Andrew rates his favorite Caribbean Beaches
by Andrew Larison (age 12)
My favorite Caribbean Beaches are:
Paradise Beach in Cozumel
Divi Little Bay in St Maarten
A tip for saving space in your cruise stateroom
One of my first cruise customers back in 2002 came back from her trip telling me how much space her family saved in their stateroom by getting an “over the door” shoe organizer. I have since recommended this to many of my cruise clients, and I have had many positive replies.
Rick Steves talk: Tips For European Travel
Recently I attended a talk by European Travel expert Rick Steves. Rick’s popular “Europe Through the Back Door” book is one of the best selling guides to European travel. Rick is also well known for his series of programs on Public Television. This talk was of special interest to me since me and my family will be visiting Europe for the first time in May 2006! Below I will give some of the highlights of Rick’s talk.
Caribbean Princess Eastern Caribbean Cruise (2006)
My family really enjoyed our 7 night Caribbean Princess cruise in February 2006. We were joined on this special cruise by Anne’s parents, Paul and Barbara McShane, celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Our cruise was very relaxing with great dining, fun entertainment, interesting ports to visit, and all this on one of the newest, most modern ships sailing today. Below I will discuss some of the features of the beautiful Caribbean Princess and the ports we visited. Anne will contribute her comments on various parts of the trip preceded by the words “Anne’s take:” At the end of the report Andrew and Josh have contributed what they enjoyed most about the cruise.
Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party & More (2005)
In December 2005 the Larison family took a short trip to Disney World to see Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party. We also stayed at the Pop Century resort the first time and enjoyed that very much. While we did not do a detailed report on this trip we took lots of pictures!
Disney Wonder 4 Night “MouseFest” Cruise (2005)
We sailed with a bunch of other Disney fans as part of Mousefest 2005 on the Disney Wonder. This was truly a “wonderful” cruise because in addition to all the regular benefits of a Disney sailing we also enjoyed the special features of Mousefest.
Celebrity Summit Alaska Cruise (2005)
My family’s Alaska 2005 trip was a wonderful adventure, filled with amazing scenery, wildlife viewing, excellent food, and good family times. In this report I will first focus on
the different places we visited, and then tell more about our cruise ship – the beautiful Celebrity Summit. I had been to Alaska three of the past four summers but this was the first visit for Anne and the boys. Throughout the report I’ll make comparisons to what I experienced on my 2003 Alaska cruise on the Island Princess to this trip. I’ll rate different parts of our trip on an A (tops) to F (bad) scale – as you’ll see we didn’t really have any bad experiences but some parts were better than others. Anne will contribute her comments on various parts of the trip preceded by the words “Anne’s take:”
Melia Cozumel (2005)
Anne and I love cruises, but we had never stayed at an “all inclusive” resort. We jumped at the chance for a 3 night/4 day stay at the all inclusive Melia Cozumel resort in May 2005. In addition to experiencing an all inclusive resort for the first time, we would be returning to the Island we enjoyed visiting just two months earlier on our Holland America cruise. Below I will review different aspects of our stay and how it compares to a “cruise” experience.
Holland America Westerdam 7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise (2005)
My family and I looked forward with great anticipation to our first Holland America (HAL) cruise on their newest ship – the ms Westerdam! In preparing for the trip some questions came to mind. As a travel agent I have read many rave reviews from my clients who I have booked on HAL cruises in the past – how would Holland America compare to other cruise lines I have experienced in the last two years (Disney, Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, NCL, and Crystal)? How would our 11 year old twins like the children’s program, especially since they had cruised on Disney just three months before? On this cruise I planned a number of independent shore excursions instead of booking excursions with HAL – how would that work out? Below you can read my answers to these questions and more.
Anne’s Disneyland Adventure (2005)
I had the opportunity to attend a Travel Agent Education Program at Disneyland. I had been to Disneyland twice before; once as a teenager in 1975 and again in 2003. I was looking forward to seeing for myself the preparation for the “Happiest Celebration on Earth”.