Refurbished ships

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Life is crazy. I’ve had communication device problems, hopefully we should be through that. My parents and I have moved. I’m not sure when we are going to get internet at the house and all that.. I’m actually with friends right now. I’m not sure how everything is going to work out, but we’ll see. I wish I could say I know I am going to be back to normal work by a certain time, but I do not know when that will be yet.. Frankly, I do miss my work, and I’m ready to get back to it after nearly a month off.

But anyway, today let’s look at some reasons why you should check out refurbished cruise ships. It used to be that cruise ships would dry dock just about only when completely necessary to stay legal. But these days a lot of cruise companies have decided to completely refurbish their ships, and so other companies are following suit. Here are some reasons you should consider a refurbished ship.

• Going on a new ship is likely going to cost you an arm and a leg. But that is simply not the case with a refurbished ship.
• Your rates are going to be between thirty to forty percent lower than on completely new ship. You might even be able to score a last minute deal out instead of having to book and then wait around for three years to go to on your cruise.
• It does cost less to revamp an old ship than to build a new one. Many ships are adding all of the popular features when they do their dry dock.
• Another thing you will love is the new rooms on these ships.. Most ships are adding suites.

Places you should go before you turn the big 40

I am pretty unsure about whether or not I am going to have internet access starting tomorrow. We will have to see how everything goes.

I apologize but I am going to get a little personal here. How old are you? If you are around thirty, this blog post is written specifically for you.

Bucket lists have been huge. And I know they are not as big as they once were, but they are still . If you are around thirty, here are some place you might want to put on your list.

• Don’t you want to see the Taj Mahel? After all, it is one of the seven wonders of the world. Someone built this place to honor his favorite wife after she died giving birth to their fourteenth child. It is recommended to visit this place first thing in  the morning because sunrise makes this place spectacular.
• Have you ever visited the Grand Canyon? This is another beautiful place to get to at sunrise. You will want to take a day or more to explore, do some hiking/walking.
• You might want to go to the Great Barrier Reef. This is in Queensland. Here you know will find all ks of sealife.

Tips for traveling with kids

Let’s get back to discussing tips for traveling with kids.

• First, you might want to consider boarding early. Yes, I know that will make your trip feel that much longer. But doing this will enable everyone to feel more settled in their places. It will be especially helpful if you do not have assigned seats.
• Everyone getting enough rest is essential for a nice, smooth trip. Consider getting a condo. If you are for sure staying in a hotel or resort, consider getting a suite or at least another room.
• Having free breakfast not only cuts down on costs, it also cuts down on stress. This is one meal you’ll know what you’ll be doing and won’t have to have any discussions about.
• I know a lot of people like to just go with the flow while they are on vacation, but some planning is a good idea when you’re traveling with children. You’ll want to try your best to work your children’s sleeping and eating schedules. Not messing with those will help keep everyone happy and on track.
• But you don’t want to overplan your trip, keeping everyone busier than usual.? Children love afternoons at the pool or movie nights.
• You will want to pack everything that you need, but you do not want to overpack. You don’t want to have more to carry than you have to. A lot of places are going to have washers and dryers that you can use.
• If you aren’t going to a resort that has a children’s program, consider bringing a babysitter. It isn’t going to cost that much extra. And vacations are the perfect times to get in some extra dates.

MSC Cruises

I’ve decided that I like doing two things at once. Sure, writing about what I am learning about in this travel agent school seems to take me a little longer. But we are supposed to get the word out about the things we’re learning, and writing about the things I am learning does help. And since this school has many different courses, I should keep quite busy for a while.

Today we are going to look at the MSC Cruiseline. MSC stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company. MSC  strives for excellence in everything that they do, and has won a lot of awards for what they do.

• Where do these cruises go? Basically anywhere you would be interested in traveling to. They do Mexico and the Caribbean, they also do Europe and Asia. They also do an excellent South American cruise.
• Let’s take a closer look at some of what they have to offer. When it comes to food, their specialty is Italian. They have a lot of great pasta dishes. You will be able to get a great pizza any time that you’d like. But Italian isn’t the only cuisine that they have. They have a famous Asian chef that is over their Asian restaurants. And of course, they have a pas chef to make sure your sweet tooth is satisfied.
• MSC has partnered with LEGO to bring children and their families experiences they will never forget. They will have all the supplies that you will need for your baby and toddler that you will need.
• MSC also understands your need to keep up with your fitness program while on board. They will help you create the right exercise program while you are on board. They will also help you come up with healthy menus.

I would love to know your thoughts on any of this..

Okay, I know there are ways to book trips on the internet. So why would you need a travel agent? Let’s look at some times you might want to use a travel agent.

 

• Travel agents are great when you and your extended family are going on a trip together. You have a lot of people, some people may have special needs to figure out..People may need to come and go on different days. There are just a lot of details to figure out.
• You might want to book through a travel agent if you are going to a place you’ve never been. You may have a lot of time to do the necessary research. A travel agent can help you to set everything up. We can figure out your complete itinerary.
• And when you’re planning your honeymoon, you probably want to go through a travel agent. You have a thousand other things you need to plan. And this is a special trip you is really do not to mess up. Let a travel agent handle all the details .

Movie places

I am going to try to do this, and hopefully I’ll do a better job than I did yesterday.. I’m still doing a lot of experimenting and figuring things out as I go along… x

I think a lot of us like to watch movies when we want to relax. But have you ever wanted to go to the places where specific movies were made? Let’s look at a couple of these today.

• Do you have any Indiana Jones fans in your did you family? You might want to visit Petra, Jordan where these films were made. This has become a popular destination since the films were made.
• Slovenia might be small, but it is where Narnia was made. If I am remembering right, the place has some absolutely gorgeous spots.

Planning the perfect girls’ trip #2

Let’s get back to discussing how to plan a great girls’ trip. I have several things I’d like to look into more today, but feel like I need to do the normal things first and just see how the rest of the day goes. Let’s pick up where we left off.

• Some friends don’t need much except to have a place to gather and some nice food to enjoy themselves. Other groups will want to go to some of the more exotic locations. If your group is trying to start their annual trips together, it might be wise to have a gathering and discuss what everyone is thinking as far as overall budget. Is it going to be easier to gather in each other homes, or do people want to mark places off of their bucket lists? One of you might want  to play hostess more often than the others to cut down on her costs. You can find solutions that work best for your group.
• If one person is planning the whole thing, this lady will want to give some clues. You might want to get creative with the e-mails you send your group. Some people will go a step farther and send cute little packages to give hints. Groups who are going go somewhere exotic will usually meet at one member’s house, and then they do the reveal at the airport.
• This is a girls’ trip, so you are going want to have comfortable places where ere you can sit and gab. You might want to have one more than one place like this in case your group wants to split up for whatever reason.
• But as much as girls like to just sit and talk, you will want to have a few activities planned. Especially if you are going somewhere you’ve never been, you’ll want to get out and enjoy some of the sights. The planner should have a pretty good idea of the things your group likes to do.

Have you done anything like this? I would love to hear about it.

Go play in your favorite video game

[Disclaimer : I have never been into video games. I have never enjoyed playing those type games. I hardly know anything about any of those games. I’m just going to tell you what this article says.]

I may not know much about these games, but I know they are pretty popular. I know some children, and adults, absolutely love these games. If they aren’t playing them, they’re thinking about playing these things. So let’s look at some places you can play these games in RL [for those that don’t know, RL is real life].

• The first one is, of course, Mario Brothers. I do remember sitting and watching people playing these games. Who doesn’t dream of getting into these games? The closest thing you can get to this is in Tokyo.
• There is always Pokemon Go. And I know that you can play that anywhere. The cool thing about this game is that you have to play it outside.
• In l Las Vegas you can play Any Resident Evil. There you can play zombies to your heart’s content
• .And now I have good news and bad news good news is that  Nintendo is building its own amusement park. The bad news is that it will not be ready until 2020.

Flying standby

There is so much to learn and figure out when you are in the travel business. One person can not learn everything.. Today let’s look into what what it means to fly standby.

Flying standby is a good way to fly if you don’t especially care when you leave or come back. It’s usually the least expensive way to fly, you’ll usually pay around twenty-five dollars, but you are not guaranteed a seat. So if you think that flying standby would be a good fit for you, here’s what you should do.

• Firs, you will want to see which airlines have this option available . You will want to read up your chosen airline’s policies to make sure that you, and they, play by the rules.
• A lot of times they’ll want you to purchase a normal ticket. Sometimes you can get away with a friend flying. Again, you will want to know the specific policies.
• Another thing that would be good to remember is that you do not want to have checked luggage. They’ll more likely to take you if you don’t. You’re allowed one carry on and purse in most situations. The day before or the flight, you will want to look at the airline’s website to get the latest info on the flight. You will not want to check Expedia or Priceline, they are not going to have the latest information.
• You are going to want to get there at least two hours in advance. You will want to go to the ticketing agent, and let them know that you’re interested in flying standby.
• Next you will want to proceed through security and all that. Be sure to let the people at the gate know that you want to fly standby.
• At the time of the flight, the gate people will be able to let you know whether you’ve made it on.

I would love to know your thoughts  about any of this.

More scams

This is popular in large cities. People are going to pretend to be police officers, and then they are going to offer you illegal things, like drugs. They will even have badges, and they will show you those. And then they will insist that you give them your wallet and passport. Do not do this. Ask for their name and then say you are going to call the police station to make sure they are police. You can also say that you left your passport at your hotel, and ask if you need to go get it.

This is common in big tourist areas. You will get to a major attraction, and someone will approach you. Usually they are going to speak very good English. They will come up and say that the attraction is closed for whatever reason. They will then guide you to another attraction where you will pay a lot. Just go on to wherever you wanted to go in the first place, and see if they are opened.

More scams

Lots to do, little time

• The first one we are going to look at is people are going to try to give women rosaries or other bracelets. They will say their little gift is free, that is, until you accept it. Then they will ask you for money. The problem is that if you do not accept, they will start to make a scene. You can’t seem to win with these people. The thing to do is not to allow anyone to put anything on your body. And be wary whenever anyone offers you anything for free. And this is especially true in touristy areas.
• This is common in Europe. You will be walking down the street, and someone will either spill a condiment or say they saw a bird do his business on you. The person will offer to help you. But what they really want to do is to pick your pocket. It is best to just not accept the help.

Travel scams

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This is a travel blog. We are going to talk about destinations a lot. But I feel like that is all that we’ve been discussing for a while. Let’s talk about some other things coming up. Today we are going to talk about travel scams. Most of the people that you will to meet when you are traveling are going to do everything in their power to help you and make you feel welcome. However, unfortunately, there are also those who would like to take advantage of you. Today let’s look at some common scams.

• Be careful when you ride in taxis, especially when you are around airports or train stations. You will get into a cab and start to ride with them, and then they will say that their meter is broken, and so they will charge an arm and maybe a leg too. You will especially want to be careful of this in Central America. The way to avoid this is to negotiate the fare before you get into the taxi, or at least make sure that the meter is working. They may say that it’s cheaper to pay by the meter. Don’t fall for it.
• Some cab drivers are really working it not. They may have worked out deals with certain more expensive hotels, to receive some kind of commission. They will tell you that the hotel you’ve booked is either bad or closed down. To avoid this, call your chosen hotel and make sure that they are opened. A lot of hotels are going to offer shuttles between the hotel and airport.

Destinations

Crazy days here

• Everyone knows how wonderful it is to visit New York City. But have you heard of Saratoga Springs? It used to to be a great resort center where everyone wanted to get away from the crazy city. They have natural springs here. And people used to love to watch horse races here, the description of that makes me think of “My Fair Lady”. It is not clear whether they still have this or not.
• You know about Boston, you may have heard of Cape Cod, but have you heard of The Berkshires? It is a very nice place to visit, and you will have to fight fewer crowds. They have some great art around here. It is also a great place to take hikes and picnics.

Getaways

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You might be one of those when have been pretty careful when it comes everything that is going on. But you are tired. You are tired of doing the same thing day after day. You are tired of always being at your house. You are tired of not seeing anything, or anyone, new. Today let’s look at some getaways that might interest you.

• Have you ever heard of New Hope, Pennsylvania? Even the name sounds inviting, doesn’t it? This used to be a good resting place between Philadelphia and New York City. You can get a feel for the old town on their Main Street. You will find several restaurants and a theater for you to enjoy with your family. They even have a train that you might enjoy.
• Do you want a quiet beach vacation? You might want to try Kennebunkport, Maine. Do you like seafood? This is a great place to get lobster. You can explore some great mansions here. They have cabins where you can stay.
• Are you looking for a gorgeous place to go enjoy the mountains? Try the Shenandoah Valley. This is where my grandparents used to live. I used to go that way all of the time, and yes, it is a beautiful place. You have the Skyline Drive which is a great place to take picnics. They do make wine in this area, I didn’t know that. You might also want to explore their caverns.

More Miami hotel

Let’s look at more Miami hotels.

• Do you and your family just want to find a really nice hotel where you can play at the beach? You might want to try W South Beach. Here you are going to be right on the water. You will also be near Collins Avenue, which I hear is a pretty happening place. You will get beautiful views right from your room with floor to ceiling windows. You can also get a room that has a private balconies. There is a full spa.. And you will have at least a couple of restaurants to choose from right there on the property.
• The Confidente Miami Beach has been opened since the 1940’s. The style of this place is art deco. Again you are going to have a couple of different restaurants to choose from. They also have a really nice spa. They have some beautiful pools for you to enjoy.
• Do you dream of going somewhere and sit in the lap of luxury for a while? Consider Delano South beach. Here you will find luxurious rooms with fantastic bathrooms. They will also have great restaurants for you to enjoy.

Miami hotels

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I have a lot going on, or at least feel that way. I have one more trip where I might be without internet, but hopefully my time without internet should be short this time. And hopefully after this I am going to be with internet for a good while.

Today we are going to look at some nice hotels in Miami. Miami is a great place to go if you are looking for some beautiful beaches and great nightlife.

• To start let’s look at 1 Hotel South Beach. This is an eco friendly, but you will still be sitting in the lap of luxury. You will have hem-blend mattresses and organic cotton sheets. You will be enjoying several different dining options, including a farm-to-table experience. They also have a great spa.
• Have you been wanting to see Miami’s Art Deco District? You and your family might want to try Fountainableau Miami Beach. Isn’t that a cool name? They have suites that will give you a lot of room to stretch out and relax. They have boutique shops you can explore, and a spa for your ultimate relaxation.

River cruising

It is late, and I am tired. But I am determined to try to get this done.

I know that some people are still not ready to travel quite yet, but many are. They are ready to get out and start exploring again. One good, and fairly safe, way to do this is to take a river cruise somewhere in our fair country. Many of us do not consider camping or road trips to be especially relaxing. A lot of people think of a true vacation as a time when someone else sees to your every need.

The good news is that river cruises in this country are now starting to take reservations. River cruises are not like ocean cruises. There are no more than a thousand guests on board, and a thousand is the very uppermost they might have. This is going to give you a higher level of service. River cruises also have higher quality food and more space in their rooms.

Disney’s celebration

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It has been a crazy week. And this coming week I don’t think we are going to have any internet at all. But why don’t we talk about something happier, shall we? Walt Disney World Resort is going to be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. Let’s look at some of the facts today.

First, the celebration will be called EARidescence, and it will begin on October 01, 2021. They will have been opened exactly fifty years that day. And since Disney never does anything halfway, the celebration is going to last eighteen months.

Did you know that Cinderella’s got a makeover in 2020? Did anyone? It will have a special fiftieth anniversary crest. And of course, there will be pixie dust.

More Caribbean destinations

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Life feels crazy in a number of ways. I think I may have found some actual paying work. Meanwhile I’m still not sure when I’ll have internet and when I won’t. It is going to be at least another week of not being sure of internet. Let’s get back to some more Caribbean destinations that are going to be inexpensive for you.

• The Virgin Islands, like Puerto Rico, are part of our United States, so you will not need to worry about a passport or anything like that. It also looks like you will need to take a test in order to enter but not to return. Some people are going to be able to fly there back for under two hundred. Use the extra money on luxury accommodations.
• Any time from late spring to early fall is a great time to go to Curacao. It sounds like this place is pretty inexpensive any year that you would like to go. They do not get many hurricanes. You can get more inexpensive flights by agreeing to more stops. You do have to show a negative test.