*Times have definitely changed since the beginning of 2020. We have posted very little lately, fearing it would seem insensitive. However, life must go on and we should live our best lives in an effort to honor those that no longer have that chance. We hope to give you some insight into the Hotels, Ships and Destinations we have visited, so that you can plan your best next vacation.
Another Curveball from 2020
Omni Hotel in March. Nope. Carnival Valor in July? Nope. And now our cruise on the Carnival Breeze in November joins the nopes. Out of an abundance of caution we had to switch plans yet again. Our cruise we had booked with Dawn’s folks has officially been canceled. However, with all of the uncertainty and unanswerable questions, we decided to play it safe and canceled early, taking the Future Cruise and On-Board credits offered by CCL, and waiting until February on the new Mardi Gras to rejoin the cruise community.
Now, I have to give Carnival some huge props here. I called and rescheduled the in-law’s booking to a group cruise we are on in October of 2021, and moved our credits to our Mardi Gras cruise. Eight days later, all credits are showing and they have refunded 3 excursions, as well as all of the items I had ordered for the cabin. Kudos to CCL Customer Service! These folks are getting WORKED hard right now, and yet they were very efficient and friendly all the while.
What to do…what to do…
Now, we still need to travel. We need to get away from the daily stress and take some time to ourselves. If we don’t live life now, when will we? Americans waste vacation time wholesale, and we don’t want to be apart of that statistic, so we make plans and when needed, pull out a backup plan.
Since we already had our flights to Orlando booked, and we had just enjoyed a brief stay in Cocoa Beach, FL – we switched our flights to a Thursday return, signed into our Hilton Honors account, and checked back into the Hilton Oceanfront. I have learned that joining the membership or rewards promotions for the different brands helps get a little better offering and pricing. Expedia is nice, but I still find the best deals directly from the source. That may not always extend to package deals, but so far in our experience it has. (see Charleston Blog)
Getting there is half the fun…
The Traveling Bradburys will be flying for the first time since we were married. Hard to believe that we have driven to all of our destinations or departure ports so far, but we have – and we have enjoyed it. Originally our sole intention was to save money and eliminate the worry of a late or canceled flight ruining our trips. Then we added in a day or two extra here and there. Eventually the savings was lost. Though now, as my bottom gets softer, I think driving more than a few hours anywhere sounds as appealing as a visit to the dentist. Therefore, we will try our luck in the airports for the next few trips and see how that goes. Kicking back in the airport pub with a beer or Bloody Mary sounds infinitely better than drinking stale coffee on the road.
Being trapped in a cigar tube hurling through the morning skies breathing second hand air loaded with air biscuits doesn’t really appeal to me. Fighting for space in the overhead bins was always another joy from what I remember, and made especially worse when you are already seated and an oversized pair of VS Pink sweatpants are thrust into your space by the gal with the bucket of diet coke and her pillow from home. Still, better than 12-16 hours on the road…I think…
The best laid plans…
We have learned to plan less and enjoy each moment more. Cocoa Beach is full of things to do and see. There are more than enough restaurants to keep us happy for the week, but I am sure more than a few meals will be had at Longboards Tiki Bar outside our hotel. Ron Jon’s Surf Shop is a must. A trip to Kennedy Space Center is another thing on our checklist, but we will be playing most of the trip by ear. Orlando’s theme parks are not far away, so we can think about a day trip there, or just kick back with some friends that will be visiting from Tampa.
We are honored that a couple we met on a previous cruise will be joining us for a couple of days. Bryan and his wife Dawn decided to book a couple of nights at the same hotel so that we could get reacquainted and enjoy some friendly faces. We can’t wait to share some Space Coast fun with our friends!
We will follow up with the details and update our travels. Check back soon to see what we get into. Until then, we wish you sunny weather and save travels!!
