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Destinations: The Caribbeans Favorite Foodie Island

Depending on what your level of interest is you can take leisurely walks or climb a glacier. There are small historical towns to large metropolitan cities. There are the wonder of the National Parks and the beauty of the ocean and its sea animals. Anywhere you go in Alaska you can experience a truly rustic adventure or shop, wine, dine, hike and spot wildlife. While doing any activity you will be able to experience the beauty of the landscapes and see the Alaskan native culture of the Eskimo’s.

The Alaska cruises are offered yearly from mid-May through to mid-September. So come and enjoy all that is offered in Alaska.

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Experience An Alaskan Cruise Vacation

1. Germany

2. Santa Fe, New Mexico USA

3. Singapore

4. Tampa, FL USA

5. Iceland

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USA Today Top 5 List Of Top 2010 Travel Destinations

Here is a link to a pictorial of some of the ‘ World Heritage Sites‘ as listed by UNESCO in no particular order. If you have had the opportunity to actually visit and see any of these, you’ll understand that a picture is good, but to feel and experience being there, at any of these locations is an unbelievable blessing.

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Wonders Of The World – There Are More Than Seven!

Traditional dining is when a set time and table are assigned to cruise passengers for their evening meals in the main dining room. Specialty dining is a program where cruisers can choose a specialty restaurant, such as a steak house but must pay a small cover charge per person. The specialty dining restaurants require reservations and they are a smaller, more intimate dining experience.

The ‘My Time Dining’ enables passengers to eat in the main dining room any time they like during the evenings maining dining times. Along with the ‘My Time Dining’ Royal Caribbean is also introducing a similar program for family’s cruising together with children. This new program is called ‘My Family Time Dining’. All these programs enhance the dining experience on board of all Royal Caribbeans ships to meet every cruisers needs and wants. Since dining is such a big part of a cruise experience for passengers, Royal Caribbean is just rolling out the red carpet for everyone!

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Dining Like Royalty On Your Own Time

American’s love Disney and American Idol, so this new Disney venture is a match made in Hollywood heaven. The brand new American Idol attraction opened officially on February 14, 2009 at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fl.

This new attraction was designed to immerse the audiences in what will feel like the real live television show. Each show takes place in a 1000 seat theater that is a replica of the American Idol set in California. The audience the gets to audition guests as they take the spotlight on stage. Fellow Walt Disney World guest then get to cheer on their favorite guest and vote instantly for their favorite singer.

Disney's American Idol Attraction

The American Idol experience begins with singers age 14 years and older who get to audition at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Audition spots are limited so arrive early! These guest then get to perform live in front of a Disney’s Hollywood Studio casting director for the chance to be chosen to perform live in one of the theme park shows that very same day. The guest that have shown ‘STAR’ quality are then treated to a vocal coach, hair and make-up ….then it is showtime!

The singers perform life in front of other theme park guest plus a panel of three expert judges, just like the real American Idol show.  The audience via instant voting chooses who will return to the grand finale show that same evening. After all the votes are tallied then the days top singer is choose and a blizzard of confetti is released to celebrate the singers win.

Besides to being chosen as a Disney American Idol Theme Park winner, the top vote winner will also receive an American Idol Experience Dream Ticket, which allows the ticket holder to schedule a front-of-the-line audition to a future regional audition for the real American Idol television show.

Since I personally can’t carry a tune in a bucket this sound like it could be a really fun show to watch and see who could be on the show for the next season. Good luck to all of you American Idol hopefuls for the real television show or for the Disney Hollywood Studio’s attraction….

You’re going to Hollywood Baby! Well Disney Hollywood Studios, at least!

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The Stage Curtain Rises on Disney’s New American Idol Attraction

But I digress. Tangier is on the African side of the strait of Gibraltar less than 20 miles from Spain. Tangier is Morocco’s main northern port and it has been a cross roads between Africa and Europe for centuries.

Those old black and white movies told of this area being a refuge for smugglers, secret agents and adventurers really is true. Tangier is also a thriving artist colony and a new exciting mecca for tourist. There are now several boutique hotels, many restaurants and one of the kind shops and markets.

This is also a favorite for cruise ships because Tangier remains enticingly exotic with its Kashba, walled gardens and minarets rising silently above the city’s whitewashed walls and houses. The bay still sparkles and I am sure everyone can find a smoke filled bar, with a tinny sounding piano playing a somewhat familiar and strangely haunting song.

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Destination Tangier Morocco

Though bougainvillea grows abundantly all over the Caribbean, I can’t say I ever saw the colors as resplendent as I had on Turks and Caicos when I went there for the first time a few years ago. The sand seemed whiter and softer than any I had walked on in a long time, the air sweeter, fresher and unpolluted. When we gazed from the beaches out to the sea, it was hard to tell where the clear ocean blue water stopped and the cloudless sky began. Now I have been accused of waxing poetic before, but I swear I am telling the truth! The water was so pale blue it was as if it was clear and sparkling. The beaches we visited were loaded with only mile after mile of powdery soft sand, seashells and sea glass (which I now have a collection started, so I have to go back!).

I am not a diver, but I do snorkel and I have snorkeled all over the world – we saw an abundance of fish (don’t forget your underwater camera like I did!). I understand from the people that we rented our snorkeling gear from, that divers call this island area an Eden due to all the vast reefs. I have learned since then, that it supports one of the world’s largest coral reef systems.

Since the major cruise lines were only offered access since 2006 this is a new and wonderful port to add to your next cruise or land vacation.

Shhhhh…don’t tell anyone I told you this  – we don’t want anyone to spoil the secret!

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Shhh…don’t tell anyone about one of the Caribbeans best kept secrets.

If you are visiting Boston, make sure you see the harbor. You will delight in the tall ships that moor there, then stroll along the piers and visit the famed Charlestown Naval Shipyard and enjoy a tour of the USS Constitution. Make your way over to the Boston Tea Party Museum and learn about our countries struggles against the British and all that led up to our independence.

For some shopping and dining a stop at Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market is a must. This to me is hard to describe because of all that it has to offer. It has the feel of an open air market with the food and flower vendors, then add all the boutique shops, antique stores to find treasures and the wonderful varied restaurants. Plan on a few hours here because there is so much to see and do.

If you want to walk in the path of forefather take a walk on the Freedom Trail. This is a 2.5 walking trail with many historical sites to stop and visit along the way. There are Freedom Trail players who will act as tour guides and act out historical scenes along the way. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes for this tour but be ready to delighted to have history leap off the pages of your old school books and come alive.

There are 12 National Parks within a 30 mile radius of downtown Boston and are great for all ages. I could write pages and pages of all the things that can be done in and around Boston. For more information visit www.bostonusa.com , www.Boston.com or www.cityofboston.gov .

If you choose to visit Boston either before or after your cruise you are sure to enjoy all this historic city has to offer. The Boston Cruise terminal, also known as the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, is just a few miles away from Boston’s Logan Airport. Driving either from the north or the south to the Boston Cruise terminal is fairly straight forward. Exact directions can be found on the Massport website at www.massport.com . Parking fees at the cruise terminal is approximately $15.00 per day in a secure parking area.

There are 15 cruise lines that offer some sort of cruise out of the Boston Cruise Terminal. There are small ships for day long excursions along the eastern seaboard or several larger cruises lines that offer travelers their choice of destinations for their cruise vacation. The larger cruise lines typically have a season to cruise from Boston due to the Atlantic seas often get too rough during the winter months. The typical cruise season for Boston runs from April to November of each year.

Below is a sample of what is available on the larger cruise lines to enjoy a cruise vacation departing from Boston. These cruises typically are 5, 7 to 10 day cruises and run continually during the cruise season.

Holland America: Canada and New England

Norwegian Cruise Line: Bermuda and the Caribbean

Royal Caribbean International: Canada and New England; the Caribbean

Other cruise lines that have cruises during the year but not on a regular schedule are Celebrity, Carnival, Crystal, Cunard, Princess and Seabourn. These cruise lines offer a mix of destinations from Canada & New England, Bermuda, the Caribbean and Europe.

So all of you cruisers in New England, you can still cruise to many destinations and depart from your own backyard, with just a few hours of driving and a single tank of gas.

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Travel on a Tankful – Cruise from your own Backyard- Boston

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Incredible Ice and Snow Sculpures

Some highlights of this Pacific Northwest city you want to make sure you don’t miss are Pike Place Market, The Original Starbucks Store, Pioneer Square, The Space Needle, The Seattle Waterfront and Lake Union.

There is something for everyone to do like enjoy taking a ferry ride through Puget Sound and make a day of it, so you can stop at some of the varied island that host some wonderful art galleries, museums, shops and quaint dining.

You can go whale watching, visit a local winery or go sightseeing on a seaplane. An exciting adventure awaits you when you visit Seattle!

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Destination – Seattle, Washington