I’m not quite sure Suzanne is going to make it to our vacation; there’s a *lot* going on around here and the added bonus of getting Kevin ready might just push her over edge.
So, let’s try and walk through where we are at:
Dogs and Cats: As previously mentioned, neighborhood teenager will watch over the pest while we’re gone. May try out a test of the system a week from Saturday when we’re gone (just curious how Wiley/Holly will react to the kids coming into the house).
Kevin: I think mostly ready to go; need to determine which suitcase he is taking, need to finalize host ‘gifts’….and shoes…and suitcase….and power converters.
Dad and Boys: We are pretty easy to pack, so, I’m hoping this goes pretty smoothly. Main complication here is different kinds of shoes (formal, and not) and long pants for church visits. I think we’re pretty much set.
Mom packing: Completely unqualified to comment on this.
Ports: We know what we are doing in each port and have completed most of the pre-planning; Marseilles and Mallorca are rental car days; Dubrovnik and Venice are do-it-yourself walking and public transportation, Rome is do-it-yourself waking and public transportation aside from the trip to Rome from the port and back. The rest, Florence, Salermo, Messina, are tours with groups of varying sizes from the ship. Nothing is booked through Carnival; all through private firms so the added bonus of a little bit of stress about getting back on time…..
A wrap-up of miscellaneous stuff that’s been done over the last day to get ready:
1) downloaded audio tours and maps to Suzanne and my Iphones. Found a great map program that is scalable (let’s you zoom in while not on a data network). Downloaded Rick Steves audio tours…
2) resolved two troublesome bits of transportation issues; we will drive and park car in Detroit, we will most likely take a cab from Barcelona hotel to port on departure day, but, are prepared to hop on the Metro if we need to
3) Found a supermarket in Las Ramblas in Barcelona so that we can pick up some coke/pepsi to bring on board the ship (12 can limit per person, $2 a can if ordered onboard, about $0.67 this way, even though it’s a hassle.
The list of things we still need to do is legion; a key element is ordering Euros. Just like the Wreck of the Costa Concordia had a small but noticeable effect on the prices, the Wreck of the Grecian Economy is having a small but noticeable effect on the exchange rate.
(Yes, I know chart also applies to my 401K monies too….it’s the same boat…..but I need these monies in the next month, those I don’t need for a while yet)
One piece of good news; June 10, the Sunday before departure, is completely free of sports/boys events. So, a big day for us to get everything ship-shape, so to speak.
