Hi!
It's Jerry and I've just returned from a four day familiarization trip to the Riviera Maya, Mexico. The fam was hosted by United Vacations, Funjet Vacations and Karisma Resorts. I stayed at El Dorado Seaside Suites. We toured the El Dorado Royale (my favorite), the Azul Beach Resort, and the Azul Maroma Beach Resort. Azul Resorts is in the process of building two new properties, Azul View and Azul Fives. We toured the sites of these new hotels and were able to see model rooms. All of these properites are all-inclusive. The service was excellent. We had wonderful weather every day. I'm not sure which is bluer, the water or the sky!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Friday, November 2, 2007
Ireland
Hello!
It's Raegan and I have just returned from a familiarization trip to Ireland. I flew Aer Lingus nonstop from Dulles to Dublin. On day one we visited the National Stud and Japanese Gardens and spent the first night at a beautiful hotel called Wineport Lodge in Athlone. On day two we visited Clonmacnoise and saw the ruins of a cathedral, eight churches and several high crosses. We also saw the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher. We spent the night in Doolin. The next day we took a ferry across the River Shannon and spent the night in the quaint town of Kinsale. Day four took us to Waterford and the JFK Arboretum. That evening we went pub hopping in the small town of Athy. The next morning we went to Glendalough which is one of the most famous religious centers in Early Christian Ireland. We had that afternoon free to explore Dublin. We ate "pub-grub" in the Temple Bar area of Dublin. The next moring we took a cruise on the River Liffey and had the rest of the day at our leisure. I took the hop-on-hop-off bus tour of downtown Dublin and did some shopping. The last evening was spent at a wonderful traditional Irish show with folk music and dancing. The last morning I took one last walk through the city to Dublin Castle and Trinity College. Overall, I enjoyed the trip. Ireland is a very good "entry level" Europe trip. The people are very friendly and speak English. I was amazed at how much the beautiful scenery resembled the Shenandoah Valley.
It's Raegan and I have just returned from a familiarization trip to Ireland. I flew Aer Lingus nonstop from Dulles to Dublin. On day one we visited the National Stud and Japanese Gardens and spent the first night at a beautiful hotel called Wineport Lodge in Athlone. On day two we visited Clonmacnoise and saw the ruins of a cathedral, eight churches and several high crosses. We also saw the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher. We spent the night in Doolin. The next day we took a ferry across the River Shannon and spent the night in the quaint town of Kinsale. Day four took us to Waterford and the JFK Arboretum. That evening we went pub hopping in the small town of Athy. The next morning we went to Glendalough which is one of the most famous religious centers in Early Christian Ireland. We had that afternoon free to explore Dublin. We ate "pub-grub" in the Temple Bar area of Dublin. The next moring we took a cruise on the River Liffey and had the rest of the day at our leisure. I took the hop-on-hop-off bus tour of downtown Dublin and did some shopping. The last evening was spent at a wonderful traditional Irish show with folk music and dancing. The last morning I took one last walk through the city to Dublin Castle and Trinity College. Overall, I enjoyed the trip. Ireland is a very good "entry level" Europe trip. The people are very friendly and speak English. I was amazed at how much the beautiful scenery resembled the Shenandoah Valley.
Canada and New England Cruise
Hi! It's Brandi and I've just returned from a 6 night Canada and New England cruise aboard Norwegian Spirit. I escorted a group of 26 guests as part of a local radio morning show promotion called "Castaway with Jim and Frank". We sailed from New York City and visited Halifax, St. John and the Bay of Fundy, Boston and Martha's Vineyard. This was my first time sailing on Norwegian and I enjoyed it. They have "Freestyle" cruising which means that you do what you want to do, when you want to do it. There are no set meal times. You can eat at any of a number of venues at any time. Some require reservations or a surcharge, though. This was a fall foliage cruise and the weather was a bit chilly. I really enjoyed Halifax and Martha's Vineyard. Halifax has an interesting and moving connection with the Titanic disaster and Martha's Vineyard is a quaint township with beautiful gingerbread victorian cottages. They had great shows and food that cruise vacations are known for. Don't miss the Ship 'n' males show!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Walt Disney EARMARKED Conference
Hello!
It's Brandi and I have just returned from the Disney's EARMARKED Conference for Travel Agents in Orlando. This conference is for agents who are Authorized Vacation Planners by Disney. Carlson Wagonlit Travel is the only PremEAR agency in Harrisonburg. The conference was held at Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resort. The keynote speakers were Mary Lou Retton, Tim Sanders and Pat Williams. We toured several of the Disney Resorts and parks. Some of the "must sees" are "Finding Nemo - The Musical" at Animal Kingdom and "Soaring" at Epcot and you can't miss the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Downtown Disney.
The Year of a Million Dreams continues...be on the lookout for the dream team while at Disney!
It's Brandi and I have just returned from the Disney's EARMARKED Conference for Travel Agents in Orlando. This conference is for agents who are Authorized Vacation Planners by Disney. Carlson Wagonlit Travel is the only PremEAR agency in Harrisonburg. The conference was held at Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resort. The keynote speakers were Mary Lou Retton, Tim Sanders and Pat Williams. We toured several of the Disney Resorts and parks. Some of the "must sees" are "Finding Nemo - The Musical" at Animal Kingdom and "Soaring" at Epcot and you can't miss the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Downtown Disney.
The Year of a Million Dreams continues...be on the lookout for the dream team while at Disney!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Disney World
Hi! It's Jerry and I just returned from a trip to Walt Disney World. We flew from Richmond nonstop into Orlando. We utilized the Magical Express transfer service offered by Disney which is very user friendly. They claim your bags for you and transport you to your resort. We stayed at Disney's Yacht Club Resort which is within walking distance of Epcot and the boardwalk which has shops and restaurants and nightlife. We took a short 10 minute ride on the boat to MGM Studios. Bus service is also available to all of the other parks and resort areas. We saw the Cirque du Soleil show La Nouba at Pleasure Island. It was an excellent show! I also recommend catching Illuminations, the laser and fireworks spectacular at Epcot. I really enjoyed the new Expedition Everest ride at Animal Kingdom and the new and improved Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom. As always, we had a wonderful time at Disney.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
San Antonio
Hello!
It's Raegan and Brandi and we just returned from a weekend in San Antonio, Texas. We flew out of Roanoke on Saturday morning and arrived in San Antonio at lunch time. We took a riverboat cruise down the San Antonio River which runs along the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk is beautiful and much more lush and tropical than we had pictured. There are sidewalk cafes and shops along about 2 and 1/2 miles of the river. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Riverwalk which is in the process of being renovated. It is a moderate hotel at the end of the Riverwalk. Not the best location but it served its purpose. We would recommend the Hyatt or the Marriott Rivercenter which are more centrally located. San Antonio is known for it's Tex-Mex food and we ate plenty of it! On day two we took the hop-on-hop-off trolly tour of downtown and visited the Alamo and two other missions as well as the Mexican Market. The Market was a bit touristy for our taste but the food was great. San Antonio is a great destination for couples, friends or families. There is a SeaWorld and a Six Flags there as well, so it would make a great family vacation destination.
It's Raegan and Brandi and we just returned from a weekend in San Antonio, Texas. We flew out of Roanoke on Saturday morning and arrived in San Antonio at lunch time. We took a riverboat cruise down the San Antonio River which runs along the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk is beautiful and much more lush and tropical than we had pictured. There are sidewalk cafes and shops along about 2 and 1/2 miles of the river. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Riverwalk which is in the process of being renovated. It is a moderate hotel at the end of the Riverwalk. Not the best location but it served its purpose. We would recommend the Hyatt or the Marriott Rivercenter which are more centrally located. San Antonio is known for it's Tex-Mex food and we ate plenty of it! On day two we took the hop-on-hop-off trolly tour of downtown and visited the Alamo and two other missions as well as the Mexican Market. The Market was a bit touristy for our taste but the food was great. San Antonio is a great destination for couples, friends or families. There is a SeaWorld and a Six Flags there as well, so it would make a great family vacation destination.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
New York City
Hi! It's Raegan again.
I just got back from New York City. A friend and I took the nonstop flight from Charlottesville to LaGuardia. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt New York which is adjacent to Grand Central Station about 2 blocks from Times Square. On the first day we rode the open-top double-decker bus with hop-on-hop-off service. We visited Macy's department store in Herald Square, China Town and the World Trade Center site. We rode through Times Square, Greenwich Village, Wall Street and the Lower East Side. We also saw the United Nations building. We ate at a theme restaurant called MARS 2112. The waiters looked like aliens. On day 2 we rode the first ferry out to the Statue of Liberty (if you go early you can beat the long lines that form later in the day). We rode the subway to Brooklyn and ate pizza at Grimaldi's famous pizzeria. We then walked across the Brooklyn Bridge on the footpath. This was an amazing experience. The architecture of the bridge with the Manhattan skyline in the background is magnificent. We saw the Lion King on Broadway that night. It was wonderful. It was a very artistic version of the children's story. Day 3 took us to the top of the Empire State Building (again we went early to avoid the long lines). Then we rode the subway to Rockefeller Center and went to the Top of the Rock Observation Deck. I would recommend skipping the Empire State Building and just going to the Top of the Rock. The view is just as breath-taking, it costs about the same and there was no wait in the middle of the day! You have a clear view of the Empire State Building from the Top of the Rock which was really beautiful. After that we walked down Fifth Avenue, did some window shopping and saw St. Patrick's Cathedral. Then we went to Central Park, grabbed a hot dog from a street vendor and watched people. Day 4 took us to Times Square for a bit of souvenir shopping and a last look at the city before we headed home. New York is very fast paced so if you're up for some excitement, New York is the place. This was my 12th trip and it never gets old.
I just got back from New York City. A friend and I took the nonstop flight from Charlottesville to LaGuardia. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt New York which is adjacent to Grand Central Station about 2 blocks from Times Square. On the first day we rode the open-top double-decker bus with hop-on-hop-off service. We visited Macy's department store in Herald Square, China Town and the World Trade Center site. We rode through Times Square, Greenwich Village, Wall Street and the Lower East Side. We also saw the United Nations building. We ate at a theme restaurant called MARS 2112. The waiters looked like aliens. On day 2 we rode the first ferry out to the Statue of Liberty (if you go early you can beat the long lines that form later in the day). We rode the subway to Brooklyn and ate pizza at Grimaldi's famous pizzeria. We then walked across the Brooklyn Bridge on the footpath. This was an amazing experience. The architecture of the bridge with the Manhattan skyline in the background is magnificent. We saw the Lion King on Broadway that night. It was wonderful. It was a very artistic version of the children's story. Day 3 took us to the top of the Empire State Building (again we went early to avoid the long lines). Then we rode the subway to Rockefeller Center and went to the Top of the Rock Observation Deck. I would recommend skipping the Empire State Building and just going to the Top of the Rock. The view is just as breath-taking, it costs about the same and there was no wait in the middle of the day! You have a clear view of the Empire State Building from the Top of the Rock which was really beautiful. After that we walked down Fifth Avenue, did some window shopping and saw St. Patrick's Cathedral. Then we went to Central Park, grabbed a hot dog from a street vendor and watched people. Day 4 took us to Times Square for a bit of souvenir shopping and a last look at the city before we headed home. New York is very fast paced so if you're up for some excitement, New York is the place. This was my 12th trip and it never gets old.
Punta Cana
In June 2007 I, Raegan, and my daughter set out on an adventure to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The island was BEAUTIFUL! The sand is some of the whitest and softest I have seen anywhere. The water is crystal clear and our resort was wonderful. We stayed in the Elite Club at Ocean Blue Golf and Beach Resort. The resort featured 9 restaurants and 2 beautiful pools complete with swim-up bars. This is an all-inclusive resort so all meals, drinks, non-motorized water-sports and gratuities are included. We also chose to take a couple of excursions. We rode banana boats at the resort, went 4-wheeling along the beach and went on a boat ride to the Marinarium where we swam with nurse sharks and rays. I would recommend Punta Cana to anyone who loves the beach. We had a fantastic time!
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