Sunshine-n-Wine

For Spring Break 2016, the hubs wanted to do a land vacation instead of a cruise so we stayed at Couples Negril for 5 days.  It was wonderful, and we got that out of our system for a while.  For a couple of years we had been talking about trying a different cruise line.  If you have followed by travels over the years, we have cruised Carnival (two weeks shy of Platinum after this year), Royal Caribbean, and Disney.  I started researching and came across Celebrity.  I had heard good things but always assumed it was out of our price range.  I was pleasantly surprised that I was quite wrong. Room We had cabin 6192, obstructed view balcony (or as they call it, veranda).  Please note that the hubs and I have only ever booked interior or oceanview, so this was our first balcony.  The obstructed view didn't bother us.  The room was spacious, and the bathroom was big (relatively speaking) as well.  At first I was worried about lack of drawer ...

This trip was a short girls' weekend cruise on the Disney Wonder, re-positioning from San Juan to Port Canaveral. Transportation We flew Southwest from MCO to SJU and had a very easy flight (about 2.5 hours). After collecting our baggage, we went out to the taxi terminal, told them where were going, and they gave us a price for the taxi and baggage from the air port to the Pan American pier.  For 3 passengers with 4 pieces of luggage, we paid $26 + tip.  The taxi ride was about 20 minutes or so and uneventful. Cabin We stayed in a Deluxe Oceanview with Veranda Aft (7118).  The room shook horribly every night and had a terrible rattling in the ceiling panels.  We are not sure if the rattling is unique to this room or more common, but if I had to venture a guess, all Aft cabins may experience this.  None of us really slept well at night due to the vibration and the rattling. The room is a nice size for 3 adults, and I love the split bathroom (sink and toil...

Following our weekend in Seattle, we spent a day and a half in downtown Portland. Transportation We had booked Amtrak tickets ahead of time for $63 total, and the scenic train ride took about 4 hours. Hotel Portland Marriott City Center   This hotel is in the best location!  Very central, close to Pioneer Square, Mother's, Blue Star Donuts, etc. Restaurants Jake's Famous Crawfish -  This bar and restaurant has been around for a very long time, and many of the old fictures are still in use or on display.  Good food and nice place to stop for happy hour.  It apparently gets crazy busy for dinner, so happy hour might be your best bet to try it out if you don't want to wait. Clyde Common - I kind of wish that we'd tried this place out for dinner because happy hour wasn't that enticing.  OK food and drink specials. Mother's Bistro -  Oh. So. Good!  Happy hour is simply wonderful, and we ordered several different special drinks and item...

On the hunt for great Pinot Noir, we spent 3 full days exploring several Willamette Valley AVA's.  I can unequivocally say that WV is far less commercial and pretentious than Napa (which we sill love) and the tasting prices reflect this.  The wines are still in the $25-75 range for most, so in that respect, it is similar to California.  What you will find, though, is that the people are super nice and love what they do.  A lot of the wineries started as farms, and you will drive through farm fields everywhere you go. It's beautiful.  And picturesque. And hilly - very curvy and hilly - so share your tastings!  Most of the tasting guides did ask us if we wanted to share, which implies that it's common practice in WV. Transportation We booked Amtrak from Seattle to Portland ahead of time, and the cost was $63 for both of us. Much cheaper than flying!  There was free wifi on the train and pretty views, so the almost 4 hour ride didn't seem so bad. Lod...

Disclaimer - we LOVE happy hour because we can try a bunch of different things rather than just two full meals. The weather in Seattle in June is totally bipolar.  They had a heat wave in the 90s a week before we visited, and then our weekend required some creative layering to keep out the chill.  And be prepared for rain.  At least, like Florida, you see the sheets first and can gain some advanced notice. Hotel Renaissance Seattle Hotel  - my absolute favorite part about this hotel was the beautiful club lounge that had a Starbucks custom coffee machine available throughout the day.  Sweet!  The breakfasts were great, and the snacks in the evening were nice, too.  Great views of the city from the club floor.  The hotel sits atop a hill at the corner of 6th and Madison, so although it's not far from most places, expect to tackle some hills.  It's not as bad as San Fran, but there are some steep hills that all go down toward the water. ...

They say that the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem.  Well, sorry, but this is one addiction I'm OK keeping!  In fact, now that we've gone mainly paleo, wine is my ONLY vice, and Napa remains a favorite vacation destination! *Remember to check your Winery Finder app for discounts and BOGO's at different wineries when you are driving around! Rental Home We were finally able to take advantage of our wine club membership with The Terraces and rented one of their houses for three nights with four other people.  The two houses are only available for rent by wine club members, so most people probably wouldn't even realize they have guest homes on property.  We loved the location because it was much further north than where we've stayed in the past - on Silverado Trail a quarter mile south of Zinfandel Lane. View Coming in from the driveway to the right side of the house. The house is beautifully nestled among the vineyard and has a hu...

For my Spring Break this year, I had suggested a week cruise with a beverage package on either Celebrity or Princess, but the hubs wanted to do something we hadn't done in long time - an all-inclusive resort.  We also had not been to Jamaica in about 10 years.  I agreed.  After much research, I chose Couples Negril for their inclusions and great reviews.  We spent 5 amazing days there and met some really fantastic people!  Here is the write-up: Transportation We used points on Southwest to fly direct from Orlando to Montego Bay.  We made it, but it was a clusterfuck of epic porportions.  Here are the things we learned the hard way when flying Southwest internationally: CALL well ahead of the check-in time to make sure that the passport information for ALL members in your party is correct and complete.  Their website will NOT help with this part beforehand. Addendum to the first bullet: make sure the information is good for BOTH ways.  ...