family – Destination NOW

National Parks Part 2 – The Hints Keep A Comin’

Okay, so you’ve decided to visit Yellowstone and the Tetons. Now what?

Hint #1: Jackson Hole and the Tetons
If you are flying in, it’s a good idea to spend your first night (or more) in Jackson Hole. By the time you arrive and pick up your car, you will probably be tired. Jackson Hole is great place to catch your breath, rest up and enjoy the scenery. It is also much easier to get lodging, and because we were visiting outside of ski season, the hotel rates were quite reasonable.

So, what does Jackson Hole have to offer? Museums, scenery, shopping, and great restaurants! We particularly liked Gather, which was only a couple of blocks from our hotel. The food was delicious, creatively presented and reasonably priced. Chicken with pancakes and berries plus flourless chocolate cake were just two of our choices.

If you have a sweet tooth (and as you can tell from the photo above, I do), then you will definitely want to stop at Moo. In addition to great ice cream, they also offer truffle animals that are almost too good to eat.

Did I mention shopping? Every man needs at least one of these hanging in his closet.

Nature lovers can’t miss with a hike in the Rockefeller Preserve. Follow this linkfor trail maps, hours and rules for visiting.

Be forewarned. To get there, you have to travel on some unpaved roads. And some of the trails are a bit rocky, but the scenery is magnificent and oh so peaceful.

We spent our first two nights in Teton Village, then headed for Yellowstone early in the morning, stopping for breakfast in Jackson Hole. If you follow my advice from my last post and stay in Jackson Hole at Springhill Suites, you would be able to enjoy a free breakfast (they start serving EARLY) and would get to Yellowstone even earlier than we did. If, however, you choose to experience the Teton Village, check out the Mangy Moose for breakfast, and Osteria or Spur for lunch or dinner.

Hint #2 Take a Tour
Be sure to reserve your tours WELL in advance, especially if you are visiting during peak season! If you visit Yellowstone during non-peak season, some activities might not be offered. For example, none of the boating activities were available on Yellowstone Lake, but there was still more than enough to do. The Event Plannerwill tell you what is available, when.

We booked two tours–the “Circle of Fire, and “Wake Up to Wildlife”. The Circle of Fire tour lasted all day, and was a very good value at $86 per adult. Every seat on this large tour bus is a good seat, with excellent views wherever you sit.

We paid $100 per adult for Wake Up to Wildlife. We did NOT book in advance, so we ended up taking this tour on the day we were checking out of our hotel–not ideal, but it was all that was available.

The “historic” yellow buses used for Wake Up to Wildlife can only seat 13 people, ( three rows of 4, plus 1 beside the driver.) The tour is supposed to start at 6:15 AM and last until around 11:30.

Both tours charge half price for children under the age of 11; both tours pick up and drop off at several park hotels, and for both tours, the bus driver is also your tour guide. Both of ours were retirees who thoroughly enjoyed their jobs. Their love for the park, its history, animals and lore was obvious. While driving, they kept us entertained with stories, jokes and oh so much valuable information.

Hint #3 The Wildlife
You don’t need to take a tour to see wildlife. It didn’t take long for us to encounter our first of MANY bison and elk. These animals are very comfortable strutting their stuff along the roads, in the roads, pretty much where ever they want. That does have an impact on travel time and traffic, so keep that in mind, relax and enjoy the show.

The park literature does a great job reminding visitors that these are wild and potentially dangerous animals, so we kept a safe distance, but we DID observe others who got dangerously close.

We didn’t see any bears, and although we theoretically DID spot some wolves, an osprey, pronghorns, some mountain goats and a badger community, most were way too distant to see without binoculars.

P1190770 — Can you spot the mountain goat in this photo? Neither could I, but I was TOLD there was one to the left of that snowy patch, near the bottom.

On the Wake Up to Wildlife tour, our guide supplied the scope, and some of “wolf watchers” we encountered along the way were kind enough to share their equipment with us. But even with powerful scopes, I never was able to see the wolves.

Even with the very good zoom on my camera, this photo of badger butts was as good as I could get–so you can imagine what the deleted ones looked like!I had better luck outside of our hotel in Mammoth Hot Springs, where several of these little guys were cavorting across the street.

My opinion, based on my ONE experience, was that we would have been better served to skip “Wake Up to Wildlife” and explore on our own. (Others who have experienced the tour are encouraged to weigh in). Here’s why: on our own, we could have stopped when we wanted, for as long as we wanted. The bus was unable to stop when animals were sighted along the way, so, for example, we SAW many “red dogs” (the locals’ name for baby bison) during our tour, we weren’t able to stop and watch them, or get a good shot.

P1190740 — photo taken from the yellow bus on Wake Up to Wildlife

Because of its size, the bus was limited to parking in specific areas.

On our own, we could have left when we wanted and returned when we chose. Despite being in the lobby on time (at 6:15 AM!!!), the tour bus didn’t leave the parking lot till 6:40 AM. If you think that made me grumpy, you’d be right. Oh yeah, one more thing: There is no coffee making paraphernalia at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, and nothing is open at 6:15. You DO get a bottle of cranberry juice and a muffin, but that’s it until your return at around 11:30. We knew that, so stocked up at the nearby General Store the day before.

There WERE positives: The bus driver’s stories and his telescope for viewing animals.

Hint #4 Yellowstone is MUCH more than Old Faithful
I was completely blown away by the incredible geological features of this amazing park. The Circle of Fire Tour takes you to the main highlights, such as Geyser Basin at West Thumb. This area, bordering Yellowstone Lake is fascinating. Check out the colors from the mineral deposits!

When the Park first opened, visitor were able to board a ferry in West Thumb that would take them across the lake to our hotel. While we were there, no boats were sailing or chugging across the lake, probably because the ice wasn’t completely gone until May 21 (according to our guide). Even though the ice was about 30 inches thick, it is hard to understand how the lake can remain frozen with all the smokin’ hot activity close by. Okay, I am going to TRY to insert a video of the boiling mud. Hope it works.

We stopped at a couple of waterfalls as we made our way to Old Faithful, arriving at the complex with about an hour and a half before the geyser was expected to erupt, just enough time to get lunch, before the show.

P1190653 — I decided to avoid the crowd, take a seat under the trees, and watch from the distance.

The only place where we encountered crowds during our tour was at Old Faithful.

If I had to choose a favorite spot, it would be very difficult, but I guess I’d choose the Fountain Paint Pots. I just loved the stark landscape.

P1190663 — The male bisons travel solo. I’m wondering how he manages to saunter over this hot area?

I could keep going with photos from the Circle of Fire Tour, but you get the idea. The geological features are jaw dropping! And it is great to have the guide explain what is going on.

Hint #6 Getting hungry?
The choices pretty much boil down to amusement park quality food, fine dining or “do it yourself” from purchases at the General Stores. We tried all three and for us, it was easy to determine that fine dining was the way to go. Because we are used to New Jersey and New York restaurant prices, the food did not seem all that expensive to us.
I would NOT recommend eating in the Yellowstone cafeteria! The food resembles airplane food, except at least airplane food is not served and consumed in the midst of chaos. To be fair, it WAS fast. In retrospect, I wish we gone with the slower, but probably better, restaurant at Old Faithful Inn.

If you want to have dinner at the Lake Hotel, (and I hope you do), you will need to make reservations well in advance. I made reservations for both nights we stayed there, figuring we could cancel if we didn’t like the food. We liked it so much, we ended up having all our meal there.

At Mammoth Hot Springs, you can’t make a reservation; it is first come, so beware if you see a bus loads of tourists pulling into the parking lot.

An unexpected bonus? All of the waitstaff were knowledgeable about the park and were happy to share information with us. Their tips led us to some wonderful spots we might not have found on our own.

P1190627 — Our waiter told us where to go to catch the perfect sunset on the lake. We had the place all to ourselves.

Tip #7 Don’t miss theTravertine Terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs
The view from the top of the terraces is pretty spectacular.

Although you CAN drive and there is a parking lot at the top, it is so much more fun to walk up and down. It is roughly the equivalent of 26 flights of stairs (according to my fitbit), but there is plenty to see along the way. You can stop, gawk, and catch your breath.

We celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary at the Mural Room, Jackson Lake Lodge in the Tetons. Where else could your butter be shaped like a moose?

Although I could go on and on about the glories of Yellowstone, I think you just have to experience it for yourself.

Next adventure? Iceland. Hope you’ll come along!

California Dreamin’

I had started writing about Napa and Sonoma while visiting there in August. I got distracted (which is not uncommon for me) and completely forgot about this post, leaving it to languish in my drafts folder until now.

Since then, fire has destroyed parts of some of the areas we had visited. Sadly, right now, southern California is also burning.

According to this Forbes article, the percentage of wineries damaged fortunately was low. So, time to publish this lost post to remind everyone of the glories of California wine country. Please visit, and bring your tourist dollars to an area that needs our support. You’ll have fun doing so–as we did last August.

My “lost post” follows:

It has become abundantly clear that our one and only offspring has become a Californian. As with everything in life, there is an upside to having our son three time zones away. We now have yet another reason to visit the greater San Francisco area.

So here’s the sad truth. My memory is definitely NOT what It used to be. I realized that I have been using my WordPress Posts as my memory bank, helping me to figure out where I was and when. Unfortunately, I neglected to post about our past California winery trips–and was dismayed to discover that I couldn’t remember which ones we visited, and which ones were favorites, worthy of a return trip. SO, this post is designed to correct that shortcoming. If it is helpful to others that plan to visit wine country and the greater San Francisco area, so much the better. It’s my way of giving back to all the generous bloggers and posters who offer travel tips, answer my questions on forums, share information on Trip Advisor. Thank you!

Let’s start with the airport. Whether you are renting a car, or taking mass transit, you will take the terminal’s elevator to the third floor, follow the signs for the skybridge and hop on the blue Sky Train. That same train will take you to the BART and Caltrain, if you opt for that mode of transportation. Last time, we took the BART. As I vaguely recall, it was relatively easy to use the machines to buy tickets. (Next time, I’ll pay attention and post about it.) THIS time, we were heading to Santa Rosa, so we rented a car. All of the rental car desks are at the same BART stop.

Note to self: Next time we rent a car, be sure to pre-register for the express option (or whatever the car company calls it). We cooled our heels for about an hour waiting in line for our Budget rental. Ah, the things you forget when you haven’t had an assistant arranging your business travel in almost six years!

For lodging, we did a mix of hotel and vacation rental. In the past, I only used VRBO, and was very pleased with our selections. This time, inspired by Janis over at Retirementally Challenged we decided to try AirBNB. I had had the mistaken impression that with AirBNB you rented rooms in people’s houses. In the past, the rentals I viewed had fewer photos than the rentals on VRBO. As with most things in life, it is good to update your perceptions every now and then. We were delighted with this beautiful little house in Santa Rosa.

For about $300 a night, we had a “serene, centrally located 1500 square foot” 2 bedroom, 2 bath house in a nice neighborhood in Santa Rosa, within walking distance of a few restaurants, a good wine store (that sold killer chocolate truffles) and close enough to the county fair grounds that you could sit outside and listen to the evening concerts, if you were so inclined. We LOVED it!

Santa Rosa has more than its fair share of great restaurants. Our first night, before our son joined us, we dined at John Ash & Co.

The setting was lovely, with lots of windows, overlooking gorgeous gardens. The food and wine were good, but was it worth $250 for 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, one desert and one bottle of not expensive wine? The answer is a resounding “NO”! Good thing our son wasn’t with us. We would have blown our entire travel budget on that meal alone. Fortunately, much better values were awaiting us.

Both the Parkside Cafe and Two Spinsters offered wonderful breakfasts. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at LoCoco’s Cucina Rustica in downtown Santa Rosa. But MY very favorite meal was at Francis Ford Coppola’s restaurant, Rustica, in Geyersville. (The Californians sure do like the name “Rustica”, don’t they?)

I opted for the Menu Di Stagione, which was 4 courses with paired wines for $69 (plus tax and tip). What a feast! I started with gazpacho, followed by caesar salad, then this delicious rack of lamb, ending with chocolate mouse.

as you can see from the glasses, I was having a hard time keeping up with the wine pairings

According to the menu, each course was accompanied by 3 oz. wine pairings, but my perception was those were very generous 3 ounces. The only mistake we made was doing a wine tasting BEFORE lunch. To say I was happy by the time the chocolate mousse rolled around, would have been an understatement.

We had never spent $90 for a bottle of wine, and after tasting this expensive stuff, I’ve concluded we aren’t missing much.

It was fun seeing the movie memorabilia. In addition to photos, posters and other props, you can get up close and personal with the godfather’s desk. Well, not too close. You aren’t allowed to sit in his chair and put your feet on the desk. Don’t ask how I know that.

The winery grounds are absolutely beautiful. If you want, you can make a day of it, by renting a cabana and hanging out by the pool. If you plan on swimming, it might be an excellent idea to wait till later for the wine tasting.

This is definitely a winery I’d visit again. I’d just skip the tasting and go directly to lunch or dinner. Speaking of dinner, after our huge lunch, we were all satisfied with a snack that night.

Our other favorite winery was actually one we had visited before. I recognized it as soon as we arrived there. Beringers has a fantastic tour of its winery.

We took it years ago and greatly enjoyed the experience. THIS time, we just went for the tasting. What we learned: If you are a member of their wine club, (our son is) the “basic” wine tasting is free for up to four people.

Sadly, this tasting proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am indeed a peasant. Can I tell the difference between $70 and $170 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon? I cannot. I can’t even tell the difference between their $48 bottle of wine and the $10 bottles we normally consume.

For our final evening, we switched from our airBNB to a hotel. The River Terrace Inn, as the name suggests, is right on the river that runs through Napa. It is ideally located–you can stroll along the path that hugs the river to the nearby CIA, where we feasted on a wonderful, and inexpensive dinner. (That’s Culinary Institute of America, not the spy organization–although their food is probably delicious too.)

Yes, that big fork is made up of thousands of little forks!

Also nearby is Oxbow Public Market, site of the Kitchen Door Restaurant, which makes the most amazing mushroom soup on this planet. That soup alone would justify a trip to Napa.

We didn’t make it to Mike’s favorite restaurant, the Rutherford Grill (in Rutherford, of course), but there’s always next time. I hope there’s a next time (or a first time) in wine country for you too.

Small Town Love

Our family is like a little solar system. At our center is our sun, my sister Sue, radiating warmth and love that sustains her six siblings, who, like planets, revolve around her. Although she never had children of her own, she is a second mom (and now grand-mom) to satellite nieces, nephews, cousins’ and friends’ children.

Although four of the seven “kids” have moved away, Sue, our sister Sandy and brother Tom have all lived in the same area their entire lives, accumulating a glorious galaxy of friends. (See how you think after being married to an astronomer for four decades?)

Recently, Tom’s daughter gave birth to premature twins. Sadly, one died shortly after birth, but thanks to the wonderful medical team in Providence, his twin has grown from 1 pound 6 ounces to just under 4 pounds.

Modern medicine is truly amazing; it is also really, really expensive. Even with insurance, the high deductible, coinsurance, and uncovered expenses all equate to huge bills, as any parent with a sick child can attest. So, Sue decided to gather the troops to create a benefit dinner– “Pasta with a Purpose”.

IMG_5443 2.jpg — Just a small sample of the raffle items

Fortunately, Sue has a talent for choosing loyal and giving friends, that are just like her. Sheila, an elementary school buddy, has worked in the restaurant business for years, and like our brother Tom, is an amazing chef. Who expects benefit food to be good? It was at THIS benefit, thanks to a team of cooks.

But the real stroke of genius was making friends with Debbie, who like other elementary school teachers, is a force to be reckoned with. Teachers know how to create something out of nothing, how to get the unruly to behave and how to keep calm in the midst of chaos, and how to make great displays. Let’s hear it for the teachers!

Within three weeks, family and friends had secured the Knights of Columbus hall,

IMG_E5448 — The “elves” worked hard to get this all set up and orgnized

gotten food and raffle donations,

As the evening progressed, donations kept coming in– we were running out of space!

found a DJ,

sold hundreds of tickets, enlisted student volunteers to serve food,

These kids were “on it”, serving, clearing, and setting up for the next round of diners

and taken care of the hundreds of tiny details necessary to make the event a success.

And what a success it was! All to help this little guy and his loving parents.

With so much negativity and violence these days, it is heartening to see how people can come together to support each other in time of need.

Our family includes the normal mix of in-laws, out-laws, and sheep of all colors. If you were to chart us — along economic, political, and religious lines, you’d find someone on just about any point in the spectrum. But when it comes to things that really matter, that all gets put aside. It is family and friends, all the way.

So in addition to paying tribute to my amazing sister, Sue, this is a huge thank you to all you small town inhabitants with big hearts, who came out on November 5th to show the love for Haylie, Greg and Baby Spencer. Forgive me for not mentioning or photographing all of you who did so much to make the day so special. You know who you are, and so do we.

Could this be the start of another lifelong friendship?

Making Your Disney Cruise Magical

If you are thinking about taking your first Disney cruise, then this post is for you. If princesses and talking mice are not in your future, well, this post just may not be YOUR cup of tea.

Before you leave home:

As soon as you start contemplating a Disney cruise, be sure to check out the MouseSavers web site. It is FULL of great information. including ways to save money.
Download the Disney Navigator App. This is what it looks like:

If you don’t, you will have to download from the internet when you are aboard and accessing the internet can be costly. Better to plan ahead to get it for free while at home.
The app is about the only thing that works on Disney’s free wifi. Why is it such a great thing to have? Well, the app allows you to text — an easy way to find other members of your group. If you drop kids off at the Oceaneer’s Club (more on that later), staff will text YOU when/if your kid wants to be picked up. To me, it was much easier to use the app to text from my iPhone than to have to learn how to use the “WAVE” phones in our cabin (there are two), remember to carry one more thing with me, and remember to charge it every night.
Another great feature of the Navigator App is the daily events schedule can be accessed right from your phone, and trust me–there is always LOTS going on. You DO receive a paper schedule of the next day’s events every evening, but like my sunglasses and keys, it was never where I remembered putting it.
After booking, you will be told the earliest date that you will be allowed to make reservations for spa appointments, character meetings and specialty restaurants. Pay attention to it, and don’t dilly dally. Things DO get booked up. The web site instructs you to visit the customer service desk on your first day, if you want to make changes or additional reservations. What do you think THAT line looks like? LOOONG doesn’t begin to describe it.
Depending on your status, (and as a lowly first time Disney cruiser in a non-suite, we had NO status), you will be allowed to book a certain number of dinner reservations in the specialty restaurant. Disney Magic, the oldest and smallest ship, has only one specialty restaurant–the larger ships have two. For our four night cruise, we were allowed to book one night, plus a second night if we were willing to dine there on the first night.
I had thought that we would each receive lanyards to keep our room keys up close and personal. Nope. First time cruisers are the only ones that don’t get lanyards. Had I known that, I would have brought one from trips I had taken with other travel companies. Does Disney think lanyards are an effective inducement to book future trips? And can you tell from my distress at not having a lanyard that I have a tendency to misplace things?
Be sure you have all of the necessary legal documents for EVERY member of the party. See my earlier post for more on this topic.

Which Cruise to Choose?

Living in new Jersey, with family members coming from Massachusetts made the choice easy for us. Departing from New York meant that we didn’t have to worry about flight arrangements, security screening, potential delays, missing baggage — all those things that can go wrong when you fly, especially when traveling with 3 and 4 year olds.

We also opted for the shorter cruise. Not only was it less expensive, but we also weren’t sure how well the girls would adjust to sleeping on a ship. (They were fine).

The length of the cruise turned out to be just right for us: one day getting aboard, three full days on the ship, and one morning getting off.

We chose an October cruise, figuring it would be less crowded (it was) because kids would be in school (many weren’t). Another bonus–all October cruises are considered “Halloween on the High Seas”, giving some an opportunity to don costumes.

The down side of an October cruise? You probably won’t be able to take advantage of all the water attractions. The water wasn’t even turned on for these outdoor showers.

Cabin Choice
This is obviously a matter of personal preference and budget. Rather than struggle with deck plans to try to figure out where we might be happiest, we had Lauren at Small World Vacations offer guidance.

She got us connecting ocean view cabins on the 7th deck, in the front of the ship. This worked out really well for us–we were close, but not too close to the elevators and stairs.

The pools and spa are on the 9th deck, and best of all, THIS section is also in the front of the ship–just two flights up.

Our cabin was surprisingly quiet, considering the number of children aboard. Another plus for being in the front—we didn’t feel any vibration from the propeller.

The Cabin Layout

This ship was definitely designed with families in mind. The upper bunk drops down at night, so 4 can comfortably sleep in one cabin.

There is a curtain separating the bunk area from the king sized bed, so privacy is somewhat possible. Unlike other cruises, the king sized bed can not be reconfigured into two twins. Not a problem; it was not the first time my sister and I have shared a bed.

There was sufficient storage space, especially if one chooses to pack light–something I highly recommend.

Oceanview staterooms have nice big windows.

The bathroom is split in two–with a tub/shower combo and sink in one and a toilet sink combo in the other area. Great idea! The toilet/sink combo has a crappy wall hair dryer but there is also a regular dryer in the desk.

Our connecting ocean view rooms worked great. A balcony wasn’t important to us, because there was so much going on, we were rarely in our cabins. We also didn’t have to worry about the younger one, who is a climber, trying to balance on the balcony’s railing.

For those that aren’t claustrophobic, an interior cabin would be kind to your budget.

Dining

Disney DOES do a wonderful job getting everyone aboard with a minimum of hassle, however it still is a lot of stimulation for young kids. For the first night, my niece wisely opted for room service. I never cracked open the room service menu, so I’m no authority on its contents, but knowing the culinary preferences of the young ladies in question, I can say with confidence that hamburgers, pizza and mac & cheese were most definitely available.

I, on the other hand, along with my sister (the REAL grandmother–I’m just pretending) opted to spend our first night dining in the specialty restaurant, which allowed us to dine there a second time. For our “bonus” reservation, we opted for the LAST night.

Let me tell you, dinner was well worth the extra $30 per person. Excellent service, fantastic food, great ambiance.

The brunch was also amazing, especially if you are a seafood lover, and my sister clearly IS. A Bellini (or if you prefer, a mimosa) is included in the $30 surcharge.

You can opt for made to order omelets, waffles, eggs Benedict etc, but why fill up on that when the desserts were so delectable?

Although the food was plentiful in the other restaurants, it was clearly designed with kids in mind. I’ll admit to being spoiled by Oceania and Viking cruise lines. This restaurant food was on a par with those lines’ every day cuisine. The food at the other three restaurants and buffet was more like what you would get at a theme park.

I had never been on a large cruise ship before, so this was the first time I had a set dining schedule. Disney rotates its guests through the other three restaurants, but you have to choose either a 5:45 or an 8:15 seating. For the specialty restaurant, you choose your time when you make the reservation.

You can request a certain sequence of restaurants–which is why a travel agent can be so very helpful. The Animator’s Palate has a wonderful show that should not be missed, so if you plan on dining in the specialty restaurant, make sure your reservation is not on your Animator Palate night. We requested the rotation that had the second and third nights in the Animator’s Palate, just to make sure we didn’t miss the show. It was breathtaking.

The Cast of Characters

As a newbie, I had no idea what I was signing the girls up for when I reserved a 9:45 appointment to meet Disney princesses. So here’s what it means: your ticket allows you to get in line for a photo op with the characters that show their OWN faces. Although Disney has their photographers snapping away, there is no pressure to purchase photos, and you are free to take your own, which I did.

For this photo op, the kids got to meet THREE princesses. Rapunzel was the star of the show, Tangled, featured on night #3.

Okay, I identified Rapunzel and Cinderella, but I have NO idea who the third princess (the one in the white dress) was.

If you didn’t get tickets, don’t despair. You still can get character shots with the ones that DON’T show their own faces, no tickets necessary– you simply get in line.

Many of the kids brought their autograph books, but these girls were too young for that concept.

Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab

So, THIS feature is the reason I think a cruise is preferable to a theme park for families with young children. FREE babysitting, for as many times as you want!

Not only that, but the kids LOVE this place. In fact, when my niece went to fetch the girls around 10 PM, they refused to leave. She had to return at midnight–closing time.

The kids are given a bracelet that operates like the ankle bracelets prisoners on house arrest wear. It is also a “key” that gets them into the area, and it is a homing device that allows the staff to know EXACTLY where each child is.

When Bonnie couldn’t find her sister, a staff member looked up Katherine’s location on the computer, then summoned another staff member to bring Bonnie to Katherine. Pretty impressive. As mentioned before, the staff will text or call you (or any other authorized member of your party) should a child want to leave. When you board the ship, your photo is taken so the staff member is always able to verify that you are who you say you are.

Another plus–your room is only an elevator ride away when it becomes clear that one or more of the kids is in dire need of a nap. Even if you are staying in the theme park, you still have to ride the monorail to get to your lodging.

The Spa

So what might you be doing while your kids are having a great time at the Oceaneer Club? You can choose from a full array of spa services, or you can opt for a day pass to the Rainforest Room. This room includes a couple of steam rooms, a sauna, showers, plus your day pass entitles you to a complimentary jar of scented body scrub.

Those that are watching their spending (and on a cruise, the extras can mount up fast) can still use the locker room, which has a free sauna, shower, dressing room and storage bins, PLUS bathrobes and slippers. (You don’t get bathrobes in your room, but no one stops you from taking one from the free locker room, in the spa area. These are not the luxury robes that you get on more upscale cruises, but they are quite sufficient.)

The view of St. John, New Brunswick from an exercise bike.

You have to walk through the spa, to the very front of the 9th deck, to reach the exercise room, which is equipped with treadmills, bikes, weights, and machines.

The adult only area on the 9th deck has a heated pool and two hot tubs. The weather was a bit too cool for the heated pool, but the hot tubs got a lot of use.

The Shows

Living in New Jersey, I’ve seen my fair share of Broadway shows, and Tangled was definitely on par with those on the Great White Way. Although there are shows every night, we only saw two. The shows were a bit long for the three year old. On both nights, she was “done” before the shows were. In my opinion, three is just about the youngest age to maximize enjoyment for a cruise like this. (But then, my experience is limited to this cruise and these two kids.)

There are two “BIG” shows per night: at 6:30 and 8:30, to accommodate the late and early dinner schedules.

Showtime is not limited to the Disney extravaganzas. No indeed. Every evening the audience gets to participate in contests and game shows. Fortified by copious amounts of “fire water”, some fellow cruisers were induced to exhibit some very “unDisney-like” behavior.

And yes, that is a bra on one of those fine fellows heads. And yes, the owners of those bras were indeed in that same lounge. And no, they were not part of our group.

Theme Nights

Apparently every cruise includes one Pirate Night, and it should not be missed. Pirate Night was the second night of our cruise.

The waiters were all dressed in pirate costumes, and after the meal was finished, they led the kids around the dining room, marching, dancing and singing “yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.”

At 7 PM there was a musical show on the 9th deck, that had these little girls rocking. Although I was able to get them right up to the stage, by asking the adults if they could squeeze through (surprisingly there were a lot of adults on this cruise traveling without kids), I think a better choice would have been on the balcony of the 10th deck. The grand finale? Mickey zip lines from the top of the ship, down to the stage. Pretty exciting stuff when you are three or four.

What a night! First the pirates on deck, then ANOTHER show in the theater. And if THAT’s not enough, you can watch movies in the kid pool area–sorta like being at the drive in, but instead of sitting in a car, you can climb into the hot tub.

Notice the attire of the “life guard”. Still, someone braved the chill to experience the heated pool.

Was our cruise wonderful and magical? Yes, indeed, because to me, it was all about the kids. What a wonderful opportunity for family bonding,

and for experiencing wonder through the eyes of a child.

Embarkation: Let the Fun Begin!

I’ll let you in on a little secret. My family’s nom de plume is Murphy. That law that you’ve heard about? We live it on a daily basis, and this day was no exception.

Sorta like being in the airplane’s middle seat, but with better beverages

I won’t bore you with the details. Instead, I will share some helpful hints so that YOUR embarcation goes more smoothly than ours.

Parking at the port was easy. We arrived a little after noon, drove to the terminal (entrance is on 55th and 12th Ave– the ship was berthed about another block or two south of the entrance) where porters were waiting to help unload the luggage.

If by any chance you have forgotten the preprinted luggage tags Disney sent out with your cruise package, not to worry. The porters had extra and quickly solved the problem.

Dad parked the car, while mom, the girls and aunt (that would be me) made our way inside to a terminal that was not crowded at all. Cruise parking at the Manhattan terminal is $40 per 24 hours, payable in advance.

The girls met some very friendly greeters. In case you’re wondering, their shirts say “My aunt is the coolest”.

Two other members of our group (my sister/girls’ grandmother, my nephew/ girls’ uncle) who drove from Massachusetts, reserved off site parking that charged half as much as the port. The best part–their service included driving you to the terminal in your own car, and helping unload luggage. Good thing too, because between more than one stretch of bumper to bumper traffic and getting lost, they almost missed the boat. They had no time to spare, to look for a space in the Port parking lot, park the car and high tail it back to the embarcation area. There’s a lot to be said for arriving the day before departure.

IF you arrive around 12:30 PM, with proper documentation, you could probably be on the ship by 1:00 PM. If, however, you happen to be missing a legal document, such as an official birth certificate for a child, you CAN have someone either fax or photograph it and email or text it to you. See if you can figure out how I know this.

By the time some of us were on board, (2:15 PM) our rooms were ready. Checked luggage arrived around 5 PM.

All’s well that ends well, with everyone checked in and aboard by 4 PM. The wonder and glory of sailing out of NYC might have been lost on the smallest member of our group, who was far more interested in her burger, but the rest of us loved watching the city’s skyline and Lady Liberty roll by.

Mother, daughter, and a young, cool grandmother also known as my niece, great niece and my “little” sister

About those Fish Extenders (FEs) that I mentioned in a previous post? This is what they

look like. Notice the metal fish above the room number? That’s where the name came from. The idea is that group members leave little surprises for each others’ children in their FEs.

Wanna know how great some of the other passengers were? My niece discovered the Facebook group (and FEs) about a week before departure–too late for her to create or purchase surprises for other group members. Despite her inability to reciprocate, people STILL left gifts for her girls. The white board was one of the gifts–another was stuck inside the fish. No extender necessary.

Lots of VERY kind, considerate shipmates were aboard!

Disney’s Magic

Every now and then you have to experience a very different kind of travel, and for me, that time is tomorrow. I’ve never been on a big cruise ship, never chose a cruise that featured only one port and never cruised with children. If those things had been on my bucket list, I’d be getting ready to cross them off.

Disney’s Magic sets sail tomorrow from Manhattan’s cruise terminal for a 4 night trip to St. John, New Brunswick, then back. Just getting ready for the cruise has been a learning experience. For example, Cruise Critic is NOT the “go to” place to get information about THIS cruise. Nope. My niece discovered that the happening site is Facebook, where she located a private group just for our particular cruise.

Let me tell you, there is quite a Disney culture out there. People have been getting ready for this event for some time, creating their “FE’s” and special gifts to put in the FEs. Until yesterday, I had no idea what an “FE” is, and I bet you don’t either. It stands for “Fish Extender” and it is some sort of container that you hang from your door. Does that help? I promise a future post will include at least one photo of a Fish Extender, so if a Disney Cruise is in your future, you can decide whether or not you want one.

The people on the page are all very helpful and friendly, so I’m looking forward to a great time. The theme for this cruise is Halloween on the High Seas. Not only is there an opportunity to wear a Halloween costume, but there is also “pirate night”. There IS a costume, of sorts, in my luggage. I’m going to be a princess. I know, not very imaginative, but SOMEONE has to lower the bar, right?

Speaking of princesses… right now these two are en route from Massachusetts, with mom and dad. Arriving shortly. The excitement level is sky high!

Saving Nepal’s Best for Last

After our stay at the comfortable, but basic, Seti River Camp, it was a complete shock to our senses when we arrived at the Kasara Chitwan Resort. We were experiencing luxury overload!

I was expecting a room, not a stand alone suite. When I opened my door, I entered this private courtyard. The photo doesn’t do it justice, but I was too focused on enjoying my surroundings to put much energy into a photo shoot.

Air conditioned bedroom on the left, bathroom with open air shower on the right, and a beautiful courtyard in between. Those are little ponds on either side of the boardwalk, complete with resident frogs.

After getting settled, we headed out to hunt for black rhinos. Success! We saw several. My favorite is this shot, because he seemed a bit bored by us gawkers.

Our mode of transportation during our “safari” was a platform mounted on the elephant’s back. It was not the most comfortable ride, for us, or probably for the elephant either, but it was a fun experience.

We didn’t see any tigers, but the group before us caught sight of one. After hearing about the elephant’s reaction, I was just as glad that we hadn’t. There was a whole lot of stomping, bouncing and trumpeting going on!

For me, the best part of our visit was when we were able to interact with the elephants in the water.

The rest of the group had heard all about my nephew Jack, and how much he LOVES elephants, so Jim was gracious enough to take stills with my camera, while Binoy, our wonderful guide, shot video with my iPhone.

Wait, I thought I was going to be washing–not getting washed!

Peter, Marilyn and I giving our buddy a nice massage, using smooth stones.

These are such beautiful, intelligent and gentle creatures. What a privilege to send time with them.

Check out the toenails on her. Fun fact–elephants sweat through their toenails.

While at Kasara, I kept thinking about these lines from the song “Camelot”. “The rain will never fall till after sundown; By 8 the morning clouds must disappear”, because that’s exactly how it worked during our two days there. In fact, we were extremely lucky during our entire trip. We couldn’t have asked for better weather–slightly overcast when we were trekking, which is much more comfortable than walking under a hot sun.

The resort has a lovely pool, so I was very glad I’d packed my bathing suit. Again, no photos. Sometimes you have to put the camera down and just soak in your surroundings (literally).

It also has a great second story bar overlooking the pool. I decided to skip the ox cart ride through the village, and partake in a margarita instead. That’s what my sisters, hermaña preferida, and cousins would have wanted me to do, and I couldn’t let them down.

Time to fly back to Kathmandu, and another lovely hotel, The Gokarna Forest Resort.

During our Nepal trip, we added three travelers, Ann from Indianapolis, was born in Indonesia. She and her Turkish husband met in veterinary school. Karl is a retired navy chaplain who served in Iraq. He and Eugenia were born in Hong Kong, but have lived in San Diego when they are not traveling the world. Their fluency in Chinese was much appreciated by all of us when we got to Tibet.

Standing, left to right: Marilynn, Marie, Ann, Eugenia, Karl, Peter, Dick. Me, practicing my squat, an essential skill for the airport rest rooms. Jim is missing because he is the photographer.

Here are Marie and Dick, enjoying their first class seats.

Jim, Peter and Marie will be returning to the USA after our last night together at the Gokarna, while the remaining six of us head off to Tibet. The farewell dinner is an OAT tradition when the main trip ends, and what a farewell dinner it was!

Yes, we needed help getting dressed, and no, we didn’t get to keep the saris.

Some of the men played dress up too.

It was the perfect ending for three fantastic weeks together. Little did we know, but the remaining six of us were going to have a very different experience in Tibet.

Celebrating the Big Four Oh

No, not my 40th birthday. That happened a LONG time ago, and quite honestly, I have no recollection of how we marked that milestone.

THIS big event is our 40th wedding anniversary, and yes, that photo is indeed 40 years old. This year, our anniversary happens to be on Memorial Day, same as the day we eloped. Of course, true to form, our way of celebrating doesn’t coincide with the actual DATE, but that’s just the way we roll.

We have never been big party people, partly because so many of those near and dear to us are geographically scattered. Years ago, we stopped giving gifts, instead opting to collect memories rather than objects. Okay, so that’s the build-up. You ready for the “reveal”?

To mark our 4 decades together, we decided to travel to Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). Yes, I know Nepal had a devastating earthquake last May, with a full complement of aftershocks. For a country that depends on the tourist trade, we decided a way to support the Nepali was to visit their country, then share what we see and experience. We hope blog and Facebook posts might encourage others to do likewise. Or at least prepare those that come after us for what lies ahead.

I recognize that given the infrastructure of these three countries, I probably won’t be posting while traveling. That will have to wait till our return, but in the meantime, I’ll share what we have learned during the preparation stage, and believe me, there is a lot to learn.

I have been checking out air options, collecting visas, figuring out what to pack that will get us through a month away, with temperatures ranging from a high of over 100 in Chitwan National Park to lows of 19 in Lhasa, and everything in between, while also staying within the prescribed weight limits. I’ve also been busy reading everything I can get my hands on about the three countries.

So, fair warning. If you aren’t interested in that little corner of the world, subsequent posts are going to be bone crushingly boring to you.

For those that are considering traveling with OAT, this is my way to pay it forward. I have benefitted greatly from the kind people who have taken the time to post information on the OAT forum, and want to do likewise.

More to follow!

The Final Ingredient for a Happy Retirement

Okay, so far, we’ve talked about sufficient financial resources, good health and strong personal relationships as being three essential ingredients for a happy retirement. What’s left?

Drum roll, please…

According to Viktor Frankl, the key is finding meaning in life. Some lucky individuals find meaning in their work, and are able to make a living following their bliss. They aren’t interested in retiring. And why should they? How great is it to get paid for doing what you enjoy? They will continue to “work” for as long as they are able. But this post isn’t about them. It’s about the rest of us, primarily motivated by the bimonthly love notes that appeared in our bank account via direct deposit, for whom retirement is a welcome change from the 40 to 60 hours we spent toiling away.

If “finding meaning in life” sounds a bit too lofty, how about this? Let’s call the fourth critical ingredient “oomph” or “pizzazz” or whatever term you bestow on that special something that makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning.

Some embark on a second career, working fewer hours, but because they are doing what they thoroughly enjoy, it doesn’t FEEL like work. When he retired, my husband started making violins. Although he has sold a couple, and given away even more, the end product is not the point. A researcher who loves learning and sharing knowledge with like minded individuals, he’s focused on decoding Stradivari’s secrets and reproducing the sound and appearance of a master violin.

As for ME, my favorite things happen to dovetail nicely with ingredients 2 and 3. I’m now doing all of the things that I wanted to do during my work life, but rarely had enough time for: Exercise, book clubs, social events, travel, spending time with my family, Global Volunteer projects (The photo atop this post is from my time in the Cook Islands. Who could resist those beautiful children?), cooking — the list goes on and on.

My guess is that we all have different “oomph” factors. What’s important is to start thinking about what your special something is LONG before your last day at work. How you plan to structure your days during this wonderful stage of life’s journey is almost as important as financial planning. In fact, the two are directly linked. If you have expensive habits and desires, then you’d best be building a BIG nest egg. If you are a minimalist, however, then you don’t need as much.

So, there you have it. Simple to say, harder to execute–but SO worth the effort. Happy trails to all you current and future retirees.

Please feel free to share what is working for YOU!

Stressed for the Holidays?

Back in the day, oh so many years ago, as a very young social worker, I remember being surprised that mental health problems shot sky high during the holidays. I couldn’t understand why this would happen at what was supposed to be the happiest time of the year. (Not only was I very young, I was also really, really clueless.)

It has taken me a few decades, but I finally figured it out. The source of all my wisdom? Personal experience, heavily supplemented by newspaper advice columns, my internet forays, and especially Buddhist Boot Camp, Timber Hawkeye’s wonderful site.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

We pile all these unrealistic expectations on to ONE day. It has to be perfect, perfect food, perfect gifts, perfect decorations. We create this made-for-TV movie in our heads, and expect that others will be performing their roles exactly as expected. Because, of course, everything is perfect at everyone else’s house. Isn’t it?

Except…

We are a mobile society. Not only do we move geographically–we also “move” relationships. Divorce and remarriage adds a level of complexity to family gatherings that didn’t exist when Norman Rockwell was painting his holiday scenes. These days, how likely is it that ALL family members can be happily present at the same dinner table on the same day? Coming from a fractured family that is geographically challenged, my answer is “halfway between impossible and improbable”. Oh yeah.

So why not have MULTIPLE gatherings? Why not just rejoice in the time you have with your various family members regardless of when they occur?

Why does Christmas have to be just on December 25th? Stores start decorating around October 31st. Rather than being upset by the crass materialism, why not look at those early decorations as a reminder of the SPIRIT of Christmas (or Chanukah or Kwanza or whatever floats your boat). If Christmas to YOU means kindness, appreciation and love, why not just SHOW that kindness/appreciation/love in some way, to someone important to you. It doesn’t have to be on December 25. It works just as well on any of the remaining 364 days. If Christmas means something else to you, then by all means, follow your own particular definition, which I hope doesn’t make you miserable, frantic and stressed out.

This year, my “Christmas” started on December 16 when we met my dad and his wife in New York City. Our present to them was tickets to the show at Radio City Music Hall. Their arrival was a comedy of errors, including, but not limited to, a forgotten cell phone, late bus and lost luggage. What I’ll always remember, however, is my dad’s good humor throughout what could have been a stress filled fiasco. His wonderful ability to roll with whatever may happen is one of the many reasons his kids are all crazy about him (or maybe we’re just all crazy–one or the other).

Thinking back on those two days, I’ll also remember my wonderful husband’s support and assistance during the entire visit. THAT was the best Christmas present he could have given me.

With a large family on both coasts it takes a while for us to connect with everyone. And that’s okay. To me, what matters most is not what is on the calendar, but what is in your heart.

So, take a deep breath, smile, tell yourself it will all be fine, fully enjoy whatever comes your way, and be kind to yourself and others.

Feliz navidad!

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