will use their RCI Visa for the shipboard spending account. So, every penny they spend during this Princess cruise will get them closer to a free Royal Caribbean cruise. I LOVE that!
So you may be asking, if you don't have a Royal Caribbean Visa, are there any advantages to remaining loyal to one cruise line? The answer is yes, but the benefits are not nearly as big. For instance, I am a Platinum Crown and Anchor member on Royal Caribbean. Your level is based on the number of nights you have spent on board the cruise lines ships. With RCI the levels are as follows:
3 to 29 nights - Gold
30 to 54 nights - Platinum
55 - 79 nights - Emerald
80 - 174 nights - Diamond
175 to 699 nights - Diamond Plus
700 + nights Pinnacle
You'd be amazed at how many Diamond and Diamond Plus members you come across during any given cruise. If you get to pinnacle you have basically been on 100 cruises just with Royal Caribbean. That is crazy to me! How many cruises do these people take each year???? And more importantly, how do I get to be their travel agent????
On each cruise there are past cruiser functions. The higher you get into the program the more exclusive they become. Everybody from Gold through Pinnacle is invited to the Welcome Back Party on each cruise. At this event they'll pass a few free drinks around and then they will talk about how many members of each level are on board. They will single out Diamond Plus and Pinnacle members who are on board. The Captain usually attends and you can get a photo with him if you are inclined. If you like getting a photo with the Captain, it is easier to do so here than at the Captains party to which everyone on board is invited. Additionally, all Gold through Pinnacle members get an on board coupon booklet at the beginning of each cruise. The values in your booklet reflect your status. So a Diamond booklet is worth much more than a Gold one. You also get priority check in when boarding the ship. Again, the higher up you are on the food chain the faster you get on board. If you are Diamond Plus, I'm not sure that your feet hit the ground from the time you leave your ground transportation until you are in your upgraded room.
Once you get to Platinum, you get robes in your room for use while on board, you get a lapel pin and what they call a Top Tier Event. Basically, it's a Welcome Back Party for members who are Platinum and higher. The only thing that Emerald gets that Platinum doesn't is a free gift in their room and a free drink. This used to be available to Platinum members, but a few years ago, they changed the program up. (I guess the cheap picture frames and luggage tags they were giving away were cutting into the bottom line....) Before they changed the program, I got a picture frame, a luggage tag and a remarkably cheap tote bag on which the strap broke during my first use of it. So really when it gets right down to it, the only difference between Platinum and Emerald is a single free drink.
But Diamond is where it all starts to pay off. It's sort of like moving from steerage to a luxury suite. Once you get to 80 nights on board you get to use of the Diamond Lounge which is kind of what it's all about. This is a place where you can go and not deal with the riff raff that frequent the other areas of the ship. Only people who have spent a lot of time on Royal Caribbean are admitted. I mean these are strictly Thurston and Lovey Howell III types. (Not really, most of them are pretty nice people.) But it does give you a nice, quiet place to go before dinner that is out of the way and quiet since not many others are invited. You also get a Chef's Gift/Amenity. I have no idea what it might be. I mean, do they hand out RCI spatulas? I don't know. Maybe it's a Royal Caribbean Cookbook. I have a few of those and I don't mind telling you, they are pretty nice if you are into cookbooks. You also get a priority departure which gets you on the ship faster than Platinum members. There is an "Exclusive NIGHTLY Diamond Event". I can only assume that this means free drinks every night! Talk about some savings! You also get free specialty coffee at breakfast. I'm not a coffee snob so this holds no interest for me. As long as there is caffeine in the coffee it is good enough for me. On top of all this, you get an Entertainment Tour. I suppose this means a tour of a theater which might involve meeting an entertainer or two.
With Diamond Plus, you get a personalized gift, Concierge Lounge Access which is even more exclusive than Diamond. I don't know, maybe you would be the only person with access on some cruises. So, if you are into big crowds, this might not be a draw for you. Once you get to 340 points you qualify for seating with a ships officer at dinner. I'm not sure how I would feel about this. I mean, it would be neat to talk to the ships Captain or 1st Mate at dinner one night. But on the other hand, you really have to worry about dripping soup down the front of your dress a lot more than usual. It could be kind of humiliating. Priority seating for shows is included, plus upgraded bathroom amenities but only once you get up to 350 points. (That's 50 seven night cruises.) I guess until then you'll continue to use Suave with the rest of us or bring your own. Once you make it to 525 points.... that's 75 seven night cruises.... you get an extra gift. I hope it's not luggage tags. It's cheaper to bone up on your trivia and attend the daily trivia contests for luggage tags.
For the few people who make it to Pinnacle, there is a lapel pin and a Pinnacle Club Gold Card with exclusive privileges. I know, this is kind of vague but that's all the website tells me. I guess it's kind of good that there is not some exclusive Pinnacle Club on the top deck since you'd pretty much have to stand around in there alone watching all the peons (who have been on fewer than 100 seven night cruises... *losers!*) walk by looking in at you.
All of those things that I just told you about are the on board benefits. In addition to the on board benefits, there are exclusive Crown and Anchor cruises where only members are allowed on the ship, there are discounts sent out via email quarterly which are referred to as Savings Certificates, discounts on balcony and suite staterooms for Platinum and higher, reduced rate and sometimes even free upgrades. Once you get to 340 points, you can go on a cruise by yourself and only pay 150% of the price for a single person rather than 200%. Take my word for it, this is a big deal. Quite frankly, after 48.57 cruises, you are probably looking forward to 7 nights alone in a cabin. At 700 and again at 1050 points, you get a free seven night cruise in a balcony stateroom. I'll do the math for you.... after 100 seven night cruises and again at 150 seven night cruises, you get a free cruise in a balcony stateroom (Worth it? I don't know). Finally after 200 seven night cruises you get a free cruise in a Jr Suite stateroom and you get another free Jr Suite stateroom cruise every 350 points after that. (That's every 50 seven night cruises.) So do you suppose there is someone out there with 400 seven night cruises under there belt who is racking up on the free 7 night Jr Suite cruises? I kind of doubt it.
When I start thinking about this, I always wonder how many times a year you have to go on a cruise to reach some of these rewards. Let's think about it. If you don't start cruising until you are 30 and then you go on 2 seven night cruises a year from age 30 to age 50, that's only 40 seven night cruises. You'll still have 60 more cruises to go to get a free cruise! The most amazing part of all of this is that I have been on Royal Caribbean cruises with people who have been on 75 cruises! REALLY!!! I didn't personally know them. But I saw them at a Welcome Back function and then again sitting at the Captains table on a formal night. People who have been on 75 cruises dress really well in case you were wondering. They get a lot of recognition. All the crew members oooh and aw over them, as they should. But here's the thing.... and I'll leave you with this.... If I could afford to go on 200+ Royal Caribbean cruises at double occupancy in my lifetime, is that really the way I would want to spend every single vacation? I LOVE Royal Caribbean, but if I had that kind of money to blow on vacations, I think I would be wondering if there was more out there? Just sayin'....
I'm going to get busy. Have a terrific hump DAAAAAY.....
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
The 1970's Meyers Family Vacation Scenario
When I was a kid our vacations were nothing like the vacations that a lot of my friends kids go on these days. Now kids each have their own fancy suitcase and they go to places like Europe, St. Maartin, Puerto Vallarta and on Alaskan Cruises with their parents. If they do have to slum it in a car, they each get their own row of seats so that there is no touching. Back then we went to Colorado and on occasion we drove around Texas eventually crossing the Mexican boarder to shop for "curios". If you've ever been to Nuevo Larado more than once you have been there one time too many.
Back then vacations consisted of having your things packed in the "kids suitcase". I never got to pack my own stuff. Mom did if for me. I imagine this was to keep me from over packing since things were tight. Everything I was carrying had to be piled in a single suitcase that was shared between me and my brothers. Then on the morning that we were leaving or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say the "night" we were leaving since we always left before dawn.... on some occasions, way before dawn, we would all start hauling stuff out of the house and stacking it around the car. This was the first evidence of self defense that would creep up during our trip. There would be more evidence of self defense to come throughout the trip.
The packing of the car was always a little bit of an adventure. It was usually one of the only times Dad would lose his cool during the trip. But keep in mind that following each stop the car had to be re-packed. So, approximately once a day, we'd get to experience Dad losing his cool. Apparently, car packing is some sort of a science that requires absolute quiet and can only be done by one person. If you walked out to the car and put whatever Mom had given you to carry out actually inside the car in an empty spot, the response was like that of placing a live grenade next to a person in a sleeping bag. The item would be immediately thrown back away from the car. Dad would say "Why did you put that there?" I'd respond with some lame excuse like, "'Cuz it fit". Then I would be lectured about how I needed to set everything on the ground so that he could pack the entire car. Aye, aye, cap'n. (That last part was always said in my mind, smart alack comments like that would never have left my mouth in front of my Dad.) Back then I didn't get his need for absolute control when it came to packing the car. Now I do.
We always managed to fit enough clothes for 1 to 2 weeks of traveling for five people, a full size ice chest that we'll discuss shortly, a box or bag of groceries that didn't need to go into the ice chest, a sleeping bag or two, various pillows and other comforts of home into the trunk of whatever kind of Ford we were driving at the time. Probably, if not for the scientific method of packing the car, we would have driven around with pillows tied to the top.
The ice chest was always a big part of packing the car. We were, after all, a family of the 1970's and on a budget. The only way these vacations could happen was if we maintained that budget. That meant when you stopped for gas, kids didn't just go scrambling into the gas station for Cokes and snacks all willy nilly. We brought the snacks with us. Likewise, lunch was almost always spent at a roadside park or rest area along the way. It was a great way to break up the day especially with three kids in a single backseat arguing because someone had touched someone else. It gave us the opportunity to run around, explore and chase each other while Dad smoked a cigarette (back in the day, Dad still smoked) and Mom made sandwiches and set the chips and drinks out. We usually looked for a "Comfort Station" rest area. That meant that there was a bathroom on sight. But many times lunch would be spent at a place that might just have a picnic table or two. Several occasions, lunch was spent in a wide spot in the road with no tables at all. But we usually found a pretty spot where we could still run around and it was still nice.
The food supplies generally consisted of the makings for both Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, as well as, cold cuts and cheese. Mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese rounded out the sandwich making supplies. Then came the good stuff. There were usually a few pieces of fruit packed away, some Snickers bars that you had to fight Mom for, those little packs of crackers that were filled with either peanut butter or cheese, peanuts, chips and canned bean dip. Canned bean dip along with Fritos was a staple of my families traveling foods. We usually started out with a couple of six packs of Cokes and replenished those as we went along. Keep in mind, it was the '70's so these were generally bottled Cokes. I'm not sure why a Coke out of a bottle tastes so much better but it still does. I think they just get colder.
Now, when I say Cokes, you have to bear in mind that I am a Texan. Our "Cokes" usually consisted of a few Sprites, a Diet Rite Cola for Mom, a Big Red for Ronnie, a few Dr. Peppers for whoever wanted them and I always drank plain old Coke or one of the Sprites if we were out of Coke. Generally, in the morning, as we were getting ready to leave each stop just before dawn, part of Dad's car packing ritual seemed to involve a quick inventory of the food supplies and draining water out of the ice chest followed by refilling it from the motel's ice machine. Sometimes, if the Coke machine in the motel had what Dad deemed were decent prices, we would refill our Coke supply from there, as well. Then the real loading of the car would commence. We all stood around quietly while Dad did what needed to be done. Periodically, he would issue an order to Robbie, my oldest brother, who seemed to be his right hand in the car packing process. Robbie would follow through without comment. Then we would get underway.
As we drove, the activities ranged from playing games like I Spy to judging the distance to some landmark we were approaching. In this game, you guessed the distance that you felt the car was from a fixed spot and once all the distances were in, Dad would follow it on the odometer of the car. The person closest won and decided on the next object. Sometimes when it rained we raced raindrops on windows of the car. That was when you knew we had been in the car too long. A rousing game of what we called back then Beep Beep (now known as Slug Bug) was always good to pass the time.
We weren't usually allowed to carry games and toys in the car. My guess would be that they took up space and then we would just end up fighting over them. My Mrs. Beasley usually made the trip only because I would never have been able to sleep without her. Sometimes Ronnie's Chester the Chimp would come along for the same reason and Robbie would bring a book. Beyond that the backseat of our car was devoid of toys and entertainment. We entertained ourselves. There were no DVD players in the head rest, no Ipods for us to listen to or even watch. For Mom and Dad there was no satellite radio. When we lost a station, Mom would scan the channels by turning the nob on the AM radio until she found something else that sounded like it was in the distance and might "come in" eventually. If there were no other stations on the horizon, we would turn off the radio and sing. That's right, we sang. Nobody in my family could carry a tune in a bucket. But nevertheless, we sang and loudly. To this day when my car gets too quiet, I will break out into a rousing rendition of "Bullet in my shoulder, blood running down my vest. Twenty in the posse, they're never gonna let me reeeeeeeeest...." It was our big "go to" song. We sang a lot of Marty Robins. I suppose because they were good story songs but also just because Mom and Dad liked Marty Robins. We also sang a lot of Johnny Cash. You can never go wrong with Burnin' Ring of Fire.
All in all, I would say that our family vacations were some of the highlights of my childhood. Nothing brings a family together like suffering in the backseat of a Ford. I think part of what made it all so great was that there was only one backseat in our car and so we were forced to get along. I know kids today who have never had reason to yell, "MOM!!!! HE'S TOUCHING ME!!!!!" That's just wrong.
Back then vacations consisted of having your things packed in the "kids suitcase". I never got to pack my own stuff. Mom did if for me. I imagine this was to keep me from over packing since things were tight. Everything I was carrying had to be piled in a single suitcase that was shared between me and my brothers. Then on the morning that we were leaving or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say the "night" we were leaving since we always left before dawn.... on some occasions, way before dawn, we would all start hauling stuff out of the house and stacking it around the car. This was the first evidence of self defense that would creep up during our trip. There would be more evidence of self defense to come throughout the trip.
The packing of the car was always a little bit of an adventure. It was usually one of the only times Dad would lose his cool during the trip. But keep in mind that following each stop the car had to be re-packed. So, approximately once a day, we'd get to experience Dad losing his cool. Apparently, car packing is some sort of a science that requires absolute quiet and can only be done by one person. If you walked out to the car and put whatever Mom had given you to carry out actually inside the car in an empty spot, the response was like that of placing a live grenade next to a person in a sleeping bag. The item would be immediately thrown back away from the car. Dad would say "Why did you put that there?" I'd respond with some lame excuse like, "'Cuz it fit". Then I would be lectured about how I needed to set everything on the ground so that he could pack the entire car. Aye, aye, cap'n. (That last part was always said in my mind, smart alack comments like that would never have left my mouth in front of my Dad.) Back then I didn't get his need for absolute control when it came to packing the car. Now I do.
We always managed to fit enough clothes for 1 to 2 weeks of traveling for five people, a full size ice chest that we'll discuss shortly, a box or bag of groceries that didn't need to go into the ice chest, a sleeping bag or two, various pillows and other comforts of home into the trunk of whatever kind of Ford we were driving at the time. Probably, if not for the scientific method of packing the car, we would have driven around with pillows tied to the top.
The ice chest was always a big part of packing the car. We were, after all, a family of the 1970's and on a budget. The only way these vacations could happen was if we maintained that budget. That meant when you stopped for gas, kids didn't just go scrambling into the gas station for Cokes and snacks all willy nilly. We brought the snacks with us. Likewise, lunch was almost always spent at a roadside park or rest area along the way. It was a great way to break up the day especially with three kids in a single backseat arguing because someone had touched someone else. It gave us the opportunity to run around, explore and chase each other while Dad smoked a cigarette (back in the day, Dad still smoked) and Mom made sandwiches and set the chips and drinks out. We usually looked for a "Comfort Station" rest area. That meant that there was a bathroom on sight. But many times lunch would be spent at a place that might just have a picnic table or two. Several occasions, lunch was spent in a wide spot in the road with no tables at all. But we usually found a pretty spot where we could still run around and it was still nice.
The food supplies generally consisted of the makings for both Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, as well as, cold cuts and cheese. Mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese rounded out the sandwich making supplies. Then came the good stuff. There were usually a few pieces of fruit packed away, some Snickers bars that you had to fight Mom for, those little packs of crackers that were filled with either peanut butter or cheese, peanuts, chips and canned bean dip. Canned bean dip along with Fritos was a staple of my families traveling foods. We usually started out with a couple of six packs of Cokes and replenished those as we went along. Keep in mind, it was the '70's so these were generally bottled Cokes. I'm not sure why a Coke out of a bottle tastes so much better but it still does. I think they just get colder.
Now, when I say Cokes, you have to bear in mind that I am a Texan. Our "Cokes" usually consisted of a few Sprites, a Diet Rite Cola for Mom, a Big Red for Ronnie, a few Dr. Peppers for whoever wanted them and I always drank plain old Coke or one of the Sprites if we were out of Coke. Generally, in the morning, as we were getting ready to leave each stop just before dawn, part of Dad's car packing ritual seemed to involve a quick inventory of the food supplies and draining water out of the ice chest followed by refilling it from the motel's ice machine. Sometimes, if the Coke machine in the motel had what Dad deemed were decent prices, we would refill our Coke supply from there, as well. Then the real loading of the car would commence. We all stood around quietly while Dad did what needed to be done. Periodically, he would issue an order to Robbie, my oldest brother, who seemed to be his right hand in the car packing process. Robbie would follow through without comment. Then we would get underway.
As we drove, the activities ranged from playing games like I Spy to judging the distance to some landmark we were approaching. In this game, you guessed the distance that you felt the car was from a fixed spot and once all the distances were in, Dad would follow it on the odometer of the car. The person closest won and decided on the next object. Sometimes when it rained we raced raindrops on windows of the car. That was when you knew we had been in the car too long. A rousing game of what we called back then Beep Beep (now known as Slug Bug) was always good to pass the time.
We weren't usually allowed to carry games and toys in the car. My guess would be that they took up space and then we would just end up fighting over them. My Mrs. Beasley usually made the trip only because I would never have been able to sleep without her. Sometimes Ronnie's Chester the Chimp would come along for the same reason and Robbie would bring a book. Beyond that the backseat of our car was devoid of toys and entertainment. We entertained ourselves. There were no DVD players in the head rest, no Ipods for us to listen to or even watch. For Mom and Dad there was no satellite radio. When we lost a station, Mom would scan the channels by turning the nob on the AM radio until she found something else that sounded like it was in the distance and might "come in" eventually. If there were no other stations on the horizon, we would turn off the radio and sing. That's right, we sang. Nobody in my family could carry a tune in a bucket. But nevertheless, we sang and loudly. To this day when my car gets too quiet, I will break out into a rousing rendition of "Bullet in my shoulder, blood running down my vest. Twenty in the posse, they're never gonna let me reeeeeeeeest...." It was our big "go to" song. We sang a lot of Marty Robins. I suppose because they were good story songs but also just because Mom and Dad liked Marty Robins. We also sang a lot of Johnny Cash. You can never go wrong with Burnin' Ring of Fire.
All in all, I would say that our family vacations were some of the highlights of my childhood. Nothing brings a family together like suffering in the backseat of a Ford. I think part of what made it all so great was that there was only one backseat in our car and so we were forced to get along. I know kids today who have never had reason to yell, "MOM!!!! HE'S TOUCHING ME!!!!!" That's just wrong.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Hackers Are Evil and I Don't Like Them
Okay, who knew that one little hacker could turn a persons world so upside down????!?!? I mean, really? It's been more than a week and I'm literally still not functioning at all travel agent wise. Okay, sure.... I went to my nephews football game on Friday, I've had a group of friends over for soap making and I've even been able to process final payments for a couple of cruises. But can anyone email me? Ummm.... perhaps.... can I see it? That's a big NO!
I've actually emailed a couple of tests to myself on my new email address and received both of them. My dad emailed a test to me on Saturday. I got it this morning. In all honesty, I may have gotten it before this morning. But I didn't get it immediately on Saturday and then when I got home from Nacogdoches Saturday afternoon, I was too busy to check again because I had to get ready for soap making. Then Sunday, is when the depression set in. You see, before the Great Email Hacking of '13 began, I was working on a group trip to the Dominican Republic for a friend and a group of her friends and relatives, a Hawaii trip for another client, a cruise for yet another, a European trip for my sister-in-law, and several other things. Now, I have lost all of their email addresses along with any correspondence we had shared regarding each of these trips, I still hadn't gotten alternate contact information on some of these clients. So, how do you get back in touch with them????
I was optimistic this morning when I got into my new email and saw the test from my Dad. But then, I tried to make my new email, the primary one on my new Outlook account and it said, it would send me an email that I would need to work through to set it up and that was an hour ago. Still no email. I can't function like this. Email is my life blood. I'm not a phone person. I LIKE email. It is such a great way to communicate. Think about it. It's sort of instantaneous.... usually. You have a record of all that was said by each party. If you are busy, you can get back to it later. You can refer back to it for years if necessary. And it's usually pretty easy to get to, I mean, you can carry it around on your cell phone!!! Unless of course, you have been hacked. Then your cell phone just sort of sneers at you with a giant 24 in bold blue script next to your email app indicating that there are 24 unread emails in your account that, by the way, you can't see because you've been hacked! Stupid email....
One of the worst things is that my Yahoo account also controls my Fantasy Football so I couldn't get into it last week to make changes to my roster for week 8 of the NFL season. People, I had 4 people on my roster with week 8 byes. This is a catastrophe. Granted, I was in last place in my league even when I was still able to make changes to my roster.... (Thanks a LOT RGIII and Roddy White!) But I didn't need to have 4 starters on bye this week. Now you understand my deep depression yesterday.
So, my new email address is smeyers@placesuwillgo.com if you are inclined to send me an email so that I will have your email address or even if you just want to say hi or give me a hard time about my fantasy football team.... Or if I was working on something for you and you want to insure that I continue to work on it since my old email that I can no longer get into contained all of our correspondence, all of the details of what you were looking for and all of your contact information. If I was already working on something for you, maybe you could re-send me the initial emails in which we discussed your trip along with your last email since I probably didn't get it. That would be terrific.
If I used to work with you at The Former Employer Who Shall Not Be Named and you just want to stay in touch, you might send me an email too. If we are in a dinner club together, if we are related and you would like for me to send you details for Christmas at my house, I'm probably going to need your email address as well. If we watch reality TV together on a semi regular basis - I don't have your email address anymore. Basically, if you read this and you ever want to hear from me again other than through an occasional blog, send me an email. If you have booked at trip through me in the past or have one currently booked, I do have your email on record. Otherwise, I have no way of contacting you.
The sad reality is that I have like 6 email addresses stuck in my brain. All the rest were in my contact list in my old email that I can no longer access. The email addresses that I know belong to the following persons:
Mom and Dad
Jan Callihan
Doris and Don Bailey
Jenny Stankus (work only)
Me
Jon Lee - Don't ask... I have no idea why I remember his....
I hope your day goes better than mine. I'll be contacting all of my suppliers, if I can figure out how without their email addresses and giving them my new email address. Ugh!
I've actually emailed a couple of tests to myself on my new email address and received both of them. My dad emailed a test to me on Saturday. I got it this morning. In all honesty, I may have gotten it before this morning. But I didn't get it immediately on Saturday and then when I got home from Nacogdoches Saturday afternoon, I was too busy to check again because I had to get ready for soap making. Then Sunday, is when the depression set in. You see, before the Great Email Hacking of '13 began, I was working on a group trip to the Dominican Republic for a friend and a group of her friends and relatives, a Hawaii trip for another client, a cruise for yet another, a European trip for my sister-in-law, and several other things. Now, I have lost all of their email addresses along with any correspondence we had shared regarding each of these trips, I still hadn't gotten alternate contact information on some of these clients. So, how do you get back in touch with them????
I was optimistic this morning when I got into my new email and saw the test from my Dad. But then, I tried to make my new email, the primary one on my new Outlook account and it said, it would send me an email that I would need to work through to set it up and that was an hour ago. Still no email. I can't function like this. Email is my life blood. I'm not a phone person. I LIKE email. It is such a great way to communicate. Think about it. It's sort of instantaneous.... usually. You have a record of all that was said by each party. If you are busy, you can get back to it later. You can refer back to it for years if necessary. And it's usually pretty easy to get to, I mean, you can carry it around on your cell phone!!! Unless of course, you have been hacked. Then your cell phone just sort of sneers at you with a giant 24 in bold blue script next to your email app indicating that there are 24 unread emails in your account that, by the way, you can't see because you've been hacked! Stupid email....
One of the worst things is that my Yahoo account also controls my Fantasy Football so I couldn't get into it last week to make changes to my roster for week 8 of the NFL season. People, I had 4 people on my roster with week 8 byes. This is a catastrophe. Granted, I was in last place in my league even when I was still able to make changes to my roster.... (Thanks a LOT RGIII and Roddy White!) But I didn't need to have 4 starters on bye this week. Now you understand my deep depression yesterday.
So, my new email address is smeyers@placesuwillgo.com if you are inclined to send me an email so that I will have your email address or even if you just want to say hi or give me a hard time about my fantasy football team.... Or if I was working on something for you and you want to insure that I continue to work on it since my old email that I can no longer get into contained all of our correspondence, all of the details of what you were looking for and all of your contact information. If I was already working on something for you, maybe you could re-send me the initial emails in which we discussed your trip along with your last email since I probably didn't get it. That would be terrific.
If I used to work with you at The Former Employer Who Shall Not Be Named and you just want to stay in touch, you might send me an email too. If we are in a dinner club together, if we are related and you would like for me to send you details for Christmas at my house, I'm probably going to need your email address as well. If we watch reality TV together on a semi regular basis - I don't have your email address anymore. Basically, if you read this and you ever want to hear from me again other than through an occasional blog, send me an email. If you have booked at trip through me in the past or have one currently booked, I do have your email on record. Otherwise, I have no way of contacting you.
The sad reality is that I have like 6 email addresses stuck in my brain. All the rest were in my contact list in my old email that I can no longer access. The email addresses that I know belong to the following persons:
Mom and Dad
Jan Callihan
Doris and Don Bailey
Jenny Stankus (work only)
Me
Jon Lee - Don't ask... I have no idea why I remember his....
I hope your day goes better than mine. I'll be contacting all of my suppliers, if I can figure out how without their email addresses and giving them my new email address. Ugh!
Friday, October 18, 2013
Traveling to Run? Not Me!
What happens to a person in their younger years that shapes their lives to the point that as an adult, they get some time off from work and they immediately think.... Hey! I have a week off!!!! I could go to Hawaii and do the Ironman!!!! I mean, is this someone who was beaten as a child and now the only time they are truly happy is when they are in pain? Because competing in the Ironman Triathlon must be the most painful thing a person can do to themselves. Right?
Runners are a strange lot and triathletes are even more bizarre. I tried to join the runners in their world on a couple of occasions. I once got to a point where I was able to do a 5 K without stopping. I loved running at that point and lost lots of weight doing it. I was happier then with my physical appearance and ability than at any other time in my life. Then I fell down some stairs at work one day and twisted both of my ankles. You can't run with two twisted ankles. So I stopped running for a few months while they healed. When you totally stop for a few months, it takes a lot of effort to start again. So I didn't.... start again, that is....
On the other occasion that I decided to be a runner, I joined TNT and started training to run the White Rock Half. (This was several years after the ankle incident.) On that occasion, I wound up with a stress fracture, a bad ACL and about 6 months of rehab with a sports physician. It took nearly two years to get rid of all of that pain entirely. Now, mind you, all of that was just from attempting to run 13.1 miles. I didn't actually accomplish that goal. On the day that I pulled up lame, I ran 11 miles. That is the greatest distance I have ever run on one occasion. Imagine what would happen to me if I tried a triathlon or even if I tried to run a full marathon. I think it would be almost certain death for me.
The fact that I was so happy as a runner when I was doing 5 K's indicates to me that perhaps running does make you happy and isn't just a pain thing for a select group of freaks. But I guess you have to know your limits. Maybe I'm just a short distance type person and I should steer clear of any distances that get you into double digits. Here's my current rule about running. If you say, I want to run X,Y or Z and the person to whom you are talking looks at you with a blank expression and asks, "WHY?" Then you should probably not do it. That person with whom you are conversing might be thinking a little more clearly than you are right then. If they say something like "Ok, I'll do it with you...." be suspicious. They may be crazier than you.
I know people whose entire vacations are centered on getting to a race. I'm acquainted with people in TNT who spend all year training and fund raising so that they can go to some place like Seattle or San Diego for a weekend, run 26.2 miles and then come back home without really seeing much of anything in their chosen marathon city. Some people add a couple of days to the trip so that the can sight see. But I don't talk to many who do. I just don't get this. As much as I love traveling, I can't imagine working so hard to go to a place I've never been before and then just running through it, getting on a plane, and coming back home. Granted, even when I'm in good shape, I don't move that fast, so it's not like everything I ran past would be a blurr. But still, you don't have time to stop and absorb what you're seeing.
I've asked a couple of people why they don't stay and sight see. Usually, they say that they need a few days after the event for recovery and wouldn't be able to really do any sight seeing for several days anyway. Prior to running their event, they need to rest so that they can run the entire 26.2 miles. So, sight seeing isn't really an option. Which brings me to my question.... If you can't spend time seeing any of the sights after traveling all of that distance and it really is all about the race, then why not just stay in Dallas and run White Rock.... or whatever they are calling it now?
I have a few friends who can't wait to go to Florida every January and do the Goofy Challenge. This is where you run a half marathon on Saturday and follow it up with a full marathon on Sunday... because you know, a Half isn't enough punishment. The runs take place through Disney parks and Goofy and Mickey and the gang are there to cheer you on. Plus I guess you get to go to Disney World, although, I don't imagine that you can get on any of the attractions as you run through. And after all of that, who could possibly stay for a few extra days and walk all around the parks on Monday or Tuesday? I think it would be weird to run through four Disney parks on Saturday and Sunday and then show back up at Magic Kingdom on Monday in a wheel chair because you are too exhausted to walk through it with your kids.
So then I guess the spouse would have to take the kids to the parks on Monday while you lay around in the hotel and possibly get a spa treatment or two to help you recover from your two days of insanity. It really just doesn't sound appealing to me at all. If I'm going to Disney, you better believe that I'm not leaving without getting on Magic Mountain. Now, if there was an event where you could stop at different places along the way and do really cool stuff, maybe I'd be in. I think I could make myself run in an event where every 1/2 mile, you stop and ride a fun ride, or have some chips and dips or photograph neat sights.
What I have figured out over the years from talking to my running friends and reading their Facebook posts and those of people who post on their pages is that taking part in these events isn't necessarily about the location that you visit or even the fact that you did it in many cases. A lot of the time, the main reason for doing it seems to be to get the really cool tee shirts and medals that they pass out when it is over. They don't pass out medals for 5 K's so I would know nothing about getting the medals. But I really did like getting those tee shirts..... Maybe they're onto something.
Have a great weekend! I'm going to walk, not run, around the Tyler Rose Festival.
Runners are a strange lot and triathletes are even more bizarre. I tried to join the runners in their world on a couple of occasions. I once got to a point where I was able to do a 5 K without stopping. I loved running at that point and lost lots of weight doing it. I was happier then with my physical appearance and ability than at any other time in my life. Then I fell down some stairs at work one day and twisted both of my ankles. You can't run with two twisted ankles. So I stopped running for a few months while they healed. When you totally stop for a few months, it takes a lot of effort to start again. So I didn't.... start again, that is....
On the other occasion that I decided to be a runner, I joined TNT and started training to run the White Rock Half. (This was several years after the ankle incident.) On that occasion, I wound up with a stress fracture, a bad ACL and about 6 months of rehab with a sports physician. It took nearly two years to get rid of all of that pain entirely. Now, mind you, all of that was just from attempting to run 13.1 miles. I didn't actually accomplish that goal. On the day that I pulled up lame, I ran 11 miles. That is the greatest distance I have ever run on one occasion. Imagine what would happen to me if I tried a triathlon or even if I tried to run a full marathon. I think it would be almost certain death for me.
The fact that I was so happy as a runner when I was doing 5 K's indicates to me that perhaps running does make you happy and isn't just a pain thing for a select group of freaks. But I guess you have to know your limits. Maybe I'm just a short distance type person and I should steer clear of any distances that get you into double digits. Here's my current rule about running. If you say, I want to run X,Y or Z and the person to whom you are talking looks at you with a blank expression and asks, "WHY?" Then you should probably not do it. That person with whom you are conversing might be thinking a little more clearly than you are right then. If they say something like "Ok, I'll do it with you...." be suspicious. They may be crazier than you.
I know people whose entire vacations are centered on getting to a race. I'm acquainted with people in TNT who spend all year training and fund raising so that they can go to some place like Seattle or San Diego for a weekend, run 26.2 miles and then come back home without really seeing much of anything in their chosen marathon city. Some people add a couple of days to the trip so that the can sight see. But I don't talk to many who do. I just don't get this. As much as I love traveling, I can't imagine working so hard to go to a place I've never been before and then just running through it, getting on a plane, and coming back home. Granted, even when I'm in good shape, I don't move that fast, so it's not like everything I ran past would be a blurr. But still, you don't have time to stop and absorb what you're seeing.
I've asked a couple of people why they don't stay and sight see. Usually, they say that they need a few days after the event for recovery and wouldn't be able to really do any sight seeing for several days anyway. Prior to running their event, they need to rest so that they can run the entire 26.2 miles. So, sight seeing isn't really an option. Which brings me to my question.... If you can't spend time seeing any of the sights after traveling all of that distance and it really is all about the race, then why not just stay in Dallas and run White Rock.... or whatever they are calling it now?
I have a few friends who can't wait to go to Florida every January and do the Goofy Challenge. This is where you run a half marathon on Saturday and follow it up with a full marathon on Sunday... because you know, a Half isn't enough punishment. The runs take place through Disney parks and Goofy and Mickey and the gang are there to cheer you on. Plus I guess you get to go to Disney World, although, I don't imagine that you can get on any of the attractions as you run through. And after all of that, who could possibly stay for a few extra days and walk all around the parks on Monday or Tuesday? I think it would be weird to run through four Disney parks on Saturday and Sunday and then show back up at Magic Kingdom on Monday in a wheel chair because you are too exhausted to walk through it with your kids.
So then I guess the spouse would have to take the kids to the parks on Monday while you lay around in the hotel and possibly get a spa treatment or two to help you recover from your two days of insanity. It really just doesn't sound appealing to me at all. If I'm going to Disney, you better believe that I'm not leaving without getting on Magic Mountain. Now, if there was an event where you could stop at different places along the way and do really cool stuff, maybe I'd be in. I think I could make myself run in an event where every 1/2 mile, you stop and ride a fun ride, or have some chips and dips or photograph neat sights.
What I have figured out over the years from talking to my running friends and reading their Facebook posts and those of people who post on their pages is that taking part in these events isn't necessarily about the location that you visit or even the fact that you did it in many cases. A lot of the time, the main reason for doing it seems to be to get the really cool tee shirts and medals that they pass out when it is over. They don't pass out medals for 5 K's so I would know nothing about getting the medals. But I really did like getting those tee shirts..... Maybe they're onto something.
Have a great weekend! I'm going to walk, not run, around the Tyler Rose Festival.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
How About a Little Coffee?
I'm almost afraid to put this in writing for fear that things could be worse. But could a day possibly start out worse than mine did today? Now, I'm just going to go ahead and say this to keep the karma gods (or whoever is in charge of karma) happy, but by the time the day ends, I think it will actually turn out to be a great day. But it sure didn't start that way.
Let me just tell you about what has gone on around here so far today. First of all, ever since I got Mrs. Beasley (my adorable but mischievous little kitten) my days have begun with cats rolling around playing on my bed beginning around 5 a.m. When one of the two older cats gets tired of her "play attacking" them, hissing ensues and then someone will peal out across my forehead while trying to get away from the other two cats. That's generally when all hell breaks lose. Usually right after that, things start to settle down and I am able to go back to sleep again. However, since Sunday, I have been just giving up and getting out of bed between 5 and 6 a.m. each day. This morning I decided, I was going to put my foot down.
They woke me up as usual around 5 and I went back to sleep each time they woke me. Even when Mrs. Beasley ran across my face while being chased by Jingle, I still was able to go back to sleep once I determined that I wasn't bleeding very badly. Since my cats have become so adept at getting me out of bed at such early times, I have stopped setting my alarm recently. So imagine my surprise when I woke up, turned and looked at the clock to discover that it was 10:31!!!!!
I immediately ran downstairs, fed cats, put on the coffee and fired up the computer. I already knew that I had several pricing queries to run today on trips for multiple clients. But more had come in late yesterday that I had not yet seen. Additionally, I had an email from a friend this morning stating that she had given my number to another friend who would be contacting me regarding a trip. Now, all of this is good news. But since my day started 2 and a half hours later than normal, I was kind of panicked.
When my coffee was finally brewed, I went to the kitchen and poured myself a big oversized mug of the stuff bringing it back to my desk so that I could continue to answer emails and start those queries. I don't like for my coffee to be too hot. I generally pour my coffee and then let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes before I ever even attempt a sip. The only problem with this normally is that it leaves a very short drinking window for me. From the time that it is at my prime drinking temperature until it is cold is only about another 15 minutes. So then you have to drink fast.
Once I had my coffee sitting at my desk, I ran upstairs to get some house slippers since we got our first real cool snap of the year yesterday and it was in the 50's here this morning even when I got up! I had finally gotten all settled in and was ready to start sipping my coffee at it's perfect temperature when Shiner and Mrs. Beasley began a particularly rousing game of "You Chase Me, Then I'll Chase You". In her haste to get away from Shiner (because it was his turn to chase) Mrs. Beasley jumped up on my desk using it as a spring board to get to the 5th stair on my staircase, as is her custom and landed squarely in my oversized coffee cup that I hadn't yet taken a sip out of. In little bit of a hurry to get out of the cup, she flipped it over on my keyboard, label maker, in my files which are just below my desk and all over me. Fortunately, it wasn't hot coffee since, you know, I'm a light weight. But it was a really big cup and coffee covered everything.
God bless Mrs. Beasley this morning she heard more curse words than in all of her short time on earth up to this point and they were all directed at her. Shiner and Jingle both came to screeching halts on the floor to the right of my desk to watch coffee dripping from my hair and sloshing in my fuzzy house slippers as I rushed to the kitchen for paper towels. Mrs Beasley though, ran around for a minute in an attempt to get more coffee on more surfaces until she sat down and begin to clean herself. She still had a pretty good caffeine buzz going until just a few minutes ago from licking so much coffee off of her little body.
I dried out the keyboard, label maker, mouse, and threw away a couple of drenched post it pads all while chatting on the phone with my friends neighbor who, sure enough, called right in the middle of it all to arrange to meet with me tomorrow regarding her trip. I think I might have even managed to sound fairly normal while I talked to her on the phone as I wiped coffee off of my reading glasses so that I could see to take notes.
When I finally looked up again a few minutes ago, it was 3:15 p.m. and I still hadn't eaten a bite all day, I never got any coffee this morning, I mean other than what I wore. But I had a new client, another client who might be doing a group trip and my whole world smells like dried stale coffee. I guess it's not all bad.
Let me just tell you about what has gone on around here so far today. First of all, ever since I got Mrs. Beasley (my adorable but mischievous little kitten) my days have begun with cats rolling around playing on my bed beginning around 5 a.m. When one of the two older cats gets tired of her "play attacking" them, hissing ensues and then someone will peal out across my forehead while trying to get away from the other two cats. That's generally when all hell breaks lose. Usually right after that, things start to settle down and I am able to go back to sleep again. However, since Sunday, I have been just giving up and getting out of bed between 5 and 6 a.m. each day. This morning I decided, I was going to put my foot down.
They woke me up as usual around 5 and I went back to sleep each time they woke me. Even when Mrs. Beasley ran across my face while being chased by Jingle, I still was able to go back to sleep once I determined that I wasn't bleeding very badly. Since my cats have become so adept at getting me out of bed at such early times, I have stopped setting my alarm recently. So imagine my surprise when I woke up, turned and looked at the clock to discover that it was 10:31!!!!!
I immediately ran downstairs, fed cats, put on the coffee and fired up the computer. I already knew that I had several pricing queries to run today on trips for multiple clients. But more had come in late yesterday that I had not yet seen. Additionally, I had an email from a friend this morning stating that she had given my number to another friend who would be contacting me regarding a trip. Now, all of this is good news. But since my day started 2 and a half hours later than normal, I was kind of panicked.
When my coffee was finally brewed, I went to the kitchen and poured myself a big oversized mug of the stuff bringing it back to my desk so that I could continue to answer emails and start those queries. I don't like for my coffee to be too hot. I generally pour my coffee and then let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes before I ever even attempt a sip. The only problem with this normally is that it leaves a very short drinking window for me. From the time that it is at my prime drinking temperature until it is cold is only about another 15 minutes. So then you have to drink fast.
Once I had my coffee sitting at my desk, I ran upstairs to get some house slippers since we got our first real cool snap of the year yesterday and it was in the 50's here this morning even when I got up! I had finally gotten all settled in and was ready to start sipping my coffee at it's perfect temperature when Shiner and Mrs. Beasley began a particularly rousing game of "You Chase Me, Then I'll Chase You". In her haste to get away from Shiner (because it was his turn to chase) Mrs. Beasley jumped up on my desk using it as a spring board to get to the 5th stair on my staircase, as is her custom and landed squarely in my oversized coffee cup that I hadn't yet taken a sip out of. In little bit of a hurry to get out of the cup, she flipped it over on my keyboard, label maker, in my files which are just below my desk and all over me. Fortunately, it wasn't hot coffee since, you know, I'm a light weight. But it was a really big cup and coffee covered everything.
God bless Mrs. Beasley this morning she heard more curse words than in all of her short time on earth up to this point and they were all directed at her. Shiner and Jingle both came to screeching halts on the floor to the right of my desk to watch coffee dripping from my hair and sloshing in my fuzzy house slippers as I rushed to the kitchen for paper towels. Mrs Beasley though, ran around for a minute in an attempt to get more coffee on more surfaces until she sat down and begin to clean herself. She still had a pretty good caffeine buzz going until just a few minutes ago from licking so much coffee off of her little body.
I dried out the keyboard, label maker, mouse, and threw away a couple of drenched post it pads all while chatting on the phone with my friends neighbor who, sure enough, called right in the middle of it all to arrange to meet with me tomorrow regarding her trip. I think I might have even managed to sound fairly normal while I talked to her on the phone as I wiped coffee off of my reading glasses so that I could see to take notes.
When I finally looked up again a few minutes ago, it was 3:15 p.m. and I still hadn't eaten a bite all day, I never got any coffee this morning, I mean other than what I wore. But I had a new client, another client who might be doing a group trip and my whole world smells like dried stale coffee. I guess it's not all bad.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Pssst.... Wanna Great Deal on a Cruise?
I know that I have mentioned previously that Royal Caribbean will be keeping Navigator of the Seas in Galveston all year in 2014. It arrives in the port this November. Then in January, it goes to dry dock for several weeks coming back out in February. When it hits the water in February, it will do so with a brand new FloRider and Virtual Balconies. If you were at the cruise night last weekend, you already know this. Also, if you read this blog on a regular basis you probably already know this.
I haven't even mentioned the fabulous itinerary yet! You'll be sailing from Galveston on Sunday June 8th. You'll spend Monday at sea as you sail toward Cozumel, Mexico. You'll arrive in Cozumel on Tuesday where you will be docked and have all day to spend doing whatever you desire. There are dozens of excursions to choose from in Cozumel including America's Cup Sailing. If you haven't done this before, it is a must! When you return to the ship after a great day in Cozumel you will set sail for Georgetown, Grand Cayman where you arrive the next morning. Grand Cayman is a tendered port. There you won't want to miss Sting Ray City. Sting ray excursions are the most popular ones in Grand Cayman and everybody should do it once. Once you make it back to the ship on Wednesday night, you'll set sail for Falmouth, Jamaica which is the newest cruise ship port in Jamiaca. It's a really nice port and is located very close to Dunn's River Falls which is great fun! They also have just built a brand new Margaritaville there at the port so that you can walk to it from your ship. When you head back to your ship on Thursday night, you'll have two days of fun at sea to look forward to. That's when the greatness of the FloRider, Rock Climbing Wall, nearly constant entertainment, pools, casino, giant outdoor poolside movie screen, skating rink and so much more comes into play.
You're not going to find a better deal on a Caribbean cruise while school is out without flying or driving to Florida or chancing it on Carnival. Email me if you are interested in learning more! susmeyers@yahoo.com
What you may not know is that I have secured 8 cabins on Navigator for the June 8th sailing. School in Texas gets out June 6th. So, if you have kids, this is your chance to take a great cruise on a very kid friendly ship with all the latest updates and at the best price of the summer. Even better, it's not Carnival, so while your kids are having the time of their lives in the kids clubs, rock climbing, ice skating, swimming in one of 3 pools and surfing on board, you and the spouse will be able to relax in the luxury of a first class sailing experience. But don't wait to react. The prices will go up as the ship begins to sell out.
Here is a breakdown of the rooms I have:
I reserved two inside cabins at $689 per person based on double occupancy. In this cabin, 3rd and 4th persons are also $689 each. The other two inside cabins that I reserved are Virtual Balconies. In case you are just hearing about virtual balconies for the first time, let me explain. This is actually an inside cabin but it has a screen on the big wall in the room that covers most of the wall. When it is turned on, it displays a real time feed from a camera which is mounted on the ship of whatever you are passing in the water. It also has sound if you choose to turn that on. So, if you are inclined you can turn your virtual balcony on and it will seem as though you are sitting on a balcony. If you prefer not to have it on, you can simply turn it off. The virtual balconies on this sailing are $749 each for the first two people. The 3rd and 4th person in this cabin would be $689 each.
The balconies that I reserved are the two least expensive that they offer on this sailing. I have two that start at $1149 per person for guests 1 and 2. Guests 3 and 4 drop down to $899 per person. I have two other balconies that start at $1159 per person for guests 1 and 2 with guests 3 and 4 also dropping to $899.
The sooner you book, the better your deal will be. So, don't delay. The deposit is only $500 per cabin and final payment isn't due until March 25th. So, you'll have time to get past Christmas and get those bills paid before you have to deal with that pesky final payment.
I haven't even mentioned the fabulous itinerary yet! You'll be sailing from Galveston on Sunday June 8th. You'll spend Monday at sea as you sail toward Cozumel, Mexico. You'll arrive in Cozumel on Tuesday where you will be docked and have all day to spend doing whatever you desire. There are dozens of excursions to choose from in Cozumel including America's Cup Sailing. If you haven't done this before, it is a must! When you return to the ship after a great day in Cozumel you will set sail for Georgetown, Grand Cayman where you arrive the next morning. Grand Cayman is a tendered port. There you won't want to miss Sting Ray City. Sting ray excursions are the most popular ones in Grand Cayman and everybody should do it once. Once you make it back to the ship on Wednesday night, you'll set sail for Falmouth, Jamaica which is the newest cruise ship port in Jamiaca. It's a really nice port and is located very close to Dunn's River Falls which is great fun! They also have just built a brand new Margaritaville there at the port so that you can walk to it from your ship. When you head back to your ship on Thursday night, you'll have two days of fun at sea to look forward to. That's when the greatness of the FloRider, Rock Climbing Wall, nearly constant entertainment, pools, casino, giant outdoor poolside movie screen, skating rink and so much more comes into play. |
| Docked in Cozumel |
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| Tenders unloading in Grand Cayman |
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| Tenders coming in from the cruise ships anchored off shore at Grand Cayman |
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| One of my favorite Margaritavilles |
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| One of the stars of Sting Ray City |
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| Falmouth's new cruise ship terminal |
You're not going to find a better deal on a Caribbean cruise while school is out without flying or driving to Florida or chancing it on Carnival. Email me if you are interested in learning more! susmeyers@yahoo.com
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| Fun at Sea |
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| The grand finale at the Belly Flop Contest |
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Have you Hugged Your Travel Agent Lately?
I had decided that I was too busy to write a blog entry today. After all, I have a cruise night to finish preparing for and my parents are coming into town for the cruise night, so I really should vacuum this house if nothing else. But I feel that it would be selfish of me to deprive the 2 or 3 people who are likely to read this of my marvelous wit and insight. So, here I am.
I must tell you that preparing for a cruise night is VERY hard work. There's a menu to worry about, people to contact regarding cruise information and deals as well as gifts to try to obtain from the cruise lines. Then you have to order things with your own logo and contact information on it to give away so that 6 months from now when people are thinking about taking a vacation they just might call or email you before booking it themselves on line. It turns out that while the internet is my single greatest help in doing my job it is also my single worst enemy in getting business.
I can't tell you how many people who I feel like I am pretty good friends with, never even think of calling or emailing me when they are starting to plan a vacation. They've been doing it themselves on line for years and just don't think about calling me when they are ready to start working on a new trip. I also think that like me, for some people, part of the fun is in the planning. I've had the internet vs. travel agent conversation many times with many people in the last year. Usually, it starts at a networking event when someone asks, why should a person book their trip through a travel agent rather than doing it themselves?
I think my best answer is that I have more than 60 preferred suppliers at my fingertips many of which I have begun to build relationships with over the last year. This means, if you are looking for an all inclusive beach resort in the Caribbean, I have several suppliers who I have worked with for hours on end who I can work with on your behalf to get you the best possible experience at the best price available. If you are looking for a cruise, I have worked with business development managers and supervisors at virtually every cruise line in the industry and can assure you that your experience will be enhanced if booked through a travel agent.
Cruise lines and all inclusive resorts prefer clients who book through a travel agent because those clients are much more likely to travel more often. So they treat those travelers just a little better. Also, when one of my clients returns from a trip I send them a one page survey to get feedback on the place they stayed, air travel, transfers and anything else I booked for them so that I'll know whether or not to continue to book the same products for future clients. If another traveler gives me a bad review on a hotel, I'm not going to book you there. On the other hand, I have to book travelers regularly in places that I have never had anybody else stay. So I spend hours going through reviews on Trip Advisor for these hotels, venues, excursions, etc. to insure that I am recommending the best things I can. Admit it, when you are sitting at your computer at work, you really don't have time to read more than one or two reviews before making a decision. And when you get home at night the last thing you want to do is sit in front of another computer for hours reading hotel reviews. That's what I'm here for....
Twice in the last year President Obama has said in an interview or speech that travel agents don't exist anymore. Excuse me Mr. President.... I'm right here! Kanye West said following hurricane Katrina "George Bush doesn't care about black people." Well I am here to say that Barrack Obama doesn't care about travel agents. You can quote me on that. But that's okay, as long as you guys know I exist, I don't need for the President to recognize that I do.
In addition to the fact that I do actually exist, there's another thing about travel agents that you should keep in mind. As much as I like you, I still need to make a living. With that in mind, I'm only likely to check out hotels and resorts for you so many times watching you waltz off and book the trip on line yourself before I stop answering your emails, texts, phone calls, etc., in which you ask for advice on where you should stay, go to or steer away from. I don't make a penny unless you take a trip that I have booked. So as much as I enjoy talking about travel to you, (and I really do, make no mistake about it) I can only afford to give you so much free advice knowing that you already have Travelocity opened on your browser. As you book that trip on Travelocity just keep in mind that if it had been booked through a travel agent, you probably would have gotten an upgrade, a free gift in your hotel room or stateroom or at least a highly coveted luggage tag mailed to your home prior to your trip all while getting the same price that you got on Travelocity.
Finally, the best reason for using a travel agent as far as I'm concerned is that if you have a good travel agent, it gives you a lot less to worry about as you prepare for your trip in addition to while you are traveling. Heck if you asked me to, in a pinch, I'd probably drive you to the airport to catch your plane. Now that I have magnetic signs on my car, there's really no better place to advertise my business anyway. That stupid little gnome won't drive you to the airport! I doubt he even has a car. Have a great day and think about this.... When was the last time you hugged your travel agent, even virtually?
I must tell you that preparing for a cruise night is VERY hard work. There's a menu to worry about, people to contact regarding cruise information and deals as well as gifts to try to obtain from the cruise lines. Then you have to order things with your own logo and contact information on it to give away so that 6 months from now when people are thinking about taking a vacation they just might call or email you before booking it themselves on line. It turns out that while the internet is my single greatest help in doing my job it is also my single worst enemy in getting business.
I can't tell you how many people who I feel like I am pretty good friends with, never even think of calling or emailing me when they are starting to plan a vacation. They've been doing it themselves on line for years and just don't think about calling me when they are ready to start working on a new trip. I also think that like me, for some people, part of the fun is in the planning. I've had the internet vs. travel agent conversation many times with many people in the last year. Usually, it starts at a networking event when someone asks, why should a person book their trip through a travel agent rather than doing it themselves?
I think my best answer is that I have more than 60 preferred suppliers at my fingertips many of which I have begun to build relationships with over the last year. This means, if you are looking for an all inclusive beach resort in the Caribbean, I have several suppliers who I have worked with for hours on end who I can work with on your behalf to get you the best possible experience at the best price available. If you are looking for a cruise, I have worked with business development managers and supervisors at virtually every cruise line in the industry and can assure you that your experience will be enhanced if booked through a travel agent.
Cruise lines and all inclusive resorts prefer clients who book through a travel agent because those clients are much more likely to travel more often. So they treat those travelers just a little better. Also, when one of my clients returns from a trip I send them a one page survey to get feedback on the place they stayed, air travel, transfers and anything else I booked for them so that I'll know whether or not to continue to book the same products for future clients. If another traveler gives me a bad review on a hotel, I'm not going to book you there. On the other hand, I have to book travelers regularly in places that I have never had anybody else stay. So I spend hours going through reviews on Trip Advisor for these hotels, venues, excursions, etc. to insure that I am recommending the best things I can. Admit it, when you are sitting at your computer at work, you really don't have time to read more than one or two reviews before making a decision. And when you get home at night the last thing you want to do is sit in front of another computer for hours reading hotel reviews. That's what I'm here for....
Twice in the last year President Obama has said in an interview or speech that travel agents don't exist anymore. Excuse me Mr. President.... I'm right here! Kanye West said following hurricane Katrina "George Bush doesn't care about black people." Well I am here to say that Barrack Obama doesn't care about travel agents. You can quote me on that. But that's okay, as long as you guys know I exist, I don't need for the President to recognize that I do.
In addition to the fact that I do actually exist, there's another thing about travel agents that you should keep in mind. As much as I like you, I still need to make a living. With that in mind, I'm only likely to check out hotels and resorts for you so many times watching you waltz off and book the trip on line yourself before I stop answering your emails, texts, phone calls, etc., in which you ask for advice on where you should stay, go to or steer away from. I don't make a penny unless you take a trip that I have booked. So as much as I enjoy talking about travel to you, (and I really do, make no mistake about it) I can only afford to give you so much free advice knowing that you already have Travelocity opened on your browser. As you book that trip on Travelocity just keep in mind that if it had been booked through a travel agent, you probably would have gotten an upgrade, a free gift in your hotel room or stateroom or at least a highly coveted luggage tag mailed to your home prior to your trip all while getting the same price that you got on Travelocity.
Finally, the best reason for using a travel agent as far as I'm concerned is that if you have a good travel agent, it gives you a lot less to worry about as you prepare for your trip in addition to while you are traveling. Heck if you asked me to, in a pinch, I'd probably drive you to the airport to catch your plane. Now that I have magnetic signs on my car, there's really no better place to advertise my business anyway. That stupid little gnome won't drive you to the airport! I doubt he even has a car. Have a great day and think about this.... When was the last time you hugged your travel agent, even virtually?
Monday, October 7, 2013
Just Hop on a Plane and Take Off!
I just saw a story on the news about a little 9 year old boy who, by himself, slipped past two security check points at the airport in Minneapolis, boarded a Delta airplane with no ticket and nobody realized that he was by himself until after the airplane took off. He did all of this because he decided he wanted to go to Las Vegas. Now, I totally get wanting to go on vacation so badly that you will do almost anything in order to accomplish that goal. There can be no question that a vacation helps your mental state like nothing else can. I admire the kid for his initiative and single mindedness in accomplishing his goals.
I'm not really bothered by the airport security (or lack thereof) in this incident. It's sort of nice to know that if you look young and innocent enough you might not get strip searched by the TSA. I think it would be nice if the person at the gate only let people on the aircraft if they actually had a ticket. Perhaps this accounts for some of the over crowded flights that I have been on recently. Am I the only one whose ticket they examine as though it contains the formula for curing cancer? Seriously, when you have to stow one of your children in the overhead compartment, I think it's a sign that they shouldn't have been able to get on the flight.
Somebody on the news was saying that to her, the troubling aspect of this was that our society is so self absorbed that no one would take notice of a small vulnerable child who was all alone. Oh Wah! The kid decided he wanted to go to Vegas, so he hopped on a plane and went with no regard for anything else. This kid is so far from vulnerable it's insane. I'm thinking he doesn't have helicopter parents. NOBODY is hovering over him in case he needs something. This kid fixes his own cereal each morning. Meanwhile, I would imagine that the woman who was so concerned about him going unnoticed doesn't let her children go to the bathroom in their own home without constant adult supervision. I'm not condoning trying to sneak past airport security or anything. I'm just saying that if there were more kids who figured out what they wanted and then figured out a way to make it happen without sitting around and whining and waiting for someone to hand it to them, I wouldn't be so worried about the future of our country.
I know a few adults who could take a lesson from him. If you want to go on vacation, find a way to make it happen and go! You can't spend your life waiting around until the time is perfect for your dream vacation. You just might wait too long. Life it too short to worry about so many details. Now get out there and call your travel agent!
(Is it just me or is someone humming Glory Glory Hallelujah! in the background.....)
I'm not really bothered by the airport security (or lack thereof) in this incident. It's sort of nice to know that if you look young and innocent enough you might not get strip searched by the TSA. I think it would be nice if the person at the gate only let people on the aircraft if they actually had a ticket. Perhaps this accounts for some of the over crowded flights that I have been on recently. Am I the only one whose ticket they examine as though it contains the formula for curing cancer? Seriously, when you have to stow one of your children in the overhead compartment, I think it's a sign that they shouldn't have been able to get on the flight.
Somebody on the news was saying that to her, the troubling aspect of this was that our society is so self absorbed that no one would take notice of a small vulnerable child who was all alone. Oh Wah! The kid decided he wanted to go to Vegas, so he hopped on a plane and went with no regard for anything else. This kid is so far from vulnerable it's insane. I'm thinking he doesn't have helicopter parents. NOBODY is hovering over him in case he needs something. This kid fixes his own cereal each morning. Meanwhile, I would imagine that the woman who was so concerned about him going unnoticed doesn't let her children go to the bathroom in their own home without constant adult supervision. I'm not condoning trying to sneak past airport security or anything. I'm just saying that if there were more kids who figured out what they wanted and then figured out a way to make it happen without sitting around and whining and waiting for someone to hand it to them, I wouldn't be so worried about the future of our country.
I know a few adults who could take a lesson from him. If you want to go on vacation, find a way to make it happen and go! You can't spend your life waiting around until the time is perfect for your dream vacation. You just might wait too long. Life it too short to worry about so many details. Now get out there and call your travel agent!
(Is it just me or is someone humming Glory Glory Hallelujah! in the background.....)
Friday, October 4, 2013
It's the Summer of Wow!
Ain't technology grand? All week I have been watching live webinars on my computer that are being presented by Royal Caribbean. RCCL is in the process of changing it's booking system that travel agents use and this is training for the changes. They are apparently making it all more user friendly. One of the things that struck me as I was sitting through the Group Reservation training yesterday was that if I had known for the last year what their old system did, it would have been much more user friendly already.
The changes take place on Oct. 28th. So, I still have to use the old system for the next 24 days. Now that I understand how it works, I'm okay with it. As the guy was whizzing through the new processes, he would say things like, "this is what you do right now...." and I was thinking, Hmmmm.... this is really cool. I didn't know I could do this now.... Until yesterday I thought I had to call and speak to a human to create a group reservation. So, yesterday, I did a group reservation of my own using their current website! It was amazing! Going forward it will get even better, because the new system is designed to always find the best available price based on the qualifiers that I enter for my passengers without me having to do so much work. But until then the current system is much better than I ever thought it was.
When I did my initial Royal Caribbean training last year, it was mostly about the ships, amenities and itineraries. There were a couple of different group reservation things. But there were no training pieces I remember that walked you through actually creating a group. A little bit of good old fashion, click this button and see what happens training would have been beneficial. In the last year I have managed to figure out most of what I needed to know about creating individual reservations on my own. But it took some time. And again, I apparently missed a LOT!
So anyway, now I have a group reservation. I think it is a terrific group reservation. The cruise is scheduled for June 8th out of Galveston on Navigator of the Seas. Texas schools get out on June 6th. (You see where I'm going with this?) In case you have missed my near constant announcements for the last several months, Navigator will be in Galveston year round this year!!!! That is huge. Since Rhapsody left in 2007, Texas hasn't had a year round ship that wasn't Carnival. And as you may have gathered, based on past posts, Carnival isn't really my cup of tea at this time. But that's not to say that my opinion won't change if I get on that free cruise in February and everything turns out to be good.
Anyway, back to the group reservation.... A group reservation is where I can reserve 8 rooms and lock a base price in. This June 8th cruise to Cozumel, Jamaica and Grand Cayman is the cheapest one of the summer out of Galveston on RCCL. I have reserved 4 balconies and 4 inside cabins. The least expensive insides start at $689 per person double occupancy. I got 2 of those. They are just basic inside cabins, nothing special. Then I also got 2 of the inside virtual balconies. These are pretty amazing. They go for $749 per person double occupancy. The virtual balcony is a screen on the wall of the room that is about the same size as the balcony door on an actual balcony room. If you turn the screen on, you can see real time via a couple of fixed cameras mounted on the ship what is going on outside. If you are docked, you'll see a view of where you are docked. If you turn the volume on, you can even hear the sounds from outside. It will be as though you are actually looking out through a balcony door. If you are at sea, you will see the water as you sail through it and the occasional ship in the distance. You can turn the screen off as you please or leave it on throughout your journey.
The virtual balconies are part of the revitalization that Navigator is going through in January. Navigator will be Royal Caribbean's first ship at sea with virtual balconies. When Quantum of the Seas sets sail on it's inaugural voyage in November of 2014, it will be the second of the fleet to have virtual balconies. During that revitalization, Navigator will also get a FloRider and some of the things that makes Central Park on the Oasis class ships so wonderful. I personally have never been on a FloRider but I have spent hours watching other braver people than me attempt to stand up on a surfboard on one. It is some of the best entertainment at sea.
The other four rooms I have reserved are actual balcony cabins. (The kind you can fall off of if you climb up on the railing, please keep all body parts inside the railing....) They start at $1119 per person double occupancy for the two deluxe balconies that I reserved and $1139 per person double occupancy for the two superior balconies that I have reserved. So as you can see, the prices for this summer cruise are not extremely high. As the summer goes on the prices become higher and higher and the chances of running into a storm that could make a mess of your vacation increase as well. So if you want to get the best possible price of the summer on a really fun ship let me know and I can hook you up with one of these rooms. But don't wait too long to react. I expect to be sold out of these rooms in a few weeks. By the way, if you are over 55, active or retired military, a cop or firefighter, I might be able to get you an even better price.
Have a terrific weekend! I'm hopping to go downtown tonight to watch fireworks to celebrate the re-opening of the Reunion Tower observation deck.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
The Lowdown on HOHO's
I don't have much time for blogging today. I have a Royal Caribbean webinar scheduled to begin in less than an hour. So, this is going to be short and sweet. Today I wanted to take just a few minutes to talk about the greatness of the Hop On Hop Off buses and tours or HOHO's. Most big tourist areas have them. We don't have them here in Dallas because tourists would get mad when they realized that the only stop was the 6th Floor Museum. It would be sort of pointless. But in cities where there are numerous tourist attractions, it's probably the absolute best investment of your travel dollar.
I've been on several different HOHO's throughout he years. The best that I personally have ever used was the one in Barcelona. I think we paid around $60 euro for 2 days. It was so great and there was so much to see we wound up buying a third day on it after our cruise to see what we didn't have time for before we boarded the ship. In all, we spent 5 days in Barcelona. Three of them were spent on HOHO's, one was spent on a day trip to Montserrat and the other was the day that we arrived and we just walked around to get our bearings that day.
If you have time I always recommend that you get your HOHO tickets for the first few days in a new city. It forces you to look at a map and see what is in each area. When you get off the bus in each of those areas, it gives you an idea of what all is around and whether or not you need to go back there to finish seeing everything or whether there is more to see at all. I generally like to do one entire loop first. This is hard to do because it is so difficult to pass by a place you know is an absolute must see even keeping in mind that when you loop around again, you'll stop. But if you have a lot of will power and can force yourself to stay on the HOHO for one entire loop, it will help you to prioritize the stops so that you'll hear all about each of them and can then decide where you need to go first and how much time you might need to spend there. I like it because it helps me to schedule the balance of the time on the HOHO. The HOHO loops in Barcelona were so long that this would have been practically impossible. That was also my first HOHO ever so I had no clue what to expect.
Some HOHO's have live commentary from the driver or a guide while others like the one in Barcelona are recorded. I liked theirs because each person was given earbuds before they boarded the bus and you plugged into a system at each seat and could change channels to your language. I think they had 7 languages but I'm not certain since I only ever used English. It was great since with a recording the guide never forgot and left something out or got too long winded on a certain topic and failed to mention hat we were passing a significant landmark.
In New York, I have been on a HOHO that had tour guides who sat on top with a microphone and seemed to like audience participation. I don't like it when the guide tries to entertain you nearly as much as I like it when they know their topic and stick to it. If I want entertainment in NYC, I'll buy a Broadway ticket, thanks. I'd like for my tour guide to stick with informing me. In Boston, we rode the HOHO Trolleys. I will say that although the driver was the guide and at times you would get a guide who wanted to entertain, they all knew their topics very well and never missed a beat. I think of all the HOHO's I've been on with live guides, these were by far the best. The only problem I found with Boston's HOHO is that it stops so early in the evening. They take on their last passengers of the day at 5:00 PM and from then on, they just drop people off.
In San Francisco, there are multiple loops on the HOHO. We had two day passes and still never made it to the 3rd loop. There were just too many things to see and do. There I think we did the best job of using our HOHO passes as a mode of transportation as much as a touring venue. You see if you play your cards right and really plan things out, you can ride your HOHO across town, get off near something that you are wanting to go to (like a baseball game) and not have to use a taxi or city bus.
My travel buddy Jenny, once went to Washington DC with another of her friends and had a terrible experience with the HOHO that they used there. She said that the buses were infrequent and when they finally showed up there was no room. Since they were so infrequent, no one would get off at any of the stops which meant that no one else could get on. They were traveling with 3 children, so waiting 45 minutes to an hour for a bus to take you to the next tourist attraction was not a good thing at all. Even with no children with you, vacations are too short to spend that long waiting on transportation. After her return she wrote letters to the company but didn't really get much response, other than the regular "we're sorry you feel that way". The company in question was Big Bus Tours. They have franchises in a number of cities worldwide. Knowing how horrible Jenny's experience in DC was and the lack of response that she got, I would recommend that you steer clear of that company wherever you go. Otherwise, I've had consistently good experiences with all that I have ever been on.
While we were on our Mediterranean cruise in 2009, we sat with a couple at dinner every night who were the king and queen of HOHO's. In every city we went to, they just got off the ship and found the first HOHO they could and booked a day or even 1/2 a day on it. They loved it and said it was the only way to see Europe. It enabled them to see as much as possible in the least amount of time. When you are traveling by cruise ship, that is the name of the game. You only have 6 to 8 hours in each city. You have to make the most of it.
One final note, whenever you go to a city and are told that you don't need the silly HOHO because their city bus system is so amazing it's a much better deal, DON'T FALL FOR IT! City buses are designed to move commuters from one location to another usually to and from residential and business areas. They don't exist to get tourists who do not know the city to a tourist attraction. If you need to use a city bus to get somewhere while on vacation, that is fine. But don't depend on it to get you to each tourist attraction. I can tell you from experience that you will be seriously disappointed.
Have a great Thursday! I've got to go learn about booking GROUPS on Royal Caribbean.
I've been on several different HOHO's throughout he years. The best that I personally have ever used was the one in Barcelona. I think we paid around $60 euro for 2 days. It was so great and there was so much to see we wound up buying a third day on it after our cruise to see what we didn't have time for before we boarded the ship. In all, we spent 5 days in Barcelona. Three of them were spent on HOHO's, one was spent on a day trip to Montserrat and the other was the day that we arrived and we just walked around to get our bearings that day.
If you have time I always recommend that you get your HOHO tickets for the first few days in a new city. It forces you to look at a map and see what is in each area. When you get off the bus in each of those areas, it gives you an idea of what all is around and whether or not you need to go back there to finish seeing everything or whether there is more to see at all. I generally like to do one entire loop first. This is hard to do because it is so difficult to pass by a place you know is an absolute must see even keeping in mind that when you loop around again, you'll stop. But if you have a lot of will power and can force yourself to stay on the HOHO for one entire loop, it will help you to prioritize the stops so that you'll hear all about each of them and can then decide where you need to go first and how much time you might need to spend there. I like it because it helps me to schedule the balance of the time on the HOHO. The HOHO loops in Barcelona were so long that this would have been practically impossible. That was also my first HOHO ever so I had no clue what to expect.
Some HOHO's have live commentary from the driver or a guide while others like the one in Barcelona are recorded. I liked theirs because each person was given earbuds before they boarded the bus and you plugged into a system at each seat and could change channels to your language. I think they had 7 languages but I'm not certain since I only ever used English. It was great since with a recording the guide never forgot and left something out or got too long winded on a certain topic and failed to mention hat we were passing a significant landmark.
In New York, I have been on a HOHO that had tour guides who sat on top with a microphone and seemed to like audience participation. I don't like it when the guide tries to entertain you nearly as much as I like it when they know their topic and stick to it. If I want entertainment in NYC, I'll buy a Broadway ticket, thanks. I'd like for my tour guide to stick with informing me. In Boston, we rode the HOHO Trolleys. I will say that although the driver was the guide and at times you would get a guide who wanted to entertain, they all knew their topics very well and never missed a beat. I think of all the HOHO's I've been on with live guides, these were by far the best. The only problem I found with Boston's HOHO is that it stops so early in the evening. They take on their last passengers of the day at 5:00 PM and from then on, they just drop people off.
In San Francisco, there are multiple loops on the HOHO. We had two day passes and still never made it to the 3rd loop. There were just too many things to see and do. There I think we did the best job of using our HOHO passes as a mode of transportation as much as a touring venue. You see if you play your cards right and really plan things out, you can ride your HOHO across town, get off near something that you are wanting to go to (like a baseball game) and not have to use a taxi or city bus.
My travel buddy Jenny, once went to Washington DC with another of her friends and had a terrible experience with the HOHO that they used there. She said that the buses were infrequent and when they finally showed up there was no room. Since they were so infrequent, no one would get off at any of the stops which meant that no one else could get on. They were traveling with 3 children, so waiting 45 minutes to an hour for a bus to take you to the next tourist attraction was not a good thing at all. Even with no children with you, vacations are too short to spend that long waiting on transportation. After her return she wrote letters to the company but didn't really get much response, other than the regular "we're sorry you feel that way". The company in question was Big Bus Tours. They have franchises in a number of cities worldwide. Knowing how horrible Jenny's experience in DC was and the lack of response that she got, I would recommend that you steer clear of that company wherever you go. Otherwise, I've had consistently good experiences with all that I have ever been on.
While we were on our Mediterranean cruise in 2009, we sat with a couple at dinner every night who were the king and queen of HOHO's. In every city we went to, they just got off the ship and found the first HOHO they could and booked a day or even 1/2 a day on it. They loved it and said it was the only way to see Europe. It enabled them to see as much as possible in the least amount of time. When you are traveling by cruise ship, that is the name of the game. You only have 6 to 8 hours in each city. You have to make the most of it.
One final note, whenever you go to a city and are told that you don't need the silly HOHO because their city bus system is so amazing it's a much better deal, DON'T FALL FOR IT! City buses are designed to move commuters from one location to another usually to and from residential and business areas. They don't exist to get tourists who do not know the city to a tourist attraction. If you need to use a city bus to get somewhere while on vacation, that is fine. But don't depend on it to get you to each tourist attraction. I can tell you from experience that you will be seriously disappointed.
Have a great Thursday! I've got to go learn about booking GROUPS on Royal Caribbean.
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