Travel Blog

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I had the opportunity to visit ‘The Last Frontier’ recently and was blown away by the shear beauty of Alaska. I have cruised Alaska many times, both the inside passage and the one way Gulf cruises, but have never really had the option of traveling into the interior of the state. Just the vastness of the wilderness was enough to make you catch your breath. I’ve always known that Alaska is the largest state in size, but when you visualize that it is still larger than the next three largest states (Texas, California, and Montana) combined it is overwhelming. We started our journey by flying into Anchorage and overnighting before heading off to Denali the next day.

We were able to travel on Holland America’s McKinley Explorer glass dome train from Anchorage to Denali taking about 8 hours. The train is beautiful. You are up high and surrounded by glass on the sides and roof of the train. The scenery is spectacular, crossing over rivers and looking for wildlife along the way. We were lucky to see quite a few moose along the tracks. While onboard we enjoyed a very nice lunch in the dining car. No one was in a hurry and it was a very relaxing trip.

We stayed at the Mt. McKinley Chalet in Denali for two nights. The accommodations were lovely in a type of cabin feel room with a separate living room overlooking a rushing river. No air conditioning, but you didn’t need it with the breeze from the river coming through to cool things off. While there we took a 5 hour Tundra/Wilderness tour inside Denali National Park. We were lucky enough to see Caribou, Dall Sheep, and a Grizzly. I would highly recommend this longer tour going deeper into the park. The weather was perfect so we had beautiful views of the mountain itself.

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Over 2 years ago I listened to a representative from Katarina Cruise lines talk about his product at our Travel Expo 2020. I was intrigued. Croatia has always been on my dream list and seeing this amazing country by small cruise line sounded perfect to me. Sign me up!

Unfortunately the world had different plans and like many of my clients, my cruise was cancelled in 2020 and also 2021. Optimistically I rebooked in 2022 and just returned from this incredible experience.

Katarina Cruise lines has overt 20 ships ranging from a deluxe product to a budget friendly option. I went with the deluxe premium option because of all the inclusions like most meals, tickets to experiences and city and town tours.

Our tour started in Split Croatia and went to 5 different islands and ports. My favorite were the small island and towns without big ships and thousands of tourist. My favorite was Korcula, birthplace of Marco Polo and Mljet with its beautiful lakes and national parks.

Dubrovnik, our 3rd stop was an amazing town to see with its 3 layer city walls and ancient buildings and towns. Tourism is back in full force there and it was very crowded. I was eager to get back to the smaller ports.

Katerina offers the perfect mix of downtime, which is relaxing on their spacious deck or swimming in the Adriatic at swim stops off the back of the boat. We experienced swim stops a couple times a day and it was one of the highlights.

I was prepared to experience a bare bones cruise but every day breakfast and lunch were included. Most dinners were included except for a couple of nights where we ate at local restaurants on the waterfront. Again, the perfect mix of time on your own and then time with other guests. The food was fantastic. They love their seafood and I never got tired of meals fresh from the sea.

Our ship held 28 guests. Most onboard were Europeans although we had South Africans and New Zealanders as well. It was such a delightful experience to meet people from other countries and hear their stories.

The service on board was very attentive. Our cruise director Mariana made everyone feel so pampered. The waitstaff, cooks, captain and crew were amazing.

I highly recommend this experience for those who want to see Croatia on a more intimate level.

Please contact me and I can help make your cruise dreams become a reality!

Kathy Hirst

If I can help plan your next vacation, please contact me:

Street: 101 South 200 East, Suite #100
City: Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Phone: 801.483.6537

Business Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

I had never been to Canada before and I love trains, so I was thrilled with the opportunity to see Canada’s beautiful countryside from my comfy chair aboard Rocky Mountaineer! This 7-day trip was jam packed with amazing scenery and thrilling adventures. I flew into Vancouver. I haven’t been to the Vancouver airport before, and I think it might be one of my fav’s! Getting through Customs was a breeze. I found an ATM machine to exchange a little Money (the airport is the easiest and just charges $3 to do the exchange). I found that I really didn’t have to exchange money as everyone takes Credit cards, but it was nice to have a little Canadian money for tips and smaller things I purchased. Pretty much everyone takes American dollars, but you won’t get as good of a deal and the change will be in Canadian.

We stayed at the Beautiful Sheraton Wall Centre in Downtown Vancouver. Our tour started early the following day. We were treated to ‘Fly Over Canada’ (if you like Soaring over California in Disneyland, you will love this), ate lunch in Granville Island, and explored the nearby forest at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Vancouver loves Art and Cultures from all over the world. Everywhere you look, you see evidence of this.

On Monday we boarded Rocky Mountaineer headed east to Kamloops for our 1st night. We enjoyed ‘Gold’ service with 180-degree views. You are assigned a nice (heated) seat and there isn’t a bad seat in the house…but no one sits in their seat for long. You get to know your fellow travelers, and everyone shares seats so you can get the best views of both sides of the train. Downstairs is the dining area; I must say the food was excellent! We enjoyed Breakfast and Lunch at our assigned time. In between we were served snacks and Drinks from an open bar. We had a personal guide in our train car who shared history and stories about the areas we were traveling through. We arrived at our Kamloops hotel around 8:00pm. We had enough time to take a short walk and found an ice cream cone before bed.

The next morning started at 6am. We were on the train and headed out of the station by 6:30. The Rocky Mountaineer folks makes everything fun. The whole train station staff came out and waved goodbye as we rolled out of both stations. This day was amazing. We saw eagles, mountain goats, elk, deer, etc. Everywhere you looked there were rivers, lakes, & adorable villages. There is a lot of History here. Stories (good and bad) were shared about the building of the railroad, Engineering feats (such as the Spiral Tunnels built in the early 1900’s), and Local folklore. This was a long day, but fantastic!

We finally arrived Banff. I’m a huge Yellowstone fan, but these Rocky Mountains put Yellowstone mountains to shame. They reminded me of the Teton peaks on a massive scale. They surround you and seem to go on forever. Just beautiful. The quaint town of Banff is mostly for tourists, but so much fun. Besides shopping, restaurants, & beautiful Hotels, there are trails everywhere. Mountains, rivers, waterfalls, & wildlife, are all within walking distance or a inexpensive bus ride.

For the next 2 days we toured Banff. We visited lake Louise, (a place I have always wanted to go) and had lunch in Fairmont Chateau at Lake Louise. We visited other beautiful lakes, and waterfalls (Emerald Lake may be my favorite). The Blue hues of these lakes are amazing. We were lucky enough to watch a cute teenage Bear wander by the side of the road near lake Louise. He didn’t seem to mind that we were close by. On our final day in Banff, we were able to take the gondola to the top of Mt Sulphur. The views of the surrounding mountains and valleys below were amazing. After enjoying lunch here, we set off for Calgary for our final day.

We didn’t get to see a lot of Calgary, but it was a beautiful city and I’m sure there is a lot to do. We did get to visit and enjoy dinner at the Calgary Heritage Park. A great place to immerse yourself in pioneer and cowboy life over a century ago. Dinner was fun in the old Gasoline Ally Museum. The food was great, and the Mayor of Calgary deemed us honorary Calgarians. It was a great trip and one I would recommend to anyone.

Karrie Stewart
Morris Columbus Travel

 

 

If you think Africa is all desert and savannah plains, you’re incorrect. Its landscapes are as diverse as they are breathtaking, a liberal helping of pretty beaches, charming towns, and stunning panoramic views. Here are my picks for two of the most beautiful places in Africa.

Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique

Mozambique’s long coastline is lined with many unspoiled and stunningly attractive beaches, none more so than the sands of the Bazaruto Archipelago just offshore. Its clear turquoise waters are home to a plethora of marine life, including sea turtles and dugongs.

Photo credit: Tonis Valing/Shutterstock

Uganda’s Tea Country

Many of us associate tea growing with the hill country of India and Sri Lanka, but East Africa’s soil and climate are equally suitable. Uganda’s lush and verdant farms form some of the country’s most photogenic landscapes. On your way to see the gorillas, add two extra days to discover the beauty of Uganda.

Photo credit: Ashim D Silva/Shutterstock

I will be happy to help you plan a worry-free getaway. Please contact me at (801) 483-6533 or to view my full travel biography, please click this link.

Bon Voyage!

Murielle Blanchard
Black Pearl Luxury Services
A division of Morris Murdock Travel
(801) 483-6533
email me