Final Thoughts

 Sitting at home with reverse jet lag, had blueberry pancakes and bacon plus really good coffee. Always good to come home…24 days is quite a long time.

Cranking back into work, unpacking and the washing machine is on full throttle. Ruby and Woody happy to see us. Sarah did a fantastic job of caring for them, our garden and our home.

Here are a few things I learned.

1. Jennifer has a unique ability to plan as everything she planned went perfectly. She also has an excellent sense of direction.

2. GPS for walking doesn’t work very well. We walked 6-7 miles a day, 2 miles a day of that, we were lost. I simply followed her and we always found what we were looking for. Walk single file in crowds. 

3. Cruising is pretty cool however I’d prefer to stay in places more than 6-10 hours. Food was very average. Alcohol was plenty. Different sort of people, many cruise several times a year. Patience is a virtue. I tend to like the people working on the ship more than the travelers. Never buy excursions from the ship, always schedule on your own, one quarter the price. When you pull into port and see 2-4 other cruise lines, watch out… I’d give Royal Caribbean a C+.

4. Prepare for smaller sized hotel rooms. 

5. Don’t overpack. Most hotels don’t have elevators and dragging heavy bags up and down marble stairs is tough. Bring laundry soap and utilize the bidet as a wash basin for laundry.

6. Get a “hotspot” on your cell phone as the internet is sketchy.

7. There are very few (actually none) benches so prepare to stand or hit a restaurant to sit.

8. Buy “skip the line” tickets in advance. We used “Get Your Guide” app and it worked very well. Do not buy any tickets from individuals. 

9. Look up a restaurant for reviews prior to eating.

10. Before going on food tasting tours, look carefully at what it entails. We were disappointed in ours and paid to much for to little.

11. Make sure taxi drivers use their meters and only use taxis. Buses are very efficient and inexpensive. Walking is the best way to travel under a mile.

12. Have fun, breathe deep and stay in the moment.❤️😎