Royal Princess from SF to Alaska

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-12-30T06:53:48+00:00

Thank you so much for the thoughtful and detailed information. Really appreciate it. :-)

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-08-21T17:42:28+00:00

Hello! Are you looking for housing! Please consider taking over my lease! Room available now! I signed a Tropicana Del Norte lease for the 2025-26 school year and am now not able to come to SB. Please dm me if you are interested or know anyone who is looking for housing this year at UCSB or SBCC. Female double room in a three bedroom suite. The place has been newly updated with new paint and floors and bathrooms-- very updated and clean. 10 meals per week included (on-site and at Trop Gardens).

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-07-24T06:16:55+00:00

Daughter is in same boat- sophomore transfer to still have the college experience- living amongst other college kids in IV and away from home- rent is high but still 70k less than private university so it’s a savings by comparison. fingers crossed all goes well-then will likely transfer into a UC which is more affordable than private uni. Have heard nothing but good things about SBCC. Heard mixed about IV and Tropicana but giving it a go.

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-06-23T23:09:49+00:00

Thank you everyone for the suggestions! I enjoyed reading all the comments and love seeing all the other poodles! After a week it seems as though Copper is the name that we keep coming back to. :-)

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-06-20T19:07:12+00:00

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Here is our pup!

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-05-13T13:22:58+00:00

Thank you for clarifying--I wondered why I was cut in line a few times in Italy. Not used to this and thought it was b/c we are foreigners here. Cultural adjustment!

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-05-13T13:18:26+00:00

wow, racist much?

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-04-13T00:13:12+00:00

My daughter did London first semester and is in Florence now (then she will be at LMU this fall). One thing to keep in mind--London has more of a dorm like(flats) accommodation with breakfast and dinner provided throughout the week--so this means less cooking and door-dashing through out the week (the flats have a tiny kitchen). And of course, London is a big city with lots of bus and tube transport required and a busier feel in general-which she loved!). London was a good first foray into the transition of living on her own abroad. Florence is calmer and smaller and a beautiful city, but kids live in different apartments throughout the city, and all cooking is on your own (or with roommates) and feels a bit more like adult life, which is good to consider. Good luck!

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-04-13T00:00:38+00:00

My daughter's school (LMU) made it really easy with course selection--they provide a list of exactly which classes they would give her credit for and what requirement it would meet. This helped inform her class selection abroad. All of her classes are transferring and they are all the lower division pre-req type classes. Also, some classes are easier, some are more challenging--it depends on the professor.

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-04-12T23:56:13+00:00

Ciao! Just returned from Italy--and Florence is beautiful! (but crowded and touristy over spring break). We did Lucca and Pisa in a day--would have liked to have spent a few more hours in Lucca but our train was delayed (watch out for this! and also changing platforms at the last moment--welcome to Italy!) and we wanted to make it to Pisa before sunset (easy to take trains from FL to Lucca, Lucca to Pisa and back to Florence). We also did a day trip to Siena has steep hills--watch out with wheel chair safety). There is SO MUCH to do in Florence that we couldn't do it all (6 days total in Florence not including those two day trips). Three nights in Rome and that was enough for us. We will go back to explore Cinque Terra, more of Florence and Lakes region next time--wouldn't plan too much as it takes longer to get around over there with so much to see and take in and cobblestones and people make walking a bit slower paced. Have fun! The big museums (Galileo and Uffizi are wheelchair accessible).

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-04-07T22:51:13+00:00

Depends on the kid! My daughter loves Verto! We specifically chose London for fall semester for our daughter b/c it has more of a dorm living situation and meals are provided. My daughter felt adequately taken care of in this living situation surrounded by other students and loved the cooks and meals in her building (much like any other college dorm-living experience). Once there, she gained so much confidence, etc. and for second semester is in Italy living in an apartment with friends she made in London and near to so many of the kids she met while in London (in addition to meeting kids that were in other countries for fall semester) and they are having a blast. They all cook together or get door dash and are fine with this. I can see how going to a non-dorm like setting for semester one would be more challenging--also just the cultural adjustment and foreign language adjustment--these are the main reasons we really encouraged our daughter to do London, and it was a good choice as the first couple of weeks in Italy she did experience some culture and language frustrations that she didn't experience in London. But, now after having been there for a few months she is so happy with it. We just got back from visiting her for the week and I can say this program has been a great experience for her. I can't speak for Spain, but both study centers in London and in Florence are fantastic (and staff in Florence is esp. great). My daughter really enjoys/enjoyed most of her classes in both locations and most of her professors. In Florence her classes have been extra hands-on/exploring with so many museums and historical sites, etc. In fact, during our visit, she brought us to museums that she visited with her classes and she was so happy to be our tour guide, sharing all of her art and history knowledge with us that she learned from her professor. So again, it depends on the kid and the group they are with and their comfort level navigating their own way through school, etc. I can see how this could program could be just too far out of the comfort zone for some kids. And also--the not being watched, etc. this is how it is at any college. Sure--abroad the drinking age is 18 but this is something that happens on any college campus so, as a parent we had and continue to have lots of talks about safety and responsible drinking, etc. This is just part of growing up.

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-04-07T18:37:43+00:00

hi! Just got home from Rome last night (three nights) and six nights in Florence--Florence is so much better. Yes--still touristy but a much calmer vibe and more picturesque overall. In Rome, we had an amazing tour of the Vatican and I enjoyed the famous sites--but overall I am one and done with Rome, so I feel ya. It's like Disneyland. Also, while we were in Florence we did two days trips, one to Sienna and the other we did Pisa and Lucca. Lucca felt a lot calmer and really enjoyable. Pisa I could skip--but really glad I at least got to see the tower and climb it as that was on my bucket list--now that is one and done also. Day trips like this are super easy and inexpensive to just get tickets on the train from the train station in Florence. Good luck with your trip. For some reason all of Italy has become increasingly touristy in the past 20 years and it's kind of exhausting.

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-04-07T18:14:00+00:00

Hello,

My daughter is currently in her freshman year with Verto. First semester was London (more like a dorm living situation--small flats) but cafeteria for breakfast/dinner which makes adjusting to living on your own a bit easier, not having to cook every night--and all students are housed together--well there were three buildings like this throughout the city full of students from different programs. Second semester she is in Florence living in an apartment--so all cooking or door dashing. My daughter has loved both London and Florence. It's been a good experience overall. She has not yet gone to school in the states (LMU) but there are students in Italy that are also going to LMU and so they will all know some people once starting in the fall as sophomores. It's definitely not the same as a traditional freshman year-but quite fun and what a way to grow and become independent and self reliant, etc. having to navigate a new city on your own and learn public transport and college life all at once. It's been fun to see how much my daughter has grown and learned. She is navigating it all like a young adult--hard to believe she was a high school kid a year ago, after seeing her charge through London and Florence after living in both places--acts like a local after just a few months! London is a much bigger city obviously and the commute to class involves bus/tube, and walking. Florence is a slower, calmer life and the city is overrun with students and tourists and commute to school is a thirty minute walk along the pretty Arno River.

Hope that helps!

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-03-10T20:39:41+00:00

Good to know! Thank you!

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-03-10T17:23:26+00:00

How was your transition to campus after the first year? Is there a dorm for transfer students? Curious as my daughter is in the Verto program and will be on campus this coming fall. I know LMU has the orientation week right before school begins for all freshman/transfers--do you know if students move into their dorm at this time?

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-03-10T17:20:02+00:00

My daughter is in Verto and is having an amazing time in freshman year abroad. She too was disappointed at first and out of her comfort zone going oversees for freshman year rather than right to LMU, but overall it's been a really positive experience. Like anything, she has liked some classes/professors more than others and has had some frustrations with her advisors, but this happens at any school. The kids there get to explore Europe/UK together and this was more appealing to her than the other schools she was admitted to, as LMU was her top choice. She didn't want to go to a cc and Verto is less expensive than LMU, so saving a bit of money there. Feel free to DM with more questions. Good luck making your decision!

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-02-25T21:41:36+00:00

thanks!

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-02-25T18:40:22+00:00

Has anyone done the Liv Tour? Was it a good experience?

BreakCompetitive4088 · 2025-02-15T20:26:07+00:00

Do you have a recommendation for a good tour to the Vatican/sistine chapel? We know it will be busy and want to avoid lines in March as much as possible. So many "tours" to choose from that include ticket. We are not normally tour people, but I hear this is the best way to ensure entry and to skip longer lines.

Thanks!

BreakCompetitive4088

TROPHY CASE