The plane landed and we were in Orlando.

Orlando Intl Airport

We proceeded to the Budget counter to pick up our rental car (used BCD code Y937800 for a discount).

Waiting for our turn at the rental counter

We got the Discovery Cove Ultimate Package that allows us one day all-inclusive access to Discovery Cove and 14-day access to Sea World and Aquatica.  We definitely enjoyed ourselves.

Snorkeling at Discovery Cove

Enjoying Sea World

Tubing at Aquatica

Five days into our trip, we were supposed to board the Disney Dream.  I woke up early to prepare when I saw my father on the couch not looking too well.  I’ve never seen him like that.  My brother and I went to the nearest pharmacy to get a sphygmomanometer, glucometer and thermometer so we can “home-assess” him.  I tried to take his blood pressure, but got confused coz his pulse seemed so erratic.  I asked my brother to do it himself and he noticed the same thing.  My father then said he was having chest pains and cold sweats.

My dad was having a heart attack.

It all started with booking two vacations back to back.  The first one was a Southern Caribbean cruise for just my husband and me.  Right after that was a family vacation with only my parents, brother and nephew.  I was very excited!

My husband and I went on our vacation all ready for adventure.

Celebrity Summit

When I say adventure, I really meant ADVENTURE…

Shark Dive

A wild dolphin decided to swim with us on our first dive

Zip Line

Then the last day of our cruise came and it was time to go home.  It’s always sad to end a vacation.  But I wasn’t.  I was ready for my next adventure.  Until I realized the cards have a different kind of adventure planned for me for the next days.

Our flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico got delayed for 3 hours and the earliest time they could get us back to NY was 11:05am the following day.  I got worried coz the flight for my next trip was at 1:30pm that same day we were now arriving in NY!  So here were the events that followed:

• I called my parents to take with them an empty carry-on and my portable hard drive (you’ll understand later).
• My parents picked us up at the airport.
• At the “pick-up” area, I transferred my dirty laundry from my previous trip to the empty carry-on.
• A lot of the photos my husband took from our trip were for his project that was due in a few days.  They were all saved in my laptop.  I started copying the photos to the portable hard drive so my husband can take it with him.
• My husband took over the car and dropped the family at the other terminal for our 1:30pm flight to Orlando.
• My husband parked the car as we wait for all the photos to get copied to the portable hard drive.  There were 70+gb of photos!
• After all photos were copied, my husband took the car, portable hard drive and the rest of our luggage from the first trip and went home.
• My family and I checked in, went through Security and waited to board our plane.  I breathed a sigh of relief looking forward to the vacation that was about to start.

But wait!  It got worse…

STAY DETAILS
March 14-15, 2012
1 Queen studio
$92/night via Hotwire

I recommend this hotel for the value, amenities and proximity to South Shore Plaza Mall.

I got very nervous after reading all the negative reviews on Tripadvisor. We got to the hotel and saw a sign about their renovation. We got in our room and were pleasantly surprised! Our room was very clean, modern and newly renovated. The newly renovated rooms were A LOT nicer than the photos on the hotel’s website.

It was a last-minute trip I booked the day before check-in. I went to Hotwire, booked a 2-star hotel for $92/night without knowing what hotel I would get. It would have cost us about $119/night if not booked through Hotwire. $119 was the cheapest I could find that time on other sites for any 2+ star accommodation.

LOCATION
The hotel was a 15-minute drive from downtown Boston without traffic. It was very close to I-93. I suggest bringing or renting a car.

It was very close to South Shore Plaza Mall and other retail stores. A movie theater was also close by, located across the mall. There’s a good bakery (Konditor Meister) at the end of the road. However, the road the hotel was on was pretty secluded and I am not sure if I’d walk it alone at night.

PREMISES
There was a strong smell at the hotel’s parking lot. It could have been the paint from renovations. The lobby was tiny but looked nice and clean. There were only 2 chairs. The front desk counter was tiny as well. The front desk staff was staying at another counter behind the front desk counter and I found it awkward talking to her that far.

I was only able to see the first floor as our room was on that floor and it looked clean. The hotel halls had a faint smell, but it wasn’t a bad smell.

There was no scenic view from this hotel. You would see parking lot, highway, and trees.

STAFF
Check in was a breeze and front desk staff was friendly. Since we were only here one night, the front desk was the only staff we encountered.

ROOMS
We had room 113 which was a queen bed studio. The room was pretty large and equipped with a small kitchen. The room was clean and had mostly new furnishings except the refrigerator and dishwasher. It looked like the flooring was replaced too during the renovation including the tiles in the bathroom. Our view was the back parking lot.

Read on…

The BRIDAL SHOW at OHEKA CASTLE
February 26, 2012
1:00pm – 5:00pm

ENJOY complimentary champagne and hors d’oeuvres prepared by OHEKA’s Executive Chef, Chris Cappello.

MEET some of the most sought after professional bridal vendors on the East Coast.

TOUR the Historic Estate and Gardens of OHEKA CASTLE.

VIEW magnificently designed wedding gowns and perfectly tailored tuxedos.

WIN an OHEKA Wedding Cake from our Classic Elegance Collection designed by Executive Pastry Chef, Daniel Andreotti.

Click here for tickets or more information.

Saturday, November 19, 2011
Disembarkation – Miami, FL

We had breakfast at Sun & Sea.  It took a while for the ship to get cleared for disembarkation so we stayed in our cabin until we could get off the ship.  We walked off with our luggage instead of having Carnival take our luggage the night before and bring it to the terminal.  The disembarkation process was a mess.  My review of the disembarkation process at the bottom.

We rented a minivan for the day from Dollar since our flight wasn’t until 7:20pm today.  We got it for a base rate of $44.99, and ended up costing us $90+ including taxes, fees, insurance and tolls.  Pick up location was a cruise ship pick up and drop off was at MIA airport.  We were picked up by the Dollar shuttle across the cruise terminal entrance.  The shuttle then brought us to the airport to get our rental.

From the airport, we took the Dolphin Expy, continued on to MacArthur Causeway, then turned left on Ocean Dr to get to Miami Beach.  We were able to find metered street parking right on Ocean Dr, just steps from the beach at Lummus Park.  It cost us $1.75/hour.  After hanging out at the beaches of the Caribbean, Miami Beach was a disappointment.

We then headed west to go shopping.  We always try to go to a Ross store since there’s none in NYC.  Unfortunately, the Ross stores at Mall of the Americas and Dolphin Mall didn’t have great items unlike the other Ross stores we’ve visited (e.g. Orlando, Charlotte, NJ).

Reviews after the jump…

Read on…

Friday, November 18, 2011
Nassau, Bahamas

To get to the city from the cruise docks, you have to go through Festival Place.  There was free wi-fi connection available right at Festival Place.  But you’ll see a ton of people hanging out there with their laptops so don’t expect to get a decent connection.

We booked a snorkel trip with Stuart’s Cove.  The price ($65) included transportation to and from Prince George Wharf cruise terminal and other hotels. They picked us up by the fountain across Festival Place.  Their shop was on the other end of the island so the ride was long.  We went to three sites: one on a reef, one on a small plane wreck, and the last one with sharks!  There were a lot of fishes.  Don’t buy fish food.  The fishes can get very aggressive.  The guides have their own fish food that they use so let them do the feeding.

After our snorkel, we had to wait for a 2nd bus because the first one got full quickly.  The ride back to the cruise terminal took about 2 hours!

Click here to download all the Fun Times at our cruise.

Reviews after the jump…

Read on…