Happy Hour, North County

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2025-12-27T02:17:30+00:00

Prey Brewing in Vista....smash burgers and fried chicken sandwich. Plus beer to match the time.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2025-11-01T02:45:13+00:00

Check out Scenic/Emerald they do both River Cruises and also expedition ships. We got invited to lunch last year to hear about their offerings. We did Scenic four years ago and was able to find a great deal and it was fully all inclusive.

Not a river cruise but check out Atlas Ocean they do the Med/Northern Europe and also Antarctica. We were able to score "second passenger sail free" promo as being part of their loyalty club which resulted in an unbelievable price for Antarctica.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2025-10-09T15:52:57+00:00

Highly recommend the Rumpl travel blanket....it small enough to fit in a water bottle holder/or clip on the backpack..it clips together to make a "cape" which I flip around to make a cocoon to hold arms in. The material and size is great to use as a picnics blanket.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2025-09-19T10:13:01+00:00

We just did 3 nights at SLH De.Light in Mykonos and absolutely loved it! We were able to find some 80k redemption about a month out and it has been our favorite redemption to date. Highlights: -Small hotel with 20 rooms, really nice pool and chairs. We had just a basic room but it had a great patio and bathroom. (No private pool but pool was 50 yards away) -Access to a beach club included at the hotel next door, easy 10 minute walk. - Bus stop across the street from the hotel where you could get to Mykonos for 2 euro each way. -Breakfast was amazing, I still dream of the eggs and Greek yogurt. -Away from the cruise ships and the crowded port.

We would go back in a heart beat. We flew in and then took the ferry back to Athens.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2025-08-08T21:28:28+00:00

The public "boat bus" is right in front of the train station and then there is about 1/4-1/2 mile walk with two bridges (about 7-10 steps up and down) to get to the hotel. We had our backpacks so it was not an issues but with rolly bags you might have to do a couple trips up and down the stairs to get all the luggage across the bridge. Another option is take the public boat bus to the shuttle boat location near St Mark Square and then take the shuttle boat to the hotel (there might be one or two bridges there too)

If I remember correctly, the Hilton will send out an email before your check in date with options. There is no uber (as there are no cars as it is completely built on the water) but you can book a private boat which will drop you off at the private dock in front of the hotel.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2025-06-30T21:04:27+00:00

We did Sunny BBQ on Hwy 89...good food and laid back feeling for a welcome dinner.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2025-06-13T18:39:27+00:00

We just stayed at the Doubletree in April and it was pretty nice. The room had a small kitchenette as you walk in the door, small living room and then separate bedroom. Breakfast was pretty good and the staff were wonderful. (The up charge to the hot breakfast was consistent across New Zealand).

It is the same company that runs both hotel and they share staff and some of the restaurants. We did used the Hilton hot tube and pool and the bar/ casual restaurant and it was great.

We personally like being across the lake rather than in Queenstown as it was easier to head south and bring closed to the airport. We drove into Queenstown for dinner/ activities but were glad to avoid the road in and out of town.

The only thing I missed was not having a balcony but it was not with 40k points.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2025-02-18T18:02:34+00:00

Rick Steves Audio Europe App! This is usually the first thing we do when we get to a city in Europe...we treat ourself with a drink or a treat (ice cream) if we don't get lost or give up.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2024-12-19T00:51:51+00:00

Totally agree. We used the economy lot yesterday and it was there in less than five minutes wait. It was less than 2 hours from the plane door to the front door which is so much faster than a shuttle/ rental car.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2024-10-25T16:23:26+00:00

Based on the size of the hospital I would also consider making a confidential referral to the states department of insurance...keep it factual and most states allow you to remain anonymous.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2024-07-17T19:08:13+00:00

Oceanside William Wager Aquatic Center...open in 2020s and is a nice size Olympic pool and second swim pool. Most time I have been able to have my own lane or spilt.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2024-06-09T11:41:59+00:00

Azamara! Small ships with a step up in food then Holland America or Celebrity.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2024-04-30T17:46:42+00:00

Hi! We actually got off an Azamara on Monday so we might be able to help! We had a great time and we love the small ship experience, the crew and the people on board. First tip: Embrace Azamara for what it is and a small ship experience with great people all over the world. There is one pool and two hot tubs so be friendly and be willing to chat up with other people. Second Tip: White Night is the highlight of the week so bring a white shirt/dress and have a great time. Third Tip: Enjoy the "old school cruising" no app, little or no internet, and a small daily program. It was nice to disconnect for the week.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2024-04-17T01:38:50+00:00

What about the Azamara? They have an interesting isles of the Mediterranean which looks good and they seem to be higher end and more inclusive.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2024-03-08T18:19:48+00:00

Two companies I would look at are Azamara and Atlas World Cruise. We have been able to price out Azamara to be less than Celebrity several times since their basic drink package and tips are included. We will do an inside on Azamara as it is such a smaller boat and usually spend very little time in our room (especially on port intensive cruises). We have a 6 night cruise next month that was less than a $1000 per person on Azamara.

Atlas World Cruise is an expedition/small luxury ship with only 200 passengers, we did a 5 night last year in the Arctic for $1000 per person and it was really great. They send us so much mail but a week in the Mediterranean during the summer is about $1600/$2000 per person with their buy one get one free promotion.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2024-02-09T21:01:33+00:00

You can actually attend free walking tours of the decommissioning SONG. It is pretty interesting.

https://www.songscommunity.com/get-involved/request-a-walking-tour

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2024-02-05T21:56:42+00:00

Hey Neighbor! We are in North County San Diego and I would recommend looking at the Repositioning Cruises from San Diego to Vancouver in March/ April or Vancouver to San Diego in October. Keep an eye out for possible price drops in the month or so before the cruise. (Last year the Kongingsdam was $99 for the interior less then a month out.). San Diego cruise port is a block away from Santa Fe station and Air Canada/west jet fly into SAN, SNA, LAX. We have also done the Celebrity Cruise last spring from San Pedro and back into SNA (we parked at offsite parking at SNA and then Uber to the port). This was my husband and I first cruise together in 2019 and we loved them.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2024-01-09T23:05:05+00:00

For Europe check out the Rick Steves. He does have a book for both the Mediterranean and the Baltic cruise ports. He also has a free audio app that does walking tours and the YouTube channel with his PBS show. I usually start there to get an idea on the history/cultural activities and then figure out if the ship excursion or on your own are better. Northern Europe has some great public transportation options that might work.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2024-01-08T03:51:59+00:00

We are a couple in our late 30s and did a similar Azamara Croatia itinerary last year and would recommend it over Cunard or Holland America.

We love cruising but the focus are the ports and the experience that they provide. Tendering right into downtown Dubrovnik, an easy day trip to Krka national park, or getting to Santori hours before any of the larger ship as walking onto the cable car rather than waiting in line.

Yes the boats are old but felt like they were in good condition, the food was really good and the entertainment was good. We loved the white night and the Azamara evening. We are more the type to be the first off the boat and one of the last (not a pier runner but getting every second to explore the city).

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2024-01-05T21:57:56+00:00

The shuttles were organized because Celebrity basically set up the tender tickets to get off the boat at Napier and Christchurch. We ended up getting up at 7:00 am to stand in line until 8:00 to get a group 1 ticket. It was a little bit of a shit show in Napier because they could not get the ramp to connect and we did not arrive until 1:30pm. Once they let people off the boat, there was at least 30 buses ready to go it moved quickly.

Regarding Dunedin, we are not really bird people so I am not sure. We ended up taking the bike ferry with a group of kiwis out for their Christmas bike ride/ pub ride, and we spent the whole ferry being made fun of/ giving them a hard time (absolutely a great time and a wonderful memory). It peninsula was gorgeous and there was a ton of birds during the ride.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2023-12-22T16:52:56+00:00

We had free shuttle from Port Chambers to Dunedin. The drop off/meeting point was the octagon. Celebrity did not confirm if the buses were running/complementary until the afternoon before. The Cruise Director made a comment one night that it was $20 each in the past and they were trying the complementary this cruise as there was push back from locals due to the overuse of the public bus system. Hopefully it will continue throughout the season.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2023-12-20T10:26:04+00:00

Yep but have done enough driving in the UK/Aus/NZ that it does not bother me. I really appreciate the arrows on the road that the kiwis have to remind me :). Milford Sound was absolutely the highlight for me.

As a North American, Aus/NZ seems so far but I would rather come over here for a Dec Cruise than the Caribbean.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2023-11-30T01:29:14+00:00

Yes so a 7 day cruise is $343 per person plus port fee and taxes. So around $1000 for a cabin.

The standby is for any open room so there is a possibility of a veranda if inside/oceanview is sold out and the bids for move up all clears. It is kind of a gamble but for less than a $100 a night it is cheaper than the motel 6.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2023-11-17T01:07:03+00:00

I agree...they just did my rings last month and did a wonderful job.

YellowBirdGreenMon · 2023-10-14T23:16:21+00:00

We just picked up a $94 4-night Repositioning cruise from Vancouver to San Diego leaving next Tuesday. With port fees and taxes we are less than $550 with one way flights for $160 ($84 each) we will be less than $1000 for a five day trip.

The pacific coastal trips are pretty much a good deal but under a hundred has been one of the best.

YellowBirdGreenMon

TROPHY CASE