This week’s theme is cruising – the giant boat kind of cruising.
I’m sailing away
Naught but sea for miles around
Watch that liquor bill!
Your turn.
Category Archives: Trips
“Secret” Hotel Rates
Have you seen those Priceline commercials starring William Shatner? You might find them obnoxious, but I enjoy their cheesiness and the gusto with which Shatner plays his part. However, I’d never actually tried to get a hotel room through Priceline or similar sites until now.
To finalize the details for our upcoming cruise to the Bahamas, I needed a room in the Fort Lauderdale area for the night before we sail. My normal approach is to check Southwest.com and some of the aggregator sites like Hotels.com or Travelocity. After much comparison of rates, maps, reviews, amenities, and more, I make a choice. Vacations are somewhat rare and special to me, so I like to invest some extra time to help ensure that we’re happy with the accommodations.
I started with that approach for this hotel stay, but then I decided to get a little crazy and try the “secret” hotel approach. Priceline, Hotwire, Travelocity’s Top Secret, and probably other sites let you get unusually good deals on hotels under one condition: they keep the hotel’s identity a secret until after you commit. You can search for a minimum star level and general location, but that’s about it. For a devoted researcher like me, it’s a bit scary to pay for a hotel in advance (nonrefundable, of course) without knowing exactly where I’m going. But it’s also exciting, like unwrapping a present.
I bid at Priceline, envisioning Shatner trying to convince me to bid lower, lower, lower! Apparently, I bid “too low” ($40 for a three-star hotel in Hollywood, FL), because I got rejected. So instead I paid $39 plus tax for a three-star “Top Secret Hotel” on Travelocity. Once I paid, it revealed my hotel – a Ramada that I’d been considering already. Through traditional channels, I would have paid $56 plus tax for the room. By rolling the dice a bit, I saved over $17. Not bad!
Have you ever tried the “secret” route for a hotel, car, airfare, or other travel detail? How did it go?
737 Delivery Flight
As I mentioned last week, Jenny and I got the chance to go to Seattle with several coworkers and leaders to pick up a new 737-700 and bring it back to Dallas. It was a wonderful experience that we might never get to repeat, and I’m so thankful I got to go and share it with Jenny and my great coworkers.
The pictures tell much of the story, but here are a few more details. We arrived in SEA a bit early, checked in at the hotel, and hung out with our crew at a nice reception where I got to visit with several people I don’t normally see much due to our conflicting schedules. At the reception, they raffled off a few prizes. The Boxes won not once but twice: a beautiful model 787-8 for me, and a seat in the cockpit for takeoff for Jenny.
Friday morning, Boeing treated us to a huge breakfast buffet before we hit the Boeing Store to buy some souvenirs: a couple of toys for the boys, a t-shirt for Jenny, and – of course – a model plane for me, this one a 777-300ER. All the guests got to listen in on the FAA conference call during which Boeing transfers the aircraft title to us. Apparently the payment is handled separately. My friend Kevin got to sign for acceptance of the aircraft, apparently the first time in SWA history a non-pilot was given that honor. The Boeing official joked that Kevin’s credit wasn’t quite good enough to finance the plane, so they had to make other arrangements.
Our new aircraft had a couple of minor mechanical issues that needed to be fixed. Boeing officials were very apologetic and tried to make it up to us by giving us free admission to the world-class Museum of Flight, which I was thrilled to visit again. Then they provided lunch at the delivery center while they finished getting the plane ready.
The trip as planned would have been fantastic, but God and Boeing threw in a bonus that made it even sweeter. Three of the 787 test aircraft were at BFI that day sharing the ramp with SWA’s new 737. Two of them were easily visible from the delivery center, and one even made a couple of testhops while we were there. I got to see both takeoffs. It’s a very smooth and surprisingly quiet aircraft. I ate lunch while gazing out the window at one of the test planes and drooling.
Finally our aircraft was ready, N949WN. She was GORGEOUS, and the clouds had burned off to bathe her in bright sunshine. We all took lots of pictures, of course. Just like with a new car, a new aircraft really does have new-plane smell. In our case, it was rich leather. Boeing gave each of us a nice goodie bag with a 737 hat, a Boeing glass, and some chocolates that we were afraid to open in the plane lest we foul it.
We departed around 3pm local time with Jenny and one of the interns in the cockpit having the ride of their lives. Afterward, they found regular seats and let others have the chance to sit in the cockpit. Since this wasn’t a commercial flight, the normal rules about access to the cockpit didn’t apply. She said sitting up front for takeoff was a huge thrill. They departed facing Mount Rainier and got a nice view during climbout. The rest of the flight was nice and smooth. We did our best not to spill anything on the pristine interior while we enjoyed the free ice cream that Boeing provided for the trip home. Upon landing, we parked at the maintenance hanger so our mechanics could check it out. I believe N949WN entered revenue service on Sunday. I hope the passengers enjoy this aircraft as much as we did!
Here are some pictures:
Cruising!
Jenny and I have booked our first “real” vacation since Brenden was born! We’re planning a four-night cruise to the Bahamas for the last week of October. Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas will depart from Miami. We are soooo excited! The boys will stay with their wonderful grandparents so that we can have some time to relax just the two of us. Our itinerary can give you more details.
Quick Getaway
On Wednesday, Jenny and I went on a quick getaway to Waco for her birthday. Her parents bravely stayed with the boys at our house, the first time we’d left Jonathan overnight. On the way we stopped at the Czech Stop in West, Texas, for some tasty kolaches before checking in at our bed and breakfast. Although I lived in Waco nearly four years, I never knew about it until I planned this trip.
Hidden off I-35, a mile or two west of the Cracker Barrel where I used to work, sits the Bed and Breakfast on White Rock Creek. We’ve now stayed at several bed and breakfasts (is that the plural?) over the years, and this was one of our favorites. The innkeepers, Dana and Rethe, are very nice and personable without being intrusive. We settled the bill upon checkin, picked up a couple of DVDs from their collection, and went to the room. To check out, all we had to do was leave the key in the room and leave. In contrast to some other bed and breakfasts we’ve visited, Dana and Rethe didn’t ask for a tip. To me, it has always seemed odd and greedy when other innkeepers asked for tips on a hotel stay. I generally oblige since they’re standing right there watching me, but I always resent it. Dana and Rethe presented a refreshing change. I got some dinner recommendations from them and then never saw them again, giving us the privacy we sought.
For dinner we tried Texas Roadhouse at I-35 and Valley Mills. The peanut shells on the floor were a bit odd, but the steaks, sides, and service were excellent. Since our main goal was relaxation, we retired after dinner. Our room was the Savannah room, which included a large Jacuzzi tub, a small kitchenette, and an extremely comfy bed. A line of thunderstorms rolled through soon after we arrived that evening, so we turned out the lights and watched with glee. Well, I watched with glee while Jenny tolerated it and hoped a tornado wouldn’t blow our room apart. After a wonderful night’s sleep, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the room instead of in the main house. I’ve never enjoyed the communal dining aspect of traditional bed and breakfasts, so it was nice to dine alone with my wife.
After breakfast we hit two of Waco’s main attractions, the Dr Pepper Museum and Cameron Park Zoo. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885, and the museum sits in one of the original bottling plants from the early 1900s. We enjoyed getting to learn about (and sample) one of our favorite drinks. The zoo is surprisingly good for a town of 113,000 people, with giraffles, big cats, elephants, a komodo dragon, and an anaconda, among many others. The tiny crowd, bright sunshine, and cool temperature made for a great visit.
We returned home to find that Jenny’s parents had indeed survived, although they were exhausted, and that the boys were doing great. Our next planned trip comes in May when we hope to take Brenden to Sea World San Antonio for the Southwest Airlines Duck Derby.
Sharks and Cage Diving
As a kid I read a lot, hopping from topic to topic. One of my favorite topics was sharks, which interest me to this day. One of my favorite times of year from a TV perspective is Shark Week, the Discovery Channel’s annual homage to the the shark. Although it tends to focus too much on shark attacks since people are so interested in them, it also includes programs about the scientific side: diet, behavior, differences among different regions and species, and conservation efforts. I have watched a LOT of shark shows this week and hope to catch or record many more. It’s like Christmas in August!
Although many people find them terrifying, I find them fascinating. Sure, my heart speeds up a bit if I see one while snorkeling, but for me it’s more of a healthy respect than terror. I think people have mostly accepted that man sits comfortably atop the worldwide food chain, especially with today’s technology. But swimming with sharks unprotected knocks us down a level. The great steward and “master” of God’s creation suddenly becomes potential prey, and many of us don’t like that idea. The movie and book Jaws (which was based on a true story, by the way) and tons of hype by the media have grossly overemphasized the danger that sharks actually pose to humans. This demonization of such an amazing creature both angers and frustrates me. It also gives people an excuse to tolerate overfishing of sharks even if they object to whaling or the accidental killing of dolphins or sea turtles in fishing nets. Here are a few interesting facts I’ve gathered so far:
- Each year, humans kill 100 million sharks. Some are killed just for their fins, some for meat or skin, some for sport.
- Each year, sharks bite about 100 humans worldwide. Yep, 100. That’s less than one every three days, somewhere in the world. Of those 100, maybe five are fatal. In other words, we kill 1 million sharks for every one that even attacks us and 20 million for every one that kills a human.
- In terms of recorded shark attacks, Florida is the most common location, followed by southern Australia and then South Africa.
- Experts believe that many shark attacks are preventable. Victims are often involved in high-risk activities such as spearfishing, swimming alone, or swimming at night, dawn, or dusk.
Before I die, I want to dive in a cage with great whites. You probably think that’s either awesome or crazy. Either way, I won’t be going any time soon because the trips are expensive. But how thrilled and honored I would be to see one of the most powerful and capable predators in all God’s creation in person. There are three main areas to dive with them: southern Australia, Isla Guadalupe in Mexico, and South Africa. Here are links to three dive operators that serve these areas, in case you’re interested (hint, hint):
Rodney Fox (Southern Australia)
Cage Diver (Isla Guadalupe, Mexico)
Dive South Africa – In one area of South Africa, great whites are spotted jumping out of the water like a whale during attacks on seals.
Not into great whites? You can also dive with enormous but harmless whale sharks, which eat plankton and can grow over 50 feet. Belize, where we spent our honeymoon, is a good location: