Cruise Planners - Jump for Joy Travel

22/04/2016

I love this Cathedral of Milan. It is the 3rd largest in the world, after St Peters in the Vatican and the cathedral in Seville, Spain

20/04/2016

With Cliff (from Shafter California) and his children in Kleine Sheidegg. They told us this was the last week of ski season because there wasn't enough snow. There seemed to be plenty of snow to me.

19/04/2016

Kleine Sheidegg the highest altitude train station in Europe.

19/04/2016

Drove here from Stresa. Been having technical difficulties. Will post more later.

14/04/2016

Aggravation and Flexibility-

It takes a great deal of patience to travel for extended periods of time. Anything can happen both positive and negative (and nearly always does) and you have to "go with the flow". Well on the day before we left, the flow was not in our favor and we had to abruptly change plans which cost money and points.

It had to do with the validation of the Eurail pass. In our past experience we would have the passes validated by the ticket clerk prior to boarding the first train. The clerk would write in the current date (the date the pass begins) and the date the pass ends. That way, the conductor knows the pass is legitimate for the duration of the trip. This is critical because, if not validated, the conductor could confiscate the pass.

When we ordered the passes over the phone a couple of months ago, the rep asked if we would like to have the passes pre-validated to save time. That sounded like a great idea so we did it. So far so good.

Well it was not good. On Monday morning Rebecca noticed the pre-printed beginning validation date showed April 15, 2016. This was a problem because were scheduled to land in Paris on April 13th and board a train to Switzerland shortly thereafter. If we boarded the train two days prior to the starting date written on the pass, the passes could be taken away. Rebecca made a quick call to Eurail Pass and the rep told us there was nothing they could do and the passes would likely be taken away if used on the 13th.

Here was our dilemma. We could purchase two separate tickets to Switzerland on the 13th for a total of $400. Or we could cancel the first two days at the hotel in Switzerland and spend the days in Paris instead. That would cost a loss of about 120,000 IHG points (for canceling the hotel) and another $175 to book two nights in Paris at the Hyatt. We opted for the latter to start in Paris.

We realized that we had this problem because, at the time we ordered the passes, we were going to spend the first two days in Paris. We later decided to skip Paris to spend more time in Switzerland. So Eurail Pass did nothing wrong. But we know now that we could have given any beginning and ending dates over the phone. In retrospect, we should have given them April 12 to May 6 which would cover the entire trip--just in case there are changes. Oh well. Live and learn.

09/04/2016

May 4-5 – Barcelona, Spain

Back to a big city. Our last stop for two days will be in Barcelona. I've never been there and the city never sleeps and seems so full of energy. There is so much to see and do here that two days is not enough.

May 6 – Flight Home

Anyone who has been to Europe knows how long this day is. Our flight leaves Barcelona at noon and we arrive in Los Angeles on May 7th at 12:30 a.m. Taking into account the 8-hour time difference this will be a 23 hour day. I am always so glad to crawl into my own bed.

09/04/2016

April 30-May 3 – Tossa de Mar, Spain

After a very long 12-hour train ride through the Italian and French Riviera we will arrive in Spain. We have always wanted to visit the Costa Brava in northern Spain where the Pyrenees mountains meet the Mediterranean Sea. While there were many villages to chose from, we decided on Tossa de Mar because the beaches, mountains, and good hiking trails seem to converge in this area.

09/04/2016

April 26-29 – Volastra, Italy

Our next stop is the Cinqueterre region of Italy along the Mediterranean Sea. The five villages carved into the hills and cliffs is against the sea are stunning. We were stayed one night in the village of Riomaggiore two years ago and knew we had to come back.

We opted to stay in the village of Volastra overlooking Manarola, one of the five villages. Our plan is to hike the entire trail between the villages along the sea. This became a bucket list item when we visited the first time.

09/04/2016

April 21-25 – Dorio, Italy

Interestingly, the train from Lake Maggiore to Lake Como first goes south to Milan before changing trains and heading north to Lake Como. Since we have not spent time in Milan we opted for a half-day tour that includes a visit to Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper". We also arranged to have lunch with Cristina and her daughter Ariel who we met in Rome on our tour of the catacombs. On lake Como we decided to stay four nights at a bed and breakfast in the Village of Dorio on the northeaster side of the lake. We chose this area because it has a closer view of the snow-covered Alps.

09/04/2016

April 18-21 - Stresa, Italy

In the earliest planning phase of the trip we knew that we wanted to spend time on the lakes in northern Italy. Two years ago we spent two nights in Brunate overlooking Lake Como. We did some hiking and wished we had more time to explore the area. We decided to spend the first four nights in the city of Stresa on Lake Maggiore. We were attracted to this lake because part of it is in Switzerland.

09/04/2016

April 13-17 - Grindelwald, Switzerland

We fly in to Paris and immediately board a train to Grindelwald, Switzerland. We purchased a Eurail Pass to move about Europe by train. In Grindelwald we will visit our friends Walter and Romy. We met them in Malta in the Spring of 2014 and then visited them in Switzerland later that Fall. On that visit they kindly took us to dinner overlooking Lake Thun, gave us tour in their car around the lake, and then took us to their home in Därligen for an evening of drinks and conversation. We've kept in touch and look forward to seeing them again.

09/04/2016

Rebecca and I are preparing for a 25-day journey to Europe in April. It will be our last trip to Europe for awhile. I know . . . I know. Why are we going to Europe now? Seems like a stupid idea. The trip has been planned for a long time. Money has been spent. And I'm not going to let fear run my life. However, it is fortunate that out destinations are smaller villages and out-of-the-way places. We finalized our itinerary just a couple of days ago. Here is how it's going to happen.

April 12 & 13 - Flight to Europe

Last summer, Rebecca used American Airlines miles to make reservations to fly in to Paris and out of Barcelona. We couldn't fly in and out of the same city because award seats were not available to do that. So, as is our tradition, we booked flights to and from any cities we could get, and then built our itinerary between the two cities. Fortunately, traveling by train is efficient and makes planning much simpler.

24/09/2015

19/05/2015

A little behind schedule here. The 7 hour train ride on Sunday from Munich to Budapest was somewhat eventful in an odd way. It was raining when we left and mostly cloudy along the way. We were unable to see the mountains when we got close to Strasburg so that was a little disappointing. And . . . No . . . I did not sleep.

Our seating on the train was a bit of a different experience than we had seen in Europe before. It was initially quite frustrating but then worked out rather nicely. We had our Eurail passes with no assigned seating, which usually isn't a problem because the information we pulled off the internet did not indicate that a reservation was necessary.

However, after we had settled into our seats another couple came along and told us that we were in their seats because they had a reservation. Ok . . . so reservations appeared to be necessary. So we shuffled our luggage to another car and sat down again. And then again we had to get up because we were in reserved seats. So while standing around in everyone's way with luggage and looking stupid wondering where to sit next. We asked the passing conductor whether reservations were necessary. He said, "No, just have a seat." So we said, "Where do we sit? He told us to look above the seat and find one where it shows there is no reservation. We then noticed that the number above nearly all of the seats were lit up and then an occasional seat here and there were not lit up. We now figured that the it was the lighting of the seat number that was the key to solving the riddle. But there were hardly any seats available and none where we could sit together. As the conductor made a second pass noticing that were were still standing around looking stupid, he told to go to the first car because there were probably seats available.

So we made our way through three cars to the first car with luggage and backpacks bouncing from side to side banging into people--with a constant "excuse me", "excuse me", "excuse me" along the way. And wow did the first car have available seats. It was business class where the seats were grouped in private sections. And we found a section with four seats and finally sat down for good.

14/05/2015

Plugging in your electronic items in Europe - Adapter or Converter

Normally you do not need a converter because most of the electrical devices we use are capable of using the 220v plugs in Europe. So how can you tell?

Notice, in the photo on the left, the details on this power adapter show - AC IN ~100-240V. This means that the adapter can handle up to 240 volts--well over the 220 volts needed in Europe. Consequently, no converter is needed. Adapters are fine.

In the photo on the right, the details on this Ceramic Air Heater show only 120v -- while I would not take a Ceramic Air Heater on vacation, the 120v means that this heater would not handle the 220v in Europe. Therefore a converter would be needed.

Converters are more expensive and usually not necessary.

12/05/2015

I am so pleased and humbled. Just received this email one of my clients who had recently returned from a trip to Italy along with an Eastern Mediterranean cruise:

From: Erin
Date: May 12, 2015 at 10:58:06 AM PDT
To: Rebecca Jacobsen

Subject: European Vacation

Rebecca,
Where do I start? THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! What an amazing, memorable and perfect vacation we had. Your suggestions, tips, hints, etc. were invaluable. An excerpt from my journal along the way:

"The highlight of today was the visit to see the "Last Supper"...well worth the price of admission, (Thank You, Rebecca). The beauty of using a travel agent who has visited the areas you are going is that she can tell you what NOT to miss! She knows what we don't know and she's already has made our trip more enjoyable by giving us little hints about about what to do along the way!

Every single aspect of our trip was perfectly planned out together and you were able to give us such great advice (especially regarding trains and how to negotiate our luggage, etc). Every single piece of advice you shared came in handy! You were able to tell me where to go, how to go and when to go and everything was accurate!!! The hotels were perfect and well located to the train stations, which we used extensively! The ship was gorgeous and the accommodations were very comfortable. It was fun having [our friends] right next door, so we could meet in our jammies on our balconies as we pulled into ports!

We honestly had ZERO snafu's on our entire trip and for a trip of this length that's virtually impossible. I credit that to YOU and all the work you put into making sure we were completely prepared once we left LAX! Our most stressful time was trying to get ourselves to the train station in Citavecchia before the train left. (We managed to walk there with literally 4 minutes to spare!!! It was a close call, but we kind of knew that it would be!) FYI, the taxi's will NOT meet you at the port, nor will they take you from the shuttle stop to the train station! Too short for them, but luckily we are both active and were able to get ourselves and our luggage (another issue) to the station on time!

I should have headed your advice about less clothing and less luggage. I still traveled with a large heavy bag and a heavy carry on and Julie the same! Next time, I will head your advice! Rebecca, I just wanted to thank you for ALL of your hours of research and time and effort you put into our itinerary, which led to a PERFECT VACATION!!! I would be happy to use you again and feel free to use my comments in your marketing efforts! If there is somewhere I could leave a positive review for you, I'd be more than happy to do that!

Have a great day!!!
Erin

29/04/2015

If you decide to visit the Cinque Terre region of Italy, we highly recommend Riomaggiore Reservations for a place to stay. Amy and Francesco will book you a nice room and make you feel right at home. They kindly provided directions, recommended restaurants, and directed us to hiking trails. Our room was simple and clean, overlooking the people bustling up and down the main street. Their office is just a short walk from the train station.

18/10/2014

Landed\ in Dusseldorf around 6:45 a.m. Still dark and drizzling rain. No checked bags. Not feeling tired at all. Made our way to the Sky Tram for a 10 min. ride to the airport train station.

When you get a Eurail Pass to travel around Europe, it is important to have your pass registered by the ticket agent before you begin using it. Only has to be done the first time it is used. Also, you must write down the day and month on the pass each day you use it on the train. If you don't do it, you will be fined--and they take this seriously.

Boarded the regional train to Cologne at 7:50 a.m. The train was full of local commuters and there nowhere to put the luggage and backpacks so we piled them up on one seat.

26/09/2014

The post today is about the Cunard cruise. In case anyone doesn’t know, the best early cruise deals are in January and February. Travel agents offer the best deal at that time because more people book cruises at that time.

We booked this 7 day Eastern Mediterranean Cunard cruise last January for $1,200 per person for a balcony suite (with a $200 shipboard credit). This was not a travel agent special but a great deal for anyone. And, as many of you know, Cunard is slightly above mid-range in quality in the cruise industry. In fact, when Rebecca told people about this deal, she booked four other clients (2 from Los Angeles, 1 from Arizona, and 1 from Virginia) on the same cruise for the same price.

Accomplished Today

1. Still working out the details on the Switzerland portion. Found out that that the weather will probably be colder than expected in Murren, Switzerland. This little village is over 5,000 feet high and snow is possible. The good news is that the Alps will likely have snow. The bad news is our planned hike around Schilthorn at about 10,000 feet will not happen because it’s too treacherous. Oh well, have to work on alternative hikes.

2. Have to put a plug in for this lightweight suitcase at Ricardo Beverly Hills Montecito Micro-Light 20" 4-Wheel Exp Wheelaboard - eBags.com. It is an extremely lightweight carry-on that I was able to get for $66.

3. I found all of my clear packing bags to put the clothes in. You roll the clothes up, put them in these bags, and then suck the air right out. Kinda like those clear plastic bag sealer that you use to freeze and store meat. This is the only way I can get all my clothes in this suitcase. I’ll upload a picture when I do a packing dry run this weekend

25/09/2014

So here is where we're going on this 28-day trip to Europe (in date order):

2 nights travel (Los Angeles to Chicago to Dusseldorf, Germany)
4 nights Murren, Switzerland
3 nights Rome, Italy (including one day visiting Italy’s Amalfi coast)

7 nights Cunard cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean from Rome to Venice, Italy (includes ports: Corfu island, Greece; Kotor, Montenegro; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Venice)

2 nights Alicante, Spain
3 nights Murcia, Spain
3 nights Vera, Spain
2 nights Valencia, Spain
1 night Madrid, Spain

Airline Tickets

October 15 & 16 – Flight from Los Angeles to Chicago to Dusseldorf on American Airlines using 20,000 American miles per person.

October 31 – Flight from Venice to Madrid (through Lisbon, Portugal) on Portugal Airlines using 15,000 United Airlines miles per person. Taxes, surcharges, and fees $44 per person.

November 11 – Flight Madrid to Los Angeles on American using 20,000 American miles per person.

While I earn some miles for business travel, most of the airline miles were obtained by collecting credit cards and meeting their spending requirements. Although not difficult, it takes time and Rebecca plays this credit card roulette as a hobby. If you book your travel through her at www.jumpforjoytravel.com, she will work with you on using your miles (or assist you in playing the credit card game). Also, booking flights with airline miles can be a challenge as the airlines release only a certain number of seats for award travel well in advance. Timing is everything. And Rebecca can help with that too.

Between these flights we will travel by train, taxi, cruise ship, and rental car.

Accomplished Today

1. Ordered refills on pharmacy prescriptions for meds that will be taken on the trip.

2. Decided to take two carry-on items per person only. Each of us will carry one backpack and one small suitcase. Do not want lost luggage problems so there will be no checked bags. Had to research the luggage-size requirements for Portugal Airlines (since their specs are smaller than American). Dimensions cannot exceed 115 cm – or 55x40x20 cm and cannot exceed 8kg (17.6 lbs.).

Will be a challenge to carry everything from hiking clothes (for Switzerland/Spain), to regular clothes, to one suit (for the Cunard cruise). The cruise line said that the only nights lobster will be served are the two nights that we have to dress up. I’ll do anything for lobster. Will keep you posted on how the packing goes.

4. Obtained suitcases and backpacks.