Category Archives: Travel

5 things I learned on my Princess Cruise

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Between the time we docked in San Pedro and our arrival back in Portland, we reflected on our cruise experience. We learned a lot about sailing with Princess Cruises, but five things stand out in my mind

1. The process of embarking and disembarking shouldn’t be a mystery.

We thought we needed to hurry to the ship, which turned out to be untrue. The embarkation process is similar to boarding an airplane. Those who sailed with the cruise line previously and had elite status boarded first. Had we known we had more time, we could have toured the USS Iowa that is docked in close proximity.
Disembarking may have been less of a mystery had we watched the infomercial, but seriously, who wants to spend the last day of their cruise watching television? We looked all over our cabin for information about disembarking, but couldn’t find anything. We looked on our bill, but could find no information there either. We decided to follow the crowd, which was a good move. A crew member asked us for our disembarkment location, which we didn’t have, but he was able to direct us to the proper location. Once there, we saw that people were in groups. Since we didn’t know which group to join we asked another crew member. She was quite surprised that our bill didn’t have the information, so she just put us in the group that was disembarking next. YEA!
It was a pretty simple process, and had we known how fast it was going to be, we would have called our transportation service, A-1 Express so they could be waiting outside the terminal. Our driver Eric arrived as quickly as possible and made his way to LAX to drop us off for our flight home. He was masterful at navigating the LA morning rush hour.

2. Photographers are everywhere.

We were glad we had been warned about the photographers taking pictures on the ship. These photographers seemed to be everywhere; when you boarded the ship, when you left the ship, while you were dining.  I’m not against having my picture taken, but they don’t ask you. They made it seem like this is what everyone does. We courteously walked around the “opportunity” or did not make eye contact. The crew was very nice about using our camera to take our photo when we asked.

3. The food is plentiful, but not extraordinary.

The food was good, but didn’t live up to the hype. It was fun to be adventurous and try new things without worrying about the price. I would definitely order the chilled soups, again! The desserts looked amazing, but we learned to avoid cakes. I love cake, but every time that was our dessert choice, it was stale. Pizza is good, but even the pizza at Alfredo’s (which everyone raves about) wasn’t overly special. Everything we ate in the dining rooms was good to great, but not superior to most restaurants.

4. Take the buffet home.

This isn’t something I learned during this cruise, but ALWAYS take advantage of “portable” food (especially if you’ve already paid for it, or it’s free!). During lunch at the buffet on our last full day, I noticed sandwiches wrapped in plastic. I grabbed a couple and took them back to our room and put in them in our refrigerator. We also grabbed some extra cookies and muffins. This little stash came in handy for our flight home the following day.

5. Cruising is a good vacation option.

Did we enjoy it? Yes. Did we love it? No. Do we want to take another one? Yes, but only if it is the best way to visit a specific destination, such as Alaska or the Caribbean. We’re already saving for our next cruise, but we figure we won’t set sail again for another five years or so.

If you’re considering a cruise, do your research. Compare the different cruise lines and cruises on sites such as Vacations To Go. Read message boards (cruisecritics.com).  Consider taking a short cruise, like we did, so you can get your feet wet, so to speak, and see if cruising is for you without spending a lot of money.

Bon Voyage!

A peaceful, sometimes windy day at sea

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Day four of our cruise was technically our final day. The following morning we would dock in San Pedro, disembark and head home. While we enjoyed our cruise, we were ready to get home. However, knowing our busy routine was waiting, we took full advantage of these last hours of relaxation.

After breakfast, we spent most of the day on our balcony reading. This may sound boring to some, but it was extremely enjoyable to us. We like to read, but it seems there’s always something more pressing that needs doing. Our cabin was located in the back of the ship, or the stern. Some people would rather be near the front, or bow of the ship, for the views. What we lacked in views was more than made up for by the lack of wind. The sun was warm and the location was perfect!

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I  had to remind myself that we were sitting outside on a balcony on a cruise ship in January! The following day I’d have to say goodbye to sandals, capris and short sleeved shirts and return to shoes, socks and a winter coat.

We stopped reading long enough to grab some lunch at the buffet, and then took a walk around the ship. It was extremely windy, and I was glad I’d grabbed my jacket. The breeze was just a tad bit chilly for me, so I was glad when we returned to the cabin to resume reading on our balcony.Cruise_3_LR

We wanted to capture the sunset, so we didn’t make dinner reservations. Taking pictures of the sunset seemed more important than where we ate. If you don’t make reservations, you may still be able to be seated in one of the dining rooms, but we didn’t want to be bothered and decided to eat at the buffet again. The buffet is more laid back, no real dress code, but they don’t offer the appetizers, soups and salads that are on the dining room menus. By the way, all the dining rooms have the same menu every night with the exception of their specialty.

After dinner we packed for our return home. We’d missed the infomercial they air regarding disembarking, and wanted to be ready for the unknown.

Cruise_Sunset_atsea_LRWe put on our Princess Cruise robes and went back onto our balcony soaking up the last of our time at sea. I could have stood there listening to the ocean for hours, but we had a long day of travel ahead of us and it was time for bed. I tried to concentrate on the rocking of the boat as I fell asleep. So peaceful…

Watching football poolside in January; now that’s a cruise!

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I slept very well at sea. I don’t know if it was the rocking of the ship or the enormous amount of food I was eating, but I didn’t have insomnia once. I woke up bright and early on the third day of our cruise and got around to go eat breakfast. We’d enjoyed watching our ship pull into San Diego the day before, so I wanted to do the same as we pulled into Ensenada, Mexico.

We made it to the buffet just as it was opening and took a window seat. We could tell we weren’t in the United States. The tug boats and barges didn’t look the least bit sea-worthy. The pier, however, was very pretty. There was some construction and landscaping under way, and we got the sense it was being done for the benefit of the cruise ship industry.

Tour buses were already circling the parking lot next to the pier. A Carnival cruise ship had docked some time before we arrived, and the locals were ready to welcome tourist dollars! We had been to Mexico previously, and felt no desire whatsoever to take a tour, or get off the ship at all for that matter.  Knowing we had nowhere to be at any specific time, we ate a very leisurely breakfast and watched everyone else scurry around.

Our plan for the day was pretty simple. We’d finish breakfast, read on our balcony and then make our way to the pool area to watch the Seattle Seahawks play the New Orleans Saints on a HUGE 30’X40’ jumbo screen. Living in the Pacific Northwest, we feel as though the Seahawks are our home team, even though we live in Oregon.

I’ve never watched a televised football game outdoors on a jumbo screen. It was quite the experience. There we were sitting on lounge chairs poolside in 70 degree weather, watching a NFL playoff game in January. The weather in Seattle (where the game was played) was quite different. Strong winds made the steady rain blow sideways. If we’d had an international call package, we’d have called friends and family to gloat, just a little, about our conditions for watching the game!

One of the nice things about watching a football game on a cruise ship is that you don’t have to worry about snacks! Hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, popcorn, ice cream – you name it, it was available. I have to say it was by far the best way to watch a football game. The fact that the Seahawks won and advanced in the playoffs (and eventually won the Super Bowl!), made the day even better.

We ended the day at the buffet rather than one of the ship’s dining rooms, before returning to our cabin to watch the Colts fall to the Patriots in the other playoff game. We were kind of surprised to learn we could actually catch the game in our cabin. Television offerings are pretty limited, but it’s doubtful anyone takes a cruise to sit in their cabin and watch TV.

We waved goodbye to Ensenada from our balcony and listened to the “bark” of a seal perched on the jetty.  We stood outside for a while, wrapped in the warmth of our Princess Cruise Line robes just listening to the sounds of the ship and the ocean.  Ahhhh….

(Next: A day at sea, exploring the ship and reading on the balcony)

A cruise plus a visit with our granddaughter equals perfection

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SD_1On the second day of our cruise, we ate breakfast while watching our ship pull into San Diego. This was the day for which I was most excited. What’s so great about San Diego, you ask? That’s where my number one granddaughter lives!

No shore excursion could match our itinerary. Our daughter and granddaughter were meeting us mid-morning, we’d go play at a park, eat lunch, then go play some more until our granddaughter’s nap time. If you have grandchildren, you completely understand my excitement. If not, well, I’m sorry – there’s no way to explain it, but trust me, this was the highlight of the cruise!

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Our daughter called to let us know she was on her way to the ship. We left our cabin, maneuvering past the photographers wanting to take souvenir photos so they could charge us an arm and a leg for these “treasured memories” of our cruise. Once off the ship, we were unsure of where our daughter would be able to meet us. We asked a port official where vehicles were allowed to pick up passengers and she told us anywhere along a certain area. We began to walk away, when she said, “I think this might be who you’re waiting for,” and she pointed to our granddaughter who was running toward us.

SD_3I wanted it noted that she ran straight into MY arms. I got the first hug! This is important because the rest of the day (as it is when we Skype) it was “Poppa, Poppa, Poppa!” The husband has always been a charmer.

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That’s our ship, the Sapphire Princess, in the background.

We walked along the pier, which is quite picturesque, visiting with our daughter and granddaughter, stopping to take photos and generally relishing the fact that we were face-to-face with no computer screen in between.

Our daughter is in the Navy, so she took us to a park where the USS Midway Museum is located. If we’d been there without the girls, we’d have definitely gone on the museum tour. The husband loves WWII history and would have enjoyed exploring the ship. There’s a HUGE statue of the famous photograph taken at the end of WWII in Times Square, so of course we posed for a picture.

SD_5A few steps away is A National Salute to Bob Hope and the Military. Set up on a plaza are 15 life-sized bronze statues. One is of Bob Hope in front of a mic, and the rest of the statues represent military from different wars or conflicts. They are arranged as if attending a Bob Hope show, and excerpt of his shows are played. We thought it was great, but our granddaughter thought the statues were “scawey,” so we didn’t linger. “Thanks for the memories!”

We headed to the more child-friendly location and end up at a really nice park in Liberty Station. Swings, climbing structures and lots of sand kept Poppa and Izabel busy, while my daughter and I enjoyed the sun and some catching up.

When it was time for lunch, our daughter thought we might enjoy Slater’s 50/50. Who can say no to a burger made with 50 percent ground bacon and 50 percent ground beef? These burgers were good, but HUGE! In hindsight, the husband and I should have split one. If you live in Southern California, or plan to visit, they have several locations. Check ‘em out!

We went back to the park after lunch, somewhat surprised that Izabel hadn’t hit her grumpy, “I need a nap” point, yet. We were able to play/visit for about another hour and a half before we knew she’d had enough. We headed back to the ship and within five minutes our little sweetie was fast asleep in her car seat. Even kissing her goodbye didn’t cause her to stir. She was completely worn out. I have to admit we were a little worn out ourselves. It’s tough saying goodbye to your kids, not knowing exactly when you’ll see them again. Tight hugs, a kiss and a wave goodbye and don’t look back or you’ll cry.

We got back to our cabin and made reservations for dinner in the Santa Fe dining room. We weren’t hungry, but perhaps we would be in a couple of hours. Nope, we weren’t hungry, but went to dinner anyway. Hey, you’ve paid for the food, so you kind of feel obligated to eat, which is probably the reason people gain weight on a cruise.

I have to say the piña colada soup was amazing. Non-alcoholic, not overly sweet, it was the best part of my meal, and I probably should have ended it right there.  The specialty of the Santa Fe dining room is fajitas, so naturally I had to try them. I left the tortillas to the side and just ate the chicken and veggies. Still so full from lunch.

SD_6Back in our cabin, we watched our ship pull out of port from our balcony. If our cruise had ended the next day, I would have been satisfied. It had been a lovely day making memories with our granddaughter, and I went to sleep with the thought of her little arms wrapped lovingly around my neck.

(Next: Who cares about Ensenda? I’m watching football on a jumbo screen, poolside, in JANUARY!)

“It’s about the journey, not the destination.” I beg to differ!

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Our alarm went off at 3:50 a.m. Ugh! The husband got up, took a shower and began to get things ready to head to the airport. I finally crawled out of bed begrudgingly 40 minutes later. I hate early flights. … Continue reading →

The road to relaxation is paved with stress

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When we decided to take a cruise, we prepared for the new adventure by educating ourselves through lots of internet research. We gleaned everything we could from the cruise line’s website and travel message boards. However, even with all that information, I still didn’t feel knowledgeable as the date for the cruise approached. I had some anxiety mixed with a little trepidation. I don’t like surprises, which is code for, “I like to be in control.” Yep, I admit to being a little bit of a control-freak.

You can’t control what you don’t know, so I decided to have a facial. One has nothing to do with the other, but somehow I felt more confident after visiting my favorite esthetician, Leslie at Cosmetic Laser Advantage. Her lasers are amazing. Although the visit did nothing to add to my knowledge about cruising, it did help me to control my slightly sagging middle-aged face. If you can afford to have your hair cut and colored in a salon, or get a professional manicure and pedicure, you can afford laser treatments, and it’s worth it. Speaking of manicures and pedicures, I had those done, as well. At least I was prepared for the cruise physically, if not mentally.

I’d left one important detail undone. The day before the cruise, I still hadn’t booked transportation from LAX to the cruise terminal. There are multiple shuttle services, but the horror stories regarding shuttles are almost as bad as those regarding taxi service. I called numerous car service companies, but found it difficult to get details about the charges. If I couldn’t get a straight answer, I crossed that company off my list. If I had to press one, two or three to reach a person, I crossed that company off my list. I called A-1 Express and no one answered the phone. You’d think that wasn’t a good sign, but my phone call to the next company on the list was interrupted with A-1 trying to return my call (even though I hadn’t left a message).

I answered and spoke to Elaine, the owner of A-1 Express. She told me she’d been on 17 cruises and was very helpful with answering every question about the transportation charge between the airport and cruise terminal. She also provided valuable information about cruise embarkation and disembarkation. This lady wanted my business, and she got it!

The afternoon before our trip, I laid out clothes, shoes, jewelry, accessories and doubted every choice. I packed, unpacked and repacked. I packed the husband’s bag hoping he’d have extra room for my things that wouldn’t fit in my carry-on. No such luck. There was no way I could take my workout clothes/shoes. I figured I’d just watch what I ate and my scales would never know the difference (yeah, that didn’t work as well as I’d hoped!).

The husband and I finished every item on our vacation to-do-list that was possible to complete that evening, and setting the alarm clock for an ungodly hour, headed to bed. Surprisingly I slept fairly well, which was good. I needed that rest to get though the hurry up and wait and unsettling uncertainty of the travel day ahead.

(Next: From PDX to LAX to cruise ship terminal – whew!)

What Jess Walton (Y&R’s Jill Foster Abbot Fenmore) and I have in common

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Y_and_RI have to confess to being a soap opera addict. I’ve been “clean” for decades (kids and a job can really help you kick the habit), but I’m still drawn to them.  If I pay attention to the covers of the soap opera magazines while waiting in the grocery check out line, I can pretty much stay updated on the story lines and characters. So, even though I’m not a regular viewer of The Young & The Restless, it wasn’t surprising that I immediately noticed a photo of Jess Walton hanging in a restaurant we visited recently.

Cowboy_Dinner_Tree_LRWe were enjoying our annual fall vacation at Eagle Crest Resort in Central Oregon and had made reservations for dinner one evening at The Cowboy Dinner Tree restaurant. To describe the restaurant’s location as out in the middle of nowhere is no exaggeration. It’s located about two hours from our resort, and a couple miles outside the extremely small town of Silver Lake. This is not a restaurant one stumbles across. It’s off the main highway, the signage is poor and the building looks like it’s been abandoned.

Cowboy_Dinner_Tree_food_LRI read a review of the restaurant in The Oregonian newspaper’s travel section years ago, and we finally found the time to visit a couple of years ago. The husband wanted to go back this year, so we made our reservations (required!) and placed our order (also required) a month in advance.  They offer two dinner options: a 26-30 ounce Top Sirloin or a full roasted chicken (yep, a WHOLE chicken!). We order one of each and share (thankfully, they offer doggie bags to take the leftovers home). Dinner includes soup, salad, really delicious rolls, dessert and assorted beverages.

Jess_Walton_crop_LRAs we walked in the door, I noticed the photo of Jess and a group of people at the restaurant. The gentleman in the photo was labeled as her husband, John (her Y & R character Jill was married to a gentleman named John, too). I had to wonder what would bring a soap opera star from Los Angeles to a tiny, off the beaten path restaurant, in an incredibly remote area of Central Oregon.

A little research revealed that Jess and her husband John have recently moved to Central Oregon. I completely understand that decision!  I LOVE Central Oregon, and the husband and I plan to move there someday. The central and eastern portions of Oregon are so much drier than where we live (about 30 minutes southeast of Portland). For now, jobs and family obligations keep us west of the Cascades, so we have to be content with visiting several times a year.

Jess and I not only love Central Oregon enough to want to live there, but we are wives,  married to our spouses for more than 30 years, mothers of a boy and a girl, grandmothers, and apparently we both enjoy good food in large quantities, as well. O.K, those things don’t make us two peas in a pod, but I can’t help but feel a tiny connection to this actor who has discovered the wonders of my little corner of the world. Welcome to the neighborhood, Jess!

Flying on the cheap

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Some of the beautiful landscape at Eagle Crest

I love to travel. I enjoy exploring new places, as well as visiting old favorites to just relax. We take at least three vacations a year by car to Eagle Crest Resort, which is about a two-hour drive from our home. We pack up our Acrua MDX, hit the road, grab some groceries in the town near the resort  and move into the condo for a week of relaxation. We’ve been doing this since 1991, and it truly feels like a second home to our family.

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I LOVE my MDX! Great car for travel!!

However, as much as we enjoy Eagle Crest, we occasionally like to get out of our comfort zone and explore sites and visit friends out of state. This usually means traveling by airplane rather than car. I don’t mind riding in or driving the MDX (it’s a very comfortable car!), but driving takes a lot of time and we’d rather spend our vacation hours at our destination rather than traveling to get there.

Plane tickets and all the fees can get pretty spendy, but we’ve been flying on the cheap for years. In fact, we haven’t paid full fare since 2000! How do we do it? We accumulate frequent flyer miles and use great *finesse to stretch their value.

We are members of the Alaska Airline mileage plan, but most airline programs are similar. The vast majority of our earned miles have nothing to do with flying. We accumulate miles by using an Alaska Airlines Visa and an Alaska Airline debit card. We use the cards for anything and everything possible, and the miles add up quickly. When we built our house, we put all of our construction purchases on our Visa card, and paid off the balance with the construction loan draw. Those were big purchases that really helped build the account.

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When we use our miles for a flight, we rarely use miles for the entire purchase. If you do, you won’t accumulate the miles flown on that flight. However, if you use miles and cash, you can accumulate the miles flown. For a one way discounted ticket, you can use 10,000 miles and receive a 50 percent discount up to $100 on a less expensive itinerary, or use 20,000 miles and receive a 50 percent discount up to $200 for a more expensive destination.

Each year we receive a discounted companion fare, which allows us to purchase a ticket for $99 with the purchase of a full fare ticket. This is always a better option than using miles and cash. We recently flew to Alaska using this option.

When we fly, we usually stay in a hotel and rent a car. We earn miles just by using our mileage plan’s hotel and car rental partners (and there’s usually a discount). We pay our bill using our Alaska Airlines Visa to earn even more miles!

Do you want to fly more often and spend less? Try what works for us!

  1. Join a mileage plan and really get to know the benefits.
  2. Accumulate miles doing things you already do, like purchasing groceries and fuel.
  3. Research the best way to use your miles for maximum benefit.
  4. Use car rental and hotel partners when you travel to earn even more miles.

Do you have any tips for flying on the cheap?

My travel finesse level:
Novice     Advanced beginner     Competent        Proficient        Expert

What’s your travel finesse level?

*finesse (skill, flair, grace elegance, poise, assurance)

Vacation for health

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I’ve taken four vacations so far this year, am currently enjoying my fifth, and have a sixth scheduled. The husband has traveled with me, except for my trip to Alaska. We normally take three vacations per year in the spring, summer and fall, so this year has been unusual.

A beautiful fall morning at Eagle Crest Resort in Central Oregon.

Normally, we pack up our Acura MDX and drive a couple of hours from home to a resort we’ve been visiting since 1991. We enjoy a relaxing week with no schedules, no airports, no hotels, no car rentals and no restaurants – and the weather is usually better than at home. We’re able to completely unwind and reenergize, so it’s reasonable to assume there are psychological benefits to taking vacations. However, research shows vacations can benefit you physically, as well.

Sunrise over the Deschutes River at Eagle Crest Resort

According to an article in Psychology Today, studies show that “vacation is good for your cardiovascular health and your waistline, lowers your cortisol levels and your blood pressure, and may aid in recovery from diseases like cancer.”

Vacations don’t have to be expensive or in some faraway location, and they don’t have to be a week long. Even the simplest of getaways can benefit your health. Why wait?

Downtown Disney

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While the husband was tending to the business of his business trip in Orlando, I brought along several projects to keep me busy at the hotel. I also intended to hop over to Downtown Disney to do some shopping, but our hotel shuttle wasn’t what I’d expected.

We had an early dinner one evening, so I suggested we have dessert at the Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop at Downtown Disney and grab some souvenirs for the granddaughters. The husband wasn’t excited about shopping and he’s not a big fan of dessert, but he was on board with the excursion.

We were pretty busy on our last trip to Disneyland in 2005, so we didn’t spend any time at Downtown Disney in California. I’m glad we didn’t do that in Florida! The fun thing about Downtown Disney is that you can enjoy the Disney atmosphere without the cost – parking is free and there’s no admission fee.

We headed for the World of Disney store and had a difficult time choosing something for the girls. There’s so much and everything is so cute! We settled on two Minnie Mouse plush toys. I always try to get a Christmas ornament when we travel and they had a lot of choices in that category, as well!

We finished our shopping and were ready for dessert. Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop is severely over-priced, but it was something we wanted to do. My waffle cone was stale, so I’d skip that next time, but the chocolate was heavenly!

Before heading back to the hotel, we walked through most of Downtown Disney listening to the different music and looking at the different shops and restaurants.  A very relaxing way to end the day.