BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

Dear TSA...

2011-11-23T11:51:00.001-08:00

Dear TSA in the Kansas City International Airport,

Your job is to simply inspect bags.

Your job is not to scowl at every passenger that gets within your presence.

Your job is to make sure everyone gets through the detectors that determine if you have anything metal on you

Your job is not to yell at someone who may be new to the process

Your job is to have the procedures clearly defined on signage before someone steps up to the baggage inspection conveyor

Your job is not to treat someone like they are an idiot or criminal because things were not adequately explained beforehand

Your job is simply one of inspection

Your job does not make you someone of supreme authority

So here is my simple advice...just stick to doing an effective job and be human about it and try less to be a posterior orifice to everyone you meet

Sincerely,

Someone who simply wants to get from point A to point B without much hassle

If I Ran an Airline...

2011-10-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

If you are a fairly frequent traveler, one of the things that probably frustrates you the most is flying. Most airlines have done a successful job of making it a huge hassle from start to finish. Now granted some of the aggravation has nothing to do with the airlines and more with the security process we all most go through now. But you would think that at least one airline would grab a clue and see that airline passengers are becoming increasingly hacked off well before they ever step through the door of an airport.

From the time you click on an airline’s website, you immediately feel tension because nothing is simple anymore. Do you want to pay for “coach-flexible?” Or how about the “super-triple-saver-web-only” fare? If you have a bank account in the Caymans with a few million in it, you may even want to buy the “business class-flexible-early fare.” That is just the beginning. Now that you have selected the time you want with the fare that is going to require a new mortgage on the home, it is now the time to decide if you want to actually select your own seat. Most likely there will be a charge for that so don’t tally up the final cost quite yet. Or how about wifi or luggage? Do you plan on actually changing clothes on your trip? That’s gonna cost ya. Ugh! I am getting frustrated just typing this.

To top it all off, we still have to listen to airlines whine when their quarterly reports come out showing that they are still losing money. So here it is, here is what I would do, if I ran an airline.

First...I would do away with different fares across all flights and all times. Each valued guest would pay only one fare of $250 for a roundtrip ticket. How many times have you boarded a plane and sat down and wondered what the person next to you paid for the same exact flight in the same exact row of seats etc? If you are like me, you are afraid to ask. You don’t want to know that you maybe paid double of what that person paid. So away with varying fares. Away I say! One fare only. And if you want to sit in first class (I would do away with business class), you all pay one fare of $500 for a roundtrip flight. No more upgrades. No more using mileage to get bumped up. Just pay the fare and the seat is yours.

Second, you would only be able to book a flight via the internet. You could still go through a travel agent or tour company, but they too would have to book via the internet. That would significantly reduce the number of employees needed and would allow me to properly staff and train the customer service department which would still be accessible by phone. My customer service staff would be the best of the best to handle any form of issues that might come up during travel and they would be able to handle existing reservations etc.

Third and finally, No more nickel and dime’ing the passengers. There would be no charge for 2 checked bags per person. Each flight would offer free wifi. Each flight would offer complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. Each flight would also offer fresh baked cookies and satellite radio for free.

Think about that now...each flight, no matter of where it flies and at what time, would all be the same flat fare of $250. That would fill up the flights with the most desirable times and connections quicker. If someone knew what they were going to pay, they would want to book further ahead of time to ensure they get the best times etc. No more last minute sales to fill seats.

So the question is, would you fly with my airline if it was structured that way? Would you be willing to pay the $250 knowing that you were going to get great service and no more “extra fee” surprises? Would you be more willing to buy in advance when planning a vacation? Would the extra $250 be worth it to upgrade to first class?

Now I just need to come up with a catchy name...

Making Lasting Memories

2011-10-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

Disney’s latest theme at their parks is “Let the Memories Begin.” That is what vacations are all about isn’t it? Making precious and lasting memories with the ones you love? Well...that is exactly what we did during my family’s Walt Disney World vacation this past September. In fact, there were so many memories, I am not even sure where to begin.

I guess I could begin with the memory of us climbing through the storm clouds as we left the Branson airport and having my arteries shocked into overdrive due to a direct hit by a lightning bolt. Thank goodness I took along some extra personal items in my carry-on bag. What a memory!

Or maybe I should reflect on the memory of my wife trying to step into a van we had rented on Disney property and hearing her blurt “OUCH” as she sprained her ankle. I certainly have the memory of her searing my brain with her eyes as she declared it was my fault that she was distracted while trying to enter the vehicle.

Better yet, one of the greatest memories was when my dear sweet mother was given a full-body massage by several of the TSA therapists at Orlando’s International Airport. One man who witnessed the event declared, “wow, she is a pistol packing mama!” Come on people...does she really look that threatening?

But probably the most lasting, unforgettable memories took place on day 2 of our trip. I had already received the wrath of Kahn for my involvement in the ankle sprain incident and was further encouraged to improve later that day when I was slow at going to get ice for dear wife in order to apply to the injured area. The lesson was so learned that I was ready to jump at the next opportunity to be at my wife’s beck and call and do what I can to make her trip more enjoyable. I was punchy at the same time, fearful I may have a relapse and fall short in the area of superior customer service. I was so punchy that the next morning’s most memorable event was inevitable. My wife had graciously offered to go get her own ice while I hurried into the shower. We were very eager to get this day (day 2) off to a better start and get to one of the parks. Remember the lightning and the ankle sprain? That was all on the first day and a half of our trip. So as she left to get the ice, I jumped in the shower. A few minutes passed and I thought I had heard a banging on our resort room door. Blood pressure rose and so did my level of fear because I was picturing my wife standing outside our room in her PJ’s, standing on a sprained ankle and not having her room key with a similar look on her face that she had the day before. I was not going to let her down this time so I lunged out of the shower, leaped out into our room and there she was; she was sitting quietly on the bed with her ankle propped up, ice pack applied, looking at me in pure wonderment. And there I stood, sopping wet, butt-naked with my heart racing and eyes wide open only to hear her ask...”what on earth is wrong with you?” That was then followed by uncontrollable laughter. Now that is a great memory!

There they are...the most memorable moments from our big family Disney grand gathering.

What are some of your great memories from some of your past vacations?

(Seriously...we did have some other great memories not associated with pain or fear of death etc, but these just stick out for some reason)

Airline Tickets: When Should I Buy?

2011-09-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

This is a very common and frequently asked question and one with a variety of answers. As airline costs have risen, more and more travelers are trying to find ways of lessening their impact on their travel budget.

There used to be a general rule that certain days of the week may offer cheaper fares, but that is not really the case at the present time. A quick glance at some different airlines and travel scenarios will show you that the cost to fly out on a Saturday and return on a Sunday with a 5-6 month advance purchase will most likely cost you the same as if you were to fly out on a Tuesday and return on a Monday.

So how does someone find the cheapest airfare possible if the days of travel don’t really make a difference? Well, how flexible are you with your travel plans? Is it possible for you to leave very early in the morning or fly on what they used to call a “red-eye flight?” Are you willing to make multiple connections between your home airport and your final destination? Both the time and number of connections effect the price a traveler will pay. For example...a flight with Delta airlines that departs at 6:00am may cost you over $100 less than a flight that leaves at 9:30am.

Are your plans solid? Are you comfortable with buying your airline tickets 6 months or more in advance? I have purchased airfare at the 6 month mark of my trips and have saved as much as $50 per person for the same flights that I have gone back and looked at 3 months later.

So you see that your answer to those questions will determine the price you pay and the possible amount that you may save. There is no hard and fast rule. Some think discount airline sites are the way to go, but again you will find that most airlines guarantee the lowest price if you go direct through them to buy your airfare. And please know that waiting until the last minute will most likely not save you any money and you run the risk of losing out on the best flight schedules.

And as I just mentioned, here is something to consider that might get you some sense of comfort after you hit the purchase button with any of the major airlines; most of our major domestic airlines offer some form of “price guarantee” (see each airline’s policy for exact details). The guarantee, in essence, is designed to make travelers feel better about going ahead with their airline purchase at any given time.

The Vacation Countdown

2011-07-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

Are you one of those people that, as soon as you have your vacation plans and details all laid out and finalized, you begin the exciting process of counting down the days until you leave? If you are, then you are in the company of so many others that do the very same thing including my wife and I.

The vacation countdown is as much of the whole process as is actually booking flights, hotels etc. In fact, the countdown is really when things get fun around our house. It really becomes an extension of our vacation if you want to look at it that way.

Sometimes vacation plans are booked months before the actual vacation date and the time between booking the trip and actually going on the trip seems to drag on and on. If you find that to be the case, let me share with you some ideas of how to make that time before the trip more enjoyable and make it a part of the whole vacation process.

With my wife and I, it does not matter what type of trip it is; whether it is a cruise, a trip to Mexico, a Walt Disney World vacation, we find ways of counting down the days so that time seems to go by faster. In today’s smart phone world, Apple and Android have several apps available to add to your phone so you can see the days counting down no matter where you are. One of my favorites is an app for Walt Disney World vacations simply called “WDW Countdown” by PLR Concepts. It is an App found in Apple’s app store (not sure if it is available for Android phones as of yet, but I know they offer some as well).

Another way we have fun with the countdown process, especially before our Disney trips is by making a paper chain like we did in school way back in the day (and I mean way back). About 2-3 months out from our trip, we have a “chain making party” where we will sit down to make the chain and maybe throw in a Disney movie to watch as well. Then every day that passes from then until the day of the vacation includes a removing of a link to show that the time is indeed passing and the trip will soon be here.

Another idea is to start having themed dinners on the weekends relating to the type of trip you are about to go on. Maybe you booked a Caribbean cruise. If so, then you could have a “Caribbean-themed” meal and pop in some Reggae music to further set the mood of the tropics and invite some friends over to help celebrate your excitement.

Again, for those who have booked Disney trips, you can schedule a movie weekend where you pick one Disney movie to watch every Friday, Saturday or Sunday before your vacation. You can buy some Disney popcorn bowls and add more Disney magic to the evening.

Try to come up with things that get everyone in the family involved. Memories can actually be made well before the actual vacation if you and your family stop and savor every moment, even the moments leading up to the trip. I hope these ideas help and maybe make you think of some of your own. Or maybe you have some ideas you would like to share. Feel free to comment and share your countdown stories and memories.

Walt Disney World 101...Part 4 (Disney Dining Explained)

2011-07-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

Mexico...My Little "Secret" (Part 2)

2011-06-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Well I am finally back to finish my review of our latest trip to Cancun and the Riviera Maya. As promised in the previous installment, this review will cover our stay at AMResort’s first Riviera Maya property, Secrets Capri Resort and Spa.

I must admit that for the first time in all of my travels, I went into this trip with very high expectations based on reviews I had read prior to our trip. That is in violation of my own rules about travel. I usually try to down play the overly positive and take the extreme negative with several grains of salt. But this time, I had listened too much to all of the VERY positive remarks as they related to the service at Capri. So many reviewers had mentioned that they were always greeted by name after the first day of being at the resort. So I was very excited to be able to experience what I call “Ritz Carlton service” at a non-Ritz Carlton resort. That was my mistake because I basically set the resort up for failure in that regard by possibly having unreasonable expectations based on some other’s supposed experience.

The service was good so let me get that out there right now. You will not be disappointed in the service once you arrive. The staff is very friendly and courteous. They will do what they can to help if you need assistance of any kind. You will receive a plethora of “hola’s” during your stay from every staff member that you pass along the way. So again...the service was good. But it was not near the level of great that I had read about before arriving. No one ever remembered our name after the first day. Some servers were less than good, but that does not take away from my overall opinion. Some pool bar servers were actually not good at all, but some other fantastic servers made up for their incompetence and lack of attention. You will find that variety at most resorts so I will not give Capri a bad review based on just a few bad server apples.

The same goes for some of the restaurant staff. Some servers were awesome while some others were non-existent after the first greeting, especially during breakfast in La Riviera.

Moving on...the food was good as well. The breakfast buffet was probably one of the best I have ever experienced as far as food and selection goes. One of the best omelet makers in the world works at Secrets Capri and her name is Rita. Make sure you try one of her very fluffy omelets during your stay. She is also a very warm and friendly person so say “hola” to her as you wait. We tried basically every restaurant during our stay and we enjoyed every one. There are 5 restaurants including their outside grill. All have nice ambience and some come with an awesome view of the Caribbean which always makes a meal taste better in my opinion. Some meals were better than others, but no complaints as far as overall taste and quantity. And don’t hesitate to order room service. It was always prompt and they have a nice variety offered on their room service menu.

The resort is smaller than some of the other all-inclusive resorts up and down the Riviera Maya. It has a more intimate feel which I like. The grounds and common areas are beautiful and the beach was fantastic. They have added some new pool chairs which are very comfortable and we never had any issues when trying to a find nice spot by the pool or out on the beach.

The room was smaller than my previous stay at Secrets Silversands, but it was adequate and well appointed. The bed was comfortable and the bathroom was huge and came with dual sinks, nice large shower and also a whirlpool tub. We had an ocean view room with a balcony and the view was something that kept making me stroll out to the balcony to take it all in realizing it was not going to be my view anymore after 6 days. The only complaint I have about the room was the furniture on the balcony. It was very uncomfortable. We had to stack towels on top of the chairs just to be able to sit for any length of time. I hope management addresses that at some point.

Hastening on. I have to mention the spa. Probably one of the nicest spa experiences we have had. Their facilities are beautiful and you cannot help but feel relaxed as soon as you step through the doors. Yes the prices are high for any of their treatments, but you are on vacation for crying out loud so plan on splurging a little. It is well worth it if you take the time to enjoy all that their spa has to offer. Make sure you get to the spa about an hour before your appointment so you can relax in the saunas and pools.

The one thing that I wish AMResorts would address is the tipping or gratuity policy. They (and a lot of other resort chains do as well) advertise that their pricing also includes gratuities. This should mean that employees at the resorts should decline gratuities when offered since their superior service is supposed to reflect the idea they have already been tipped. But it appears that sometimes bar service is somehow on par with how much you have have tipped a particular server or bartender throughout your trip. The resorts need to go one way or the other. Either train their staff to refuse tips because they are already included or lower the room rates and then make it clear that your rate does NOT include gratuities.

Before I close I also want to give a shout out to AMSTAR tours. They are on-site at Capri and they (and their drivers and tour guide) do a great job with excursions so look for them on the main level once you arrive.

In summary, Secrets Capri Resort and Spa is a very nice resort and we had a great trip while staying with them. Just go into your trip with reasonable expectations and you will not be disappointed. You can view photos of the resort by clicking on this link...Secrets Capri Resort and Spa

Joplin Tornado: How You Can Help

2011-06-03T13:47:00.001-07:00

Mexico...My Little “Secret” (Part 1)

2011-05-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

I find it interesting that a major all-inclusive resort chain would choose to name one of their products “Secrets.” No business anywhere of any kind wants to be a secret. Maybe their goal was to aim for a name that would conjure up an image of exclusivity. That might well be the case with AMResorts when they decided they would build their first Secrets Resort and Spa in Mexico’s Riviera Maya back in 2003. You get a sense that they almost like to keep their resorts a “secret” when you compare even the size of their gated entrances to those of some of the other big name resort players throughout the Cancun/Playa del Carmen area.

But before I get into my review related to the resort itself and share my little “secret” with you, let me start by offering some tips on how best to navigate your way through customs and beyond once you arrive in Cancun. First...have your customs and declaration forms filled out BEFORE you get off the plane in Cancun. Sometimes this is unavoidable since Mexico does not always equip incoming planes with the proper number of forms needed. But that was not the case on our latest American Airlines flight and, to much surprise, several passengers were huddled in a cramped gate area immediately off the plane because they did not have their forms pre-filled out before they landed. The Mexican officials will not let you head on down towards the customs area unless you have your forms filled out. So try really hard to get your hands on those forms before landing in Cancun.

Then, once you have navigated the customs and immigration area with luggage in tow, head straight through the sliding doors and outside to the transfer and transportation area with purpose. If you are traveling to Mexico for the first time, do NOT wait until you arrive in Cancun before you start considering how you will get from the airport to your hotel or resort. This will sound like an understatement to those who have been to Mexico before, but vendors in Mexico are pushy! If you don’t know where you are going or what you are doing, they will sense that like a lion smells food on the Serengeti. Make sure you have your transfers pre-arranged before arriving in Cancun and then follow your transfer company’s instructions to a T. Vendors inside the airport (after you leave the customs area) will act as if they need to see your reservation or confirmation to “help you make sure you know where you are going” which they don’t so keep your eyes looking forward and walk with purpose past their nonsense and out to the area where you were told to go.

We chose USA Transfers again for this trip and they were wonderful. They greet you by name and offer clean and well-maintained vans for their shuttle service whether private or shared. Their prices are reasonable as well. Various other suppliers that I use such as GOGO and Pleasant Holidays all use reputable transfer companies and have clear instructions to follow so, again, make sure you have your transfers pre-arranged before heading off on your vacation.

Second tip to consider. Take along about $100 to $200 in US dollars and try to take along small bills such as $1’s and $5’s. Even though most resorts will advertise that “tips are included,” most every employee still expects some form of small gratuity when fetching you a beverage or calling a taxi etc. If you go down with larger bills and then try to buy something to get change, you will most likely be given pesos in return. So try as best as you can to set aside some money just for tipping.

Third tip...be patient for crying out loud. Remember that you are the visitor. You are the tourist. Your ways are not their ways. Your customs are not their customs. Mexico has its own speed. Schedules can sometimes have a plus or minus of 15-30 minutes (usually a plus). Be patient with that and with the drivers and guides that you come across. Remember that English is NOT their national language and the fact that many of them speak both Spanish and English means they are probably more intelligent than you and I. So when your bus makes it 4th or 5th stop, take a deep breath and remember that you are in Mexico where life is harder for most of its citizens and they have the same goals as you and I which is to provide for ourselves and our family and try to live as comfortably as we can and at peace.

Fourth and final tip...spend a day away from your resort. The local economy is better supported when tourists remove themselves from the confines of the resort. Taxi drivers, tour guides, local vendors and artisans reap the benefits of your visit when you buy their wares or use their services. These service providers and vendors are mostly those who have called Cancun and Playa del Carmen their home for most of their lives versus some of the employees at the resorts who may have been transplanted in because of their education and their ability to speak English fluently. So get out and experience more of what Mexico has to offer. While their sales techniques can be a bit much compared to what we are used to in the United States, you will still meet some of the nicest, most hospitable people found anywhere on the planet. So get out there and see what they have to offer.

So now please stay tuned for my review and observations of AMResort’s first resort of the Riviera Maya...Secrets Capri Resort and Spa.

Walt Disney World 101...Part 3

2011-04-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

I hear so many first-time visitors question the need to visit every park at Walt Disney World. Some have heard that certain parks are not as "kid-friendly" etc and that is simply false information which is why I felt the need to briefly describe each of the 4 MAIN parks that make up Walt Disney World. I hope this short video helps clarify what each park can offer guests of all ages.

Walt Disney World 101...Part 2

2011-04-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

This segment discusses the various ticket options that someone will need to consider when planning a Walt Disney World vacation.

Walt Disney World 101--Part 1

2011-03-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

A very long-overdue series related to booking a Walt Disney World vacation. This the first part in a series that I have planned which are directed more towards the 1st time Disney vacationer. Please feel free to ask questions or leave comments. And as always...thanks for watching and reading.

The "American Vacation"

2011-03-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

Just a short survey to get an idea of where vacation time fits in the lives of the American family. Please take a moment and answer 4 very short questions. I plan on writing about the results in a future post and/or book.
View Survey

Travel Myths Debunked...

2011-03-02T08:36:00.000-08:00

So much is written online and shared online when it comes to travel, vacations, the booking of vacations etc, and so much of that information is portrayed as fact when it reality it is simply one person's opinion. As you know from some of my previous posts, I often feel compelled to respond to some of those "opinions" and offer more of the facts instead. Such is the case with this post/video. I want to debunk the myth that it is "always cheaper to book online through an online travel site."

I welcome your comments, questions etc. Thanks for reading and watching.

February/March Quiz: North American Landscape

2011-02-22T07:29:00.000-08:00

Purcell, Bighorn and Medicine Bow are all a part of which North American mountain range?

A) Catskills
B) Sierra Nevadas
C) Appalachians
D) Rockies

Send me the correct answer and you will be entered into a drawing to have a chance to win a $20 Target Gift Card. You can send in an answer by commenting on this post, or via Twitter or visit my page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Operationdestination. All entries must be received no later than March 31st. The Drawing will be held on April 1, 2011.

As always...thanks for reading and participating.

Disney Question: How Much Money Do I Really Save Staying Off-Site?

2011-02-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

If you have ever planned a trip to Walt Disney World or if you have ever even mentioned that you are starting to plan or think about a trip to the “House of Mouse,” then inevitably you have had people parachute in and try to convince you why you should do x, y or z. And I guarantee that you have had some try to tell you how staying off-site will save you mucho amounts of moolah.

Well...let’s put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard and really look at some numbers to really see if that is true. The hardest thing to do with any price comparison is to make sure you are comparing tangerines to tangerines versus making a claim and in reality you have compared spuds to cantaloupes. So I am here to help clear the muddy waters of Disney resort versus off-site pricing.

Here are some assumptions I have made for this comparison:

6 night stay
6 day Magic Your Way base ticket
2 adults and 2 children (ages 9 & 7)
Value level accommodations
Driving to Walt Disney World
Dates during Disney’s non-peak period (September 18-24)

So let’s start with staying off-site. As I said, in order to make a statement that you think it is cheaper to stay off-site, you have to do your best to make sure your off-site hotel/motel is at the same level as the one on Disney property. So I looked at different options and determined that the Clarion Hotel Maingate would be similar to one of Disney’s value resorts (I even went lower just to be safe). Their base rate was $47+tax for 6 nights in late September. So the total for 6 nights including tax was $321.68. And to be fair to those who like to use discount ticket sites, I priced a 6 day base ticket through one of the more popular sites and the total for 2 adults and 2 children came to $937.81. Then, if you are driving and staying off-site, I added in parking for the day at any of the Disney parks. Parking costs non-Disney resort guests $14 per day, per vehicle so the total for parking would be $84.00. The last cost figure that I felt needed to be added in is that of breakfast. Even if you are a non-Disney resort guest, you will still most likely eat at least 2 meals in the parks so those would be the same for resort and non-resort guests. So in my opinion, the only meal where pricing could be different is that of breakfast. The Clarion does not offer free breakfast so I used fast-food pricing just because it would be the cheaper option. I may be off a tad, but I estimated that a family of 4 would spend about $6 per person for breakfast at a fast-food venue. So $6 per person for 6 days would come to a total of $144 for breakfast for non-Disney resort guests.

So if you now total up the figures above for staying off Disney property, you would come to a total of $1487.49 for the family of 4.

Now...on to the Disney resort option. I priced my favorite value resort, the Pop Century, and I added in the 6 day Magic Your Way base ticket as a part of the Disney package. The total for the package for 6 nights, 6 days comes to $1574.10. Parking for Disney resort guests is free so no added cost there. But I assumed that the resort guests would at least eat breakfast at the resort. Using an average, a quick service breakfast would cost about $10 per person so the total cost would be $240 for the family of 4 for the 6 days. So again...adding it all up, you come to a total cost of $1814.10.

Now subtracting the cost of the non-Disney resort option from the Disney resort option, you see a savings of $326.61.

Now some will say...we could pack our own breakfast food and not have to eat the fast-food breakfast. That is correct and would also apply to staying at a Disney resort. Some might argue...we could probably stay cheaper than the Clarion. Yep, you would be right, but power to ya if you want to make your family stay in something that costs less than $49 per night in Orlando. And the on-site guests could argue back that staying at a Disney resort offers more amenities than the Clarion such as a the very large food court at the Value resorts with more than just fast-food options and also the Disney gift shop at each resort. Nevertheless, I have chosen what I think offers a fair comparison and I really think I was generous by choosing the Clarion.

But (you knew there was a but coming), there are things that have value that do not necessarily show up on a spreadsheet. For example...how much is your time worth? Off-site guests do not get access to Disney’s “Extra Magic Hours” where they keep a park open late or open one hour early only for Disney resort guests. Is it worth the extra $326 for you to be able to access the parks during much less crowded times where you can ride some of the more popular rides and have much shorter wait times? How much more time are you willing to spend driving to and from the parks when you stay off-site? More time in transit means less time in the parks which is the largest part of the total cost of your trip.

When you book a an off-site hotel/ticket deal, you will not be in a position to take advantage of any Disney deals that could possibly save you a lot more money. Disney usually offers deals throughout the year for such things as free dining, room-only discounts, or “kids stay and play free” which would save the family of 4 in my scenario potentially more than the $326 they would save by staying off-site or at least be the same cost. Those package deals are only available for those who stay on Disney property. Even if you book a package that does not have a special attached to it, your travel agent (shameless travel agent plug) can watch for those deals and get them applied (when applicable) to your existing Disney vacation package. If you book an off-site deal, your deal is what it is.

I know I am not touching on every aspect of staying on or off-site, but I hope you see that sometimes the savings is not as large as people try to get you to believe and sometimes the savings is not a real savings at all when other factors are taken into consideration.

Questions? Comments? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment? Feel free to chime in and give me your opinion.

Through the Eyes of a Tourist

2011-02-04T07:52:00.000-08:00

Well here I sit...enjoying a cup of coffee from one of my most favorite Nashville hangout spots, Bongo Java. But now I am here as a tourist, a visitor, and I am seeing my old stomping grounds through a completely different set of eyes.

My wife and I called the Nashville area (Franklin to be exact) home for over 11 years. And, as many do when they live somewhere, we did not really appreciate the fact that many actually make plans to vacation here. Travelers from all over the country and even the world view this area as a tourist destination. For many...they want to come see the birthplace of country music. Others come here to visit so many of the places that played such a significant role in our Country's history, i.e. the Civil War.

See...when you live here, you tend to become desensitized to the fact that this area is a huge draw for thousands of people from all walks of life and each has their own reason for wanting to vacation here. What I am again seeing through my "touristy" eyes is that Nashville has its own energy, its own vibe. If you think this area is simply a place for country music lovers, you are sorely mistaken. Nashville has become one of more eclectic parts of the Country. I know some native Tennesseans are not going to like this, but one of the things that makes Nashville so vibrant and fun is the fact that it is no longer made up of mostly native Tennesseans. Folks from the east to the west coasts have now moved here and call this area home and I love that about Nashville. Sorry natives.

This area exploded a few years ago when people, like myself, discovered that it is a place that offers a good climate, decent employment opportunities, affordable housing, and a quality entertainment of all types. It should go without saying that this is a music-lover's paradise. But again...don't think it is simply for those who appreciate a little "twang" in their music. Nashville oozes music from all genres including hip-hop, jazz, alternative, classical and of course blue grass and country. What makes Nashville special is that someone can come here and visit a different local venue every night and enjoy some of the best music around with little to no cover charge.

But again...there is more here than just music. If you love history and art, the Frist Center is a top-notch art museum located in the heart of downtown. Or someone might appreciate the fact that they can visit an exact replica of the Parthenon and see ancient Greek artifacts and then understand why Nashville is called the "Athens of the South."

But some of the most interesting history that can be explored in this area is that related to the great Civil War. You can tour some of the old plantations such as the Hermitage, the Carnton or the Belle Meade Plantation and battle sites such as the Battle of Franklin and get a real sense of what life was like during that turning point in our American History.

And let's not overlook the opportunities that abound here when it comes to professional sports. It is home to SEC football, the NHL's Nashville Predators, the NFL's Tennessee Titans and a fun AAA baseball team which means you can see some form of professional sports no matter what time of the year you choose to visit.

And I have yet to even mention the beauty that is Tennessee. This great area is surrounded by rolling hills and lots and lots of trees which again I took for granted when this was my permanent residence.

So with all of that said...here is a list of some of my favorite eateries and areas that I have visited on this trip and I encourage you to consider these when you start planning your next visit to "Music City" or "Nashvegas" as many of us affectionately call it:

1) The Country Boy Restaurant. This small, quaint cafe is located in historic Leiper's Fork which is about 35 minutes south of downtown Nashville. I had visited this restaurant "back in the day" when it was just your local "greasy spoon" option with little to no character or ambience. But it has gone through a revamping of sorts and is now a wonderful place to stop for food and even potentially for some "star gazing" since this small town is home to some very well-known country music stars (I won't mention any names...Judds *coughing with my hand to my mouth*). Anyone can visit an IHOP or Cracker Barrell when on vacation, so forget those and give this true local establishment a try instead.

2) Chuy's of Nashville. Ok, so it is not a Nashville original, but it has a great atmosphere that has become very popular with the locals. Their version of Tex-Mex is fresh and flavorful and is located in the affluent area called Cool Springs (20 minutes south of dowtown Nashville).

3) Noshville. No I did not misspell "Nashville." Noshville is a local "New York Style" deli. It is one of the iconic Nashville eateries that has been here forever and continues to bring the locals in everyday. I recommend the location closest to Music Row so you can get a good feel of the original versus visiting one of their other, newer locations around the area.

4) Bongo Java. Anyone can visit a Starbucks when they travel, but it takes some research into a destination to be able to find this Nashville gem. It is located in "the village" close to Vanderbilt University. If you want to see where creative people go to find some inspiration, make sure you visit this coffee house on your next visit.

5) Sweet CeCe's. No better way to end an evening than with a stop at this wonderful frozen yogurt shop in downtown Franklin. Franklin should be one of the places you decide to visit when traveling to Nashville so a stop here is a no-brainer. I love to find places that are local and not mega-franchises that someone can find in almost any city across the U.S. and this is one of those finds.

There you have it...5 places that hopefully will make it onto your travel agenda the next time you make plans to visit Nashville and the surrounding area. I hope this article also helps you see that there are vacation spots right here in the U.S. that are more than just "drive-through" or "bathroom stop" spots on the road. If you have never vacationed in Nashville before, I hope you will consider it soon, you will not be disappointed.

So until next time Nashville...

2011: A Look Ahead

2011-01-12T15:08:00.000-08:00

First of all...thanks to all of you who made my 2010 the best year I have had the travel business thus far. I made a commitment when I started in this business to grow only through providing the best service possible which in turn will make me referable. I can now say that over 90% of my business comes from the referrals that my friends, family and past clients send my way. I may not grow as fast and get as big as some of the more aggressive travel companies, but I am also not willing turn to my attention away from my clients in order to spend more time in the realm of mass advertisement and marketing schemes.

I set out in 2010 to make it the year I really become an expert in certain areas related to travel. I decided to continue my focus into cruise vacations and Caribbean destinations. I targeted courses and programs that helped me do just that. I was also able to travel myself throughout 2010 which gave me that all-important first hand knowledge of most major cruise lines. Book smarts are one thing, actual experience is another in my humble opinion. While I may not quite be an "expert" yet, I am for sure on the track of becoming someone who you can turn to for help and guidance in those areas along with my continued knowledge of Disney.

Now, looking ahead to 2011, it is my continued goal to further my education in the area of Caribbean destinations including both the Eastern and Western Caribbean (including Mexico on the Pacific side as well). I already have courses I am looking to take along with 1 personal trip already booked for May. My trip will take me once again to Cancun and the Riviera Maya. I will be staying at the Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa (more details on that as the time gets closer).

I also have a very important and exciting trip planned for Walt Disney World later in the year to celebrate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary.

Somewhere between May and September, I might just have to plan another trip to a new destination in the Caribbean, but we will have to wait and see.

In addition...I hope to further develop my skill in the area of travel writing. This blog has seen continued support by readers from all areas of social media; Facebook, Twitter, Youtube etc. I hope to be able to better understand what readers are interested in and provide honest and sometimes thought-provoking content. Some who have come in contact with me are not completely open to the idea of me being candid with my reviews and honest even if that means criticizing places or companies that they might hold near and dear to their heart. But I have refused and will continue to refuse to write some middle-of-the-road article or gloss over glaringly negative aspects of any destination or travel provider. I figure...if you didn't want my opinion, then why did you read my review?

So that is what is on the agenda this year.

I have some growth goals I am excited about which again means I will maintain my current course and put clients and their referrals first. Thanks to all of you who support me through encouragement as well as your patronage.

So sit back and stay tuned...2011 is going to be a great year.

January Quiz: Caribbean Geography

2011-01-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

Here is your chance to win a $20 Target Gift Card. All you have to do is answer the question below correctly and you will be automatically entered into a drawing which will be held on February 10th. You can send in your answer via the comment section of this blog (along with a way for me to contact you in case you win) or you can also visit my page on Facebook: Operation Destination

Which of the following is farthest to the east?
a) Cuba
b) Jamaica
c) Hispanola
d) Puerto Rico

Theme Park Wars

2010-12-17T15:42:00.000-08:00

The war wages on in Orlando...Disney and Universal continue to try lure guests from their competitor's parks and into their own. I have to hand it to Universal and their marketing team. Now no one staying on Disney property can say..."I don't want to have to pay for the transportation to get from our resort to one of the Universal parks." Universal has cleverly offered "free transportation" from any of the Disney resorts to one of their parks when someone purchases a 1 day pass to Universal Orlando (advance purchase required). The opening of the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" has been a big success and has started to draw some would-be Disney visitor dollars over to Universal. So it is time to see where allegiance stands...who gets your hard earned dollars when you visit Orlando? Which theme park wins out? Cast your vote today...

December Quiz...The Cayman Islands

2010-12-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

Here is another chance for my readers to win a $20 Target Gift Card. All you have to do is answer the question below correctly and you will be automatically entered into a drawing which will be held on January 2nd. You can send in your answer via the comment section of this blog or you can also visit my page on Facebook: Operation Destination Vacations

Ok...here is the question:

The Cayman Islands is known for its beautiful water and pristine beaches. What is the name of the beach most visited by tourists?

A. 8 Mile Beach
B. Governor's Cove
C. Seven Mile Beach
D. Stingray Cay

Thanks to all of my readers and followers. Please send me your feedback about my blog or send in any travel-related question and I will try to answer it in a future post. Stop by my Facebook page and become a follower as well.

Carnival Conquest Review Part 4--The Summary

2010-11-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

If you had read all of the review up to this point, hopefully you see that I am trying to be objective and fair along with offering my opinion about certain things. I hope you keep that in mind as you read this section of the review.

In summary, let me just say that we did indeed have a great time on this cruise. It would take a lot for my wife and I to say that we thought a cruise was horrible and this cruise was no where near something like that. We enjoyed the peace and quiet that our stateroom afforded us. We enjoyed the time spent together up on deck enjoying the sunshine and the WATER-SLIDE! We found the majority of the staff to be pleasant and helpful and again our dining and stateroom staff were superb. We loved our dinner table mates.

But I do want to mention some things again that we noted as different than our previous experiences. It seems that Carnival is doing everything possible to get more money out of you while onboard (I know other cruise lines do that too) and they have kept their cruise prices lower than others in the industry which has created the need to nickel and dime you for everything that seems to be included with other cruise lines. For example...we always purchase the soda packages. With Royal Caribbean, NCL and Princess, you get the souvenir, refillable mug as a bonus for purchasing the program. With Carnival...the price is about the same for the program, but then they make you pay an additional $6.00 for the mug.

I already mentioned the cookies and sweets found at the coffee bar and how they charge for any of their better-made desserts. If you wanted some quality treats, you had to pay for it.

I had also mentioned the photography in an earlier post. I have never seen such an abundance of photo ops in all of my previous cruises as I did here on Carnival. The promenade is laden with one photographer after another waving you over trying to get you to pose in front of such cruise-appropriate backdrops as a rose garden or a flowery trestle or a grand piano. And to my shock...hoards of guests were having their pictures taken with these. Normally you will want to have your picture taken with something like oh...the cruise ship in the background which will help others see when and where you had your picture taken. But for the life of me I could not understand why so many were lined up to have pictures taken with backdrops that you would find back home at your local Glamour Shots. These photo ops were available EVERY night of the cruise and were EVERYWHERE! This issue brings me back to the congested photo area where you could go check out your pictures and purchase any that you liked. They were taking SOOO many pictures, that they ran out of room on the walls and had some of the older ones stuffed in plastic containers where you had to wait to rifle through them in hopes that you actually found the one with you in it.

It is obvious that it is a money-maker for Carnival which is why you felt like they were pushing you to stop and have your picture made at every turn.

We again found it surprising that the cruise director was not that visible. We also found it a bit shocking that the dining room Maitre’d never ever came by our table to ask if there was any special food requests or to make sure we were all satisfied. It seemed that he was more interested in putting on their dinner shows than he was making sure guests were actually satisfied with their dining. If you do a little research about the employees of Carnival and the shows they are made to put on, you will find that most look at it as humiliating and degrading. Not sure why anyone in a nice dining room needs to see service staff get up on tables and dance to the song “Apple Bottom Jeans.” Is that an appropriate song for a family dinner or nice dining experience?

This was also the first cruise in which there was a need for the Maitre’d to make an announcement that ball caps are never acceptable in the main dining room. I was thankful for his willingness to announce such a thing, but I was also noticing a large contingent of guests who completely ignored the dining room dress code completely. This may have something to do with where this cruise embarks out of. This was the first cruise I had been on where the majority of the guests were all from one State...Texas. We saw a large amount of camouflage all throughout the ship. I actually saw one gentleman wearing a camouflage baseball cap with a fish hook in it to dinner. This was also the first cruise out of 6 where you could hear an abundance of country music. The last thing I want to hear while cruising the Caribbean is honky tonk music, but if you like that sort of thing, then this was the cruise for you.

Cruises that embark out of ports like Miami or Ft Lauderdale etc seem to be a bit more diverse and have guests from all over the Country and world. Due to this port only offering a limited amount of cruise choices and being so far south in the big State of Texas, it seemed to mainly appeal to those from the region and to a large amount of first time cruisers. Again...if you are from Texas and you were a first time cruiser on this cruise, I am not intending to offend, but simply point out what I observed from my perspective. I personally like to be around a more diverse crowd which to me is one of fun things about cruising...meeting all types of people from all types of places.

Some of the clientele also found it appropriate to have balcony-to-balcony conversations with one another. I am not talking about connecting balconies...I am talking balconies far removed from one another which required a bit of yelling which again tends to take away from the peace and quiet of your own balcony.

I know some are not going to like what I am saying when it comes to the demographics onboard, but I would rather someone go into their cruise prepared than being surprised.

I say all of that to say...this is not a cruise for everyone. We found what made us happy and stuck to it for the duration of the cruise. We enjoyed the cruise but I doubt we will ever sail again on the Conquest out of Galveston again. This is not a reflection on Carnival as a whole, but only my opinion about this specific ship out of this specific port.

I hope this helps you when pondering your next cruise option. Everyone has an opinion and this review reflects mine.

I am already looking forward to my next cruise which may either be on Holland America or Celebrity...I am still trying to decide. Or I may head back to Royal Caribbean and give the new Allure of the Seas a try. Thanks again for reading and feel free to comment or ask any sort of cruise related question.

Carnival Conquest Review Part 3

2010-11-24T09:03:00.000-08:00

This edition of my review will cover the entertainment and ports of call.

The Entertainment:

Boo! That should pretty much sum it up. There were 4 comedians onboard during this cruise. One was very funny (Mutzie), one was ok and 2 were simply awful. This was also the first cruise out of 6 where there was not some form of show every night in the main theater. They opted for “adult laser tag” instead on some nights. But after watching a couple of the shows...I see why. They tried to make up for the lack of dancing and singing talent by wearing practically nothing (at least for the ladies in the production). These were not family shows. These were Vegas showgirl style shows. I am sure the costumes cost a lot of money, but maybe they should try to pay for better performers instead and go with cheaper costumes. We always try to see the shows, but we missed at least 2 of them on this cruise and we wish we would have missed at least 2 of the comedians and one more of the shows. We have seen a lot of shows at sea and these were the worst by far.

The cruise director was heard but not necessarily seen. All of my previous cruises had a cruise director that would come out before each show and talk to the crowd and joke and sort of get things started. Not on this cruise. Chris Jefferson would be heard over the speaker as an intro voice, but rarely made an actual appearance. The same was true for the comedy shows. You would hear an announcement by him before the show, but it was always one of the assistants doing the actual introduction. They played Bingo in the main theater every night right up until it was showtime.

The musicians were good. The calypso band (duo) that played out by the pool were excellent and kept things “groovy” as they liked to say. The best entertainment we found on board was us actually going down the water-slide which was a real hoot for us.

But the overall entertainment onboard gets a C- grade and that is me being nice.

Ports of Call:

Jamaica. We have been to Jamaica before so our intent with this port was to hop off the ship, buy some goodies in the cruise ship center, and hop back on to take advantage of a practically empty ship. We stuck to our plan and did just that. Jamaica is not a port that I feel visitors should get out and explore on their own. Safety is a concern and I only recommend doing “planned and organized” excursions through reputable companies. We heard a few comments from folks who did planned excursions and some were not thrilled with how far most excursions are from where the ship docks in Montego Bay. Jamaica is not our favorite port which is why we opted to take advantage of the quiet ship

Grand Cayman. In contrast to Jamaica, this is a port that is easy to get out in and explore on your own. We opted for a nice leisurely day of shopping so we waited until about 9:30am to try to tender into shore. Carnival’s tendering process went very smoothly. We were actually “anchored” very close to shore compared to some of the other ships in port that day. We were onshore in about 10 minutes. We took in some of the scenery, shopped and then found “Breezes” for lunch. You get good food and a GREAT view from Breezes so I recommend checking them out the next time you visit Grand Cayman. The cruise lines need to skip Jamaica and offer an overnight stay in Grand Cayman instead...in my opinion.

Cozumel. I love the Puerto Maya area where our ship docked. Good places to eat right there by the pier and lots of shopping. We chose to do an excursion that we booked through Shoretrips.com. We took a short 5-10 minute taxi ride ($10 each way) to the Fiesta Americana where we had full access to their pools and beach. Lunch and open bar was also included. The staff at the resort were great. The food was good and it was a great day. It was a bit windy, but still warm and enjoyable. Give Shoretrips.com a try when looking into excursions.

Stay tuned for part 4 in which I will summarize the experience and give my overall grade. :)

Carnival Conquest Review Part 2

2010-11-23T12:48:00.000-08:00

This part of the review will cover my overall impression of the ship as well as the food and dining venues.

The Ship:

The Conquest was the first one built in the “Conquest Class” of ships back in 2002 and therefore shows some of its age. The Degas Lounge had some fairly outdated light fixtures. The bathroom fixtures in our bathtub/shower were very outdated compared to what is being installed in newer ships today. There were a few stains in some carpeted areas which the staff was trying to get out during our cruise. The one quirky area that I found was where the internet cafe was located. You had to go down to deck 4 and then walk around and through one of the lounges just to find it. Most internet cafes on other ships are located more centrally with some of the other public areas such as the library, coffee cafe etc.

The promenade on deck 5 is the main entertainment area on the ship. The disco, the casino, the wine bar, one of the teen lounges, the sushi and coffee venues, the gift shops are all found along the promenade or forward on this deck. If you wanted loud music and dancing, this was the deck for you. There was either recorded music blaring or a live band playing each day and night. It was also the area where so many of the photographers were perched trying to get you to take a picture with one of the hundreds of backdrops that we saw. I will also come back to that also in a later post.

The pool and deck areas seemed to have an abundance of deck chairs and space. We mainly found deck chairs early on in the day near the main pool area on the Lido deck. This was also the area that featured the large TV screen and waterslide and 3 hot tubs (although I heard that only one of the hot tubs was actually heated). On sea days, you needed to get out on the Lido deck no later than 10am if you wanted to get deck chairs near some of the action, which we did.

Overall, the ship is very nice and the public areas (not including the dining) seemed designed well for traffic flow with the photo area being the exception to that. The photo area where you could go view some of the pictures you had taken was very congested at certain times and made it almost impossible to get around. The ship’s staff was always out and about cleaning and sprucing which is always something nice to see.

The ship itself gets a B grade.

The Dining:

Ok...now we are getting to the important stuff. This is where my perspective comes into play a lot. I am going to compare the dining areas and the staff to what I have experienced on 5 previous cruises with 4 other cruise lines.

First, the buffet areas were not designed well for the size of the ship. Unlike Royal Caribbean’s Windjammer Cafe which has “food islands” or stations, the Cezanne Restaurant was designed more “cafeteria style.” You get in line to get a plate and tray and then you wait with everyone else and you SLOWLY make your way through the food options, even if what you really want is more at the end of the buffet line. Lines, during the busier parts of the morning and afternoon, were very long. Seating on the other hand was actually better than I had seen on some previous cruises. There was a lower and upper seating area along with more seating out by the pool areas. You should not have a problem getting a seat once you actually have a plate of food.

The food in Cezanne was just ok. After a few cruises, I have lowered my buffet expectations and the food on this buffet was similar to what I have seen on the last two. It is what it is. Everything that was supposed to be warm or hot was warm or hot and the staff was doing their best to keep things in stock. Along with the normal buffet choices, you could also opt to visit a wok station, a fish and chips station or a deli sandwich station. But again, depending on when you got there, the lines could be VERY long. The fish and chips were good and so were the made-to-order deli sandwiches. We never got a chance to try the wok station due to the crowd, but some friends of our did and said it was excellent.

2 things Carnival should simply eliminate; the "late night Mexican buffet" which now replaces the full midnight buffet and the midday "chocolate buffet." These were supposed to have been special occasions, but were pretty uneventful and lackluster. The "Mexican buffet" consisted of a few nicely carved fruit items on the 2 dessert stations and one ice sculpture. The food was no different than what you would have found during lunch or dinner in Cezanne. We walked down to see it and chuckled and walked away. The same goes for the chocolate buffet. It was a waste of money and resources.

The thing I wish Carnival and even some other cruise lines like NCL would think about changing is their beverage service in the buffet areas. Royal Caribbean has staff that roams around asking if they can get you juice, milk, tea or coffee once you get your food and find a seat. Carnival does not. You have to find a seat and then go to one of the drink stations to get tea, juice or coffee. That can be an additional hassle after you have stood forever in the food line. Just a little difference in service that I have noticed as I get more cruises under my belt.

You could also opt for the traditional hotdog, pizza or hamburger from those areas out by the pools. Again...the food there was ok and edible. No complaints.

Now on to the dining room and specialty restaurant. We ate dinner almost every night in the Monet dining room which is the “assigned time and seat” dining option. The anytime dining can be found in the Renoir dining room. The service was stellar. Kate and her team were very attentive and the food always showed up quickly and at the right temperature. This was the 1st time that we had at least 3 servers attending to our table (actually 4 when you consider we even had a “specialty beverage server” as I will call him). The food was good overall. Some dishes were better than others, but they were all good. The one difference again that I will note is that it seemed that Carnival offers less in the way of dessert choices at dinner. You were given 2 different options every night along with their standard offerings that are on the menu every night.

I was waiting for that “wow” dining experience when it came to the food with Carnival and I just never got it. I had heard so much about the lobster tail that you get with Carnival and I was a bit disappointed when I saw the portion that you were given.

We did decide one night to try the Conquest’s specialty dining venue, the Point. You pay $30 per person extra to eat at the Point, but I do recommend giving it a try. The food was great and so was the very attentive service. I had the best dessert of the cruise while dining here. The only con to this venue was its location. You were seated with a view of one of the outside decks on deck 10. Other specialty restaurants on other ships are usually placed in a quiet area with a nice view of the ocean which adds to the ambience and experience.

We did order room service a few times. They were very prompt. We ordered lunch one day during a sea day and it only took 10 minutes from the time we place the order until the food showed up at our door. We also opted to have breakfast in our room one morning and it showed up precisely at the time we had asked for. The only negatives were that our breakfast showed up without a spoon which made eating cereal a bit of a challenge with a fork and I do wish they offered a better room service selection. For example...we asked if we could get fries with our sandwich instead of potato chips and were simply told no. I know enough about cruise ships to know that the food pretty much comes from the same galley and I am not sure why they would not try to accommodate what seemed like a simple request.

Before I end the discussion about the food, I need to touch on the sushi venue and the specialty coffee area. I was excited about the sushi since I LOVE sushi. But I was disappointed to see that you only had 3 choices each day. Basically you had a tuna choice, a crab choice and a non-fish choice each day. The good news is that it was included in the price of your cruise. Not so though with any of the sweets from the specialty coffee area. Unlike Princess, NCL, Disney and Royal Caribbean, you had to pay extra with Carnival for a decent cookie, piece of cake or any of the other food choices found here. The prices ranged from $1.50 up to $3.00. And after trying some of the dessert choices on the buffet, it really made you crave something decent as far as treats are concerned which must be Carnival’s plan. Cookies on the buffet were very small and hard so if you wanted a decent, freshly baked cookie, you had to pay for it. Again...same galley, but different levels of food quality. I am not a fan of that practice at all.

The food and service in the dining room and and specialty restaurant gets an A- grade while the other food options get a C grade.

Stay tuned for part 3 where I will be discussing the entertainment, and the ports of call.

Carnival Conquest Review Part 1

2010-11-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has had a chance to watch the short video in the previous post so that you will understand the perspective from which I am writing this review from. This part of the review will cover our most recent 7 night cruise aboard the Carnival Conquest and will discuss our pre-cruise hotel, the port of embarkation, and our stateroom.

Pre-cruise Hotel:

We drove to the pier from our home in Missouri and spent the night in Galveston at the Four Points by Sheraton on Seawall Boulevard overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. This hotel is brand new. The rooms were comfortable and very clean. The hotel is conveniently located within about 5-10 minutes of the pier. I have read some reviews where someone was complaining of the price of sodas and snacks at the hotel. For Pete’s sake...it is a hotel! Since when is anything like that ever cheap at a hotel? The hotel itself is close to fast food venues if someone is looking for cheaper food options so I say that the cost issue is not really an issue at all.

The only thing that I hope they consider is some form of pre-cruise package including transfers to the pier. It was not an issue for us since we drove down, but for others, they will have to call a cab to get from the hotel to the pier.

Port of Embarkation:

This cruise left out of the Port of Galveston. We arrived at the pier at approximately 11:40am and dropped off our bags with one of the porters and then proceeded to park the car in the open air parking lot (lot B) which is about a quarter mile from the pier itself. A shuttle bus runs every few minutes between the pier and the parking areas and we were back at the pier within 10 minutes or so. The lines to get through security were getting quite long. They only had 2 security areas open for general boarding which was creating quite a bottle neck. Luckily we were considered VIP guests since we were staying in one of Carnival’s suite categories and we were escorted to a much shorter security line. Once through security, we were then led to a nice quiet room where a Carnival employee was waiting to officially check us in. This again was due to the fact that we had VIP priority check in status. Checking in was a breeze and we were quickly led up the gangway to the ship. It took less than an hour from the time we dropped off the luggage, parked the car, checked in and were finally walking onboard the ship. You could choose to park closer in one of the valet parking lots, but be prepared to pay for that convenience and service. I can’t say enough about the benefit of having the VIP status. I estimate that it saved us at least 30 minutes or more by not having to stand and wait in the security line for general boarding. I am not sure why the only had 2 security scanners open with the amount of people trying to get through. Out of 6 cruises, that was the longest security line I had seen to date.

The Port of Galveston, in general, is an easy port to get to and is close to several hotel and eating venues. The only other issue or warning I will make about the port is concerning flying into Houston versus driving to the pier. Both of Houston’s major airports are at least 45 minutes from the pier (assuming no traffic issues) and transfers can be quite costly so just be aware and plan/budget accordingly. Driving to the pier was a breeze. I give the port a “B” grade.

Our Stateroom:
As I mentioned, we were staying in one of the suite categories. We were in an OS category on deck 7 (Empress) and our stateroom number was 7273. We were a little more forward than what we had been on previous cruises, but conveniently located to main lobby stairs and elevator. The stateroom was GREAT! It had a nice little entry way with hardwood flooring and a cozy seating area with a couch, small table and chair. It had granite counter tops and crown molding throughout. There was an abundance of storage and I mean an abundance. Lots of room to hang clothes and tons of drawers to keep everything else out of sight and neatly organized. The bathroom had 2 sinks and an actual whirlpool bathtub/shower combo and a separate vanity area. The balcony was large and came with 3 reclining chairs and a small table.

Tip: when choosing a stateroom, make sure you know what is below or above you. Deck 7 is sandwiched in between 2 other decks filled with nothing but staterooms which makes it a very quiet deck. We never heard any of our neighbors next to us nor above or below us. The only time we heard anyone was if they were out on their balcony where noise seemed to travel much further.

We spent a lot more of our time in our stateroom than we did on any of our prior cruises. It was a nice retreat away from some of the noise and people onboard (I will get to that in another post). One of our sea days was very windy up on deck and we found out that our balcony was big enough for 2 adults to recline our chairs and enjoy the sunshine out of the wind. If you ever have a chance to upgrade to a OS or GS suite category, do it. Don’t listen to those who try to say that there is not much difference between a regular balcony stateroom and one of the suites. That is simply not true. I give our stateroom an A+ grade.

Stay tuned for part 2 where I will be discussing the ship itself and the various food venues.

Cruise Review--Keeping Things in Perspective

2010-11-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

Accidents Do Happen

2010-11-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

You know the old adage “we are all human”? Well...it is amazing how quickly we chuck that idea aside anytime someone makes a mistake or when things don’t go exactly as we planned.

The latest cruise crisis aboard the Carnival Splendor will go to prove that it does not matter what someone does or tries to do to right a wrong, it will never ever be enough for some people. Some people will decide that this is the end of their cruise vacations forever based on what has transpired over the past week. That is a knee-jerk reaction to what is simply...an accident. Angry travelers will lose site of those crew members who worked tirelessly and fearlessly to put out the fire. They will lose site of those crew members who had to work without any sleep at all so that necessities such as plumbing could come back online. Others will never comprehend the massive coordination that it took to get the navy involved so that certain items could be airlifted aboard.

Nope...some will just blame an accident on the company and the crew and spew all sorts of venom towards those who did everything in their power to get them back into a port safely.

I am not here to simply be a fan of Carnival. In fact, as I type this, we are getting ready to embark on our very first Carnival cruise in less than 3 days. I am simply a fan of those who do their job when a crisis or accident strikes and I applaud the Carnival organization and the crew of the Splendor for getting everyone back into a port safe and sound. I know some will discount what Carnival has offered them and say it is simply not enough, but trust me, they are doing what they can do in light if what has happened.

Do any of us claim that we will never take a vacation that involves driving across country when we are delayed or involved in a large traffic accident? Do any of us claim we will never ever fly again when we hear of an aircraft that had to be diverted due to mechanical failure? Think about that if you are one who is looking at this accident as a reason why you will never consider a cruise vacation or consider sailing with a certain cruise line.

Those are just some thoughts I wanted to share.

Travel Reviews: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2010-10-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

By the title, you probably are assuming I am going to list some hotels, cruises or some of my other travels as my good, bad or ugly experiences. But I am not. This article is strictly for the purpose of addressing reviews themselves....again.

The more popular travel forums and review sites become, the more critical it is for readers to take them with a grain of salt. Here is why I say that. Below is an example of how the same cruise experience can be shared on some of these forums by 2 different travelers:

Traveler 1--”This cruise was the absolute worst I have ever been on. The service was something near what you would get at K-Mart the day after Christmas. The staff were all ogres. The food was rancid and sent 95% of the passengers to the infirmary to have their stomachs pumped. Our stateroom smelled of musty gym socks mixed with a hint of septic system. The shows were at the pre-school talent level. NEVER take this cruise. RUN RUN!!”

Traveler 2--”We just got back from our cruise aboard XYZ ship and we had the best time of our lives. The service was 5 star. The food was something we would expect to get while visiting the Queen of England. Our stateroom was superb and even had the faint scent of lilac which added to the ambiance. The entertainment was straight off of Broadway. Can’t wait to get back on this ship again.”

Now think about those 2 reviews for a moment. How is it possible for the same ship to get 2 different reviews at such extreme opposite ends of the spectrum? Well...the truth of how the cruise actually was and actually will be is probably somewhere near the middle as most are. All trips, hotels, cruises etc have their good and not so good points or maybe I should call them “areas of improvement.” But what bothers me about reviews is that so many of them are extremes and some take them as the gospel truth and make decisions based on them.

I recently was reading on a travel forum and someone had posted some negative news and I was shocked to see how many believing that one post and acting as if it were enough for them to make a decision. NOOO!! Don’t do that. Those that write VERY negative reviews are most likely in one of the following categories:

1) An extreme fan of a competing cruise line or company
2) A spoiled traveler who has a very unrealistic view of reality
3) A very unhappy person in general and nothing will make them happy
4) Someone who had a very unfortunate experience that was not typical and resolution was not to their satisfaction

Even if the negative review came from the someone who had a very unfortunate experience, other travelers should give more weight to the overall rating and not base a decision on one person’s skewed perspective. And trust me...if you see someone who says, ”the food was hideous” on their cruise, they are not someone grounded in reality. If someone says, “the food was always cold,” maybe they were eating only on the fruit buffet or maybe they were coming to breakfast at a time when the buffet was about to be changed from breakfast to lunch. Those are the details that most negative reviewers leave out of their synopsis.

So in summary...read reviews with a grain of salt if you read them at all. Understand that every traveler has their own viewpoint of the level of service they receive and they may not be giving ALL of the story. The "Good" reviews, in my opinion, are those who offer more than just the good side or the bad side; they will usually give detail about the good and also about why they may view something as not so good. They are balanced and you can tell that the writer was trying to be objective. Look for those if you want to get a true picture of how a place or a cruise might be.

Travel Trivia

2010-10-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

First of all...congratulations to last month's quiz winner, Angela W from Ohio. She submitted the winning answer and correctly guessed "Thailand."

This month's quiz has to do again with geography. So here it is:

Travelers are about to embark on a cruise. They have 3 excursions planned for their cruise. One of the things they always wanted to do is send a postcard to someone from Hell and their fist stop will give them that chance. Then on their second stop, they plan on hearing a haunting tale from the great Rose Hall. And finally on their third stop, they will take a dune buggy tour of the island which has a name that means "Island of the Swallows."

Name the 3 islands/Countries that these travelers will visit during their cruise. If you submit the correct answer, you will be entered into a drawing to win a $20 Target Gift Card. Your answer must be submitted no later than November 21st, to be considered for the drawing.

Your Most FAVORITE Cruise Line

2010-10-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick, non-scientific poll to see which cruise line you would most likely choose for your next cruise vacation.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Carnival Cruise 2010-a Preview

2010-10-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

We are excited to be just a little over 30 days away from taking our first cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines. This cruise will make a total of 6 cruises for me. I will also be able to say that I have sailed at least once with Royal Caribbean, NCL, Princess, Disney and Carnival. I had a goal early on where I wanted to personally sail with these cruise lines because, in my opinion, they have the broadest appeal among mainstream cruisers from all age groups. I have always taken pride in my knowledge of certain travel products and it is hard to beat personal experience when it comes to speaking to others about their cruise options.

So with that said, I will be blogging about our cruise as usual once we return and will be giving my personal opinion of the ship’s staff, food, accommodations, ports of call etc. But for now...I want to give you all a preview of the ship we will be sailing on and our personal trip plans.

Cruise Date and Length:
We sail away on November 14th for 7 nights.

The Ship:
I am thrilled that my first cruise with Carnival will be aboard the Carnival Conquest. I have studied the Conquest class of ships and they appear to offer a something for everyone. The ship weighs in at a modest 110,000 gross tons and first entered into service on November 15, 2002. It can carry up to over 3700 passengers and normally sails with just over 2900 happy cruisers. It measures in at just over 950 feet in length and has 13 passenger decks. Over 32% of its 1487 staterooms have balconies.

Accommodations:

I am even more thrilled to say that we have chosen an OS Category stateroom which is one of 3 suite categories aboard the Conquest. Our suite has an entry area, a separate dressing area, a bathroom with 2 sinks and a whirlpool tub/shower combo and an extra large balcony where I plan on spending a lot of time each morning enjoying my cup of coffee. It also has an abundance of closet space, a couch, table and chair and nice king sized bed. The OS Category was once called a category 11 for those who may still not be accustomed to some of Carnival’s re-categorization of their staterooms. The OS stands for “Ocean Suite” and the only categories above ours would be the GS or “Grand Suite” and the “Captains Suite.” We are on the Empress Deck in stateroom 7273.

We are also excited to test out Carnival’s VIP embarkation and disembarkation process which I have heard or have read some mixed reviews about. I will explain more about it in my review upon our return.

Port of Embarkation
We start our 7 day cruise out of the Port of Galveston. This will be our first cruise as well out of this port. So far, without question, my favorite port of embarkation is Port Everglades (Ft Lauderdale). I like how close the airport is to the port along with the abundance of hotels that are within view of the port itself. So I will be curious to see how things go on this cruise. We will be spending the night before our cruise in the brand new Four Points by Sheraton which is very close to the port. The hotel offers free shuttle to and from the pier and my goal is to wake up early the morning of the 14th to see if I can catch a glimpse of the Conquest returning to port from its previous 7 day cruise.

Ports of Call:
This cruise will make stops at 3 different Western Caribbean ports of call; Jamaica (Montego Bay), Grand Cayman and Cozumel. In addition, we will have 3 full days at sea...we LOVE sea days!

Our Plan:
Here is what we have arranged for this trip. For the first time we will be driving from our home in Missouri to the Port of Galveston. It is about an 11 hour trip so we will get on the road Friday afternoon and head for Dallas TX where we plan on spending the night at a La Quinta Inn. The next morning we have a special breakfast planned before heading the rest of the way down to Galveston. For the first time in 42 years, my wife is about to meet her birth mother who did the most courageous thing in the world over 42 years ago which is give her daughter up for adoption. After our much-anticipated breakfast, we will head to Galveston where we will be spending the night at the hotel I mentioned earlier, the new Four Points by Sheraton.

Once aboard the Conquest, our goal is to relax and take full advantage of the full sea days before we arrive in Montego Bay. We have been to Montego Bay back a few years ago when we sailed with Royal Caribbean on the Radiance of the Seas and our plan is for me to hop off the ship, buy some Blue Mountain Coffee, snap some pictures of the ship and hop back on to take advantage of a ship that is practically empty.

We will then sail to Grand Cayman where we have our only excursion booked. I again have booked our excursion through Shoretrips.com and I highly recommend that you check them out when thinking about excursions for your next cruise. They are reasonably priced (cheaper than the cruise line in most cases) and very reliable. We have a beach day planned which also includes a nice lunch at a local restaurant down on a stretch of Seven Mile Beach that is less populated.

Our last port will be Cozumel where our only plan is to disembark and take a stroll through some of the shopping areas at our leisure and potentially find a nice local restaurant for lunch before again getting back on the ship to take advantage of more available poolside seating and possibly an “in port spa special.”

I think you can see by our plans that they are skewed heavily towards R&R and less towards scheduled activities. My other goal is to see as much as the ship as I can and eat in as many of the ship’s dining venues as I can so I can adequately discuss its pros and cons upon our return.

So please stay tuned...

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Travel Question: Do I Need A Passport? (U.S. Citizens)

2010-10-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

This is by far the most frequent question I receive from clients and potential travelers. So here is my answer...YES! Please, if you do not have a passport already, make plans to get one soon. Look at it as a travel necessity as you would luggage or a camera or anything else that would always be on your packing list.

Now before you go off and cite the U.S. State Department's official answer to the question and claim I am off-base, hear me out. If you plan on visiting Canada or Mexico from the United States by car, you need a passport (or the passport card). If you plan on flying to ANY Country outside of the U.S. including Canada and Mexico, you need a passport.

But...if you are going on a cruise and the cruise leaves from a U.S. port and returns to a U.S. port, then your cruise is considered to be a "closed loop" cruise. In this case, you are not required to have a passport or the passport card even if your cruise visits foreign ports during the cruise. The key is that it has to leave from a U.S. port and return to a U.S. port. As of the time of this article, you only need a State issued driver's license AND a copy of your State-issued birth certificate.

So again, before you go off and decide now that you do not need a passport because you only plan on taking a cruise, let me throw you some curves that might make you reconsider. First, the U.S. does not control other Country's requirements when it comes to entry documentation. You may go on your cruise and get to a port only to find out you cannot enter that Country because they require you to carry a passport. But here is the one scenario that I hope will make you rethink and hopefully go ahead with getting your passport; Assume you go on a cruise and go to a port such as Jamaica. While you are in port, you go on an excursion and, during that excursion, you break a bone and are transported to the nearest hospital. Now imagine sitting there and looking at your watch and realizing that your ship left port an hour ago. So you start thinking about flying home from Jamaica, but soon also realize you will need a passport to fly back into the U.S., but you had decided to save the money and NOT get your passport. Now what ya gonna do? Now we all hope that this would never ever happen, but the question is...what if it does?

The above scenario is not far fetched and I wish more travelers understood the pros of getting their passports instead of only looking at the one negative which is always the cost. Look at it as an investment (I know that is bit of a stretch). The passport for an adult is good for 10 years and the sooner you buy it, the cheaper it will be since passport prices are constantly going up, not down.

I HIGHLY recommend for you to visit this LINK where you can get the latest and greatest passport info and costs for adults and children. If you are pondering a vacation of a lifetime that will take you outside the U.S. borders, don't put the passport decision process off, make it a part of your advance planning and get it checked off your to-do list and let the real fun part of the planning process begin.

Criteria for Selecting a Hotel

2010-09-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

A short video discussing some of the things you should consider before you select the hotel you will be staying at during your vacation. I would love to get your thoughts or comments.

Point of Diminishing Returns for Disney?

2010-09-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

The USA Today recently published an article (read it here) announcing the latest winners of the “Golden Ticket Award.” This award is handed out by Amusement Park Today. This trade publication surveys “experienced” travelers and amusement park fans across the country and then hands out the awards for the “best overall amusement park” as well as a variety of other categories; categories such as the best water park or the best new ride/attraction etc.

The Golden Ticket for the best overall amusement park was Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio. Cedar Point is known for having some of the tallest and most thrilling roller coasters in all the world.

But what I want to ask is, “where is Disney?” If you look at the 18+ categories listed in the article, only one Disney park appears as a winner. Illuminations, the pyrotechnic and fireworks extravaganza in Epcot is the only Disney-related event to win and it was in the category of “Best outdoor night show.”

Categories such as the “friendliest staff” or the “cleanest park” or the “best dark ride” all went to other US theme/amusement parks. Even Disney’s nemesis, Universal Orlando, came away with more Golden Tickets.

This prompted me to do some pondering and reflect upon something learned back during the good old college days. Has Disney reached the point of diminishing returns? Has their increases in ticket prices started to outweigh the perceived value and benefits of the American consumer? The cost of a one day ticket to Walt Disney World has eclipsed the $80 (plus tax) mark compared to Cedar Point which has a one day ticket cost of $45.99 (at the time of this writing).

If last minute dining availability is an indicator, I will venture to say that turnstiles are clicking less at the 4 WDW parks compared to the same time in previous years. At some point, the continual increase in ticket costs will negatively effect the overall attendance if it has not already, in my opinion.

So what are your thoughts or experiences? Have you noticed a difference in crowds during recent visits? Have you considered vacationing to one of the many other amusement parks simply due to budgeting and things being tight due to the economy? Have you felt that the value is not as high as it once was during a recent WDW or Disneyland visit?

Where in the World Am I?

2010-09-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Ok travel enthusiasts...here is your chance to show your knowledge. Watch the video and tell me where I am at. What Country am I in? You can submit your answer in the comment section. Everyone who submits the right answer will be entered into a drawing on October 15, 2010 and will have a chance to win a $25 iTunes Gift Card.

Good luck and thanks for visiting my blog.

Cruise Stateroom Selection, Which Do You Usually Choose?

2010-08-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

So much is said and written in regards to cruise staterooms. If you have spent any time at all on various cruise-related blogs and forums, you will see some pretty strong opinions when it comes to answering the question, "which stateroom category is the best?" You will hear (read) people saying that they always choose an inside stateroom because "ocean view or balcony staterooms are a waste of money. Who ever goes and sits on their balcony anyways?" Then you will get the natural rebuttal from those who will always choose a balcony stateroom and hear them justify their upgrade by arguing that they enjoy the "quiet moments sipping coffee on their balcony as they pull into each port of call," etc.

But I will tell you that most of my clients usually make their choice based simply on their budget. If their budget only allows a cruise with an inside stateroom, then they will choose an inside stateroom versus forgoing the cruise because they can't afford a balcony and so on.

So here is my "non-scientific poll" related to the subject; which is it for you? Chime in and share an opinion as well.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Hawaii Part 3: Which Island(s) Should I Visit?

2010-08-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

This really is the #1 question I get asked by travelers who are looking into taking a Hawaiian vacation. It also is the hardest question to answer. Each of the Hawaiian Islands offers a completely different experience so the answer again depends on the type of vacation you are seeking.

If you are a first time visitor, it would be hard for me not to recommend a visit to Oahu. While Oahu is tourist-laden, it has some of the most popular Hawaiian experiences such as a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center, or a trip up to famous Diamond Head. And Oahu has one of the most emotion-evoking, historical monuments that anyone can plan on visiting…The USS Arizona Memorial. So if you are a first-timer, you probably should plan on spending at least a couple of days on Oahu.

If you are seeking a quiet and relaxing Hawaiian getaway, then Oahu and Waikiki may not be the right choice for you. As I stated in my previous post, Waikiki is crowded with LOTS of traffic and visitors, which sometimes is not conducive to relaxation. You may be more interested in visiting Maui, Kauai or the big island of Hawaii where things are a tad more serene and where scenery is the #1 attraction.

If you are on a tight budget, you may want to limit your visit to only one island during your trip so you can avoid the inner-island flights and extra transfer costs. If you are limited by time, then again you probably will want to pick one island and focus your vacation there. Remember, if you are traveling to Hawaii from states in the central or eastern part of the US, then you will be losing at least 2 full days of your vacation in transit to and from Hawaii. So you need to factor in the additional time you will spend in the airport and at the car rental desk when you plan a multiple island vacation.

I just wanted to give you some things to think about when you start planning your Hawaiian vacation. Simply determine the type of vacation you want and then put together a plan that accomplishes that goal. If you love seeing a bunch of sites and experiences, then you may want to mix it up a bit and do a 2-island trip. But if you enjoy the beautiful scenery and seek some quiet beach time, then you will want to choose an island that meets that goal so you have the best vacation possible.

Let me know your thoughts or questions. And as always…thanks for reading.

A Walt Disney World Myth: Off-site is Always Cheaper

2010-08-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

We are living in a day and time where everyone is looking to save as much money as possible in everything that we do. Let’s face it, budgets are tight. Even the magical Walt Disney World has not been immune to the economy’s downturn. A recent report showed that Disney’s park attendance was down as much as 8% compared to the same period a year ago. Because of that, Disney continues to offer discounts and vacation package specials to try to encourage the budget-conscious family to book a Disney getaway, whether on land or at sea.

So with all of these discounts that continue to be offered, I have to ponder why so many potential Disney visitors still think that it is cheaper to plan an “offsite” vacation? I think it is because so many “Disney experts” that permeate blogs and discussion boards have continued to preach, “if you want to save a lot of money, stay offsite.” Well I am here to tell you that this is a myth, plain and simple.

Sure, if you compare a budget motel 30 minutes from the parks to a non-discounted Disney package, you will probably see a “savings” if you choose the “Motel $29.95.” But do not simply assume you will save money by staying offsite until you have done your homework and compared ALL the costs of the trip and other parts of the vacation.

For example...if you choose to stay offsite and Disney is offering a free dining vacation package for its on-site guests, do you know how much money you would save in food if you stayed onsite? Free dining can equate to a $500-600+ savings for a family of 4 during a 6 night stay. Did you sit down and actually establish a realistic budget for what you will be spending in food during your offsite stay? You have to get to that level of detail in your comparison of prices before anyone can claim they are saving “X” amount of dollars by staying offsite.

Another area that many forget to adequately compare is in the area of parking and transportation. If you are driving to the parks and are planning on staying offsite, did you add in the cost of parking at the parks? It costs $14 per day to park at any of the 4 parks at Walt Disney World (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon being the exception). So your 6 day offsite visit needs to include an extra $84. Did you factor in the extra gas that you will spend by driving yourself to the parks versus staying onsite and being able to take advantage of Disney transportation? You need to before you can claim you saved any money by staying offsite.

If you are flying down to Orlando...does your offsite hotel offer free shuttle from the airport and then a free shuttle to the parks each day? If not...how much more is your rental car going to cost you or the shuttle bus? And if you do happen to choose a hotel with free shuttle, do you know how often it runs between your hotel and the parks? How much is your time worth? If your offsite stay means you will have to spend less time in the parks, is it really a better deal when you factor in that the park tickets make up a large proportion of your overall Disney vacation cost?

I hope this is making you see that staying offsite is not always the best deal. You can’t claim that you have “saved” money if you did not do your homework ahead of time to determine the true costs of staying off Disney property. I hope this helps with your future Walt Disney World vacation planning.

Questions? Comments? I would love to get your feedback.

Hawaii: What You Need To Know (Part 2)

2010-08-13T12:56:00.000-07:00

In my previous post, I started a short series devoted to traveling to the State of Hawaii. Hawaii is still one of the most popular destinations for tourists worldwide. As I stated in my previous post, Hawaii can seem like a foreign destination due to its distance from the US mainland as well as the diversity of scenery and culture that it offers.

In part 1, we started discussing some things you need to know as you start the vacation planning process such as the length of the flight and the overall time it takes to get from most major airport hubs (minus those located on the West coast).

In this installment, I want to discuss some of the logistics of getting around once you arrive you on any of the Hawaiian islands. I get this question a lot, “will I need a car in Hawaii?” Well the answer depends entirely on which island(s) you will be visiting. If you plan on visiting Oahu and plan on staying mainly in Honolulu and the Waikiki area, the resounding answer is NO...you will not need a car. The traffic in and around Honolulu is horrid to put it mildly. Driving can be a nightmare and that is not what we are seeking when we are on vacation. You also need to be aware that parking at most of the hotels in Honolulu can get very pricey (over $20 per day). The easiest and least expensive way to get around Honolulu is by public transportation such as shuttle buses or taxis. Most major tourist sites can be accessed by hoping on a shuttle bus near your hotel. So again, if you plan on visiting Honolulu and Waikiki, I would not recommend renting a car.

But if you plan on visiting one of the other islands such as Maui or Kauai, then you will want to consider renting a car. Driving and getting around is much easier and there are a lot of things to see and do that can be quite a distance from the resort and hotel areas. Having a car will give you more freedom to drive around and see some of the sites that are easier seen by yourself than in some form of shuttled tour group. But do keep in mind the cost of parking your vehicle at whatever hotel you decide on and make sure you budget accordingly.

So in conclusion, your decision to rent a car or not should depend solely on which area you will be visiting and staying in. A good travel agent will be able to guide you in the right direction and help you understand the cost differences of the various transportation options. Sometimes the option that seems the cheapest is not always the best.

Travel Tip: Hawaii (and Quiz)

2010-07-19T15:32:00.001-07:00

Stay tuned to the end of this video for a chance to win a $25.00 Visa Gift Card.

Understanding Airline Costs

2010-07-15T06:19:00.000-07:00

As I have searched for client's airfare over the past few days, I am being made aware again that the general public still does not completely understand the "real cost" of a particular flight. I will have clients that say they have found a flight for "X dollars" which appeared to be the cheapest option on the surface. That one flight may have come in $50 less than another option on another airline, but was it really $50 cheaper?

You won't know the answer to that question unless you are clearly aware of each airlines fee policy.

Southwest Airlines is always a good one to use when talking about fees due to their resistance to charge for certain items or services (such as baggage fees) above and beyond the actual airfare. So let's say you have found a flight on Southwest for $250 round trip. And for the sake of the argument, let's assume you do not want to check in early (earlier than 24 hours before your flight) just to keep it simple. You then go and search some more options and find a similar flight time on Frontier Airlines and their base fare is $199 round trip and you get all excited thinking you are about to save over $50. But let's also say that you will check in at least one piece of luggage for your trip. Southwest allows up to 2 free checked in bags per person. Frontier will charge you $20 for the first check piece of luggage each way. So now...the true cost of the Frontier Flight (round trip) is $239.

See? All of the sudden, most of the cost savings that you thought you were going to get with Frontier was just wiped away when you forgot to consider baggage fees.

We can get wrapped up in all of the other fees such as fees for pillows, blankets, advance seat selection etc, but the major cost difference between airlines (anything above the base fare) will be baggage fees. So please make sure you understand each airlines rules when it comes to checked in luggage before making your final decision, especially if you are basing your decision on cost more so than schedule.

So ask yourself these questions when you start looking into airfare:

1) Will I need to check in 1 or 2 pieces of luggage for this trip?
2) Will I care if I don't get to select my actual seat on the plane?
3) Will I care if the airline tells me that there will be a charge for any type beverage or food service?
4) Will I care if I am made to pay for a blanket or pillow on the flight?

Those are areas that airlines are finding ways of getting into your pocket book. If you answer no to all of those questions, then you will be in a better position to compare one airline's base fare to another and get a true apples to apples comparison. But if those 4 items do matter to you, then you better make sure which airline is charging what and how much before hitting the "purchase" button.

I hope this helps.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions?

Travel Ambassadors

2010-06-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

I had “tweeted” the other day that each of us needs to remember that when we are visiting a foreign Country, we are representing our own Country. In essence, we are ambassadors as we travel. My tweet went on to say that we should not be jerks when we travel abroad because some see us and then judge others Americans based on our actions. That is human nature. We may see a tourist here in America being rude or insensitive towards someone or something. Then the tourist speaks and we realize that he or she may be from Germany so we immediately judge all German tourists the same.

American tourists frankly do not have the greatest reputation abroad and I think I am correct in saying it is because of a few bad apples. So here are some rules we all should live by when we travel:

1. Be respectful of other human beings. Just because they work at a hotel or on a plane or cruise ship or drive a bus does not mean they are less of a person. Treat them and talk to them as you would have them treat and talk to you.
2. Be calm. If something is not going according to plan, remain calm and be nice! Being nice will give you a great chance of getting your issue resolved to your liking much quicker than being mean-spirited and rude.
3. Remember that you are the tourist. You are the one talking funny when you travel abroad. Expecting others to speak your language and then getting mad when they don’t is honestly just a trait of selfishness and arrogance.
4. Obey the rules. Just because you think a rule such as “do not touch or photograph” may be stupid for whatever it is you are seeing or visiting does not give you the right to violate that rule. The item or place may be sacred to those in that Country and it is not up to you to judge its worthiness.
5. Study their culture before traveling. Sometimes it can be the littlest of things such as knowing how to bow in Asia or which hand to eat with in the Middle East. But your willingness to learn those things ahead of time will not go unnoticed by the locals. \

We all have the ability to represent our Country in the best way possible which will go a long way in shaping international opinion of the American tourist.

You may have thought of some other rules to live by when traveling overseas. I would love to hear some of them or get your thoughts on anything I have written.

Travel Question: What are "transfers?"

2010-06-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

A very common question keeps coming up so I felt I should do my best to explain what is meant when I or any travel agent includes “transfers” in their vacation package quote.

Whether it is a cruise vacation or a trip to South America or Europe, unless you plan on renting a car while at your destination or driving to the cruise port, you will need a transfer. A transfer is the round trip transportation from your hotel to the port or the airport to your hotel etc. They are a part of the true costs of any trip that has to be factored in and can vary widely in cost.

For example...if you were to be spending the night in Miami the night before your cruise, you could arrange what they call a “shared van transfer” which could cost as little as $10 per person each way. The cost is low due to you sharing that shuttle van with several other people. The benefit is really just the cost. Some shared vans make multiple stops and you may be the first stop out of 4 on its way to the port which means that you may be on the van a while and it can get quite crowded. Shared vans or shuttles also dictate to you when you need to be ready to be picked up at your hotel so you are less in control of your schedule.

Or you could choose to take a “private transfer” which can run as high as $40 or more per person each way depending on the distance. The benefits are that you are more in control of when you want to be picked up and the vehicles tend to be nicer and more comfortable.

Those same classifications of transfers are the same no matter if you are leaving your hotel for your cruise or flying into Mexico or Honolulu or any other land-based destination. You will be able to choose between shared or private transfers. When taking a land-based vacation, something you should consider is whether the shared transfers will make several stops at various resorts along the way to yours. For example...in Cancun, if you are staying down in the Riviera Maya area, your shared shuttle may stop again at 5 resorts and yours may be the very last stop. When that happens, your transfer time can be as long as 45 minutes to an hour once you are in the van. But if you opt for a private transfer, your shuttle time could be as short as 20-30 minutes and much more comfortable. If you are like me, when you arrive at your destination, you are just ready to get there and get your vacation started so you might consider a private transfer the next time you book a vacation.

I hope this short answer helps you better understand what is meant when your travel agent discusses the various “transfer options” that might be available to you. As always, please feel free to ask any question or leave a comment. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Disney's "Give a Day, Get a Day" Promo

2010-06-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

Several months ago I had conducted a short survey to see what travelers thought about Disney's latest promotion, "Give a Day, Get a Day." Disney had announced that you could receive 1 free day in one of their parks if you were able to volunteer at one of their sanctioned events held around the Country.

I was curious to see how many actually would take advantage of that promotion. My initial reaction, personally, was that it was a great customer relations promo for Disney, but that the average traveler would not be able to take advantage of getting their "one day free" due to their distance from a park or the cost in getting to the park just to get one day free.

The results were as I thought. Over 69% said that the promo would not increase their chances of visiting a Disney park in 2010. 85% of the responders said that they would not travel to Walt Disney World just for one day free in a park.

So now that we are half way into 2010...I am still curious to see how many might have participated in the "Give a Day, Get a Day" promo. I am curious to see if the numbers might have been better than expected and you were able to volunteer and go to one of the parks to take advantage of a day free. Please take the short poll aimed at gathering that information.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

What are your thoughts now concerning this promo? Great for Disney and their guests? Or maybe great for Disney, but not as great as you thought it might be for guests? Let me know your opinion..

Following the Dream (Conclusion)

2010-06-16T11:46:00.001-07:00

So there I sat in the office of my local travel agent hearing options for various vacation ideas before finally settling on the idea of taking our first Caribbean cruise. We were excited. We had never been on a cruise before and the more I researched the ship and its itinerary, the more I watched the clock hoping time would go by quicker and quicker.

But something else was happening as we planned for this trip. The light bulb of destiny started to shine a little brighter. It was becoming clear again that I was doing most of the research. I may not have mentioned this, but one of the reasons I also chose to get into real estate was that we had a bad experience when we bought our first home and we were not informed or educated about the process of home buying by our Realtor. The Realtor we used back so many years ago was more interested in getting her commission than she was helping us through the process. I sensed that and I knew that I could be different and make sure clients never had to feel the way we felt. Well...the same sort of thing was happening with our first experience with a travel agent. She got the booking and we were left feeling somewhat on our own. I had to initiate all contact even though she knew quite well that we had never taken a cruise before in our life. I knew things could be different.

Then an event happened that I will never forget as long as I live. One sunny summer day, a friend and myself were enjoying a visit. He and I were discussing our jobs versus our career dreams. We both had good jobs, myself still in real estate and he was an insurance claims processor. We were making good livings but we both realized that they were simply jobs to us now. They were not what we dreamed of doing. So he simply asked me the question..."what is your dream career?" Without hesitation I said..."travel agent." I had never said that out loud before. But then I said what I had always felt..."but I don't think I could make a living at it." Well...to make a long story short, he questioned me on why I felt that way and talked about my travels and where I was raised and my experiences helping others with their trip plans and he could tell that there was some passion in my voice. I also listened to myself and how I was answering. I never said nor would I say today that I got into the travel business because I like to go on vacation just like I never said that I got into real estate because "I like looking at new homes" which some new real estate agents unfortunately had vocalized.

Traveling and the desire to learn about people and cultures and the desire to help people achieve their vacation goals all combined in my answer to why I had always wanted to get into the travel field. So that day, that afternoon even, I went home and started a search into what it would take to get involved in the travel industry. I researched...I studied...I trained...and here I am today. Now I am at the point that clients trust my experiences and knowledge which in turn makes me referable to their friends and family. I continue to achieve the necessary certifications that distinguish me from those who simply like to go on vacation and then tell others that they are "travel professionals." I am following the dream that I had so many years ago. I now feel that I am on my path and my career is no longer just another job. I feel it was what I was meant to do all these years, but had been afraid to try. I am now on my path and my wife and I travel as frequently as we can so I can continue to gain first hand knowledge of various destinations and experiences which better equips me to serve my clients.

So I am thankful for that friend who challenged my thinking and encouraged me to follow my dream and I encourage all of you to do the same.

Following the Dream (Part 4)

2010-06-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

As I stated in my previous post...sometimes life throws you a curve ball just to see if you are paying attention. My wife and I have learned that tomorrow really is not a given. Her battle with cancer was a wake up call. Here we were and here I was on a path that I thought I would be on for years to come. But only during those difficult months did we realize that we had not been truly living. We were in “career mode.” We were becoming successful at our careers, but losing sight of what made life truly enjoyable. Up until that point, I had only thought of travel as a business necessity. My wife had tried and tried to get me to agree to go on a true vacation, but I had always balked and used work as an excuse. I decided we would finally take a trip, but even that trip was built around a real estate training event which meant that it really was not a vacation.

Well...after her chemo was completed...I broke down and agreed that we needed a getaway. Life had been pummeling us for a while and you can feel when you are nearing some form of breaking point so we made it official and I booked us a trip out west to the sleepy seaside town of La Jolla. My real estate career took a very positive turn a few months before this trip and I had made it a point that no career was more important than quality time with someone you love so I agreed to not check voice mail and I would not be checking e-mails during this getaway.

It was as if a HUGE lightbulb finally went off in my head. Here I was living in the moment or in the “present” as Spencer Johnson so eloquently wrote about. I was seeing everything more clearly. We were truly vacating during that trip. Everything slowed down and things were perfect. So there I now sat on the plane coming home skimming magazines and trying to find our next vacation destination. It was now in my blood, but in a different way. I was hooked on real travel, the kind where you are open to experiences and places that are different from your normal way of life. The kind of travel that you are excited about months before the trip actually gets here.

So one of the first things I did when I got home was go to see a local travel agent for help with a much more exotic location and little did I know that I would be taking my first step upon my new path... (to be continued)

Following the Dream (Part 3)

2010-06-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

So if you have read parts 1 and 2, you are probably trying to now make the connection between going into real estate and following my destiny into the realm of travel. Life is like a big puzzle and the full picture never really appears until more and more pieces are connected. So follow along now as I reveal more of my puzzle.

I decided on real estate because I felt I was a good fit. I had a marketing and sales background coming out of college. I studied buyer behavior as well as developed skills in customer service throughout my corporate career. I also knew real estate would provide a great chance for me to learn the ropes of entrepreneurship and self-employment. I knew that, to succeed as a business owner, you had to commit 100% of your time which is why I knew I needed to quit my full-time corporate job and jump all the way into the pool...so to speak.

So fast forward again with me...I am now in real estate. I have a good client base being built up. I am focusing on service which is also making me referable. Things are going well, so well that my wife and I start to plan a future as a mom and dad. Without going into a long history...we were childless due to medical complications associated with a brain tumor that my wife had survived right before we got married. We always knew that someday we may consider adoption so my new career was also going to be a good fit with being an adoptive parent since I could be home each day. So we started the process that one must go through to adopt through private agencies. Life was just moving along down the path that we thought we were going to be staying on for a while.

But then it happens. Life throws you a curve just to see how you can handle change and adversity. No one can really prepare you to hear those words spoken to the one you love. But there my wife and I were in the Dr’s office as he was letting my wife know in the most gentle way he knew how...she had cancer. (to be continued)

Following the Dream (Part 2)

2010-06-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

As I continued down my road (not knowing or seeing yet how it would all someday be part of destiny), I found myself one day accepting a position at a company in rural Tennessee. Little did I realize that this job would mark the beginning step into my career in travel. Also little did I know that this new job would soon send me to the very place I dreamt about as a child...Japan. My first view out of the window of that jumbo jet was the rice fields and tiled roofs of the houses and farms surrounding Tokyo’s international airport. It made me acutely aware that I was now a foreigner in a strange Country and I had become the traveler I had wondered about so often as a child.

Those many trips overseas taught me a great deal about people, culture and life, but I was also learning the intricacies of how to travel abroad.

It is funny how the pieces of life seem to all start coming together. While I had begun to stress over the amount of time I was spending away from home, away from my wife during all of my business related trips, I was slowly looking inward to find out what I truly wanted to do and what gave me true fulfillment when it came to my career and work.

I knew I wanted to be in control of my own destiny. I learned that working hard in the corporate world did nothing to truly give you true peace and security. So I had made my decision to seek some form of self-employment where I felt more in control and where I could work while still spending more time at home.

So off I jumped...pulled my chute and trusted I would succeed in the world of...real estate. (to be continued)

Following the Dream (Part 1)

2010-06-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

Many of you know me through the various social media outlets that I participate in while others know me from the old days where we connected while I was on a totally different career path. Some of you know me simply by what you read here on this blog. But I am not sure many really know or understand how I got here and really what I do on a day to day basis for a living.

This series of posts will give all of you more of a glimpse into who I am and how I ended up here; here as in writing and talking about travel related stories.

It seems sometimes that destiny has a path for all of us, but it is up to us to be flexible enough and sometimes brave enough to jump on that path and remain there so destiny can come to fruition. My destiny started very early on. Growing up in the State of California, I was privy to learning about different cultures and people at a very early age. My best friends in grade school were from all heritages and backgrounds; Spanish, Korean, Filipino, Japanese, Taiwanese etc. That early immersion started to give root to the desire to learn and see more of what was outside the mid-sized city that I was growing up in.

I can remember way back to the times that I would be driven over to the San Francisco International Airport with my parents to pick up friends and family. I would sit there in that airport and watch large jumbo jets take off and vanish out of site over the coastal mountain range that separated the airport from the Pacific Ocean; I would sit there and daydream about the far off land that the plane might be headed to. Were they going to Japan? Maybe they were headed to Australia or China. I would sit and watch and it seemed like time just stood still.

That curiosity never waned as I got older. I would still get in that airport even as a teen and young adult and walk over to the international terminal just to see the guests arriving from various foreign countries and just wonder who they were and where they were from and why were they here? I knew that someday I would be the one arriving through customs and it was just a matter of time.

Well..fast forward. I did travel domestically through my college years and on into my corporate careers after graduation. Since college and life took me away from my home state of California, I found myself being a tour guide for those friends of mine wanting to travel from the midwest out to the west coast. I found that I had a knack for arranging different aspects of trips for friends and co-workers so much so that many co-workers would come to me first for flight and hotel suggestions before they would eventually call our corporate travel agent to officially book their trip. The light bulb started to go off a bit when I found out that I was basically doing the travel agent’s job and all he/she was doing was taking the order. But I was not yet open to where destiny was trying to take me even though most of my co-workers jokingly would say...”you should be the travel agent for our company.”

The destiny bulb was starting to flicker, but not fully lighting up as of yet... (to be continued)

What is Behind Door #1?

2010-06-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

If you are like me when you travel, you always have wondered what is going on behind the scenes at various places. We all want to know what is going on behind the scenes after we wave goodbye to our luggage at the airline check-in counter; sometimes we regret we didn’t spend a more quiet intimate moment with those bags during that goodbye as we later discovered it would be the last time we would ever spend time together. So naturally our minds try to guess at the mysteries that take place in the area where us mere mortals are strictly forbidden. It is like trying to sneak a peak at Oz.

Well...that same wondering takes place every time I step foot on a cruise ship. I have often wanted to see and hear of the goings on behind those doors that plainly read, “crew members only.” How is it that a cruise ship can feed thousands of patrons every night with such speed and accuracy? How can thousands of beds and staterooms get tidied up while we are gone for what only seems like a few minutes? It is like something out of an “I Dream of Genie” episode. We know that what makes a cruise a real vacation is the attention to detail by the crew and the royalty treatment that we all receive that helps us all escape some of the stresses of everyday life for just a while.

But I am afraid that many have forgotten that it is the back-breaking work of each crew member that makes a cruise one of the best vacation options available. We lose site of that because we never get to see what is going on behind those closed and forbidden doors, that is until now.

Warning...sometimes reality can alter perceptions. You can now get an idea of what it is like to be an employee on these floating cities that we call cruise ships when you pick up a copy of “Cruise Confidential,” written by Brian Bruns. I just picked up a copy of this book the other day and I am losing sleep because I cannot put it down. I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive at first. I was not sure if I was ready to see the truth of what really goes on “below deck,” as I will refer to it. Was I ready to know how the employees are actually treated? Was I prepared to learn of the hours that each crew member is required to work during each cruise? Did I even fully understand how each crew member is compensated and did I really need to understand that?

The book is a must-read in my opinion for anyone who has made cruise vacations their primary means of getting away from it all or even for any future cruiser. It is brutally honest, not only of what life is like working on a cruise ship, but also honest of how cruise vacationers are perceived by the crew, especially Americans. Now before you discount what is said of the American tourist, please know that the book is written by an American crew member. He let’s us all see how many are viewed when it comes to our consumption of food, or should I say the over-consumption. The book has helped me understand the everyday struggles that a crew member must work through, but also helps me see that we (the passengers) can make their struggles much greater by the way some act and treat them as if they are their indentured servants.

As Brian states in the book, each food service employee is required to work all day, breakfast, lunch and dinner with virtually no breaks in between. The tips we all give them at the end of the cruise is the majority of their income. So don’t think for a minute that you are over-tipping someone with the standard $10 per person per day recommendation. And don’t think, as some do, that just because you only ate in the buffet each night somehow relieves you of having to tip any of the dining help. Each person you see, the person getting you water or tea at the buffet, the person clearing your plate after you ate lunch by the pool, the person keeping the buffet lines full of plates, every person there relies on your tips as their main source of income and they are working VERY hard to earn those tips (80+ hours a week on average).

The book also gives you some insight into the mass of international humanity that is below deck. Every crew member, with the exception of the rare American like Brian, is from some other Country and speaks at least 2 if not 3-5 languages. They all have to know and speak English when they are “above deck” where the passengers are. The book will help you see how we all should be patient with the crew since they are having to switch between their own native tongue and English just for us. And for those who have the idea that they should speak English because they are in “our Country,” uh...they are not actually. Just because the ship has its home port in the U.S. does not make it a U.S. territory. It sails you and me to FOREIGN Countries where we are the minority along with the crew members so just chuck that line of reasoning right out the window and be respectful. We are all a part of the human race are we not?

In summary...the book did a great job in helping me understand more of how it all works behind the scenes. Knowing how it works may alter some of my decisions as far as how I order in the dining room and how much extra I may tip those that went above and beyond to make sure I had a great time. The book will help me be more patient with any crew member in any situation where I may think something is not going as I had planned or expected.

So I encourage you to pick up Brian’s book and realize that knowing the truth of what does happen behind the forbidden doors can help us all have a better overall vacation experience.

Princess Cruise 2010--A Summary

2010-05-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

You know you either had a great vacation or a really bad vacation when you find yourself sitting and reflecting on all the different things you did on your trip days and even weeks after the vacation is over. Well…I have already stated that our vacation with Princess Cruise Lines was a GREAT vacation and I still find myself pondering all of the great things we were able to experience. Some of the things I have continued to think about even include more of the “pros” that the Emerald Princess has to offer and Princess Cruise Lines in general.

My previous two posts did not mention some of them that I feel should be pointed out before I leave the subject entirely. In fact, I can’t believe I had forgot to mention this one in Part 1. Those of you who have cruised before with other cruise lines know that, in most cases, you cannot access your stateroom on the day of embarkation until sometime after 1:30 or 2:00PM. That means that, if you board the ship before that time, you have to carry some of your carry-on luggage with you as you go to the “welcome aboard” buffet or as you tour the ship. It can be quite a burden if you were one of those who probably packed too much in your carry-on. With Princess we were able to get into our stateroom as soon as we boarded which was just a little past 12:00PM. This may seem small to some of you who have never cruised before, but trust me, it is a big deal for those of us who have waited in some cases until 2:30PM before we were allowed into our staterooms. So again…thumbs up Princess.

The last pro I will mention is another one that I am mad at myself for overlooking in the previous posts. Again, for those of you who have at least one cruise under your belt, most likely you were directed to a check-in line at the cruise terminal where you either waited in the general boarding line or you were lucky enough to be in one of the “frequent cruiser” or suite passenger line. I am a fan of how Princess breaks the lines up into deck categories. So, for example if you are on the Plaza Deck, you only have to go wait in the line designated for that deck. That makes it easier for the personnel as well since the stateroom keys are already broken down by deck and placed near that line. I know…you are probably thinking that I am really getting too detailed, but trust me, those little things can make the whole process go much smoother and can get your vacation off to a great start.

So with all of this said…I will leave you with a video showing the pictures and visuals of why I say that our vacation was one of the best ones we have had so far. Please leave comments, questions, opinions etc.

Princess Cruise 2010 Part 2

2010-05-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

I want to continue my review of the Emerald Princess. I had mentioned that I would be discussing some more of the ship herself and then briefly talk about the ports of call.

The ship has some quirks that I want to mention. The best way to describe them is to simply call them “dead ends.” For example...if you want to get to the Botticelli Dining Room on Deck six near the back of the ship (aft) and you happen to be in the forward or middle part of the ship, you have to go up to deck 7 and walk towards the back and then go back down to deck 6. And just try to get to the quiet, adult pool in the aft part of the ship from deck 15 or 16...you must navigate your way through all of the buffet dining areas to get there. You saw a lot of people walking around looking confused at how some of the areas were laid out. I say all of this just to prepare you and give you ample time to pack your compass or GPS unit.

Another “con” I will mention is the Thermal Suite in the Lotus Spa. For those of you who are experienced spa-goers, you know that these areas are supposed to be for unwinding and relaxing. They are generally considered “quiet areas.” Some ships such as the Disney Wonder will have nice peaceful music piped in to help set the mood along with the low lighting. Well...the Emerald’s Thermal Suite had neither and more often had clientele who felt the need to yammer on about some mundane issue in a very loud, less-than-soothing tone of voice. Most of these folks were in there with friends and used the area more as a social venue than one of relaxation. Since you must pay a fee to use these areas, I feel Princess needs to address this and simply mount some “quiet please” signs as you enter and also let patrons know that it is meant to be a place of tranquility.

Ok...enough of the quirks and cons. Here is another “pro.” We have been on some ships where we felt the shopping was less than adequate, but that was not the case with the Emerald. Some ships load up their shops with large selections of alcohol and cigarettes that you can buy duty free and then leave little room for those items that some of us prefer to shop for on board such as logo apparel or other souvenir-related items. The Emerald Princess had a great selection in “Calypso Cove” of both souvenir clothing and other things that you might want to purchase in order to take home as a cool reminder of your cruise experience. I am also pleased to say that their pricing for some of the duty-free items such as perfume or cologne were not that much different than the prices on shore at some of the more well-known duty free shops. So budget accordingly!

Ok...time to get off of the ship and talk quickly about the ports of call. We made 4 stops; Princess Cays (their private island), St Maarten, St Thomas and Grand Turk. We have been to 2 of the 4 ports on a previous cruise so I will only just touch on what we did on this cruise that was different than the previous cruise. First, we booked an excursion for St Maarten through a 3rd party excursion company called Shoretrips.com. It was a short, 3-hour island tour of the Dutch and French sides of the island with 3 stops along the way. It went great. The van was comfortable and air-conditioned and the driver was very nice and courteous. I would recommend using this company if you want to be more in control of your schedule and want to pay a little less than what the cruise lines usually charge for basically the same excursions. The tour itself was OK, but not great and one we will probably not do a second time. We got to see the French town of Marigot, try some tasty French pastries and snap a few pictures of Orient Beach. Those were pretty much the highlights of the tour. Most likely we will just stick to shopping on the Dutch side the next time we visit St Maarten and take advantage of getting back on the ship early. I should also say that St Maarten now is probably our least favorite port of call in the Caribbean (Nassau is our least favorite of all time).

In St Thomas we decided to go on our own and see what we could find to do in town. I had done a little research and found that there is a very cool walking tour that you can do after you catch a cab from the pier to the main downtown area. You can ask to be dropped off at Emancipation Park and from there you can slowly work your way up the hill to Blackbeard’s Castle, passing several historic homes and buildings along the way. The scenery, as you make your way up the hill, is breathtaking so make sure you take lots of batteries for your camera.

The 2 biggest surprises to us on this cruise (surprise in a good sense of the word) were the stops in Grand Turk and Princess Cays. First let me say that both are beautiful islands. The various blues and turquoise that the ocean paints for you is just hard to put into words. Both stops had beautiful beaches loaded with palm trees. My expectations were not that high for Grand Turk which is maybe why we felt blown away by what we saw. It is still a fairly new stop for cruise ships and the new cruise ship center is clean and basically just a few steps away from where you dock. But I must admit that the nicest surprise was the beach adjacent to Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. It is a FREE beach with loads of lounge chairs and plenty of room (especially if you happen to be the only ship in port as we were). And to top it off...the pool at Margaritaville was also FREE and again had an abundance of lounge chairs which made the stop very similar to the one we had at Princess Cays. Both were days where we felt completely relaxed and didn’t feel any need to plan any additional excursions. Thumbs up to Grand Turk!

But I want to end this review mentioning more about Princess Cays. Previous to this cruise, I had been able to visit 2 other cruise line private islands; Disney’s Castaway Cay and NCL’s Great Stirrup Cay. Princess Cays blew both of them away in my opinion. I know I know...if you are a Disney fan, that will be hard to fathom, but it is true. The only and I mean only advantage I see that Disney’s Castaway Cay has over Princess Cays is the fact that the Disney Cruise Line Ships actually dock versus having to be tendered in as you do with Princess. But that is it. Princess Cays is just as beautiful, just as pristine and the barbecue was just as good. To me, what makes Princess Cays better is that you did not have to take a tram to get to the main beach area and the beach actually seemed larger. I also felt the overall landscape was more scenic than both Disney’s and NCL’s island and gave you lots of room to move and walk around. The tendering process went very smooth and quick. My wife and I both agreed that our stop at Princess Cays may have been the best one out of the whole cruise and frankly we cannot wait to get back there.

So to keep this post from being another novel, I will just sum it all up by saying that I can recommend Princess and the Emerald Princess without hesitation. If you are a family...just know that they do have great kid’s programs, but the overall “kid population” may be much smaller than what you will find on other major cruise lines such as Disney, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Case in point...this cruise had over 3000 passengers on board and only 77 of them were under the age of 18. Depending on your perspective, that could either be a pro or a con. But I say give Princess a try if you have not already. I do not think you will be disappointed. If you would like to see pictures of the ship and ports of call...click HERE

Thanks Princess for a wonderful experience.

Princess Cruise Review 2010

2010-05-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

I want to just hurry and say something right at the beginning of this review so everyone understands...we had a GREAT time onboard the Emerald Princess. In fact...I will even say that this was the best cruise so far.

So with that being said...this review will discuss both the positives and negatives of the ship. Cruises are like hotels...each should stand alone on its own merits. In my opinion, it is not fair to judge an entire hotel chain based on one good or bad experience at a particular hotel in a particular city. I feel the same about cruises. It is not fair to judge an entire cruise line based on one good or bad experience. The overall experience relates directly with the management and regular staff that is onboard that particular ship just like a hotel.

So this review comes from the perspective of my experience aboard the Emerald Princess and I will be comparing it to my experience with other ships such as Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas and the Freedom of the Seas as well as NCL’s Norwegian Sky and Disney Cruise Line’s the Disney Wonder.

So let’s get started. First let me mention the ship’s overall appearance. I found the ship to be strikingly beautiful. It is still a fairly new ship so I expected everything to be shiny and clean and it did not disappoint. I noticed the staff on a regular basis cleaning, doing touch-up painting and staining and keeping it as sparkling as possible. Lot’s of calm color tones (earthy versus the bright neon on Carnival ships), lot’s of deep, dark wood colors in the lounges with comfy leather chairs and elegant artwork throughout the ship. I am a traditional sort of person which is probably why I found the ship’s public areas to be more appealing than my wife did. She prefers more of the modern decor that is found on the Royal Caribbean ships. But overall...I give the public areas an “A” grade as far as decor and cleanliness is concerned.

Next...let me mention the staff. Attentive, caring and friendly are words that come to mind when I think of how we were treated onboard the ship. Most of the staff that you passed in the hallways were always ready to give you a smile and warm hello. Our stateroom attendant was probably the best so far out of all of our cruises. He was ready to go get whatever you needed and was extremely aware of making sure you had your laundry back in time for the dinner’s each evening. Thank you Isidro! Our dining staff (Saulo from Peru and Cecelia from Brazil) were top-notch. We judge the wait staff simply by how present they are (at the right times) and how willing they are to help you find the right food choice. We also judge them by their ability to pay attention to the simple details. My dinner drink of choice was simply an ice tea with lemon and my wife’s was a diet coke with lime. After the first night...we never had to ask for those again. We were greeted each evening with our beverages and refills were always done promptly. I can say that this is not the case with some of our past cruises so we appreciate the staff that makes it a point to pay attention to the small things. So again my grade for the staff is an “A+.”

Moving on, let me discuss just briefly our stateroom. We were on the Plaza Deck (deck 5) in P309 which is right off of the art gallery. We were in an ocean view stateroom. The location was excellent! We spent a lot of time at the various public areas of deck 5 such as the International Cafe which serves wonderful little treats of all kinds throughout the day (including my wife’s favorite, “Cookies and Milk”) and we also frequented the Internet Cafe where we kept folks updated back at home. We would choose this deck again for any future cruises aboard the Emerald or any of its sister ships. The stateroom itself was adequate for 2 passengers, but I cannot imagine adding a 3rd or 4th. The bathroom was probably the smallest that we have had to date, but the closet and storage space was the best so I guess that is the trade-off. Here is the only exception to what I said earlier about the decor; the decor of our stateroom can be summed up in one word...BLAND. It just was not as nicely decorated as any of our previous cruises. We had a flat-screen TV which was nice and we were thrilled to see that they actually play old episodes of “The Love Boat” onboard (we love that old show). For those that may not know...Princess Cruise Line’s Pacific Princess was “The Love Boat.” Overall stateroom grade...a “B.”

Ok enough about the stateroom. I have to next mention the food. I can say that the food was good, but not great in comparison to some previous cruises. I was hoping it would be a “wow” experience when we ate each meal and it was just not that. Don’t get me wrong...I enjoyed the meals, but some of the dishes just lacked some overall flavor. We ate most meals in the main dining room (Botticelli) where we also chose to do one of the traditional dining times (early dining at 6PM). The staff more than made up for the lack of wow food experience. The buffets were ok...food was warm to hot on most occasions, but the buffet areas are crowded and not laid out well. We prefer the way Royal Caribbean designs their buffet areas which minimizes the congestion around each food station. We enjoyed the pizza pool-side as well as the hot-dogs and burgers which were all near the pool areas. Food tip: if you like gelato...make sure you try some at the International Cafe on deck 5. For a small fee (under $2), you get 3 heaping helpings of their gelato and it was excellent.

But now for my first real negative (outside of the bland stateroom decor). We ate at one of the 2 specialty restaurants...the Crown Grill. The Crown Grill resembles some of the best steak houses on land. The decor is warm and elegant with lots of dark woods and low lighting. It would have been a great place to celebrate a special occasion such as an anniversary etc. BUT...the food was disappointing along with the service. The server was very nice, but he messed up our side-dish order and never brought me an ice tea that I had asked for at least twice. Remember what I said about attention to the small details? But really the most disappointing part was the steak and other dishes. I ordered the filet mignon (8oz). It was very bland and frankly tasteless. I salted it at least twice trying to get some flavor out of it and it didn’t work. And the grain of the meat resembled more of a roast than a good filet. The sides were the same with the exception of the corn casserole. You pay at least $25 per person to eat in the specialty restaurants and I have come to expect a “wow” experience in each one that we have eaten in and this was less than that by far. So save your $25 and stick with the dining room or maybe try Sabatini’s (the other specialty restaurant option). So if I were to grade the overall food experience...it would receive a “B-.”

Hurrying along, the entertainment onboard was excellent. They put a lot of time and money into each production show and it really does show. We were also able to see at least 3 comedians onboard. Our 2 favorites were Kevin Hughes and Phil Tag. We were also able to see Phil Tag again in the Explorer’s Lounge and he did not disappoint. The only negative about the shows is that the Princess Theater is very small compared to the number of passengers onboard. Tip: Get to either the early or late show at least 30-45 minutes early if you want a seat. Another great entertainment option onboard is what they call “MUTS” or Movies Under the Stars. The staff prepares each lounge chair with a blanket and a comfy chair cover with a built-in pillow and they also provide fresh popped popcorn for each movie. The same movie screen shows movies and music videos throughout the day. Entertainment...an “A.”

Since I have probably lost you attention along the way in this lengthy post, I will end this portion now and write a part 2 a little later on where I will discuss a few more aspects of the ship as well as the ports of call. I will also be posting a link to all of the photos taken during the cruise a bit later so stay tuned and feel free to comment or ask any particular question that you may have about the ship, the cruise line, etc.

Princess Cruise 2010 (Preview)

2010-04-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

The time is almost here. Several months ago I booked my wife and I on a 7-night, Eastern Caribbean cruise with Princess Cruise Lines. The ship of choice for this cruise...The Emerald Princess. Here is a little preview of the ship as well as the ports of call that we will be visiting:

The Ship
The Emerald Princess is in Princess’s “Grand Class” of ships. Most would consider it a mega-ship due to it weighing in at 113,000 tons and having the ability to whisk over 3000 passengers away on a relaxing vacation. The Emerald is one of Princess Cruise Lines newer ships (built in 2007). I am going to classify its decor as stately and elegant and put its passenger demographic in the “age 40 and up” group. This is my opinion so far based on the training I have had as well as studying a bit about this ship’s public spaces and its ports of call. I guess I will see if I am right once we get onboard.

I am excited to see what movies are playing once we get onboard on the big LCD screen that Princess calls “Movies Under the Stars” or “MUTS” for short. I am also excited to try one or both of Princess’s specialty dining experiences; Sabatini’s and the Crown Grill. I will be grading my experience based on the reputation Princess Cruise Lines has in the way of stellar service, excellent cuisine and attention to detail so stay tuned...

Ports of Call
This 7-night cruise will makes it first stop in the Bahamas at Princess’s private island, Princess Cays. This little Bahamian oasis is actually found on the tiny island of Eleuthera. Things to do onshore include snorkeling, kayaking, taking a ride in a banana boat or simply relaxing under a palm tree. I will stress that I am looking forward to the “relaxing” part of this stop.

We then sail on (after a full day at sea) to St Maarten. This island is only 37 square miles, but is shared between two countries, France and the Netherlands. Each side is dramatically different. The French side is known for its beautiful beaches and sidewalk cafes while the Dutch side is known for its “liveliness” and shopping opportunities. Our plan for this cruise...take a nice guided island tour which will stop on the French side and give us a chance to taste some of great pastries that France is known for.

Then it is off to St Thomas, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Vacationers have been flocking here ever since WWII and it boasts one of the Caribbean’s highest standards of living for those lucky enough to call it home. Those looking for gorgeous scenery can find it here since St Thomas is known for its beautiful vistas and pristine beaches. But it is not known for being a tranquil stop due to its popularity with the cruise lines as well as with those who have decided to pack everything up and move to a warmer climate. Beaches are usually crowded so you have to take the good with the bad.

After leaving St Thomas...it is off to Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos. This is a fairly new port of call for the cruise industry, but not new as far as being considered a world-class travel destination. It is a small island (only about 6 miles long and just over a mile wide), but boasts of one of the best coral reefs that any diver could dream of visiting. The temperatures are ideal most of the year (mid-80°’F) with plenty of sunshine. Due to its fairly popularity amongst the cruise industry, it is recommended to visit this destination sooner rather than later since development will most likely change it into another Nassau...in my opinion.

Once we leave Grand Turk...it will be time to start heading back towards Ft Lauderdale after another relaxing day at sea.

Accommodations
Last but not least, I want to just mention which stateroom category we will be staying in onboard the Emerald Princess. Our stateroom is a category D outside stateroom. We will be on the Plaza deck in stateroom P309. Staterooms in this category have @155 sq. ft. While it is not a large stateroom in comparison to higher categories, it should be ample. I chose this category so I could add it to my list of categories that I have sailed in. After this cruise I will be able to speak with first-hand knowledge of what it is like to sail in a balcony stateroom, an inside (no window) stateroom and an ocean view (window) stateroom.

With this being a preview of my upcoming cruise...please check back in a few weeks to read my full review of the cruise along with some tips and suggestions that might help you have a better cruise experience in the future.

The Truth About Using a Travel Agent

2010-04-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

It is a shame when so much misinformation is spread so fast across the internet...misinformation that some take as fact and then make decisions based on those supposed facts. Well...I feel I must give a response to the latest MSNBC.com travel article where a very respected travel writer gave some misinformation as a part of his reasoning why there are times when you really don't need to use a travel agent.

How Safe is Mexico?

2010-03-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

As most everyone knows, thanks to the media, there has been yet another travel warning issued for Mexico. This latest warning is due to the increase in violence in certain Mexico states and towns. This warning has again made the public weary of traveling to any part of Mexico whether on vacation or business.

As with past posts on this blog, I feel it is my duty to help you sift through the media hype, the misstatements, the false and misleading advertising etc when it comes to travel related issues. This is why I feel it is necessary for me to help you understand the reality of this latest travel alert.

I will state right up front...I am a fan of Mexico. I have traveled to Mexico and had and will have clients who travel to Mexico and it is my opinion that Mexico offers some of the best vacation options throughout the world. That is why I am very bothered when I see and read things that try to get travelers to think otherwise, especially when news stories paint an unrealistic and negatively skewed picture of a situation.

I have recently posted a quiz to get a better idea of what the general public actually might know about Mexico and its size and geography. The results of that quiz were as I expected and further convinced me that this post was necessary. I asked questions such as "How far is the Yucatan Peninsula from the town of Nuevo Laredo?" Some responded that it is 100 miles away, some responded that it is 200 miles away. The correct answer was that they are over 600 miles apart. I also asked if it was true that Tijuana is within 50 miles from Cabo San Lucas? The correct answer is false, they are hundreds of miles away from each other. Another question was concerning the location of the Mexico town of Nogales. Almost 50% of the responders think it is in the southern part of the Country. The correct answer is that it is on the extreme northern border of Mexico (northwest to be more accurate, but not a coastal town). Most responders also believe that the Mexico city of Ciuad Juarez is on the Pacific, the Caribbean or the Gulf of Mexico coastline. Ciuad Juarez is not on any coast and is also located on the northern border of Mexico (see previous post).

I specifically used those towns and cities (Nogales, Ciuad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo and Tijuana) in my quiz because they are the very locations of all of the violence in Mexico and they are all border towns with the United States. Another thing that they all have in common is that they are hundreds and even thousands of miles from almost every Mexico tourist destination (see photo). For example...San Francisco and L.A. are closer than Tijuana and Cabo San Lucas. Would anyone cancel a trip to San Francisco because of crime issues in Los Angeles? Here is another truth...the very popular Riviera Maya area of Mexico is over 1300 miles from the town of Nogales where a lot of the violence has occurred. So that would be the equivalent of canceling a trip to the State of Oklahoma because of some violence outbreak in a city in California. Imagine what we would think if we found out foreign tourists were deciding to cancel trips to Florida because they heard that there was a crime spree in New York City. We would think they just have no earthly idea of how far apart those two places are or we would think they are simply overreacting. Well...I wonder what the people of Cozumel or Cancun or Mazatlan think of us when we make similar decisions about visiting their part of the world because we hear that there is violence on the Mexico/Texas border?

I have posted the numbers in a previous post so I will not belabor you with them again, but the facts show that we have much higher crime rates in most of our large U.S. tourist destinations than they do in the actual tourist locations of Mexico.

So with that said...what are your thoughts about traveling to Mexico? Are you still concerned? If you are...why? Do these facts help you better understand where the trouble spots are? I would love to get your feedback or questions.

How Well Do You Know Mexico?

2010-03-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

Mexico again is making headlines in our media. So before I devote another entire article to the subject of travel in Mexico, I thought it would be good to get a feel of what the general population knows about the Country and its geography in particular. Please take a moment and take the quiz in this post and I will then tally the results in my next post where I will also address the question..."how safe is it to travel to Mexico?"

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Did You Get a Good Deal??

2010-03-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

There are so many blog posts and travel news stories related to “getting the best travel deal” that it becomes a contest to see who can somehow find that magical “lowest price” and then brag to others how they paid far less than others who traveled to the same place. Everyone has an opinion (so many cliches are entering my mind right now). It seems that everyone also knows someone who proclaims they are the “ultimate authority” when it comes to how to get the best travel prices whether it is hotels, airfare, car rentals, cruises etc.

Just watch and see, the next time you plan a vacation, a friend or friends will come out of the woodwork to tell you how they always get the best deal by doing X...Y...or Z and tell you that you better do the same if you don’t want to look like a travel greenhorn or goober. The pressure is then on...you feel like you have to research every travel site, get quotes from every travel agent in the world to somehow be able to proclaim that you got the best deal available.

I see it happen a lot. A client will be about to make a decision and then here comes the call...”a friend just told me that they saw the same vacation $200 lower on XYZ site.” So let’s break down the process and make something abundantly clear...you will never know if you got the “lowest deal possible.” In order to know for sure, you would need to interview every traveler at your particular resort or on your cruise to know what they paid and what was included in their price. So unless you are willing to spend every minute of your vacation interrupting other’s vacations, then you will simply never ever know if you got the best deal or not. So throw that nagging question out the window and stay focused on the fact that you are on vacation and you probably paid less than some and more than others.

With that said, let’s breakdown why you will never know so you can have some more travel peace of mind. First, another person may have flown a red-eye flight into your destination which may have made their airfare portion less than yours because you were not willing to operate on 1 hour of sleep at the start of your vacation. You actually preferred to know where you were once you arrived.

Second, the other person may have chosen a transfer service that also hauls chickens round trip from the airport. Some travelers are not adverse to the smell of livestock permeating their luggage if they can save another $10 total off of their vacation price.

Third, the other person may have not read their fine print so they did not realize that their vacation price also included import, export, inter-port, transport and all sorts of other “port” fees and they are not telling you what the actual final price is. I hear that a lot...”hey did you see that my cruise is now advertised at $29.00?” So I have to tell them to hit “select” and then “continue” and then “continue” again so they can get to the actual “final price screen” and low and behold that $29 vacation is $599 once all of the fees are added in etc.

Am I exaggerating? Yes. Am I being a bit facetious? Of course. But I am trying to get you to see that sometimes those “great travel deals” are not that great. To make sure you are getting a GOOD deal and to make sure you are getting what you paid for, you just need to trust those who are in the business who plan travel every day of the week. Trust that they are finding you a good deal and one through a reputable supplier so you can go on a vacation without any worries. A good travel professional will make sure you understand all of the costs and logistics before you ever put your hard earned money down on any vacation package.

There are so many variables that go into travel packages like some of the ones I have mentioned; flight times, number of connecting flights, types of transfers, vacation insurance included or not, location of the hotel room or cruise stateroom and on and on. Those variables make it possible for some online travel sites to offer “price guarantees” because they know that the chances of you finding the same exact deal for the exact same dates with the same exact details etc are slim to none.

So again in summary...trust those in “the know” and let them help you plan a great vacation and then let the vacating begin. :)

Cruise Vacation 101-Part 6

2010-02-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

My last installment in the travel educational series.."Cruise Vacation 101." I hope these videos have helped some of you who may be new to cruising. I welcome comments and questions.

Cruise Vacation 101-Part 5

2010-02-18T15:38:00.000-08:00

Next video in the travel educational series..."Cruise Vacation 101." This edition addresses the costs that go into a cruise vacation. I will say that I have accidentally left out one of the incidental costs that need to be factored in to your cruise...specialty restaurant costs onboard. Most ships and cruise lines now have specialty restaurants onboard that offer a great meal and ambiance, but at an added cost of $20-$30 per person. The surcharge allows you to eat an excellent 3 course meal at a fraction of what that meal would cost on land, but you need to factor the cost in if you are thinking about taking advantage of one of those venues onboard. This is an option and can easily be avoided and it is not saying that the meals in the main dining room are of less quality. These specialty restaurants offer a more intimate atmosphere and "made to order" entrees. Thanks again for watching. Please leave comments or questions.

Cruise Vacation 101-Part 4

2010-02-17T13:34:00.000-08:00

The continuation of the travel educational series..."Cruise Vacation 101." Today's topic..."which stateroom should I choose?" I hope you find these videos helpful and insightful and please comment or leave a question and I will get back to you soon.

Cruise Vacation 101-Part 3

2010-02-16T12:22:00.000-08:00

This episode tries to tackle the question of "which cruise line do I go with?" There are so many choices and hopefully this will simplify things just a bit.

Cruise Vacation 101-Part 2

2010-02-12T13:53:00.000-08:00

Second in a series of videos explaining the first steps someone should take when planning a cruise vacation. Are you a newbie to cruise vacations? if so...leave a question and I will be sure to answer it during this series.

Cruise Vacation 101

2010-02-12T06:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a short video discussing the first step in the cruise planning process. This will be the first video in a series. I also give a small plug to the Bricktown Hampton Inn and Suites in Oklahoma City which is where I recorded this short video. Thanks for watching.

NCL's Great Stirrup Cay

2010-02-09T09:23:00.000-08:00

A short while back I had a chance to cruise for the first time with Norwegian Cruise Line. As with most major cruise lines in this day and age, the itinerary included a stop at NCL's private "island" called Great Stirrup Cay. NCL refers to it as an island, but it is really a private stretch of beach that they lease. The island itself is inhabited by locals who live and work on the island.

I was particularly interested in this stop on my cruise so I could compare it to Disney's Cruise Line's private island called Castaway Cay. Castaway Cay is an actual island owned by Disney and is the only private island/beach where your cruise ship actually docks at the island versus having to take a tender (small boat) into the island from your cruise ship which is anchored a short distance offshore.

In comparison, Great Stirrup Cay is much smaller than Disney's. Disney's Castaway Cay had a large natural area where you could bike or hike and get away from the crowds hunkered down on the beach. I took a short walk on Great Stirrup Cay on a trail that I was hoping would take me on a scenic walk through this little stretch of Bahamian paradise, but was disappointed to see most of the trail roped off with "do not enter" signs posted everywhere.

So my time was mainly spent in a beach chair which was planted on a very sloped part of the beach, but was closer to the food venues which is why I staked out this particular area. If you went further down the beach, not only did it get much more crowded, but you were a long way from the area where they serve the food and drink.

As far as scenery...Great Stirrup Cay has a pretty stretch of beach and and shoreline, and a nice grove of palm trees giving you that sense of paradise that we all hope to see when we cruise to the Bahamas or anywhere in the Caribbean. The food on the island was your typical private island cruise menu consisting of BBQ hamburgers, hotdogs, salads and fresh fruit.

The music was what I truly enjoyed. The reggae band was exceptional and made for a fun afternoon. They can be seen on this short video showing more of the highlights of the island along with view of one of the tenders that NCL uses to get you from ship to shore.

I am looking forward to my next cruise in May with Princess where again we are scheduled to make a stop at their private "island"...Princess Cay.

Overcoming Seasickness

2010-02-01T07:31:00.000-08:00

So many would-be cruise vacationers decide that they never want to try a cruise because of their fear of getting seasick. They read or hear stories about people who went on a cruise, got seasick and had the worst vacation ever and then think that they too will be one of those who will have such a horrible experience.

That is a shame to me to know some will just never ever give cruising a try based on other’s experiences or just based on a fear that may be completely unfounded.

So let me try to alleviate some of those fears by explaining some of the ways that a traveler can overcome the sensation of seasickness and have the most enjoyable time on a cruise vacation.

Let’s define seasickness first of all. Seasickness happens when the body, inner ear, and eyes all send different signals to the brain, resulting in confusion and queasiness. It is a problem generally attributed to disturbance in the balance system of the inner ear (vestibular) system. Your sensory perception gets out of synch as these nerve fibers attempt to compensate for the unfamiliar motion of the ship moving through water. The movement of a boat on a fluid sea creates stress in the portions of the brain responsible for balance. Perhaps that stress causes the brain to start malfunctioning as the land based environment it understands is suddenly not behaving as it should (http://seasickness.co.uk/).

So you see that it is not a “sickness” such as something we experience when we catch a cold or a flu bug, but it is a sensory sensation that your body and brain gets when you start to feel the motion of the ship. So to prevent or overcome seasickness, then one needs to do something to tell the brain that everything is going be ok...so to speak.

So here is the first thing NOT TO DO; do not sit in a confined space once you start to feel the motion of the ship if you have never sailed before. Too many will sit in their cabin and start to feel some movement and then begin to feel a bit queasy. Once that happens, their brain has no other choice but to keep sending the mixed signals and it all starts to go downhill from there.

So then the first thing TO DO is to get up to the top deck and look out at the horizon and let your brain get acclimated to its new environment. Take some deep breaths, take a walk about the top deck of the ship and get used to the feel of things moving around you. To add to that, grab a soft drink or carbonated water with you and sip it slowly while you stroll around outside. Do not stay inside staring at the walls of the ship.

I am giving you the natural remedies first because they are the ones with zero side-effects and will make for a much more enjoyable cruise.

The next thing NOT TO DO is to go eat a heavy meal thinking that food will make things better. If you are in that stage of feeling queasy...the last thing you want to do is eat a big meal before you give your brain a chance to settle down. Again...what you SHOULD DO is get out of your cabin and head to a food and drink venue onboard where you can grab something to drink (non-alcoholic) and maybe some fruit like an orange or some soda crackers. Let your body ease into the cruise along with your brain.

I think I have fully covered the main thing that you should NOT DO which is to stay inside your cabin while you start to feel some motion sickness. We happened to sail on a cruise a while back that encountered some rough seas (which is inevitable if you cruise often). This particular ship was one of the mega ships that has what I refer to as a mall down the center of the ship. You could not see the outside from this promenade (mall) area. As we got further out to sea, you could see the ship shifting and rolling along with the waves and I knew some were going to get sick on this cruise. Well it was not long before I saw some folks scurrying to find the closest restroom and most had been sitting in this area where they could not see what was going on outside. Someone needed to tell them to get up top so they could feel the wind and see the horizon and I am almost sure they would not have had as rough of a time as they did that night.

But if you are someone who would prefer some extra peace of mind, here are some other tips to help you overcome your fear of seasickness or the sensation itself:

1) Make yourself busy. Go and find something to occupy your brain like one of the shows onboard or some music act in one of the nightclubs. Your brain has a hard time telling you how bad things are when it is engaged in other activity.

2) Book a cabin near the very center of the ship and also on a lower level. Simple physics tells you that you will feel the motion of a ship more in the front and also higher up if the ship seems to be rolling a bit side to side. If you are in a cabin that is feeling the motion, go out of your cabin again and find somewhere near the center of the ship to sit for awhile. Most ships have huge atriums near the center and can be a great place to go "occupy your brain" for a while.

3) Wear a pressure point wristband. I have one and wear one on every cruise. I have yet to ever get seasick even during rough seas and my brain tells me it is partly due to my "BioBand" as it is called ( http://www.biobands.com ). These pressure point wristbands apply pressure to an area that is believed to be associated with your body's equilibrium. I am a firm believer in them. They are not that expensive and can be found in stores and on the web.

4) Wear one of the many seasickness preventing patches or take a seasickness preventing pill which can also be found at your local drugstore. These work for most people, but they also come with some side-effects such as dry mouth and drowsiness which is why I prefer to try some of the methods mentioned before.

5) Get a shot/injection onboard if the feeling does not subside and you are afraid the nausea will last the entire cruise. Ships have Dr's onboard which can give you an injection that will make you feel a whole lot better, but again it comes with some of those same side-effects. But you don't have to suffer if you are one that can not shake the queasy feeling.

Seasickness can be prevented all together if you just try some of the things I have suggested and you can have the best vacation ever if you just give cruising a try and don't let the fear of getting seasick stop you from even trying. Do you have some methods/remedies that I did not mention? Have you been seasick before and found a way to overcome the feeling once it started? I would love to get your comments or feedback on this subject.

NCL Cruise 2010 Review

2010-01-21T13:49:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has had a chance to check out the videos and pictures from my most recent cruise aboard NCL’s Norwegian Sky. It is a pleasant ship to look at. While some of the common areas are showing its original age, overall it has nice visual appeal, which I will explain more in a moment. My intent with this post is to give my final review of the ship. I want to be completely honest with my assessment and also open minded to the fact that this is just one cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line and should not be taken as a representative of the entire cruise lines ship’s and itineraries…good or bad.

My intent is to list the pros and cons so individuals can make up their own mind whether this is the ship and itinerary for them for their future cruise vacation. I believe every destination, cruise line, hotel chain etc has its share of pros and cons. I get weary of reading critiques where most of the critique is a huge slam and one heavily slanted toward the negative. I have found that those reviews are written most likely by two types of travelers; those who live in the dream world that everyone is at their beck and call so they complain if their caviar is not the brand that they had come to expect and they use a lot of words that require a constant running to a dictionary just to know that they said the weather is less than stellar OR by those travelers who adorn themselves in “wife-beater” T-shirts and who have a hard time keeping their ball caps on straight and their pants pulled up, but for some reason they get on vacation and believe that every hotel, ship, resort employee is an indentured servant to them. The next time you read a horrendous review, keep one of those visuals in your mind and take it with a grain of salt.

With that said…let me start with the cons of this particular ship and its itinerary so I can then end on a positive note. The largest con of all of the Norwegian Sky is the buffet areas of the ship. There were two buffets both in the aft part of the ship and both with basically the same food items for lunch and breakfast. They were VERY small and not laid out well and caused a lot of congestion in and around the food and beverage service areas. I would say that the seating was also limited in these areas, but that was mostly because the weather was not great on this cruise and most guests were trying to crowd themselves in the interior seating areas. I am not certain that this problem can be fixed due to the size of the ship and its fixed footprint, so to speak, but nevertheless it is a negative and made my breakfast and lunch less than satisfying. Food was ok, but again because it was such as small area, not a great selection of items on the buffet.

Second con…overall service in the free dining and food venues (with the exception of their specialty restaurants). I am used to receiving great service on other cruise lines no matter which food area you choose to eat in. I am used to the wait staff coming around to their designated seating area in the buffet restaurants asking you if you need a refill or if they can get you juice or coffee in the mornings while you eat. That was a rarity on this cruise. Since I was traveling by myself, I had to find a seat, make sure I put something in the seat to show it was for sure taken, get into the buffet line, return with my food and then go get in the beverage line. Again, because seating was a premium inside, I did not dare get up and get a refill because someone was hovering over your table like a vulture ready to snag it away and the “wait staff” were also hovering ready to clear a plate so they could keep tables empty and available. You had to keep a fork touching part of your plate or a cruise employee would whisk it away and you would wave bye-bye to your recently buttered pancakes if you dared to turn your head for a moment.

So that pretty much covers the buffet areas. But I also found the service sub-par in the main dining rooms. I ate dinners in each of the 2 free dining rooms and also 1 lunch in one of them as well. I was amazed how I would get basically ignored since I was eating alone. Someone would come and hurry and take my order, rush my food out (which is not normally something to complain about) and then make you feel as if you need to hurry and eat so again the table could be cleaned off and re-seated. If you have sailed at all on some of the major cruise lines, you know that the special attention you receive while dining is one of the things that makes cruises so wonderful and memorable along with the good food. Most of the time I was offered the option of buying bottled water and once I said no…they quickly filled my water glass with tap water and never asked if I wanted tea or soda or anything else. The wine and bar staff would just walk around me while never asking if I wanted anything from the bar at all (regardless of if I drank or not). I became so agitated at one point that I finally pulled out my little pad and pen and started documenting everything right there at the table hoping some would get the hint that “hey…this guy might be a critic or something.”

The other con is associated with the ports of call and not really related to the cruise line. I am not a fan of the Bahamian cruises. Nassau and Freeport are really not what they used to be. Freeport is recovering still from the hurricane that devastated the area 5 or 6 years ago and really is mainly a shopping venue and not that many shops at that. I feel NCL should really skip that port all together and just have a nice relaxing first day at sea like that of Disney and even some of Royal Caribbean’s 4 day Bahamian cruises. I did find a bright spot while in Freeport (see day 2 review), but that is not enough of a bright spot to make me want to take the same cruise again.

The last con I will mention is that of the ship’s layout. With the size of the ship, there is not a lot of room to make things flow any better, but NCL could improve upon the way it directs you in and around the ship. If you wanted to know where you were or where to find a certain place while on board, you had to find an elevator and squint to see where you were and where everything else was. It was not good for those who were in wheel chairs or who have any difficulty seeing at all. It also seemed like some of the specialty restaurants were made to be hard to find. I accidentally stumbled upon Le Bistro and never ran upon it again the rest of the cruise. Never seen anything like that on previous cruises. On deck 7, if you wanted to get from one end of the ship to the other, you had to walk directly through the smoke-filled casino. Just not a good layout.

Ok…now let’s end on a positive. I heard some of the best music that I have ever heard at sea on this cruise. Bruce Crichton and Ariel Jacobe were two of the best musicians/singers that you will ever hear while on board a ship. They happened to also perform in two of my favorite areas on the ship; The Plantation Club and the Outrigger Lounge. I loved the décor of both of these venues and also how they were designed and laid out. There were lots of areas in these lounges where friends could gather to cap off a night or you could visit them during the day and they were 2 of the most peaceful places to catch up on some reading or do some writing, as I did. High marks go out to the musicians and these 2 lounges.

Another pro of this ship is the specialty restaurant, Cagney’s. The service here did not disappoint. I was greeted warmly and was given special attention (as were all the guests). The food was incredible and some of the best so far even compared to previous cruises with other cruise lines.

Pro #3 would be the ship’s library. I have been in some on previous ships that were called a library, but had little in the way of books to read or check out. There were quite a few books at your disposal and frankly I was quite impressed. If you are thinking…“he liked the library??” You will understand once you cruise enough and encounter less than perfect weather during your cruise.

Pro #4 has to be the ship’s officer staff. I was greeted warmly several times by the officers of the ship and even helped once I came aboard with understanding how the specialty restaurants work by a very cordial officer (I wish I would have written her name down).

The last pro I will mention is NCL’s embarkation and debarkation process. This was the smoothest so far. I was on board quickly once it was my turn to check in. The staff was excited for you and did their best to get your cruise off to a great start. The disembarking process was also the same. The officers were there to say goodbye as you exited and the lines moved very quickly. I liked how they gave you the option of when YOU wanted to depart the ship versus other lines that TELL you when you will depart.

Overall…had the weather been better, the cruise overall would have been better. It was only in the 60°F range the entire time we were in the Bahamas which did not make for happy passengers who pick the Bahamas for warmth and sunshine. Is this a cruise that I would take again? Probably not. Does that mean it is not a cruise for you? Not necessarily. I would say that this cruise is ideal for the budget conscience vacationer and for mainly those classified as adults. I did see some young children onboard, but honestly they looked bored so I would not recommend this for families and their children.

If you have specific questions about this cruise or any comment related to my critique, please post it hear or contact me via e-mail. I hope this has been helpful and please again realize that this is based on my experience. I did hear others onboard say they were having the time of their lives so it is based on my perspective as are all reviews and critiques.

The NCL Sky...a visual tour

2010-01-18T13:53:00.000-08:00

Before I sit down and post my final review of NCL's The Norwegian Sky, I want to give everyone a chance to view the ship via pictures and video. Once you see its layout, the public spaces, the stateroom, dining venues etc, you will better understand some of the comments, suggestions, praise and criticisms that I might express in my full review post. So with that said, here is a short video that will take you on a tour of the ship and you can view more of the photos by visiting my Flickr page.

The NCL Sky...a quick stateroom tour

2010-01-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

This short video was filmed while on board NCL's Norwegian Sky. I had intended to post it while on the cruise, but the cruise's satellite internet connection was not up to the task. So here it is finally and I will be working on the full summary of the cruise in the coming week so stay tuned...

"Live" from the NCL Sky--Day3

2010-01-14T06:41:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome again aboard the NCL Sky (vicariously that is). Today’s port was Nassau in the Bahamas. Some things you should know about Nassau; it is home to the famous resort, Atlantis. The resort features an aquarium, water park, lush beaches and much more for the day traveler to explore. Most cruise lines offer a couple of different excursion options for those interested in visiting Atlantis while in port. In Nassau...I DO recommend going through the cruise line for your excursion option, especially for those cruising for the very first time. If you are an experienced cruiser, you also know that the same excursions can be found at a lower cost from reputable vendors, but you have to know what you are doing and have to do your research. Nassau is a busy port city with lots of traffic and people/vendors urging you to buy what they are selling. Be careful when visiting this port and be vigilant if you plan to simply walk about the town and take in the sites near the port.

Nassau, by far, is my least favorite port of call in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. I basically got off the ship for about an hour, took some pictures of the area and also of the ships in port and hopped back on board to enjoy a serene afternoon on the ship.

Since the buffet area on the NCL Sky is so small, it is nice to actually eat lunch there when in port since most passengers are off the ship on some form of excursion.

I want to end this post on a very positive note...I will say that this cruise has offered some of the best music I have heard so far at sea. I will mention 2 of them. First you have to take time to locate a man by the name of Ariel Jacobe who puts on a show called “The Frank Sinatra Tribute.” He sounds exactly like “old blue eyes” and puts on a wonderful show. The other musician is a guy named Bruce Crichton. He is a guitarist and vocalist and is top notch. He plays in a variety of the venues here aboard the NCL Sky. I have thoroughly enjoyed finding and listening to both of them and recommend that you do the same.

Ok...I am actually typing this on my 4th day while we are anchored here at NCL’s private island called “Great Stirrup Cay” and I need to sign off and go get in line for the tender boat to get ashore for the day and enjoy some sand under my toes and palm trees swaying above me.

Day 2..."Live" from the NCL Sky

2010-01-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

Well...woke up this morning in the Bahamas but it sure did not feel like it. Our first port of call was Freeport/Lucaya in Grand Bahamas. Everyone was hoping for Bahamian weather only to wake up to cloudy skies and temps in the 60's. Stayed mostly cloudy all day but cruisers are hard to deter from trying to sit outside on the pool deck which many did today even though the temp stayed closer to the high 60's (not typical at all for the Bahamas).

After eating a quick breakfast, I headed off the ship and into town. Here is something to know about Freeport; the main part of town is about a 15-20 minute taxi ride from the pier. The pier has your standard cheesy souvenir vendors which I strongly recommend for you to avoid. Take the time to stand in the taxi line and pay the $10 round trip to go into the main part of town. With that said...still not a huge fan of the shops and restaurants there, but it is worth getting off the ship and taking in some of the palm laden streets and colorful buildings.

I happened to get dropped off in town adjacent to the Radisson Resort and Spa. I was given a very nice tour of the spa facilities and I highly recommend it as an optional (personal) shore excursion. You can make arrangements ahead of time for your treatments while in port and also arrange for a private transfer to the hotel via Dudley Seide who runs a company called "Hall of Famer" Tour and Taxi service (contact me for his info). The resort is beautiful and would make for a great day in Freeport.

After that personal tour I decided to make my way back to the ship and indulge in one of the "in-port" spa specials that the cruise line offers for those who choose to spend their time on board the ship. My spa therapist was name Princess and she was simply awesome so ask for her when making an appointment at the spa on the NCL Sky. :)

Last but not least...I want to mention my dinner. This cruise ship has several specialty restaurants and one of them is called "Cagney's." It specializes in steaks and it exceeded my expectations. The New York Strip was incredible and the service was impeccable. It was worth the extra surcharge of $25 per person. My full meal consisted of Crab Cakes, Lobster Bisque, 10oz New York Strip and a wonderful warm macadamia nut brownie ala mode.

Ok...enough for now. We will be docking in Nassau in the morning so stay tuned.

"Live from the Norwegian Sky Cruise Ship"

2010-01-11T17:46:00.000-08:00

I am out somewhere in the Atlantic between Miami and Freeport (Grand Bahamas) in windy conditions. The ship is rolling a bit which may cause some issues for new cruisers, but here is a tip; buy and wear a "BioBand." They are specifically made to ease or alleviate motion sickness. I have one on now and am feeling 100% fine and have worn one on previous cruises. It is a small wristband that has a pressure point that applies pressure to a specific area on your wrist which controls your equilibrium and thereby prevents you from feeling motion sickness.

I boarded the shuttle at the hotel and was at the pier in 20 minutes and, thanks to a very smooth embarkation, was on the ship 15 minutes later. My ritual is to head to the "welcome on-board buffet" which I did. The NCL Sky's buffet restaurant is not designed well for large numbers of guests. The food stations were not marked well and the crowds were hard to navigate around so I grabbed what I could and then headed out to tour the ship. I like some of the common areas that this ship has to offer which I will touch on later in a different post.

For now...I will say that things are going well. I have been on newer ships with more updated decor, but that is not saying that this ship is not something pleasant to look at, but it is showing still some of its age. But that is to be expected with this smaller class ship and is common from cruise line to cruise line.

I will say one thing about the "Freestyle dining" here on NCL; it is nice for those who do not like the formality of other cruise lines. I waited about 5 minutes to be seated at a table and had a wonderful meal and was greeted and served promptly in the main dining room. My goal is to try one of the specialty restaurants tomorrow which carries an additional surcharge so that also means that my expectations will be much higher.

So please stay tuned. If the satellite internet connection allows...I will attempt at uploading a picture or two from each day. I am not feeling confident that the connection will be strong enough for my intended video uploads. But we will see and thanks in advance for following along with me on this journey

Live from the NCL Sky...Day 1

2010-01-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

The time is finally here. Today I will be embarking on the Norwegian Sky cruise ship and head for warmer weather in the Bahamas.

As I always do...I flew in last night to make sure I was in town already on the day of departure. I chose to spend my pre-cruise night at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Miami Airport South by Marriott. I will mention more about this hotel in the attached video. So stay tuned for more broadcasts and installments coming soon from the cruise ship.

Live from the NCL Sky...Coming Soon

2010-01-01T18:53:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned to this blog because I am about to embark on my next travel adventure. On January the 11th, I will be setting sail with Norwegian Cruise Line on the Norwegian Sky for a 4 night cruise to the Bahamas. My itinerary will take me from the home port of Miami with stops at the ports Freeport (Grand Bahamas), Nassau (Bahamas) and NCL's private island of Great Stirrup Cay.

I will be reporting live (with video and picture) so that you will be able to see the ship and the ports of call right along with me.

The video below shows some great outside shots of the ship of choice for this adventure.

NCL Norwegian Sky departing from Port of Miami from Len Kaufman on Vimeo.

When I embarked on my travel career, I knew I needed to devote my time and money to getting as much training as possible so I can be in the best position possible to help my clients. I set a goal to receive my Certified Travel Associate (CTA) designation within the first 3-5 years of being in the business and I did just that. But I also knew that personal experience is priceless and of greater value to my clients than anything learned in a book or during an online training course. So my goal is to keep myself out "in the real world" as much as I can to make sure I am seeing what my clients see in the way of service levels at various resorts or on the different cruise lines, the quality of food served and the overall condition of the hotel, cruise ship or all-inclusive property.

So stay tuned and become a follower and be a part of my upcoming journey.

Read and post cruise reviews

Concerned about your safety while traveling abroad?

2009-12-22T15:02:00.000-08:00

Being the victim of a crime while traveling abroad would undoubtedly put a damper on anyone’s vacation. The U.S. State Department occasionally puts out warnings making us aware of the dangers of traveling to certain areas of the world because of the threat of violence against U.S. citizens. Most of the time it seems that those warnings are valid when you take into consideration that some of the areas we are warned about experience a high level of terrorist activity.

But I am not talking about those very few in number violent hotspots in this article. I want to address the constant warnings or news stories that keep making headlines for such places as Mexico, Aruba, and now even the Bahamas. Our media is quick to pick up on a story of a U.S. citizen being attacked while on vacation in some of these popular tourist destinations. In regards to Mexico, most stories are not even about Americans being attacked as much as they are about drug related violence in the towns along the U.S./Mexico border. Sensationalism is a major issue when it comes to our media reporting such events. There is a teaching in the Bible that says a man should not try to get the stick out of another person’s eye while he has a large beam in his own eye. That seems to be true about American Journalism. Our media seems to be one that likes to point out the trouble in other areas of our world while ignoring the major trouble right in our own backyard.

This sort of problem bothers me because of the fact that so many listen to such reports about a crime in “XYZ” Country and then decide to no longer vacation in that area of the world. An entire Country’s economy can be devastated by what our media reports when it shines such a negative light.

Now I am not saying that we should not be aware the potential for crime in various tourist areas, but I am saying that we need to sift through the hype and realize what the facts truly are before rushing to judgment or decision.

So let’s get down to the facts about crime for a moment. First…do you know where the U.S. ranks in the world when it comes to assaults? Out of every nation in the world, the U.S. ranks 6th! That is right…6th. Do you know where Mexico ranks? 20th! They rank lower than Great Britain, Canada, Australia and even Jamaica. When was the last time that you saw someone in our media write a story about the dangers of traveling to Australia or Great Britain? Wonder how many foreign media outlets are writing stories warning travelers of the dangers of traveling to the U.S.?? There have been stories recently about assaults against tourists in Nassau in the Bahamas. Cruise lines even started warning their passengers about getting off the ship while in port in Nassau. Do you know where the Bahamas rank in overall assaults? They are not even on the list. Guess where the U.S. ranks in total crime? If you guessed 1st, you are correct. That is right, more crime happens right here in the good old U.S. of A than any other nation in the world. Even if you break the statistic down to a per capita basis, the U.S. still ranks 8th. Mexico again comes in 39th well below the U.S. But we like to ignore those stats and jump on other countries when one of our own becomes a victim of crime inside their borders and put out travel warnings that may take a huge toll on those who live modest lives and who rely on tourists coming to visit their small part of the world.

So what is the moral of this story…be a smart traveler. Be vigilant no matter where you are. Don’t cut down side streets if you are not familiar with an area. Stay in populated areas or choose to go on guided tours. Keep your belongings close to your side and locked up. Appear that you are sure of yourself and where you are headed, or in other words, don’t look like a “tourist.”

And don’t be quick to take the media’s version of a story or report and keep things in perspective. You are in as much danger living and visiting areas of our own Country as you are traveling abroad. So get out there and don’t let fear rule your decisions and experience life through travel.

If you would like to see the statistics for yourself…you can click here.

Tips For a Less Stressful Holiday Travel Season

2009-12-16T18:31:00.000-08:00

Family memories are what the holiday season is all about. It is a time for us to take a break from the stresses of life and remember the things that make life more meaningful. But for some...their holiday will get off to a less than relaxing start and the sad thing is, most of the troubles that come with holiday travel could have been avoided. I hope these tips in this short video help you have a more enjoyable holiday season if you are among the thousands that will be flying to and from their holiday destination.

Stay in the Moment

2009-12-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

How many of you are like Clark W. Griswold when it comes to travel? Do you have a checklist of your must-see items and every minute of the trip scheduled down to the “T?” That sort of vacation planning makes me think of the Griswold’s in National Lampoon’s “Vacation” movie. Clark had everything planned out that he wanted his family to see so much so that the schedule trumped any sort of enjoyment at those sites.

Are your vacations like that to some degree? Does the schedule become so rigid that you fail to fully take in the things that are seeing and doing on your trip? If that is the case, here is my tip for you...stay in the moment.

Looking back at my years of traveling and the different locations I have visited, the things that I remember the most are those moments when I was fully engulfed by my surroundings. For example, I have been to Jamaica. Now you would think that the beach or the lush tropical rainforest would be the things I remember the most about that beautiful Country. I remember them and how beautiful they were, but that was just part of the trip. One of the most memorable moments on that trip was the ride my wife and took with our private driver to the resort. His name was Perry. He was full of life. He helped us get a vision of his country through explaining the Jamaican philosophy through speech and music. That short 30 minute ride made me see his homeland and his people and we will never forget Perry and it was a moment where we were fully engaged and not just watching things pass by out the window of his car. Time seemed to move much slower during that trip even after we arrived at the resort.

Other examples include standing in a small town at the base of Mt Fuji and watching the uniformed school children make their way from school to home. Our ultimate stop naturally was the half way point up Mt Fuji, but that small travel break in that tiny Japanese village brings back such a vivid memory and it was one where I stopped and just observed life going on around me. That does not mean that I do not remember or cherish my time actually up on Mt Fuji, but it shows that the journey held as much importance as the destination because I allowed myself to stay in the moment no matter where we were during the trip.

Are you seeing my point? So many get caught up with getting to each destination so they can check it off their list that they lose sight of the journey itself. Stay in the moment no matter where you are on your trip. Maybe it is a side trip in a small town to eat a meal on your trip. Stay in the moment and look around and you might be surprised what you will see that will make a lasting memory. I promise you that if you slow things down to that level, your trips will end up being less stressful and much more enjoyable and memorable.

Do you have moments and memories like that from your trips? If so...I would love for you to share them so please comment and become a follower of my blog as well.

Don't Be Rude!

2009-11-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

Ok...this article as been a long time coming. I have written on the subject of staying calm while traveling and how important it is to not lose your cool when things don't go your way. Sometimes losing your cool may be justified when those in charge lack any resemblance of care when you are calmly trying to get them to recognize your reservation or accommodate you somehow because the airline canceled your flight etc. But please recognize the difference between losing your cool and being just plain rude.

Honestly though, this article is not addressing the times when things have gone awry on your travels. Nope, unfortunately I am addressing those travelers who feel it is socially acceptable to be rude just because you are "so and so" from "XYZ city" or country. Let me make this perfectly clear...rude behavior is never acceptable. NEVER! I don't care who you are and where you are from, no worker at any hotel, resort, or on any cruise line or tour bus deserves to be treated rudely.

Let me give you an example of some of my observations while traveling around our country and abroad. Mr. or Mrs. Tourist sits down at the resort restaurant in Mexico. Said tourist then begins to yell orders at his or her server from several feet away while server is trying to listen to and understand another group of foreign tourists at a table across the room. The poor server is trying to understand some of the worst examples of our English language while orders are being thrown at him or her with not even a simple thank you or a pleasant "pardon me." Mr. or Mrs. Tourist somehow has forgotten that they are the visitor in a foreign land and expect everyone around them to speak and understand as they do and to jump at their beck and call. That is just plain rude in my book.

So many times we like to complain about ABC foreign city and say they have such rude citizens blah blah blah. When, in reality, we (U.S. citizens) can be some of the most rude travelers I have ever seen.

I have witnessed foreign travelers in Japan turn up their noses as they read a menu and then have the gall to ask someone who can barely understand every other word..."don't you have something with chicken in it?" Or they get mad at the Japanese server because their eggs were not cooked exactly like the way we are used to here in the U.S.

Please remember when you are traveling abroad (no matter where you are from), you are the visitor. You are the foreigner. You are the guest and show some manners for Pete's sake and represent your own Country with respect and humility. No one deserves to be treated rudely ever! You, the traveler, are the one speaking funny when you are in a foreign country so remember that and speak slow and be courteous if you are not easily understood and think about how others feel when they come to your Country and have a hard time communicating in your native language.

Do you have some examples of rude behavior that you have witnessed during your travels? Share them with me. Thanks for reading and please leave a comment, even if you disagree.

The Real Cost of a Cruise

2009-11-16T15:03:00.000-08:00

I can say without hesitation that the best overall vacation a person can take is cruise vacation. My first cruise a few years ago made me forever a cruise enthusiast and addict. It is great way to see different parts of the world all in one trip and only have to unpack one time.

A cruise can also be one of the most affordable ways to "get away" from it all. Notice though that I said it “can be.” A cruise can be extremely affordable if you understand what is involved with a cruise and know what costs are above and beyond the advertised cruise fare. That is my purpose with this post. It is not to sell you on cruising as a form of vacation, but it is to help you understand all costs involved.

In some of my previous “travel tips of the week” episodes, I have addressed different aspects of cruise vacations such as excursions, which cruise to select and even cabin selection, but I have yet to address the topic of understanding cruise costs. If you are a first time cruiser, you need to know what the TOTAL cost of the cruise will be.

So first of all, unless you live within driving distance of a cruise port, you will need to add airfare to your cruise cost. Airfare will naturally vary depending on where you are flying from and to so make sure you look into the cost of your flight before making a decision on a certain cruise.

Second, assuming you will be flying to the city where your cruise will begin, you will need to add in the cost of getting from the airport to the pier. These costs are called “transfers.” Again these costs will vary depending on which pier you cruise out of. Some port cities have airports very close to the pier so the costs are less while others (like Port Canaveral) are at least 45 minutes to an hour away from the closest airport and costs will be higher in that case. Transfer costs also vary depending on the type of transfer you choose. Some like to hop in a cab and use taxis for their transfers while other vacationers prefer something like a private SUV or car service, which will add to the costs. You will have a variety of options when it comes time to pick your transfer, but make sure you get those costs factored in again before you decide on a particular cruise.

Third, I always recommend for my clients who are flying into a port city to fly in the day before the scheduled cruise departure date. That will give some flexibility to the schedule in case of flight delays. The last thing you want to do is schedule a flight in on the departure day of your cruise and then hope everything goes according to plan. The cruise will leave even if you are not on board on time so give your self some space for error and arrive the day before. So with that said, you should also then add in the cost of a pre-cruise hotel stay. I will again not give any pricing info since hotel costs are so varied from city to city.

Fourth and finally, you should always consider adding trip insurance to the cost of your vacation. A cruise line will usually not offer you any form of a refund if for some reason you need to cancel your trip at the last minute. Trip insurance can offer that extra peace of mind after you make that final payment for your trip. Again…make sure you understand this...the cruise line will leave without you. If something delays your flight or comes up at the last minute that keeps you from getting to the pier on time, you will NOT be able to convince that cruise line captain to wait just for you or your family. Cruise insurance, depending on the carrier and the policy purchased, can help you out when the unforeseen happens so make sure you consider it and calculate it is to the total cost of your cruise.

I hope I am helping you see that there are external costs that have to be added in so that you understand the true cost of a cruise vacation. In future posts, I will be addressing more about the costs of a cruise including costs that someone can incur once the ships leaves the pier and the vacation begins so please stay tuned...

Travel Tip of the Week...Understanding the Real Costs of a Flight

2009-11-06T13:41:00.000-08:00