Top Trending Destinations in 2014

Are you tired of visiting the same ole' destinations? It may be time to switch things up and add a little adventure to your life. According to a recent article from Travel Agent Magazine, here are the top trending destinations to visit in 2014:

Douro River Valley, Portugal

Vineyards, castles, and monasteries -- oh my! Port wine gets its name from this locale and you can find world-renowned wines here. There are also plenty of historical sites to see. Cruise the river, experience the riverfront, or choose a stay with seaside terraces for breathtaking views.

Black Sea Region

This coastal region includes parts of Turkey, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, and Russia. Whether you choose to cruise the Black Sea and its 17 ports along the coast, or take it in from your hotel's rooftop bar, you are sure to enjoy its beauty.

Puebla, Mexico

This is the place to visit if you are looking to break out of the "party" atmosphere that dominates many tourist spots in Mexico. With live bullfights, an outdoor market along colonial stone streets, an active volcano, and rich art in the form of murals and architecture, you'll definitely want to spend an extended vacation here.

Nicaragua, Central America

With 37 miles of beaches and perfect waves, it's no mystery why this spot is so popular with surfers! Whether you choose a private beach villa or an exclusive resort, you're sure to enjoy a "carefree luxury" stay.

Myanmar

At the northern border of Thailand, you'll find high-end boutique hotels and cultural landmarks. This spot has been steadily gaining popularity with American travelers since its political climate has become more favorable.

Hainan

Projected by travel experts to be one of the world's leading tourist destinations by 2021, this international Riviera is located off the southern coast of China. The city of Sanya features ultra-high-end hotels and resorts, including future plans for an Atlantis resort.

Tanzania

Take a safari in the Serengeti! See zebras and wildebeests in their natural habitat during the day and return to your luxury hotel at night. Or, take a walk on the really wild side -- there is a tented camp located in the Serengeti National Park.

St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

White sand and blue water made this the perfect location for The Bachelor in 2013. You can take a diving expedition to explore reefs, wrecks, or one of only three underwater museums in the U.S. Or, if you prefer, experience championship golf. This island features 18th century architecture and botanical gardens, as well as the Cruzan Rum Distillery.

Samana, Dominican Republic

Great news for travelers who hate layovers -- you can take a direct flight to Samana. Resorts feature access to beachfront, a lagoon created by a fresh water spring that runs down from the mountains to the ocean, as well as exclusive swimming pools, a spa, restaurants and bars, water sports, a playground for the kids, horseback riding, tennis courts, and bike trails. The family won't want to leave, even if it is a nonstop flight.

Curacao

The setting for 2012's The Bachelorette, this Dutch-European cultured Caribbean island is located 40 miles off the coast of Venezuela. It belongs on your list because of its "sophistication, ecotourism and pristine diving conditions."

Are you ready to have an adventure this year and visit one of these incredible destinations? I would love to help you plan the trip of a lifetime! For more information about any of these locations feel free to send me an email at bryan@operationdestination.com.

AIl-Inclusive vs European Plan

If you have ever traveled outside the US, you most likely reserved a hotel that was either on an "EP" plan or an "AI" plan.  You may have noticed those symbols within your quote and never really paid attention to what they meant as far as your price was concerned.  If you like to peruse the internet and book vacations yourself, you may not even have realized which plan you were on until you arrived at your destination.

There are some resorts and hotels that now offer both an EP plan and also an AI plan.  EP simply stands for "European Plan" and AI simply stands for "All-Inclusive."  But if you were not aware of that, you may have booked a room at a hotel that offers both and think you got a steal compared to someone else who paid X amount of dollars more for the same room.  Little did you know that they were on an AI plan while you were on an EP plan.

All-inclusive resorts are very popular these days, especially when it comes to traveling to places like Cancun, Punta Cana, Jamaica etc. They have made traveling more affordable to a wider demographic. What are the pluses?  The biggest is the one I just mentioned...affordability.  When you look at the price for an all-inclusive, you know what the real cost of the trip is going to be upfront because most include your beverages, most of your food and your lodging and even some non-motorized water sports such as snorkeling, kayaks etc.  Some luxury all-inclusive resort chains also tout that your gratuities are included upfront, but that can be argued (and maybe I will in a future post).  So when a travel agent sends you a quote that includes flights, round trip transfers and an all-inclusive resort, you know you are seeing all of the costs minus any excursion that you may want to venture out on in whatever Country you visiting.

A lot of all-inclusive resorts know that, in order to be successful, they need to appeal to that broader demographic so they have kept their prices more affordable than some of the more high-end boutique and chain hotels.

Which really leads to the only negative when it comes to all-inclusives.  Regardless of how many stars are put next to the description of the resort, some will argue that the food quality is never as good as you will find at some other resort or hotel that only offers the European Plan when it comes to their food venues.  Some will also argue that the drinks are more watered down at an all-inclusive again implying that you are not getting the highest quality of beverage or food.  Or they argue that you will only get "local" (cheaper) liquors served when ordering your Mojito or Margarita etc.  There is a lot of validity to that argument.  Do resorts try to find ways of cutting costs so they can offer these all-inclusive plans and allow patrons to eat and eat and eat and drink and drink and drink while trying to turn a profit?  Sure!  Does that mean you are going to have awful food and terrible tasting beverages?  NO!

But you can't go into an all-inclusive resort and expect Ritz or Four Seasons level food and beverage.  If you go into an all-inclusive knowing you are going to be staying in a beautiful location, enjoying nice accommodations, really good food and drink and even enjoyable entertainment, then you will have a great experience and love the all-inclusive option.

But if you are a really serious connoisseur of food and wine and cocktails, then you should probably look at hotels that offer only the European Plan.  So to keep things simple...EP simply means that you are paying for your resort stay and any meals and beverages will be billed to you separately and NOT included in your resort room rate.  Your major hotel chains such as Marriott, Hilton, Ritz Carlton etc offer EP plans when it comes to your meals and beverages.  Some chains, like Hilton as I mentioned earlier, now offer both at some Caribbean destinations where all-inclusives are the more popular option.  But as a general rule, these major chains will be EP.  Smaller boutique-style hotels tend to be EP.  You will find that some of the smaller, more upscale Caribbean destinations such as St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis etc mainly have hotels and resorts that are on the EP plan.  These resorts and destinations tend to appeal more to those where budgets are not as important as other criteria when it comes to their vacation planning process.

So I say all of this to simply educate you so you know what you are getting when you choose hotel A over hotel B and you did that solely on price.  You may not have paid attention to one being EP and not AI.  EP resorts and hotels often appear less expensive when comparing packages, but your food and beverage will add up in a hurry during your trip.  The AI option may end up being the better deal if you are one that likes drink and eat a lot while on vacation.  So look for those symbols in your quote and "know before you go."

Out of the two pictures in this post...can you tell which one is at an AI resort and which one is at an EP resort?

Travel Quiz Contest

Interested in winning a $25 Target Gift Card?  Here is a way you can do just that.  Enter the correct answer in the comment section and everyone who answers correctly will be entered into a drawing. The person chosen at random from that drawing will win a $25 Target Gift Card.

You can enter here or visit my Facebook Page (Operation Destination) and comment under the post with the same question which is this:

True or False?  A US citizen can enter the Caribbean island of St Thomas by air without a passport.

Contest closes at 6pm central time today. Good luck!

Vacationing During Hurricane Season

Would you vacation in the Caribbean during hurricane season?  I get that question all the time.  So let me answer that question with a resounding YES.  I am about to embark on a 7 day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean during the peak of the hurricane season.  I have traveled to Florida during the peak of the hurricane season.  And I will most likely book another trip in the future to those same areas during hurricane season.

Here is a fact about hurricanes that make them different from ice storms, tornadoes, earthquakes and other forms natural disasters; you know they are coming with at least several days of advance notice.  That, to me, makes it easier to plan a vacation during hurricane season, as long as I go into my planning knowing that things may have to be altered.

Cruise ships, for example, will reserve the right to change an itinerary if weather threatens their current path.  That does not mean that they will necessarily cancel the entire cruise, but you may end up going to a port that was not planned originally.  Resorts, in a lot of cases, will issue credits to their guests if their resort is in the path of a hurricane and evacuations are necessary.  And there is always the opportunity to buy travel insurance when planning a trip during hurricane season just to give you the added comfort of knowing your investment is protected.

Traveling during hurricane season has two large advantages which make it a great time to vacation, in my opinion.  First, the prices are generally lower for cruises, all-inclusives, hotels etc.  Travel companies/Cruise Lines know that consumers are skittish when it comes to traveling during the months of August to October and they tend to offer lower pricing to entice consumers.  Second, naturally crowds tend to be lower during that time of year.

Lower pricing and smaller crowds are a great combination.  Agree?

So don't overlook the opportunities that present themselves during hurricane season.  I know there are some of you that travel during the other times of year and your vacations have been effected by blizzards, floods, and other weather-related issues that occurred during other times of year.  So the key to any travel these days, including travel during hurricane season, is to remain flexible and realize things happen that are out of your control.  If you can do that, and if you add travel insurance to your budget, then you can still have a great vacation even if your original plans had to be altered.

What are your opinions and/or experiences?  Do you have issues with traveling during hurricane season?  I would love to get your feedback.

The Vacation Countdown

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.

2011: A Look Ahead

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

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

Princess Cruise 2010 (Preview)

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.

Travel Tip of the Week...Should I pay for that upgrade??

Secrets Silversands Spa and Resort Review Summary

Time flew on this trip. I spent most of day 3 relaxing on the beach listening to the calm lapping of the Caribbean waves under the shade of a palm tree. I want to go back and comment again on the beach. Quite a few people have commented on the beach conditions that I mentioned in the day 2 summary. I took a few moments and walked down the beach on this day to see the conditions of some of the adjacent resorts. Not only were they just as saturated with seaweed and somewhat rocky sand, they had much fewer palm trees. Secrets Silversands has one of the prettiest beaches (photogenic) you will ever see. It is lined with palm trees which is one thing I look forward to seeing when I visit the Caribbean. So while it may not be conducive to playing in the water, it is a wonderful place to lounge and relax under the shade of a palm.

This resort gets an A+ when it comes to its outdoor areas. Silversands has an abundance of pools. If you like more of an active pool scene, they have a main pool with a swim up bar which is also the pool that the wonderful staff engages the crowd in afternoon games and exercises. If you want a pool where you can sit and take a view of the Caribbean as well, they have one amazing infinity pool where you can swim out to the edge and stare at the beautiful turquoise sea. If you are wanting a place to relax by the pool, read a good book in peace and quiet, there are several pool areas made just for you. The pools were absolutely beautiful.

I was also able to work out twice in the resort's gym and again I was quite pleased. They had adequate equipment with a good mix of machine and free weights. The gym also had a shower in the men's and women's restrooms in case you wanted to clean up before heading back to your room.

After a day full of relaxing it was time to decide on the last dinner spot of the trip. Since this trip was only 3 days, I would be unable to eat at every dinner venue so my choice was between the Italian (Portofino), the Mediterranean (Ratatouille) and the French (Bordeaux). After looking at the menus, I decided on the French. The food here at Bordeaux was fantastic. I started with a venison consomme and then opted for the filet mignon for my main. Then I finished the meal with a traditional French apple tartin. Food again was well prepared and beautifully presented and the service "excellente!" This would be my top choice for a romantic meal and evening. Bravo Bordeaux!

The night was capped off with taking in another show which was comprised of local dancers who took the audience on a tour of Mexico through traditional song and dance. This was by far my favorite show of the trip. The costumes were colorful and exquisite and their talent was superb.

Every night as well, the resort has live music near the main lobby bar which I enjoyed just sitting and listening to some of my favorite jazz classics being played.

So in summary...the resort gets a huge thumbs up from me. The staff was very courteous and friendly and always greeted you with an "hola" as you passed by. The restaurant service was fast and very knowledgeable of the dishes being served. I give all of the staff an "A+." The room was great and in an excellent location. The modern decor may be a turn off for some travelers, but I found it simple yet elegant. Food again overall gets a "A" from me as far as the dinner venues are concerned.

It is a resort specifically suited for couples. The restaurant decor is tailored towards romance with lots of heart shaped items and rose or red colored lights which are dimly lit to set the mood. This may not be my first choice for adult family gatherings, but it is perfect for a special couple getaway or celebratory event like a honeymoon or anniversary.

If you are interested in seeing more photos of this resort, please click on this link and you will be directed to my Flickr account.

Please feel free to ask any specific questions about this resort or add your own comments.

A Traveler's Journey Through Pictures

Wanted to share my travel and life's journey through picture and song. I captured the places that I have visited and seen in my life to help me appreciate where I am and where I have been.

Travel Tip of the Week...The All-Inclusive Resort Explained

Would love to get your questions and comments. What travel question would you like to see addressed in a future post?

The Best Time to Travel

"What is the best time to visit destination 'XYZ'?" That is a common question I get asked by travelers wanting to visit a variety of places. It is a logical question to ask. So I felt like I needed to take a few moments and address the question generally to show the different ways that the question can be answered.

Most people really expect someone to answer that question in relation to weather and crowds etc. Now here is the thing to consider, in most cases, the better the weather also means the larger the crowds. Europe's best weather months really coincide with their peak travel season. That also translates into higher travel costs.

So the best time to travel to somewhere in Europe is really during times that are considered the "shoulder season" or off-season. There are a lot of destinations in Europe where the weather is rather temperate all year and can offer great savings opportunities if you can travel during off-season dates which are usually early Spring or early to mid-Fall and not around major holidays.

But for almost every "pro," there is a "con" to also consider; traveling to Europe during off-peak times can have limited accommodation and activity options. Some hotels in Europe actually shut down during the off-season to refurbish or simply to take their own vacation so you need to make sure you plan well in advance and don't just show up in a town and expect to find a room to sleep in for the night. There may not be any. But if you prefer to walk down less crowded streets, then off-season travel in Europe may be the thing for you.

Ok...so what about places like the ever-popular Caribbean? What are the best times to travel to that region? This answer will cover all options (i.e. cruises to the area or staying at a resort). In my opinion, the best weather in the Caribbean is during the late Fall and Winter months. The temperatures are a little lower or less hot I should say and with much less humidity. Crowds are also lower in the late Fall months due to so many travelers still being concerned about traveling to the area during the hurricane season. So that brings up a con again. If you travel to the Caribbean between the months of August and the end of November, you are technically going during the region's hurricane season. That means great prices in most cases (big pro) and much lower crowds, but it also means you need to be prepared for changes to your itinerary if a hurricane were to develop and start heading towards your destination. Cruise ships will divert to other ports of call or cancel itineraries all together if their scheduled route is in the path of a possible hurricane. They have the right to change their itinerary at any moment if they feel the possible safety of its passengers and crew are in jeapordy due to weather. A good way to get some peace of mind if you are traveling during that time of year is by purchasing travel insurance. Most plans will cover delays or cancellations due to weather etc. (check each plan for details of what is covered before hitting the purchase button).

So are you seeing that the answer to the question can vary a lot? I really prefer to travel during those off-peak times and that may or may not coincide with the greatest weather etc. But it may offer a better overall experience because of less congestion and keeping more money in my pocket at the end of the day.

What have you experienced when traveling at different times of the year? Do you have your favorite time to travel to a particular destination? I am interested in hearing your answers or questions.

Travel Tip of the Week-Which Cruise Do I Take?

Cruise Excursion...Who Should I Book Through?

My last travel tip video was related to cruise excursions and I addressed the pro of booking the excursion through the cruise line versus going through another supplier etc. As I stated in the video, the number one pro for booking an excursion through the cruise line is that the cruise will have a record of everyone who is on any of their excursions which means they will wait for you to get back on board if your excursion happens to run a little late etc. If you go through another supplier or just decide to go on your own in any of the ports of call, you are responsible for being back on board before the scheduled departure time. The ship will leave you if you are not back and it is up to you to get to the next port or back home and at your own cost if that ever happens.

Now with that said, here are some cons for booking your excursion through the cruise line. Cost is one negative. Typically the cruise line will charge a bit more for the same excursion that could have been booked from a private excursion company. For example, a "Swim with the Dolphin" excursion in Cozumel Mexico would cost @$139.00 per person through one of the larger cruise lines while costing only $108.00 through a private excursion company. That is significant savings for a family of 4.

Another negative is the selection. If you book through the cruise line, you are limited to their selection of excursions for a particular port of call. You may do some research and find that there were choices you would have never known about that better suits your own preference and interests from some other excursion vendor.

One other negative is that you are tied to the cruise line's schedule when you book an excursion through them. They will dictate when you are to proceed to your designated excursion area and sometimes their organization is a bit lacking which means you may be late getting started and have less time at whatever you were planning on seeing or doing. For example, we had booked an excursion in Cozumel Mexico through Royal Caribbean. It was going to be a full day on a private island with lunch included. The cruise line had overbooked the excursion and neglected to tell the local tour guide in advance which meant that he had to scramble to find additional transportation to the actual excursion location. That put us off schedule by almost 2 hours which then shortened our time on the private island. Smaller, private tour companies are not reliant on what a cruise line does at the last minute and are more prone to being on time.

So in summary, if you are new to cruising, you might want to book your first excursion through the cruise line so you can get a feel of how it all works etc. But on your next cruise, feel free to look around for other alternatives and you will be pleasantly surprised to see how easy they can be to book and how reliable they are when it comes to picking you up and getting you back to the ship on time.

If you need information for some private excursion companies, please send me a message or leave on comment on this blog.

For the Cruise Enthusiasts

Cruising is a passion for so many of you as it is for my wife and I. I wanted to share the latest video of mine further documenting our last cruise on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas. This particular video will show some of the benefits of like amazing sunsets, shopping in exotic locations and much more. I hope you enjoy.

Freedom of the Seas December 2008

Sometimes it is hard to put into words or it is hard to describe some of the wonderful and beautiful things you see during your travels. Such is the case with with our recent trip. Our latest journey took us on a 7 night cruise to the Eastern Caribbean with stops in San Juan PR, St. Thomas and St Maarten.

The ship of choice was Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas (FOS). The FOS is considered a mega class ship (over 130,000 gross tons). It is longer than the Eiffel Tower. It is BIG!! That originally was a concern when we booked the trip. Would it be too big? Since it can hold over 4000 passengers, would it feel extremely crowded? Would we spend our time walking aimlessly just trying to find our dinner table?

None of those original concerns were concerns anymore once we boarded the ship. We embarked on Sunday December the 14th. The embarkation process took a little over an hour and that was due to the ship undergoing a "deep cleaning" after the previous cruise pulled into port earlier that day. Some passengers from the previous cruise had shown signs of the Norovirus which dictated a thorough cleaning of the ship between sailings so we were not upset about the short embarkation delay. We were on board shortly after 1:00PM and we headed straight for the Windjammer Cafe for lunch. My wife was thrilled to see that Royal Caribbean has the same french fry recipe for all of their sailings and ships. She loves their fries. Since the most of the staterooms were still being cleaned and not open for passengers, the restaurant was crowded which meant that passengers were being allowed to seat themselves in Chop's and Portofino's (more on them later).

After lunch we headed out to explore the ship. I can't say enough about the aesthetics of the ship. It is a beautiful vessel. We went to check out our seating assignment in main dining room which is broken down into 3 sections; Galileo's, Issac's and Leonardo's. We were on the second level which was Issac's. Elegant is the word I would use to describe the overall decor and feel of the dining areas.

We then headed out to walk down one of Royal Caribbean's most unique feature on their larger vessels, the Royal Promenade. For the lack of a better description, this is a mall down the center of the ship lined with shops and restaurants. It is designed to have the feel of a small street in Europe where you can sit outside of a cafe and watch the day and the crowds go by. Besides the shops, there are several eating and drinking venues set up along the Promenade; The Promenade Cafe for desserts and coffee, Sorrento's for Pizza and other Italian favorites, Vintages for a glass of fine wine and The Bull and the Bear which is an English styled pub. What I like about this area of the ship is that it offers a great place to hang out on the ship if there happens to be any bad weather during your cruise. Can't say enough good things about the Promenade. The Promenade was also a venue for parades and live music during the cruise and one of our favorites was a show called "Dancin' in the Streets" which was a 70's themed show which brought back some great memories.

We have no complaints about any of the public areas of the ship (except for the spa) and I will post a link at the end of the review where you can go to see pictures and judge how beautiful the ship is for yourself. The spa was our only disappointment. Our previous cruise on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas had set our expectation for what we thought we would see on this newer, larger Royal Caribbean ship. The spa on the Radiance was far and above better than the one of the FOS. The spa this time was really just a bunch of treatment rooms. There was not really a relaxation area or a sauna and steam area like we were accustomed to. The only steam and sauna room was down in the male and female locker areas next to the fitness area which really removes it from being associated with the spa upstairs. I was beginning to think that nice spa areas on ships might be a thing of the past until we pulled up next to Celebrity's newest ship, The Solstice, while we were in San Juan. We looked across and could see their spa area through these huge floor to ceiling windows and it far surpassed what we had on the FOS. I hope Royal Caribbean has improved this area on the newest ship which is scheduled to sail in just a few more months.

Other areas that will interest a lot of potential passengers are the ice skating rink on board called Studio B, the only wave simulator at sea called Flowrider and the 43 ft rock climbing wall which I am proud to say I tried and conquered.

Now onto the stateroom. We booked a PR category stateroom on deck 6. The PR category rooms are staterooms that are inside cabins, but overlook the Royal Promenade with a nice sized bay window. The room was a bit smaller than what we were hoping for and storage demanded some unpacking strategy. The space was a little cramped when we were both trying to get ready for dinner etc., but it wasn't too bad. We probably will not book another PR category room but I would not hesitate in recommending it to folks who like some view from their room but do not want to pay for an outside cabin.

Now let's discuss dining. As I mentioned, our main dining seat assignment was in Issac's Dining Room which the second floor of the 3 floor main dining room. We had excellent table mates from North Carolina. Their company each night made the cruise and our dinners extra special. The food every night was well prepared and the service was fantastic. The food and service was by far better than the Disney Cruise we had taken the year prior.

We also made arrangements to dine in one of Royal Caribbean's specialty restaurants, Chops Grille. Chops is known for their steaks and they did not disappoint. I had the 16 oz T-Bone and it was fantastic. You could cut it with a butter knife. My wife had the small fillet and it too was wonderful and tender. The specialty restaurants require an additional $25 per person and I can say it was well worth it when you consider that the cost covers any appetizer, main course and also a dessert. The same meal would cost near $100 at most good steak restaurants back on land.

The other, less expensive specialty restaurant on board is Johnny Rockets. Johnny Rockets is known in the U.S. for their great hamburgers and fun atmosphere. The cost extra cost is a low $3.50 per person which also covers appetizers, a burger or sandwich choice and also dessert. It was kind of surreal to be on board a huge ship in the middle of the Atlantic and be sitting in a Johnny Rockets eatery listening and watching the staff sing and dance to the Bee Gee's Staying Alive.

I forgot to mention that the Royal Promenade also offers another very popular eatery, Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. It was a popular spot along with the Royal Promenade Cafe which we frequented often.

To view photos of the ship and the cruise...click on this link.

I am going to continue my review in part 2 where I will discuss the entertainment as well as the ports of call.

Walt Disney World Vacation Review 2008 part 1

This post will give a detailed review of our latest trip to Walt Disney World. The dates of our trip were August 24th through the 30th. We arrived late Sunday night in Orlando (approx. 10:00PM). We headed straight for Disney's Magical Express desk where we were once again greeted warmly and promptly directed to the line where we could board our Disney Bus to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.

Here is a tip...if you book a late flight, don't assume that will mean less of a crowd on Magical Express. Because we were later in the evening, the buses were waiting much longer than usual to make sure they had as many guests on board as they could get since they run less frequently that late at night. We waited on the bus almost 45 minutes while they allowed more passengers to check in at the desk and get on board.

We then were on our way and arrived at the resort very close to 11:45PM. The crowd at check in was very light due to our late arrival and since most other passengers on the bus were headed for other resorts. In about 15 minutes we were checked in and waiting outside for the resort internal bus to take us to our assigned building. We were in "Aruba" which seemed about half way between the Custom House (where you check in) and Port Royale (where you go to eat and shop).

We got in the room at about 12:30AM and were very pleased with the size and decor of the room. Our room was a "Garden View" which really means you have some flora outside your window that pretty much blocks your view to anything else.


Here is another tip...when arriving this late to the resort, plan on packing your bath necessities and your next day's clothes in your carry-on bag so you will have what you need to get you through until the next afternoon. Then call the front desk when you arrive to your room and tell them to hold your bags until the next morning. If you don't, you will have to stay up until the bell service delivers them to your room which, in our case, was not until roughly 1:30AM. We were exhausted by the time they arrived and wished we had planned better for such things.

We had an early character breakfast reservation at Disney's Hollywood Studios which also meant we got little sleep before our first day in the parks, but it always seems like adrenaline kicks in when you get to a park and it manages to carry you through the day. We awoke at 6:15AM ready to get to our bus stop to catch one of the less frequent buses (so we thought). We understood that the buses ran only every 30 to 45 minutes if it was more than an hour before the parks were scheduled to open. Our reservation was for 8:00AM at Hollywood and Vine so we figured we better be at the bus stop to catch a bus that might be there around 7:15 or 7:30 in case another did not come until closer to 8:00AM. Well...we got at the stop around 6:50AM and the bus pulled up right at the moment for Disney's Hollywood Studios so we jumped on and a whopping 10 minutes later there we were right outside the gate of the park at an ever so early 7:00AM...a FULL HOUR before our breakfast reservation. Lesson learned! :)

Hollywood and Vine is a great place to eat breakfast in the park. It was a full breakfast buffet with an abundance of choices including some healthier fare. There were also characters from the Little Einsteins and JoJo's Circus present which seemed to be a hit among the children.

After breakfast...we headed out to get in the line forming for the official opening of the park. The good thing about having an early morning breakfast reservation in the park is that you do get to bypass the lines forming outside in the turnstiles and you end up about half way up in the crowd that is waiting or the rope to drop.

Tip: If you are visiting Disney's Hollywood Studios in the next few months, plan on heading to their newest attraction, Toy Story Mania, first. It seems to now be more popular than the Tower of Terror or even Rock N Roller Coaster.

The crowds were pretty good considering the time we traveled was also during Disney's free dining plan offer which is available to resort guests during a certain time of the year (usually the end of August until late September) and at select resorts. For those not familiar with the dining plan, here is how it works. You get 1 table service meal, 1 counter service meal and 1 snack per person, per night of your stay. We were staying 6 nights so we got 6 each. This dining plan works well if you plan on eating a lot of food. If you usually have a dessert item for lunch and dinner, then the plan will save you money overall. If you don't...I am not sure it is a benefit. It demands that you plan your meals well in advance of your trip. If you do not use your meal credits by the end of your stay...you lose them. We had to make advance reservations at 5 table service restaurants (The Hollywood Brown Derby is a signature restaurant so it required 2). If you wait until you arrive, the chances of getting into some of Disney's more popular sit down restaurants is pretty slim. We made our reservations about 90 days before our trip.

What has changed recently with the plan is that you no longer get an appetizer with your table service meals, only one non-alcoholic beverage, one entree and one dessert. Also tips are no longer included in the plan so make sure you tip each server accordingly.

I will post more about the meals and the other aspects of our trip in part 2...

Royal Caribbean Cruise Review

This is a short review of a cruise that we took last December (2006) on RCCL's Radiance of the Seas. The cruise itinerary was a Western Caribbean cruise with port stops at Key West, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Montego Bay. The overall length of the cruise was 6 nights leaving on a Sunday afternoon out of Ft. Lauderdale.

First I want to give a brief review of the ship itself. The Radiance of the Seas (R.O.S.) is a beautiful ship with a passenger capacity of just over 2500. The ship is considered to be in the mega-ship size category due to it's berth capacity along with its gross tonnage being just over 90,090 tons.

The R.O.S. is known for it's abundance of large glass areas allowing uninhibited views of the ocean as you sail from port to port. It is also known for the gorgeous area mid-ship called the Centrum. The Centrum is the first thing you see as you board the ship. It is an open air lobby area spanning 8 decks. A popular picture taking location is on the 12th deck where you can peer down through a glass floor all the way down to deck 4.

The ship appeals to a wide variety of cruiser's due to the various on-board activities such as the Casino Royale, Adventure Ocean, the Solarium, the Library, etc. I will elaborate more on some of these areas in just a moment.

The ship at the time of our cruise was in great shape. It had some areas that showed more wear and tear than others such as the pool side chairs and high traffic areas around the staircases and elevators, but overall the ship was in very good shape.

Our room was a deluxe stateroom with a balcony on the 9th deck. Due to the location of our stateroom being right off the elevators, we had an over sized balcony which made it an excellent viewing area as we pulled into each port. The stateroom was in good condition and came with a nice sized couch and sitting area. The bathroom was small, but kept clean. The only negative about the room (which applies to all of the rooms) was that the sewage water tended to have some minor backup problems that maybe lasted a few hours, but caused an odor to be present until it was fixed. Our stateroom was always cleaned and kept in order by our invisible stateroom attendant. He always knew when we were gone and the room was always promptly made up when we arrived back from breakfast each morning.

Now on to the food. We had heard some positive and negative reviews about the food before we set sail on the R.O.S. We found the the food to be adequate and average on the breakfast and lunch buffets and above average in the dining room and specialty restaurants for dinner. We ate breakfast most every morning in the Windjammer which is their large buffet restaurant on deck 11. The food selection did not change from the first day and considered to be average quality. The service would also be called average. Sometimes we had to wave down a sever to come clear the dishes on our table. The best thing about the Windjammer is that it has a large outdoor, but covered eating area in the aft part of the ship which made it a great place to sit and eat and gaze out into the blue waters of the Caribbean.

When we didn't eat in port, we also ate lunch in the Windjammer and found it also adequate, but not stellar. They do have the best fries at sea however. It is also a great lunch spot for the days where you plan on spending most of the time by the large pool adjacent to it on deck 11. One of us would go get a quick plate of food while the other held feverishly to our pool chairs.

We ate every dinner in the main dining room (The Cascades) except for our anniversary dinner in Portofino's which is their Italian specialty restaurant. The staff in the main dining room was excellent, at least at our table. They were attentive and knew what we wanted in the way of beverages after the very first sitting. They also paid very close attention to one of our table mate's dietary needs and went above and beyond to make sure she had a selection of food items to choose from. They were awesome! The food was good to a little above average. Presentation was good, but one of the steaks was not cooked correctly and came out a bit tough.

Dinner in Portofino's was excellent. The food was well above average and the service was impeccable. It was a great experience and worth the extra fees. I highly recommend budgeting for a night in either Portofino's or Chop's.

Now to the different public areas of the ship. If you want peace and quiet, head to the Solarium. It is a covered, adult's only pool area on deck 11. The chairs are actually wooden and come with padding instead of just the cheap plastic pool chairs that are around the main pool. They have the area decorated like a tropical rain forest with nature sounds playing softly overhead. It was the place to go and relax and read a book. Here is a tip though, on sea days, get there early because it gets rather crowded quickly.

The other quiet area that tended to be overlooked was the Library. It was a place we went to get the daily Sudoku puzzle and take a breather from the crowds. It is situated on deck 9.

The shops were crowded and were not laid out very well for the large crowds that congregated there every night for yet another "special" buying opportunity. The ship did a lot of merchandise promoting which became a little annoying by the end of the cruise. Unless you are just a shop-a-holic, avoid the area if you can.

The 3 story Aurora Theatre was a treat. It was very picturesque and a great place to end a wonderful day. The productions were good, but seemed a little over the top even for Vegas standards. By that I mean, the costumes seemed to be too gaudy even for a Vegas style production and didn't really fit the song or dance production. But it was a still an enjoyable thing to do after a nice dinner. There were some seating areas to avoid due to some large floor to ceiling columns, but the theatre was never at full capacity so you can easily find a good seat.

The spa and fitness areas were great. I had 3 different spa treatments and enjoyed just going and relaxing in the thermal suite. The spa is managed by Elemis which is top notch when it comes to spas and spa products. This is a must do on board. But make your appointments as soon as you board the first day because they fill up quick.

Now on to the port reviews. Our first stop was Key West. It is a great place to get off and take some pictures, but we find it to be too much oriented around the tourist which means you can spend a lot of money for their tours and cheap shows and probably regret it when you get back on board. We did our own self tour off the beaten path and took several pictures of the great architecture and lush landscape and then boarded the ship early to take advantage of the quietness on board and indulged in a spa treatment.

The next stop was Cozumel Mexico. It is amazing how blue the sea can actually be. Cozumel's blue waters are something someone has to see at least once in their lifetime. The port itself was a different story. They were still rebuilding from Hurricane Wilma and we had to tender in which made it an adventure in itself. This was the most unorganized port experience on our entire cruise. Part of that is the Mexican Port Authorities fault and part of it was Royal Caribbean's fault. The tendering and chaos associated it with it was all due to poor planning and lack of a sense of urgency. The Mexican Port Authorities just didn't seem to care that there were a few thousand folks that wanted to actually see their port. They were slow and very disorganized and acted as if they had no idea ships were coming their way that day.

We had booked an all-day excursion at what they call "Passion Island." It included a day on a beautiful private island with lunch and beverages and hammocks etc. Well...once we finally got into port, Royal Caribbean had changed the group size at the last minute for our excursion. The change sent our guide into a tizzy because he did not have enough transportation reserved for the much larger group size. This delayed things for at least an hour which was cutting into our excursion time. Our Guide, Alex, was visibly shaken by the change, but kept his humor and politeness about it to his credit. After he commandeered a taxis to go along with the previously reserved bus, we started on our 30-45 minute bus ride. To make things more interesting, the bus driver pulled out and hit another taxis driver. You had to laugh at this point. A few Spanish words were traded between our driver the taxis driver and the police officer and we were waved on our way as the taxis driver looked in dismay at his dangling rear view mirror. I wish I understood more Spanish to know what was said, but by this time we are all laughing and just hoping to get to see a little of the Island before we have to head back to the ship.

Once we got to the boat that was to take us to the Island, we all got on board and headed for another 15 minute transfer trip to our final destination. We all started to look at one another as the water we were in was a gross dingy brown. The guide saw we were getting a little concerned and reassured us by letting us know we were in a lagoon and it would get better once we got to the Island. He was right. It was beautiful! The water was clear and blue on the Caribbean side of the Island and the sand was white and soft. Chairs and hammocks were plentiful and the food was great. We might give this excursion a second chance and see if it can get off to a better start.

Next stop, the Cayman Islands. Once again more beautiful blue Caribbean water and white sand beaches. This stop had some of the prettiest white sand beaches we have ever seen. We also tendered in here but it went very smooth and was well-organized. We did a self tour of the port and shopped a bit. The most popular excursion here is swimming with the sting rays. Everyone says that it is a chance of a lifetime. We were watching our budget for each port and chose to do planned excursions in 2 of our 4 ports so we will have to wait to come back and try the sting ray experience on another cruise.

Our last port of call was Montego Bay, Jamaica. We were docked here which made it a breeze to get off and on the ship similar to Key West. We did a "planned" excursion while in this port. I had researched the area for a spa that my wife and I could spend our anniversary at. I had read about a place call "Round Hill Resort and Spa." We arranged to be picked up at the pier through the help of the staff at Round Hill. Our driver, Perry, was a treat. He was waiting for us at the pier and had a nice car waiting to whisk us away to the resort. After entering through a private gate we were driven through some of the most plush and gorgeous scenery we have ever scene. We were told that Ralph Lauren has a private home somewhere on the grounds and we can understand why. It was something you just have to see to appreciate. We were awe struck at the beauty of the area. My words will not do it justice. Just picture greens and reds and all shades of blue in the water with the stark white architecture standing out among the various colors. If you want to do a non-cruise arranged excursion, I would highly recommend this one. The spa staff was great and treated us like royalty. We had lunch on the grounds overlooking the Caribbean. It was something out of a dream.

In summary, the cruise as great. The ship was wonderful and the staff was always helpful and courteous. I give Royal Caribbean and "A" and highly recommend them for your next vacation option.