The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry
If you, like me, have ever owned a timeshare (and I feel sorry for you if you do), you know that vacation plans at alternate resorts take a lot of patience, time spent searching, luck, and money. Money for an RCI or Interval membership, money for the trade, resort fees and non-resident fees, all piled on top of the never-ending maintenance fees from your home property. I was elated when Marriott Vacation Club offered to take this albatross from around my neck: Goodbye Week 48, Birch Building #105, Streamside-at-Vail, Colorado! However, I had unused deposits with RCI and started looking where I could use them up.
After hunting around for a place we wanted to go (not Branson again, even though there are always open units there). I found a resort in Treasure Island, Florida that was right on the beach! Gulf coast, just south of Tampa; white sand and sunsets! I made the trade which locked us into going there the week of our anniversary, beginning Sept. 29, 2018. It would be a week after Rebecca's wedding, and we were looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the salt life.
Then, about six weeks before we were to go, news stories started appearing about a record-breaking algae bloom, also known as "Red Tide." It was killing fish, birds, and mammals all up and down the western (Gulf) coast of Florida. The pictures were horrendous: Dead manatees, dead dolphins, dead fish packed along the shore like some oddly-shaped jigsaw puzzle. People were getting sick from the smell, and many were hospitalized with respiratory ailments just from being near the beach.
But, we had that week at that location. No one else in their right mind would take it off our hands. Our airline tickets were already bought, vacation time was already approved, and we were exasperated. If we had gone, we would have been ex-aspirated! The news stories said the Red Tide should clear up around December...
Time for PLAN B.
I began trying to polish this, um, unpolishable thing, and it was time to bail out. I started looking at places we could drive to from Tulsa, hoping to salvage the airline tickets for later (I ❤ Southwest, by the way!) I was about to give up a week relaxing on the beach for a week driving to and from another destination. We discussed San Antonio, New Orleans, even driving the Natchez Trace Parkway from Memphis. Too far, too much driving, no time to relax.
Something told me to look online for cheap "last minute" fares and deals. Hawaii? Too expensive. Then I started checking cruises. There is a 7-day Carnival cruise leaving Tampa on Sept. 30th! Even better, they are selling the remaining ocean-view staterooms for $400 per person. We could keep our airline tickets, and visit the still-clean beaches of the Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize! Ann and I looked at each other in disbelief. She muttered something about this being crazy. I muttered a line made famous by Tom Cruise in the movie Risky Business, and we booked a cruise right then and there.
While we've done this itinerary before, there's no way we are tired of it. Ann loves cruises, just ask her! I love not having to drive all week! Western Caribbean, here we come, and we get to let Carnival do all the work. The ship is the appropriately-named Carnival Miracle. We extended our stay one day so we could disembark on Sunday and fly home on Monday morning. For only a $6 fare increase. Did I mention I ❤ Southwest Airlines? The extra night in Tampa cost us $35. I also ❤ Hilton's employee rate!
We have our passports. We have the time off. We have our swimsuits and snorkeling gear. We have new dress clothes for the wedding that will see a second showing at formal night on the ship. Due to PSAV being sold to Blackstone, the company just announced a $750 bonus for all full-time employees. To add icing to the cake, I just got my Q2 performance bonus last week, and my GSS customer survey bonus is due before we leave. Working by myself 7 days a week, and making a small hotel's AV profitable, paid for this. I need a vacation, and I'm not going to let a few million dead fish ruin it.
Update:
Cancel the condo in Treasure Island: check
Cancel the rental car: check.
Change the timeshare travel insurance to cruise insurance: check
Book shore excursions:in progress. Done! See below for what we are doing so far.
Cozumel: Shore snorkel with Mexican lunch - "Experience a spectacular snorkeling experience at Sky Reef, a signature snorkel location in Cozumel Island. Explore Mexico above and below the turquoise Caribbean Sea. Snorkel over beautiful reefs that attract vast schools of fish, see the underwater world full of abundant and diverse marine life that are attracted by this ecosystem. Enjoy a Mexican lunch and a complementary drink at the Sky Reef Restaurant and don't miss the fascinating flavors of Mexico during the tequila tasting tour at Hacienda Antigua."
Belize: Wildlife Adventure & Zoo - "Nature lovers, this is the tour for you! Enjoy a wildlife experience as you board your semi-covered river boat for a scenic ride tour of the Belize coast and the historic Belize River. You’ll see gentle, docile manatees, iguanas, spider monkeys and more as you venture through the historic Belize River. Stop along the river side for a local lunch and then you are off to visit the Belize Zoo, home to more than 170 native animals.The zoo focuses on educating visitors about the wildlife of Belize through encountering the animals in their natural habitat."
Roatan (Honduras): Top 10 Best of Roatan - "Delight your senses as you explore the Top 10 best attractions of Roatan. Visit the Freaky Iguana Farm to feed hundreds of different iguanas in their natural habitat. The Roatan Chocolate Factory will demonstrate the process to make some of the world’s best and rarest chocolate. A stop in the West End Village’s “The Rusty Fish” offers great insight into life in the area. At the Roatan Rum Company, guests are able to enjoy the spectacular view of the lighthouse from outside, while enjoying a variety of authentic homemade rums in the building. At the only Cameo Factory in the Americas, enjoy watching master craftsmen create jewelry and art by carving away at shells, conchs, coral and stone. Drive through Coxen Hole and pass City Hall on the way to a private beach where members of the local Garifuna tribe will share their music, dancing, language and food. Relax on this beautiful beach, before being brought back to the ship."
===== New stuff below =====
Grand Cayman: Man, I wish I could get paid for trip planning! We've been to Stingray City in the past, and it seems 90% of Carnival's shore excursions are some activity + Stingray City. We really just wanted to go to the beach, snorkel, and do some shopping. Then, I found a distillery tour with beach excursion. It's not a Carnival tour, but one we would book on our own. There was one huge problem; there are 3 tours per day: one before our ship arrives, one too late to get back on the ship, and a mid-day one that is SOLD OUT. Okay, I'm not going to give up that easily. Buckle up, this gets crazy...
Our ship arrives at 10 AM, and we have to tender into George Town. The distillery also offers a 10:45 AM tour with shopping (no beach), which we would most likely miss because the tenders take around an hour to deliver us to shore. However, there's also a 2:45 PM tour! I checked online and a taxi to/from the beach is about $10 each way. However, the buses run every 4 minutes and only cost $2 each way. Allowing for ample travel time, and definitely not wanting to swim after the distillery's samples, here's our plan for Grand Cayman:
Get off the tender around 11 AM, catch a bus to Seven Mile Beach, which is public and free, and spend a couple of hours there swimming, snorkeling, etc. Around 1:30 PM catch a bus or taxi back to George Town.We've been warned do not take this tour on an empty stomach, so we'll grab a bite to eat for lunch, shop if there's time, and meet the 2:45 PM tour bus. See below for details on that. After the tour, shop some on our own then stagger back to the pier to catch a tender back to the ship for a 6 PM departure. Whew! Glad the next day is a lazy "Day at Sea!"
Tour:"Follow a guide for a tour of Cayman Islands' only distillery, where you can sample some of the products. Learn the unique distillation and underwater aging process of Cayman's first locally made rum. Sample up to eight free shots of their delicious spirit blends including the famous Seven Fathoms Rum, Governor's Reserve, their new Gun Bay Vodka, even Moonshine! Afterward you can browse local souvenir shops where you will find products made only in the Caymans, including the famous Tortuga Rum Cakes and Blackbeard's Rum Cake. Note that the cruise ship terminal is steps away from the George Town shopping area."
Good to know after 8 shots of booze!
Well, sometimes life throws you a beanball. I just heard back from the distillery tour, and apparently Carnival's "time" is not "Cayman Island time". The tour operator said none of the afternoon tours would get us back to the pier in time, as the last tender to the ship is actually 4:15 PM. They cancelled my payment, and we're back to square one for Friday. Looks like our best option is to take a taxi to the north end of Seven Mile Beach for some snorkeling on our own, eat at one of the local restaurants near there, then take a taxi back to town for some sightseeing and shopping. I found Ann and myself some short, lightweight fins we can pack with our masks and snorkels, so we won't need to rent them now. It's always a bit disconcerting to use gear that has been in someone else's mouth, on their face and feet, then thrown into a tub with all the others and maybe some disinfectant. Besides, Ann has a prescription mask now, so the fishies will be in focus.
After hunting around for a place we wanted to go (not Branson again, even though there are always open units there). I found a resort in Treasure Island, Florida that was right on the beach! Gulf coast, just south of Tampa; white sand and sunsets! I made the trade which locked us into going there the week of our anniversary, beginning Sept. 29, 2018. It would be a week after Rebecca's wedding, and we were looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the salt life.
Then, about six weeks before we were to go, news stories started appearing about a record-breaking algae bloom, also known as "Red Tide." It was killing fish, birds, and mammals all up and down the western (Gulf) coast of Florida. The pictures were horrendous: Dead manatees, dead dolphins, dead fish packed along the shore like some oddly-shaped jigsaw puzzle. People were getting sick from the smell, and many were hospitalized with respiratory ailments just from being near the beach.
But, we had that week at that location. No one else in their right mind would take it off our hands. Our airline tickets were already bought, vacation time was already approved, and we were exasperated. If we had gone, we would have been ex-aspirated! The news stories said the Red Tide should clear up around December...
Time for PLAN B.
I began trying to polish this, um, unpolishable thing, and it was time to bail out. I started looking at places we could drive to from Tulsa, hoping to salvage the airline tickets for later (I ❤ Southwest, by the way!) I was about to give up a week relaxing on the beach for a week driving to and from another destination. We discussed San Antonio, New Orleans, even driving the Natchez Trace Parkway from Memphis. Too far, too much driving, no time to relax.
Something told me to look online for cheap "last minute" fares and deals. Hawaii? Too expensive. Then I started checking cruises. There is a 7-day Carnival cruise leaving Tampa on Sept. 30th! Even better, they are selling the remaining ocean-view staterooms for $400 per person. We could keep our airline tickets, and visit the still-clean beaches of the Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize! Ann and I looked at each other in disbelief. She muttered something about this being crazy. I muttered a line made famous by Tom Cruise in the movie Risky Business, and we booked a cruise right then and there.
While we've done this itinerary before, there's no way we are tired of it. Ann loves cruises, just ask her! I love not having to drive all week! Western Caribbean, here we come, and we get to let Carnival do all the work. The ship is the appropriately-named Carnival Miracle. We extended our stay one day so we could disembark on Sunday and fly home on Monday morning. For only a $6 fare increase. Did I mention I ❤ Southwest Airlines? The extra night in Tampa cost us $35. I also ❤ Hilton's employee rate!
We have our passports. We have the time off. We have our swimsuits and snorkeling gear. We have new dress clothes for the wedding that will see a second showing at formal night on the ship. Due to PSAV being sold to Blackstone, the company just announced a $750 bonus for all full-time employees. To add icing to the cake, I just got my Q2 performance bonus last week, and my GSS customer survey bonus is due before we leave. Working by myself 7 days a week, and making a small hotel's AV profitable, paid for this. I need a vacation, and I'm not going to let a few million dead fish ruin it.
Update:
Cancel the condo in Treasure Island: check
Cancel the rental car: check.
Change the timeshare travel insurance to cruise insurance: check
Book shore excursions:
Cozumel: Shore snorkel with Mexican lunch - "Experience a spectacular snorkeling experience at Sky Reef, a signature snorkel location in Cozumel Island. Explore Mexico above and below the turquoise Caribbean Sea. Snorkel over beautiful reefs that attract vast schools of fish, see the underwater world full of abundant and diverse marine life that are attracted by this ecosystem. Enjoy a Mexican lunch and a complementary drink at the Sky Reef Restaurant and don't miss the fascinating flavors of Mexico during the tequila tasting tour at Hacienda Antigua."
Belize: Wildlife Adventure & Zoo - "Nature lovers, this is the tour for you! Enjoy a wildlife experience as you board your semi-covered river boat for a scenic ride tour of the Belize coast and the historic Belize River. You’ll see gentle, docile manatees, iguanas, spider monkeys and more as you venture through the historic Belize River. Stop along the river side for a local lunch and then you are off to visit the Belize Zoo, home to more than 170 native animals.The zoo focuses on educating visitors about the wildlife of Belize through encountering the animals in their natural habitat."
Roatan (Honduras): Top 10 Best of Roatan - "Delight your senses as you explore the Top 10 best attractions of Roatan. Visit the Freaky Iguana Farm to feed hundreds of different iguanas in their natural habitat. The Roatan Chocolate Factory will demonstrate the process to make some of the world’s best and rarest chocolate. A stop in the West End Village’s “The Rusty Fish” offers great insight into life in the area. At the Roatan Rum Company, guests are able to enjoy the spectacular view of the lighthouse from outside, while enjoying a variety of authentic homemade rums in the building. At the only Cameo Factory in the Americas, enjoy watching master craftsmen create jewelry and art by carving away at shells, conchs, coral and stone. Drive through Coxen Hole and pass City Hall on the way to a private beach where members of the local Garifuna tribe will share their music, dancing, language and food. Relax on this beautiful beach, before being brought back to the ship."
===== New stuff below =====
Grand Cayman: Man, I wish I could get paid for trip planning! We've been to Stingray City in the past, and it seems 90% of Carnival's shore excursions are some activity + Stingray City. We really just wanted to go to the beach, snorkel, and do some shopping. Then, I found a distillery tour with beach excursion. It's not a Carnival tour, but one we would book on our own. There was one huge problem; there are 3 tours per day: one before our ship arrives, one too late to get back on the ship, and a mid-day one that is SOLD OUT. Okay, I'm not going to give up that easily. Buckle up, this gets crazy...
Our ship arrives at 10 AM, and we have to tender into George Town. The distillery also offers a 10:45 AM tour with shopping (no beach), which we would most likely miss because the tenders take around an hour to deliver us to shore. However, there's also a 2:45 PM tour! I checked online and a taxi to/from the beach is about $10 each way. However, the buses run every 4 minutes and only cost $2 each way. Allowing for ample travel time, and definitely not wanting to swim after the distillery's samples, here's our plan for Grand Cayman:
Get off the tender around 11 AM, catch a bus to Seven Mile Beach, which is public and free, and spend a couple of hours there swimming, snorkeling, etc. Around 1:30 PM catch a bus or taxi back to George Town.
Tour:
Well, sometimes life throws you a beanball. I just heard back from the distillery tour, and apparently Carnival's "time" is not "Cayman Island time". The tour operator said none of the afternoon tours would get us back to the pier in time, as the last tender to the ship is actually 4:15 PM. They cancelled my payment, and we're back to square one for Friday. Looks like our best option is to take a taxi to the north end of Seven Mile Beach for some snorkeling on our own, eat at one of the local restaurants near there, then take a taxi back to town for some sightseeing and shopping. I found Ann and myself some short, lightweight fins we can pack with our masks and snorkels, so we won't need to rent them now. It's always a bit disconcerting to use gear that has been in someone else's mouth, on their face and feet, then thrown into a tub with all the others and maybe some disinfectant. Besides, Ann has a prescription mask now, so the fishies will be in focus.
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