But what about those lifetime experiences that you have always dreamed about?  Maybe a photo safari in Africa.  Or traveling to the country where your ancestors are from.  What about ziplining through the rain forest?  Taking your kids or grandkids to Disneyworld or on a Disney Cruise.  Or maybe you have been wanting to do a big family reunion to see everyone you haven’t seen in years.  Exploring the Oreint.  Ever been whalewatching?  Whitewater rafting?  Stayed in an over the water bungalow in Bora Bora?  Pampered in a luxurious SPA?  How about a ‘girls getaway’?  Take cooking classes in Italy.  The list is endless.

Have you made your Bucket List?  Why not start your list now?  And then start planning your next trip and start checking places or things to do off your list.  Experience Life.  Don’t just dream about it! Do it!

We took the ‘Behind the Scenes Kitchen Tour’.  We found out that on our ship 8500 pounds of meat, 4000 pounds of poultry, 1100 pounds of butter and 1800 eggs are just a part of what is used to prepare all of the meals on board.  Mind boggling.

Ice Sculpting

Many meals to serve

Later my husband grabbed a book and headed up to the Crows Nest while I went to a digital workshop by Microsoft.  Jason was very good and I ended up going to several workshops during the cruise.

There were other activites going on; like artistic napkin folding, water color classes, culinary classes and many more.

The day went by too quickly.  Before and after dinner we enjoyed listening to guitarist and vocalist, Charlie Jordan.  He took requests and could perform about everything that was reqested- from The Beatles to Walon & Wille.

Dinner went much more smoothly the 2nd night out.  We called and made reservations and I would highly reccommend doing that. 

The main show was a comedian who was absolutely halarious and very clean and family friendly.  He had everyone laughing and it was over too quckly.

Zaandam at Pier 91

We took a taxi from our hotel to Pier 91 where the Zaandam was waiting for us.  Checking in at the pier went very smooth with a very short line.  After on board we explored the ship a little and then it was time to set sail.  We watched as the Seattle skyline dissappeared behind us. 

Good-bye Seattle

Our luggage is there somewhere!

Then it was time for the mandatory drills.  But you no longer are required to take your life-jackets with you, which was much nicer. 

We did the anytime dining on this cruise.  And I have to say the first night the staff seemed a little confused and unorganized with the anytime dining.  But the food was fantastic.

The show the first night was ‘meet the crew and dancers’ night.  They also had games involving the audience which was halarious.  The Cruise Director so entertaining all by himself that he could have his own act.

After the show we found that there were at least 3 different places we could go to listen to music or dance.  I was pleasantly surprised at the options.

It is an exotic Caribbean group of islands, yet still part of the United States.  So you do not need a passport if you are a U.S. citizen.

Puerto Rico Waterfall

If you like adventure, Puerto Rico is the place for you.  You can hike El Yunque National Rainforest which is a finalist as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.  Or you can have the thrill of you life as you fly 1000 feet and 200 feet above ground on one of Puerto Rico’s zip lines.  ATV’s and horseback rides through the rainforest are other options.

In  Northwestern Puerto Rico, you can experience part of the third largest underground river cavern system in the world.

Perhaps the crystal clear water of the Caribbean is why you go to Puerto Rico.  Just lounging on the beach may be your perfect day.  But once again, if adventure is more what you like there are plenty of water activities.  Go sailing on a catamaran, surf, snorkel or scuba dive. 

Puerto Rico

Have you dreamed of being on a deserted island?  Puerto Rico has one.  Gilligan’s Island.  The island forms part of the Guanica Biosphere Reserve.  It can be easily reached by ferry for a small fee and is the perfect place to go snorkeling, swimming and sunbathing.  Access to the island is limited so you can enjoy a little bit of paradise.

Looking for something very unique?  How about water that seems to glow a magnificent blue-green at night?  Although there are seven recorded places in the world where this natural phenomenon occurs – three of which are in Puerto Rican waters – it is widely accepted that the picturesque Puerto Mosquito Bio Bay is top of the list when it comes to the quality and brightness of the bio-luminescent experience. 

Puerto Rico seems like the perfect place to go for adventure, relaxing and a little bit of the unusual.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Hotel Monaco has a complimentary wine reception at 5p.m. each afternoon.  So for you wine connoisseurs, local Seattle wines are there for you to enjoy.

Everywhere we walked around Seattle my husband kept pointing out all of the hanging flower baskets and planter boxes.  The flowers were beautiful and they were everywhere; hanging in the trees, on railings that might be a block long, everywhere.  We wondered how they watered them all and we were told that is rains almost everyday a little; so mostly God waters them.  Seattle has 40 annual inches of rainfall but luckily most of the rainfall is in the winter.  So the summer is a great time to visit Seattle before your cruise.

The morning of our cruise we got up early and walked down to Pike Place Market.  For some reason we kept ending up there.  But this morning we were there bright and early and the vendors were still setting up their booths.  No crowds this time.  We were able to talk to them and taste and sample fruit, chocolate pasta, smoked salmon, many different kinds of jelly, and vegetable chips and ..well..more things than I can remember.    Then we wandered across the street from the market and discovered a Russian bakery, Piroshky’s on Pike Place.  The line was super long, but it was definitely something we would have regretted if we hadn’t checked it out.  And the wait was well worth it!  We ordered the sausage piroshky and apple/cranberry piroshky and went across the street and sat on a park bench, watched the water and pigeons and ate a scrumptious breakfast while once again being serenaded by street musicians.  What a great morning.

Historic 1914 Smith Corona Building

Then we strolled back down to Pioneer Square and to the Smith Corona Tower.  This tower is almost as tall as the Space Needle but about half of the price to go to the top.  The Smith Corona Tower was built from the fortune made from the typewriters and rifles sharing the same name.  The tower was Seattle’s first skyscraper opening July 14, 1914 with 42 stories.  This building was the fourth tallest building in the world and remained the tallest building west of Chicago for almost 50 years.   

The crown jewel of the Smith Corona Tower is the Chinese Room on the 35^th floor, originally furnished by the last Empress of China as a gift to Mr. Smith.  I got to sit in the hand carved wood Wishing Chair.  The story goes that if women sit in the chair and make a wish to be married; their wish will come true within one year.  You will also see 17^th century works of art and hand-carved wood ceiling with porcelain-inlay.  And the views of Seattle from the complete wrap around outside deck of this 522’ tall building are amazing.  The brass elevators that take you to the observation deck are still run by elevator operators.  And that is something you don’t see anymore.

View from top of Smith Corona Building

We board the Zaandam next.

Pioneer Square

We walked down and up to Pioneer Square.  Many hills in Seattle.  I don’t really know why it is called Pioneer Square because it is not a square.  The area is filled with historical buildings more than 100 years old, quaint restaurants, art galleries, antique shops, a huge toy store and night clubs.  When you walk down the cobblestone street and see the horse drawn carriage pass by you think you have gone back in time. 

Underground Seattle

The Underground Tour is not to be missed.  This tour takes you down under to see Seattle after the 1889 fire.  You walk the streets under the city where most of the old stores are abandoned.  A few of the businesses use this underground as their basement.  The guides on the tour are very entertaining as they take you on this historical and sometimes hysterical jouney of Seattle’s Underground.

The buses in Seattle are great, especially when you have walked a lot and your hotel is several blocks ‘uphill’ from where you are.  And the buses are free in the ‘free zone’ which covers a large area.

We heard about The Inn At The Market and decided to go take a look.  This little boutiqe hotel is right by Pike Place Market.  They have a roof top deck that has beautiful views of Elliott Bay and Pike Place Market.

View from Inn at the Market

The Inn at the Market also has a small cozy outdoor courtyard where there was dining and soft live music.

Courtyard at Inn at the Market

More on Seattle to come.

Seattle Flower Hanging baskets

We arrived early at the airport so there was plenty of time to check our bags and go through security without any problems.  And I was very proud of ourselves as we were able to only check one bag and have one carry on each for our 8 night trip.  Feel free to contact me  if you would like to know how to travel with less.

I made arrangements with Shuttle Express in Seattle for our transfers to our hotel and they were waiting for us when we arrived at the Seattle airport.  When we walked in at the Hotel Monaco I was amazed at how friendly the staff greeted us.  It was like they were waiting on us and happy to meet us.  Our room was ready by 11:00 a.m.  I had let them know we would be arriving early but it is unusual for a hotel to actually have your room ready early.  And they even told us ‘Happy Anniversary’ and gave us a VIP room which was on the 11th floor away from the street noise.  And a bottle of sparkling wine and chocolates were waiting for us in our room.  The concierge also greeted us and made dinner reservations for us. 

After we checked in and rested a bit we headed to Pikes Place Market which was only about 6 blocks away.  One of the first things we saw was the famous ‘flying fish’ in the fish market.  When someone would order fish they would yell out the order and toss the fish to each other through the air.  People would cheer and clap, fun to watch. 

Street musicians were entertaining everyone in the Market by playing violins, guitars and some were playing saws.   

It was crazy crowded at Pikes Place Market and this was on a Thursday early afternoon.  I can’t imagine what it is like on the week-ends.  But we had so much fun and there was so much to see.  Beautiful bouquets of flowers and you could get a nice size bouquet for only $5.00.  Then there was fruit, vegetables, jewelry, clothes, toys-just about anything you wanted.  We found a little place that had some fried shrimp that we took outside by the water and ate and a musician came up and serenaded us while we ate.

We found one section right outside of the market where vendors were set up and we found out that these vendors were only allowed to sell things they made locally.  Beautiful paintings, hand blown glass, clothes and homemade food could all be found here.    Next I will tell you about Pioneer Square and Underground Seattle.

It’s understandable that many people are unsure what to tip at a hotel while on vacation.

Here are some guidelines that may help on your next vacation.

Valet parking. Don’t tip a hotel staff member who opens a guest’s car door at the hotel entrance or parks the car in a valet lot. The valet who retrieves the car from the parking lot should be given $2 to $5.

Bellmen. The common tip is $1 to $2 per bag. You can give more if the bags are heavy or the bellman provides other services.

Maid. They should receive $1 to $5 daily. Pay this tip daily to ensure it goes to the person that took care of your room.

Concierge. No tip is needed for directions, restaurant recommendations or answers to simple questions. A $10 to $50 tip is recommended for a concierge who obtains hard-to-get event tickets or a table at a popular premier restaurant.

Guests should expect good service at luxury hotels rather they tip or not.  And if you stay at a budget or moderate hotel you will not have the valet, concierge and bellmen to worry about anyway.

It is always nice to tip the person who goes out of their way to give you extra service and make your stay special.

Always carry lots of $1 bills so you don’t have to look for someone to give you change.  Also, if you are going to a different country, it is wise to have some of thier currency upon arrival for tips at the airport and transfers.

If you frequent a particular hotel or resort it is amazing how the staff remembers you, especially if you are a great tipper.

Best tip you can give.  Find out the name of the staff that offered that extra service and made your trip memorable.  Then write a quick note acknowledging this person and what they did; take a minute to find the manager of the hotel and give him the note.  Many hotels train their staff for better positions and this may help them get that promotion.