Saturday Morning with Uniworld Boutique River Cruises 2/5/11

Wow, where has time gone? I awaken and all I see is snow and ice. Where am I and why is everything so white? I guess I have been in hibernation. Normally when you go into hibernation you came out smaller. For some reason I am somewhat bigger. Something is just not right. I know I can be a bear sometimes, but I had no clue I was part bear. I apologize to those who follow my travel blog. I had no clue this medicine the doctor was giving me during the fall would put me into a travel coma. I wont be going back to that doctor. Since our paths last crossed we have sold our house in San Antonio and now reside in the Northern Suburbs of Dallas. The dogs and I are getting back to normal now that we have been reunited with my wife. Living in two different cities for over a year was very challenging. My youngest son just completed his 2nd season playing football for Louisiana Tech and my oldest son has moved to Austin and went skiing for the very first time. Ok, enough of this hibernation stuff! It is time to get back on the road of sharing travel. Just a quick vacation update. There is still plenty of time to get the perfect Spring Break vacation reserved and there are still some awesome Cruisetours to Alaska this summer still available as well. With Spring Break just around the corner I thought I would start our 2011 travel off with a tropical Two Wheeler! This one is very simple! Take 2 - 3 ounces of your favorite dark rum (I prefer Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum) and pour over ice in your favorite glass. Top it off with the orange juice of your choice. Squeeze a little lime juice in it and stir. Now sit back and think about that vacation you deserve. Getting back to where I left off before I ended up in hibernation we were starting a series on River Cruising. One of the things that intrigues me the most about River Cruising is that it is a fantastic way to see parts the world from your very own floating hotel that takes you right to the center of these world famous cities. The first River Cruise Line we explored was Avalon Waterways. You can refer back to Avalon Waterways in 2010. I know this break in the action is for the bears! I promise 2011 will be a year filled with travel stories and travel information. I also promise to stay away from the crazy doctor's who prescribe hibernation pills! Our River Cruise series moves on to Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection. Uniworld cruises on the rivers in Europe, Russia, Egypt and China.

Why River Cruising with Uniworld?

River cruising with Uniworld offers an unparalleled level of convenience, as you often dock right in the heart of town, mere steps away from charming squares, magnificent cathedrals, and bustling market places. You’ll never wait in long lines to get on or off the ship; you’ll never tender into port; you’ll never spend long hours wave watching on a vast ocean (which is inescapable on larger cruise ships); and you’ll never experience rough water or motion sickness—only smooth and peaceful sailing throughout your journey.

Why is Uniworld so Unique?

Since Uniworld is under The Travel Corporation umbrella, they have been able to tap into their strong buying power and resources, as well as partner with several of their sister companies, such as Red Carnation Hotels, the award-winning five-star luxury boutique hotel collection, in the areas of hospitality training and management, food and beverage services, quality control programs, and design support. With the financial backing of The Travel Corporation, Uniworld has made significant capital investments—both in new ships and product upgrades—and has a fleet of nine company-owned and operated ships, as well as several charter partnerships.

Hotel Management and Hospitality Training with Red Carnation Hotels

• Red Carnation Hotels shares their best practices, as well as provides cross-training opportunities on hotel management and hospitality development
• Uniworld hired a professionally trained and formally educated butler to further enhance the luxury service standards onboard

Food and Beverage Program

• Uniworld hired a world-class Food and Beverage Director who handles every aspect of food and beverage delivery
• Ongoing enhancement to the food and beverage program are always being made with the focus on using the freshest ingredients from the local ports of call, as well as employing talented chefs who come from such places as London’s five star Le Meridian Piccadilly and Relais & Chateaux Hotels
• Wine program developed by an award-wining European Sommelier based in London, England
• Extensive Yearly Cooking Summit: Visiting local markets, cooking demonstrations and workshops, menu engineering and planning, and bakery and pastry classes, including special training for all pastry chefs at the world-renowned Valhrona Chocolate School, Lyon, France

Quality Control Programs:

• Uniworld has developed an ongoing quality-control program to monitor all product delivery and services, including:
• Operations Team in Europe with 30 employees based in Switzerland, Holland, and France—all 100% dedicated to delivering the Uniworld product
• The Travel Corporation’s Quality Assurance
• Third-Party Mystery Shopper Program

Design Support:

• All of Uniworld ships have been designed and decorated by the design team from the Red Carnation Hotels
• While each ship has its own unique personality and style, they are all designed with the same signature touches—luxurious and cozy décor, classic furnishings in rich fabrics, plush leather, and modern conveniences—all of which create an inviting atmosphere for a memorable experience.

Your Onboard Experience

Your Stateroom - One room… a thousand views

• Handmade beds draped in the softest Egyptian combed cotton sheets, cashmere/wool blankets, and duvets. Choice of pillows, including down
• Modern amenities include a flat-screen television with satellite, generous closet space, vanity with make-up mirror, hair dryer, individually controlled air-conditioning, direct-dial telephone, personal safe, and complimentary bottled water on all European ships
• Beautiful bathrooms fitted with lavish robes, exquisite L'Occitane bath and body amenities, and luxurious towels from Christies of Manchester, the most renowned towel maker in Europe
• Marble bathrooms on most ships*
• Suites offer extra space, including sitting areas with sofas and chairs; floor-to-ceiling windows; and, on select ships, French balconies
• All riverview staterooms and suites are serviced twice a day
• Unpack once and make yourself at home!

Your Dining Experience:

Dine in the only Zagat-rated restaurants on the river
On their boutique ships, meals are truly a feast for all the senses. From the delicious bouquet of a glass of perfectly aged pinot noir, to the inviting sight of candlelit tables draped in fine linen, to the pleasant sounds of friends engaged in intimate conversation, to the delicious flavor of each savory dish, Uniworld’s dining experiences have been designed to delight you. They are committed to going the extra mile to provide their guests with a truly remarkable dining experience, and they were recently acknowledged in ZAGAT* Survey for “Top in Dining”—the only river cruise company recognized with the “best of the best” in the cruise industry.

However, they are not content to rest on their laurels, so to take their food and beverage program to even greater heights, they hired Global Master Chef Bernhard Zorn, a 30-year industry veteran, as Uniworld’s new Culinary Director. Chef Zorn leads his team of executive chefs in preparing a parade of culinary delights using only the freshest ingredients, which are often brought onboard daily from local farmers markets.

Sumptuous buffets at breakfast and lunch offer an extensive array of hot and cold selections. Breakfast features crispy Belgian waffles topped with whipped cream and warm maple syrup, a dozen or more homemade breads and jams, an omelet station, and hand-cut seasonal fresh fruit. Lunch offers a delectable feast with salads, soups, carved-to-order roasts, and more. Evenings provide exquisite ambience with relaxed open seating. Each dish is flawlessly prepared using the finest ingredients—local meats and seafood along with tasty side dishes. Always included with dinner onboard are European fine wines and a selection of beer and soft drinks served by an attentive, caring staff. Of course, every meal concludes with a wide range of freshly prepared, decadent desserts that look every bit as delicious as they taste.
Uniworld also provides a variety of dining experiences including: al fresco “under the stars” and light-lunch dining—both on the sun deck; Captain’s Welcome Gala and Farewell Dinner; early-riser breakfast; and afternoon tea. Plus, Uniworld gives you the choice of dining on lighter cuisine with our Traveling Lite menu.

Uniworld spices up 2011 cruises with the Epicurean Adventurer Program

Uniworld offers lovers of food and wine an added-value to their river cruise with the Epicurean Adventurer Program. This program is designed to take guests deeper into the wonderful world of wine and its relationship with food.

Service - No request too large, no detail too small

At Uniworld, they treat their guests as one might treat one’s best friends and family, which means “no request too large, no detail too small.” Since Uniworld is a proud part of The Travel Corporation, a family-run business, treating their guests—and their team of staff members—as an extension of their family comes naturally.
Uniworld does all of this because they truly care about creating harmony both onboard and onshore in order to bring joy to the guests and ensure that everyone has the most memorable experience possible. This is their commitment to the guests, their staff, and their environment.

Uniworld's "Points of Distinction"

• The only river cruise company to offer authentic “boutique cruising”
• The unsurpassed style and elegance of Europe’s best river cruise ships
• A USD $100,000,000-plus investment in five new ships and the remodeling of the entire existing European fleet between 2009–2010
• An average ship capacity of just 130 guests
• Luxuriously appointed riverview staterooms—many with French balconies, handcrafted Savoir® beds draped in fine linens, flat-screen televisions with satellite, and fine amenities
• Bathrooms stocked with L’Occitane bath and body products and comfy robes
• Exclusive services and amenities in all suites
• A certified Global Master Chef leading a professional culinary team in the preparation of gourmet cuisine using the freshest ingredients, which are often brought onboard from local farmers markets
• A distinctive wine program developed by Red Carnation Hotels’ renowned sommelier from their Relais & Châteaux member hotels
• Complimentary fine European wines, choice of beer, and soft drinks during dinner onboard; bottled water in staterooms; and a 24-hour specialty coffee and tea bar
• A variety of dining experiences: al fresco dining “under the stars” on the sun deck, light-lunch in lounge, Captain’s Welcome Gala and Farewell Dinners, early-riser breakfast, and afternoon tea
• The best onboard and onshore staff in the industry, with decades of experience
• Their very own dedicated European Operations Team, which controls all aspects of product delivery, including onboard nautical and hospitality programs and all onshore programs
• Fastidious internal Quality Assurance programs with extensive training for all staff, along with ship inspections and third-party mystery shoppers, to ensure their guests always receive the highest-quality service
• Captivating and always-included shore excursions—many exclusive to Uniworld—hosted by English-speaking local guides who use state-of-the-art Quietvox portable headset systems
• Insightful onboard Signature Lectures
• Exclusive Epicurean Adventurer Program on 16 itineraries
• Airport transfers on arrival and departure days

2011 Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Video Collection

Take a Virtual Tour of the River Beatrice

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View Uniworld's 2011 Electronic Brochure

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As you can see above Uniworld is very different from all other river cruise lines because of it's partnership with Red Carnation Hotel's. Uniworld, together with Red Carnation Hotels, has totally redefined a new level of river cruising. They call it boutique cruising and they are the only cruise company that offers this experience. What are you waiting for? Take a look at River Cruising. What a great way to visit the world with your mom & dad or your grandmother or grandfather! Are you part of a group who loves history, art, wine, Christmas Markets or the traditions of other countries throughout the world? If you are, then River Cruising is for you! If you have any questions let me know. I would love to help you plan your next journey on a river cruise! Until we unite again remember to always love your Travel Agent. He needs lots of love, plus he is a real nice guy! Remember that my services, research and recommendations are always No Charge! If you know someone who travels send them my way. If you have a group who wants to travel together let me know and you could travel for free. Traveling in a group is always more fun when you all share like interests! You know you will be taken care of. Keep your Cruisitude in check and most important is to Travel Your Way!

Thursday Morning with Avalon Waterways 4/22/10

I am not sure how to explain my week. I can tell you that I had no idea that going to watch a college football spring game would end up putting me on my butt, but it did. As we get older we get smarter and we think we can take on any athletic challenge that is presented to us. I think I let my smartness get the best of me as I thought that I could go out and kick 30 yard field goals with a 47+ year old body! Just because my youngest son kicks for La Tech does not mean that his dad can as well! When the hormones kick in we become invincible and we can do anything! Wrong! While attempting to kick this chip shot I remember making contact with the ball and the next thing I remember is the grinding noise of my plant knee and I was now laying on the field with my knee cap on the backside of my left knee. I knew it was bad, but I really had no idea. I am thankful for everyone who helped, but I am most thankful for Pod (My Youngest Son) and Mr. Dan "the equipment man" for the calm thinking and the foresight to go check and see if any trainers were still in the field house. To my amazement Keith and some of his staff made their way to the field and Keith was able to put my knee back in place. I was in a lot of pain, but felt relieved when my knee popped back in place. They drove me to the training room and placed a compression sock on my left leg and fitted me with a knee brace and some crutches. I was so very lucky that things worked out the way they did. We made our way back to Dallas to David & Barbara's (Janet's Aunt & Uncle) house. This would become my home until we could figure out what the next step was. We are so grateful for this. I was also fortunate that Meggie (Janet's Mom) was here as well. To make a long story short, I had surgery a few days later to repair a torn MCL, ACL and a partial tear in the PCL. I also had a dislocated Patella and a 1.5 CM piece of bone broken off of my Femur and a torn lower thigh muscle. I am in full recovery wearing a flexible brace and will need to wear it for the next 12 weeks during the healing process. A special thanks to all of my family and friends for all of the support and guidance duing this time. I am a full believer that even though we are older that we are not always as smart as we think. My football career might be over, but my love for the game will never go away. Ok enough of me! Who wants to go to Alaska? Alaska travel is just around the corner and I thought I would start off with an Alaskan Pipeline. You take 1 shot of Yukon Jack and 1 shot of Amaretto. Mix equal parts Yukon Jack and Amaretto in your favorite shaker with ice and shake. Serve in your favorite glass with or without ice. Cheers and I hope Alaska is in your travel plans this year. One of the things that intrigues me the most is River Cruising. What a fantastic way to see parts the world from your very own floating hotel that takes you right to the center of these world famous cities. I thought what I would do over the next few weeks is break down the 5 major River Cruise Lines and really see what makes them stand out and what makes them the River Cruise Line of choice. The 5 River Cruise Lines that I will break down are Avalon Waterways, AMA Waterways, Uniworld River Cruises, Tauck River Cruises, and Viking River Cruises. This week I will start with Avalon Waterways. Avalon Waterways is part of the Globus Family of Brands. Some ask "Why Take a River Cruise?" Taking a European river cruise is a best-of-the-best situation: the best way to discover a destination in the best conditions. Whether your destination is Europe, Russia, China, Vietnam, Egypt or the Galápagos Islands, a river cruise is an experience of a lifetime and a uniquely pleasant way to discover and enjoy the area, region, or country you are visiting. The key concepts are life at a leisurely pace, comfort, admiring the scenery, well-planned itineraries, and plenty of opportunities to explore the delightful towns, villages, sites, and monuments on shore along the way. All the worries of transport, accommodation, and food are taken out of the travelling scenario, leaving only the best things to enjoy, savour, and explore. While making yourself at home aboard the vessel, you are well taken care of, allowing you to fully relax and unwind; thereby making way to admire the enchanting scenery, participate in a variety of activities, and revel in an astonishing array of culinary delights. Unpacking only once, you are unencumbered and truly free to take in the fantastic sites and activities without worrying about transportation, luggage, or accommodation. The river cruise routes highlight the intriguing and interesting ports of call along the rivers or canals, including authentic and sometimes sleepy villages, bustling towns, or capital cities. Schedules are unhurried and there is plenty of time to discover, or rediscover, ancient and modern history, marvel at the natural beauty of the landscape, and come into close contact with on- and off-the-beaten path destinations. European river cruises are well-organized and activity-rich, offering resplendent scenery and plenty of sightseeing excursions in a comfortable, relaxing, and welcoming atmosphere. Who is ready for a river cruise?

Some of the key highlights with Avalon are:

Sail on the Youngest Fleet – with ships averaging two and a half years in age, know your clients will be consistently sailing upon the newest ships on the European waterways. The Avalon Creativity and Avalon Affinity debut in 2009, and the Avalon Luminary and Avalon Felicity set sail in 2010 bringing our European fleet to 10 vessels.

Modern Contemporary Design – since our ships are so new, all of them feature state-of-the-art design and technology and modern amenities such as flat screen TVs in the staterooms which are 172 sq feet, mini-bar, large wardrobes and hotel style beds that can be configured as two twins or one queen with Egyptian linens. Wireless access is available on all ships.

Floating Room with a View – 85% of the staterooms in the Avalon fleet have panoramic sliding glass doors and French balconies, enhancing the view of the landscape from individual staterooms.

Delightful dining - from handcrafted cuisines that incorporate local flavors to choice of complimentary wine, beer or soft drinks with dinner, dining with Avalon is a true treat.

A staff focused on you! - With an average crew to traveler ratio of 4:1, know that your needs will be met. An English-speaking staff caters to you every step of the way.

A Cruise Director who cares - Avalon attracts best in industry Cruise Directors who focus on making each and every sailing unique, entertaining, and engaging.

Included sightseeing - don’t pay extra to experience the destinations you visit with Avalon. Expertly crafted excursions will enhance your cruise journey.

Fastest-Growing River Cruise Company - Avalon’s European fleet continues to grow with the addition of two ships in 2009 and two more are scheduled to launch in 2010. This brings the total to 10 luxury ships in Europe, and 65 vacations worldwide reinforcing our position as the fastest-growing river cruise company in the world.

Special Details and Extra Touches – since its inception, Avalon has offered fine dining with a choice of unlimited complimentary wine, and new for 2010 beer and soda, at dinner, thus setting the standard for dining on European river cruise vacations. For royal deck guests, continental breakfast is available to order the night before and have delivered to their stateroom.

The Best on Land Programs – because Avalon is part of the Globus family of brands, all land programs are arranged by Globus, the leader in escorted travel for more than 80 years. Europe land programs are what Globus does best, and your river cruise clients get the benefit of the most enriching excursions in each of their destinations, including audio headsets for all Europe shore excursions.

200 support staff in Europe & 32 offices worldwide – the Globus family of brands was born in Europe but is an international company. As such, Avalon benefits from an unparalleled level of support in Europe and all the worldwide destinations it cruises to including China, Egypt and the Galápagos Islands.

Avalon Waterways received the Condé Nast Traveler: Gold List 2009 award, Condé Nast Traveler: Top Cruise Ships 2009 award, Travel Age West Magazine’s WAVE Award for Best New River Cruise Ship (Avalon Scenery) as well as "Editor's Pick" for Best Overall Cruise Line for River Cruising and ranked #2 among the Top 10 Small-Ship Cruise Lines in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards 2009 readers' survey.

Travelers with Avalon Waterways gave our vacations a 98% satisfaction rating on post-vacation surveys.

Take a Look at Avalon Waterways for Yourself

Take a look at the advantages and features of taking a cruise with Avalon Waterways. You may want to begin with a virtual tour on three of our ships — the Avalon Scenery, Avalon Tranquility and Avalon Poetry. You can also view photos of our ships, watch an informative video, read testimonials from past Avalon passengers, or check the ship camera of ships that are currently sailing.

Avalon Virtual Tours - experience the Avalon difference by taking an online tour of three of our ships — the Avalon Scenery, Avalon Tranquility and Avalon Poetry.

Ship Camera & Locator - find a ship and view photos of the landscape from the deck.

Passenger Stories & Testimonials - read what past passengers have said about cruising with Avalon.

Avalon River Cruising Video - watch a 10-minute video about Avalon Waterways.

Avalon Ship Fleet - visit the Avalon Web site to see information and photo galleries of the Avalon fleet.

Avalon Interactive eBrochure - view the Avalon eBrochure anytime you want from your own computer.

What are you waiting for? Take a look at River Cruising. What a great way to visit the world with your mom & dad! Are you part of a group who loves history, art, wine or the traditions of other countries throughout the world? If you are, then River Cruising is for you! If you have any questions let me know. I would love to help you plan your next journey on a river cruise! Until we unite again remember to always love your Travel Agent. He needs lots of love, plus he is a real nice guy! Remember that my services, research and recommendations are always No Charge! If you know someone who travels send them my way. If you have a group who wants to travel together let me know. Traveling in a group is always more fun when you all share like interests! You know you will be taken care of. Keep your Cruisitude in check and most important is to Travel Your Way!

Monday Afternoon Tropical Dream 3/29/10

This has been a roller coaster of a week! One minute it is raining and cold and then the wind is blowing like crazy and the sun is shining! At least the plants and trees are coming back to life. Even the grass is changing colors. Can I get a Woo Hoo? It is almost time to get the lawn mower out! I planted some wild tomatoes and some wrinkled peppers in some pots I have on the deck. These poor plants got their sea legs the first couple of days as the wind was blowing like crazy. Fresh salsa in the summer is where it is at. I am hoping for success this year Mr. Tomato and Mrs. Pepper! Pod is in full swing with spring practice at La Tech. Pea made his way to Ruston on Friday to spend some time with his brother. He got to eat a little crawfish and take in La Tech's first scrimmage of the spring. The showings on the house have picked up and this is a good thing! Now we just need some offers. You never know what I might agree to! I have been doing a lot of research and studying on Alaska this week. Cruise travel to Alaska starts in early May and extends to late September. Cruisetours are a very unique way to cruise the inside passage and then continue your Alaskan vacation traveling the interior of Alaska by rail. I can't wait for the day to get back to Alaska! As a Certified Alaska Expert I should be able to answer any questions that you might have. Onward we must go! Today is a sad day as this morning we will have to leave the Norwegian Pearl. Ho Ho Ho and a bottle of rum! Santa's run off to the Caribbean! He thinks about boat drinks and fun in the sun! Ho Ho Ho and a bottle of rum! What a journey this has been! It has been a tropical dream for me and what a great way to celebrate the end of our journey with a drink called Tropical Dream! The components for this masterpiece call for 2 ounces of Dark Rum, 1 ounce of Blue Curacao and 1 ounce of Pineapple Juice. Add some ice to your favorite shaker with the 3 ingredients and shake, shake, shake! Shake your booty! I couldn’t help but sing while I was shaking! After you have danced a jig, pour all of this into your favorite cocktail glass and plop a cherry or two on top. Now sit back and enjoy a couple of these as you dream about your tropical vacation. Remember I can make those dreams come true. Test me out one day. I bet you will be surprised as to what we can come up with. Ok, that is enough! Let's get on with our journey! It was a good morning, but a sad morning as we sailed into the Port of Miami. We did not have to pack anything because we had to leave our bags outside our stateroom at midnight last night. You keep a small bag for your incidentals and such. They collect your bags at night and then you pick them up when you disembark the ship. Since we all had late afternoon flights out of Miami we were in no hurry to get off the Pearl. We did have to be off by 10:00AM, but we still had plenty of time. Since we all live in different parts of the country we had agreed on a time to all meet for breakfast and have one last family gathering before everyone headed back home. I decided to order some different items this time. I had two eggs over easy, two biscuits with sausage gravy, hash browns and several slices of bacon. I could not end my journey without a couple of glasses of prune juice! What am I going to do without that when I get home? I bet I was the only one drinking prune juice on the whole cruise. I never saw anyone else drinking it, but my travel guide said to drink it so you could eat more food. Man did I eat a lot of food this week. We sat at two big tables and exchanged some of our favorite stories during our trip. After breakfast we had a picture fest and took different group shots. It was a little crazy, but the memories of those pictures will last a lifetime! For the most part we said our goodbyes during this time. I still wanted to walk around the ship and take in the last few breaths of my amazing journey aboard the Norwegian Pearl. There were people still swimming at the pool getting in those last few minutes of vacation time. I guess it is time to double check our stateroom one more time and head off of the ship. We made our way through customs and picked up our bags. We are now on our way to the airport now the fun begins. I will briefly explain as it is quite comical and took some very good travel agent to pull all of this off. Pea was on my flight on Continental through Houston and on to San Antonio. Pod was on American flying through Dallas to San Antonio and my wife was on Delta flying through Atlanta to San Antonio. Is that not funny? The cool part was that we all landed in San Antonio within an hour of each other. It was a blast getting to see and spend time with family that we don't get to see on a regular basis. Our family got to celebrate with my parents for their 50th wedding anniversary and that was best part of the trip! Spending time with my wife, kids, siblings, aunt, nieces and nephews was equally rewarding as well. Before I conclude my journey I wanted to touch on a few highlights on the Norwegian Pearl. I loved the ship and personnel that I came in contact with. The Freestyle cruising concept is the way to go in my book. The specialty restaurants were awesome! The Osso Buco at La Cucina with creamy parmesan polenta was my absolute favorite meal on the ship. The sushi and crème brulee 3 ways was amazing as well! The public areas are laid out well with plenty of room. I never felt like I was on top of someone else. I would highly recommend the Pearl for families with kids as well as couples with no kids. There are plenty of things to do for every walk of life! The Pearl is in the Caribbean during the fall through late spring and then she heads to Alaska for the summer. If you have any questions about cruising give me a shout. This journey is going to conclude, but that does not mean that other journeys are not on the horizon! I am not sure where the next one will take us, but I can tell you it will be fun! I appreciate all of you who have been following this journey and I would love for you to follow my journeys in the future. Until we unite again remember to always love your Travel Agent. He needs lots of love, plus he is a real nice guy! Remember that my services, research and recommendations are always No Charge! If you know someone who travels send them my way. If you have a group who wants to travel together let me know. Traveling in a group is always more fun if you all share like interests! You know you will be taken care of. Keep your Cruisitude in check and most important is to Travel Your Way!

Monday Morning Melon Madness 2/22/10

What a week it was last week. My youngest son Pod was home from college for a few days. He was on Mardi Gras break. I had never heard of such, but when you go to school in Louisiana they have their own holidays. We also celebrated my wife’s birthday and my oldest son Pea's birthday as well. When they have a birthday I always get older. It was awesome having everyone in the same house for a few days. The US Olympic team has done well so far and it has made for some interesting TV viewing. The business has been a little wacko this week. The waves are still rolling in during "Wave Season". I have never seen so many specials and deals. It is just crazy! This is the year to pull the trigger on a cruise. I have been attending webinars, social networking, researching River Cruises and brainstorming ideas for potential group travel. My brain is on fire! One good thing about being in the travel business is that every cruise line and tour company that I work with offer training on all of their products. I attend 3 to 6 training sessions every week so I can stay on top on my "A Game" as your travel resource expert. Test me out sometime. I bet you will be impressed. Let's get this journey started off with a Melon Madness. Since the sun shining, why not some summer fruit? Here we go! Start with 1 1/2 cups seeded and chopped watermelon; 1 1/2 cups seeded and chopped honeydew melon, Juice of 2 limes, 1 cup of vanilla nonfat yogurt and 1 cup of ice cubes. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into your favorite melon madness glass and enjoy! It’s really not too bad. I will make this again for sure. Day 3 on the Norwegian Pearl starts off with a early trot, I mean fast walk around deck 7. This will give me time to get my mind right for our first port of call. I have never been to Samana before and was pretty excited to step on her soil. Samana, Dominican Republic is a destination for nature lovers and adventures with green mountains, long beaches and turquoise waters. Samana is the largest city on the peninsula otherwise known as Santa Barbara de Samana and is a port town that overlooks the country's largest bay, Bahia de Samana. The town was destroyed by fire in 1946 but was rebuilt to include resorts, hotels, bars and restaurants. Some of the things that you can do in Samana are visit Playa Rincon, considered one of the best beaches in the country. You can also take a walk on the "Bridge to Nowhere". If you are feeling really adventurous you can take a trip to Cayo Levantado or Bacardi Island where they used to film the famous 1970's Bacardi Rum commercials. We are not getting off the ship until 10:00 AM, so I have plenty of time to go eat breakfast. I meet Pea, Pod and my wife at Summer Palace for a little sit down breakfast. I had such good luck with the smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, bagel and prune juice on day 2 that I ordered it again. Don't ask me why I am ordering prune juice, but in one of the travel tips for cruisers that I read, it said that two glasses of prune juice during breakfast aids your digestion. I guess it is your morning jump start before you take advantage of all of your food options during the cruise. We are tendered in Samana. If you do not know what tendered is it means the ship is anchored off shore because there is no natural port or it is too shallow to dock. You will be taken ashore by smaller boats. At 10:00 we head down to deck 4 and catch or tender to Samana. We are going on our own in Samana and do not have a planned excursion. The music is playing and the local dancers are strutting. This is a grand welcome! We hooked up with some other family members and hired a local driver named Carlos to take us around and show us the sights. It made it nice that my sister-in-law could talk the language and negotiated a great rate for us. Our first stop was at a cigar shop. Pea and Pod got to turn green as they tried their first Dominican cigar. It was pretty funny watching them try to puff on a cigar. It made for some pretty cool pictures. Our next stop was going to be a small waterfall. We drove through a section of town that did not look very safe and lots of people in the streets. Our driver told us that most people in Samana are very poor and have nothing, not even running water. I was a little scared, but was still excited about seeing a county that I have never been. Our driver pulls off the side of the road and our driver says follow me as we make our way through children and locals down this trail in the woods. Ok, where are we going? As we started down the trail there were some street vendors selling local beverages so we grabbed a few beers and started on our way. We crossed several streams and after about 15 minutes we arrive at a beautiful waterfall. It was really cool. We took several pictures and headed back to our van for our next attraction. We told our driver that we wanted to go to a beach and hang out for a while. We make our way back through town and down some crooked roads as we make our way to Coconut Beach. There were several other vans there and looked like it was a good mix of tourist and locals. Carlos walks us down to an area that is less crowded and he has some chairs setup for us. There are several vendors around trying to sell their goods and for the most part they are not too annoying. Carlos has friends who have a small restaurant close by and they offer us beer and pina coladas served in pineapples all topped off with rum. We found out that they had some lobsters and snapper that they had just caught and they offered to grill them for us. There was a cost for this but it was very minimal. This is what I was wanting, but had no clue I would find this in Samana. While we waited on our lobster’s we got to watch my wife get her hair braided. It took multiple pina coladas with several top offs of rum, but she did it and she looked awesome. Pod bought a hat made from banana leaves and when he put it on he looked like the Statue of Liberty and Gilligan. Pea bought some tiki man for good luck. They set a table up in front of us as we take in the tropical waters. Grilled lobster, snapper, plantains and rice is all served beach style. Wow was this amazing and I am stuffed. Tropical fun in the sun! This has really been a great day in Samana. We make our way back to the pier to catch our tender back to the Pearl. Words of advice, if you visit Samana, don’t buy a hat made of banana leaves as it will be confiscated at the check point. It gave us some great photo opportunities and it did not cost that much. It was a legit hat though! We are now back on the Pearl and head to the pool for some sunning and a few tropical drinks. Relaxing at its finest! After a few fruity rum drinks the hunger urge sets in. A little snack won't hurt since we are not eating at La Cucina until 8:30. I make my way to the Garden Cafe and make me an international cheese plate with figs, dates and a French baguette! I think figs and dates are in the same family as the prune as they as well aid with digestion. At least that is what my cruise tip book told me. Ok, I think I need to go take a walk before dinner. I know there are still areas on the Pearl that I have not seen yet. Taking a cruise is awesome! I am super stoked about dinner tonight. We have elected to eat at La Cucina. There is a $10 charge per person for this specialty restaurant. When you take a cruise you do not have to pay to eat at the main dining rooms or the buffets. The specialty restaurants give you a choice for something different and there is a small charge. They were able to accommodate our group of 15 at one table. This was nice as most of the specialty restaurants cannot seat that large of a group. My dinner started off with beef capriccio topped off with shaved parmesan cheese and fried calamari. Then it moved to cheese tortellini with an alfredo sauce and osso bucco served with creamy parmesan polenta. I'm heaven! Oh my, did I mention that the red wine was flowing as well. Cappuccino and Tiramisu finished off one heck of a meal. The wait staff and restaurant management were so attentive to our every need and truly made our experience so worthwhile. We missed the comedy show Sharkbait, but we were able to make it too the Spinnaker Lounge and groove with Roots Link as they paid tribute to Motown. This has been an incredible day, I am dog tired and I can't wait to lay in my heavenly bed. I was somewhat concerned when I first saw Samana and she does have some rough edges that need to be smoothed out. I truly enjoyed my time in Samana. Over time I feel that that NCL will pump some dollars into the local economy and everything will be alright. Tomorrow we will be in St. Thomas. I am looking forward to see what day 4 brings us on our amazing journey. I truly appreciate all of you who are reading and following. Please leave me a comment sometime so I know who is reading. I would be honored if you share this with a friend or even followed me. Hang on for day 4 as we visit St. Thomas. Until we unite again remember to always love your Travel Agent. He needs lots of love! Remember that my services, research and recommendations are always No Charge! Keep your Cruisitude in check and most important is to Travel Your Way!

Monday Morning French Kiss 2/8/10

This is going to be a crazy week! The Saints won and are the new Americas's Team! Who Dat? I am very proud for the entire state of Louisiana. Football is over and I need to find a new addiction. NASCAR starts back up, the Olympics are starting and the ultimate day of love ends our week. Watching the Daytona 500, the Olympics and sharing a romantic dinner with a loved one! What could be better? The business could be busier and with this being "Wave Season" I am confident that my ripples will turn into the high seas. All kidding aside! If you have ever wanted to take a cruise or you are a veteran cruiser, now is the time to be making your bookings for 2010 and 2011. All of the cruise lines are offering something spectacular during "Wave Season" I bet you will find something to your liking! Plus a cruise makes a great Valentine's gift. As always our journey starts off with liquid refreshment and in honor of Valentine’s Day we are going to start off with a French Kiss! I remember those days! HaHa! Who is ready or a French Kiss? Here we go! Take 1 1/2 ounces of Orange-Infused Vodka, 1 1/2 ounces of White Crème de Cacao, Grated Orange Zest and a sprinkle of Cocoa Powder. Pour the Vodka and White Crème de Cacao into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake briskly until the shaker is frosted. Strain into a martini glass, add a White Chocolate Hersey's Kiss and sprinkle zest and/or cocoa powder on top. There you have it! The French Kiss! Day 2 on the Norwegian Pearl starts off like everyday should when I am at home but does not for some reason. Why does it take a vacation to get up and go exercise? It has got to be all of the food that you eat on a cruise ship. I hit the gym around 7:00 AM and it was all most full. My exerciser of choice was a stationary bike and I hit her up for 13 1/2 miles in one hour. When I got off that thing I could hardly walk. It was like I had cramps in both legs. I need to exercise on a regular basis, not just special occasions. Today is a sea day. What does that mean? It means that we will not be in a port and will be cruising all day. The main dining rooms stay open longer for breakfast on sea days. Today, breakfast would start at the Summer Palace on deck 6. When I cruise I like to get waited on for breakfast and dinner. I save the buffets for lunch, snacks and late night food. Coffee, prune juice, smoked salmon with cream cheese and capers all served with a toasted bagel. The smoked salmon was awesome. Pea my oldest son had these amazing waffles with this warm banana compote. It was really good. Breakfast is over and now I have choices. The Norwegian Pearl has many to choose from. Look at the selection! Trivia, Yoga, Rock Climbing, Bowling, Swimming, Gaming Lessons, Poker Tournament, Sushi & Sake Demonstration, Nintendo Wii, Slot Tournament, Synchronized Swimming, Pub Crawl, Line Dancing, Basketball Tournament, Soccer Tournament, Martini Tasting, Bingo, Pilates, Beer Tasting and the list goes on. These are just some of your options during the day besides lying by the pool reading a book with your favorite fruity rum drink. I set out to explore this amazing ship so my head could stop spinning with my choices. I started out at the casino so I could get my casino card and the very generous casino coupon booklet. It had free pull, a free play, but a $10 chip and get $20 along with several other incentives for casino play. I made my way to the Stardust Theater to see what it looked like. You can enter the theater from deck 5, 6 and 7. Most of the Broadway and Vegas like shows will be performed here. I had better get up to deck 12 so I can spend some time with the family at the pool. The pools are broken up in an adult only and a kid friendly one. There is even a water slide! After a little time in the sun it is time grab some goodies form the Garden Cafe. Here we go again! Now I am dealing with food choices. You name it they have it. They had salads, pizzas, soups, breads, cheeses, sushi, burgers, brats, pastas, Chinese, sandwiches and desserts of many different nationalities. These are just a few of your choices. I decided to keep it simple and have pizza and sushi! I know two extremes, but two of my favorites. Now I am really stuffed. I need to walk some of this lunch off. I am headed off to go look at all of the paintings that they have setup to look at before the art auctions and even might sneak in a glass of champagne. The rest of the afternoon will be spent catching some rays at the pool and play some ping pong with Pea and Pod. Then it was time for Pea & Pod to put their big boy pants on and climb a wall. The Pearl has a rock climbing wall that soars further than I care to look up and they thought they could climb it. Pod went first on the most difficult one and got about half way up and down he came. He then attempted the medium one and made it to the top. Pea started off with the difficult one as well and after 5 minutes and only half way up called it quits. I called it nuts! As the afternoon starts to wind down my food senses are starting to get excited! We are celebrating my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary tonight. We decided that tonight was the night to get dressed up and celebrate. On NCL you never have to get dressed up if you do not want to. That is what Freestyle Cruising is all about, but we decided to for this special night. We are going to eat at Cagney's tonight. This is one of the specialty restaurants and there is a $25 per person charge to eat a Cagney's Steakhouse, but in our case because we were traveling as a group it was one of our amenities. If you are traveling as a group, make sure you call your travel agent and have them block group space for your group. The cruise lines all offer amenities for groups. You will be amazed what we can do for you. Sorry about that. I needed to explain the amenities part. I have been looking forward to eating at Cagney's Steakhouse. Before dinner we had been invited to the Captain's cocktail party. It was very cool getting to meet the Captain, but no shaking hands. I thought it was sorta weird and I understand the germ thing. We had 15 people, so we had to sit at two separate table’s right next to each other. After a few glasses of wine and many toasts to my parents on their incredible longevity of their marriage, it was time to order. The really cool thing about eating on a cruise ship is even though it is off of a menu you can order as many items as you want. If you can't decide between two appetizers then order them both. If you can't decide on two entrees then order them both. I think you get the picture. I started off with a jumbo shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were huge! Then it was off to a couple of crab cakes and the Cagney's chopped salad. Are we full yet? Nope, it is entree time. I ordered the 10 oz fillet and fries with truffle oil and parmesan cheese. I wish you could see the big smile on my face! Dessert consisted of a cheese plate with three cheeses drizzled with honey. A few more glasses of wine and a glass of champagne and I have just experienced food perfection. It was just a perfect evening to celebrate with my family and my parents. I am really full! The evening continues to the Stardust Theater for the comedy show and would end at the casino playing blackjack with Pea, Pod and my dad. It really has been an awesome night and my very comfortable bed is calling my name. Tomorrow we will be in Samana, Dominican Republic for day 3 of our journey. I am not sure what to expect in Samana, but we are looking forward to visiting her tomorrow. I truly appreciate all of you who are reading and following. Please leave me a comment sometime so I know who is reading. I would be honored if you share this with a friend. Hang on for day 3 as we visit Samana, Dominican Republic. Until we unite again remember to always love your Travel Agent. He needs lots of love! Keep your Cruisitude in check and most important is to Travel Your Way!