Travel is about the experience and the memories!

I am fortunate to be in an industry of selling fun, thrill, enrichment, relaxation, and more all in 1 bundle.  But at the end of the day, no matter where you go, who you go with, what you see, what the pillows or sheets are like, my goal is to ensure that you take those experiences; the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, memories home with you with you forever!  So, next time you are thinking about a vacation, start to plan for the experience you want - make that your primary goal in picking a destination, time of year, cruise ship, etc, and be sure to provide your experiential expectations and goals with your Travel Consultant! 

Here is one of my goals: Las Caletas Beach Hideaway just outside of Puerto Vallarta.  I'll be there in February - what experiences will I come home with?

What do YOU look for in a cruise expert? Read, IF YOU DARE!

Before you read this blog, I want to forewarn you, I am tooting my own horn with this one.  Feel free to stop reading now if you don't give 2 cents!

Expert is a word thrown around by sales and marketing people to try and get their audience to believe in them.  Wikipedia says that an expert is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study.

Happy Halloween!

Well, today I decided to count the number of nights I have spent on a cruise ship since I started selling leisure travel.  Any guesses???  181 nights (and I'm sure I have missed counting a few along the way)!  That is almost 26 weeks of cruising, and none of these have been over 8 nights.  I have sailed on over 20 different ships across the fleet of 6 different cruise lines.  In addition to actually sleeping in the cabins, I have toured countless ships from all the major cruise lines.  I am going to go out on a limb here and say than, in many areas of cruise sales, I am an expert!

I am also very fortunate to be in a profession that I LOVE.  My mission is to help turn your Vacation Dreams in to Reality.  And, to ensure that you come home with the experiences and memories to last a life time.

Here is my question for you?  What are you an expert at?  Toot your own horn, tell the world about your accomplishments, be proud of your expertise!!!  Leave a comment to this blog post - there are prizes involved  :)  

See, now aren't you glad you read the whole thing?

Is there really such thing as a Free Vacation?

Are all of these contests just gimmicks, can I really win a free vacation?  I know, if it sounds too go to be true, it probably is, right?  But not this time.  As part of our marketing efforts to gain new fans and clients, we actually do give away One free vacation per quarter.  All you have to do is click here, answer a few questions, and you are entered to win. 

Legendary World, specializes in vacation travel and offers cruises and land packages that are available exclusively via email. We cut through the clutter and send you the specific offers tailored to your interests. We will keep you advised of last minute deals and time sensitive offers as soon as they become available.  And, at any time, you can change your preferences to receive more or less of the types of vacation offers that interest you most. 

If you already receive our great offers my email, you can still enter to win the vacation - just follow the links!

GOOD LUCK!

iPad2, Kindle Fire, Starbucks - will it be a techie Christmas???

HUH?  What do iPad, Kindle and Starbucks have in common?  Read below for more details...

So many new products are available to help make our lives easier and more efficient.  The way we get our news, the way we play and how we organize our lives has all changed in the past few years, and it continues moving forward at a swift pace.  I am a super nerd/techie at heart and I LOVE IT!!!

How soon before the desktop computer will be obsolete like the VCR and rotary dial phone?  OK, so I am a GEN-X'er, these were the inventions from my childhood that are now practically obsolete, is the desktop computer headed there soon as well?  The new iPad (which I really really want by the way) comes in at about 500 bucks and the new Kindle Fire is only 200 bucks - decisions, decisions...  Which are you considering - if any at all...

I am a Mac user at heart, but a Kindle might be in the plan for Travis.  Instead of lugging Harry Potter's 20th book in the series (which is bound to be as big as a desktop computer) maybe a tablet makes more sense???  Well for me, I envision lazy afternoons, lounging by the Lido Deck pool, sipping a tropical concoction with an umbrella, fully immersed in the latest Sandra Brown novel... oh, back to reality... 

Anyway, if you are set and ready to get the new iPad 2 OR the Kindle Fire DO ME A HUGE FAVOR and click my banner ad to the right for your purchase, then send me an email.  There may even be a Starbucks gift card in your future if you do :)

Happy October!

21 years and counting...

I've heard of the 7 year itch in a marriage - guess we made it past that one... 3 times now.  Today we celebrate 21 years of marriage.   Thanks to my loving husband Steve for all the memories, both good and bad that have made me into the wife, mother, friend, volunteer, woman that I am today.

Cruise with me for my birthday, Feb. 18, 2012?

I just booked my next cruise, Holland America's beautiful ms Oosterdam sailing 7 nights to the Mexican Riviera.  Holland America's ships are known for their elegant and classy decor, along with white glove service.  The ms Oosterdam is no exception to the fleet.  I have sailed on the Oosterdam twice before, but only on shorter 4 night sailings, so I am looking forward to this week long adventure.

As part of the celebratory festivities, I am hosting an open bar cocktail party and lunch for 2 in the Pinnacle Grill - specialty dining restaurant.  Click HERE for details on the cruise, and be sure to let me know if you are able to come along and join in the celebration!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

Happy Birthday Stevie!  I am proud to be your wife and look forward to our anniversary next month.

The Great Alaska Adventure part 2

Friday morning we sailed in very close waters up through the Inside Passage of Alaska.  We spotted bald eagles, Dahl’s porpoises and Orca and humpback whales.  Our 1:00pm arrival in Juneau was greeted with 7 bald eagles flying no farther than 50 yards off of our balcony.  What a sight!

So off the boat we go.  There was some rain in the air, and after gathering a good portion of our group together, several of us purchased tickets off of the pier and took a bus to Mendenhall Glacier.  Instead of an escorted tour, we purchased bus tickets for $16 per person from a kiosk on the pier.  This gave us the flexibility to spend as much or as little time as we wanted at Mendenall.  Admission into the Visitor’s Center is $3, but instead we decided to take a couple of the walking paths and found ourselves on a deserted beach with a beautiful view of the glacier behind.  The lake was still pretty frozen over, but we were able to pick up a piece of frozen glacier and revel in the crystalline formation of the ice – truly amazing.  At this point, Travis was starting to feel a little under the weather, so the Mac’s hopped the bus back to town while the rest of the group remained at Mendenhall a while longer.  A trip to Juneau is not complete without stopping at the Red Dog Saloon for a brew and some local culinary favorites.  Today we were entertained by a very funny man playing sing along songs on the old piano and telling jokes.  Quite a treat!  Whenever a new person would walk through the old saloon swinging doors, the whole place would stop and say “WELCOME, WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU”.  Fun, audience participation, sing along, cold Alaskan Amber Ale and good food.  Poor Travis was really feeling bad and starting to get a fever, so we hopped a cab for the 1 mile ride back to the ship.  Others in our group headed up the Mt. Robert’s Tramway to the top of Mt. Robert’s.  The cost is about $20 or $25 per person and the views are GREAT.  They even spotted 3 bears frolicking in the woods from the Visitor’s Center at the top.  I was disappointed that we did not get to do the tram, but hey, there is always next time, right?

Saturday we arrived in Skagway to a GORGEOUS sun shining morning.  This day we had planned to rent Jeeps and drive in to the Yukon area of Canada.  We were greeted at the pier by our guide from Alaska Green Jeep Tours and taken to the office to fill out paperwork, etc.  Once we picked up the Jeeps, the rest of our gang and a quick stop at the grocery store for Road Trip Munchies and drinks, we were on our way.  We were provided with an audio CD describing our route, some history of the town, and things to look for along the way.  We had 2 Jeeps in our group and communicated by CB radio.   The route were were taking was from Skagway to Carcross along the old Chilkoot Trail.  Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site protects the historic gateway to the Yukon once tread by Tlingit First Nation traders and Klondike gold rush prospectors. The Chilkoot Trail was designated a national historic site because of the role it played in the mass movement of people to the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush. The Chilkoot Trail has been officially designated by Canada and the United States as a component of the Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park.  We stopped along the way at Canada’s Log Cabin Historic Site.  The adults and kids found this to be a great place for a snowball fight.  And what fun they had!  We never discovered the significance of the log cabin, but the snowball fight was worth the stop!  We continued along and our intended destination was Carcross and the World’s Smallest Desert.  The scenery was beautiful, frozen lakes that glittered blue, green and lots of other colors surrounded by pristine white snow.  We decided to stop at a boat ramp to Tutshi Lake to admire the view.  (This is about 50 miles from Skagway where our ship is docked) After a short stop and some photos, my loving husband Steve though it a good idea to drive our Jeep over a small patch of snow on the boat ramp – we ended up high centered.  Long story short – after an hour of trying to dig the Jeep out, some lovely folks Bob and Sandi from Whitehorse, Canada stopped and had a chain, which we used to free our stuck Jeep from the snow.  Steve’s new nickname for the rest of the cruise???  Snow Cone!  With out hour delay, and Mamma (me) getting antsy to get back to the ship, we skipped our intended destination of Carcross and headed back to Skagway.  Of course we HAD to stop at Skagway Brewing Company for a couple of brews and …  more food.  Skagway is one of my favorite ports to visit.  The town has old world charm, and I just get the feeling that I am back in the Gold Rush era.  Ahh, but alas, we must re-board our ship for the next adventure…

For more pictures, visit: My Travel Site

The Great Alaska Adventure part 1

The Alaska Experience:

So I took my first Alaska cruise in the summer of 2009.  At that time I traveled with my in-laws and left my husband and son at home.  WHAT A MISTAKE!  I knew at first look of the Great Land that I had to make another voyage and bring them back.  Fast forward to May 2011 – and the whole Mac-n-family is off to Alaska.  This time, we are traveling with our best friends, the Harps and the Brownzellers!

This is a special cruise, 6 nights, departing Vancouver and ending in Seattle.  We chose to go in May, and although the weather was expected to be cold and rainy, I found it to be about the same as when I sailed to Alaska in July of 2009.

For this vacation, we flew to Seattle, stayed in the Executive Pacific Hotel, downtown.  The Executive Pacific is situated about 2 blocks from the Lite Rail station, and is next to some of the trendiest and most upscale hotels in Seattle.  Across the street was the Monaco, next door was the W, and 1 block away was the Farimont.  So our rooms were on the small side, and the hotel is REALLY old, the staff was friendly, beds comfy, and the doorman was exceptional.  When checking in, he discovered that we needed to get to King Street Station (Amtrak)  the following morning, so he called and arranged for 2 vans to meet us at the hotel the next day.  Total cost for 15 people and a TON of luggage from hotel to King Street Station…  $30.  Such a deal.

That night, we walked about 5 blocks to Rock Bottom restaurant.  Fun place for the ids, good food and decent prices.  Seattle is such a walking friendly city – and SO CLEAN!!!  We did not have time to get out to the Space Needle, but I would definitely come back and spend time in this wonderful city.

The following day, up bright and early, the 15 of us headed to the rail station to board Amtrak Cascades to Vancouver.  It is about 4 hours from Seattle to Vancouver, and beautiful every mile along the way.  The seating was comfy, café car served breakfast AND cocktails, so both kids and adults were happy.  The kids got a chance to unwind, do a little homework, play some games, and just watch the world go by.  In these days of hustle and bustle, … where is seems like everyone is on a tight schedule, rushing from her to there and everywhere it was sort of nice to just kick back a little and watch the countryside pass by.

We arrived in Vancouver, took a few cabs to Canada Place Pier and our cruise adventure began.  Strangely, we cleared Canadian customs at the rail station, went to the cruise terminal, then cleared US customs before boarding the boat.  So, we were in Canada for less than an hour before clearing back in US Customs – kind of strange, but since out cruise has only US Ports, it was better to clear US Customs in Vancouver, than wasting time clearing in our first port of Juneau.

The first full day at sea was cool and crisp.  There are 3 of our cabins all together on deck 8, and we asked Carnival to open the balcony dividers between the rooms so we have 1 big balcony.  This is fun for the kids to be able to go back and forth between cabins, and nice for the adults to be able to socialize.  Plus, with the balcony dividers opened up, it make the rooms seem a lot bigger.  We spent the day hanging with friends, enjoying the ship’s activities and watching the breathtaking scenery pass by.  This evening was formal night and I made reservations for the 6 adults to dine in the Nouveau Supper Club, Carnival’s upscale steakhouse.  So we got all gussied up and headed for dinner.   The quality and presentation of the food was pristine.  The Sommelier was over the top exceptional.  The food service staff however was less than great.  I have had MUCH better service and attentiveness from the Supper Club staff on previous cruises, so I was disappointed, especially since I was picking up the tab for the 6 of us.   

Visit My Travel Site for pictures and more 

PLAY BALL!

Even though these past couple of week have been cool, I am ready for Little League season to begin.  I have to say that the past year or so since Travis has been playing, I am really liking not only the good that baseball has done for Travis, but the friendships and camaraderie among the parents as well.  As with any good organization, you begin to feel like family!

Travis will again me on the RBVLL Mets and has a few returning players on his team.  Opening day is March 5th, and I hope to see some of you at the fields!

Happy Birthday to my little man!

Today my little boy turns 9, I am so proud of him and the GREAT KID he has become.  I just LOVE being a mom.  Happy Birthday Travis.  XOXO

Where will 2011 take you?

New Year for me means New Opportunities.  New chances to live life to it's fullest, new places to go, people to meet, memories to make, experiences to enjoy.  With that said however, I do have to remind myself to stop and truly enjoy life's blessings!

My current travel calendar includes completing a half marathon in Palm Springs in February, cruising to Alaska in May (wanna go with me?) , Laughlin, NV in July, and lots of river trips with my family and friends!

Whatever your goals, wherever your travels, make 2011 a reason to enjoy life!

This pic was taken 1/1/11 from the top of a mountain overlooking the lower Colorado River.  We were out Geocaching (one of my hobbies)  with friends and family.