Norwegian Cruise Line hasn’t even launched the New York themed Norwegian Breakaway on the high seas yet, but they can’t seem to keep a lid on the excitement that they’re building from the Norwegian Getaway. Like the Breakaway, the Getaway is going to be themed around its homeport which for this ship is Miami, and they’ve chosen Miami artist Dan “LEBO” LeBatard to design the hull art for the ship, scheduled to launch in early 2014. Read more...

Viking River Cruises has been making a lot of changes and enhancements in recent years, and within the next 12 months, nearly a dozen new longships are to be put into service. Between this year and next, Viking will have introduced 16 new ships to the water. That’s right – 16! Some of the biggest cruise lines don’t even have 16 ships! Read more...

This Dispatch (part of our irregular series of experiences from folks at the Crown Cruise Vacations offices) recounts Roger’s experiences in Prague back in 2003. Some of the information in this little story may be a bit outdated, but the all the places are still there and ready for your visit! Read more...

He used to live in the forest, soaking up the rain. Now he lives on the Carnival Magic, basking in the sun.

That’s the Carnival story about the RedFrog. And they’re sticking to it.

In fact, the little tree frog has made himself so at home on the cruise ship that he has his own private label draught beer, custom-brewed specially for Carnival – ThirstyFrog Red. 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...

There is a lot of endangered beauty in this world. And much of it is worth experiencing before its too late. The Colosseum fits this bill perfectly. The 2000 year old amphitheatre has been around for millenia, and many think that it will be there forever. The truth? It’s in a little bit of trouble structurally. Read more...

The people who built the Houston Bayport Cruise Terminal have got to be breathing a sigh of relief these days. The $100 million terminal was built in 2008 to host no ships whatsoever. The terminal has been an expensive white elephant for the city until this month, when both Princess and Norwegian Cruise Line announced plans to homeport in Houston, instead of its more entrenched Texas counterpart, Galveston. Read more...

The Mayan people have been on a lot of people’s lips lately. Well, their calendar has as well. With the hypothetical “doomsday” approaching, this lost culture has been gathering more and more interest and in Cancun, the Mexican government has done something special to keep that history alive, hopefully longer than the December 21 end date of the Mayan calendar. Read more...

We’re big fans of the Walt Disney Travel Company. I guess, as an Authorized Disney Travel Planner, that sort of speaks for itself. However, we wanted to share some information about one of Disney’s newest travel destinations, Hawaii. Last year, Disney opened an incredible family-focused resort on the North Shore of Oahu, Aulani. And Aulani really works to create an authentic Hawaiian experience for its guests while still maintaining the excellent standards that Disney hotels and resorts have come to be known for. Take a look at this great video that shares a bit about this resort! Read more...

For most people, an international vacation means an opportunity to be something most of us don’t get a chance to be anymore – off the communication grid. For a few of us, that’s a welcome opportunity. For others, its a real challenge – especially because using that smart phone means an extremely high mobile phone bill the next month in most cases. A number of companies offer the ability to rent or buy a prepaid global cell phone. This option has pros and cons to it, though. Let’s explore! Read more...