Vacation 2023

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IMADreamer
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Vacation 2023

Post by IMADreamer »

I think it's time for a vacation 2023 thread. The pandemic is "over" and things are getting back to normalish, so are you headed out this year? We are going to Alaska. I'm beyond excited. We are taking a Cruise from Seattle to Alaska then spending some time in Alaska before we fly home. I've never been on a cruise before, I'm not that excited about that part. I've also never been to Alaska, it's obviously huge but is there any must sees for those that have been there?

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CardsofSTL
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Re: Vacation 2023

Post by CardsofSTL »

If you're going to do a cruise, the Seattle to Alaska is the one to do. At least until the glaciers melt.

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heyzeus
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Re: Vacation 2023

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Taking the kids to NYC over president’s day to see Hamilton. And to eat a Reuben at the legendary deli that bears our name.

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ghostrunner
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Re: Vacation 2023

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Finally getting out to Colorado and Utah for the first time. We’re hitting Moab, Monument Valley, Mesa Verde, and finally Rocky Mountain NP near Denver. Planning to visit some friends in Ft Collins too.

We’re taking the train to Grand Junction which should be an adventure. First time for that too. It was about 15% the cost of plane tickets, but it takes 24 hours. That’s part of trip though and I expect to like it except for maybe the sleeping part of it. We’re in coach so it’ll mean sleeping on reclining chairs.

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Re: Vacation 2023

Post by AWvsCBsteeeerike3 »

ghostrunner wrote:
January 15 23, 2:51 pm
Finally getting out to Colorado and Utah for the first time. We’re hitting Moab, Monument Valley, Mesa Verde, and finally Rocky Mountain NP near Denver. Planning to visit some friends in Ft Collins too.

We’re taking the train to Grand Junction which should be an adventure. First time for that too. It was about 15% the cost of plane tickets, but it takes 24 hours. That’s part of trip though and I expect to like it except for maybe the sleeping part of it. We’re in coach so it’ll mean sleeping on reclining chairs.
Sounds like an awesome trip.

Good luck on the train though. I took Amtrak from north of Stl to Chicago once. Was supposed to be a 5 hour trip. Turned into a 13 hour trip. I was 18. Made some friends during a delay. They bought all the beers available which was like 2 cases. Got wasted. Showed up to Chicago at 2 am with like zero idea how to get to the suburb I needed to get to sense those trains had stopped running. Idk how I even made it honestly. But I showed up to my gfs parents house at like 4 am still wasted. They were less than impressed. Lol.

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IMADreamer
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Re: Vacation 2023

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ghostrunner wrote:
January 15 23, 2:51 pm
Finally getting out to Colorado and Utah for the first time. We’re hitting Moab, Monument Valley, Mesa Verde, and finally Rocky Mountain NP near Denver. Planning to visit some friends in Ft Collins too.

We’re taking the train to Grand Junction which should be an adventure. First time for that too. It was about 15% the cost of plane tickets, but it takes 24 hours. That’s part of trip though and I expect to like it except for maybe the sleeping part of it. We’re in coach so it’ll mean sleeping on reclining chairs.
Sounds great! I love train travel. It's nice to sit back and watch the world roll by.

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Radbird
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Re: Vacation 2023

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@IMADreamer
Sounds great. We’ve never been on a cruise by that’s on our list. Mrs Rad says Alaska is the one cruise she would consider. Can’t wait for your report!

@ghostrunner
With all our time in Colorado, we never made it to Utah and regret it. I’m glad you’re going to RMNP which was right in our backyard. Trail Ridge Road is the main road through the park but take Old Fall River Road (if it’s open) up to the Alpine Visitor Center. And there are lots of great hiking trails throughout the park. Have fun!

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Transmogrified Tiger
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Re: Vacation 2023

Post by Transmogrified Tiger »

We have a Disney World trip planned for next month(wife is running the half marathon that goes through the parks), and are gonna try to go to Europe in the fall. Anyone have their tips/favorites for Europe? Thinking of a ~2 week trip, and I get decision fatigue about narrowing the scope. We enjoy nature/scenery as well as cities/museums (not so much foodies though), and I'm trying to strike a balance of getting to see several things/locations while not making myself miserable having every minute spoken for in a super detailed itinerary involving 5 planes, 10 trains, etc.

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Re: Vacation 2023

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Transmogrified Tiger wrote:
January 16 23, 10:16 am
We have a Disney World trip planned for next month(wife is running the half marathon that goes through the parks), and are gonna try to go to Europe in the fall. Anyone have their tips/favorites for Europe? Thinking of a ~2 week trip, and I get decision fatigue about narrowing the scope. We enjoy nature/scenery as well as cities/museums (not so much foodies though), and I'm trying to strike a balance of getting to see several things/locations while not making myself miserable having every minute spoken for in a super detailed itinerary involving 5 planes, 10 trains, etc.
It's been about 20 years, and we were backpacking for 3 months, but:

I'd suggest hitting a small town if you get the chance. Unless you're determined to see the sites in bigger cities and can't make the time.

Some of the famous and cooler places are smaller to begin with. Nimes and Nice in France in particular if you're going that way. In Italy, Florence is very compact, walkable and easy to do in a couple days. Same for Venice.

Evora, Portugal was a great small town, though Lisbon was also worthwhile. Portugal was probably my favorite country. I felt the most foreign there, partly bc it was our first stop and also because the language is so different.

San Sebastian in Northern Spain was one of my favorites. It's a resort town and was half empty when we were there (many apartments with the shutters closed) but it was mostly locals and a festival was going on at the time, so it didn't feel empty. Great beach and some awesome waves that smack up against the rocks and splash everywhere. When I think of our trip it's the first place I think of.

I didn't care for Rome or Berlin much, outside of specific destinations. Paris was great. Amsterdam was fine but toward the end and it was hard to get a handle on in the short time we were there. Prague is fun. We were about 2 weeks in when we got to Barcelona and I think we'd hit a bump in our patience with each other but we'd have probably loved it under better conditions. It's beautiful and there's a lot to see.

We were there from February to April, and the weather was almost always great. Not warm but cool and comfortable. Helped that we started in the South.

We didn't really plan train trips at all. Was very easy to do on the fly because of how frequent they are.

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Re: Vacation 2023

Post by tlombard »

IMADreamer wrote:
January 14 23, 11:07 pm
I think it's time for a vacation 2023 thread. The pandemic is "over" and things are getting back to normalish, so are you headed out this year? We are going to Alaska. I'm beyond excited. We are taking a Cruise from Seattle to Alaska then spending some time in Alaska before we fly home. I've never been on a cruise before, I'm not that excited about that part. I've also never been to Alaska, it's obviously huge but is there any must sees for those that have been there?
My roommate from CDL school who's become a good friend is taking an Alaskan cruise with his family this year. I'm a little jealous. They are flying from Seattle to Alaska and boarding the cruise there though.

I'm still trying to decide where to take my next time off. In November I took a week in Vegas around the Blues game on the 12th. I am looking to take another week or so off when I finish up this trainee that I just left the yard with a couple of days ago so I have about five weeks to figure out what I want to do. I haven't been back to St. Louis since August so I'd like to spend some time at home but I also really want to take in Spring Training for the first time. I may just spend a few days at home and then fly down for a few days of spring training and then take another couple of days at home before getting back on the road.

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