I could not do anything on the computer yesterday. My sister helped me do a computer restore, and my hope is that this will take care of my computer problems for a while… I confess, my mind is on other things today, like getting the programs I need back on my computer, so I can work and things like that… I also know today is a holiday of sorts, but I’ve never been into anything spooky or anything like that. The best part about today is that the real holiday season, meaning Thanksgiving and Christmas, is approaching. Thanksgiving and Christmas I love, especially since I’ll get to be with my family.
Anyway, today let’s look at Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas new dining program. Most cruises assign guests a table, and that is where you will eat for each meal you have on the ship. But Quantum lets you decide where you want to sit at each meal. You will also be able to decide exactly when you want to eat. Quantum has a variety of restaurants and other eateries where you can eat, most of which will charge you nothing extra for eating there. You are encouraged to try as many of the restaurants as you would like.
I think I am going to go on to some other things. Let me know if you want to cruise on the Quantum.
Monthly Archives: October 2014
California skiing #2
I have a working computer again, and I am very relieved and grateful. I have a lot I want to catch up on, but of course want to get this done. So here goes.
We started discussing places to ski in California yesterday, and we are going to pick back up on that theme today. Let’s start with Mammoth Mountain, which has more than 35,000 acres on which you can ski. The resort also has some of the highest elevations in the state. The resort has one of the best skiing schools in the country.
Yosemite National Park also makes a great place to visit in the winter. The resort is called Badger Pass. Going there will allow you to ski through some absolutely gorgeous country. It is a full-service resort and has a ski school and everything you need for skiing. They also have childcare available. One thing you will have to keep in mind though is that Badger Pass does not make any snow of their own, so you might not want to book too far in advance.
Southern California does have several ski resorts of its own. And it is at these resorts where you can ski in the morning, and enjoy the beach in the afternoons and evenings. This sounds perfect for large family gatherings. Please let me know if you are interested. I would be more than happy to help you book any trips.
California skiing
I am so grateful that I am hopefully going to be able to do this without too many problems. I’m having computer problems again. My device part, which is how I write my posts, is working pretty normally. My computer is acting like it has molasses in it, it is being that slow. I’m going to try to figure this out because is so much I need to do on the computer.
I consider myself very fortunate to always spend the Christmas holidays with family. I am the oldest of eight children.. When we were growing up, we always went to my grandparents over the holidays, usually seeing our cousins too. Now that we are older, getting the eight of us and our little families together is always fun.. But I realize how fortunate I am to have a family who loves being together. I know others want to get away for the holidays, with or without their families. Not everyone can or wants to just go to Grandma’s for the holidays. Today let’s take a look at skiing. When most people think of California, they think of sun and sand, but California also has some great skiing. In fact there are some resorts you can go to which will have both mountains to ski in and beaches to enjoy. Let’s look at some of those. Who knows? Maybe one of these resorts would make the perfect vacation spot for you and your family.
First, let’s look at the Lake Tahoe area, which hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics. Northstar California is one of the finest resorts for families. It is one of Vail’s resorts and is full service. There is not too much you can imagine to do in snow that can’t be done here. One of the unique features about Vail resorts is epicmix which allows you to post pictures and videoes to your favorite social media sites.. I am going to try to get back to this tomorrow. Let me know if you would like more details on this.
Sending a child on an airplane
It’s Monday, and I have a lot of things I would like to do. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to get through today, but I’m grateful to say that I am getting an earlier start.
Today let’s do something a little different and look at the things you should do when your child is going on a plane trip by themselves.. To start with, you need to know that you are not allowed to send anyone under the age of five on an airplane by himself. But to me, that seems a little ridiculous to say because who would really send anyone under five by themselves anyway? If your child is under the age of seven, you are going to need to book them on a non-stop flight, and you will need to tell them upfront that this is going to be an unaccompanied minor. You will also have to pay some extra fees for sending your child by himself. From eight on up, minors can pretty much be on any flight you choose. And you, or your friendly travel agent, will have to ask at what age the airline stops charging fees.
When booking a flight for a child, you will want to try to keep their itinerary as simple as possible. And it is also best to book their flights as early in the day as possible, because early flights are less likely to get cancelled. You will not be able to purchase your minor’s ticket online. And of course, it is wisest to purchase a paperless ticket, so that nothing will be lost.
Before their flight, you will want to go over “stranger danger” principles. You will also want to slip them a little cash to make sure they can pay for snacks and other incidentals.. Let me know whether you would like my help arranging an airplane trip for your child.
Majestic Resorts’ weddings
It’s Friday, and I have some different things for the weekend. I think my big question is, what has to be done today, and what is going to wait until Monday. I think next week is going to be pretty normal.
Today we are going to look at a destination wedding option that is available through Majestic Resorts. First, let’s look at Majestic Resorts themselves. They have two resorts side by side in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. They have Majestic Elegance and Majestic Colonial there, and both have sections that are exclusively for adults. The resorts share their kids club, late night snack bar, casino, sports bar, and disco. Both these resorts also offer incredible complementary wedding packages.
They have wedding planners who are more than happy to assist you. They have several locations that make for lovely weddings. The resort gives the bride and groom the flowers for their wedding. And the couple usually has the option for early check-in and late check-out. I would be more than happy to give you more specific information. All you have to do is ask.
Inexpensive luxury
I’m not sure why, well actually I know but it’s kind of personal, but part of me does not want to work today. I would rather just read. But I need to work, because, 1] I am committed to this business, and 2] working is already helping me get my mind off my troubles.
I know I write a lot about higher end travel. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, higher end travel is more of what is in the news and other things I read. And besides, I’m working on commission, and of course, the more you spend, the more I make on your trip. But I know that a luxury trip is not always in the budget. So today, we are going to talk about some ways families with modest incomes might be able to enjoy a luxury vacation..
First, if you can take your vacation at slower times for the resort, or wherever else you would like to go, you can sometimes get a great deal. Hotels would often rather have someone staying there at lower prices, than have no one staying there at all. The same thing can be said for airlines.
Or maybe you would rather stay in a nice house. If this is your ideal, go to TrustedHousesitters.com, and create an account. You’ll never know might want you to housesit for them. You might have to watch some pets at some of these places. In fact, this service was designed for pet lovers who don’t like kennels. But it is also a inexpensive way to sit in the lap of luxury let me know if you have any interest in any of this.
Pleasant Holidays/Hawaii #2
I am more than ready to get some other stuff, some more marketing stuff to be specific, done. But there are certain things I do each day, like this and going through my e-mail. And our family just has different things coming up. I think things are about to slow down.
The first thing we are going to talk about today is Paradise Elite, which is a program designed especially for us M Travel agents. With this program, you are going to be able to choose what kind of bed you want, as well as the type of pillow. You will also be able to make advance reservations to the restaurants you want to eat at. You can also [well, wait a minute,, you will not be able to do this by yourself, but as your travel agent, I can do all this for you.] I will also be able to make your spa reservations for you u can also tell me if you want early check-in or late check-out. They have two to three amenities to choose from, and I will be able to select the one that you will appreciate most. We may even be able to give you a free room upgrade.
Pleasant Holidays is running a special where if you book your flight and hotel through them, you will get a free rental car for three days. I will be able to figure out all the specifics of when and where this deal is available. Pleasant Holidays will work with you, the client, and me, the travel agent, if you want to do a destination wedding, or another group event.
Please let me know if I can help you plan your next trip.
Pleasant Holidays/Hawaii #1
I love working as a travel agent, and part of why I enjoy this job so much is because there is such a diversity in what I do from day to day. And yet I kind of have a routine too, which I can change if I need to.
I blog about the things that interest me. And since I didn’t find anything in the news that particularly grabbed my interest, I am going to go through a training my host agency, M Travel, has. We are going to be looking at a tour company called Pleasant Holidays. This group has been around for over fifty years and has helped more than ten million guests. They used to do tours of Hawaii exclusively, but are slowly starting to expand. But Hawaii is still what Pleasant Holidays does best. Tahiti is another destination this company does well. You can book any part of your trip with this group which include : air, hotel, car rentals, and activities.
One of Pleasant Holidays partners in Hawaii is Marriott hotels. Marriott has a Courtyard that should be opening in the summer of 2015 in the Northshore area. There is also going to be a Residence Hotel, which are more like condos than a hotel, which is going to be in Maui.
I think I am going to stop here and may pick back up tomorrow. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Puerto Rico
Last week we had a lot going on with church. Yesterday was a huge day at church, and I thoroughly enjoyed that. And then, kind of to our surprise, we had out of town guests come as we were getting home from church last night. So anyway, things have just been busy lately.
Let’s talk about Puerto Rico today. Puerto Rico has something for everyone. From wonderful architecture to magnificent cuisine to mountain climbing. And the people who are in charge of its tourism industry are looking ahead. The first move they are going to make is to build three new hotels, which combined are going to have about five hundred room. The first added hotel will be a Hyatt which will be geared to those who are intending to stay a while.. There will also be a Vanderbilt hotel built which will be a five-star property, which will have all the modern conveniences. The third hotel will be more of a boutique hotel.
The tourism industry feels like their lack of hotel accommodations has held them back from reaching their full potential. They have seen a lot more cruise ships coming into their ports. They saw this growth after doing some work on the ports themselves. They have also worked on the airports, and have seen more people coming through that way as well.. Please let me know if you are interested in learning more about what Puerto Rico has to offer. I’d be more than willing to help you out.
The Brando #2
My hope is to accomplish more than I did yesterday, getting an earlier start on this should help. I am, much to my frustration, having problems. Right now I’m trying to work around the problems, but hopefully we are going to figure this out.
But let’s get back to The Brando.. All of your meals are included in the price. There are two restaurants in this resort, Beachcomber Café and Les Mutines which is more formal. A chef will prepare your meals to your specifications whether you choose to eat in either restaurant or have your meals delivered to your villa any time you wish. The cuisine is mostly French with some Tahitian flavors mixed in. Most beverages are already included, but there are some high end wines you’ll have to pay extra for.
At this resort, they’ll give you one spa treatment per day you’re staying at the resort. It is unclear to me from this article whether both you and your spouse get a treatment each day, or if you’ll have to alternate. You are also going to get one excursion per day per guest. There are snorkeling trips you can go on.. This is one resort that definitely delivers on its promises, or so this columnist says.. Please let me know if you would like anymore information on this place.