What’s better than a wonderful cruise vacation?  A wonderful cruise vacation that’s FREE, of course!
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and USA Today newspaper have launched the Reporter at Sea contest, looking for a talented citizen journalist (blogger?) to cover the pre-inaugural voyage of the Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world.
Oasis of the Sea has 16 decks and can carry 5,400 guests in 2,700 staterooms.  It’s themed around a neighborhood concept, with specific themed areas:  Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa & Fitness Center, and Entertainment Place.
Starting today, …read more

I’m trying to come up with a warm weather vacation spot for this fall.  Since it’s been awhile since I’ve been to the Caribbean, I thought this might be a good time to plan a return trip.  Barbados, an island that I’ve not yet visited, is looming at the top of a pretty short list.
Here are 10 reasons why I think visiting Barbados may be a good choice for me:

I haven’t been there before, and visiting a new country takes me a step closer to the Century Club.
It’s a small island, only about 14 by 21 miles, with over …read more

Saint Maarten on the Dutch Side and Sint Martin on the French side, is a small two nation island in the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean.  The south half of the island is Dutch, the most populated nation on the island, and the north half is French.
Tourism is the main business of the island, with over a millions tourist flocking to the sunny beaches, nightlife, and true duty free shopping that the island offers.
I’m trying to figure out a way to be one of those one millions tourists in the not too distant future.
Anyone visited recently?  Would love any …read more