H20mac3

Hi. I have a few questions after visiting their website please:

 

Can you hold the monkeys and birds or is it just a tour?

 

It says they have a new area for snorkeling. Is this as good as West Bay Beach? Or is the snorkel tour they do good? The snorkeling is important to us.

 

Thanks!!!![emoji4]

 

 

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We spent the day there in May and had a fabulous snorkel tour! Our guide was awesome didn't rush us and was always pointing out things for us to see! We were there on a quiet day so we thoroughly relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. The food was ok - but then again we were sailing on the Marina!

Would like to take this tour offered by Oceania before we start our cruise in 2017..

Interested in comments from fellow cruisers who have taken O's Machu Picchu tour. Pros and cons..........

Also, any problems climatizing to the altitude during the 4 day So?

Thanks

We were on the Lima to NYC cruise last April. We also used Kuoda (Thank you Mura!) instead of the Oceania package. Our guide from Cusco to the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu and back again was wonderful. Our accommodations were lovely and we all (four of us) had a wonderful time.

Altitude: I had issues but my husband did not. Each person reacts differently. The coca tea was delicious! Be prepared to walk a lot!

We left our big suitcases in Lima and took our carryons for our week in Peru. Kuoda helped to arrange the storage.

Have a wonderful time!

sorry people...didn't mean to come across as preachy...

You are not preachy at all! I have enjoyed your postings and blog so much I am inspired to do ATW someday! My DH was always one to put off vacations because of work until his mother passed. When she was diagnosed with cancer I asked her if there was once thing she really wanted to do. She wanted to cruise the Rhine River. I said ok - I'll go with you lets call cousin P (she's a TA) and set it up. She said no, she had time maybe in the fall. This was in early April and by July she was gone. Since she has passed we've been to Alaska, Machu Picchu and cruised the Panama canal. Next year Norway and Scotland! The Rhine River is on the list.

You have such joy in your writing - I will miss it! Thank you so much for taking us along on your amazing journey!

Carolyn

Thank you much for sharing your amazing journey with us! I have looked forward to your wonderful descriptions and humor every day. Best wishes to you and your lovely wife on your next journey!

I just want to add my thanks as well to your wonderful blog and postings. We are fairly new to cruising (and love it!). I'll be sad not to find your latest posting every morning. You have a wonderful lyrical way with words - thank you so much for taking the time to share and educate us! You and Mr. Wonderful have inspired me to shoot for our own RTW when we retire. Thank you again for sharing!

We were on the Marina on the Lima to New York cruise and loved every minute of it!

It will be such a sentimental journey for you as you downsize. I wish I could convince my dh to. I got him to look at some model homes here in Florida. For the moment he thought about it. My house isn't very sellable. Built in 1892. Boiler heat, only half A.C.. Old house old problems. I bath up, 1& a half down. 6 bedrooms. We've tried when our last went to college. On the market for 7 years 5 people came to see. I'm so glad to cruise and travel in the winter cause it's cold too. What were we thinking 30 years ago?

sunnydaygirl - my DH is the same way! All the kids have grown and have families of their own. Here we are just the two of us in this huge house and big yard. The plus side I now have my own room for all my travel stuff (thank you Indiana 71 for the inspiration!).

Ditto jkudzu - I've been traveling so much with family stuff I haven't been here in a while! Love you ladies! May your new year be filled with joy and fun filled travels!

Carolyn

geocruiser: Thanks for the link to Packing Cubes. It was very helpful! So-o-o many CCFs use them!!

 

With my packing method, hardly anything gets more than one fold. Skirts and pants are packed on hangers so they come out of the suitcase and go directly to the closet. Tops aren't folded at all.

Wrinkles have never been an issue...

So, the cubes are obviously the perfect choice for many, but not for me.

 

I didn't expect to get EVERYTHING packed yesterday...but 96% of my list is in the suitcase!

 

I don't have anything yellow this time :confused: - since the Anthem cruise is in January, yellow will definitely be a color choice (especially since I bought a handmade yellow purse!)

Lots of colors are what I like, and this time only 1 pair of white dress pants will be worn twice.

 

Here's a list of what's in my suitcase:

Shoes - 9 pair

Capris - 5

Shorts - 3

Pants - 4

Skirts - 2

Dresses - 3

Tops - 15

Swimsuit - only 1 this time w/ a coverup & Flip Flops

 

DH put some things in the Cruise Room...

Indiana71 - What type of hangers do you use? I have packed tops on the flocked Space Maker hangers. Do you use the hangers with clips for your skirts and pants? I'm really curious as our first Panama/Caribbean cruise will be in April. I'd like to get all of my "cruise clothes" into the big suitcase and use the rolling carry-on and tote for Machu Picchu. This will be our second cruise (first being to Alaska) so I have Much to learn!

This may sound silly, but my favorite use of packing cubes is twofold. 1. My underwear it's always easy to find and the cube goes into a drawer, no unpacking. 2. I also use one for all bathing suits and cover-up. Again, right in a drawer.

SunnDayGirl - I do the same thing too! I love my packing cubes! Depending on the length of the trip I might do the "Bundle" packing method in the Large Cube, another small cube for curling iron, luggage scale and other oddities, undies go in another. Makes it so easy to find things once you arrive.

My 1 year old granddaughter helped me "try on" my clothes for Hawaii yesterday so everything is ready to go into the suitcase this weekend. Already have my swimsuits & coverup in a compression cube. Beach towels, etc in another.

I have to fly to my son's the Saturday (Grami duty) before we leave and come back Sunday night and then we leave Monday morning for Hawaii. I have my packing cube all set for my overnight trip & in my rolling carry-on that fits under the seat.

When we go on our cruise from Lima next year the cubes will be great for our cruise items and our pre-cruise items as we are going to spend a week in Peru prior to the cruise. They are also great for dirty clothes for the trip home! :D

SunnyDayGirl: I'm so sorry to hear you were sick while traveling - nothing worse than being sick away from home. I loved the dress and shawl on you! What a beautiful color and handsome grandson!!

Indiana71: I'm so sorry you had to have dental work! I'm so glad you are healing quickly! I'm still envious of your cruise room. Work on my room has come to a halt as most of our resources are helping son #2 and our grandchildren through his divorce. But someday my cruise/travel room will be organized and finished!

I do like the clothing picture idea and can drop them into my excel spreadsheet. hmmm it's a thought . . . You all have such great ideas :D

I've been patted down for having a large clip (one of those with teeth) in my hair. They wouldn't let me take it out but patted me down and then felt up my head. Of course once they were through I had to take the clip out to fix my hair. Been patted down as well for leaving my cell phone in my back pocket - won't do that again! Good to know about sparkles on our clothing! Thank you SunnyDayGirl!

We leave for Hawaii in 3 weeks - the spread sheet is done and will sort & try on items on the list when I get home this weekend. It's not a cruise but it is time off!

So sorry to be so long winded!!!:eek:

Both my cruises are with extended familys. And we'll have access to iconcierge and the hub. Phones will be used to keep track of each other and so much more!

Sunnydaygirl - Are iconcierge and the hub apps? Love, love your press n'seal idea with the longer necklaces! I can't wait to try it on our next cruise! I'm anxious to hear if it can be reused for the trip home! Have a wonderful time!

Cameras: I have an nice Olympus that I bring with camera bag & all. It's great for action shots and has a good telephoto lens. We also have a small waterproof olympus camera as well. Usually the phone is off & in the safe.

geocruiser: Sound like you have a severe allergy to formaldehyde which is very nasty stuff anyway. No polish is worth that much pain.

From my 20's until I hit menopause I could not wear nail polish. My hands would just swell up until I thought they would burst. :eek: The minute I took the polish off the swelling would start to go down. Now in my 50's not only can I wear nail polish but I can wear gels as well. Maybe all of those darn hot flashes did some good after all???? :D Now I prefer deep reds on my nails. Can't do corals or pinks they make my hands look like I dipped them in walnut oil.

As for hair dyes well, I am not going grey. I am going from brunette to blond one hair at a time - that's my story and I'm sticking to it :D :pTT

What a great looking jacket! Very versatile!

indiana71: I too cannot shop at a consignment shop. I'm fairly tall & carry most of my height through my back. I can't wear any dress that has a waist sewn in - it stops at my ribcage. So I do mainly online shopping and once in a great while venture out into the shopping arena. Finding a discount on something cute is always a plus! :D Your Lake House time sounds wonderful! DH just turned 60 and everyone came home for the party. For three fun filled days we had kids, grandkids, dogs and family. Life is good!:)

My cruise room remodel has slowly begun but I'm very excited. I have a good friend who works for the Container Store and she will help me with the closet organization. I will make sure my CCF Tiara is prominently displayed!

sunnydaygirl: Press & Seal! What a great idea! I'm stealing that one! Will it re-seal for the trip home?

I was able to take the picture with me(don't know why I didn't take the dress!!) And I found material. I think I'm going to make a casing and then slightly gather it with clear elastic to give it the look of the stretchy bodice. I have a green bra I may just pin it to the straps and I found a beautiful scarf that matches perfectly. That will be a cooler option than the jacket. So excited.

Sounds like a great idea! Can't wait to see the finish ensemble !! By the way Zulilly.com has Bellini shoes for sale today. Naot is there as well :D:D:D

Wow do you have a full plate! I'm so glad everything turned out ok for your sister! Can't wait to see how the straps turn out on that pretty dress!

My children are all grown now but their favorite vacation out of all of our vacations (including a trip to Disneyworld) was a cruise to Alaska on HAL. Find a good TA to get the best prices and help guide you through the process. When our grandchildren are old enough to remember we plan to take them on a cruise as well.

So glad you found your passport! Soon the drywall mess will be done too! Love the colors in your dress and they look good on you! Adding straps is a great idea or do you think you would be comfortable with a strapless bra underneath?

:)

I bet you feel great getting a free room. I'm getting ready to welcome my daughter and her little family into our home for a few months. Excited to have a grandchild so close but will miss my empty rooms. TeeHee, I have clothes in a couple of closets!!

 

Husbands must all be similar!!

 

Little girls outfit is from Walmart.

Sunnydaygirl,

How exciting to have your grandchild with you for a few months! Such a wonderful time for all of you! Out of five grandchildren only one is close by and I babysit her every Friday. Enjoy every moment! There is a Walmart down the street from my office maybe I'll get lucky for my DGD! As for closets you have my sympathy. Currently I have clothes in two closets and a few are about to migrate to a third! :D Shhhhh don't tell my DH!

Sunnydaygirl: If it's on a hook is there possibly something hanging over it on the same hook? I have this lovely brown leather cross body purse that I just love. Couldn't find it anywhere in my closet. Several days later I took my bathrobe off the hook in the closet and there it was. Put away the handmade cribbage board my DBIL made us so our 3 year old grandson wouldn't use it as a bat. Now we can't find it. I hope you find your passport soon!

The outfit for your DGD is adorable! I bet it would look good on my DGD . . . .;)

Indian71: We just took a truckload of furniture to Son#2 so now I have my own Cruise/Travel room! You are my inspiration! I start work on it this weekend! Have to make a special place for my CCF Tiara!

My DH HATES to shop for clothes. I told him that for our trip to Hawaii he needed new shorts his reply was "Can't you just order me some?" The problem is he is 6'8" so has to try things on - not all shorts are the same length. I can order some things from Penny's and Crazy Shirts polos are long enough for him. Nicer clothes have to be tried on. Sigh, I see a trip to the Rockler store (tools) in my future :rolleyes:

I'm an INfrequent flier who really hates flying to begin with, but desperately wants to do a particular CA cruise! I'm hoping to hear from experienced fliers who have flown AA and JetBlue in a standard COACH seat.

 

How much worse (if at all) is the AA experience compared to Jet Blue on a 6 hr cross country flight?

 

Do you think it's worth spending around $100/pp more (RT) to fly Jet Blue? (That's final cost, including 1 checked bag/pp.)

 

I got a great deal on 2 AA tics and did a 24hr hold. But then read a bunch of reviews on SeatGuru - people really seem miserable over AA's 738 craft's narrower and very uncomfortable seats, lack of footroom under seat (due to bulky entertainment equip) and bad inflight entertainment. Many said it was far worse than other airlines.

 

Both AA and JB are nonstop, roughly same schedule. Been watching JB, for past 2 months, hoping it'll go down, but no go. I'm about 92-93 days from departure at this point.

 

Any experiences would be welcome...I only have a few hours left on the AA hold. I like saving money, but not at the expense of a miserable flight. :confused:

We fly JetBlue a lot and we pay for the extra legroom as my DH is quite tall. Even if height is not an issue and you really dislike flying I would suggest springing for comfort over savings. But that's just my opinion. Also since you are flying into SFO be aware that the airport is a good distance from San Francisco. If you are flying in the day of departure make sure you allow at least two hours to get from the airport to the cruise terminal. That will allow you time to collect your luggage, pick up your transportation and then deal with bay area traffic. Hopefully you will arrive a day or two early and enjoy the beautiful city by the bay! :) Have fun on your cruise!

I'm going to follow this thread.

Looked for flights for this fall, from BUF Buffalo to JFK... prices were pretty much the same on several flights for several days.

When I checked again, for the day I wanted, THAT day was priced higher.

Still looking.

Most airlines price each day of the week differently to capture the most money from the business traveler. For example, if a business person has a early meeting Monday morning he/she is going to fly out on Sunday. You will find that Tuesday, Wednesday and sometimes Saturday will usually have the cheaper fares. You can set up a travel alert to be notified when Jet Blue or any other airline has a sale. I hope this helps.

Bored with retirement, I started working in an upscale resale shop a few months ago. It's been so much fun working with the great clothes and learning to be more creative in my wardrobe. But one thing that I've noticed is how a lot of the women talk about themselves when they come in. "I'm too fat to wear that!" "My hips are too big!" etc.... I realized that I've been saying similar things too. When a friend came in this week to try on some things, I heard her doing the same thing. After I threatened to put her in time-out, (it's the teacher in me) I decided I was going to start being more positive about my body image from now on. Women need to have more positive thoughts in their head about themselves and they body they have right now! So here I go on my one woman campaign to feel better about myself and make others feel better too! Who's with me ladies??? ;) By the way, you look great in that outfit!!!

Kudzu you totally rock! :D:D:D

Helping someone feel good about themselves is a wonderful thing to do. Your kind words will stay with your customers long after they have left the shop. Every time they put on that outfit they will hear your kind words all over again. We all come in different shapes and sizes which makes each of us unique and special. BTW, Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14 in the movie Some Like it Hot.

I'm happy to report that as of this am I've managed to get 9 lbs off. Still a long way to go but I'm headed in the right direction. At least 5-10 more by Sept would make me happy.

:D Awesome! :D