Shutterfly Pics

Less then three weeks before the group heads west for our Alaskan cruise!!
Luggage tags arrived this week but there is so much to do...namely "Packing"!!

This is my area of weakness....since I've never been to Alaska before I'm not sure what I'll need so I'll probably pack everything and then some!!!  And that's not good since the Airlines charge for checking luggage....Boy do I wish Southwest would have had flights for us!!  They DONT charge for checking luggage!!  I love SWA!!

Well I better stop Blogging and start working on a list of things I need to bring!!

Oh so excited!!

5 Months & counting!

Well it appears we passed the 6 month mark until we begin our journey to Alaska!  Work & life have interfered with all my research & planning so I still have loads of things to look into...

We still need to determine what hotel the group will stay at when we get to Vancouver.  My vote is a nice HIX near the airport...After traveling 12 hrs I'm going to want to take a hot shower, grab some food and go to sleep!  We also need to figure out how to get from Steward to Anchorage for our return flight home!

But we can cross off some things on the list:

  

Passports!  My renewal and Larry's replacement have arrived!! Yay!



Formal Wear!  Thanks to Peggy for taking the measurements so we can rent Larry his Tux. And I got a new outfit!!  (no that is not me in the picture!)





And we got some casual clothes for Larry...so he wont be in Jeans & Tees all the time!

I still have to review the suggested packing list to see what items I truly need and what can stay home.  Traveling light is one of the toughest things for me...I'm still in the Girl Scout frame of mind..."Be Prepared"....and that one time I dont pack it we all know I'm going to need it!!

Now on to "paying off the balance" and getting the group to decide on "Hotel" and "Transportation to Anchorage"!!

Quilt Shops!

Last post I was pondering over what Travel Insurance company to choose.  Well it seems that I will be going with the one our Travel Agent recommends...pretty much because I was away at my Fall Quilt Retreat and never got around to ordering from Travel Guard....so I'll be paying a little more...Now if they would only send the email they're supposed to!

In the meantime...Found out about several Quilt Shops that are on our route!!  There's about one in every port!! Yes I am definitely planning on some "excursions" for me, Peggy & Mom (aka Della)!!

        





                                        

Got My Reservation Number!

Yay!!  Got my official Celebrity Cruise Line Reservation number!  We are in the system!! 

 Now that this stage and the air transportation is complete its time to move on to "Travel Insurance".  I've done some research online and narrowed it down to a company called "Travel Guard".  Their rate was pretty reasonable and since we just booked the "Pre-existiting Medical Condition" is waivered....So I'm just waiting to hear back from Anne, the travel agent, who is going to do some comparisons.

Then it's on to renewing and reapplying for passports!!

Alaska - Celebrity Millenium

And so it began....

While preparing (yes I said preparing...we didnt even leave yet!) for a trip to Ireland with my friend Peggy, she told me that her family was going to take an Alaskan cruise and her mom thought it would be nice if I joined them....Though the idea was a good one I wasnt sure the expenses would stretch since my Ireland trip was absorbing my little slush fund.....

Then it happened...luck changed, finances were available and my husband claimed this was his "lifelong dream"....so I called Della (aka "Mom") and got the details....a couple of days later I paid my cruise deposit and booked airfare!!   

And yes did some other researching...This blog will include all the little things I come across!!  Enjoy!