Flora's tours are operated via special zodiacs and occupancy is limited to 12 by design of these boats. 12 Might feel a crowd on a small vessel to some, hopefully 20 people along 200+ feet of beach doesn't. Maybe don't be surprised if people naturally converge on a solo seal enjoying a bit of sunbathing, however! It's not impossible to encounter the guests transported by another of Flora's zodiacs but Flora's operations are designed to help mitigate such encounters. The Ecuadorian government also requires ship operators plan and avoid concentrated, heavy footfall on the same locations day in, day out. Most days on the Flora will offer at least two opportunities to enjoy an excursion, with up to four options for the day's activities. You'll typically sign up for your desired activity the night before and choose an available time to participate. Certain highlights such as the Charles Darwin Research Center may mean a far higher likelihood of encountering other guests as there's only one center to visit and maybe up to half the ship could sign up for a morning visit, for example. While on the other hand, a small fleet of zodiacs shouldn't ever really land on the same outcropping of beach or float over top of one another during a deep sea snorkelling session.

We had a REALLY early start to the day, breakfast at Henry's on Drayton Street and a few snacks later while walking around.

We spent a bit of time in South Carolina on a great trip from Miami through DC, stopping in Savannah and Charleston - but I don't think I've spent more than a dinner stop in NC. It was a Chili's off the I-95 not far from Raleigh haha

We certainly got a solid win during the scavenger hunt, that was definitely a highlight for me. You were on fire!

haha I didn't see Magic Mike nor the Chippendales, I think there was another one for a while called "Thunder from Down Under" or something like this. I watched a magic show, Penn & Teller. It was not only a very entertaining show but at the close of the final act, the two of them sprinted out the back of the auditorium to meet & greet with fans and visitors. They were exceptionally friendly!

Depends on precisely where you are in Japan when you visit, also to do with the local weather in a given year. Late March to early April is a pretty good estimation.

Do I remember this! Actually, I think I remember dreaming of ice cream but now I can reflect that we didn't actually have the ice cream here just a picture of us holding a fake ice cream!

Hi, @Nichol Krueger! Coming up on a year since your visit, we've also upgraded our website to allow visitors like you to make some recommendations to help others plan a better trip & grow your own travel influencer status! Would you go back to the Royalton Bavaro? Write about it > HERE Have more to say about your trip? You can also let people know what you thought about Punta Cana > HERE Or Dominican Republic in general > HERE

I didn't even mind getting a flat tire, everyone was so friendly and helpful!

Ted's Bulletin!

I love old churches, the Mexico City Metropolitan was one of my favorites when I visited in 2017!

There's a Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan! Can you imagine how much fun this would be with little kids!!! C'mon!!! Look at this place!!! It's like soft play x 1,000,000,000!!!

We will DEFINITELY be going, they've got some incredible theme parks now in addition to all the great cultural stuff - and again, the food hahahaha

There are quite a few, Windjammer Landing, Coconut Bay, Marigot Bay Resort, Royalton has an adults-only section but it's meant to be a family friendly resort... hmmm... as you know Sandals is not for kids, the two most famous resorts on the hillside are Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet, they won't permit children under 15. I want to say that Cap Maison has recently started allowing children as guests.

Let's do it! I think my go-to hangover cure for a while was beef tripe pho after this visit to Vietnam - just remember that when you're planning your Ireland group before your Vietnam group haha

Nice!

What was for dinner?

What was the band playing yesterday?

Oh wow is there a lot going on in both, yes! I'm not certain who coined this, but Dubai's a place of superlatives. You see a lot of biggest, largest, tallest in Dubai. I wouldn't suggest Abu Dhabi is any less aggressive in its development, but maybe less aggressive in pursuit of those landmarks which draw a crowd just by being the most extreme example - does that make sense? Dubai definitely has its marketing down as well!

Never threatened, no. There are just tons of them and they're really big and you're quickly surrounded by mountains of elephant! In fact it was a lot of fun and I did get to see their naughty side maybe 5-10 minutes later when I caught up with them on the other side of the road hahaha Someone responsible for their care had set up a little pavilion or gazebo with a huge pile of fruit to attract a few elephants back away from the herd, presumably for something touristy... But I never found out what was planned. There was just a bunch of trumpeting and then all these elephants came flying out of the woods all around and rushed the poor bloke guarding the fruit. He disappeared in one of those walls of elephant as they descended upon what looked like a dump-truck load of pineapples and watermelons. The frenzy ended as a handful of jumbos scattered in every direction, each with a half-dozen or more watermelons and various fruit-covered branches sticking out of their mouths and wrapped in their trunks - leaving only a really disappointed looking guy, robbed of his fruit pile. When things died down a little I just stood around the car park for a bit, some of the elephants who didn't participate in the raid are still curious or think you might be another fruit-carrying sucker. They may decide to come up and say hi, I just put my hand out to see if someone wanted to say hi to me and they did!