For Vacation Fun...a travel blog

 Yes, I have absolutely said those words. Or something along those lines.  I wasn't sure I would like being on a ship for a week -- I'm not a take it easy kind of girl after all!  I'll just leave a few things here to show you that taking a cruise is as much or as little as you want it to be. I was by no means going all day like crazy, and there were lots of activities that I missed because I was doing something out.  FOMO is real baby! Here are photos of some of the fun things to do on a cruise ship (yes, its messy and random on purpose!) Swim, relax, enjoy   Lounges, pubs, and dining. Lounges are not just for drinks - think trivia, karaoke, dance lessons along with tastings of different categories, such as champagne, wine, bourbon, martinis, etc.  Music Music Music so much music - live music, djs, relaxing music, fabulous party times, on the ship, on the islands, everywhere. Shows & entertainment Strolling the ship, enjoying the views and people watching   Kid and F

When we booked the Yacht Club level on the MSC Meraviglia, my mind wandered back to the movie ChittyChitty Bang Bang. Remember the scene where the bumbling spies capture the wrong Mr. Potts? Yeah, I sang that song in my head a lot. The Yacht Club is considered a cruise within a cruise.  Before we even exited the parking area, we were invited to leave our luggage at a Yacht Club luggage drop off.  It was very convenient and simple.  Having attached our luggage tags before leaving the house made it even faster! We were escorted through security and to a private wait area with champagne, juice and snacks. Before we could even finish our champagne,  our butler arrived to ecort us onto the ship and to the Top Sail lounge.    Fresh drinks and a great view of lower Manhattan welcomed us. Our butler, Faisol, had already taken our personal item to our room. We followed after finishing our drinks.    Throughout our stay we had top notch, friendly service.  W

My spouse and I recently went on a week long cruise out of Brooklyn NY on the MSC Meraviglia. We had a great time on the cruise and can't wait to do another.  The basics: • December 2 to 9 • Yacht Club balcony cabin ▪︎ Ports: Port Canaveral, Ocean Cay, Nassau Bahamas I am going to share aspects in a few different posts to help keep the posts shorter. Definitely they will be picture heavy! Sailing out of Brooklyn was surprisingly easy. Just as easy as sailing out of Manhattan. We drove from Pennsylvania and parked right at the Port. It cost $340 for the week which is comparable to what we would pay in Manhattan,  and less than what we would have paid for car service or for flights to Florida. The view of lower Manhattan was great and we enjoyed picking out landmarks and favorite haunts from my college days at Pace University.   The view of the Statue of Liberty and sailing under the Verrazano Bridge were wonderful from our balcony!

 I love when I have the opportunity to visit trade shows promoting a destination or my professional association, ASTA.  I always learn some new thing about a destination, or meet a new business vendor to work with. I attended an ASTA event recently and made some great new connections along with reconnecting with long time business partners.  It gets me excited to promote things like the new MSC cruise ships coming up soon. Did you know that MSC Cruises also leave from Brooklyn, NY? A great spot for folks in the Northeast who would rather not fly to Florida.  I picked up a few luggage tags to give clients staying at Iberostar Rose Hall Suites in Jamaica in a few months and found out some fun facts about that property.  Iberostar is not just the Caribbean, but is throughout Europe and has many beautiful properties.   We chatted with a rep from Tenerife - I did not know that this beautiful island in Spain, part of the Canary Islands, offers a little bit of everything: diving, birdwatching

If you are an American, you probably don't spend much time thinking about how you approach vacation is very different than Europeans. But there are definite differences. Americans on average start out with 2 weeks of paid vacation a year, or 10 days.  Some companies add to that based on your length of service other factors, but think about your 10 days.  Maybe you chip away at  them during the year for family activities like a child's dance recital out of state, or a wedding that requires you to leave on a Thursday or a Friday. People who live in the European Union get at least 20 paid vacation days each year - twice what Americans receive.  So when American's finally are able to take vacation time and experience their vacation, they are often trying to jam as many activities into that 5 or 10 day trip as possible.  You've heard people say they want to "Make the most" of their trip, or "we want to do everything because we probably won't go here again&

If you have visited Disney World with your children, you have spent major bucks on an exhausting, foot aching, long days vacation.  And it was fun. The kids laughed, smiled, hopefully gave you lots of appreciative hugs.  But you needed a vacation to recover from your vacation. So let's talk about visiting Disney World WITHOUT the kids.  Yes. You can. And it's great! Enjoy your resort. Book a deluxe resort...the amenities are worth it for your adult vacation. Sleep in and then take a book and a beverage and relax poolside. No rushing to get to a park. No guilt for sitting still, and no whims to cater to except your own. Visit your favorite park for a casual trip. You don't have to do every ride and attraction. Get a beverage and people watch. Have a conversation with your partner, or even a stranger.  Do one or two favorite spots and then leave before its steamy hot. Visit an upscale restaurant where you can enjoy a meal and, in some cases, a beautifu