Cruising and the disabled #2

I’m still not real sure about what is going to happen this next week as far as how much internet time I am going to have and all that. Just to let you know that that.

Okay, let’s get back to our discussion about the disabled going on cruises. Today I think we are going to look at some questions we would want to ask any cruiseline a disabled person is thinking about going on, and then we will look at Norwegian’s answers specifically.

• Do all your ships have staterooms that will accommodate the disabled? will have about forty accessible rooms. Not only will the rooms be more spacious, you will find a lot of nice features in these rooms. They will have raised beds. There will be guard rails in the bathrooms. And these are just some of the features. Just ask about anything you might need. I can always ask your preferred cruiseline.
• Do you accommodate wheelchair and motorized scooters? Yes, Norwegian does. They also have some wheelchairs available for rent. If you are going to need a wheelchair the whole time you are on board bring your own. If need a wheelchair just for shore excursions, renting will be perfectly fine. If you have a motorized wheelchair, you will need to have a gel-cell batteries. And for the younger more disabled guests, all but two ships will have direct elevator access to the kids’ clubs.
• Are all public areas accessible? Norwegian’s answer is, most are. The specialty restaurants should give you no problems. There will be accessible bathrooms throughout the ships. The theaters should all have accessible sections. Disabled adults will be able to have fun in the casinos.

I think we are going to get back to this next week or whenever I’m back online again. I would love to know your thoughts on this.

Cruising and the disabled

Sometimes I have certain things I try to do each day. Obviously I do this each day. I check e-mail. And then I also try to do some training on different kinds of destinations or cruiselines, because what’s out there is pretty much limitless… I must confess that I was not coming up with ideas for this, and I was going to come back to this, but I this training module and thought that this might make a great post

For those that have never met me in person, I’m disabled. I have Cerebral Palsy, and I’m basically unable to do anything for myself. I sit in a wheelchair, and have a communication device that doubles as my computer.

To be honest, I’ve never been on a cruise, have no idea what that would be like. I have heard that going on a cruise might be difficult for me. But that might be changing slowly.

And I should also let you know that the course I am taking is through Norwegian Cruise Lines, so we will want to keep that in mind as well.

Here are some things we will want to keep in mind.

• Norwegian has wider hallways and bigger bathrooms making it easier for people in wheelchairs.
• Service pets are allowed on board ships. Norwegian follows the guidelines written up by the ADA.
• Many stateroom are going to have refrigerator in them so that you will be able to keep your medications. If you know you are going to need a refrigerator, all you really need to do is to say something to me.
• Norwegian does reserve the right to say that they don’t think they can accommodate your specific disability. We will need to contact them up front to ask if they are going to be able to accommodate you. This is something I can work on for you.
• I think we are going to get back to this tomorrow. I would really love to know your thoughts about all of this.

What should we know about passports?

As a travel agent, part of my job is to educate you. When you plan a trip through me, I’ll send you as much information about your trip as you want. I can let you know the different places you will want to visit during your trip. I can let you know about the restaurants you might want to try. Of course, another thing I need to keep you knowledgeable about is passports for you leave the country. Let’s look at some of those today.

But maybe first we should discuss how to get a passport in the first place. I know when we got mine, I went down to the post office. We had gone to a drugstore before and had my taken there. I think the post office can take the pictures themselves, but that is usually more expensive. A woman helped us fill out the necessary paperwork.

These days you can also apply online. Apparently you can fill everything out, print it and then take it to the post office. Here are a few other things you should know.

•  In order to get your passport, you will need to figure on spending around two hundred dollars. And yes, that should include your passport photos and everything.
• How long it takes to get your passport can vary a good bit, depending on the time of year and whether there have been any natural disasters recently. It is wisest to apply for your passport at least six months before you leave on your vacation.
• Each form you will need to fill out will have specific instructions on how to complete it.

I would love to know your thoughts on this or any questions you might have.

Reasons to visit the Bahamas

Are you still looking for that perfect summer getaway? Why not consider going to the Bahamas? this is a great place to enjoy some fun in the sun and so much more. Let’s looks at some specific reasons the Bahamas may be perfect for you.

• This is a beautiful island paradise. You will be surrounded by lots of clear blue water, miles of beautiful beach, which makes it a great place to relax with the ones you love. Another thing to remember is that the Bahamas is right off the coast of Florida, making it pretty easy to get to.
• The article I was originally reading just says that the Bahamas has great island cuisine. I wasn’t sure what that meant, so I looked it up. As you might imagine, they eat a lot of seafood here. And most of it is pretty spicy. But you will be able to get different kinds of cuisine, especially if you stay in one of the resorts.
• The females in your party are going to love the shopping here. You will be t find everything from handmade trinkets to everything you might find in one of the malls we’re used to.
• While the women go shopping, the men will have several option. For one thing, there is golf. There will also be explore, and lots of water sports you can try.
• There’s one more thing you should note. the people here are extremely friendly, and they will do everything they can to help you.
• I would love to know your thoesught about this.

Flight news

 

I think we are going to look at some flight news today. I know this is going to be somewhat different than my normal post, but sometimes different is good [sorry, Arby’s]. Besides, these pieces of news are what caught my eye today.

• Forget suites on a cruise ship or at a resort, try a suite on an airplane. Delta is getting ready to unveil these planes that are going to have these suites in October of this year. The airplanes are going to be doing the very long flights, especially in the beginning. You’ll be enjoying your own room. It sounds like your chair should be basically a recliner. You will also have your own wide screen tv in there.
• Have you ever been to a party for a dog? One of Orlando International’s service dogs is retiring, and they threw him a party. The other service dog s, as well as their fellow humor employees, were invited. The dog was given a large bone for her years of service. Let’s just hope there was other food for the humans.
• I know there’s been a lot of bad news about the airlines, news of airline employee doing their passengers harm. But when a woman went into premature labor on one of Jet Airways flights, the airline’s employees came to the rescue and delivered the baby. Not only that, but they’ve given the little one free flights for life.

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

Reasons to stay at Sandals Regency La Toc

I’m getting an early start and am extremely grateful. I have several things I would like to do today and feel like I am going to have more time.. Also, I wanted to let you know that I’m not sure how much internet access to have next week. We’ll just have to wait and see how everything plays out.

I am told that one of the most lucrative niches you can get into in the travel industry is doing honeymoons. People are usually willing to spend more on this trip, because it is hopefully going to be an once in a lifetime experience. BRIDES Magazine has done a survey and has found St Lucia to be among the most popular places to go on your honeymoon. Today let’s look at some reasons you should consider Sandals’ Regency  La Toc.

• The island where this resort is located is truly beautiful. It is the perfect setting for a trip with the one you love. There will be lush gardens you can walk through. They have fire pits where you can cuddle with the one you love in the evenings.
• This is an all inclusive resort, so there will be no need to worry, or have any discussions about finances, while you are there. You will be able to take care of the whole bill even before you arrive.
• Sandals is going to have luxurious accommodations no matter where you choose to stay. They are going to have some really nice suites in their hotel area. Even nicer are their stand alone bungalows which will have their own pools and everything.
• With Sandals, when you stay at one resort, you will have access to all of the activities on all of their resorts. And they will have a shuttle that will take you from place to place.
• You will be choosing from nine different restaurants during your stay here. You will be able to order anything that you like here, and again everything will be covered in that one price you pay up front.

I would love to know your thoughts on this, or any questions you might have.

Camp

It is Saturday, guys, and I’m aready to be off my computer for a nice while. I love my job, there’s no question of that. Most of what I do is writing or communicating with others, and I love it. But by Saturday afternoons, I’m tired.

The big news of the week is that I am goingto the camp I went to last year. You may be thinking, “you’re forty one years old, why are you going to camp?” This is a family camp. I go with old friends from when we used to live in Tennessee. It is nice to have that time to catch up with them.

And having gone last year, I think I’m more excited this year. I got to know so many people while I was there this Past year. I’m super excited to be going to see everyone again. Our mornings are pretty much spent listening to teaching and being in small groups. Afternoons are spent outdoors. And evenings are a party of some kind. I think I’m writing this exactly a month before camp starts.

Getting to your cruise

Let’s face it. Getting to a cruise is not always fun or easy. Depending on where you live, you might have to drive several hours. You may even have to fly. But let’s look at some things that should make getting to your cruise easier.

• It is highly recommended to give yourself a day between getting to the city where your port is and when you actually get on board your ship. You can never know what might go wrong when you’re traveling. And it’s just going to add stress if you get behind for whatever reason.
• Especially if you are flying, have a plan to know how you are going to get to your port. Are you going to take a taxi or Uber? Might the city have a bus system?
• Dressing in layers is always wise. You can never be sure what the weather will be like. And you can always pull your sweater overshirt off.
• Try to pack everything you might need in your carryon. You don’t know when your other luggage might arrive. And it is always a good idea to be safe rather than sorry.Pack everything you know you’ll need in this. Have your documentation and any medication you might need in here, and then add whatever clothes you can.
• A lot of the major cruiselines are going to have people taking pictures of you as you board. They may even have a pirate you can take pictures with. Be prepared for that.

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

 

New York City in summer

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“…And I’ll be doing whatever snow does in summer”. Sorry, just wanted to share the song that’s been running through my mind this morning.. Summer is one of the busiest times for travel. We’ve talked about the beach. We’ve talked about what to do with children while you’re traveling. we are going to do a little something different today.

When you think of New York City, you probably think of snow, ice skating, and huddling around hot chocolate. But there is a lot of neat things to do in the summer as well. Today let’s talk about some things you might want to do in New York City this summer.

•  Everyone has heard of Wall Street. But hae you heard of Brookfield Place, the former financial district? They have now turned this place into an upscale shopping and dining place. It is now called Le District, and it is the place toibe if you want French food
• They do Shakespeare in the park in Central Park. There are eighteen thousand seats in the theater. And if I’m reading this right, this is a free event.
• There are also outdoor movies you can take part in. Apparently these events take place at various times throughout the city. Take a picnic and make an evening of it.
• You just think that there is no beach in New York City. Try Jacob Riis park. This is one of the more peaceful beaches in the area. You can get away from the hustle and bustle of city life here.
• Long Island City has what is called summer Summer Summer Nights. Tare outdoor concert. The events last from three until nine, so this sounds like a good place to hang out.

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

Traveling with children

There are many, many things that I’d like to get done today. I have some things I want to try with my writing. So let me do this so that I can get to other things.

Summer will officially be here next week. But hopefully by now most everyone’s school has let out. I know when school lets out depend on a wide variety of factors. And then there are our homeschooling who might have gotten out months or might not really take a summer break. Whatever you do, I hope you take one summer vacation as a family. Today let’s take a look at some more tips for traveling with children.

• You will want to make up a little bag for each child. Put in their favorite small toys, maybe a game or two, snacks that they will enjoy. For the littler people in your family, you may even want to include a change of clothes.
• Hopefully the bags I’ve described are going to keep them busy for a good while. Consider rewarding good behavior with time on your phone or IPad.
• But keep in mind that driving time is also a good time to talk and enjoy being together. Tell stories about what things were like as you were growing up. Play games the whole family can enjoy on the road.
• While you are on vacation, you shouldn’t always be rushing from one activity to the next. Take some time each day where everyone simply reads a book or maybe watches a movie together. Probably the best time to do this is right before dinner so that everyone will enjoy the evening’s fun.
• You are going to want to pick the best accommodations for you and your family and the trip that you want to take. Some resorts cater to children, others cat to adults. You want to go some place that is going to be welcoming to your idea of fun.

Helping you plan your vacation just the way you want it is what I’m here for. Please let me know if you would like my help.