You Were Always On My Mind

     Only 12 days til we cruise to the Mexican Riviera on the Carnival Splendor.  We have family staying at our house.  We have bank cards available to use out of the country.   We have arranged for our wireless carrier to provide us both voice and data services without having to mortgage our youngest child.  We have found our shore excursions and booked them.  We have made sure we have all homeland security documentation to re-enter the U.S. when we come back.  We have reserved a hotel for Saturday night in Ontario, Ca.  All we need to do is pack!  Have I said before...5 speedo's and a jacket for formal night?
But I Digress.

     Egypt has been much in the news lately, and I sincerely hope that the good people there find a quick peace resolution, as Egypt is on my bucket list!  I want to ride a camel.  I want to stand next to the Pyramids and Great Sphinx.  I want to wander the streets of Cairo and Alexandria.  I want to explore their unique cuisine.

     So much of the middle east is steeped in history that you cannot find anywhere else in the world, and experiencing the grandeur of Egypt from a cruise ship would be everything I could hope for.  A floating Hotel, where you only have to unpack once.  Many itineraries have overnight stops in Alexandria, giving a full 48 hours to see, smell, and feel everything.  Yes, I hope to get there in the very near future.  That would be awesome.

     In the mean time, our focus is on the Mexican Pacific Coast, specifically, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas.  Good news from the Mazatlan area.  The cruise ships have returned after security personnel from each of the concerned cruise lines met with local authorities, and mapped out a security plan that ensures the safety of passengers, and also ensures the continued success of local entrepeneurs, whos whole life depends on cruise ships docking in the harbor. (Wow, that sentence was a run-on.  Sorry to all the english teachers).  We plan on shopping there with some good friends.  In Puerto Vallarta, we will spend the morning on a horseback ride.  In Cabo, we will secure transportation to Santa Maria Beach for some excellent snorkeling.  We purchased all our gear at Costco 2 weeks ago and are excited.  The rest of the time, I am sure we will come up with some additional plans as we are on the ship.  It is cool to be flexible and talk to new friends on the ship about what they are doing and considering new options.

     Until then, we are busy coordinating a group of over 300 going to the Southern Caribbean in May and another group to Alaska at the same time.  It's a good thing the cruise ships have wireless internet access, as we will need ot have access to email to still conduct business where needed.  So don't worry, all you vacation workers.  You can still have a relaxing time, while taking 10 minutes out a day to take care of business.  Then relax by the pool and sip a nice cold drink.  ahhh!

We Are Here For You.