Making the Most of the Day

With only one full day left onboard the Allure of the Seas, decisions had to be made.... what should we do with the short amount of time we had?   Working out was a MUST due to the amount of food that we'd consumed and planned on consuming for the rest of the day, so we started the day on the ship's jogging track.  And what a great jogging track it was!  Only 7 laps around the ship equals 3 miles, that's how enormous this ship is!  Just think... 12 laps around a football field makes 3 miles.

And as if the gorgeous ocean view and ocean breeze aren't enough for a nice morning run, Royal Caribbean has made it a little more fun, or at least motivating.

After our 3 mile run, we decided to check out the gym.  Keeping in line with everything else onboard, the work out facilities were huge, with something for everyone.  We even walked in on a "boot camp" that was going on while we were there.

Because time was short, we grabbed a glass of water and a muffin from the Promenade Deli on the way to the DreamWorks Parade where we saw Kung Fu Panda, the Madagascar Penguins, Shrek, Fiona, Puss in Boots, along with hundreds of other dancers and entertainers dance along the Promenade Deck.  It was a not-to-be-missed event!

But there was NO time to waste.... we had to move on to my most awaited activities:  The SurfRider, the FlowRider, the zip line, and the Rock Climbing Wall.  I'm not sure why, but we decided to tackle the most difficult one first.... surfing.  It was my first time "surfing" so I was quite nervous, but after two very short rides on the board, I finally stayed standing up for longer than 30 seconds!  It was awesome!

The boogie boarding proved to be just as much fun, and sooooo much easier!  However, ladies, I highly recommend you wear a shirt over your swim suits!

Although I'd been on several Royal Caribbean Cruises, I'd never climbed their rock walls, but since we were trying to pack it all in, we headed to the wall!   It was a blast as well!  The view of the Boardwalk from the top was amazing!

By this time, it was getting to be pretty late in the day.  We'd watched the line for the zip line, and had decided that we were just going to have to miss it.  Waiting in line for an hour and a half for a 10 second ride was not working for us, but fortunately at the end of the day, there was NO line.  So, to the zip line it was.  Again, it was OK, but in my opinion, not worth more than a 15 minute wait.  :)

Unfortunately we were out of daylight and time, and it was time to get ready for our Cocktail Party and Formal Dinner.  I always love meeting new people and even on a 2 night cruise, we really enjoyed our new cruise friends!  Dinner again, was incredible.  Chicken Marsala and Leg of Lamb were our choices followed by a Warm Chocolate Melting Cake, which rivaled that of a favorite of ours from another cruise line!

As if there could be more to fit into this day...  there was MORE than enough left to do.  I'm tired again just writing about it!  Because we had heard so much about the show, "Chicago", we headed to the show lounge.  It was an incredible show, a definite must-see!

We ended the night at the 70's Street Party on the Promenade with the Village People, Ken, our Cruise Director, and a thousand of our new friends dancing the night away to "Brick House", "YMCA", and "Shake Your Booty".  What a great way to end our cruise!

And today, as I sit in the Fort Lauderdale Airport, waiting to board our plane to head home, I can tell you that our brief time on the "Allure of the Seas" was absolutely INCREDIBLE.  I highly recommend this ship to anyone!  There is something for everyone!  I can't wait to see her again someday!

"What do you think of our little boat?"

Applause erupted when our Cruise Director asked us that question last night after our first day aboard the biggest cruise ship in the world, the Allure of the Seas!  It was a wonderful day beginning with the entire boarding process.  What a relief to board the largest ship in the world faster and easier than any other ship that we've ever traveled on.   The staff was extremely proficient, helpful and friendly!

The ship itself is absolutely amazing, and at times you don't even know that you're even on a ship.  The shops, restaurants, bars, show lounges are very unique and have their own little "personalities" and special atmosphere.  One of my favorites is the "Rising Tide", a bar that moves it's patrons from the 5th deck to the 8th and back down.  I absolutely LOVE Central Park, with it's garden's trees, restaurants, and shops, and with it's balcony staterooms looking over all it!  Our balcony over looks the Boardwalk, which is equally as quaint.  The carousel, Mexican restaurant, and the  Aqua Theater can be seen from our room, but never heard!

Dinner was most incredible, and because I never pass up the opportunity to eat a good steak.... the beef tenderloin was my choice for the evening.  And because Rob knew that he could... he had the duck AND the beef.  I think our waiter must have realized that we really enjoy eating, because he suggested 3 desserts for us and brought them all.... the cheesecake, the cherry bake, and the chocolate souffle, none of which disappointed us!  We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner which was accompanied by a beautiful live, rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" on the piano and violin right in front of us.

Now, I must tell you, that I am NOT a show person.  I loved Wicked on Broadway, and maybe a few others, but going to the shows on these cruise ships is not high on my priority list.  However, so that I can experience this sailing to it's fullest, we decided to attend the "Blue Planet" show last night. Wow!!! It was incredible!  All I kept thinking about was Simon Cowell talking about "cruise ship singers", and I couldn't help but think... these guys are SO much better than the American Idol contestants that I've seen lately!  The show was amazing!  I can't wait to see "Chicago" tonight.

On the other hand though, too much of a good thing can be just that... too much.  I think I pushed my luck with the shows when we went to the Ice Skating show.  I'm sure it was a great show, but I can't tell you for sure.  I was asleep on Rob's shoulder within 15 minutes of the show starting.  It had been a long day though!

And now... today is a new day!!! A whole 24 hours left to explore and experience the Allure of the Seas!  Tune in tomorrow and I'll let you know about the jogging track, the gym, surfing on the flowrider, the zip line, "Chicago", the DreamWorks parade and anything else that I can fit in to this day!!!!

3 Islands in 52 Hours

It was a true "whirlwind" trip.  It began at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday as two of my co-workers, and our "cabana boy" (one of their husbands),  and I got up and headed to the Atlanta airport to meet 200 other travel agents and our Sandals & Beaches hosts for the weekend.  4 hours later we boarded our chartered plane and headed to Grand Exuma Island, where we would spend three hours touring and experiencing the food and activities of Sandals Emerald Bay.

As our plane approached the island, it was obvious that the waters surrounding Grand Exuma were probably the most beautiful blue color that I had seen in the Caribbean.  It was breath-taking.  The resort was equally as amazing.  Sandals Emerald Bay is an elegant resort that sits along that beautiful beach.  Sandals greeted all 200 of us with a continental breakfast before we began our tour.  On the tour we were able to see several of Emerald Bay's gorgeous suites.  Every room in this resort is not only spacious and elegant, but it also comes complete with your own butler.  The grounds were absolutely beautiful as well.  Sandals was so gracious to provide a caribbean buffet for us before we headed back to the Exuma Airport ~ which wins the prize for being the smallest airport that I've ever been in.  :)  The stop over in Exuma was a quick one, but so very informative and enjoyable!  

Our next stop..... Providenciales, Turks & Caicos.  Having been to this island just 2 months ago, I could not wait to return!  I knew what waited for me there!!!  I could pick out our resort from the sky as we descended onto the island... Beaches, Turks & Caicos.  While Sandals resorts are  the adult only Luxury Included resorts, Beaches resorts are the family version.  Again, it would be a quick stay, only about 36 hours, so we needed to make the most of it!  

After checking in to our room in the Caribbean Village, I took a quick run and visited the gym for a little while.  I actually am proud to say that after two stays at Beaches, I have my own 3 mile run route around the property.  :)  Then, we got dressed for the evening and were fortunate enough to to catch the Sesame Street Parade come through our building.  Big Bird, Count, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Grover, Zoe, Bert and Ernie were all there.  What a blast from the past!   It was fun, even for us adults!  

And again, thanks to our Sandals hosts, we were able to experience and incredible dinner that night.  Sandals and Beaches have a partnership with Martha Stewart, and every Sandals wedding is a Martha Stewart created wedding.  Brides and grooms have several incredible choices to choose from, and we got to experience what a Sandals wedding reception would be like. 

And no night is complete without Club Liquid ....  dance club for teens until 11 p.m., and adult only after 11.  We danced the night away, even though we'd been up for 20 hours, just because we didn't want to waste a single minute of the time that we had there.  Knowing that we had to be up early for a Sandals Resorts Workshop and Tour in the morning, we didn't close Club Liquid down, saving some energy for night #2.  :)

Sunday began early, breakfast at 6:30 a.m. at the restaurant of our choice, and there are MANY to choose from!  After our morning workshop we enjoyed lunch at yet another incredible restaurant, Mario's Italian.  And then onto our Beaches Resort tour.  What an incredible resort... the newest addition, The Italian Village is my favorite.  The two bedroom suite sleeps up to 6 people and has incredible views of the pool and the ocean.  Some rooms come with butler service, which is a service that completely enhances your stay at Beaches.  The Caribbean Village is also a great choice, with many options for room categories, some with ocean view, and most with the pool view.  The French Village is a very quaint place as well.  There is not a bad room on the property.  

Fortunately our tour guide was quick and to the point which gave us a few hours to enjoy at the beach and the pool.  We ran into Bill, the manager of all of the restaurants on the property, who set up an incredible dinner for us at Kimono's the Japanese hibachi restaurant.  Not only did he set up our dinner, but at my request he also set us up with "iPod" the singing cook, and sent us a bottle of champagne as well.  That is just an example of the awesome staff at this resort.  They go above and beyond for their guests.  We had a fabulous, tasty, and entertaining dinner and wrapped up the night at Club Liquid.

Our last leg of the trip began at 6:30 the next morning, where we boarded our flight towards Nassau.  Our last island, and resort, Sandals Royal Bahamian awaited the 200 travel agents.  And again, we were not disappointed!  Although it was a little overcast, and we had a little rain, it did not put a damper on what Sandals provided for us.  After our resort tour, we boarded boats and spent the day on Sandals private offshore island.  Grilled lobster, shrimp cocktail, and fried conch were just a few of the delicacies.   We had live entertainment, only to topped by having a surprise visit from Butch Stewart, the founder of Sandals who spoke to us for a few minutes and stayed for pictures.  It was a lovely afternoon!  

"Sadly", we almost were stranded on this beautiful piece of paradise when the waves got too large for us to return to the mainland.  However, it all worked out, and even though we were several hours later than expected, we finally made it home.... 52 hours and 3 islands later!!!

It was a great trip.  Thank you Sandals and Mr. Butch Stewart for providing us with the opportunity!  I can't wait to return!  Sandals and Beaches are resorts that truly offer something for EVERYONE!  

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Traveler vs. Tourist

I found the coolest quote this weekend... 

The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing." ~Daniel J. Boorstin

This quote really got me thinking about not only where I fall in those two categories, but also about all the different people that I've encountered, traveled with, and observed over the years.  I'm certainly not the world traveler that I'd like to be, but I have been to and seen some awesome places in my lifetime and I've certainly encountered some very interesting people.

Here are some of my favorite examples, and you help me decide.... Traveler or Tourist?

Dorothy, a senior citizen on a Class Reunion Cruise to Belize, Cozumel, and Key West.  She complained about everything, nothing was ever good enough.  My favorite complaint of the week:  We were in Cozumel, eating at an authentic Mexican restaurant on the beach, the Mariachi Band was serenading us, and she said "I can't believe these people are speaking Spanish.  Why can't they learn English?"  Really?  

Sandra, a senior citizen, traveling with her kids and grand kids, on a cruise to  Grand Cayman. Not terribly comfortable in the water or on a boat, but wanted to make the most of her trip with her family, she puts on her life jacket jumps in the water, puts the snorkel in her mouth, and the mask on her face and sees some of the most amazing marine life that she's ever seen in her life.  She went home with some cuts and bruises from all of the adventure on the trip, but it was worth it, so she says.

Andrew, my son, 9 years old in a village on the Amazon in Peru...  His sense of adventure was in overdrive that week.  He left the jungle with no regrets after swimming the Amazon River, running around barefoot with all of the other village children, speaking the Spanish that he picked up that week, going into the children's village huts, meeting their parents, and chasing chickens in the courtyards.  

And one of my favorites of all time, Justin, a friend of mine who is permanently in a wheelchair.  He will never walk again.  On one of our trips to the Western Caribbean, all Justin wanted to do was to get into the crystal blue waters and snorkel.  With the help of several of his friends, they helped make that dream come true for Justin.  What an awesome experience not only for Justin, but also for his friends.  

Other examples... 

I know a family that each time they arrive to a new destination, they ask the first local they see, "What is YOUR favorite place to eat local cuisine?"  And even if it's a hole in the wall... that's where they go for lunch that day.  

I see cruise ship passengers get off of their big ship, with it's own duty free shops, and go straight to the port's shopping area, walk around those duty free shops, and get back on the ship.  Some people decide not to even get off the ship.  For real??? When you can hike or zipline the rainforest, explore the bottom of the ocean, see the world's most beautiful beaches and parasail above the tree lines, or see ancient indian ruins and climb to the top of the pyramids?  God made this world for us to see, experience and enjoy... and we shop?

I don't want to be a tourist in this world.... I long to be a traveler, and I'm so thankful that my kids want to be travelers too!  Live life!  Get out there!  There's so much more to see in this great big world than Gulf Shores and Gatlinburg!!!  You can shop at home.  Be a Justin, be an Andrew, be a Sandra.  Be a traveler!

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One of my All Time Favorite Trips!

I LOVE my kids, all three of them.  They are my life, my sunshine, and sometimes what keeps me going throughout the day.  Even at their absolute worst, they are the best kids in the world to me.  I love every minute I get to spend with them.  But I especially love that quality time, when no one is distracted, when the phones are not with us, no facebook, no texting, no working, no homework.  Unfortunately those times don't happen very often, pretty much only when we're on, you guessed it, vacation.

One of my favorite trips was just a girl's trip, one that we took for Morgan's 13th Birthday to Disney World.  It was an INCREDIBLE birthday party!!!  I wish all birthdays could be special as this one was!  We were truly princesses for 5 full days, and loved every minute of it.  I think we only took our tiaras off to sleep, however, we did sleep with the pixie dust still in our hair.  :)

Of course, being the proud mom that I am, I have to tell you that my kids are smart and talented.  Because I am realistic, I know that they are not the smartest, most talented children in the world, but they are mine, and I am thankful for them.  Today I am most thankful for the talent of my oldest, Kayla... who has a LOVE for photography, videography, and who is creating video memories for our family and for my travel company.  Thank you K, for spending the time to work on these videos for me.... and yes, I am paying you.  ;)


Her latest "work" is a sampling of one of my All Time Favorite Trips and Birthday Party...

Best Birthday Party Ever

Enjoy...

30 Days and Counting

The "countdown" is officially on!!!  November 29, 2010 I embark (literally) on 2 days of a little history and adventure.

Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas is just about to join the rest of the Royal Caribbean fleet.   Two days before it's maiden voyage for the public on December 1, a select group of travel planners and Royal Caribbean employees will get to "test the waters" so to speak.  And I'm so excited to be one of the 7,500 aboard the sailing!!!

The Allure of the Seas, along with it's sister ship the Oasis of the Seas which made it's debut just one year ago, will now share the title of the largest cruise ship in the world.  She will have the first "Starbucks at Sea", two surfing simulators, two rock climbing walls, a basket ball court, zipline, an "Aqua Theater", a boardwalk, an incredible spa, and dozens of restaurants and lounges.  How will I ever be able to take it all in in just two days?  It is truly a "City at Sea"!!!

I am so looking forward to this incredible opportunity to be a part of history in the cruise industry and to experience a true inaugural sailing for the first time!  30 days and counting..... See you soon Allure of the Seas,  looking forward to meeting you!

Fall Fun!!!

Although the weather hasn't been very "fall-like", here in Birmingham anyway, there is definitely the sense that Fall is in the air.  Football games, Fall Festivals, Halloween parties, hayrides are in full swing and it's reminded me of "falls past".

I'll never forget Kayla's first Halloween 15 years ago... she was my little pumpkin. And the next year... I had two precious "angels" when Morgan was only 1 month old.  And was it just one year later that I had 3 little M & M's when Andrew came into the picture?  Wow, how time flies.  I remember those 3 years as if they were yesterday!

Some of my favorite Halloweens are those that we spent at Disney World.  Mickey's Not So Scary Party was a blast, and my little 4 year old "Beast" had strangers asking to take their picture with him all night long, and my Belle and Cinderella were the prettiest of all the princesses in the Kingdom that night.  Just last year we got to enjoy the best Halloween Party ever again when we celebrated Morgan's 13th Birthday in Disney World.... the "Island Princesses" danced 'til we dropped.

Another favorite Halloween was one that I actually spent on the Caribbean Princess cruise ship just a few years ago.  The costume parties were so much fun, and I had a blast getting my picture made with every person in costume that I walked by all night long.   Good times....  I'm definitely looking forward to taking another Halloween Cruise sometime in the future.

This Halloween I'll be spending the evening with Captain Jack Sparrow... aka my husband, Rob.  He makes an excellent Cap'n Jack!  We'll be handing out candy and pirate coins at our local city park and talking about the new Disney ship, the Disney Dream!!!  Come see us if you're around...  and Happy Fall!!!

Information Overload

Do you ever get overwhelmed and confused when planning your vacation?  Cruise Lines and Resorts have made booking travel so easy and accessible these days, however they've also overloaded us with too much information, but we don't always have the knowledge to process it all.

With just the click of the mouse, you can book your next cruise, choose your stateroom, or put yourself in an all-inclusive Caribbean resort for a week.  But how do you know if you've made the right decision?  Did you choose the right cruise line or ship for your family's needs?   There are hundreds of different "categories" within each cruise line, ship and resort.  Do you know enough about each one to make right decision?  Are the restaurants at the resort going to live up to your expectations?  Is the picture on the website what you should expect when you arrive to your destination?

And then there's more.... Which cruise lines have the best shows?  Which port has more activities, Barbados or St. Lucia?  I know the resort has 8 restaurants, but should I book my dinner reservations and excursions before I arrive?  I see 30 options for excursions on my trip, but are there alternative excursions that the cruise line or resort doesn't offer, possibly at a lower cost?

Over the last 8 years, I have made it my job to learn as much about as many destinations, resorts and cruise lines as possible, and yet, still everyday I learn something new.  The travel world is constantly changing.  New ships come into the fleet every year, and resorts are being built and/or renovated year round.  Not only do I study about and take courses about the ins and outs of travel, but I also am able to provide my clients with first hand information by visiting different resorts, ships and destinations.

Why would you trouble yourself with all the details when there is someone who can take care of them for you, at no cost to you.  A travel consultant can take care of everything from the transportation, to the lodging, to booking dinner reservations, excursions and other special events.  All you have to do is pack and show up for your vacation. It's that easy!   And, just in case you do need assistance while on your trip, you always have a real live person to call.

I love my job, and I love helping others to see this big world that we live in!!!

My Most Favorite Vacation

How do you choose a favorite vacation?  For me, it's not so easy.  Every trip I go on is my favorite, whether it be a family vacation, getaway with my hubbie, a girl friend's getaway, mission trip, or what I call a "work trip".  I love them ALL, for different reasons.

I would rather travel than anything else.  I'm not crazy about accumulating more "stuff".  While having a bigger house would have it's advantages, I don't really NEED that.  A car is just a necessity to me, I don't have to have the newest, best one out there.  I would rather come to the end of my life and have created incredible memories with my family and friends as opposed to having a bunch of stuff that has to be divvied out to my kids.  I would rather enrich my kids' lives by providing them with the opportunity to see more than what lies between Gatlinburg, TN and Gulf Shores, AL, which is all that many children their age have seen.

So... what are my most favorite trips???  Every single one I've been on.  Although some trips may have had some mishaps, I've NEVER had a bad one!!!  And it's not always the destination, the ship, or the resort that makes the vacation so wonderful.  It's spending time with the people I care about, getting to know new friends, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.  "Stuff" doesn't last a lifetime.

In Search of the Perfect Getaway

Today I have decided that one of my life-long goals is to be in search of the perfect getaway.  This is a great goal, because since there is no such place, until I see heaven, I will be able to pursue my goal for as long as I'm on this earth.  This is a very exciting thing for me, you see, because I LOVE to travel.

For as long as I can remember, I've always been fascinated with seeing the world.  I love experiencing new cultures, languages, food, and meeting new people from different backgrounds.  I love trying new and  different things, and am not afraid to do so.   Because of this passion that I have for travel, I am so fortunate to have the best job that I could have... to help others see the world too!

I am the owner of Classic Travel Connection, a full service travel agency specializing in Disney World Vacations, Cruises, Caribbean Vacations, Central American Destinations, and so much more.  I enjoy helping others plan their dream vacations, and my goal is to make the process as simple as possible, from the inception of the dream all the way until my clients walk back into the door of their home.

So, as I continue my quest for my "Perfect Getaway" ~ let me help you find yours as well!  We may not find it this year or the next, but hopefully we'll have many years to keep looking, and we'll see many new places, meet new people, and make great memories along the way!