Saturday, March 26, 2005

Happy Easter!
I hope the Easter Bunny finds you!
Thanks for all the great feedback on the last "Post".

I hadn't really thought much about a return trip on the river so I'm glad someone else thought of it. Do you think it is imperative that we have a cruise that starts and finishes at the same port?
I just thought that we'd start a some point and then finish at another and then head home from there. People who rented bikes at the departure point could just head directly back there once we've reached our final destination (couldn't they)?

As far as the costs go, it looks like people think $1,500 - $2,000 would be reasonable per person for a week. I just try to think what it would cost you to stay at a reasonably good hotel each night and get breakfast (and maybe dinner). As long as we can keep it close to that, I guess that would be OK.

One last thing for this "Post" - do you think providing all participants with a DVD of their trip would be very important? I can record the holiday and then professionally edit and copy the whole thing to DVD (or streaming video for internet users). Some riding shots, on-board gatherings and interviews should make it interesting and "personalize" it for everyone.
Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks again for all the great feedback.
We're getting closer!
Cheers,
Darry Mc Gaw
E-mail: darrymcgaw@shaw.ca
Web site: http://members.shaw.ca/darrymcgaw

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Mississippi Cruise/Tour Questions
All right crew! I need some feedback to see if I'm on the right track.
I sense that a riverboat (or barge) cruise on the Mississippi with secure parking each night for our motorcycles is what most people would be interested in at this time!
If that were to be the case, then I need your ideas, suggestions and thoughts on the following:

1) How long should the cruise be? (1 week), (2 weeks) (something else)

2) What part of the Mississippi would be best? (The North) (The Middle) (The South)

3) Should we be going up or down the river?

4) Should breakfast and dinner be provided on board?

5) I'm going to try and get the lowest price I can for the inaugural cruise but what is reasonable? ($1,000 - $2,000) or ($2,000 - $3,000) per week (including 2 meals)

6) Would a small (12 - 20 people) group be better or (100 - 200)?

7) For day trips on the motorcycles, is it sufficient to provide people with maps and let them go on their own or do people need "tour guides" for their small groups?

8) What's the best month to do this? (August, September or October)? Does it depend on what part of the river we're riding?

9) If you're from the U.K. or Europe, would you travel all the way to the U.S. for something like this or would you sooner wait until we arrange something similar on your side of the pond?

10) What other questions should I be asking?

Thanks for your help. Don't forget to check out the other posts on here (bottom right). You can comment on any of those as well and click on the pictures of the boats in the last post.
Cheers,
Darry

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Barges & River Boats!
For those of you wondering what the inside of a barge or river boat might look like, I've gone and dug up some examples for you. Just click on the links below and take a look. THEY'RE HOT!
Barge
Click on: http://www.leboat.com/Hotel_Barges/Avenir/avenir.html for a look at a typical European barge.
River Boat
for a look at a typical American river boat.

Why The Carribean Might Not Be Worth It!

Hey gang, here's a quote from a New York Times article that interviewed people who had gone on a Caribbean cruise with their own bikes. It's why I'm no longer sure about pursuing this venue. (I think the Mississippi or the Columbia Rivers in the U.S. might be better.)

With Mr. Wallach the only provider of such trips (to the Carribean), the riders must accept his occasional shortcomings. Mr. Wallach promised that the longest of the three rides would last 120 miles, yet that was the total mileage for all three rides. A lunch buffet in St. Maarten cost $50 a couple for a meal that was worth $15 at most. A few of the riders were so nonplussed by the first two excursions that they skipped the final tour of St. Thomas.
''If they'd told us we'd only get to ride 20 m.p.h. tops, that we'd be on uneven, jagged roads, and that we'd be parking on sand every day, I don't think I would have come,'' complains Bob Earley, the Florida firefighter, who spent the last riding day shopping with his wife and working out in the ship's gym.
Which was a mistake. St. Thomas featured the best roads of the three islands. Twisting trails climbed quickly to a mountain lookout over Meaghan Bay. Speeds wound into the 50's.
(Hmmm!)
What do you think?

Saturday, March 05, 2005

I'm back!

Sorry about the delay but my computer needed a new brain which took a few days and then of course it takes a few more days to retrain it (and me) to do the things I used to do with great ease! (I think I could use a brain transplant now myself but I’m afraid the wait list for surgery is far too long in Canada!)
Oh well, here are some things to ponder.

I’ve uncovered riverboats of sufficient size on both the Mississippi (and some of its tributaries) and on the Columbia which flows through the north-west mountains to the Pacific.
These boats look very “stately” and the cabins look great. Should I be checking out both rivers?


The story is similar in Europe but they have the added canal boats which, although smaller than the river boats, are similarly appointed (in other words, look like grand hotel rooms) and could be grouped together for tours. Do you think enough North Americans would travel to Europe for a tour (with rented bikes) or should I be looking primarily at North Americans touring in the U.S. and Europeans in Europe?

I still think that maybe some kind of Mediterranean cruise in the fall or winter might be fun (like maybe the Greek Islands) but I’m souring a bit on the Caribbean after reading about how poor the roads are and how few miles there are to ride even when you can find a decent road! (I read an article recently about a group that has done the Caribbean and I’ll dig it up and add it to this blog in the next couple of days.)

I’m going to continue to assume that some people will want their own bike on the tour (even if they have to transport it to the boat). Bike rentals would have to be arranged for the others. Am I wrong about this?

I’m also guessing that 1 week would be ideal for a cruise/tour. Would 2 weeks be too long?

Click on the "comments" button and then the "anonymous" one and leave your thoughts.
Cheers,
Darry
PS
By the way, you can go to any of the previous "postings" as these blurbs are called simply by clicking on them at the bottom right. Then you can read what other people have said in response to my rambling and leave your own thoughts (anonymously if you want) simply by clicking on the "comments" button and then the "anonymous" button.We'd like to hear from you. The more responses and views we get, the better off we are.