Cruising: FAQ Part One- Activities and Dining

 I often get questions about cruising. In this post, I will address many of those questions. 

Q: Is there much to do on board? I'm afraid I'll just get bored. There is so much to do on board a ship, you can do as little or as much as you'd like. If you want to just sit on deck, read a book or people watch GREAT. If you are worried about your daily workouts, there are gyms onboard where you can cycle or treadmill or use free weights. Like to play basketball? Yep, there are courts for that too. Most ships also have walking/jogging tracks and mini golf course too. On some ships you can find bowling allies, rope courts, rock climbing walls and more. 

Q: I'm really not into physical activities, what is there for me to do? Daily options might include fancy napkin folding or animal towel creation classes. Trivia quiz competitions, mixology classes, wine tasting/pairing or yoga. Live music abounds on board! The production shows are fantastic, and some ships even have ice shows! 

Q: Music? Tell me more. All over the ship you can find different types of music on most ships. Piano bars, karaoke, jazz, disco and more. I've even found a string quartet on one ship. Music isn't confined to nighttime. Active all day in various parts of the ship. 

Q: I like to watch movies though. Ships have HUGE screens up on deck so you can watch recent released movies along with classics. AND you can lounge around in the hot tub or sit on the deck chairs sipping your favorite beverage and eating popcorn while you watch. Sometimes special screenings are offered in the ship's theatre. 

Q: But I like to eat, I don't want just burgers every day. No problem. While each ship and cruise line will have different offerings, you always have several options on each cruise. Typically, you will find a buffet for each meal, many open 20-24 hours. The buffet options change daily so always something new and fresh available. The formal dining room is something that I encourage everyone to experience at least once. It so nice to be waited on. You will select items from the menu. Most ships have a three-course dinner but know that you can have as many items as you'd like. For example, you can order 3 appetizers, 2 entrees and 4 desserts if you'd like! Some items change daily, and a few items are available every day. 

Other options vary by ship, but you will typically find pizza, gourmet burgers, BBQ, deli's and more. And of course, there is always room service. 

Ships now also offer 'upscale' dinning for an additional fee. Your travel agent can help you in booking those dining options if you are interested.

In short, there really is no limit to onboard activities. When you add on the wide range of offerings when in port, your vacation can be as busy, or as relaxing as you want.  Keep in mind that each cruise line has its own 'flavor' if you will. Your travel agent can help you in choosing the best option to fit your lifestyle. 

Caribbean Cruise: Focus on St. Maarten

 In January 2023 I will be hosting an 8-day Caribbean Cruise.  St. Maarten is one of the port calls during that trip. (There is still time to plan your winter get-away and join me!) 

A unique island, this small plot of land, only 37 square miles, is actually two countries. France and Kingdom of the Netherlands, making it entirely possible to visit two countries during your port of call. 

Each of the islands has it's own local rum, but on St. Maarten is the only place you can get Guavaberry Rum. Made on the island, it is not shipped anywhere. (I always 'stock' up when I visit this island)

Beside rum and beaches, there is terrific shopping just steps away the cruise port in Phillipsburg. Did I mention shopping is duty free here? 

In addition to the gemstone and brand name offerings, you can find high quality Caribbean made items here. Souvenirs, books and resort ware can be found at one of the many Shipwreck Shops found on the island. 

Like cigars? you can find the largest range of cigars at the Casa de Habano.  

As if this wasn't enough, sunny beaches, create your own signature perfume, foodie tours and more can all be found on this tiny island. 

Come cruise with me!

Senior Travel Tips

 You are never too old to travel! There are, however, challenges as we age. 

This segment will focus more on European travel as opposed to domestic. While there are similar challenges, Europe offers some significant differences. 

As many of you know, my mom is my travel buddy and while she is approaching 93 years young, she is still ready to hit the road. At 92, I find the need to seek alternate options to make sure she has an enjoyable experience. 

First rule is to keep in mind that there is NO ADA in Europe. That means that many of the old historical parts of cities are not handicap accessible as we know it. With a bit of research, I've found many 'work arounds' throughout our travels--after all this is just one service as a travel agent that I provide. 

What does no ADA mean? Basically, it means that it is up to individual properties what handicapped facilities will be made available. 

For example, many castles in Ireland and Great Britain are NOT easily accessible. Bunrutty has a number of steps that need to be negotiated if you want to go to the banquet. There are actually two flights. One is a modern stairway that leads to the main entrance. Then you must go up (and down) original castle stairs to the traditional banquet hall for the appetizer before going back down to the hall that is now used for the banquet. You can, however, skip going up the original stairs and be brought into the hall used for the meal. (You do still need to go up the modern stairs)

If you want to visit such places as the Louvre or Windsor Castle, you can get accessible tours on top of reduced rates for entrance and free for your travel companion. Arrangements must be made ahead-and again as a travel agent this is a service I provide for you. 

When traveling abroad in particular, make sure you have all of your medications in originally dispensed bottles and have enough for an extra few days, just in case you get delayed somewhere. Meds should be kept in your carry-on bags NEVER in checked bags. 

In Europe, many of the old and historical parts of the cities are cobble stone. This can present issues for many people. The uneven pavement requires that you need to pay attention to, not only where you are placing your foot, but how. Some years ago, we were walking in Italy and I was busy taking photos and didn't pay attention to my feet. I stepped off the curb onto the cobblestone street and promptly fell. 

If you are with an escorted tour, and you feel that you cannot keep up, always let the tour director know you are leaving the group and arrange a place and time to meet back up with the tour. Make sure you understand the directions and then take your leave. If you do opt to leave the group, I'd recommend that you start to make your way to the meeting point as soon as you are rested. Once you've located the site, you can move around a bit more, take in the local sights, perhaps have a coffee or some food, do some shopping while you wait and you will on time when the rest of the group arrives. 

To help keeping sprains and other injuries at bay, I'd recommend that you wear sturdy walking shoes that are well broken in. Don't buy them a week or two before you travel. I now wear hiking boots... 

Sampling foods from different cultures as I travel is always fun, but not for everyone! Keep in mind your own tolerance for spicey and be ready! I always travel with both Tums and Imodium. If you are concerned about water quality, buy bottled water. The majority of European countries the water is safe to drink. This is something, as a travel agent, I will inform you about. 

If you have mobility issues, cruising may be an option. 

Ocean going cruise ships have all the amenities and there are accessible staterooms available upon request. Elevators on board make it easy to navigate the various decks and the different venues. Keep in mind that if they are using tenders to get to shore you may not be able to disembark. 

River cruising may be a bit of an issue. 

Most riverboats now have an onboard elevator to the to the different decks. The problem arises when you are docked. Many times there will be more than one ship docked and they are stacked, rather than individually docked. There is often only space for one mooring so the ships are stacked out into the river. This means that you have to go up the deck, cross over the river onto the next ship and then over to the dock. Depending upon how many are docked, you may have multiple ships to cross to get to the dock. 

Travel is always an experience. With so much of travel dependent upon things we cannot control like weather, the best thing we can do is to shrug, sit back, grab a favorite beverage, and enjoy the experience. 

Trip Planning

 With COVID hopefully in our rearview mirrors, and many countries relaxing COVID rules, the world is opening up once again to travel.

If you are like me, you've been chomping at the bit to get out there and get back to exploring what the world has to offer.

I've got my first European Cruise in over two years, coming up in June and already making pre-departure plans and packing lists.

You may ask, "Already?" YES. My motto is, plan for what you can, and be ready for what you didn't plan.

This means I make my dog boarding reservations well in advance. For the June trip, I've had them since last month. Since all the dogs are being boarded, the only other things I need to list to pack for them is any meds they may be taking and blankets/toys. (Unlike when they travel with me when I have dishes, food, water bottles, leashes and more to pack).

I've already checked and confirmed my passport is not set to expire anytime soon so good there. Most countries will require passports to be valid 6 months past travel dates.

I've read my go to professional tour guide for the area I will be visiting. I've read the tourism websites for each country and made a list of what I'd like to see and do. Optional excursions are already reserved and purchased.

In planning ahead,and securing any entry tickets I need ahead of travel, I can spend more time doing what I want to see/do. Yet, I'm very flexible when things happen that I didn't plan.

And that is really the trick of travel. Have a plan, but don't be afraid to be flexible and change it up on the fly. In the words of Captain Barbossa, it's more of a guideline.

When planning a trip I make up three lists. Let's call the A, B, C.

The A list is everything that I HAVE to see/do/experience or die kind of list.  An example for me is when I visited Vienna, Austria a few years ago. I am a HUGE horse fan and missing the Lipizzans was NOT an option.  I forked out $300 US dollars for two tickets in the gally directly across from where the horses entered. I bought them the day they went on sale, about 8 months before travel. Definitely and A list.

Also on the A list was the Schonbrunn Palace and Gardens.

B list items would be things you want to see if, you have enough time.  For me in Vienna, the Hofburg Palace was a B list item. (After Schonbrunn Palace, if I didn't see it, I was fine. But, since I planned things out, I was able to see it and many other places).

C list items are things that "gee it's free/near by and we have time so lets go see it".

In the days before I was a travel agent, I was on a tour my travel agent had put together. It was a Rhine River Cruise that started in Amsterdam. I suggested to my agent at the time, that she may want to offer a pre/post cruise since the actual cruise didn't include much of Amsterdam.

We went a day early. I had planned out the day so we used the public transport and took in the Jewish museum, red light district, Ouida Kirk, Church in the Attic, Floating Flower Markets, Rembrandts home, Anne Franks' hiding place, and the Van Loon museum. Made all of the A list, some of the B list and a couple C lists.

The rest of the group spent a few hours at the Netherlands Open Air Museum.

Always be ready to embrace something you may not see again. On this same trip, I was up fairly early as we glided along our way and I saw a herd of Przewalski's horses. An extremely rare breed indigenous to the Steppes of Mongolia. There are less then 2000 of these horses in the world.  The horses I saw were wading down in the river bank, drinking. I thought at first they were part of a zoo that had escaped. I found out later that there is a breeding herd maintained in Netherlands that are later re-introduced into their native habitat.

Planning is the key to a great trip. Being flexible is the key to an AWESOME  trip.

 

 

Winter Get Away Cruise January 2023

   Announcing a winter get away cruise January 2023! 

Join me on this 8 day cruise in the Caribbean the end of January2023, a sure fire way to combat the winter blues. 

This cruise departs from Miami and has ports of calls at Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten NA, and Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands.

Each port has unique offerings along with spectacular beaches. Each island offers a special rum, only to be found there (My favorite is Guavaberry Rum on St. Maarten, an island owned by two countries, France and the Netherlands)

Take a turn at rolling your own cigar or be more adventurous by trying ziplining or taking an ATV or horseback ride.

Some of the best shopping is found in the Caribbean for fine jewelry. Or indulge in local artists creative works, a splash of color to remind you of relaxing days and sultry nights. 

Contact Trip Along Travel today for more information and reserve your stateroom. As always a small deposit will hold your stateroom and you may take the next year to pay the balance. Current pricing is about $750 to $2000 per person depending up on stateroom or suite you select. This cruise is booking fast so don't delay. 

Announcing upcoming tours for 2022 and 2023

 Travel is slowly opening around the world. I am cautiously optimistic that by next year, we will be able to safely traverse the globe. 

Now is the time to place deposits for next year and beyond to hold your spot as I do foresee slots being sold rapidly.  Take advantage of these great pricing deals, as they will only increase as time gets closer to departure dates. 

In June, 2022 join me as I host a 10 day cruise in Scandinavia! Visit Denmark, Sweden, Latvia, Finland, Estonia and Russia as we cruise the Baltic sea. 

September 2022 will find me in Easter Europe, hosting a tour to experience Budapest, one of my favorite cities, along with many other cities and countries including Romania and the famous Dracula's Castle. 

And announcing: A winter getaway in January 2023, an 8 day cruise in the Caribbean! This cruise is already filling so don't delay in getting that deposit in.  Eight days to enjoy the sunshine the Caribbean has to offer while the grip of winter has hold of the Northern and Midwest states. A great time to enjoy beaches, shopping, rum, sand and surf. This cruise takes in St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico and Amber Cove. Who can resist?

A small deposit today will hold your spot and lock in your price. Then take the next year, or 18 months depending on which tour/cruise(s) you choose. A great way to travel and don't forget that your travel agent will be right on board with you should any issue arise. 

Contact Trip Along Travel today!

Eastern Europe 2022

Update to the upcoming tour to Eastern Europe that was planned for September of 2021. 

I have moved this tour to September of 2022.  The new departure date is September 20 and return October 2.  The prices have also changed. Cost of this trip is now $2149 plus air fare, which cannot be booked yet. 

The itinerary remains the same.

Since this tour has moved to 2022, it would be possible to add on the Passion Play at Oberammergau. The play was moved from 2020 to 2022 due to COVID. If you are interested in adding the Passion play to the tour let me know at the time of booking.  Price for the passion play add on varies depending upon seating and which accommodation you choose. Cost for the add-on will be between $400 and $1400 US dollars. 

It is of course, always possible to simply book a tour whose main focus is the passion play. Those tours are from 6 to 12 days with varying costs. 

Don't forget the 10 night cruise in June of 2022. I still  have a few open staterooms for this fantastic trip in Scandinavia! 

The world is slowing opening up for travel. Are you ready?