Hurricane Rina News

NEWS ALERT - Hurricane Rina is churning through the Western Caribbean, headed straight for Cancun and Cozumel.  Currently a Category 2 storm, it is expected to strengthen before making landfall tomorrow night at Cozumel.
from http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/



     Start making alternate plans if you are headed to the region.  This is where travel insurance really comes in handy.  When shopping for travel insurance, understand all your options and what coverages are available.  Your travel agent can be a very valuable resource here.  Let them teach you.

     Some may think travel insurance to be expensive, but when it comes to the loss of your travel investment dollars, it is really cheap.  Just the cost of making airline changes could pay for the coverage all by itself.  Here at Focus On Fun Travel, we want you to have a memorable vacation in a good way.  Not one that you look back and say...What a nightmare!

     To stay informed, take a look at all the usual weather sources, including http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/.

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Norwegian Epic...Where are the real reviews?

     I have many times found myself googling the web to find out information about a certain feature at a resort or a cruise ship, only to be inundated with superfluous information, varied slightly, from an original press release from the company who is offering such a place.  Today, it is Norwegian Cruise Lines, Norwegian Epic, and the Posh Beach Club.  The Epic has now been sailing for over a year, with a passenger capacity of 4,100 each cruise, out of Miami, and I cannot find any real life blogging about the Posh Beach Club.  No.  Not even any really good comments from Cruise Critic.  Only regurgitated statements about what it is when it was announced from NCL more than a year ago.  "Adults Only", "Front of the Ship", "Hot Night Life", "Sizzle of South Beach", "Riviera."  Heavens sakes alive, people.  Hasn't anyone visited the Posh Beach Club?  Rumor has it it is $15 a day or $58 for a week (Starting the second day of the cruise).  With terms like "Hot", "Sizzle", "South Beach", "Adults", it sounds like a clothing optional place.  But with today's cruise ships and family atmosphere expanding, that is mostly taboo.  At least in the U.S..

     Barbi and I will be sailing on the Epic, Nov 12, for a 7 day Eastern Caribbean itinerary, out of Miami.  This will be the first time, since 2000, that we will sail on Norwegian, and we are really hoping for a better experience than the first time.  That particular cruise was our very first, and it was only 3 days to the Bahamas.  We stopped in Nassau, and spent the next day at sea because the Atlantic was too rough for us to tender off to the private island, Great Stirrup Cay.  We did not cruise again for 7 years.  But the Epic is so packed full of many exciting things, I really have high hopes that this will be a positive experience.  We are travelling with a couple of friends new to the Norwegian experience.

     So when we return before Thanksgiving, I promise to have a full review of everything I can see.  If I can swing it, I'll even explore the Posh Beach Club on Deck 19, and let you know if everyone has their clothes on.  We already have our tickets reserved for Blue Man Group, which will be awesome.  We also want to attend the Cirque Dreams Dinner Show.  Because of the spelling and "Vegas" atmosphere, I am assuming this is a Cirque du Soleil show, but there again, no bloggers telling me about it.  So I'll have to check it out and report for myself.

Dreams of Paradise

     I found myself in a boat with some other fun life loving people, as we headed away from the dock at a high rate of speed.  As we headed out to sea, we encountered our first wave to pass over.  Because of the speed we were traveling at, we soon found ourselves airborne, soaring high in the air, traveling what felt like a mile.  With a loud splash and quite a thud, we landed in the water.  We started cheering and woot wooting, when the boat came to the next wave...a larger one.  This one propelled us even higher.  But unlike the other flight, the front of the boat started to shift and point downward at a sharp angle.  Similar to the experience of one of my youth scout leaders, John, who was sitting on the back of a large river raft that went over a huge wake of some class 5 rapids on the Snake river in Wyoming; which when the front went down, John and all of his large framed body was shot upward and over the bow of the raft; I also was thrown higher up in the air as the boat plummeted down, nose first into the water.  My friends were scattered over a small area, as I spread my arms out and started soaring over the area of the accident.  I saw others who were sitting at tables close by enjoying a lunch, so I called down to them: "Hey! Help!  Right there!  Can you help..." Marty! Don't you have an early morning meeting this morning?  Huh?  Wha...  Oh!  Can't I get that dream back?

     I love the sensation of flying in my dreams.  It is one of my goals (Bucket List ya know), to don a wing suit, jump out of a plane, and soar for miles and miles, before being forced to pull my parachute cord and land safely.  Thankfully we have near supersonic aircraft that can take us anywhere in the world in no time at all.  This means we can visit paradise anytime finances allows us to.  The other day, I received a promotional flyer from Princess Cruises detailing a 28 Day cruise itinerary that is round trip from Los Angeles, and visits Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti, and Bora Bora.  Talk about Paradise!  Tahiti has been on Barbi's bucket list for years, and has been a 30th anniversary wish of ours as well.  Well, Number 30 is 2014..3 years away.  We got time to plan and save money.  When the adventure is $75 per day, the saving is even easier.  We can do this one!

     Some people think paradise is a hot beach.  Some feel it is exotic adventure in the orient.  Others, it would be climbing a tall mountain.  Where is your paradise?  What is on your bucket list?  Do you like to fly in your dreams too?

Passion in the Water

     As I traveled back home tonight after completing my FIRST open water dive, at the fabulous Homestead Crater, in Midway, UT, I passed many places were people were busy doing things.  A miniature golf course, where people were having fun.  A regular golf course, with carts busying around like ants, a Karate dojo, where adults and kids alike were learning self defense and self control, Boaters skiing, people fishing from a bridge. Joggers. Cyclists.  Throughout my life, I have tried many things to see what I might be good at and really like.  I tried baseball.  Did not make the first cut.  Guitar playing. I never learned more than strumming chords.  Bicycling.  At times, the physical stress has been too much.  I admit I have never liked to run.  When I was young, I accomplished a 5:58 mile, which is outstanding.  But I really pushed myself in order to make the marching band.  Yep, an 8 min mile was all that was required to make it...well, and to be able to play an instrument.

     I have been going through PADI open water certification, and I realize I missed my boat 30 years ago.  I really love being in the water.  And I mean IN it.  This intrigues me so much that I find myself wanting more and more every day.  I really love this.  Last night I blogged about Submarine cruising, and what an amazing vacation that would be.  Well, for me it would be.  I realize there are those of you out there who may feel a little claustrophobic.  But I also know that we all have the ability to overcome our fears to experience new heights in our well being. 

     Barbi is really afraid of heights (Speaking of heights).  She won't let anyone in the family be within 20 feet of the edge of the Grand Canyon.  Those of you who have been there know how challenging it would be not be closer than that anywhere.  Yet, in 2007, on a Western Caribbean cruise on the Grand Princess, we stopped in Belize, where we tubed on a river through tunnels in the mountains, then went Zip Lining through the jungle canopy.  We were 25 -  50 feet in the air moving from one tree to another through 8 stations.  At first Barbi didn't think she was going to be able to do it.  Once the first zip was through, and she felt safe, it was onward and downward!  She has even said she would do it again.  See!  It can be done, with a little will power, and someone you love there to support you.

     My high school is planning their 30 year class reunion.  Holy cow!  30 Years!  I have suggested to the committee that we take a cruise as a class, instead of getting together in our home town of Mesa, AZ for a Friday evening, then a partial Saturday during a weekend.  I expressed how much of a better deal everyone would get if we cruised.  Such as, for the price, everything is included...food, entertainment, lodging, fun activities, and even getting together in a meeting room.  There are pools, dancing, karaoke, games...you get the picture.  For a little more than an evening and a morning, this is a much better deal.  For me, it means getting back to the ocean.  You know...the Water.  And wherever we go, I know I can get in the water and explore this part of the world.  Fish, creatures, whales, plants.  Scuba or snorkel, it does not matter to me.  I just want to be in  the water.

     My point in all this is, if your vacations have become Blah.  Go get scuba certified.  It cheap.  It is easy.  It is safe.  And when you go to Cancun for a week, go out to Isla Mujeras and swim with Whale Sharks, the largest fish in the ocean.  They have no teeth and have never eaten a human.  If you take a western Caribbean cruise and you stop in Grand Cayman, the birth place of scuba; go out and swim with the stingrays, instead of just standing there.  Belize has the 2nd largest coral reef system in the world.  Stuart Cove's in Nassau Bahamas will take you scuba diving with Caribbean Reef Sharks.  Heaven only knows what can be explored in the Mediterranean.  Ship wrecks?!

     If you are in Utah County, I highly recommend Scuba Teds Dive Center, 50 N Main St, Springville, UT.  Mike Brothersen is my instructor.

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There's a vacation just around every corner

     I find myself daydreaming each day about what my next vacation will be.  Cruise, Disneyland, Seaworld, San Francisco, Yellowstone.  Interesting how these are all on the western side of the U.S..  I guess I always think close to where I live....cruising being the exception...sometimes.  I have lamented before about hating to fly.  The airlines know that people will still fly to get across the country, so their attitude is, they'll pay to get there.  They'll deal with it and we'll get more money.  Well, this is America, so I know that the American dream is all about being successful.  I also know that competition spurs reform and innovation, which benefits the consumer more than the company vieing (Did I spell that right?) for market share.  I have not said it in a while, so I'll restate my challenge to those looking to have the American dream.  Come up with a new way to get people from one side of the country to the other, either in a timely fashion, or in a slower way, providing comfort and value for their money.

     Cruising is an awesome way to travel across oceans, if you have the time.  Other than Amtrak, which has limited routes, there really is not another viable alternative to traveling comfortably on land.  The long haul bus system is too cramped.  I have often found myself wondering if it would be possible to have a cruise ship size vehicle, traveling down I10 from Long Beach to Jacksonville, Fl, at 25 miles per hour, Non-stop, it would only take a little more than 4 days. With Port stops in Phoenix, El Paso, Houston, New Orleans, Pensacola, you could stretch it into 8 days. All along the way, enjoying comfortable sleeping cabins, all you can eat meals, room service, and entertainment.  How would it be powered you ask?  Wind power...sails you know.  If there is no wind..how 'bout solar?  Combination of both?  Dream it and it'll happen.

     We really need a high speed rail system in this country.  Unfortunately, our American government has spent the cost of building it on other frivolous things, so I guess we'll just have to wait until someone comes along to finance it privately.  Then those who need to get from here to yonder there can do it in 10 hours non-stop from San Francisco to New York City.  10 hours...hmm, that's at least how long it takes me to get from Salt Lake City to Miami Fl, with 2 or 3 plane changes.  What a lavatory full of waste!  I used to be able to fly from Phoenix to Atlanta in 4 hours. That's darn near impossible these days.  So I say, if it takes me 10 hours, I would rather do it in style for a few days, with lots of leg room, WiFi, Walking around communicating with people, playing blackjack, having a drink by the pool, soaking up the sun!

     That was some serious digression!  Sorry!  Vacations are so vitally important to health these days, it is right there with the full nutrition of the Moringa Oliefera tree in Zija.  Healthy body, Healthy mind.  These things come with relaxation, good food, good sleep, and socialization with our fellow human beings.  Some sun doesn't hurt, though my eyes are sensitive.  So literally, there are vacation opportunities everywhere you look.  I am finishing scuba certification this week.  Now I cannot stop thinking about exploring the underwater world with Scuba.  How about a submarine cruise?  How cool would that be?   Cruise to 6,000 feet down to see the daytime activities of the six gill shark off the coast of Seattle. Do a transpolar cruise under the north pole, under the ice, and come up to see polar bears hunting for seals.  Cruise by and see the remains of the Titanic!  I am raising my hand with developing this!!!  ohh, ohh, pick me!  Pick Me!  Let's explore more of our world before heading off to the moon again..or Mars.

We Are Here For You.

Are We Cruising Again....YET?

May seems like such a lifetime ago, and we, here at Focus On Fun Travel, have been busy exploring new places and new cruise ships.  I never thought a few years ago, that in one year, we would experience 3 new cruise lines.  But you get the benefit of our experiences, and we pay the cost!  Sweet!

February was our first time on Carnival Cruise lines, on board the Carnival Splendor, visiting the Mexican Riviera.  Carnival, I believe, is well known as the "Fun Ship." Some would interpret that as a "party ship" or "Booze Cruise."  Where the majority of cruisers are 20 something college students looking for an alcoholic binge.

While there appeared to be plenty of adult drinks being consumed and served, I never ran into anyone who was slobbering drunk.  I never heard anyone shouting at anyone with a slur. There were lots of fun poolside games being led by the entertainment staff. One included alcohol.

What I did find was lots of families with lots of kids.  More than 650 under the age of 14 on board. Because of that, the kids programs we bustling with activity and the kids were really having a great time.  My 9 year old never wanted to do anything but Camp Carnival. My 13 and 17 year old daughters wanted to hang out at their clubs all the time.  I was very impressed.

I would cruise Carnival again, knowing a few warnings.  The shows with the dancers and singers was Las Vegas style. Meaning adult men will enjoy seeing scantily clad women dancing and bouncing around. Those that don't want to subject their kids to this will want to avoid it, or insure they are at their activities while you enjoy it.  If you lose one of your children, go hang out at the ice cream machines.  They'll show up within the hour, no matter the time.  Don't book a balcony underneath the buffet. You will never sleep.  Don't bother showing up at check in early. The lines to get in, led to another line, which ended at another line.  Patience Brother!  It'll all be good...eventually.

In mid May, We boarded Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Checking in was what I expected.  A short wait in a line, go to a desk with a friendly person who checks my passport and gives me a room key, then up a couple escalators, on the ship, and WOW!  Royal Caribbean's ships are really beautiful.  When we got to our Jr. Suite...Oh My Heck!  This is huge.  All things are relative, but the extra 3x10 feet made a huge difference in the size of the suite. 

On this cruise, we were with 150 people who earned this as a reward for a company sales challenge.  What we did not anticipate was that before we disembarked, we would have 150 new friends.  The Serenade of the Seas made it very easy to be together when we wanted and privacy when we didn't.  The group and wait staff were excellent, just like we wanted.  I climbed the rock climbing wall, ate a sandwich at the Sea Side Cafe, REALLY loved the food in the dining room, and never missed a show in the theater.  These shows were what I wanted. Broadway shows that were not too loud and were perfect.  I will really look forward to sailing on Royal Caribbean again.  Here is what I learned to avoid, though.

Like Carnival, our Jr. Suite was right underneath the Windjammer Cafe (Buffet).  Really hard sleeping at 1am.  I am used to ships having elevators and stairs forward and aft.  On this ship, almost always, you have to go to the middle of the ship to go up or down.  It made for easy navigating and I never had an issue knowing what side of the ship I was on, but sometimes it was out of the way to go through the Centrum to go anywhere.  Many of RCCL's ships have limited Internet access, meaning not available in your stateroom, but if you are willing to drag your laptop to almost any level in the Centrum, the wireless works nicely. The library is one of those places, but it is not quiet, as there is always music playing on the bottom floor.

November will bring our 3rd new ship.  The Norwegian Epic is NCL's newest ship.  Our first cruise was on NCL, but that was 11 years ago, so the memories have faded significantly.  But we are really stoked about being on this very innovative ship.  Why?  How 'bout an 85 Min performance by the Blue Man Group?  Their typical show as seen in Las Vegas, which you will pay more than $100 each for.  It's free!  Go Bowling!  Maybe a Cirque Dreams and Dinner Show.  The only funnel slide at sea.  So much that 7 days may not be enough time to experience just the ship.

If you are going on a cruise soon, let us know where you are going and share your excitement and experiences.  We would love to compare notes.

We are here for you.

Time Flys and so are we

Royal Caribbean - San Juan, Puerto Rico

     Time to pack the bags and fly/sail into the sunset.  Tomorrow we join 150 new friends travelling to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a new journey for us, so to speak.  Though we have cruised many times, we have never cruised on Royal Caribbean.  Sunday we board the Serenade of the Seas for an adventure to the southern Caribbean, visiting 2 ports we have not been to before, St. Kitts and Curacao.  We have never been in a Jr. Suite.  We also have never flown on Jet Blue, which will be the carrier taking us to San Juan, so we will have lots to report on when we get back.

     It is amazing to me that I have left some out in this blog for almost a month and a half.  Life has a way of distracting us or making us think that other things are more important..Family...Church...Family.  You know?  Little things  (hmmmph)  I have, though, found a way to reinforce a strong belief of mine in the last 6 weeks; Travelling as a family is one way to insure the kids always remember the fun you had as a family, in spite of the spats in the kitchen.  So we are in the planning stages to take the family on a week getaway to San Diego, have fun at the beach, snorkel, and visit the sites we have not been to since our second child was only 6 months old (That's more than 20 years).  If you were to go (or have gone recently) to San Diego, what were your favorite memories?  What do you wish you had seen or done but missed out?

     Now, back to the cruise.  We set sail in the sunset Sunday evening at 8:30.  Monday morning we find ourselves in St. Thomas.  Last time we were here, we snorkeled at Coki Beach and explored Coral World.  This time, I want to explore and photo shoot Charlotte Amalie and take the tram to the top of the mountain overlooking the bay.  I am going to takes lots and lots of pictures.  Hope the computer can handle it.

     Tuesday, St. Kitts.  Here we have talked about taking a tour of an old fort and the city with some of our new friends.  But on this island, if you have the time and physical stamina, climbing the volcano through the rain forest is popular.  Of course, in every location, there are beaches.

     Thursday is Aruba, which will be our 3rd time here.  The snorkeling and scuba diving in the formerly known "ABC Islands" is amazing.  Clear and incredibly blue waters, reefs, drop offs, sunken ships.  Makes you quiver with excitement.  Dry desert climate with cacti like you find in Phoenix.

     Last stop is Curacao.  The former dutch colony, now independent, is alive with colors and the only place in the world with a pontoon bridge that swings open to let ships like ours pass by.  Here again, we plan to explore Willemstad, though I would not mind hitting one the the awesome beaches.  Here, it is all about the water, what ever you like to do.

     When you want to get away from everything, join us on a cruise some time.  We would love to share this amazing experience with you.

Desert and Beach - Aruba

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