Wine and Spirits Travel

It had been lots of fun exploring Seattle all morning and into the early afternoon with the City Pass. It was time for us to do what Brittany and I came to the Emerald City for—to get on our Princess cruise to Alaska.   Brittany hopped on one of the e-bikes and kept up with my mobility scooter on the way back to the Homewood Downtown . We picked up our luggage and waited for the van to take us to Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91. Since there are so many (mostly Alaska) cruises going out of Seattle there are two different piers in the city. The van wasn’t set up for wheelchairs, but the driver was able to lift my lightweight scooter. into the back and then help me into the van. There were two other women in there who were as excited as we were about the upcoming cruise. It was the first time I went on a cruise when you were allowed to embark whenever you wanted during a five-hour window. We were about in the middle and it wasn’t at all crowded. We checked in and made it on

Brittany and I had traveled to a lot of places, but we were getting ready for our most exciting adventure ever. We were heading on a cruise to Alaska. This was to be Brittany’s first cruise and my first trip to the 49 th state – which actually was the 50 th state I would be visiting, therefore completing the United States. It was the most planned trip I ever took. I put a lot of time into every detail. The fact that I was traveling in a mobility scooter made it a little more challenging, but everyone I spoke to in advance was very helpful. The cruise we had chosen was roundtrip from Seattle, Washington. I had been to Seattle three times before and it was a city I really loved. I didn’t want to just have it be a jumping point to get on the ship, especially since Brittany had never been there. I worked with the Visit Seattle team to plan out a trip that would have us see a lot, without a lot of transportation, both before and after the cruise. I usually fly out of Champaign,

  Since I’ve been traveling in a wheelchair or mobility scooter the last few years, I have not gone many places alone. I decided to go for it when I was invited to spend a day – and night – at Navy Pier in Chicago. I have been to Navy Pier many times, but was never able to stay there until Sable, a Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton , was built. I always wondered why there wasn’t a hotel there, and after spending time scooting my way around the property and the pier, I can attest that it’s a fun and unique experience. The hotel is at the end of the pier and the entrance is right next to one of the parking lots. It was easy to park my van and take my scooter right into the modern lobby. Once inside you’ll be surprised at just how big it is, with a Kisbi Coffee and the Lirica Restaurant close to the entrance. It did take me a little while to figure out how to get to the elevator to my room, but once inside, I found my biggest draw to this hotel – the windows. Every room has floo

​ Happy New Year! The last few years have been different for everyone around the world. This is especially true for those in the travel industry. I’ve stayed pretty close to home.     I do not travel as much as I used to anyway.  I’m now looking for more accessible locations and needed to be cautious since I have autoimmune issues.    I’ve been using the time at home to train Teddy, so there will be a lot of pet friendly trips in the future! I’ll be catching up on previous travel soon. With everything I’ve learned since getting my first dog since I was a child, I decided to write a book.  12 Things You Must Know About Raising A Puppy  will be out this spring. It’s filled with tips, stories, and hope. I’ll be posting when it’s out.   As for 2022 travel, I have some fun stuff coming up, including a very unusual cruise.    If you’d like to know more about my health issues, read through my  Medium   page (there are some interesting travel stories there too).   Best, Marcia