Just-Over-A-Grand Cayman

We've all seen the results of the Piggie-Flu recently, crushing tourism to Mexico by air or cruise ship. The CDC (Center for Disinformation out of Context) got way too many people way too excited way too fast, in my opinion, about the "Big P". I'm not talking about the word Pandemic. More like Pandemonium. Or Panic. Or Patently Overblown. Or Piggie Paranoia. Now in defense of World-wide scholars and medical pundits, they're trying to get a handle on a brand new virus, but they allowed media vultures to bite that raw meat with fangs-a-glaring. Certainly this was a serious situation, but very early on it was indicated this was not likely to be bubonic plague, but something much more regionalized in its severity. It wasn't until panicked Americans forced the cruise lines to avoid Mexico in its entirety, and airlines to cancel a huge number of flights, that the truth seemed to eek its way out. Suddenly "Headline News" wasn't even worth a mention. Too late for Mexico. Their tourism industry took a lethal hit from this, and had the unexpected side-effect of having hundreds of thousands of travelers suddenly scrambling last-minute for other "Mexico-like" destinations. Clearly, the islands of The Caribbean benefited from this the most, and a few shining gems were uncovered when the sand was pushed back.

Take for instance Grand Cayman island. Super little beach and dive destination, directly below Cuba as if Florida were a giant finger pointing "Lookee here!" Cruise ship passengers are quite familiar with the gorgeous white sands of Seven Mile Beach, diving the "Cayman Wall" or snorkeling from a tour boat to see the wonders of Davey Jones' Locker. But not nearly as many people fly there for a short stay. Because of its size there's not much agriculture there, so most food stores have to be imported, which means meals are a bit pricey. Kind of like Bermuda. But similarly to Bermuda, it's a dreamy little escape island, where English is freely spoken and it's a single plane ride from the USA directly there. Granted there are World-class resorts and hotels on Bermuda and Grand Cayman, but Cayman also has a few more "economy" properties - still clean and well managed, but without breaking the bank. As an example, the Sunshine Suites resort in Grand Cayman can be done for a quick 2-night weekend, including air from Charlotte, for less than $550 per person. That's air, hotel, hotel taxes and transfers for a stunning weekend trip. Is it the Ritz? No, but you can buy the Ritz if you prefer - but it gets nice, solid reviews on Trip Advisor and my clients seem to love it as an inexpensive getaway. There are a dozen other properties if you prefer to upgrade to something a bit fancier, too.

You know what's really great about weekends in Grand Cayman? Besides the water, beach, sunshine, fun, excitement and all that? It's not crowded in the least! The vast majority of cruise ships leave the USA on Saturday or Sunday, and since they can only travel at what is the equivalent of 20-22 mph (actual speed in knots) and they have to go around Cuba to get there, Grand Cayman is very laid back on the weekends. It's the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday crowd you want to avoid if possible. But if you've never been, this is a delightful place to go hang your banana-leaf hat for a couple of days. Ahhhhhhhhh...

Those wacky Philly phanatics!

Warwick High School in Lancaster County, about 65 mile from Philadelphia, ran into unexpected headlines regarding this year's Prom dance. It wasn't about suggestive lyrics, inappropriate dancing, uproar about who was named King or Queen, nothing you might expect. It was about the Tzotchkes (pronounced CHOTCH-keys). If you aren't familiar with the Yiddish term Tzotchkes, it literally translates as "piece" from the original Hebrew. It's just a little something-something. A knick-knack. It could be a rabbit's foot, a miniature porcelain figurine, or more commonly a giveaway gift that everyone receives at a party or event. Last year, the girls who attended Prom all received a picture frame, to remind them of the special night. The boys got a money clip, apparently to remind them how much they just spent on a corsage and dinner on the future Mrs. Whatever (or so it seemed that night). Assistant Principal Scott Galen is quoted as saying, "Unfortunately, this year's Junior Class didn't have quite as much money as last year's, so they ordered a generic 'prom souvenir' for everyone from the same company." That's all the description said: Prom Souvenir. The Principal signed off on the order as well, figuring how controversial can it be? It's a Tzotchke for goodness' sake. That was until last week when each of the prom recipients took home a cute little memento of that oh-so-special night, which parents immediately complained about in huge numbers. Turns out they weren't particularly thrilled when 450 students came back home with shot glasses imprinted with "Happy Prom Night." Assistant Principal Galen has assured parents this will never happen again. He meant to say "At least until Freshman Rush at (name any University here).

A man in is suing a Burger King in Virginia for failing to "hold the pickles" from his burger, as they advertised they would do. The incident took place about 2 years ago. Dairus Dugger's complaint says he had specifically asked for a hamburger without pickles, tomatoes or onions. After driving off, he bit into the burger, only then realizing the restaurant had failed to honor his order. Dugger claims he suffered a "severe allergic reaction" to the vicious veggies in question, which caused him to miss work and incur huge medical bills. He is suing Burger King Holdings Corporation, the parent company of the facility where the purchase was made, seeking $100,000 in damages, plus court and legal fees. This is one for Judge Judy if you ask me. Mr. Dugger apparently felt that the educational background, internal accuracy control and reliability index of the people working the drive-thru at 2:15am of this particular Burger King were beyond reproach. Plus it is incredibly labor-intensive to actually LIFT the bun on your burger, to see that your "severe allergy" has not been undermined, even if by accident. Go ahead, Judge Judy - throw the book at those evil beef barons!