5 Reasons to Take a River Cruise with Scenic Cruises

5 Reasons to Take a River Cruise with Scenic Cruises

Taking a Luxury Scenic RiverCruise with my husband has been a top contender on my bucket list for quite a while now. Even though I love to travel, I don’t get to as often as I would like, and now that my husband has a harder time getting around, I think a cruise would be the perfect option. Here are my top 5 reasons for choosing Scenic Cruises.

1. Luxury accommodations like those that you would expect from a 5-star or boutique hotel. You will feel pampered with your personal butler, valet services, complimentary laundry service and world class dining featuring delightful European Regional Cuisine.  They have thought of everything, right down to a “Pillow Menu” so that you can choose the ultimate pillow to lay your head down on at night for that perfect sleep!
2. All of Scenic’s Cruises are “all inclusive”. From airport transfers, superb dining, and complimentary bar service, to on-board activities, excursions and gratuities – it’s ALL included!
3. 100 “Scenic Tailormade” excursions to choose from which include preloaded GPS tours and tour information plus free electric bicycles to use so that you can explore at your own pace.
4. Their ships are completely wired with high-tech access if you need to stay connected. At your fingertips you have flat screen T.V.’s, Mac Minis and free Wi-Fi. They offer 220v electricity with both European and Australian outlets.
5. They have paid superb attention to details on these luxurious ships so that you can have a worry-free, relaxed experience of a lifetime!

I hope that one day I can experience a luxury “space ship” as it glides me along the waterways of the world in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand or South America!

Sea World Offers

Here are two great offers from Sea World. Pay for less than a day with the Fun Card Membership ($65.00), or go to a seasonal event and get the rest of 2012 for free! This offer expires on June 1, 2012. 

Or purchase a silver or platinum membership and get one free all day dining deal. These memberships start at $120.00, plus your unlimited dining deal has a $29.99 value. This membership has unlimited admission with no blackout dates, free parking, in park savings on food and merchandise and more.

Launching on May 26th is "Manta". This is a  multi-media coaster. You  can also surround yourself with mantas in a grotto where you can touch and feed the mantas.

You can buy this offer online at SeaWorldSanDiego.com and enter promo code: SWCMySeaWorld2012.

Ta ta for now...save money!

A Working Vacation

Here is an idea for the adventurous! If you like to travel or experience new things, but you may not always have the funds, consider being a caretaker.

No rent, no mortgage, just an investment in a bi-monthly magazine called "The Caretaking Gazette". For $29.95 you will receive magazine that lists opportunities to take care of properties such as estates, lodges, mansions, farms, ranches, vacation homes and other kind of properties that the owners need help with. Every property owner needs to go on vacations sometimes, don't they? This is how they make sure that there is a caretaker while they are away.

Check out caretaker.org to learn more!

Ta ta for now...save money!

Zip Line in Big Bear

After my first and second experience Zip Lining on Catalina last year, I must confess that I am now addicted to this adrenaline rush! That is why I couldn't resist purchasing a "Deal of the Day" offer through my local newspaper, The OC Register. They offered a 9 Line Zip Tour with a Fun Suspension Bridge in Big Bear for only $48.00. This is an up to $95.00 value!

I bought three offers back in January, since my sister told me that if I ever saw any more zip offers that she wanted to go. Coordinating schedules is difficult for working people, but we decided a Friday would work best, and I reserved a date that I thought would put us past snow in Big Bear. It happened to land a week after one of their big snowfalls which actually worked out beautifully! There was just enough snow on the ground to create a gorgeous backdrop to the pines, mountains and rocks, but not so much that we needed chains or heavy mountain gear! Because we went up early on a Friday, we missed any heavy weekend traffic that would have started after working hours. It timed out perfectly. We had enough time to have a wonderful Mexican lunch at Hacienda Grill which was just up the street from Action Zipline Tours where our tour would start. Then we drove over to The Village and window shopped the quaint stores before heading back to begin our big adventure.

Actionziplinetours.com covered everything! After a short safety and instructional video, a van drove us up to the 9000' altitude point where we loaded into two Swiss Pinzgauer high mobility all-terrain vehicles. Even that ride set the tone for our next adventure as we twisted, turned and bounced on slick muddy mountain roads (more like paths) as we wove our way to the starting point.

Once we reached the first platform, we donned our harnesses, helmets and safety gloves and reviewed braking techniques. 

Our warm-up was a suspension bridge. I ran across first to avoid any extra movement provided by the tour guides.

It was so exciting to experience high-speed runs while flying over the treetops. I even was brave enough to strike different poses or to let go completely!

I can't wait to return for another adventure. We were told that we could receive a 10% discount on our next booking if we just told them the date of our last reservation. I'm game! I might even try one of their Segway Tours. Oh, and they will sell you photos or the entire picture cd. As you can see, they take amazing pictures and these are just a small sampling of the many they took. They also do not allow you to take cameras or cell phones on your journey.

I would suggest visiting the following websites before you go to check for special events, discounts and dining tips. It will save you time and help you plan your trip.

• BigBear.com
• ViewBigBear.com
• BigBearToday.com
• Groupon.com

Ta ta for now...save money!

Couch Surfing

What is Couch Surfing you ponder? It is a way to travel and stay for free by crashing on someone else's couch! By joining this free online service, www.couchsurfing.org, you can find people you can relate to and crash on their couch. You can also just meet them for coffee or drinks to learn more about their way of life. This non-profit is devoted to cultural education and understanding. Detailed profiles and references on members help you feel safe. Look for someone who shares similar interests or hobbies and get surfing!

As their website says: Couch Surfing is - 

Adventure with new friends.

Join the CouchSurfing community to meet new people from around the world and share a meal, an adventure, or a home.

Happy Trails!

Ta ta for now...save money!