Help me decide re: vacation (LONG)

Bella2u07 · May 2011

Now that beta hell is over, my job is a little bit more secure and we received the cruise lines offer back....it is time to decide on a vacation and DH has left it up to me to pick from the options we came up with.

Option 1: Cruise to Alaska (never been) - Will also visit my family in Seattle (never been) for a few days too. Days gone = 11

Pros: A cruise will be relaxing. I will be able to start stims/monitoring while boss is off for 2 weeks in June (less stress for me to deal with), perfect timing for this cruise, as we never really vacation this time of year (we might not have this opportunity again anytime soon) and we have free airline tickets.

Cons: Weather will be chilly and maybe even rainy. Will have to extend BCP a few days and travel with Lupron. No natural tan, might have to get a spray tan for brother wedding in 2 months.

Option 2: Las Vegas (been 1x - got engaged there in '04) & Hoover Damn (never been). Days gone = 6

Pros: Warm/hot. I will be able to get a tan for my brothers wedding, will be able to start stims/monitoring while boss is off for 2 weeks, Hotel rooms are CHEAP and we have free airline tickets.

Cons: Shorter vacation compared to other options, will have to extend BCP a few days and travel with Lupron.

Option 3: East Coast Trip - Days Gone = 11

Variation 1: We drive round-trip. Stops in VA (maybe), SC, GA (1-2 nights at each) and end up in Tampa, FL for our longest stay. Return trip - overnight in SC.

Variation 2: I would fly to SC (ILs house), Dh rides our motorcycle down. After a few days at the ILs, we ride the bike to Savannah, GA (never been) for a night, then to Tampa for our longest stay. Return trip - Take the train from Orlando to D.C. and then ride the bike back home from there. ***we will be doing our best to stay off of busy expressways (I-95, Rt. 4 in FL, etc...)***

Pros: Warm/hot weather, I will be able to get a tan for my brothers wedding, we will be able to see friends and family, and we can save our free airline tickets for another trip in a few months/fall.

Cons: Maybe the weather will be too hot and we might not be able to see one set of friends in FL. Oh and I will have to extend BCP even more (a full week) for this trip and will have to travel with Lupron.

[Poll]

baze2 · May 2011

I have heard that Alaskan Cruises have higher average ages..however, after vacationing in alaska (inland not on a cruise) I would go on a cruise to Alaska tomorrow! One of the best trips of my life.

LCS040209 · May 2011

I think the cruise sounds the most relaxing!

albjag · May 2011

Alaska cruise so I can live vicariously through you. That's a once in a lifetime opportunity and you'll see things there you can't see anywhere else. I've heard its gorgeous and absolutely amazing.

babylove0511 · May 2011

I'm a warm weather girl and enjoy my summer tans so I say Vegas

sit by the pool, relax, shipment catch a few shows! Maybe a Celine Dion show! Alaska sounds amazing and a friend of mine did that cruise and LOVED it! I think the chilly rain is the only reason I picked Vegas. Either way, you have great choices

))

vanessagorc · May 2011

I think the cruise to alaska sounds great..

U can do the other stuff any time....

Granted, we would never road trip anywhere...so i didn't consider those options. And i don't tan anyway.

Everyone i know, who has cruised alaska, loved it.

MBfromBMC · May 2011

I say Alaska, but I'm not really a fan of hot weather anyway!

SweetDahlia · May 2011

We loved our trip to Alaska. We had perfect weather, but went in July. I think you would be okay. We had such a great time.

And I just loved Seattle. It was amazing there.

HappyAardvark · May 2011

I clicked on the wrong board, but I love vacation posts so I took a peek... I really hope it's okay if I reply. Let me know if I should delete.

Anyway, dh and I did an Alaska cruise for our honeymoon. It was not my #1 choice but it was something he really wanted and since he basically let me have my way with the wedding, how could I say no? It was AMAZING. Totally amazing and I would go again in a heartbeat. The weather was definitely NOT cold and we went early in the season (late May). A little chilly at night out on the deck of the boat, but definitely in the 60s/70s during the day. The average age was definitely older, but it honestly made for a nicer, more chill atmosphere - we weren't looking for a big party boat. Another big plus - not a lot of kids, either!

My $.02 recommendations:

- Definitely DEFINITELY upgrade to a balcony cabin - there is so much to see as you're cruising along the coast, yes you can go to the common decks to see, but chilling in your own cabin, in your own deck chair, with a drink and just your dh, is priceless

- You may want to invest in (or borrow for the trip) a nice pair of binoculars. Again, there is SO much to see that will literally only be maybe a few hundred yards from you as you're cruising along the coast, we ended up buying a pair on board and I'm sure we got ripped off. Same goes for a camera with a zoom lens. You will take more pictures than a photographer doing a story for National Geographic, and half will actually turn out looking like they could go in the pages of that magazine!

- Shore excursions - two that I HIGHLY recommend, depending on your ports of call: in Juneau, unless you have a deathly fear of heights, go for the helicopter ride/glacier landing. SO amazing and breathtaking... they take you up and fly you around the mountains and you land on and walk around on a glacier. The other excursion that was a little $$ but SO worth it was the daylong trip when we arrived in Skagway - we took a scenic train trip up north into the Yukon territory (https://www.wpyr.com/), had lunch at this little outpost in the middle of nowhere that used to be an old mining camp, then spent a few hours in a tour bus riding back down to the port, making tons of stops along the way for amazing sightseeing and photo ops. Nerdy but we thought it was really cool.

Have fun and if you decide to do Alaska, feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

Want a personalized experience?

Help me decide re: vacation (LONG)

Re: Help me decide re: vacation (LONG)

Choose Another Board

Search Boards