Jan115

Thanks everyone! One thing I forgot to mention - the autumn colors. Surprisingly, the leaves had not changed as much as I expected. The leaves further inland change sooner than those along the shore, and because they haven't had a good frost yet, the leaves are changing a little later.

This story leaves me with a feeling of deep sadness. But lifeguards on cruise ships? No. The responsibility of watching the kids lies with the parents and guardians. I am by no means assigning blame in this terrible tragedy, and until the full story emerges, we won't know the specific circumstances. My heart goes out to the parents and family. No one should have to experience the death of a child.

From high-stakes gambling to enrichment programs, rock-climbing walls to hot stone massages, today's cruise ships offer no shortage of onboard activities. However, some of the best adventures take place off ship in exotic ports of call. Get ready to disembark; we're taking you on 6 fabulous excursions. Stingray City: 
George Town, Grand Cayman
. Stingray City is one of the most popular excursions in the Caymans and hosts thousands or curious aquatic visitors each year. Guests of Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas will love going below sea level on guided tours of the island's pristine waters. For those feeling a bit squeamish about sharing the water with stingrays, Seven Mile Beach is located close by and offers a safer, sunnier alternative. Surfing: 
Arica, Chile
. Onboard the Silversea’s Silver Shadow, you'll cruise to Arica, Chile, located on the country's northernmost tip. The best part of visiting this town is its tangible relaxing atmosphere; as the local saying goes, "It's wonderful to do nothing all day & and then relax afterwards." Perhaps the only thing that will feel like work on your visit to Arica is a surf lesson. This coastal Chilean town is known for having some of the most consistent waves in the world, making it a hot spot for surfers. While the waves aren't huge, the swells pack a lot of energy, making them perfect for beginners. Bird Watching: 
The Bering Sea
. There are several off-ship excursions that are unique to Abercrombie & Kent’s Clipper Odyssey. At Russia's Itygran Island, also known as Whale Bone Alley, whale bones seemingly grow out of the ground in an Arctic, organic Stonehenge. On St. Matthew's Island, miles of Arctic tundra beg to be explored on foot. While frozen for most of the year, a multitude of wildflowers pop in the late spring and summer. The natural beauty of St. Matthew's is pristine -- it's uninhabited by people, but the tiny island is home to more than 50,000 seabirds. Crab Fishing: 
Ketchikan, Alaska. 
Going on the crab fisherman's tour is an eye-opening adventure for passengers of the Norwegian Pearl. Crab fishing is 90% more dangerous than any other job, and Alaskan King Crabs, which can weigh up to 6 1/2 pounds, are abundantly found in the Bering Sea. Even if you've never gone fishing, it's a thrilling activity unique to the Pearl. Keep watch for bald eagles, recently removed from the endangered species list. They dine mostly on salmon, and spotting them is a breeze in the port of Ketchikan, a city known as the salmon capital of the world. Hunting: Black Truffles, 
Rovinj, Croatia. 
 In Rovinj, Croatia, guests of the Seadream Yacht Club can hunt for some of the rarest and most expensive delicacies in the culinary world -- black truffles. With a team of dogs, guests head into the Croatian countryside and hunt the grounds of a successful family-owned business. The dogs are integral in smelling the black truffles distinctive perfume since they grow completely underground. This adventure is reserved strictly for guests of the SeaDream -- and it's an incomparable look into Croatian culture and the world's most exclusive cooking ingredient. Speed Sailing: 
Rostock, Germany. 
The Crystal Symphony specializes in coupling peaceful relaxation with unique, life-changing experiences, and they're kicking your vacation up a notch with this innovative off-ship excursion. Speed sailing is a heart-racing, high-speed adventure where you're not a mere passenger, you're part of a championship racing yacht's crew, chasing the wind and hoisting the sails. By Erica Walsh, The Travel Channel (“Super Excursions”) Re-posted on CruiseCrazies.com - Cruise News, Articles, Forums, Packing List, Ship Tracker, and more For more cruise news & articles go to http://www.cruisecra....com/index.html Photo credit: smallshipalaskacruises.com View full article

Don’t be afraid to venture out of your comfort zone when choosing shore excursions, but at the same time, be aware of your physical limitations. It’s fun to try new experiences, but if you tire easily or get short of breath when walking long distances, the strenuous hiking trail is probably not for you. Likewise, if you’re afraid of heights, perhaps ziplining isn’t the right choice, either. If you’re uncomfortable snorkeling in water over your head, don’t be tough guy - ask for a vest. No one will think less of you. A few years ago when our two teen daughters accompanied us on a cruise, they wanted to climb up Dunn’s River Falls in Jamaica. As I always do when trying something new for the first time, I read reviews of the falls and listened to others’ own experiences. It sounded like a thrilling experience – for the healthy, physically fit person. However, for someone with not-so-great knee joints and a previous ankle fracture several years previous, I had my concerns. The girls wanted me to go with them, and with the reassurances from others that it’s no so difficult, I decided to give it a go. I knew from the moment I started down the stairs to reach the bottom of the falls that I was going to have problems, and this was affirmed when the guide put me first in line for the trip up the waterfall – where they usually put the little kids who need help. Stairs are one thing – but the steepness of the rocks was too much, and the guide had to literally pull me up each step of the way. Meanwhile, the little kid behind me is vaulting over the rocks like an Olympic champion. I bowed out at the first emergency exit, wishing I had picked something more suitable to my limitations. Cruise line excursions include helpful information in their descriptions as to the level of activity, number of steps, amount of walking and other information to help you decide if it’s the right one for you. If you choose an independent tour company, be sure to know before you go. With some careful planning and being honest with yourself about your limitations, you can have fun and be safe at the same time.

It was hard keeping the packing light for Alaska. I was expecting cold in the glaciers, and believe me - it was freezing. Out on deck that morning, I was wearing a long sleeve turtleneck, a fleece vest, two hooded sweatshirts, a scarf, hat and gloves. I was worried I had overpacked, but we wore everything nearly everything we brought. The only thing that wasn't used was my husband's hiking boots. Sneakers were fine for the little bit of hiking we did.

Thanks for reading, Shari. I guess this must be a bad year for me and wildlife: we saw no whales in Bar Harbor last week, either.

My daughter and I just returned from a cruise from New England and Canada aboard the Brilliance of the Seas - or should I say from just Canada, since I already live in New England, and it seems strange to say I returned from a place in which I already live. I thought I would share a few amusing personal cruise episodes, things that my kids fondly refer to as "mom moments." People of a certain age prefer to call them “senior moments”. I've always been a little clumsy and absent minded, but generally I'd say these missteps, mispronunciations, misreads, mistakes, brain freezes and blunders have increased with each new gray hair and wrinkle that appears. I think it started when I was about 40, when I decided to try eyeglasses with progressive lenses. I must have tripped over a hundred things just trying to get acclimated. Since then, I always blame the eyeglasses for every mom moment – or senior moment that comes my way. I could write a book, but here are just a few "mom moments" from our most recent cruise. The Elevator. So it would figure that on the first day just after embarkation, I would press the button for the elevator when the thing was already there beckoning in front of me with its doors wide open. Must be my glasses, I said aloud. My daughter immediately jotted this down as #1 in her notebook of mom's cruise moments. Caution: Wet Floor. Most people watch where they're walking. Not me. I was looking around the Windjammer, admiring the room and figuring out which buffet food station to begin my grazing, and WHAM! I walked right into one of those tall, yellow cones in the middle of the floor marked in big black letters, "Caution: Wet Floor". Why they needed to place it there I don’t know. The floor wasn’t wet. Fortunately, just the cone fell over – and not me. The only thing that was bruised was my dignity. There could only be one possible explanation - must be my glasses. The Jock. This wasn't a blunder of any kind, but just an unfortunate situation that adversely affected the rest of my cruise experience - and eyeglasses had nothing to do with it. I decided I was going to continue my daily at-home exercise regimen of 25 minutes on an exercise bike here in the ship's fitness center. I got on the bike, set the machine on automatic, set the tension to "it's so easy an ape could do it" and off I pedaled. I had a nice conversation with trainer, Six-Pack Steve, about workouts in general and how biking keeps my knee arthritis in check. OK, Steve wasn't his name, but the six-pack abs reference definitely fit. I finished my 25 minutes, left the gym and went about my day, returning to the room for a catnap before dinner. I woke up, and my knee had blown up like a balloon and I couldn't straighten it or bend it. I quickly raided my first aid bag, called for some ice, filled my handy Ziploc bags, and iced up the knee and limped off to dinner. With the help of some Jacuzzi time in the morning, some ice at night, a bottle of Advil and one of those stretchy knee braces, I was able to make my way around the ship and even in port, but just a lot slower. So ended my well-intentioned shipboard fitness plan. I had never cruised at any time other than summer, and was not accustomed to so many older people. Make no mistake - I counted myself among them on this cruise, and by day 2, and I was beginning to feel and appear like the oldest of the old, folks ambling about the ship with canes and walkers. In other words, I fit right in. As a side note, I was worried that 26-year-old daughter Jenn would feel out of place with this crowd. In fact, one gentleman, while waiting for the elevator, asked her “What’s a young thing like you doing on this ship?” To the contrary, she was very flattered being the youngest at the table every night. She wound up being the go-to person for advice on movies, science fiction, Facebook and the Internet. The Juggling Act: Get me a job on a cruise ship, because I can juggle! Too lazy to wait for an elevator, I was making my way down a flight of stairs one afternoon with two cups of coffee and a plate of pastry. Hey, it was only one flight and my bum knee could certainly make the trip. The only problem was I had only two hands - the plate in one and the two cups - one on top of the other - in the other hand. No hand left to hold onto the rail. I was doing great until my heel caught on a step, and sent my cups wobbling back and forth and my hand sliding around feverishly in order to compensate. Had to be the eyeglasses. In the end, I saved the coffee and my wits. Better yet, I didn't fall. Look Before Crossing. Something happened to me after I double-fractured my ankle on another vacation seven years ago. That's right - I was as clumsy then as I am now. I am a magnet for mishaps. Memories of a double ankle fracture on Cape Cod as well as a trip and fall, landing face first on a sidewalk in Savannah, Georgia, make stepping off sidewalks and traversing a street equivalent to walking on eggs. I don't want to risk breaking another ankle, nor do I want to fall down in the street and get run over. So, of course, there I was shopping with my daughter in Portland, Maine, last week, and while one side of my brain is concentrating on my footwork in navigating the sidewalk, the other side has failed to inform me of the approaching car. My daughter grabbed my arm and stopped me in my tracks. As I said before, it must be the eyeglasses. Three things I have learned from this cruise: (1) Get the knee fixed. (2) I can't be trusted to travel alone, and (3) Lose the glasses and look into contact lenses. For details of our cruise, read my review: Boston to New England/Canada Aboard Brilliance, Oct. 6, 2013

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Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.