Hackney's Exotic Vacation 11-24-2008

I attended the PATA seminar on Wed Nov 18, 2009 at Chef Chu in Los Altos. It was about 48 people in the small dining area on the second floor. The food was pretty yummy. It started with Chinese chicken salad, bun with duck meat, honey prawns, fried rice wrapped in lotus leaves, chicken curry, spicy garlic beef and steam veggie. The desert is almond pudding with canned fruits.

We watched the video Eye On The Bay which Brian took it when he went on vacation to Indonesia in March 2008. First he went to Borneo to see orang utan/gorilla then flew to Java to see the biggest Buddhist temple in the world Borobudur in central Java. On the way to the airport in Jakarta he forgot his camera so he had to go back to his apartment. By the time he got to the airport he missed his flight to Denpasar, Bali. After stand by for several hours with no luck a stranger approached him and asked him $400 for a ticket to Bali. All the flights were full due to the biggest holiday in Bali. Finally he was able to board the plane.

His video Hackney's Exotic Vacation you can find it at www.cbs5.com/eyeonthebay.

It is very interesting to watch especially for anybody who never been to Indonesia.

Carnival Spirit--8 nights to Mexico from San Diego

Sharon and I recently enjoyed an 8-night cruise on the Carnival Spirit. This itinerary features four days at sea with port stops at Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Manzanillo. While we prefer more upscale cruising, we still had a good time on this voyage.

What we liked best:

--Food in the dining room exceeded my expectations for quality and variety. We had good waiters and several times I relied on their recommendations with good results.

--Evening entertainment: there was a nice assortment of the typical cruise ship song and dance evenings interspersed with comedy and a big band night. The show room was large enough that it was not necessary to arrive early to obtain a seat.

--The water slide appealed to adults and kids alike and provided good exercise climbing up the stairs to try it again and again.

--The ship is in good condition. It has a straightforward layout that is easy to navigate

--San Diego is a great cruise port and I recommend a few days of pre-cruise stay to enjoy it; ship embarkation and debarkation were both smooth and quick.

Areas of disappointment:

--Activities during days at sea are definitely oriented to the ‘sun and fun’ demographic. There were very few activities that are more intellectual than “hairy chest contest”, beanbag toss, bingo and trivia contests (may also be true for Mexican Riviera itineraries of other cruise lines also).

--The breakfast and lunch buffets are a bit of a zoo. The layout is somewhat confusing. However the ‘deli’ station produces very good panini-style sandwiches (especially the reuben) but lines can be long.

The Ports:

--Acapulco: beautiful harbor and convenient docking facility. We began a walk around town starting with the fort (excellent exhibits) but got sidetracked by a tout on our way to old town. For a future visit, I recommend a shore excursion or staying on the ship. Others on the ship enjoyed the cliff divers (we both had seen this on a previous trip).

--Zihuatanejo: a tender port with a pleasant seaside town. Took a cab to Playa la Ropa but wished that we had taken the tender to Playa las Gatas (see cruisecritic.com message boards)..

--Manzanillo: the ship docks in a container port.  We took a Carnival shore excursion to Barra de Navidad by bus and it was pleasant. Others took a cab to Las Hadas resort for the day (see cruisecritic.com for a description). There is nothing to do in town.

Tips:

--use the main dining room for breakfasts (any day) and lunches (sea days only) to avoid the crowds in the buffet area. Service was prompt and the experience was far more civilized.

--try the upscale specialty dining restaurant (Nouveau Supper Club) at least once. It might seem a bit pricey at $30/person but the food and service are excellent. Given how little you pay for this cruise, the supper club is a good value for a very nice dining experience.

--the ‘ultimate ship tour’ was thoroughly enjoyed by a couple that dined with us. They saw all sorts of interesting places on the ship and had a chance to speak with several officers. These tours are only given a few times and are limited to 15 guests per tour. The cost is something like $90. Consider it a shore excursion onboard ship.

--the water slide is best on sea day #2 and during port days (limited hours in port). It gets very windy on the last two sea days.

--if you are using ‘anytime’ dining, ask for a table in Ricardo’s section; he is very good. You can switch from fixed dining to anytime dining with a bit of angst by being polite but assertive.

--the self-service ice cream bar sometimes had sundae items added during afternoons

--The Filipino band (Music Network) that plays in the Versailles Lounge does a great job with 50s, 60s and 70s rock covers.

--the ‘farewell party’ on the last sea day was very nice; free drinks and entertainment were provided.

Who would enjoy Carnival:

--Just about anyone who sails with the proper expectations. This itinerary appeals primarily to a ‘sun and fun’ demographic: people that like to drink by the pool, play bingo and hang out in the casino. You are not paying for Holland America/Cunard level of service and you won’t get it. But you can still have a good time

--Families and multi-generation groups were plentiful. The kids program seems to be effective as we didn’t see much of the 300+ kids who were aboard our sold-out cruise.

Who would not enjoy Carnival:

--Someone who strongly prefers a more elegant style of cruising with intellectually stimulating daily activities

--Anyone who would be put off by people wearing shorts and t-shirts at dinner in the main dining room; it appeared that the dress code, if any, wasn’t being enforced on this itinerary.

--Sophisticated travelers should not use Carnival as a first cruise; they should have their first cruise experience on a more up-market cruise line, later using Carnival for a quick getaway.

Vermont Tour Group

I recently returned home from escourting a group of 24 to Vermont. It was a successful trip and I feel that everyone had a great time and is looking forward to the next trip. We flew into NYC and then to Burlington, VT. Our bus picked us up at the airport and we were off to a new adventure. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express for the 4 nights that we were in Vermont. Great service, nice breakfast, enclosed spa and swimming pool.

Each day was a new adventure for us. The first day was a CiderMill, Stowe,Vermont, Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream(if you go make sure that your visit the grave yard where all the discountued flavors are resting). We had a buffet dinner at a country club. The next day was the Vermont Teddy Bear factory, Shelbourne Museum (outdoor museum with a lighthouse, covered bridge, train, ship, circus experience, tiffany glass, quilts, etc.), Christmas Loft, and a dinner cruise.
Thursday we visited a granite quarry, the state capitol and a maple farm. Dinner was a buffet with the rest of the Diamond Tour groups in the area.

If you are in Vermont, make sure that you stop at these sites for a real picture of how Vermonters live.


Chris

Last year my family decided to hang up the pot holders and go away for Thanksgiving. We went to Monterey and it was one of the best Holiday's we have ever had. No cooking or cleaning, just all day and night to visit, relax and site-see. My Brother is incredibly cheap and picked a substandard hotel a few miles from the Wharf. It was clean, but had nothing exciting about it (I can't even remember the name). We still spent about $129 a night as it was a Holiday.

This year I decided to call our rep, Cara Berends, from the Larkspur Hotels and see if I can arrange a stay at the Casa Munras with a site tour on Friday. Of course they were happy to accommodate me with a great TA rate of $99 a night. When I called to see about 2 more rooms for my family, they extended the same rate - what a deal.

So while the rest of you are exhausted from cooking (or picking up) dinner, I will be at a ocean front restaraunt eating lobster with my family....

(I will write up a full hotel report after Thanskgiving)

2009 Garden Tour of New Zealand

You can follow our progress (and learn a lot about New Zealand) at

www.rhododendrongardentours.com

Diane

H/A Pacific Northwest & Coast Fam Cruise

Sixty nine Travel Agents from all over U.S.A. was invited to sail on the m.s Veendam from Vancouver,B.C. to Victoria, and Astoria.Disembark in San Diego.This was the best Cruise Fam offered by any cruise line,really reasonable priced which included two top notch Hotels overnight stay in Seattle and Vancouver,B.C. Amtrak Cascade Train from Seattle to Vancouver and five night cruise on the ship.Sept.25-Oct.02,2009

It was first hand learning experience on board with two days of Seminars: Mr. Dave Fields,Coordinator and Mr. Rene H, Spatz,Sales Developement Manager was the principal representatives of Holland America. Invited travel partners: Tourism British Columbia,Anchortage & seattle Convention & Visitors Bureau.Amtrak and CLIA.

I flew up to Seattle on Friday morning with a one night stay at the Renaisance Seattle Hotel- a nice downtown location with a pool on the top floor overlooking the City. Hosted a fantastic dinner Buffet:Rack of Lamb,Cooked in front of you Crab Cakes Cakes.Fresh Salmon,etc. Next morning a beautiful scenic Coastal train ride on Amktrak Cascade-4 hours to Vancouver. Box breakfast was served. Narrow gauge train that was build in Spain,comfortable beige leather and very clean bathroom facilities.Also Business class csection is available at the back end of the Bistro car.

We stay overnight at the Pan Pacific Hotel,home of Canada Place-lower floor-Cruise Terminal. The new Fairmont waterfront is right across the street. A surprise dinner location was hosted by Tourism Vancouver inside the Vancouver Aquarium catered dinner with unlimited cocktails and wines with fishs swimming around you.. Another truly undersea experience was watching the 3D10 special effects and then was treated to a private night show by their residence Dolphins.

After Breakfast(Canadian bacon and eggs) at the Hotel,we boarded ms. Veendam for a tour of the ship and the Travel Agents Sailaway Cocktail Party-I think we had one too many including yours truly-thanks to couple young ladies!

Next morning-we were in Victoria-capitol of British of Columbia .Visited the Royal B.C. Museum and the world famous Butchard Gardens(we had the most wonderful Afternoon Tea better than Sheraton Palace Hotel or the Peninsula Hotel of Hong Kong.

The highlights of the Fam trip for me was meeting and listening to all our Hosts and presenters first handed about new destinations/point of interests and having the knowledge to promote Holland America Line from being on site.

Holland America Line is best suited for anyone who likes refine taste and not overly stuffy. Excellent values for the bucks and always ecellent service from its staff.

I am greatly appreciative to Holland America's Mr.Dave Fields,Mr.ReneSpatz,Mr. Jordan Marona and Ms. Velma Chen for this educational fam trip.

Raddison San Francisco

I recently stayed at the Raddison San Francisco (While touring the Norwegian Sun ). They were pretty booked, but still gave me a discounted rate of $129 a night (online was $179). It was an average room, nothing much to write about. I had read that they had a major renovation, but it was not evident at all. The bathroom vent did not work and there was rust and mold in the tiles behind the bath. I toured their conference center and the smell of must or mildew was so strong, I had to walk out.

One great thing was the outdoor fire pit. Several guests sat around, smoked, drank and chatted about where they were from and where they were traveling to. Several families picniced around the fire pit and played games as well.

A few days later, I received a survey in my email and I was dreadfully honest about my stay. It was average. A few hours later I received an email from Ronald Diaz, the Front Office Manager as follows:

Dear Ms. Gries,

We appreciate you taking the time to complete a survey regarding your recent stay with us.

On behalf of our entire staff here at the Radisson Hotel Fisherman's Wharf we apologize for the concerns you have about your experience at this hotel. We appreciate the feedback and, as a good will gesture, wish to extend a partial refund in the amount of $100.00 for your stay.

Please accept our apology and we hope to see you again when your travels bring you back to San Francisco. If you would like to discuss your experience further with me, please don't hesitate to call me at the phone number listed below.

They actually credited my card $180...I appreciate the gesture, but I could not recommend this location for a client.