Thursday, June 29, 2006

Alaska's Inside Passage - Overview

Formula For Fun or Not? =
12 days
mother (72)and daughter (42)- both rookie cruisers
oxygen, walker, new Canon EOS Digital SLR
2 overstuffed suitcases
2 bus rides to and from San Francisco and Orange County CA
Regal Princess Cruise Ship
Alaska's Inside Passage Itinerary:
San Francisco - Juneau - Skagway - Glacier Bay NP - Victoria BC - San Francisco

Mom's reason for travel: because she is so delighted to be able to go somewhere with the oxygen worries taken care of by someone else
Daughter's reason for travel: to see Alaska and accompany mom

In a nutshell: we survived the bus travel (barely); we tolerated our days at sea when outside of the inside passage on the way north (2 days and 2 nights); we enjoyed the impeccable service on Princess Cruise lines, specifically our wait staff and cabin steward; we were discouraged with being nickeled and dimed to death on the cruise; we loved our shore excursions; we think the Regal Princess is in dire need of retirement and that cruises should be non smoking; Alaska's Glacier Bay is the most beautiful place in North America if not anywhere. Mothers and daughters should take a vacation together at least once in their adult lifetime.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Ten big honeymoon trips - on little budgets

The article:Salt Lake Tribune - Ten big honeymoon trips - on little budgets is just the kind of thing that today's Brides and common vacationers alike need more of. This newspaper looked into current trends in weddings and honeymoons, and noted that costs keep rising. I know when I was married, some 15+ years ago I wanted the same thing brides want now: romance and adventure, that won't cause me (or for some their parents) to go into debt for years to come. Although all the magazines had great ideas for romance and adventure, the budget always seemed ridiculous.

Finally, so real life sensible alternatives, short of camping and backpacking...

Here is an excerpt from the text. View the full article at the link above.

"* St. Barths, a tony French island in the Caribbean, made it into the top 10 for the first time, garnering mentions for romance, food, seclusion and sexy ambience. Hotel Guanahani & Spa ($406-plus per night) was ranked high for its plunge pools.
Cheap alternative: Instead of flying to St. Barths, which can cost upward of $1,000 round trip, fly to St. Maarten (about $580 on American) and take a ferry to St. Barths (about $110 round trip). Book a villa through a private owner: At Vacation Rentals by Owner (http://www.vrbo.com), a three-bedroom villa starts at about $1,650 a week. "