What would you do if haunted by a photo? For the past few months, I’ve seen photos of Horseshoe Bend in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona everywhere. I must have “liked” the photos somewhere and since then every social media algorithm has been following me and showing me the photos. You’ve probably seen the photo a million times too but never realized where or what it was. So with my wellness vacation planned to Red Mountain Resort in St. George, Utah, I thought “its only 2.5 hour drive to Page, Arizona so why not visit?”
I’m not sure if this social media haunting was a sign or not from the universe but I thought there were enough to make me go discover this one. How many signs do we pass, dismiss and miss out on every day?
Driving to Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona
I had to ask the hotel front desk for directions, I was staying at the Marriott Courtyard in Page, Arizona and they said go past the Wal-Mart Circle and you’ll see a small sign on the right (about 5 minute drive). Well it was that easy except for the small sign and quick turnoff (watch your speed or you’ll pass it). The gravel parking lot is located off the road and when I visited in November at 8 a.m. on a Wednesday it was pretty empty which meant it was easy to find a parking spot, change my shoes (there’s lots of sand to walk in up the hill and then down to the rocks) and get my backpack ready with camera, water, snack (always bring water with you). There were a few small tour busses but I can only imagine high season summer that it’s packed with tourists.
Getting There – The Trail to Horseshoe Bend
It’s not quite walk there and take a photo. There is one company that does a tour that takes you closer to avoid the 1/4 mile hike up/downhill in sand. I tried to book with them but they wouldn’t take a solo booking nor would they return calls so I saved the money and did the trek from the parking lot on my own. Make sure you have good walking shoes as you are walking in sand for the most part and while there are a few marked steps for the most part going up it’s not a paved or easy path to follow. You essentially follow people ahead of you while watching your step as you try to take the beauty of nature all in.
As you reach the top of the hill, you think, “that was easy enough, I’m here”, because the seating area gives you false hope. You’ll then look down and see the people in the distance and realize you need to go downhill to the viewing area which does not have a railing or barrier so watch your footing. Right now there is construction ongoing to make the area accessible by summer of 2018.
As you walk down the hill you get a sense of “wow” as you get closer to the people taking photos of Horseshoe Bend and a ton of selfies.
Horseshoe Bend Outlook
The rocky areas along the edges are precarious so do be careful to watch where you walk, stand and take a photo. You can still get good Horseshoe Bend photos from a distance. I traversed a few areas and levels for different angles. I would have loved to sit down, lay down or play with different angles even further but I’m naturally clumsy so I took no chances.
Horseshoe Bend Video
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz1JeZ4F_s0[/embedyt]
Black & White Photos of Horseshoe Bend
I did ask for someone to take my photo which is always a mistake because they try to get all of me in photo and none of the attraction/landscape. I attempted a lame selfie a result of the direct sunlight. With the wonky lighting at 8:30 a.m., I chose to shoot in Black & White to mute out the lighting issues I had. When there was a millennial guy next to me that said “hi”, I replied “hey, use Black & White filter as it will give you a moody picture and help deal with the light and shadow”, He replied “is that the old timey photo look?” Defeated in my (old) age, I replied “yes, it is the classic photo”.
When I passed an older woman (70’s), I saw her not going to the edge but sending her husband, I said “try the black & white setting for that Ansel Adams look”, she replied “thanks, I love his photos! Hey hon…” as she called her husband over to tell him to use black & white.
For the best photo of Horseshoe Bend, I think you need to get overhead or have equipment that can capture the right aspect. For me, I was happy that I got to visit, walk around and shoot the photos that captured my moment in the sun.
Final Thoughts – Horseshoe Bend Visit
No longer haunted by the photos of others, I now have my own photos to hang on the walls at home in color and old timey black & white. As I made my way up the hill back to the car, I stopped a few times to turn around and be still – taking in the views, the sounds and the sense of this wonderful nature made attraction hidden by a hill from the parking lot and small sign on the road.
Would you have stopped on the road if you saw a small sign that said “Horseshoe Bend” not knowing what it was? I think for many the answer is “no” which is why I love to discover new things to share on my blog and give you time to pause and say “yes” to the small signs on the road and the signs that haunt you on social media. The universe is talking, will you listen?
My photos of Horseshoe Bend are reminders to stop and explore what’s beyond the parking lot, to stop ignoring signs and just be open to the world. What photos (or signs) are haunting you lately?
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Kids Today are Lucky! This weekend, I spent time with my niece Aubrey, the lucky kid who got to visit Paris & London with me a few years ago. She was telling me of her spring break trip to Fort Lauderdale with her dad, her upcoming school trip to Virginia, a family wedding in Boston all before her summer camp is set to begin. I was a bit jealous of all of her travels and then joked with my sister about how we either played on the sidewalk in the summer with chalk or memories of my parents putting us on the Greyhound bus to visit my uncle down the shore (i.e. – South Jersey shore). My sister and I were maybe 9 and 12 and traveling alone on the bus to Atlantic City in the early 80’s (back when you could do stuff like that to kids raised without seatbelts).
My family went on two vacations that I can remember as a child – the 1983 Disney World visit when Epcot first opened and a beach vacation in Wildwood that my sister and I did with my dad when mom was working. That’s it – mom was afraid of water, dad was afraid to fly and my Uncle Bill lived near Ocean City, NJ so the annual bus trip (until I could drive us) was it. We never did road trips because my dad drove a truck for a living so the last thing he wanted to do was drive on vacation. Today, my nieces are very fortunate as are many kids today to be able to travel so much more than we did as kids (or at least my family and friends did).
So now that I’m planning travel with my Arden Road Travel site, I’ve been meeting many reps of luxury properties around the world and learning so much. Now I feel that to fully enjoy the offerings, I might need to bring a few kids with me (my nieces were definitely game to do research and sad when I asked about their piggy bank balances) or join your family as Aunt Sue. My nieces are now working on my sister (who might be a bit annoyed that I introduced my nieces to these glamourous travel spots) and hopefully I get to experience the properties first hand. But for now, I can only share them with you and maybe you’ll be my client to go enjoy the family luxury and report back.
Luxury Family Vacations #1 – Glamping in Montana at Paws Up!
My sister said the only way to get her to sleep in a tent was glamping at the Resort at Paws Up! Let’s be real, these are not the little tents you pitch in the woods or in Botswana, there are over the top luxury tents and villas in Montana (on par with my Elephant Camp tent). I’ve always wanted to go to Montana and with or without the kids, this is the place to get initiated in the West. Saddle up with a horse ride, learn to fly fish or stay behind at the spa camp for a body treatment, it’s all very custom and luxurious. Pick a glamping tent option or a villa. Bring your family or invite a few friends and other families – there are many pick and choose ways to build out your own bespoke Western adventure at Paws Up. They offer the Kids a range of activities in the age appropriate discovery programs. One niece liked the rope swing at the lake and horseback riding, while the teenager thought the paintball and river rafting seemed adventurous. My sister and I were looking at spa and food/wine options (priorities of course!).
[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th0O0d3gG0Q[/embedyt]
With 30 luxury tents and 28 vacation homes this is a luxury escape for a memorable vacation.
With a plethora of activities year round, there are also a range of special events such as Montana Master Chefs 2016: James Beard All-Stars (Sept 29 – Oct 2), many BBQ events, Cowgirl Spring Roundup, Knit Graffiti (a week of yarn bombing art Aug 14-20) and the Canine Classic (Sept. 25) for you and your dog to walk/run/hike to support the Human Society of Western Montana.
Virtuoso Benefits: $300 Activity Credit per room/tent, bottle of wine upon arrival and roundtrip airport transfers from Missoula Airport (MSO)
Luxury Family Vacations #2 – The Four Seasons Orlando at Disney World
If you are like me and love Disney World, then you’ve stayed at a variety of properties over the years from International Drive Orlando to Disney Resorts. It seems like a right of childhood now to go to Disney World. I’ve done Disney World in Orlando in a variety of combinations – the family trip as a child, high school graduation as a teenager with my BFFs, a grown up girls week of sun, wine and fun and also as a multi-generational visit. Over the years, I’ve found the property that most closely aligns with my inner hotel snob is the Wilderness Lodge, but now after seeing the sales presentation for the Four Seasons Orlando at Disney World, my Spidey senses tell me, it’s time to up my hotel game and go five star Four Seasons luxury to experience Disney World in a new way.
[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9OJFvBJZI0[/embedyt]
With a view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks each night and a desk of Disney cast members to assist you, it’s the best of both worlds of luxury service. Breakfast with Goofy is offered twice a week at Ravello Restaurant and they offer a kid’s camp plus movies by the pool all without a resort fee. The outdoor water park has a lazy river on five acres and is enough to make you forget there’s a world of amusement parks and entertainment off property to visit. Worst decision after the presentation was visiting their website because now I want to go to Disney, stay at the Four Seasons Orlando and watch the fireworks from the Capa Steakhouse – red meat, red wine, chocolate cake and fireworks?! Happy Place indeed.
Virtuoso Benefits: $100 spa credit, once per stay
Four Seasons Benefits: Email me your dates and I can let you know as they vary
Luxury Family Vacations #3 – The Galapagos Trip, Nature in Action
When my friend and I were chatting about family vacations, she remarked “I feel like every upper middle class family must take a Galapagos vacation or we’ve failed our kids”. I laughed and said that’s a bit crazy until I started seeing all of the new family offerings from National Geographic in partnership with G Adventures in my email and brochures in the mail. The Galapagos trips are now being marketed to families who want more –to go beyond the zoo experience, beyond swimming with the dolphins at Atlantis Bahamas and becoming more immersive to do a land and sea adventure with the kids. The Galapagos offers a plethora of active vacation options as well as easy to charter private boats (and yachts) for a family or a group gathering of a few families or a multi-generation trip with the grandparents. The Galapagos are still on my list of places to go because as a solo traveler there is the much hated single supplement on the cruises I’m interested in. But the more research I do into the combo land and sea options, the more I’m excited to do a photography tour or active vacation with a side of sea viewing.
Most trips to the Galapagos start at $5k per person, not including airfare so this is definitely a luxury excursion for a select few at this time. G Adventures starts at $1,999 pp ($1,799 per child minimum age of 6 y.o.) There are many benefits that I have access to when planning a trip to the Galapagos, so contact me for more information.
So am I jealous of the kids today? Somedays, I think yes, other days, I consider myself lucky to have had the backyard pool and playing freedom with the neighborhood kids without the distraction of the internet (we would eventually get Atari to compete with the pavement hopscotch).
What’s your favorite family vacation memory? Do you take your kids on luxury vacations or would you?
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I’m not sure who wanted to cry more, the Fathom staff that had spent months (and years) in preparation or the passengers who were excited to experience the new cruise concept of social impact activities in the Dominican Republic (the DR). It was an emotional 24 hours for everyone scheduled on the “soft” cruise that ended with an official letter, apology and a scramble to rebook travel plans. A “soft” opening in hospitality terms is a test run to work out the kinks ahead of the official “grand opening” or in this case “inaugural sailing” of April 17th. I was prepared for kinks on the ship and in the DR but not before setting foot on the Adonia. While I was extremely disappointed given my particular circumstances, I was pleasantly surprised to see how the delays were handled on the ground prior to the Fathom cruise cancellation. It was definitely an EPIC Adventure, sadly without the happy ending I wished for.
The P&O ship had sailed from the U.K., where it is flagged, to the Bahamas for a dry dock refit which is a makeover of the interior spaces. The U.S. Coast Guard has to do an initial inspection to issue a compliance certificate since it was the first U.S. sailing. The fact that the ship failed several parts of the inspections was surprising since you’d think a company like Carnival knows what a ship needs to sail and pass inspection, but in this case, the sliding fire screen doors were the most serious. Of course, it’s needs to be safe but I feel like someone obviously missed the checklist “do sliding fire doors work?”
Pre-Cruise Foreshadowing
I had a bit of foreshadowing before I entered the Fathom Cruise ship terminal. As the plane was getting ready to land in Miami, I looked out the window and saw the airport but thought we were going pretty fast and I didn’t hear the landing gear. And just like that we aborted the landing and were quickly up in the air again. This was a first for me and freaked a lot of passengers. The cabin crew started to explain when the captain interrupted with an update of “too much traffic to land”…..um, ok, at least I have nice photos of the city and South Beach from above?
I returned to the EPIC Hotel Miami this time paying extra for the water view room. Upon check in at 3pm I was told my water view room wasn’t ready but I could downgrade to a city view room to check in now otherwise wait for at least an hour. After the flight, we accepted the downgraded view and the hotel provided drinks and breakfast vouchers that more than made up for the cost differential.
When checking out the bellman put us in a taxi to the cruise port and then we were taken for a ride, both figuratively and literally. As we drove over the bridge to Miami Beach, I saw the Fathom cruise ship on the left on the other side of the water. I told the taxi driver that the ship was over there and he then made me responsible for directions and asked me for the zip code of the cruise port. I went crazy because he was scamming us and I was stuck on the highway for him to turn around, go back into town to make a turn into the Port of Miami (big sign!) toward our ship. The taxi driver blamed me for confusing him! Dear taxi drivers, this is why Uber is successful, they aren’t scamming tourists that I’m aware of. My fare was more than double what it should have been.
As we entered the ship terminal at 1 pm, the check in desks weren’t open (not good) and we were directed to take a seat during our wait (also not a good sign). With music playing in the background and snacks available, everyone sat and waited while Fathom staff wandered about to help folks install the Fathom app for the cruise.
When the check in desks opened, we waited and were directed in groups to get our cruise key cards, take our photos and swipe our credit cards. We then went back to our seats to wait. Most of the passengers on this sailing were travel industry folks – so we were a group who understood delays, unexpected issues and trying to figure it out to make everyone happy. What I didn’t understand was how this could have happened at all – according to stories I’ve read no ship since 2001 has failed the U.S. Coast Guard inspection. The inspection started before we arrived for the cruise.
Fathom Cruise Announcements, Updates, Q&A
The Founder & President of Fathom, Tara Russell, arrived to welcome us at about 2:30 p.m. to inform us of a delay due to the U.S. Coast Guard inspections. Unfazed by this, we waited a bit longer. And then she returned to inform us at about 3:30 p.m. that the delay was longer and we were given the option to go on a Miami City Tour or a Tour of the Everglades with a return time of 6 p.m. if we wanted to skip the tours and go find food (most of us had eaten breakfast expecting to eat lunch on the ship so we were hungry).
Not on our “to do list” but it was a gorgeous day to visit the Everglades “the river of grass”. Fathom staff member, Bart and his son’s stuffed monkey, was on the bus (there were five buses) and he did a Q&A that got us all super excited for the cruise and the impact activities in the DR. Since Bart had spent the past few months in the DR working directly with the partners on the activities away from his son, monkey was mailed to go on the first cruise with him. Bart is in product development and had been involved from the beginning (almost two years ago). He explained how they chose the Fathom partners in the DR, how all the details were taken into account on the cruise to ensure that the Fathom goals and ethos were maintained. For example, the spa might be considered “indulgent” so they shortened the times and treatment options to provide more “restorative” services after a day of working in the DR.
Fathom is utilizing the strengths of each of its sister brands in the Carnival family – P&O (UK Ship Adonia), Carnival, Princess, etc. (as would be evident during this delay). The focus of Fathom is to be self-sustaining and aligns its goals and ethos in that manner. In the Dominican Republic, Fathom has created an impact center and built two outdoor marketplace stall areas to highlight local artists with their handmade goods and those with an impact story and DR history. The more Bart spoken, the more his enthusiasm was contagious, as if we needed more excitement to visit the DR. Our planned activities were water filtration, chocolate factory, papermaking and working with the local school speaking english.
The Everglades Tour – Everglades Safari Park
Despite a boat of twenty passengers, the serenity and beauty of the everglades quickly melted our delay disappointment for a while as we were transported to another world.
After the airboat ride, the sight of a snack bar was a welcome relief, for me not so much and this is where I met Katherine, a Fathom staff member. She was approaching all passengers to answer questions and ensure everyone was ok. Somehow in the conversation, she mentioned she was gluten free and I said I’m lactose free and couldn’t eat at the snack bar but had my own snacks with me so I was good (she would later find me to make sure I was eating ok). She said we didn’t need to return until 6:30 p.m. (that wasn’t a good sign IMO).
Another Fathom Cruise Delay
When we returned to the cruise terminal after the everglades tour, I knew we would be heading for a hotel rather than the ship when I saw the busses lined up in front of the terminal. Even before the Fathom staff member jumped on the bus, I knew. We were directed back into the terminal passing through security again (Port of Miami security) to retrieve our bags and find out which hotel we were assigned to. The higher cabins went to the Doubletree, whereas the lower cabins were going to the Holiday Inn, Miami West (past the airport). My inner hotel snob was apprehensive with a Holiday Inn. My stomach was hungry and sad I wasn’t going to the Doubletree with the never ending cookies.
The Holiday Inn Miami West – Hialeah Gardens
As we exited the bus far from downtown Miami and the airport but near Sun Life Stadium, we lined up to check in to the hotel – the Holiday Inn Miami West at Hialeah Gardens. I was pleasantly surprised to see the sign saying “our room renovation is complete, please be patient with the remaining work”. A few people abandoned the line for food, some creative people went to the bar for drinks and brought those back to the line during the wait.
The hallway still had that new paint smell but our room was a refreshing surprise all shiny and new. It was a nice place to land for the night during this unexpected delay. The view of the highway was not the water view I had planned for. The area wasn’t near anything so we really couldn’t wander the neighborhood.
The staff at the hotel were superstars. On a Sunday when you expect to be quiet, in comes over 200+ hungry people so they set up a buffet with an open bar (initially we were told of a $50 pp limit but it became an open check and buffet) as we rushed the restaurant in search of sustenance. I explained my food issue and was quickly served plain grilled chicken with fries. I was famished as it was after 8 p.m. The next morning, the same staff was there, Rosanna, my server, had only three hours of sleep she said but was fine as she ran around to help everyone.
From the front desk to the restaurant staff, everyone was nice and attentive. Andres, was the happy face of management attending to everyone as needed.
The Fathom Cruise Hotel Updates
The Holiday Inn passengers had about 8-10 Fathom staff members with us at the hotel, Jason was the Fathom spokesperson in charge. Each Fathom staff member interacted with passengers throughout the day and night to see that we were ok and answer any questions. Everyone seemed to have the same question “Why weren’t the U.S. Coast Guard tests done sooner? The ship arrived Miami a few days ago, why did they wait until day of sailing”. To be honest, no one in our hotel really had the right answer to this one.
We received a letter under the door saying that an update meeting would be held at 11 a.m. Monday after breakfast.
11 a.m. – Jason, tells us that the U.S. Coast Guard was still onboard running through operational checks so lunch would be provided with another update at 1 p.m.
1 p.m. – Jason reappeared in the lobby and told us it was a “wait and see” now, not giving us any indication of whether we would be a go or not but I felt the cruise slipping away. He provided his cell number for people to contact him directly. Many of us went back to the bar to chat with our new friends.
2:15 p.m. – Jason and the team start walking around the hotel (restaurant, bar, lobby, pool area) to gather up the passengers for another update. I asked Jason “should we bring our bags down?” and he just looked at me and said “no”. I knew that we weren’t sailing anymore. All hopes of a shorter cruise had vanished in that moment.
2:22 p.m. – Jason reads the words from the official letter we were given – the U.S. Coast Guard will not sign off until other tests are done and parts ordered to make fixes which will take a few days. He goes through the Q&A section (expense reimbursement process, hotel reservations and per diems, flight rebookings, etc.) and at the end can barely keep it together as you heard the emotion in his voice as he and the staff had worked so hard to get to this point and wanted to share the ship, the impact activities and the people of the DR with us. Despite our sad emotions, we applaud him and the team because we know how crazy the last 48 hours had been for everyone involved.
A desk was set up in the restaurant to assist with alternative flight arrangements and travel plans. There was another table set up to schedule airport transfers. The front desk was available to extend the stay overnight. As for me, I found a flight at 7 p.m. and quickly got an Uber (no more Miami taxis for me) to the airport where my friend drowned her disappointment at the Tequila bar. We both have had a tough time looking for new jobs and were so excited to volunteer with the Fathom team, have a chance to dip our toes in the sand and forget our sorrows for a while that we were both in shock by what had happened – it was like getting yet another rejection in our search – one that brought her to tears & tequila and me to chocolate.
Fathom Cruise Delay & Cancellation Experience
The Fathom Cruise team had a tough start to what I hope is an amazing journey for all the Fathom travelers yet to come. The mechanical issues were outside of their control but the staff really tried to keep positive throughout the disappointment. As they are owned by Carnival, the delays, tours and hotel arrangements were swiftly coordinated and sorted in Miami. Could a few things been done better? Of course there’s always room for improvement (water and food on the tours for example) but I don’t think they anticipated this kind of disruption. Who knew what when won’t help at this point. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the sailing experience I looked forward to but hopefully I will have a do-over in the future.
If you are going on a Fathom cruise, look out for Bart (and monkey), Katherine and Jason as they and their colleagues are so passionate about the mission, you are bound to be won over by their enthusiasm and commitment. The team really did well on the ground. At the end of the day, I had an EPIC adventure, not one I planned but one that will be memorable in the stories we shared, the new friends we met and the fact that we were all in it together. Sadly, I’m now home in Philly and am planning to block out all social media next week when I see my friends and colleagues sail on Fathom because I’m going to be sad and jealous that I didn’t #traveldeep with Fathom Cruises this week.
Note that Fathom Cruise will reimburse me for all of my out of pocket expenses related to the canceled cruise (air, hotel, taxis, food). All opinons are mine.
If you want to book an upcoming Fathom Cruise to the Dominican Republic or Cuba, contact me to arrange that for you via my new travel booking venture, Arden Road Travel.
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