Travel With Misty

01/17/2023

Proudly presenting travelwithmisty.com. Check it out and let me know what you think! via

 Although Africa is my favorite cruise port, I book cruises and tours to hundreds of ports of call from the Galapagos, Antartica, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Baltic, Alaska, Hawaii  and beyond.  You can Travel with Misty on select tours where I guide the group or I can set up a group tour or crui...

01/17/2023

Heading back to Africa. Cannot wait until my next Safari.……

06/08/2021

Royal Caribbean Reveals Full Summer 2021 US Cruise Restart
CRUISE LINE & CRUISE SHIP ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL BY THERESA NORTON JUNE 04, 2021

Royal Caribbean International’s top executives unveiled the company’s full summer 2021 cruise schedule, which includes six ships sailing from U.S. cruise ports in Florida and Texas, in addition to two ships in a previously announced Alaska program.
“The moment we’ve all been waiting for is HERE!” Vicki Freed, senior vice president-sales, trade support and service posted on Facebook June 4. “Cruises from the U.S. return this July with a full lineup of award-winning ships. We’re getting back to the Caribbean and back to what we do best —making vacation memories with you.”
The 2021 U.S. cruise season will kick off on July 2 in Miami with Freedom of the Seas embarking on a Fourth of July weekend sailing to Perfect Day at CocoCay.
“By the end of August, 12 Royal Caribbean ships will be cruising once again across The Bahamas, Caribbean, Alaska and Europe,” Freed wrote. “In the coming weeks, we’ll announce our plans to reintroduce our full fleet around the globe by year’s end.”
The 2021 summer cruises are open to book today. Here’s Royal Caribbean’s full summer lineup from the U.S.:
— Freedom of the Seas: three- and four-night Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay sailings from Miami, starting July 2
— Odyssey of the Seas: six- and eight-night Southern and Western Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale, starting July 3
— Serenade of the Seas: seven-night Alaska sailings from Seattle, starting July 19
— Allure of the Seas: seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral, starting Aug. 8
— Ovation of the Seas: seven-night Alaska itineraries from Seattle, starting Aug. 13
— Symphony of the Seas: seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings from Miami, starting Aug. 14
— Independence of the Seas: seven-night Western Caribbean sailings from Galveston, Texas, starting Aug. 15
— Mariner of the Seas: three- and four-night Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay sailings from Port Canaveral, starting Aug. 23
The expanded summer lineup will include international ports across the Atlantic, such as Barcelona and Rome, when Harmony of the Seas returns to Europe. Starting Aug. 15, the Oasis-Class ship will set sail on seven-night itineraries to the Western Mediterranean and visit destinations like Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and Provence, France.
The new U.S and Europe cruises extend Royal Caribbean’s previously announced plans to return to sailing, which include Adventure of the Seas departing from The Bahamas starting on June 12, Anthem of the Seas sailing out of the U.K. and Jewel of the Seas from Cyprus in July.
The complete list of Royal Caribbean’s 2021 cruises is available here.
In his own Facebook post, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley said the cruise restart was helped greatly by the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines.
“Thanks in large part to the successful rollout of vaccines, the world of adventure is beginning to open up, and we are all excited to start delivering great vacations to our guests, who have increasingly told us they are getting vaccinated,” he wrote. “As of today, 90 percent of all vacationers booking with Royal Caribbean are either vaccinated or planning to get vaccinated in time for their cruise.”
All crew members will be vaccinated against COVID-19. Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible. Those who are unvaccinated or unable to show proof of vaccination will receive a test before boarding.
Vacationers sailing to Alaska and who are 16 years of age or older must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and that mandate applies to those 12 years or older as of Aug. 1.
If departing from an international port, guests must meet the travel requirements of their home country and the country of departure. The most up-to-date policies can be found online on each country’s tourism site.
Royal Caribbean is continuing discussions with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and multiple state, local and port authorities regarding the various additional measures for the upcoming sailings.
This process requires each ship to complete simulation cruises before receiving approval to resume sailing once again in the U.S. The applications for simulation cruises are under review and receiving approvals on a rolling basis. The progress made as a result of the ongoing collaboration with and support from the state, local and federal level continues to set the stage for Royal Caribbean to return to sailing this summer as planned.

06/07/2021

Watch Out for These Post-Pandemic Travel Scams
FEATURES & ADVICE JANEEN CHRISTOFF JUNE 03, 2021

As cybercrime rises, so do the scams and travel is not immune. In fact, with so much pent-up demand in the industry, prices are rising and so are the number of people who are spoofing websites in order to lure in the vulnerable.
Has anyone offered you free or nearly free trips recently? Rock-bottom deals in a market that is oversaturated with rising prices are tempting but most likely not legit.
Phone calls, emails and postcards with enticing travel offers look tempting, but a deal that’s way under the value of a trip—like five nights in a hotel plus airfare to Maui for $200—means it’s probably a scam,” said Amy Nofziger, AARP anti-fraud expert.
Nofziger said the best way to avoid falling victim to these deals is to walk away if it seems to good to be true. She also points out one clear way to spot a fraud.
“If a company asks you to pay with a prepaid gift card instead of a credit card or debit card, it’s a scam,” Nofziger says. “Always work with a trusted travel agency or company that has a long, proven history of offering travel opportunities.”
Rental cars are hard to come by in a post-pandemic travel landscape. So of course, deals that offer cars at affordable prices are to be met with some skepticism.
“Several travelers alerted AARP this spring to fake rental-car-company scams. Crooks set up phony customer service numbers online that look just like those of major rental-car companies,” said Nofziger. “When you call, they take your money and personal information, then leave you stranded.”
AARP has also reported fake sites selling TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs.
“Travelers interested in enrolling in or renewing TSA PreCheck should start the process by going to the official government website, tsa.gov,” she said.
Looking for a vacation rental? Watch out for fraudulent companies that are offering properties that are not real.
Keep all of your interactions with a vacation property’s owners on the website of legitimate companies,” Nofziger advised. “A request to take your conversation off the site is a sign of a likely scam. If a property has few reviews or seems too good to be true, search the address online, or check it on Google Maps.”
Use a Travel Advisor
One way to avoid getting scammed is to use a reputable travel advisor to assist you with your vacation planning. Travel advisors are an advocate for travelers on many levels. They don’t just re-book canceled flights and help get clients home when things go wrong.
Travel advisors help their customers avoid situations where they may get scammed and steer them clear of deals that are too good to be true. Good advisors provide their customers with peace of mind as well as a safe, healthy and seamless travel experience—especially during a pandemic.
The American Society of Travel Advisors has a database of verified advisors at TravelSense.org.
New Legislation
In Washington, the rise of these scams has even caught the eye of legislators and a new bill has recently been introduced in Congress by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Steven Daines, R-Mont. to protect consumers from this growing problem.
"As the pandemic comes to an end and people make plans to travel safely once again, we need to ensure consumers are protected from unfair and deceptive practices designed to target travelers," Klobuchar said in a statement to USA TODAY. "This bipartisan legislation will help protect consumers from travel scams and prevent fraudulent behavior in the travel and tourism industry moving forward."

04/22/2021

Today is our last day at the beautiful Planet Hollywood Playa Mujeres near Cancun. This is actually two resorts...... one family and one adult all inclusive. Brand new ........only 3 months old.

04/12/2021

CDC Warns Americans Against Travel to Canada, Even if They’re Vaccinated
DESTINATION & TOURISM LAURIE BARATTI APRIL 10, 2021

Right now, Canada is in the throes of a third COVID-19 wave and is reportedly on track to outpace the U.S. in terms of its rate of new infections relative to the overall population. Worse yet, the country is seeing significant outbreaks of dangerous coronavirus strains that are more transmissible than the original virus and potentially even vaccine-resistant.
The trend is so worrisome that U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated Canada’s travel advisory (a Level Four—the highest possible risk category) to include a warning that even fully vaccinated Americans should not risk venturing north of the U.S. border. The change was made on the same day that the CDC released new travel guidelines for vaccinated Americans in which the agency said that those who are fully vaccinated can safely move about the country.
Because of the current situation in Canada, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Canada,” the website now reads. “If you must travel to Canada, get fully vaccinated before travel. All travelers should wear a mask, stay 6 feet from others, avoid crowds, and wash their hands.”
For a full year now, the Great White North has kept its case counts comparatively low while the health crisis in the U.S. continued to escalate. So, what happened?
Firstly, the pandemic situation in America is finally improving, thanks to a massive nationwide vaccination campaign and the government’s having secured an ample supply of the COVID-19 vaccine, while our northern neighbor’s vaccination efforts have trailed behind those of many other nations.
The U.S. has thus far managed to get roughly 19 percent of its population fully vaccinated, while Canada can say the same of only about two percent of its population. The National Post reported that, as of April 6, roughly one-third of Americans had received at least the first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, while only 16 percent of Canadians had gotten at least one dose.
Young woman getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
Young woman getting vaccinated against COVID-19. (photo via iStock/Getty Images E+/Geber86)
Johns Hopkins University’s dataset this week revealed that the U.S. was seeing about 196 new COVID-19 cases per one million people per day, while in Canada about 180 new cases per million people were being added daily (based on a seven-day rolling average). Noel Gibney, a professor emeritus in the faculty of medicine at the University of Alberta, said that it’s almost certain that Canada will surpass the U.S. in terms of community spread in the next few days.
The infiltration of more contagious, and possibly even more deadly, viral variants is being blamed for causing Canada’s third COVID-19 wave. According to a Vice report, Canada is one of the world’s only countries to be battling significant outbreaks of three different variants at the same time.
In Alberta, experts believe that the B.1.1.7 U.K. variant has almost entirely replaced the original COVID-19 strain. The P1 variant that emerged in Brazil—which has reinfected people who have previously contracted and recovered from COVID-19 and may be vaccine-resistant—is also spreading in Canada, as is the B1351 variant that first came from South Africa.CDC Warns Americans Against

03/12/2021

Quintana Roo’s New Tourism Tax Goes Into Effect April 1 by Donald Wood

Travelers arriving in Quintana Roo will soon have to pay a new tourism tax.
According to Mexico News Daily, officials from the Mexican state revealed that arriving international visitors would be required to pay $11 for the privilege of visiting popular tourism destinations like Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel.
The new tax was proposed by Quintana Roo Governor Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez and approved by the state Congress last year, with the program expected to generate an estimated $29.1 million in additional revenue.
Travelers will be expected to pay the tax electronically when they book, once they arrive or upon exiting the state via a new website called Visitax. There will also be an option to pay in cash at airport terminals, but the tax is required for anyone 15 years old and older.
Joaquin Gonzalez said the tax was implemented to help fund more tourism industry development throughout the state.
While the new tourism tax is a flat rate for almost every visitor, travelers from Belize will pay 10 percent less “due to the large number who regularly cross the border to visit nearby Chetumal for short-term visits,” Quintana Roo tax administration official Rodrigo Diaz said.
“It’s expected to be an agile and simple transaction that won’t complicate visitors’ stay,” Diaz continued.