Summer Vacation

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Originally posted by Serenity:
Sometimes the board gets busy, threads get hijacked and I get frustrated trying to figure out which topic I was following and where it went.

This is a problem? It's a Zen sort of thing. Embrace the anarchy, go with the flow, and the fabric that the threads weave will manifest itself.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Originally posted by EJA:
...haying vacation ...

A true oxymoron, and a new one for me. Thank you!

How the heck did you get roped into a Haying Vacation™ ?

[piqaboo]

Anyone have plans yet for this summer?

[barfle]

Working on a few ideas. This year we want to take a vacation that doesn't involve relatives besides each other. Even when we went to the Indy 500 in 2003, it involved another five days visiting her aunt in Nebraska.

One possibility is a Mississippi River cruise, although we might just check out the National Parks along the Appalachians and tent camp.

[piqaboo]

Visiting relatives is visiting relatives.
This is distinctly not the same thing as vacation, tho it can be fun and rewarding; it is rarely relaxing.

We're hoping for New Zealand, paying for only 2 seats. That may need to be rethunk.

Never thought of a Mississippi river cruise. Would love to hear about it if you go.

[Shapley]

If any of you Mississippi River cruisers wind up docking in Cape Girardeau, MO, give me a call.

My wife and I went on a Caribbean cruise this Chrismas. It was the most relaxing vacation I've ever taken. No driving, no worrying about where to eat or where to sleep. Very nice, and highly recommended.

This is the first cruise I've taken since the long one I took on the Carl Vinson back in the '80s. It was different ship, without the airport on the roof. I have to say that the accommodations were vastly improved, the food was better, the decor has changed significantly for the better (they've gotten rid of that haze grey with the colour-coded, exposed plumbing), and best of all, no one woke me up in the middle of the night to stand watch.

I'm afraid it has raised the bar on what the family will expect for vacations in the future.

V/R
Shapley

[barfle]

We took our only other cruise off Alaska in Y2K. As you noted, the accomodations were quite nice, and although I don't think I would quite call it relaxing (they had activities 24/7, and I never did make it to the midnight buffet), it was some of the most fun I've had being cold and wet.

[piqaboo]

Cruisin'...
that has some appeal, indeed.

We hope to rent car, cruise the north island (the crowded one), then head south. Not sure if we'll drive and take the ferry (has some appeal) or fly (ditto). Then we'll circumnavigate the south island on state hwy 1. If its like it was 10 yrs ago, we wont need reservations on the South Island. We'll just pull over in the nearest small town and there will be a nice & reasonably priced hotel. I must do some research before I rely on this model with small child in tow.

We've committed to the point of buying clearance polar fleece in the Altoid's anticipated size. (How does Old Navy make a profit?)

[BigJon@Work]

Originally posted by piqaboo:
We've committed to the point of buying clearance polar fleece in the Altoid's anticipated size. (How does Old Navy make a profit?)

They're made from poor people . . .

[Shapley]

BigJon:

RE:They're made from poor people . . .


Are they made from poor people, or by them? I would think that human leather would be costlier than cowhide.

V/R
Shapley

[piqaboo]

polar fleece is made from recycled soda bottles, sillies.
Is the old navy made from poor people?

[Shapley]

It was in my day, at least as far as the enlisted men were concerned.

[BigJon@Work]

Piq, you may believe it is soda bottles, but I've seen the factories. The poor people go in and . . . hang on, someone is knocking at my door.

[piqaboo]

Good golly - will the polar fleece folks orphan poor Altoid?

[dai bread]

Originally posted by piqaboo:

We hope to rent car, cruise the north island (the crowded one), then head south. Not sure if we'll drive and take the ferry (has some appeal) or fly (ditto). Then we'll circumnavigate the south island on state hwy 1. If its like it was 10 yrs ago, we wont need reservations on the South Island. We'll just pull over in the nearest small town and there will be a nice & reasonably priced hotel. I must do some research before I rely on this model with small child in tow.

If you are a member of the American Automoble Association you will probably have reciprocal rights with our AA. It would pay to check.

The Accommodation Guide will be useful. Winter is ski season, don't forget, and most of the ski fields are in the South Island. It may not be all that easy to get accommodation, depending on when exactly you'll be travelling. Ski season is approx. August till November. It varies considerably depending on the weather. School holidays are from 22 September to 9 October. The ski fields are busy then.

[OperaTenor]

Hi DB,

I believe our goal is to be there primarily in July.

[piqaboo]

Dai,
thanks for the reminder. I'd forgotten we'd be competing with skiers. Last time I went, my companion and I got lots of dire warnings about accommodations in Queenstown, but got incredibly lucky with an amazing view, & very good price at the first place we stopped. I think we cant count on that kind of luck again! (But I think I'll dig out the name of that place and see if they take reservations!)

Our travel options are July or August. Seems to me July would be both warmer and less crowded, as the snowpack might not be firmly established yet.
Plus, we want to be home before the Altoid's 2nd bday (Aug 1), to save on airfare.

I guess its time to start doing our homework (rereading all those wonderful sources you gave me a couple years ago, shopping for tix etc), but I probably wont get started til Feb.

Oh crud. I gotta renew my passport. That's urgent. I dont wanna new photograph. I dont, I dont, I dont! <pout> <pout> <pout>

[dai bread]

July should be a good time to travel. Winter won't have set in properly (not in a normal year anyway) and the kids will be in school. The roads will still be ice-free (again, in a normal year) and you shouldn't have any problems with accommodation, not even in Queenstown, which is full of motels now anyway.

P.S. We drive on the LEFT. Sorry for hammering this, but people get killed and injured because they forget.

<small>[ 01-09-2006, 12:58 AM: Message edited by: dai bread ]</small>

[barfle]

Originally posted by dai bread:
P.S. We drive on the LEFT. Sorry for hammering this, but people get killed and injured because they forget.

We went to Britain on vacation in 1984, and, silly yanks that we are, we rented a car.

Opinions varied as to who thought I was on the wrong side of the road.

[Schmeelkie]

No summer plans yet, but I am hoping to go to a conference in San Francisco in late March. One of my grad school advisors is currently the president of the society (Society for Research on Adolescence) and we're trying to get all her ex-grad students together. Sheesh - guess I should figure that out soon - always try to get my plane tickets 2 months in advance... Pumpkin loves traveling, and if we get around to getting the portable DVD player, he should be fine for the flight. Brought my husband along to a conference in SF about 4 years ago - we liked it and didn't get to see enough...

Also trying to get a bunch of high school friends together this May for Rochester's Lilac Festival (May 12-21). We used to all come home for Thanksgiving, but with marriages and parents retiring and moving away, we don't get too many together each year. Besides, why get together in Rochester in November (temps 30-40 F, often rain or snow), when you could get together in May (temps 60-80 F, generally nice). Anyway, that's the idea. Plus, of a group of 8 or so, 3 will have had babies in the past year. It'd be great to get all the little ones together. FYI - Rochester's Highland Park boasts the most varieties of Lilacs anywhere in the world and is just a nice park to walk around...