I have been vacillating between obsessive research and completely ignoring my Hawaii Cruise/Trip.
I'm not sure why that is. My usual mode of operation is research obsessively until I know exactly what I will be doing on my vacation. By now, you should know that I am not a 'wing it' type of person.
Not that obsessiveness where you plan every second of your vacation, just knowing what major thing you plan to do when you are visiting kind of obsessiveness.
So, I've had this trip booked for about 18 months now. Ok, I admit it took second place to Tahiti--but really what wouldn't? But Tahiti is now a distant, but vivid memory. (it will be a year at the end of September. OMG)
I have my normal multi-tabbed Excel spreadsheet of course. But even that was not populated with all the things I normally include. Like I said, I would research like crazy for a week or so, and then not do anything else for weeks.
Finally, after I got home from Sanibel, I got myself in a Hawaii state of mind and started researching and making decisions. I've done something I have not done in many, many cruises--I booked some shore excursions through the ship. <GASP> Actually, during all of my maniacal research I discovered that the ship's tours for these ports were not out of line cost-wise. Plus, I don't have to worry about transportation, car rentals, etc etc etc.
I realize now, my first mistake and probably one of the reasons I wasn't able to make any decisions was a rookie one. I read all the websites with things to see and do and was trying to cram too much into a day. Once I figured that out, I was able to determine what was the thing I wanted to do the most. After that, it was pretty easy.
The first thing I decided about this trip was that I wanted it to be stressless. The second thing was a list of the Top 5 things I wanted to do. Boom! Trip planned!
My first stop on this trip will be a visit to my cousin, Carren, and her family in Seattle. They have graciously offered to pick me up from the airport and are letting me stay with them for 2 nights. They've also agreed to drop me off at the Train Station at a most ungodly early hour.
I will have 1 full day in Seattle and I plan on going to Pike's Place Market and then to the Space Needle if the weather is good. Carren has volunteered to be my tour guide!
The next morning it's off to Vancouver via the Amtrak Cascade Train. I hope the weather is nice and clear so I can see all the gorgeous sites along the way. I already booked my ticket and upgraded it to a business class for like $15 more. More comfy seats, less people and a reserved space.
For more information check out these links:
http://www.amtrakcascades.com/
The reviews on Trip Advisor are great and I cannot wait to see the Train Station in Seattle.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g154943-d1952467-r164101435-The_Pacific_Central_Station-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html
The trip is supposed to take about 4 hours and immigration is completed at the station in Vancouver.
Getting excited now....only 53 more days until I'm a Gypsy once again!
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