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HELLO FROM COPENHAGEN Added: 07-15-2008
am writing to you one day early this week as tomorrow at this time I will be in Copenhagen and probably tired from the long flight! In fact, by the time this e-mail goes out tonight, I will (hopefully) already be seated on my SAS flight bound for Copenhagen.

Yes, it has been another busy week. I just got back on Saturday morning from my Alaskan cruise aboard the ms Oosterdam. It was truly a great cruise. Last week I told you about the beginning of the cruise up until our arrival at Hubbard Glacier. I have to tell you that we had one of my best days at the glacier....ever! The sky was a bit overcast which brought out the beautiful blue colors in the glacier. It didn't rain and it wasn't too cold! The next day we were in Sitka, Alaska. We had a great tour for the group there with visits to the Alaska Raptor Center and the Sitka Historical Museum. We also saw a performance by the Naa Kahídi Dancers. The next morning we were in Ketchikan. Here we had another great tour visiting the Eagle Mountain Salmon Hatchery. We also visited the Totem Museum and Potlatch Park where we were fortunate to find the only woman "master carver", Brita Alander, in her carving shed working on a newly commissioned pole. She welcomed us into her workshop and gave us an explanation about totem poles including how they are carved and what they signify. It is always a special treat when Brita is there. On Friday we were aboard the ship until the early evening. There was a lot going on the ship that day including a question and answer session with the Captain and the finals in the "Oosterdam Superstar" competition. Around 6:00 PM we arrived in Victoria, BC, Canada where we stayed until midnight. It was a beautiful warm evening. I took my traditional walk into and around town before returning to the ship to pack my suitcase. On Saturday morning I woke up to find that we had already docked at Pier 30 in Seattle. Holland America Line's new "silent debarkation" program worked beautifully. We had a leisurely morning including our "last breakfast" before leaving the ship. Once we stepped off of the ship we were through all of the formalities within minutes and everyone was on their way home. I went home, checked my mail, and came into the office to start working on this week's e-mail!

BACK FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE Added: 06-21-2008
Hello from beautiful (well, maybe not this week) Lynnwood, Washington! I'm back from my week in New Hampshire. I had a great week touring New Hampshire with a small group of other tour operators from across the country. We saw the cities, the Seacoast, the East Side, the Mountains, and the Lakes. We toured the Currier Museum of Art, took a Portsmouth Harbor Cruise, toured the Redhook Brewery and the Portsmouth Music Hall, toured the Warner House, and the Strawbery Banke Historic Living Museum....and that was all in the first day! We started early every morning and went late into the evening.....they wanted us to see and do EVERYTHING! The White Mountains sere beautiful and we toured two scenic railroads. We also did two separate cruises on Lake Winnipwukee and much much more. It was a busy week but very worthwhile.

Since I have been back I have been busy working on some new tours. It seems like they all just came together this afternoon. I don't have time to get everything together for today's e-mail but I am pleased to tell you that I do have an incredible deal on a European River Cruise for this coming November.

I CAN'T BELIEVE ITS ALREADY THE LAST DAY! Added: 02-03-2008
It's now our last morning in Auckland....but I still have to tell you about our tours in Napier and Tauranga/Rotorua. On Wednesday we landed in Napier. We had one of my favorite tours there. We first went to the Okawa Homestead. This is a private estate where our gracious hosts met us and took us on a walk through their garden. The weather was PERFECT and we had a nice gentle walk with our hosts around their property. Afterward we went to their veranda for morning tea with lots of cakes and cookies. Even their neighbors came to help! Everyone was having a great time, even our hosts who would have just assumed that we spend the entire day with them...but we had more to see! We then went to Brookfields Vineyard. Here we had a nice tasting. We had a nice talk about wines and tasted four of their wines. Our final stop was in Downtown Napier where we stopped at Rush Monroe Ice Cream for a big cone filled with their handmade ice cream before we returned to the ship. Our final shore excursion was in Tauranga. Here we boarded our coach for a nine hour tour into Rotorua. This is always my favorite tour...there is so much to see and do in Rotorua. We first gave everyone a tour of the Public Gardens and the Polynesian Pools. We then went to the Agrodome for their sheep and farm show. It is always interesting for me to see the sheep dogs at work! We then went for a "Hangi"....a Maori feast. Our elected chier, John, met the Maori chief and they let us enter in peace! We had a private show just for our group to learn about the Maori heritage. We then went to see how our lunch was prepared underground. We then enjoyed our feast while we were entertained by a huge company of Maori singers. Our final stop of the day was at Te Puia, the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. Here we learned about the Maori culture as well as seeing the thermal reserve. The guysers put on a great show for us! There we also had a chance to see the rare Kiwi bird! We returned to the ship, a bit tired but excited about a great day. That evening the ship put on a huge barbeque for us at poolside. Finally then, we had a day at sea! We were all ready for that after six days in ports (and six tours!). Then, on Saturday,we left the Statendam in Auckland. We boarded our new Auckland coaches and proceeded on a city tour. We saw many of the highlights of Auckland and then checked into our hotel, Rydges Auckland. That evening we had a group dinner in one of the hotel's banquet rooms. Yesterday was a free day and everyone did their own thing. Some went shopping, some took a tour, and some just relaxed. Last night the group met and walked over to Sky City. There we had a huge buffet dinner....I've got to say, it was great! We then took the high-speed elevators to the top of the Sky Tower to enjoy the view of the whole city. We treated everyone to a glass of champagne and had a "farewell toast". Now its the last morning here in Auckland. We're all getting ready to check-out of the hotel at noon and then to proceed on our city tour. This afternoon we'll be visiting the Auckland War Memorial Museum as well as Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World before we make our way to the airport for our return flight. It will be hard to leave the hot weather here for the cold weather back in Seattle!

WE'RE ALREADY IN AUCKLAND Added: 02-02-2008
I know....once again I've fallen behind in keeping up "Where's Alan".....I will try to do better in the future. It's just that we have had six consecutive days in port and I could barely keep up with my regular e-mails....and keeping the tour going. Anyway, after we left Fjordlands National Park we headed up to Dunedin, New Zealand. We had a great tour here including a visit to the Royal Albatross Centre. These birds are absolutely magnificent. We also went to Penguin Place to see the yellow-eyed penguins. After the bush morning we headed to Larnach Castle. The staff there put on a great lunch for us. Afterward we had a guided tour of the castle. Before returning to the ship we had a bit of free time to wonder about in Downtown Dunedin. The next morning we landed in Timaru. Our coaches were waiting for us and we made our way to Pleasant Point. After touring the Richard Pearse Memorial (they claim that he produced an airplane before the Wright Brothers) we went to the garden and nursery of Benie and Gwenyth Wilson. They were very gracious and welcomed us into their garden for a nice garden walk as well as a delicious morning tea featuring Gwenyth's homemade scones. We then went to the Pleasant Point Railway Station where we boarded their steam train for a ride to their railroad museum in Keanes' Crossing. After touring the museum we reboarded our train for the ride back to Timaru. On Monday we landed in Picton. Here we first went to the town of Blenheim for some free time. We then made our way to Highfield Estate, one of the top local wineries. We had a wine tasting along with some great fruit and cheese. Some of the group even took a wonder through the vineyards while others climbed the winery's tower for a fantastic view of the entire valley. We then went to "The Village" for some more tastings....we even got to try their local "schnapps"! We then returned to the ship for a beautiful sail-away! Tuesday we arrived in Wellington. One of our buses arrived about 20 minutes late to the pier but we were able to get back on course! Here we made our way to the city's cable car which we rode up to the top of the hill for a great view of the capital city. We then reboarded our coaches and made our way half way down the hill to the city's botanical gardens. We toured the rose garden and the greenhouse and others walked the trails through the gardens. We then visited "Te Papa", the National Museum. We had museum guides to take us on a tour of the museum's many exhibits. Here we also had a good introduction to Mauri culture. We then left the museum and went to visit Old St. Paul's Cathedral....a beautiful old wooden church. After the tour, some of the group members stayed downtown while the rest of the group returned to the ship. Oh,its time to go check to be sure that everything is set up for our group's dinner tonight.....I'll tell you about Napier and Rotorua next time!

SAILING UP THE COAST OF NEW ZEALAND Added: 01-27-2008
After crossing the Tasman Sea, we arrived at Fjordlands National Park. We had perfect weather and our port lecturer gave commentary throughout the day. We were scheduled to visit Milford Sound and Dusky Sound but since it was such a great day out and our timing was good, the captain added an additional call at Doubtful Sound. The cliffs and fjords were magnificent....plus, we saw a bunch of waterfalls. Some of the people in the group saw dolphins...but I didn't see any! After our two days at sea crossing the Tasman and our day viewing the fjords from the ship, we are getting ready to begin our five days in a row in port visiting both the North Island and the South Island of New Zealand.

GREETINGS FROM THE TASMAN SEA! Added: 01-24-2008
Mid-day on Saturday we boarded our coaches and transfered to the Overseas Pier in Sydney where we boarded the ms Statendam. Once we boarded we got settled in and had lunch. I confirmed all of the dining arrangmenets and found that Holland America had honored all of our dining requests....what a relief! Soon after our boat drill we set sail, sailing right past the Sydney Opera House. Sunday was a day at sea, a chance to get acquainted with the Statendam. Monday morning we landed in Melbourne. Our coaches were waiting for us to take us on a city tour. Melbourne is a beautiful city and we got to see all of the sights. We then had a free afternoon to discover Melbourne on our own. We had a nice sailaway from Melbourne and then on Monday we landed in Burnie, Tasmania. Tasmania is a beautiful island and our tour was fantastic! Today our tour took us to Cradle Mountain National Park. After a morning stop in Shefield to wonder the town and to sample the pies and sausage rolls at the local bakery we headed towards the park. We had a great lunch at the Cradle Mountain Chalet and had a chance to tour their photo gallery. We then went into the park where we boarded mini-buses for the park tour. We toured the park's chalet and then drove to Dove Lake. It was a perfect day and everyone got some great photos. After returning to Burnie, we stopped for at a scenic overlook of the town. We then sailed away for two days in the Tasman Sea.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA! Added: 01-20-2008
Our first night in Sydney was a "free night". The group that I flew in with had opted to go in to Sydney an extra night before the tour started so once we got checked in, everyone was on their own. I got caught up on my e-mail and settled in for the night. Early the next morning I took a taxi to the airport and met the rest of the group flying in from the USA. Once again, Malcolm met us, loaded up all of our luggage, and took us on a city tour. Once again, our rooms were all ready and everyone's luggage was waiting in their rooms by the time we arrived at the hotel after the tour. That evening the entire group met in one of the hotel's banquet rooms for our "Welcome Dinner". The hotel put on an incredible dinner buffet. It was nice to have the whole group together and settled in! On Thursday, after breakfast at the hotel, we departed on a full-day tour to the Blue Mountains. Our first stop was at the Featherdale Wildlife Park. We got to see all of the Australian native animals and even got to "cuddle a koala"! We then did the complete Blue Mountains tour finishing with the Maxivision movie about the mountains. After the movie we had a dinner right in the cinema complex. By the time we returned to the hotel, it was after 9:00 PM. On Friday we had a free morning. Most of the group went shopping at Paddy's Market....a huge flea market just a couple of blocks from the hotel. That afternoon we boarded our coaches and went to Kangaroo Point, a small town on the Hawksbury River. There we boarded a chartered boat and made our way up the river to Melvy's Wharf. This is my favorite attraction in Sydney. Our hosts, Paul and Wendy were waiting to greet us at their pier. We walked up to their home and took our seats on their verandah which surrounds the house. Even though it was raining when we arrived, the rain soon stopped and we were able to enjoy the view of their magnificent property. We were serenaded by tropical birds as well as their resident "bush musician", Gary. He got the whole group going with his crazy Australian songs while Wendy gave smaller groups a tour of their home, complete with the history of their property. Later we were served a huge dinner featuring "steaks on the barbie". The steaks were completed with Wendy's homemade salads....and lots of local wine and beer. I can't forget the homemade pecan pie made with the pecans right from their property made by their sun Ben. Good times were had by all!! Later that evening we reboarded our boat and made our way back to Kangaroo Point where we reboarded our coaches and returned to Sydney.

OKAY, OKAY.....I'LL WRITE Added: 01-18-2008
In the last couple of weeks I have heard from many of you asking me to resume my daily "blog" on "Where's Alan"....Okay, I give....I'll start writing again. I thought that with my weekly accounts in my e-mails that it would be enough....but, I'm happy to start keeping a daily account again! Right now I'm in Sydney, Australia. I left Seattle on Sunday, the day after our Cruise and Travel Show. What a busy day that was....over 100 of you signed up for one or more of our tours just on Saturday! After a very late night at the office on Saturday night I went home to unpack, do laundry, and repack! I flew out with half of the group at mid-day on Sunday. We first flew to San Francisco where we met some other members of our group. We then flew on to Auckland, New Zealand and then, finally, to Sydney. One of my regular Sydney "coach captains", Malcolm was there waiting to meet us. After we loaded up all of the luggage we proceeded on a city tour. Even though everyone was tired, I decided to do the tour at this time since the hotel rooms wouldn't be ready yet anyway. After our city tour we proceeded to our hotel, the Citigage Central. Our rooms and keys were all ready and, in fact, our luggage was already in the rooms!

PHILADELPHIA! Added: 10-28-2007
I know that everyone has been curious about the location of the "mystery tour". Well, we left Seattle early yesterday morning and flew to Philadelphia! Upon arrival we checked in at the Embassy Suites Hotel. Last night we had dinner at the "Italian Bistro", one of the top restaurants in the city. Today we had a city tour with local guides....we saw it all! Then we boarded the "Spirit of Philadelphia" for a great lunch cruise on the Deleware River. We were treated to great views of the city from the water side. We also had a great buffet lunch and some good entertainment. Now we're having some free time at the hotel before the evening's activities.

HELLO FROM SUNNY VICTORIA, BC Added: 10-10-2007
I know, I know.....I have not been good at keeping up "Where's Alan". I'm in the homestretch of my 5 cruises in a row.....I've really been running. I will try to go back and fill in the blanks. Today I'm in Victoria, BC with a group of 307 people aboard the Celebrity Mercury. It is the most beautiful day here....the sun is shining and it is quite pleasant out. My cousins, Richard and Norene Arnold are helping me with this group. The three of us walked in from the pier at Ogden Point into the city.....it was a perfect day for the walk. We've been walking all over town and now we're in an internet cafe catching up on all of our e-mail. Tomorrow we have a day at sea and then we'll be back in Seattle where I will meet another group and start all over again!

GREETINGS FROM COBH, IRELAND Added: 09-22-2007
Once again I have fallen behind in keeping up "Where's Alan"....sorry about that. Over the next few days I will try to go back and tell you all about the great "European Sampler" cruise that I am on. We are having a great cruise and the "Jewel of the Seas" is a beautiful ship. We have a group of 197 people and EVERYONE is having a great time. Greg Martin and NanSea Pelletier are here to give me a hand. We've been very busy with tours every day. The internet on the ship has been very slow and wouldn't load my website program....but now we seem to be in business. We'll be meeting the group in an hour and taking them on an all-day tour which will include Blarney Castle. I'm sure that after I kiss the Blarney Stone I'll have a lot to say!

BOY IS LONDON EXPENSIVE! Added: 09-09-2007
I've really enjoyed my time here in London. Yesterday I walked EVERYWHERE! London is truly an exciting city. Everything is quite expensive here. I find that the prices for everything are almost the same as the prices in the U.S. The problem is that our dollar is worth less than half an English Pound! I think that when my group comes back to London after the cruise they will really appreciate the fact that most everything is pre-paid for them! Tomorrow I'll leave in the wee hours of the morning to travel to Gatwick Airport to meet my group and transfer them to the pier in Harwich.

TOP OF THE MORNING TO YOU FROM LONDON! Added: 09-08-2007
Our dinner in the Plaka was a big hit! We had a great Greek dinner complete with a band, a singer, Greek dancers, and, of course, a belly dancer! It was a long night and some returned to the hotel early. The evening ended with the "breaking of the plates"! Yesterday morning we had breakfast on the Rooftop Garden of the hotel. It was one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen while enjoying my breakfast. On one side we looked over the Temple of Zeus which was just right across the street. Looking on the other side we looked straight into the Acropolis...it was truly amazing. After breakfast we went to the airport and got everyone checked in for their flights. Then I flew to Rome and onto London. I will now have two "free days" to relax and get ready for my next group that will arrive early on Monday morning.

ITS THE MOST PERFECT SUNNY DAY IN ATHENS Added: 09-06-2007
We arrived in Pireus early this morning. Our group assembled at 9:00 AM. We handed out all of the passports and we were off...in record time. We boarded our buses and proceeded to Athens. It is the most perfect and clear day here in Athens. The blue waters of the Mediterranean are incredible and with the clear air today you can see for miles. Right from the pier we could already see the Acropolis! We had a nice sightseeing tour and then the group went to the Acropolis with their local guides. Meanwhile I came to the hotel with the luggage. Soon everyone will be returning from the Acropolis tour and they will find that they are already checked into their rooms and the luggage is already in the rooms! We are staying at the new Athens Gate Hotel. It is a beautiful new hotel with an incredible location. Tonight we're having a big dinner in the Plaka!

I CAN'T BELIEVE THE CRUISE IS ALMOST OVER! Added: 09-05-2007
After Livorno we cruised the Italian Coast and ended up in Civitavechia, Italy. From there we had a very full day traveling to Rome. We had two great guides in Rome. We had a special timed appointment to enter the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. Afterward we tour St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square. We then reboarded our coaches and had a delicious Roman lunch (with wine, of course!). In the afternoon we toured the Trevi Fountain the Coluseum, and the Spanish Steps before we returned back to the ship. Then we had our last day at sea. On the 2nd we landed in Dubrovnik. Once again we were met by two coaches and two local guides for a tour of this beautiful city. We first went out of town to Ston where we saw the second largest city wall in the world, second only to the Great Wall of China. Many of us climbed the wall and others enjoyed touring the city. We then had a light lunch with a great view of the sea. After lunch we return to Dubrovnik for a walking tour of this incredible city. The next morning we woke up in Corfu, Greece. We had a very short stop here but we again had two coaches and local guides waiting for us for another super tour. Yesterday we had a later arrival (11 AM) in Santorini, Greece. We were the first ones off the ship to meet our coaches and guides for a tour of this beautiful island. This was my first visit to Santorini and I must say that I was very impressed. This is definitely a city that I would like to return to and spend more time. We had a complete tour of the island with a great Greek lunch...my favorite meal of the cruise, so far! At the end of the tour everyone was given a ticket that they could use to either take a cable car back to the tender port or to take a donkey ride down the mountain. I took the cable car! Today we were in Kusadasi, Turkey. We had two incredible guides who took us to the House of Virgin Mary, Ephesus, and Kusadasi. Ephesus is an amazing place...probably the best excavation site I've seen anywhere in the world. After the tour we all went shopping the the Grand Bazaar. Now we're cruising towards Piraeus, Greece. Tomorrow morning we will all leave the ship in Piraeus and ride to Athens where we will have a one-night stay.

CRUISING OFF THE COAST OF SICILY Added: 09-01-2007
After Lisbon we sailed to one of my favorite port cities. Gibralter. We arrived in Gibralter mid-day and had a short tour in three mini buses. These are the largest vehicles that can navigate the narrow and twisty roads of this very unusual city. We toured the Caves of St. Michael and saw the small apes running around. After our tour we had some free time for all of the duty-free shopping. After Gibralter we FINALLY had another day at sea....everyone was quite ready for that! The following day, August 29th we landed in Toulon, France. I didn't have my own tour in Toulon so everyone went in their own direction. Some of the group went to St. Tropez and some went to Aix en Provance. Many of the group, including myself, spent the day just wandering Toulon. Many, including myself, even took the mini-train tour of the city. It is a beautiful spot. Our next stop was in Livorno, Italy. We had a big group for our tour and the ship's comedian, Steve Mongollo, came along to help out with the tour. We first went to the old walled city of Lucca. We had guides waiting for us in Lucca to take us on a walking tour of the city followed by just a bit of free time. We then went to a Tuscan farmhouse, Fattoria Michi, for a brief wine tour followed by an incredible lunch...with lots of Tuscan wine! After lunch we went to Pisa. There our guides took us on a tour of the Field of Miracles and the famous Leaning Tower. After a bit of free time in Pisa we reboarded our buses for the trip back to Livorno and the beautiful ms Rotterdam!

CRUISING THE MEDITERRANEAN ABOARD THE ms ROTTERDAM Added: 08-31-2007
In my last entry I told you about our flight to London and our boarding the ship in Harwich, England. The next day, on August 23rd. we landed in La Havre, France. We had a great tour into Normandy visiting some of the WWII landing beaches. We had an incredible guide as well as a great French lunch. We then had a day at sea and enjoyed the chance to explore the Rotterdam. On August 25th we landed in Vigo, Spain. I had never been to Vigo before and I must say that I was very impressed with the city. We had a tour to Santiago de Compostelo. We toured the cathedral and the city and, of course, had a great Spanish lunch! The next day we were in Lisbon, Portugal. Here we just had a 1/2 day tour of the city in the morning. Some people stayed in town for the afternoon but, since it was Sunday, many of the shops and business were closed so many of the people just decided to relax on the ship in the afternoon. The weather has been quite warm but not too bad. I'll tell you more in tomorrow's update!

BON JOUR FROM TOULON, FRANCE! Added: 08-28-2007
Hello from aboard the ms Rotterdam in Toulon, France. I have to apologize for not keeping this part of the website updated lately. I was home for a couple of weeks and I just got out of the habit. (There's really not too much to tell you about when I'm home!). Anyway, I will keep this updated daily for the next two months. I left Seattle on August 21st and flew to London with 80 guests. Upon arrival we immediately transfered to the Port of Harwich where we boarded Holland America Line's ms Rotterdam. Right now I'm on a 15-day cruise that will end in Athens, Greece. We will then spend one night in Athens. My group will then fly back to the U.S. but I will fly to London. After two nights in London I will meet 197 new guests who will be doing my 14-day "European Sampler" cruise. After that cruise we will spend two nights in London. I willl then fly back to New York with my group. From New York, all of the group members will catch their domestic connecting flights. I will remain in New York where the next day I will be meeting 185 new guests who will be taking my "Canada and New England" cruise. After that cruise I will fly home to Seattle where the next day I will be boarding the Celebrity Mercury with 320 guests for a "Pacific Northwest" cruise. After that cruise I will remain onboard the Mercury where I will meet another group for a 3-night Pacific Northwest cruise. After that I will finally get back to my own apartment....after being gone for just shy of two months! I will keep you updated each day. During the next few days I will also backtrack to tell you about this past week aboard the ms Rotterdam!

OUR LAST DAY IN ALASKA Added: 08-09-2007
Yesterday we had a fantastic ride on the Alaska Railroad from Denali to Anchorage. The sun was shining and the scenery was spectacular. We checked in last night at the Westmark Hotel in Anchorage and had the rest of the evening free. Now we are about to get on our coach for an Anchorage city tour and then we're off to the airport for our return flights home.

HELLO FROM DENALI NATIONAL PARK Added: 08-08-2007
Our land tour has been going very well....even though our perfect weather has left us. Although we've had some rain, it always seems to come at the right time...when we're indoors. Today was a great day. We took the train from Fairbanks to Denali. We transfered to our hotel but didn't even have time to get to our rooms before we boarded our bus for our park tour. Now we are having a free evening and then tomorrow we will continue our train journey to Anchorage.

MY BAGS ARE PACKED...I'M READY TO GO Added: 08-05-2007
Today was a full day at sea cruising across the Gulf of Alaska. Actually, today was our first gray and rainy day....but it was a good day for that as we were just cruising north to Seward. Today we passed by a beach loaded with hundreds of sea lions. In the evening we cruised through College Fjord. The visibility was not great but we did get to see all of the glaciers. Now I'm all packed and ready to get some sleep before our morning departure to Anchorage for our flight to Fairbanks.

TWO GREAT DAYS IN A ROW....SKAGWAY AND GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK Added: 08-04-2007
Early yesterday morning we arrived in Skagway. It was an overcast morning but it was warm and dry! Our tour left at 9:00 AM and we headed for White Pass. By the time we were half way up the pass, the sun was shining through the clouds. We had a beautiful day and some great photo opportunities on the pass as well as at the City Overlook and the Gold Rush Cemetary. We then had the rest of the day free in Skagway to explore this old "gold rush" town. Last night we had a beautiful sail-away from Skagway and later in the night we had a spectacular sunset. Today we have been in Glacier Bay National Park. It was an unbelievable day. The sun was shining and there was no rain (something you never take for granted in Southeast Alaska!). People were out on deck, some in just short sleeved shirts enjoying all of the scenery. Captain Bos took us right up to the face of several glaciers in the park. We were also met by two park rangers and an Alaskan Native guide who were with us the entire day. Now we are sailing north across the Gulf of Alaska. Tomorrow evening we will visit College Fjord and then on Sunday morning we will land in Seward.

A BEAUTIFUL EVENING IN JUNEAU Added: 08-01-2007
We had a nice sail from Ketchikan to Juneau. This morning I woke up and we were already docked in Juneau. It was a perfect day...overcast with the sun shining through. I took the group on a Juneau tour including the Mendenhall Glacier and the salmon hatchery. It was also a busy day in the office. We sold out all 108 places in our "mystery tour" in just 3 hours! We're getting ready now to sail on to Skagway.

DEJA VU Added: 07-31-2007
I feel like I'm doing my last tour all over again! On Sunday I boarded our motor coach and went up to Vancouver to board Holland America Line's ms Statendam. Once again, my mother Babette went to Southcenter to check in the group and I went up to Lynnwood. We had another group of 52 people going to Vancouver to cruise to Alaska. I then stepped on the Statendam which really gave me "double deja vu"! First of all, the Statendam is an indentical twin sister of the ms Ryndam, which I took to Alaska two weeks ago. Also, I was aboard the Statendam for 20 days in March sailing from Syndey,Australia to Hong Kong so I know many of the staff members aboard. We had a beautiful sail away from Vancouver and yesterday was a perfect day sailing up the Inside Passage. Today we arrived early in the morning in Ketchikan. My chartered coach was waiting to take us on a city tour. The weather was as good as it gets in Ketchikan....overcast, about 65 degrees, and NO RAIN! We are now getting ready to leave Ketchikan and make our way to Juneau.

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY IN ANCHORAGE Added: 07-17-2007
The weather here has been unbelievable. I hope that my group that is continuing on the cruise is enjoying the same kind of weather! Yesterday I did some shopping at the Downtown Mall. One thing that is especially nice about shopping in ?Anchorage is that there is no sales tax! Now I'm getting ready to head to the airport for my flight to Seattle.

STILL SUNNY IN ANCHORAGE! Added: 07-16-2007
We had a great tour yesterday in Seward. The hightlight of the tour was our visit to the Seavey Family's "Ididaride Experience". We got to play with the dogs including the newborn puppies, learn about life on the Ididarod Trail, and then go on a wheeled sled ride with a team of huskies! Afterward we had a visit to Kenai Fjords National Park to see the Exit Glacier. I then returned the group to the ship and waited for my ride back to Anchorage. Today I'm in Anchorage....I'll fly home tomorrow. The weather here is perfect....about 70 degrees with a cool breeze!

HELLO FROM SUNNY SEWARD! Added: 07-15-2007
The exceptional weather is still going! This morning we docked early in Seward. I awoke to the sun beating in through my window. It is the most perfect day that you could hope for in Seward! Last night we had a spectacular sail through College Fjord. The sun was shining as we went by all of the glaciers in the fjord. Our ship cut through a sea of ice as we got right up to the glaciers. Today I'm meeting the group to take them on the "Ididaride" tour. This is the homestead of the Seavey family who every year puts up teams for the Ididarod race. We'll get to play with the dogs and even take a sled ride. After I return my group to the ship, I'm off to Anchorage and then back to Seattle.

A SPECTACULAR DAY CROSSING THE GULF OF ALASKA Added: 07-14-2007
The weather today is perfect. In fact, I would have to say that the weather the last two days has more than made up for the rain that we had earlier in the cruise. Today people are outside swimming in the pools! The seas are calm and the sun is out. This evening we will be sailing through College Fjord and tomorrow morning we will dock in Sweard.

LEAVING GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK Added: 07-13-2007
Yesterday we had a great day in Skagway. Although we had fog and drizzle in the morning, the skies eventually cleared up. We had a great tour up White Pass including a visit to the Gold Rush Cemetary where we learned a bit about "Soapy" Smith. We returned to the ship at noon and had the rest of the day in Skagway...all the way until 9:00 PM. I took an evening stroll into town and found the local internet cafe! Early this morning we entered into Glacier Bay National Park. Finally, we had a perfect day. The weather was great and we got right up to the face of the glaciers! People saw a lot of wildlife today including seals, orcas, and humpbacks! The glaciers were beautiful...one of the best glacier experiences I've had in a long time. Tomorrow we have a day at sea and then, in the evening, we be at College Fjord to see all of the glaciers there.

GREETINGS FROM RAINY JUNEAU! Added: 07-11-2007
This morning the weather started out very nice. We did have some light sprinkles but the temperature was around 60 degrees. Now its 8:45 PM and the temperature is about the same but the rain has picked up a bit. We did have a great tour this morning with "Smokey". We went to Douglas Island, the Mendenhall Glacier Visitors Center, the Chapel By The Lake, and the McCauley Salmon Hatchery. We're staying in port until 10:30 tonight so some of the group members are over at the Red Dog Saloon to see the native Alaskan wildlife!

GREETINGS FROM RAINY KETCHIKAN Added: 07-10-2007
We had a nice bus ride up to Vancouver and we were all aboard the ms Ryndam within 15 minutes from our arrival at the Canada Place Pier in Vancouver. The ship is looking great and we've had a beautiful sail up the Inside Passage. This morning we arrived in Ketchikan. Although its been grey and rainy, we had a great tour with our driver/guide "Longwind"! Now the rain has stopped and we have some free time here in Ketchikan. We will sail at 3 PM and then this evening at 5 PM I will be hosting my "Travel With Alan" cocktail party in the Explorer's Lounge aboard the ship.

I'M STILL HERE! Added: 07-07-2007
Boy, I just realized that its been four weeks since I last wrote to you. Actually, I've been home now for four weeks....hard to believe...but I'm getting ready to take off in the morning for yet another cruise to Alaska. This cruise will be a bit different...starting in Vancouver and going all the way up to Seward. I promise to write each day and let you know what's going on!

GREETINGS FROM VICTORIA Added: 06-08-2007
We've had another super week in Alaska....hardly any rain! The ship has been great and everyone has had a great time! All of our "shore excursions" have gone without a hitch and were all very well received! We just pulled into Victoria and we'll stay here until midnight. Tomorrow morning we'll dock in Seattle and then it will be back to the real world!

CRUISING NORTH TO ALASKA Added: 06-03-2007
Check-in yesterday at Pier 30 was a breeze. We got everyone on the ship and sailed promptly at 4 PM. The seas are much calmer this week....Last week, at the beginning of the cruise, we had rough seas but this week everything is very calm. The weather is a bit cool but even though the skies are overcast, the views are clear. The scenery is spectacular....the mountains are beautiful. Tonight we will have our first "formal night" and tomorrow we will be in Juneau.

BACK IN SEATTLE AT PIER 30 Added: 06-02-2007
It's been a great cruise aboard the Oosterdam. After we left Juneau we went to the Hubbard Glacier. We made our way up Yakutat Bay and up to the face of the glacier. Our captain, Captain Mercer, got us closer than any other ship. The views were spectacular! On Wednesday we anchored off of Sitka. Our group had a great tour including the Russian Dancers, the Raptor Center, the Sitka Museum, and the Native Dancers. Then on Thursday we came to Ketchikan just for the morning. We arrived at 7 AM and left by 1 PM. We took a tour around the city that included the new Potlatch Park. Potlatch Park is a new totem center. We were able to see the only woman "master carver" at work in the totem shed. Yesterday we arrived in Victoria in the evening. Actually, we arrived early and the weather was perfect! Many people took tours but others, including myself, just went into town and enjoyed the nice evening. New we are back at Pier 30. Everyone from the group has disembarked and now I am waiting for my 97 new guests to arrive and check-in!

A GREAT DAY IN JUNEAU! Added: 05-29-2007
The Oosterdam is a great ship and the whole group is having a great time. We've been very fortunate with the weather. Although its been a bit cool it has been dry and pretty clear with some overcast skies. Yesterday we had our tour of Juneau. The Mendenhall Glacier was looking great and reflecting some beautiful shades of blue. We had a nice sailing out of Juneau last night and today we're headed for the Hubbard Glacier.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! Added: 05-28-2007
Two days ago, on Saturday, I got a ride down to Pier 30 and boarded the ms Oosterdam. We have a big group, 145 people so Greg Martin is helping me again with this group. We sailed Saturday afternoon from Seattle and had a beautiful sail-away and cruise through Puget Sound. Its now Monday morning and we're due to arrive in Juneau at 11:00 AM. The Oosterdam is looking great and the staff is excellent.

BACK IN SEATTLE! Added: 05-25-2007
Well, I let myself get behind in my "Where's Alan" postings. I will try to be better. We were so busy in Branson that I just let "Where's Alan" slide. I'll try to be better. We had such a great tour in Branson...and we did everything! We stayed in the best hotel for a tour group in Branson, the Fairfield Inn by Marriott. It has the friendliest staff in town and it has the best location. On Friday we headed to Downtown Branson to take the "Ride the Ducks" tour. We then had some free time at the new Branson Landing. Everyone had a voucher for Charley's Sub Shop at the Landing so that we could all get our lunch at our leisure.After some free time at the hotel we went to see one of the hottest tickets in Branson, Daniel O'Donnell. We then had an Ozark Dinner at McFarlain's Restaurant where they say "Life is Uncertain, Eat Dessert First"! After dinner we went to see Shoji Tabuchi, the famous Japanese violinist. His huge production show is nothing short of spectacular. On Saturday we drove down to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. We stopped for lunch at the Cattleman's Restaurant. We had a tour there of the Livestock Auction. We then had a great home-cooked lunch and enjoyed some great entertainment. We then drove to Eureka Springs where we met Joe Gunnels, who was our tour guide for the rest of the afternoon. We toured the whole town both on our bus and by a special tram. That night we had dinner at the sight of the Great Passion Play. We then went to the Pine Mountain Jamboree for their show before making our way back to Branson. On Sunday we had a later start since we got back very late on Saturday. We had a huge Sunday Brunch and then saw the Sunday Gospell Show. That night wae had a huge dinner at the Outback Steak and Oyster Bar and then went to see the Acrobats of China. What a show that was...unbelievable! On Monday we went to see the Hughes Brothers. Their show was a huge hit...especially all of the Hughes Children in the show. We then had lunch at Montana Mike's Steakhouse. Our next stop was the College of the Ozarks where we had a tour of the campus with a student guide. This is a very interesting college where the students work for their tuition. After some free time at the hotel we went to the Dixie Stampede for their dinner and show. On Monday morning we said goodbye to everyone at the Fairfield Inn and drove to Springfield where we toured the Fantastic Caverns. We then had a big buffet lunch at the Golden Corral before we made our way back to the St. Louis Airport for our return flights home. All 52 of us on the tour had a great time. I can hardly wait to return to Branson!

HELLO FROM BRANSON! Added: 05-20-2007
After one day at home I met my new group at Sea-Tac and flew with them on our non-stop flight to St. Louis. In St. Louis we were met by our favorite Branson tour driver, Lucy Bleisch. We then went directly to our hotel, the Drury Plaza, located right in the heart of the city. We met for the hotel's nightly cocktail reception. This was a great chance to mingle and meet everyone from the tour. We then went to historic Lacleed's Landing where we attended the "Royal Dumpe Dinner Theatre"....that was a hoot! On Wednesday we had a St. Louis city tour with a local guide. Our tour ended at Maggie O'Brien's Tavern where we had a very nice lunch. Following lunch we walked across the street to the Union Station. This is the old train station that has been converted into a hotel and shopping mall complex. Following some free time we met a guide from Union Station who gave us a walking tour through the old station pointing out its unique designs and features. Following some free time at the hotel (and another cocktail reception!), we reboarded our coach and went to the historic Bevo Mill, where we had a great German dinner. We then went to the Fabulous Fox theatre where we saw the national touring company perform "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee". On Thursday we went to Grant's Farm. We saw all of the animal exhibits and shows and had lunch in their Brat Haus. We then drove to St. James, Missouri for a winery tour and tasting. We continued on to Springfield, Missouri where we visited the Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World. After some free time for shopping we had a seafood buffet dinner at Hemmingway's Blue Water Cafe, right in the Bass Pro Shop. Our final stop for the day was here in Branson. The group is all checked in and ready for the next leg of our adventure!

BACK HOME AFTER THE ONE-NIGHT CRUISE! Added: 05-13-2007
What an operation! On Saturday morning we put 1068 people on buses from Seattle to Vancouver. I must say that, thanks to all of the help from many of my co-workers, Kristi, Kathy, Robert, and Naomi, along with Dave, Check, Julie, and A.J., we got everyone on their way to Vancouver right on time! Although there was a delay at the pier when the computers went down, we got everyone on the ship pretty quickly and everyone had a great evening aboard the Noordam. I will now have one day in the office before I take off for Branson.

HELLO FROM SUNNY LYNNWOOD Added: 05-11-2007
I'm back in the office! I flew home on Tuesday night from Barcelona with my group. Although it was long, it was a very pleasant flight from Barcelona to Newark and then on to Seattle. All 60 of us returned home...and back to reality! Our last night in Barcelona was fantastic. We had a great dinner on the Barcelona Waterfront complete with several different kinds of "tapas" along with their famous local dish, paella. Everyone enjoyed the dinner (and all of the wine!). This week I have been putting together some new tours which will be featured in this Tuesday's e-mail. There are some good ones so be sure to look for your e-mail on Tuesday evening!

HOLA FROM SUNNY BARCELONA! Added: 05-07-2007
I arrived early yesterday morning in Barcelona. Since I didn´t have any checked luggage I got through Customs quickly and hopped in a taxi and went to the pier. I arrived just as my group was finishing their loading of the buses. I went to the hotel with them where I was surprised to find out that our rooms were ready! We put our things away and hopped back on the buses for a Barcelona city tour. Afterward we returned to the hotel and had some free time before we had dinner in the hotel last night. Today we have a free day. It is a beautiful day here in Barcelona....sunny and about 75 degrees....perfect! Tonight we´re going to have a ¨farewell dinner¨on the Barcelona Waterfront. Tomorrow morning we have an early departure for the airport and our return flights home.

HELLO FROM NEWARK, NEW JERSEY....ON MY WAY TO SPAIN Added: 05-05-2007
We had a nice sail-away from Astoria and made our way to Vancouver. Since the ship wasn't arriving in Vancouver until 9:30 AM, we all had a nice view of Vancouver sailing under the Lion's Gate Bridge. We docked in Vancouver and boarded our coaches for our transfer back to Seattle. The pier was so congested that there was a bit of "mass confusion" but we finally all made it oun our buses and back to the Seattle area. I took the last bus to Sea-Tac. After we got everyone on their way home, I checked in for my "red-eye" flight to Newark. I arrived here early this morning and checked into a hotel for the day. This evening I will board my non-stop flight to Barcelona where I will meet my trans-Atlantic cruise group that I took down to Galveston two weeks ago.

HELLO FROM ASTORIA, OREGON Added: 05-03-2007
I think they should name me the honerary mayor of Astoria...I've been here so many times lately! We had perfect weather in Ft. Lauderdale. I met the new group and got them to the hotel. On Monday we had a Ft. Lauderdale city tour and then went to the pier to board the ms Amsterdam. We had a little delay getting on the ship because the people disembarking were coming off of the 105-day "World Cruise". Of course, Customs wanted to give everyone a good looking over! Once we got on the ship I met up with Mom and Dad and had lunch with them. We then had a meeting with the bar manager and the guest relations manager before I left the ship. I then went to the airport and found out that my flight had been delayed. I was assured that I would have plenty of connecting time. I got on the plane, got settled into my seat, and fell asleep! When I woke up I looked at my watch and was very pleased to realize that I had slept through over half of the flight. It was then that I looked out the window and realized that we were still on the ground! Anyway, I missed my connection so I had the airline re-route me to Los Angeles. I got a hotel room and got about five hours of sleep and then went to LAX to meet all of the new people coming into Los Angeles for our cruise aboard the Norwegian Star. Greg Martin, who is helping me with this tour, got to Sea-Tac Airport early to help direct all of the group members as did my assistant, Kristi Adams. Everything went very well....we had six big group arrivals between LAX and Long Beach Airport. We got everyone right through the airport and to the pier. NCL did a fantastic job getting everyone right aboard the ship. We are now sailing up the coast to Vancouver. Today we have a short port call in Astoria before we arrive in Vancouver tomorrow morning. Even though there is a bit of a nip in the air, it is a clear and sunny day!

HELLO AGAIN FROM SUNNY FT. LAUDERDALE Added: 04-29-2007
Its a beautiful sunny day here in Ft. Lauderdale. After I left the internet cafe in Manhattan I went to the Port Authority Building to catch the express bus to the Newark Airport. Of course, I had to stop along the way to pick up a "knish" from one of the street carts. I had a nice flight getting in around midnight. I rented a car and drove to my hotel where I've had a day and a half of "free time"! Now I'm getting ready to meet the new arrivals who are coming in for their Panama Canal cruise. Tomorrow I'll take them all on a city tour and then deliver them to Mom and Dad on the ship.

HELLO FROM MANHATTAN! Added: 04-27-2007
I just said goodbye to my parents and they are off sailing down to Ft. Lauderdale. Right now I'm in a deli on the internet in Manhattan. I'm off to the airport in Newark for my flight to Ft. Lauderdale!

HELLO FROM THE BIG APPLE....NEW YORK, NEW YORK! Added: 04-27-2007
A lot has gone on since I logged on last week. On Friday night I flew back to Seattle. I was in the office on Saturday and Sunday and then early Monday morning I flew to Houston with my group that is now traveling across the Atlantic on the Splendour of the Seas. I flew home late Monday night and I was in the office on Tuesday and Wednesday. Yesterday morning I flew on an early morning flight from Seattle to New York. Right now its 3 AM here but my body clock is a bit "confused"! In a few hours I'm going to meet the 94 people in my group and take then on a New York City tour. Our tour will end at the Port of New York where the group will board Holland America Line's ms Amsterdam for a 21-day cruise through the Panama Canal. My parents Irwin and Babette are here with me and they will be taking over the group and cruising with them all the way back to Seattle. Meanwhile, I will fly tomorrow night to Ft. Lauderdale to meet another 37 people who are flying in to join the same ship for the Panama Canal cruise. I'll fill you in from down in sunny Ft. Lauderdale!

HELLO FROM SUNNY FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA Added: 04-19-2007
Greetings all! After three busy weeks in the office, I'm on the road again. Yesterday I flew from Seattle to Ft. Lauderdale with 80 people. We transfered from the airport to the beautiful new Springhill Suites hotel. Today I went with the group to the pier here in Ft. Lauderdale and got them quickly checked-in for their 17-day cruise through the Panama Canal all the way to Seattle. I'm going to fly home tonight and tomorrow I'll be back at it in the office.

HOME SWEET HOME Added: 04-07-2007
Sorry I've lagged behind again in keeping up "Where's Alan"....There's just not that much to say when I'm here in Seattle. We've been really busy in the office getting everything ready for all of our upcoming tours....and there are a lot of them. This is the second weekend in a rown that I've had a "weekend sale" on a cruise to Alaska....the deals have been unbelievable...and we're taking a lot of bookings! Stay tuned.

LAST MORNING IN HONG KONG Added: 03-24-2007
Its hard to believe that we're coming to the end of our 30 day cruise and tour through Australia and Asia. Yesterday we had a free day until 2 PM. We then loaded our 3 coaches with our 3 local guides and went back over to Hong Kong Island. Our first stop was at Repulse Bay where we had a chance to see the beaches and the statue garden. We then went to Stanley Market for a last-minute shopping opportunity. We then went to Cyberport for a grand Farewell Dinner. We returned to Hong Kong for our last night. I had a chance to meet my Chinese "brother" Simon and his wife, Linda, who made a special trip here from Guangzhou to say hello and to see all of the people who have been on his previous tours in China. Now it is the last morning. I just saw our first group off to the airport. My colleague, Greg, went with the early group flying home on United Airlines. In two hours I will meet the second group who will be flying home on Korean Air with me to Seattle. Its been a great tour and we had a great group! I'll be back in the office on Monday working on putting together some more tours....so, stay tuned!

HELLO FROM HONG KONG! Added: 03-23-2007
We arrived yesterday morning in Hong Kong. After a quick departure from the pier we proceeded on our Kowloon tour. We visited the Wong Tai Sin Temple as well as the Bird Street and the Jade Market. After our tour we checked into the Holiday Inn Golden Mile.....in my opinion, one of the best hotels in Hong Kong...certainly the best location! Today we had a tour of Hong Kong Island. We went to the top of Victoria Peak by way of the Peak Tram. We then took a sampan ride through Aberdeed Harbor followed by lunch at the Tai Pak Floating Restaurant. Tonight we are having a free evening in Hong Kong.

HELLO FROM ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING CITIES IN THE WORLD, HONG KONG! Added: 03-22-2007
We had a great day in Singapore.....It could have been a little bit longer but nevertheless, it was great. Our buses were waiting for us on the pier and as soon as the ship was cleared we boarded our buses and took a city tour of Singapore. We went to the Botanical Garden and saw their collection of over 8000 orchids. We then visited this great city and included stops at Chinatown, Arab Street and the famous Raffles Hotel. We then set sail to Nha Trang, Vietnam. We had a great tour there also of all of the highlights of this incredible seaside town and had a great Vietnamese lunch. We then had a day at sea and this morning we sailed into one of the most beautiful harbors in the world, Hong Kong.

A NICE DAY AT SEA! Added: 03-17-2007
I'm sorry that its been a few days since I added an entry. We had been so busy with our tours and then when we had a sea day, the internet went down! We had two great port calls in Indonesia. Our arrival into Bali was great. We were greated at the pier by several representatives from our local tour operator. They met us, loaded us on the buses and took us on a tour of the Bali countryside. We made a stop at a plantation where we had a chance to taste their coffee, teas, and fruits. We then had a shopping opportunity at a local store before we went to the Bali Cultural Center which was reserved exclusively for our group. We had a greeting parade with at least 30 musicians and dancers. We then had a huge Balinese lunch buffet followed by a dance show. At the end we all had a chance to try Balinese dancing and to have our photos with all of the beautifully costumed dancers. After Bali we had a day to relax at our home away from home....the ms Statendam. Yesterday we were in port all day in Semarang, Indonesia. Once again we had a special greeting for our group. When we pulled into the port we heard some beautiful Indonesian music. When we went out on deck we realized that the band was their exclusively for our group! They were holding a big banner saying "Welcome Travel With Alan and Carlson Wagonlit Travel"! After our group disembarked we went over to where the band was for a dance show. We then boarded our buses and went to Borabadur, the famous temple site. We had arranged for a special police escort so that all of our buses cut right through all of the traffic. The special police were maniacs, waving their arms out of both sides of the police car (with the lights going and the siren blaring) and cutting through all of the traffic. We didn't even have to stop for red lights! We had a great tour of the temple with most of the group climbing all the way to the top. Afterward we had a Javanese lunch buffet (with a cup of java, of course!). Afterward we boarded our buses for another mad ride back to the ship! Today we are enjoying another day at sea and preparing for our arrival tomorrow in Singapore.

OUR LAST AUSTRALIAN PORT....DARWIN Added: 03-10-2007
We had two more great days at sea. Last night we had our Travel With Alan cocktail party. Everyone came and we had a beautiful sunset from the Crow's Nest Lounge in addition to great cocktails and a great time. This morning we landed in Darwin. We had three coaches lined up for a city tour including a visit to the Crocodile Farm where we saw a feeding. We also visited the Darwin Museum. We're now getting ready to set sail to Bali, Indonesia!

FINALLY....A DAY AT SEA! Added: 03-08-2007
Its hard to believe that we've been aboard the Statendam for six days! We had a beautiful sail-away from Syndey Harbour right past "The Rocks" and the Syndey Opera House. Saturday we had a day at sea. This was a great opportunity for everyone to relax after our four busy days in Sydney. This also gave everyone a chance to explore the Statendam....our home for the next 20 days! On Sunday we landed in Brisbane. Our group had a great tour in Brisbane. We spent a good part of the day at the Australian Zoo....Steve Irwin's (The Crocodile Hunter's) park. We saw all of the shows and attractions. Afterward we had a nice tour of the city before returning to the ship. Monday was another "day at sea"! Everyone has been enjoying all of the activities and special lectures onboard the ship. Tuesday we anchored off of Hamilton in the Whitsunday Islands. This was a great day for our group. We had chartered a large 300 passenger catamaran for an excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. This was fantastic because it was just our group....we had 106 of us that day...aboard the boat. We went out to a private pontoon over the reef and had time to snorkel, ride in a glass bottom boat, ride in a submarine, and just relax on the water. We got special permission for our catamaran to tie up right next to the Statendam, so our group was the first group off of the ship! On our way back to the Statendam we had a great buffet lunch that was prepared fresh on the catamaran! Wednesday was another highlight of the tour. We were in Cairns and we had a great private tour that day as well. We went to Kuranda, a small mountain village and had time to wander through the town. We then boarded "Skyrail" for a sky-ride through the canopy of the rain forest....it was spectacular! We then visited the Tjapukai Aboriginal Center where we had a great lunch and saw their shows and activities to learn about these people! Now we're back aboard the Statendam. We have three days at sea before we reach our next port of call, Darwin, Australia!

GETTING READY TO SAIL AWAY FROM SYDNEY HARBOUR! Added: 03-01-2007
Yesterday was a FANTASTIC day! We had a free morning. Most of the group went shopping at Paddy's Market...just 1 1/2 blocks from the hotel. Yesterday afternoon we boarded our coaches and made our way to Kangaroo Point where we boarded our private ferry and made our way up the Hawksberry River to Melvy's Wharf, a private estate on the river. Our hosts, Wendy and Paul, were there to greet us and treated us (as usual) to a fantastic evening of music, wine, and a great dinner featuring "steaks on the barbie"! Everyone had a great time. We came back last night for our last night in Sydney. Today we will transfer to Circular Quay where we will board the ms Statendam!

HELLO FROM "DOWN UNDER"! Added: 02-28-2007
We've had a busy couple of days here in Sydney. On Tuesday we had a city tour. Everyone had the morning to rest up and enjoy the breakfast at the hotel. In the afternoon we loaded up our coaches and did a tour of Sydney with our local driver/guides. We went all around the city and out to Bondi Beach. Our tour ended up in "The Rocks" section of Sydney where we had a great seafood dinner at the Waterfront Restaurant...one of Sydney's best. Yesterday we left in the morning and drove out to the Blue Mountains. We made a stop at the Featherdale Wildlife Park. We had a chance to have pictures taken with a Koala, play with the kangaroos, and see all kinds of wildlife from Australia. We then went to the Blue Mountains. When we arrived it started to rain in buckets. While a few members of our group got soaked, most of us stayed relatively dry. Actually, after about 15 minutes, most of the rain stopped. Our tour ended up at the Maxi-Vision movie. We saw a great film about the Blue Mountains and then had a buffet dinner right in the theatre comples before we returned back to our hotel in Sydney. Today we have a free morning and then, this afternoon, we are taking a cruise up the Hawksberry River to "Melvy's Wharf", a private estate home along the river where we will have a typical Aussie style barbeque.

G'DAY FROM SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Added: 02-26-2007
Well, I'm finally here....down under! It was a crazy week at the office. Since I flew home from Santiago last week I've been burning the midnight oil at the office. We signed up over 900 people for our one-day cruise over Mother's Day. A big thank you to our outside sales staff that came in to help with all of the calls! I left mid-day on Saturday and flew to Seoul and then onto Syndey. We arrived yesterday morning and transfered to the hotel. Yesterday we had a free day to rest up and then we all met for dinner last night at the hotel. Today we have a city tour and then a seafood dinner at Sydney's famous Waterfront Restaurant.

HELLO FROM SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA! Added: 02-25-2007
Hello from Seoul. We're on our way to Sydney to begin our Australia and Asia cruise/tour.

HOMEWARD BOUND! Added: 02-17-2007
I left Santiago at 10 PM last night. Now it is 6 AM and I'm in Miami headed back to Seattle. I'll be home for one week and then I'm off to Sydney, Australia!

HELLO FROM THE AIRPORT IN SANTIAGO, CHILE Added: 02-16-2007
We started the day at the hotel with a great breakfast. We then loaded our coach and went to La Moneda, the Presidential Palace, for the Changing of the Guard. It was a great ceremony until we received an unexpected downpour of rain! We then reboarded our coach and made our way to Vina del Mar and Valpariaso where we boarded the ms Rotterdam. After meeting with the maitre d' and the guest relations manager, I said "bon voyage" and left the ship. I then made my way back to Santiago for my return flight home.

A GREAT TIME WAS HAD BY ALL! Added: 02-16-2007
Last night we all had a spectacular evening. We went to Restaurant Adobes de Argomedo for their dinner and show. The music and dancing were continuous....and very good. Upon our arrival we had a chance to try a local cocktail, like a pisco sour. We then had a great dinner with plenty of the local wine! The show was great. We saw dancing and native costumes from every region of Chile including Easter Island. We are all just getting up ready to start a new day in Chile!

A PERFECT DAY IN SANTIAGO Added: 02-15-2007
I wish you were all here! The temperature today is in the mid to upper 70s with a slight breeze. Does it get any better than that? Last night we had a great dinner at the hotel. Today, after breakfast, we met and had a city tour of Santiago. We then went to one of the local malls for shopping and lunch. Afterwards, we drove to the Concha y Toro Winery. We had a tour of the grounds and the vineyards and then did some tasting! Now we are back at the hotel to get ready for the evening´s program!

HOLA FROM SANTIAGO, CHILE! Added: 02-14-2007
I've gone right from one tour to the next! Yesterday we continued our mystery tour with a visit to Mary Kay Cosmetics. We toured the museum to learn the "Mary Kay Story". Our guides also gave us a tour of Mary Kay's offices. We even had a great lunch in the employee's dining room! We then went to the airport and got everyone checked-in for their flights home. Two hours after the last group left Dallas, I met a new group that was arriving in Dallas and changing planes to fly to Santiago Chile! An hour after that we were on our way to South America! We arrived this morning in Santiago and checked-in to our hotel, Hotel Galerias. Later this evening we are going to gather for dinner here at the hotel.

HOWDY Y'ALL....ITS ANOTHER DAY IN DALLAS! Added: 02-12-2007
.Today was another great day in Dallas. First, we all started with a great breakfast here at the Crowne Plaza! Then we loaded our buses and went to visit the Sixth Floor Museum. This museum chronicles the life and assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The museum is in the building that was formally the Texas Book Depository. We then drove to Ft. Worth for a Chinese lunch buffet. Our next stop was at the Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History. Here we saw an IMAX movie called ¡§Hurricane on the Bayou¡¨ which told the story of New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. We then had some time to enjoy the museum¡¦s ¡§hands-on¡¨ exhibits. We then went to their planetarium to see a show about the winter nights¡¦ sky. We then returned for a short stop back at the hotel to freshen up for the evening. Our final stop for the day was at the Texas de Brazil Restaurant. We had a tremendous dinner of assorted salads followed by eight varieties of meats that were carved at our tables by Gaucho clad waiters¡ It was a true feast. After returning to the hotel we were treated to a reception by the hotel¡¦s staff. Tomorrow its on with the ¡§mystery¡¨!

THE MYSTERY TOUR CONTINUES! Added: 02-11-2007
Today we started the day with a Dallas city tour. We had two great guides who took us all around Dallas showing off the highlights of the city. We then had lunch in the historic West End before returning to the hotel for some free time. Later this afternoon we went to South Fork Ranch, the home of the legendary TV series, "Dallas". We had a tour of the mansion and then had a great dinner on the grounds. Now we are back at the hotel waiting to see what tomorrow brings!

GREETINGS FROM DALLAS!!! Added: 02-10-2007
This morning I left Seattle for my new "mystery tour". I met the first group and checked everyone in on our flight to DALLAS, TEXAS! Upon arrival we checked in at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. My assistant, Kristi Adams, flew in a few hours later with a second group. This evening we went to Ft. Worth and to the Historic Stockyards. Our destination was the Cowtown Coliseum where we saw the Stockyards Rodeo. We enjoyed a great Texas Barbeque dinner with all the fixins and then had VIP seats for the rodeo. We're now all back at the hotel ready for the adventure that awaits us tomorrow!

READY TO GO AGAIN! Added: 02-09-2007
I can't believe that I've been home for a whole week! I came home last Saturday and since then I've practically lived here at the office! Its been a busy week putting all of the finishing touches on our upcoming tours to South America and our Australia/Asia tour. Also there has been some last minute touches needed for our "mystery tour". Tomorrow morning I will be leaving my home at 5:45 AM and making my way to Sea-Tac Airport to take off on another "mystery tour". Check here in the next couple of days to see where I'm off to this time!

ON OUR WAY BACK TO NEW ORLEANS Added: 02-02-2007
First of all, I must apologize for again waiting a full week to update "Where's Alan". Last Thursday we arrived in Cozumel. I had to go through a special Mexican Immigration check and then I was transfered to the airport. I then flew back to New Orleans. I had a free night in the city and then the next morning I returned to the airport and began transfering members of our new group to the beautiful Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel. Flights arrived throughout the day up until midnight. The next day I went to the pier to meet the group that was coming off of the ship. I got them on their buses for the city tour and Greg went with them on the tours and to the airport where he assisted with the check-in. Meanwhile I returned to the hotel and began transfering the new group to the pier. There are 142 people in the new group! When Greg was done at the airport he also returned to the pier. Since then we have been sailing in the sunny Caribbean with our group. We had a big cocktail party on Monday evening and then on Tuesday we again arrived in Grand Cayman. This time I had a chance to go swimming with the stingrays....what a thrill! On Wednesday we were in Costa Maya, Mexico and yesterday we were back in Cozumel. Now we are "at sea" cruising back to New Orleans. We have already noticed a significant change in the weather....The daily high has dropped from 82 degrees to about 60....and tomorrow will even be cooler! Tomorrow we will have three buses to take everyone on a city tour and then to the airport. Then its back to the real world!

HELLO FROM SUNNY COSTA MAYA, MEXICO Added: 01-24-2007
Hello from sunny Mexico! To those of you who have been checking regularly, I must apologize for not updating "Where's Alan" sooner. Its been so busy here all the way around. After the travel show we had a real busy week at the office. I then left Seattle last Thursday and flew to New Orleans. On Friday morning I began meeting the incoming groups and got everyone transfered to the hotel We spent the night at the Astor Crowne Plaza hotel in the French Quarter. New Orleans is coming back...at least in the French Quarter! On Saturday we boarded the 'Granduer of the Seas'. The Granduer is a very nice ship and we left the port of New Orleans in the evening and sailed south down the Mississippi River. Yesterday we were in Grand Cayman and today we were in Costa Maya. Although the weather was a bit cooler in New Orleans (still way warmer than Seattle!), once we were 24 hours out of New Orleans we have been enjoying nice and hot Caribbean weather. Today I went snorkeling in Costa Maya and saw a zillion fish! Tomorrow morning we will anchor off the coast of Cozumel. I will then leave the ship and leave my group in the capable hands of my colleague, Greg Martin. I will then fly back to New Orlenas to pick up the next group of 142 people who will do the same cruise with me next week!

HELLO FROM COLD SEATTLE Added: 01-13-2007
Its hard to believe that just a week ago I was in sunny Houston and now I'm in cold and snowy Seattle! Once again, I timed my return to Seattle to coincide with a small snowstorm! Anyway, we have survived it. Although the lights flickered the first day making everyone a little nervous, we didn't have a major power outage. I've been busy at work getting some things ready for the next few tours and also putting together some new tours. On Wednesday we put together a last minute special on a cruise out of New Orleans. We sent out the e-mail on Wednesday at 4:30 PM and 24 hours later we had booked our full allocation of 90 people! The cruise line has since given us more space and we've been filling it up!

Today was our big "Carlson Wagonlit Travel Show" at the Lynnwood Convention Center. We had a great turnout. It was nice to see a lot of familiar faces. Thanks to all of you who braved the cold weather and the icy roads to come to our show.

ON OUR WAY BACK TO GALVESTON Added: 01-05-2007
What a great cruise this has been. After the first day, the weather has been perfect! I love the Caribbean!! We had three days in a row in port. First a day in Costa Maya, Mexico. Then a day in Cozumel, Mexico. Finally, yesterday we were in Key West, Florida. Key West is an interesting place. It is 150 miles from Miami but only 90 miles from Cuba. It is a small island at the end of the Florida Keys. It has a very laid-back lifestyle and some real interesting shops....not to mention beautiful beaches and great weather! Now we are on our way back to Galveston. When we arrive in Galveston, the whole group is going to visit "Space Center Houston". After our visit there some of the people will go to the airport for their return flights while the others will go to the hotel for our two-night post-cruise package. I hope that 2007 is being good to you so far!

HAPPY NEW YEAR....FROM OFF THE COAST OF CANCUN, MEXICO! Added: 01-01-2007
We got everyone aboard on Saturday and set sail across the Gulf of Mexico. Yesterday was a day at sea and everyone had time to explore the ship and get ready for the big night. We had a lot of rain yesterday but today is sunny with a slight cool breeze...perfect! Last night there were parties all over the ship. For midnight I was in the center atrium of the ship for the big countdown. Today we are having another day at sea and tomorrow morning we'll dock bright and early in Costa Maya, Mexico. Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope that 2007 is a great year for everyone!

HOWDY....FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS! Added: 12-30-2006
Yesterday the group arrived in Houston. We went and spent some time at the Galeria Mall. Some went shopping, some had lunch, some watched the ice skaters and some did all of the above! We then checked into the Doubletree Hotel. Last night some of us checked out Derrick's Sports Bar right in the hotel (they have the world's best ribs!). Today I'm going to put this group on their bus to the pier in Galveston and then I'll go over to the airport to pick up another 88 people who will go from the airport directly to the pier in Galveston. In Galveston we'll be boarding Royal Caribbean's 'Splendour of the Seas' and heading for the sunny Caribbean!

GETTING READY TO GO AGAIN! Added: 12-28-2006
Here I am late at night at the office getting ready to leave town again. I must say, with the lousy weather that we've been having in Seattle, it doesn't break my heart to be heading for the sunny Caribbean. Tomorrow I'll be taking 54 of my 140 total that will be going on my New Year's cruise to the Caribbean. The remainder of the group will be flying in on Saturday. Tomorrow I'll be flying into Houston where we will stay one night before heading to the pier in Galveston on Saturday. The rest of the group will fly in on Saturday and go directly to the ship. I'll log in tomorrow and give you a progress report!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Added: 12-24-2006
I realized that, once again, its been almost a week since I've updated "Where's Alan". I think I'll have to make that my new year's resolution...to update more often! I will try! Anyway, I flew home from Miami and came back to cold Seattle! Since then I've been in the office getting everything ready for my New Year's cruise that leaves on Friday and Saturday and putting some of the finishing touches on my January tours. Of course, I've also been busy putting together some new tours. Hint: Be sure to see the e-mail this Tuesday. It will be sent out at 6 PM on Tuesday. This week we have an incredible deal on a Caribbean cruise...you won't believe it! Besides, with the crazy weather everywhere, we all need to get out out town this winter!

Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy the holiday season. From all of us at Travel With Alan, I would like to thank you for all of your support during 2006 and I would like to wish you and your family a healthy and happy 2007.

BOWLING ON THE HIGH SEAS! Added: 12-18-2006
I realized that I never wrote about the ship's Christening ceremony. On Saturday we were supposed to have the ceremony on the pier but the afternoon brought rain and the decision was made to move the ceremony inside to the ship's "Stardust Lounge". The ceremony was fantastic. They had the Miami Philharmonic along with a local choir. The colors were presented by the local Coast Guard and the Godmother of the ship was Rosie O'Donnell. The entire ceremony was very high spirited! Last night I had dinner with the regional business development manager for NCL. Later in the evening I went bowling at the only bowling alley at sea in the ship's "Bliss Ultra Lounge"...a very trendy "South Beach" style lounge. Now I am getting ready to leave the ship for my return flight to Seattle.

HELLO FROM ABOARD THE BEAUTIFUL NEW NORWEGIAN PEARL! Added: 12-17-2006
After my late night arrival and overnight in Ft. Lauderdale I transfered to the Riverside Hotel right on Las Olas Boulevard right in Downtown Ft. Lauderdale. It was a great hotel and is located right in the heart of the "action"! That evening we boarded a water-bus and took a tour through the Intercoastal Waterway past several beautiful multi-million dollar homes and yachts. We ended up at Taverna Opa, a Greek restaurant located right on the water. Here we had a great dinner and lots of "opa"!! Yesterday we transfered to the Port of Miami and boarded the Norwegian Pearl. After dropping off my bags I headed right to a meeting room where we had a four hour meeting. It was a great meeting with the top brass at NCL. It was a great chance to learn about all of NCL's new programs and itineraries. We had a great question and answer session as well. After the meeting I finally had a chance to do some exploring around the ship...after lunch, of course! The ship is truly beautiful and was "purpose built" for "Freestyle Cruising". Last night I had dinner with our local representative from Norwegian Cruise Line, Michael Weldon. After dinner I got to explore a bit more and had time to enjoy some of the entertainment. NCL always has excellent entertainment and that is especially true on this ship. Aside from the great shows and the great music all around the ship, this ship also has a rock climbing wall and the only bowling alley at sea! I've had some more meetings today and I am hoping to have more NCL offerings during 2007...stay tuned!

HELLO FROM FT. LAUDERDALE Added: 12-15-2006
Since I last updated "Where's Alan", its been very busy. We completed our cruise in Houston. Upon arrival we loaded one bus to go directly to the airport for the early return flights. Noreen went with them and got them all checked in. We then loaded three coaches to take a Houston city tour and then go to the airport for their return flight home. Richard went with them and got all of them checked in. I went with the last coach. We went to "Trader's Village", the largest flea market on the Texas Gulf Coast. We then met our local guide and took a Houston city tour and then checked in at the Windsor Suites Hotel for our two-night post-cruise package. That evening we had a private cocktail reception at the hotel followed by dinner at the Saltgrass Steak House. On Monday we went to Space Center Houston. We had heavy rain that day but it calmed down a bit by the time we arrived at the Space Center. That evening we had another private cocktail party at the hotel before having dinner at the Olive Garden. On Tuesday I flew home with the group. Wednesday was a very busy day in the office....I was there for fourteen hours! Yesterday I flew to Ft. Lauderdale (via Houston, AGAIN!) and checked into my hotel. Today I'll be attending meetings with Norwegian Cruise Lines and tomorrow I'll be going to the Port of Miami to board the brand new Norwegian Pearl. I'll attend the Christining ceremonies and then take a two-day "cruise to nowhere" to check out this new ship. I'll update you about my impressions of the ship in my next entry.

HOLA FROM SUNNY *BUT WINDY) COZUMEL, MEXICO! Added: 12-08-2006
Last night we sailed from Grand Cayman to Cozumel. It was a great night on the ship. It was our last formal night and they really went all-out with the entertainment on the ship. We also had the Gala Buffet at midnight. I must say that Carnival did a great job on the buffet...the ice sculptures were amazing! This morning we arrived in Cozumel. It is a bit windy out but the sun is shining! Right now I'm in an internet cafe with my cousins, Norene and Richard who are helping me with this big group. Meanwhile, my boss, Rick, is sailing back to Tampa with my other group aboard the Legend of the Seas! Tomorrow my group will be at sea and then on Sunday we'll be back in Galveston.

HELLO FROM SUNNY GRAND CAYMAN Added: 12-07-2006
We've been having a great cruise aboard the Carnival Conquest. I have a group of 272 with me. My cousins, Norene and Richard, are along to give me a hand. The weather the first day or two wasn't that great...but a lot better than what we all left behind! Now the weather is FANTASTIC. Although we did have a light shower this afternoon the weather is mostly hot and sunny! Yesterday we were in Montego Bay, Jamaica and today we're in Grand Cayman. Tonight we're having our "Travel With Alan" cocktail party...it will be great to have all of us together in one lounge! I'll update you tomorrow from Cozumel, Mexico!

HOWDY FROM HOUSTON! Added: 12-02-2006
I can't believe that its been a week since I last updated "Where's Alan". This week, like many lately, has flown right by. I got off of the Voyager of the Seas one week ago today. Our only snag of the whole tour was on the last day. Because of all of the Europeans on the cruise, immigration took forever. I took the group to the Ft. Lauderdale Airport for their flights home. The group with the earliest flight just made the flight with only minutes to spare. Fortunately, despite the predictions of all of the long lines on Thanksgiving weekend, the airport was a breeze and everyone made it! I spent an extra day in Ft. Lauderdale and was able to make the last day of a family reunion for my great aunt's family. It was nice to see everyone and spend some time with the family. I flew home late Sunday night...just in time for the big snowstorm in Seattle! I've been busy in the office all week. Yesterday I flew down to Houston, one day before the rest of the group, to get everything ready. Today I'll have 270 people flying into Houston from all over the country for our cruise tomorrow aboard the Carnival Conquest. I must say that, after the weather in Seattle, I'm really looking forward to the sunny Caribbean weather!

OUR LAST NIGHT ABOARD THE VOYAGER OF THE SEAS! Added: 11-24-2006
Its hard to believe that our crossing is coming to an end! It seemed like six days at sea would be a long time but, as usual, I don't know where the time went! Everyone is having a great time. The entertainment has been fantastic....and the weather has been great also. The last two days in a row the temperature has been in the low 80s! Tomorrow we'll leave the ship and make our way to the airport for our flights home. I am going to stay one night in Ft. Lauderdale for a family reunion. I'll be back in the office on Monday to work on even more new tours!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE ATLANTIC! Added: 11-23-2006
The days at sea have flown right by. It seemed like we were going to have so much leisure time ahead of us but there has been so much going on around the ship and now we realize that the cruise is going to end in less than two days! The entertainment aboard the ship has been spectacular. Also, everyone is enjoying all of the activities and amenities aboard the ship. Yesterday I played a round of miniature golf with my parents and then we watched the people on the rock climbing wall....we just watched!! Tonight our whole group is going to see "Ice Odyssey"...the professional ice skating sho here aboard the ship. On Saturday our cruise will end. After I check in the group for their return flights home, I will check in at a hotel for the last day of our family reunion! I'll be back in the office on Monday...just in time to prepare Tuesday's e-mail!

SAILING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ATLANTIC! Added: 11-20-2006
After a day at sea we arrived at one of my favorite islands, Madiera. Again our coaches and guides were waiting for us to take us on a tour of this beautiful island. We went all over the island and made our way through the winding narrow roads. Our tour ended in the town of Monte. There we boarded tobaggans and went down the hill on the city streets with two men guiding our sleds down the city streets. It was really a thrill! Now we are sailing across the Atlantic. Its nice to have the days at sea to enjoy this incredible ship. We've still been very lucky with the weather...today its 75 degrees out! Tomorrow I'll write about all of the activities here on the ship!

SAILING OFF THE NORTH COAST OF AFRICA Added: 11-17-2006
After a day at sea we arrived in Lisbon at noon. Our group met on the pier and boarded our coach for a great Lisbon city tour. Our guide was fantastic and in three hours we had a great overview of the whole city. After the tour some of our "shoppers" remained in town to help support the local economy! Others of us returned to the ship for the balance of the day onboard. Yesterday was a day at sea. Royal Caribbean does a great job keeping everyone entertained during the sea days and several activities were offered throughout the day. Last night was our first big production show in "La Scala" Theatre. On a big ship like this the shows are BIG with a huge cast of singers and dancers. It is now early morning on the ship and at 7:00 AM we are due to arrive in Funchal, Madiera.

HELLO FROM ABOARD THE INCREDIBLE VOYAGER OF THE SEAS Added: 11-15-2006
Yesterday we checked out of our hotel and transfered to the Barcelona Waterfront and boarded the Voyager of the Seas. We met up with the additional tour members that flew in yesterday, had a Barcelona city tour, and came to the ship. Now we're all one big happy family! The Voyager is an incredible ship. The first time I came on this ship I expected not to like it at all...but some many people were asking me to do a cruise on a Voyager class ship. I must say that I realized right away that I was wrong. Even though I like smaller ships, I do LOVE the Voyager. Last night they had a huge "Island Fever Parade" in the Grand Promenade....It was hard to imagine that we were on a ship! Today we have a day at sea which is a welcome relief after six days of touring Spain!

ANOTHER ONE OF ALAN´S FAMOUS SEAFOOD DINNERS ON THE BARCELONA WATERFRONT Added: 11-13-2006
No ¨Travel With Alan¨trip to Barcelona would be complete without a dinner on the Barcelona Waterfront. Tonight we had a great seafood dinner at Marina Munchos. We had a lot of seafood and a LOT of wine! It was a great way to end our three night stay in this great city. Tomorrow its off to the Voyager of the Seas!

HELLO FROM SUNNY BARCELONA Added: 11-13-2006
Well we are definitely hitting the weather jackpot! We finished off our three nights in Madrid and flew on to Barcelona. Since all of our luggage went by truck we flew right through the airport. We arrived and checked into our new hotel. Yesterday we had a full day tour to Montserrat and today we had a city tour. Tonight its a special seafood dinner on the waterfront!

A BEAUTIFULY SUNNY DAY IN MADRID! Added: 11-09-2006
The weather forcast was poor but, thankfully (and as usual!) the forcast was wrong. Its about 63 degrees and sunny! Last night we had a beautiful dinner buffet in the hotel. The hotel really outdid themselves and the dinner was fantastic! Today we met our local guide, Concha, and had a great city tour. Our tour ended at a local restaurant where we had a typical Spanish lunch featuring pallella. Now we are having a free late afternoon and evening. As my parents are with me on this tour, I think that we will go out for dinner tonight to a Basque restaurant!

HOLA FROM MADRID, SPAIN! Added: 11-08-2006
Early Tuesday morning I was picked up at home. We went to pick up my parents and then went to Sea-Tac to check in for our flight to Newark and then on to Madrid. The flights were actually very nice and this morning we arrived in Madrid and transfered to our hotel, Hotel Senator Espana. We had a free afternoon and tonight we had a great Spanish buffet dinner right in the hotel. Tomorrow we´ll begin exploring Madrid!

BACK IN SEATTLE!` Added: 11-02-2006
Home sweet home....I'm back in the office! I just returned last night from my "mystery tour". If I may say so myself, it was one of my best tours ever!

On Saturday we flew from Seattle to Chicago, non-stop on Alaska Airlines. We all checked in to the Crown Plaza Hotel. Later we had a great dinner in one of the hotel's banquet rooms. Everyone's itinerary only went as far as the next morning so still, at that time, nobody had any idea what to expect! The following morning we had breakfast, at our leisure with a voucher, in the hotel's restaurant. We then loaded our buses and all 108 of us "hit the road"! Actually, there were 110 of us including my assistant, Nancy Pelletier and myself. Many of you have traveled with Nancy before (she's the one with the wacky sunglasses!

We drove for about two hours and then we stopped at McDonalds for a pre-arranged lunch. We then drove an hour further into Indiana and ended up at Amish Acres. Amish Acres is in the middle of Amish country in Indiana. We saw a great production of "Fiddler on the Roof" before we checked-in to our hotel, The Inn at Amish Acres. After time to freshen up we returned to Amish Acres for a huge homemade "Thresher's Dinner" This was a huge family style dinner. All of the food was fantastic and it didn't stop! The next morning we returned to Amish Acres and toured all of their facilities. We saw a film about the history of the Amish people, toured an original homestead, took a wagon ride, toured a schoolhouse, and had time to wander through their many shops. Midday we had lunch in the Restaurant Barn Loft. We then had some free time back at the hotel before we re-boarded our coaches and took a tour to the countryside. We went to the neighboring town of Shipshewana and went to see a couple of the local Amish "cottage industries". We toured a noodle factory and a quilt shop. It was interesting to meet the people and their families. The highlight of the day was when we ended up at an Amish home and had another "Thresher's Dinner". The whole family worked all day to prepare the meal and it was DELICIOUS! We just kept passing the dishes of food! After dinner the "grandfather" of the family came out and did a question and answer session about the Amish. After that the whole family came out and sang for us! It was quite an evening!

Yesterday we left Nappane, Indiana and drove to South Bend...home of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. We toured the campus with some student guides and then had our last lunch at the Morris Inn...right on campus. We then drove the final leg back to O'Hare Airport for our non-stop flights back to Seattle.

Everyone had a great time. I am hoping that in the future I will do another tour to this area....just a regular tour next time...the "mystery" is out of the bag!

HELLO FROM NOTRE DAME UNIVERSITY IN SOUTH BEND, INDIANA! Added: 10-31-2006
I have just a quick minute to update "Where's Alan" while I'm waiting for my group to finish their tour of the campus. I haven't had internet access for the last few days....I've been in Indiana Amish country! We've had a great tour...and great food! Tomorrow, when I get back to the office, I'll give you the full run-down on the entire tour!

GREETINGS FROM THE WINDY CITY.....CHICAGO!! Added: 10-28-2006
Well, here I am in Chicago. Today is the first day of our "mystery tour". Many of you have been wondering where we were going to go this year. Well, this morning I checked in the first group of 54 and my boss, Rick, checked in the 2nd group. We all landed in Chicago and checked into the Crowne Plaza Hotel. We had a wonderful dinner right here in the hotel. Everyone knows that tomorrow morning we're going to have breakfast here at the hotel and that at 9:30 we're going to check out and board our coaches....destination unknown!!!

BACK IN THE OFFICE Added: 10-22-2006
I'm sitting here working late tonight and reflecting on the four cruises that I had on the Mercury. I must say that they were all GREAT cruises! Everyone had a great time on all of them....including both the short "Pacific Northwest Cruises" and the last cruise which was a seven day cruise from Seattle to Ensenada with stops in Victoria, Vancouver, Astoria, and San Francisco. There is a certain "style" on a Celebrity ship and the staff on the Mercury was nothing short of outstanding. Also I have to say that the entertainment was great every night. All of the shows were first-rate! I'm looking forward to my next cruise on the Mercury. When I wrote last we had stopped in Ensenada to give everyone some free time. In the meantime we found out that there was still a backup at the border from all of the other buses from the ship and we were doing very well on time so we put our heads together and organized a stop in Tijuana! I was very surprised how nice it was in the downtown area of Tijuana. Everyone enjoyed the stop including the "3 for 1" marguaritas that many of the restaurants offer during the daytime! We then crossed the border, pretty painlessly...we didn't even have to get out of the buses, and made our way to San Diego. Here we split up and the group with the earlier flight went directly to the airport. Alaska Airlines was great and we checked-in the whole group in about 5 minutes! The other group proceeded on a guided tour of San Diego. I met them back at the airport and again checked-in the whole group in about 5 minutes. We then had a nice non-stop flight home back to Seattle. At the airport we also said goodbye to all of our group members who flew in from other cities. Now I'm home for a whole week!! I'm working on putting together some new packages and putting the finishing touches on some of our upcoming tours including my next tour....the Mystery Tour!

HOLA FROM ENSENADA, MEXICO Added: 10-20-2006
I had to end my last entry suddently. I was in an internet cafe in San Francisco and realized I had less than one minute left on my pre-paid card. I figured I better "save" quickly or lose everything. We had a great day in San Francisco...the weather was warm and sunny with just a slight breeze all day. San Francisco is a great town. I had a great dim sum lunch in Chinatown and then walked all over town. We had a nice day at sea and this morning we left the ship in Ensenada. I figured that since, per my request, we were the last group off of the ship, that rather than wait behind all of the other buses at the border we would give the group some free time in Ensenada...rather than just driving right past the town. Right now we are having a bit of free time before we head up to San Diego for our flights home.

AN INCREDIBLE HOT AND SUNNY DAY IN SAN FRANCISCO! Added: 10-18-2006
We sailed from Vancouver and headed to Astoria, Oregon. We were told that there was an 80% chance of rain in Astoria but I told the group that it meant there was a 20% chance of sunshine! Well, the 20% came through and we had a beautiful afternoon in Astoria. About a third of the ship actually walked into town along the new Riverwalk. I did some shopping in Astoria, like I usually do...do if my niece and nephew, Karli and Marcus, are reading this, please act surprised! Monday night, as we were sailing away from Astoria, we had our final Travel With Alancocktail party on the Mercury. Great times were had by all!!

A SOGGY DAY IN VANCOUVER Added: 10-15-2006
I have now been cruising around the Pacific Northwest for two weeks without seeing any rain but today I made up for it! The rain has been coming down in Vancouver and it just keeps coming. That didn't stop me though....I've been walking all over town. I had lunch in Chinatown and now I'm at an internet cafe updating the website. Now its time to go back to my nice warm ship and dry off!

PEA SOUP IN VICTORIA Added: 10-14-2006
Yesterday turned out to be a great day! I met my parents at the pier and we went to Pike Place Market. After some shopping and looking around we had lunch at the Athenian Cafe in the Market and enjoyed the view! I then went back to the ship and wrote my "welcome aboard" letter and got ready to meet my new group. 35 of my group members from the previous cruise were staying on to do the cruise to Ensenada in addition to the 56 new passengers that arrived yesterday. After three groups of 200 passengers in a row, 91 seems like a piece of cake! We had a nice sailaway from Seattle but into the night the fog rolled in and most of the night the fog horn was being sounded about twice a minute....its a good thing that I'm a sound sleeper! This morning I looked outside and saw nothing! The fog had really rolled in. Fortunately, by around 11 AM the fog had lifted and I decided to make a trek into town! This evening we'll sail at 5 PM and tomorrow we're in Vancouver.

ANOTHER GREAT CRUISE ABOARD THE MERCURY Added: 10-14-2006
On Monday morning we arrived back in my own beautiful city, Seattle! Again we had a very smooth disembarkation and by 9:45 AM everyone was on their way home, including me. Again, I threw a load into the washer and then the dryer before I headed back into the office. I spend a couple of hours in the office and wrote my “welcome aboard” letter for the new group along with taking care of a lot of loose ends for some of my upcoming tours, including a new offering for my weekly e-mail blast. I returned home to pick up my clean clothes and then returned to Pier 66 to re-board the Mercury. I had another big group….195 passengers…but this time I was all by myself! Actually, since I had already met with the maitre d’ and had everyone confirmed for their exact dining requests, the first day was relatively easy. Still, it was a long day and after I did my letter deliveries to the staterooms, my two sets of desk hours, and my visits to all of the dinner tables on the first and second seating, I decided just to go back to my stateroom and just relax! The following morning I once again woke up in Nanaimo!! I think that everyone there must consider me to be a “local”! This was my fourth visit to Nanaimo in 22 days!! Once again, the weather cooperated and we had a great day in Nanaimo. On Wednesday we spent the early part of the day cruising up to Prince Rupert. In the late morning some heavy fog rolled in and we had to blow the foghorn once or twice a minute. Fortunately, by early afternoon the fog lifted and we had a beautiful afternoon. We arrived in Prince Rupert at 3:00 PM and even though there was a bit of chill in the air, it was a beautiful sunny day! We stayed in Prince Rupert until 10:00 PM although most of the people returned earlier. Yesterday we cruised the Inside Passage most of the day. We had a bit of fog in the early morning but it lifted very early and we had a beautiful day of cruising down the Passage. Everyone was amazed at how spectacular the scenery was and how close we were to shore….on both sides of the ship! Last night we had yet another “Travel With Alan” cocktail party. Once again, the crew on the Mercury went all out for our cocktail party and we got the whole group into the ship’s “Pavilion Nightclub”. Everyone had a great time and again, it was nice to have the whole group together! Last night we had another super show onboard…”Dance Around the World”. After the dinner and show everyone packed their bags and enjoyed their last night on the ship. This morning I woke up early and enjoyed the view coming into Seattle. Its still dark out and the city is all lit up….Seattle is really a great city! Today, after everyone claims all of their bags and are on their way, I’m going to meet my parents and have lunch….probably at the Pike Place Market! Then, this afternoon I will be here to meet yet another group of cruisers!

HELLO FROM MY NEW "HOME AWAY FROM HOME", NANAIMO, B.C. Added: 10-08-2006
After I left the office on Friday, I went home, got my clothes out of the dryer, packed them in my carry-on bag, and rushed back to the pier. I re-boarded the ship and started right away to deliver “welcome aboard” letters to all of the cabins in my group. I had 204 people in my group from October 2 – 6 but in this group I have 238! I finished just in time for my desk hour. That was followed by the boat drill which was followed by my second desk hour. Afterward we started visiting all of the tables on the first seating as we were sailing away from Seattle. I always forget what a beautiful city Seattle is. Its so nice having the cruise ships leaving right from Seattle! After visiting all of the tables on the second seating, we finally had a chance to sit down and enjoy a great Celebrity dinner! Since then things have been much calmer! Everyone is having a great time. Since I was already aboard the ship, I was able to meet with the maitre d’ and confirm all of the dinner tables in advance….exactly as everyone had requested them! On Saturday we docked in Vancouver at the Canada Place Pier. It was a beautiful day…a bit cooler than the last time but the sun was shining! We had an evening sail-away from Vancouver…another very beautiful city! Today we are in Nanaimo. This is my 3rd visit to Nanaimo in 20 days! Nanaimo is a great little town. The locals are very excited about the cruise ships coming in to visit and they really go “all out” to make it a nice day for all of their visitors. There are volunteers on every corner giving out maps and directions! Tonight everyone will be back onboard for another one of my famous Travel With Alan cocktail parties! It will be great to have all 238 people in one room having a great time. Tomorrow its back to Seattle and we’ll start all over again!

BACK IN THE OFFICE....FOR JUST 90 MINUTES! Added: 10-07-2006
I just returned from our four day Pacific Northwest cruise aboard the Celebrity Mercury. We had a great cruise and fantastic weather followed us throughout the cruise. Once again, Greg Martin helped me with this group...we had 204 people traveling with us! We sailed out of Seattle on Monday afternoon. It was a beautiful day in Seattle! It was nice to be back on the Mercury. I have done several cruises aboard the Mercury and it was nice to see a lot of familiar faces onboard! On Tuesday morning we woke up in Vancouver. It was a great day in Vancouver and everyone realy enjoyed the day. We were docked at the Canada Place Pier, right in the heart of the city. On Wednesday we were in Victoria. Again, another great day. That evening everyone came to our now famous Travel With Alan cocktail party. On Thursday we were in Nanaimo. Its nice to go into a small port town like Nanaimo where all of the locals are excited about having the cruise ships coming in. There were volunteers on every corner giving directions and assistance. This morning we all woke up back in Seattle. After getting all of the people on their way home, we hopped in a taxi and went