We visited Key West where we ate at the original Jimmy Buffett's Margueritaville restaurant and saw Ernest Hemingway's house.
Next stop was Belize (after a day at sea) where we took a boat out to the barrier reef (2nd largest in the world) and snorkled. We were taken to a private island where we got to spend an hour or so on the beach. We also went to a bay where we saw manatees coming up for breath. A dolphin swam around our boat as we were stopped and when we motored out of the bay it followed us in the wake of the boat. It looked like he/she was having a wonderful time!
Guatemala was depressing as it's so poor. We took a trolley tour through Santo Tomas de Castillo and Puerto Barrios. Notice the guy with the machine gun in the background. The 2nd picture is of the marketplace in Puerto Barrios.
The best part of that port stop was taking a trip into the Las Escobas rain forest to the protected waterfalls.
Costa Maya Mexico was next where we saw the results of Hurricane Dean and the amazingly beautiful beach. We toured the Mayan ruins at Chacchoben and ate fresh pineapple from a roadside stand in Pineapple Town.
We took advantage of the spa services on the ship and had wonderful meals in the dining room each night with our servers Chandra and David.
Bill's parents' marriage vow renewal ceremony was special and performed by the captain himself.
All in all it was a wonderful trip and everyone got along well. This is a picture of me on deck at sunrise our first day out at sea.
Now, Bill and I would like to put out the possibility of having MY family get together for a cruise to Alaska. We're planning to go in 2010 and I know Tina expressed interest in joining us. So, if you are interested start saving your money! Because Bill and I are now considered "Mariners" after our first cruise we can book for 37% off the price for ourselves and anyone who books with us. Perhaps if we get enough people we can even qualify for a group rate.
I did a quick calculation to give you an idea of what it would cost 2 people and if we were to use today's rates for a trip in June of this year the cost would be $3,300 for a verandah room which I highly recommend. The air fare to and from Vancouver (where we'd take the boat from) right now through Expedia is $819 for 2 people. That totals about $4,200 for the air and cruise. Expect to spend another $1,000 - $2,000 on the ship (for drinks, souvenirs, spa, and other activites) so figure you're talking minimum $6,000 for 2. We would most likely fly into Vancouver earlier to spend a day or so there (it's a beautiful city) so all told you can expect to need $7,000 to $8,000 a couple.
I know that sounds like a lot of money and you may decide that you want to spend that going someplace else but I think it would be a blast to have the family on a cruise (sans mom - she'll never go on a boat!). Perhaps if we want to plan a family vacation that would include mom we could think about spending similar money and booking a Caribbean all inclusive resort instead. Anyway, food for thought and as Bill and I will be heading to Alaska in 2 years we hope at least some of you might consider joining us.
15 comments:
A great post for the blog. Glad you had such a good time.
A family cruise sounds good, but I probably would not be that interested in a cruise at that price. I am considering looking into a "relocation" cruise in the "far" future.
This WAS a fantastic blog posting AP. I didnt know you were on your cruise already. It looks fantastic!
A family cruise sounds fun, I dunno about ALaska though.
But it looks like you guys had a great time!
Alaska would be awesome Deanna. Snow, Ice, Hockey, polar bears, Palin...what else do you need?
Sounds like you guys had fun. I've always wanted to try a cruise, but Alaska might be a bit too much. If we wanted to do something like this, I think we should start off with a trip more manageable monetarily for everyone.
Karen
Sounds good too me also, but not likely that we could afford such an extravagant vacation. Kids in college, retirement on the distant horizon... little things like that.
I know we've probably beaten this horse to death, but what about a long family weekend at the Trapp Family Lodge. They may have cancellations since we last looked into this. If not there, perhaps someplace near there so we could take Mo there, perhaps to dinner.
I was thinking about the Trapp Family Lodge. Mom's always wanted to go there in the winter when there's snow but I think summer time would be nice too. We could do a long weekend. Another idea would be a family vacation at some type of all inclusive resort someplace or rent a house at the Outer Banks for a week. If we plan something for a couple of years down the road people could save for it. I know it's hard for those of you with kids to do that.
This may be a good year to go to Trapp Family Lodge in early December, what with the economy and all. Vacation destinations may be offering good deals to get people there. I'll check it out.
Check this out: the Trapp Family Lodge has 2 and 3 bedroom villas. Here is a link to the description and price chart. It's not bad in early December, especially when you consider cost-sharing. The only thing that isn't clear is how many of these villas they have.
http://www.trappfamily.com/stowe_vermont_lodging/luxury_villa_rentals/
Tina
Tina, I've checked out the accommodatios. Looks like a nice place. I think when I checked it out a while ago, there was no availability in early December, but I don't remember what dates I put in.
Karen
I haven't heard from anyone else if they would be interested in this. If so, I can check the availability. The web site says they have about 20 villas, so hopefully there will be a couple available, but I'd have to know how many villas/people we would want.
Tina
Never mind. I just read on the Reservation Request form that villas require a week stay, unless partials are available within 30 days of when you want to go. I suppose we could wait until November and check to see if there is anything available in December, if we really want to do that. Or just stay in the lodge, but that could be quite a bit more expensive.
Tina
I know this goes against doing something that Mom wants to do but what about renting a big house at the Outer Banks for a week? It would be good to do it off season so the price is cheaper but then it would be harder for the kids to come along. They have some really amazing places down there and it's reasonably driveable for those from Connecticut as well as Florida.
I don't think Dave and I have enough vacation time to go anywhere for a week. However, a long weekend is not out of the question. We might be able to use Disney Vacation Club points and go to Hilton Head if everyone would be interested in that. I know it's a bit farther south than the Outer Banks, but wouldn't cost too much.
Tina
We may have come up with a new plan. Still go to the outer banks but not for 3 years, for Annie's 50th. That way we can go anytime of the year we want (hopefully). This can be confirmed by the other siblings, but I think that is what we agreed upon.
Yes, that's what we talked about. In 3 years for Annie's 50th we should do a family vacation. A big house at the Outer Banks might work as it would be relatively easy to get there from here or from FL. So, start saving your money! I wasn't suggeting we should do it this year as that's too soon for people to commit.
Here's a link to an example of a house we could rent on the ocean for $2,680 for a week if we were to rent the week of 9/10/09. Sleeps 22 with 5 MBR on one level and 2 MBR on another. Private pool, hot tub, game room, lots of other amenities. Check it out!
http://www.southernshores.com/rentals/property/263
Post a Comment