Top 10 reasons I love to cruise... #2 you get to see some incredible places

Top 10 reasons I love to cruise...  #2 you get to see some incredible places

Norwegian Epic docked in Ocho Rios Jamaica Jan 2015

Many cruisers only ever go to the Caribbean, or the Mediterranean, or around Australia, however there are so many more places to explore by cruise ship! I’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of the incredible places this planet has to offer

Anchorage Alaska

Cartagena, Colombia wall to the ocean

Emerald Lake,  Alaska cruise June 2015

Glacier Landing- Talkeetna, Alaska 

Gatun Lake- Panama

Maho Beach - St. Maarten- watching the airplanes land!

You can literally travel the world onboard a cruise ship! There are thousands of different ports available, and endless possibilities on places and things to see. 

Beach in Cartagena  Feb 2017

Mendenhal Glacier  Juneau, Alaska June 2015

Seals in Juneau, Alaska June 2015

Howler monkey- Panama  Feb 2017

On most cruises, you literally wake up in a different place each morning, while still sleeping in the same bed. It’s truly amazing the things you get to experience from a cruise ship.  You can see wild life in its natural habitat if you’re lucky enough.  You get to experience cultures that some people get to only read about in books, or see on TV or in your photographs.

St Thomas US VI  swimming with some turtles

Monkey howling away in Costa Rica

Baby Prehensile tail porcupine found in the rain forest in Limon, Costa Rica  Feb 2017

Feeding a monkey in Cartagena, Colombia

You get to interact with locals, and learn new ways of life if you’d like. You can even volunteer to help out in remote villages, and truly make a difference in someone’s life as well.   For more information on how to help out some locals, check out the Pack for a Purpose website. 

Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada  Sept 2014

Portland, Me "Head Lighthouse"

Saint Johns, New Brunswick, Ca  Sept 2014

you can find a lot of history in the cemetery.  This was one of the coolest places we visited in Saint Johns.  

The opportunities are limitless and the possibilities are endless.

Oranjestad  Aruba Feb 2017 

Driving the Yukon Highway in Alaska/ Canada  June 2015  What an amazing view!

Blue Hole,  Ocho Rios Jamaica! one of the most amazing places I've visited!

Maho Beach and the amazing colors of the Caribbean Ocean,  St Maarten. 

Some cruise lines even offer land vacations as an add-on to let you explore even more amazing places, that might not be close enough to the port cities to explore from the ship. If you’re able to, take full advantage of these trip ad-ons to extend your vacation and enhance your experience. I was lucky enough to add on an additional 5 days to my Alaska cruise and got to see and experience some pretty amazing things!

One of the "natives" talking about how life used to be in the Alaskan Wilderness

Jamaican Steel Pan concert on the cliff overlooking our ship

the US Coast Guard station in Ketchikan Alaska

One of the largest shipping containers to pass through the new locks of the Panama Canal Feb 2017

What are some of the incredible places you’d like to visit?  I’d love to help you plan your trip! 

Where are we Wednesday?! (Thursday edition)- May 4, 2017- Louisiana!

Louisiana  http://www.louisianatravel.com/

Louisiana is the epitome of down south. With the Cajun cooking, Mardi Gras and so many festivals, you could stay for a month and experience something new each day!  Louisiana holds on to it’s French ancestry and the architecture of the area sure does show that. If you’re looking for a trip back in time, to a historical place, with a lot of fun and party thrown in,  Louisiana just might be where you need to be!  Let me know if you’d like to plan a trip down to the Pelican State! 

State Facts-

The State Capital is  Baton Rouge

State population (as of 2015) was   4,670,724

State Nickname-  The Pelican State

Top 5 Cities-

New Orleans

Baton Rouge   

Shreveport 

Metairie  

Lafayette   

Fun things to do-

Bourbon Street  

French Quarter   

Lake Pnonchartrain  

Baton Rouge Zoo  

Myrtles Plantation One of America’s most haunted homes  

Aquarium of the Americas  

Fun Facts

Louisiana was named in honor of King Louis XIV of France.

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the longest continuous bridge over water in the world. It is 23.87 miles long and connect Metairie with Mandeville.

The Saint Charles streetcar line in New Orleans is one of only two mobile national monuments in the US. San Francisco cable cars are the other.

The first documented Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans occurred in 1837. The first floats appeared 20 years later, in 1857.

Louisiana is the only state in the United States that follows the legal system established by Napoleon. The other 49 states follow English common law.

Climate

Louisiana is located in the southern part of the United States right along the Gulf of Mexico. It has a very humid and subtropical climate.  Long hot summers and short mild winters are typical for Louisiana. The northern part of the state may see some colder weather due to cold fronts moving through, but the Gulf tends to keep the southern part of the state mild in the winter. Louisiana is often affected by tropical cyclones and is vulnerable to hurricanes, especially in the New Orleans area, where most of the city actually sits below sea level.  The state averages around 60 thunderstorms per year, second only to Florida.   The highest recorded temperature was 114 degrees in August of 1936 near Plain Dealing and the lowest recorded temperature was -16 degrees in Feb, 1899 near Minden.

Source sites –

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana

http://state.1keydata.com/louisiana.php

Top 10 reasons I love to cruise... #3 the views are incredible and the Ocean is so peaceful

 Top 10 reasons I love to cruise... #3 the views are incredible and the Ocean is so peaceful

When I cruise, I typically try to get a room with a balcony for a few reasons… One I’m a bit claustrophobic, and the idea of being inside a room with no windows and no real way to “escape” other than the door kind of freaks me out (although I have stayed in one inside cabin, it DID have a “window” to the hallway.).  The main reason though is because I LOVE the sound of the ocean.  One of my favorite things to do is to sit out on the balcony and read a book or watch for wildlife!  The sounds of the waves crashing against the hull of the ship, or if you’re lucky enough to get an aft balcony, the sound of the wake of the ship is calming and enough to put me to sleep.  You can’t beat the views of the ocean from the deck of a cruise ship either! Some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets can be seen from the ships, and since you’re constantly moving and ending up in different locations every day, no two sun rises/ sunsets are the same.   I am usually up before the sun each day while on a cruise, and I try to get up to the top deck to capture that days sunrise.  Many times I’m one of the only people up on deck, other than the crew who are preparing for another day at sea. This is a great way to really appreciate the beauty that our planet provides!  Enjoy some of the many pictures I’ve been lucky enough to capture form the deck of cruise ships around this amazing world. 

some seals hanging out on an iceberg floating through Glacier Bay Alaska

Glacier Bay Alaska on a beautiful day! 

the aft pool and wake on the Star Princess June 2015

heading into Glacier Bay Alaska June 2015

view from our balcony on our way into Glacier Bay National Park

College Fjords in Alaska June 2015

one of the many amazing sunrises I've been able to see at Sea! 

Heading out of Vancouver June 2015 under the Lions Gate Bridge

Stunning Sunrise over the ocean near Panama Canal Feb 2017

The Panama Canal is a tight fit for the Coral Princess.  took this picture off our balcony

heading into Saint Johns, Canada Sept 2014

Sunrise over Manhattan  Sept 2014

Sailing under the Verrazano bridge out of New Your City  Sept 2014

Top 10 reasons I love to cruise... #4 - you only have to unpack once!

 Top 10 reasons I love to cruise... #4 - you only have to unpack once!

When we vacationed growing up, we always drove everywhere we went, and usually tried to get to 2 or 3 different cities in one trip, which meant packing the car when we left, unpacking the car when we got to the first place, unpacking your suitcase if we were staying a couple of nights (or just living out of the suitcase if not), packing the suitcase again in the morning, packing the car up and heading to the next stop… lather, rinse, repeat….  

One thing I love about cruising, when you drop your suitcase off on the pier with the porter, you don’t have to worry about lugging it to your room, they bring it to your door, you bring it in and unpack it ONE TIME!  There is usually plenty of storage space in the room for all of your clothes (even if you over pack like I always seem to do!) .

The saddest part about a cruise is that last night, when you have to make sure your bags are packed and outside of your door for the staff to come by and pick it up for you.  You know that it’s truly coming to an end soon… 

Sorry, I don't have any pictures of my suit cases while on a ship, as they are normally stored under the beds, and pictures of my clothes are not too exciting, so I tend to skip taking them... Instead, I'll try and offer up some packing tips, and some items to pack that you might not think of, but that might come in handy on your next cruise!

First thing I always recommend, as I said in an earlier "reasons I love to cruise" is a Highlighter.  When you get the next day's activity delivered to your room, you can go over it and highlight those activities that you think you might like to attend, and kind of plan out your whole day.  There might be an early trivia, or a slot pull in the casino.  And don't forget Bingo!  If you pack a different color highlighter for each person, you can all mark the events you want to attend, and then you'll almost always know where to find someone that isn't with you! (although most cruise lines now have apps available that you can download to your phone, and you can instant message each other as well..)

Next thing I recommend, depending on where you are sailing to, is to pack some magnets and possibly a map of the area you are sailing.  When I sailed to Alaska, it was great to have a map on the wall to see where we were, relative to the land, since you can pretty much see land the entire trip.  They do have a channel on the TV that shows where you're currently sailing, but it's more fun (at least for me) to see where were're heading!  

Princess also gave us a map of the glaciers in Glacier Bay and College Fjords, so when we were inside Glacier Bay National Park, we knew which glacier we were seeing, since the naturalist's microphone wasn't working very well.  It also helped when I was taking my photos, I took a picture of the city, or the glacier name on the map before taking any photos for that day, and when I went back through my photos, I knew which glacier/city I was looking at.

Another nice thing to pack if you're one of those people who gets up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and you don't want to be blinded by the light inside, is to pack a little battery operated tea light, and leave it on inside the bathroom.  The cabins get pretty dark at night, (or during the day if you have the curtains closed) and when you flip on that light in the bathroom, it can be pretty harsh!  Having this little bit of ambient light on can save you from being wide awake! 

One more thing I recommend packing is some kind of bag that you can take to shore with you. Depending on where you're sailing to, you're more than likely going to be on shore for at least a couple of days, and if you're heading somewhere warm, where there's a beach, you'll need to take towels with you, or somewhere that it might rain, you'll want to pack some rain gear. A simple backpack is always a great idea to have with you, as it makes it much easier to take along items you may need, or pack some snacks (as long as they are sealed containers, don't try to take fresh food off the ships!) and some bottles of water.  We like to take along a refillable water bottle that we can fill up with ice and water before we leave, and then we have cold water on our excursion. 

The list of things to pack could really be an endless list, especially if you are going somewhere that the weather could be not so pleasant all the time, (Alaska, New England/Canada, Norwegian Fjords etc.) Just pack what you think you'll need, and then take about 10% of that out of your suitcase before you leave! 😉

I know I can totally relate to this link here... Enjoy! 

Packing....

Let me know what your "must pack" items are for a cruise!

Top 10 reasons I love to cruise... #5 Night time entertainment

Top 10 reasons I love to cruise... #5 Night time entertainment

Motown Review Coral Princess Feb 2017

I admit, most of the cruises I've been on, I'm in bed by 11pm, since for some reason, I'm not able to sleep past around 5:30am, I want to see the sun rise over the ocean, or in the port cities we are visiting.  I have been able to experience some of the night life onboard however, and it is usually top notch!  From the Comedians to the Broadway caliber shows, not to mention the musicians on board, you can usually find something to keep you entertained after an amazing meal at sea! 

The Comedian on the Coral Princess Feb 2017 had me laughing hard! 

Most cruise lines offer some sort of nightly entertainment after the dinner hour in the main theater. 

I've seen Legally Blonde,  Blue Man Group, Multiple comedians and Singers, Dancing groups, as well as "the Voice at Sea".  

Roston the steel pan man! Coral Princess Feb 2017. He was amazing! 

There is typically other entertainment found throughout the ship in the smaller lounges and the atrium. From reggae bands to steel pan artists, Dueling Pianos and of course Karaoke. 

The stage for Cirque Dreams on the Norwegian Epic

You may have a game show or a murder mystery to try and solve, or be entertained by the dancers and band. 

Murder Mystery Trivia on Coral Princess

Depending on the cruise line, you might be able to see a different show every night, and sometimes the comedian will perform multiple shows throughout the week, just in case you missed one of his shows.  

Final round of "the Voice of the Seas" on Coral Princess Feb 2017

There is usually some kind of party going on up on the Lido deck each night, as long as the weather is nice, or some lines show movies under the stars each night.  

Movies Under the Stars onboard the Coral Princess Feb 2017

     

The Disco Dance Party on board the Norwegian Epic

   

The Glow Party on board the Norwegian Getaway! 

I’ve also gotten an astronomy lesson which was incredible. When the lights went off on the ship, the stars lit up the sky. Everyone gasped and it was truly a site I’ve never seen before.  

waiting for the Star Gazing to begin on the Coral Princess  Feb 2017

If you're able to stay up late enough after all of the fun activities throughout the day, make sure you take in a show or two, enjoy a drink in one of the lounges and listen to the musicians, or pick up the mic for Karaoke! Enjoying the nightlife is half the fun on a cruise vacation!!

Corey the Cruise Director getting everyone ready for the Motown Review Coral Princess Feb 2017

Jamroc Reggae Band on the Norwegian Getaway May 2014

What kind of entertainment are you looking for?  Let me know, and I'll get you booked on the right cruise line! 

Top 10 reasons I love to cruise... #6 there's always something to do on board

Top 10 reasons I love to cruise... #6 there's always something to do on board

One of the best things about cruising is all the activities you can partake in. The cruise lines have a great staff of people working tirelessly to put together activities to keep you entertained morning, noon and night. From Art Auctions, where you can see some limited edition works, to Origami where you can learn to fold paper into a boat, or a hat,

to salsa dancing lessons. 

There's also bingo, 

Lots of different kinds of Trivia

and of course the casino. 

For those sun worshipers amongst us, there is usually something fun to be found out on the Lido deck pool side. Whether it's a "Sexiest Legs" contest, or pool volleyball, you can almost always find something to have fun at!  

Of course there are also plenty of places on the ship to relax, and get away from the crowd.  Most cruise lines offer an "Adults only" area of the ship to unwind and enjoy some peace and quiet. Sometimes these areas cost a bit extra, but some people think the quiet is worth it.

Many ships also offer a library where many books are available to borrow during your voyage, as well as a game room, where you can meet up with friends, new or old, and play card or board games. There are usually jigsaw puzzles and word puzzles available as well. 

It's not always just about the fun and excitement either. Sometimes the cruise lines will bring on experts in the destinations you are visiting, and provide you with a lot of interesting facts and stories, and offer some tips on what to look out for on your port visits. If you're taking your kids on a cruise vacation, they can learn quite a bit of interesting information to take back to their friends in school! Education while on vacation! 

Whatever events you are looking for, you should be able to find it onboard the ship.  Keep an eye out for your daily schedule, usually delivered to your room the night before, and plan out your day to make sure you get to do as many activities as possible! 

One tip I always tell new cruisers, - make sure you take a highlighter (or 2 or 3 depending on how many people are traveling) so you can highlight the activities you want to do each day. You can get multiple copies of the schedule, and each person can highlight their own interests. It helps to know where someone might be found on the ship.  - Bonus to that is the highlighters can be used as your Bingo Marker, if you're into playing Bingo! No need to buy one of the ship's markers! 

Let me know what kind of on board activities you like to do, and I'll help match you up with the cruise line that best fits your interests!