Friday, December 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
WHO ARE WE?
We are Steve & Pat, the Travelin' Tanenbaums.
We are the authors of The Cheapskate's Guide to Vacations and The Cheaptskate's Guide to Cruises (Citadel-Kensington Press).
Our CTN newsletter has published continuously since 1999 and is proudly celebrating its 10th Anniversary. Steve is currently a 'Budget & FREE Travel' expert with AllExperts.com. In addition to our books we have written national magazine articles and have made numerous radio & TV appearances. We early retired from our day jobs in 1999 and embarked on a seven year travel odyssey, globe-trotting six months per year. Currently, we average about 2-3 months of exotic travel yearly. Our most recent journey, during the Summer of 2009, found us living for one month each in Barcelona and Paris, two of our favorite cities.
We are Steve & Pat, the Travelin' Tanenbaums.
We are the authors of The Cheapskate's Guide to Vacations and The Cheaptskate's Guide to Cruises (Citadel-Kensington Press).
Our CTN newsletter has published continuously since 1999 and is proudly celebrating its 10th Anniversary. Steve is currently a 'Budget & FREE Travel' expert with AllExperts.com. In addition to our books we have written national magazine articles and have made numerous radio & TV appearances. We early retired from our day jobs in 1999 and embarked on a seven year travel odyssey, globe-trotting six months per year. Currently, we average about 2-3 months of exotic travel yearly. Our most recent journey, during the Summer of 2009, found us living for one month each in Barcelona and Paris, two of our favorite cities.
Pure and simple, we enjoy a love of travel and do our best to share travel related comfort, convenience and money saving TIPS with our loyal readership. We always encourage and appreciate reader input. Our travel 'motto' these many years remains: NOTHING BEATS FREE TRAVEL!
ONLINE CTN IS A HUGE SUCCESS
MAKE IT FREE AND THEY WILL COME....
OK, so no surprise that CTN's subscriptions sky rocketed with the advent of our new FREE online CTN. Still, this is the very best way to share our savvy TIPS n' TALES with the traveling public. As we have always said.....nothing beats FREE travel!
HOW TO GET YOUR FUTURE FREE CTN EDITIONS:
It is always best to receive the newsletter on the day it is published. To do this send us your email address and we shall add you to our subscription list. Rest assured, e-mail addresses are kept strictly private. Send your free subscription request to: stevepatctn@yahoo.com
Or you may simply Google our CTN periodically for new issues.THANKS TO ALL
THE NEW BLOG 'LOOK' - The column on the right is a vertical 'album' of many of our favorite travel photos. Want to view some or all of Steve's 190+ YouTube videos? First, go to YouTube.com. Then, in it's search box type our screen name: worldromer. You will have instant access to our videos.
ONLINE CTN IS A HUGE SUCCESS
MAKE IT FREE AND THEY WILL COME....
OK, so no surprise that CTN's subscriptions sky rocketed with the advent of our new FREE online CTN. Still, this is the very best way to share our savvy TIPS n' TALES with the traveling public. As we have always said.....nothing beats FREE travel!
HOW TO GET YOUR FUTURE FREE CTN EDITIONS:
It is always best to receive the newsletter on the day it is published. To do this send us your email address and we shall add you to our subscription list. Rest assured, e-mail addresses are kept strictly private. Send your free subscription request to: stevepatctn@yahoo.com
Or you may simply Google our CTN periodically for new issues.THANKS TO ALL
THE NEW BLOG 'LOOK' - The column on the right is a vertical 'album' of many of our favorite travel photos. Want to view some or all of Steve's 190+ YouTube videos? First, go to YouTube.com. Then, in it's search box type our screen name: worldromer. You will have instant access to our videos.
THIS ISSUES HIGHLIGHTS
* HEAVEN and HELL - OUR 3 NIGHT NCL MIAMI to NASSAU CRUISE
* FROM 'HELL' TO ATLANTIS 'HEAVEN'
* ATLANTIS FREE NIGHT and FREE AIRFARE DEAL (ACT NOW - JUNE 4th DEADLINE)
* JUNK SNAIL MAIL AND EMAILS WE 'LOVE'
* ROSETTA STONE - GREAT $$$$$ PRODUCT? MISLEADING ADS?
YOU BE THE JUDGE
* STEVE'S GIZMO COLUMN - BEST EVER 11oz DUAL CAMERA
* TOM PARSON'S BESTFARES.COM HELPFUL AIRLINE FEES CHART
NOTE: BE SURE TO DOUBLE CLICK ON ANY STILL PHOTOS OF INTEREST. SOME, NOT ALL, WILL THEN BE VIEWABLE IN A MUCH LARGER SIZE.
unrecognizable dishes. Anyone for yummy Pizza? Forget it, no Pizza bar on board. Do we have anything good to say? Yes we do. We enjoyed one lunch buffet where a ‘carver’ hacked up whole roast chickens...real identifiable good, tasty roast chicken.
* We had the very same experience noted on a fellow passenger’s Cruise Critic posting: That posting read: “The line getting off the ship at their private Bahama island to get onto the tender boats is insane. Passengers were packed like cattle in the hallway, the line wrapped around upstairs and to the other floor!” We can tell CTN readers that our experience was even WORSE. Imagine near fist fights breaking out when passengers took elevators, exited the elevators at the middle of the line and then calmly CUT into the line as if the elevator somehow gave them a free cheating card. Staff made no attempt to control the chaos. It was horrible. Here in an 'actual' photo of
the angry mob 'cutting' in line en route to the tenders.
The horror of it all!
* At least half the ship's passengers consisted of loud, alcohol guzzling young adults which is find when they make up 100% of a ship. On our cabin’s deck about a dozen of them, who shared three adjoining cabins, were raising hell in the corridor at 5pm on day one. One can only imagine the hellish escalation in the evening after more hours of drinking.
Only dumb luck, the fact that our cabin was a dozen cabins down the hall from their cabins, saved us. We had great pity for any non-party passengers with cabins in their immediate vicinity.
* Dining room meals: We were also ‘saved’ by the mostly empty main dining room. We assumed the young hipsters crowd was happy with the dinner buffet pork patties. As for the main restaurant meals forget lobster or prime rib dinner. None, nada. We tried their duck l’orange which was like rubber, tasteless and about the worst version we were ever served. We survived their awful menu entrees by ordering two of their good, not great, ‘always available’ dishes, sirloin steak cooked medium rare and grilled salmon. At this point ‘acceptable’ was the best we could hope for.
* No doubt one of the beer guzzling kids stole my pre-paid Pepsi bottle while I was in the pool, another cruise 'first.'
* Lobby desk crew were great.
* If one is ill or one has a balcony many cruise ships will deliver the dining room meal to the cabin. Not so on NCL.
* Another reason the dining room was often very empty. Many passengers who quickly realized the dining room meals were sub-standard 'ran' for the specialty restaurants. We tried to do the same, as much as we hate the idea of paying for a ship meal under these circumstances, but the long line was unbearable.
NOTE: We shall be publishing our Summer CTN issue in early August just prior to our departure for Italy. That issue will feature:
HAPPY, SAFE and FUN TRAVELS TO ALL CTN READERS!!
* HEAVEN and HELL - OUR 3 NIGHT NCL MIAMI to NASSAU CRUISE
* FROM 'HELL' TO ATLANTIS 'HEAVEN'
* ATLANTIS FREE NIGHT and FREE AIRFARE DEAL (ACT NOW - JUNE 4th DEADLINE)
* JUNK SNAIL MAIL AND EMAILS WE 'LOVE'
* ROSETTA STONE - GREAT $$$$$ PRODUCT? MISLEADING ADS?
YOU BE THE JUDGE
* STEVE'S GIZMO COLUMN - BEST EVER 11oz DUAL CAMERA
* TOM PARSON'S BESTFARES.COM HELPFUL AIRLINE FEES CHART
NOTE: BE SURE TO DOUBLE CLICK ON ANY STILL PHOTOS OF INTEREST. SOME, NOT ALL, WILL THEN BE VIEWABLE IN A MUCH LARGER SIZE.
HEAVEN and HELL - OUR 3 NIGHT NCL MIAMI to NASSAU CRUISE
This is the first of a 2-part report on our January 2010 NCL mini-cruise to Nassau. While the phrase ‘hellish cruise’ is a bit dramatic it reflects our forthcoming thumbs down recommendation. Our next article covers the ‘heaven’ part of our trip, namely, our full day visit to Nassau’s famed Atlantis Hotel.
Upon our return from Florida we could not wait to share our NCL cruise experience and posted our detailed review and thumbs ‘down’ recommendation on Cruise Critic.com. Following is our Cruise Critic posting (re-edited for this CTN):
Steve & Pat’s Cruise Critic Posting:
Over the years we have cruised less then some and more than most from Egypt’s Nile River and Lake Baikal (Irkutsk, Siberia) to 32 days on Celebrity’s Millennium from Rio to San Diego. We say this since many Cruise Critic reviews are from first time cruisers and/or those whose cruise experience depends more on a party boat atmosphere then such as quality food, service and related amenities.
This was our first ever mini-3 nights cruise and was the only such cruise available during our two week visit with our closest friends who recently relocated to southern Florida. This was NCL’s Norwegian Sky four day/three nights cruise from Miami to Nassau. Here are the ‘highlights’ of our cruise:
Let us start with one of the few positive notes. The four day/three night cruise was cheapskate priced, for our ocean view cabin, at $307 each including all taxes and port fees. Sadly, aside from the price it was pretty much down hill.
* Cruise ship dinner buffets should mimic, in part, the ship’s main dining room entrees.
This is the first of a 2-part report on our January 2010 NCL mini-cruise to Nassau. While the phrase ‘hellish cruise’ is a bit dramatic it reflects our forthcoming thumbs down recommendation. Our next article covers the ‘heaven’ part of our trip, namely, our full day visit to Nassau’s famed Atlantis Hotel.
Upon our return from Florida we could not wait to share our NCL cruise experience and posted our detailed review and thumbs ‘down’ recommendation on Cruise Critic.com. Following is our Cruise Critic posting (re-edited for this CTN):
Steve & Pat’s Cruise Critic Posting:
This was our first ever mini-3 nights cruise and was the only such cruise available during our two week visit with our closest friends who recently relocated to southern Florida. This was NCL’s Norwegian Sky four day/three nights cruise from Miami to Nassau. Here are the ‘highlights’ of our cruise:
Let us start with one of the few positive notes. The four day/three night cruise was cheapskate priced, for our ocean view cabin, at $307 each including all taxes and port fees. Sadly, aside from the price it was pretty much down hill.
* Cruise ship dinner buffets should mimic, in part, the ship’s main dining room entrees.
This was never the case on the Norwegian Sky. Overall, Sky’s buffets were sub-standard in quality and variety. Their buffet ‘entree’ included such as Pork balls(pictured below), fish jerky, chicken jerky, fried chicken bits and many
unrecognizable dishes. Anyone for yummy Pizza? Forget it, no Pizza bar on board. Do we have anything good to say? Yes we do. We enjoyed one lunch buffet where a ‘carver’ hacked up whole roast chickens...real identifiable good, tasty roast chicken. * We had the very same experience noted on a fellow passenger’s Cruise Critic posting: That posting read: “The line getting off the ship at their private Bahama island to get onto the tender boats is insane. Passengers were packed like cattle in the hallway, the line wrapped around upstairs and to the other floor!” We can tell CTN readers that our experience was even WORSE. Imagine near fist fights breaking out when passengers took elevators, exited the elevators at the middle of the line and then calmly CUT into the line as if the elevator somehow gave them a free cheating card. Staff made no attempt to control the chaos. It was horrible. Here in an 'actual' photo of
The horror of it all!
* When we our tender finally delivered us to NCL’s private island in the AM I snagged the very last chaise lounge chair on the beach. So no more lounge chairs and still many more tenders arriving. More chaos and more very unhappy campers.
*Based on many past private island cruise beach parties we expected that in lieu of the ‘missed’ ship board lunch we would enjoy a deluxe seaside BBQ with all the trimmings. Two words then came to mind....Fantasy Island! But surely they would set up a grill at least as good as the one at our local El Pollo Loco, right? WRONG! In fact there was NO real, fire and smoke BBQ at all, NONE, NADA. Rather they offered a bare bones menu of pre-cooked carbon burgers, chicken tidbits swimming in a sauce and horrid hot dogs. On the plus side, they offered a fine fresh fruit table. However, fruit does not make a seaside BBQ soiree! Here is a photo of type of classy BBQ that was AWOL on our NCL cruise and which we have enjoyed on other cruise lines.
*Cabin and Room Service: This brings us the pre-paid TIPS In this case we can say we pre-paid the tips and never saw our cabin steward. When we called room service it took an hour rather than the promised 30 minutes for the ordered food to arrive. The second time we used room service NCL failed to deliver one of two items we ordered. We think 50% is still considered a failing grade. Perhaps these two photos capture the essence of what service one may sometimes receive when TIPS are pre-paid or not.
* At least half the ship's passengers consisted of loud, alcohol guzzling young adults which is find when they make up 100% of a ship. On our cabin’s deck about a dozen of them, who shared three adjoining cabins, were raising hell in the corridor at 5pm on day one. One can only imagine the hellish escalation in the evening after more hours of drinking.Only dumb luck, the fact that our cabin was a dozen cabins down the hall from their cabins, saved us. We had great pity for any non-party passengers with cabins in their immediate vicinity.
* Dining room meals: We were also ‘saved’ by the mostly empty main dining room. We assumed the young hipsters crowd was happy with the dinner buffet pork patties. As for the main restaurant meals forget lobster or prime rib dinner. None, nada. We tried their duck l’orange which was like rubber, tasteless and about the worst version we were ever served. We survived their awful menu entrees by ordering two of their good, not great, ‘always available’ dishes, sirloin steak cooked medium rare and grilled salmon. At this point ‘acceptable’ was the best we could hope for.
* No doubt one of the beer guzzling kids stole my pre-paid Pepsi bottle while I was in the pool, another cruise 'first.'
* Lobby desk crew were great.
* If one is ill or one has a balcony many cruise ships will deliver the dining room meal to the cabin. Not so on NCL.
* Another reason the dining room was often very empty. Many passengers who quickly realized the dining room meals were sub-standard 'ran' for the specialty restaurants. We tried to do the same, as much as we hate the idea of paying for a ship meal under these circumstances, but the long line was unbearable.
TIP: As noted, we had a single 4-day window for this cruise and NCL’s Norwegian Sky was the only ship available. We relied on NCL’s reputation and our past NCL experience but otherwise did little homework. We now say that a cruise line’s reputation and one’s past experience is no substitute for doing current research using such as Cruise Critic’s passenger reviews to gather all needed information before booking ANY short or standard cruise.
FROM ‘HELL’ TO ATLANTIS ‘HEAVEN’
The highlight of most 3-night Miami to Nassau cruises is the ship’s full day visit to Nassau. While planning our Florida trip we came upon a TV segment on famed Nassau’s famous Atlantis Hotel. The segment followed a teen age girl and her family as they enjoyed a behind the scenes visit to the hotels world class aquarium. That did it for us. We knew that a full day visit to Atlantis would be unforgettable. Why? Let us start with this photo of Atlantis.
The Atlantis experience is not at all limited to its outdoor water wonderland and amazing architecture. Enter Atlantis and you are further mesmerized by such as this lobby view:
And this lobby aquarium view:
Why spend the one day in Nassau at the Atlantis Hotel? Cruise ships rank Atlantis as one of their most popular Nassau shore excursions. At the outset Atlantis is a sprawling tropical resort that sports:
*A 3 mile private beach
*Elegant casino
*19 restaurants,
*11 freshwater swimming areas including 8 water slides, the Lazy River for hours of awesome tube rides and .
* Out of this wold architecture and Paradise Lagoon, a 7 acre saltwater swimming and water sports area with complimentary snorkel gear, kayaks and pedal boats.
* A world class aquarium
* Swim with a Dolphin
MORE ABOUT ATLANTIS RECREATIONAL FACILITIES: Come play at Aquaventure, the centerpiece of the Atlantis Resort's recent billion-dollar development. Containing over twenty million gallons of water, this non-stop water experience consists of thrilling new water slides, mile-long Lazy River ride with high intensity rapids, wave surges, and never-before-seen special effects. Seeing IS BELIEVING:
EMBEDDED VIDEOS: The below embedded videos offer convenient instant viewing. On the other hand we recommend that you use the YouTube LINKS we provide above each embedded video for best viewing. By using the direct to YouTube LINKS you have the options to view FULL SCREEN and at HIGHER RESOLUTIONS. We have also noticed that the embedded videos may cut off a bit of the right side of the videos.
AQUAVENTURE THE YOUTUBE VIDEO:
YOUTUBE LINK FOR BEST VIEWING:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDmMSdrJWNo
TIP: Our favorite FUN water-based activity was hands down above described Lazy River ride. We jumped into large tubes and off we went. Lazy at time and then, boom, hundreds of gallons of water is released causing huge waves and lots of tube action. Special effects included mock volcanic flames on both sides of a tunnel. Then, you can pull off to the side and both you and your tube are chugging uphill, like an old fashioned rollar coaster. At the top are two channels, one for the greatest vertical plunge and the other a more modest plunge and then your tube is blasting through a pitch dark tunnel as you spiral downward and finally are ‘dumped’ back into the Lazy River. WHEW. Was that AWESOME. So much so that we spent HOURS doing it all over and over again. Simply stated, the best, most FUN water based ride either of us had ever experienced. This fabulous guest made YouTube video shows it all just as we experienced it for three solid hours less a few restful beach breaks.
LAZY RIVER VIDEO YOUTUBE
YOUTUBE LINK FOR BEST VIEWING:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id6UgOAA_JQ
Atlantis Water Slides
Leap of Faith - 60ft nearly vertical drop from Mayan Temple
Challenger Slide - Twin high speed slides
The Abyss - staggering 50-foot near vertical drop through complete darkness within the Power Tower, this thrilling 200-foot-long body slide ends as guests splash through waterfalls and into The Cenote' - an underground lair of prehistoric alligator gars and fish.
The Surge: Starting at the top level of the 121’ Power Tower, this inner tube ride features a camel back drop into a cavern, then quickly down twisting and turning white-water rapids caused by a flash flood, returning you to The Current.
Serpent Slide: On the five-story corkscrew Serpent Slide, guests travel on a tube at high speeds through the darkness of the Mayan Temple's core. The twisting and turning ride culminates with a leisurely pass through a clear acrylic tunnel submerged in a shark-filled lagoon.
The Falls: Accessible from the river by means of a conveyor belt that lifts you into the Power Tower while still seated in your inner tube, then riders drop 58 feet to ground level before being propelled up through a water roller coaster of twisting tubes.
Jungle Slide: Kids can take a thrilling safari slide through exotic jungles and caves built into the heart of the Mayan Temple.
Splashers Kids Pool and Water Playground: An elaborate Mayan-themed water play structure features three tube slides and a side-by-side slide, cargo nets and rope bridges for climbing, water cannons, fountains and water wheels for endless soaking.
SEE ALL THE ATLANTIS SLIDES AT:
http://www.atlantis.com/thingstodo/waterpark/waterslides.aspx
SEE ALL THE ATLANTIS POOLS AT:
http://www.atlantis.com/thingstodo/waterpark/pools.aspx
SEE THE ATLANTIS RIVER RIDES AT:
http://www.atlantis.com/thingstodo/waterpark/riverrides.aspx
Our favorite : Here is the delightful River Pool Located on the banks of the Lazy River. Great for a relaxing dip and the entry point we used to head out onto the one mile Lazy River adventure.
MARINE HABITAT: Atlantis says it best: Unlike any other place on earth, Atlantis is home to the world’s largest open-air & underground marine habitat, and aquarium second only to Mother Nature. Take this shark tunnel for example:
The resort’s 34 acres water scape comprises 11 million gallons of fresh and salt water. Eleven exhibit lagoons contain more than 50,000 fascinating sea creatures representing over 50 species. It offers:
* Ruins Lagoon home to over 20,000 deep reef and pelagic fish.
* Predator Lagoon where guests come fact to face with sharks as they walk through the 100-foot clear underwater tunnel submerged in the lagoon.
* The Dig: A great place to view piranha, jellyfish, green eels and lionfish. Walk through winding tunnels with aquarium displays along all the walls and exhibits using simulated Atlantis ruins.
*Mayan Temple Lagoon with its built-in water slide.
Royal Stingray Lagoon
* Estuary Lagoon: Home to new born sea animals
* Reef Lagoon with its many nurse sharks
SEE STEVE'S NEWEST YOUTUBE VIDEO....ATLANTIS WORLD CLASS MARINE HABITAT:
USE THIS YOUTUBE LINK FOR BEST VIEWING:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_S1CbpZIOY
CRUISE SHIP EXCURSIONS AND $$$$ PRICES (see below for discount TIPS):
The Atlantis splurge - Swim with a Dolphin
This pricy ($185) adventure has visitors touching, hugging, and even kissing a dolphin. Rated as 3 hours BUT only 30 minutes in the water with the dolphins.
The Discover Atlantis & Beach Break (six hours at the beach) does NOT include use of the resort’s water park. The adult/child fee ($85/$65) includes a 25-minute historical harbor cruise to Paradise Island, a beach lounge chair and towel and meal coupon for lunch at the Dive In snack bar.
The ‘full boat’ Atlantis Aquaventure: Full use of the hotel’s pools and water park (six hours) priced at adult/child ($149/$129) or a whopping $298 per couple and $556 for a family of two adults with two kids. (Note: see below TIP for reducing the cost).
$$$ TIP: Many Cruise Critic postings note the $$$ savings by booking a room at the Paradise Island Comfort Suites, at virtually the same location as Atlantis, which includes full day use of ALL Atlantis facilities (ship price $600 for four adults). Here is Comfort Suites describes their Atlantis related amenities:
The Comfort Suites® Paradise Island is located adjacent to the Atlantis Paradise Island and guests of the hotel can enjoy full use of all their facilities, including swimming pools, private beach, magnificent waterscapes, Lazy River Ride, water slides, health spa, tennis, and Kids Camp. Guests also have full signing privileges at Atlantis' restaurants and lounges.
Example: If four adults book their 1 King Bed Suite (with sofa bed) the base cost is $330 BUT with all taxes the final price is $428. The amounts to $107 per adult instead of paying the ship’s excursion price of $149 a savings of 28%. That is the top hotel direct price. If you can find a lower room price then the savings goes up.
Comfort Suites Paradise Island web site:
http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel-paradise_island-bahamas-BS003?promo=gcsbs003
* Phone: (242) 363-3680 Fax: (242) 363-2588
SAVE $$$$ BY DOING ATLANTIS ON YOUR OWN
We simply walked from the Norwegian Sky to the port terminal building and paid $5.00 per person for the taxi/van ride directly to Atlantis. Then, the general public may buy buy various tickets in the Atlantis lobby.
TIP: For the return trip to our cruise ship we walked a few blocks from Atlantis to the ferry building. There we purchased cheap $3 per person tickets followed by pina coladas as the very happy crowd of passengers lined up for the small ferry boat. One of the most FUN ferry rides ever as a local 'volunteer' gave a rousing, funny narration along the way. The perfect ending to a perfect day. See: http://www.bahamasgo.com/watertaxi.htm
ATLANTIS PACKAGES: May be purchased from any of the cashier stations located in the Lower Lobby Royal Towers, the Lower Lobby Coral Towers and the Temple of the Moon in the Casino. NOTE: Of course these prices may change so it is best to check with Atlantis for their current offerings.
Discover Atlantis Aquaventure Package:
. Adult Price: $105.00 (ship price with cruise to hotel is $149). This is FULL access to
the Dig, other marine habitats, beaches and water park including: slides, pools, river rapids & private lagoons
NOTE: Availability may be limited based on guest occupancy and is sold on first come, first serve basis. Probably best to call the hotel before your cruise departs.
Discover Atlantis Beach Day Package:
. Adult Price: $55.00 ($85 ship price without the aquarium) includes The Discover Atlantis Aquarium Tour, access to west beach and all marine habitats.
. Not Included: access to pools, slides and private lagoons, meals
. Availability: limited based on guest occupancy; sold on first come, first serve
Discover Atlantis Aquarium Tour:
. Adult Price: $32.00 Includes: access to predator lagoon, the dig, ruins lagoon
. Not included: access to beaches, pools, slides and private lagoons, meals
Lockers: In addition to these packages guests can also rent lockers at the Day Visitor Center, located at the rear of the Mayan Temple.
We rented a medium locker ($7.00). Small lockers are $5.00 and large lockers $10.00.
THE $$$$$ SAVING DEAL - Free night Free flight
TIME LIMITED - MUST BOOK BY JUNE 4th
CTN readers will be in time to book this deal by the June 4th deadline. Fortunately, once booked you have till September 30th for the FREE NIGHT and till December 22nd for the FREE AIR FARE.
Free 4th night: This extraordinary promotion has limited availability, so search additional room-types if you do not see the 4th night free in your first choice. You must complete your travel by September 30, 2010...so start your vacation planning and BOOK ONLINE TODAY!
Free Companion Airfare through December 22nd: When you book online by June 4th, select your air travel and proceed through the booking process. At the Guest Information step you will see the price of your companion airfare (airfare credit) deducted from the price of your package. Fees and taxes related to your companion airfare still apply.
The free companion airfare offer is only valid for new bookings and good for travel through December 22, 2010. Some black out dates do apply and free companion airfare is not available March 19, 2010 through April 10, 2010.
Example:
ROOM: 9/15 TO 9/22 one week beach tower room with balcony, table and charirs includes one FREE night with all taxes, fees, surcharges and gratuities: $2.156.
AIRFARE from San Francisco for two: $936. Less one free basic air fare (not taxes, charges etc.) LESS $354)
Van to hotel transfer for two: $52
TOTAL ONE WEEK ATLANTIS VACATION: $2789 FOR TWO
MEALS TIP: We found many lost cost eateries both inside the hotel and also in its colorful outdoor shopping arcade pictured with happy camper Patty below:
Here is the LINK to this Atlantis promotion:
http://www.atlantis.com/promotions/summerspecial.aspx
JUNK SNAIL MAIL & EMAILS WE ‘LOVE'
Steve’s Cheapskate’s Guide to Vacations included a favorite chapter titled ‘Junk Mail We Love.’ To this day, hardly a week goes by that we do not receive a piece of snail mail that may seem totally ‘junk’ but is actually a genuine free bonus miles give-a-way.
The chapter imparted to readers one of our best ‘free travel’ strategies which is always worth repeating. We should all sign-up for as many free airline travel programs as possible, either by phone or online by visiting the airlines web sites. Some of our favorites are American AAdvantage, United Rewards, British Airways Executive Club and Hawaiian Miles.
A bit of junk mail trivia: We have read that the largest category of junk mail, billions of letters sent each year, relates to credit card solicitations. We like many of you would see these envelopes arrive in our mail and immediately assign them to our circular bin. That all changed when Patty received a United credit card solicitation. This time the envelope promised, in bold face font, 20,000 FREE BONUS MILES INSIDE. We were enticed to open the envelope and surprised to find an awesome free travel give-a-way. United offered Patty 20,000 free United miles if she signed up for a United Airlines credit card with fee waived for the fist year. Patty did so and weeks later received her 20,000 100% free miles. This is half the story. Amazingly, two weeks later envelope number two arrived from United. It looked the same BUT the envelope mentioned
20,000 SMALL BUSINESS FREE BONUS MILES INSIDE. Again we opened the envelope and in a flash Patty signed up for a CTN newsletter small business United credit card with fee waived the first year. Weeks later Patty had received another 20,000 bonus miles for a total of 40,000 free United miles. These instant free miles were more than enough to book a free round trip ticket to any U.S. destination including Hawaii, Canada or Mexico. 100% free give-a-ways do not get better than this.
The bonus miles moral: Be aware that some ‘junk’ mail is anything but. Also, note the sender. Once we sign on for the various free airline accounts you may expect to receive both their ‘junk’ mail as well as their free miles offers. This is a large part of what we call the snowball effect of amassing thousands of free miles without ever paying for airline tickets. The more free airline accounts the more mail offers the more free miles.
ENTER JUNK ‘EMAILS’ WE LOVE:
These days, where computers rule, emails have become the other half of the ‘Junk mail we love’ equation. Just days ago we received ‘junk’ email from British Airways and .... you guessed it....it was anything but junk. The email, addressed to Steve, offered 5,000 free Bonus miles if Steve added another person to his BA credit card. It took one easy phone call to add Patty to Steve’s card (no fee for doing this) and that call earned 5,000 more BA miles. Again, the snowball effect in action!
SELECTIVE MAILINGS: For reasons known only to airline marketing king pins many of these bonus miles mailings are targeted selectively. When Patty received her two 20,000 United Bonus miles letters Steve received NONE. When Steve received the recent BA 5,000 bonus miles email Patty received NONE. Usually the letter or email includes a participation code which only the recipient may use. We are having so much fun collecting all these free miles that neither of us feel ‘slighted’ when one or the other is excluded from a particular give-a-way.
STEVE'S GIZMO COLUMN
BEST 11oz DUAL CAMERA/CAMCORDER
My CTN Winter 2010 GIZMO column introduced the Sanyo HD2000A DUAL camera as the top contender in my search for a new, ultra light weight, HD camcorder.
BREAKING NEWS: STEVE MAKES HIS DECISION AND BUYS THE HD2000A.
With that said let me tell you, as Paul Harvey used to announce so well.... 'the rest of the story.' First a very brief recap of my bullet points description of the Sanyo HD2000A. Here is the Sanyo Xacti Dual Camera VPC-HD2000 and a list of features that enticed me to purchase one:
* Amazing low price. My delivered purchase price was $485
* Ultra-light. The camcorder with battery weighs a mere 11 ounces
* Dual camera. You can shoot video and/or 8-megapixel stills s
* External mike input, very rare on ultra light camcorders
* Dual filming permits taking stills and videos AT THE SAME TIME
* Default iFrame mode for easy iMac editing (see caveat below)
* Also films Blu Ray quality video at 1080p (30fps or even 60fps)
* HDMI cable output for direct viewing on your new large flat screen LCD TV
*10x or 16x optical zoom (stills/video). Very rare on pocket cameras
Simply stated this camera is AWESOME, a word I use too often but one that is apropos. If your computer can handle High Definition (HD) video playback this demo will be worth thousands of words of praise. My first test video, at our local Heather Farm Park, found me filming beautiful Canadian Geese and their oh so cute baby goslings. I filmed at super HD Blu-Ray quality, 1080p at 30fps. The video also has me using my wireless mike and filming flowers in macro setting. A good overall vision of what this high tech 'baby' can do.
Happily YouTube now plays HD videos. Before viewing be sure to 'set' the playback to HD. Go to the icon on the right, under the video where you see a number likely 360 in a box. Scroll upwards and select 1080p for playback and let the High Definition fun begin.
STEVE'S 1080p HEATHER PARK CANADIAN GEESE VIDEO:
YouTube LINK FOR BEST VIEWING:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWhx1iJfYNE
For the tech minded here is a great PDF spec sheet for the Sanyo HD2000A:
http://gulf.sanyo.com/news-events/press/img/090121-01.pdf
Since HD can be confusing, even to me at times, let me explain one of the basics. As I understand it most DVDs are HD 720p. You may recall many large screen HD TVs were described as 720p. Blu-Ray ups the ante to 1080p so that 1080p flat screens will play Blu-Ray and all HD DVDs. Many DVD players, if connected to TV with an HDMI cable, will upscale DVDs to mimic 1080p higher quality. Blu-Ray is true 1080p and the HD2000A when hooked to a flat screen directly with an HDMI cable plays at 1080p awesome quality.
Why DUAL CAMERA and not CAMCORDER? In this day of hybrids video and still cameras are no exception. Old rules and camera descriptions are gone. The HD2000A is a prime example. Just a few years ago the best still digital cameras were shooting at 3-5 mega pixels. Now some shoot at 10-12 or more mega pixels. The HD2000A shoots stills at a remarkable 8 mega pixels which is perfect for up to 16x20 or even larger prints. So the Sanyo is truly a HYBRID, both quality high 8 mega pixel still camera and amazing ultra Blu-Ray quality camcorder.
Shooting stills and video simultaneously: This was a bonus feature a never expected and LOVE. Imagine all the filming I have done around the world. From street artists to Grizzly bears in Alaska I could never shoot both video and high quality stills at the same time. I could only extract very low resolution stills from video. NOW, that has all changed. As I filmed the Geese I just pressed a button and the Sanyo took fabulous stills as it continued filming the video. AMAZING. Again, as they say a picture is worth......so here is an actual still photo of the Canadian geese and goslings taken by the HD2000A as I was filming video. BE SURE TO DOUBLE CLICK ON THIS PHOTO:
A couple of further tech notes:
* I purchased Roxie's Toast 10 Pro software which permits me to burn my video, in Blu-Ray 1080p to a 15 cent blank DVD disc. I am limited to about 24 minutes of video since my blank is 4.6 GB versus a $2.50 Blu-Ray blank that holds 40GB. Also, I do not have a Blu-Ray burner which is needed to burn to Blu-Ray discs. The Geese video burned to a DVD and played our new 52" flat screen was astounding.
* The HD2000A takes filters which means it takes add-on lenses. I found an old light weight wide angle lens in my drawer, ordered a $2 ring adapter so it will fit the Sanyo and voila I can also use my wide angle lens.
* An extra Sanyo brand battery on Ebay cost about $12.
* A 4GB SD memory card will hold 44 minutes of 1080p video.
Purchase info: The 'A' in HD2000A is very important. The 'A' stands for American version. HD2000s without the 'A' sell on Ebay for about $100 less BUT are GREY market meaning they are legal but were not imported by authorized USA Sanyo distributors which in turn means they DO NO carry a USA Warranty. Suffice to say I ONLY purchase new camera gear that carries the manufacturer's USA Warranty. I also use Buyers Advantage which extends all my USA Warranties to FIVE YEARS.
I purchased my HD2000A online from reputable Willoughby's for $485 total delivered price with full USA Warranty.
NOTE: I see that Willoughby's just raised their price to $549, a $54 increase. I found the HD2000A at another well known store, B&H Photo selling for $494 including free shipping. Though their web page headline says HD2000 their small print manufacturer ID says HD2000ABK (meaning 'A' model in Black). I would confirm this with them. Here is their current web page:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/653608-REG/Sanyo_VPC_HD2000ABK_VPC_HD2000_Xacti_Dual_Camera.html#features
A CTN reader TIP brought me to Tom's web site chart. The chart is a guide to current frequent flyer ever growing fees. The chart includes fees for such as:
*Award ticketing
*Phone booking
*Rush award service
*Cancel and re-banking miles
* Changes
Here is the LINK:
http://www.bestfares.com/news-newsID1190-Say_It_Aint_So_Joe,_Frequent_Flyer_Tickets_Aint_So.html
The highlight of most 3-night Miami to Nassau cruises is the ship’s full day visit to Nassau. While planning our Florida trip we came upon a TV segment on famed Nassau’s famous Atlantis Hotel. The segment followed a teen age girl and her family as they enjoyed a behind the scenes visit to the hotels world class aquarium. That did it for us. We knew that a full day visit to Atlantis would be unforgettable. Why? Let us start with this photo of Atlantis.
And this lobby view:
And this lobby aquarium view:
Why spend the one day in Nassau at the Atlantis Hotel? Cruise ships rank Atlantis as one of their most popular Nassau shore excursions. At the outset Atlantis is a sprawling tropical resort that sports:
*A 3 mile private beach
*Elegant casino
*19 restaurants,
*11 freshwater swimming areas including 8 water slides, the Lazy River for hours of awesome tube rides and .
* Out of this wold architecture and Paradise Lagoon, a 7 acre saltwater swimming and water sports area with complimentary snorkel gear, kayaks and pedal boats.
* A world class aquarium
* Swim with a Dolphin
MORE ABOUT ATLANTIS RECREATIONAL FACILITIES: Come play at Aquaventure, the centerpiece of the Atlantis Resort's recent billion-dollar development. Containing over twenty million gallons of water, this non-stop water experience consists of thrilling new water slides, mile-long Lazy River ride with high intensity rapids, wave surges, and never-before-seen special effects. Seeing IS BELIEVING:
EMBEDDED VIDEOS: The below embedded videos offer convenient instant viewing. On the other hand we recommend that you use the YouTube LINKS we provide above each embedded video for best viewing. By using the direct to YouTube LINKS you have the options to view FULL SCREEN and at HIGHER RESOLUTIONS. We have also noticed that the embedded videos may cut off a bit of the right side of the videos.
AQUAVENTURE THE YOUTUBE VIDEO:
YOUTUBE LINK FOR BEST VIEWING:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDmMSdrJWNo
TIP: Our favorite FUN water-based activity was hands down above described Lazy River ride. We jumped into large tubes and off we went. Lazy at time and then, boom, hundreds of gallons of water is released causing huge waves and lots of tube action. Special effects included mock volcanic flames on both sides of a tunnel. Then, you can pull off to the side and both you and your tube are chugging uphill, like an old fashioned rollar coaster. At the top are two channels, one for the greatest vertical plunge and the other a more modest plunge and then your tube is blasting through a pitch dark tunnel as you spiral downward and finally are ‘dumped’ back into the Lazy River. WHEW. Was that AWESOME. So much so that we spent HOURS doing it all over and over again. Simply stated, the best, most FUN water based ride either of us had ever experienced. This fabulous guest made YouTube video shows it all just as we experienced it for three solid hours less a few restful beach breaks.
LAZY RIVER VIDEO YOUTUBE
YOUTUBE LINK FOR BEST VIEWING:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id6UgOAA_JQ
Atlantis Water Slides
Leap of Faith - 60ft nearly vertical drop from Mayan Temple
Challenger Slide - Twin high speed slides
The Surge: Starting at the top level of the 121’ Power Tower, this inner tube ride features a camel back drop into a cavern, then quickly down twisting and turning white-water rapids caused by a flash flood, returning you to The Current.
Serpent Slide: On the five-story corkscrew Serpent Slide, guests travel on a tube at high speeds through the darkness of the Mayan Temple's core. The twisting and turning ride culminates with a leisurely pass through a clear acrylic tunnel submerged in a shark-filled lagoon.
The Falls: Accessible from the river by means of a conveyor belt that lifts you into the Power Tower while still seated in your inner tube, then riders drop 58 feet to ground level before being propelled up through a water roller coaster of twisting tubes.
Jungle Slide: Kids can take a thrilling safari slide through exotic jungles and caves built into the heart of the Mayan Temple.
Splashers Kids Pool and Water Playground: An elaborate Mayan-themed water play structure features three tube slides and a side-by-side slide, cargo nets and rope bridges for climbing, water cannons, fountains and water wheels for endless soaking.
SEE ALL THE ATLANTIS SLIDES AT:
http://www.atlantis.com/thingstodo/waterpark/waterslides.aspx
SEE ALL THE ATLANTIS POOLS AT:
http://www.atlantis.com/thingstodo/waterpark/pools.aspx
SEE THE ATLANTIS RIVER RIDES AT:
http://www.atlantis.com/thingstodo/waterpark/riverrides.aspx
Our favorite : Here is the delightful River Pool Located on the banks of the Lazy River. Great for a relaxing dip and the entry point we used to head out onto the one mile Lazy River adventure.
MARINE HABITAT: Atlantis says it best: Unlike any other place on earth, Atlantis is home to the world’s largest open-air & underground marine habitat, and aquarium second only to Mother Nature. Take this shark tunnel for example:
The resort’s 34 acres water scape comprises 11 million gallons of fresh and salt water. Eleven exhibit lagoons contain more than 50,000 fascinating sea creatures representing over 50 species. It offers:
* Ruins Lagoon home to over 20,000 deep reef and pelagic fish.
* Predator Lagoon where guests come fact to face with sharks as they walk through the 100-foot clear underwater tunnel submerged in the lagoon.
* The Dig: A great place to view piranha, jellyfish, green eels and lionfish. Walk through winding tunnels with aquarium displays along all the walls and exhibits using simulated Atlantis ruins.
*Mayan Temple Lagoon with its built-in water slide.
Royal Stingray Lagoon
* Estuary Lagoon: Home to new born sea animals
* Reef Lagoon with its many nurse sharks
SEE STEVE'S NEWEST YOUTUBE VIDEO....ATLANTIS WORLD CLASS MARINE HABITAT:
USE THIS YOUTUBE LINK FOR BEST VIEWING:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_S1CbpZIOY
CRUISE SHIP EXCURSIONS AND $$$$ PRICES (see below for discount TIPS):
This pricy ($185) adventure has visitors touching, hugging, and even kissing a dolphin. Rated as 3 hours BUT only 30 minutes in the water with the dolphins.
The Discover Atlantis & Beach Break (six hours at the beach) does NOT include use of the resort’s water park. The adult/child fee ($85/$65) includes a 25-minute historical harbor cruise to Paradise Island, a beach lounge chair and towel and meal coupon for lunch at the Dive In snack bar.
The ‘full boat’ Atlantis Aquaventure: Full use of the hotel’s pools and water park (six hours) priced at adult/child ($149/$129) or a whopping $298 per couple and $556 for a family of two adults with two kids. (Note: see below TIP for reducing the cost).
$$$ TIP: Many Cruise Critic postings note the $$$ savings by booking a room at the Paradise Island Comfort Suites, at virtually the same location as Atlantis, which includes full day use of ALL Atlantis facilities (ship price $600 for four adults). Here is Comfort Suites describes their Atlantis related amenities:
The Comfort Suites® Paradise Island is located adjacent to the Atlantis Paradise Island and guests of the hotel can enjoy full use of all their facilities, including swimming pools, private beach, magnificent waterscapes, Lazy River Ride, water slides, health spa, tennis, and Kids Camp. Guests also have full signing privileges at Atlantis' restaurants and lounges.
Example: If four adults book their 1 King Bed Suite (with sofa bed) the base cost is $330 BUT with all taxes the final price is $428. The amounts to $107 per adult instead of paying the ship’s excursion price of $149 a savings of 28%. That is the top hotel direct price. If you can find a lower room price then the savings goes up.
Comfort Suites Paradise Island web site:
http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel-paradise_island-bahamas-BS003?promo=gcsbs003
* Phone: (242) 363-3680 Fax: (242) 363-2588
SAVE $$$$ BY DOING ATLANTIS ON YOUR OWN
We simply walked from the Norwegian Sky to the port terminal building and paid $5.00 per person for the taxi/van ride directly to Atlantis. Then, the general public may buy buy various tickets in the Atlantis lobby. TIP: For the return trip to our cruise ship we walked a few blocks from Atlantis to the ferry building. There we purchased cheap $3 per person tickets followed by pina coladas as the very happy crowd of passengers lined up for the small ferry boat. One of the most FUN ferry rides ever as a local 'volunteer' gave a rousing, funny narration along the way. The perfect ending to a perfect day. See: http://www.bahamasgo.com/watertaxi.htm
ATLANTIS PACKAGES: May be purchased from any of the cashier stations located in the Lower Lobby Royal Towers, the Lower Lobby Coral Towers and the Temple of the Moon in the Casino. NOTE: Of course these prices may change so it is best to check with Atlantis for their current offerings.
Discover Atlantis Aquaventure Package:
. Adult Price: $105.00 (ship price with cruise to hotel is $149). This is FULL access to
the Dig, other marine habitats, beaches and water park including: slides, pools, river rapids & private lagoons
NOTE: Availability may be limited based on guest occupancy and is sold on first come, first serve basis. Probably best to call the hotel before your cruise departs.
Discover Atlantis Beach Day Package:
. Adult Price: $55.00 ($85 ship price without the aquarium) includes The Discover Atlantis Aquarium Tour, access to west beach and all marine habitats.
. Not Included: access to pools, slides and private lagoons, meals
. Availability: limited based on guest occupancy; sold on first come, first serve
Discover Atlantis Aquarium Tour:
. Adult Price: $32.00 Includes: access to predator lagoon, the dig, ruins lagoon
. Not included: access to beaches, pools, slides and private lagoons, meals
Lockers: In addition to these packages guests can also rent lockers at the Day Visitor Center, located at the rear of the Mayan Temple.
We rented a medium locker ($7.00). Small lockers are $5.00 and large lockers $10.00.
THE $$$$$ SAVING DEAL - Free night Free flight
TIME LIMITED - MUST BOOK BY JUNE 4th
CTN readers will be in time to book this deal by the June 4th deadline. Fortunately, once booked you have till September 30th for the FREE NIGHT and till December 22nd for the FREE AIR FARE.
Free Companion Airfare through December 22nd: When you book online by June 4th, select your air travel and proceed through the booking process. At the Guest Information step you will see the price of your companion airfare (airfare credit) deducted from the price of your package. Fees and taxes related to your companion airfare still apply.
The free companion airfare offer is only valid for new bookings and good for travel through December 22, 2010. Some black out dates do apply and free companion airfare is not available March 19, 2010 through April 10, 2010.
Example:
ROOM: 9/15 TO 9/22 one week beach tower room with balcony, table and charirs includes one FREE night with all taxes, fees, surcharges and gratuities: $2.156.
AIRFARE from San Francisco for two: $936. Less one free basic air fare (not taxes, charges etc.) LESS $354)
Van to hotel transfer for two: $52
TOTAL ONE WEEK ATLANTIS VACATION: $2789 FOR TWO
MEALS TIP: We found many lost cost eateries both inside the hotel and also in its colorful outdoor shopping arcade pictured with happy camper Patty below:
Here is the LINK to this Atlantis promotion:
http://www.atlantis.com/promotions/summerspecial.aspx
JUNK SNAIL MAIL & EMAILS WE ‘LOVE'
Steve’s Cheapskate’s Guide to Vacations included a favorite chapter titled ‘Junk Mail We Love.’ To this day, hardly a week goes by that we do not receive a piece of snail mail that may seem totally ‘junk’ but is actually a genuine free bonus miles give-a-way.
The chapter imparted to readers one of our best ‘free travel’ strategies which is always worth repeating. We should all sign-up for as many free airline travel programs as possible, either by phone or online by visiting the airlines web sites. Some of our favorites are American AAdvantage, United Rewards, British Airways Executive Club and Hawaiian Miles.
A bit of junk mail trivia: We have read that the largest category of junk mail, billions of letters sent each year, relates to credit card solicitations. We like many of you would see these envelopes arrive in our mail and immediately assign them to our circular bin. That all changed when Patty received a United credit card solicitation. This time the envelope promised, in bold face font, 20,000 FREE BONUS MILES INSIDE. We were enticed to open the envelope and surprised to find an awesome free travel give-a-way. United offered Patty 20,000 free United miles if she signed up for a United Airlines credit card with fee waived for the fist year. Patty did so and weeks later received her 20,000 100% free miles. This is half the story. Amazingly, two weeks later envelope number two arrived from United. It looked the same BUT the envelope mentioned20,000 SMALL BUSINESS FREE BONUS MILES INSIDE. Again we opened the envelope and in a flash Patty signed up for a CTN newsletter small business United credit card with fee waived the first year. Weeks later Patty had received another 20,000 bonus miles for a total of 40,000 free United miles. These instant free miles were more than enough to book a free round trip ticket to any U.S. destination including Hawaii, Canada or Mexico. 100% free give-a-ways do not get better than this.
The bonus miles moral: Be aware that some ‘junk’ mail is anything but. Also, note the sender. Once we sign on for the various free airline accounts you may expect to receive both their ‘junk’ mail as well as their free miles offers. This is a large part of what we call the snowball effect of amassing thousands of free miles without ever paying for airline tickets. The more free airline accounts the more mail offers the more free miles.
ENTER JUNK ‘EMAILS’ WE LOVE:
These days, where computers rule, emails have become the other half of the ‘Junk mail we love’ equation. Just days ago we received ‘junk’ email from British Airways and .... you guessed it....it was anything but junk. The email, addressed to Steve, offered 5,000 free Bonus miles if Steve added another person to his BA credit card. It took one easy phone call to add Patty to Steve’s card (no fee for doing this) and that call earned 5,000 more BA miles. Again, the snowball effect in action!SELECTIVE MAILINGS: For reasons known only to airline marketing king pins many of these bonus miles mailings are targeted selectively. When Patty received her two 20,000 United Bonus miles letters Steve received NONE. When Steve received the recent BA 5,000 bonus miles email Patty received NONE. Usually the letter or email includes a participation code which only the recipient may use. We are having so much fun collecting all these free miles that neither of us feel ‘slighted’ when one or the other is excluded from a particular give-a-way.
STEVE'S GIZMO COLUMN
BEST 11oz DUAL CAMERA/CAMCORDER
My CTN Winter 2010 GIZMO column introduced the Sanyo HD2000A DUAL camera as the top contender in my search for a new, ultra light weight, HD camcorder.
BREAKING NEWS: STEVE MAKES HIS DECISION AND BUYS THE HD2000A.
* Amazing low price. My delivered purchase price was $485
* Ultra-light. The camcorder with battery weighs a mere 11 ounces
* Dual camera. You can shoot video and/or 8-megapixel stills s
* External mike input, very rare on ultra light camcorders
* Dual filming permits taking stills and videos AT THE SAME TIME
* Default iFrame mode for easy iMac editing (see caveat below)
* Also films Blu Ray quality video at 1080p (30fps or even 60fps)
* HDMI cable output for direct viewing on your new large flat screen LCD TV
*10x or 16x optical zoom (stills/video). Very rare on pocket cameras
Simply stated this camera is AWESOME, a word I use too often but one that is apropos. If your computer can handle High Definition (HD) video playback this demo will be worth thousands of words of praise. My first test video, at our local Heather Farm Park, found me filming beautiful Canadian Geese and their oh so cute baby goslings. I filmed at super HD Blu-Ray quality, 1080p at 30fps. The video also has me using my wireless mike and filming flowers in macro setting. A good overall vision of what this high tech 'baby' can do.
Happily YouTube now plays HD videos. Before viewing be sure to 'set' the playback to HD. Go to the icon on the right, under the video where you see a number likely 360 in a box. Scroll upwards and select 1080p for playback and let the High Definition fun begin.
STEVE'S 1080p HEATHER PARK CANADIAN GEESE VIDEO:
YouTube LINK FOR BEST VIEWING:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWhx1iJfYNE
For the tech minded here is a great PDF spec sheet for the Sanyo HD2000A:
http://gulf.sanyo.com/news-events/press/img/090121-01.pdf
Since HD can be confusing, even to me at times, let me explain one of the basics. As I understand it most DVDs are HD 720p. You may recall many large screen HD TVs were described as 720p. Blu-Ray ups the ante to 1080p so that 1080p flat screens will play Blu-Ray and all HD DVDs. Many DVD players, if connected to TV with an HDMI cable, will upscale DVDs to mimic 1080p higher quality. Blu-Ray is true 1080p and the HD2000A when hooked to a flat screen directly with an HDMI cable plays at 1080p awesome quality.
Why DUAL CAMERA and not CAMCORDER? In this day of hybrids video and still cameras are no exception. Old rules and camera descriptions are gone. The HD2000A is a prime example. Just a few years ago the best still digital cameras were shooting at 3-5 mega pixels. Now some shoot at 10-12 or more mega pixels. The HD2000A shoots stills at a remarkable 8 mega pixels which is perfect for up to 16x20 or even larger prints. So the Sanyo is truly a HYBRID, both quality high 8 mega pixel still camera and amazing ultra Blu-Ray quality camcorder.
Shooting stills and video simultaneously: This was a bonus feature a never expected and LOVE. Imagine all the filming I have done around the world. From street artists to Grizzly bears in Alaska I could never shoot both video and high quality stills at the same time. I could only extract very low resolution stills from video. NOW, that has all changed. As I filmed the Geese I just pressed a button and the Sanyo took fabulous stills as it continued filming the video. AMAZING. Again, as they say a picture is worth......so here is an actual still photo of the Canadian geese and goslings taken by the HD2000A as I was filming video. BE SURE TO DOUBLE CLICK ON THIS PHOTO:
A couple of further tech notes:
* I purchased Roxie's Toast 10 Pro software which permits me to burn my video, in Blu-Ray 1080p to a 15 cent blank DVD disc. I am limited to about 24 minutes of video since my blank is 4.6 GB versus a $2.50 Blu-Ray blank that holds 40GB. Also, I do not have a Blu-Ray burner which is needed to burn to Blu-Ray discs. The Geese video burned to a DVD and played our new 52" flat screen was astounding.
* The HD2000A takes filters which means it takes add-on lenses. I found an old light weight wide angle lens in my drawer, ordered a $2 ring adapter so it will fit the Sanyo and voila I can also use my wide angle lens.
* An extra Sanyo brand battery on Ebay cost about $12.
* A 4GB SD memory card will hold 44 minutes of 1080p video.
Purchase info: The 'A' in HD2000A is very important. The 'A' stands for American version. HD2000s without the 'A' sell on Ebay for about $100 less BUT are GREY market meaning they are legal but were not imported by authorized USA Sanyo distributors which in turn means they DO NO carry a USA Warranty. Suffice to say I ONLY purchase new camera gear that carries the manufacturer's USA Warranty. I also use Buyers Advantage which extends all my USA Warranties to FIVE YEARS.
I purchased my HD2000A online from reputable Willoughby's for $485 total delivered price with full USA Warranty.
NOTE: I see that Willoughby's just raised their price to $549, a $54 increase. I found the HD2000A at another well known store, B&H Photo selling for $494 including free shipping. Though their web page headline says HD2000 their small print manufacturer ID says HD2000ABK (meaning 'A' model in Black). I would confirm this with them. Here is their current web page:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/653608-REG/Sanyo_VPC_HD2000ABK_VPC_HD2000_Xacti_Dual_Camera.html#features
ROSETTA STONE - GREAT $$$$ PRODUCT?
MISLEADING ADS? YOU BE THE JUDGE
(Article by Steve) My two worst subjects in high school were Spanish and French language studies. I freely and sadly admit that my foreign language ‘block’ has continued throughout my adult life. On the plus side I can read French and Spanish fairly well and am fearless when it comes time to dive into limited conversations with my mini-dictionaries in hand.
As we completed plans for our forthcoming seven weeks trip to Italy I checked out numerous Italian language learning books. Right now my favorite is Say It Right in Italian. Then, I began to notice the barrage of radio ads for Rosetta Stone. Their confident spokes person promising all kinds of dramatic results and suggesting that I order their FREE demo CD to really experience the unique way Rosetta Stone works.
Why not give it a try, I thought. After all the demo CD was free. A funny thing happened when I called their toll free number and asked for the free CD. Their representative promptly told me the CD was so basic that it would be of little value to me. Amazing, I thought. Next, came the HARD SELL. Nothing less than buying the Italian course right then and there would work for me. I held my ground and reiterated my request for their free demo CD. What a surprise to open the free demo CD package and find the demo did not contain one word of Italian but offered a bare bones demo in French.
How well does Rosetta Stone work? I do not know BUT I do know it gets more confusing when trying to figure out which Rosetta course you need. I visited the
Rosetta Stone web site two weeks ago. First, atop their home page Rosetta Stone proudly quoted a Wall Street Journal review dated August 2009 as follows: “...may be the next best thing to living in a country.” Wow, great sounding review, I thought.
Next, the home page offered four package options staring with Level 1 ($206) and ending with their Level 1 through 5 ($629.10). Next are two steps: (1) Pick a Language and (2) Choose Your Solution (meaning pick one of the above mentioned CD based packages). With regard to the latter you click on a package, it goes into your shopping cart and you may then complete the purchase.
So, why confusing or perhaps even misleading? upon my review ‘fact checking’ I found that the Wall Street Journal quote did NOT, repeat NOT, refer to any of the above packages listed on the very same Rosetta Stone home page. What then was the Wall Street Journal reviewing? Good question and here is the answer.
The Wall Street Journal review by Walter S. Mossberg was reviewing and commenting on a Rosetta’s newest ‘Cadillac’ package called Rosetta Stone TOTALE, a non-CD, web based program. Mr. Mossberg’s Wall Street Journal review says the following about Rosetta’s TOTALE course:
* ‘Totale costs a whopping $999, so if you aren't serious about learning a language it's a tough sell.”
* “....online course work that can take up to 150 hours.” And there is more to the course then course work.
* The core of Totale is the time-intensive online course work.”
* The course work “......takes a lot of effort....”
* Totale's course work doesn't include explanations. A few of the phrases our coach explained still puzzled me and I was starting to miss my flash cards from Spanish class.”
*Even for $999, you can go back in and re-use every feature in Totale, but only for one year.
* I still have work to do in Totale, but I'm looking forward to it—even though I find some aspects to be a bit vague. This program does a terrific job of immersing you in a language and may be the next best thing to living in a country.
I bumped into an interesting development....I no longer see the Wall Street Journal quote on Rosetta Stone’s web site. Now, Rosetta Stone is using a new quote from a CNN Tech article by Elizabeth Landau. The quote reads:
“...Rosetta Stone seems to be the “gold standard of computer-based language learning.” Another fine sounding review, right? Maybe and maybe NOT. What does Ms. Landau mean by ‘GOLD’ standard?
Rosetta Stone fails to mention the title of the source paragraph of the quote. The paragraph is titled: “Paying more for immersion.” GOLD, paying more....get it? Ms Landau goes on to write “The obvious downside for this (Rosetta Stone) program is the cost” happily noting that she was did not pay for her Rosetta Stone program. It seems her ‘gold standard’ comment may relate more to Rosetta Stone’s very high prices then anything else.
In her next journalistic breath Ms. Landau refers readers to a Rosetta Stone competitor, Transparent Languages, noting that their product, unlike Rosetta Stone, is a total package and that total course package is cheaper then Rosetta Stones basic level one course. To be fair, Ms Landau does say she loves some aspects of Rosetta Stone but, in the end, Ms Landau’s article is an overview of numerous language courses and she does NOT single out any one as her recommended choice.
What does this all mean? You may be able to figure it out while I am going back to my Say It In Italian book.
Sources (If the below 'article' links do not work try cutting and pasting them):
Rosetta Stone: http://www.rosettastone.com/
Mossberg Wall Street Journal article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204044204574358620977621170.html
Elizabeth Landau CNN.Tech article:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/24/language.training.online/index.html
TOM PARSON'S BESTFARES.COM
HELPFUL AIRLINE FEES CHARTMISLEADING ADS? YOU BE THE JUDGE
(Article by Steve) My two worst subjects in high school were Spanish and French language studies. I freely and sadly admit that my foreign language ‘block’ has continued throughout my adult life. On the plus side I can read French and Spanish fairly well and am fearless when it comes time to dive into limited conversations with my mini-dictionaries in hand.
Why not give it a try, I thought. After all the demo CD was free. A funny thing happened when I called their toll free number and asked for the free CD. Their representative promptly told me the CD was so basic that it would be of little value to me. Amazing, I thought. Next, came the HARD SELL. Nothing less than buying the Italian course right then and there would work for me. I held my ground and reiterated my request for their free demo CD. What a surprise to open the free demo CD package and find the demo did not contain one word of Italian but offered a bare bones demo in French.
Rosetta Stone web site two weeks ago. First, atop their home page Rosetta Stone proudly quoted a Wall Street Journal review dated August 2009 as follows: “...may be the next best thing to living in a country.” Wow, great sounding review, I thought.
Next, the home page offered four package options staring with Level 1 ($206) and ending with their Level 1 through 5 ($629.10). Next are two steps: (1) Pick a Language and (2) Choose Your Solution (meaning pick one of the above mentioned CD based packages). With regard to the latter you click on a package, it goes into your shopping cart and you may then complete the purchase.
So, why confusing or perhaps even misleading? upon my review ‘fact checking’ I found that the Wall Street Journal quote did NOT, repeat NOT, refer to any of the above packages listed on the very same Rosetta Stone home page. What then was the Wall Street Journal reviewing? Good question and here is the answer.
The Wall Street Journal review by Walter S. Mossberg was reviewing and commenting on a Rosetta’s newest ‘Cadillac’ package called Rosetta Stone TOTALE, a non-CD, web based program. Mr. Mossberg’s Wall Street Journal review says the following about Rosetta’s TOTALE course:
* ‘Totale costs a whopping $999, so if you aren't serious about learning a language it's a tough sell.”
* “....online course work that can take up to 150 hours.” And there is more to the course then course work.
* The core of Totale is the time-intensive online course work.”
* The course work “......takes a lot of effort....”
* Totale's course work doesn't include explanations. A few of the phrases our coach explained still puzzled me and I was starting to miss my flash cards from Spanish class.”
*Even for $999, you can go back in and re-use every feature in Totale, but only for one year.
* I still have work to do in Totale, but I'm looking forward to it—even though I find some aspects to be a bit vague. This program does a terrific job of immersing you in a language and may be the next best thing to living in a country.
“...Rosetta Stone seems to be the “gold standard of computer-based language learning.” Another fine sounding review, right? Maybe and maybe NOT. What does Ms. Landau mean by ‘GOLD’ standard?
In her next journalistic breath Ms. Landau refers readers to a Rosetta Stone competitor, Transparent Languages, noting that their product, unlike Rosetta Stone, is a total package and that total course package is cheaper then Rosetta Stones basic level one course. To be fair, Ms Landau does say she loves some aspects of Rosetta Stone but, in the end, Ms Landau’s article is an overview of numerous language courses and she does NOT single out any one as her recommended choice.
Sources (If the below 'article' links do not work try cutting and pasting them):
Rosetta Stone: http://www.rosettastone.com/
Mossberg Wall Street Journal article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204044204574358620977621170.html
Elizabeth Landau CNN.Tech article:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/24/language.training.online/index.html
TOM PARSON'S BESTFARES.COM
A CTN reader TIP brought me to Tom's web site chart. The chart is a guide to current frequent flyer ever growing fees. The chart includes fees for such as:
*Phone booking
*Rush award service
*Cancel and re-banking miles
* Changes
Here is the LINK:
http://www.bestfares.com/news-newsID1190-Say_It_Aint_So_Joe,_Frequent_Flyer_Tickets_Aint_So.html
NOTE: We shall be publishing our Summer CTN issue in early August just prior to our departure for Italy. That issue will feature:
* A PREVIEW OF OUR SEVEN WEEKS ITALY JOURNEY
* RENTING APARTMENTS IN FIRENZE & PORTO MAURIZIO
* GIZMO COLUMN: AN ULTRA LIGHT TRIPOD THAT SETS UP IN 5 SECONDS!
* OUR WHIRLWIND VISIT TO KEY WEST FLORIDA .......AND MORE. HAPPY, SAFE and FUN TRAVELS TO ALL CTN READERS!!
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