Our cruise started from Molokai, which required we fly from Honolulu where we had arrived the day before. We flew over on Mokulele Airlines, in a 9-passenger Cessna Grand Caravan. The flight was short, comfortable and had truly beautiful views. Once on Molokai, Uncruise Adventures picked us up at the airport and took us to Hotel Molokai to gather all the passengers before we went on our first expedition then boarded the ship. Continue reading Hawaii UnCruise – Molokai Island
Author: KeithM
Hawaii Cruise – No an UnCruise
According to the cruise industry the average cruise ship today is over 950 feet long and accommodate about 2,900 people. Using the industry standard of two people per cabin that is 1,450 cabins. Now picture a cruise ship that is 145 feet long with 18 cabins and 36 passengers. That is UnCruise Adventures’ Safari Explorer.
Hawaii Cruise – Cabin B14
Welcome to cabin B14
We spent a week in cabin B14 on UnCruise Adventures’ Safari Explorer. The category for this cabin is “Master” and it is the standard sized Double cabin on board. Nine or half of the cabins are this category. Let’s take a look at the cabin. (Click on the pictures if you want to see a larger version. Then use the back button to continue reading.) Continue reading Hawaii Cruise – Cabin B14
Bush Gardens Tampa
If your family likes animals, then Bush Gardens Tampa is the theme park for you. Bush Gardens Tampa covers 335 acres and is populated by over 12,000 animals, Continue reading Bush Gardens Tampa
Hawaii Cruise – Intro
Hawaii, is an incredible destination for a cruise vacation. Hawaii has six major tropical islands you could visit: Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and Hawaii Island.
The most common way to cruise Hawaii is on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America. This ship was partly built in the United States and is flagged in the United States, so unlike foreign flagged ships, it can sail from US port to US port without having to go to a foreign port. It sails Hawaiian waters year around. Other cruise lines have ships visit Hawaii several times a year, usually while re-positioning to or from Asia or Alaska. Continue reading Hawaii Cruise – Intro
What happened to Wet & Wild Orlando?
You may have read Vickie’s blog entry on the water park, Volcano Bay, that Universal Orlando is opening in May 2017. As part of preparations for the opening of Volcano Bay, Universal Orlando announced on its blog on June 17, 2015 that Wet & Wild Orlando would be closing on December 31, 2016 (http://blog.universalorlando.com/whats-new/wet-n-wild-orlando-closing/). This is not a surprise as Wet & Wild has been owned by Universal Parks & Resorts since 1998. Wet & Wild opened in 1977 and is considered to be the first water park in America, interestingly enough it was built by George Millay the creator of SeaWorld. Why close Wet & Wild? Because it was located on 53 acres of land on the opposite side of International Drive from the entrance to Universal not attached to the theme park. That land will end up becoming the site of more expansion so keep an eye out for more announcements. And when you visit Volcano Bay you may see rides from Wet & Wild.
Why Cruise Alaska?
I have been on a lot of cruises. Most have been in the Caribbean but a few have been in other areas. I have cruised the Northeast coast of the USA and Canada and taken a Scandinavian cruise. But my family and I have cruised Alaska twice. Both times we chose Royal Caribbean International. The first time we were cruising with two small children and “Adventure Ocean,” RCI children’s program, was the deciding factor then. Our second cruise was a celebration of our younger daughter’s high school graduation and she picked the cruise and invited her Grandmother’s to join us. So our group totaled eight people ranging in age from 18 to 87 and everyone had a great cruise. Take a look at the pictures below to see some of what we did and think about how much fun your family would have on their own Alaskan cruise. Then contact us about booking yours.
A Railroad ride into beautiful Alaska
A trip to Alaska is all about great scenery and wildlife. So far I have cruised Alaska twice and both times the focus on what we wanted to do has been see this beautiful land. So when you visit Alaska don’t miss the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad. This historic narrow gauge railroad runs from Skagway, Alaska to Whitepass, the capital of the Canadian territory of Yukon. Built in 1899 in a project considered so impossible that it is now a International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. When you ride this train you see why the project was so daunting. Most people spend their time staring out the windows or standing on the outside platforms between the cars taking pictures of the spectacular sites.
You board the train right at the pier and some of the cars are wheel chair accessible. Several different excursions are offered by most cruise companies. So based on how much time you want to spend on the train you can ride half way to White Pass where the train turns around and returns to Skagway, ride all the way to White Pass and back without stopping, or ride to White Pass for lunch and some shopping. You have to take your Passport for that one because White Pass is in Canada. Decide which one you want to take and book it before you leave home, as this is an excursion that fills up.
A better way to shave on the road.
Most men shave every day and when I travel, especially to remote locations in Mexico and Central America and to other areas outside of the United States, I find it a pain to take the supplies.
Let’s review the options:
- electric razor – I have one but it needs to be charged regularly and that is a problem in remote areas or where the power isn’t the same as the United States.
- Regular bar or liquid soap – Not a good option for me at least. Dries my face out, doesn’t lather up or help lubricate my beard so I am a lot more likely to nick and cut myself.
- can of shaving cream – The full size aerosol can is too big and heavy for carry-on luggage, I think the small travel can is expensive and doesn’t last. In checked baggage you have to consider what if the top accidentally gets pressed? Now we have to do laundry.
So I started researching and testing other options out. And now you get the benefit of all that research and testing!
I found solid shaving soap. After trying several different ones I now use a Arko Shaving Soap Stick. It’s small, light and doesn’t require I carry a shaving brush. I carry it in a ziplock bag and just wet my face, rub the open end of the Arko over my beard and then use my wet hands to lather my face up. It provides a nice shave and I don’t have to worry about shaving cream all over my suitcase.
If you want to take an Arko stick on your next trip, you can use the link below to order it from Amazon at a very reasonable price.
Keith’s Travelz
Starting now I will be posting about past, current and future travels and some items I found to help make traveling better.