Friday we had a bon voyage / birthday party for Mariah.

Saturday night Steph called me from Orlando.  She was upset.  I can’t find my purse.  It has my ID and passports.  I think it was stolen.  I’m not sure they will let us on the ship tomorrow.

What took place from 11:00PM Saturday night to 4:00PM Sunday afternoon was amazing.

It’s all explained in the video.  Grab some popcorn and settle in.

Stolen Passports and the Kindness of Strangers from longyear on Vimeo.

For a complete play-by-play (the DIS posts) of this beautiful mess, click here.

Thanks to the Marriott Orlando Airport hotel for incredible customer service.

Check out The Perfect Gift, the biz run by Shirley and Norm.  They are amazing.

To book your next cruise, call Kelsie or John at Dreams Unlimited.  You will not be disappointed.

I’m probably forgetting to thank somebody.  If you were any part of this little miracle, THANK YOU!

Scot and I are both traveling this weekend, but in different directions. Scot is flying to Richmond, Virginia for a funeral. The girls and I are driving to St. Louis for a little Spring Break Getaway. Of course, we are doing both trips on the cheap. Here’s how:

Scot’s trip to Richmond, Virginia – Unfortunately, Scot’s trip is for a memorial service which means there was not really any advance planning, but here is what I managed to pull together for him.
Airfare – I found an inexpensive ticket on Continental (our airline of choice) for $140.
Housing – free because Scot is staying with friends. Thanks Josh and Jamie!
Rental car – I found a deal at Alamo so the grand total for the two day rental is ….$28.72.

The girls trip to St. Louis – We decided we wanted to do something for Spring Break, but not spend a lot of money since we are trying to save for our summer vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort which is only a few months away. We considered Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis with the latter winning out. One key advantage of St. Louis is the amount of attractions that are free. We also invited the grandparents.
Transportation – driving the van
Housing – I scored a Priceline room at a Doubletree for a bid of $37 a night, total with taxes and fees for three nights is $133.22.
Activities – St. Louis Zoo (free), St. Louis Science Center (free), shopping (free?), Gateway Arch (found a coupon to get the girls tickets for free).
Food – We will eat breakfast in the room and pack snacks. I have found some other deals for dining like 40% off at The Old Spaghetti Factory on Tuesday. I’m getting me some Spaghetti with Browned Butter & Mizithra Cheese. Yummy!

Tomorrow I will share my Priceline bidding tips and strategies.

For a video review of our experience with Barefoot Sailing, click here.

On our October 2008 Sky cruise we stopped in Freeport and Nassau. We did a Sail & Snorkel Cruise with Sand Dollar Cruises in Freeport on a catamaran. We opted for snorkeling again in Nassau, but this time aboard a sailboat. We booked the All Day Island Cruise with Barefoot Sailing Cruises.

Our day in Nassau was rather gloomy with gray skies and choppy seas, but the rain held off for most of the day. Once at the dock we met up with our captain and mate and after handing over our shoes (they take Barefoot Sailing seriously) we boarded our vessel for the day, Riding High, a sailboat along with a dozen others. It was a full boat.

Due to the weather the Captain changed the itinerary for the day to give us the best day possible given the conditions. He was able to find us a reef area to snorkel that was protected form the wind. We enjoyed our time snorkeling and saw 3 stingrays, two lionfish, a sea cucumber, a starfish and an eel. Not bad.

The boat was anchored off the shore in the area in the two pictures below. We swam towards the shore and then followed the shore line down a ways snorkeling. It was a little work to get to the reef, but it was nice to be in this protected area where the water was calm.

Lunch was provided on the boat. While we were snorkeling the Captain and First Mate prepared the food. Obviously some of the work was done ahead of time, but they fired up the grill on the boat and threw down some delicious food. It really was an amazing lunch with BBQ chicken, ribs, beans, etc. After lunch those that wanted headed back for more snorkeling. Scot and I were the last ones back to the boat at the end of the day trying to get every last second in the water that we could.

We really enjoyed the day in Nassau with Barefoot Sailing, but we have to say we enjoyed our morning with Captain Tony of Sand Dollar Cruises in Freeport even more. Why?

1. Well, we really liked the catamaran. It was much roomier. She was a beautiful boat.

2. The weather was better which was an unfair advantage, but truthfully factored into our enjoyment.

3. The reef in Nassau was good, but the reef in Freeport was incredible. We saw more fish there than we did snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

4. Captain Tony was a stand up guy to take us out even though we were his only customers that morning. The folks at Barefoot Sailing told us he was crazy and he lost money doing that. I’m sure that is true, but what Tony gained was two loyal supporters who have been singing his praises ever since.

For a video review of our experience at the Australia Zoo, click here.

Our family had a chance to visit the Australia Zoo while staying in Brisbane. The zoo is located in Beerwah and is owned by the famous Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin’s, family. It was actually started by his parent’s in the 1970’s. It has grown over the years with Steve’s efforts and popularity and is still thriving today after his death. His wife and family are still busy at work.

Madison, our 10 year old daughter, was really hoping to get to meet or see Steve’s ten year old daughter, Bindi, but sadly that did not happen. We did find lots of other things to capture our attention that day. Some of the stand out events of the day were feeding an elephant and watching the show in the 5000 seat Crocoseum where they showcase birds, snakes and of course, crocodiles. It really is a must see.

Come and get it.

How much do you think they pay these guys?

 

For our video review of Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, click here.

High on our list of things to do while in Australia was to see koalas and kangaroos. We had read that the best place to do that was at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia. Lucky for us we would be spending about 6 weeks in Brisbane. We made two visits to Lone Pine while we were there and it was a highlight of our trip.

Both days at Lone Pine were wonderful. There are over 130 koalas at Lone Pine and you can even hold one and have your picture taken with it. They really are soft and cuddly. It’s fun to check out all the pictures of some of the famous people who have visited there as well.

Visiting with, petting and feeding kangaroos is how we spent lots of our time. Some are friendly (hungry) and headed right over to see us and others run the other way. We were able to learn a lot about the kangaroos from talks that the keepers gave.

Lone Pine is also the home to some other animals native to Australia. We found wombats, Tasmanian devils, snakes, echidnas and more. We also attended a bird show, sheep dog show and lorikeet feedings.

We were really impressed with Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and mostly by the non-commercial, friendly, relaxed atmosphere. The staff would approach us and ask us if we had any questions, invite us to a show and share about the animals. We were allowed to spend as much time as we wanted feeding, petting and hanging out with the kangaroos. It was just a warm, welcoming atmosphere. We would return here in a heartbeat!

For a video of our experience to and from Kuranda, click here.

There are good days, then there are really good days.  A really good day for us in Australia was our Kuranda experience.  Located outside of Cairns, the town of Kuranda lies at the top of a mountain and smack in the middle of a rainforest.  Kuranda is accessible by car, but that’s not the way to travel.  A unique ride to Kuranda is in the Skyrail.  Starting at the base of a mountain, the Skyrail is an enclosed gondola that travels about 5 miles over the tree-tops, offering amazing views.  For even more fun, on our trip down the mountain, we took the Scenic Railway.  We traveled thru tunnels, twists, and turns, and saw a completely different landscape than we did from the Skyrail. It was a day not soon forgotten.

Above:  View from the Skyrail.

Above: Steph and Maddy in the Scenic Railway Car.

For a video review of our experience with Reef Magic, click here.

Awesome! Unbelievable! Incredible! Amazing!

Just a few of the words I use to describe my first time snorkeling. I have always loved the water and swimming, but I had no clue what was below the surface. God created an amazing world underwater that so few people get to see. If you ever have the chance to go snorkeling, do it!

When we found out that we would be going to Australia we knew that we had to visit the Great Barrier Reef. Scot decided to get his SCUBA certification. The girls and I decided to try snorkeling for the first time. I admit that I was fearful. As much as I love the water and swimming, I have never been fond of swimming with fish. Truthfully, I preferred to swim in a pool where I could see everything around me, but for goodness sakes I was not going to go all the way to Australia and not see the reef. So I practiced. I swam laps around Darel and Beth’s pool with my fins and mask. I learned to trust my equipment and relax in the water.

The day finally arrived. The staff at the place we were staying in Cairns suggested we go with Reef Magic. How did the day turn out? Could I actually swim with fish? What about the girls would they enjoy it. The answers? Great! Yes! and Yes!

We loved it. All of us. We took the guided snorkel tour which is the best way to go for those new to snorkeling. It was just us and one staff member who helped us gear up, get in the water and explore the reef. After that we were all prepared to explore on our own.

Now when is my next snorkel trip?

Above: Mariah ready to snorkel for the first time

Above: Steph with Wally, a Moari Wrasse

Above: Madison holding a sea cucumber

For a video review of our experience at Sea World, click here.

While in Australia, Scot went on a Two Day Motorcycle Tour with Trapp Tours. While he was off on his adventure, the girls and I spent some time in Surfer’s Paradise on the Gold Coast of Australia. One day was spent visiting Sea World. While Sea World in Australia is vastly different than Sea World in the US, it was still a great day with the girls.

We enjoyed viewing sea life behind glass that we would soon be swimming with at the Great Barrier Reef. The shows were a lot of fun. They even had a few rides. The park was uncrowded which made touring very pleasant.

I wouldn’t put Sea World on the Gold Coast on my top ten list of what to see while in Australia, but if you find yourself with a few days in Surfer’s and want to check it out, it is an enjoyable day.

Above: Madison with the cast from the waterski show.

For a video review of our morning Sail & Snorkel with Sand Dollar Cruises, click here.

Scot and I were wanting to do some snorkeling while we were in Freeport. I had heard good things about Captain Tony and Sand Dollar Cruises on www.cruisecritic.com so we decided to give him a try and booked a 3 hour snorkel and sail cruise for the morning we were in Freeport. We are so glad we did. It was a highlight of our cruise.

We got off the ship in Freeport and caught a shared van ride into Port Lucaya. The cost was $5 per person and the ride was 15 minutes or so. The van driver got us headed in the right direction to meet Captain Tony in front of the Port Lucaya Hotel and Yacht Club. Captain Tony was waiting for us and walked us down to the Sand Dollar.

We found out that we were the only two booked for the morning sail! Woohoo! We very much enjoyed our private tour. It was very gracious of Captain Tony to not cancel our excursion. We hopped on board and soon were motoring out to the reef.

As you can see, it was a gorgeous morning and it was great trip out to the reef. We brought our own snorkel equipment, but they have it on board if you don’t have your own. We anchored and geared up. Captain Tony brought some food to toss to the fish who swarmed to the back of the boat as I entered the water. I have never snorkeled with so many fish and so few people. Scot and I had the reef  to ourselves. The clarity of the water was great and the coral and reef were plentiful. I stayed pretty close to the boat the whole time and had plenty to see. Scot was much more adventurous than I and swam much further away. I would guess that we snorkeled an hour to an hour and a half. We had plenty of time to enjoy the reef. About 20 minutes before we left another boat pulled up and offloaded it’s 30+ passengers. We were so glad we had booked with Sand Dollar Cruises.

Once we were back on board it was time to raise the sails and head back to the dock. Water, fruit punch and rum were available on the boat. The sail back was peaceful and relaxing. We enjoyed our time chatting with Captain Tony.

If you are interested in booking with Sand Dollar Cruises you can contact Captain Tony at 242-646-1051. You can try e-mailing him at  anthonyconyers@hotmail.com, but we didn’t have any luck with that. He says he hopes to have a website up sometime in November. The cost for the three hour tour was $45 per person for adults.

Thanks Captain Tony for such a great morning! If we make it back to Freeport we will look you up again.

UPDATE: The Sand Dollar website is up. You can get more information at www.sanddollarcruise.com.

For a video review of my experience with Trapp Tours, click here.

One of the highlights of the trip to Australia for me was a 2 day motorcycle tour in the Byron Bay, New South Wales.  Trapp Tours took me through small outback-ish towns, rainforests, mountains, trails, paved roads, and even a few stream crossings.  Our group was small and the service was top notch.  Eddie Trapp was our tour guide.  I joined a group of Aussies and had the time of my life.  I would do it again in a second if given the chance.

Above:  One of several water crossings

Above:  Shack and bikes