Tree_skier

I don't like to complain about the weather with all our friends in Florida in harms way with real weather concerns but another day 100°+ and another one for tomorrow is getting old. This thick transplanted Canadian blood just can't function in it any more. We got a reprieve from it last week at home for a few days but now we're down in Fontana and one last heat wave felt like it needed to torment me. I never ever thought I'd say this as long as live but I miss rain.

I have emailed my agent at all hours of the day and night and never waited long for a response. I have no idea what would happen if I called at 2am. Every call I have made was during the day and was answered by him personally. I usually communicate by email. I don't even think I have ever needed to leave a voice mail. His agency is only relevant in that it gives access to good group rates. It is his service that is exceptional. That service includes him, apparently, never sleeping.

You don't need to make reservations for the Windjammer. I don't know where it would say that but if it does it is wrong. It is best to purchase internet in the cruise planner before you are aboard. The best time is when it is on one of their sales. The happen at least once a month and are often best around long weekends. Not sure why that is a thing but that's my experience anyways. If you do buy it and the price goes down you can cancel and rebook. refunds take about a week. You are correct purchase one person 2 devices and share it. It is cheaper than 1 device for each of 2 people.

The value of a good TA is fully realized when you have a problem or an out of the ordinary situation. My TA is great. I'll never go back to direct booking.

Is she there now? Does she live there full-time?

Heat isn't a problem... We get that in spades now. I'm just totally freaked out by extreme weather. It doesn't matter if it is hurricanes or tornados, those types extreme weather events just totally terrify me. I've just about got DW convinced that when we settle and stop the full-time travel, we settle in a small Idaho town. I told her we can come back to see the kids in winter when it is not hellishly hot and enjoy the beauty and moderate climate of the NW the rest of the year. She's still skeptical but she's warming up to the idea.

Praying for all my FL friends safety. As much I would love living in Florida it is times like these that will keep me out west. We decided to escape the heat today and headed up the mountain to Lake Arrowhead for lunch. It was gorgeous and 15° cooler up there. There's a cute little village and some really neat but expensive shops. Heading to Longhorns for dinner back down in Rancho Cucamonga.

I've used the app the last few times. It is super easy and fast.

I can't believe that I am late to this party! Fantastic videos to start this. I can't wait for more!

We got off a 3 day Navigator a couple of weeks ago. There was one "Dress your best" night. It was less formal than most of my previous cruises. People dressed up but more like they were going to a club. I wore a blazer and tie which is a step down for me. I lived in Vancouver for my first 50 years. I avoided flying in and out of YVR at any and all costs. For most flights I flew out of Seattle which is crummy too but not nearly as bad as YVR. Sometimes, if connections worked out, I would fly out of Bellingham, WA. If you can do that, it is a great airport to use to access the Metro Vancouver area. It is small and you are in and out so easily and quickly it is unbelievable. Southwest just started flying in and out Bellingham so there may be more options than ever.

Always a good decision. 🙂

Oh Helen I am so sorry this is happening to you. I truly hope you are able to go on that trip. It sound amazing.

I'm where you were. 15 pages behind... Trying to catch up this morning. I'm out east in Fontana and found it for 5.09. I feel like I won the lottery. Sadly the best I can do for diesel is 5.79

My standard Starbucks order is a Grande Breve Sugar Free Vanilla Latte with 3 shots of Espresso. 😉

If you haven't tried it yet, you need to give Tim's dark roast a shot. It's been out for a few years and is vastly superior to their regular roast.

Snuffer's are amazing. I've been to the one off I635 in Mesquite! If you are a burger fan, they are worth a try.

There's only one near where I live now and I'm not disappointed that it is only one. I've never understood peoples love for KK. Their coffee is rubbish.

That's good for your part of the state, I think. We're usually a little cheaper than you and the cheapest I saw it today was 5.09

It's back over $5 for gas and $6 for diesel here in Central CA. A couple of weeks ago I got $4.68 for gas and $5.79 for diesel. I've almost got DW convinced that we should buy elsewhere. 🙂 I'm heading to LA for a couple of months on Saturday. I expect it to be worse down there. 😞

My last four cruises boarding times were irrelevant. That includes Seattle, Galveston, FLL and San Pedro. YMMV

My refunds have been taking about 7 days. YMMV since you are from the UK

Wow, I 'm so incredibly jealous of your weather. Our last two Alaska cruises had nothing like it.

Aaarrgghh Duplicate

duplicate

I remember when Krispy Kreme came to the Vancouver area back in early 2000. I told my wife when I first heard about it that it wasn't going to make it. They opened to much fanfare. The franchisee did a big interview on a local news talk radio station. He talked about his plan to open 17 more stores and that he expected the brand to dominate Tim Hortons eventually. I remember the radio interview like it was yesterday because, while driving alone listening, I actually laughed out loud. It was a strange location to begin the Canadian domination of Tim Hortons. It is a free standing pad in a strip mall on the North Surrey/Delta border. For those that might be familiar with the area it is heavily dominated by folks from the Sikh community. The store itself was directly across the street from the big Guru Nanak Temple and half a block away from a Tim Hortons. Upon opening I went and waited in the massive line like many others for my taste of America. My wife commented to me that it looked like I was wrong. It was so busy it was sure to be a success. I told her "wait for it". Sure enough, within two weeks the crowds were gone and within a few months it was a ghost town most of the time. There was never a second store opened in Metro Vancouver let alone the 17 that franchisee predicted. The Tim Hortons down the road never slowed down and was as busy as ever. That Krispy Kreme, surprisingly, is still there to this day. However, it is never busy and must just be barely surviving. That was just such a weird location with a demographic that simply was never going to fit market that Krispy Kreme targets.