September 2019 River Cruise f rom Budapest to Prague

Danube River, Courtesy Avalon Waterways

 Come along with us as we travel from Budapest to Prague on a river cruise adventure!  I am super excited to be doing this trip!  Click here for my blog site for this cruise!

Meet Elliott, My Traveling Companion!

Elliott has been cruising with me since 2006, so this is his 13th year of cruising! He was born in the jungles/rain forests of Panama and adopted by me. He loves shipboard activities... you may see him at the disco, karaoke bar, lounging by the pool, or even in the dining room (he is partial to bananas)...Give him a big holler when you see him!  It will make him smile.

Elliott and his towel animal

Elliott Singing and Dancing

Elliott on French Train from Paris

Elliott and me participating in horse race!

Elliott, Pat, and Friends in Specialty Dining

Canada and New England Cruise: October 2018

October 4-21, 2018: Canada/New England Itinerary

New York! New York!  I'm so excited to spend three days in New York City prior to our cruise departure!  We love the Library Collection Hotels and have booked the Casablanca.  

 

*Casablanca Hotel, 147 West 43^rd Street, NY, Ny 10036 (212-869-1212)

*Dinner Reservations at Joe Allen, 326 W. 46^th Street (between 8th and 9^th)

Friday, 10/5

 *Dinner Reservations at Tony’s Di Napoli 5:30 PM pre-theatre

 *8:00 PM- My Fair Lady, Lincoln CenterTheater-Vivian Beaumont (150 W. 65^th Street) Seats Row G, 206-209

Saturday, 10/6

*Dinner and Show at Lips 7 PM (Conf. # 95120 59577

    227 East 56^th Street (212-675-7710)

Sunday, 10/7

 10:00 AM - Pick up at Casablanca for transfer to Cape Liberty Cruise Port

Board Celebrity Summit – Stateroom 1141 (coveted aft stateroom Aqua Class)!

 Immediately following muster drill, Oceanview Bar for Sailaway Get Together

Monday, 10/8 – Sea Day

  Likely Cruise Critic/Celebrity Connections Party. Our Slot Pull follows 1 hour after the commencement of the party. $15 per person.  Ken and I are first pullers in Group 3. If don’t attend connections party, meet in Martini Bar to pay up!

Tuesday, 10/9 – Arrive Boston 7 AM, Depart 6 PM

 *10AM Boston Duck Tour (be at Aquarium to meet tour 15 minutes prior)

 *12:30 Lunch at Boston Sail Loft (80 Atlantic Avenue, 617-227-7280) jutting out over Commercial Wharf provides a beautiful location!  And superb food!  I'm already pondering what I will order!  They are famous for their clam chowder and Boston scrod; but they also have lobster rolls!  Maybe I'll get all three!

 *Some bar hopping, Quincy Market, dessert in the North End, either at Mike's Pastry or Modern Pastry... cannolis, brownies, dessert lobster tails, oh my!!

Wednesday, 10/10 – Arrive Portland 7 AM, Depart 6 PM

Thursday, 10/11 – Arrive Bar Harbor 7 AM, Depart 5 PM

Friday 10/12 – Sea Day

  Dinner in Qsine 6 or 6:30 with some Silhouetters from our British Isles cruise

Saturday 10/13 – Sea Day

Sunday 10/14 – Arrive Quebec City 10 AM and overnight

   6:45 – 10:15 PM An Evening at the Sugar Shack

 photo courtesy of Erablier le Chemin du Roy

 Just a Spoonful of Sugary Maple: Les cabanes à sucre of Quebec!

This is a really fun experience!  You learn about the maple sugar and syrup process, enjoy a tasty dinner of Quebecois cuisine, experience live folk music including dancing and playing the "spoons" and end the evening with a big smile on your face! The last time we visited the Erabliere le Chemin du Roy, about a 15 to 20 minute drive from Quebec City. 

Monday 10/15 – Shore Excursion through Distinctive Voyages

  8:15 AM Quintessentially Quebec: Unesco Sites, Governor’s House & Montmorency Falls, one of the 10 tallest waterfalls in Canada, with Refreshments (4 hours)

Tuesday 10/16 – At Sea

Wednesday 10/17 – Charlottetown, P.E.I. Arrive 11:45 AM, Depart 6 PM

Thursday, 10/18 – Sydney, Nova Scotia  Arrive 8 AM, Depart 5 PM

**Lunch (and Irish music)  at Governor’s Pub & Eatery 12:30 PM (233 Esplanade     (902) 562-7646)

Friday 10/19 – Halifax, Nova Scotia  Arrive 9:30 AM, Depart 6 PM

Saturday 10/20 – At Sea

                    Last Sea Day Lunch with Summiteers 12:30 MDR

Sunday 10/21 – Cape Liberty, NJ – Arrive 6 AM and Disembark

 and head to airport for flights home!

Cruise from Vancouver to Hawaii on Celebrity Solstice

You can read my entire trip review by clicking here!  Enjoy!

This was our second embarkation experience at the port of Vancouver and I was wowed!  Our first experience was horrible but this time we had dropped our luggage, gone through US customs, checked in, and boarded the ship in less than 30 minutes!  Was I ever smiling!

At the Ocean View Cafe we found a table for 6 and ordered our embarkation drinks!  Having the premium beverage package made this a breeze. A couple of slices of pizza, a salad designed from the extensive salad bar, and sorbet completed my lunch!  At 1pm, the announcement was made that our staterooms were ready.  A few minutes after we opened our room door, our luggage was delivered. We met our friends in the Ensemble Lounge for pre-dinner cocktails.  Dinner followed in Blu. My filet mignon was excellent.  Then we sang and danced the night away to Abba music in the Sky Lounge.

Saturday:  breakfast in Blu, followed by a presentation by my favorite naturalist, Brent Nixon, on humpback whales did not disappoint.  Mary Amanda Fairchild, the onboard cultural historian, gave a presentation on the history of Hawaii.  Like her husband, Brent Nixon, she is quite entertaining as well as informative.    Lunch of cobb salad and black bean soup was delicious in the Grand Eppernay dining room.  Next it was time to head back to our stateroom #1610 to read and blog. Tonight's dinner was in Murano, the incredible French specialty restaurant, one of those “must do” onboard experiences.  Fine dining, awesome service and extraordinary cuisine were delightful.  Chateaubriand for two … oh my!  Goat cheese soufflé and lobster bisque equaled smiles!  We enjoyed our experience so much that we missed the evening show in the Celebrity Theater!  

Sunday: another day at sea!  Blu for breakfast, bag of laundry readied, presentation by Brent Nixon on green sea turtles, lunch of spaghetti bolognese and mushroom soup (and cinnamon ice cream!) made for a great morning into afternoon.  As an aside, Ken was run over in the elevator by an electric wheelchair/scooter!  Fortunately he wasn't damaged too much!

I wasn't sure that I would like many consecutive sea days; but I confess that I'm really enjoying them!  Ukulele lessons, hula lessons, lei making, wine tastings, fitness classes, and so many more options to keep us busy!  

Pre-cruise Stay in Vancouver!

Oh what a day!  Got my packing done and Ken weighed my luggage. It was 49 pounds, just one pound short of the airline allowance!  Whew!!!  Our driver picked us up at 4 AM to get us to the airport for our 6AM flight.  Flight was on time and we had time for breakfast in Atlanta before our connecting flight to Seattle.  We were a bit pressed for time so stopped at Atlanta Hawks bar and grill at 8 AM. They were out of English muffins and bacon!  So much for my breakfast sandwich!

We boarded our flight to Seattle with a middle seat between Ken and me. Mo sat between us and we chatted and laughed for almost the entire 5 1/2 hour flight!  She and hubby Carl are on our cruise. They're from Atlanta and he's a Delta mechanic. We arrived in Seattle and boarded our puddle jumper flight to Vancouver. Susan and Al were traveling with us.  I had arranged for a limo pickup to take us to the Blue Horizon Hotel in Vancouver.  Perfect!  We checked in to our high floor rooms with quite a view!  The rooms are really nice and large with updated bathrooms and a balcony. Here's the view from our room!  

After a brief "rest" and a shower, we headed out to Earl's On Top bar and grill.  The reviews on TripAdvisor were good and it was only 1/2 block away, which was perfect for our first night. Earl's is a happening place!  The bar was really busy so once our table was ready we were seated.

Review of Earl’s Kitchen and Bar (Earl’s on Top). 

Following our day of travel that began at 3 AM EST, we decided to have dinner within easy walking distance from our hotel. Located 1/2 block away from The Blue Horizon Hotel, Earl’s Kitchen and Bar (aka Earl’s on Top) fit the bill.  Our party of four had a reservation that I made through Open Table.  We were seated promptly at a booth inside.  There is outside seating but the evening was a bit chilly. This is a busy and lively restaurant with a fun vibe. Service by Naomi was superb!  We enjoyed a variety of menu items. My choice was the Lois Lake steelhead salmon with a side of warm potato salad and I am still smiling. My table mates ordered Hunan Kung Pao chicken bowl, pizza, and crispy chicken with plum sauce. All were first class. Wines by the glass and beer selection did not disappoint.  Earl’s is a “be back” for us!  

Following dinner we headed to London Drugs to purchase sunscreen, shampoo, etc. to bring on our cruise. 

We were up at the crack of dawn Thursday morning and were ready for breakfast!  Having discovered Cafe Crepe on a prior visit to Vancouver, we set off on a 2 block walk. Crepes were yummy as was eggs Benedict.  On the way back to the hotel, Sephora called out to me!  I had forgotten my favorite mascara, They're Real by Benefit!  Roots, a Canadian boutique, also enticed me. One of the signature items at Roots is the Canadian version of the Hawaiian shirt…. Plaid!  

We dropped my bag at the hotel, purchased our Hop on-Hop off tour tickets, and boarded our bus.  We chose the Blue bus because the stops were more frequent. Seating was, however, uncomfortable for Ken, as there is very little leg room between the rows of seats!  We've been to Vancouver twice before, but had never been completely around the city.  Stanley Park with the gardens, sea wall, aquarium, totem poles, and horse drawn carriages was gorgeous!  This along with Gas Town were highlights to me.  We hopped off at our final destination, Robson Street, where we enjoyed a late lunch at The Cactus Club Cafe. 

My cheddar burger with the signature red relish, was one of the best burgers I've ever had!  Ken loved the teriyaki chicken rice bowl and our wines by the glass were perfect. Service was friendly and helpful and ambiance was nice with beautiful art work and cozy seating.  We will be back!

For our final dinner I booked reservations for our party of six at CinCin, highly rated by TripAdvisor.  CinCin, an Italian restaurant, offers a fine dining experience in a beautifully ideal ambiance.  We were unanimously underwhelmed by the food as we were expecting “over the top”. Perhaps we didn't order the best on the menu. The zucchini blossoms were beautifully presented. Pasta dishes were good but not great. Tagliatelle al ragu, linguine with lobster, and smoked salmon over risotto were ordered. Of those three, the smoked salmon was rated the highest by our group. The lobster linguine was lacking in pieces of lobster meat. The bolognese ragu was fine, but not among the best I've ever experienced.  Wines by the glass were pricey but good. Our bill for two small pasta portions and wine was $100 USD.  I loved the bread and olive tapenade!  

We were up bright and early Friday morning for breakfast at Abode, located in the Blue Horizon.  Excellent!  I ordered Marilyn’s omelette (spinach, cherry tomatoes, caramelized onions, and Grano Padano cheese) which was perfect!  Ken's Benedict was equally tasty. The artisan bread and home made jam were great.  

Following breakfast we checked out and waited all of five minutes for City Limousine to transfer us to Canada Place for cruise check in and embarkation.  

Countdown to Hawaiian Cruise

Need some cruise help?

Packing List and Cruise Shopping at Dollar Tree!

Click here for my packing list!

And  now, here are some of my Dollar Tree finds for cruises!  What fun is Dollar Tree!  You may be surprised what you can find at a Dollar Tree if you’ve never shopped there.  Here’s a partial list of things that you can usually find at Dollar Tree that I like to take on cruises.  As you can see, Zoey, my Maltese, is helping me pack!

·         For your medicine chest:  travel size bottles of Advil, Tylenol; Bandaids, cough drops, cold medicine, antibiotic cream, and more.

·         Smaller sizes of tooth paste and smaller tooth brushes, small hair brush

·         Antibacterial hand wipes, travel size bottles and jars, hair clips (great to hold your phone/tablet cords together)

·         Flameless tea lights (for ambiance), night light, three prong adapter for electrical socket, dry erase board with magnetic back, sharpies, highlighters, sticky notes (Dollar Tree even has large ones)! 

·         Large clips which can be used to secure beach towels to chairs, hold back curtains (or keep curtains closed), or to hang wet bathing suits in the shower.

·         Mesh laundry bag

·         Pill organizer for rings and stud earrings! Or, of course, for pills!