Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Wood Badge Means So Much To Me
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Beaches Turks & Caicos From Above
My friend & colleague, Russ, captured this image of the resort on his flight off the island this afternoon. What a great shot! Key West Village with the blue roofs, Italian Village with the red roofs to the left of Key West; Caribbean Village with the light roofs to the left of Italian; and French Village with the grey and red roofs below the Caribbean.
Snorkeling Fun!
We were treated to a snorkeling adventure yesterday. The resort features a fleet of 13 watercraft - 5 of which are motorized: a catamaran, 2 diving boats, a snorkeling boat, and a glass-bottom boat. (The rest are non-motorized - kayaks, sailboats, Hobie cats, and pedal bikes). They also feature an assortment of paddleboards and floating rings. We went out about 10 minutes from the shore and enjoyed a nice 45-minute swim. I did not have my underwater camera with me, but a colleague did, and she'll be sharing her pics with me later. I'm looking forward to seeing them!
Friday, September 9, 2016
Unlimited Diving is Included at Sandals & Beaches
Diving anyone? PADI Certified? Unlimited diving is included. Not yet certified? You can get Sandals certified for a year at any Sandals resort for $100. Full PADI certification also available. #beachesturksandcaicos
I Love Cookie Monster...
Look who I got to meet! Sesame Street fun, only at Beaches Resorts! Cookie, cookie, cookie, that's the monster for me. #beaches #familyfun #greatmemoriesmadehere
The Hot Tub Called to Me
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Something for Everyone at Beaches Turks & Caicos
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Gotta Love Getting to Hang Out with Friends While in the Islands
I'm at Beaches Turks & Caicos for a learning conference, along with several of my CP colleagues. This evening's kick-off reception by the water's edge finds me with friends this evening, before dinner. I love my CP peeps - it really is like a great big family! So fun to be able to get together on different adventures together throughout the years.
My Suite Life at Beaches Turks & Caicos
I made it to Turks & Caicos and this amazing resort! Pictures to come... But let me just say WOW! If you're looking for a fantastic family beach vacation...THIS is it! I won't steer you wrong. Beautiful waters. Gorgeous accommodations. Plentiful restaurants. I can't wait to get the touring started tomorrow. Initial pictures will be uploaded later and throughout this learning adventure... except for this first glimpse of my room's front verandah (there's a back one too).
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
I'm Ready to Get Back to Alaska!
I rarely have my picture taken on board ship, much less purchase whatever photos are taken, but this is one that I wanted. Such a wonderful destination. Can't wait to be able to experience it again someday.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
I LOVE Fresh Alaskan Salmon!!
Fresh Alaskan salmon bake onboard was a fantastic final lunch for this voyage! Yummmmm-my! Served buffet style with a nice assortment of salads, sides, and a delicious apple pie.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Glacier Bay National Park
Yukon Ho!
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Glaciers & Whale Watching
Today we arrived in Juneau. Whales were spotted off the sides of the ship this morning long before we arrived, and it was spectacular to watch one fully breach. Breaching is a typical part of the mating ritual, per the naturalist on board, and not commonly seen in Alaska (usually in Hawaii where the humpbacks migrate to each October). It may have been a calf learning what he needs to do once he starts his own mating rituals soon. Calves are born about 12 feet long weighing in at about 2,000 lbs and zero body fat, but then start to add upwards of 100lbs per day throughout their first year.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Greetings from the Inside Passage
Greetings from the Inside Passage. Just a few quick images before I go to the first class of this trip. We set sail yesterday from Vancouver and are working our way north. Tomorrow is Tracy Arm and Juneau. Today is cloudy (at least this morning), but the forecast is calling for great weather for most of the rest of this trip. The stars last night were fantastic, and we're supposed to have fantastic visibility of the meteor showers this week. More to come later.
Happy Sunday all!
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Advice from a Travel Agent...Fly in the Day or Night Before Your Vessel's Scheduled Departure
I ALWAYS recommend flying in the day before a cruise and staying overnight, as there are just too many possibilities of things going wrong that you have ZERO control over. This is exactly what happened to me on my flight to Vancouver. Thankfully I made it safely to Vancouver, but it certainly wasn't a trip without incident! Delayed flights due to other airport issues, sitting on the tarmac entirely too long waiting for the gate to open up in the connection city, nearly missing a connection because of both previously mentioned things. All things that could absolutely ruin a trip and cause people to miss their ship if flying on the day of sailing. It was all too much stress and frustration for one day, but I'm very thankful for arriving here safely...even if it was nearly an hour later than it was scheduled to be. The stressful part is over. Now I can relax and get a good night's sleep as I look forward to heading to the ship in the morning rested and relaxed. I'm so looking forward to this adventure, and hope you'll follow along with me on the journey.