Places to See On Your Alaska Cruise, Welcome To Juneau!!
July 31, 2007
Well my sister in law is in town this week and we’re playing tourist here in Juneau. Very funny how folks react to us because we’re locals.
Anyway, we went to the Gold Creek Salmon Bake in Juneau last night and we had a blast. You have to think of it not as a dinner but more of an experience. The grilled salmon was very good although I was disappointed that they were using Chum Salmon as the choice of the evening. Local Alaskans don’t eat Chum Salmon!!
It wasn’t until I finished eating that I noticed that it was Chum and actually it was rather good. It depends on what time of year that you come here as to what kind of salmon that you’ll get. Early in the Alaska cruise season (May-June) you’ll get King Salmon but in early July Chum salmon are more available. Sockeye salmon are next in line and they happen to be my personal favorite. They call them reds because their meat is more of a red color then the traditional ’salmon’ color that you get from Chinook (Kings) or silvers (Coho) or even humpies (Pink Salmon). Chum tends to have more of a whiter color and most of the seafood processing plants actually add food coloring to spoof people into buying Alaskan Salmon for next to nothing.
Tropical Cruise Expert Guide
July 30, 2007
A tropical cruise in the Caribbean or in the Gulf of Mexico is an ideal choice of vacation for couples of all ages. Whether you’re looking for a short romantic break or if you’d like a longer voyage with more time to explore tropical islands and soak up the Caribbean sunshine, then a tropical cruise is for you.
A tropical cruise can be embarked upon from many ports around the U.S. In Florida, the ports of Canaveral, Miami and Fort Lauderdale all offer excellent choices of tropical cruises, with itineraries varying from two and three night cruises to the Bahamas, to 14-day cruises around the more exotic parts of the Caribbean.
Seaports in the States of Louisiana and Texas also cater for tropical cruises, with destinations often including port stops at Mexico and parts of Central America. A tropical cruise can also be commenced from more northern ports in the U.S. You need to be prepared to spend more time at sea and to take a longer vacation though should you choose to depart from somewhere like New York.
New Zealand Cruise Expert Guide
July 29, 2007
New Zealand is a country guaranteed to surprise. Emerald green landscapes and towering mountains mingle with spectacular fjords and icy glaciers in a land that is only 2,200 kms from the frozen continent of Antarctica. That’s the equivalent of the distance between Miami and New York! A visit to these shores is something that everyone should do in their lifetime, but the only way to get the full New Zealand experience is to book yourself on a New Zealand cruise.
A New Zealand cruise insures that you’ll get the best out of your visit to these islands. Ten, twelve and fourteen-day cruises around New Zealand generally begin in Auckland on the North Island or in Sydney, Australia. They take in many ports of call along the Eastern coast of the North and South Islands, as well as a few ‘bonus’ ports in Australia and Tasmania - these generally being Melbourne and Hobart.
Auckland is known as the City of Sails. It is located on the northern shores of the North Island and is renowned for its cosmopolitan population, spectacular views and excellent shopping facilities. Beautiful sandy beaches await all who visit Auckland, as well as a wealth of land and sea adventure activities - from sailing to trekking alongside dormant volcanoes.
Italy Cruise Expert Guide
July 29, 2007
History, wine, serene beauty, dramatic people and stunning views - an Italy cruise has it all! You can visit the main sites of Italy on a European cruise or a Mediterranean cruise, but to really experience Italy - to really taste it - you need to immerse yourself in everything that Italy has to offer by taking an Italy cruise.
Italy cruises depart from several ports around the country. Many depart from Civitavecchia - the gateway port to Rome. However, to get the full Italy experience it is recommended that an Italy cruise be embarked upon from the ports of Savona or Genoa on the Ligurian Peninsula and taken all the way round to Venice, or vice-versa. This way, you’ll discover that there’s a lot more to Italy than a cruise departing from Civitavecchia would be able to show you!
So, what delights await in this classical land? The Ligurian Peninsula is a true paradise. Largely undiscovered by mass tourism, quaint Italian villages line the coastline in this spectacular part of Italy. Beautiful sandy beaches alternate with rocky headlands, and magnificent coastal villages shine like beacons on the shore.
Carnival Cruise Expert Guide
July 28, 2007
A carnival cruise is one of the best-loved types of cruise in the world. It offers a heady mix of onboard entertainment, pampering and relaxation, all within the plush surroundings of a cruise ship as it sails from port to port. The cruise ship caters for every taste, making carnival cruises equally suitable for those who want to laze endlessly by the pool, to people who are looking for a full-on party atmosphere.
Sports activities are widely available on a carnival cruise. Volleyball, basketball, table tennis and even golf can be played on board the cruise ship. You will always have access to a well-equipped gymnasium too, along with personal trainers to help maximize your fitness routine while on the cruise ship. Additionally, there is a plethora of watersports on offer, including jet-skiing and opportunities to learn how to scuba dive.
Carnival cruise cuisine is delightful. All cruise ships pride themselves on offering a dining experience that is second to none. There is often a huge variety of restaurants, bistros, cafes and bars on board, providing everything from burger and fries meals to cordon bleu cooking. Meals are generally available 24/7, although some restaurants cater only for meals at set times.
Amazon Cruise Expert Guide
July 27, 2007
An Amazon cruise is the ultimate jungle adventure. From the endless green carpet of tree tops that make up the rainforest to the exotic wildlife that inhabits the waters of the mighty Amazon River, an Amazon cruise will reveal an awe-inspiring ecosystem that is both captivating and educational..
If you’ve ever wanted to see herds of pink dolphins in their natural habitat, or uncover unique medicinal plants found nowhere else in the world, an Amazon cruise could be just the type of vacation that you are looking for !
When choosing your Amazon cruise you’ll find that you are presented with two distinct choices of cruise vacation. If you’re looking to tour the Amazon from the comfort of a large luxury cruise liner, Amazon cruises leaving from the city of Manaus in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest are ideal..
Manaus, at the confluence of the Negro and Amazon Rivers represents the furthest point upstream that large Amazon cruise liners can venture. Here, the Amazon is 11kms wide, and it is the main port from where many of the larger cruise liners set sail..
Alaska Cruise Expert Guide
July 26, 2007
The Alaska cruise is a breathtaking adventure that you’ll never forget. Giant snow-capped mountains, sparkling glaciers, thick pine forests rising up from the shoreline and abundant wildlife vie for your attention in this dramatic landscape. Towns and villages brimming with history tell a story of the Great Land that will endear Alaska to you forever.
An Alaska cruise typically departs from Seattle in Washington State or from Vancouver in British Columbia. Winters are very harsh in Alaska, so the main cruising season is confined to the summer months, typically between May and September.
The most popular Alaska cruise route takes passengers on a one week round-trip up the Alaskan coastline and through the Inside Passage. This route takes in the ports of Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka in the extreme southeast of Alaska. Other cruise routes run to Prince William Sound near the city of Anchorage, and also along the Alaska Peninsula and into the Bering Sea. These longer cruises are often one-way, requiring passengers to make their return journey by train or plane.
Interesting 5 Tips that First-Timer Cruisers Need to Know
July 25, 2007
First-time cruisers sometimes confuse about choosing the destination for neither cruising nor they aware about the hidden costs in the cruise. So this cruising tip should help them to prepare about what they need to know before they go for cruising:
1. Book early or late
You will get better deal by booking well in advance of your sailing date or at the last minute. Booking early in advance can save you between 15 to 50 percent and also lock in the cabin category of your choice. If you rather wait to book at the last minute, you will even get a better discount on a ship’s unsold cabin. But of course you will not be able to choose the cabin that you like, whatever is left is available.
2. Drive rather than fly
You could save a lot if you just drive to the nearest port in the city rather than you fly. Nowadays there are more cruises than ever before departing from "close-to home" ports such as Boston, New York, Bayonne (New Jersey), Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, Jacksonville, Tampa, New Orleans, Mobile, Galveston, Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Francisco and Seattle.
3. Take a short cruise first
Buying the Perfect Boat
July 24, 2007
Why is it, that when you are looking to buy a boat, you can never find one that suits your needs? This is what happens to many people every year and in particular to ourselves. It’s just like buying a house. When you are selling, it is a buyer’s market and when you are buying it is a seller’s market! This year my husband and I decided that it was time to buy our first boat. Now we have been boating with our friends on their Bayliner for many years. They pay for the boat expenses and we bring the food and drink in exchange. Not a bad deal we figured, until we got the boat bug ourselves. Now we want to own our own boat. After six years of boating and as many seasons of boat shows, we decided to take a boating course. So a couple of winters ago, we signed up for a rather lengthy boating course of 16 weeks. We decided that firstly we wanted to be safe boaters and secondly we wanted to protect our very expensive boat investment when the time came. Week after week of classes, lesson after lesson of plotting and tying knots came and went and finally it was time to graduate and try our luck at boating with all this new found knowledge. We decided first to try out our expertise on our friends’ boat, but discovered that was like having two cooks in the same kitchen. Things don’t really run as smoothly as one would like. Tie a knot. Have someone retie it for you! Hang the fenders over the side. Have someone reposition them! So after several weekends of unsuccessful attempts, the decision was made to buy our own boat sooner rather than later where we could tie our own brand of knot and observe the channel markers the way we had been taught! So we started to look. What happened to all the "For Sale" signs that we had seen only weeks before in every marina that we cruised past? Where were all those perfect boats that we had seen in every cove and tied up to every dock? They were no where to be found. Finally after perusing the yachting magazines and journals, talking to several boat brokers and searching many internet boats for sale sites, we found what we thought to be the perfect yacht for us - right in our own backyard. Only five minutes from our home there is located a marina with lots of power boats. Last year there were many for sale. But as luck would have it, we were not looking then. This year, there were fewer boats for sale. But on this one particular morning as we drove through the marina parking lot, we spied the perfect boat. We hopped out of the car and walked over to take a closer look. The boat had been pulled out of the water, so we were able to look it over from all sides including the bottom. The information that was posted beside the boat looked very promising. Just the right length. Just the right age. We had already agreed that this boat make was good quality. An inflatable dinghy with motor and seawise electric lifting system was also included. The boat also had a GPS and all the trimmings. But the price, could it be correct? It seemed a bit low for this particular yacht. You guessed it! The twin engine system was gas, not diesel. This was the reason for the excellent price. We thought that we had found the perfect boat! In fact we had except for one very expensive item. For those of you who own your own boat, you can related to the expense of a gas engine yacht. Gas engines are fast and great for skiing and lake touring in small boats, but on the ocean and in a large yacht, the cost can be prohibitive. (Note: Recently diesel prices and gas prices have moved closer together.) So once again, our search begins in earnest. And once again, there are no boats for sale. Or is that just our take on the situation? Surely the boat for us is just out there waiting to be discovered!
The Nile Cruise
July 24, 2007
Egypt is where history first emerged. It is here that we have the first pictographic record of events and persons. Hieroglyphics, the system of writing used by ancient Egyptians can be traced back to about 3200 BC. At about 3180 BC, the nations of Upper and Lower Egypt were brought under the rule of a single king titled Pharaoh. The first Pharaoh is thought to have been Menes, who set his capital at Memphis, 22 km south of Giza in today’s Cairo. The Pharaohs established the systems that brought forth the highly successful Egyptian civilization.
The history of Ancient Egypt lasted for about 3,000 years. Ancient Egypt declined, was overrun and thereafter ruled by foreign powers. The Greeks and Romans who ruled after the decline were aware of the great similarity between their own gods and those of the Egyptians. They not only tolerated Egyptian religion, but also expanded existing temples and dedicated new ones to existing cults. Some of the new overlords, Alexander the Great for example, styled themselves as divine priest-kings in imitation of the Pharaohs.
