On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 08:00:43 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 21:22:23 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:54:23 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:30:45 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:47:26 -0500,
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:11:54 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 11:30:45 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:58:51 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

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Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained. We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area. Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

I'm sure we'd have been better impressed if we'd signed up for an excursion tour. I'd do more and
different excursions if we did that trip again.

We always try to avoid those excursions. They are expensive and a
little too "canned" for us. I think the one that finished it for us
was the plant hike in St Croix. We signed up not being sure what to
expect and were met at the dock by "Ooh Alooloo" a black guy (not
unusual in the islands) but we just started walking from there up
through residential neighborhoods looking at the weeds in people's
yards. It was the same crap that grows behind my house and he didn't
even know the real names for anything. It was just stuff he made up.
After talking to him a while, it turned out he was Lou from Detroit
and he was just a formerly homeless guy in St Croix who got this gig
from Carnival.
We paid them something like $50 a head. He wouldn't say what his cut
was but I assume taking 8-10 people for a 2 hour walk every time a
ship landed would pay for an apartment there..

===

I agree that some of the excursion opportunities are pricey, but if
you're on a tight schedule, and/or not likely to get back any time
soon (if ever), the excursions offer a chance to see and do things
that you'd otherwise miss out on. We took advantage of all the
excursion opportunities when we did our Alaska cruise and never
regretted any of them - a sightseeing flight around the summit of
Denali (Mt McKinley) in a twin engine turbo prop; a helicopter flight
to the top of the Mendenhall glacier with plenty of walking around
time; a float plane flight into Misty Fjords with a landing and
dockage in the back country; and a jet boat trip up the Chilkat River
into the eagle preserve. Every one of them was memorable.

I can't even imagine Alaska on a cruise. We were there 3 weeks and we
still felt like we were rushed. We did do a lot of things you don't
get on a cruise tho, mostly on foot.

Next time we'll fly up, spend some time there, and take a ship back. The cruise we took from
Seattle, five nights, didn't really allow for much time to see anything at all.

===

We flew into Fairbanks which is way north, and then spent a week
working our way south to the coast via bus and train. The second week
was working our way south along the coast on the cruise ship. The
whole deal was a Princess Tours package and we thought it was very
well done, albeit a little pricey.

https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/cruisetour-options/?cid=bm_paidsearch_BKWS_google_PrincessAlaskaCruis eTour_princesstouralaska_Exact_isl&_vsrefdom=mca&m chxkw=c:708533188,krincess%20tour%20alaska,m:e,p :1t1,d:c,ai:33823368621,ad:213749837748,s:g&d=c&gc lid=EAIaIQobChMI597owqSa2QIVVgaGCh3ukA6REAAYASAAEg Iq4fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


Thanks for that link. Looks like around $7000 for the two of us. Wonder how that would compare to
taking the RV. Will have to do some calculations. About 20K miles, with a stop in Seattle, at 12mpg,
at $3.50/gal would be close to $6000, just for fuel. Add another $2000 for food, and that's just to
get back and forth. Might have to give the RV idea some second thoughts. Of course, we'd get to see
a lot more country, including some fabulous time in the 'fly over' states!

You really need to look at the other costs on a cruise. I am not sure
about Princess but the ones we went on all of the excursions, bar tab,
port fees, taxes, tips and other things not included can end up
costing another grand.

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 09:22:18 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 02:22:41 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:54:23 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:30:45 -0500, wrote:


I agree that some of the excursion opportunities are pricey, but if
you're on a tight schedule, and/or not likely to get back any time
soon (if ever), the excursions offer a chance to see and do things
that you'd otherwise miss out on. We took advantage of all the
excursion opportunities when we did our Alaska cruise and never
regretted any of them - a sightseeing flight around the summit of
Denali (Mt McKinley) in a twin engine turbo prop; a helicopter flight
to the top of the Mendenhall glacier with plenty of walking around
time; a float plane flight into Misty Fjords with a landing and
dockage in the back country; and a jet boat trip up the Chilkat River
into the eagle preserve. Every one of them was memorable.

I can't even imagine Alaska on a cruise. We were there 3 weeks and we
still felt like we were rushed. We did do a lot of things you don't
get on a cruise tho, mostly on foot.

Next time we'll fly up, spend some time there, and take a ship back. The cruise we took from
Seattle, five nights, didn't really allow for much time to see anything at all.

Folks like you who like to camp rent an RV and drive around. There are
plenty of places to park but all of them may not be KOA grade. It does
eliminate the problem that hotel rooms are few and far in between
throughout most of the state. We really preferred the Kenai but there
are lots of other places we would explore if we go back. Homer is a
cool little town that is not very touristy at all. We met some fun
folks there. Check out the Salty Dog Saloon if you get there.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/salty%20dawg.jpg
That is also where we hooked up with the water taxi that takes you
over to the Katchemak State Park that you can't drive to.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/water%20taxi.jpg
There is a great hike there that takes you down to this glacier lake,
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Glacier%20lake.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Ice%...%20glacier.jpg
Just be sure your GPS is working because the last half mile or so is
across a big field of round rock and shrubs that all looks pretty
much the same
and you need to find a small hole in the trees to get back on the
trail out.
If you drive towards Denali as far as you can go there is a parking
lot where you catch the bus to go to the mountain (no private vehicles
beyond that point) or you can take the trail that goes off to the
north and it goes back in there as far as you want to go along a ridge
above a small river. That was where we saw the grizzly bear fishing in
the river. We were up on the hill 70- 100' above him and he didn't
really pay any attention to us. My poor old camera did not have enough
zoom to really get a good picture and we were trying not to establish
eye contact anyway. Right past there it started getting a little rocky
and we turned around but that was a few miles in so it ended up being
a nice walk.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Denali%20trail.jpg
If I did it again I think we would go down the east side (Rt 2 from
Fairbanks or Rt 1 from Anchorage) and see what is there. That gets you
all the way to Juneau I think.
There are really not a lot of roads in Alaska so you don't have that
many options. We never seemed to have a problem staying amused
wherever we went tho. You can just stop at any little shack along the
highway and find interesting people to talk with.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Fine%20Dining.jpg
You could stop by Wasilla at the fork in the road north of Anchorage
and get a selfie with Sarah for Harry. ;-)

Thanks. That's saved in my 'Alaska' folder!

We were supposed to take a float plane to a cabin up near the arctic
circle but the airline screwed that up and we ended up being stuck in
Seattle that night. Fortunately we got the guy on the phone from
Detroit and told him we were not going to make it but he could not
reschedule it. Since he had someone on the waiting list we did not get
charged. That went right out of the same airport in Fairbanks. We were
supposed to just change planes.

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 11:37:07 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 08:00:43 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 21:22:23 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:54:23 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:30:45 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:47:26 -0500,
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:11:54 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 11:30:45 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:58:51 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained. We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area. Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

I'm sure we'd have been better impressed if we'd signed up for an excursion tour. I'd do more and
different excursions if we did that trip again.

We always try to avoid those excursions. They are expensive and a
little too "canned" for us. I think the one that finished it for us
was the plant hike in St Croix. We signed up not being sure what to
expect and were met at the dock by "Ooh Alooloo" a black guy (not
unusual in the islands) but we just started walking from there up
through residential neighborhoods looking at the weeds in people's
yards. It was the same crap that grows behind my house and he didn't
even know the real names for anything. It was just stuff he made up.
After talking to him a while, it turned out he was Lou from Detroit
and he was just a formerly homeless guy in St Croix who got this gig
from Carnival.
We paid them something like $50 a head. He wouldn't say what his cut
was but I assume taking 8-10 people for a 2 hour walk every time a
ship landed would pay for an apartment there..

===

I agree that some of the excursion opportunities are pricey, but if
you're on a tight schedule, and/or not likely to get back any time
soon (if ever), the excursions offer a chance to see and do things
that you'd otherwise miss out on. We took advantage of all the
excursion opportunities when we did our Alaska cruise and never
regretted any of them - a sightseeing flight around the summit of
Denali (Mt McKinley) in a twin engine turbo prop; a helicopter flight
to the top of the Mendenhall glacier with plenty of walking around
time; a float plane flight into Misty Fjords with a landing and
dockage in the back country; and a jet boat trip up the Chilkat River
into the eagle preserve. Every one of them was memorable.

I can't even imagine Alaska on a cruise. We were there 3 weeks and we
still felt like we were rushed. We did do a lot of things you don't
get on a cruise tho, mostly on foot.

Next time we'll fly up, spend some time there, and take a ship back. The cruise we took from
Seattle, five nights, didn't really allow for much time to see anything at all.

===

We flew into Fairbanks which is way north, and then spent a week
working our way south to the coast via bus and train. The second week
was working our way south along the coast on the cruise ship. The
whole deal was a Princess Tours package and we thought it was very
well done, albeit a little pricey.

https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/cruisetour-options/?cid=bm_paidsearch_BKWS_google_PrincessAlaskaCruis eTour_princesstouralaska_Exact_isl&_vsrefdom=mca&m chxkw=c:708533188,krincess%20tour%20alaska,m:e,p :1t1,d:c,ai:33823368621,ad:213749837748,s:g&d=c&gc lid=EAIaIQobChMI597owqSa2QIVVgaGCh3ukA6REAAYASAAEg Iq4fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


Thanks for that link. Looks like around $7000 for the two of us. Wonder how that would compare to
taking the RV. Will have to do some calculations. About 20K miles, with a stop in Seattle, at 12mpg,
at $3.50/gal would be close to $6000, just for fuel. Add another $2000 for food, and that's just to
get back and forth. Might have to give the RV idea some second thoughts. Of course, we'd get to see
a lot more country, including some fabulous time in the 'fly over' states!

You really need to look at the other costs on a cruise. I am not sure
about Princess but the ones we went on all of the excursions, bar tab,
port fees, taxes, tips and other things not included can end up
costing another grand.

Neither of us drink, and except for tips, everything else is included on the Disney cruises price
quotes. The excursions are picked online also, so the price is pretty well known up front - except
for the airfair to and from the port.

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:19:05 -0500, John H.
wrote:


Neither of us drink, and except for tips, everything else is included on the Disney cruises price
quotes. The excursions are picked online also, so the price is pretty well known up front - except
for the airfair to and from the port.

All of our cruises were "free" (sales prizes) but just the base price
so I guess the extras seemed more apparent to us.

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:39:15 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:19:05 -0500, John H.
wrote:


Neither of us drink, and except for tips, everything else is included on the Disney cruises price
quotes. The excursions are picked online also, so the price is pretty well known up front - except
for the airfair to and from the port.

All of our cruises were "free" (sales prizes) but just the base price
so I guess the extras seemed more apparent to us.

I was offered a free cruise once, but declined. I was afraid I couldn't stand the company.

Never been offered one on a 'cruise' ship.

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:56:32 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:39:15 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:19:05 -0500, John H.
wrote:


Neither of us drink, and except for tips, everything else is included on the Disney cruises price
quotes. The excursions are picked online also, so the price is pretty well known up front - except
for the airfair to and from the port.

All of our cruises were "free" (sales prizes) but just the base price
so I guess the extras seemed more apparent to us.

I was offered a free cruise once, but declined. I was afraid I couldn't stand the company.

Never been offered one on a 'cruise' ship.

It was a pretty popular sales prize in the 90s when my wife was
selling HVAC and she was on the top 10 list for the south east region
for a couple years (Trane and Carrier/Bryant). I joked that I had more
sea duty from the A/C business than I had in the Coast Guard.

On Saturday, 10 February 2018 13:56:33 UTC-4, John H wrote:
On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:39:15 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:19:05 -0500, John H.
wrote:


Neither of us drink, and except for tips, everything else is included on the Disney cruises price
quotes. The excursions are picked online also, so the price is pretty well known up front - except
for the airfair to and from the port.

All of our cruises were "free" (sales prizes) but just the base price
so I guess the extras seemed more apparent to us.

I was offered a free cruise once, but declined. I was afraid I couldn't stand the company.

Never been offered one on a 'cruise' ship.

Just as well, y'all probably wouldn't know how to act in polite company.

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 11:40:04 -0800 (PST), True North wrote:

On Saturday, 10 February 2018 13:56:33 UTC-4, John H wrote:
On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:39:15 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:19:05 -0500, John H.
wrote:


Neither of us drink, and except for tips, everything else is included on the Disney cruises price
quotes. The excursions are picked online also, so the price is pretty well known up front - except
for the airfair to and from the port.

All of our cruises were "free" (sales prizes) but just the base price
so I guess the extras seemed more apparent to us.

I was offered a free cruise once, but declined. I was afraid I couldn't stand the company.

Never been offered one on a 'cruise' ship.

Just as well, y'all probably wouldn't know how to act in polite company.

Polite company? http://tinyurl.com/y76e8wb9

Who's who?

True North wrote:
On Saturday, 10 February 2018 13:56:33 UTC-4, John H wrote:
On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:39:15 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:19:05 -0500, John H.
wrote:


Neither of us drink, and except for tips, everything else is included on the Disney cruises price
quotes. The excursions are picked online also, so the price is pretty well known up front - except
for the airfair to and from the port.
All of our cruises were "free" (sales prizes) but just the base price
so I guess the extras seemed more apparent to us.
I was offered a free cruise once, but declined. I was afraid I couldn't stand the company.

Never been offered one on a 'cruise' ship.
Just as well, y'all probably wouldn't know how to act in polite company.


You might want to back off until Harry returns and can proofread your
attacks. You aren't smart enough to do his work on your own.