Time 2 Cruise

We recently returned from a 2 week stint in the U.K. where we spent one week in Edinburgh and one week in London.  There were 4 of us and when we did the math on 2 hotel rooms for 14 nights, the numbers got scary!  So we started to look at other options.  Hostels were an option but not something my mother in law was going to go for.  So we looked at renting furnished apartments and BINGO!  A 2 bedroom, 2 bath flat in Edinburgh was a little over $1000 for 7 days.  A standard hotel ran about  $150 a night and we required 2 rooms.  Talk about freeing up some vacation fundage!  Now London was a little more expensive, but so were the hotel rooms there.  So if you are planing a vacation for a group of 4 or more, I strongly suggest you check into renting a furnished apartment.

In my last post, I was talking about cruising with a rock band while also sharing one of my favorite songs by my favorite band Sick Puppies.  Since that post, they have been added to the line-up for the 3rd annual ShipRocked cruise!  That's right, I actually get to experience first hand what I was just talking about just a few months back.  The cruise itself is a 5 day, leaving on November 14th out of Port Everglades Florida, making stops at Costa Maya and Cozumel Mexico.  Along with Sick Puppies will be Queensryche, Buckcherry, Hinder, Hellyeah, Sevendust, Candlebox, Filter, Living Colour, In This Moment, Lynam, Broken Teeth, Rival Suns and 2 unsigned bands that have to win their way on.  The cruise is not only popular with the fans, but with the bands as well. Lynam is making their 3rd appearance already. 

A lot of bands and artists do this now.  If you watch VH1, they have been advertising one.  If I was to pick a band to have on a cruise, it would be Sick Puppies!  Don't let the name fool you.  They are a rock band that can energize any crowd.  And with a song like Riptide, their current single, it is just fitting.  Check out this link:  http://t.co/nhcvqXf   to see a lyrical video of Riptide.  I don't know about you but "I think I'm doing just fine"!

So a year later and the same trip.  It was decided that we would do the same cruise and tour.  Its amazing how things change in a year.  Some for the best and some not.  We were on the Carnival Paradise again and yet at times it felt like a different cruise.  As far as Carnival and the Paradise go, everything was great and met or exceeded our expectations.  The thing that every cruiser knows and most dread is the life boat drill and even that has been improved.  Rather than make people bring their life vest from their cabins, they are tole adamantly to NOT bring them.  This was the start of what was many changes, most subtle that really made an impact with us.  I can only hope that this is something that is being done across the fleet, if not all cruise lines. For the excursion, we chose to repeat the wine tour we did last year.  The tour consists of going to 2 different wineries with a tour and tasting.  Last year we went to 2 ve...

  Carnival  cruise lines is runng a new special they are calling 1 - 2 - 3 Go which includes cash back and free upgrades. But many past guests of Carnival don't log in when they visit the site and are not seeing the best prices.  After logging in you could see as much as $30 per person per night less than listed for non members.  Looking at a 3 night Mexican Baja we found it to be $80 cheaper per person for past guests.  Add to that another $30 per person on board credit and its very very tempting. So tempting that we will be booking our yearly 3 day this week. 

We have been down to Ensenada Mexico plenty of times and have tried a few of the tours that the cruise lines offer.  Our favorite (adults only tour) one has to be the winery tour.  Depending on the time of year you go, the tour is different. There is going to be more activity near the harvesting season but even in non harvest season you can really have fun.  Most tours whether thru a cruise line or booked as a bus tour from San Diego usually include a minimum of 2 wineries.  Our last trip we had probably one of the best tour guides.  After boarding the bus from the ship, we we off to our first stop.  Not one of the wineries, but a bakery where we got fresh baked bread to take with us.  The first winery we went to was also an olive farm.  The bread was for sampling the olive oil pressed fresh on site.  All I can say is they are smart.  More olive oil was sold because of the bread and this was before the wine started to flow!  And f...

When planing for vacation, there is a lot more to think about than if your bathing suit fits.  Setting up things at home cannot take a back seat.  Even if you are going away for a weekend, there are things to do!  Well of course you say.  But it is really easy to forget something.  A great way to help see to it that you don't forget something is to make a list. This is no great secret.  Snowbirds have been doing it for years. Not remembering to shut the water off and drain the toilets just once is all it takes to make a list.  It also gives peace of mind.  How many vacations are not spend wondering, did I shut off this or locked that?  It is amazing how powerful a simple list can have.

I am asked often by people if they can use their cell phone while on vacation.  The answer depends on the carrier, type of phone, and the system where you are traveling.  Currently most cruise lines have equipment that work with both GSM and CDMA phones but you should check with the cruise line of your choice before going.  If traveling outside the country, call your carrier and ask if your phone will work.  They will know, and if it does not, they may have agreements with the local carrier and can rent a phone to you for your vacation. Be aware that you would want to find this out early because the rental is usually mailed to you.  Also pay close attention to the pricing.  These plans can be VERY expensive.  Another option is to see if you can rent a phone from a company in the country you are traveling to directly.  It may be a lot cheaper. But many countries are more expensive than the U.S. for cell minutes, so no mater what be prepared fo...

The first named storm of the season, while weak is causing problems in the Gulf of Mexico.  Alex has been downgraded but that does not mean it is gone.  The storm caused major problems for the city of Monterrey Mexico on Friday.  The national weather service over the winter gave a prediction of up to 13 named storms, 7 of which are expected to grow to hurricane status and Alex as the first of the season has already done so.  Alex did not get as close to the oil problem currently going on in the gulf as it could have, but still managed to cause problems for the clean up efforts going on.  The quantity and frequency of the future storms may cause even more trouble.  So for anyone planing vacation in or around the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean, now is the time to pay very special attention to the weather.

It's 4th of July weekend and many Americans will be venturing away from home to celebrate.  Those on boarder states like to drive to Mexico where the resorts cater to us and will have celebrations and fireworks.  To quote an old cliche "getting there is half the battle".  There has been a lot of negative activity going on just south of the boarder with gang fighting.  They are fighting with the police, the locals, and the tourists!  As a tourist you have to be aware of your surroundings no matter where you are, but if you are traveling to Mexico right now, you need to be even more aware.  Simple rules such as safety in numbers and staying in the touristy areas can mean the difference between having a fun weekend or ending up in a situation that no one wants to find them self in.  Have fun but don't become a statistic.