The power of three

We are going to visit dear Uncle Dick in Los Angeles. Ten years since we saw him. He's 90 now.

Then on to nearby San Diego to sight see, including Sea World to witness my first music partner, Jack Lohman, introduce dolphins who leap from the tank into the air as if on cue. Actually, he does his spiel and watches for the shadows circling below as his cue. He now lives near Las Vegas. Days he is a city planner. Once a month he is Yukon Jack and livin' the dream.

I learned this when he called last night. We had lots of old times to recall. He told me about his then-wife who resented all the time music took away from the marriage. They had moved to Denver in late '71, the year before I left Ohio. When I went the following May, it wasn't to revive Jon and Mikel, but she didn't know that. When Jack told her I was in Denver, she screamed, "Oh no, he's FOLLOWING us!"

It's interesting how timing effects us. Jack called last night. The night before, Uncle Dick called and asked us if we could come for a visit. We've never been to visit sister Nancy in Sante Fe, and had planned to go in February, and that's three. Today, we called Karen Miller at Putman Travel to figure out the best way to do all three stops and use Frequent Flyer miles from Shelagh's mom. That should be interesting, too.

After nearly ten years, it's time to leave the hill again and fly 600 mph in a crowded metal tube eight miles high.

Canadian Lake Perfect Setting for Special Birthday Bash

Suppose you are having an 83d birthday party in the land of your birth, Canada. As Neil Young so elegantly put it, all your changes were there.

So you drive three days to stay where you always stay in the third floor room with a balcony looking at the lake. On your birthday, on the lawn below your balcony, 200 or so audience members sing you the birthday song, to the music of the Young People's Symphony led by Maestro Boris Brott and sung to you by popular tenor / actor Michael Burgess. Pretty cool, Mum.

Boris, his wife, and Michael sit with us at dinner that night. The conversation was delightful. A cake is delivered to the table. It is a changing of ownership night as well at Windermere House. The end of an era.

Later in the week, we went to the antique wooden boat museum. Gorgeous gleaming curved wood from the '20's and 30's, sleekness that lived in boat houses with a porch above and sleeping rooms.

And there it was, floating in a slip at the back of the museum. Neriva, first owned by the man who gave you your first kiss (but not on the boat!).

Shelagh and I stayed largely stunned as the happy confluence of coincidence, planet alignment and good planning combined for a sure winner in The Bestest Birthday Ever race. Shelagh is back to normal now; I remain stunned.

© 2008 mikewhitney

Our thanks to Karen Miller and Putman Travel for their additions to a great vacation.

Costa Rica

I've just returned from my first visit to Costa Rica; this is a wonderful destination with lot's to do for most anyone. Delta has daily flights from Atlanta to the country's capital San Jose, as well as Liberia which lies in the Guancaste region and only a 3.5 hour flight. I stayed @ the Paradisus in Playa Conchal (http://www.paradisusplayaconchal.travel/) which is a 45 minute ride from Liberia and located in the north on the Pacific side of the country. The Paradisus is an all-inclusive resort that has eight restaurants and is situated directly on a very nice beach. The resort is made up of 406 rooms, that are in bungalows that contain eight rooms. There are basically two different service qualities. There is the general, which is good enough, and there is a Royal Service quality. In general there isn't much difference in the room qualities or appointments, however you are given a few more luxuries and service amenities. Candidly, I didn't see the value in the 30-40% premium charged for this. The resort has a Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed golf course that is very well done. Green fees inclusive of cart run around $160-$75, which is reasonable for the caliber it represents. The grounds are well landscaped and filled with interesting plants. There is also an abundance of non-domesticated animals that roam the property freely. From Monkeys to Iguanas the diversity of the fauna adds a nice twist to this eco-friendly destination.

One thing that is fairly unique for an all-inclusive is how few people are around during the day. Generally, visitors to AI resorts spend most of their time in the resorts taking advantage of the ever-abundant food and drink. Refreshingly, most people are out on adventures most days, which is the primary allure to the destination. There is so much to do, from hiking to sport-fishing to zip-lining through rain-forest canopies it's an adventurers paradise. The fishing is phenomenal, for less than $800 you can charter a 34-foot boat fully equipped with fishing gear, bait, soft drinks, waters, beer, sandwiches and fresh fruit for up to five people. I would suggest booking this before you go, as the hotel charges a premium for buying through them. Fishing is good year round and different bill-fish species are generally available year round.

All the people I encountered were more than friendly and many go out of their way to make sure you are happy in their country. English is spoken in most places, but it doesn't hurt to know a bit of Espanol or carry a phrase book with you. I really enjoyed the food, and the dollar still goes a long way, not to mention it is accepted everywhere even though they do have their own currency. I highly recommend Costa Rica and I look forward to visiting again. Putman Travel has many pre-packaged or customizable packages to Costa Rica. Visit www.putman.com or call 1-800-6-Putman to speak with one of our agents.

Pura Vida!

Carnival Glory

Just got back from a 7 day cruise on Carnival Glory. There were 9 women that went (8 of us left our husbands at home). We drove to Port Canaveral on Friday and spent the night at the Raddison in Cocoa Beach which was great. We took a shuttle over to the ship on Sat. about 11:30 after leaving our car at the Raddison for the week. By 12:30 we were on the ship having lunch! The check in was by far the easiest that I have done! (this was cruise #8 for me) When we got back, we walked directly to the van for our shuttle back to the Raddison to get our car.

This was my 2nd cruise on the Glory. Very nice ship but a little confusing on a few of the decks because you can't go all the way through from one end to the other. We had a balcony room- beds were very comfortable and plenty of storage space. The bedding is wonderful! Our cabin stewart took good care of our room. We didn't see him very often but he did his job well. Except for the last day when he put a $1,430. charge on our room for in cabin beverages!!! It was definately a mistake and it was promptly removed with apologies from him!

Three stops on this cruise- Nassau, St. Thomas & St. Marteen. All are port stops (no tenders) so that is nice. We took a tour in St. Thomas and St. Marteen. They were both nice. We always take our tours through the cruise lines. I personally don't want to take the chance on doing my own - at least with booking through the cruise line we don't have to worry about the ship leaving without us! Plus the cruise lines have investigated the tours so we are at least on a fairly reliable tour (at least one would hope!)

The shows on the Glory were great, the casino loved our money! My biggest complaint with the Glory is the smoking in the Casino. It can get very bad and there are no smoke free areas in the Casino. You are very likely to get a smoker sitting on either side of you. The dining rooms and the Amber Palace are smoke free.

We thought some of the food was wonderful, some OK and just a little was just not good (tough meat a few times). Our wait staff was adequate at best, nothing to brag about. We were almost always the last table finished eating and it wasn't our fault! We were always in the dining room promptly when the doors opened at 6:15 and never left before 8:00! Many evenings our food was up and sitting there waiting for our waiter. We think maybe he just had too many tables, looked at 9 women at ours and figured no extra tips there- I'll concentrate on the tables with men! I don't know that this was really the case but I do know that we didn't have great service.

Bottom line- the cruise was good- I've been on better but it was well worth the money we spent. Any time I can put my feet on a ship- I'm a happy camper! Lisa T. at Putman booked our cruise and was great! Thanks Lisa!

Almost Free Passport Photos DIY

I was looking around for cheap way to get the passport size photos printed.

Found this wonderful size which lets you size any picture to meet any passport photo requirement (not just US). All in all it only took 2-3 min to get the photo edited and downloaded.

Following is simple process.

1. Take picture with while or half white background focusing the head on the center of the lence.

2. Upload the image to this site and crop to ensure head is 1 - 13/8 inch

3. Download the image to thumb drive

4. Goto any pharmacy to print 4 X 6, you will get yourself 6 passport size photos. (CVS charges 19 cents for a 4X6)


http://www.epassportphoto.com/

Winter in the Islands

Winter in the Islands

St. Thomas is alive in winter. Also the heart of the seven or so year old girl, her hair in perfect corn rows, sitting in a colorful bikini on a couch in the lobby of the hotel where we checked in. Her small fists stuffed inside the cups of her suit, holding them away from her chest, imagining the future.

My gaze fell on the Atlantic Ocean through the open wall of the hotel with a pool and restaurant before it. I saw a pelican crossing to the right, a seaplane landing to the left, and St Croix in the distance. Christopher Cross came over the house speakers singing Sailing. It was 82 degrees with the night before us. I wondered why I had taken an eight year hiatus from traveling.

Sailing, sailing, over the bounding main

Waves slammed against our cabin's portholes. We had expected there to be some rocking. With only 146 passengers and 90 crew, our motorized sailing vessel was small by cruise ship standards of ten stories and 3000 passengers. We were ready for some back and forth, up and down action.

One night, however, it felt like we had broken off from the rest of the ship, so wildly did we pitch about in the high winds and waves. Drawers banged open and shut. Home two days now, and the screen before me eyes is still bouncing as I rock to and fro over the wobbling keyboard. Steady as she goes, aye, matey. It was a great trip, especially on the last night out. The captain used our sails only, and the only sound was canvas slapping gently in the breeze.

Seen and Heard On St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Twenty years ago, Roland lived in Massachusetts, near Boston. He was a "big shot". So, he sold everything and moved the family to paradisal St. Thomas. Now a self-described "small shot", Roland has owned Bumpa's in downtown St. Thomas for the past twenty years. It's a neat little restaurant on top of a store. He and his small staff do a great job on breakfast and lunches. He works hard and is happy, fit and tanned in his sixties, with a big grin and a sharp comment when needed. He told us about a wonderful encounter with one customer, young John Grisham, the now famous author.

He doesn't miss the bitter New England winters. I smile as I write this, because meeting guys like Roland is a rare event for me. He downsized his life, and chose happiness over money and stuff. More to the point, he gambled and won. Hats off to Roland. If you read this, Roland, thanks for the good food, and taking the time to tell your story again to yet another curious traveler.

Here are some of our travel photos on our fantastic Windstar cruise. We thank Karen Miller and the whole crew at Putman Travel for making it our best trip ever.

Mike and Shelagh Whitney's 25th anniversary vacation

Charleston Getaway

Well, I just got back from a weekend getaway to Charleston, and I had a wonderful time! As I have only lived in South Carolina since March of this year, this was my first time ever seeing Charleston and let me just say that I definitely want to go back!

My mother and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Historic District, and I cannot say enough wonderful things about it! This was by far the best Holiday Inn I have ever stayed in. Although the decor wasn't quite my taste, everything was spotless and the entire hotel--rooms and public areas--were beautiful and well-kept. The staff was helpful and friendly, especially the concierge Kevin McQuade. He is definitely a gem and if anyone ever stays at this hotel I would highly recommend utilizing his vast knowledge of the city.

Although the Holiday Inn was not quite as close to the Battery and the old market as many of the other historic district hotels, the price was right and the walk was not a bad one. The one thing I would suggest is avoiding their "Best 4 Breakfast" rate. This just adds $20 per person onto their regular hotel rates and (a) it is very diffucult to rack up $20 per person on their breakfast menu, and (b) you will not get back any monies that you do not use. Plus, I was not overly impressed with the breakfast itself or the service in the restaurant.

Friday night we walked down Meeting Street and ate dinner at Poogan's Porch. This has been touted as one of the best restaurants in Charleston, and has been visited by many famous people, and I now know why! The prices are reasonable and the food is delicious. Plus, they bring biscuits and special butter to your table before your meal and I could not decide which was better, the biscuits or the butter!

After dinner we did the holiday candlelight tour of the Edmonston-Alston house. It was neat seeing the house all decorated for Christmas with period appropriate decorations, and we also got to see the slave quarters and the Carriage house, which are not open for tourists on the usual day tours. Still, it was really neat to see what one of those Battery houses would have looked like pre-Civil War, furniture and all, and the tour for this house is short, sweet, and to the point, so even if you cannot do the holiday candlelight tour, I recommend it.

Saturday we rose early, as we wanted to see as much as possible during our one full day in Charleston. After breakfast, the first thing we did was talk to the concierge, Kevin, and I am so glad that we took advantage of his services! He took the time to figure out what we were looking for (we wanted to see as much as the city as possible, experience a good guide, and not have to do a ridiculous amount of walking), and paired us with the perfect tour--with Jane Thornhill, a true Charleston "society doyenne". Although the tour was twice the price of a walking tour--$40 per person, to be precise--Mrs Thornhill had access to all sorts of places that most tours do not have access to, she thoroughly impressed me with her knowledge, and I cannot express how great it was to ride around in her van and see everything versus having to walk miles and miles and still not see as much as we experienced.

We also went to the Farmer's Market in Marion Square, which operates every Saturday morning. There were a lot of wonderful crafts and food, although I was a little disappointed that there weren't more booths/tents. We also spent quite a bit of time (and I could have spent more!) at the Old City Market between East Bay and Meeting Streets. Although there was plenty of junk to be had, we also found plenty of treasures, including the art of an elderly woman who made Santa Clause statues out of Cypress knees--I fell in love with these!

The last thing we experienced in Charleston was the Holiday Progressive Dinner, and I am sad to say that I was thoroughly disappointed. The cost was $90 per person, and although the evening carriage rides between the three venues (King's Courtyard Inn, Circa 1886 Restaurant, and the John Rutledge House Inn) was neat, the food left something to be desired and I really do not feel that this dinner was worth the price we paid. I truly believe that we would have been better off talking to Kevin and getting suggestions from him on where to eat dinner!

All in all, the Christmas season is a beautiful time to experience Charleston (especially if you want to find some really neat and different gifts for friends and family), and I would certainly recommend the Holiday Inn Historic District to anyone looking for a quick getaway, a romantic weekend, a family experience, etc.!

Las Vegas in a Weekend

Is it possible to see everything Vegas has to offer in just one weekend?

No, but I sure tried!

I was lucky enough to get on one of the last direct flights that Allegiant ran out of Greenville/Spartanburg. They have now canceled these flights for the foreseeable future, but I was told that anyone is welcome to complain on their website if you want to possibly see them come back. I for one do not think they gave these flights enough of a chance to catch on.

That said, I flew out of Greenville early on a Friday morning and caught a red-eye back on Sunday night, which was nice because with the time change it gave me most of the day Friday, all day Saturday, and most of the day Sunday to explore "Sin City". And I only had to take a day and a half off work!

I stayed at THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, which is at the far end of The Strip, near the airport. If you don't think you would enjoy the casino atmosphere of some of the other top Vegas hotels (i.e. Caesar's, Paris, Venetian, Mirage) then this hotel may be for you! The decor is very mellow and the atmosphere is upscale. The whole place is also quiet, even in the lobby area, which is something you just can't say for those other Vegas hotels. But you will sacrifice that Vegas feel and the opportunity to be right smack in the middle of The Strip.

Friday was spent at the pool, even though Mandalay Bay's main pool, "The Beach", was closed for the season. This was disappointing because it was in the mid-70s, and after the cold weather we had been having here in Greenville that certainly felt like pool weather to me! Later, I tried to go to the all-you-can-eat seafood buffet at the Rio, which I had heard great things about--but that was closed as well, for renovations! We ended up having to eat at the regular buffet. The disappointments were adding up, but the rest of the night made up for them. I was able to see the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino as well as the Wynn that night, and some friends and I danced the night away at Tryst at the Wynn. The nightclub was beautiful (especially the huge waterfall in it!) but the admission was steep ($20 for women, $30 for men) and the drinks were even more ridiculous ($10 for a Miller Lite, $17 for a Mojito). So if you're going to Vegas for night life...plan on spending. A lot.

Saturday we ate lunch at FatBurger, which is supposedly the home of the best burger in Las Vegas--personally, I like Five Guys Burgers and Fries better, but this was probably the least expensive place to eat in Vegas, besides McDonald's. And they did have awesome Cookies & Cream milkshakes!

After lunch we rode the rollercoaster at New York New York, which was interesting to say the least. $14 per person to ride and although it was a fun thing to do, it definitely wasn't my favorite thing in Vegas. We then walked from the New York New York to Caesar's, and stopped along the way to watch the Bellagio fountains, which give a show every hour on the hour. I definitely suggest watching the fountains once during the day and once at night, because both are great experiences, and very different from each other!

Caesar's was huge and beautiful--I could have spent the whole weekend just exploring this one hotel and casino! But we had other things to do, namely--see downtown Las Vegas, a.k.a. the Fremont Experience! This area was really interesting to see, and about $20 each way for a cab ride from the strip--not bad if you're splitting it with a couple other people. The drinks were much cheaper (huge frozen drinks with way too much alcohol for $14 a piece) and the $5 blackjack at Binions was a blast. We even stayed for the light show, but I was a bit disappointed as the whole thing seemed to be just an advertisement for LG.

That night we ate at another buffet, this time at the Mandalay Bay, simply because it would have cost almost as much to eat a sitdown meal with just a salad and sandwich, once you thought about leaving a tip for the waiter or waitress. Later that night we ended up at Pure at Caesar's, which was nice because we had free admission with our VIP cards (definitely pay attention to any business cards or booklets that they have in the cabs, because we got our VIP cards for Pure from a cabbie!) when it normally costs the same as Tryst to get in. It was also a little cheaper to drink (only $8 for a beer--it's sad when one gets excited about that). Pure also has a huge outside patio a few floors up with a great view of The Strip at night!

Sundays are surprisingly fun in Vegas, mainly because of the champagne brunches! We had ours at Mandalay Bay, and it was all you can eat with plenty of breakfast and lunch foods, and of course all you can drink champagne! After the brunch I decided to explore what I had not yet seen of The Strip before heading to the airport for my 11 PM flight. That afternoon, I got to see the Venetian, the Mirage, and Treasure Island, as well as catch the Mirage volcano going off and see the Bellagio fountains at night before going to the airport. It was a great way to end an exciting and interesting weekend.

So as you can see, although you may not get to see all that Vegas has to offer in just one weekend, it is possible to get to do a lot of different things...and I can't wait to go back!

Las Vegas in a Weekend

Is it possible to see everything Vegas has to offer in just one weekend?

No, but I sure tried!

I was lucky enough to get on one of the last direct flights that Allegiant ran out of Greenville/Spartanburg. They have now canceled these flights for the foreseeable future, but I was told that anyone is welcome to complain on their website if you want to possibly see them come back. I for one do not think they gave these flights enough of a chance to catch on.

That said, I flew out of Greenville early on a Friday morning and caught a red-eye back on Sunday night, which was nice because with the time change it gave me most of the day Friday, all day Saturday, and most of the day Sunday to explore "Sin City". And I only had to take a day and a half off work!

I stayed at THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, which is at the far end of The Strip, near the airport. If you don't think you would enjoy the casino atmosphere of some of the other top Vegas hotels (i.e. Caesar's, Paris, Venetian, Mirage) then this hotel may be for you! The decor is very mellow and the atmosphere is upscale. The whole place is also quiet, even in the lobby area, which is something you just can't say for those other Vegas hotels. But you will sacrifice that Vegas feel and the opportunity to be right smack in the middle of The Strip.

Friday was spent at the pool, even though Mandalay Bay's main pool, "The Beach", was closed for the season. This was disappointing because it was in the mid-70s, and after the cold weather we had been having here in Greenville that certainly felt like pool weather to me! Later, I tried to go to the all-you-can-eat seafood buffet at the Rio, which I had heard great things about--but that was closed as well, for renovations! We ended up having to eat at the regular buffet. The disappointments were adding up, but the rest of the night made up for them. I was able to see the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino as well as the Wynn that night, and some friends and I danced the night away at Tryst at the Wynn. The nightclub was beautiful but the admission was steep ($20 for women, $30 for men) and the drinks were even more ridiculous ($10 for a Miller Lite, $17 for a Mojito). So if you're going to Vegas for night life...plan on spending. A lot.

Saturday we ate lunch at FatBurger, which is supposedly the home of the best burger in Las Vegas--personally, I like Five Guys Burgers and Fries better, but this was probably the least expensive place to eat in Vegas, besides McDonald's. And they did have awesome Cookies & Cream milkshakes!

After lunch we rode the roller coaster at the New York New York, which was interesting to say the least. $14 per person to ride and although it was a fun thing to do, it definitely wasn't my favorite thing in Vegas. We then walked from the New York New York to Caesar's, and stopped along the way to watch the Bellagio fountains, which give a show every hour on the hour. I definitely suggest watching the fountains once during the day and once at night, because both are great experiences, and very different from each other!

Caesar's was huge and beautiful--I could have spent the whole weekend just exploring this one hotel and casino! But we had other things to do, namely--see downtown Las Vegas, a.k.a. the Fremont Experience! This area was really interesting to see, and about $20 each way for a cab ride from the strip--not bad if you're splitting it with a couple other people. The drinks were much cheaper (huge frozen drinks with way too much alcohol for $14 a piece) and the $5 blackjack at Binions was a blast. We even stayed for the light show, but I was a bit disappointed as the whole thing seemed to be just an advertisement for LG.

That night we ate at another buffet, this time at the Mandalay Bay, simply because it would have cost almost as much to eat a sitdown meal with just a salad and sandwich, once you thought about leaving a tip for the waiter or waitress. Later that night we ended up at Pure at Caesar's, which was nice because we had free admission with our VIP cards (definitely pay attention to any business cards or booklets that they have in the cabs, because we got our VIP cards for Pure from a cabbie!) when it normally costs the same as Tryst to get in. It was also a little cheaper to drink (only $8 for a beer--it's sad when one gets excited about that). Pure also has a huge outside patio a few floors up with a great view of The Strip at night!

Sundays are surprisingly fun in Vegas, mainly because of the champagne brunches! We had ours at Mandalay Bay, and it was all you can eat with plenty of breakfast and lunch foods, and of course all you can drink champagne! After the brunch I decided to explore what I had not yet seen of The Strip before heading to the airport for my 11 PM flight. That afternoon, I got to see the Venetian, the Mirage, and Treasure Island, as well as catch the Mirage volcano going off and see the Bellagio fountains at night before going to the airport. It was a great way to end an exciting and interesting weekend.

So as you can see, although you may not get to see all that Vegas has to offer in just one weekend, it is possible to get to do a lot of different things...and I can't wait to go back!

Pilgrimage Cruise on Celebrity Constellation throughout New England and Canada

We departed the port at Bayonne New Jersey on a beautiful fall day, ready for our 13 night sailing on the Celebrity Constellation throughout New England and Canada. This was not to be an ordinary cruise, but was a pilgrimage, led by Father George Kloster with 48 people of numerous faiths represented.

Everyone was impressed with the Celebrity Constellation. What a beautiful ship! The service and food was exceptional. The staff could not do more to accommodate the needs of the group. With talks and Mass scheduled on board, there were frequent liaisons with the on board Event Coordinator to make sure everything was scheduled as required. Some of the folks in this group required assistance to get on or off the ship and Celebrity was waiting to help at all time.

The itinerary was great. We couldn’t have asked for a better time of year to have taken this trip. There was only one day of rain in Portland Maine, but that didn’t stop anyone from venturing out to explore the lighthouses around Portland. Other stops along the route included Newport Rhode Island, Bar Harbor Maine, Halifax Nova Scotia, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Boston Mass and the piece de resistance, Quebec City. If you’ve never been to Quebec, this city is a must see. It is as charming as any European city with cobblestone streets and alleyways and with French being the predominant language, its hard not to think you’re in Paris.

The highlight of our trip to Quebec was a group excursion to the Cathedral of St. Anne de Beaupre. Here our group had a Mass for the anointing of the sick and even folks not in our group, joined in. It was very moving.

At Bar Harbor we did an excursion to Acadia Park with a lobster bake. I don’t think any of us had ever had fresher lobster than what we were served that day. On Prince Edward Island we did an excursion to the House of Anne of Green Gables. The entire island was very beautiful and we had a wonderful Irish guide.

Every port had something different to offer and along with the fall colors, this was a wonderful trip. I can highly recommend this trip to anyone.

by Karen Miller

Walt Disney World...for Food & Wine lovers?

No, you're not seeing things--for a wonderful food and wine experience, look no further than Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida!

From late September through early November every year, Walt Disney World holds their annual Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. On top of the 11 countries normally housed in the World Showcase, Disney brings in food and wine from up to a dozen other countries, as well as highlighting one US state--for instance, when I experienced the Food and Wine Festival in 2004, they highlighted Florida, and this year, it was Oklahoma.

The great thing about the Food and Wine Festival is that you can purchase samples of the different wines to drink, or samples of the food to eat. The wines run from $3-$8 a glass, depending on the type, and the food samples are all snack-sized portions that cost $3-8, depending on what you are ordering. There isn't just wine, either--this year they highlighted some great beers (my favorites were a Turkish beer that I do not recall the name of and Brahma, a Brazilian beer) as well as some mixed drinks (such as frozen Irish coffees that were to die for!). The wines I have tried over the years have ranged from sweet Australian and German Reislings to American Rose champagne to Norwegian Cherry Wine, Polish Honey Wine, Chinese Plum Wine, and Floridian Mango Wine. The food highlights this year for me were the Canadian Cheese, Bacon, & Potato soup and the seared buffalo steak strips over creamed onions at the Oklahoma booth.

If you are on the Disney Dining Plan, the food samples at the Food and Wine Festival count as snacks on the Plan, and what a great way to use your snack vouchers!

At the end of the day, you can head over the Food and Wine Center to purchase special Food & Wine Festival glasses, pins, t-shirts, and other memorabilia--or even bottles of the wines that you sampled that day! The wine bottle prices are actually very reasonable for Disney.

I would also like to mention that unless you are going over a Fall Break weekend in October, the fall season is a great time to go to Disney. The crowds are not as large as they are over major holidays and in the summer, and the weather tends to average 85-90 degrees and mostly sunny--much preferable to the 95-100+ degrees of the summer or the unpredictable cold snaps of December through February!

However, if you cannot make it to the Food & Wine Festival, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy food and wine at Disney. Having worked in the restaurant industry for some years, and having traveled extensively, in my opinion Walt Disney World still offers some of the best culinary experiences out there. For example, there are two amazing steakhouses on property--Shula's at the Dolphin Hotel and Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Although both a bit pricey, you will likely never have a better steak than the Shula's filet or the Jiko filet with macaroni & cheese and red wine sauce. Shula's souffle dessert is world-famous and you will rarely find a better selection of different appetizers than what Jiko offers.

For those on a lighter budget, there are plenty of other restaurants to choose from at Walt Disney World that still offer amazing food. One of my favorites is the 'Ohana dinner at the Polynesian Resort, where the food is plentiful and served family style and you will never have a better light salad, sweet and sour shrimp, or bread pudding! For another great experience, try the Coral Reef restaurant at Epcot--if you have a small party (4 or less) you may get lucky and sit right next to the aquarium window. My husband and I got to do so on our recent trip and not only was the food amazing, but it was so much fun watching the sharks, stingrays, giant sea turtles and other fish swim by while we ate! You can also experience food from around the world at the restaurants of the World Showcase--namely the San Angel Inn in Mexico, the Biergarten restaurant in Germany, Nine Dragons in China, Teppanyaki Dining Room in Japan, and Le Cellier in Canada.

Most of Disney's restaurants offer differing and wide wine selections, and for the more adventurous, the bars of the World Showcase offer a wide array of drinks to choose from--amazing Margaritas in Mexico, great beer choices in Germany, champagne in France, tangerine daquiries in Morocco, and sake in Japan, just to name a few.

So the next time you think that Disney is only for families with children, or that you won't be able to find any great culinary experiences there, think again!

Bushmills 8

N. Ireland Golf Trip

Just fresh back from a week in Northern Ireland, playing some of the greatest golf courses on the planet. It all started back in Feb of this year, after a round w/a few friends and a cocktail or three. We had all heard many great things about the area, and so being in the travel business, I was put to task of planning the trip.

After a few days of tweaking the itinerary based on available t-times, and days that Gringo’s can play, we had a firmed up trip.

Our trip began w/a flight into Belfast, on a non-stop flight from Newark. There were eight of us, and we were met by our driver and guide Nigel. A couple of words of advice; I’ve done many many golf trips to Scotland and Ireland. Two foursomes is ideal, it’s manageable and mobile. Of course having the right group of guys makes a difference, but once you get over eight, you start having too many people to make happy. Second word of advice, hire a driver and van or bus. The driver actually acts as more than your driver, he handles dinner reservations, recommendations and helps load and unload luggage. I like to think of them as “enablers”; forget your deodorant and don’t want to waste precious range time, no worries your enabler will handle it whilst you are chasing your orb around the links. Granted it costs an extra couple of hundred of bucks for the service, but it makes for a brain-free trip.

Once we got our luggage loaded in our Mercedes Van, we headed to our first course. As luck would have it, it was an afternoon t-time which left us just enough time for a swing by the Bushmill’s plant for a tour and tasting. A couple of hours later, and a couple of drams fuller we were off to our first course Port Stewart.



http://www.portstewartgc.co.uk/
Port Stewart is set in a beautiful little town right on the north coast of Ireland. It was unanimous in our group that the Strand course is the most scenic first nine holes of golf any of us had ever played. A few more things about golf in Ireland, you don’t get a cart (buggy) unless you have a medical certificate. Pull carts (trolley’s) are available and only cost $6-8 to rent. You can request caddies in advance, but don’t beat your farm that they will be there. It’s a request @ best. Most of the caddies in N. Ireland are actually members of the club. Don’t expect white gloved service, they don’t offer to clean your ball or wipe your clubs like American caddies. They do hump your bag, help with yardages, and generally add a lot of charm to the experience. But most importantly, they help you look for your ball. The rough at all the courses we played could only be described as severe. The caddy fees range but a good average is 25 pounds sterling (currently $54) plus tip. Speaking of tip’s, here is one for you, ask the pro before teeing off what the caddie fee is, and what is the range of tips. We had a few in our group who asked the caddies at the end of rounds how much they should pay and astonishingly enough it was about double what the pro said. No wonder they love American’s so.

We stayed in Derry the first two nights @ the City Hotel. Certainly adequate enough, but on the lower end of 4 star hotels I’ve stayed. The location in Derry is great though. You are in walking distance to lot’s of resteraunts and plenty of bars. Our plan included a full –Irish breakfast which are big meal. The City Hotel had an extra good breakfast buffet. Our next day was a trip to Ballyliffen. Ballyliffen is a great spot, with two great golf courses, the Old and the Glashedy. We were scheduled to play @ the Glashedy course, but as luck would have it, we ended up playing the Old Course which our caddies said was slightly better than the other. This is another outstanding links course that is set on the Northern most tip of Ireland. The views are tremendous and the course is great. I’m not sure why this one isn’t ranked on the top 100 world courses. Our next course is currently ranked 12th in the world according to Golf.com http://www.golf.com/golf/courses_travel/topcourses/top_100_world/2007/0,29923,orig-10,00.html and it is Royal Port Rush.


RPR is a very proper club, with a great facility. This was probably the most elaborate clubhouse of all the courses we played. Port Rush is a spectacular area, with lot’s of great vistas. They say you can see Scotland on a clear day from the club. This is a very difficult golf course, the rough is very penal, it’s a must to have a caddie here. There are several blind shots, that could ruin your day if you don’t know where to hit it.

From here we drove to just outside of Belfast and stayed at the Culloden estate. This is great property; it’s an old manor house converted into a four-star property. Unfortunately, we arrived late and left the next morning and didn’t get a great deal of time to enjoy the facility. Our next morning took us another 80 minutes down the road to the jewel of Ireland, Royal County Down.

Our timing couldn’t have been better, the Walker cup had just concluded from being played there five days prior, and their Club Championship was held just the day before. Needless to say the course was in great “nick”, and we Americans had a lot to be proud of since our boys had just won.


The weather was refreshing cool, and the winds were gusting up to 50 miles and hour. Oh, did I mention the greens were “stimping” at 14 before the winds picked up. The course was brutal, the fairways were intentional very firm and running fast. All but the most accurate, controlled tee-shot would wind up finding 12-18 inch rough. The greens were very firm on top of being lightning fast. I actually had a ball blow off the putting surface and back down a short-sided swell, after it had come to rest for a couple of minutes. In most cases you would need to play a wedge shot ten yards short of the green to hold it. Even though the conditions were extreme (no one came close to breaking 90 in our group), it is a spectacular course in a breathtaking setting. I’ve had the good fortune to play many of the top courses around the globe and I can’t think of one any more special.

We left shortly after our round (2 Guininess) for another 1.5 hour bus ride down to Portmarnock, which is just outside of Dublin. The Portmarnock hotel is on the grounds of the original Jameson (of whisky fame) home. It’s a good property, with adequate but limited facilities. It was definitely a step down from the Culloden. We played Portmarnock Golf Links the following day which is another top rated course. One bit of warning, there are two courses with very similar names. I would recommend playing both, but if you only have time for one make sure you play Portmarnock Golf Links.

All in all probably the best golf trip I’ve taken, and a must for any avid golf traveler.

Western Caribbean - Carnival Cruise

Had the best time on this cruise! Cayman Islands, Cozumel Mx, Belize, and Roatan Honduras. Roatan was the most fun. Carnival is truly the funship, the staff is great but remember to pay the extra $40 per person for unlimited softdrinks while aboard, kinda got juiced out, other than that it was great.

The ports of call and shore excursions were alot of fun, there is never a shortage of fun things to do on any of these stops or while on the ship.

The staff at Putnam Travel were exceptional from start to finish especially Glena Arve. Glenda went above and beyond our expectations for our trip and added the personal touch that exemplifies quality customer care. I will definately use Putnam again thanks to Glenda.

Our Magical Disney Cruise

Wow - where do I begin? We had promised our kids a cruise a couple of years ago when my husband and I took a anniversary cruise by ourselves. We decided back in January that this would be the year. We decided on the five day four night cruise. With an 11 and 6 year old we weren't sure how tummies might handle the waves, so we opted for a shorter than longer cruise this time around. As our trip approached we all began to get very excited. We could hardly wait til we boarded the Disney Wonder. As we boarded they announced our family name and home state. It was very clear from that moment that we were beginning a "Magical " vacation. The food, staff and ship were excellent.

Our trip to Castaway Cay was somewhat disrupted by rain. On the island we had planned to snorkle in the lagoon in search of the hidden Mickey. We didn't let a little rain stop the Richardson's. We had so much fun that day. The kids both participated in the Crab Race - which was so cute. After lunch we all swam out to the floating playground and let the kids play for a while. Soon it was time to say good bye to Castaway Cay and enjoy our "Pirates in the Caribbean" theme dinner. But before we even let the island the Captain came over the intercom and apoligized for the weather and informed us that we would be leaving shortly but we be turning aroung the next day and doing it all over again. What an awesome surprise! Apparently this is called Disney Double Dipping. This does not happen very often but it happened during our cruise. We woke up on Wednesday morning back at Castaway Cay. We had beautiful weather and even more fun the second time around!

Disney sets the bar very high. The shows were over the top. The last show was beyond words. It actually snowed in the Wal Disney Theatre. Real snow - not paper! Where else could you find snow in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? I would highly recommend a Disney Cruise to anyone with children or grandchildren. It is way better than just going to Disney World. I just keep telling everyone that it was "Magical". You just have to experience it to understand. We're going for the 7 day next time around and we can't wait!

Navarre Beach, Florida

I just came back from vacationing in
Navarre, Florida. It is about an 8 hour drive from Anderson, South Carolina. The drive is all on the freeway until the last hour where you drive through some small towns in Alabama. There were miles of cotton fields.

Navarre Beach has beautiful white sand and the water is bright blue. The city just completed rebuilding the beach and the dune walkways last year because it was swept away from Hurricane Dennis in 2005. They added 200 feet of new sand to the beach. There were surfers there the day we went to the beach. The waves were huge due to the tropical storm that was heading toward shore. The tropical storm did not worry me as I have lived in Florida before for many years. It was actually nice to hear the rain all night long. I am sure the people who live there get nervous whenever a storm arrives as they have been hit quite a few times from hurricanes.

Further down the beach there are rows and rows of beautiful homes of all colors that have just been rebuilt or are in the process. Most of this part of the beach is vacant until the homes are completed. Once completed it would be a really nice place to retire.

East River Smokehouse had really good food and live music at night. TC's Front Porch has the best burgers and the place reminds you of the beach even though it is in town. It is set up like a deck with all sides open so you can enjoy the outdoors. The place that really gives you that tropical feel is Juana's Beach Bar which is located on the inter-coastal side. It is a tiki hut with the sides open, straw-style roof, and sand as the floor. They have volleyball outdoors and a wonderful view of the water. There is a restaurant next door called Sailor’s Grill which has an open deck.

There is something for the entire family to enjoy. You can relax on the beach, canoe on a river, stroll along a nature trail, or visit the Zoo or Butterfly House. Navarre is located in between Destin and Pensacola. It is a nice drive to both places to go shopping. The best part of my vacation was visiting family at my sisters’ homes who both live in Navarre.

Contiki Tours to Europe for 18-35 Year Olds

In July of this year I took a 12-day tour of Europe with my sister. The tour was through Contiki Tours on their “Amsterdam to Barcelona” tour, which is one of their Superior tours. I chose a guaranteed departure date, as I booked my own flights, and decided to do a pre-night before the tour started in Amsterdam.

Let me preface this by explaining that Contiki is an Australian-owned company. They specialize in vacations for 18-35 year olds and when you go on a Contiki tour, this shows! I had an amazing time on mine, which, according to our tour conductor, was not quite the norm for the shorter Contiki tours—we literally had people aged 18-35 on it, with numerous couples, and most of the people were from Australia—but everyone was friendly and open and ready and willing to make the tour as fun as possible.

Our tour started with a bang in Amsterdam. Having heard mixed things about the city, I was actually very impressed by the cleanliness and the friendliness of the people. My sister and I especially enjoyed the Rijksmuseum and the Heineken Experience! We then headed to Paris, where we experienced amazing food and beautiful architecture, especially the Notre Dame Cathedral. We even got to see a cabaret show in Montmartre, and that was the experience of a lifetime!

From Paris we had one day in Switzerland and one day in Chamonix in the French Alps, where we enjoyed some great shopping and beautiful scenery. Our second to last stop was the French Riviera—we stayed in Nice and had a wonderfully relaxing day on the beach, then got to see Monaco as well. We spent about 12 euro to rent beach chairs for a day, as Nice has a rock beach, and that was probably the best money I spent on the entire trip! The chairs were so comfortable that I napped the perfect July morning away. Finally, the tour ended in Barcelona, Spain, but unfortunately we were there on a Sunday and almost everything was closed. We caught a glimpse of the Sagrada Familia and the Columbus monument, as well as doing a little shopping along Las Ramblas, before catching a Flamenco show and finishing off our trip with a night at Port Olympia.

The Contiki experience was definitely an interesting one. In order to keep their prices extremely affordable, the hotels were mostly 3 star hotels and many of them were a little farther from the city centers than I would have liked; however, they were clean and of course we were too busy sightseeing to spend too much time in our hotel rooms anyway! Our tour conductor was extremely knowledgeable and approachable and I will never forget our bus driver maneuvering that big motor coach through the Alps. Over the course of nearly two weeks, we became very friendly with the other 47 people on our tour—I’m sure we even made some friends for life.

All in all, if you are a young person looking for a great time and a great deal on a trip to Europe, Contiki Tours may very well be perfect for you!

Putman Travel: What is the best time to go to the Caribbean?

Putman Travel: What is the best time to go to the Caribbean?

What is the best time to go to the Caribbean?

One of the questions we often get is, "when is the best time to go to the Caribbean?". The answer depends on how the customer defines "best". Some define it as weather, others as price, and others as climate difference as compared with where they live. I wanted to use this post to help answer these questions in each context.

First, I will tackle the "best weather" scenario. The Caribbean is a sub-tropical climate. The temperature variance is slight year round. For example, in Greenville, SC where I live we range from daily highs of low thirties up to +100 as exampled in the above graphic. Granted these are the extremes, and in general we have a wonderful climate, but the point is you could infer that we have around a 70 degree variance based on daily highs through a year. Typically, the Caribbean has much less variance. It could potentially get only up-to a high of 67 during the coldest periods and the high's rarely get above the low 90's. So in terms of temperature, it's pretty darn nice year round. You are never going to get "cold", and the extremities of summer are much milder than what we experience in the south east.

Secondly let's talk about price as it relates to the "best" time to go to the Caribbean. In general there are two seasons. The high season runs from December 16 until April 15th. The rest of the year is the off-season. Generally you can expect discounts of 20-50% during the off-season.

Lastly some customers define the "best" time to go as when is the weather substantially better in the destination than it is at their home. A lot of this depends on where your home is. But often people are looking for a change in temperature. Therefore, the "snow-birds" tend to flood the Caribbean in winter, which in terms increase demand (with the same amount of supply), which allows the hotels to charge a premium for this time. And granted even from this area, it's nice to be able to escape February coldness to be able to slip some shorts, t-shirt, and flip-flops and enjoy the sunshine. But if you refer to the graphic above, you will see the variance between Greenville this week and Montego Bay is 20 degrees, and Jamaica is COOLER. Again this is above normal for Greenville, but this helps me illustrate my point. Sometimes a cooler change in climate is welcomed. And I imagine most who are reading would never consider going to the Caribbean to cool down.

The summer and fall are often overlooked as what I call the prime-time to go to the Caribbean. It's where several "best" elements converge; good temperature, better pricing, and variance from my home temperature. There are valid concerns over hurricanes during this period, but with today's ability to track these days in advance this will allow you to make decisions well before any storm is a threat. Try the Caribbean during this time, take out travel insurance that covers cancellations, and enjoy a great vacation at a great price.

Awesome Alaska

I really don't like the over-used word "awesome". However, when it comes to Alaska, there's no better word. When you hear other people describe Alaska, adjectives tend to flow more than other destination descriptions, magnificent, glorious, spectacular.......

My family enjoys cruising, it's a great way for our us to travel. There is enough space and activities where we can let our children ages 9 and 11 go their own way. So when the opportunity for us to try out an Alaskan cruise presented itself, we pulled our schedules together in about 10 days prior to departure.

We flew into Anchorage, where we were met by Holland America ground representatives. After collecting our bags we had to wait around for about an hour due to some disorganization on their part. After traveling from GSP through Atlanta through Salt Lake City and 5.5 hours from there to Anchorage, an hour delay seemed like ten. Most of the cruise ships depart from the small town of Seward, which is a 2.5 hours trip from Anchorage. There are several options to get from the Anchorage airport to Seward, the most popular being a train or bus, either of which you can purchase through the cruise lines. They both take the same route, which is more like a tour than a transfer. The route basically has you hugging the coast line most of the way. You cut through forest, mountain ranges with the opportunity to see lot's of unique vistas and possibly wildlife that you may not see elsewhere.

We cruised on Holland America's Statendam for a seven day inside passage cruise heading south. This cruise is great for those who are looking to learn more about this diverse eco-system. Holland actually has a naturalist on board most of their sailings, who provides lectures, as well as wild-life spotting alerts as you sail. It's not unusually that an announcement comes over the P/A system while you are having dinner; "if you will look out the port side of the ship @ 10 o'clock you will see a pod of Orcas meandering". The cruise itself is as much about the views while sailing as it is the ports of call. The ports of call for this sailing are Haines, Juneau, and Ketchikan. There isn't much to do in Haines other than the excursions offered by the cruise lines. We choose to not do an excursion there and spent the day walking around the small downtown and actually heading back to the ship early. Juneau on the other hand has a bustling downtown area, which is right where the ship docks. In Juneau we took two shore excursions, one was a "gold-panning" trip and the other was a mountain biking trip. The gold-panning was authentic in the fact you actually go to a mining site and you do get to pan for gold. However, on the way back they tell you it's not economically feasible to make any money even if you automate the process, as all you get is a few specks per full pan. This was a so-so experience. In the afternoon we took a mountain bike tour to a glacier. I would highly recommend this excursion, it gives you a nice experience in the wild. The tour caps off with a visit to the Alaskan brewery. Ketchikan is where we had the best excursion experience. The ship arranged for us to board a 22-foot open air skiff with a captain, for a few hours of fishing in the bay. First you take a short walk to the docks, where you are fitted with rain-weather gear, regardless of the weather, then you are led out to your vessel. After a 20 minute exhilarating ride, we dropped anchor and began to fish. In a matter of 2.5 hours we caught over 100 pounds of fish. We caught halibut, flounder, shark, from "bottom-fishing". Then trolled and snagged a 5lb King Salmon, and a 15lb Coho Salmon. After catching the fish, we went to a really neat campground and had the fish prepared in a boulibase. A description of the camp and the food wouldn't do justice. It has to be one of the more scenic places I've ever been. This excursion isn't cheap, but it was certainly the best I've been on.

A lot of the beauty recognized in Alaska is of her glaciers. And I doubt there is a better way to see these other than on a cruise. The ships actually go inside of passages that are national and state parks, to get you really up close to nature and these massive glaciers, some of which are six miles wide. Our cruise came to an end in Vancouver, where we stayed a couple of extra days before heading home. In closing, Alaska is well worth the effort getting there, and I if you are only going once, cruising is a great way to see her.
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Entertainment at Disney World

by Donna Quinn

While we all know that Disney World Resort is a great place to take kids but, something that many vacationers often forget is that there's plenty to do there as an adult, too. After all, while the resort's littlest visitors may be overwhelmed by meeting Mickey Mouse in person, the Disney company knows that parents often need something a little more extravagant to keep them entertained. And since entertainment is what Disney does best, they've created a number of exciting ways to bring out the kid in every adult.

Disney World has a number of fabulous live shows in their theme parks every day and night, and most of them are included in the cost of the park passes. Many of these shows are incredible spectacles, easily on par with anything you could see at the best theaters in the world. Most are family friendly, too. All shows have handicapped/wheelchair seating available.

For instance, there's Finding Nemo: The Musical, a wonderful production in the Animal Kingdom, which is an amazing combination of puppetry and musical theater. There's also The Festival of the Lion King, which combines elements of a parade with the flavor of a tribal celebration, and the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, which mixes live action with animation. There's usually no trouble getting seating, and they even allow photographs! During certain times of the year the shows do fill up quickly so it is best to arrive early so you won’t miss out.

Disney also has something they call "4-D" movies, which takes the 3-D concept a little farther. They use a combination of effects to make the experience a little more immersive. Sometimes, it will be something fairly simple, like having things will actually drop down from the ceiling. But, in the It's Tough to be a Bug! feature, it goes even farther. They'll announce that "the cockroaches are leaving the room," and while you're watching as they're scampering across the screen, you'll suddenly feel something brushing against the back of your legs. It's really amazing, no matter what your age.

Some of the shows are so extravagant that they almost defy description. At Disney-MGM Studios, for example, they have a unbelievable show called Fantasmic! It combines live performance, lasers, animatronics, fireworks and "dancing" water to show Mickey (in his Sorcerer's Apprentice gear) tackling the forces of darkness. The whole production is set to the music of various Disney films, and it's a very nice experience. It can be a little loud, so I wouldn't recommend it for little kids.

Although most of the shows I've mentioned are free to attend with your park pass, there's one excellent show that requires its own ticket. Cirque du Soleil is famous for their spellbinding performances, and they've managed to create a uniquely captivating performance at Downtown Disney. Their show, La Nouba, combines everything the troupe is known for -- opulent sets, brilliant choreography, theatrical lighting and provocative music -- with traditional circus acts like the high wire, the flying trapeze and acrobatics. I've seen the show twice, and it's amazing. If you want to catch it, however, you must book your tickets in advance, as it tends to sell out. It's not inexpensive, but it's absolutely worth it.

And that's just the start. There is no shortage of entertainment attractions at Disney World, and they make a real effort to keep the shows fresh and exciting. In fact, if you haven't been to
Disney World in a few years, there's a good chance that there will be an entirely new lineup of shows to catch.

One attraction that everyone loves are the parades. One of the best parades is the Electric Light Parade that is scheduled twice each day in the Magic Kingdom. There are parades at all parks and are scheduled at various times during the day.

With so many options for entertainment, it can be a little bewildering to know exactly where to start. That's where having an experienced travel agent can help. Since I'm an expert on the Disney Resorts, I can help you decide which shows you want to see, and even arrange reservations. It's one of the best parts of my job.

In my next blog, I'll be talking about some smart and easy ways to get the most out of your Disney World experience.

An Introduction to the Disney vacation experience

Donna Quinn

I love Disney. Their resorts and theme parks are great places to have a family-oriented vacation, combining plenty of high-quality entertainment with clean facilities and excellent service. Not only do they have plenty of ways for small children to enjoy themselves, but they've also remembered to include things for older children and adults. For a true vacation from everyday life, you'll have a hard time finding anything better than what
Disney offers.

That said, the Disney experience isn't exactly a budget product. While Disney has tried in recent years to give visitors more options and flexibility, it's still a somewhat high-end product, and you pay for what you get. But, with an experienced travel agent to guide you through the variety of options available, it's possible to get the most out of your Disney vacation.

Let's start with the basics. The two main options for most travelers in this region are Disney World and Disney Cruise. We sell some of the other options, such as the Disneyland packages, but most people in this area would rather go to Disney World, because it's closer. I'll be talking about Disney Cruise in another blog, but in this post I thought I'd talk a little about how I can help you get the best out of a visit to Disney World.

Walt Disney World Resort is located in Orlando, Florida, and it's a huge complex with four theme parks (The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom), two water parks, six golf courses, a sports complex, a race track, several resort hotels and plenty of places to shop, eat and watch live entertainment. Because of the staggering number of options available, our clients generally purchase a resort and theme park package for the trip.

One thing that many people might not know is that Disney has changed the way it sells its vacation packages. While this may seems like a small change, its impact on visitors and their budgets is substantial. Not that long ago, when you called Disney to arrange a visit, they only had a limited number of packages available. You would give them the number of nights you were planning on staying, they would tell you exactly what parks and other locations within the resort you could go to based on that. Some people found it a little limiting, so they changed it.

Now, the packages available from Disney are much more flexible. Instead of getting what Disney thinks you should have, they now try to make sure that you get what you want. For instance, the number of nights you spend at the resort no longer has to match the number of park passes that you get. In other words, you can go stay where you want, go where you want, and do what you want. It's a much better program, and I think that it's also a little better for people who are more budget-conscious.

The biggest change is how they handle the park passes. You can have a "base ticket," which is where you have a pass for one park per day, or you can have a "hopping ticket," where you can hop from park to park each day. The "base ticket" is good for people who want to visit a particular park, like The Magic Kingdom, but aren't really interested in the water park or the golf courses, for instance.

Another big thing that has changed dramatically is the meal plan. The vast majority of my clients purchase the meal plan, which is more reasonably priced than it ever has been before. It's a very flexible plan that gives you one table service meal, one counter service meal and one snack per day. The meal plan works out to be much cheaper than if you ate the same meals without it, and it also simplifies the resort experience. And, since you can mix them up any way you'd like during your stay, it's also a great way to check out the dozens of excellent places to eat at Disney World.

In my next blog post, I'll be talking a little about the entertainment options available at Disney World, both for kids and adults, and getting into a little more detail about how I can help you plan your visit.

Jeju, South Korea's Pearl

Jeju is a small island off the south west coast of South Korea. We arrived by way of an Air Korea 55 minute flight from Seoul. Jeju is a beautiful resort island, with spectacular mountain ranges peaking up all over the island. The island is almost a complete oval and is 41km from south to north and over 70km east to west.
We stayed in the Seogwipo area of the island which is on the southern side. We stayed at a remarkable hotel SEAES. All the accommodations (22) are individual cottages, styled in traditional Korean. However the conveniences are all modern and top of the line. At the property there is a Japanese and Korean restaurant. Both are very pricey and limited in the time they are open. Even though this is probably the most expensive property in the area, it lacks conveniences, especially if you don't have your own car, as it is too far to walk to any other venues. Cabs are abundant, always right around the corner and cheap. Most cab rides within the area are $2usd.
There is plenty to do in the area, there are beaches, magnificent westernized hotels, casinos, golf, waterfalls all within the area.
One day we hired a cab to give us a day tour of the island. We had the concierge at the Hyatt map out four sights and labeled them, then walked us outside hailed a cab and explained what the driver was to do. The driver was extremely professional and took very good care of us. We visited a green tea farm and museum, a wonderful botanical garden made up of 100-200 year old bonsai called bungae, a scenic mountain view and a hill-side temple. The drivers fee for lugging all four of us around for the day was $68usd.
The food ranged from American-Continental-authentic Korean. There is actually a defunct Hooters, that sits in the Hooters Plaza. Meals ranged from $24 for a buffet breakfast at the Hyatt to a $7 Bibimap at a mid-level Korean restaurant.
The island offers a lot and if you are in the area and are looking for a relaxing vacation.

Royal Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral

Posted by Mike

My family and I just got back from a
Royal Caribbean cruise this past week which left from Port Canaveral. We had a great time and Royal Caribbean certainly has great service and quality.

We flew down on Allegiant air the day prior, as the schedule doesn't allow to arrive on the same day as the cruise departs. Allegiant flies into Sanford, the other Orlando airport about 20 miles north of Orlando. Allegiant air is not an IATA carrier, and therefore do not have to adhere to all the "protection" rules a normal carrier would. The service was fine and the equipment was MD-8x series which has a 2x3 configuration. The flights were on time and check-in was pretty much like a normal carrier.

We rented a car and drove to Port Canaveral and stayed at the
Radisson in Port Can. The Radisson is only 2 miles from where the ships depart and they offer free parking and also free shuttle service to the ships.

Avis also is close by and offers free shuttle service to and from ships and generally no drop charge.

The drive from Sanford is only about 75 minutes, and for the savings of taking another carrier to Orlando, you can more than pay for the extra night hotel cost.

On the way back we opted to hire a service that picked us up at the pier and took us to Sanford. We used Capital One limo, and got a 15 passenger van (which holds 10 passengers plus luggage) one way for $150, which worked out to $15 per person. Someone else on the cruise just took a cab and it cost the same.

Your New York Experience: Know Before You Go

by Sue Bryker

Although New York City is a great place filled with wonderful tourist destinations, there are a few hazards to visiting. However, an ounce of prevention is usually all it takes to keep your dream trip from becoming a nightmare.

Getting around the city is one of the biggest hurdles for many first time visitors. The city is a sprawling labyrinth of buildings, streets and people, and it can be very intimidating for those who aren't used to the bustle.

If it's your first time to New York City, I'd also recommend spending your first day on a bus tour, which allows you to see many of the sights in a safe environment. It's also a great way to learn great places to go on your own. (See my first post for several great tour ideas.)

But what about those twin modes of transportation for they traditional New York experience: taxis and the subway?

Although traveling on the subway is a truly local way to see the town, it's often one of the least pleasant parts of being in the city. Not because of crime (although it does happen), but because the subway is used mainly by daily commuters and city residents who may not be too patient with tourists.

So, how can you have a safe subway experience? Just take a shuttle to Grand Central Station, and take the tour. When you're done, you can take the shuttle back to Times Square.

Taxis are generally safe, but that doesn't mean that all cabbies have your best interests at heart. You pay by the mile in a cab, and some disreputable cabbies may try to take advantage of your ignorance about the city to take long routes from one place to another. Here's another important thing to know: four people can fit in a cab. Sometimes, cabbies are reluctant to take on that many passengers, and will recommend you split up your party. That means you have to pay for two cabs ... and two tips! But, by law they have to accept four riders (although that's the maximum). Don't let a driver tell you any different, either!

So, what's my recommendation? Instead of taking the subway or a cab, you can also use the public bus system. It's much easier to navigate than the subway, it's generally cleaner and it's very safe.

I also don't recommend trying to drive in New York City. The traffic is horrible, the parking is expensive, and unless you really know where to park, you are very likely to wind up with either a ticket or a towing bill. Public transportation is cheap, easy and relatively safe.

As an ex-New Yorker, I'm also able to help you set up an itinerary that takes full advantage of the time you have and the sights you'd like to see.

For instance, many folks arrange their trip by the sights they'd like to see, forgetting that navigating the city can take hours out of their day. But, it doesn't have to be that way! The last thing you'd want is to spend all day on an exhausting itinerary planned by someone who may not know that the South Street Seaport and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are across town from one another. A little planning can free up huge amounts of time, giving you a chance to really enjoy yourself at each destination. I can also help you find accommodations close to the things you want to see, and help you find the best deals on rooms.

There are other dangers out there as well. Petty criminals like muggers and pickpockets often target tourists, relying on their disorientation and awe at the surroundings to make them easy targets.

My best tip is simply to have your wits about you. After all, just because places like Times Square have been cleaned up, that doesn't mean that it's completely safe. Pickpockets and other criminals who prey on tourists tend to look for specific things, such as people who spend a lot of time staring up at buildings. It's almost like having a sign painted on your back reading "Victim Here!"

But, since you're there to look around, what can you do? It's simple: When you want to stop and admire something, try to step to the side so that you aren't standing in the way of other people who are walking.

For women, the fear of having their purse snatched can take away from enjoying the sights. Here's a simple tip: Carry your purse across your shoulder, and on the inside of your coat. It can't be easily clipped and snatched, which means that potential a cutpurse will look for an easier target. It's just one less thing to worry about.

I have tons of other commonsense advice, and I'll be glad to share it with you. It's part of my job to help you have a safe, fun experience in the Big Apple. The more you know, the better prepared and confident you'll be, and the more you can focus on having a great time in New York City.

Your New York Experience: Eating Your Way Through the Big Apple

by Sue Bryker

Last week, I told you about how an ex-New Yorker and travel agent like me can help you book an itinerary that gives you the exact experience you are looking for. This week, I thought I'd focus on the tasty details of eating in the big city. With so many things to see, you're sure to work up an appetite. Thankfully you'll be in one of the culinary capitols of the world.

Let's start with the big names. Sardi's is the world-famous place to eat in New York, and they offer a variety of menus depending on the time of day you visit.

A favorite of mine is Frankie & Johnnies, which is a former speakeasy. They have two locations, both of which are frequented by a lot of celebrities. I was eating there one night, and Tom Selleck was eating only a few tables away!

New York City was a haven for Irish immigrants, and it's second only to the Emerald Isle itself for great Irish food. I'd recommend The Playwright Tavern & Restaurant. It's owned by Irish folks, the entire staff is Irish, and they serve great Irish fare. I've eaten there many times, and I'd personally recommend any lamb dish, which are all excellent. Make sure you wash it down with a Guinness!

Another great ethnic food option is Italian. Pellegrino's is personal favorite of mine. It's a family-owned place, and they've been there forever. It's also right next to La Bella Ferrara Pastries, so you can eat a great lunch and go right next door for dessert.

And then there's the Jewish delis. If you find yourself in Brooklyn, I'd recommend Junior's. It's a nice Jewish deli, owned by nice Jewish folks. It has a world-famous cheesecake.

For memorable and family-friendly place to eat, I'd recommend visiting a themed restaurant like Mars 2112 in Times Square. It's an immersive experience that starts with a virtual-reality ride of a rocket launch and landing on Mars.

If you plan to spend the day shopping, you'll probably be able to eat at your favorite stores. Macy's has a great lunch counter, and Barney's Department Store has an excellent restaurant. It's a good way to eat like a local, and both are great places to spot celebrities, too.

For a romantic night out, I'd recommend dinner and dancing at the Rainbow Room. Or, if you'd like to have a more traditional New York City experience, you could dine at Tavern on the Green, followed by a Hansom Cab carriage ride through Central Park.

And lastly, no visit to New York City would be complete without eating the way the locals do. Like a hot dog from a street-corner cart, which are usually fantastic. (Especially the later in the day you eat them, because they've been marinating all day, and are inundated with flavor.) You should also try the bagels at any Jewish deli, which is a classic flavor of the city. And, of course, you should try the pizza. My rule of thumb is that unless it says Pizza Hut or Domino's, it's probably an authentic New York-style pizza place. Even chains like Sbarro make their pizzas to cater to the local tastes.

Of course, that's only the basic list of what's available to eat in New York. As a truly cosmopolitan city, you can find foods from nearly every nationality at a range of prices. As your travel agent, I can help you find anything you are looking for. And as an ex-New Yorker, I can help you do it in the best way to get the most out of the experience, whatever your budget.

Next week, I'll be talking about some smart ways to keep your trip fun and safe! Stay tuned.

Your New York Experience

by Sue Bryker

In May of last year, I took my fiancé to New York City for the first time. It was Memorial Day weekend, as well as the tail end of Fleet Week, and all of the major tourist destinations were packed with people. He grew up in Greenville, and hadn't been to any city bigger than Atlanta, so the hustle and bustle of the city was nearly overwhelming -- particularly when we had to navigate through the huge crowds around Times Square.

This is a situation a lot of first-time travelers to the Big Apple face. New York is huge, busy and filled with strange sights and sounds. In other words, it's incredibly intimidating. For a typical visitor, just learning how to get around can be a challenge: Do you take a cab, the subway or a bus? What's a better sight, the MoMA or the Metropolitan Museum? And where should we eat?

Thankfully, as a former New Yorker, I knew just how to make the most of the experience. Instead of fretting about all the details, we were able to make the most of our vacation. I was able to give him my personal tour of the city, he was able to relax and enjoy himself. As a result, the trip was romantic, memorable and affordable.

Having a knowledgeable person to guide you can be the difference between a good travel experience and a horrible one. That's one of the best things about my job as a travel agent. I can put all my years spent getting around the city to good use, and I can help people have the exact New York City experience they are looking for, without being overwhelmed by the details.

But where do you start? One of the first things I ask folks who are thinking about taking a trip to New York City is: "What kind of experience do you want to have?"

You see, not everyone has the same ideas about what the "New York experience" is. For some people, it's the view of Manhattan or a close-up of the Statue of Liberty. For others, it's shopping at Macy's and taking in a Broadway show. For others (like my fiancé) it's seeing the blue whale suspended from the ceiling of the Museum of Natural History. And, for a good many people, it's visiting all the places they've seen a hundred times in their favorite movies and TV shows.

As almost everyone knows, New York City has been the setting of hundreds of films, and there are plenty of tours to show you where your favorite flicks were filmed. From Central Park (The Fisher King, Elf and The Producers) to the Empire State Building (King Kong and Sleepless In Seattle, just to name a few) to the Upper West Side (where some of Woody Allen's movies were filmed), there are few places in the city where a camera hasn't rolled. Not surprisingly, there are a number of tours that focus on the major sights, as well as tours of locations used in specific movies. You can even see the real-life locations that inspired movies like The Gangs of New York. And if you prefer TV, there's even a number of tours like "Kramer's Reality Tour," which is run by Kenny Kramer (the guy who inspired the Seinfeld character). If there's ever been a movie or TV show shot in New York, there's probably a tour that covers it.

Speaking of TV, there's also the Museum of Television and Radio, which is a wonderful experience. (I'm a little biased, because I used to work there.) Instead of having regular standing exhibits, they show old TV shows! In addition, they often have special events where you can meet the people who created and starred in some of America's favorite shows. Of course, to see the people who made your favorite show, you'll have to plan your visit in advance.
And if you really love television, why not take a tour of the NBC Studios? Located in Rockefeller Plaza, the studio tour allows you to see where shows like Saturday Night Live and the Today Show are filmed. It's also home to the Top of The Rock, which is a great alternative to the Empire State Building view. (Which, at $20 a pop to visit the 86th Floor Observation Deck, isn't exactly the best deal in town.)

But let's not forget the stage! Catching a Broadway show is a must when you're in New York City. Or, if you're on a budget, there are plenty of excellent off-Broadway productions. My current personal favorite is Spamalot, which is based on the comedy of Monty Python. Another popular show is Jersey Boys, but it can be difficult to get tickets for. As a travel agent, I can help people get tickets for anything, but costs will vary depending on the dates. Advance planning is the key, but if you're willing to pay $500 per ticket, I can get you something for next week.

City tours are a major tourist highlight, and it's a great way of seeing all the major sights without having to learn how to navigate the city. It's also one of the best deals in New York, because tour companies like Gray Line and Big Apple offer “hop-on, hop-off" service. That means that as they are telling you about the next point of interest, you'll be able to get off and spend as long as you like at it. Then, when you are ready to leave, all you have to do is go back to the spot you were dropped off at and wait for the next tour to stop by. The next tour bus will be along in only 15 or 20 minutes!

If you'd rather see the city from the water, there's the Circle Line tours, a series of boats that go around Manhattan. It's great for getting perfect photo views of the city.

There's also DUCK tours, which use refurbished amphibious vehicles from World War II. They'll drive you around the city, and then drive right into the waters around the city to give you a guided boat tour. It's a lot of fun, and it's a lot more rambunctious than the typical bus tour. These tours will begin operation in April 2007, and you can combine them with a hop on/hop off bus tour through Gray Line.

As you may have guessed, there are tours for almost any interest. There are tours that focus on architecture, for example. There are walking tours, such as the literary pub crawl in Greenwich Village. You can learn about the favorite places of Samuel Beckett and Edgar Allen Poe, and see the pubs where they spent their time, and where they drew the inspiration for some of their writing. You can also try some of the "insider" tours at landmarks like Yankee Stadium or The Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Or, if you're an investor, you might like to take a tour of the New York Stock Exchange, so you can see the furious business of stock trading in action. While you’re in the financial district, you can also tour the Federal Reserve Bank’s Gold Vaults, which store more than 25% of the world’s gold bullion. Those who wish to pay their respects to the victims of Sept. 11th can also visit Ground Zero, just a few blocks away.

Shopping is also a major attraction, and there are few places better than Fifth Avenue. The famous street is home to stores like Brooks Brothers, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Tiffany & Co., not to mention Saks Fifth Avenue. If you’re looking for bargains, the Fashion and Diamond Districts may be more appealing.

There's also plenty of shopping around Times Square, particularly if you have kids. You'll probably want to visit Toy's 'R' Us (the biggest toy store in the world) and the Disney Store, followed by a chocolate-covered visit to Hershey's.

And then there are the museums! You can easily spend a day each in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the two Guggenheim Museums, the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Modern Art, the Frick Museum, the Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design or the Whitney Museum. If you're on a schedule, however, taking in all the great art and history can be a challenge. I usually recommend going to see a specific exhibit, rather than trying to see everything in a hurry. My personal favorite is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, because there are many famous paintings on display, like "George Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze. If you like world history, I'd recommend the Egyptian art exhibit and the Arms & Armor medieval exhibit also found in the “Met.” Or if you’d like to view beautiful art but don’t have time for a walk around a museum, check out the Chagall murals, “The Source of Music” and “The Triumph of Music,” on display daily after sunset in the front windows of the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center of the Performing Arts.

Other classic points-of-interest for any history buff are the tours of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. They're great, particularly if you have family members who were immigrants. The Statue of Liberty herself is fascinating, although the inside of the statue is no longer open for security reasons. You can still enter the pedestal, however, which houses exhibitions about the history of Lady Liberty and early immigration to America. Timed tickets are available for the Statue, so make sure you have all the necessary details before you hop on that ferry!

But, we've only scratched the surface of what's available on New York. As your travel agent, I can help you come up with an itinerary that includes the exact things you would like to see and experience in New York City. And as an ex-New Yorker, I can help you do it in the best way to get the most out of the experience, whatever your budget.

Next time I'll be talking about one of the most important parts of having a great time in the Big Apple ... eating! Stay tuned.

Walt Disney From An Adult's View

As everyone knows Walt Disney is for kids right. Well in our small little group we were all adults. I decided to do an independent Fam so I could try saving a little money. I guess it would be better to say so I would have more money to spend. We decided to fly instead of driving so we could enjoy ourselves more. We stayed at the Sheraton Four Points which is moderate property. The room had the standard amenities along with a half size refrigerator. For the small amount of time we actually spent in the room it adequately met are needs. The hotel did provide a free shuttle to the parks, but we decided to use a rental car so we would have more freedom over our schedule.

We bought 5 day hopper passes before we left. Hopper passes allow you to hop between the 4 parks unlimited. Unused days don’t expire remember to get a hand stamp when leaving a park though. With your Iatan card you can get your pass for half price. We went at a really great time of year where nothing was too crowded except on the weekends. When we went was also great because that’s when everyone starts there Christmas Programs. On many of the attractions you can do a fast pass, there is a limit you can only have 1 in 2 hour period or until your current fast pass is over. What is a fast pass? You take your park admission ticket and put in to a fast pass machine which gives you a voucher to come back to the ride in an hour or so. This is good because you don’t have to stand in line and the wait is minimal. You can be enjoying something else until it is your designated return time.

Of the 4 parks Magic Kingdom was our least favorite. There are a few things I did enjoy Splash Mountain was great. It’s not just a typical wet ride it has some cute characters and surprises. Tomorrowland was interesting as well. MGM was ok there is so much more they could do. The ride at MGM that lives up to its name is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This is not your typical drop ride. You go up and down in and out of darkness in an elevator. Put it this way the kid in front of us with his dad said his prayers before going in. At Christmastime MGM also has the Osbourne Family lights. It is only lit at dusk and quite a sight.

Walt Disney’s newest park is Animal Kingdom and it is right up there next to Epcot for me. Bug’s life is a 3d movie adventure that helps you understand a Bug’s life it has a few surprises. There is a river raft ride that will soak you but the blowers will dry you off. You also can go a safari ride through Africa. Plenty of opportunities to see wild animals in close simulations of their environment. They have guides all over the park to give you information about the animals and the environment.

Epcot of course is my favorite and it has the 2 parks in one. To me Epcot is more geared towards the adult kid than to just the kids. The attractions are there for you to actually learn something. In the world showcase you of course have the opportunity to learn about the different cultures. You can sample authentic cuisine and the staff are from that country to add to authenticity. I recommend Norway, Mexico and China their exhibits and attractions are very nice. Japan however is a big disappointment don’t expect to see kimono’s.

In addition Walt Disney World we also went to Sea World. The park was open limited hours and the luau took place after the park closed. There are only 2 rides at Sea World we decided not to go on either. The shows are great but be prepared to walk great distance back and forth due to show times. There is also a possibility to get wet at times. Dolphin Stadium was closed when we were there but Dolphin Cove was open. Dolphin Cove gives you the opportunity to feed and pet the Dolphins. Since I love dolphins and collect anything with dolphins this was the best part of my trip. The Luau was very nice and the entertainment was terrific they kept the crowd involved.

One night we also went to Capon’s dinner show. This was based on the time of Al Capone all of the staff was involved in this production. To get in you had to knock and give a password and then have your mugshot taken. It was a full show and everyone in the audience was part of it. Normally the price is $40 but you can get half price coupons anywhere.

Shopping can be found in Old Towne. Souvenirs and collectibles at great prices. They probably have anything you can imagine buying when in Orlando. It also has a county fair atmosphere with haunted houses, games and rides.

All in all we had a great time but we were ready to come home and get some rest.

Walt Disney World

I have recently returned from a
Walt Disney World vacation.

I stayed in the new All-Star Movies Resort which is one of the three value priced resorts on property (the others are Music and Sports). The All-Star resorts offer a large food court, two swimming pools, playgrounds, and arcades at each resort. They cost approximately the
same as the Comfort Inn and the Grovesnor Resort, but they are part of the Disney property. There are two other All-Stars in the planing stages of being built-Comedy and Theater. Each property is decorated with larger than life images representing each theme.

For the first day I went to Animal Kingdom. This is a park where it is best to go in the morning. It does open at 8:00am which is the earliest of any of the parks. Upon arrival you notice the Tree of Life. This remarkable tree is in the center of the park, inlaid with carved animals, and the home to the show "Its Tough To Be A Bug." The park is devoted to conservation. Each of the rides or attractions is intended to educate. For example, the safari which takes you through the arces of land with free roaming animals also tells the story of the poachers in Africa. Countdown to Extinction is the only "roller coaster" in the park. The River Rapids ride is sure to get you wet, but is very short. The park also offers "archaeological" sites for kids to dig up "dinosaur bones." The Festival of the Lion King is a must see show of songs and acrobatics. Unless you have children who want to play in all of the playgrounds, you can see and do everything in the Animal Kingdom in a few hours (8am-2pm) if you go in the morning to avoid the longer
lines of the afternoon.

After Animal Kingdom I headed over to MGM-Studios Theme Park. Because of the great transporation system you can get from any one park to another by buses. MGM is home to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. In true Twilight Zone fashion, this is the scariest ride in WDW.
Originally, the Tower was an elevator that went to the top and the dropped for a free fall. It now goes to the top, opens to ghosts beckoning you to join them. And these ghosts are not the same as the 999 happy spirits in the haunted mansion; these could have come from "The Shining." The elevator then drops, stops, and rises again. This is done several times with windows opening so you can look over all of MGM at some of the stops. In the end, I don't know how many time you drop because I could not always tell when I was going up or down. I was told that the next time I go, to put a quarter on my knee and watch it. If anyone goes and tries it, let me know.
MGM is scheduled to open the Rock 'N' Roller Coaster this summer, but it was still being tested while I was there. It is going to be the first coaster in WDW to flip you upside-down. The other rides include Star Tours, which is a simulated ride, the Studio Backlot Tour, and the Great Movie Ride.

The first makes you feel as if you were moving, but in reality you have just been bounced around. The other two are like moving shows about the movie business. There are some really good shows such as the Indiana Jones Stunt Show and Muppet Vision 3D. One of the best things though was dinner. It is best to make a reservation early since waits can get up to 2hrs long. I ate at the 50's Prime-Time Cafe. Each table is decorated like a fifties kitchen, television show the Mickey Mouse Club and Dennis the Mennis, and the waiters are all your aunt, uncle, brother, or sister, and treat you as such. And you better keep your elbows off the table, or they make you stand in a corner. The absolute best part of MGM is the laser-light show Fantasmic Based on Fantasia, this show is about Mickey vs. The Disney Villians. Movie clips and laser displays shown on sprays of water are accompanied by live characters and puppets. I would suggest arriving at the amphitheater about 90 minutes early for the first show for the best seats (center midway up).

The next day was devoted to the Magic Kingdom. My group decided to go on a day that the park opened early to on property guests. The day started with a character breakfast in the Crystal Palace. There are several different choices for character meals, but this one involved Winnie the Pooh and friends (my roommate is obsessed). During the breakfast, characters come up to your table for autographs and pictures. And yes, I got autographs.

The good reason for going early is to avoid lines in places such as Space Mountain. During the rest of the day the line can be an hour or so long, but at that time not many people are there. Also only part of the park opens early and you can go ahead and get those rides out of the way. New to Tommorrowland is the Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. In this ride you spin your craft to different targets and try to score points by shooting a laser beam. Or you can just spin around and shoot people in front or behind you. Fantasyland also has a new ride, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. This takes the place of Mister Toads Wild Ride. Little kids really like this ride. The Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square is always a favorite. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a great coaster especially if you are not a fan of the darkness of Space Mountain. The only line that was horribly long was the 90 minute wait for Splash Mountain, but it is a great ride and worth the wait. A great way to shorten the lines is to miss the parades.
There are three parades right now at the Magic Kingdom. In the afternoon there is a parade of the classic Disney Characters. In the evening they have two showings of the Main Steet Electric Light Parade (the original from Disneyland).

The last day I went to EPCOT. Normally, I really like EPCOT, but right now half of the park is closed for preparations for the Centorium celebration, this includes Journey Into Imagination, Horizons, and areas blocked off by construction. But a great addition has opened, Test Track. This coaster takes you through different car tests including the reason for anti-lock brakes, heat and cold, suspension, and turns. The World Showcase has so far been left untouched by the construction, though they are planning the addition of new countries. You definitely can not get a better choice of dinning than in the countries. Depending on how much is open, EPCOT can be a half day to a more than full day, but make sure you are there for dinner.

The other part of WDW I visited was Downtown Disney. This area is full of restuarants, shops, and nightclubs. Downtown Disney is split into three parts: West Side, Marketplace, and Pleasure Island. The first two are free, but Pleasure Island cost $20.00 to be in after 7pm. Luckily if you get the one day complimentary travel agent park hopper pass, it includes one night in Pleasure Island free. The area offers nightclubs for everyone; there is a techno dance club, seventies club, rock n roll club, hip-hop music club, country music club, big-band club, and a comedy club.
There is also live music on the street for their "New Years Eve Party" everynight. While the rest of WDW closes by midnight, Pleasure Island is open until 2am.

There are a few things one needs to remember about Walt Disney World. One is that it is in Florida. That means is you go during the summer you will get rain on almost every afternoon. The showers don't always last long, but they do happen most days. Disney is ready for this and people selling ponchos are about as common as the people selling drinks and icecream to cool you down from the 90+degree days. Also, there are lines everywhere. My roommates and I were excited when we saw line signs that said the wait was 30 minutes. Another thing is not everyone will want to do the same things, don't make them. I saw several groups who kept in touch be cell phone or walkie-talkie and they seemed much happier than those fighting about what to do next.

But most important, Walt Disney World was designed for kids, so act like one.

VIKING RIVER FAM TRIP / CHINA by Veronica

On April 4th we flew to San Francisco to connect to a United Airlines flight to Shanghai, China for a fam trip sponsored by Viking River Cruises. The flight on the 747 between San Francisco and Shanghai was a total of 12 hours and the economy class we were booked in was very cramped. I discovered later that there was a slightly more spacious premium class, located between the economy and business class sections, which a few fortunate people had been upgraded to and we were upgraded to on the return flight.

At 6pm we arrived in the very modern Pudong International airport which was completed in 1999. Everything was extremely well organized and our luggage arrived promptly in the terminal where our tour guides were waiting for us.

Our tour guide Yang spoke excellent English and was extremely personable. He directed us to a bus which transported us into the city and our hotel, a 45 minute drive.
We spent the night at the Westin Hotel which is luxurious, comfortable and conveniently located close to Nanjing Road with its fashionable shops as well as the famed Bund. While some people could not wait to do their first shopping in China, we strolled on the Bund along the river which was alive with crowds of people and vendors selling everything from $10 ’Rolex’ watches to kites etc.

On our second day in China, after a very nice breakfast at the Westin, we were joined by a local guide who accompanied our bus as we toured Shanghai and stopped at the Bund.

Shanghai is a very modern city with a lot of impressive new buildings and has changed a lot since our first visit 20 years ago.

We were taken to a restaurant for Dim Sum prior to being transported to the smaller airport in Shanghai, Hongqiao airport, for our 1 1/2 hour flight on Shanghai Airlines to Yichan, en route to where our ship was docked.

During our flight to Yichan, the landscape below was interesting and it appeared as if every visible piece of land was cultivated and very lush. Meanwhile, on the plane our gracious Chinese stewardesses served us refreshments, both familiar and unfamiliar; The least popular among our group being a little package of dried fish.(sweet and salty taste)
In Yichan once again a local guide joined us and narrated during the hour plus ride to the ’Viking Sky’ which was docked close to the Three Gorges Dam project.

We had to descend steps to get to the ship and plow through a crowd of vendors who were pretty aggressive sales people. In the meantime all of the luggage was carried to the ship hanging from poles slung across the shoulders of the Chinese ground personnel, sometimes with other suitcases in hand.

The Viking Sky is an elegant ship and has nicely appointed cabins with small verandahs. The crew is almost entirely Chinese, the only exception being the Maitre D’ and one of the Chefs. The Chinese personnel were given unusual English names such as ’Apple’, ‘Chocolate’ etc. and were very charming and overly polite.

The ship remained docked overnight and passengers amused themselves the first afternoon by either going out to mingle and buy items from the vendors or visit a small temple opposite the dock. Other passengers enjoyed watching local women launder clothes and wash greens in the murky river.

The next day we spent several hours on a tour to the dam and viewed the locks we were to navigate through later in the day. After lunch on board, we departed for our upstream cruise commencing with the 3 hour navigation of the locks followed by 3 days scenic cruising through the gorges and ending in Chongqing.

On our third day of the cruise we boarded a smaller vessel in Wushan where we cruised through the scenic lesser 3 gorges. Apart from the lush scenery of the mist enshrouded mountains, we also saw monkeys and ancient coffins which were suspended on ledges high up on the mountain sides. A picnic luncheon was organized on the river bank (more aptly described as mountainside) where tables were set up under a marquis. It was more elaborate than a picnic and was well organized by the Viking Sky kitchen staff. There was also a shop beside the picnic location selling interesting handcrafts.

The final day of the cruise we stopped to visit the Shibaozhai temple which is a 12 story structure built into a sheer cliff during the Qing dynasty in 1650. A busy market place flourished at the base of the temple and our group enjoyed shopping for a variety of souvenirs there.

The final night on the ship we were served a farewell dinner that was strictly Chinese. It was good as most of the meals had been, although meals were not generally exceptional.

At the end of our cruise we awoke in the port city of Chongqing and from there we flew to Beijing, a 2 hour flight.
Immediately upon arrival in Beijing we were taken to a location where rickshaws waited to take us on a tour of the winding streets of an old Beijing neighborhood (Hutong). Most of these neighborhoods have been demolished in favor of modern apartments. In the Hutongs people live in a quadrangle close to their neighbors and share a common bathroom. We were invited into the house of one resident who told us about her life, past and present.

Our final day in Beijing was spent visiting the Forbidden City and Great Wall. Unfortunately since our visit to the Forbidden city two decades ago, things had changed, so that many buildings we had walked into, now could only be viewed from the outside through windows and doors. Also, many buildings were under renovation for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Impressions of our cruise experience: The ship was very nice and elegant.. The cruise director who had a wonderful command of English had provided interesting lectures onboard and ongoing information about the areas we were cruising through.

Entertainment on the ship consisted of a trio who played traditional Chinese instruments and a couple of entertainers performing other musical entertainment.. One of most popular evening’s entertainment was a Chinese dance performance provided by the ship’s crew..
Food was somewhat hit and miss at dinner time but breakfast was good and lunch was fairly good. The crew was friendly and extraordinarily polite and welcoming.
Passengers with limited mobility were challenged on the excursions due to steps and inclines.
Our luggage was always taken care of along with all other details of the trip (domestic flight and entrance tickets for sightseeing) and it gave me an understanding of why older clients, in particular, prefer escorted tours.

SOVEREIGN OF THE SEAS

When Sovereign of Seas was launched by Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in 1988 it was the largest and most elaborate ship on the seas. Today it is roughly half the size of Royal Caribbean's new Voyager class of ships. The Sovereign sails three and four day cruises from Port Canaveral. Because of the shorter cruises, the rates are quite good and with Port Canaveral being drivable from Greenville, we sell this cruise often. Having never sailed on Royal Caribbean, I made it my goal for 2005 to cruise on RCCL. I knew that this was their oldest ship and went with no expectations at all. I was pleasantly surprised with the Sovereign. The Sovereign of the Seas was dry docked for 23 days last fall and millions of dollars were put into giving the ship a major face lift. Most of the public spaces were updated and 62 of its cabins were turned into Junior Suites with balconies.

Sovereign of the Seas has two main dining rooms: the Mirage on Deck 4 and Illusions on Deck 3. Traditional cruise style dining is offered with early and late seatings as well as a buffet on the top of the ship for more casual dining. When the refurbishment was done they also added a Johnny Rockets hamburger grill and a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop. Both of these are available for a small surcharge. I did not eat at either of these places but they did seem to be quite popular. I found the food in the main dining rooms to be quite good and the service was probably the best I have ever had on a cruise ship. I ate in the buffet area for breakfast and lunch and thought the variety and taste to also be very good. Room service is offered 24 hours a day and there were
two mid-night buffets on the four night cruise including one elaborate chocolate buffet.

The public areas of the ship included many lounges, a casino and shops. The Viking Crown lounge on the very top of the ship was a favorite of mine. If offered 360 degree views of the ocean and was rarely very crowded. I loved watching sunsets from here. Another favorite was the new Bolero's lounge which featured latin music and my favorite drink, Mojito. The Follies Theatre was beautiful and the shows were quite entertaining. There were two places to access the internet and rates were quite reasonable. There are two pools on this ship and the areas around the pools were usually pretty crowded but you could always find a lounge chair somewhere on the top two decks.

The cabins are quite small as you would expect for an older ship. I had an ocean view cabin on deck 7. It was clean but very compact. Some of the bathroom tiles were coming up but for the price of this cruise and this category it is still a good value. This ship had no balcony cabins until the renovation and while the ship was full and I did not get a formal tour of these cabins, I did peek in when they were cleaning and they looked very nice and much larger than the other cabins.

There is a large fitness center with up to date machines and a nice spa on the ship as well as a salon for hair and nail treatments. There is a basketball court and rock climbing wall on the top of the ship.

I really think this is a good cruise for first time cruisers as well as anyone wanting a short getaway. While it is not one of the big mega ships, for the price that this cruise sells for, it is hard to beat and if the service on the Sovereign is an indication of the service on Royal Caribbean fleet wide, RCCL has other lines beat in that department.

Toronto

Toronto is a great destination if you love the endless variety of activities that big cities supply. With the cultural mix, there really is something for everyone. Little Italy, Chinatown...with over 100 different distinct communities, the choices are endless.

Getting to Toronto is getting easier all the time. Flying in from Atlanta only took an hour and forty-five minutes on a non-stop flight. Getting around the city is easy due to a public transportation system that includes subways, buses and streetcars.

To get a better sense of the city, I would suggest staying above ground. For first time visitors, consider using the tourist buses that resemble trollys that make a circuit through the city. A day pass will give you 24 hours to hop on and off at different places downtown and the narration from the driver will help you figure out the background of the major tourist attractions and some of the best places to stop. If you don't want to go outside, stick to The Path--almost 7 miles of underground shops, restaurants, movie theaters and more that stretches from the waterfront through downtown. It's a great alternative if you're traveling during the winter. On a clear day, make sure you make a stop at the CN Tower, the world's tallest building. The view from the skybox will allow you to see for miles in any direction. If you're afraid of heights, make sure you skip the glass floored section on this one. Being able to look straight down from such a height
can be disconcerting--especially when those around you feel compelled to jump up and down to test the strength of the glass. Take a trip down to Front Street to visit the tower, the Skydome (home of the Blue Jays), Planet Hollywood (with so many things being filmed in Canada, there are some great additions to their walls here if you're a tv/movie buff) as well as the Hockey Hall of Fame nearby. Hit Yonge or Bloor for lots of great shopping. The city does have distinct areas for different things, so if you're looking for shopping for clothing, for example, you can hit the fashion district. However, one of the great things about wandering around downtown is the mix you can find on a single street, so you'll find clothing stores next to toy stores, which are next to restaurants, which are next to...it could be next to anything.

Toronto is a great destination if you're a theater lover. The third largest English speaking theater district in the world is right there. Tourism in the city dropped off with the closing of 'Phantom of the Opera' last year, but with the opening of 'Lion King: The Musical' in April, Toronto expect that to change. If you're having trouble getting tickets to this show in New York, definitely consider going to Toronto instead. If The Lion King isn't your thing, there are well over 100 other theater groups in the area, so take your pick. With over 5,000 restaurants in Toronto, the toughest thing about an evening out on the town is choosing where you want to go.

I stayed at the Delta Chelsea Inn, Canada's largest hotel, just off Yonge Street downtown (though if you've been to Las Vegas recently, it seems small in comparison with 'only' about 1500 rooms). Rated four diamonds by AAA, the Chelsea was a very nice property with enough amenities so that you would never have to leave if you didn't want to. Their 27th floor features a lounge, indoor heated pool, fitness center and more that are 'adults only' which is a nice relaxing place to visit with a great view. For families, the 2nd floor offers yet another heated indoor pool as well as a game room for kids. Most major hotel chains have at least one property in Toronto, so you have your choice of where to stay downtown.

With the exchange rate being approximately $1.50US to $1CAD, it's a great value. A weekend really won't give you enough time to see and do everything in Toronto, but it will give you a great start. You'll have a list of things you want to go back and do. Next time I'm aiming for a harbor cruise, an evening at Second City, a day trip out to Niagra...

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The Vacation Express trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic begins in Atlanta on a UPS charter flight. The UPS charter flight was a completely pleasurable experience. The flight attendants were extremely courteous and we were given hot towels followed by a hot meal. The leg room was generous and the flight only a little over three hours.

When we arrived in Punta Cana the first thing we saw was the thatched roof airport amid beautiful coconut palms and lush vegetation. A Dominican band was playing as we entered the airport and we immediately identified our Vacation Express Rep who was holding up a sign identifying herself as such.

The ride to our Resort ( Barcello Bavaro Beach) was a short one. The Barcello Bavaro Beach Lobby was beautiful and open air. We toured all of the hotels offered by Vacation Express and
all were quite lovely. All of the hotels are all-inclusive and on the beach. They all offer several restaurants both ala carte and buffet. The food is quite good with a lot of fish and fresh fruits. The alcohol is mostly domestic but Heineken is offered at some of the bars for an extra charge.The local beer is Presidente and is quite good. You will not find any American beers. All of the hotels have “animation” teams comprised of young people who work all day and night keeping guests entertained. They do everything from meringue lessons to elaborate Vegas style shows. Almost all of the resorts have a spa and a children’s program.

The beaches in Punta Cana are absolutely gorgeous. They are quite expansive with coconut palms growing all the way down to the water, sand that is a pinkish white and turquoise water. The grounds of all the resorts are very lush and tropical.

There are excursions outside of the resorts including jeep safaris and snorkeling trips, but other than these, there is not much to do outside the resorts. And you would certainly not want to rent a car as there are no street signs and they seem to make up the traffic rules as they go.

The resort’s staffs are mostly Spanish speaking, but the managers and concierges speak some English. Also, the Vacation Express reps are available by phone as well as having a few assigned times at the tour desk of each hotel when they are available for booking excursions and answering questions.

The guests are largely European (topless sunbathing), but we were told that many Americans are discovering Punta Cana as a great vacation destination and to book trips there.

Punta Cana is a Caribbean paradise only a three hour flight from Atlanta and a tremendous value!

Norwegian Majesty Fam Trip

Four-day Western Caribbean out of Miami
NCL is set to begin 7-day Western Caribbean sailings out of Charleston on 08 NOV 2003 and will depart every Saturday thru 10 APR 2004. The itinerary will include Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Key West. I wanted to take this particular sailing to familiarize myself with the cruise line, the ship, and the ports-of-call. This was to be my first experience with NCL ( and the Majesty ) and felt that first-hand knowledge of the two would be valuable selling tools.

EMBARKATION

Quick, convenient, easy, and organized. One of the best check-in processes I have encountered. Cruise line and port personnel were everywhere and check-in was a breeze. Within a matter of minutes we were through security and on-board the ship. Lunch is served during the boarding time at the Piazza San Marco ( hamburgers and hot dogs ) and the Café Royal ( two separate buffet lines ) both located on the Sports Deck. There is limited indoor seating at the Café Royale but most is outdoors on the deck ( not quite sure how this will work in Charleston in January and February ). By the time the ship was ready to sail the Sports Deck & the Sky Deck were pretty full.

CABINS

The Majesty offers Interior, Superior Interior, Oceanview, and Superior Oceanview cabins & Suites. There are no Balcony cabins on this ship. The pricing and placement of categories on the ship are random at best…a higher deck is neither more expensive or a better cabin ( as is the general rule with most ships ). Most Oceanview cabins that are located on the higher decks have obstructed views. Cabins that sleep only two passengers are the smallest while cabins that sleep third and/or fourth passengers are the largest ( these are rated as the Superiors ). The only category that may buck that trend is II on Majesty Deck. So…..if you have two people sailing that want the most square footage then book them into a triple/quad occupancy cabin.

The cabins themselves are well maintained and decorated with light neutral tones and light wood furniture. Beds are actual mattresses and quite comfortable. Cabins are furnished with a closet ( with safe ), lighted vanity desk with chair ( and the neatest built-in ironing board ), dresser(s), individual climate control, tv with numerous satellite channels, two channels of music, and refrigerator ( not all cabins ).

The bathrooms are a masterful use of minimum space. They are compact but functional and provide adequate maneuvering space. Included are a hairdryer, hand soap and lotion, and shower gel & shampoo dispensers in the shower ( the shower is separate and roomy ). Towels are large and thick and wash cloths & hand towels are kept stocked.

Cabin stewards are outstanding and regularly check on you to see if there is anything you need.

MOBILITY

Majesty has six elevators in three banks of two ( these are located at the main stairwells ). They are small and not very fast……depend on the stairs and leave the elevators for those who actually need them. The stairs are well placed and very wide……this ships medium size makes it a breeze to navigate. The Promenade deck is a wonderful treat but for some reason the majority of passengers tended to congregate on the Sports and Sky Decks……this made the Promenade all the more enjoyable. Cabin hallways were wide enough for two people to pass and ship maps and diagrams were well placed for guidance.

PLUBLIC SPACES

Majesty does not have an Atrium but does have Crossroads….a sort of Rotunda in the middle of the ship where you will find the Purser, Information, Excursions, and Credit desks. It is located on Atlantic Deck and this is also where most public areas are located. Royal Fireworks is the “second” showroom located at the front of the ship. Seating is limited and tends to fill early. Then there is Rendezvous and house of Lords……the largest lounges/bars on the ship. Here you will find two big-screen tv’s and snacks that are served at varying times of the day. Next are the shops ( jewlry, logo souvenirs, clothing, alcohol, and cigarettes ). These were well stocked and very well priced….many bargains to be found. Also on this deck are the Internet Café, Library, and Video Arcade.

On Majesty Deck are the Polo Club ( lounge/bar) and the photo gallery. There is the Monte Carlo Casino and the main showroom Palace Theatre. The Palace Theatre is one level and the sightlines are not the best in the world. Seating was generally available at most shows but in the very back rows. Entertainment was top-notch and worth making an effort to go see. On Promenade Deck you will find the Mandara Spa, Gym, and the Frames 52 Disco.

Overall décor and furnishings are tasteful and in good repair…..one was given a sense of quality and solidness…..broad appeal and virtually no glitz.

DINING FREESTYLE

Here is where NCL pulls way ahead of the pack…..Freestyle is the way to go. There are 5 restaurants that are included in the cruise fare….Seven Seas, Four Seasons, Café Royale, Piazza San Marco, and Royal Observatory. Then there is Le Bistro ( fine dining ) that requires additional tariff ( 12.50 to 20.00 per person ). Advance reservations are required at Le Bistro and the Royal Observatory ( Italian cuisine – no additional tariff charged ). Café Royale offers buffet service for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Piazza San Marco offers 24 hour hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, and salads. The two main restaurants Seven Seas and Four Seasons offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner seatings. Your preference for seating was always accommodated and in a timely manner. Service and food were beyond expectations and would rival any fine dining establishment. One note…..in the Seven Seas Dining there is noticeable engine noise and vibration when seated in the far rear ( near the windows ) some passengers may find this annoying.

Freestyle allows you to decide when, where, and with whom you wish to dine. This one feature removes any stress that may have been involved with the traditional two-seating rush for the dining room that still exists on some ships even today. The inclusion of gratuities ( 10.00 per person per day ) allows for more personnel and improved service.

Menus were expansive and there was something to suit the taste of everyone on-board. If you could not find it in yourself to leave the cabin then room service was only a phone call away.

DISEMBARKATION

A repeat of embarkation…..orderly, efficient, and quick.

SPECIAL NOTES

Majesty is not the newest or the largest ship sailing but in combination with NCL’s Freestyle Cruising concept, she is one of the best. The ship, service, crew, and dining were near perfection. She was completely sold out on this sailing but you would never have known it…….service was flawless. The sailings that will be operating out of Charleston are one of the best values going. The Majesty ( and NCL ) can be sold without any qualms whatsoever. I was also impressed with the ship’s smoothness while sailing….much better than some others I have been on.

ELDORADO RESORT & SPA MAYAN RIVIERA

I chose this hotel because it was in-between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen. The hotel is situated on several acres of mostly jungle, opening to a sandy beach. The rooms are well appointed and large. Each room has a balcony or patio with chairs and a hammock. The furnishings are typically Mexican, but each room has a large Jacuzzi tub in a separate area, an armoire with TV and 2 writing tables with chairs. The bathroom is very large also and completely tiles from floor to ceiling. Silk bath robes are brought each day along with an abundance of large fluffy towels.

One of the negatives were very poor lighting and no door on the shower. The whole ambiance of the resort is of peace and tranquillity, a great place for a honeymoon. The grounds were beautifully landscaped and the beach area well kept. There were swimming pools within a few steps of each group of buildings along with a large pool with swim up bar.

The food in the two main restaurants was excellent as was the service. In the general open air restaurant the food was adequate and the service good, but the food was never very warm.. There was ongoing maintenance and new building while I was there but it was all done very inconspicuously and there was never any noise or disturbance. For a new hotel there were several things needing attendance in the room, but it was promptly taken care of by 3 non English speaking workmen. No matter how large or small the problem there were always 3.

The staff were extremely courteous and helpful. If you want to stay at the resort there was plenty to do as far as water sports and daily activities. The Spa programs were very expensive. To do anything outside the resort was a little difficult and you could not do anything spontaneously everything has to be planned by 7:00 PM the previous day, because of the transportation problem.

Taxis were expensive, car rental was $45.00 day for s stripped VW bug with no radio. And tours were also high priced.

The main attraction is this area for me, and the purpose for choosing this location , was the close proximity of many sights and tour opportunities. From Mayan Ruins to shopping to horse back riding, four wheeling and Ecological parks. If you are planning on spending the day at a park, Excarets the very best place to go. The tours to Tulum only give you 2 hours, so if you want more time you need to find your own transportation, or use the city bus, (which I was never able to discover). All in all it was a place I’d recommend for various types of travelers, but a few pointers from someone who has been there would certainly help first time visitors. Although most people only stay 3 - 4 nights there is definitely enough to do on a 7 night stay.

Mainland Alaska

I. The South Central – Kenai Peninsula, Homer, Seward, Kodiak Island
II. The Interior – Wassila, Talkeetna, Denali N.P., Fairbanks
III. Prince William Sound & Valdez

Alaska is 4 hours behind Eastern time. Summer daylight is virtually 24 hours, Winter gets about 18 hours of darkness. Temperatures in the Summer average 60-90 degrees during the day …. Winter can be –50 degrees.

Anchorage
Ø Cook Inlet is the main destination for travelers touring mainland Alaska.
Ø Large city with population in the hundreds of thousands
Ø Used for a quick “in and out” stay, mainly due to airline schedules. It does however, offer travelers a lot to see and do.
Ø Downtown: loaded with shops selling native Indian handicrafts, and usual souvenirs. In the summertime, shops are open until midnight. Good for your final night stay and last minute shopping.
Ø Nearby the city is Potter’s Marsh, a wetland area where you can view waterfowl and salmon from long boardwalks. This is a city park --- free and very interesting.
Ø Alyeska Ski Resort is an hour away, as is Portage Glacier, a landlocked glacier that is part of the State Park System. Here you can see a glacier close up, take a boat ride on the lake in front of it (full of floating icebergs), and learn more from a fabulous exhibit center complete with park rangers, multimedia presentation, gift shop, and lunchroom. Many creeks flow into the Turnagain Arm, a part of the Cook Inlet. Here salmon fishermen practice “combat fishing”. There are so many fish and fishermen in one place…it’s considered a warzone getting the fish. The Turnagain Arm is famous for its “boretides”.

The Kenai Peninsula
Ø Famous for salmon fishing and Prince William Sound.
Ø Seward, a small fishing village, 3 hours from Anchorage, a major cruise port, and a jump-off spot for tourist vessels on day trips to see glaciers, marine mammals, and birdlife. Ø Homer is another town at the end of the peninsula, a day’s drive from Anchorage. Good fishing and wildlife viewing. From here you can take the ferry to Kodiak Island. Kodiak is for those who really want to get away from it all. Most of the lodges are “fly-in”, and offer unique wilderness experiences. They are quite expensive, averaging $400-$600 per night stay, with excursions, comfortable lodging, and some with private facilities.

The Interior – Wassila, Talkeetna, Denali, Fairbanks
Ø North of Anchorage
Ø The town of Wassila is a highlight….the home of the Iditarod. Also has a great museum. The Iditarod is held each March.Ø Talkeetna, base camp for Denali climbing expeditions. This historic, quirky town is full of bush pilots, climbing companies and small bunk houses for climbers. It comes alive in the Spring when climbers from all over the world ascend on Alaska to challenge Denali (“the great one”), formerly Mt. McKinley. You can fly by bush plane onto Denali at 7,000 feet to see the base camp, with dozens of tents and climbers, making ready for their ascent of the mountain. Flights to the base camp are only allowed in late Spring or early June as the glaciers become too unstable to land. During the Summer, you can flightsee and fly the summit of the mountain. Denali National Park is another few hours drive further North through high flatlands and wilderness. Just past the entrance is a strip of motels, food joints, outfitters and lots of congestion and people. Just inside the park, the scenery changes to 14 miles of paved road that anyone can ride for free. Then, a gravel road takes you for hours into the wilderness. The only way to pass mile-marker 14 is with a national park bus (old schoolbus). You must reserve for one of these months in advance. The price is about $6 per day. If on a tour, you would have a boxed lunch provided. No guide is on the bus, just a driver who will stop if wildlife is spotted. Makes for a truly interesting and eventful day.
Ø Fairbanks – a small town with a riverboat, and an Alaska theme park. It also offers fishing, hunting and the University of Alaska.

Valdez & Prince William Sound
Ø Valdez is famous for its name, and the famous oil spill that marked Exxon forever. They launched a monumental effort to clean the entire area. This included every rock on every beach in every cove. Today, years later and smarter, tanker ships visit daily, under new regulations set up to prevent another spill from devastating the Sound again. Valdez is a small town, once totally destroyed by the 1964 earthquake and rebuilt on a site further down the road.
Ø Valdez is a fishing village which is home to the Ayeska Pipeline Company, and terminus of the Alaska bald eagles….also home to the Columbia Glacier. Day trips to the Sound on chartered tourist boats take you to see these wonderful sites.Ø Alaska requires months of advance bookings for hotels, car rentals and outfitters (fishing, wildlife viewing, etc.). The ferry system is also booked heavily during the summer months. It is suggested to book at least 6-8 months in advance, especially for national park services…some are on a lottery system because space is so limited. The Alaska Department of Tourism and the Anchorage CVB are both good sources of free information.

Las Vegas

I am waiting for my flight to take me back home. I have just spent the last four days in Egypt, Paris, New York, Venice and Monte Carlo. No, I haven’t been globetrotting, I’ve been in Las Vegas! Having never visited Las Vegas before, I cannot compare it to the Vegas of twenty or thirty years ago, but as I’ve heard it said, “This isn’t the Vegas your grandmothers visited”. Most of the old “rat pack” hotels are no longer around. They have been replaced by enormous, (11 of the 12 largest hotels in the world are in Las Vegas) mostly “theme” hotels.

The Paris Hotel has a half scale Eiffel Tower as well as a replica of the Arc de Triomphe. All of the restaurants and shops have French themes and are located on Parisian “streets” that meander through the hotel.

The New York-New York from the outside is a scaled down version of the New York skyline with a Statue of Liberty, Empire State building,Chrysler building, even the Brooklyn Bridge. Inside the “streets” are named after famous streets in New York with the restaurants and shops carrying through with the theme as well. There are even manholes emitting steam.

The Venetian is one of the newest of the theme hotels to open and houses a large shopping area complete with “St. Marks Plaza” and a quarter mile long “Grand Canal” with gondolas and singing gondoliers.

We stayed in the Egyptian themed Luxor, shaped like a huge glass pyramid. You enter the hotel through a ten story high Sphinx. There are replicas of Egyptian artifacts and statues, Ramses, hieroglyphics, scarabs and cobras on the walls. The rooms in the pyramid section have to be entered by riding a 39 degree inclinator. There are two newer tower sections with rooms which is where we stayed. The rooms were quite spacious and tastefully decorated with an Egyptian theme without being tacky. The rooms had all the usual amenities except coffeemakers.(You have to go through the casino to get coffee. In fact, you have to go through the casinos to get anything and to go anywhere. I wonder why that is??????????)

Most of the hotels we visited were on the strip with the exception of the Hard Rock Hotel which was about a mile and a half back from thestrip, and the Golden Nugget which was downtown. The “strip” is the Las Vegas Boulevard hotel zone and is about four miles long from the Mandalay Bay hotel on the south end to the Stratosphere on the north end. Prepare to do a lot of walking if you plan on venturing out of your hotel and visiting the others on the strip. You can take a cab and the city buses run up and down the strip twenty four hours a day, but the best way to get a real feel for Las Vegas is to walk the strip, especially at night when the neon comes.

There is plenty to do in Las Vegas even if you are not a gambler. If you are, you will think you have gone to heaven. There are always great shows playing with long running ones such as Siegfried and Roy as well as newer ones such as Cirque Du Soliel and The Blue Man Group. There are different headliners every week. There are tours to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Damn, Laughlin and many others and most hotels have a show and tour desk to assist you with tickets. Some fun and free things to catch are the light and fountain show in front of the Bellagio, the erupting volcano in front of the Mirage, the pirate battle in front of Treasure Island, and the Fremont Street Experience which is an overhead light and music show in downtown Las Vegas. It is also worth the walk or cab ride to the Stratosphere on the north end of the strip to go up in the tower(for a small fee). The Stratosphere tower is the tallest freestanding tower in the country and you get a great view of Las Vegas and the mountains that surround the city.

There are thousands of restaurants to choose from and a lot of the better known chefs have opened up chic restaurants in Vegas. We had a fabulous dinner at Lupo, a Wolfgang Puck Restaurant in Mandalay Bay. Every strip hotel had a buffet serving breakfast, lunch and dinner at very reasonable prices. We had the lunch buffet at the Mirage and it was quite impressive but the dinner buffet at the Luxor was a big disappointment. The strip hotels also all have a twenty four hour coffee shop.

I find it hard to remember exactly what my preconceived impression was of Las Vegas before I visited it, but I was pleasantly surprised with it. If you haven’t been to Las Vegas lately or if you have never been, you should definitely plan on going!

Jamaica

We traveled to Jamaica on Thursday May 20th from Atlanta at 9:00pm arriving in Mo Bay at 11:30pm.

On Friday morning, we took a trip to a local river, one of about 120 rivers in Jamaica, to take a rafting trip. Unfortunately once we arrived, the river with running to "fast" for the group to enjoy the experience. We then toured the Botanical Garden which was very dangerous. I know - How can a Botanical Garden be dangerous? The steps that lead to the river were so slippery that several people fell. Yes, I was one of them. Yes I was wearing tennis shoes, but the moisture of the river created moss on everything and it was VERY SLIPPERY EVERYWHERE.

Friday evening, a two minute drive from our host hotel, Sandals Royal Jamaica hosted our welcome dinner and party fit for Kings and Queens. I would rate this property Superior/First Class. The Sandals Royal Jamaica Resort, had their entire staff catering to our needs for the evening. When we arrived, we boarded ferries over to Coco Cay, a small island just off the beaches of the Royal Jamaica Sandals Resort. The presentation and service was without a doubt, exceptional--endless food, music, entertainment and drinks. On hand was Butch Stewart - Chairman of all Sandals Resorts.

On Saturday, we went to Negril and visited the Grand Lido Resort. We had lunch, toured the property and took lessons on playing the "Steel Drum". Yes I played. Ted did a dancing game and Jill watched in all. I would rate this resort First Class/Superior. Jill and Ted visited Hedonism II, while I joined a group of other agents and took a boat tour up the Negril beach coast. It was an experience seeing all the properties in Negril and how they were laid out. Yes, I saw lots of nude bodies at Hedonism II on the beach.

That evening we had a dinner, show and tour of Rose Hall, a historic site in Montego Bay. Local dancers and singers performed for us and it was excellent. Rose Hall is a great, old house and plantation. There is a great deal of history and a must see and do if you visit Jamaica.

On Sunday morning we had a visit to Half Moon Bay Resort for a trade show on all the properties, attractions and suppliers that sell Jamaica. This was an annual event call JAPEX, where all suppliers and hoteliers are on hand to promote their product/property to travel agents. The Director of Tourism, Marketing Director and several other prominent government officials were on hand to give presentations and a video on Jamaica to us.

Half Moon Bay Resort is located right next door to the Holiday Inn Sunspree and is rated without a doubt-Luxury.
They market the property heavily to the Asian market. It was mentioned that the average stay is 10 to 14 days at a rate of $350 minimum per night. The hotel totally self sufficient: Golf Courses, Shopping Center, Equestrian Stables, Bikes or Golf Carts to get you around the property (yes it's that large), several restaurants, Convention Center, Beaches, Pools EVERYTHING! The ultimate in all-inclusive.

The final dinner was hosted by the Holiday Inn Sunspree and there was excellent entertainment and great food.

We departed Mo Bay at 3:50AM and arrive back in Atlanta at 7:30.

Italy, Austria and Germany by Lisa

Milan was the starting point of our two week vacation that encompassed Dachua Germany to visit the World War II concentration camp and Vienna Austria to see the capital in all its glory.
In Milan we found that most people in Italy speak a little English. We had some problems finding our hotel, Best Western City Center, but the people were very friendly. The hotel was in a great location, convenient to shopping and major attractions. It was also one block from a subway station. The staff spoke English and had a city map that came into use. The Piazza del Duomo, with its great cathedral, was our first stop. As elaborate as a wedding cake, the edifice is decorated with 2,245 marble statues and 135 marble spires. The 16th-century stained glass windows illuminate the five great aisles and huge pillars of the church. The refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie has Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper on display.

We traveled to Dachua Germany and had a very moving experience at the concentration camp. The words “Work Brings Freedom” are still above the gate that the prisoners would see as they entered the camp. Two of the original 20 barracks were rebuilt with the wooden beds stacked on top of one another. The one bathroom with 20 toilets and no privacy are there to allow you feel some of their pain. There are signs in 4 languages that explain the camp and daily routines.

As we left Germany we traveled to Link and then on to Vienna via a small road that followed the Danube River. It was a most pleasant drive. We saw the one of the most beautiful Baroque abbeys on the right bank and the the ruined castle where Richard the Loinhearted was imprisoned in 1193. All the chief buildings in Vienna have little shields attached to their facades. Get a booklet from the Tourist Board called “Vienna from A to Z”, that lists all the numbered shields with a history of each building. Be sure while you are there to visit Stephen’s Cathedral, the main landmark in Vienna. Other important sites are the Hofburg, historic central palace of the Austrian Empire, with the imperial apartments of Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elizabeth., and tour of the Treasury and see the Crown Jewels. Be sure to see Schonbrunn Palace, built to rival Versailles, and stroll the gardens.

We drove on to Mestre Italy which is a small town 20 miles east of Venice. We stayed at the Bologna, located across the street from the train station, because we didn’t want to have to wonder the streets of Venice carrying our luggage. We got a r/t ticket for 5 lira and walked down the station steps right to the Grand Canal. Be sure to get a map of Venice for you will surly need one. A gondola ride to San Marco station will take you on a leisurely two-mile tour of Venice’s main street, the S-shaped Grand Canal. Explore the Piazza San Marco, a regal square with the great Basilica of St. Mark, one of the world’s most magnificent churches. Be sure to take the stairway to the museum in the basilica’s galley, where the stunning originals of four magnificent horses of gilded copper are now installed. These horses once adorned the Hippodrome of Constantinople and in 1207 were placed on the terrace of San Marco, where some copies now stand. Also visit the Palazzo Ducale, the Doges’ Palace, next to the basilica. As you tour the Palace see the “stairway of gold” and then follow the arrows across the Bridge of Sighs, linking the Doges Palace with the Palazzo delle Prigioni. Eat dinner by candlelight at a table sitting next to one of the many canals and listen to the Gondoliers singing as they go by.

Next we toured Florence. In the Galleria Dell’Accademia we turned a corner and there was the most marvelous site, David, Michelangelo’s colossal statue. Also take time to tour the Uffizi Palace which houses an important collection of paintings, the Piazza del Duomo, Giotto’s 14th century Campanile called the most beautiful bell tower in the world,. Best Western Hotel and the Baptistery of San Giovanni, with the East Door, a work that took 27 years to complete in bronze.

We left Florence to travel to Pisa and saw the Piazza del Duomo-the 900 year old cathedral and the Leaning Tower. The tower is still closed to tourists as it was in danger of toppling over. There is construction going on now to save the tower so you must be satisfied to just look at it. We left Pisa and traveled back roads to the medieval city of Volterra. It sits on a hill overlooking magnificent countryside. When you enter the gates of the city the streets are very narrow and winding. Volterra is known for its alabaster and its many shops carry all kinds of items made from it. From Volterra we drove on to Sienna which had the look and spirit of the Middle Ages. We visited the Il Duomo. This sienese cathedral dates from the 12 century. The zebralike interior of black and white strips is stunning. Be sure to see the Donatello work in bronze of John the Baptist. We spent the night in Perusia, another medieval walled city. You must climb steps to enter the city and the view from the overlook on a clear day stretches to Assisi, which was our first stop the next day. In Assisi we toured the Basilica Di San Francesco. This church consists of both an upper church and a lower church. As you tour the lower church you see the entrance to the crypt of St. Frances, which is below this church. It is a very spiritual place.

Our final stop was Rome. We had 3 days to sample the wonders of this city. We started with the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. We walked from the Arch of Titus to the Arch of Septimius Severus. We tossed a coin in the famous Trevi Fountain and climbed the Spanish Steps. We visited the Castel Sant’ Angelo built by Emperor Hadrian in 135 and then the Pantheon, rebuilt by Hadrian as a pagan temple. We visited San Pietro in Vincoli and saw Michelangelo’s famous statue of Moses and the huge white Victor Emmanuel Monument where the unknown soldier is buried. Be sure to see Michelangelo’s stairs that lead you to the Campidoglio, Rome’s city hall and the Capitoline Museums.

On Tuesday, November 7th, we arrived at the Vatican to find areas roped off and guards scanning people before allowing them inside. We walked in the Holy Door and saw Michelangelo’s, Pieta in the first chapel behind bullet proof glass. As we walked on we were directed to the left of the main aisle. There was a hush as the Pope came out. He was on a small rolling stand with handrails and he waved and blessed babies as he proceeded to the Confessional Altar, marking the burial place of St. Peter. This was the highlight of our trip. When the service was complete we walked to the back of the church to view the baldacchino by Bernini, resting over the papal altar and entered the crypt of St. Peter. We later climbed the steps to view Michelangelo’s dome and a breathtaking view of the interior. As we exited the church we strolled around to the entrance to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. The museums are a series of palaces and galleries built over centuries. The treasures here are many, but pale in comparison when you enter the Sistine Chapel. Michaelanglo painted 9 panels on the ceiling taken from Genesis and it took him 4 years to complete. He was in his 60’s when he painted the Last Judgment on the altar wall.

Italy was a wonderful experience for me. I found it to be both educational and inspirational. If you are interested in history and love art, then you will be in heaven.

Hawaiian Fam Trip

Blues Sky Hawaii and Maui Visitors Bureau offered a 6 night familiarization trip to Maui, Moloka'i and Lana'i. I had been to Maui twice before but not to the other two islands. I had heard about them and felt that this would be a great opportunity for me to become an Island Specialist on these three islands.

We arrived in Maui and were met at the airport by Jerry Carter and Brian Pringle, from Blue Sky Hawaii and taken by Speedi Shuttle to our hotel for the first two nights. On arrival at the Sheraton Maui we were shown to our rooms and later that evening met for a welcome reception presentation with Chris Kai’aokamalie, Director of Sales and Leisure with Maui Visitors Bureau. Here we were given our schedule for the coming week and were introduced to Hawaiian music and dance by a wonderful group of young Hawaiians.

Our group of 20 met Wednesday morning for an Aloha Welcome Breakfast and then followed the property inspection, hosted by Peggy Odenback. Director of Leisure Sales. The inspection concluded with a video feature of Hawaii and a Maui workshop that gave us incite into Maui’s rich culture and Aloha Spirit.

We departed the Sheraton by bus with Roberts Hawaii who took us on a tour of West Maui that included Kapalua Resort, Napili, Kahana and Honokowai. Our lunch was hosted by Napili Kai Beach Resort and a site inspection followed. This hotel is perfect for families with its beautiful beach and excellent rates.

We were taken to Lahaina Town, a National Historic District that included visits with
Friends of Moku’ula and free time to shop and explore Front Street. There are two nice museums, the Heritage Museum and the Baldwiin Home Museum if you have the time. We were picked up by Roberts Hawaii and taken to Ka’anapali Beach Hotel for a site inspection and checked in for the Kupanaha Show and Dinner. If you are into magic, you will love the show.

On Thursday we departed the Sheraton early with Roberts Hawaii and taken to Lahaina Harbor to get on the Maui Princess Ferry for our journey to Moloka’i. The trip takes about and hour and a half. I rode up on top in the open air and the ride was very refreshing. The waves got considerably larger and sprayed over the ferry as you got out into the channel.

On arrival at Kaunakakai Harbor, on Moloka’i, we were transported by shuttle to our continental breakfast and site inspection at the Hotel Moloka’i, hosted by Gregg Fraser, General Manager. This older hotel is located right on the water and is in the process of being renovated. For families that want to get away from everything this hotel would be a great choice.

Moloka’i is the fifth largest Hawaiian island. Its western tip is a mere 22 miles from O’ahu and is about 38 miles long and 10 miles wide and has over 88 miles of coastline. Nowhere on the island are you more that 5 miles from the ocean. On this island you can find ancient Hawaiian fish ponds, rain forests, and nestled at the east end are St. Josephs and Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, two churches designed and built by Father Damien who worked with exiled lepers in the late 1800’s. You can whale watch, scuba dive or snorkel off Hawaii’s only 28-mile pristine, barrier reef, or hike trials that few have traveled. Camp on a beach, explore the highest sea cliffs in the world, or just enjoy the unhurried, non commercial life style, with no traffic lights or buildings taller than the palm trees.

This evening we checked in at The Lodge with a site inspection that followed. This
property is situated in the middle of Moloka’i Ranch . The two- story Lodge in the town of Maunaloa is rustic and comfortable with an infinity pool. We were staying at the Beach Village which is located about 10 miles from the Lodge, down a dirt and gravel road that ends at the beach. Here we found Hale accommodations that are tents, wooden structures with canvas wrap, that are on raised wooden platforms and are 350 to 500 square feet. These environmentally friendly tents include solar-powered lights, ceiling fans, queen beds and spacious lanais. Private bathrooms are in each hale but there are no TV’s or radios in the tents. There is a pavilion where you can eat, drink and socialize.

After breakfast at Kaupoa Beach Village, we were picked up by The Lodge shuttle and taken to Moloka’I airport for our Island Air flight to the island of Lana’i. Lana’i is 98% owned by Castle and Cooke, Inc. and they have developed the island as an enticing resort destination. There are two very exclusive, five star resorts on this island. It is the smallest of the Hawaiian Islands that is open to visitors.

Lana’i, Moloka’i and Maui have ocean currents moving through a protected channel between them with fresh water streams that flow into it that make it a favorite destination for the humpback whales, who migrate to Hawaii each year from December through April. These three islands make up Maui Nui county, and since it is the only county with more than one island open to visitors, it is the only one with regular boat traffic between its islands.

Upon arrival we were taken to Lana’i Pine Sporting Clays/Lana’i Pine Archery Here we had our delicious box lunch and a presentation to learn Lana’i’s secrets and charms. The rustic 14-station clay course is situated on the northwest section of the island. The course allows shooters to tackle a variety of target angles, and the 12-target range offers the excitement and challenge of archery at its best. I found that skeet shooting can be great fun.

We took a leisurely tour of Lana’i city and then arrived at our destination for that evening, the Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay. After the site inspection we had free time to swim in Hulopo’e Bay, or lay on its famous white sandy beach. I chose to explore the tidal pools of Hulopo’e Bay. Dinner this evening was at the Ocean Grill and was hosted by Lana’i Visitors Bureau.

The Four Seasons Resort is a stunning tropical resort with panoramic views of the Pacific and nearly white-sand beach voted one of the most beautiful tropical beaches in the world. This resort has everything from intimate courtyards, exotic gardens, and precious Oriental antiques to massive hand-painted murals.
Saturday morning each of us was given a complimentary choice of a spa treatment, tennis lesson or 18 holes of golf. I chose the massage and I wasn’t disappointed. The spa has recently been renovated and offers a full menu of spa activities, fitness equipment and sauna and steam rooms. There are body and facial treatments, hairstyling, manicures, yoga and acupuncture.

We took the ferry that afternoon over to Maui and was picked up by Roberts Hawaii and taken to the Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort. Located on the pristine shores of Mokapu Beach, this 15 acre resort rests at the foot of Mt. Haleakala. We had a site inspection that ended at the oceanfront gardens for the Wailea Sunset Luau. This show features a traditional Hawaiian hula and a Samoan fire knife dance finale. The menu included tropical fruit, island salads, Huli Huli Chicken, Lomi Lomi Salmon and Kalua roasted Pig, grilled fresh fish and of course Poi.

Sunday we took a sightseeing tour of Iao Valley that included the Iao Needle, a lavender farm with over 200 different lavender plants where we had lavender scones with lavender tea, and then on to the Tedeschi Winery, Maui’s only vineyard and one of two in the state. This evening we had a farewell dinner hosted by the hotel and the Maui Visitor’s center. The evening was a little sad because the hotel staff found out that day that it would be closed around the middle of January.

Monday morning we walked down to the Grand Wailea Resort for breakfast and a site inspection at this wondrous resort. This 40 acre resort has spacious guest rooms, award-winning cuisine, the spectacular Spa Grande and a huge activity pool, the Wailea Canyons, featuring valleys, waterslides, caves and the world’s only water elevator.

WE had the afternoon free to enjoy the beach and pools or shopping at the Renaissance before our flight home hat evening. This was a great fam trip that I thoroughly enjoyed. Blue Sky Tours and the Maui Visitor’s Center went the extra mile to help us realize the inter beauty of the islands.

France - Spain from a customer

Balmes in Barcelona was located pretty well, and was a solid B on the European scale It had a small room, but it was pretty nice.

Hotel Tryp Cibeles in Madrid was outstanding and rated an A+ (on the European scale). Almost as nice as an American hotel, located exceptionally well and a great view. It is a very good choice for anyone travelling to Madrid. Easy walking distance to Plaza Mayor, the Palace and the Pullmantour center. Even the Prado if you are a walker. I can't say enough good about it.

Castiglione is a C hotel. It did the job, but was extremely small and overall, just average. Expensive for what it was, in my opinion. The good thing about it over the Sheraton was location though. It really was right at the Louvre which was good for us, and also within easy walking distance to the CityRama tour office and Champs Elysees. I would think a better
hotel could be found for that $ though.

Some other tips. Spain was not at ALL concerned with shorts or sleeveless shirts in the Cathedrals. I'd advise people going there to pack for HOT weather (we saw 110F some days, but as they say, "it was a dry heat, so it wasn't terrible") and pack shorts. Something I'd consider if you are REALLY worried about not getting into a cathedral is those tear-away pants where you can unzip the bottom of the leg and turn them into shorts, then zip on the legs if you needed long pants for anything.

As for the cities. Barcelona is REALLY neat. The Panoramic tour we took
was nice, and the Pueblo Village was neat. Good way to learn your way
around a little. You must see Sagrada Familia and the Cathedral there.
Also one we stumbled on because it looked interesting in the guidebook was
Park Guell. AMAZING. We were so astonished when we got there. Cab rides
were dirt cheap in Spain. Take cabs. Our most expensive cab ride across
the whole city was something like $4. Average fare was under 500 pesetas or
about $3. Cokes were cheap there too - unlike Italy and France where they
rape you for tourist drinks. Coke was maybe 75 cents to a dollar in Spain,
where it was $3+ in Paris!

Another spot worth seeing is the Casa Mila. It is a house built by Gaudi
(he designed the Sagrada Familia and the Park Guell, he is Spain's version
of Michaelangelo I suppose - really a genius). We got there and saw they
were working on the outside and thought, "well, that is a bummer." Turns
out, you can tour the inside and roof of the house and it is very neat. We
were glad we did it. I recommend asking lots of questions and being nosy and persistent. We discovered a lot of things that way. We got to go on the
roof of the Cathedral in Barcelona by asking what a door was opening to, and
turned out for a couple of bucks you could go on the roof. Pretty neat.

Another thing the tour books do NOT give justice is the St Pau Hospital. We
literally stumbled on it while walking near the Sagrada and it is beautiful.
It was designed with the idea that patients heal better surrounded by
beauty. It is awesome. And you can wander it freely and take pictures, at
least we did!

A note of warning, the moron chick at the train station in Barcelona very
nearly convinced me to pay for the train tickets again (I showed her we had
paid $67 each for them, but she wouldn't listen) and she was telling us the
8:30am was full and we would have to leave at 10:30. At the last moment,
she looked at the LAST page in the ticket book, and saw whatever she needed
to see and then everything was all right.

Might want to make sure that travellers know to show the last page, and not
just the two ticket-like stubs with the prices on them to the person at the train gate, at least in Spain. It was really her fault though, she works
there every day and sees a million tickets, she should know what to do. We
just got a dumb one I guess.

Train ride was ok, boring but uneventful and pretty to see the countryside.
No complaints.

Madrid is beautiful, but I found it immensely frustrating that in the
Palace, in most of Toledo and in the Prado, they were NAZI-LIKE about not
wanting you to take pictures with a flash. That sounds reasonable, because
they say it hurts the painting, but when you get to the LOUVRE, the most
awesome museum in the world with some of the most awesome paintings in the
world, they let you flash away. I think the spainiards are morons in that
respect.

My suggestion to anyone wanting good shots of Madrid/Toledo and museums
there, is to bring one of those digital video cameras and use it instead,
then make pics of your stills. That would be my only real complaint about
Spain. Overall, I loved it. It was beautiful and interesting, particularly
the Gaudi stuff in Barcelona.

Also, we spent an afternoon wandering from Cathedral to Cathedral. We did
encounter some that were closed in August. We saw that sort of thing
occasionally, but not enough to matter in my opinion. One thing to advise
anyone going there, is to see the San Miguel Cathedral. It is NOT on any of
my tourist info and it is very close to Plaza Mayor and BEAUTIFUL. Not as
big as some, but very pretty. We just came upon it and were astonished when
we walked in.

Toledo is skippable if you ask me. It was beautiful, but much like Pompeii
from Rome, not worth the travel and hassle factor. Also, I wouldn't bother
with transfers FROM the airport TO the hotel on my next trip. You're not on
a time limit, so why bother? But we really liked the transfers TO the
Airports and train stations. It took the worry out of getting to a time
sensitive place out of the equation.

Paris was Paris. You can't go wrong visiting it. I think I already told
you, but the Eiffel Tower dinner/Seine River Cruise/Moulin Rouge tour by
CityRama was excellent. Highly recommended. At dinner they put you at tables with people who speak your language, so we were around an Aussie
chick, some Americans and some British doctors (husband and wife) and it was
lots of fun to be able to talk to someone else in English again. Plus we
all got tanked and we have some really HORRIBLE pictures of a blurry Eiffel
tower at night and the blurry Seine river tour because we and our english
speaking friends were so tanked! But we had fun!

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a country that offers much to travelers. Natural adventure is the name of the game here. If you are interested in volcanos, rain and cloud
forest, jungle rivers, sports fishing, whitewater rafting adn wildlife viewing, Costa Rica offers all of this. In contrast, it does not offer fine cultural and
historic cities, very good snorkeling or diving or even very good beaches (nothing like the Caribbean). Most locals do not speak English.

The Caribbean coast is not very well developed and is very poor. There is little for tourists here. Much of the coast is polluted from run off from the
banana plantations. For adventurers there is Cahuita NP.

The Pacific coast is the popular place for tourists and charters. Here in Purntarenas and the Guanacaste area are major tourist hotels and some resorts.
If you expect the same as in the Caribbean, you will be disappointed.

The best itinerary for travelers is a variety of options. Costa Rica offers some of the best whitewater rafting in the world close to San Jose. It offers
fabulous bio-diversity in its national parks and reserves, and an up close view of nature for those wanting to experience its stunning scenery and exciting
outdoor options. There ar enine active volcanoes, dozens of national parks, an aerial tramway through the rainforest, seasonal arribatas of thousands of
sea turtles laying eggs on the beaches on both coasts, and a population of very friendly "Ticos," the Costa Rican people.

Moon Palace in Cancun Fam Trip

This was an independent fam, so there were not tours or hotel inspections. I was very pleased with Allegro airlines. Check-in in Atlanta was smooth and efficient. The flight departed on time so we actually arrived in Cancun nearly ½ hour early. Mexican immigrations was an exercise in patience. But we made it through to the tour bus within an hour. Although our trip was offered by Vacation Express, the local operator in Cancun is Royale Tours. All Royale Tours representatives we encountered spoke good English and were very courteous and helpful. We were transported by bus to the Moon Palace, arriving before 10AM.

Checking into the Moon Palace was a frustrating experience in spite of the champagne provided. Since we had arrived early, I fully expected that our room would not be ready. I was pleasantly surprised when told to check back in ½ hour as the room was being cleaned and was nearly ready. I asked if the room had 2 beds as I was traveling w/a female friend. After checking with another clerk, I was assured the room did indeed have 2 beds. Wonderful! My friend and I wandered around the hotel, which is indeed beautiful. Marble floors throughout the main building and gorgeous stained glass ceilings in the lobby area. The property stretches forever and the grounds are immaculate. Approximately 45 minutes later I again attempted to check in. Again I was told “come back in ½ hour”. Nearly an hour later when I returned to check in, same ol’ story. We did not actually get to our room until nearly 3:15pm, only to discover we had 1 king bed. I returned to the lobby and spoke to the Front Desk Manager. Our room was promptly changed to one with 2 beds. However, I did not receive any apology for the check in inconvenience.

I would have preferred being told from the beginning that check in was not available until 3pm. We would have located our luggage, changed into swimsuits and been quite happy at the pool.

The food at the Moon Palace is plentiful and tasty. They offered a great variety of Mexican, European and American foods and the selections varied each day.

There are several restaurants on the property, each with it’s own style and ambiance. Within the hotel are a gym, beauty salon, gift shop, travel agency and hospitality desks for each tour operator. Also on property you may sign up for scuba and/or snorkeling lessons, parasailing, wave runner rental or off-site tours.

Although the Moon Palace is at least 20 minutes from Cancun’s “hotel row”, complimentary shuttle service is offered to other Palace hotels. However, you must reserve space at least 1 day prior to travel. Once at the other Palace resorts, you may take a local bus nearly anywhere in Cancun for $.50 USD per person each way.

In spite of the check in problems I encountered, I would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to get away from it all and still have all the luxuries of civilization.

Cancun - Moon Palace by Mike

I have just returned from a stay at the Moon Palace in Cancun. I highly recommend this all-inclusive resort. Prior to my trip, I probably would not have recommended an all-inclusive in Cancun, but this resort changed my tune.

All of the rooms (suites) have oceanviews, marbled floors, huge bathrooms, balconies with hammocks, refrigerator and a 2-person jacuzzi. The service is fantastic, no lines, and people waiting to serve you at every turn. There are about 10 restaraunts, countless bars and 2 huge, and I mean huge, pools.

This property is for 3 types of customers -- meeting and incentive groups, couples, and families. The resort is about 7 miles south of the Cancun airport and is secluded. You can't really walk to anything, because it is so far removed. It is ideal for honeymooner's or couples wanting to get away and relax. Although there are 2 discos on property, I wouldn't suggest it for singles or people looking to party all-night long. It's about a $11 cab ride to downtown or to the heart of the Zona Hotela. Because it belongs to the Palace group, you can visit the other palace properties and use their facilities at no additional charge. There is even limited free-transportation to the other properties.

The only down-side is the water at the beach. Because of heavy see-weed growth, the beach is not great for swimming, nor is the water as dramatic as it is in at other beaches in the Yucatan. The beach itself is certainly nice enough with sand so fine it sticks to you like flour. I think this is a small trade-off in the grand scheme of the property, but something you need to notify your clients about, so they will be prepared.

All in all, it's great, one of the best resorts I've stayed at in all the world -- and certainly the best in Cancun. I highly recommend it! This property, even though priced higher than most, represents a great value.

Bermuda

I arrived in Bermuda with the weather in the mid 80’s and a light breeze. Bermuda is an easy place to navigate since tourists are unable to rent cars. Taxis are readily available at the airport and private transfers are very popular. While on the island, moped rentals (for 1 or 2 persons) are available for rent at most of the hotels. Driving is a bit tricky with the winding streets and driving on the left side of the road.

My stay at the Hamilton Princess was enjoyable. It’s a great place to stay if you want easy access to town…just a few minutes walk and a good view of the Harbor. The rooms range from very basic ROH (avoid these) to 1 bedroom suites overlooking the harbor with a private sitting area and balcony. While in the hotel, the Colony Pub is a good place to sample the signature dish of Bermuda…fish chowder with black rum and sherry peppers. I admit, it sounds a bit strange, but is addictive. The two other restaurants at the property are the Tiara Room, with a great water view and good view, but a bit stuffy and Harley’s, a fun casual Italian restaurant.

Other good restaurant choices are the Waterloo House (part of a Relais and Chateaux) and Little Venice for a wild, chaotic evening with good food and ambience. There are many small, locally owned restaurants in town that are worth a visit…Monty’s, Tuscany, Fresco’s and the Pickled Onion to name a few.

While in town, shopping is the main attraction with wonderful china and linen shops, along with clothing and jewelry. Cigar and Rum shops are extremely popular with tourists loading up for their trip home. Town is bustling, especially when the cruise ships are in dock. During my stay, the Norwegian Crown, Nordic Empress and Celebrity Zenith were in port generating a lot of activity. This might be a good time to get out of town and do a bit of sightseeing…. the lighthouses, Perfumery and Gardens, historical houses and museums. Water sports are a big draw...snorkeling and sailing are the most popular…Ferries run between Hamilton, St. George’s and Southampton.

A couple of other hotel suggestions are The Southampton Princess, Elbow Beach (totally renovated with spectacular beach and sunset views, and The Reefs nestled in the hillside.

I highly recommend Bermuda for vacation and business. It’s a very clean, low poverty, tourist-oriented island. You almost feel like you are in HEAVEN.

Carlos Fuentes, the Domincan Republic and the Cigar Foundation

Does the title sound to good to be true? Recently I had the great opportunity to do several things I really enjoy doing, and cap it off by doing it for a good cause. First, I'm not a cigar aficionado. I enjoy a cigar about once a full-moon. However, when a group of compadres that belong to the Society of International Business Fellows sibf.org, invited me to go on the first Caribbean Initiative in the dead of winter, how could I say no?Our trip began by flying an air taxi satsair.com to Atlanta, to pick up a flight to Santiago. There I met up with the rest of the group of SIBF'ers. The Dominican Republic or DR is one of my favorite islands in the Caribbean. It's a beautiful diverse island, with the some of the best beaches in all the Caribbean. The dollar goes along way there, making traveling there a joy. But the key for me, is the people, there warmth and good nature are what make the island one of my favorite destinations in the world. Our first days were spent enjoying the local sites and an independence parade, which be equivalent to the American 4th of July celebration.A couple of days later we packed up and headed to Santo Domingo which was a pleasant 2.5 hour ride through the countryside. There we went directly to the Fuentes cigar factory. Carlos Jr. met us at the door and led us on a 2 hour tour of the factory. All cigars at this factory are hand-rolled, and there are hundreds of highly skilled artisans rolling cigar after cigar. The highlight of the tour was the a insider visit to the Fuente Fuente Opus X room. The Opus X is one of the highest rated cigars. There were around 20 or so rollers, in this room each rolling a specific cigar type. Carlos Jr. explained that there is only one person that rolls each type of Opus X, and that if person happens to go on vacation or becomes ill, production for that size of cigar ceases. A roller is capable of only producing a little more than a box per day. It stands to reason that these cigars are so prized that they have been sold for up to $80 USD each on the secondary market.The next day we ventured into the country side to see Carlos Jr.'s passion, the Cigar Foundation. (cf-cf.com). Cigar wrappers, the leaves that hold the tobacco, had never been successfully grown in the DR. Even though cigar production is a significant export for the DR, wrappers were imported from other countries. The Fuentes pioneered wrapper production in the DR and from this new industry a village evolved based on the significant need of labor to farm the wrappers. The unique growing area, was relatively far from any developed area. So even though this new industry provided lots of new good paying jobs, in a country and time when this was definitely needed, it created a bit of void for the next generation. This is where the Cigar Foundation came in. Through monies donated primarily from the Fuentes and Newman family, the Foundation developed a school for the children in the region that otherwise would not have been able to get an education. Over time this school turned into two schools with athletic facilities as well as a small health care facility. Many business, government, and entertainment leaders this cause, and at the school there is a wall listing these supporters, which reads like a who's who of renowed celebrities.

Star Princess Review by Karen

I've just returned from a 7 night cruise on the Star princess. The ship sailed out of Fort Lauderdale to the Western Caribbean, Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios, Cozumel and the private island of Princess Cays. We had a very comfortable verandah cabin on the Caribe deck. The verandah cabins on the Caribe deck have a much larger balcony than the verandah cabins located above this deck. We arrived at Port Everglades about noon and there were already alot of people waiting in line. As this was our sixth cruise on Princess, we had our Platinum cards and were able to get right in with preferred check in. By 1:00 p.m. we had already been to our cabins and were enjoying lunch in the Lido buffet.

Princess has two options for dining - either traditional fixed seating, or personal choice. With Personal choice dining you can eat when you want and with whom you want. As I was with my family, we opted for personal choice. However, on the second night of the cruise, we found a waiter in the personal choice dining room who was great and therefore sat at his table every night. His name if Filippe, so ask for him - you won't be disappointed.

This ship has everything entertainment wise - the broadway style shows, comedians and magicians and even during the art auction, one of the artists they were featuring was painting right in front of the audience. There was so much to do it was hard to decide what to do!!

We were all very pleased with the ship, even my Dad who is new to cruising, wants to take another Princess cruise in February. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

Grand Cayman - Places to See, Things to Do!

Recommended Hotels on Seven Mile Beach:

- Westin Casuarina – one of the nicest properties on the island.

- Hyatt Brittania – beautiful hotel, many restaurants inside hotel

- Marriott – nice property overall, great pool located right on the beach

- Grand Pavilion – great service, pool area enclosed. Not directly on the beach.

- Sleep Inn – economy hotel, new, clean, on the beach

Rentals

Jeep rental is a must at least for one day. Go out to the town of Hell and mail your postcards from the Hell Post Office. Your friends and family will do a “doubletake” when they receive that one! There are car or jeep rentals. Rent bicycles for a couple of days. To avoid paying rental on snorkeling gear – bring your own. Average snorkel gear rental per day: $12-$15. Most rental companies will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel.

RestaurantsThere are many restaurants located on Seven Mile Beach – within walking distance of most hotels. We enjoyed…

The Almond Tree – great local taste

Crow’s Nest – excellent conch chowder

Liberty’s (Seven Mile Beach)

Canton ChineseChicken-Chicken - great for lunch or a casual dinner – reasonable priced

Hemingway’s – (Hyatt)

Lobster Pot – (Downtown)

Don’t Miss

Stingray City – Fantasea Tours (Dexter). Swim with and feed the tame stingrays. Dive for conch shells. Snacks served aboard the boat on the way home. (1-5pm) Hotel pickup provided.

Snorkeling – We snorkeled every day that we were on the island. Highly recommend Spanish Bay and Smith’s Cove – beautiful coral and tropical fish.

Scuba Diving – Get your certification before you go! You can get certified on the island…but it can be very costly. We used Peter Milburn’s Dive Cayman. Milburn offers Resort Course Dive Instruction---2 hour scuba dive crash course (that’s what we did). Charters are available.

Advance reservations are recommended. Peter has been in operation on the island for over 20 years. He offers very personal – one on one attention.

Duty Free ShoppingGreat deals on perfume, leather goods, watches, and jewelry.

Miscellaneous
- The island can be very costly. Most items are marked in CI (Cayman Dollar). Most vendors accept US currency. When paying in USD – add 25% to the cost of the item.
- Foster’s Food Fair – nice grocery store located on Seven Mile Beach. Buy your snack foods and drinks here.
- Departure Tax – To be paid in cash at the airport before you leave.

Disney Cruise Report by Mike

I’ve just returned from a 4-night cruise aboard the Disney Magic. The Disney experience begins when we arrived at the Orlando airport. We were met by very a courteous Disney rep. who gave us a brief explanation of how our transportation to Port Canaveral was to take place. Because we had pre-purchased this transportation, we had placed special luggage tags that were provided in our documents on our bags before we left home. We didn’t see our bags again until they were in our stateroom aboard the ship! The ~45 minute bus ride to the port was very pleasant. On the ride, excitement grew by all the passengers, as the bus driver showed a video about the Disney Cruise.

Boarding the ship was very efficient and quick. Upon entry to the ship, we were met by a Disney representative who escorted us to our stateroom, and gave us a quick overview of the ship en route. The ship is over 80,000 gross tons and is the length of 3 football fields end to end. The ship is tastefully decorated throughout in the Grand 20’s style. There is original Disney artwork displayed at every turn.

Our stateroom was a category 6, which is about midway in Disney’s pricing scheme. It included a spacious veranda, a bath and ½ with tub (very unusual), a queen sized bed, a couch that converted into a single bed, another single bed that folded out of the wall, a television w/remote, and a mini-fridge.

Some unique things I observed on the cruise:

¨ ~ 40% of the passengers were families, there were a surprising number of couples without kids.
¨ There are 4 restaurants, 3 of which you rotate through for your evening meal, each with a different theme and menu. The fourth is Palo’s, a northern Italian, adult only restaurant that requires reservations.
¨ The children/teen programs exceeded my expectations. The facilities are fantastic! There is a computer lab, games….everything a kid today would enjoy. You can check your kids in and they can come and go as they please. For the younger ones, they are given a “hospital” style bracelet that identifies them. The parents are given a beeper, so when the kids are ready to be picked up, the counselors beep the adults.
¨ The Disney characters come out about 3 hours or so for photo-ops.
¨ There were 3 shows on board, all of which were very entertaining for the kids as well as the adults. It’s amazing how Disney can produce entertainment that is enjoyed by such different age ranges.
¨ There are 3 pools on the Disney Magic all for different age groups, which is nice since the adults w/o kids can enjoy the sun w/out kids in relative peace.
¨ There is a section of the ship that provides adult only entertainment and lounges.
¨ First run movies, some of which premier on the ship first, are shown throughout the cruise. They are of course, Disney owned movies.

Insider tips:

¨ If you have small children, don’t worry about lugging a stroller down. They are available on-board for free. (See the purser’s desk)
¨ For the stop in Nassau, if you choose not to go on a planned shore excursion, do not go to the Atlantis hotel on nearby Paradise Island if you are looking for a place to enjoy the beach. We did (big mistake) and we found out upon arrival, the hotel charges $25 per person (including kids) to use their beach. There are plenty of public beaches in Nassau, available by cab or public transport.
¨ An extensive menu is available for in-room dinning 24 hours a day at no-additional charge.

In summary:The cruise is very Disney, great for families and adult Disneyfile’s as well. The ship and staff exceeded my expectations.

Beijing Vacation

Left Newark on a Continental 777 aircraft. Flew nonstop to Beijing, 13 ½ hours. This was actually a very nice flight. They actually served 3 meals that were decent enough to eat. The video selection was lousy, but that gave me a chance to stretch out across 3 seats and catch a few zzzz’s. I traveled with 8 travel agents. We were met by 4 private cars and guides, 2 agents to a car. All of the hotels that the agents were put in were government owned hotels. The airport is 45 minutes from city center and traffic is very heavy. The cars will make 5 lanes out of a 3 lane highway and then you add the bicycles, which are completely oblivious to any cars around them, and then the motorcycle taxis which own the road the same as the bicycles. I would never drive there and I’ve driven all over Europe.

My hotel was the 4 star Beijing Capital Hotel. I’ve been in many 5 star hotels that were not as nice as this hotel. This was a very nice hotel, with all of your amenities including a spa which we needed after climbing the Great Wall. The hotel was located about six blocks from Tian An Men Square and eight blocks from the Forbidden City. It had 5 restaurants, one being on the 21st floor with an awesome view of the city. The beds were very comfortable and the rooms were tastefully decorated in soft colors. The staff was very attentive. The American Buffet breakfast was more like a brunch. There were tour groups there from Globus and Tauck - - knowing Tauck only uses the best was very impressive. When checking in, we were asked if we wanted an Eastern Room or a Western Room. The Eastern Rooms have beds on the floor made from mats and the toilets are wholes in the floor rather than having a commode.

We also toured the China World Hotel which was considered Deluxe 5 star. Very nice, with 8 restaurants and 2 swimming pools plus the spa. What makes an additional star is the more restaurants and more swimming pools. This hotel was in the next ring. The city has 4 rings, the center where we were is the oldest part and as the city has grown additional rings were formed so it gets more modern the further out you go. The last ring is where the most modern section is and has many large corporation offices and technology facilities. The most modern shopping districts were in the last ring. The traffic is still a nightmare regardless of which ring you are in.

Next we visited the Marriott and the Hilton. These hotels live up to their name and what you expect from these two brands. Many business men use these hotels some to accrue points and others just because they know what amenities are standard for these brands.

A Holiday Inn Crown Plaza was being built just 2 blocks from our hotel, which is supposed to be the most deluxe hotel that Beijing will have.

Beijing is a very clean city. On every block there were sidewalk sweepers which did not even allow a tree leaf on the sidewalk. We saw no one smoking in public or walking down the street with a cigarette.

The first touring day was to the Great Wall with our private guide (2 agents only). We drove about 2 hours out of the city which gave us a chance to see the country. On the way we stopped at a Jade Factory. I thought all Jade was green, the most expensive jade is red and awesomely beautiful. The Great Wall is amazing. As far as you can see on the ridges of the mountains you see this wall. When you think of the hundreds of years ago that it was built with no machinery - - many, many people worked very hard. I climbed to the top of the third tower, which is as far as you can go in the area we were in. I have no idea how many steps. The next day the calves of my legs were begging not to do it again. We spent 2 hours on the wall. We stopped for lunch at a Friendship Store. The Friendship Stores are known in China as the place to shop as well as eat. The products in the store are quality and come from the factories. This is a very safe place to have your purchases shipped home without worrying about having your purchase switched. The food was Chinese (not American Chinese) and very good. We also stopped at a Clossinae (sp) factory. Very interesting to see the intricate work and how it is done. After leaving this factory, with my wallet a little lighter, we continued on to the statue lined Sacred Way to the Ming Tombs and Chang Ling Exhibition Hall.

The second touring day was the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace), so named because it was off limits to ordinary citizens. On its grounds are 6 palaces and 800 smaller buildings, containing 9,000 rooms. The main gate opens onto Tian An Men Square which we did not see on this day. The next stop was the Summer Palace although only about 10 miles from the Imperial Palace the Summer Palace felt like you were in the country. It is a series of less formal buildings nestled in a hilly, wooded setting on a small lake. Among its unusual attractions is a marble replica of a Mississippi riverboat, built by the Princess Dowager in 1888 with money intended for the Imperial Navy. Then off to the Temple of Heaven, a large park with one of the most beautiful examples of Oriental architecture in China: the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. It’s a circular, blue-tiled temple on a marble terrace.

The third touring day we finally stopped at Tian An Men Square. The square is the site of the Monument to the People’s Heroes (a 118 foot obelisk commemorating heroes of the Chinese Revolution); Mao Zedong’s mausoleum; the Great Hall of the People (the National People’s Congress Building); the Museum of Chinese History; the Museum of the Chinese Revolution; and the massacre of prodemocracy demonstrators by government forces in 1989.

China is a very in-expensive country to visit. Our 3 and 4 course dinners were not even $10. The shopping was great. The people are very friendly, although being so tall, I was quite an oddity. I was very surprised that most of the tourists were nationals. I mentioned to the guide that I expected to see more Americans and Europeans than Nationals. He said that the Chinese are just becoming prosperous enough to travel and naturally they want to see China first. Every place we went was very crowded with Chinese. The time difference was 12 hours. The temperature was in the 70’s. I took a coat and never took it out of my suitcase.

Carnival Victory Cruise from Charleston by Ann

I had the opportunity to sail on Carnival's Victory, from Charleston to Nassau. Check in was a breeze, I checked in at 4 p.m. after my drive from Anderson to Charleston. My luggage arrived at my cabin as soon as I walked in. I had an inside cabin -- it was comfortable, but small. I usually prefer an outside cabin with a window, because I like to know what the weather is like -- and have daylight too.

The Victory is a new ship that had one sailing from Charleston before she was taken to Miami, where she started October 15 with her 7 day rotating Eastern and Western Caribbean sailing. The Victory is a beautiful ship and is huge! It has 101,509 gross tonnage. She has a 9 story main atrium with glass elevators and a spectacular sky dome made of illuminated Tiffany Glass. The Seventh Sea Bar is located in the middle of the atrium. This is a great place to meet, have a drink, and listen to music throughout the day and evening.

You can begin your day at 6:30 am with Continental Breakfast in the Mediterranean Restaurant. At 8:00 am, you can also have a regular breakfast in your assigned dining room, the Mediterranean Restaurant, or on the Lido deck by the pool. One thing is for sure; you can never get hungry on a cruise! The Pizzeria is open 24 hours a day, or you can have room service. Not forgetting the main dining room for gorgeous, formal meals.

There are scheduled activities all day, which you can participate in if you wish. The other option is to just soak up the sun by the pool, the 214 foot spiral waterslide, or the multiple whirlpools.

One of my favorite places was the South of Chins Sea Club Casino. I had a lot of fun ... even though I didn't win anything. You can dance all night long in the Adriatic Lounge.

My other favorite place was the tre-level state of the art theatre, The Caribbean Lounge. This is where the Broadway type shows and games are held, throughout the day and evening.

There is also an Internet Cafe' where you can send an receive email, or surf the net 24 hours a day. There are multiple places to go for entertainment on the ship: The Nautica Spa and Gym; gift shops; photo gallery; and video arcade. There is always something for every age group on a Carnival Cruise.

Mike's View of Golf in Scotland

I’ve had a great golf trip to Scotland. We stayed 6 days and played golf 6 days. A trip to Scotland for most avid golfers is like a pilgrimage to Mecca. It’s the closest thing to having a religious experience a golfer can have (except a hole-in-one).
We flew into Glasgow (GLA) directly from Newark (EWR) on Continental. From there it’s about a 2 hour drive to St. Andrews, where we set up camp for the week. We stayed at the Argyle House hotel, which is a 3-star guest house type accommodation. The Argyle House is located about a driver and 3-wood (downwind) from the 1st tee of the Old Course. They have 14 rooms there, a restaurant, a small pub, and a nightclub located on property. The accommodations are somewhat minimal but the staff is very attentive and go above and beyond. It’s a pretty good fit for golfers who are not terribly concerned with top shelf accommodations. The rate for a standard room is 45UK (pounds) for a single room or 70UK for a double room, which includes a full-Scottish breakfast. A couple of downsides to the hotel, the rooms do not have telephones, although there is a pay-phone in the hall, and there is no lift (elevator) which would prohibit most handicapped travelers from staying there.

A couple of things to know about golf in Scotland---Scotland is recognized as the home of golf. There are courses everywhere. Most of the courses are public and are typically owned and managed by organizations called Link Trusts, these organizations are owned by the town or region in which they are located. Most courses do not have motorized carts (The Dukes Course in St. Andrews is the exception) so golfers should be prepared to walk. The courses do have caddies (which you need to reserve in advance) and trolleys (pull-carts). The trolleys rent for 3UK or ~$5 per round. The going fee for a caddie is 25UK plus tip (the normal tip is 5-10UK).

One thing I did learn on this trip---some of the better golf courses are lesser known. Our first day we played Scotscraig, a beautiful 6303 yard, par 71 inland course which is about 15 miles north of St. Andrews. Scotscraig, established in 1817, boasts being the 13th oldest course in the world and in year 2000 the British Open Qualifiers will be held there. This course is a good warm-up course for Americans, the fairways are of fair width and the rough is not too penal. You will still be lucky if you shoot 5 over your handicap. The staff there makes you feel at home, and some of the member’s act as caddies. One tip: if you want to go into the clubhouse after your round--you are required to wear long pants. The toughest hole on the course is the 351 yard par 4, 4th. Don’t let the distance fool you, the ideal tee shot is a fairway wood to mid-iron short of huge gully in the fairway. There is trouble left (gorse) and trouble right (heather), the approach shot is mid to low iron to a severally elevated, crowned green. I stayed in trouble on this hole but saved triple bogey by sinking an 8 footer. The green fees are very reasonable ~$50 US and tee-times at this lesser known course are fairly easy to come by.

Day 2 we played Crail (Balcomie Links) which is 9 miles south of St. Andrews. More than half of the holes are on the firth of fourth. This is a very short course, par 67 only 5453 yards, but is a must play. It is the 7th oldest course in the world and one of the most scenic of any I have played. Luckily it was a calm day when we played, but be prepared for gale-like wind. This course is what I envisioned golf in Scotland to be. The signature hole is properly deemed “Hell’s Hole”. This 449 par four has a 90 degree dogleg right. The tee-box is aligned so your 1st shot is a carry over the firth of fourth. The second shot is headed straight into the wind off the North Sea. The third shot, which for all practical purposes is your approach shot has to be low and straight OB stakes decorate the right side of the fairway and green. There are a couple of driveable 4 pars if you have the right conditions. Probably the most interesting hole is the par 3 14th. Only 140 yards straight downhill with the firth on your right side. After playing we spent some time talking with the head pro, Graeme Lennie. He asked what I hit on the 14th and I told him pitching wedge, and he said there are days he can’t get a 1 iron to the green. That is how challenging the conditions can be. Again this is a course you probably have never heard of, but it’s the most spectacular of any of the courses I‘ve played in Scotland. Tee-times are easy to come by and the green-fees are ~$42.

Day 3 we played the New Course in St. Andrews. The New Course borders sits between the Old and Jubilee Course. In 1995 the Links Trust built a very nice clubhouse where the 1st tees are for the New and Jubilee. There they have full locker facilities, a restaurant, a bar, and a well-stocked pro shop. This 6604 par 71 isn’t for the faint of heart. The fairways are narrow, the greens are hard, the intermediate cut of rough will eat your ball and your ego in one gulp. Only the Jubilee course is more severe. The real rough is waist-high grass and gorse. Gorse as I have referred to throughout this report is a golfers nightmare. It’s a wild juniper type shrub with point needle like leaves. When you hit it into the gorse, and you will, if you can identify your ball without taking a bloodbath you will be lucky enough to take an unplayable. You need a caddie on this course, if for nothing else, just to have someone help when you hunt for balls. The wind was howling the day we played and we were playing from the medal tee’s, which can only be done if you are playing in an organized tournament, so maybe my opinion is a bit cloudy. A very humbling experience to say the least. There are other expletives that would better describe this course, but since this may become a public document, I will withhold. For some masochistic reason, tee times are harder to come by on this course, the green fees are about $75 USD.

Day 4 we played the Old Course -- a must for every avid golfer. The Old, as locals call her, is one of the easier courses. Wide fairways, huge double greens and reasonable length (6566 yards) makes this one of the most enjoyable courses to play. The Old is a hooker’s delight (golfer’s who hit the ball on a right to left flight pattern) because the nine going out have the fairways on the nine coming in bordering the left side. The same is true, of course, for the nine coming in. My advice for slicer’s, is to aim left, way left. I strongly suggest taking a caddie on the Old for other reasons. There are a few blind tee shots and several fairways that criss-cross, which also requires that you stay alert for incoming or wayward shots. No doubt, you will hear and probably scream FORE a few times. The most famous hole is the 461yard par 4 17th Road Hole. To have any chance of getting there in two you have to hit a blind tee-shot over building, which is about 100 yards directly in front of the tee-box. The slightest fade will send your ball on a collision course with the “Old Course Hotel”, which happens to be OB. If you hit a 290 yard rope it will leave you with a mere 170 yard approach shot over the cavernous 8 foot green-side bunker. If you fly it too long you are “oscar bravo” if you hit a cut you are “obe-one-kinobe”. Bottom-line don’t go to the 17th with high expectations. I was one over on the back going into the 17th and took the dreaded snowman. Getting on the Old Course is a problem. There are guaranteed tee-times which are “scalped” as a result with, in my opinion, a bad deal St. Andrews Link Trust cut with a British Golf company. To get one of these expect to pay a $500 premium on top of the ~$110 US green fee. Although there are a couple of other ways to get one, you can enter yourself in a daily ballot, the day before. Depending upon the time of year and the weather you have about a 25% chance using this method. One strategy using this method is to schedule tee times at other course for each day, when your name is drawn, which always takes place the night before, cancel your existing tee-time in favor of getting on the Old. If you are over there for a week, your chances are pretty good that you will get on at least once. The other way to get on is to show up at the starters box 15 minutes prior to the first tee-time and ask the starter if he will work you in. This works very well if you don’t mind playing with strangers and exceptionally well if you take care of the starter. The Old Course is closed on Sundays.

Day 5 The Duke’s Course. The Duke’s is about 2 miles out of central St. Andrews and is the best maintained. This par 72, 7271 yard Peter Thomson design is a championship course, with both Scottish and American design characteristics. The fairways are hilly and very lush. I would suggest here you take a motorized carts which are available for ~$45 per cart. Green fees range from ~$75-$135 US. The clubhouse is much like a private clubhouse in the US, with a full bar, restaurant and clubhouse. From the clubhouse there are great panoramic views of St. Andrews and the Old Course. And for our customers I can obtain some of the most wanted tee-times at this private course.

Day 6 The Eden Course. The Eden is part of the St. Andrews Link Trust and the easiest of the courses. It measures 6112 yards and a par of 70. By this time we all needed our confidence re-built before coming home. The fairways are wide for Scotland but not as wide as the Old. This course is easy to get on, we called at 9:00am the day we wanted to play and got a 10:50 tee-time. This course is flat which makes it a great course to walk. Many of the greens have big swells, making a good approach shot vital. The green fees are ~$35.

Golfing tips: Take tons of balls, the gorse and heather have healthy surlyn and balata diets, plus balls are expensive there (Titleist Professional sleeve $18). Don’t take soft, 3 piece balls because the wind accentuates any off-line shot, anyway you won’t hit many high soft shots. Practice bump and run shots before you go 5 iron through wedge. If you want to stay on the putting surface, most of your approach shots will be run up shots. If you get in the rough (where I spent most of the week) take your medicine. Fast play is expected. Our rounds were played (on average) in 3 hours and 45 minutes, this actually makes it easy to play 36 holes in a day if your feet can handle it. In early July the sun rises at about 4:15am and sets about 11:30 pm. Distances off the tee box are measured to the center of the greens. Distances in the fairways are measured to the front of the greens.

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