Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas

Hi Everyone!
Brandi here. It's been a busy fall and I have lots of trips to tell you about. First up is my vacation on one of the largest cruise ships afloat; Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas. My husband and I flew from Richmond to Ft. Lauderdale. We flew down a day early and stayed the night in Ft. Lauderdale near the pier. We stayed at the Hyatt Place, which is a great new hotel. The terminal in Ft. Lauderdale was specifically built for these massive ships so check-in was a breeze; no long lines to wait in. The ship is a destination in itself. There is so much to see and do. We sailed to the Eastern Caribbean which includes Nassau, Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. The Oasis of the Seas has great activities such as surfing, rock climbing, zip lining, miniature golf, ice skating, all without leaving the ship! The show are wonderful. There are Broadway style shows, comedians, shows on ice, and spectacular water shows at the Aqua Theater. My favorite was the Ice Show. There are many dining choices from traditional cruise ship dining to specialty restaurants and two a la carte options. The Royal Promenade is like being in a shopping mall. There is shopping, restaurants, bars (including a levitating bar that ascends and descends over three decks), coffee shop and my favorite, the Cupcake Cupboard. We tried out the Asian Fusion restaurant which is one of the a la carte options and the food was wonderful. Central Park and The Boardwalk are not to be missed. There are four pools to choose from, one with an infinity edge. I could go on and on about this great experience but you'll have to call me to hear more!

Western Mediterranean Cruise

Hi!
It's Raegan and in July I took a Western Mediterranean cruise aboard the Costa Concordia. We flew on Lufthansa into Barcelona, Spain and sailed from there. We visited a different port every day. This is my favorite type of cruise as I like to be on the go. On the first day we visited Marseille, France. We took a half day excursion to Aix en Provence which is a beautiful little city in the Provence region of France. That afternoon we spent in Marseille. We stopped for a crepe with chocolate and bananas - a "must have" on any trip to France! On day two the ship docked at Savona, Italy. We took a full day tour to Monaco. We visited the Palace of Prince Rainier III and watched the changing of the guards and heard stories about his romance with Princess Grace Kelly. We then traveled to Monte Carlo, known for it's casino and the Formula 1 Grand Prix race. The next day we stopped in Naples, Italy and visited the magnificent ruins at Pompeii. Day four found us in Palermo, Sicily. We did not take an excursion here. We walked miles and toured the city on our own. We enjoyed the side streets and the out of the way neighborhoods where the real people live. The next day we went to Tunis, Tunisia in northern Africa. We visited the archaeological site of Carthage with its ruins and aqueducts and then we toured the Medina (old town) and Souks (markets) for some interesting shopping. Thursday we visited Palma De Mallorca, Spain. This is a beautiful island! We walked miles and visited the Palace and shopping areas. Then on Friday morning we arrived back in Barcelona. We then spent two nights at the Barcelona House hotel which was an oddly modern hotel in a perfect location in the La Rambla area. We took the double-decker hop-on-hop-off bus tour of the city. We saw several examples of the famous architect, Antoni Gaudi's work, including the beautiful Sagrada Familia Cathedral and the Park Guell. Barcelona is one of my favorite cities. If you have the chance, definitely spend a few days here. Overall this was a fantastic trip. I can't decide which port was my favorite, I loved them all!

Australia, 2010

Hi!
It's Raegan and I've just returned from my second familiarization trip to Australia. This time we visited tropical North Queensland, The Great Barrier Reef and Sydney. I flew from Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport to LAX and then flew Qantas Airways from LAX to Brisbane. We then had a connection to Cairns. It was a long trip but definitely worth it. The first evening we arrived at the beautiful Shagri-La resort in Cairns. We went to the Cairns Tropical Night Zoo where we saw lots of native animals and had a BBQ and live entertainment. It was a fun welcome to Australia. On our first full day we took the Skyrail over the treetops of the rainforest to the village of Kuranda. The views were spectacular. That afternoon we visited the Tjapukai Aboriginal Culture Park where we were treated to native dances, food, music and even learned how to properly throw a boomerang! That evening we went to the night market in Cairns which was great for souvenir shopping. The next day was sunny and beautiful and we took the Quicksilver Wavepiercer Catamaran to the Outer Reef Platform where I snorkeled over the Great Barrier Reef. This was an amazing experience! They also offer scuba diving for beginners as well as experienced divers, helicopter tours, an underwater observatory and a semi-submersible boat to tour you around the reef without ever getting wet. The next two nights were spent at Thala Beach Lodge near Port Douglass. This is my favorite resort of all the resorts I have ever stayed! The Bungalows are perched on the cliffs in the rainforest overlooking the ocean. The food was fantastic and the lobby was one of the prettiest I have seen. The next day we went to the Daintree Rainforest which is the oldest rainforest in the world. We saw birds, snakes, crocodiles and kangaroos. We took a cruise on the Daintree River and later crossed the river on the Daintree River Ferry. The next day we had free time to visit the beach at our resort and relax a bit before our flight to Sydney. We spent the last three nights at the Marriott Sydney Harbour. We could walk one block to a pedestrian area with beautiful views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The next day we visited the Blue Mountains which is a unique World Heritage Region. We visited a temperate rain forest and enjoyed stunning views. We rode the world's steepest incline railway and saw kangaroos in the wild. On the last day we had a free day in Sydney. I loved Sydney. It is a beautiful, clean and friendly city. It is very easy to walk to all of the main tourist sites. We went up in the Sydney Tower for amazing views of the city and rode the monorail to Darling Harbor where we had lunch and visited the Sydney Aquarium. That afternoon we took the Harbour Express boat all around Sydney Harbour for beautiful views of the city and its beaches. Australia is a country not to be missed. I have been twice this year and hope to return. There is so much more to see!

Hilton Head, SC

Hello,
Its Brandi again. In March several of us went to Hilton Head, SC. We drove from here. It was about an 8 hour trip. We stayed at the Marriott Ocean Grand. Hilton Head has lots of activities to offer including golf, spa, beach, outlet shopping, and dining. Plantation tours are available as well as day trips to Savannah. Bicycling is the preferred mode of transportation. The beaches are very wide and not very crowded at this time of year. The weather was 65-70 degrees F each day. Hilton Head is great for family vacations, golf packages, girls' getaways....something for everyone. I enjoyed my trip and hope to return.

Nassau, Bahamas and Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

Hi, it' Jerry and I have just returned from a familiarization trip to Sandals Royal Bahmamian in Nassau, Bahamas and Beaches Turks and Caicos. Sandals in Nassau is an Adults only luxury all inclusive resort and I would say that they take care of your every need. They have a room category for just about everyone, from a deluxe room to a suite with your own personal butler. They are one of only two Sandals resorts that have their own private island. They also have the Red Lane spa for all the pampering you will need.
The next day I went to the Beaches Resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Beaches is a family resort that the kids will will enjoy as much as the adults. For the kids they have a Pirates Island waterpark as well six swimming pools and Sesame Street characters onsite and for the very small children they have a fantastic day care center. They have adults only restaurants so if you want to dine without your kids or anyone elses you can do that. Beaches also has the Red Lane Spa!! I think they have something for everyone and I would highly recommend both of them!!

Pacific Northwest

Hello again everyone. It's Jerry and I have just returned from a trip to the Pacific Northwest. I flew into Seattle where my family and I stayed for 4 days. While we were there we went up in the Space Needle twice. We went up in the day time and then again at night. Totaly different view at night!! The needle is over 650 feet high so you can really get a view of Seattle. We also went to Pikes Market and watched them throw the fish around. The Seahawks were playing the Bears while we were there so we were able to get tickets at the last minute and that was a lot of fun. We also went on a harbour tour and a Ride the Ducks tour. That's a tour that takes you around the city on a WW II amphibious beach craft. It goes on water and land. That was a lot of fun!! We also went to Mt. St. Helens and to Mt. Hood on our way to Portland where we stayed with family for two days. We flew home from there. While we were at Mt. Hood it snowed a foot and was still snowing when we left and this was in the last of Sept!! We also went out to the coast for a day visit so one day we were in the snow and the next we were in the ocean!! I love this part of the country and I think evereyone should see those mountains. This is a great vacation destination!

Southern Australia

Hi! It's Raegan and I've just returned from a familiarization trip to Southern Australia. I flew from Shenandoah Valley to LAX and then from LAX to Melbourne on Qantas Airways. We spent two nights at the luxurious five star Langham Hotel. We enjoyed dinner in the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant which is a working tramcar that tours the city as you dine. We also had some free time in Melbourne to visit the market and do some sightseeing. The next day we visited Warrook Cattle farm and saw kangaroos, emus and sheep. Then we went to the Koala Conservation Center. That evening we went to the Penguin Parade and watched the world's smallest penguins march up the sand to their nesting places. This was the highlight of my whole trip! We drove along the spectacular Great Ocean Road and saw beautiful scenery. We took a helicopter ride over the Twelve Apostles rock formations. Next we visited Grampians National Park and then on to wine tasting in the Barossa Valley. We flew to Kangaroo Island for 2 fantastic days of luxury touring. We walked through the bush and saw wallabies and kangaroos in the wild.We visited amazing seal bay where the seals sun themselves on the secluded beach. We had delicious meals grilled on the "barbie" each day. We visited the Remarkable Rocks rock formations and Admiral's Arch. The scenery was breathtaking! On the last day we flew back to Adelaide and had a free day for shopping and sightseeing. This was one of the best trips I've ever taken in all my years of traveling. I would recommend Australia to anyone!!