What’s your most memorable moment while vacationing?

[Fredflintstone]

Ok,

This one is easy for me. When I was 30 many moons ago, I decided to take a sunset dinner and booze cruise while I was in Waikiki.

I went on the boat and noticed there were very few passengers. I thought to myself it’s a mid week cruise so it must not be too busy.

Then....

Who gets on the boat with someone who I think helps him?

STEVIE WONDER

Well, that was a fun night because I had dinner and a few drinks with Stevie Wonder. We chatted for about 2 hours. At the end of the cruise, he gave me a signed autograph record and bid me farewell.

During the cruise, he sang a few songs and I joined in.

It was a night I won’t forget and quite a surprise.


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[Big Matt]

Playing doubles tennis with the band Rush, although I must admit it was a study abroad, but it felt like a vacation then when I was a college student.

If it just counts vacations, my most memorable moment was the first time I took may family to Disney. I had never been as a child and neither had my wife. We drove about 14 hours, but the rest was magic. Adults and kids being there for the first time was special.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Mine are usually moments with nature (can't list just one):

Best Beaches
Hill Inlet, Whitsunday Island Australia (immense in size)
Beach and current as the tide goes out, Shroud Cay, Exumas (no one here)
Bora Bora Lagoon, from Tradewinds, French Polynesia (more shades of blue)
Tobago Cays, St Vincent and the Grenadines (clear waters)
Sandy Spit, BVI

Best Experiences
Humpback checking out what we are having for Lunch on the Tradewinds Cruise, South Caicos, Turks and Caicos
Swimming with a Pod of wild dolphins, Bimini, Bahamas
Swimming with a Whaleshark, Rangali, Maldives
Swimming with Minke Whales, Ribbon Reef, GBR, Australia
Watching Meteor shower and swimming in bioluminense, on Tradewinds Ile Fourchue, St Barts
Giving an Elephant a bath, Phuket, Thailand
Jimmy Buffet, Singing in a little bar on NYE in Gustavia, St Barts

Best Road Trip
2 weeks with my Dad and Niece on the Western National Park Tour (Utah and Montana), turns out exactly 1 year later, my Dad passed. So I was glad I got to spend that time together.



Shroad Cay

Hill Inlet

 

[artringwald]

Acting as one of the crew on a retired America Cup sailing boat in Cozumel. I'm one of the grinders, the one in the black shirt, in the center of the boat. Our team was from the Norwegian Jewel and we raced against another cruise ship. We did 3 laps around the course and won by 2 meters.

 

[Fredflintstone]

Mine are usually moments with nature (can't list just one):

Hill Inlet, Whitsunday Island Australia (immense in size)
Beach and current as the tide goes out, Shroud Cay, Exumas (no one here)
Bora Bora Lagoon, from Tradewinds, French Polynesia (more shades of blue)
Tobago Cays, St Vincent and the Grenadines (clear waters)
Sandy Spit, BVI
Humpback checking out what we are having for Lunch on the Tradewinds Cruise, South Caicos, Turks and Caicos
Swimming with a Pod of wild dolphins, Bimini, Bahamas
Swimming with a Whaleshark, Rangali, Maldives
Swimming with Minke Whales, Ribbon Reef, GBR, Australia
Jimmy Buffet, Singing in a little bar on NYE in Gustavia, St Bart's



Shroad Cay

Hill Inlet

All wonderful moments Sandy. Those pictures are beautiful. I can see why you find those areas memorable.

Makes me want to retire now, move near those places and let life just slip away.


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[DaveNV]

Not quite a timeshare, but close: Vacationing seven times with a dozen or so close friends for a week on a houseboat on Lake Powell in Utah. Many of those friends are now departed, and my memories of those trips are priceless. This photo was taken by one of my close friends on one of those trips.

Dave

 

[Sandy VDH]

Not quite a timeshare, but close: Vacationing seven times with a dozen or so close friends for a week on a houseboat on Lake Powell in Utah. Many of those friends are now departed, and my memories of those trips are priceless. This photo was taken by one of my close friends on one of those trips.

Dave

Love all those Utah National Parks, but the water calls to me.

 

[slip]

Easy one for me also. On our first trip to Kauai, my son and daughter came with us and we went on the kayak trip to Secret Falls. My wife went right in and and it took me a while. If you’ve been there, you know the water is refreshing. That means COLD.

We had to get going so I dove in and finally made it out to my wife, who was under the waterfall. My daughter was able to get a snapshot of us kissing under Secret Falls. That actually reminds me that we need to get that photo off that SD card and get it on the cloud with our other photos.

 

[Panina]

I was in Barbados with my first husband who has passed. We were at a local establishment that had a live band. They had a contest for solo dancing and played De Dollar Wine. To my amazement my husband moved like I never saw before. I never knew he could dance like that. He was the life of the party always and won the contest.

I am smiling thinking of this wonderful memory, with tears in my eyes. My favorite vacation memory with him I cherish.

 

[bluehende]

I have two.

I was with my 2 yr old grand daughter in VT in the fall. It was a cold still Oct evening. We sat down on the steps of the condo and a leaf fell. Floating slowly to the ground. She got all excited. For about 15 minutes we sat there watching an occasional leaf fall. I will take that moment to my grave. Looking at the wonder of a simple leaf falling through the eyes of a two year old was magic.

Next is backpacking in the Adirondaks with the family. We heard our bear bag go down. There had been an aggressive bear in the area that realized the human smell on rope gave him food. My son was 100 ft up a hill where we tied off (my best hang ever was the only time we lost food). The bear had actually knocked down the dead tree we tied of on. While my son is retying I am straddling our food. My son yells. He is right here and heading down to you. Now It is pitch black and my son took the flashlight and I am straddling food with an aggressive bear heading my way. Memorable in the least. Hopefully my yelling at the top of my lungs gave the bear pause because I never saw him.

I have been blessed with many many more that are slightly behind these two.

 

[Talent312]

Mine's a bit mundane:
Watching the sunset from Oia, Santorini...
and calling my office the next day to brag.
.

 

[stmartinfan]

Our now son in law proposing to our daughter as we toured the Parthenon in Athens. She was caught completely by surprise and got lots of best wishes from the tourists nearby. Our son-in-law had come to our house before we all left for the trip to Turkey and several Greek islands to ask our permission and our help in carrying the ring so she wouldn't see it in their bags. He was waiting for a great location and then she didn't feel well for a few stops so we had to wait more than 10 days knowing the secret before he actually proposed.

 

[easyrider]

It is too hard for me to pick one moment as there are so many fantastic moments. Many excellent surprises along the way shared with so many people that I love.

Bill

 

[missyrcrews]

Our trip to Lake of the Ozarks! The kids fished every day, and one day my husband took the oldest three out on a pontoon boat. They had a blast, and Audrey caught a huge catfish. Other than the boat rental, we didn't spend a lot of money...state parks are free there...but what fun. Sure do wish we lived closer.

 

[mentalbreak]

Trip to Orlando when boys were 6 and 8 staying at my parents’ Orlando timeshare.
Planned on 5 days of Disney parks. Halfway through the trip after 2 days of parks, asked the boys there favorites. Their responses were playing mini golf at the resort, the pool with the sand and hammocks, and playing their Nintendo DS during rest time.
They taught us our vacation lifestyle that we still enjoy today - going so hard that you need a vacation from your vacation is not for us!

 

[rboesl]

I also have 2 memories that stand out:

• My first trip to the Grand Canyon. You see pictures in books and on TV quite a bit. But, they never really prepare you for the enormity of the real thing. It was simply amazing and awe inspiring. And yet, despite realizing about the pictures in books & TV that I'd seen in the past. I couldn't stop taking my own pictures.
• On our trip to Cabo san Lucas we decided to do the zipline that goes across a dry river bed. Of course the day we pick there is not a cloud in the sky and it's at least 100 degrees out. We take the walk up the steps to the first landing a go across, really awkwardly. Then we get unhitched and take another walk up a bunch of steps to another landing. We go across the gorge again with a little bit better form. Next we do some mountain climbing maneuvers and repel down from a platform. By now my clothes are soaked with sweat and I'm not finding any shade. Now we have to climb some steps back up to the platform, walk down a short trail, and then walk up even more steps to another platform. Get hitched up and go across for a third time with the best form yet. But, I'm so worn out from the heat and climbing I fall on this landing and need help getting out of the harness. I then hear the guide say we will be stopping half way up the stairs to have something to drink. By now I'm taking the stairs on all 4s and my wife has to come back to help me. At the rest stop the guide hands out some cold pedialite and says the next platform is up about a dozen steps. At this point I'm telling my wife no freakin' way. The guide overhears, comes over and places an ice cold wet towel around my neck, then says "you can wait here and I'll walk you down to the start." That guide is still my hero to this day!

 

[clifffaith]

My best memory is a very simple one and lasted probably 30 seconds. Driving through the Shenandoah Valley (accidentally on peak leaf weekend), and finding ourselves in a "gumball machine" of bright yellow perfectly round leaves swirling all around us. Totally magical!

 

[mdurette]

The first two "memorable moments" that came to mind...

1. DD first trip to Disneyworld, she was almost 3. I can still vividly remember her chasing "pixie dust" on the ground and having the time of her life. She was simply truly happy. That same trip we went to a xmas concert in Epcot, she stood on the seats and sang as loud as she could. People back then told me, don't take her, she is too young and won't remember a thing. True....but I remember.

2. This is a memory I will take the grave, but not a good one. Cruise vacation to Mexico when I was in my late 20s. A visit to Carlos and Charlies and WAY too much Tequila. The drunkest I have ever been in my life, it wasn't pretty, but I remember it!

 

[pedro47]

My best memory was taking my late Father-in-Law, the only Grandson, the only Granddaughter, my Son, his Spouse and the Commander-in-Chief to WDW in Orlando,Fl.

My Father-in-Law was ninety years old and he walked those parks liked he was fifty with a Happy Smile on his face.

 

[WinniWoman]

Gosh- hard to pick just one but I if I have to I would have to say taking a sunset and stargazing tour with my husband and son up Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. Driving up was like going through a moonscape. It was fascinating to see the observatories on top. We had to wear arctic clothing up there after being in bathing suits all day! It was freezing! (We went into Kona earlier in the day (we were staying at Paniolo Greens) to get some warmer clothing and then the tour company supplied the arctic coats and gloves.). We experienced like 7 climate zones up there. The air was so thin up there and our son got very lightheaded and decided to hang by the edge of the cliff and tease us and we were freaking out he would fall over!

Being above the clouds and sipping hot chocolate looking down at the ocean as the sun set, and then the guides using lasers to point to the planets and stars above later on that evening- will never forget it.

These are stock photos- not mine as I would have to search those out. Was an absolutely amazing experience.

 

[WinniWoman]

I would also have to say on that same trip to Hawaii when we pulled off the side of a road in Kauai to a small beach area and our son went into the water and experienced the ocean waves for the first time. I can still see his smile and hear him laughing as the waves knocked him over. Prior to this, he had only been in the Long Island Sound in Connecticut, which is nothing like the Pacific Ocean. He was 14 years old.

That whole trip to Hawaii was great as it was for our 25th wedding anniversary. And to think I didn't want to go because it involved exchanging our week 30 week (plus the white floater week) at Smugglers Notch (which we had never given up week 30 in all the years we owned it), but my husband insisted so I went to work planning the whole thing. Glad I listened to him.

 

[WinniWoman]

OK. This thread has my brain going now. I think at some point I am going to write down all the little moments on our vacations that have stuck with me because they are popping into my head and making me feel really good! Then I can look at the list if I am having a bad day and ....just.......remember......

 

[geist1223]

Our first trip to Maui in May 2003 for our Honeymoon. At that time they allowed organized bike riding from the top of Haleakala. We had a gorgeous sunrise. It was the closest we ever felt to a Supreme Being. Then Bike Riding from 10,000 feet to the Beach. You rode through every climate zone. Because you were on a Bike you could feel and smell each change in climate zones.

My second was taking my teenage son and daughter (oldest son was in Air Force) to Marriott Newport Coast. We had a wonderful week visiting San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Disneyland, and Southern California Beaches. At The San Diego Zoo we gave the kids a cell fone, cash, and told them to call us when they were ready for lunch. They took off running. Later when we visited Sea World and Disney we made them the same offer. But they decided our way (walking not running) was better and they spent the whole time with us.

 

[Talent312]

The Grand Canyon is impressive but it's too big... Too many pixels.

After Santorini, #2... The wine festival parade in Bernkastel-Kues, Germany.
Area vineyards had floats with runners pouring wine into spectator's glasses.
... Hold out a glass, you got some wine... and there were a lot of floats.
Afterwards, we wobbled back to our hotel, sloshed, like the rest of the town.

.

 

[artringwald]

Here's another. It was really special to be able to hike to the top of Diamond Head with my dad when he was 80, and my sister and her husband when she needed foot surgery. We all made it to the top. I hope to do it again when I'm 80.