family cruise vacation ideas

Family Fun at Sea With MSC Cruises and Kids Sail Free

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: cruises, family, free, fun, kids, msc, sail, sea — libertees @ 1:02 am November 4, 2011

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (October 7, 2009) – For the perfect vacation that combines a family escape with the desire to discover new places, MSC Cruises has it all.

Plus, kids ages 17 and under sail free on all MSC Cruises’ itineraries when sharing a stateroom with two full-fare-paying adults.

On each MSC Cruises sailing, our friendly staff caters to the specific needs of all ages – including the youngest guests. Each ship has cheerful, colorful, safe play areas. MSC Cruises’ ships are kid friendly, offering daily entertainment and plenty of space for running, exploring, diving, swimming and playing.

Special activity leaders organize age-appropriate fun activities, with ages 3-6 in the Mini Club, 7-12 in the Juniors Club, and 13-17 in the Teenagers Club. MSC Cruises also offers a Teen’s Card. This personalized card, which can be used like a credit/cruise card, allows children ages 12-17 to spend nominal amounts of money on board.

Each card comes with a bonus amount. In the Caribbean, a $30 card purchase comes with a $5 bonus (a total card value of $35); a $50 card purchase comes with $10 bonus, for a total value of $60. In the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, a €30 card comes with a €5 bonus, making it a €35 card, and a €50 card comes with a €10 bonus, making it a €60 card.

Parents and kids will be delighted with the children’s menus. In addition to Italian favorites like pasta and pizza, there are all-American favorites such as hamburgers and hot dogs and numerous tantalizing pastries and desserts.

Knowing the youngsters are with the expert staff, parents can relax and enjoy the sun or the pool, or unwind with a Turkish bath, an aromatic massage or a session at the fitness center.

Cruise-only rates begin at $349 per person, double occupancy for a 7-night Caribbean cruise and $549 per person, double occupancy for a 7-night cruise in Europe. Government fees and taxes for all guests are additional.

Become a fan on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Watch us on You Tube. For more information about MSC Cruises, visit www.MSCCruisesUSA.com or your local travel professional.

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About MSC Cruises:

MSC Cruises has the most modern fleet in the world with ten ships: MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia (the largest ships built for a European ship owner), MSC Poesia, MSC Orchestra, MSC Musica, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Armonia, MSC Opera, MSC Lirica and MSC Melody. The fleet cruises year round in the Mediterranean and seasonally in Northern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, North America and Canada, South America, the Indian Ocean, South and West Africa. MSC Magnifica launches in 2010. MSC Cruises recently forged a three-year, million-dollar partnership with UNICEF to fund a community project in Brazil while increasing awareness of this cause onboard its ships.

Press author for Mediterranean Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Bill Ospring brings news of MSC to cruise fans. Topics vary from MSC in the industry, new ships, and deals for cruises to the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Europe and theme cruise packages.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/cruising-articles/family-fun-at-sea-with-msc-cruises-and-kids-sail-free-1380214.html

Ten Travel Advice For Parents With Little Kids

Filed under: travel — Tags: advice, kids, Little, Parents, travel — libertees @ 5:08 pm September 3, 2010

Holidays are just around the corner. If you are a parent traveling with kids, your trips is potential for trouble? It can be nerve-racking, right? Not if you know how to organize and deal with it.

Here are ten effective steps for parents going on trips with their munchkins:

1. Before actually packing, preparing, and getting ready to travel, the solution to a less stressful tour with your toddler is to arrange and get organized as much as you can. Getting prepared involves having lists as nothing beats having it planned and reviewable in a small pad or some organizer.

2. Make a list of things to buy. When on the plane, you are permitted to bring stuff up to a definite extent and principally with food these days, there are lots of precautionary issues. Place those seemingly petty products in your list of groceries and check it off.

3. Jot down all the stuff that you put in your bags as well as the things that you have packed for your children.

4. Have a suitcase for all of the traveling children meant for the airplane ride. Also, you may want to pack a bag for each of your kids to carry.

5. The objects that are put inside your little kids’ carry bags are supposed to be entertaining, inexpensive, and not heavy for your kids to bring with them. The idea here is to have things that will keep the kids engaged or interested while on the airplane – examples of these are writing materials, small toys, books, and even a small colorful bracelet.

6. Never forget to put your name and phone number on each and every luggage, including your children’s bags.

7. Prepare a “surprise bag” for the children on the airplane. Do not bring out any object in that “surprise bag” or expose anything about that special bag to the children before the exact instance of the plane ride. The objects inside that “surprise bag” are the stuff you have personally selected; the things that you know that will grab your children’s interest while on the trip. As the name itself implies, it will be a luggage that will be a complete surprise for young ones once on the plane.

8. Ready-to-eat snacks for your children must always be handy.

9. Beverage containers commonly provided by airlines and other establishments are crude and may easily tip over. This is flirting with disaster. So, make sure that you carry a sippy cup with you. Having a sippy cup with you, you can transfer drinks onto it, thus decreasing your worries of spillage and potential mess.

10. You should dress your kids with comfortable clothing. Do not make them wear special clothing that you would like grandma to see them in. Many things can take place in an airplane and they are kids for crying out loud.

Most importantly, have your travels insured especially when traveling with your family. If your family will have several travels in a span of one year, you can avail annual family travel insurance to save money on travel insurance. Always keep in mind that you can only get the best family holiday insurance if you do an extensive travel insurance comparison so shop around for great deals!

Troy Benning is a recognized expert in the field of home and travel insurance.

To get all your questions about Travel Insurance answered, visit TravelInsuranceFacts.net. The site offers useful insights and lots of Travel Insurance tips. You can also get the best Travel Insurance Comparison there.

Travel insurance Australia is also included in the website.

Where to Travel With Kids on a Budget

Filed under: Cruise Deals — Tags: budget, kids, travel — libertees @ 2:19 pm July 17, 2010

Where to Travel With Kids on a Budget

Of course you can travel just about anywhere with your kids on a budget. Like any travel experience on a budget you need to research and plan well to make the most of your travel dollar. Many places, however, are family or kid friendly and will throw in added extras for the children. So whether you intend traveling at home or abroad, look for places that will cater to your family’s needs.

 

RV trips are a great way to travel on a budget. In fact, traveling with a car is almost essential for families. It is usually cheaper than buying rail passes or catching taxis everywhere. But more importantly, it gives you that ‘door to door’ freedom that is necessary when traveling with kids.

 

If you are traveling overseas, have you considered staying in a hostel with your family? This is a much cheaper option than staying in hotels and many hostels are family friendly and have no age limit (except in Bavaria where you can’t be older than twenty six). You can request a room with enough bunk beds to accommodate your family and you can cook your meals in the communal kitchen. Huge savings to be made!

 

In the USA there are many places to travel with your family on a budget. Consider these options:

1. Camping. The cheapest option around for any travel adventure. Many campsites have activities for kids and if you don’t like the idea of staying in a tent, many places have cabins to rent that are still cheaper than a hotel room. Camping gets you up close and personal with nature and gets the kids outside and running around.

2. What about spending some time at a Working Farm or Dude Ranch? Look around for reasonably priced holidays at these destinations and you will find plenty of activities and atmosphere for kids and adults alike.

3. Head to Disneyland in off peak season for big savings.

4. The same can be said for traveling to Hawaii. Check the packages available in low season and see how affordable it is.

5. You’ll also find some excellent deals in traveling to Mexico. Go for all-inclusive resorts, especially in the low season.

 

What about if you want to travel overseas? Where are some good places to take the kids on a budget?

* Although Australia is a long way away and can be a bit pricey to get there, it is a very child-friendly place with lots of cost saving adventures to be had for the kids. Australian off peak is different from North America so do some research. 

* Europe can be done on a budget with kids. Pick your destinations with the kids in mind. Get them involved in your itinerary. Stay in hostels and travel by car. You’ll be amazed at how much you save and how much you see.

* Some island resorts are very child friendly. In Fiji there are resorts where children under twelve stay and eat for free. Do your research!

* How about a family cruise? Cruises are great because they are all-inclusive, cater for families and you get to explore lots of places. There are some good family package deals to be found with most cruise companies.

 

So get planning and get packed. Plan your family vacation and check out the deals available. Going off peak is the best way to save money. If you are going to take the kids out of school buy them a journal so they can record their experiences. It’s amazing how much they’ll learn by traveling with their family.

 

This article is brought to you by: Stuart S. Travel – Your Online Travel Guru

www.stuartstravel.com

Stuart S. Travel / Your All World Online Travel Guru:

Sherry Hardesty has been a professional flight attendant for over 15 years. Her experience is extensive and she provides professional travel consulting and booking services at http://www.stuartstravel.com

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Travel Packing Guidelines For Easiness Vacation Concerns

When planning a vacation there are many topics that a traveler runs through. In regards to packing this is often one among the most overlooked or simplified topics related to vacation travel. Travel packing tips are plentiful and should be heeded by experienced and inexperienced travelers alike so they less likely to experience the troubles while traveling.

When planning a nice vacation, finding helpful travel advice is a crucial step. Travel packing tips can facilitate to spot the tiny issues that may be compounded to affect the expertise of a happy vacation. Be awake to the load restrictions several airlines have with regard to baggage is the first of the travel advice tips to heed. Several people have specific needs they have to have when traveling and the ability to bring those items become restricted when bags weight may be a factor.

The starting weight of their empty bag could be a major factor that a lot of travelers overlook when selecting luggage. You can severely injury your packing availability if a bag weighs forty pounds and your max ability to hold is seventy pounds. One of the top travel packing tips is to pick out luggage that’s durable however lightweight so a personal has the ability to pack what they require.

The next of the travel packing tips is to analysis the numerous airlines or travel transportation agencies you’ll be utilizing. Identify the specific restrictions these companies have on luggage thus that you are not met by the unfortunate surprise of additional fees. A smart piece of travel recommendation is to test your baggage prior to leaving for your destination.

Bear in mind that baggage weight is often more than simply the burden of the baggage however will also be suffering from the scale of the bag and the number of luggage you’re traveling with. When you are 1st packing to travel to your destination try not to max out the burden related to the luggage, another piece of travel advice to remember. Souvenirs can solely augment the load of the bag, thus keep in mind that when you’re on vacation you often pick up items to assist remember the trip. This additional weight on maxed out luggage can cause baggage fees at the tail finish of your trip, putting a bitter close to your happy vacation.

There are travel packing tips that apply specifically to kids for the families who travel for vacation. Remembering to bring clothes and supplies are easy for any parent to recollect, but, an usually overlooked factor is that the entertainment issue connected to travel time. Participate in the child’s decision on toy entertainment may be a wonderful piece of travel recommendation for parents.

Try to bring toys that do not produce a heap of noise and need little parental attention to ease the comfort of your traveling companions. Also, electronic games and DVD entertainment units are nice to distract youngsters from the time related to travel however remember to bring headphones to limit the noise to the individual utilizing the equipment.

To discover additional helpful tips associated with travel abroad and overseas travel visit www.triphip.com.

Planning A Cruise Vacation For The Perfect Cruise Experience

Filed under: cruise — Tags: activities, advice, agent, air, airfare, alaska, anna, anywhere, art, ask, away, bay, beautiful, best, better, between, board, book, Books, Border, boutiques, built, but, call, car, caribbean, Casino, center, Check, children, choice, choose, choosing, consider, cooking, could, cruise, cruisers, cruises, cruising, Cuba, culture, da, day, days, destination, destinations, different, direct, Diving, Eastern, embark, end, enjoy, europe, eve, exciting, excursion, Excursions, expect, Expense, experience, explore, facilities, family, fare, Following, fort, four, free, fun, getaway, going, great, guide, has, heat, here, home, honeymoon, honeymooners, hopping, hot, hotel, hotels, ice, idea, ideas, inc, individual, Internet, island, islands, jersey, Just, kaya, kids, la, land, las, last, lauderdale, le, like, line, lines, live, long, lose, low, Major, making, many, Marketing, markets, married, may, Mean, men, Miami, money, moon, my, nation, near, need, needs, new, night, not, ny, ocean, offer, offered, offers, old, onboard, only, Order, pa, pack, package, packages, part, Pays, perfect, person, personal, plan, plane, planning, Port, ports, Practical, reach, red, rent, reserve, Review, Reviews, rica, ride, right, roman, romantic, sail, save, Scuba, sea, Seattle, see, service, seven, ship, Shop, shopping, Shore, should, site, sites, Size, Software, Source, south, spa, Speak, spend, Star, Start, Still, style, summer, sure, taking, than, think, three, through, time, tip, tips, travel, travelers, two, type, types, up, vacation, vacations, visit, Want, war, Washington, way, website, wedding, weekend, Western, where, while, will, win, winter, world — libertees @ 5:01 pm June 15, 2010

Cruise vacations are one of the most exciting and fun vacations you and your family will ever have. Planning your cruise vacation is the key to making the most of the cruise experience.

Cruise ships are floating hotels that sail through ocean while you enjoy all the hotel’s amenities provided. They have casinos, swimming pools, theaters, restaurants, shopping centers or boutiques, spas, gyms and more.

As great as taking a vacation on cruise ships may seem, you still need to know how to plan a cruise ship vacation properly so you have the perfect cruise experience. You need to know about the different types of packages the cruise lines offer.

When planning a cruise ship vacation you need to know how to choose one that will meet your expectation or tailor to your needs. Here are some guidelines that you can follow to plan your cruise travel and enjoy the perfect cruise experience:

Think of who you want to take with you on your cruise vacation. There are many different packages offered by cruise lines. There are packages for the whole family and there are packages for single travelers.

Will you be taking the cruise vacation with children? Maybe you will take your significant other for a romantic getaway. There are cruise ships that are tailored for children and there are cruise lines that cater to single cruisers and honeymooners. There are even some ships that offer wedding services. What could be better than to get married on the ship and have your honeymoon built in?

Decide how long you want to cruise. If you just want to try it out, opt for a three day cruise. Normally, cruises start at three nights and can go anywhere from seven to fourteen days. But there are also world cruises that can last as long as three months. My advice is if you are going to cruise in Europe you should pick a fourteen day cruise because of the expense and long plane rides to get to your port of embarkation. If you live near a port and you just want to take a long weekend choose of three or four day cruise. Decide what cruise travel is best for you.

Choose the perfect destination for you and your family. Alaska is beautiful but can only be cruised in the summer months. If you live in the colder climes you may want to take a mid winter cruise to the Caribbean or even South America. If you want your cruise travel to be in the Caribbean and you want to spend two weeks on your cruise vacation, choose a line that alternates between the Eastern and Western Caribbean. This cruise vacation takes you to many different islands.

The cruise lines have a variety of destinations to choose from. Visit your cruise travel agent to go over the different itineraries or check out the individual websites of the cruise lines.

Consider the port of departure. Since 9/11 cruises have been emphasizing home port cruising. Now there are many cruises that depart from Bayonne, New Jersey, Galveston, Texas, or Seattle, Washington, not just Miami and Fort Lauderdale.. Depart from the one closest to you and you will save money on expensive airfare.

Speak to a knowledgeable cruise travel agent. Make sure they have personally sailed on many different cruise ships so they can give you an honest opinion on what each cruise line has to offer and which would give you the perfect cruise experience.
A cruise travel agent will also be able to supply you with cruise tips. Scour the cruise reviews for additional cruise tips.

Large cruise lines have a variety of activities and facilities that you can use on the ship. If you like to gamble then choosing a cruise ship with casinos is probably right for you. Or if you are taking your kids with you, a cruise ship that offers activities and facilities for children would be the best choice for your cruise travel. For instance, Disney is, of course, geared toward children but they do not have casinos. So if you are taking the family but you want to gamble steer away from Disney and choose one of the other major cruise lines. Almost all of them have children’s programs. If you don’t want to be on a ship with children sail on one of the fancier lines that don’t cater to children. Here, again, it pays to read as many cruise reviews as you can to pick up additional cruise tips.

Cruise vacations do not necessarily mean that you have to spend all your vacation time onboard. All the cruise ships offer land and shore excursions. The cruise lines offer pre and post cruise land vacations usually for two or three days.

Land excursions are a great way to explore different cultures and destinations when taking a cruise vacation. You can choose from many activities once you reach a port of call. You can go kayaking, scuba diving or go shopping in the markets of the ports of call.

Following these guidelines will give you some ideas on planning your cruise vacation properly. Proper planning will give you a more exciting cruise experience.

Happy Cruising!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Mary Hanna has traveled the world by Air and Ship while writing eBooks, Software Reviews and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: http://www.CruiseGold.com http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com and http://www.CruisingTips.com

Carnival Cruising Deals

A Carnival cruise ship is literally a floating resort with plush accommodations, first class restaurants, spas, and shopping experiences. Carnival cruise ‘Fun ships’ sail from many ports to over 60 destinations, including Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, the Panama Canal, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada and New England, even to Europe. For those wanting to see Alaska, Carnival cruise lines sail to Glacier Bay and both Northbound and Southbound Alaska. For those wishing to hobnob with old tales of pirates and treasure in the blue Caribbean, ports in the Eastern, Southern and Western Caribbean are ripe for the plucking. Carnival cruise trips to Mexico sail to Baja and the Mexican Riviera and the Bermuda leg offers a Cruise to Nowhere, if you’re daring enough.

Carnival cruise lines offer both standard and luxury appointments, providing a first class sailing experience for budget travelers or those with bottomless pockets. The finest in dining, entertainment and travel ports of call are the best that a cruise line has to offer, and Carnival cruise vacations have one of the highest user ratings of major cruise lines. Carnival cruise lines don’t just offer great destinations however, but moderately priced cabins for singles or families. Don’t even think about having to sleep on an uncomfortable bunk or berth either, because Carnival cruise lines have installed ‘Carnival Comfort Bed’ sleep systems in all the ships in their globe-trotting fleet. The younger crowd is kept entertained with the new Carnival cruise ‘Club 02′, designed specifically for travelers between the ages of 15 and 17. It’s the new ‘hot spot’ on the ship for those who don’t want to hang out with the parents but want to make friends, dance to the latest music and play video games. The club is staffed with fun and energetic employees who know what your kids want and how to offer it to them.

Want to bring your golf clubs along? Carnival cruise lines offer a V1 Digital Coaching System that will help cure any ailment to your golf swing from the convenience of the ship deck so that you’ll be ready to play once you hit the ports. No matter what you like to do, Carnival cruise personnel will try to provide it for you. Day and night time entertainment keeps passengers enthralled and happy between ports of call, with dancing, singing, and other venues geared for all age groups and tastes.

A Carnival cruise adventure offers events and event planning help if you have special needs or larger groups of people in your traveling party. Online, Carnival cruise lines offer tips, suggestions, and messages posted from other Carnival cruise adventures. The Carnival cruise line’s official website is easy to navigate and offers answers to just abut any question that could possibly be asked about the Carnival cruise vacation experience.

The Author is an expert writer for various travel writing such as kingfisher airlines, kingfisher Booking and Kingfisher red

Travel Deals: “It’s a Garage Sale Out There!” Part II

Filed under: travel — Tags: activities, advantage, Afford, Affordable, air, airfare, Airline, airlines, airport, allow, amazing, american, Amount, amp, ana, around, art, ask, back, bars, beach, before, best, between, big, board, book, booking, Border, Bottom, break, budget, but, call, Cancun, car, caribbean, Charge, charges, charter, charters, cheap, Check, children, cities, compare, Cost, cruise, da, day, deal, deals, Design, die, different, dining, Dont, down, end, eve, Every, Extra, fall, families, family, fare, Fast, few, fill, five, fly, food, four, free, frequent, front, fun, going, Golf, good, growing, has, having, here, holiday, hot, hotel, ice, inc, Include, inclusive, increase, information, inn, Just, kids, kit, la, las, le, lead, life, like, line, lines, list, look, low, mad, made, Major, many, may, Mean, men, mini, modern, money, mount, must, my, need, needs, new, next, night, not, ny, offer, Option, options, Order, pa, palace, part, perfect, person, plan, plane, Port, Price, Profit, questions, rate, Rates, ready, real, really, red, rent, republic, resort, resorts, rica, right, rooms, Running, sale, saving, Savings, sea, seas, season, see, Seen, Sell, service, ship, Shop, site, sites, Size, spa, special, Specific, spend, spending, spring, Star, Start, stay, Still, style, Suit, suite, Suites, summer, sure, taking, target, than, thing, think, thinking, three, through, time, top, tour, tours, travel, traveling, Tremendous, Trend, trip, two, Under, up, Used, using, vacation, vacations, valid, Want, war, way, ways, Well, where, will, win, year, Years — libertees @ 5:00 pm June 12, 2010

Just when I thought we had hit bottom (travel deals, I mean), the rates are getting lower!  I have outlined the best deals I have seen through out the Caribbean, airfare sale and a special Tahiti deal that will blow your mind!

This is a MUST READ if you are thinking of taking the family on vacation between now and next Fall.

There are more kids stay free deals than ever seen before. I also notice the additional costs for upgrading to suites or having connecting rooms are being cut up to 60%!

Another change I notice is the increase in resort and cruise credits.
Cruise ships always made their real profit by what they sell on the ship such as alcohol, clothes, tours, etc. Now more than ever before, the cruise lines are offering up to $300 on board ship credit.

The trend for resorts to also offer credits is growing tremendously. Resort credit used to be something I saw in the low season or an infrequent special. Resort credit can go towards spa, tours, golf, drinks and food if it is not an all inclusive, or simply fun nick knacks.

When you see these credits in the deal, always check what it is for and make sure it is valid on the dates you are going. Once verifies, just think of it like someone handed you cash towards spending money on your vacation.

Here are a few very new amazing deals for families this Spring, Summer & Fall!  Some of these deals have not even been published yet, so take advantage of them and happy traveling!

Caribbean Family Vacations:
I had to check this one a few times because it looked to good to be true, but it is correct:

CheapCaribbean’s 48 hour sale, all inclusive three star resorts for $48 per person, per night. Yes, all inclusive – meals, taxes, drinks, activities, kids activities, etc…many of these resorts allow children under 12 free, so all you have to pay is the airfare!  I would compare the resorts on sale to a nice Holiday Inn, this resort is midway between deluxe and moderate. The deal is for travel from May – June 30, a perfect family trip before summer activites begin.

Check out all of the $48 deals for families! This sale ends 11:59pm Friday, April 3.

Apple Vacations’ Spring Savings Sale! If you do not see your gateway, they may still have it, using the booking engine on the top of the page. It is really cool as you can specify your needs when you begin (airport, amount of people, budget, amount of nights, etc) and that will reflect every deal you click on. This eliminates the irritating task of having to fill out your information over and over to shop around. The lead pricing is $459+: 60% off: All-Inclusives w/Air.

Apple Vacations charters their own planes, so the airfare is very reasonable. The add-ons for different gateways are reasonable as well.  $499 per adult for 3 nights all inclusive five-star resort including airfare, two kids under 12 stay and fly for $199 per child!  Not interested in the all inclusive, ok, there are resort deals for $599.99 including 7 night resort stay and airfare!

Future Vacations is running my favorite kind of deal – up to $300 in Spa and/or Golf Credit! Ahhh, I would have no problem using up that Spa Credit! The resort is Cancun Palace, a Four-Star beachfront, all inclusive. I stayed here years ago and it was ok, a bit run down and a little big for my taste. Now the resort has had a fuill make over, ready to impress.

The make over includes a redesigned pool, modern spa, five fine dining restaurants, six bars including two swim up bars and a Kid’s Club. All rooms have a double Jacuzzi, balcony, first class amenities and 24 hr room service. 24hr room service at an all inclusive is the coolest – you can feed the midnight munchy attack without having to worry about exhorbanent hotel bills!

BookIt.com, one of the best web sites I have found for extra amenities and all sorts of goodies is running a Dominic Republic All Inclusive Sale. All Inclusive start from $59 per person, per night with tons of kids free deals, room upgrades and more.

Airfare sale:

American Airlines has a major sale domestic right now with travel through August 14. Airfares are starting at $49 each way. What is extra special about this sale is tround trip is not required. So if you want to fly somewhere and go back rfom a different gateway, you dont have to deal with all of the extra charges. For a listing of all the gateways and prices, click here.

The top value of the week (drum roll…)

Tahiti – the trip of a life time, suddenly became more affordable. Air Tahiti Nui is also offering slashed rates and free air from Los Angeles for kids! Add-ons from other cities are reasonable.  The feature sale is $1698/per adult+: Air, Breakfast & 5nts Manava Suite Resort Tahiti- there are other options, more nights – this is the lead rate (best deal) and it is specifically designed for family vacations!

Happy traveling!

You can view all of these deals by clicking here
If you have any questions regarding travel, email me

Taking a Cruise with Kids – What You Should Know

Filed under: cruise — Tags: cruise, kids, should, taking — libertees @ 5:02 pm June 9, 2010

Taking a cruise vacation is a spectacular way to get out of the daily grind and enjoy some quality time with the whole family. If you are planning a cruise with the kids in tow, some additional preparation will be needed to avoid unnecessary headaches.

Lets face it, kids get sick often. Think about your normal life at home and how often you come across a sudden cold, sniffles, belly aches and the like. Take this into consideration when packing. Make sure you have all the normal medications such as cough syrup, aspirin, heating pad, eardrops, etc. before you leave. Many of these items will be available onboard, but it is worth taking your own to be sure you have what you need, the type your child likes, and that you don’t get cheated on the price.

If you have one, it is worthwhile to bring a collapsible stroller with you. These are usually available for a fee onboard but again, its worthwhile to have your own. The ships are very large and there will be a fair amount of walking around to get from one place of interest to the next. Just going to dinner or getting a snack will usually involve a few elevator rides and a stroll down a long hallway or deck path. Be prepared here, you want the stroller you and your child are used to using.

Many cruises offer some sort of baby sitting or child activities where the parents can get away and have some time to themselves. Don’t count on this, however, and be sure to check in advance. Many cruise activities are scheduled throughout the day but there will certainly be ‘down time’ at day or night when your children will need to be entertained. The best advice is to bring along some of the same activities you have at home. Books, games, video games all work well when there is time to be spent in the cabin. You may think “hey, I’ll be on vacation and not spending my time in the cabin”…but you will, trust me.

In conclusion, the moral of the story about bringing your kids on a cruise vacation is to bring the comforts of home with you. Anything you can pack that is not too overbearing to carry you should consider bringing. Following this advice will make for a much more comfortable and relaxing vacation for you and your kids. Packing to stay healthy on a Cruise Vacation

MJ Batta writes on travel and has a cruise website at http://www.cruise.researchthisstuff.com and a cruise ship review site at http://www.criticsoftheseas.com Cruises Write a Cruise Ship Review

Family Cruise Vacations – Helping Kids To Keep Well

Filed under: cruise — Tags: cruise, family, Helping, keep, kids, vacations, Well — libertees @ 5:00 pm May 28, 2010

Many families are taking cruise vacations these days. The various cruise lines have taken on board (if you will forgive the pun!), that there is a market out there. And several of them are playing the family cruise vacation card these days.


So, if you are considering this for the next time the family go on vacation, what might you need to consider – and, above all, what will it be important to pack, particularly when you have your kids along, to ensure that everyone has a good time?


Prevention is Better Than Cure


Depending on the age of the kids going on the family cruise vacation, there will be some best practices to make sure that they stay well during the trip. It’s always better to prevent illness, wherever possible, than it is to get into the realms of treatment.


That said, if anyone is going to be sick on vacation, a cruise ship is probably one of the better places, as they pretty well always have excellent facilities to fix you up – and that includes your kids.


Three key areas:-


1) Tummy troubles


Number one issue on any vacation, just as often as a family cruise vacation, is the irritating sickness and diarrhoea that can happen anytime.


Often caused by little more than a change in the chemical balance of the water we drink, these illnesses can be debilitating and need close attention. The rule is the younger or older we are, the more likely the effects are to be severe.


The easiest prevention is to avoid anything that might trigger an upset by drinking plenty of simple fluid. Seafoods, rich and spicy dishes are the most likely foods that can cause problems. Drinking bottled water may help too.


On a family cruise vacation, you need to pack some essentials for kids. The very best thing you can ensure that you have are rehydration salts. Basically, sickness and more particularly diarrhoea prevent the absorption of fluids back into the body, which is how we normally keep the right fluid balance.


When this is not working, due to some bug, overheating or eating something that ‘didn’t agree with you’, kids and elderly especially need to get that balance rectified as soon as possible. So take some rehydration sachets that you can buy from any pharmacy and give small amounts frequently.


If in any doubts, particularly with young children, checkout the sick bay onboard sooner rather than later.


2) Sunburn


A great family cruise vacation will, hopefully, find everyone enjoying a bit of sun, which is great for any trip. In fact absorbing the sun’s rays is good for our health as it promotes the body to make Vitamin D, which is valuable.


Trouble is it is easy to get too much sun. When onboard, it is easy to get burnt unless you make a real effort to get protected. This is for three particular reasons:-


– There may be a breeze on the ocean, which masks the strong rays of the sun. You feel a cooling wind, which stops you feeling the sun as much – then it’s easy to burn, esp[ecially for children whose awareness is not yet fine tuned.


– Secondly, there is a lot of reflected light that comes off the ocean and bounces burning rays upwards.


– Finally, children’s skin is especially susceptible to sun damage, whether on a ship on the ocean or otherwise.


It’s vital to get protected well, with a very high factor and keep protected. Then a nasty attack of sunburn will be avoided.


If burnt, always seek good medical advice. Sunburn is no different from any other burn and can easily lead to serious consequences. Drink plenty of fluid as damaged skin loses fluid far more easily than usual. Seek medical advice early if in any doubt.


3) Travel Sickness


Generally modern cruise liners are very well stabilized, so it’s not that common to have sea-sickness. The routes plied on family cruise vacations are not those where you might expect a rough journey (though it can happen!).


That said, susceptible folk may feel ill even if the ride is on an ocean that’s as smooth as a millpond, so it might be best to take precautions, especially if you know that one of your kids is likely to feel a bit queasy.


You pharmacist will be able to advise you what is available where you come from. One thing that can often work really well are little wrist bands that you can get that have a little dimple on them, facing inwards onto a pressure point on the wrist.


These are non-invasive and non-ingested, so are a lot less likely to cause side-effects. Often available in attractive colors for kids, they might be a solution to a problem that never gets it’s feet wet, because you nipped it in the bud!


Everyone wants a relaxing time when away, so for a great family cruise vacation, have a think about the best ways to ensure everyone, including the kids, feels well too.


Always check with your medical advisor before taking the actions suggested or implied in this article.

(c) 2007 Hawaiian Cruises Online. Look no further – all the Hawaiian Cruising information you’ll ever need, in the 50+ pages that are totally free. Destinations; cruise lines; ‘what’s on’; eating options and more, all at Martin Haworth’s website, http://www.Hawaiian-Cruises-Online.com

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