2015 Where We've Been...
January 2015 was bittersweet. We were so excited to join 85 of our clients on Oasis of the Seas in mid January. Unfortunately, my mom passed away two days before the cruise so I was not able to sail with you. Steve and my step-son, Matt, took over and many adventures were enjoyed by all.
The Los Angeles Abilities Expo was held in March followed by the New York Metro Abilities Expo in early May. The month of May was made especially sweet by the arrival of our newest grandson, Tanner Maxwell Briscoe.
We attended our Virgin America Disability Meeting in Las Vegas in mid May.
We were invited to be on the first Disability Advisory Committee for Royal Caribbean International comprised of Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara Cruise Lines. I look forward to contributing to even better access than is already being offered by these three cruise lines.
We did our first Alaska Cruise Tour on May 30 which began in Fairbanks, AK. We visited Denali National Park, Anchorage and Seward before embarking on a seven night cruise of the inside passage. Did you see the photos of us rolling through the streets of Anchorage?
I was honored for the third time by TravelAge West and won a Trendsetters Award for best group in the Western United States. It was very exciting to receive my award from Vicki Freed, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.
Late June found me in Tucson, AZ attending the National Conference of the Amputee Coalition.
The Houston Abilities Expo was held the last weekend of July and is especially nice because we can drive there.
In late August I flew to the Big Apple (New York) to join some of my cruisers. We had an amazing time being tourists in the heart of Times Square. We rolled around the streets, bought souvenirs, saw two Broadway shows, ate lots of great food including NY Cheesecake and much, much more. We then boarded Liberty of the Seas and cruised for nine glorious days and nights to New England and Canada. This was truly a spectacular trip enjoyed by all.
Returned home on Labor Day and then was off again to Boston for Abilities Expo.
On October 10, fifteen of us departed JFK for the trip of a lifetime....a fully accessible tour of Israel. What an incredible adventure this was. We laughed, we cried, we ate, we shopped and, most of all, we formed incredible friendships and forged unforgettable memories.
The end of October took me to Chicago for a family affair and I left two days later for my Cruise Planners Convention in Florida. That is always a highlight of the year and it lived up to my expectations. The convention culminated in two days on board NCL's new Escape. Steve had the honor of attending the inaugural of RCCL's Anthem of the Seas and we both enjoyed our new ship experiences. We arrived home in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and then were off again to Washington DC for the last Abilities Expo of the year.
Not done yet....one more group trip up the Mississippi on the American Queen Steamboat. We had an amazing group of people join us, some new, some repeaters and we had lots of fun. We even played poker with braille playing cards! Some of the highlights were visiting the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, MS and Graceland in Memphis.
We are now home for the holidays and want to thank each and every one of you that traveled with us or met us at Abilities Expos across the country.
We do all this because of you and we could not do it without you. I especially want to thank you for sharing your own stories with us. Your sense of adventure and your unstoppable spirits is the fuel that keeps us going.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
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2016 Where We Are Going....
We are ready to head into 2016 full steam ahead! Will you be joining us? We certainly hope to see you on of our groups or on the road at Abilities Expos. Perhaps we can plan an individual trip for you with your friends and family.
January will find us in NY at the New York Times Travel Show where we will participate on a panel about Disability Travel.
First weekend in February we are back in Los Angeles for Abilities Expo. It's early this year so mark your calendars. On Valentine's Day Steve and I will cruise by ourselves to check out the changes made on Liberty of the Seas and to visit some ports we haven't seen before.
On March 27 many of you will join us as we sail for 12 nights on RCCL's Anthem of the Seas from Cape Liberty, NJ. We will visit St. Thomas, San Juan, Barbados, St. Kitts and more as we explore the Southern Caribbean.
The New York Abilities Expo is in early May and early June will put us in South Carolina for the Amputee Conference. The last week of May has us traveling with a group from Galveston on RCCL's newly refurbished Liberty of the Seas to the Western Caribbean.
Late June we will head to Seattle and take a group on a seven night cruise to Alaska.
July will bring us back to Houston for Abilities Expo once again.
September is our very exciting cruise to the Western Mediterranean with a three night pre-cruise stay in Barcelona. We will be sailing on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas, an Oasis Class Ship.
We are still deciding on what to do in October...suggestions??? National Parks Tour, Branson; what do you think?
November is Cruise Planners Convention Time and December will take us to Hawaii with many of you. Join us in Honolulu for three nights and then cruise with us around the islands on NCL's Pride of America.
We look forward to being with you in 2016 whether it is on one of our trips or at an Abilities Expo.
Most importantly, we hope all your travel dreams come true and 2016 is filled with good health and lots of happiness.
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