Fanny Packs

Maureen and I are on the drive to Ft.Lauderdale/Pompano Beach! We're counting how many people are wearing fanny packs (like when we stop for breaks, or if we're being overly nosy when looking into cars). We're already at 2... If I see a fanny pack AND a mullet when we stop in Daytona, I will be a happy girl :-)

Food and Flights

Greetings from Atlanta, home of Coca Cola and every other eatery you can think of. Holy crap, I passed a Starbucks, Pizza Hut (which serves breakfast), 2 Cinnabuns, Au Bon Pain, and many more places, all on my way to my gate for the connecting flight. I swear I gained 10lbs just by stepping into the airport...

And, my wonderful grandparents, who we're sþaying with tonight, left me a voicemail saying to show up hungry since they're taking us out to dinner. Ohhh food, you are my downfall.

The first flight was uneventful, until we hit storms over Tennessee area. Then we hit like 7 air pockets in a row. Not pretty. I got a little rattled, but the amazingly well-behaved 18 month old who was sitting next to me slept through the whole thing.

Just a few more minutes and I get to board my flight to Jacksonville. Woooo!

Hold the Wheel and Drive

I will *not* be allowed to do this, guaranteed.

Maureen and I are facing a 6-hour(ish) drive on Friday, then a return 6 hours after the cruise. Although I know our amazing conversation skills will carry us through most of it (because we are, in fact, awesome), I started thinking about prepping for that part of the trip.

The essentials for any road trip, according to ehow.com:

1) Food, snacks and water: Maureen has promised me a cold Diet Coke upon my arrival to Jacksonville, and that she will have snacks packed. I figured that we would we be stopping at a grocery store and will be stopping for lunch and/or dinner. Diet Coke > water, but there should probably be some of that packed, too.

2) Battery Jumper/Jumper Cables: This is all on Maureen, as I have no idea where I will pack a battery jumper, let alone my 2nd swimsuit, in my luggage.

Look at those rockin hammer pants! Go Def Leppard!

3) Good music: This is ALL me. I love Maureen, but even she'll be the first to admit her musical knowledge is lacking. For her entire senior year at MSU/ my first year at Cooley Law, EVERY TIME we got in her car, it was playing "The Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-1975" CD because she didn't own any other CD's. Since then, I have passed down an old ipod and the woman got an iPhone- but I still send her music from time to time. I've made sure to download some new music, put some classics on there (a little "Pour Some Sugar On Me" for Maureen), and even downloaded a few episodes of This American Life. I'm ready.

4) Jack, Tire Iron, Spare Tire: Or, as I say, "having a AAA membership, where the Roadside Assistance vehicle comes and brings that stuff to you-- AND puts it on your car."

5) Travel Blanket and Pillow: I'm SO tempted to pack my MSU Snuggie now... but I probably won't. However, this is a good idea. Hopefully, Maureen is reading this and stashing a few pillows and blankets in the car for us. Can't hurt to have them on the boat, too.

6) Gas Can: I've always been taught that, if the car hits a quarter of a tank, it's time to fill up. I don't think this will be an issue... but again, I have AAA that will bring you 1-2 gallons of gasoline if you're stranded.

7) Power Inverter: Ehhhh, I don't think we'll need this. We have phone chargers and can use our computers to charge iPods. Actually, I think my car adapter will do both- charge the phone and the iPod. Magical technology, I tell you...

8) Trash Bag: Yeah, my OCD self will need one of these.

9) First Aid Kit: Band aids and Tylenol are already packed for the trip anyway. Check!

10) Camera: again, it's already charged up packed in my carry-on bag.

I added #11: Road trip games!  Maureen is probably going to kill me... BUT, I'm preparing the games!

1) Rock, Paper, Scissors- assuming she's at a stop light or can do it one-handed. What I *really* want to play is "rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock." I don't think she'll go for it...

2) Slug Bug/Pididdle- 1 point for a VW Bug, 2 points for a Woody Whacker (insert dirty, lewd comment here), first to 20 points wins. Pididdle probably won't happen since it'll be daylight while we drive, but you never know... and I don't think stripping will be as much fun in the car with 2 women, so the pididdle loser will have to do something else just as embarrassing.

3) I Spy- Traditional and may get a little boring as we drive along a stretch of highway. Plus, this may require the driver to take her eyes off the road.

4) Mad Libs- OOH I HAVE TO BUY SOME!

Like I said, I may not survive the car trip to Ft. Lauderdale... :-)

Learning to fly, but I ain't got wings

I leave in 4 days. 4 WHOLE DAYS. My next few days are jam-packed, which is probably for the best, considering that if I wasn't busy, I would be pacing the floors and refusing sleep due to the sheer excitement of it all.

From safteysign.com

I'm taking my chances this time around and flying out of Flint's Bishop International Airport. Usually, I'm a DTW kind of girl, but the flight out of Flint was much cheaper than DTW or even out of Lansing's little airport (it was almost $100 more to fly Lansing to Detroit, switch planes, go Detroit to Atlanta, switch AGAIN, then Atlanta to Jacksonville. Bleah.) I've never been there, but my mom flew out of there a few weeks ago, commenting, "this (the airport) must be the nicest place in Flint!" That doesn't surprise me. I like smaller airports with less chaos. Big plus.

Of course, I then fly into Atlanta with an almost-2 hour layover. The airport is HUGE. Last time I was there, on the Europe trip, we spent almost 8 hours perusing the concourse. My concern is, besides the cookie stand being closed, that I'll somehow get lost. I'll be tired and disorientated when getting off my (6AM) flight. There are about 6 different concourse areas, all connected with this people-mover shuttle type thing. My other concern is that I'll get distracted by the CNN store (yes, I'm a geek) and not make it to the plane in time.

I will finally land in Jacksonville at approximately noon, where the 6-hour road trip will commence. Jacksonville is ok, a mid-sized airport. Just have to make my way from the gate to the luggage claim, then find Maureen's car. Speaking of which, I have NO idea what she is driving these days. Shoot.

Daisy would KILL me if I bought this from Skymall

What to do on the flights.... I would use my laptop, but apparently you have to pay for Wi-Fi at the Atlanta airport, and Delta charges $12 for a 24 hour pass assuming your flight has Wi-Fi capabilities. After take off and landing times where electronics can't be on, I'm looking at using the internet for about 2 hours. There's always Skymall and it's ridiculous items (my recent favorite item, thanks to the Huffington Post's article, is the "wine glass holder necklace"  or the "Beer pager" - and I tried to get the guys to buy the floating poker table last summer for a party), and there's always my Kindle assuming it's charged and ready to go. I doubt sleep will happen, but a girl can try...

Any way you look at it, being bored on a plane on the way to a vacation trumps a busy day at work every single time.

St. Maarten- the stolen island

I know I did these destinations ass-backwards, but whatever- our first port of call on my upcoming cruise is Phillipsberg, St. Maarten. This is the island I keep forgetting that we're stopping at (and, at one time, I was telling people I was going to "Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, Haiti and Guam." Oops.), primarily because it doesn't sound familiar. Kind of like St. Kitts. I had no idea this place existed.

The reason I'm calling this island the "stolen island" is because I've learned that, as the Spanish closed its fort on the island in the 1600's, the French and Dutch settlers hid and, when the Spanish finally left, decided to split the land. Kind of. There were 16 different changes in who owned the island. Later, in the 1800's, there was a formal agreement signed between the Netherlands and France to share the island, and that's how it stands today. Half Dutch, half French.  The Dutch portion (south) of the island is apparently more "active" with big nightlife, casinos, and beaches where the French portion (north) has a laisse faire, sophisticated, "bathing suits optional" type of atmosphere.

View of Front Street

Phillipsberg is the Dutch-portion's capital city. In the city itself, there is Front Street- a HUGE shopping area with duty-free items being about 50-80% off the regular USA prices.According to Royal Caribbean's port guide, the only stuff to do in Phillipsberg proper is shop, visit the St. Maarten museum, Fort Amsterdam (the Spanish fort that was left behind when the Spanish decided that they didn't want the island any more), St. Maarten Park- home of many birds, and Little Bay- a snorkeling site. Meaning that most of the excursions probably take place away from Phillipsberg and maybe there WILL be a "clothing optional" beach in my near future (not me- this girl will be fully suited up, thank you very much).

It's never the cute guys who embrace the nudity...

Some of the interesting and possible excursions for St. Maarten include:

• Afternoon Beach Break at Orient Bay: 3 hours of a reserved beach chair and drink, white sandy beaches, and "nudity may be observed" - $44
• Butterfly Farm and Beach- drive across the island to the Butterfly Farm, a 1000 sq. feet exhibit of rare butterflies. "Observe mating and life cycles." After the farm, you head to (I kid you not) Boo-Boo-Jam on Orient Beach.$49
• Captain Morgan Sail and Snorkel- Not a rum-infused booze cruise, but you sail out with 24 other passengers, snorkel, swim, then sail back. 3 hour trip for $78
• Phillipsberg by Bike: "Tour the historic sites of Philipsburg by bike, including the Passangrahan Hotel, Captain Hodge's Wharf, Philipsburg courthouse, traditional West Indian cottages and Fort Amsterdam. Stop for a cold drink and rest at the popular Taloula Mango Restaurant." $52 for me doing all of the work?!
• Made in Paradise Excursion: "The tour around St. Martin includes a visit to a flavored rum factory and tasting, a visit to an authentic island perfumery, a French Caribbean cooking demonstration, and free time at the open-air Creole market or the beach." $56
• Mountain Top Downward Trek: "Starting from the highest point on the island, this tour takes hikers down through the beautiful countryside." $59
• Scenic Hike and Yoga: Just like it sounds... $54
• Sea and See Tour: "Board a semi-submarine for a 45 minute narrated tour of the underwater world. (you descend into the hull of the boat and sit in air-conditioned comfort five feet below the surface of the water, exploring sea life through the clear glass windows.) Explore and/or shop in the lovely French capital of Marigot where you will have time to explore the sidewalk cafes, open-air market and duty free shops." $49
• St. Maarten Island Tour: A guided tour with time to explore in both the French capital of Marigot and  Philipsburg. 2 1/2 hour tour for $29
• St. Maarten Beach Rendevous: Enjoy approx 3 ½ hrs at Orient Beach. Relax on your reserved chair and cushion. Complimentary rum or fruit cocktail included. Lunch (choice of 3 entrees) and beverage (beer, wine, soda, or mixed drink) included.It's adjacent to Club Orient Naturalist Resort so, again, nudity may be observed. $59
• Ultimate Island Tour: "Head to Marigot to explore and shop on a double-decker boat with great music and complimentary drinks" 4 hour tour and shopping for $56
• Tiki Hut Snorkel Park:  "Snorkel in the Caribbean Sea with shipwrecks and cannons or in a protected 5 feet deep pool for beginners. Snorkel equipment and instruction is provided." $69

So, again, I have to pay for a beach or just shop. Weird... but ok. Plus, who wants to swim in the French Rivera? I DO! And, of course, I plan on giggling at the clothing-optional beaches.

And, I like that some of these packages offer you at least a drink- some even offer lunch. In St. Maarten, there is a guavaberry rum that they are famous for- I've already been told to bring some of that back to the States with me.If I don't drink it all on the drive back to the Jacksonville Airport...

Haiti...Wait. What?

Port au Prince is in southern  Haiti... I'm goin' north

When Maureen first told me that one of our stops on the cruise was Haiti, I almost did a spit-take (likely involving Diet Coke, because, let's face it- it's my crack). Anyone else remember the huge disaster that struck Haiti about 2-4 years ago? Remember all of the fundraisers, all of the good people of the world going overseas to help rebuild cities and rescue survivors? This was going to be a part of my vacation?

Not that I wouldn't love to go and help, but apparently Royal Caribbean would like to take us to a *different* portion of Haiti, one that the cruise line leases (which is so weird to me), one that is on the complete opposite part of the island that was hit the hardest.

Dare me to swim back to the boat??

Our last port of call is Labadee, Haiti. Leased by Royal Caribbean, Labadee is near the town of Labadie, which was named for French money-maker Marquis de La'Badie. La'Badie made his dough by provisioning boats that came to and from the city. While Labadie may have rich culture, we do not have the chance to really visit it. Rather, this stop is a "Caribbean paradise," lined with beaches, water activities, cool rum drinks, and sun.

The big pulls to this location?

• Aqua Park - Icebergs (?!) in the Caribbean at the Arawak Aqua Park. Enjoy bouncing on the giant floating trampolines, water slides, rolling log, and many other water toys that will keep you cool while having fun. $15
• Aqua park and Dragon's Tail Roller coaster: water park plus a 3-5 minute ride on an "alpine coaster" $29
• Snorkel Adventure: $69. 
• Rent a Beach Cabana: floating mats, private cabana, upgraded lunch, personal attendant service. $175-200 (per cabana, not per person)
• Castaway at Malfini- trip to a private beach for the day (20 minute boat ride) $65
• Discover Haiti Coastal Tour:  Narrated boat tour of the coast $45
• Dragon's Breath Flight Line: Soar over the beaches at 500 ft above ground, going 40-50 MPH, covering 2600 feet of beach. HELL NO! I'm scared just reading about it! $85
• Dragon Tail Coaster- all day riding privileges for $40, or a one-time ride for $19
• Rent a beach mat- $12
• Haitian Culture Tour and Beach Break - Short ride to Le Village at Paradise Cove and a stop at Paradise Cove Beach $65
• Hydro Express 45 minute boat tour- $42
• Kayak Tour- $32 for 90 minute kayak rental
• Labadee historic tour- Wait. This area isn't too known for its history. But, you can walk around, listen to a history lecture, hear Dragon's Rock "breathe" and visit Nelli's Tower. $18
• Snorkel Safari- Not sure how this is different from the other snorkeling... $47
• Wave Jet Tours (waverunners): driver pays $85, but if you just want to sit and observe on the back of a waverunner, it's $29.
• Parasail: OK, this I may want to do. 5-6 minutes of parasailing (plus a 45 minute boat ride) 400 feet above the water. $79
• Sandbar Adult Getaway: Catamaran ride to the sandbar, stand in the middle of the ocean, relax on a beach mat. Booze involved. $49

Seems like there is a lot to do, but what if a girl just wants to sit in a hammock and nap?? There is a baazar shopping area (open market), and YES there are FREE chairs lined up at the beach by the boat dock. There are even some hammocks placed around the beach. And, lunch is provided while on the island by the ship's chefs. I can handle that.

I'm ready to go... but I may need to go and buy an extra swimsuit or two :-)

Please? 

Rainforests, ATV's, Beaches, and St. Kitts

The island looks like a chicken leg.

So...I know NOTHING about St. Kitts. I didn't even know it existed until Maureen told me its on our itinerary. Maureen's presentation on the ship about St. Kitts is about the religious diversity on the island. I'm all for diversity and religion, and the two mixing, but I'm hoping that there is more to this island...

I learned that the name "St. Kitts" is actually short for "St. Christopher" - when Christopher Columbus discovered the island back in the day, he named it for himself -or, as he claimed, for his patron saint. After there was a British colony officially established there in the mid 1800's, the Brits began calling it "St. Kitts" as a nickname. The name eventually stuck.

Apparently St. Kitts is known for its clear waters (bordering the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other 3) and having  hosted the 2007 Cricket World Cup. I'll be honest- I'm interested in the beaches, not so much interested in cricket.

We are visiting Basseterre, which is the capital of St. Kitts. The port guide from Royal Caribbean recommends visiting a few churches, The Circus (main shopping area), and a few historical places that were allegedly used in the slave trade in the 1800's. I'm a little concerned that the port guide doesn't mention a beach outside of the capital that is easily accessible. We're docked from 7am-5pm, so we have the entire day on the island if we so choose.

I reviewed the excursions that Royal Caribbean is offering for this trip. Of course, there's a few beach ones...all for a cost... I highlighted the ones I was the most interested in (I added the costs when evaluating ALL of my choices since I'm still a girl on a budget. But really, how often does someone get the chance to walk up a dormant volcano? Money, while an object, can't compare to experiences sometimes).

• Beach Extravaganza: you take a ride to a resort beach area, where you have a beach chair and drink reserved for you. They recommend it is a 3.5-4 hour excursion. $44 for the ride/drink/chair reservation (though I kind of object to having to pay to sit on a beach)

• Caribbean Cooks- watch and learn about Caribbean cooking and of course, spend the time sampling foods and touring the grounds. $79
• Caribbean Plantation and Beach: Car trip through Basseterre to tour a plantation, drive to a stop in Timothy Hill (scenic stop), then a swim stop at Frigate Bay Beach. $54
• Caribbean Scenic Rail: a chance to see the entire island by rail (you get a top and bottom seat) in 3 hours. $99-$149 (you can take an extra hour and take a catamaran around part of the island as well)
• Catamaran Fan-Ta-Sea: take a catamaran to snorkel in "Shitten Bay" (HAHAHAHA), travel through the Narrows (channel between St. Kitts and Neven, its sister island), and lunch on Pinney's Beach. $104
• Deep Sea Fishing: 4 hour fishing tour $175
• Eco Explorer: Nature walk/hike up the Wingfield River, the largest source of spring water in St. Kitts. $57
• Plantation and Afternoon Tea: walk around a house, have some tea. $56-$89. It's cheaper if you skip the tea and go straight to the beach, so of course, I'll skip the $30 tea. 
• 4x4 Adventure: Sight seeing tour, riding in a British 4x4 across the island. Stop at Cockelshell Bay for a swim. $59
• Mt. Liamuiga Hike: Hike 3000 feet above sea level on a dormant volcano, light picnic lunch at the summit, and panoramic views. 6 hour trip, including car ride, $99
• Mountain Biking and Beach tour: Just like it sounds.. $78
• Nature Kayaking: again, just like it sounds. $79
• Panoramic St. Kitts: Driving around, taking pictures for 2 hours. $49
• ATV and beach trip (!!): Drive through cane fields and back roads, then a trip to the beach. 4 hour trip (including beach stop) $99
• Golf: PASS. $145
• Zip line: I've been told to do this, and I *highly* doubt I will (I don't think the cord can support my weight!!) "sit back and fly along the lines up to 1,400 feet in length, 25 stories above the ground" $79
• Snorkeling: $69
• SNUBA (yes, SNUBA) diving- shallow water diving for 50 minutes, plus some beach time. Don't need to be a SCUBA diver to try it! $79
• Rainforest Adventure:  Romney Manor, a brief visit at Caribelle, then hike the Wingfield Forest Trail. "See a rainforest alive with exotic plants like heliconias bamboo, ferns, palms and elephant ears that festoon the area. Sample some of the local fruits along the way. The area is also abundantly alive with caterpillars and colorful lizards." 4 hour trip for $67
• Essential St. Kitts Tour: Visit to Independence Square, The Anglican Church, War Memorial, Caribelle Batik at Romney Manor, and visit Brimstone Hill Fortress. $49

Base of Mt. Liamuiga

I've just realized that I want to do ACTIVE stuff while on this island. The beach mentality is leaving... nooo! I really like  the idea of going up to the summit of a dormant volcano because that's just awesome sounding. I really like the idea of walking through a rainforest too (with a guide, of course). Neither of those involve a beach. My problem is, after one of those tours, I'm really going to want to just lie on a beach and be lazy. I guess I can just plan on being lazy on the ship...!

I learned that the island has a specialty drink called a Cane Spirit Rothschild. The drink apparently is a cross between vodka and white rum. It's made with locally grown sugar cane, too. And, of course, I discovered their food specialty: a Conkie. Sounds dirty and offensive- of course I plan on trying it. A Conkie is dough filled with a mix of sweet potatoes, coconut, brown sugar, raisins, nutmeg, milk, and pumpkin. The dough is then wrapped in banana leaves and boiled.

The dream? Driving a 4x4 through the rainforest, ending up at a beach, with a hot man waiting for me with a beach chair, Cane Spirit Rothschild and a Conkie. One can only hope.

La Ciudad Amurallada

from Polly's Garden-http://gramafolly.blogspot.com

George Harrison's son and master sound recorder/producer George Martin uncovered a hidden guitar riff deeply embedded in the original recording of "Here Comes the Sun," one of my all-time favorite songs. Every time I hear that song, I think of a trip I took in high school to Florida, sitting by my grandparent's pool in Leisureville, soaking in the sun... the song instantly makes me feel warm and at ease.

Of course, I hear the song- and its missing riff- this morning and remember that I'll be back in the sun in a little over 30 days.  I can't wait. I started scouting the destinations that this cruise will be sailing to in anticipation of all of the sun this girl desires.

San Juan, Puerto Rico's average temperature is 79 degrees, with March being its dryest month (it only rains about 11 days/31 that month), and there is 8.8 hours/day on average of sunshine. WIN. We're only docked in Puerto Rico for 7 hours, and that's assuming we get up and get the first shuttle off the cruise ship at 7am. Not much time for a port call, but meh. And, apparently, Maureen's friend will be in Puerto Rico that day on vacation. Yay for new people (for me)! So, what do we do with our 7 whole hours on the island?

A quick Google of "La Ciudad Amurallada (the walled city)" search turns up LOTS of stores for shopping, including a Coach store with "deeper than mainland discounts." Oh boy... beyond shopping (please and thank you!) are beaches, historical churches, and many, MANY different types of food to try. Discovering Puerto Rico has a handy online guide about how to make the most of your "trip layovers" while in Puerto Rico. They give ideas for travelers who are only in the city for 2-6 hours, which fit our plans easily. The guide assumes you're coming to/from the airport, but the airport is only 8 miles away (but some websites say that the 8 miles out = 45 minutes in a taxi, at $16/one way). Here are the site's top recommendations:

• Pinones: boardwalk and food kiosks that line Rd 187 that serve



Traditional Mofong- its fun to say! Try it!




• Empanadillas- stuffed bread/pastry
• Alcapurrias-  doughy mixture of mashed up tubers and root vegetables that grow on the island surrounding a center of heavily seasoned meat. Cooks spoon the meat into the center, roll the alcapurria into a distinctive peg shape and deep fry it for several minutes. 
• Mofong: fried green plantains  which is mashed together in a pilón with broth, garlic, olive oil, and pork cracklings or bits of bacon. It is often filled with vegetables, chicken, crab, shrimp, or beef and is often served with fried meat and chicken broth soup
• Lechon: Its is cooked by skewering the entire pig, entrails removed, on a large stick and cooking it in a pit filled with charcoal. The pig is placed over the charcoal, and the stick or rod it is attached to is turned in a rotisserie action. The pig is roasted on all sides for several hours until done. The process of cooking and basting usually results in making the pork skin crisp and is a distinctive feature of the dish
• Isla Verde and Balneario Carolina beaches
• Tour old San Juan:  take a taxi to either San Cristobel Fort or El Morro Fort. Once there, take a quick tour of the fort and then head down through the streets of Old San Juan. There are great self-guided walking tours of Old San Juan, which I found (in Europe) is just my style.
• Luquillo Beach (60 minute drive out- ehhh maybe not)
• El Yunque rainforest (again, 60 minutes out) hike one of the marked trails or take a tour with one of the rainforest rangers. You can also swim at one of the waterfalls!

Of course, Royal Caribbean sets up excursions around San Juan for travelers to enjoy. The San Juan excursions offered are:

• Bacardi Rum Distillery tour ($31)
• Bioluminescent Bay Kayak Adventure ($105)
• Caguas City Tour and Botanical Garden ($80)
• Carabali ATV adventure ($126)
• Carabali Horseback Ride ($99)
• El Yunque Rainforest Hike ($45- 5 hour trip, involves hike, nature lesson, travel to/from site)
• Segway tour ($96- not gonna lie, I kind of want to drive a Segway. But not for $96)
• Old and New San Juan City Tour ($39- it's a "scenic drive" with a narrated tour. You don't get out of the vehicle)
• Old San Juan Walking Tour ($49- through San Felipe del Morrow Castle, entry to museums, etc covered)
• Rain forest nature walk ($99 for a 5 hour hike??)
• San Juan Beaches By Bike Tour ($79 for 3.5 hour bike tour. My legs would fall off.)
• Fortress of San Juan ($41)
• Zipline ($131- HELL.NO.)

I'm all for the walking tours, but again, I can do it for free and at my own pace-- right?  Old San Juan is about 7 blocks, but people on the interwebs say it is a LOT of ground to cover in a short period of time. It looks like San Juan will be more about exploring than sunbathing- which is fine, since the sun will still be shining when I get back on the boat at 2pm..!

Incidentals and Charges Galore

Traveling is expensive. Water is wet. The sky is blue. All are completely true and "duh" type statements. Funny how you forget the basics until it's about to bite you in the ass. Thankfully, my wonderful friend Gelli has had me on a budget plan for the last 15ish months, and I've learned to anticipate the costs of things, save up, and enjoy. This trip with Maureen was too good to pass up- and, like my mom said (which she also said before I went to Europe), "You may get to a point in your life where you *can't* travel. Do it now while you're young and can enjoy it!" So I jumped in.

Already, the trip is starting to add up:

Flight: The plane ticket to/from Jacksonville was $350. I'm flying out of Flint, which is close enough for a friend to drop me off/pick me up from, so I don't have to pay to park my car at the airport for 10 days. The flight is already up to $378 on Orbitz.com, so it's a good thing I got it when I did (and the price keeps going up). However, I'm flying Delta. They charge a checked luggage fee of  $25 each way, so that's another $50 I'll have to spend. I thought about going with one non-checked bag, but realistically- it's 10 days. I'm going to need a large bag for all of my stuff.

Gas money to/from Ft. Lauderdale: Road Trip America has an awesome site where you can enter your trip mileage, MPG of your car, estimated gas price, and be given an estimate of the trip's fuel cost. If we take Maureen's Ford Escape, that's about 28 MPG, the average fuel cost in Florida today is $3.38, and we're traveling 308 miles from Jacksonville to my grandparent's place in Boca Raton (the 480 miles from yesterday's map includes Maureen's trip from Tallahassee). We're looking at spending about $34 in fuel each way, which isn't as bad as I thought it would be... that's about $.11/mile. WHOA. Then, of course, you have to have road trip food. My suggestion (which I'm sure Maureen will be ok with!) is to stop at a grocery store like Publix (which I say wrong EVERY time I see it- without the "l"- because its funny) and grab some snacks. I'm sure Maureen will already have some snacks with her, but it's a 6 hour drive. Plus, after a flight like I have (6am-12pm, small layover), I'm going to need food and some Diet Coke that's not out of a vending machine. And I'm sure we'll be stopping at restaurants for lunch and dinner on the drive there, breakfast on the way to the ship, and lunch/dinner on the drive home... oh, and breakfast before my flight. There's 6 meals to pay for, too.

Excursions: It costs NOTHING to lay in a hammock over the white sandy beaches :-) But, there's a few things I would like to do on our land excursions. I went snorkeling on my last cruise, and I'd love to do it again. I have no desire to go on a historical walking tour of a Royal Caribbean owned island, nor do I want to rent an inflatable raft that my chunky self will just sink (hey, I'm honest). But I would like to snorkel again in Puerto Rico ($25- there's a guided tour in Haiti with a catamaran ride and stuff for $45, and a snorkeling 3-hour trip in St. Marteen for $60) and tour on my own. I'm not really one for tour groups or paying someone to walk around with me, but I think Maureen will want to do one or two of those, which is fine- I'll either join her or meet her somewhere else after the excursion. I like to have my travel guides and tour on my own.

Drinks and whatnot on the ship: While cruises are sometimes thought of as "all inclusive," that's not always the case. There are a LOT of included dining options but alcohol and specialty drinks/foods cost extra (like Ben and Jerry's, Starbucks, and Johnny Rockets). There's a "soda package" you can buy, but you can have all of the water, lemonade and iced tea your heart wants for free. The package is $7/day (so $42 for me), or I can pay $2.25 + tip per canned soft drink. I honestly don't know if I can go 8 days without a Diet Coke. It was HARD to do in Europe, but it was also cheaper to buy a Diet Coke than a bottle of water. But, I'm thinking there may be some way that Maureen and I can split the soda package... There's an internet cafe on the ship and apparently there's wifi, but it's not free. It costs $.65/minute, or you can buy an internet package. I don't plan on spending a LOT of time online, but it's nice to have access, especially since it's going to cost an arm and a leg to make a phone call... again, I think Maureen and I will split an internet package, since she's of the same mindset as I am (but she needs internet access for her presentation and for school-related stuff).

Hotel room in Jacksonville after trip: It didn't make a lot of sense to book a flight on the day the cruise ends, as we have no idea when we'll make it back to Jacksonville. Plus, it didn't make sense to go from Ft. Lauderdale to Tallahassee, then Tallahassee to Jacksonville (then Maureen drive home), so we're splitting a room in J-town. That should cost about $60, or $30/person.

I'm already at $322, and that's without purchasing a SINGLE thing on the boat besides a soda cup (let me tell you, mama's gonna want a drink by the pool. Or two.) Wow.

Thankfully, I've been able to cut a few corners. Maureen and I are splitting gas (I would assume...?) to/from the cruise line. We'll be splitting the hotel room in Jacksonville, too, before I fly home. My parent split the plane fare with me. We're staying with my grandparents' place the night before the cruise and leaving the car with them (instead of paying a $15/day fee at the Royal Caribbean dock). And, I have to remember, the cruise part is FREE for me. So whatever final amount I come to, it's still $800-$1000 less than it could have been.

I want to be able to relax and not worry about being broke on the trip, so I'll worry and plan now :-)

FINALLY going on vacation again!

It feels like it has been FOREVER since I went on vacation. I mean, I've been... wait. Nope. Nowhere. Not a single trip since going to Europe in 2010. Not even up north for the summer-- but for a good reason. I had no vacation days left after Europe to go in 2010, and in 2011, my sister had my baby niece- so my "vacation" was coming home to see the perfect little nugget. I'm ok with that tradeoff.

Fortunately, my best friend, Maureen (the France expert) received an exciting job offer. She will be a lecturer aboard cruise ships, and her first job is in March. One of the perks is getting to take a "travel companion" with her on these "jobs," and guess who her first companion is? OHHH YEAH! We are setting sail on an 8-night Eastern Caribbean cruise. WIN!

We will be traveling on Royal Caribbean's "Navigator of the Seas" and stopping in (Philipsberg)St. Maarten, (Basseteree) St. Kitts, and (San Juan) Puerto Rico, (Labadee) Haiti. And, as an added perk, we are leaving out of Ft. Lauderdale- meaning I get to see my grandparents before and after our trip. They have graciously agreed to house us the night before the trip and take us to/from the boat dock. Did you know that it is $15/DAY to park your car at the Royal Caribbean lot? My grandparents will be saving us almost $100 in parking alone. I love them.

Part of this trip's fun is the drive that Maureen and I get to make to and from the ship. She is picking me up in Jacksonville, FL and we are driving from Jacksonville to Ft. Lauderdale. After the cruise, we are driving back to Jacksonville, where we will stay the night and I will fly home- and she will drive back to Tallahassee.

The trip doesn't start for another 37 days, but I'm already excited to go. I've started my list of stuff to pack and decided (begrudgingly) to check a bag on the flights. Silly Delta charges $25 for each checked bag each way, but Southwest's (bags fly free!) fares were more expensive than Delta's, even including the extra $50 to check the luggage. Pathetic. That's like Royal Caribbean charging us to park- just silly. But, I'll deal.

Let's talk about the ship aneminities, shall we? Because, while we're making interesting port stops, we're on this bad boy for 8 days- with 4 of them completely at sea. The ship has

• a rock-climbing wall, 
• a basketball court, 
• an ice-skating rink 
• in-line skating track, 
• a five-story theatre, 
• a casino, 
• a miniature golf course,
• a three-story dining room,  
• spa with over 100 treatments
• 4 swimming pools
• an "Adults Only" retreat
• 6 whirpools
• fitness center
• numerous bars (one is an "English Pub," a sports bar, champagne bar, wine bar and others)
• library and internet cafe
• a Johnny Rockets restaurant
• A Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream parlor

Holy crap, the list goes on and on...! 

That's it for now. In the next few days, I'm sure I'll review what I'm packing, what the tipping/payment policies are on some of these places on the ship- there is a LOT of cruise pricing resources out there, the destinations and excursions, the car ride (Maureen is "musically challenged" so I must have the ipod  ready), and, maybe a little about what Maureen is actually DOING on the ship. Me? I'll be by the pool, soaking up the sun and drinking a rum and diet coke (it's low WW points!).