lynncarol

We have been to St Kitts twice now and each time were very pleased with the service of Leo Christopher. He is a really nice guy who will individualize your private tour, is a careful driver, very reliable, and has an extraordinary knowledge of local fauna and their uses. (His grandmother was a herbologist) Contact information is christopherom95@gmail.com His prices are really reasonable too.

In the last six months, my husband and I have been on two cruises. The first, in November, was a RCCL (Odyssey of the Seas) with our youngest daughter and young adult grandaughter. The ship had virtual trampolines, bumper cars and a sky lift that soared above the ship. We all really enjoyed it. In March we went on Celebrity Constellation with our older daughter and some friends. We all really enjoyed that one too. But when I described this latter cruise to our younger daughter, her response was "That sounds really boring". So I guess it depends on what you enjoy doing onboard.

I hate long lines so Global Entry upon returning to the USA has been a godsend. In fact, when we took two of our adult grandkids to South Africa, my husband and I insisted on buying them Global Entry too. Returning to Newark, while mobs of folks were waiting in immigration lines, the four of us breezed right through using our Global Entry. The grandkids (who had originally balked at requirements for getting the pass) were thrilled.

Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota. Mean employee at entrance when we tried to stop and take a picture. Charge to get in. Charged again to take their transportation from visitor center to the monument. Center's museum featured a film on creating the monument that we had already seen on a television special.

Five of us, all USA citizens, did a 10 day cruise with Celebrity out of Tampa Florida this past March. Even though we went to 5 different islands (none of the private ones) before returning, no ship employees onboard or at the Tampa port ever said one word about testing when we got off the ship back in the States. Fastest disembarkation ever! If anywhere Celebrity was offering Covid tests, we never saw it.

This was pre-pandemic but my husband and I spent the night before our cruise in Civitavecchia There are a number of nice restaurants in town and free transportation from the hotel to the port. The morning before our overnight, we caught the public bus from Civitavecchia to Tarquinia. That bus stop is right of up the street from Tarquinia's fabulous Etruscan museum. We spent several hours there and then took another bus straight to the Etruscan ruins. We then walked back to the museum through the town, stopping on the way to get lunch, before accessing the bus back to Civitavecchia. A really nice leisurely day.

My husband and I had a private tour with Ephesus Shuttle and really enjoyed it. Our guide was waiting for us on the dock and since the two of us zipped off the ship immediately, we got there minutes before the ruins opened and were amongst the first folks admitted. I agree that the Terrace Houses are well worth a visit. Our guide asked if we wanted to see a rug factory, and after telling him we had no interest in it at all, he never mentioned it again. Later, on our own, we walked through the bazaar at the port. Yes, the vendors would love to have you stop, but a polite but firm decline served us well. And we got a kick out of some of their 'come-ons: "Tell me how I can help you spend your money", "Guaranteed fake watches sold here", etc.

We (a party of 5) were there this past March. The beach was sand but there were so many people at the beach that you could barely see any unoccupied sand. In fact, one of our members was so put off by the crowds, he refused to get out of the van. The rest of us stayed for 45 minutes, watched 3 plane landings and then left. Fortunately we were on a private tour as there were no parking spaces either so our driver could drop us off, and keep looking for a space to park. What a zoo!