tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56145645465585873692024-03-24T19:31:36.580-04:00Travel with Leanne
Hi, my name is Leanne! Read my blog as I travel the world. View the photos I take, and read about the planning I do to get there.Leannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10320443153262738959noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-91865095639105502852014-07-04T12:13:00.001-04:002014-07-07T12:48:03.981-04:00The countdown is on... <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UKeYgH0ms2QJcHfmi4Dln7Mw2o9JBY0VpQsjtRRFMNPzf7RwtkdS8gEFQDLgvLZa1iIH8vgxYocJ25ZyNHXVRD985MGqb7MOKTqbYlZLSab8viJvMgmRr2TtngyUGbxMl9Dzym4QL4Wc/s640/blogger-image--1850249027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UKeYgH0ms2QJcHfmi4Dln7Mw2o9JBY0VpQsjtRRFMNPzf7RwtkdS8gEFQDLgvLZa1iIH8vgxYocJ25ZyNHXVRD985MGqb7MOKTqbYlZLSab8viJvMgmRr2TtngyUGbxMl9Dzym4QL4Wc/s1600/blogger-image--1850249027.jpg" /> </a>Getting super excited about our trip! Less than two weeks away. Yesterday I was able to grab some toiletries and packing items. Still need to grab a few last minute clothes, which will be done this weekend. And decide what to wear on the plane! We'll be flying out in the early evening, then when we arrive it'll be early morning in Berlin so we'll have the whole day ahead of us. So choosing plane attire will also bleed into our first day in Berlin. So I need to choose appropriately. :)<br /><br />The photo here is of Prague - one of the stops on our tour. I have no idea if Prague really looks like this, but I assume we'll see something sort of like this at one point at least! </div>
Leannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10320443153262738959noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-77279765881312180002014-07-01T12:41:00.000-04:002014-07-07T12:50:21.951-04:0016 more days! Counting down to our Berlin to Budapest Contiki tour!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YihfhzNTceaaa0AQjsNmwSFbRqeR06A2xZv3ubRrw8cwboRl4ISzw4Zfl4C1TU3EOzcPqPHvjSNMJuSMzeJLJExIsIVte6tb6hmDjw_8E5E3aHb-V5iIXIR-UyrhxWBMUuRk8NbajDhe/s640/blogger-image-64684512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YihfhzNTceaaa0AQjsNmwSFbRqeR06A2xZv3ubRrw8cwboRl4ISzw4Zfl4C1TU3EOzcPqPHvjSNMJuSMzeJLJExIsIVte6tb6hmDjw_8E5E3aHb-V5iIXIR-UyrhxWBMUuRk8NbajDhe/s400/blogger-image-64684512.jpg" width="400" /> </a>16 more days! THIS month! The days are going crazy fast and there's still lots to do! I've got a few more last-minute clothing items and toiletries to pick up. I still need to grab some jet lag pills for the plane (they are amazing!), and double-check my travel adapters (I haven't used them in ages so I need to make sure they cover everything). I may pick up another travel adapter just in case. With two girls traveling together, you can never have enough outlets!</div>
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My shoes and day bag arrived last week - very exciting! I also need to pick up some remaining Euros aaaaand, figure out how we're getting to the airport. :) <br />
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The trip is getting close... ! :D</div>
Leannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10320443153262738959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-5746523492980218692014-06-26T12:51:00.000-04:002014-07-07T12:57:56.849-04:00The crucial stuff: shoes and a day bag for trekking around Europe!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've stressed about this. A LOT. It's important to find the perfect
day bag and shoe for Europe. Here is the advertisement of requirements
needed to fill such a role: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXe2WYq-kkXtIIRQ3Z0mhx6YfR5ssA9TPkCvTiXq0uMFWAWaON2Jr7XcS1NKBRzGQ9L4xr9XTA0-pbWjVZQBhyphenhyphenbaBEj_3UjauWllYcNc5HCKCcBMyQSyNXzUsRItNqIE0WdNLXKQPnICmb/s1600/leanne-bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXe2WYq-kkXtIIRQ3Z0mhx6YfR5ssA9TPkCvTiXq0uMFWAWaON2Jr7XcS1NKBRzGQ9L4xr9XTA0-pbWjVZQBhyphenhyphenbaBEj_3UjauWllYcNc5HCKCcBMyQSyNXzUsRItNqIE0WdNLXKQPnICmb/s1600/leanne-bag.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMK4M0xHKU40zYOZwHu6EUJABqmZaAR2BhPUF3jm2jcBDsBOBhDLzllTGlo43l6HIWL0OPGZc26bXu64i43HQKieZXD8XTsTOqDzKBctjCKhjgQZovhYUph0mULwWZX7ZQM-QP3iAJgS9/s1600/leanne-shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMK4M0xHKU40zYOZwHu6EUJABqmZaAR2BhPUF3jm2jcBDsBOBhDLzllTGlo43l6HIWL0OPGZc26bXu64i43HQKieZXD8XTsTOqDzKBctjCKhjgQZovhYUph0mULwWZX7ZQM-QP3iAJgS9/s1600/leanne-shoes.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<b>SHOES</b><br />
Must be...<br />
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<li>Comfortable (huge deal breaker here)</li>
<li>Not look ugly</li>
<li>Match almost everything I'm going to wear</li>
<li>Not give me blisters (refer to point 1, above...)</li>
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<b>DAY BAG</b><br />
Must...<br />
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<li>Fit my huge Nikon 1 camera with both lenses</li>
<li>Hold a sweater if I decide I'm not cold</li>
<li>Be able to fit all the crap I buy that I don't want to lug around</li>
<li>Zip closed at the top</li>
<li>Work as a cross-body bag (for bike tours, etc.)</li>
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As you can see, this is a big deal. Those are big lists! Added to the fact that I don't care for cross-body bags on me, this made it a tough challenge. Last night I determinedly marched into the mall with the single thought in mind that: I'm not leaving here without a day bag or shoes. Tonight's the night!<br />
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And voila, I found the two items above at Aldo! (Which incidentally is the same store I vowed never to buy shoes from again... but I'm desperate. And they're cute...). The shoes are super comfy! And look cute on! The day bag is amazing because the bottom expands for more room if needed, and the top flap can stand up to hold even more of my crap if I need to really shove it full! And I can convert the strap into a shoulder strap or cross-body on the fly. It's amazing. Oh, and has lots of pockets - the cup holders of day bags!<br />
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Aldo store lady was very very nice and patient and offered to order my size shoes and new day bag online and ship to my house for free. So I'm eagerly awaiting their arrival.<br />
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Countdown to our Contiki is 21 days! Exactly 3 weeks! Aaaaanndd... I still have stuff left to buy. :P But, I'm getting very close to being ready!Leannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10320443153262738959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-83695358322925139782014-06-25T13:08:00.001-04:002014-06-25T13:08:46.854-04:00Getting ready for our Contiki's ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOU-BjwXigJ9gyNHlioCPAyjes2H1qweiaOA03MhKqVXTsmJXuo-3pXgObwN8M8fIG8QzeRQ9gWoLRVGRvGfUi8lUQzzJ9ZwUQU1eCdbkINrOXbPUS4VApLhLt1qdfgA3kRCHCvl8NNw/s640/blogger-image--1380242011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOU-BjwXigJ9gyNHlioCPAyjes2H1qweiaOA03MhKqVXTsmJXuo-3pXgObwN8M8fIG8QzeRQ9gWoLRVGRvGfUi8lUQzzJ9ZwUQU1eCdbkINrOXbPUS4VApLhLt1qdfgA3kRCHCvl8NNw/s640/blogger-image--1380242011.jpg"></a><div>The tickets are in! We depart in 22 days for our Contiki trips! Berlin to Budapest, then the London Explorer!<div><br></div><div>The planning and prep has been crazy but we're just about ready! I've picked up some Czech Krona currency for Prague, Hungarian Forint for Budapest, and Pounds Sterling for London! Once I get some Euros we'll be all good on the money side. </div><div><br></div><div>I have a new Samsonite suitcase on spinners (so much better than my old broken one) and almost all the clothes I need. Just need to hunt down some shoes and a day bag! :P</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-52133185684380956132013-11-12T12:52:00.002-05:002013-11-12T12:52:32.802-05:00Contiki planning! Berlin to Budapest, here we come!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm doing it, I'm going on another Contiki! <i>(...before I'm too old!).</i> Yes, that's right. To do a Contiki you need to be between the ages of 18-35. My sister and I have talked about this for a few years now. The summer when she turns 18 and just before I turn 36, we're doing a Contiki together. My last hoorah (how sad is that). And the summer of 2014 happens to be the date! So our planning is in full swing.<br />
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I've done two other Contiki's before: London & Paris extended, and the European Magic Tour. This time we've decided to do Berlin to Budapest. This has been on my bucket list <u>for-ever</u>! I'm so excited my youngest sister is going to do it with me. Contiki's are amazing, and I'm excited to show her this whole new world of travel.<br />
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As for planning, we're booked and the flights are booked as of yesterday. A lot of prep work has gone into this, including two years of saving Aeroplan points so that I can get my flight free through Air Canada (well, 'free' turned out to be a relative word... I guess 'discount' would be more aptly appropriate).<br />
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Rewind 6 months ago, and I had a constant nagging craving to revisit London again. Any time in London is never enough. And Europe is a long flight. So we decided to tack on a few days in London on our way home from the Contiki. And it just so happens that Contiki offers its own London-based excursion with hotel and a few options, as a self-guided package (no tour guide). Which is fine because I know my way around. So on our way back from our Contiki we'll also be doing a London Contiki! This is really going to be an amazing trip!<br />
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Right now I'm looking into Berlin info, getting from the airport to the hotel, what to do on our free days in Berlin. I'm completely lost. And looking at all those German labels makes my eyes gloss over. I can't read them let alone pronounce them! But I've always wanted to go to Berlin, so I need to figure this out, or spend my time asking a lot of German people for English directions. :)<br />
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I'll post more info on my planning as I go along. If you have any good Berlin suggestions or words of wisdom, please leave some comments!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-35846544048659957742013-06-01T12:03:00.001-04:002013-06-16T11:33:29.597-04:00Cruise Ship Dreaming<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">My morning looks like this: </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kj_JH_9PWf1SS8CEOALRp2FNMAntta4Isl-c7NX3FAVg-dbo_x9RN2dTKnMBekZjVp7I1FvfhS3B1PUqwXquc-efjAMEKKMwlbvaIp6b91_gMoiYI7uCvYqK__ccIELEJz8WhtGPq0w/s640/blogger-image--569412329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kj_JH_9PWf1SS8CEOALRp2FNMAntta4Isl-c7NX3FAVg-dbo_x9RN2dTKnMBekZjVp7I1FvfhS3B1PUqwXquc-efjAMEKKMwlbvaIp6b91_gMoiYI7uCvYqK__ccIELEJz8WhtGPq0w/s400/blogger-image--569412329.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As I was cleaning up the pile of mail accumulating on the kitchen counter this morning, I automatically threw everything else aside in favor of scouring through the Holland America snapshots of a grandeur vacation that have made their way to my home. *sigh*</div>
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With chai tea in hand, I'm pretty sure an hour or more was swallowed up with browsing the various itineraries and taking in all the majestic photos. I've come to the realization that I've never seen a bad picture of Norway (or anything less than totally inviting). My next cruise destination is definitely Northern Europe. I'm totally captivated by any colorful photos of Russian cathedral hats. </div>
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I want to go!</div>
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Looking at itineraries for the Prisendam, Holland America's baby ship, I noticed their tour includes many ports of call in a small 14 day window. Some people like to cruise to enjoy the ship and relax. I'm the opposite. I want to see as much as possible and visit as many places as possible in my travel time. I'm thinking the Prisendam might be worth looking more into. (Don't get me wrong, I love the larger ships too. Nieuw Amsterdam is my fav!)</div>
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Overall Northern Europe is high on my cruise list. And top of my mind today. Now I just need to find someone to travel along with me. Hmm...</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-62289383131486562013-04-21T10:05:00.002-04:002013-04-21T10:05:44.677-04:00Hanging like Beyonce and Jay-Z in Cuba<center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOfZEgM5J5c9t_drUl_oGgexMFxpa0NDGlO8WdoHuOB1V_uGCx7fT6ChFzsVXFS3LXCSBJPXov71OW0F-E4r1yDusf5aY6Z1ZYXSlCXu8Q1vOivgYl-48bnd2cALc1nuJ-qDdq3kmXHQ/s1600/beyonce-jay-z.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOfZEgM5J5c9t_drUl_oGgexMFxpa0NDGlO8WdoHuOB1V_uGCx7fT6ChFzsVXFS3LXCSBJPXov71OW0F-E4r1yDusf5aY6Z1ZYXSlCXu8Q1vOivgYl-48bnd2cALc1nuJ-qDdq3kmXHQ/s320/beyonce-jay-z.jpg" /></a></center>
<p>As far as I know, there is still a travel embargo in place for US visits to Cuba. Although there seems to be a lot of news around Beyonce and Jay-Z's spontaneous anniversary trip to Havana, Cuba with their moms recently. It got me thinking: 'Hey, I was just there too'. Although, my traveling to Cuba isn't as exciting as Beyonce and Jay-Z, for obvious reasons. The white house denies issuing any special travel Visa's to them. Sooo, how did they get in? I'm guessing they didn't stow away. But in the wake of all this discussion, it has inspired me to share some pics from my recent travels to Havana.</p>
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Have you been wondering what it would be like if you were to travel to Havana, like Beyonce and Jay-Z? I'm not quite Beyonce, but allow me to paint a general picture of what you would see...</p>
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<b>Cigars</b><br>
Quite possibly the most synonymous symbol of Cuba, you can't visit and not take in a local cigar shop. Smoking is everywhere like a national past time. Our tour guide suggested Cohiba as the best brand to purchase, followed by San Cristobal. We took in a quick stop at the Romeo & Julieta cigar shop where it was like a mad house for 20 solid minutes while everyone fought to purchase their cigars. That was a fun experience!
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<b>Dogs</b><br>
They're stray, they're mangy, and they're everywhere. It's mostly indicative of all of Cuba in general. I have a soft spot in my heart for dogs and the ones in Cuba are no exception. If I lived there I would be poor from spending all my money on dog food. They're all tame and keep to themselves for the most part. Just as we commonly see birds flying by, there are dogs running around Cuba. They love to chill at the all-inclusive resorts too. Guests take good care of them after a return trip from the nightly buffet. By the end of the trip, you too will find it an odd sight to see a dog on a leash, if you do.
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</center>
</p>
<p>
<b>Incredible Architecture</b><br>
Cuba, and Havana specifically, has a mix of rich history and diverse influence which equates to some incredible architecture. It is bittersweet to see in its current state though because a lot of it is run down. Although I understand they are working on restorations, including the National Capital Building which was under construction when we were there.
<center>
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</center>
</p>
<p>
<b>Hemingway</b><br>
Probably one of the coolest things we saw on our visit. The hotel where Ernest Hemingway lived! It's beautiful. If you venture into the hotel lobby, in the back there is an entire corner area dedicated to Hemingway and his time there. Continuing along the back wall, you can see an old-fashioned elevator lift in all its glory!
<center>
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</center>
</p>
<p>
<b>Panhandlers</b><br>
In Havana, there are a lot of children who beg for money. They're persistent. And you feel terrible for them. A Cuban convertible peso is worth multiple times that of their local currency. They're working to help their family. But they seem to be accompanied by an adult nearby. Whether this is their parent or someone they work for, I'm not sure. It's really sad to see. Cuba is a very poor country.</p>
<p>
In lieu of giving money, we brought gifts from home for our housekeeper and the people who worked at our resort. Our tour guide mentioned that a lot of the jobs that the locals have isn't enough to pay the bills, so they work two full-time jobs. And having a job on the resort is a big opportunity, but it's hard to get in and you have to speak good English.</p><p>
We found the people of Cuba extremely nice. The beaches were beautiful! It is a poor country though, so you have to understand that before you expect a 4-star resort to be what you would expect. I have found though that those who have traveled to Cuba before absolutely love it, and return again and again.
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</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-5706209843824606532013-01-27T13:33:00.000-05:002013-01-27T13:33:29.780-05:00Food Aboard the Noordam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What's a cruise without the food? Ahh, the mountainous, tasty, delicious supply of unending food! On this cruise I made a point to take lots of photos of the different foods we tried. You don't really think about the food when you're eating it but after the cruise, you play the 'remember the one thing we ate...' game. So lots of photos help to remember that one thing.
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The photo above is of my sister, Nicole, and myself in the main dining room on the final evening. This is a must for anyone aboard. Not to spoil the surprise, but the kitchen and dining room staff have a special event planned that takes place around dessert time, and this time we made sure we were there because it's a lot of fun.
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On this cruise, as with anytime I travel, I try to be a bit adventurous. I will try any new food once before I decide whether I'd eat it again or not. There's not much I won't try. Well, that was until this cruise. I think I found my limit! My first adventure food: Quail!
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The description sounded divine with visions of spinach and feta stuffed quail. I think I was thinking 'cornish hen'. Then these little legs arrived on my plate. Oh, my. Ohhhh, my my my. Not to discredit the kitchen staff because it was prepared and arranged nicely. I think I almost fainted when my dinner plate came though! I took a deep breathe and talked myself into making it through this meal. After all, I'm the one who ordered the quail.
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Quickly I was scanning my head trying to think of what a quail looks like...before it ended up on my plate. We didn't have wi-fi purchased on board so I couldn't indulge in my natural reflex to hit up Google images. Pigeon? Is that what quails looked like? Oh my gosh. I made a mental note to hit the library after dinner once things had digested to check up on this. So I dove in, quickly, and ate the quail. The stuffing was delicious. The quail? Well, it was dark meat. Not bad. But it was quail. In conclusion I can say I ate the quail, although it won't be my first order next time. I can cross that off my bucket list. (It still makes me queasy just looking at this photo...)
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Now to move on to more appetizing options...
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My sister Nicole, was smarter than I was. She ate steak. Just about every night that we dined in the main dining room. Smart girl. Her's was amazing!
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I had an incredible appetizer on the last 'International' evening of spring rolls. Ooo, I would soooo order this again!
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The spring rolls were really light and the dipping sauce had a nice amount of kick to it. Delicious!
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Nicole ordered an amazing apple-cranberry brie phyllo appetizer too:
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And I tried Baked Alaska for the first time:
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And who can resist chocolate cake - YUM:
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I would also recommend the Flourless Chocolate Cake. I've had it on both cruises, and made it at home a few times and it's amazing! The Lido has great food too. I spent a lot of time at the ice cream station where I would break up fresh chocolate chip cookies into my ice cream and mix them together. This was a sometimes-twice daily occurrence! Also, outside on the Lido the little grill in the corner made amazing turkey burgers with sweet potato fries. There's never a short supply of satisfying food options aboard!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-45748248630701507172013-01-27T12:50:00.000-05:002013-01-27T12:50:12.919-05:0011-Day Southern Caribbean Cruise Aboard the ms Noordam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It seems I couldn't be kept away from my second Holland America cruise for too long, as we recently just returned from an amazing 11-day vacation aboard the ms Noordam in the Southern Caribbean! Here, I'm pictured with our ship docked in St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. Our ports of call included St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados, Dominica, Martinique, St. Thomas and the amazing Holland America private island of Half Moon Cay.
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Going on this cruise only solidified why I choose Holland America to sail with. The staff is incredibly friendly and so efficient and helpful. The food is amazing and the ports of call offered great optional shore excursions with a varied collection of activities to see and do.
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I'll post some more photos soon, but I need to keep packing because we're off to Cuba next week! Another first!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-39991770136910546572012-03-31T10:43:00.000-04:002012-03-31T10:43:34.123-04:00The wonderful world of Walt Disney - Day 2: Magic Kingdom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Let me tell you right now, no matter how old you are or how old you may think you've gotten, once you step foot on the Disney grounds all of that melts away. Being at Disney immediately transports you back to your childhood and all those wonderful memories of your favourite Disney characters and the experience of the magical. You become 5 years old again. I can see why people like this place! After being at Disney for a solid four days the best way I can describe it is that Disney isn't a theme park, it's an experience. Every inch of Disney is well maintained and completely considered and thought of as to how it fits into the environment around it. Incredible.
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Going to Disney I had two things on my to do list: get as many autographs as possible and meet Mary Poppins. For the autographs I realize I'm older and this is for kids, but I saw this as my chance to catch up on my childhood and no matter how embarrassing it would be, I decided to be brave and stand in the line ups and get the autographs. I was determined. As for Mary Poppins, she is the extreme ultimate Disney character for me. When I was a kid, that was the movie I watched over-and-over-and-over again. I loooooved Mary Poppins. This one was number one on my list, hands down. I was so afraid we'd miss her that we prebooked a Disney breakfast for later in the week because it mentioned she could be there. For our first day though, we had prepaid for the Disney fireworks dessert buffet on the Tomorrowland terrace. I hear this one fills up quick and has to be prepaid so we literally booked months in advance of coming.
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That morning we got up really early and grabbed breakfast and the shuttle to Magic Kingdom. When we first got there we had to take a water ferry across the river at Disney to get to the park. When you enter the park you're on a remake of main street USA in the 40's or 50's I'd say. There's a city hall for guest services. I'd suggest stopping by here if it's your first visit or if you're celebrating an event because they will give you a button! :) There's an old style theatre front and a bunch of quaint looking shops. Lots of shops. (I love shopping)! Walking down a bit further there's a roundabout area then Cinderella's castle sits behind the roundabout. Sort of like Buckingham Palace does! We pretty much leisurely made our way through the park because we got there when it opened at 9:00am and our fireworks dessert buffet wasn't scheduled until 9:10pm that night.
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When we first got in the park we seen snow white right away. I tried to get in her lineup but it was closed. So we kept walking and I seen Donald duck. I got in his line and he signed my autograph book and made a "call me" motion and blew me a kiss when I was walking away! My first autograph, and potential celeb date! We walked around the castle a bit more and seen the fairy godmother from Cinderella so I got in her lineup. She asked who my favorite character was and I said "you of course...and Cinderella". She goes "have you had a chance to meet her yet dear.....she'll be at the blah blah blah at 10 o'clock.". Pretty funny stuff. The actors stay so much in character; they are amazing at what they do.
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After, we headed over to the merry go round ride. When we were on our horses mom caught the tail end of Mary Poppins going around a corner! Holy crap! In a very discreet rush we bailed off the ride and went to see if we could find her. I turned the corner in a flurry and there she was! She was signing autographs and I was able to get in her line - I couldn't believe my luck! For the kids in front of us she was asking them "do you know what you want to be when you grow up? You don't?!! Well do you like dogs?" and she would carry on the conversation from there. When they were getting in line for their picture with her she said "now all stand up straight, don't slouch. Spit spot". Just like Mary Poppins! When I got up to her I said you're my favorite Disney character and this is my first time here. Then all of a sudden this peter pan character comes up to her and starts asking if she's seen someone. The boy who flies or something.
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And then he was like "well maybe you can get your sidewalk drawing friend to draw a map of never never land and then perhaps we can find him". Then Mary Poppins told him "if you see him please tell him I'm expecting him for tea later". So funny! I'm sure I stood there with my mouth open the whole time looking dumbfounded. Then she apologized and turned around to me and said "I'm sorry dear, you were saying...". Then I told her again what I had said and she replied "well then I guess you're well versed on the subject of me" and I said yes and she said "well good. That's my favorite subject too". Hilarious! Then she said "what's your favorite thing about me" and I said because you're practically perfect in every way (I have no idea where that answer came from but I was impressed I came up with it on the spot especially considering how distracted I was at the moment). And she said "well then you've quite turned out well yourself I see". It was so funny. Then she wished me a good day at the park. Mom got this picture of me talking to her and I look like I'm six and in awe of her. It's pretty funny. This totally made my day!
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Then we set off for the rest of the park although I was pretty distracted at this point because of my amazing Mary Poppins encounter. We ate lunch at Pinocchio's something Haus. We wandered through frontier land and saw the Country Bears performance. One of the bears looked and sounded like Carroll Baker and another sounded like Kitty Wells. We went on the scary White ride which was like a roller coaster car that drove us through a fun house basically. Although I hear that's no longer there. We rode Aladdin's magic carpets in Fantasyland which was fun. The entire day was completely magical and felt like I was writing a new chapter in my childhood.
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At the end of the day I remembered we had missed the it's a small world ride so we went on that. That was extremely 70's and looked like something Walt Disney himself had made. It was cute and extremely nostalgic. After I came home I researched that ride a bit. It has quite a history, originally built for the first Walt Disney Land in California and one of the most popular rides because of what it represents. Apparently Walt Disney didn't live to see the opening of Walt Disney World in Florida, he passed while it was being built. Which is a shame but his essence and thumbprint is all over in every detail. Quite a visionary.
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Randomly throughout the day they have street parades and shoot fireworks off at the castle. There's always something happening. We caught a bit of both of those. Before going to our dessert party we wandered back to the front of the park quite exhausted. We desperately wanted to sit down in air conditioning so we thought we'd catch a show at the Disney theatre. Sitting down to watch a show is the best way to cool off and have a rest. We went in the princesses line and it ended up being a meet and greet with the princesses! In air conditioning! We met Cinderella, Aurora the sleeping beauty, and Belle! Now that we understood what this was (I don't think a lot of people realized the characters were in there) we went back out and came in the Mickey line. We met Mickey and Minnie mouse! The two characters you most want to meet at Disney. And the two hardest to see!
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Finally it was time for our dessert party. There were probably 30-40 people in line. We had an awesome table at the front of the terrace in Tomorrowland. I filled my plate with desserts and we had juice and coffee. We watched the electric parade before the show started. They did a light show on the castle that showed a hundred different art treatments. All of them were cool - I really loved that part. Then they did these amazing fireworks over the castle. They kept getting bigger and bigger. They did one that looked like a shooting star while playing "When You Wish Upon a Star" and it was so bright. We were so exhausted but it was so worth it to wait for the fireworks! Pretty awesome day. But Mary Poppins was definitely the highlight.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-26710132416353201572012-02-26T18:39:00.000-05:002012-02-26T18:42:49.436-05:00The wonderful world of Walt Disney - Day 1: Our journey to Orlando<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<p>I have never been to Disney before this trip. I'd never been to Florida or anywhere in the southeast region of the United States before this year. And I was never a crazy Disney fan - I had favourite movies going up like Mary Poppins, Pete's Dragon, Cinderella and The Little Mermaid, but I was in no way fanatical about any of it. Although doing Disney was on my bucket list and when mom suggested doing a trip there the year before I thought it would be a fun, different adventure to what we normally do.</p>
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<p>Our plan was to hit Disney and Universal Studios. Mom had been to Universal Studios before in California many moons ago and brought back cool pics of movie memorabilia there. Like the KITT car from Knight Rider - which I was a little obsessed about when I was younger (...but that's a different blog post :) so I really was looking forward to going. And I was looking forward to the Harry Potter experience which I also am a big fan of. We purchased an Air Canada Vacations package which turned out to be an amazing deal! For a little over $600 dollars we each had flights from Toronto to Orlando return on Air Canada (my favourite airline), and a week in an Embassy Suites hotel. This hotel was perfect.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oe7bnOrUERZttW5CMc9z6MHIM02E03TtRKoxi_LzNvfezeQN8wApWUHKcLZbWlnPGV_hwNnTRtK8SEt4wj8PbPCnMJBYlZZoDXd7N6ThdEr0q7Zi4Yaqg7EdqZyrclQmaIfp9GBT7Dg/s1600/room_ticket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oe7bnOrUERZttW5CMc9z6MHIM02E03TtRKoxi_LzNvfezeQN8wApWUHKcLZbWlnPGV_hwNnTRtK8SEt4wj8PbPCnMJBYlZZoDXd7N6ThdEr0q7Zi4Yaqg7EdqZyrclQmaIfp9GBT7Dg/s200/room_ticket.jpg" /></a></div>The rooms were huge with separate dining and living spaces with a full kitchenette. Outside our door was a large outdoor pool that featured movies by the pool every night - Disney movies of course (great for the kids), and for the adults there was a happy hour every afternoon with free unlimited alcoholic beverage of the day and munchies like popcorn, chips, salsa, etc. They also have a free shuttle that runs multiple times during the day to all the Disney parks. This was so handy!</p>
<p>My experience with Florida airports is that once you step off the plane, the decor is like stepping into an episode to Miami Vice. Maybe it's the graphic designer in me but I'm very aware of my decorated surroundings. It was a funny moment seeing all the geometric shapes and vibrant colours that lined the airport walls.
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The airport had its share of Disney stores and memorabilia around as well. There was a Universal and Harry Potter store which I got quite excited about but quickly got out of because I didn't want to ruin our Harry Potter experience. Once mom found the wands I was like "uh, we have to go" and ran out of the store.</p>
<p>The cab ride to our hotel from the airport was about $50 dollars but it put us right near Disney. Once we checked in mom and I walked down the street to get something to eat at Katie O'Sheas. A beaten pub with interesting triangle-shaped fish. It was pretty good though and the girl was nice. Everyone in Orlando is really friendly, which is always great and makes for a nicer vacation. It was sooo sooo hot though on this day. I think it was 32 degrees Celsius. It wiped us out pretty quick. Our weather forecast for the week ahead was supposed to be rain so we were praying pretty heavy for good weather.</p>
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<p>We went back to the hotel and checked out the weather network where we saw tornadoes everywhere all across the states. Erie PA had warnings. Nashville, Mississippi. California, who also had snow!!!! It was nuts. Our weather forecast was starting to look better though with sun the next day and more sun on the way. Only sun thoughts. We weren't going to dwell on the other stuff. Only sun, only sun, only sun. Tomorrow we'd be getting up bright and early for Disney. A whole day planned at Magic Kingdom. I couldn't wait!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-66737684308578057832012-02-13T20:07:00.001-05:002012-02-13T20:07:43.756-05:00Plane Spotting? No Problem! An Impromptu Trip and Travelodge Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today included an unplanned trip to Toronto. And a surprising stay in a rather sweet hotel! The trip to Toronto was on my radar but I didn't think I'd be going along. My sister is in Calgary and would be flying home today. Mom had suggested going to the airport with her the night before. She was going to work her travel agent magic and get us a free hotel to spend the night near the airport, and pick my sister up in the morning. Sounds fun!
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I was at work on Friday when I literally found out at the last minute that we'd be going and needed to leave soon to try and miss the upcoming snowstorm. I was actually quite excited because it meant I'd get to use my new Samsonite overnight luggage! (It has spinner wheels so it's all fun to tow around.). I went home and threw everything into my suitcase as fast as I could and we were off.
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Before I get to the hotel part, I have to say that when it comes to hotels I'm a Westin/Marriott kinda girl while mom is more of a Super 8 kinda girl (not that there's anything wrong with a Super 8, I've stayed there many times before) but I think you can see the difference. :). This time she got us a room at the Travelodge down on Dixon Road in Toronto. Pulling up I was surprised to see there was more than one level to this hotel. I was ribbing her
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pretty bad on the way up. Walking in, the lobby was gorgeous. At least two story ceilings, fireplace, sitting area, a typical gift shop over to the side and a beautiful high end restaurant and bar attached to the hotel.
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When we got up to the desk and were checking in, the desk clerk was rambling on about needing a key card for this, a key card for that, continental breakfast on your floor, use your key card for that, yadda yadda. We walked away going 'do you know what he said?'. We didn't know. We were on the 17th floor. Hmm, 17 floors eh? Okay this place is nice, I'll admit.
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We step on the elevator and go to press floor 17 and realize: we're on the executive floor and the elevator has a key card entry slot that you need to use in order to access the 17th floor! Whoa mom, way to go! Our floor is literally on the roof of the hotel. When we get off the elevator there's about 10 rooms total. Our room is really nice. Not overly big but there's a 40" flat screen tv and a fantastic view of the Air Canada terminal runway! Our private lounge area where our breakfast will be is also huge and really nice. There's tables and a sitting area with a tv and free pop, water, coffee and tea. There's a living room area separate from the main area with a few desks and a computer station. Although the hotel already has open wi-fi which is great (love that - most high end hotels lock down their Internet to an Ethernet cord or password protected access which is the worst).
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Mom and I flocked to the window and watched the planes landing for a while. We're huge plane spotters. Then we walked across the road to Lone Star for some delicious margaritas and chips and salsa. The night was relaxing and we had fun hanging out together. In the morning we went to check out our free breakfast which was really nice. It's continental but there was a good selection of pastries, cereals, breads, juice, yogurt, coffee and tea. The usual stuff. We did some more tail spotting because the view of the runway on this side of the hotel is stellar! My sister's flight is set to touch down at 12:45pm so after we chill for a bit we'll head over to the airport and check out some more planes while we wait for her and perhaps grab some lunch too.
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Overall I'm super impressed with this hotel! The rates are pretty decent, just over $100+ a night. It's clean, modern, and has all needed amenities. The exercise room overlooks the indoor pool area which is a generous size. There's plenty of restaurants close by including Casey's which is attached to the hotel and something that's definitely on my list to try next time I'm there. The desk clerk mentioned that the other hotel across the road charges $6.00 dollars for the airport shuttle, but our hotel offers it for free. They also provide complimentary parking at the park and fly across the road if the hotel lot is full. I highly recommend this hotel for anyone flying out of Toronto's Pearson International Airport.
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Look them up if you're in town: <a href="http://www.travelodgedixon.com" target="_blank">TravelodgeDixon.com</a>
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What a fun weekend! :)
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Don’t you think it’s the most fascinating thing how an aircraft comprised of tons and tons of steel (with wings like a bird that don’t really flap) can lift all that weight, all those lives, way up into the air? Fly at incredible speeds and take you far away from your starting point to reach a destination that’s always more magical than the one you left from?<p>
Commercial aviation is one of the most amazing things to me. I find it so fascinating – most people think I’m nuts and simply say ‘Hey, it’s an airplane. That’s what it does’. That may be true but the ability it has to transform our lives pretty quickly is something that calls for appreciation.<p>
In Canada the main airline is Air Canada. Hands down. They’re the giant, the leader of commercial aviation in our country and they’re great. Not everyone loves them, but from my perspective they’re solid, safe, structured, all business. And I love to fly with them. They’re my first choice amongst anything else. So when I found out we’d be flying West Jet (the ‘other’ Canadian airline) I started asking questions. I’m sort of crazy like that. :)<p>
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I spent a lot of time checking them out, asking questions, getting opinions from others who’d flown with them before. To summarize – I didn’t find anyone that had anything bad or remotely negative to say about West Jet. Everyone was happy with their experience with them! Here’s the basics…<p><br>
<b>Fleet</b><br>
Their fleet is mainly comprised of Boeing 737 aircraft. Not really a fleet that’s going to take you across the Atlantic anymore but definitely reliable. And I have a small bit of adulation for Boeing anyways, so plus one for that. Although the equipment wasn’t up to par on our flight, the TV in the back of our seats were out, the flight attendant offered to find us a seat with a TV that was working, and he did. He was very nice about it and made sure we were comfortable.<p>
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<b>Staff</b><br>
The commercials are out there – West Jet owners love what they do because they don’t only work for West Jet, they’re owners as well. The atmosphere is definitely more relaxed on West Jet than it is on Air Canada. Not to say one is bad over the other, but West Jet employees absolutely seem as though they love their job. They’re very candid on board, joking and being sincere. It’s refreshing and helps ease anyone with jittery nerves about flying for sure.<p>
<b>Price</b><br>
The perception is that the price of flying anything BUT Air Canada will be cheaper. While my costs were covered for my West Jet flight, I tried doing a random search between Toronto and Fort Lauderdale with both airlines, and found Air Canada to be $60 dollars cheaper after taxes. Not to say this is indicative of all their pricing, but both airlines are on par with each other.<p>
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<b>Would They Take Care of You?</b><br>
Perhaps it’s just my perception but West Jet feels as though they would extend an olive branch if you did have a bad experience. Their Twitter staff is great and always engaging with their passengers. They have incredible seat sales once a week. Overall they seem to care about your experience with them. Who wouldn’t want that in a large corporate company that you’re dishing out your money to, and trusting your life with?<p>
After flying with them I have to say I’m really impressed! In comparison to Air Canada their staff is more relaxed and laid back. Less ‘official’ and more in line with ‘your friendly flying companion’. And the best part? On the way back, I was able to watch LIVE TV. Air Canada doesn’t offer that! Yes, I was able to catch the NBC Game of the Week. Philly and the New York Rangers. At least it was hockey, and live hockey.<p>
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So West Jet is definitely an option I’d consider again. I do have a rewards card and rewards credit card with Air Canada (saving points for my big European trip) so I would look at their flights and prices first. But within North America, West Jet is fantastic!<p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-88750852247098664792012-01-12T18:52:00.000-05:002012-01-12T18:52:11.265-05:00Holland America Port of Call: Costa Maya, Mexico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What an incredible day we had in Costa Maya, Mexico. The ship was able to dock at this port which is always better than having to tender in, because you have
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freedom to come and go off the ship as you like. Costa Maya itself is really
beautiful. The shore is modern, colourful and vibrant, and very welcoming. You can swim with the dolphins right near the port entrance, and there's plenty of shopping, swimming, and deck chairs for sun soaking with food and drink options close by. For our visit to Costa Maya, we decided to visit the Chochoben Mayan Ruins (definitely one of my bucket list items), and we had some time to kill before our tour started so we decided to grab a drink and some munchies.
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I remember this day was SCORCHING HOT! One of those days where doing absolutely nothing, not moving an ounce, can cause you to break out in a crazy sweat. The only other time I've ever experienced weather this hot was on an abnormally warm day in Venice, Italy. Because I'm fair-skinned and the sun loves to burn me to a crisp, these are not my favourite kind of days but the excursion ended up being one of the highlights of our trip!
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For all of the shore excursions, you meet your tour guide right at the end of the dock before entering in the port. Our tour was around $80-90 dollars, and was set to be 4 hours. We boarded a coach bus with no air conditioning (eek). The drive was about a half hour to 45 minutes, but along the way we had to stop and wait for another coach bus to pick us up because the speaker for the microphone wasn't working on ours. That was a bit of a killer in the heat but we tried
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to keep positive in anticipation of what we'd be seeing later on that day!
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Our tour guide Manuel was amazing! You could tell he was very proud of the Ruins and of being from the area. He was full of knowledge about the Ruins and had even offered paintings to show us of what he perceived the Ruins to look like in their hey day based on his historic knowledge of studying their past. Even though the day was sweltering hot, he answered all our questions and provided an incredible amount of information. Which for me is great because I'm a total sponge when it comes to exploring and learning new things. I
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was impressed that there were quite a few more Ruins at this site than I expected. We learned that at one point it's believed the Ruins were originally covered in red stucco and claimed a bustling city home to 20-30 thousand people! The steps of the Ruins are tall, so when you walk them you have to look down to watch your step, which also puts you in the position of praying to the gods (which we got to try!). Climbing down the Ruins, you were supposed to side-step in their day as to not turn your back on the gods. We learned this location is actually quite new, only discovered in the past
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10-15 years. The location was found because someone was flying over the area and noticed the land was quite mountainous, where normally it should be quite flat. As we were walking along, Manuel showed us random hills of dirt that he mentioned are pyramids that have yet to be unearthed. Because the terrain should all be flat, they know these random hills hide more secrets of the past so they are still working at uncovering them all. The area itself contains very large trees that are
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hundreds of years old. It's all very beautiful!
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At the end of our tour, we were offered a free beer or beverage. Free. Beer. Seriously! Nice touch, Costa Maya! We actually opted for pop because the day was sooo hot. On the ride back we melted from heat and exhaustion but we were also pleasantly and completely overwhelmed and mesmerized by the incredible history lesson we'd just experienced.
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This day was incredible.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA29TEv3xSopqhdsb22AWuyh9Ri7lgV8cmvL4e6DV9Evnl0i8NmUp0649M2SGhWrltCAtgpPU5qQ-G4ymdewI4ZP9_Eu53T-n-pv70qGDfvjjS0Y0K5n4PVlKVcXtH0xGRj6mWcu37Y2Q/s1600/costa-maya-sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA29TEv3xSopqhdsb22AWuyh9Ri7lgV8cmvL4e6DV9Evnl0i8NmUp0649M2SGhWrltCAtgpPU5qQ-G4ymdewI4ZP9_Eu53T-n-pv70qGDfvjjS0Y0K5n4PVlKVcXtH0xGRj6mWcu37Y2Q/s320/costa-maya-sunset.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-9199761183865813242011-10-09T11:22:00.000-04:002011-10-09T11:22:44.292-04:00Holland America Port of Call: Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If there's one thing that can totally throw you off cruising around the Western Caribbean, it's setting your clocks back! Upon arriving in Grand Cayman we had to do just this. Which isn't too difficult to handle, but then it happened to us <i>again</i> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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the next night. On the main deck of the ship near the middle area (I'm sure there's a proper ship name for 'middle of the ship') near the elevators are giant monitors that tell you the position of the ship, the current local time, weather forecast and all the other need-to-know info if you truly need to know. But I never thought to check this. When our cruise director announced the time change, we flipped our watches back and never thought about it again. I guess we could've checked our room phone too for the correct time, but that never occurred to us. Hey, we were on vacation! Who cares what time it is. You'll see where I'm going with this a bit later...
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Today's port of call was Grand Cayman. I'm not sure what I expected. I remembered always hearing about people who vacationed in Grand Cayman and the diving and string ray swimming they did there. The way they presented it, it always felt like the 'it' place to take a proper vacation! Pulling into port, my initial thoughts were that it didn't seem as fancy as the other ports we'd been to. The main priority of the shoreline is to get the boats and tenders in and out of the island as efficiently as possible. I guess it wasn't about presentation here like Grand Turk was. Grand Cayman is more lived, so to speak. Stepping off the tender, you go through a small covered area where <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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you're bombarded with excursion options, then there you are! Streets and shopping everywhere! You're in the thick of it all immediately. My first inland impressions were of scattered hints of a North-Eastern coastal town. Complete with the brightly coloured buildings and traditional sign posts painted in white and blue indicating the maritime heritage trail around the area. It was extremely hot the day we arrived, and the streets were busy and full. It was a bit overwhelming. We struggled our way across the street through the traffic and took off shopping.
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The stores inside are incredible. If you're looking to drop some serious change, this is where you want to do it. The selection is abundant and filled with the greatest amount of designer watches I'd ever seen <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(amongst a ton of other jewelry and sparkle)! And every store feels this way. We toured around a bit. I tried on a pair of $5,000 dollar earrings at Milano. Hey, this wasn't my intention! The sales lady noticed my citrine ring that I'd purchased in Grand Turk, which she assumed was a yellow diamond (hah), offered us some very welcomed bottled water and had me decked out in five grand worth of the most gorgeous yellow diamonds I'd ever seen. After I found out that these clearly out-rivaled my great Grand Turk ring price of $115, I quickly discarded them out of my ears and away we went. We <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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also scored a collector island map print for..., well, I'm not sure why. They like to give you gifts if they think there's a chance you could spend some money.
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Our walk around was pretty tiring, so we grabbed a nice overpriced cocktail at the Green Parrot, then jumped back on our tender for the ship to spend the afternoon there. Our included itinerary with the travel company called for a culinary demonstration at 6pm, so after a quick nap on the ship we headed down to the Culinary Arts Center. Because of the time change, and <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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our culinary event actually staying at the traditional time before we flipped our watches back, we were an hour late for our cooking demonstration. Which was disappointing. But they were just starting to cook the crab cakes when we got there so we were able to join in for the best part. I still haven't figured out how we missed the demonstration. I believe now the ship schedule stays the same even though we sailed through time changes. Perhaps. But the crab cakes were amazing! It was a nice treat!
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We also chose to dine in the main dining room this evening. After much persuasion by me. Mom prefers to wing it on the Lido deck, but I love to check out the decadent menu options each night. Okay, so that's only part of the reason. My other two parts included the very cute main dining room guy who I chose to nickname 'Ashton' because he looked like Ashton Kutcher. That was our name for him for our cruise. :) And the other part included the amazing dining attendants we had at our table every night who were just awesome! Absolute rock stars! They quickly learned our preferences and had our table set just for us every night by the time we got there. Balsamic vinegar and wine for the bread, and extra caesar salad dressing for mom (a gravy boat worth), and red wine for me! Our wine attendant loved to keep my glass <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was really looking forward to the next morning though. We'd be stopping in Costa Maya, Mexico. To see the Mayan Ruins! I'd never been to Mexico before and I always wanted to see the Mayan Ruins so this was a huge day on my list! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-52735722833337157032011-09-28T19:48:00.000-04:002011-09-28T19:48:53.229-04:00Holland America Day at Sea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have to admit, after two full days of ports of call I was looking forward to a relaxing day at sea. I was excited to explore the ship and sample some of the on-board amenities. Number one on my agenda was playing bingo with DJ Renee in the Showroom at Sea! But first I'd start with a scrumptious breakfast on the Lido Deck. I had a great day planned, but found out I'd have to go it alone because mom would need to be in meetings all day with her travel group. No worries, I can do this.
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First we headed for breakfast together. The Lido Deck is great for this because there's a huge selection of all the best breakfast fare. And you can eat anytime during the morning and don't need to wait to be seated. And the windows along the interior area overlook the sea which it's always fun to sit and watch the view while you eat breakfast. This morning we could see the coast of Cuba where my sister was vacationing at the same time. We waved a quiet 'hello' to her over breakfast. At 10:00am it was time for the meeting to start, so I began my ship adventure.
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I hit the Showroom at Sea room early to get my bingo card. It seems every day that more people show up for the bingo than the day before. It gets pretty popular as the week goes on. But, I didn't win. Oh well, it's always fun. When you get down to one number you have to stand up. Every time someone stands up they play "hallelujah" and people boo at you! :). It's all good fun though.
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My next adventure involved checking out the shopping seminar with our on-board shopping ambassadors Nicole and Todd. This. Was. Fun. Upon arriving everyone received bags filled with pamphlets of the different shops we'd be seeing in our next port of call, Grand Cayman. There were also giveaways of gems and jewelry! I love shiny things and this was right up my alley. We talked about watches (mmm), diamonds, jewelry pieces, different types of gemstones, what to look for, where to get the best deals. It was very informative. I learned the Caribbean is the best place to shop because it's all tax-free and watches are slightly cheaper then MSRP at home. I love watches! When I left there, I was a walking encyclopedia of shopping knowledge! And itching to spend!
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Next I decided to grab my Sony Reader and head to the Lido deck for some light reading by the pool. Traveling solo is unique because you're forced to really think about what you want to do. And normally you do things and see things you wouldn't normally make time for when sharing your time with another person or group. I settled in at a table at the back of the deck in the shade with a nice view of the pool. I was going to read but I spent more time people watching. Seeing who people were with, what they were doing and trying to imagine what their story was. Why they were here and who they were with and what their life must be like off the ship.
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Because ours was the last Caribbean tour before our ship repositioned for Europe, there was a huge sale on the Lido deck. Purses, scarves, costume jewelry all at crazy low prices. I briefly tempted the idea to dig in and join the frenzy, but the tables were *insane* with bargain shoppers. It looked like a ferret free for all as I saw the back of heads bobbing up and down between the scarfs and handbags flying around. I decided I'd head over to the meeting room early to meet mom for her lunch break instead. To my excitement she was given the afternoon off so we'd have the afternoon free to roam. Yay!
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The best thing about being on a cruise is the freedom to take a quick cat nap - whenever you want! Sure, you can do that at an all-inclusive resort too but a cruise ship is more like a high class hotel on water, with tons of activities and amenities, and the opportunity to see more of the world with multiple ports of call. An all-inclusive doesn't offer that, so therefore cruising wins! At least for me! We decided to take advantage of our hotel on water, and catch a quick nap before our private invitation-only cocktail reception in the Crow's Nest with our ship's captain. Very exciting!
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The Crow's Nest on the Nieuw Amsterdam is pretty awesome! Our cocktail reception included open bar with exquisite hors d'oeuvres and a magnificent wide angle view of the water around us from the front of the ship. Matching these long line of windows and glorious view are the most comfortable chairs on the ship. And they recline! This was one of my favourite spots! This is absolutely something to check out!
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All in all, I really enjoyed our day at sea and it was a nice break from our active ports-of-call schedule. But I'm the type of vacationer who likes to keep busy so I was really looking forward to our next stop in the morning: Grand Cayman. Ooo, and all that jewelry!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-80767272904949958332011-09-11T21:01:00.000-04:002011-09-12T09:14:33.391-04:00Holland America Port of Call: Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Did someone say swim-up bar? Welcome to the second stop on our Western Caribbean tour: Grand Turk, in the Turks & Caicos Islands! There are islands, then there's the Turks & Caicos Islands. I've been here once before so I knew this stop would be a highlight on our tour. It turned out to be one of the best! It seems like it's always sunny here and the beaches are filled with beautiful sun-bleached crystal white sand!</p>
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I enjoyed this port the most because we didn't have to tender in. Our ship was docked which meant we could easily come and go off the ship as we liked without having to wait for the tender boat to take us back and forth. But really, if you ever came here you'd never want to leave! Upon arriving we were greeted with a huge duty free shop and some of the BIGGEST bottles of alcohol you've ever seen. But don't try to take them back on the ship with you. Haha, they won't make it through security when you board (think x-ray machines and metal detectors and lots of security, and a nice present for the staff if you do try)!</p>
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Grand Turk has lots of fun shopping. Novelty clothing like Piranha Joes, nail polish that changes colour with the sun, and lots of jewelry too. Lots of delicious jewelry! Diamonds International is here, which is a staple throughout the Caribbean but sort of feels like a scam to me. They remind me of those commercials with the greasy guy begging to buy your gold for top dollar if you only conveniently ship it to him first. Lots of promises of everything being cheap, no tax, and of the highest quality. Yeah.</p>
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First mom and I did some shopping. We're girls so that's our specialty. :) We picked up some Piranha Joe shirts and hats for the family, then I spotted Margaritaville. Wait, Margarittaville? Like as in "wasted away again in Margaritaville"? The Jimmy Buffet song one? For real? </p>
<p>Yes!</p>
<p>Oh wow, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Surely this can't be exactly like the song. Is Jimmy Buffet aware of this plagiarizing of his work? The inviting party atmosphere tumbled out onto the cobblestone sidewalks we were pounding.
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I have to check this out. "Mom, let's go!". I took off in a fast trot towards this beautiful Caribbean mecca and sure enough. Yes, to my delight there is an actual "Margaritaville" bar and restaurant (and gift shop) chain, and Jimmy Buffet owns it! Way to stretch that one big hit wonder into something sustainable!</p>
<p>Mom's a pretty easy going traveler and was totally game to check this out. Like all well-planned venue layouts, we entered into a store area first. We grabbed more Margaritaville t-shirts. "This one will be my camping/party t-shirt!". Then we wandered with eyes wide into the bar area. I couldn't believe what I was seeing: to the left was a quaint thatch hut with a DJ inside, with a line up stretching around the pool area. The leader of the line was tipping their head back <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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under the thatch hut while the DJ poured a shot into their mouth. "FREE SHOTS". Holy geez, it's barely noon! The place was buzzing with patrons from the Carnival cruise ship already docked beside us. Looks like they had a good early start! </p>
<p>In front of us was the largest most amazing pool I'd ever seen! It wound around the area that was filled with beach chairs, umbrella tables, and lots of sun! There was a wave runner surfing pool, and my favorite: a swim-up bar! Oh my gosh, I just found my home! </p>
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Mom and I parked in at the restaurant to the left and ordered the most amazing nachos and what else? Margaritas! The food here is amazing, but you will want to bring your wallet because it's pricey!!! But it's worth it. Obviously we didn't choose to do any excursions here so the pricey lunch was okay for the afternoon we were about to have instead. After lunch we grabbed some beach chairs by one of the bridges over the swimming pool and that's where we spent the rest of the day. Now, anyone who knows me knows I hate water. I hate being wet, splashed, rained on, whatever.
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Outside of a shower or a glass, keep water away from me. But I spent the entire afternoon in this pool! I paid a couple visits to the swim up bar where more margaritas ensued. A word of caution: these are pricey too at $10 dollars a pop, but they go well with the pool! I'd recommend bringing lots of ten dollar bills and a few $1's for tipping. By the time you swim over to the bar and get your drink, you don't want to be lugging around change. Especially American $1 bills that would get soppy and wet in the pool. <br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We had some good laughs watching people try to man the wave runner too. It's basically a simulated wave pool that you surf on...until you fall off which can happen pretty quick. </p>
<p>After soaking up lots of vitamin D, we decided to reluctantly call it a day and head back to the ship. On the way out, we swung by the Diamonds International store where I went against everything I stood for and fell in love with a yellow citrine ring flanked in a semi circle of "diamonds" followed up by a beautiful silver titanium ribbon. At $115, I didn't feel I was breaking the bank. It was a fun treat purchase to help remember my day. </p>
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By the time we got back on the ship we were exhausted. We grabbed an early dinner (complimentary room service of shrimp cocktail for this tired fish), and watched on our balcony together as we silently glided out of port as the sun set on our happy little island. This was definitely a day I will never forget.</p>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-51902715828621510122011-06-22T19:27:00.000-04:002011-09-11T21:29:23.651-04:00Holland America's private Bahamas: Half Moon Cay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NbeON1kYq57N6hrbcHBowKoYIIfMKojNXnXT13DG2bW3IthUBmwstm6PrgpmPWNjg91mAVLexPpNqkHLcnhPVfAli7pgqa7nDecQ4ITkAwCj54BXrMZO7SNVIxdQEb8NvGMNCQZdRbs/s1600/sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NbeON1kYq57N6hrbcHBowKoYIIfMKojNXnXT13DG2bW3IthUBmwstm6PrgpmPWNjg91mAVLexPpNqkHLcnhPVfAli7pgqa7nDecQ4ITkAwCj54BXrMZO7SNVIxdQEb8NvGMNCQZdRbs/s400/sign.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Piña Coladas at 10am? Yes, I'm guilty. In a commemorative super-sized sippy thermos no less. Welcome to Half Moon Cay (pronounced 'key'). Our first stop on our Holland America Western Caribbean tour. Located in the Bahamas, this island belongs exclusively <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTfeCBtbe2UrcT7U-tr9PwwOq2qhM4AbKh5cNPSFx51PMoBIahEwq6fmOVKa4e_r62cahbXMMlTUTk-wrAp3eaLVBbIYj1PsK8WyLvLWj2hFC5QJf7asvbyd_fEwmL5N__PPeBFEcWJY/s1600/drink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTfeCBtbe2UrcT7U-tr9PwwOq2qhM4AbKh5cNPSFx51PMoBIahEwq6fmOVKa4e_r62cahbXMMlTUTk-wrAp3eaLVBbIYj1PsK8WyLvLWj2hFC5QJf7asvbyd_fEwmL5N__PPeBFEcWJY/s320/drink.jpg" /></a></div>to HAL and only welcomes its on-board guests. If sun, sand, seclusion and serene are your thing then this is where you want to be. Boasting more facilities, services and activities than any other cruise line's private island this mini piece of paradise welcomes you with 2 solid miles of powdered sand beach and a day filled with relaxation and warmth. <br />
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Our morning here began with our drinks underneath the bar hut as we enjoyed the warm breeze and watched the other passengers file in. The crew who runs the ship also runs the shops here that are located at the entry point of the <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1ZCZnibihDv_Z1Mqyk5ohwYRCwIe3dDyStKER2f-G4FbUvL1KeUGSkjNHhOdJx-cUU41_6orgorwq4fiJ0P1wWipk6nb0Tt5Znq-RBs7qrGhO1BkEwdX8EnRwwZuV26cH8au45o41Fo/s1600/front_area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1ZCZnibihDv_Z1Mqyk5ohwYRCwIe3dDyStKER2f-G4FbUvL1KeUGSkjNHhOdJx-cUU41_6orgorwq4fiJ0P1wWipk6nb0Tt5Znq-RBs7qrGhO1BkEwdX8EnRwwZuV26cH8au45o41Fo/s200/front_area.jpg" /></a></div>island. Amazing prices; I picked up a beautiful fuschia and white shell bracelet for $2 dollars, and all day long the shops offered draws and giveaways. The majority of our amazing day was spent under a clamshell on the beach. Clamshells are like semi-circular shade huts that lay close to the ground. These must be reserved through and they go fast, so if you're planning on visiting be sure to snatch one up. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZ4Up4KzAl75lVt1hd30XrVPCHj_L4Lynkb5aeFz2YbuIiZfuhXhtIHItfFVwwCYkdNEPEGhK_kJPDH6RdeEtpNmUmUKfPZYy19U6afXu0lx-GU4GGguDl21Hzdv7GmAXySuZU5p3tYw/s1600/me_beach_ship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZ4Up4KzAl75lVt1hd30XrVPCHj_L4Lynkb5aeFz2YbuIiZfuhXhtIHItfFVwwCYkdNEPEGhK_kJPDH6RdeEtpNmUmUKfPZYy19U6afXu0lx-GU4GGguDl21Hzdv7GmAXySuZU5p3tYw/s200/me_beach_ship.jpg" /></a></div>The beach itself is gorgeous with creamy white sand, and ample swimming and water activities. Nothing beats lying on the beach with a drink in your hand, watching the parasailers on a warm sunny day with a panoramic view of the majestic Nieuw Amsterdam in the background. Wow. <br />
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Lunch was also provided by the HAL staff and was filled with much more than any one person could possibly eat in one sitting, including an abundant array of salads, barbecued meat and fish, corn on the cob, and plenty of desserts including ice cream and brownies. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtljL4im40WAys-ayO52fmQvHa-twhrGPNZEjLhWuJ_2rzJHl_tjMt7k2F8zR65I6JRU0sSp4oZwTQHnRFzHcNPecMmZTqgr4WBW4hzVJMzMse3NmtYDAoLntgsCxP17W1oKdR1OP2Lb0/s1600/food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtljL4im40WAys-ayO52fmQvHa-twhrGPNZEjLhWuJ_2rzJHl_tjMt7k2F8zR65I6JRU0sSp4oZwTQHnRFzHcNPecMmZTqgr4WBW4hzVJMzMse3NmtYDAoLntgsCxP17W1oKdR1OP2Lb0/s200/food.jpg" /></a></div>Behind the beach nestled amongst the colourful vegetation you'll find the pirates bar. Newly built and modeled to resemble a pirates ship, this beauty is sprinkled with the essence of Captain Morgan himself. This is a great place to grab some nachos and a beer and just relax and enjoy the live entertainment. <br />
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Our time here seemed to slip by quickly but this was singularly the most relaxing leg of our trip. HAL has done a terrific job building up this private island to include all the needed amenities but still maintaining the feeling of exclusiveness and escape. This one is a treasure.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZTjF1Ceb-JPqxX0EQk6bYInZgkcFW8uy7v71-h0VmfkONmA1SnWWbtfv3qyx1tpguG0Tl90OEm2RVJU39hN4spobCDUtrbuLqlgxcj_6fYpZ9smKwPT5lVtak8KuafvyJdH99dkF_iM/s1600/clamshells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZTjF1Ceb-JPqxX0EQk6bYInZgkcFW8uy7v71-h0VmfkONmA1SnWWbtfv3qyx1tpguG0Tl90OEm2RVJU39hN4spobCDUtrbuLqlgxcj_6fYpZ9smKwPT5lVtak8KuafvyJdH99dkF_iM/s200/clamshells.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkHlcaG_OhrLN2Lsul8BpfIUwgwpTIBaVJXYigdpvNy7-RAyvfCAbdFBqBw_cqP9XOK6pznPXFlLCUaM3GsQd3IBMxrV2dbUBQWLYECPSAakHL5NAL3VrGLeF2WpXQvqEWVkl4UWggVQ/s1600/fountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkHlcaG_OhrLN2Lsul8BpfIUwgwpTIBaVJXYigdpvNy7-RAyvfCAbdFBqBw_cqP9XOK6pznPXFlLCUaM3GsQd3IBMxrV2dbUBQWLYECPSAakHL5NAL3VrGLeF2WpXQvqEWVkl4UWggVQ/s200/fountain.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcG9gW5wyhBgFrCv_UgxnTFFi-ymzwBoQBrYqacyFGRlj-bE0B8RXWG2SnSKQYxIaT0Y7XNjOFrFcuTAJc52xRV-lR4yGH1CaoY7FQvrnWuvDaIuUYZbCzpCH78yvRY5_1qaLHOV1SPEg/s1600/gorgeous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcG9gW5wyhBgFrCv_UgxnTFFi-ymzwBoQBrYqacyFGRlj-bE0B8RXWG2SnSKQYxIaT0Y7XNjOFrFcuTAJc52xRV-lR4yGH1CaoY7FQvrnWuvDaIuUYZbCzpCH78yvRY5_1qaLHOV1SPEg/s200/gorgeous.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNN_c77J6ciJk5jsqTpL2XRNbsghpIGJ-cAcgjPG0BvZ3sr7qwma2P3RPEAldKHa7zETaQTRAfBx7AB6V2n0chOMehN7Sht-Go6t6QSenyzDXU8JuWWPWsKGbvTKlwmpwRUPN1etDckQ/s1600/view_fr_pirate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNN_c77J6ciJk5jsqTpL2XRNbsghpIGJ-cAcgjPG0BvZ3sr7qwma2P3RPEAldKHa7zETaQTRAfBx7AB6V2n0chOMehN7Sht-Go6t6QSenyzDXU8JuWWPWsKGbvTKlwmpwRUPN1etDckQ/s200/view_fr_pirate.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-71596939620709838092011-04-25T19:42:00.000-04:002011-04-25T19:50:18.314-04:00Holland America, ships, and stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvJxC6HW3L5GtMXOPujq-19SHy2jGOezTCBWRQq783181bR4oJBD5DhU7SRkUzYByIZhHBHtDNXTZ2Tm5oVz8_lNUvLv44m8RvqNguiIR4CFAaaCfE2TjPBYBSURFoq0Q2M-8igxIWDY/s1600/main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvJxC6HW3L5GtMXOPujq-19SHy2jGOezTCBWRQq783181bR4oJBD5DhU7SRkUzYByIZhHBHtDNXTZ2Tm5oVz8_lNUvLv44m8RvqNguiIR4CFAaaCfE2TjPBYBSURFoq0Q2M-8igxIWDY/s400/main.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>My favourite photo of the ship</i></center><br />
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I've *never* been on a cruise. Before this trip, I was a cruise virgin. I really didn't know what to expect. I'd heard stories about how these ships were big (be sure to call them ships, because if you call them boats, you'll quickly be corrected by those with an extreme passion for this lifestyle. It's not pretty, either). <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUe7_9CAahmBEAOolLgV8RbtvKhJznZFqMh0pmAqwhd09GRX5gqeEbYiWZL7YeaTghSqz78w60AzSgiOU1IpFckFSQdxAhF2RqfHUINANUWIuKbXWSjXI4xsRb_uNi_zGLFHMU1h3_Ic/s1600/deck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUe7_9CAahmBEAOolLgV8RbtvKhJznZFqMh0pmAqwhd09GRX5gqeEbYiWZL7YeaTghSqz78w60AzSgiOU1IpFckFSQdxAhF2RqfHUINANUWIuKbXWSjXI4xsRb_uNi_zGLFHMU1h3_Ic/s200/deck.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Before our cruise, the general consensus of the population went something like this: Oh, you're going on a Holland America cruise? Those are for old people. <br />
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I cannot tell you how many times people said that to me. Doesn't that sound exciting and conjure up rousing images of soft-serve ice cream and crokinole on the Lido deck before an early check-in at sunset? Hah - yeah, this couldn't be farther from the truth! The theme of this ship was far from it. For the population, I would say half were retirees. But the other half was a solid mix of young adults, and families with children. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqCHSgZoY7zSaMVvYRWiLbSroyAB3AmYnyST68e3puPVa8Mr0vlTPQyBuMJIumVWiAwiOvoa0sBR9x9HeRnj-VrON3HFNG6ISLWpP7F4zzDiJT7arga-aINEYSEEL8z68Ovmb3X7Q-TU/s1600/bench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqCHSgZoY7zSaMVvYRWiLbSroyAB3AmYnyST68e3puPVa8Mr0vlTPQyBuMJIumVWiAwiOvoa0sBR9x9HeRnj-VrON3HFNG6ISLWpP7F4zzDiJT7arga-aINEYSEEL8z68Ovmb3X7Q-TU/s200/bench.jpg" /></a></div>And of the retirees, I think I saw one the whole time who was actually beyond retirement if you catch my drift. The rest were young and young at heart and active, and participated in the late night festivities and shore excursions along with the rest of us. I was on this trip with travel agents who represent the top 25 agencies in North America, and their sentiments were constantly echoing the same thought throughout the week: "I always perceived Holland America as being for old people but its definitely not". <br />
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One thing I did pick up around the ship is that Holland America's theme is less people; more room per ship. I'd believe this to also be true. I hate crowds, and I hate line ups. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWYXkd5Zt49frhb_2FIjaHKIK24fYhMH9FgZGV93GZ5R68Qa2QaKDMYWQPEsfeRE_DH5qgm1gqXKddH8SeTZ_rEx8YNV5U67U-wFTel98LXxq0teUvhGiNjbVXIIss4w5pptu7b7IooY/s1600/IMG_8433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWYXkd5Zt49frhb_2FIjaHKIK24fYhMH9FgZGV93GZ5R68Qa2QaKDMYWQPEsfeRE_DH5qgm1gqXKddH8SeTZ_rEx8YNV5U67U-wFTel98LXxq0teUvhGiNjbVXIIss4w5pptu7b7IooY/s200/IMG_8433.jpg" /></a></div>It's not that the ship ever once felt empty, but nearly ever did I have to wait in a line for anything. The open dining in the Lido area was probably the only lineup I experienced and it would never be more than 2-3 people deep. <br />
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A better word I would use for the atmosphere of this ship would be vibrant. There's always something going on from the time you start at breakfast, to the disco parties that run well into the night. There's a large blend of activities to satisfy any age, and the ship even has a kids club - I thought that was something you only saw on a Carnival ship. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOiteyDyjUjmwxOfceYPkJsJ-4jpxFQjCn8hwLh6_NsuwXJDioIht-iVqb6-BtqCk2DK0Y6ZdaI9h2KbKfol7zKht6-o_-9bBq2TdZAV1Zv9jDChyphenhyphenQX5NzNg77QSUAJRAgqCX0dNX_pA/s1600/showroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOiteyDyjUjmwxOfceYPkJsJ-4jpxFQjCn8hwLh6_NsuwXJDioIht-iVqb6-BtqCk2DK0Y6ZdaI9h2KbKfol7zKht6-o_-9bBq2TdZAV1Zv9jDChyphenhyphenQX5NzNg77QSUAJRAgqCX0dNX_pA/s400/showroom.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>Show Room at Sea</i></center><br />
But the staff of Holland America are truly the stars! They are the most wonderful people I've met and they're what I miss the most! They made the experience go from just 'amazing' to "trip of a lifetime". <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DRxONqjq9DCQgN9f9rkx8XcBMTJyXeA-dx_5C5ntffCKYDJGYbXhfhCFZKNSNoHCP0TkB1a6vbvZBdVwpScJBUC9mCIIUmEVapMoMNv5GMjKwyYnneg8pXXGD7N8R93_rQUajzF9gNo/s1600/lido.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DRxONqjq9DCQgN9f9rkx8XcBMTJyXeA-dx_5C5ntffCKYDJGYbXhfhCFZKNSNoHCP0TkB1a6vbvZBdVwpScJBUC9mCIIUmEVapMoMNv5GMjKwyYnneg8pXXGD7N8R93_rQUajzF9gNo/s200/lido.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Whatever you need, the staff is there and ready to help. They're friendly and engaging. They truly care about your experience! And they're never in short supply. Our dinning room assistants got to quickly know our dinner preferences and always had our table prepared with our favorites by the time we arrived! Small touches like that really make the experience memorable. <br />
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I cannot wait to return on a Holland America cruise again. We're thinking about trying the Mediterranean next summer! And because we've sailed with HAL before, we're automatically 1-star Mariners and qualify for perks (I love points, and I love perks)! I can't wait!<br />
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Here are some of my recommendations if you're sailing Holland America...<br />
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<b>Dining</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbtHdX-BeLprAwL_dhAG55UzoJaxiu8rz2RINOY8yS3NO5_BrgYupTCPXTOoEpMua_HCqQYkkuTnHP8LVb-yTKYcj0MbsjPi4lKXc0alkF1ef98vmQomS3Oh4FBnO2NF7uyJTUUWmoZo/s1600/dessert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbtHdX-BeLprAwL_dhAG55UzoJaxiu8rz2RINOY8yS3NO5_BrgYupTCPXTOoEpMua_HCqQYkkuTnHP8LVb-yTKYcj0MbsjPi4lKXc0alkF1ef98vmQomS3Oh4FBnO2NF7uyJTUUWmoZo/s200/dessert.jpg" /></a></div>There is the Lido deck for leisure dining, but my preference was the Manhattan Room, our regular dining option. The food there is amazing. But also, be sure to reserve a night at the Pinnacle Grill. The food there is incredible - very elegant, and extreme fine dining. The Pinnacle Grill is a must!<br />
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<b>Activities</b><br />
There's just SO much to do on the ship, you will not possibly cover it all. Some musts include catching a show in the Showroom at Sea in the evening. The performances are well polished, and spectacular! I enjoyed the daily bingo, with a growing jackpot each day from $10,000 to $100,000. Can you imagine winning that?!! On the last day was also a free-cruise bingo. I saw a girl win a free cruise. That would be cool. The culinary demonstration is also a must. The culinary arts center is very posh. And be sure to grab a drink in the crow's nest. The view (and super comfortable chairs along the front) are spectacular!<br />
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<b>Drinks</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBqKujOcg-vEBzaaYUSjAKVkIpdggo5HBo4jEhuiI9Y3o1rpEAbEIQ4NeDfNt8JnniTBxYo0_LhcSZnHpX5JsB9pQAp8Gte_hg0wdUMk8jbUOCfOwAycscCmtzdHHYbD7L6Zkqexpl5g/s1600/atrium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBqKujOcg-vEBzaaYUSjAKVkIpdggo5HBo4jEhuiI9Y3o1rpEAbEIQ4NeDfNt8JnniTBxYo0_LhcSZnHpX5JsB9pQAp8Gte_hg0wdUMk8jbUOCfOwAycscCmtzdHHYbD7L6Zkqexpl5g/s200/atrium.jpg" /></a></div>This was a big deal for me because I'm a huge water drinker, and if you want a bottle of water on the ship you need to buy it. There are pop cards you can purchase (ick), but if you can live on water/juice/coffee/tea/iced tea, then I strongly suggest grabbing drinks from the Lido area whenever you need a drink outside of your meals. Water and drinks there are free, and if you cannot find what you're looking for, there's always staff around to help get what you need.<br />
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<b>Shopping</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KWSiglT6nfG_M6hrR-GV48f0bSpbLExZQsmALU6H1EkAtFX79TitEeo_O-3QfnYuSi4rHgvPxTPmYNepAilyMrXsbVgNGNPS7qJEMInkQk8sHMq2js1zUbtsdA-Ma979uyHToq83qZk/s1600/spa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KWSiglT6nfG_M6hrR-GV48f0bSpbLExZQsmALU6H1EkAtFX79TitEeo_O-3QfnYuSi4rHgvPxTPmYNepAilyMrXsbVgNGNPS7qJEMInkQk8sHMq2js1zUbtsdA-Ma979uyHToq83qZk/s200/spa.jpg" /></a></div>A girl's favourite! I didn't realize this, but all the shopping on board our ship was tax and duty free! Our tax in Ontario is 13% so no tax is always a treat! I'm not sure if this is exclusive to any at-sea shopping on the ship, or just because we were in Caribbean waters, but be sure to check it out. We picked up some great items and souvenirs here!<br />
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(More cruise review to come soon...)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-83326087938046899482011-04-23T12:22:00.000-04:002011-04-23T12:22:03.127-04:00Clothes shopping for Orlando...nowI'm not really sure if I need new clothes. Or need summer clothes in general, but because I'm a girl it's a default answer to say I do. And think I do. Which is why I picked up some more summer items today (eek)! <br />
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I could probably have gotten away with what I have already (and wore on our cruise) but we are going to Orlando next month, and that's a nice, sunny state as well. So some nice new summer clothes just seem like a nice reason to take advantage of the *great* sale on American Eagle's website today! 20% off <i>everything</i> this weekend, <i>and</i> free shipping! Free shipping to Canada is huge! So here's what I gave in to...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEeoPf-PQDiy37X_6KmqznRA8M9lTid8uiwc4bsPCf4O0K4hR7rPXbHKk-5Y1c8x-gApIxL6HWgywwVWwk-4qYbhuGBycDMvTP9f35PjtRBLT2kxsiPLLS4OCTwgcREQvGQrWrLTzYDs/s1600/ae2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="319" width="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEeoPf-PQDiy37X_6KmqznRA8M9lTid8uiwc4bsPCf4O0K4hR7rPXbHKk-5Y1c8x-gApIxL6HWgywwVWwk-4qYbhuGBycDMvTP9f35PjtRBLT2kxsiPLLS4OCTwgcREQvGQrWrLTzYDs/s400/ae2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I loooove the dress. My concern was that it's the same colour as the skirt I purchased earlier this year (see a few posts below...). But in the end I decided I loved the grey the most, and should buy the colour I like best. The orange tunic was a "I-need-something-I-can-also-wear-to-work" purchase, but also because it matches the cute sand-coloured shorts I got. And also because I just love that colour!<br />
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So yeah. There's my total girl-rationalization for buying these clothes. But also because it was a <i>great</i> deal - of course! :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-34214215489596411822011-04-18T19:13:00.000-04:002011-04-18T19:13:20.231-04:00Cruising is the lifestyle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Ge5JMelUr_9GJlOCH7-kqfUzR8gJDD_yqiToT8gPZJP1vELvhDyBssxAUHx5iV96I8LuAyxKsa9k_5XGOrrHL6TX6uhGoXGH1WK6J_AhcJxW3Ng2dmJJlLeeIqa0-39tv71TFHka-i4/s1600/IMG_8613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Ge5JMelUr_9GJlOCH7-kqfUzR8gJDD_yqiToT8gPZJP1vELvhDyBssxAUHx5iV96I8LuAyxKsa9k_5XGOrrHL6TX6uhGoXGH1WK6J_AhcJxW3Ng2dmJJlLeeIqa0-39tv71TFHka-i4/s400/IMG_8613.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Well, I'm a few weeks back from our Holland America cruise aboard the newest ship in their fleet, the 2011 ship of the year, the ms Nieuw Amsterdam! (A ship that grand deserves a grand introduction in this post). I'll post experiences from the trip over the course of this week. Photos, places visited, thoughts and experiences. And recommendations of course. <br />
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My blog is coming a little late because my original journal entries were wiped with my original iPad sync. So it's back to the trusty written entries I have. It took me a few weeks to get over losing all those, But I have lots of pictures and experiences to share!<br />
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The next trip on the list is Orlando. That's coming up at the end of May, so there'll be some planning posts still to come about that too. But the cruise is first!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-14961242739033219032011-03-11T20:34:00.000-05:002011-03-11T20:34:09.558-05:00Cruise countdown: 15 more days!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfvdDiW9bg1CuOUJGbQ1Huq954bqQSQWj0-KfhrVq4m6xMroP7uUG36chiSEIK62OLimoUh2We2uR1LTH304bJRstPBM_tBqrIh4mEJVM-yW6AZZjQjB7znSNvlJySHn-0y4pwBFmk5k/s1600/travel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="309" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfvdDiW9bg1CuOUJGbQ1Huq954bqQSQWj0-KfhrVq4m6xMroP7uUG36chiSEIK62OLimoUh2We2uR1LTH304bJRstPBM_tBqrIh4mEJVM-yW6AZZjQjB7znSNvlJySHn-0y4pwBFmk5k/s400/travel.jpg" /></a></div><br />
We're on the countdown! I can't believe it. I've been doing a LOT of prep work in the past couple weeks. Here's where I'm at...<br />
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<b>Flights</b><br />
Flights are booked. We'll be traveling West Jet, and it's my first time traveling this airline. Our flights will put us in Ft. Lauderdale the night before the cruise, although our flights are late at night, they're free - so not really complaining much there. :)<br />
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<b>Hotel</b><br />
Our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale was pre-arranged for us at a discounted rate (yay). It'll be a Starwood Westin hotel. I've stayed in Westin hotels before and they are just amazing! I'm sure this one won't disappoint either.<br />
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<b>Train</b><br />
We'll be taking the train to get to the airport. It's a 3-hour car ride, and our return flight hits a different connection city. So we'll be coming home via train as well. Opting to not take the connection on our return flight back to Toronto. We'll save about 5 hours doing it this way. <br />
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<b>Registration</b><br />
We registered today for the cruise - the MOST exciting part!!! We have a balcony suite, which I'm totally psyched about, and mom is too. This is my first ever cruise, so I'm excited to have a balcony.<br />
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<b>Itinerary</b><br />
We also received our cruise itinerary, which includes a couple private cocktail parties with our group, and all our dining reservations and shore excursion lunches. For ports of call, we'll be visiting Half Moon Cay, Grand Turks, Costa Maya, and Grand Cayman. Right now we're looking at visiting the Mayan Ruins in Mexico which I'd really like to see. We'll likely know more after this weekend.<br />
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...I *still* need to pick up US money. I've been lazy doing that, but every day I plan to go to the exchange office it's been raining and so I've been putting it off. I'll need to do that next week though. I've also been stocking up on sunscreen and all the travel items I'll need to take with me. I cannot believe how close our trip is - eek!!! 15 more days!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-30740784779506601682011-02-19T21:37:00.000-05:002011-02-19T21:41:23.560-05:00Clothes shopping for the cruise34 more days! Almost just a month. So I figured I'd better start thinking about packing - ugh. Considering it's -10˚C weather here right now, it's hard to think about summer. I need to dig through my last year clothes, but thought I'd pick up a couple new pieces to take with me, because new clothes are always exciting. And it'll be something I can use with my next Florida trip in May as well.<br />
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So here's what I got...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1nN5E9V8Q0Nt9rQicH6cZg4qw5Gj8XEfKAegbEguCq_ebOtT0NAprqGjUdf_fHldWZU0-EJBgf6G5KnG6iWncjCUTE8JKTB2_9aV59KNTKokcB-2-xBK6vo4jARfv519PmB5czdChWU/s1600/ae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="311" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1nN5E9V8Q0Nt9rQicH6cZg4qw5Gj8XEfKAegbEguCq_ebOtT0NAprqGjUdf_fHldWZU0-EJBgf6G5KnG6iWncjCUTE8JKTB2_9aV59KNTKokcB-2-xBK6vo4jARfv519PmB5czdChWU/s400/ae.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I love American Eagle. It's probably my favourite clothing store (and it's from Pittsburgh!) - it's the place I shop the most. The peasant dress was crazy hard to get, because it's been sold out for weeks! I got lucky one morning when they'd restocked online and quickly picked it up with the macrame belt (which looks awesome together). And I love the grey eyelet skirt; it'll be great for throwing on to go to the beach. THE BEACH!<br />
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Now I need to go rummage through my old summer clothes...I much prefer shopping online. :P<br />
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Oh, and did I mention I don't have to pay airfare either now?!! I found out on Friday our airfare is covered, I can't believe it! Now I <i>really</i> can't wait to go!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-71018640218599743572011-02-10T20:05:00.000-05:002011-02-10T20:06:47.911-05:00Holland America Cruise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIWx1ZvZnePveAXjXyMSpDXDieMST8WL7oEV1YlDFsDFAPf0kRz43vM_OxL4vu4fcigMnbPyIhkfb2aNxp0ZakqzRo8FEPUTL9G3k5XUeNrbSd4fX1tAuDuQkiEZ-zUN_o5n7BZohfSs/s1600/Nieuw-Amsterdam-night-b3a249c2-60fa-42f0-a754-6b6cfd02171e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIWx1ZvZnePveAXjXyMSpDXDieMST8WL7oEV1YlDFsDFAPf0kRz43vM_OxL4vu4fcigMnbPyIhkfb2aNxp0ZakqzRo8FEPUTL9G3k5XUeNrbSd4fX1tAuDuQkiEZ-zUN_o5n7BZohfSs/s400/Nieuw-Amsterdam-night-b3a249c2-60fa-42f0-a754-6b6cfd02171e.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Sooo, it seems like another trip is on the horizon, and this one is actually coming BEFORE the Florida/Disney trip. Let me explain.<br />
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The other day, travel agent mom emails me and says something like "if you only have to pay your airfare, can you go on a free cruise". WHAT? It didn't take me long to respond, likely longer to click the 'reply' button. Are you kidding?!? So it looks like I'll be going on my first cruise ever, next month with Holland America. It's to celebrate some of the top travel agents within the organization her agency is a part of. And I'm the free-traveling companion! Woohoo!<br />
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The cruise will be a 7-day Western Caribbean, on the MS Nieuw Amsterdam, one of the largest ships (if not the largest) that HA has! And the ship isn't even a year old, having being brought to life last June in Venice. It's beautiful! Our ports of call include Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Costa Maya, and Grand Cayman. I've been to Turks & Caicos before, but given the chance I'd always go again. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. But I've never been on a cruise, and so this will be a year of 'first's'! Right now I'm struggling through a packing list...stay tuned!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5614564546558587369.post-20181837425301284112011-02-06T08:37:00.000-05:002011-02-06T08:50:38.304-05:00Planning for Disney<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZP4A9x4wBYMLkJhZzygZI29jPPuOFWIPC8Su5MwgGfz9LBI9DHHGuKiS9yrlmV_Axr825b_3v6coOYGppp7260MjoYAVEEvjSICojMatN7KuT4y3pltxi9_H5Ny8VxraZsDkRun5Tqc/s1600/mickey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="180" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZP4A9x4wBYMLkJhZzygZI29jPPuOFWIPC8Su5MwgGfz9LBI9DHHGuKiS9yrlmV_Axr825b_3v6coOYGppp7260MjoYAVEEvjSICojMatN7KuT4y3pltxi9_H5Ny8VxraZsDkRun5Tqc/s400/mickey.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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It seems the wheels are in motion for my first trip of the year - yay! It'll be in May to Orlando, Florida. I've never been to FLA in my life, which kinda seems like one of those places where everyone has been *except* me. So we're planning! The trip and hotel is booked - that part was easy. We'll be flying Air Canada Vacations and staying in a partnered hotel, off the resorts. We plan to hit Universal Studios, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (I'm most excited about this!), and Disney. <br />
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After picking up some travel books and checking out the different sights there are at Disney, we learned that you should pre-book dining reservations 120 days in advance! We are RIGHT at that time frame, so we went to work. I had no idea there were so many options. There's character dining, all the way down to casual dining. The Disney website has a crazy dining list, but the formal/character dining are the only ones you need to book reservations for. And the character dining goes FAST. It's the best guarantee to see a Disney character and have your photo taken, because it happens as you enter the restaurant, and then they schmooze around the tables while you eat. Here are the restaurants we made reservations at and why:<br />
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<b>Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party</b><br />
This was our first reservation. We wanted to be sure to catch the fireworks show and this description guarantees that. It's supposed to be the biggest fireworks show the park offers, and you sit on the terrace and have access to a sweets and drinks buffet while you watch the fireworks! This one is super-popular though and requires credit card payment in advance. The payment for two adults was around $46 dollars. Not cheap but not crazy. We'll be doing this our first night in Orlando.<br />
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<b>Supercalifragilistic Breakfast</b><br />
Oooh, I am SUPER excited about this one! It's a breakfast at their extravagant Grand Floridian Resort, located on the grounds of Disney close to Magic Kingdom. I believe this is buffet too, but includes an appearance by my FAVOURITE Disney character of all time: Mary Poppins! Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, and Winnie the Pooh also promise to be there - I can't wait! This will kick off our fourth day at the park, where we also plan for a full day at Magic Kingdom.<br />
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<b>Coral Reef Restaurant</b><br />
Amidst the dining options above, we realized we didn't have a nice formal dinner. So we chose the Coral Reef Restaurant for our fifth day. There are no characters at this one, but the pictures show super-extravagance as soft teal and blue lights illuminate the dining area, and guests are entertained with a sea wall filled floor to ceiling with salt water coral reef aquariums. You can dine as sharks, sea turtles, string rays, and hundreds of exotic fish species swim by. It's located in Epcot.<br />
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<b>Akershus Royal Banquet Hall</b><br />
Okay, this was my indulgence pick. The above three were the only reservations we were going to make, but in the mix we still hadn't selected any princess or castle-themed places. It's Disney and I'm a girl, so there has to be princesses somewhere! We'll be doing lunch here on our sixth day. Set in a grand medieval theme, the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is located in the Norway Pavilion at Epcot, and features numerous princess characters. It doesn't seem like the celebrity appearances are guaranteed by specific character, but I have seen Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Milan, Jasmine, and Ariel among them. This one also required a credit card to secure our space but no prepayment. And will come with a $10 charge per person if you don't cancel within 2 days, or don't show for your time. Next to Cinderella's Royal Table, this is the big Princess dinner draw!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsf996AeUBnM0nEyefA55DMemLXpfBJ2hIbSEoBd0OEmrSbWudet4G4LHm2xtkxpyWpLctK-26kZvA2x-ZAZVxx3tC2DLC5Mso9uHrOkok33odJKVZHE0Wp6getoBXkKCHqBXTrBv1DWI/s1600/akershus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="180" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsf996AeUBnM0nEyefA55DMemLXpfBJ2hIbSEoBd0OEmrSbWudet4G4LHm2xtkxpyWpLctK-26kZvA2x-ZAZVxx3tC2DLC5Mso9uHrOkok33odJKVZHE0Wp6getoBXkKCHqBXTrBv1DWI/s400/akershus.jpg" /></a></div><br />
In between going to Disney, we will be going to Universal Orlando. In Disney we plan to see the Magic Kingdom park, Epcot park, and Animal Kingdom park.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0