On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:54:23 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:30:45 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:47:26 -0500,
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:11:54 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 11:30:45 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:58:51 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained. We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area. Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

I'm sure we'd have been better impressed if we'd signed up for an excursion tour. I'd do more and
different excursions if we did that trip again.

We always try to avoid those excursions. They are expensive and a
little too "canned" for us. I think the one that finished it for us
was the plant hike in St Croix. We signed up not being sure what to
expect and were met at the dock by "Ooh Alooloo" a black guy (not
unusual in the islands) but we just started walking from there up
through residential neighborhoods looking at the weeds in people's
yards. It was the same crap that grows behind my house and he didn't
even know the real names for anything. It was just stuff he made up.
After talking to him a while, it turned out he was Lou from Detroit
and he was just a formerly homeless guy in St Croix who got this gig
from Carnival.
We paid them something like $50 a head. He wouldn't say what his cut
was but I assume taking 8-10 people for a 2 hour walk every time a
ship landed would pay for an apartment there..

===

I agree that some of the excursion opportunities are pricey, but if
you're on a tight schedule, and/or not likely to get back any time
soon (if ever), the excursions offer a chance to see and do things
that you'd otherwise miss out on. We took advantage of all the
excursion opportunities when we did our Alaska cruise and never
regretted any of them - a sightseeing flight around the summit of
Denali (Mt McKinley) in a twin engine turbo prop; a helicopter flight
to the top of the Mendenhall glacier with plenty of walking around
time; a float plane flight into Misty Fjords with a landing and
dockage in the back country; and a jet boat trip up the Chilkat River
into the eagle preserve. Every one of them was memorable.

I can't even imagine Alaska on a cruise. We were there 3 weeks and we
still felt like we were rushed. We did do a lot of things you don't
get on a cruise tho, mostly on foot.

Next time we'll fly up, spend some time there, and take a ship back. The cruise we took from
Seattle, five nights, didn't really allow for much time to see anything at all.

===

We flew into Fairbanks which is way north, and then spent a week
working our way south to the coast via bus and train. The second week
was working our way south along the coast on the cruise ship. The
whole deal was a Princess Tours package and we thought it was very
well done, albeit a little pricey.

https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/cruisetour-options/?cid=bm_paidsearch_BKWS_google_PrincessAlaskaCruis eTour_princesstouralaska_Exact_isl&_vsrefdom=mca&m chxkw=c:708533188,krincess%20tour%20alaska,m:e,p :1t1,d:c,ai:33823368621,ad:213749837748,s:g&d=c&gc lid=EAIaIQobChMI597owqSa2QIVVgaGCh3ukA6REAAYASAAEg Iq4fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

John H. wrote:
On Thu, 8 Feb 2018 11:57:10 -0800 (PST), True North wrote:

On Thursday, 8 February 2018 13:35:56 UTC-4, Bill wrote:
True North wrote:
On Thursday, 8 February 2018 11:40:50 UTC-4, John H wrote:
Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St.
Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with
the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!

Sigh!
It's been so peaceful here the last week or so.

What an ass.
What did I say that was untrue, Swill??
You been in a drunken stupor the last week or so?
Don, when we think of you and Harry, this is what we see:

https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/...QxitHC7uw.jpeg

Guess who's whom.


I agree with this post. And, yes, we know who's whom!

wrote:
On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:54:23 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:30:45 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:47:26 -0500,
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:11:54 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 11:30:45 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:58:51 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie,
Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the
fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what
Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around
about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had
a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several
trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained.
We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area.
Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there
because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on
the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it
cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse
when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

I'm sure we'd have been better impressed if we'd signed up for an
excursion tour. I'd do more and
different excursions if we did that trip again.

We always try to avoid those excursions. They are expensive and a
little too "canned" for us. I think the one that finished it for us
was the plant hike in St Croix. We signed up not being sure what to
expect and were met at the dock by "Ooh Alooloo" a black guy (not
unusual in the islands) but we just started walking from there up
through residential neighborhoods looking at the weeds in people's
yards. It was the same crap that grows behind my house and he didn't
even know the real names for anything. It was just stuff he made up.
After talking to him a while, it turned out he was Lou from Detroit
and he was just a formerly homeless guy in St Croix who got this gig
from Carnival.
We paid them something like $50 a head. He wouldn't say what his cut
was but I assume taking 8-10 people for a 2 hour walk every time a
ship landed would pay for an apartment there..

===

I agree that some of the excursion opportunities are pricey, but if
you're on a tight schedule, and/or not likely to get back any time
soon (if ever), the excursions offer a chance to see and do things
that you'd otherwise miss out on. We took advantage of all the
excursion opportunities when we did our Alaska cruise and never
regretted any of them - a sightseeing flight around the summit of
Denali (Mt McKinley) in a twin engine turbo prop; a helicopter flight
to the top of the Mendenhall glacier with plenty of walking around
time; a float plane flight into Misty Fjords with a landing and
dockage in the back country; and a jet boat trip up the Chilkat River
into the eagle preserve. Every one of them was memorable.

I can't even imagine Alaska on a cruise. We were there 3 weeks and we
still felt like we were rushed. We did do a lot of things you don't
get on a cruise tho, mostly on foot.

Next time we'll fly up, spend some time there, and take a ship back. The
cruise we took from
Seattle, five nights, didn't really allow for much time to see anything at all.

===

We flew into Fairbanks which is way north, and then spent a week
working our way south to the coast via bus and train. The second week
was working our way south along the coast on the cruise ship. The
whole deal was a Princess Tours package and we thought it was very
well done, albeit a little pricey.

https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/cruisetour-options/?cid=bm_paidsearch_BKWS_google_PrincessAlaskaCruis eTour_princesstouralaska_Exact_isl&_vsrefdom=mca&m chxkw=c:708533188,krincess%20tour%20alaska,m:e,p :1t1,d:c,ai:33823368621,ad:213749837748,s:g&d=c&gc lid=EAIaIQobChMI597owqSa2QIVVgaGCh3ukA6REAAYASAAEg Iq4fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds




Other than anchorage on business, the other trip was a driving trip with 3
other couples. My truck camper, them different types of trailers. Truck
camper was the best way. Would not do it again. Would fly to anchorage
and rent a 4x4 camper. Did not have to worry about a room in remote
areas. Lots of boring driving through Canada. Miles of dead trees, and
pretty flat terrain. Beetle infestation. And lots of the Alcan is crap
road. Interesting some area as they left the military construction
equipment abandoned. We took 7weeks and 8800 miles. We entered Alaska
at Poker Flat. Most northern road entrance to the country. Dirt /
gravel road and rain to Tok. Interesting is the motels have pressure
washers with free use to remove the hundreds of pounds of dirt you
accumulate on the Top of The World Highway.

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:54:23 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:30:45 -0500, wrote:


I agree that some of the excursion opportunities are pricey, but if
you're on a tight schedule, and/or not likely to get back any time
soon (if ever), the excursions offer a chance to see and do things
that you'd otherwise miss out on. We took advantage of all the
excursion opportunities when we did our Alaska cruise and never
regretted any of them - a sightseeing flight around the summit of
Denali (Mt McKinley) in a twin engine turbo prop; a helicopter flight
to the top of the Mendenhall glacier with plenty of walking around
time; a float plane flight into Misty Fjords with a landing and
dockage in the back country; and a jet boat trip up the Chilkat River
into the eagle preserve. Every one of them was memorable.

I can't even imagine Alaska on a cruise. We were there 3 weeks and we
still felt like we were rushed. We did do a lot of things you don't
get on a cruise tho, mostly on foot.

Next time we'll fly up, spend some time there, and take a ship back. The cruise we took from
Seattle, five nights, didn't really allow for much time to see anything at all.

Folks like you who like to camp rent an RV and drive around. There are
plenty of places to park but all of them may not be KOA grade. It does
eliminate the problem that hotel rooms are few and far in between
throughout most of the state. We really preferred the Kenai but there
are lots of other places we would explore if we go back. Homer is a
cool little town that is not very touristy at all. We met some fun
folks there. Check out the Salty Dog Saloon if you get there.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/salty%20dawg.jpg
That is also where we hooked up with the water taxi that takes you
over to the Katchemak State Park that you can't drive to.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/water%20taxi.jpg
There is a great hike there that takes you down to this glacier lake,
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Glacier%20lake.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Ice%...%20glacier.jpg
Just be sure your GPS is working because the last half mile or so is
across a big field of round rock and shrubs that all looks pretty
much the same
and you need to find a small hole in the trees to get back on the
trail out.
If you drive towards Denali as far as you can go there is a parking
lot where you catch the bus to go to the mountain (no private vehicles
beyond that point) or you can take the trail that goes off to the
north and it goes back in there as far as you want to go along a ridge
above a small river. That was where we saw the grizzly bear fishing in
the river. We were up on the hill 70- 100' above him and he didn't
really pay any attention to us. My poor old camera did not have enough
zoom to really get a good picture and we were trying not to establish
eye contact anyway. Right past there it started getting a little rocky
and we turned around but that was a few miles in so it ended up being
a nice walk.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Denali%20trail.jpg
If I did it again I think we would go down the east side (Rt 2 from
Fairbanks or Rt 1 from Anchorage) and see what is there. That gets you
all the way to Juneau I think.
There are really not a lot of roads in Alaska so you don't have that
many options. We never seemed to have a problem staying amused
wherever we went tho. You can just stop at any little shack along the
highway and find interesting people to talk with.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Fine%20Dining.jpg
You could stop by Wasilla at the fork in the road north of Anchorage
and get a selfie with Sarah for Harry. ;-)

On Fri, 9 Feb 2018 14:15:55 -0800 (PST), Its Me
wrote:
Carnival is the Walmart of cruises. Never again.

I agree, No more Carnival for us/

I want to go on a Lindblad cruise. They really look exceptional, and are on small ships with nice service and real National Geographic folks onboard to tell you what you're seeing on the land excursions. There's one that goes down the coast of Costa Rica, stopping two or three times, then through the Panama Canal. That would be great, but they are very spendy.

Is that the Bright Horizons cruises? I would really like to do that
.... if I hit the lottery ;-)
You are right. If you get a nice cabin and sign up for all of the
seminars, it is a bundle. Although I doubt it is much more than we
spent going to New Zealand. That was close to $20 grand end to end.

On Fri, 9 Feb 2018 14:24:52 -0800 (PST), Its Me
wrote:

On Friday, February 9, 2018 at 3:29:02 PM UTC-5, wrote:

We have had some good excursions, stingray city in Grand Cayman is
cool and we did a Jeep thing in Cozumel that was fun but mostly
because of the other 2 people in the Jeep.

I've been to Stingray City and did a scuba dive in the Caymans. It was a blast... held a stingray in my arms.
Yup I was rolling around with them like I do with my dog.

I've done Mexico a few times over the years, but it has gotten ugly down there. Not sure I'd go back except under the right situation.

Not much in Mexico for us. We did wander around in Juarez before we
knew it was a death trap. This guy should have been a tip off.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/New%20Mexic...ng%20guard.jpg

Got a trip planned to Montego Bay, Jamaica in early summer. Lots of crime there, but we'll be in an all inclusive, all adult resort. No reason to wander out among the locals. The state department is warning against it.

Jamaica has really gone down hill. When I was there with IBM in the
60s it was pretty cool. We were there again in the 70s and there were
plenty of places they said not to go. Now I think I would just find
another spot.

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 21:22:23 -0500,
wrote:


We flew into Fairbanks which is way north, and then spent a week
working our way south to the coast via bus and train. The second week
was working our way south along the coast on the cruise ship. The
whole deal was a Princess Tours package and we thought it was very
well done, albeit a little pricey.

https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/cruisetour-options/?cid=bm_paidsearch_BKWS_google_PrincessAlaskaCruis eTour_princesstouralaska_Exact_isl&_vsrefdom=mca&m chxkw=c:708533188,krincess%20tour%20alaska,m:e,p :1t1,d:c,ai:33823368621,ad:213749837748,s:g&d=c&gc lid=EAIaIQobChMI597owqSa2QIVVgaGCh3ukA6REAAYASAAEg Iq4fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


We were supposed to stay at the Princess resorts at Denali and Cooper
Landing but they bumped us from both. At Denali they arranged a stay
at that place right where the road to denali goes off the main drag.
At Cooper Landing they put us up at Lovie and Willies B&B. We didn't
think we would like it but we stayed there another night on our way
back through from Homer to Seward. They are a pair.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/lovi...d%20willie.jpg
Princess did comp us a dinner and drinks both times for the bump.

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 21:22:23 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:54:23 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:30:45 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:47:26 -0500,
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:11:54 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 11:30:45 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:58:51 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained. We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area. Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

I'm sure we'd have been better impressed if we'd signed up for an excursion tour. I'd do more and
different excursions if we did that trip again.

We always try to avoid those excursions. They are expensive and a
little too "canned" for us. I think the one that finished it for us
was the plant hike in St Croix. We signed up not being sure what to
expect and were met at the dock by "Ooh Alooloo" a black guy (not
unusual in the islands) but we just started walking from there up
through residential neighborhoods looking at the weeds in people's
yards. It was the same crap that grows behind my house and he didn't
even know the real names for anything. It was just stuff he made up.
After talking to him a while, it turned out he was Lou from Detroit
and he was just a formerly homeless guy in St Croix who got this gig
from Carnival.
We paid them something like $50 a head. He wouldn't say what his cut
was but I assume taking 8-10 people for a 2 hour walk every time a
ship landed would pay for an apartment there..

===

I agree that some of the excursion opportunities are pricey, but if
you're on a tight schedule, and/or not likely to get back any time
soon (if ever), the excursions offer a chance to see and do things
that you'd otherwise miss out on. We took advantage of all the
excursion opportunities when we did our Alaska cruise and never
regretted any of them - a sightseeing flight around the summit of
Denali (Mt McKinley) in a twin engine turbo prop; a helicopter flight
to the top of the Mendenhall glacier with plenty of walking around
time; a float plane flight into Misty Fjords with a landing and
dockage in the back country; and a jet boat trip up the Chilkat River
into the eagle preserve. Every one of them was memorable.

I can't even imagine Alaska on a cruise. We were there 3 weeks and we
still felt like we were rushed. We did do a lot of things you don't
get on a cruise tho, mostly on foot.

Next time we'll fly up, spend some time there, and take a ship back. The cruise we took from
Seattle, five nights, didn't really allow for much time to see anything at all.

===

We flew into Fairbanks which is way north, and then spent a week
working our way south to the coast via bus and train. The second week
was working our way south along the coast on the cruise ship. The
whole deal was a Princess Tours package and we thought it was very
well done, albeit a little pricey.

https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/cruisetour-options/?cid=bm_paidsearch_BKWS_google_PrincessAlaskaCruis eTour_princesstouralaska_Exact_isl&_vsrefdom=mca&m chxkw=c:708533188,krincess%20tour%20alaska,m:e,p :1t1,d:c,ai:33823368621,ad:213749837748,s:g&d=c&gc lid=EAIaIQobChMI597owqSa2QIVVgaGCh3ukA6REAAYASAAEg Iq4fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


Thanks for that link. Looks like around $7000 for the two of us. Wonder how that would compare to
taking the RV. Will have to do some calculations. About 20K miles, with a stop in Seattle, at 12mpg,
at $3.50/gal would be close to $6000, just for fuel. Add another $2000 for food, and that's just to
get back and forth. Might have to give the RV idea some second thoughts. Of course, we'd get to see
a lot more country, including some fabulous time in the 'fly over' states!

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 06:23:42 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

wrote:
On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:54:23 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:30:45 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:47:26 -0500,
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:11:54 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 11:30:45 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:58:51 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie,
Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the
fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what
Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around
about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had
a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several
trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained.
We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area.
Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there
because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on
the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it
cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse
when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

I'm sure we'd have been better impressed if we'd signed up for an
excursion tour. I'd do more and
different excursions if we did that trip again.

We always try to avoid those excursions. They are expensive and a
little too "canned" for us. I think the one that finished it for us
was the plant hike in St Croix. We signed up not being sure what to
expect and were met at the dock by "Ooh Alooloo" a black guy (not
unusual in the islands) but we just started walking from there up
through residential neighborhoods looking at the weeds in people's
yards. It was the same crap that grows behind my house and he didn't
even know the real names for anything. It was just stuff he made up.
After talking to him a while, it turned out he was Lou from Detroit
and he was just a formerly homeless guy in St Croix who got this gig
from Carnival.
We paid them something like $50 a head. He wouldn't say what his cut
was but I assume taking 8-10 people for a 2 hour walk every time a
ship landed would pay for an apartment there..

===

I agree that some of the excursion opportunities are pricey, but if
you're on a tight schedule, and/or not likely to get back any time
soon (if ever), the excursions offer a chance to see and do things
that you'd otherwise miss out on. We took advantage of all the
excursion opportunities when we did our Alaska cruise and never
regretted any of them - a sightseeing flight around the summit of
Denali (Mt McKinley) in a twin engine turbo prop; a helicopter flight
to the top of the Mendenhall glacier with plenty of walking around
time; a float plane flight into Misty Fjords with a landing and
dockage in the back country; and a jet boat trip up the Chilkat River
into the eagle preserve. Every one of them was memorable.

I can't even imagine Alaska on a cruise. We were there 3 weeks and we
still felt like we were rushed. We did do a lot of things you don't
get on a cruise tho, mostly on foot.

Next time we'll fly up, spend some time there, and take a ship back. The
cruise we took from
Seattle, five nights, didn't really allow for much time to see anything at all.

===

We flew into Fairbanks which is way north, and then spent a week
working our way south to the coast via bus and train. The second week
was working our way south along the coast on the cruise ship. The
whole deal was a Princess Tours package and we thought it was very
well done, albeit a little pricey.

https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/cruisetour-options/?cid=bm_paidsearch_BKWS_google_PrincessAlaskaCruis eTour_princesstouralaska_Exact_isl&_vsrefdom=mca&m chxkw=c:708533188,krincess%20tour%20alaska,m:e,p :1t1,d:c,ai:33823368621,ad:213749837748,s:g&d=c&gc lid=EAIaIQobChMI597owqSa2QIVVgaGCh3ukA6REAAYASAAEg Iq4fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds




Other than anchorage on business, the other trip was a driving trip with 3
other couples. My truck camper, them different types of trailers. Truck
camper was the best way. Would not do it again. Would fly to anchorage
and rent a 4x4 camper. Did not have to worry about a room in remote
areas. Lots of boring driving through Canada. Miles of dead trees, and
pretty flat terrain. Beetle infestation. And lots of the Alcan is crap
road. Interesting some area as they left the military construction
equipment abandoned. We took 7weeks and 8800 miles. We entered Alaska
at Poker Flat. Most northern road entrance to the country. Dirt /
gravel road and rain to Tok. Interesting is the motels have pressure
washers with free use to remove the hundreds of pounds of dirt you
accumulate on the Top of The World Highway.

Now there's an idea. Wonder how much that would be. Will have to check it out.

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 02:22:41 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:54:23 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:30:45 -0500, wrote:


I agree that some of the excursion opportunities are pricey, but if
you're on a tight schedule, and/or not likely to get back any time
soon (if ever), the excursions offer a chance to see and do things
that you'd otherwise miss out on. We took advantage of all the
excursion opportunities when we did our Alaska cruise and never
regretted any of them - a sightseeing flight around the summit of
Denali (Mt McKinley) in a twin engine turbo prop; a helicopter flight
to the top of the Mendenhall glacier with plenty of walking around
time; a float plane flight into Misty Fjords with a landing and
dockage in the back country; and a jet boat trip up the Chilkat River
into the eagle preserve. Every one of them was memorable.

I can't even imagine Alaska on a cruise. We were there 3 weeks and we
still felt like we were rushed. We did do a lot of things you don't
get on a cruise tho, mostly on foot.

Next time we'll fly up, spend some time there, and take a ship back. The cruise we took from
Seattle, five nights, didn't really allow for much time to see anything at all.

Folks like you who like to camp rent an RV and drive around. There are
plenty of places to park but all of them may not be KOA grade. It does
eliminate the problem that hotel rooms are few and far in between
throughout most of the state. We really preferred the Kenai but there
are lots of other places we would explore if we go back. Homer is a
cool little town that is not very touristy at all. We met some fun
folks there. Check out the Salty Dog Saloon if you get there.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/salty%20dawg.jpg
That is also where we hooked up with the water taxi that takes you
over to the Katchemak State Park that you can't drive to.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/water%20taxi.jpg
There is a great hike there that takes you down to this glacier lake,
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Glacier%20lake.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Ice%...%20glacier.jpg
Just be sure your GPS is working because the last half mile or so is
across a big field of round rock and shrubs that all looks pretty
much the same
and you need to find a small hole in the trees to get back on the
trail out.
If you drive towards Denali as far as you can go there is a parking
lot where you catch the bus to go to the mountain (no private vehicles
beyond that point) or you can take the trail that goes off to the
north and it goes back in there as far as you want to go along a ridge
above a small river. That was where we saw the grizzly bear fishing in
the river. We were up on the hill 70- 100' above him and he didn't
really pay any attention to us. My poor old camera did not have enough
zoom to really get a good picture and we were trying not to establish
eye contact anyway. Right past there it started getting a little rocky
and we turned around but that was a few miles in so it ended up being
a nice walk.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Denali%20trail.jpg
If I did it again I think we would go down the east side (Rt 2 from
Fairbanks or Rt 1 from Anchorage) and see what is there. That gets you
all the way to Juneau I think.
There are really not a lot of roads in Alaska so you don't have that
many options. We never seemed to have a problem staying amused
wherever we went tho. You can just stop at any little shack along the
highway and find interesting people to talk with.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Fine%20Dining.jpg
You could stop by Wasilla at the fork in the road north of Anchorage
and get a selfie with Sarah for Harry. ;-)

Thanks. That's saved in my 'Alaska' folder!