Clarke Family Vacation 2003

[collacentaur]

Countdown to vacation has begun. According to the handy-dandy date calculation program on my computer, there are 45 days between now and the ship setting sail.

For those who haven't heard, Clarke Family Vacation 2003 is a week-long Alaska cruise. J's parents are paying for the airfare and the cruise itself; we're responsible for all the extras. They and his brother and sister-in-law are going on for a second week land tour. J and I can't afford either the money or the time off work for that. Honestly, we can't really afford the part we are doing, either, but we'll probably never have the opportunity to do this again, so we're going to do it right this time. Anybody want to rent space in our suitcases?

J's parents brought us some of the paperwork this weekend when they visited, including a copy of the tour brochure. So now I can show everyone the pretty pictures, figure out the rules, and memorize the layout of the ship. And, for still more information, there’s the website, where I finally found this morning some of the information we'd been looking for. Celebrity Cruises - Alaska should link to it if I got my HTML right. We're sailing on the Summit.

I'm really excited, but I'm also terrified. There’s so much to do. I emailed the cruise line this morning to find out if I can get a number I need without contacting the travel agent, who doesn't know me and who spelled J's name wrong (I'm trying to see if I can get that corrected too). We want to book our shore excursions. I need to do something about my wardrobe, because I don't have enough fancy clothes to eat dinner all week. J needs to renew his expired passport, since we go in and out of Canada. We need to convince one of our friends that he or she loves us enough to drive us to and from Newark Airport - and given the time of our departure, I'm not sure anyone does love us that much!

We need to buy film, bug repellent, and Dramamine. And maybe binoculars. We need to put cash in envelopes for tips before we go, so we don't forget and we don't spend it. I need to make sure we stop the mail.

I need to make a list. A lot of lists. A list of lists.

Oh, and did I mention his cousin is getting married the weekend before the cruise, so all six of us have to be in Massachusetts for the weekend? At least J and I live close enough we can drive instead of flying.

Comments

passport? are you sure?

[ourika.livejournal.com]

Was J not born in the US? Last I checked, US born citizens don’t need passports to get in and out of Canada or Mexico (and that last check was one year ago which was after 9/11). You just need to show proof of who you are (birth certificate, driver’s license, etc.) I haven’t been to Canada since high school (so we’re talking late 80s and early 90s), but all I needed then was a birth certificate. And for Mexico (which I’ve done as recently as last year which is after 9/11) I only showed a driver’s license. Even the person I was with (who was not a US citizen) didn’t show a passport. He did, however, show his driver’s license and that card that says he’s a permanent resident of the US. (Oh, same for a friend who I went to Canada with who had permanent resident status in the US but not citizenship).

Re: passport? are you sure?

[collacentaur.livejournal.com]

It doesn't have to be a passport. But passports are quicker and easier, especially where we're going to be crossing and re-crossing the border several times in a very short period.

[turtle-morn.livejournal.com]

Reading this makes me seasick.

[collacentaur.livejournal.com]

So that's a no on the renting of suitcase space then?