TravelzAgency – Page 3

Credit Cards / Debit Cards when traveling

Do not forget to notify your credit card company when you are traveling. It would be unfortunate if your card was flagged for possible fraud and you were out of town or even out of the country. Bring 2 cards with you for this reason.

Debit Cards – use at ATMs to get local currency, conversion rates for the day’s activity are used. Make sure you know if there are any fees.

Credit Cards – Companies do not have to use the current day’s exchange rate and you may pay a higher exchange rate than you anticipated. Also, some companies charge a fee for this service.

When looking for a travel card, look at your local credit unions. Our local credit union does not charge a currency exchange fee. Also, the Visa Check Card can act as either a debit card or a credit card. If you don’t already have an account at a credit union, open one and use it just for travel. Our local credit union can now print your Debit Card on-site. Since Credit Unions are actually owned by the users, they usually do not have fees or have much lower fees.

updated 11/8/23

Hawaii UnCruise – Molokai Island

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

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.

Continue reading Hawaii Cruise – No an UnCruise

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

Kitchen Pantry

When you are at home – saving money to travel in the near future – sometimes you spend hours and hours researching a subject online. Then you go crazy and decide, “I can do that!” Continue reading Kitchen Pantry

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

Discovery Cove

Last week I was able to go on a tour of Discovery Cove. This is a place I have always wanted to spend the day but just had a difficult time deciding to spend the money. It is not inexpensive.

I will be scheduling a family trip soon. Continue reading Discovery Cove

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.

Universal’s NEW Park

Universal Studios is opening a third park – a water park. They have brought to life the culture and architecture of the fabeled Waturi islanders, eliminated lines and carrying inner tubes.

Opening on May 25, Volcano Bay will have 18 attractions – something for everyone. In the middle of the park is a large volcano and some of the attractions travel through the middle of it.

Guests will receive a TapuTapu wearable (looks like a wrist band) that will stand in line for you — a virtual line, pretty cool.

For Thrill Seekers, rides include an Aqua Coaster, White Water Rafting, Body Plunge, Body Slide and Drop Slides.

Kids and Families will enjoy the beach, raft rides, tube rides, winding riving, lagoon and the reef.

The new park is on-property and Universal is taking reservations.

Call us for information on great vacation Universal Vacation Packages.