This is the second time Cheryl has booked for me and she does a GREAT JOB. She takes the time to find out what you like, how big the pockets are, what is fun for me and she is very aware of my limitations (especially when my pride gets in the way).
This trip to Vegas was to full fill a dream for a girlfriend from high school days. Bonnie than let me know another dream was to see Cher. So in a matter of weeks Cheryl got us to Paris in Vegas.
1. It was fun getting to know each other as adults and to see that we really haven't changed so very much from high school. What was funny than still is.
2. Bonnie saw her first true Vega show Jubilee on Tues. night and Wed. night we went to Cher. How could it get any better.
3. Bonnie had a friend who's husband still goes outside of Vegas for the winter he picked us up Thur. and we got to see not only desert but all the way to Death Valley. Wish I knew how to send you a pic of us bellow sea level.
There was a small fly in the ointment. The ticket said there was transportation to and from the hotel. This didn't happen. I don't know how this could be clarified, I will think about it.
When we first got to Seattle we were both embarrassed by the wheel chairs. By the time we got out of the airport in Vegas we were both very grateful that Cheryl stuck to it knowing my mobility. THANK YOU Cheryl. We would still be trying to get to the gate if I hadn't listened to her.
Oh, maybe the wheelchair people need to be told where to take us. Might work.
This has been one of my most memorable holidays. We both left Vegas very tired and wishing we could have seen more of the strip and downtown. Just not enough hours in a day.
I'm looking forward to the next holiday in May that Cheryl is planning.
WOO WHOO keep her chained to the desk she does a wonderful job. If you do that let me know I'll try to bring her an occasional snack.
Opppss almost forgot.
Paris Hotel is the place to stay. At a time when the City is hurting big time they still pulled out all the stops to go the extra mile to ensure that the stay was fun pleasant and we were special.

Carol

I believe cruising is the easiest way to see the world, but there is one part of the cruise experience that can cause anxiety for otherwise carefree passengers -- tipping. Here's a look at how tipping is handled by each of the world's major cruise lines.

On most cruise lines, but not all, gratuities are expected and encouraged. The traditional tipping procedure is to hand cash gratuities to the service staff on the last full day or evening of the cruise. For longer itineraries, tipping on a weekly basis may be the norm. The cruise lines that follow this tipping procedure are Crystal, Disney, Fred. Olsen, Hurtigruten, P&O, Royal Caribbean, Star Clippers, Uniworld and Viking River Cruises.

Passengers on most of these lines are encouraged to tip their cabin steward and dining room waiter $3.50 to $5.00 per passenger, per day, and their assistant waiter/busboy should be tipped $2.00 to $3.00 per passenger, per day. On most ships, tip the maitre d' or dining room captain about $5 to $10 (total) only if you ask for special favors or tableside service.

It is customary to tip bartenders and wine stewards 15%, and many cruise lines automatically add this gratuity to the bar or beverage bill. Gratuities for special services such as spa treatments are left to the discretion of the guest, but 15% is considered typical.

The growth of freestyle dining and alternative restaurants put pressure on this system. Because passengers on many ships now dine when and where they wish and do not return night-after-night to the same table, they may rightfully resist handing a week's worth of tips to the waiter and assistant waiter they happen to end up with on the last night of the cruise.

That's why many cruise lines opt to automatically charge tips, usually $10 to $12 per person, per day, to shipboard accounts and divide the total among all dining room personnel, cabin stewards and others who are involved in serving passengers. These lines include Carnival, Celebrity, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, MSC, Norwegian, Oceania, Princess and Windstar.

If a passenger feels that the amount automatically charged to his or her account should be adjusted higher or lower based on the service received, the cruise line will make that adjustment when the bill is settled at the end of the cruise. These amounts do not cover tips for bartenders and wine stewards, which are generally 15% added to the beverage bill at the time of service.

A few cruise lines specifically state that gratuities are included in the cruise fare and that tips are neither expected nor encouraged. Azamara, Paul Gauguin Cruises, Regent, Seabourn, SeaDream and Silversea fall into this category. Even on these lines, some passengers still tip for outstanding service or special favors.

Does any one tipping policy tend to encourage better service than the others? Even seasoned cruisers disagree on this one, but most letters I receive are in favor of the traditional method of rewarding individuals directly or rolling all gratuities into the upfront price.

Some people perfer the traditional tipping, but I perfer prepaying upon booking my cruise then I know that it is down and I don't have to remember who gets what.

After flying for 24 hours to Denpasar Airport we were greeted by our Tour Guides. There where 9 of us in our group ages 21 - 81. The first thing that greated us was the smell of tropical flowers, then seeing all the mopped styled motorcyles and roundabouts. They drive on the left side of the road the same as in the UK, there are 1000 motorcylces and it seems the will drive on either side of the bus. Now onto our hotel the Club Mirage in Benoa, the staff there great us with a big banner sign, then handed us a cool scented wash cloth and something to drink. This hotel is next door to its sister hotel Grand Mirage which offers a great Spa with different packages to choose from. Club Mirage is an all-inclusive with entertainment, there is two al la carte restaurants as well. The beach is good but when the tide is out it is a way out and you have coral to watch out for. There is a pool to swim in but since we where here in October the water of the pool was not look warm bath water. There is a business center so you can email if you need to. The club offers more of a business center and a library. They will do weddings at either of the hotels. Looking for a ATM there is one located across the street where you will find a store that offers a little of everything. Also for those looking for a budget massage there is one not far from the store that is family owned and they gave me a hour reflexogy massage for $7US, it was my first massage and it got me hooked on massages. The staff at our hotel where helpful and friendly. You will see little baskets filled with flowers on sidewalks in walls, they are offerings from the people to God so avoid stepping on them. We learnt that most hotels have a temple on site for people to put their offerings and to pray. The rooms at this hotel can get a humid smell do to the fact there is high humidity at this time of year. If you come bring loose fit cotton clothing that goes below the knee. If you where a bathing suite or shorts you should where them on the resort not off the resort. This was a wonderful resort to stay at. Tours of the region can be arranged from this hotel. Bali offers hiking through rice fields, white water rafting, elephant safaries, temple tours,shopping in Kuta, volcanoes, black sand beach, scuba diving, kayaking,golfing and more. There is something for everyone in this paradaise. Buffet restaurant is like what you would find in a Mexico AI resort. Air conditioners sometimes don't work but staff fixes this quickly. You can also run into plumbing problems just like in Mexico at this hotel.