Category: TRAVEL

Tips and advice offered from my personal experience

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Museums, Music, TRAVEL, United States

Tulsa’s Terrific History Museum

Jane Sadek

THE MUSEUM OF TULSA HISTORY ROCKS WITH LEON

So, on this long weekend in Tulsa, I reluctantly went to the Tulsa History Museum expecting a ten minute stroll through a building full of junk and a segue to the next items on my list. Was I ever wrong! Come find out how wrong!

A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE BUILDING

From the exterior, this museum looks like Sneeden Mansion Part Deaux, because that’s exactly how it started it’s life – as a home for a Sneeden family member and the goal was to make the two home complimentary. In the actual Sneeden Mansion, efforts had been made to keep the charm of its original appearance. The Museum Building had been gutted and redesigned as a museum.

At the entry a charming volunteer was thrilled to have us visit on the damp & cold fall morning. I smiled sweetly and hoped she wouldn’t hear my stomach growl. We paid the admission price and picked up a map. As we walked away, she said the best place to start was in a room to her right and she warned us not to miss the Leon Russell exhibit in the lobby.

LEON RUSSEL!!!!

I think Leon Russell just might be one of the best pianist and song writers of my generation. Don’t think I know what I’m talking about. Ask Elton John. He’s in absolute awe of the guy. I swear tears came to my eyes and I wandered over to the exhibit like Eloi being summoned for dinner – as in to be dinner, not to have it. It was a religious experience for me.

Though Bill totally understands my admiration for the guy, he isn’t of the same mindset and after a few photos he was ready to check out that room to the right of the volunteer. The exhibits in that room immediately let us know we were not going to be looking at granny’s cast offs this morning. This was real history.

The Greenwood District, Black Wall Street and Remorseful Citizens

This gallery covered the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre – something none of my history books had covered – just as they failed to discuss what had happened in Oklahoma City in 1989. However, what happened in the Greenwood District of Tulsa in 1921 was of greater magnitude than anything I remember hearing about growing up in Georgia in the 60’s. It started over something petty and turned into a killing free-for-all. Tulsa was humiliated by her behavior and set out to do better. It’s a horrible event that engendered a gentler citizenry.

From this sad event, Tulsa History Museum goes on to be proud of what came out of this awful time. Though I’d been hungry when I walked in, I soon found myself fascinated by what the museum had to offer and my stomach quit growling. There were some cases showing off the gifts of various Oklahoman artists, such as Native American ballet dancers that were known to the world as The Five Moons. Perhaps the most fun was the wonderful collection of clothing and shoes, wonderful pieces, beautifully preserved and displayed!

PUT IT ON YOUR LIST

Now that I know, I can’t believe I almost missed one of my favorite things from the weekend. I would put it neat the top of MUST SEE’s in Tulsa. While in Woodward Park we did drop by the Teaching Barn, which is part of the Garden Center’s properties. It was the working barn of the Sneeden Family, but the best part was the garden behind it and somehow I left those pictures out of my albums. Not to worry, here are a couple!

Before we left the History Museum, I consulted with the marvelous volunteer who’d been so happy to see us at the beginning. We were looking for lunch, someplace special. Her answer was The Wildflower Cafe. We had to wait, but it was worth it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t exist anymore. They are moving downtown to a new location, but it makes me sad. I’m sure they’ll just improve everything, including the decor, which consisted of old needlepoint pictures, made from kits in the 70’s and 80’s. I know the dates, because some of the pieces were items I completed or at least started myself! Probably worth checking out if you go, but I can’t promise it will be as charming and delicious as I remember!

After lunch, Bill was ready for a nap. So, we planned to take in the Philmont that evening. Take a rest yourself and join me next week for the Philbrook!

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Museums, TRAVEL, United States

Tulsa’s Wonderful Woodward Park

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: SURPRISES AT SNEEDEN MANSION

Welcome to our long weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We got settled in Thursday evening after a difficult flight and lucked into all kinds of pleasantries on Friday. Come along and discover Tulsa’s Sneeden Mansion, their Garden Club Center and a great event space.

Taking Some Tulsa Time on Friday Morning

Being the early riser, I hit the very adequate gym at the Broken Arrow Towneplace Suites. No stretching chair and no rowing machine, but I made the most of the treadmill. I stopped at the free breakfast buffet to see if they realized there were gluten free people in the world and was pleasantly surprised to find a pretty decent breakfast. It wasn’t the freshly made waffles others were enjoying, but there was plenty and it was good.

Upstairs, Bill decided to make some coffee in the room, before he went down for breakfast. We’d already had maintenance up to the room for something the night before and with coffee flowing all over the counter and floor, we had to invite them in again. We saw them quite often over this weekend. They were always very nice, very quick and very accommodating, but who wants to spend their vacation with the maintenance personnel! Eventually, we got Bill some breakfast and got on the road.

Historic Mansion Turned Garden Club with a side of Rain

Going to Tulsa was not a spur of the moment kind of thing. I’d been lobbying for it for years. I heard about Philmont Art Museum & Gardens and knew immediately it would be the cornerstone for a great weekend. Then came the pandemic and other distractions. Finally, I was there.

During my research, I discovered while I could get into the Philbrook almost anytime, the access to what is now Tulsa’s Garden Center was limited. What had been the Sneeden Estate was now Woodward Park and the Sneeden Mansion was now the Garden Club inside said park. The Mansion was open to the public during certain hours each week, but they didn’t have tours and I don’t think very many people took them up on visiting, because they weren’t quite sure what to do with us.

An employee took us on a tour that was more like a sales appointment for an event, because apparently hosting catered events, like weddings and fundraisers, are the primary activity these days at the Garden Club. In fact, the Tulsa Garden Club was having a rummage sale there the very weekend we were there and members were feverishly setting up for the fundraiser.

All that aside, the mansion is a beautiful place. I’m sure the festivities hosted there are spectacular. I imagined splendid evenings with elegant ladies being swirled around the black and while tiled floor under the glorious chandeliers.

One of my favorite things was the his & hers powder rooms at either end of the elegant entry way. This reminded me of a similar arrangement in the entry way to the DeGolyer Mansion at the Dallas Arboretum. The library would have done Hogwarts proud. Downstairs there was an area custom designed for events with more testosterone.

While our designated tour guide was a little awkward at first, our fascination with the place won her over completely and we were fast friends by the time we left. She urged us to see the Conservatory just across the parking lot and warned us to be sure and see the Tulsa History Museum, which was just steps away and had been built by the Sweedens for a family member. Oh yes – and we shouldn’t miss the Teaching Barn either.

THE CONSERVATORY

There was no way we could miss the Conservatory with our new friend standing in the doorway of the mansion, to make sure we found it OK. Not that it would have been easy to miss the glass building with white frames. The central area had a pool and fountain. Various arms of the building created spokes around it. While impossible to miss, it was not particularly large in comparison to the spacious mansion it had been built to adorn.

We snapped a few pictures, while discussing whether or not to take in the History Museum. Now I’m usually all about history museums and I knew it was in Woodward Park, but nothing I’d read about it made me believe it was really worth a visit. Often history museums in smaller towns are just a place for people to drop off unwanted old stuff,

Bill said we were there, so we might as well see it. Most of the things I had on my list otherwise were gardens and this damp day was not exactly designed for garden visits. Bill was right. I had no idea what we would be missing if we’d blown it off. Come back next week and see what I meen.

Accommodations, Attractions, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

Living on Tulsa Time

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: A LONG WEEKEND IN TULSA, OKLAHOMA

With Southwest voucher dollars still burning a hole in our pockets, I finally convinced Bill Tulsa, Oklahoma had some things we really needed to see. Book it Jane-O! And soon we were on our way. Come along for the fun!

GETTING THERE WAS NOT HALF THE FUN!

The voucher we got from Southwest for getting bumped off a flight in March has taught us one thing. Once we’ve used up these dollars, we’re not flying Southwest anymore, unless there is no other way besides, SW, Spirit or Frontier. All three have treated us dismally in the past and we’d have to draw straws if flying on them was required.

This is such a shame, because I have been a champion of Southwest for decades choosing them over everyone else whenever I could. Everything was great this time around, right up until moments before we were supposed to board. Suddenly, it was announced the flight would be late and we’d need to change gates. Herb Kelleher, you’d be rolling in your grave.

After waiting for our next airplane to show up, we played the new boarding pass game, which is really just a bid to get you to pay for a place at the head of the line. We don’t play that game, which means we end up with some interesting seating companions.

Bill won the lottery on this flight. He sat between two darling little old ladies who flirted with him the whole way. I grabbed a seat in the row ahead of him, the first row in the cabin, which had bodacious legroom. As excited as I was over the legroom I missed two things. The first being that I would not have access to my personal carryon and the other being the rather large guy sitting next to me, which was taking up half my seat. The carryon I got over with a little help from the flight attendant. Someone had scarfed up the overhead bin above me, which was supposed to be for my carryon. This issue was resolved.

As the flight took off, I realized I was a little cramped for space. The extra legroom did not make up for the fact that the guy next to me was a big guy, taking up a good portion of what I was supposed to be sitting in. It was pretty miserable, but at least it was only a 45 minute flight.

The luggage made it OK to Tulsa, our rental car was fine and soon we were on our way to our hotel…but Bill needed a hamburger and he needed it right then! This is one of my pet peeves for which I have no reasonable excuse, but we interrupted the “find the hotel” program, for a “find a hamburger” program and eventually made it to Townplace Suites by Marriott in Broken Arrow- adequate accommodations for this trip, but probably not in line for a repeat. Things were a little dated, even though it had been recently renovated, and Bill kept finding things that frustrated him.

WHY BROKEN ARROW?

If money were not an object, (which is usually is) I would have stayed right downtown Tulsa, in the middle of it all, but Tulsa is quite proud of her in-town accommodations. Broken Arrow was just minutes and many dollars away. So, that’s why we were there.

As a bonus, I’d read about Broken Arrow’s Rose District and thought it would be a good venue for our evening. It was actually a very cute, recently renovated, downtown and done quite well for a small suburban town. However, I don’t know that we selected the best option for food. Bill selected an Italian restaurant that turned out to be more wine bar than restaurant and gluten free was not something they were concerned about.

We first opted for the patio, but things were chillier than we anticipated, so we quickly moved inside, which was the last quick thing of the evening. The waitstaff was comprised of various members of the LGBT(etc.) community and they were a lot more interested in each other than they were anything as mundane as a heterosexual married couple dining in their establishment. I ate some short-rib stuffed mushrooms, which turned out to be delicious, but too small for a meal and I hadn’t had one of Bill’s burgers, so I ordered some fries and waited for what seemed like forever to top off my growling stomach.

The next morning things got much better – if a little damp – so I’ll invite you back for next week!

Accommodations, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Chillin’ on Navarre Beach

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: THE BEACH IN BETWEEN

Our friends live in Pensacola, but we wanted some time on our own. Bill thought he wanted to stay in Destin. I knew we didn’t want to stay in Destin. What were our options? I’d been to a travel show in Dallas and Navarre Beach showed up in a big way, offering free turquois sunglasses and promising Florida’s Most Relaxing Place. I was sold. Let’s go!

The Quiet Rhythm of Navarre Beach

Navarre Beach kept it’s promise. I can’t imagine a more relaxing place. We rented a place in Sand Castle Townhomes. Somehow both Vacasa and VRBO were involved in the transaction which I started on Expedia. This short term rental stuff is still new to me. We stayed in #18, which called itself a two story townhome, but that’s only because they don’t want you thinking about the first floor where the car is parked. So, the first thing we did was drag our luggage up two flights of stairs.

Sand Castle Townhomes is an older complex, but everything in #18 was brand spanking new. My biggest complaint is that the primary bedroom didn’t have an en suite bath, but I’m healthy, so a few more steps didn’t hurt me and the huge closet in our room was an asset. There’s a pool we didn’t use, but we loved the gazebo and pier behind the complex.

Our days there, for the most part, consisted of hanging out in the townhome for most of the day and then walking on the beach as the sun began to set. We loved our evening beach strolls. White sugar sand and emerald waters – what could be better. And we celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary there, so that made it even more special.

Our Day Trip Fails

I don’t beach well. It’s too sedentary for me. I don’t want to cook in the sand and I don’t want to play in the water. Bill doesn’t like the heat either and if he’s playing in the water, he’d rather be in a pool.

So, I planned a couple of expeditions, one of which failed spectacularly and the other was meh. Warning, there are two parks with similar names in Florida which feature activities in crystal clear spring lakes. There’s Ponce de Leon Springs, a small park for swimming in the Florida Panhandle and another one, De Leon Springs is 500 miles away. The one that’s 500 miles away has kayaks, canoes and paddle boats, as well as pontoon boat cruises.

Do I need to tell you that I took us to Ponce de Leon Springs, thinking we were going to get to do all the stuff they have a De Leon Springs? That was a major disappointment. So, we tried to google up another kayaking adventure, but when we got to Defuniak Springs the kayak rental business was defunct.

So, we headed to Destin instead. It was an interesting field trip and before it was over Bill agreed with me, that I had been right to avoid staying in Destin. It’s a parking lot for a crowded beach. That evening we were very happy to stroll our quiet, beautiful Navarre Beach.

Another day we went back to Destin to see if we missed anything. We went to Harborside Market, an entertainment complex with a $20 parking lot. Bill drove around until he found someplace he could park for free (by a small cemetery) and I’m glad, because our visit was not worth $20. We drove around a little more, didn’t find anything of interest and headed back to Navarre.

Juana’s Pagodas and Other Adventures

Navarre Beach’s answer to the Flora-Bama Bar is Juana’s Pagoda. The complex has several dining venues and bars, a beach and water sport rentals. We had a great breakfast there one morning and somehow got hooked up for a free boat ride, which was a lot of fun. Had I been there on my own or with other travelers, I might have spent a whole lot more time there, but it didn’t ring Bill’s chimes.

The best place to eat in the area is Dewey Destin’s. The food was marvelous and their beachside tables were even better! The Navarre location is relatively new and is on the mainland rather than the channel island where our townhome was. Unfortunately, we didn’t find it until rather later in our stay. After our great lunch there, we showed up for dinner the next day, but they closed a lot earlier than we anticipated.

Another popular spot in Navarre Beach is Andy D’s and it’s hopping most of the time, probably from the lack of other options, because the food is mediocre. So, for most of our stay in Navarre, we either had fast food or made do with groceries we’d stocked in the townhome.

Perhaps one of the more entertaining ways I killed time, until we could have our evening stroll on the beach, was to attend a beachside church service. There was a little music and then an evangelist got up to teach. Well, let’s just say he was not my style. He was a whole lot to the right of me in his political leanings, so that should tell you something scary. He also spent a whole lot of time bragging on himself for having these services and cataloging all the rough souls he had saved along the way. After an hour and a half, I’d had enough. It sure made me appreciate my own church!

We found other ways to enjoy ourselves during the long days, besides laying around the townhouse with me reading the books I found in a drawer and Bill working endless sudoku puzzles. One day we went to some open houses to check out the local real estate and I’ve already mentioned the gazebo and pier behind our complex. We spent a good amount of time out there Another day we visited the Spring Hill Suites Hotel, because it was the only hotel or motel there was. Our friends came over from Pensacola to check things out one day. Lazy, relaxing days.

However, when it was time to head home we were just about lazy-day-ed out. We were eager to get back to our lives. We suffered some of the usual slings and arrows of travel, like the rudest TSA agent I’d ever encountered, but otherwise it was an easy trip home.

So, would I go back to Navarre Beach? In a heartbeat, but I’d be better prepared with ways to entertain and feed myself during the long, hot parts of the day. Otherwise, perfect.

Attractions, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Tourists in Pensacola

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: A SMORGASBOARD OF PENSACOLA

From Historic Downtown Pensacola to the Flora-Bama Bar, my friend made sure I didn’t leave P-Cola without seeing the highlights. She didn’t hide the fact that she’d love to see us multiple times a year, instead of every once in awhile, so she pulled out all the stops.

The Driving Tour

Hunger problem solved, my friend drove us to Downtown Pensacola. They’ve done a great job of preserving the quaintness of the past. Row upon row of restaurants and shops beckoned, but we were just enjoying a drive by.

From there my friend took us to some of the more distinctive neighborhoods and showed us how people live in P-Cola. We got the impression she was interested in having us do more than visit.

Then we got serious about what would be for dinner and she took us to an amazing fish market called Joe Patty’s. What started as a guy selling fresh fish off the dock has turned into an institution dearly loved by P-Colers. Inside there’s a long ice filled counter offering every kind of fish and sea thing you can possibly imagine. Over to the side is a shop with spices of every variety and all kinds of gadgets and souvenirs. The lobster tank towards the back had some of the biggest monsters you can imagine trying to figure out how to climb out of the tank. If you want, they’ll steam your seafood right on the spot and take the work out of it, but my friend is an amazing cook, so we were glad she took the fresh fish home and made us an incredible meal.

The Story of the Flora-Bama

Yea, many long years ago a guy bought a huge piece of land near the border of Florida and Alabama. He had a vision that started with a package store virtually out in the middle of nowhere. That package store is still there and you can pick up some iced down brews to take home, but there’s also the kingdom of Flora-Bama.

The Flora-Bama bar itself is a huge wandering building that had to be created by a drunk carpenter – a carpenter that stayed drunk for decades. There might be a rhyme or reason to it, but it didn’t make much sense to me. There are beachside bars and dune side bars and inside bar and patios and dance floors and stages and who knows what all. There’s one room decorated with abandoned bras hung across crossed lines over the bar, as well as hanging off everything else in the room.

The Flora-Bama Bar is most famous for its annual mullet toss. I’m not going to try to explain it to you, but my friend tells me there is not a bare spot on the beach to stick your toe on mullet toss weekend.

But there’s more to the Flora-Bama than the bar and the package store. There are a number of other bars and restaurants all around with the Flora-Bama brand and all of them are pouring money into the pockets of that guy who bought the land and built the package store.

My friend likes the Flora-Bama Yacht Club best of what’s available, so that’s where we started our Flora-Bama tour. It really was a nice place to put your feet in the sand and enjoy a cold one of some sort. I had one of their signature drinks called a Bushwacker. They won’t tell you what’s in it, they say, “think of it as an adult milkshake.” It was interesting, but my drinking is either wine or margaritas, so I’m not the one to ask.

After our Bushwackers we strolled across the street and made our way around and through the original bar. I can tell I’m getting old, because I had no desire to be there for the mullet toss and I agreed with my friend that the Yacht Club was more our style.

The next morning we hung out a while, having breakfast and taking a dip in their pool. Then we headed for the next portion of our vacation. Come back next week and we’ll go to Navarre Beach.

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Museums, Performing Arts, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Off Into the Blue with the Angels

Jane Sadek

Making Memories: Let’s Go Fast!

The Blue Angels are the ace performance team of the Navy’s pilots. They call Pensacola home and Pensacola is proud to claim them. We got the insiders version of their Wednesday morning practice run. Come along for the fun!

Soaring with the Blue Angels

My friend lives about 10 minutes from the air base where the Blue Angels fly, but she never gets tired of watching them. When I told her we were coming, she immediately suggested we go. I was concerned she was tired of seeing them, because everyone who visits must want to go. I had the same situation living close to Hearst Castle, but whereas I got very tired of seeing the same thing over and over again, my friend relishes the opportunity to spend a morning with the Blue Angels and she knows all the tricks.

She got us there in time to get a front row seat. We perched on the edge of the runway and enjoyed the antics of the volunteers as they provided pre-show entertainment. They probably wouldn’t call it that, but they’re so excited about their angels and have so much good information that waiting for the show is no burden. We did take turns going to the souvenir shop and viewing the many planes on display around the air field, but nothing was as entertaining as the volunteer in our section as she shared with us what to expect and how to watch her angels.

Then the jets took off, but there is no describing the show. You are so close to the jets. They make such a roar. The pilots do such amazing things you’d think the jets were merely toys in the hands of a playful god, but these are human beings driving humongous vehicles through the sky and they seem to come within a hair’s breadth of one another time and time again. We were awestruck from beginning to end.

Naval Air Museum

As if we hadn’t been wowed enough, after the show my friend ushered us into Naval Air Museum. A year before we’d spent a whole day at The Museum of Flight and in some ways it was more spectacular, but in comparison, the Naval Air Museum is no less interesting. We wandered through the space awestruck, looking at the wide variety of airplanes and jets. I was particularly interested in some displays they had concerning the training Navy pilots undergo. It’s not a job for the light of heart.

As interesting as it was, we finally had to give in to our growling stomachs. We’d had a nice breakfast spread at my friend’s home, but sitting out in the sun, enduring the power and excitement of the show and then wandering around the museum had used up all our calories. We made our way to the nearest Mickey D’s where I got a milkshake I’d been craving for days. The others celebrated their lack of aversion to gluten and ate Big Macs. Ah, I remember Big Macs.

There was more sightseeing to come, but join us next week for our tour of Pensacola and the Flora-Bama!

DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Florida Bound!

Jane Sadek

MEMORY MAKING: LET’S GET BEACHY

This vacation had two compelling reasons. The first, the longstanding promise to visit friends in the Pensacola area and the second, $1200 in airfare from Southwest. Come along and enjoy this trip to Florida!

Welcome to P-Cola

When you get bumped from a flight and the airline hands you a voucher for $1200, you figure out before you get home where you’re going with it. We’d been promising Ken & Iliana for years that we’d visit them in the Pensacola area, but something always seemed to get in our way. There were no excuses now and Bill told me to book it.

There was a another factor. While I’m not all that crazy about the beach, Bill loves it. He muses of a beach place we could make ours. He’d been suggesting the Destin area to me for awhile, but I was not sold.

In fact, I’d researched a Florida vacation back in 2022 and ended up at Club Med’s Sandpiper Bay instead of Destin. Destin just seemed like a crowded mess to me and so I sold him the all-inclusive resort based on the fun we’d had at Club Med Punta Cana a few years before.

It was on the trip to Sandpiper Bay that we decided to sell our real estate photography, because there was really no vacation to it. We’d just managed the business from a different location. Still, we did enough at Sandpiper Bay to know it wasn’t going to be our beachy place. Destin was still on the table and I still thought it was a crowded mess.

So, I sold him another vacation package – time with our friends on Lost Perdido Key and then some time on our own at Navarre Beach, because it is right around the corner from Destin and not so expensive. SOLD! Soon, the flight attendant was announcing we were landing in P-Cola! Yippee!!

Thrifty Isn’t Nifty at PNS

Bill thinks I don’t know how to get the best deal on a rental car and that’s fine with me, because that means he books them. He was quite proud of the great deal he found with Thrifty for this trip. At least he was until he got to the airport and discovered Thrifty did not have a desk in the airport or a shuttle from the airport. His great deal made us find an Uber to get to their remote location and our driver was Mr. Chatty Cathy. Having run into this hitch, which was his fault and was costing us money, Mr. Bill was not in the mood for Mr. Chatty Cathy. After basically telling Mr. CC to shut up, it was a bit of a tense drive for the rest of the drive.

However, we did get a decent car and Bill convinced them to let him return the car to the airport rather than the remote site, so it as a mere hiccup along the road to a fun time. Getting to Lost Perdido Key was a little tricky, but soon I was hugging my great friend and having an aperitif on her condo’s patio. No complaints here.

Lost Perdido Key Beach Club for Drinks & Coastal for Dinner

Moss never grows around my feet when I am with Iliana. We’d barely caught our breath from our travels when she loaded us into the car and took us to her Beach Club. After a drink there, she loaded us up in the car again and we went to dinner up the road. Coastal at Orange Beach was a beautiful restaurant. The food was great and the service, too.

We had plans to see the Blue Angels the next morning and you are going to love that, so join me next week.

Cruising, Gardens, International, Shopping, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

RC, That’s More Like It

Jane Sadek

MEMORY MAKING: THE BETTER SHORE EXCURSIONS

Having Fun in Spite of the Challenges

After the Shore Excursion FAIL in Tulum, we didn’t have much in the way of expectations when it came to Roatan, but it turned into a pretty wonderful day. The same with Costa Maya. We’d had the awful Jaguar Paw Debacle, but our bike ride and kayaking in Costa Maya, though not wonderful, was fine. Come along and enjoy these days with us.

Happy in Honduras

From the moment our ship pulled into port at Roatan, it looked as if we might be having a better day than we did in Tulum. The area around the port was very inviting and fresh, as if they’d had their gala grand opening the day before. Not at all the gloomy ferry docks of Cozumel.

We hurried through the inviting port area and found our shore excursion bus. A very short, scenic, tropical drive took us to Carambola Gardens and we were greeted by festively dressed employees who heartily welcomed us. They led us to a covered pavilion where in the shade of towering trees we participated in a very informative demonstration. Cacao beans were turned into chocolate the old fashioned way and we even got to try it out ourselves and make some dessert.

As the chocolate hardened, we were taken on a tour of the gardens. It was surprising to me, because there were no flowers. That’s what I think of when someone tells me we’re going to take a garden tour. Instead we were introduced to a wide variety of tropical trees and plants. A very sweet guide told us the fruit produced by each plant or tree and how the fruit and other various parts were used. I wished for some flowers, but was pleased by what was presented.

We returned to the collection of buildings and pavilions for a delicious lunch, topped off by the chocolate we had made ourselves. On the way out there was a shopping opportunity and I found this really cute bag I couldn’t live without!

Back in the port area, we had even more shopping opportunities and if we’d wanted to, we could have spent the afternoon hanging out at their pool. It was really a very nice place. Were I to go back today, I’d plan to spend my day there perhaps and not even take a shore excursion – it was that good.

Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico

When it comes to shore excursions, I try to mix it up. We’d done a historical/archeological tour to Tulum, chocolate making in Roatan and cave floating in Belize. A nice coastal bike ride and kayaking sounded like a great way to round out our activities – especially since for some reason Royal Caribbean thought anyone over 65 was too old for four wheeling. I hold that against them, too. I’m sure I’m more fit and able to drive an ATV that some of the 20 and 30 something passengers who were cruising with us. Not to worry though, I will not ever cruise Royal Caribbean again – even if it were free!

Though it was not as awful as the Jaguar Paw Experience, our Bike & Clear Kayak Adventure didn’t turn out exactly as I had imagined. We found our shore excursion group in the meeting area and followed our guide to our bikes. They’d seen better days, but they worked, so we jumped on and rode away in a line behind the guide.

I’d imagined biking through gorgeous tropical and/or beach scenes. For the first half of the ride we rode through what looked like one abandoned construction site after another. It was disheartening and disappointing. Eventually, we did come to a sort of beach boardwalk, but there were no boards, only bricks. It was early enough in the morning that vendors were setting up their wares and few people were enjoying the beach. Our guide led us to a fenced-in cafe where we were told to park our bikes and go to the patio.

We were given bottles of water and told to get ready for kayaking. We put on our water shoes eagerly, claimed our craft and headed out into the water. These were clear bottomed kayaks, but there was nothing to see except water, sand and some grasses growing in the water. It was great to be out on the water, but I’d hoped to see something exciting as I paddled along. Entirely too soon, they were rounding us up for the ride back to the port.

While I’d hoped for more, they’d delivered everything they promised. So, while it will not go down as my favorite shore excursion ever, it was a grand event compared to some of the other excursions I’d suffered through on this cruise.

The next day was a day at sea and talk about suffering, we were SO tired of the disappointing routine on Vision of the Seas. The food is perhaps the thing that discouraged us the most. On most cruises, the food is an important part of the entertainment, but there was nothing entertaining about this cruises’ food.

We loved our dinner mates and our server really did try to show us a good time, but the food was subpar. In fact, no matter which dining venue we went to for a meal, Bill ended up at the snack bar getting another piece of pizza or a sandwich. I would have joined him were it not for my gluten free issues. At least there WAS a snack bar, but that’s a sad way to nourish yourself for a week!

On Day 8 we disembarked, flew back to Dallas and were never so happy to be home. I’d been toying with the idea of using a vacation club deal to go to Florida, but this experience was so bad I decided if I want to go on vacation, by golly, I was just going to pay for it! Of course, that didn’t keep us from accepting a $1200 voucher for getting bumped from a flight. And we did decide to go to Florida, but not to the vacation club. Come back next week and travel with us to Pensacola and Navarre Beach.

Architecture, ART, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

Shore Excursion Hell

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: MAKING THE BEST OF BAD SITUATIONS

On this cruise we took four shore excursions and two of them featured the worst tour guides we ever had, one was pleasant and the fourth was merely disappointing. But look at those happy faces we have. We truly made the best of it wherever we were.

I Don’t CARE About Modern Day Mayans, What is this Building?

Our first shore excursion was to Tulum, a place I’d longed to see for a long, long time. The day started on a ferry ride so rough, I got seasick for one of the few times in my life. I didn’t need the barf bag, but almost.

We meet up with a chubby, jovial fellow who took us on a quick trot through Playa del Carmen. I usually enjoy walking, but the day was miserably hot and I was still a little woozy from the churning sea.

We climbed onto a bus for the hour long drive to Tulum. The tour guide almost immediately jumped into a lecture about Modern Day Mayans, of which he was one, and that remained his subject for the rest of the day. I was having deja vu all over again. I thought I was on St. Martin with Josay.

At Tulum, he guided us through a marketplace, warning us only to shop at his recommended shops and then drug us at top speed through the Archeological Park. If you hesitated to take a photo, good luck catching up to him. His commentary still focused on Modern Day Mayas and if you dared to ask him a question about the ruins, then he’d just be quiet while you asked and then go on talking about Modern Day Mayans. Then he abandoned us to find our way back to the bus at the given hour.

Tulum is beautiful. Bill and I strolled around taking photos, but without a guide, we were a little lost, especially since there were no signs bearing any explanation in any language. We had no idea what we were looking at and we gave up guessing. We strolled back to the bar our guide had recommended for cheap margaritas.

Eventually the guide showed up and allowed us back on the bus. He was blissfully silent for the return trip. In Playa del Carmen he dumped us in shopping district and disappeared again. We fought off aggressive vendors and found the beach, but mostly we just hung around until we could catch the ferry back to the boat. That’s how sad the tour was. We preferred being on the boat. This guide got to hold the title of worst guide ever for two whole days and then we had a worse one.

Un-Belize-Able

I’ll skip right to the worst guide EVER!! I’d heard from many people that Belize is heaven on earth. For us it was hell. The whole day was so bad, I didn’t take a single photo. You tell me! Doesn’t Jaguar Paw Cave Tubing & Jungle Trek with Lunch sound amazing? NOT!! It was like Eternal Ride on a Bad Bus with the Worst Guide EVER!

The tour began in a jewelry store and we were there forever. At least it was air conditioned. I think they kept us there until someone finally broke down and bought something. As we climbed on the bus, we realized it wasn’t exactly state of the art. If we’d realized how far away Jaguar Paw Cave was, I might have balked.

Trying to warm up his patrons, within the first mile the guide made a joke. He pointed out some site and said, “Can you Belize it? Un-Belize-Able! You better Belize it!” That was just the first time he made the quip, which was repeated over and over and over and over and over and over and…well I think you get the picture.

The road to the interior was a yawn. Nothing to see on the dusty backroads than what I see on the dusty backroads of Texas. I was so done with buses by the time we arrived at Jaguar Paw. Once we pulled into their entrance we were given our orders: pay for a locker, put your stuff there, wait to be called, go into the jungle.

I get they need to make money, but $12 for a tiny locker which you only need during the very brief cave tour. Now that was Un-Belize-Able, but we were a captive audience with no other options.

When our number was called we were excited to be going on a jungle trek. NOT! The “trek” was about as long as half a city block with a well worn trail. Entering the cave and climbing aboard the innertube was the most excitement we experienced that day. The water was chilly but not miserable.

As I climbed aboard I looked around and wondered where this float was going to go. I could see the end of the cave just ahead. We floated pleasantly for a few minutes and then were instructed to get out and walk about on the shore. Not sure why. Nothing to see.

Back in the tube and back to the entrance. There was a deeper section near the entrance and we were invited to swim, but it was such a short distance you could have almost hopped from your tube to the exit area, so everyone just enjoyed the last few moments of the float.

Then we were sent back on the “jungle trek” and our free meal. I’ll say this. It was better than what they were feeding us on the cruise, but not by much. We killed time until everyone had their float and feed, then climbed back on the awful bus. Thankfully the guide didn’t have much to say, which was good, one more UN-Belize-Able and I would have been contemplating murder.

As we neared the port, the guide did hit us with a few more repetitions of his signature line, but I was numb by then, so his life was never actually in danger. We filed off the bus and through the shopping opportunity, anxious for some reason to get back on the boat.

One thing that made this cruise tolerable was marvelous dinner companions. We were lucky enough to be a part of the cool kids table and they made our evenings very pleasant. From there we’d always head to the auditorium for whatever was being offered for entertainment that evening – always a disappointment. Used to be cruise ship entertainers were among the best of the best, but something has happened since used to be. They’re tired, the costumes are cheap and the scenery is minimal. Yawn.

This was the worst of it. Our other two shore excursions weren’t bad. In fact one of them was downright pleasant. Come back next week for a better time!

Accommodations, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL, Travel Planning

Never Again Royal Caribbean

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: ENJOYING OURSELVES IN SPITE OF THE CRUISE

Yes, It Was Free, But They Should Have Paid Us for the Mediocracy of Everthing

So, I attended a travel presentation and scored a free cruise – we’re talking flight & cruise. I thought any day cruising was better than staying home. I was wrong! Come along and find out why!

Navigating My Way to a Free Cruise

I adore cruising. My first cruise was my honeymoon and we cruised Hawaii in a cabin on a boat I probably wouldn’t even consider today, but still it was magical. We had a blast and loved every moment of it – in spite of all the lack of amenities I would have noticed these days.

Since then I’ve cruised the Nile, the Danube, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean (the Caribbean several times.) I’ve been on Celebrity, Norwegian, Carnival, Viking and few other smaller companies. Until I took a Viking river cruise, my all time favorite cruise had been one I took on Royal Caribbean. It was everything I ever dreamed a cruise would be and more. Then after the river cruise, I began to have my favorite small ship experience and my favorite big ship experience, but Royal Caribbean still reigned supreme for ocean going experiences. It had been a magnificent.

Then we took a quick cruise out of Galveston on Royal Caribbean and I wondered how it could have been the same cruise company. The food was mediocre, the ship needed some TLC, the entertainment was a joke and even the staff needed a little refresher course. My travel agent assured me it was Galveston’s fault. Galveston was where old cruise ships went to die. So in the future, we stayed away from Galveston departures.

When we got our free cruise, I had a choice of five cruises, but most of them were out of Galveston to ports we’d already visited. So it boiled down to 3 cruises. The one I preferred would have required a flight to San Juan and because it was out of the US, we’d have had to pay for it, which would have been more expensive than the (potentially) free flight to Florida. Just so you know, the whole free flight thing turned out to be smoke and mirrors. I should have lobbied harder for the cruise I wanted, but when traveling, I’ve learned to do things Bill’s way. It might not be optimal, but then when he complains, I can point out it’s his choice, not mine. This keeps my marriage afloat, which is more important that any number of given days on a trip.

So, we booked the Royal Caribbean cruise out of Tampa to Cozumel, Roatan, Belize and Costa Maya. I remember the day Royal Caribbean sent us our confirmation. I thought I really scored something big. I worked on scheduling shore excursions and redeeming my free flights (which never manifested).

Embarking on Our Adventure

In spite of the dirty tricks the agency played to avoid providing the free airfare the promised, I was still excited about going. Remember, I love cruising and even though Royal Caribbean had already had one strike, I blamed it on Galveston and looked forward to an experience more like my favorite cruise.

We’d had a very early flight, so we were among the very first to get on board. We made our way to the Embarkation Buffet and realized we were about to relive everything we hated about the cruise out of Galveston. I took the photo above of what I was able to glean from the nasty things offered on the buffet. I know being gluten free I miss out on all the lovely bread, desserts and fried things, but still, this was sub-par.

New Empathy for Non-Cruisers

I’m one of those odd people who isn’t crazy about beach vacations, but I’ve never understood anyone who didn’t like cruises. Something for everyone – am I right? On this cruise I imagined someone like me being stuck on that boat for seven nights without other, more pleasant, experiences and I could see why they’d think cruising was torture.

To give Royal Caribbean its due, we did talk to several people who were having the time of their lives. One set of retired Floridian ladies cruise with Royal Caribbean constantly – at least once a month. They gamble and they claim their cruising is a source of income! During one breakfast they schooled us on retiring to cruise boats. If we hadn’t been living through what we considered the worst cruise ever, it would have sounded pretty good.

I used to think that a bad day on a cruise was better than a good day anywhere else. I now know that is not true. There’s a lot of bad days at home I’d prefer to relive than the days we spent aboard the Vision of the Seas. But we’re Bill and Jane! We live to have a good time. So, come back next week and I’ll touch on a few highlights, but let me assure you, I will never, ever cruise Royal Caribbean again – even if its FREE!