This will be another treat for visitors to the Caribbean and will help create a revival of the cocoa plantations which are spread out within the Caribbean islands. The Caribbean products are indigenous to the Caribbean , so this is a sweet deal for everyone…the locals for more jobs, the tourist for s sweet way to enjoy the Caribbean sun, sand and sea and for the revival of the historic cocoa plantations of past.

Sounds like a sweet deal for everyone. This will also be a fun shore excursion for cruise ship passengers as well.

Travel Lady Cruises, always providing you with TLC!

St. Lucia Is Getting Sweeter By Adding Chocolate

Celebrity is renowned for it’s world class amenities, dining and entertainment. Cruise clients can enjoy being pampered like never before.

The ship will sail from Baltimore to the Caribbean from November to the beginning of February 2010. The itineraries will be a selection of Bahamas, Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean ports.

So leave the snow, ice and cold behind and cruise from Baltimore, Maryland…it just doesn’t get any better than that,with just a short trip from home to sail from your own back yard. This just may our best winter ever in the Baltimore/Washington DC area!

Travel Lady Cruises, always providing you with TLC!

A Celebrity Raises The Heat In Baltimore Harbor

This year with the economy on everyone’s mind, be cost conscious is a good thing and saving on the cost of air fare will allow travelers more money to enjoy their vacation, not spending money just to get there and back.

There are now four cruise lines offering cruises from the Baltimore Cruise Pier. They are Celebrity, Norwegian, Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Right now Carnival Cruise Lines is the only cruise line that is available year around from Baltimore with its ship the Carnival Pride.  The Carnival Pride will be offering 6 & 7 day Caribbean cruises year around beginning with their April 27th, 2009 cruise.

Norwegian returns to Baltimore on May 24th, 2009, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines will be arriving June 19th, 2009 and Celebrity arrives November  9th, 2009.  The cruise itineraries will include New England and Canada, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. All four cruise lines will be departing from Baltimore’s South Locust Point Cruise Terminal. There is plenty of parking available at the cruise port for those who will be enjoying all the surrounding sites.

So you’ve planned your cruise vacation from Baltimore but you want to see the area before or after your cruise, What is there to do in Baltimore? Baltimore is enriched with a lot of history, cultural attractions, family fun and more. There is the Inner Harbor in Baltimore which hosts all kids of shops, restaurants,museums, historical sites and even the National Aquarium.

Add Washington DC which is just a 30-45 minute drive away, you could fill your days and nights and still not see everything there is to see in this area.  Washington DC, besides being the Capital of the United States also lays in the midst of the original 13 colonies and the middle area of the Civil War conflict, so historically speaking, the Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland area are steeped in history, have every imaginable museum, boasts some of the most wonderful art gallery’s and so much more that it would take pages and pages to write everything down.

If you live in the area, you probally don’t take advantage as many of us do to explore all there is in this area of the country. So if you do plan to cruise out of Baltimore, research and plan one stop at least and enjoy what Baltimore and the surround areas have to offer for your next vacation.

Travel Lady Cruises, always providing you with TLC!

Travel On A Tankful – Cruising from Baltimore, Maryland

This does assist the cruise lines as well that the ships will sail out fuller due to more people will be able to have access to additional sailings from the United States. Often in high peak travel times such as holidays and summer travel time, cruise passengers have not been able to cruise out of a port closer to home due to a shortage of inventory because of ships departing from international ports.

The US ports that will be seeing an increase of cruise options will be San Juan, Puerto Rico; Miami, FL; Baltimore, MD; Charleston, SC; and San Diego, CA.

So enjoy cruising even more from your own back yard and enjoy more cruise options from US ports.

Travel Lady Cruises, always providing you with TLC!

More Ships Cruising From US Ports in 2009

There are restaurants galore, many that have been a part of Philadelphia for decades and some for a century. Of course Philadelphia is well known for it’s Philly Cheese steak sandwich a true city favorite and many boast that they have the real deal and they do!

You can feel the history of Philadelphia but the whole city is alive with beautiful gardens, modern buildings, outside art work and superb restaurants and legendary pubs. If you stay before or after your cruise, make sure you stay at least 2-3 days to see the most of this wonderful city.

The Cruise terminal in Philadelphia serves over 93,000 people during the cruise season. Currently Norwegian Cruise Lines offers cruises to Bermuda, tropical Caribbean and New England from April to October each year. The current cruise terminal is located in the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Travel Lady Cruises, always providing you with TLC!

Travel on a Tankful – cruise from your own backyard – Philadelphia

There are many cruise ports around the United States. I will be highlighting each and every port plus adding some additional items you can do before or after your cruise to extend your vacation. Many people will be surprised at how close there is a cruise port nearby to where they live. Driving just a few hours vs. taking a flight will save on your cruise vacation and learn some of the exciting things there are to do in your own back yard.

United States Cruise Ports:

Boston, MA

Manhattan, NY

Brooklyn, NY

Bayonne, NJ

Philadelphia, PA

Baltimore, MD

Norfolk, VA

Charleston, SC

Jacksonville, FL

Port Canaveral, FL (near Orlando)

Fort Laurderdale, FL

Miami, FL

Tampa, FL

Mobile, AL

New Orleans, LA

Galveston, TX

Houston, TX

San Diego, CA

Los Angeles, CA

San Francisco, CA

Seattle, WA

Whittier, AK

Seward, AK (near Anchorage)

Honolulu, HI

Some of these cruise ports have departures seasonally due to weather and sea conditions. Each cruise port offers secure parking if you are driving your own vehicle to the pier. The average cost of parking at any port ranges from $9-$15 per day. It is always best to check ahead of your travel time to verify the parking cost since they are subject to change.

Another option to traveling to a cruise port is Amtrak or by bus. I will be highlighting these two modes of transportation in the future as an alternate way to get to another cruise port

Travel Lady Cruises, always providing you with TLC!

Travel on a Tankful – Cruise from your own back yard

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.

Travel Lady Cruises, always providing you with TLC!

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

Well worry no more! In the following days and weeks I will be highlighting the many ports in the USA where you can cruise from, what cruise lines sail from what ports, what dates the sailings are and what the destinations the ships are sailing to.

I’ll also offer unique and different suggestions as to how to get to the cruise ports and save your hard earned cash. There will even be destinations besides for cruises to visit.

So take your vacation and relax, you have worked hard for your time off and you deserve it.

My first quick suggestion is for singles, couples or families. For a fun day trip many state parks are available to visit for large parts of the year, if not year around in some areas. Most state parks have fees that are less that $20.00 per visit or you can get a seasonal pass. There is always something to do or see at a state park and there are many located within each state. So pack a bag lunch and enjoy yourselves outdoors with Mother Nature. These state parks can be enjoyed any day of the week, so even if you are looking for a day trip on a weekend you can enjoy all that nature has to offer. Some state parks offer evening events like movies and shows so check them out to see what is happening. To find all the state parks in your area visit their web site at www.stateparks.com or www.iloveparks.com or for National State Parks visit www.nps.gov . See you all on the trails!

Travel Lady Cruises, always providing you with TLC!

Travel on a Tankful – Cruises from your own Backyard