WHATEVER WORKS.. VACATIONS VACATIONS AND MORE VACATIONS

WHATEVER WORKS Let’s go on vacation, vacation, vacation!!  And more vacations!

This is going to be my SEVENTH BLOG, so I thought I’d give you the probable recurring characters in case you didn’t get them the first time.

Nancy, my best friend of 60 years.  We grew up together and have known each other since 3rd grade.  She claims that I’m several years older than she is.

Laurie, my niece, who lives in the Big Apple.  She has put up with her delusional Aunt for almost 50 years.
 
Cathy, another best friend, who Nancy and I also went to school with (since the 3rd grade).  She’s also several years older than Nancy.  So I guess Cathy and I were left back several times in kindergarten.

Shawna, Chris, Taylor, Nicole and Samantha, Nancy’s son, daughter in law, and grandchildren.  Also my family.  Nan’s granddaughters are 17, 10 and 8.

Pete and Angela, Nancy’s brother and sister in law, they live in Deltona Florida.  I also consider them family.   Age not required.

Margaret #1, my friend of 40 years who lives in Kansas.  We shared many an apartment together in New York City.  Actually they were Margaret’s apartments, she just put up with me for months at a time.

Margaret #2, Angela’s deceased Mother.  Her house is around the corner from Pete and Angela and Nan and I stay there when we come to visit.

Liz, Laurie’s significant other.  Another family member.

Kristen:  Pete and Angela’s oldest daughter, who helps me allllllll the time with my computer problems (of which there are usually many).

Katie and Glen, Pete and Angela’s daughter who will soon be married to Glen (November 12th)
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You will read about these people over and over, and except for the Margaret’s who you will only be able to differentiate  between by the  content of the sentence.
Vacations, vacations and more vacations…
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If you read my Blogs at all, you know that at your very kindest you would call me frugal.  If you want to be blatantly honest you would just say I’m just plain CHEAP!  I might add that Nancy is not what you would call cheap, she’s a  very good shopper, but definitely  not cheap.  She is however, in most cases, glad that I am.  As you well know I almost never buy anything that’s not on sale (at least 50% off) and I mean everything I buy has to be on sale.  I eat in restaurants that have early bird specials (this is only understood by people who actually live in Florida), give coupons and send me coupons for a free meal (with purchase of another) use my AARP card for 20% discount all the time.  My gas purchase is at the same station all the time and is ten cents off the regular price (and this station usually has the lowest price in town anyway).  I use every single Senior Citizen discount I can get my hands on.  Free always a wonderful word, Taco Bell gives free drinks to seniors, Village Inn has free pie day Wednesday with purchase of a drink.  I think I’ve established that I’m good, very good at pinching a penny or squeezing a nickel until the buffalo poops.  
That said, I’d like to talk about one of the things that  I ABSOLUTELY DO THE BEST.  That’s arranging vacations.  I DO LOVE TO VACATION!!  Thankfully  Nan does too.   Last year we squeezed in four cruises and three timeshare weeks, two of the cruises were free except for minimal port charges and taxes,  one was a Special T deal  and one was my triumph of the year an eight day cruise to Panama and Costa Rica on a Carnival ship for $500  We had changed from another cruise we had booked to this one and were charged an administrative free of $100, so our price when up to $550 each and when we added the insurance for another $90 (which turned out to be a good idea, since Nan go sick and we had to cancel).  The cost of the cruise was $500, the admin fee was $50 each and half the insurance was $45 each, so each of us paid $595 for an 8 day cruise.  They say if you can get a cruise for $100 a day, you’ve done really well.  With the extras ours was $74.00 a day, without the admin free change and the insurance it would have beenm$62.50 a day, BEAT THAT WITH A STICK  (by the way that’s the same stick I’ve mentioned in previous Blogs, I’m still using it, hope you are too!).

The timeshare stays were bought when RCI was running a special and they were $198 a week for a one,  two or three  bedroom condo (your choice, when available), with all the trimmings.
This year – I seem to be at my peak.  It’s only December and we’re booked up until April already.   This month we’re taking Shawna and the kids to a timeshare in St. Augustine (oldest city in the country) for the week before Christmas.  Again, 2 bedrooms, washer-dryer, full kitchen, on the beach, indoor pool, you name it.

When Nan found out she was going to be OFF DIALYSIS, the very first think we thought of was ‘WHERE CAN WE GO, GO, GO!”  I got right on the computer and as luck would have it, RCI was having another sale.  This time it was $189 per week, for a one, two or three bedroom timeshare in about 200 different cities and states.   Off  we went searching, searching, searching.  We decided on Westin, Florida (we’d never been there before) 2 bedroom.  We plan to attach this stay to a little cruise we have available to us to the Bahamas.  The cruise is three days, two nights on the Celebration a little ship we particularly like.  It has a nice walk-in pool, unlike the big ships where you have to go down a ladder attached to the side of the pool.

With the cruise package came a two night stay in a hotel, usually a Holiday Inn or Ramada or like that.  We also got food vouchers, 3 a day for each of us  for a total of twelve meals for the two days for the two of us.   So on this trip we’ll be gone eleven days. And the cost will be about $350 each.  This includes the timeshare, the two days in the hotel, the cruise and the food vouchers.  We’re able to break up the 2 night stay, so we can have a night before the cruise and one after.   No too shabby.

Then Nan suggested Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  She liked it there and thought I would and soooo off we go, in February.  Another timeshare, another 2 bedrooms, etc., etc., etc.   This time we have to include the cost of gas, probably $100.  I don’t include food because we eat there or we eat home, but we always eat where ever we are.  Basic vacation, after we factor in the kennel for the dogs $220 for each of us for the week.
Nobody likes to just sit around in March, so we’re off to Lake Lure, North Carolina.  Another timeshare, same old, same old,.  For several  years, now Nan has wanted to go to North Carolina to go gem mining, but RCI hadn’t come up with a timeshare in or around Lake Lure that was on sale, but here it was listed in this sale, so we booked it.  Add a little more gas, the dogs and the timeshare and we’re up to $250 each for the week.  We will have mining costs at this vacation, cost unknown right now.

Called my cruise agent at Carnival, Jackie just to keep up with what was going on cruise-wise.  We were trying to book that cruise to Panama and Costa Rica again that we missed earlier this year.  They have stopped that route and we are disappointed, but she mentioned that we still had a $250 (each) credit waiting for us.   I also had a certificate for $100 credit towards a cruise that I purchased on an earlier cruise.  When you purchase the $100 credit toward a future cruise you get as a bonus another $100 to use towards incidentals like tips and stuff to buy, we had $600 sitting there towards the actual price.  The extra $100 we use to pay the tips, that leaves us $40 needed for the balance of the tips ($20 each)..  We’re off on the Dream, Carnival’s newest ship, on April 28th, for seven days to the western Caribbean.    Total cost $325 each.  We soon stopped being disappointed.

We only due inside cabins, because we are rarely in them except to nap and to sleep at night so that’s just fine for us. I know, I know  you couldn’t possibly even consider a cruise unless you had a room with a porthole at least,  well that’s certainly up to you, but when you consider the actual square footage of the room is virtually the same  sometimes your porthole overlooks the life boats or some other obstruction,   as I said it’s certainly up to you.  The only real difference is if you want a balcony, those rooms are a little larger and sometimes you actually can sit on the balcony without being blown away from the wind, or being overcome by the people next door who also have a balcony and sit on it chain smoking and having the smoke blow  in your face but remember other than the room, we’re all eating in the same dining rooms and at the same tables (we usually request and get a table for two)  and certainly the very same food.  At dinner you order four lobster entrees and three orders of escargot (all for yourself) and I order six lobster entrees and 4 escargots (also for myself) and  the waiter (who doesn’t know that I’m in an inside cabin) doesn’t blink an eye at either of us.  We watch the very same shows and sit anyplace we want in the theatre.  The comedy shows – you sit where you want, I sit where I want.  No discrimination.  The English Tea on Wednesday at 3 p.m., if you go we’re probably at the same table, waiting for our tea and Death By Chocolate Cake.  I also get the very same champagne at the Art Gallery that you get.  You want to eat at one of the specialty restaurants, my reservation and $25 is just as good as yours.  And when we’re up on the Lido Deck at lunch, we both waiting on the same line for our pastrami on rye.  Room service—yours is 24 hours, so is mine.   Sheets, pillow cases, towels all the same.  I can call and order one or two of those “Dream Pillows” delivered to my cabin, too.

You’ll probably make more of a fool of yourself at the Karaoke Bar, than I will, possibly because I won’t be at the Karaoke Bar.  But – whatever!!  I get invited to the Captains cocktail party because I’m a frequent cruiser, in spite of your room, you won’t if you haven’t sailed before.

We also can go anywhere on the ship that you can go and we’re all going to the very same ports, so the only real difference in our cruise and yours is the room.  I can’t think of anything that you get for your $2,000 balcony, that I don’t get for my 178 sq. ft. interior (other than a little more space).  And being lower in the ship, we don’t have to worry about being next to, or underneath the disco.  We’re usually one or two cabins from the elevator, so no problem getting anywhere.

 We don’t drink alcohol and the ice tea, milk, and juice is free, so this cruise line makes no money on us.  Remember when you cruise you have no extra costs like food, it’s free (including 24 hour room service) and no additional gas (the ships using its own  propellant).  Okay, I know you do drink alcohol in moderation, I’m sure and the cost of drinks on a ship are astronomical (usually $12-14 a drink) and you don’t even get to keep the glass, sooooo  quite a lot of extra budgeting has to be done to cover the cost of the area the ship actually makes all its profit on.  Nancy occasionally has a Bloody Mary (sometimes two), so what kind of profit do you think their making on us?

Think I’m full of rationalizations?  Well, as Jeff Goldbloom  said in the Big Chill -  “Where would we be without a few good, juicy rationalizations each day”..  Love the Big Chill and still love (swaggers as he walks,) Jeff Goldbloom!!!  Saw him first about 30 years ago in a movie about two scientists in England who discovered DNA.  Don’t remember the name of the movie , but remembered I like it and Jeff.  I might add where exactly would I be without a good cliché or two, or three maybe even more.

What’s the $5.00 for?   We were looking for a way to get around the cost of parking the car at the Cape, or having Shawna come all the way to Titusville to bring us to and from the Cape.  Nancy noticed a sign on a local hotel,  that said cruise parking.  I called immediately and they were terrific people and we worked out a deal.  You park for free and a shuttle bus to the port for $5 (round trip).   Hence, $325. Get that sick out again and start beating.

We went to a vacation club talk last month (they find us  because we cruise and Nan has a timeshare, so they call and we go)  and for going and listening to 90 minutes of talk, we got:  an 8 day cruise (for 2) FREE and a round trip airfare (for 2) also FREE.  Jackie is now looking up dates for that cruise sometime between June and August.  We will pay port charges and taxes.   Probably around $180-90 each.

 The airfare has no additional fees.  We’re thinking of using the free airfare to go to Seattle, Washington in September.  I called the company and we can go anywhere in the continental USof A.  Nan wants to go to Washington and so do I.  If we can arrange a timeshare too, September’s covered.  One week on the cruise and  1  week later in Seattle  2 vacations  for about $300 each.

We have two more little Bahamas cruises from Caribbean Cruise Lines and Special T, they also have 2 night 3 day hotel stays, vouchers for food, etc.  These will be 5 day stays about $225 each.

Then there’s the 5 night 4 day cruise to the Bahamas on the Carnival ship, Sensation, or to Mexico  whatever  we choose.   Got that FREE too!  This one’s for a Carnival ship and the port charges and taxes  are a little higher and we’ll probably be spending about $200 each for that cruise
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I should also mention that all these packages from Special T,and Caribbean Cruise Lines.  These packages always come with a string of little 4/3 and 3/2 stays at hotels in Cocoa Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando.  These don’t have any extra costs associated with them.

So, even without the little 4/3’s and 3/2’s, we’ve  been talking about 9 vacations of a week or more in duration for approximately  $250 per person, per  vacation.  AM I GOOD OR AM I GOOOOOD!!
I do have to mention that the cruise ships do make a little money on us,  but  5/4 cruise comes with a $50 match play and Nan usually does the slots for about $50.  On this cruise they won’t make any money because they will match Nan’s fifty,  she’ll probably match my $50 too!!   But she does usually gamble on the other cruises.  I do buy lottery tickets, but I do not do slots.

The travel companies we deal with for all these short cruises and the free cruises for attending the talks come from the fact that we do cruise and that Nan owns a timeshare. The packages are pretty universal they usually include a short cruise, two 3/2 stays and one 4/3 stay and usually they throw in a 4/3 stay in Las Vegas, total for all $149.   The ones that require a talk usually have a longer cruise and some other kind of GIFT for attending.  We have one package outstanding where we have a 4/3 stay in Las Vegas and we get $50 in cash back.  The package is usually good for use within 18 months.

We don’t usually go to Las Vegas, but this year we’re thinking of trying to attach a timeshare stay to the 4/3.
At one point, caught up in the hoopla, we actually considered joining the Travel Club, when Nan brought us down to earth,  “why should we pay money for a travel club, when we have you?  You search and search until you come up with the very best bargains, usually cheaper than the Club.  And we go”  She was right,  I’m on the computer searching bargains all the time and we jump on the really good ones.  And usually I can finagle something to get a better room,  or more perks or a discount or something.  People I deal with usually like me,  I’m old and very nice and call them over and over to ask questions and get details and always remember their names and personal information they tell me.  How’s your kids, is your husband (wife) feeling better, do you have to work this weekend, etc. et c.  Most people I deal with recognize me by voice and always when I say “Hi, this is Normandie”. I   Always—always answer a survey (if available) about how good they are and often ask for a supervisor to tell them how helpful they were or even sometimes write a note. Even if there’s a glitch in the workings, I never mention it always GREAT SERVICE because the people I talk to are always trying their best for us, and sometimes shit just happens. Work it out and move on..    Keeps me in their minds and usually brings some type of better benefits.

 Didn’t talk to Jackie at Carnival for 6 months while Nan was on dialysis and when I called her yesterday all I said was  “Hi, hon, how are you doing?” no name, nothing,  and she immediately replied  “Miss Normandie where have you two been?”,  need I say more???  When people get to know you, they usually bend over backwards to be extra  helpful  and  we really appreciate it.  Of course, we wouldn’t think of booking with anyone else.  That takes in all the different travel services we deal with.  Found an old letter from one of the travel companies we dealt with eight or nine months ago.  I make notes on every letter about everything, on  one of the notes -- was Joe and his extension.  Well, I actually remembered Joe, so when I called, I was prepared to ask for him.  Surprise, surprise, he answered the phone.  This time I gave him my full name and he said “I remember you and your friend, right? “  Well he looked up the trip and we still had 3/2 left too use in Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale or Daytona Beach.   While we were talking,  (he had been promoted in that time, we of course were very happy for him,)   I asked if he had that little cruise available any more the one with the 3 nights in Ft. Lauderdale attached.   “No”,  he  said, “Where not doing that anymore but since I’m in a better position now, let me see what I can do”.  Off he went for a few minutes, when he came back he said “ I arranged it for you- you got it.  3/2 cruise with a room upgrade cause I know you guys don’t like the room they assign  and the 3 nights and food vouchers in Ft. Lauderdale”.  Thanks, Joe… We’re off again…  I believe that one was $149. Total.

Well, I guess you’ve read about all you want to.  So, have  a wonderful Christmas, and see you in the funny papers.

Just remember:  WHATEVER WORKS,

Normandie