Monday Morning with Viking River Cruises 5/2/11

Spring is still in the air! This is one of my favorite times of the year right there next to the college football season. The trees have their leaves on, the grass is green and the weather is just perfect. My garden is already planted and things are actually growing. I planted peppers, garlic, onions, potatoes, fennel, shallots, tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce and radishes. If everything produces I will be very happy. This week has been very tragic with all of the storms and tornadoes that have gone from Texas through the south. My thoughts and prayers go out to those families who have lost a loved one, their home or business during these terrible storms. I pray for your comfort and healing during this time. God Bless you all! Spring Break travel is in the books and Alaska is gearing up for what should be an awesome year to see her beauty. If you have not been to Alaska you should consider it this summer. You can check out my blogs on my journey to Alaska on the right hand side of the page under blog archives. Now I am craving pizza from my favorite pizza joint in Talkeetna. Mountain High Pizza Pie I sure wished you delivered Todd. With Alaska travel and Cinco de Mayo in the air I thought I would share a few of my favorite beer labels with you. My short list is Alaskan Amber, Real Ale's Devil's Backbone & Lost Gold IPA, Dogfish Head, Blue Moon, Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA, Full Sail Wassail and my old standby Guinness. One of these days I am going to tackle home brewing, but I will save that for another chapter of my life. Our River Cruise series moves to Viking River Cruises. 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. Viking River Cruises takes you to the rivers of Europe, Russia, Ukraine, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Egypt.

Why River Cruising with Viking River Cruises

Viking River Cruises operates the world’s largest and best fleet of deluxe vessels built specifically for river travel. With extensive background in European river cruising, they are the most knowledgeable company in the business. Viking was the first to offer river trips in Russia, and their China management team has decades of experience helping travelers see China. As a result, more than half a million people have joined Viking on magical, enlightening journeys through these exciting places.

• Elegant, Comfortable Ships
• Spacious Accommodations
• Gourmet Cuisine
• Consistently Excellent Service
• Expert Planning & Execution
• Cultural Enrichment
• Great Travel Value
• Travel the World with Viking
• The World's most Award-Winning River Cruise Line

The Viking Fleet - Elegant, Comfortable Ships

Viking operates the largest fleet of their own river cruise vessels, and they are proud to offer you the best ships in each region where they travel. Most of the Viking ships were built during the past few years, and by virtue of their program of continuous improvement the rest have been recently upgraded or refurbished. Their ships are smaller than ocean vessels, so every stateroom has an outside view of the river and passing scenery. And the flat-bottomed shape of these ships ensures a safe and smooth ride with no worries about motion sickness. Viking ships are specially designed to navigate the world’s great rivers and provide convenient access to every destination along the way.

Viking accommodations—a warm welcome

When you are a guest on a Viking ship, your complete satisfaction is of utmost concern. From the moment you check in and find your luggage waiting to the time you disembark, you will feel at home. Comfortable staterooms stocked with amenities, helpful staff and connections with the outside world are just a few of the touches that mean so much when you travel with Viking.

Gourmet cuisine to complement your cruise

Dining is a very important highlight of any travel experience, but especially with Viking. Their chefs create a variety of delicious offerings featuring European, Russian and Chinese specialties—adapted for Western tastes—with fresh seasonal vegetables and soups prepared throughout your cruise.

The Viking standard of service excellence

Viking River Cruises provides a superior travel experience, from one end of the trip to the other. They operate our own ships and pride themselves on directly managing all aspects of your vacation, from the onboard cuisine to shore excursion lectures to ground transportation. This strong sense of commitment to excellent service sets them apart from other companies.

The Viking experience—scenery, history and cultural enrichment

Picture-perfect scenery surrounds your ship as it glides gracefully along one of the world’s great rivers. But the Viking experience is so much more—with a perfect combination of shore excursions, lectures, demonstrations and performances; every journey is a cultural adventure.

All-inclusive packages—another Viking hallmark

A frequent comment about ocean cruise lines is that so many things are not included. But with Viking, your fare includes just about everything—from meals, enrichment lectures and shore excursions to hotel accommodations on our “cruisetour” itineraries. A Viking vacation is an excellent travel value.

Viking River Cruises—a great travel value

However you look at it, a Viking vacation is an outstanding value. Viking guests never have that feeling of being “nickel-and-dimed.” All meals are included on virtually every itinerary, plus daily shore excursions, port charges, entry fees and so on. Check here for even more ways that Viking maximizes the value of your travel dollar.

Viking's New Ships

The Christmas Markets & Holiday Cruising

Cruising in Europe

As you can see Viking River Cruises sets it’s self apart from the other River Cruise lines. As a leader in the industry They have the highest customer service satisfaction rating with 99.8% of the customers commenting that Viking River Cruises has exceeded their expectations. Here is a link to my Viking River Cruise website. Here you will find information on all of the itineraries, rivers and online brochures to view at your convenience. What are you waiting for? Take a look at River Cruising. What a great way to visit the world with your spouse, your kids, 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. They will be treated just like family. 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 will be taken care of. Keep your Cruisitude in check and most important is to always Travel Your Way!

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

Click Here

View Uniworld's 2011 Electronic Brochure

Click Here

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!

The Greatest Cruises on Earth! 10/11-18/2010

Come One! Come All! Join the Celebration of National Cruise Vacation Month! The Celebration is in full swing! This year, Fantasy Cruise & Travel - Cruise Planners has put together the Greatest Cruises on Earth in order to bring to you exciting specials on the best cruise lines around. We’ve got reduced deposits and onboard coupon booklets to category upgrades, complimentary dinners, shipboard credits and more! And it’s all happening from October 11 to 18, 2010, so don’t miss out. Make sure and invite your friends. If you refer someone to me and they book during the World's Largest Cruise Event you will receive a very cool gift card.

Join the fun at the World’s Largest Cruise Event by clicking the Big Button below! There are cool videos of many of the cruise lines! If you like what you see make sure and hit the Like Button! I would be honored!

If you're interested in more information, contact me at 866-488-0526 or visit Fantasy Cruise & Travel. Travel Your Way!

Wednesday Afternoon at the BEACH 4/7/0

I love technology and I felt it was important enough to let you know about some new travel tools offered by Fantasy Cruise & Travel. I am super excited about this and I think you will be as well.

As a Cruise Planners Travel Professional, I am proud to announce a new feature just added to my website, Fantasy Cruise & Travel. This convenient booking tool offers you state of the art technology to research and book your Air, Car, Hotel and Vacation Rentals. This new tool will make your travel planning, with or without a cruise, much easier, and if you require additional service or help with the reservations, I’m just a phone call away.

This new tool includes special rates plus an easy-to-navigate format, making searching for multiple deals effortless. Here’s some of what you’ll find:

• Over 100,000 hotels worldwide, many of which offer specially negotiated rates
• Available 24 hours a day 7 days a week
• Lowest Hotel Rates – Guaranteed*!
• Incredible Air Rates!
• The Best Rental Car Rates!
• Awesome Vacation Rentals
• Destination Guides provided by Trip Advisor, the most popular and largest travel community in the world
• Road Trips - Enjoy The Freedom of the Road!
• And so much more

Available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, this one stop shopping feature offers all the services other travel websites offer without the hassle of searching through them all. This new tool includes special rates plus an easy-to-navigate format, making searching for multiple reservation deals effortless. So, call me to book your next cruise vacation, and then visit Fantasy Cruise & Travel for additional travel reservations beyond your cruise. Or, feel free to use this new technology for your non-cruise travel needs. Your complete vacation is just a few easy clicks away. Let me know what you think.

I encourage you to take a look at this powerful tool to book all your traveling needs. Your complete vacation is just a few easy clicks away. Thanks so much for all of your support and I look forward to working with you real soon.


*For details on the lowest hotel rates guaranteed, please go to my website above.

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 Painkiller 3/22/10

It has been a great week! My wife came home for a couple of days! Boy will I be glad when this house sells so we can see each other daily instead of every other month. I have faith and my thoughts are positive that it is going to sell real soon. Can I get some more positive thoughts? Together we can make this happen. I am thankful for my father in law this week. I am not a very mechanical/repair type of person and he came over for a few days to help me with a couple of repairs. I had some sprinkler heads that my mower killed and a crazy door bell that was playing hard ball. The sprinkler head replacements ended up being fairly easy and the spray alignment ended up being quite wet. Now for this stupid door bell that was another story. We spent one night and half of another day tracing wires from the door bell transformer in the attic to the door bell itself. One place we did not look until we were about to call it quits was the carbon monoxide detector in the upstairs ceiling. There were a couple of wires loose and once those were tightened the stupid door bell worked. Why would a home builder run the door bell connection thru the carbon monoxide detector? I have no clue, but I am very thankful for my father in law making everything all right. Thanks Papaw! Pod started spring practice at La Tech this week. They had three practices and with a new head coach and a new offensive coordinator they have a whole new system to learn. Their spring game will be April 10th in Ruston. This week I spent more time learning and researching the River Cruise segment of travel. This is such a wonderful way to see the world from your very own floating hotel. I am very excited about River Cruising! I had some bookings this week in Alaska! Can I get a Woo Hoo? Alaska Cruisetours are the way to go in Alaska. You really get to see the beauty of Alaska from the ship and by rail to the interior. My two favorite Alaskan towns are Ketchikan and Talkeetna. Talkeetna is where you get to see Mt. McKinley and eat the best pizza in the world at Mountain High Pizza Pie. Pizza and Alaska Amber Ale! Nothing is better on a beautiful day in Alaska. Ok it is time to continue with our journey on the Norwegian Pearl. As always we need a nice beverage to start our journey off with and this morning we are going to sip on a Painkiller! You start off with 3 ounces of Rum (Pusser’s), 2 ounces of cream of coconut, 1 ounce of pineapple juice and a healthy splash of orange juice. Sprinkle Nutmeg and add 1 Maraschino cherry. Fill your drink shaker with lots of ice. Add you Pusser’s rum, Coco Lopez, pineapple juice and orange juice. Shake well, add a cherry, sprinkle with nutmeg and grab a straw! This will take any pain that you have away for sure! This was originally made in the British Virgin Islands – Pusser’s is the official rum of the Royal British Navy. This morning we are anchored just a short tender ride to NCL's private island Great Stirrup Cay. It is a little overcast this morning, but I am in hope of some sunshine! We cannot get off of the Pearl until 10AM so we had plenty of time to eat breakfast. Since I am a huge fan of breakfast I am going to eat too much as usual. I start off with smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers on a toasted bagel. Then it is on to those crispy waffles with warm banana compote, country potatoes and a side of crispy bacon. This is all washed down with strong coffee and my two glasses of prune juice. I am glad I started breakfast early. That was a ton of food, but I am happy! I am looking forward to just chilling on Great Stirrup Cay! I am sure what to expect from a private island that has been made up to look like a tropical paradise. Great Stirrup Cay is part of the Berry Islands and is located 62 nautical miles from Freeport, Bahamas. It is an exclusive port of call featured on NCL's Caribbean and Bahaman itineraries. Our tender boat ride will take about 10 minutes to get to the island. The tender boat goes right up to the beach and you walk right off on to the sand. It looks pretty cool and the water is very clear. I just wish the sun would stay out. We staked our claim around a couple of picnic tables and a couple of hammocks. There were plenty of things to do and some of our choices included snorkeling, parasailing, kayaking, volleyball or just soaking up the sometimes available rays of sunshine. I elected to walk around the island and explore some and chill in the hammock. Don't laugh, but after a few hours I was getting pretty hungry. I know my breakfast should have carried me through to the next day! They had a beach barbeque and it smelled mighty fine. They were grilling burgers and dogs and were even baking pizza. There were lots of fruit choices and condiments to go with burgers and dogs. I made my plate and picked up a couple of beers and headed back to our picnic table compound. I waited my 30 minutes after I ate and headed to the water for a little swim. It was a little cool, but the water felt good to me. Off in the distance you can see a storm coming in so we decided to call it a day at the island. With this storm coming in the trip back to the Pearl was going to be interesting as it was getting pretty rough. As we got close to the ship we had to wait for the tender boat that was ahead of us. They were having a hell of a time getting close because of the high waves. This is not going to be very fun and I was a little scared. It felt like we were on a trampoline and the gangway was going up as we were going down. We were able to get back on the ship, but if was not much fun doing that. I am more of a let me off at the pier person, but I am aware that some of these big mega ships cannot get into some of these ports. I hope the seas calm down for the others that are still on the island. Overall I was not impressed with Great Stirrup Cay! I hope NCL will invest some money into her. She does have potential, but I was not impressed with her as she is now. I was going to go to the free seminar on Detox for Health and Weight Loss, but I figured I would just keep drinking prune juice and I would be just fine! I am going to head to the pool and order a bucket of beer and enjoy my last afternoon at sea. They had sail away music going and the bikini scenery was looking good! I think I am getting ready to get hit! HaHa! What a great afternoon this has ended up. Do as much or as little as you want. It is your choice and the options are endless! The last night on the Pearl was going to be a food extravaganza. Not only were we celebrating my parents 50th wedding anniversary, my dad's 70th birthday, but we were celebrating my brother in laws 50th birthday and my brother & sister in laws 5th wedding anniversary! That is a lot of celebrating! Our pre meal beverage would be at Maltings Bar. They were hosting the 2 - 1 martini's tonight. I was going with the lemon drop and I was not disappointed. Tonight we were going to eat at Lotus Garden. It is like a PF Changs. I had met Jasmine who was my server during my sushi event yesterday and she served at Lotus Garden at night. She was the most incredible customer service oriented person I had met on the Pearl. I was so impressed with her that I told her our last dinner was going to be at Lotus Garden and she made sure we were seated in her station. Ok, before I get started don't laugh at me yet, but I ordered a lot. There was a $15 cover charge for eating at the Lotus Garden and I was going to get my monies worth. I ordered crispy spring rolls, crispy crab won tons, fried calamari and barbecued ribs for my appetizers. I love this eating and ordering concept! For my meal I ordered Singapore street noodles, lemon pepper shrimp and hot & spicy schezwan beef. Then for dessert I ordered crème burlee three ways. The flavors were green tea, red bean and ginger. All I can say is oh my! What a food event this was and I am so stuffed and in a major need of a wheel barrow! The food was so awesome! There are way too man food choices for a 7 night cruise! I was going to go watch the movie, but I needed to go walk around the ship. After several laps I was feeling a lot better. The show tonight was a late one and we went to the Second City "Scriptless" Adult Comedy Show! This show was awesome and the improvisation was incredible. This day and night have been indescribable. What a day it has been and so many memories! My heavenly bed is calling me for one more night. When we awaken tomorrow I will be back in Miami and I will be happy and sad. Good night to all! I appreciate all of those who are following! Leave me a comment sometime. I would love to know who is reading! 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! 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!