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

Everyone loves a behind-the-scenes look at the travel industry, and I’m no exception.  When I talk about the things that happen on a flight, people often can’t believe the stories – and more than once I’ve been accused of making things up.  Believe me, with what we see every day, we don’t have to make this stuff up!
It was with that frame of reference that I picked up Cruise Confidential:  A Hit Below the Waterline: Where the Crew Lives, Eats, Wars, and Parties? One Crazy Year Working on Cruise Ships by Brian David Bruns.  Bruns left life on land …read more

While many of the sectors within the travel industry are struggling, the cruise industry is thriving.  In fact, it’s the fast growing segment in the travel industry, yet this $30 Billion business is still is looking at at rocky times ahead.  So what’s up with that?
In a one-hour special, Travel Expert Peter Greenberg and crew investigate the strengths and weakness of the cruise industry, and they spend a week about the Norwegian Pearl, one of the newest ships from Norwegian Cruise Line.  These ships are mini cities and self-contained resorts, complete with shopping malls, swim parks, casinos and clubs …read more