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In Which I was Proved Wrong about the Carnival Liberty

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Jan Ross

I just returned from a Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Liberty where I spent the week being continuously amazed by Carnival. My expectations for this cruise were low as I considered Carnival a party cruise line with so-so service and average food. I was not overly concerned as I was cruising with a group of girlfriends and we planned to spend the week either lying on a tropical beach or shopping and, seriously? How can you wrong with that plan?

I’m here to tell you that I was completely wrong about Carnival. I had some of the best food, service and experiences I have ever had on a cruise. And here’s precisely why.

Read the rest of this post at The Vacation Gals HERE.

Categories: Beach, Caribbean, Carnival Cruise, Tours | Tags: Caribbean, Caribbean Cruise, Carnival Caribbean Cruise, Carnival cruise, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Liberty Food, Carnival Libery Caribbean Cruise, Carnival stateroom, Cruise, Duty-Free, Eastern Caribbean, Jan Ross, Jan Ross Travel, Jan Ross travel blog, Jan Ross Travel Blogger, Jan Ross travel writer, Snorkeling, St. Thomas Snorkeling, The Vacation Gals | 5 Comments

The Grand Canyon Skywalk

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Jan Ross

Read the first post about our Grand Canyon adventure HERE and the second one HERE, both with Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters.

Still reeling from the incredible experience of seeing the Grand Canyon from the air in a helicopter and from the Colorado River in a raft, we speedily hopped up to the top of the Grand Canyon in our chopper for yet another incredible experience. We landed at the small Grand Canyon West airport and were quickly loaded into a van for the short ride to the Grand Canyon Skywalk.

Because we were part of the Papillon tour group, we bypassed the long line of tourists waiting to access the Skywalk and headed to the locker area to empty our pockets and backpacks of all our belongings. They figured out pretty quickly when the Skywalk first opened on March 20, 2007 that they were not going to be able to allow tourists to take cameras, sunglasses, phones or any other paraphernalia onto the bridge because, as you are wont to do, people kept dropping things. Not into the Canyon, although I’m sure that happened as well, but onto the clear surface of the Skywalk itself and causing scratches. A scratched surface does not make for a clear view of the incredible Grand Canyon and Colorado River below.

Categories: Las Vegas, Nevada, Tours | Tags: Grand Canyon, Helicopter Tours, Jan Ross, Jan Ross Travel, Jan Ross travel blog, Jan Ross Travel Blogger, Jan Ross travel writer, Las Vegas, Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters | 6 Comments

Sun, Sand and Shop in the Eastern Caribbean

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Jan Ross

It’s truly amazing the Carnival Liberty made it back to shore in Miami with the load of purchases my girlfriends and I had managed to amass while cruising to several islands in the Eastern Caribbean. Fabulous meals, a wonderful spa and the marvelously comfortable “Carnival Comfort” beds made our time on the ship enjoyable and the gorgeous beaches and turquoise Caribbean water made our island time equally enjoyable. But it was the shopping that really made the trip.

Read the rest of this article from “Ky Doc” magazine’s June/July 2011 issue HERE.

Categories: Caribbean, Carnival Cruise | Tags: Caribbean Cruise, Carnival Caribbean Cruise, Carnival cruise, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Libery Caribbean Cruise, Duty-Free, Eastern Caribbean, Jan Ross, Jan Ross Travel, Jan Ross travel blog, Jan Ross Travel Blogger, Jan Ross travel writer, Shopping | 5 Comments

The Capital Grille in Las Vegas

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Jan Ross

I don’t know if it was the incredible view, the impeccable service or the melt-in-your-mouth delicious food that made me think The Capital Grille was going to be our best restaurant experience in all of Las Vegas. But whichever one it was, I was correct.

Perched on the third floor of the Fashion Show Mall on Las Vegas Boulevard in a beautifully designed, modern yet comfortable space with glass walls that provide an incredible view, The Capital Grille should be on everyone’s list of restaurants they must visit when they are in Vegas.

Read the rest of this post on A Luxury Travel Blog.

Fabulous steaks

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

Mashed Potatoes and Onion Rings

And can we have an OMG for the desserts?

Categories: Las Vegas, Nevada | Tags: Jan Ross, Jan Ross Travel, Jan Ross travel blog, Jan Ross Travel Blogger, Jan Ross travel writer, Las Vegas | 7 Comments

Rafting the Colorado River

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Jan Ross

Read the first post about our Grand Canyon adventure HERE.

I’m just going to have to be honest here and tell you that the vision conjured up by the title of this post – white water! dangerous rapids! I totally almost drowned when I was thrown from the raft! – should be tempered with the facts that:

1. The raft was, in reality, a pretty substantial item.

2. There were no actual what you would call white water rapids.

3. The river was smooth and quiet and placid.

But it was pretty amusing when I told my husband we were going to be rafting down the Colorado River and he turned to me with all seriousness and asked if it was really safe.

Um. Yeah.

Categories: Las Vegas, Nevada, Tours | Tags: Grand Canyon, Jan Ross, Jan Ross Travel, Jan Ross travel blog, Jan Ross Travel Blogger, Jan Ross travel writer, Las Vegas, Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, Papillon Helicopters | 9 Comments

Yes, you can wear that bathing suit but should you?

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Jan Ross

I tried not to visibly cringe as the rather large woman with two, no make that three rolls of pudge between the top of her bikini and the bottom strolled by the pool of my cruise ship. She was not the first woman I would see on my Caribbean cruise dressed in an inappropriate bathing suit and she would not be the last. It was not the bikini itself – it was quite darling and it actually fit. Although why the manufacturer would make one quite that large befuddles me. It was not her age – you could be 70 and still look good in a bikini.

It was the rather obvious fact (to everyone else except the wearer, apparently) that the bikini was quite simply very, very unflattering. A well-fitting one piece bathing suit in a beautiful color or print would have looked so much better. Why do so many women do this to themselves? Here’s why and what to do about it. At least for yourself. Because I can’t think of any way to walk to up to a total stranger and tell them the bikini is absolutely not the way to go.

Read the rest of this post at TheSavvyGal.com

Categories: Beach | Tags: Choosing a Bathing Suit, Cruise, Jan Ross, Jan Ross Travel, Jan Ross travel blog, Jan Ross Travel Blogger, Jan Ross travel writer, Shopping, Swimming | Leave a comment

Flying a Chopper Over the Grand Canyon

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Jan Ross

Seriously, you can’t imagine how cool I felt typing “chopper” above. As if I actually had anything to do with piloting the chopper, other than attempting to climb into the pilot’s lap when he veered a little too close to the canyon’s walls.

Absolutely, without a doubt, the coolest thing we did the entire time we were in Vegas was taking a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon with Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters. This is the tour we did and we also added the Skywalk and river cruise. I recommend it totally.

A Travel Writer’s Quandary

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Jan Ross

I forked up another bite of my barely warm dinner and finally came to the conclusion that it was inedible. Everyone in our group agreed. The service was shoddy, they were out of half the offerings on the menu and the food was just plain terrible. This was not a restaurant to which we would be returning.

There was only one problem.

I had received a comped meal and was expected to write a glowing review about this place.

What to do?

Categories: Restaurant Reviews | Tags: Jan Ross, Jan Ross Travel, Jan Ross travel blog, Jan Ross Travel Blogger, Jan Ross travel writer, Las Vegas | 14 Comments

The Incredible Hotels of Vegas:Part Two

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Jan Ross

(You can read Part One of our Vegas Hotel experiences HERE.)

After walking and walking and walking and then walking some more down Las Vegas Boulevard, we decided that we hadn’t actually walked quite enough and we needed to check out a couple more hotels. First, we needed a sustenance infusion, so we found a nearby food court, mulled over our the myriad of interesting food choices and then we had McDonald’s for lunch. We had already eaten so much rich food that we were a little overwhelmed and those chicken nuggets tasted darn good.

Then we were ready to continue with our exploration of the Vegas hotels. Or at least as many as we could fit in before we collapsed like exhausted ragdolls. Ragdolls with blisters on their feet.

Categories: Hotels, Las Vegas, Nevada | Tags: Jan Ross, Jan Ross Travel, Jan Ross travel blog, Jan Ross travel writer, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Hotels | 10 Comments

The Incredible Hotels of Vegas:Part One

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Jan Ross

Fabulous umbrellas at the Bellagio Hotel.

We tried not to gawk. Seriously.

But this town was simply incredible. At this point, we had already seen a guy with a boa constrictor draped over his shoulders and had posed with Bumblebee.