One of the must-see destinations in Italy is the Vatican. The world’s smallest sovereign state, it is home to St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and countless priceless treasures worth a day in the Vatican Museums. But as of December 31, access is cash-only. Read more...

With the new year set to begin in just a couple days, vacation planning season is about to begin. Given the strength (or lack of it) of the economy these days, a lot of travelers are looking to get the best value possible on their upcoming vacation. As always, we’re here to help, and our advice? Book today! Some of the best deals are available when booking early, and there are plenty of good reasons to book far ahead of time, we’ve just got three of the best reasons why the best deal is today’s deal. Read more...

A few years back the US government introduced the REAL ID act. This was an effort to get states to place enhancements in state identification that would make forgeries more difficult to make, and provide more information to law enforcement agencies more easily. The government refers to these as “Secure Drivers Licenses.” Coming next month, it is supposed to get a bit more difficult for travelers without these secure identification cards to fly or travel by ship. This could be a problem because 37 states do not currently meet the requirements set in the REAL ID act. Read more...

A lot of people are talking about Carnival’s new pricing promotions. Starting today (December 3), Carnival is making changes to the way that they structure fares. What’s changing? Not a lot, but the change in how things price might be a little confusing – so we thought we’d help! Here’s a handy guide to the new types of fares that Carnival is offering beginning today. Read more...

Earlier this month, another cruise line announced that they are beginning to explore an “all you can drink” package aboard a number of their ships as a possible enhancement to all cruises. Norwegian Cruise Line announced that they are jumping on the beverage package bandwagon, testing an all-inclusive drinks package on three of their ships across the fleet. Read more...

There’s finally a new answer to one of the most common cruising questions. We get a lot of guests asking us if they can bring their own alcohol aboard ship to enjoy in the room without having to pay the mark-up of bar prices. The answer has almost always been, no. There have been some exceptions, of course, but they often involved corking fees that cost as much as buying the bottle of wine on the ship to begin with. Read more...

Cruising in the late summer and fall can be a fantastic deal. Part of that reason is because the weather doesn’t always cooperate – it is hurricane season after all. But the truth is that when a storm isn’t in your area, the weather is fabulous and the ports of call are as vibrant as they are at any other time of the year. However, there are some things that you can do to minimize the impact of a storm on your travel plans – even without changing your schedule. We’ve put together a list of three things that anyone can do to ensure the best possible experience for a cruise. Read more...

Everyone knows plans for the future can change, and often its for unplanned circumstances. Travel and vacations are no exceptions, and the unforeseen can end up being extremely costly. Fortunately, there is a tool can make you whole financially when the worst happens to prevent, or cut short a vacation. It’s called travel insurance, and its something that not enough people take. Read more...

One of the questions that comes up most often with guests is whether or not a Passport is required on their vacation. The truth is that it’s needed more often than it is not. In the last few years, the US government decided that Passports would be required for all international travel… and then they backed away from that a little bit. The rules are a little confusing, but here’s a synopsis of the rules for US Citizens as we understand it. Keep in mind that the latest rules about what’s required for international travel are available on the US State Department website, http://travel.state.gov, and on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative website, http://www.getyouhome.gov. Read more...