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.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Glaciers & Whale Watching
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.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Dining at the Carthay Circle Restaurant
Recently I dined for the very first time at the Carthay Circle Restaurant inside Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland® Resort. I was there for an Earmarked Agent Education Program, and they treated us to a wonderful meal before heading over to the Paradise Pier area for our viewing of World of Color. Our menu was pre-selected for us with appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert, though we could choose between three different entrees.
Here's what I enjoyed:
- Signature Fried Biscuits stuffed with white cheddar, bacon, jalapeno, and apricot honey.
- Carthay Circle Salad with heirloom apples, roasted walnuts, winter greens, bacon, dates, and creamy citrus vinaigrette.
- Choice of entree: I went with the Angus beef Delmonico, with chipotle sweet potatoes, bacon, and onion ketchup.
- Chocolate Cookies n Cream Cake with winter orange chantilly (but I was too full to partake of that - a couple of bites only. Good but heavy).
Dinner at the Carthay Circle was so very good and so very filling. It was a nice touch for our hosts to enjoy a delicious meal. It's definitely not what most people think of when they think of eating inside theme parks!
Monday, May 6, 2013
stopher's stuff - It's Time to Breakaway... Let's Go!
Monday, April 22, 2013
stopher's stuff - Typhoid, Hepatitis and Yellow Fever, Oh My!
There's a lot to read up on, in preparation for this trip! |
Monday, February 11, 2013
stopher's stuff - Universal Reflections
While on my recent sojourn to Florida and the Caribbean, I enjoyed a day at Universal Orlando Resort – well, actually PART of a day, not the entire day. I was there specifically to complete the on-site portion of the Universal Specialist Program for travel professionals. Another program designed to better understand the destinations that we sell, and thereby boost our individual business for a particular destination. The Universal program includes an online and an on-site portion… I’d completed the online portion last summer. Now it was time for the on-site.
Full disclosure time – and go ahead and let your jaws drop in disbelief if you so choose – but I have never read a single Harry Potter book in my life. Nor have I seen any more than about 20 minutes of one of the films when it aired on television. That’s it. I am not a Potter fan, nor do I plan to become one. But I did have interest in seeing the land for myself. I wanted to know what I sell, and be able to answer questions that my clients might have. So when the opportunity to visit the parks presented itself, I jumped at it. And I will say, that even though I am not a fan, and I do not know the different storylines or backstories behind the various elements of the land itself – it was beautiful . And I believe, very well executed. The folks at Universal Creative apparently got it right, because I definitely heard a lot of “high praise” from guests all around me, oohing and ahhing at the various shops, backgrounds and scenic elements throughout Harry’s community. I knew some of the characters from magazine articles and conversations with friends, but the backstories... no.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
stopher's stuff - WONDERful Memories, Fun & More
Some of the many AEP participants from Cruise Planners, inside Diversions, one of the adult spaces on board, following the first class session |
Here I am, in Cozumel, with some rain clouds in the background |
Exclusive AEP Graduate Pin |
Sunday, February 3, 2013
stopher's stuff - What a Wonderf-ful Week it Was
What a WONDER-ful week it was this past week. I had such a great time onboard the Disney Wonder, and look forward to sharing lots of information, photos and more about the ship, and the experience soon. I just got off the ship yesterday morning, and today am headed over to Universal Orlando for some first-hand experiences with both parks, as I haven't been to either one since 2007. It'll be nice to see how Islands of Adventure has changed since Harry Potter came to reside in that park. Plus seeing some newer attractions and experiences that have been added to Universal Studios since I was last there too. Be sure to check back soon for more on the beautiful ship, the Disney Wonder!
As always, thanks for reading along. Until next time...