Alaskan Cruise

“An amazing travel planner!!! We got to see so much of Seattle with such little time there, there’s no way we could have done that on our own. Our Alaskan cruise afterward was amazing also!! We just booked a European cruise with LISTA again and can’t wait to see what adventure Alex has in store for us. Thank you again for making it so easy and making all our travel dreams come true!”

— Maggie + Ralph

• The ask

  Maggie is a go-getter who doesn't like to waste a second of her travel time. During her travels, she likes to see and do as much as humanly possible. That's why she wanted to spend her 60th birthday doing what she loves most - exploring new destinations, cruising, and being with family.

• the itinerary

  With a very short time of just 1 night in Seattle before embarking on their Alaskan cruise, I had to make sure we were prioritizing the most important things to Maggie + Ralph and Seattle's must-sees.

  Arriving in the afternoon, their itinerary started with walking the streets of Seattle and visiting the Starbucks Reserve Roastery - high on Maggie's list of things to do as an avid espresso martini lover. They would then make their way to the Space Needle, where I'd made reservations for them to visit the top and get some 360 views. Afterward, it was time for dinner at Salty's with a waterfront view of the city, followed by drinks at the Alley, a speakeasy bar located behind some lockers at the back of a random restaurant - I'm not kidding!

  The next day before embarking on their week-long cruise, I made sure they'd hit up Pike Place Market, and then they were off. Of course, I couldn't let them go without hooking them up with some prime shore excursions! Here are some I chose for them based on their preferences:

  • A lumberjack show in Ketchikan

  • A rainforest walk to see eagles, bears, and the makings of traditional Alaskan totem poles

  • A glacier walk and helicopter tour in Juneau

  • A whale watching small-group boat excursion

• the perks

  As a Royal Caribbean partner, we were able to hook Maggie + Ralph up with a $120 onboard credit to use at a specialty dining restaurant onboard or the spa, since they booked a balcony stateroom through LISTA.

Babymoon in Mexico

“Alex made the booking process simple and seamless. The itinerary she provided was well thought out and within our budget. As someone who doesn’t like to plan, having Alex was extremely helpful. She booked our flight, transportation, and hotel. I could not be more grateful for her help! I don’t believe the experience would have been the same without her support.”

— Marcie + Adrian

• The ask

  Marcie + Adrian reached out with decision fatigue when trying to plan their babymoon all by themselves (while also remodeling their home and getting ready to be parents... hello!!). After 3 hours searching the internet and ending up completely overwhelmed, they decided their time was probably better spent gearing up for parenthood, so they let me take the research reigns. Their big asks were for something tropical and beachfront (an example they gave me was the island of Exuma in the Bahamas). They also didn't want a flight that would be too far from home (Miami, FL) and were on a bit of a budget, understandably.

• the itinerary

  After chatting through what they felt they needed and budget, they opted for our more popular ALMOST LISTA service. I provided them with 3 different itinerary options to choose from, including an all-inclusive vacation at a beachfront, adults-only resort in the Riviera Maya, which ended up being the winner! In this case, they verbalized that all they wanted to do was simply lounge at their all-inclusive resort for the entirety of their 4-night stay, without leaving or adding on any additional excursions. If they had opted for an extra tour or two, I probably would have recommended an excursion to visit some nearby cenotes or a romantic, private boating experience to the luxurious island of Isla Mujeres, just off the coast of the Riviera Maya.

• the perks

  Because they opted for a resort that LISTA is partnered with, The Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya, we were able to get them some additional complimentary perks added on to their stay! They ended up loving it so much, they decided to extend their stay one more night! VIP Perks for Marcie + Adrian included:

  • A resort credit of $100, able to be used at the spa, for example

  • A guaranteed complimentary room upgrade to the next category

  • Early check-in and late-checkout

  • A complimentary hydrotherapy circuit in the resort's spa

  They also didn't have to worry about transportation to/from the airport in Cancun - we made sure to take care of those logistics for them!