Trips with Angie

02/07/2024

Before our Arctic cruise, we spent three nights in Edinburgh. This blog shares what we did. What do you think? Are you headed to Scotland next? If you've been, what were your favorite things?

First stop: Edinburgh

01/07/2024

After clearing the ice pack, we headed south to make our way to Tromso, Norway. We had gorgeous days filled with glaciers. We also had a very foggy, rainy day when we visited North Kapp - one of the northern most points on continental Europe. I was able to spy some reindeer through the fog.

26/06/2024

One of the highlights of this type of Arctic expedition cruise is heading into the ice pack. In ideal conditions, the ship will go into the ice pack and stay overnight. This creates the conditions for polar bears to get closer to the ship. If conditions are really good, guests may be able to walk on some of this sea ice.

We didn't have ideal conditions. We were only able to sail a little ways into the ice pack due to the fog. It's incredible to think about early explorers navigating this in sail boats fortified with a little extra wood.

25/06/2024

Polar bears!! We've been very lucky to see three sets of polar bears. We watched a mother and older cub dive for food. We were able to get a close up view from the ship's GSS camera. The polar bear expert on board narrated the experience. We cannot get close to the bears for our safety and the longevity of the bears.

24/06/2024

It's a walrus! One thing I really appreciate about this Arctic cruise is how it caters to all different levels of explorers.

Some of our fellow guests have incredible cameras with lenses as long as my arm. I brought my phone.

To help people like me, the bridge has an incredible GSS camera with Super Zoom. These are images I captured from my TV as we sailed by Moffen Island.

23/06/2024

Arctic animals are more elusive than those in the Antarctic because of polar bears. Polar bears are a gnarly apex predator. They will scavenge and eat anything.

Yesterday, we got really lucky on our afternoon Zodiac cruise. We found this bearded seal posing in an ice flow for us. We also saw puffins and a walrus.

This morning, our wake up call was a polar bear sighting announcement. It's a fun adventure.

22/06/2024

We have the last 10 tips for first time cruisers. Did any of these surprise you?

Cruises: Exciting? Absolutely! But a little overwhelming for first-timers? Totally normal! Don't worry, this video is your PRE-CRUISE lifesaver! We'll guide ...

21/06/2024

Have you ever suffered the travel day grumpies? Yesterday I did. What is it about travel days that make them so exhausting?

We had to get from our hotel in Edinburgh to the ship in Longbearyn, Svalbard, Norway. Seabourn chartered two planes to take everyone. We were on the later flight so we didn't have to leave the hotel until 8 am. The early flight had a 4:30 am transfer time. 😳

They were loading us into cabs to get to the airport. Because we had small luggage, they kept trying to add us to cabs with only two people. It just didn't work. Finally, they got a cab for 8 and we squished in there. It was not very comfortable and I got a little carsick in the 30 minute drive.

Then, it was airport time. That went really well. The process was simple. I had lounge access through my Amex. We relaxed and then headed down to the gate at our boarding time of 10 am. Everyone had boarded. We were the last ones. We got lucky with emergency exit row seats. They tried to keep the middle seat open so most people had a little extra space.

We made it to Norway and loaded onto the bus for the 10 minute ride to the ship. They checked our passports on the bus and we boarded the ship. Whew! What a day.

We had our muster drill and first briefing. Then, we settled in to watch sail away with a little sushi.

20/06/2024

Yesterday was an easy fun day. We like to build them into our itinerary.

It means a late start and no set plans. These are the days we fall in love with cities. It does mean we miss some of the "must see" attractions.

We wandered our way through New Town and Old Town. We love quirky museums and delicious foods.
- Cafe Royal was our choice for lunch, but it was out of seafood so we had a scotch egg.
- Makars Mash Bar for the best dish of the trip: Sauteed mushrooms over bacon and onion mashed potatoes
- Camera Obscura for fun house tricks and a 171 year old panoramic camera
- Ensign Ewart, a pub that dates back to 1690
- Museum of Childhood for its collection of toys
- World's End bar to watch some football
- Queen's Arms for a pot pie dinner

It's very fun being in Europe during a football tournament. The pubs are packed.

Today, we fly to northern Norway to start our Arctic expedition.

19/06/2024

What do you think of big bus tours? I think that sometimes, a big bus tour is the right answer.

I think by now you know I love a private tour. But I really wanted to see Loch Ness after all the stories about Nessie - the Loch Ness monster. Loch Ness is a 3.5 - 4 hour drive from Edinburgh.
🚗We could have rented a car for the day, but that's a lot of driving and the driver can't enjoy the views.
🏨We could have changed our plans to take the train to Inverness, spent the night and booked a tour from there. But, we wanted more time in Edinburgh.
🚕We could have booked a private tour, but that was more than we wanted to spend.
🚐We could have booked a small group tour, but I thought I would get less carsick on a bus. I also prefer the larger windows and being higher up.

So, a large group tour it was. It was exactly what I expected. We got to see the beautiful Highlands scenery and drive along Loch Ness. We stopped at a hotel where a Nessie sighting was reported years ago. I got a couple good bus naps. The tour guide shared tons of great information.

Did you know Loch Ness is 24 miles long? It's a mile wide at its widest and 755 deep at its deepest. Peat grows along the shore and is swept into the lake when it rains. This makes the water murky and keeps it from freezing.

18/06/2024

Travel tip: Have a plan to get moving and outside after an overnight flight.

We landed around 10:45 am local time in Edinburgh yesterday. Our cure for jet lag is to get outside and moving. We booked 2 pm tickets for Edinburgh Castle. We took a private transfer for the 30 minute ride from the airport to our hotel in New Town. We dropped our bags and off we went:
🍽️Lunch at Slug and Lettuce
🏠Walk through of Edinburgh Castle
😴One hour power nap
🍲Dinner at Beehive Inn
🎭Literary Pub Tour - We joined 12 other people to learn more about famous Scottish authors.

We made it back to the hotel around 10:00 pm. A great success for avoiding jet lag.

What do you do to avoid jet lag?

17/06/2024

Why spend your last day of vacation at the airport? Many cruise lines offer excursions that include a drop off at the airport after you spend a couple hours exploring the port city.

17/06/2024

Time to fly! Are you ready to follow along on a month long European adventure?? First stop is Edinburgh, Scotland. We are flying Polaris. I am so torn between enjoying all the amenities and meals and getting a solid 5 or 6 hours sleep. I think sleep will win because we have a full day when we land tomorrow.

I was so excited to see the Wrexham amenity pack. I saw it was released, but wasn't sure we would get it.

Any recommendations for Edinburgh?

15/06/2024

We have ten more things first time cruisers may not know. Did any of these surprise you?

Cruises: Exciting? Absolutely! But a little overwhelming for first-timers? Totally normal! Don't worry, this video is your PRE-CRUISE lifesaver! We'll guide ...

14/06/2024

It's 7 o'clock in St Lucia. St Lucia offers beautiful scenery with the Pitons towering over the beautiful bays. I really enjoyed this chocolate making excursion on our last visit. It’s a great half day option if you enjoy learning about food. Mud baths excursions or a Pitons cruise are also popular options.

What are your favorite things to do on St Lucia?

Shore Excursion Review

14/06/2024

I am so excited for J&M. I just booked a gorgeous Rhine river cruise on Viking for them next year. They'll enjoy exploring Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Did you know that Viking recently reported their ships are already 70% full for next year? Now is the time to book if you are considering a river cruise in 2025.

I also have some great deals available for 2024 sailings. Email [email protected]

To learn more about sailing on the Rhine, here's my review:

Filmed September 2022 🚢Welcome to "Trips with Angie" for an unforgettable journey along the Rhine River with my review of the Viking River Cruise experience...

13/06/2024

It's 7 o'clock in Antigua. I love the beaches on this island. White sand. Blue water. The Shirley Heights area has terrific views. The island also has a lot of history. My favorite excursion there is the Catamaran cruise with lobster lunch.

What are your favorite things to do in Antigua?

Delicious!

12/06/2024

It's 7 o'clock in Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic. Amber Cove Cruise Center is a large complex right as you walk off the ship. It can accommodate up to two ships and 8,000 passengers. In this video, I share a tour of the pool area, shopping complex, the waterfall, and some secret areas to relax in the shade while your friends are shopping.

What's your favorite thing to do at Amber Cove?

Pool, overwater cabanas, and shopping plaza

11/06/2024

It's 7 o'clock in Grand Turk. One popular destination in the Caribbean is Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos. Cruisers love that the beach is right there as you walk off the ship plus there's a large pool to enjoy.

Here's my overview of the port area. What's your favorite thing to do in Grand Turk?

Great beach and jerk chicken steps from the pier

10/06/2024

This week's 7 o'clock somewhere series is all about the Caribbean. Caribbean cruises are the most popular cruises for Americans. Approximately nine million people cruise the Caribbean each year.

One very important thing to know if you are planning to cruise to the Caribbean is that hurricane season is June - November.

Have you cruised during hurricane season? What was it like?

Hurricane season runs June 1st to November 30th. This season impacts Hawaii, Mexico, most of the Caribbean, the gulf coast of the...

08/06/2024

I know a lot of you are enjoying our series on Things Cruise Ship Don't Tell You. This is a great series for first time cruisers. I pulled together the first 10 things I think you should know.

Cruises: Exciting? Absolutely! But a little overwhelming for first-timers? Totally normal! Don't worry, this video is your PRE-CRUISE lifesaver! We'll guide...

07/06/2024

One cruise itinerary I love so much I've sailed it three times: the Panama Canal.

I've sailed both the "old" locks and the "new" locks. Locks are basically ship elevators that move ships from one water level to another. Did you know that the Panama Canal needs locks because the tides are so different in the Atlantic versus the Pacific?

One big decision when you are considering a Panama Canal cruise is whether you want to do a partial transit or a full transit. I have some thoughts:

What would you pick a partial transit cruise or a full transit cruise?

I’ve taken three Panama Canal cruises - one partial transit and two full transits. I recently helped a client decide between a full transit and a partial transit cruise to celebrate their anniversary. I thought you may be interested in some of the questions that came up.

06/06/2024

It's 7 o'clock along the Atlantic coast of North America. A great cruise to take in the fall is a cruise visiting Canada and New England. We did this last September. Timing it with peak foliage is tricky. We missed the peak, but still had a great time exploring the coast.

This is a great cruise if you love exploring historic towns. Have you taken a Canada / New England cruise? Is it on your list?

September 2023 on the Celebrity Summit

05/06/2024

It's 7 o'clock on the Amazon River. Last year, we took a Seabourn expedition through Brazil down the Amazon river. Most mornings at sunrise, we'd load into small inflatable zodiac boats and search for pink river dolphins, exotic birds and monkeys. It was like living a national geographic special.

What do you think? Is this something you'd enjoy?

Cruise Review and Packing Tips

05/06/2024

I am so excited for A&D. We just booked a great 9 night itinerary for them on the Valiant Lady to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary this August for less than $200 per person per night.

Virgin Voyages was the perfect fit for them because they wanted an adults only experience with exceptional food. NO KIDS! NO BUFFETS!

Is Virgin Voyages right for you? Email [email protected]

Richard Branson's new cruise line Virgin Voyages set out to disrupt the cruise industry. I'd say it succeeded. A Virgin Voyages cruise is ...

04/06/2024

It's 7 o'clock in South America. In March, we took an incredible 14 night cruise from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina with an added trip to Iguazu Falls. It was incredible. This blog has the highlights of our itinerary: wine tasting, star gazing, glaciers, penguins, and waterfalls.

What do you think?

From: Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina including Iguazu Falls

03/06/2024

This week's 7 o'clock somewhere series will focus on unique itineraries for cruises.

What destinations are you dreaming about visiting?

Looking for some inspiration? I made my own list of bucket list cruises. Do we have any in common?

For my personal travel, I love new cruise ships or unique itineraries. I created a list of epic cruise ship itineraries. I share them in this video including maps of where they go: Out of all those itineraries, the only one I’ve sailed is the Panama Canal:

02/06/2024

Are you looking for a foodie experience on your next cruise? Check out the Chef's Table experience on the Carnival Jubilee.

What do you think? Would you try it?

01/06/2024

Things They Don't Tell You about Cruise Ships Part 29: Why do they move the ships around?

31/05/2024

Tonight, we have another video in our "Is it worth it?" series. When we sailed on the Carnival Jubilee, we booked an Excel suite.

Historically, suites on Carnival were just bigger cabins - no significant extra perks. On the Mardi Gras, Celebration, and Jubilee, Carnival tried adding additional perks to their Excel suites. See what I thought in my review of the Excel Corner Suite on the Carnival Jubilee:

What do you think? Is it worth it?

Upgrading to a suite on the Carnival Jubilee? Unbox cabin 10209, the coveted Excel Corner Suite! This in-depth 2024 review takes you INSIDE this luxurious ...