Larger-than-life sports legend Shaquille O’Neal has a new job. The former NBA great and sports commentator has been named the newly appointed “CFO” for Carnival Cruise Line.

“We are very excited to have Shaq as part of the Carnival Team,” Carnival Christine Duffy said in a news release. “He will serve as a great partner ensuring everyone knows all about our one-of-a-kind brand of fun. We’re confident that his embodiment of our brand values will inspire America to Choose Fun and discover the authentic, participatory and social atmosphere that Carnival offers.” Read more...

Recognize this bearded man? He is huge, an image posted on a building.

A hint:  The woman standing next to me thought it was a memorial to Fidel Castro. Nope, it is not Fidel but the homage is located in Cuba. Don’t look at the answer below until you’ve formulated your own response. Read more...

Hearing the loud clank of the metal cell door slamming shut sent chills down my spine. Being locked in this Cuban prison must have been a living hell. Or a death sentence.

Today is a busy itinerary in Santiago de Cuba on our Celestyal Crystal cruise. So much to see and do. Tour guide Ricardo is a wealth of information and his English is excellent. Read more...

Driving past a bright red door, I thought it was a pretty sight. But I didn’t know how important that place was until tour guide Barbara started talking.

Having a great tour guide can certainly make traveling more educational and fun. In this case, it was the red door in Edinburgh, Scotland. Read more...

Outrageous colors. Fantasy figures. Proud historic reminders. Everywhere I looked, it seemed an eye-catching explosion of creativity.

I had been forewarned but I’m not sure anything can prepare you for Fusterlandia. The artistic wonderland is certainly not something I expected to encounter when I arrived in Havana. Read more...

After years of traveling, I’ve stayed in many different accommodations. But my cabin aboard the Celestyal Crystal has a feature I have never seen before.

My room has twin beds. Across from the beds is a large full-length mirror. Next to the mirror is a curtain on an aluminum rod to pull across the mirror to hide it. Read more...

Eisenhower was president. The New York Yankees won their fifth world series in a row. Frank Sinatra was drawing movie goers with his film “From Here to Eternity.”

A 26-year-old Fidel Castro launched his failed attempt to overthrow Cuban dictator Batista on July 26. The first Corvette went on sale. Read more...

When the new Carnival Horizon debuts in Europe in April 2018, the atrium sculpture will feature artwork created by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients.

The massive LED “Dreamscape” atrium sculpture will offer 33 different artistic creations from St. Jude patients, one of Carnival’s largest charitable partners. Read more...

I don’t know where they sat. Probably not where I did. But such rich and famous folks as Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Rita Hayworth, JFK, Ernest Hemingway and Lucky Luciano once attended the famous Tropicana show in Havana.

Now I have, too, on a late-night excursion from my Celestyal Crystal cruise. The optional four-hour activity cost $149 for adults. Children under 18 not allowed. Read more...

The godmother of Viking’s fifth ocean ship – the Orion – is appropriately a retired NASA astronaut. Dr. Anna Fisher will be honored as godmother for the Orion which will debut in July 2018.

“Vikings were the original long-distance explorers and the first to use the stars and constellations as a way to navigate uncharted territory,” Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking, said in a news release. Read more...