Cruises

Club Med – Sandpiper Bay – Overview

Jan 2021

In our quest to explore drive-able destinations for our clients, we took a trip down to South Florida and the only true all-inclusive in the USA. Here is a quick positive / negative list for you…

Positives

- - No Mask Needed Outside and most of it is outside
  - True all-inclusive so plenty of food / drinks available 7am to 11pm
  - Lots of activities, many are sports related (Golf, Tennis, Trapeze, Sailing, Paddle Boarding, etc) with included lessons for all levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced
  - Kids Club available
  - Food is good with many healthy options
  - 3 different types of house wine are included
  - Buffet is handled as pre-plated and works well
  - Themed Nights with special dress
  - Rooms are large and the walk-in closets are great
  - Plenty of HOT water
  - Adults only pool
  - Spa on-site with one price for all options

Thoughts

- - Food is not amazing but many choices and not the same each day
  - I did not like any of the house wine
  - App is helpful but not always updated, I was told they were in the process of hiring someone for that job
  - Not luxury even though there are some luxury upgrades available
  - No late night activities / food
  - We were not on-site for the weekend but we were able to see the scheduled activities and there is much more to do on the weekend

Negatives

- - Currently COVID has stopped most of the shows, there are a few but not many and all are outside
  - Only one restaurant for breakfast & lunch
  - Second restaurant open for dinner has limited seating and not everyone can go every day
  - Most sports activities are outside, when weather is bad there are no indoor tennis courts or pools

Compared to a Cruise
Since we aren’t able to sail right now, many of us are dreaming of sailing and this resort has been called a cruise on land, I have to make the comparison. Like cruising, the resort has many activities and many places to just sit and relax. The rooms are much larger than staterooms onboard a ship and they are cleaned daily. On Board ship, most people eat breakfast and lunch in the buffet and the food reminds me of the MSC buffet – plentiful and good but not amazing. I can’t really compare the shows because Club Med is not setup for outdoor shows but they are making it work. There is one store on the property so limited shopping available HOWEVER, unlike a ship you can just get in your car and go to a store anywhere to get what you want. Pricing is similar to a cruise with the ability to purchase off-site excursions and on-site activities like a Jet Ski.

Bottom Line
Positives outweigh the negatives and if you want to spend some time relaxing or learning a new skill, you will enjoy your stay at Club Med – Sandpiper Bay

Recommended

#VickieTravelz

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American Queen Steamboat Decks 5 and 6

Deck 5 forward is a private balcony. You can walk the remainder of the deck, but not the front. Deck 5 Aft is a bar and the location of the keyboard for the Calliope which can you watch them play as you depart a port. You can even play it yourself on some days Continue reading American Queen Steamboat Decks 5 and 6

American Queen Steamboat Deck 4

The front of deck 4 is lined with rocking chairs. This is a beautiful place for coffee or simply sit and watch the river go by — however, it is open to the sun and the rain so it is not as popular as the Front Porch.

The deck is a bit sloped and it is very difficult to Continue reading American Queen Steamboat Deck 4

American Queen Steamboat – Deck 3

The “Front Porch” is on deck 3 forward- this is the buffet.

Drink machines, soft serve ice cream, soft cookies and popcorn also reside here. The buffet area is small but never seems too crowded. There is some inside seating but most of the seating is outside on the deck – it is covered so rain does not cause many problems. Continue reading American Queen Steamboat – Deck 3

American Queen Steamboat Deck 2

As you walk onto the American Queen for the first time, you will climb a flight of red carpeted stairs and enter through the doorway onto deck 2.

The woman’s parlor and men’s card room flank the hallway to the Mark Twain Gallery. Everything is decorated as old style luxury but tucked in the corner is the computer/internet area and the coffee station. Continue reading American Queen Steamboat Deck 2

American Queen Steamboat – Deck 1

As you board the boat for the first time, musicians and entertainers welcome you aboard the steamboat, setting the stage for a wonderful week. You always leave and return to the ship on this deck, scanning your passenger ID card. There is a water station on this deck so you can refill your water bottle before you leave.

Sometimes you can feel the engines on this deck while you are eating but it isn’t horrible. Continue reading American Queen Steamboat – Deck 1

American Queen Steamboat – Food

We sat with 3 other couples in the dining room and I am happy to say we are now Facebook friends and over a year later we still chat and email. There are several different size tables and you are assigned based on your preferences.

The food on the American Queen is very good and is brought on board fresh regularly. One night we were offered Bananas Foster for dessert, the next morning we had some bananas on the breakfast buffet so that night at dinner we we all joking and wondered if we would be offered banana pudding or if all of the bananas had been eaten.

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Would you Enjoy an American Queen Steamboat River Cruise?

A river cruise on the American Queen Steamboat is not for everyone. There are 400 passengers on board and most of them are over the age of 60 – I heard someone say that the average age was 73. However, there are some people in their 30s and 40s who were taking a second cruise. Some people enjoyed the free bicycles but it was just too hot for me to even pretend that I was going to give them a try.

History is discussed in every town we visit and during one of the shows, there is a video presentation that reviews some history.

Music / Entertainment
The entertainers are very talented and the costumes are excellent. I have enjoyed every show even if I did not recognize the music.

Sitting on Deck watching the river
A favorite thing to do – read your book or just watch the river and talk to other people sitting near you.

Playing cards / board games
There are 3 inside areas for you to just hang out. They are not crowded but they are used as meeting places – the weather is so hot right now that people are escaping the outside. There are also books and board games available.

People who get bored easily, this is not the vacation for them. Although there is quite a bit to do, there is also lots of down time.

Traveled July 2019

#VickieTravelz

American Queen Steamboat Overview

Note: This is my first time on a river boat, I cannot compare the American Queen to any other river boat, I can only compare her to an Ocean Cruise Ship.

According to our Riverlorian, this is the largest and only working steamboat on the river. There is an American Flag flying from the ship and most of the accents are from different parts of the country, not different parts of the world. There are no children on board and the only 20 somethings I have seen have been staff . There are several Mother – Daughter couples and I just met a lady staying in the single person stateroom who is traveling with both her parents. *Update: there is one teen traveling with her mother.

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Cincinnati OH and Covington KY

Our Upper Mississippi River Cruise is now an Ohio River Cruise and as a result, we have 1/2 a day to explore Cincinnati, OH and Covington, KY. Just a quick mention of the airport — it is nice. The walk to our luggage was pretty long but we chose to walk instead of taking the subway system and our luggage was waiting for us when we got there.

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