Hotels with Extraordinary Swimming Pools

Ten hotels around the world with the most bizarre and beautiful swimming pools.

Which one do you like the best? Have you stayed somewhere that had a really beautiful pool? Post a comment and tell us about your adventures.

Top All You Can Eat Buffets

Nothing says indulgence like an all-you-can-eat buffet, and destinations like Vegas—the capital of excess—have been cultivating the genre for decades. The first rendition there, designed as a quick stop for late-night gamblers, opened at El Rancho Vegas, the Strip’s first hotel, in the 1940s. The Chuck Wagon restaurant advertised a “Buckeroo Buffet” (for a buck, of course) where gamblers could “hogtie a tantalizing selection of cold cuts” or “lasso a fresh crisp salad” to “appease the howling coyote of your innards.” Today, Vegas buffets are attractions in their own right, with diners parking themselves at the trough for hours.

Let me know some of your local favorite buffets. The Beau Rivage comes to mind right away for me. I'm all about the seafood wherever I go!

Disney Cruise Line Sets Sail for Alaska!

It’s a Disney Cruise Line® first! The Disney Wonder® Cruise Ship is sailing to Alaska for a four-month season of 7-night cruises in 2011. Departing out of Vancouver, B.C., the ship will call on popular ports such as Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway.

The first Alaskan cruise sets sail on May 3, 2011, with the last cruise of the season scheduled for Aug. 30, 2011.

Bookings open to the general public on Sept. 28, 2009. If you're a Castaway Club member who has completed five or more sailings with Disney Cruise Line, you can book as early as Sept. 21, 2009. Early bookings are available by phone only.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!! I hope you and your family enjoy this day together. Take time to pray for our men and women in uniform that are serving now and those that have served in the past to keep our great nation free.

You Deserve A Cruise!

TAKE A CRUISE. IT'S GOOD FOR YOU. IT'S GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY. IT'S AFFORDABLE. AND YOU'VE EARNED IT!

A well-chosen vacation, according to experts, offers significant benefits and opportunities, including:

Relaxation, shifting gears and change of scenery are good for one's health - physical, mental and spiritual

There is no better time or setting for reconnecting with family and friends and renewing relationships.

A vacation is an opportunity to discover or rediscover oneself.

There's no better time to recharge and re-energize and to look forward with confidence and enthusiasm.

What makes a cruise the perfect vacation therapy? There's the ease of planning and the convenience of having a "home away from home" for the length of the trip, plus all-inclusive pricing that delivers excellent value. The diversity of cruise experiences means that there is a vacation for every taste, interest and budget. With more than 30 domestic ports of embarkation, millions of Americans are within driving distance of a cruise. And CLIA member lines are doing everything they can to create irresistible incentives. So take a cruise; it's good for you!

This promotion runs through August 31st and I will be posting more articles in the days ahead. Just contact your friendly neighborhood travel agent! I'm ready when you are!

Travel Channel Cruise Special With Samantha Brown

In an upcoming episode of the Travel Channel series, Samantha Brown’s Great Cruises, host Samantha Brown reunites with family and friends during an hour-long cruise special airing Saturday, June 13, at 10 p.m. on Travel Channel. In the episode, Samantha provides viewers with an inside look at her vacation aboard the Carnival Freedom. The program highlights her experience with the variety of facilities and features aboard the 110,000-ton “Fun Ship,” along with the many sites and attractions of its popular eastern Caribbean itinerary that includes St. Thomas, Antigua, Tortola/Virgin Gorda, Nassau and San Juan.

I was onboard the Carnival Freedom at Cruise3sixty. It is a beautiful ship and they serve a great steak! But unfortunately I didn't get to see Samantha Brown.

UPDATE: Samantha Brown has an article about her Carnival cruise on her own blog!

Father's Day is June 21st!

Give him the ultimate Father's Day Gift… a luxury Golf trip! Find amazing offers HERE!

CLIA STATEMENT ON THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION PANDEMIC ALERT PHASE 6

Fort Lauderdale June 11, 2009 —

The Cruise Lines International Association released the following statement in regards to the World Health Organization pandemic alert Phase 6:

"The World Health Organization's (WHO) decision to raise the current level of influenza pandemic alert from Phase 5 to Phase 6 reflects the spread of the disease, not the severity. WHO also continues to recommend no restrictions on travel. CLIA member lines already have instituted enhanced screening procedures on a global basis to help prevent the introduction and/or spread of Influenza A (H1N1) on board cruise ships. These procedures are working. We have coordinated these procedures with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and they are fully consistent with the CDC’s guidance for cruise ships aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. The safety of our passengers and crew is CLIA’s highest priority."

Don't stop cruising. It's still your best vacation value!

1st Annual Byram Swinging Bridge Festival!

Hello everybody! I hope your travel plans will include a trip to our first Swinging Bridge Festival in Byram on May 1st and May 2nd. It will be held at Southpointe Centre just off the frontage road on the east side of 1-55 behind Portabellas Restaurant. There will be a carnival, food vendors, live bands, a car show, a beauty pageant and lawnmower races! Friday night will be armband night at the carnival for $15. The lawnmower races are Saturday at 3:00 and yours truly will be trying to make it all go smoothly! I hope to see you there!

Swine Flu Cruise Line Update

As of today, April 28, 2009 Carnival, Princess Cruises, Holland America and Royal Carribean have all canceled their ports of call in Mexico due to the Swine flu outbreak. For today most of the ships just spent an extra day at sea.

For future cruises,check each cruise line website for the itinerary change.

Carnival Cruise Lines

Holland America Cruises

Princess Cruises

Royal Carribean

Norwegian Cruise Lines

For updates on the Swine Flu go to CDC.gov.

Swine Flu Outbreak in Mexico

From a travel agents perspective this is really bad for Mexico. Even if the swine flu outbreak is contained (and I pray that it will be) the tourism industry in Mexico will suffer even more than it already has due to concern over the drug war violence. The resort towns and tourist attractions were already relatively safe and Mexico was trying hard to get that word out. I have seen a flurry of e-mails in my inbox from travel vendors as they respond to the situation. Here is a sampling of articles from the media on the travel situation in Mexico:

Gov't advises against unnecessary travel to Mexico

Swine flu's impact on travel, hotels: Minimal today, but growing

Cruise lines: No plans to cancel calls in Mexico due to swine flu

This is a list of cancellation policies issued by the airlines:

CANCELLATION POLICIES
The swine flu outbreak is causing airlines to waive cancellation penalties on non-refundable tickets of fliers headed to, or from, Mexico.

AirTran
Through May 4, fliers may change flight dates or destination without penalty, or receive a credit that can be applied to a future flight.

Alaska
For tickets to Mexico through May 20, a change in flight dates or destination ispermitted without penalty. Or fliers may receive a credit that can be applied to afuture flight.

American
For tickets bought through April 24, a change in flight dates or destination is permittedwithout penalty. Or fliers may receive a credit that can be applied to a futureflight.

Continental
Through May 6, fliers may change flight dates or destination without penalty, orreceive a credit that can be applied to a future flight.

Delta
Through May 4, fliers may change dates or destination without penalty, or get a credit that can be applied to a future flight. If changing dates or destination, the ticket must be re-issued before May 13, and travel must begin before that date.

JetBlue
Through May 8, fliers may change dates or destination without penalty, or receivea credit that can be applied to a future flight.

United
Through May 6, fliers may change flight dates or destination without penalty, orreceive a credit that can be applied to a future flight.

US Airways
Through May 8, fliers may change travel dates up to 14 days before or after originaldeparture without penalty. Or they may apply value of unused ticket to a ticket to another destination; must depart within 7 days of original departure.

Source: Information gathered by USA TODAY from airlines

Speaking of Princess...

Princess Cruises Features 21 New Adventures Ashore for 2009 Alaska Season

Gourmet Feasts, Exhilarating Ziplines and Private Fishing Expedition Highlight Variety of New Options

I'm all over this one right here!

Wild Alaska Culinary Extravaganza (Icy Strait Point) – A culinary demonstration and hands-on cooking course where visitors can learn about the local seafood, with guidance on filleting and cooking fish such as salmon and halibut as well as how to cook, crack, clean and eat a crab with style. The excursion concludes with a family-style feast.

Dealing with an unexpected death on the road

No one expects to come home in a casket. But more Americans are. The number of claims made on death benefits by On Call International, a travel assistance service in Salem, N.H., has almost doubled in the last three years, rising from 125 claims in 2005 to 247 last year. Its numbers reflect a broader industry trend.

This is just in case you violate one of those laws in those other countries! But seriously, be prepared!

World's Strangest Laws

Driving shirtless, strolling in your swimsuit, or just forgetting to flush the loo: Here are some odd laws that can get you in trouble around the world...

My Dad would have gotten a ticket in Thailand for sure!

Alaska Wilderness Sale

New roundtrip Seattle cruisetours with Princess – incredible fares, free upgrades, and more! This is the offer you have been waiting for. Highlights include:
Convenient new roundtrip Seattle cruisetours, featuring a 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise and a land tour with stays at our two Denali-area wilderness lodges
Princess Direct-to-the-Wilderness same-day rail service between Princess wilderness lodges and the ship
Free stateroom upgrades and incredibly low fares
Airfare included between Seattle and Anchorage or Fairbanks at either the beginning or end of the cruisetour, meaning even more convenience for your clients who need only book travel to and from Seattle
Alaska’s top two attractions – Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park – on every cruisetour.

There are a lot of great Alaskan cruises But Princess Cruise Lines really goes the extra mile. Contact me for information and dare to explore Alaska!

Oddball Theme Cruises '09

Do fighting in a joust, jamming to your favorite polka band and trying to solve a murder sound like a typical leisurely cruise? For folks aboard theme cruises, they are getting exactly what they paid for. Whether you fancy astronomy, espionage or the ukulele, chances are there is a cruise out there for you.

Do you have an idea for a group cruise? Contact me and let's put one together!

Best Restaurants in New Orleans

Nothing, but nothing, has the power to spoil New Orleans’s appetite. The people of this city love to eat, and they eat it all—from simply fried oysters and perfectly dressed po’ boys to cutting-edge dishes served Cajun style. Here, a meal-by-meal primer of the Big Easy from a lucky visitor who came to eat and stayed to listen.

Just look at that shrimp po' boy! I gotta get me one!

Colleges warn students about Mexico travel

The U.S. State Department and universities around the country are warning college students headed for Mexico for some spring-break partying of a surge in drug-related murder and mayhem south of the border.
"We're not necessarily telling students not to go, but we're going to certainly alert them," said Tom Dougan, vice president for student affairs at the University of Rhode Island. "There have been Americans kidnapped, and if you go you need to be very aware and very alert to this fact."
The State Department stopped short of warning spring breakers not to go to Mexico, but advised them to avoid areas of prostitution and drug-dealing and take other commonsense precautions.

Top 10 Romantic Restaurants in the U.S.

...let’s face it, dinner with fine Champagne gains measurably in the romance department when you add in the moon, a lagoon and starlight. Still, the idea of a romantic dinner has changed over the last few decades; at the very least it’s become more casual and more dependent on landscape than interior design, although the two are not mutually exclusive.

You might not be able to travel to one of these restaurants but we do have our own fair share of fine restaurants right here in the Jackson area. And here is a great way to dine out more often with the one you love...

Live blogging from the Carnival Fantasy

USA Today's Gene Sloan is blogging live this week from the Carnival Fantasy. The 2,056-passenger vessel -- the first of eight Fantasy Class ships the line rolled out in the 1990s -- is one of the oldest in the Carnival fleet, but it's recently been given a new lease on life after a multi-million dollar "extreme makeover" that includes a new deck top water park.

The Carnival Fantasy is right in our own backyard in the port of New Orleans! You can see the pictures from our Fantasy cruise that were taken before the upgrades. Now we need to go on another cruise to check it out! Just remember that a Carnival cruise is your best vacation value! Contact me when you're ready to go.

Disney's New Service Makes Cruising with Babies a Snap

Disney Cruise Line will begin delivering baby supplies directly to guest staterooms on Disney Wonder and Magic, a new program that should ease the sometimes burdensome activity of cruising with infants. This is in addition to other child-friendly offerings onboard the line's two ships.
The new service will begin March 15 and families preparing to sail on Disney Cruise Line with babies will have access to an online service that allows them to order baby supplies in advance of their cruise and have them delivered to their stateroom. The new service is exclusive for Disney Cruise Line guests and provided by Babies Travel Lite, an online retailer offering more than 1,000 brand-name baby products including diapers, baby food, infant formula and specialty travel items.

Mardi Gras Season on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

The Mississippi Gulf Coast 2009 Mardi Gras season begins January 31 and ends February 24 on “Fat Tuesday”. Strictly speaking, Mardi Gras is the Tuesday before Lent, but in the weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday, Mississippi Gulf Coast Carnival Krewes participate in dozens of parades along the coast. Most of these parades occur on the weekends with Krewes throwing beads, doubloons, stuffed toys, candy, and many other "throws" to the crowds lining the parade routes!
To view a listing of all Mississippi Gulf Coast parades & event... CLICK HERE!

52 Great Weekend Getaways

Check out this article from Florida Travel + Life.

Our third annual list of easy escapes — one for every week of the year — includes the freshest crop of vacation ideas we've compiled to date.

Contact me when you're ready to go!

Inventor of the Hawaiian shirt dies

I like to keep my blog positive but I have some sad news to report. Alfred Shaheen has passed away. That's him in the black and white pic and the one on the left is me in one of his inspired creations. I like to think that he's looking at me and saying, "Man, that's a good looking shirt!" I would like to challenge everybody to wear their Hawaiian shirt this week and say Aloha to Al!

It Pays to Plan Ahead

Carnival Cruise Lines is launching an exciting new cruise pricing option called Early Saver which offers fares as much as 25 percent lower than the best generally available rates and provides rate protection if rates later drop below what the consumer originally paid. Early Saver further enhances the exceptional value of a Carnival cruise vacation.

Early Saver rates will be available beginning January 12, 2009 and offered up to three months prior to sailing date for cruises of five days or less and up to five months prior to sailing date for longer length voyages, subject to availability. Early Saver fares include all stateroom types, including suites. Read more about Early Saver here and contact me for details.

Five Big Changes Coming to Air Travel in 2009

Travelers, say good-bye to your plastic baggies and tiny bottles of shampoo. The 3-1-1 rule may be discontinued in 2009 as new X-ray technology is introduced at airports around the country. The new technology can detect differences between benign liquids such as hair gel or juice boxes and potentially dangerous liquids used in bombs.

You can read the article here.

Happy New Year!

I hope that this new year will be filled with the peace and happiness that you all deserve. Resolve today to make the coming year the very best year of your life.

Resolve today that you are going to set goals, make plans, take actions and achieve more in the coming year than perhaps you have ever accomplished in any one single year before. Just let me know when I can help you achieve those goals.

Here is a site with Inspirational Movies to help you stay focused on your dreams and your goals.

Obviously I hope your plans for the upcoming year includes a vacation. If you're on a budget this year you might consider a Resort Vacation Certificate for $379.

Wave Season is here and I will be posting more cruise specials as they are announced. Cruises are your best vacation value.

Another great family vacation destination is BRANSON which has specials year round.

You can book online but don't forget that you have ME! Your very own personal travel agent! I look forward to helping you plan your travel adventures in 2009!

More "More Good Stufff"

Look to the left under More Good Stuff and you will see I have added some important travel links including: World Time Zones, Passport Information, State Dept. Travel Warnings, Airline Fees and Flight Delay Information. Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood travel agent!

Save Money on Dinner!

From appetizers to dessert, from wine to dinner, restaurant owners promote the new and unique aspects of their restaurants while providing diners with great value in a fun, new and cost effective way.

Your favorite restaurant is in your neighborhood – maybe you just don't know it yet. It’s so easy. Just go to the EXTRA's tab, click on Food & Gifts and then Dining Out.

Just use our search to find a restaurant. Follow the instructions for purchasing a gift certificate and print it out. In minutes you're all set for a night out for less! This is a great way to try out new restaurants when you go on vacation!

Alaska Turns 50

The great state of Alaska celebrates 5o years of statehood in 2009! Almost everybody I know has Alaska on their travel wish list including me!

Watch this YouTube video to whet your appetite.

One of the best ways to see Alaska is on a CRUISE. There will be plenty of specials during Wave Season which runs from January to mid-March. Contact me for details.