Jaunted

Cruise Travel / Wedding Travel / Honeymoon Travel / Royal Caribbean / Bahamas Travel / Island Travel / → All Tags

Getting Hitched Onboard a Royal Caribbean Ship Means a Bahamian Marriage

Wedding bells can now ring anywhere Royal Caribbean ships sail with the introduction of onboard nuptials. Leave the details to the experts on the ship and your big day will be just as nice as on terra firma.

This is a first for the cruise line, and the 'Royal Romance' program allows for couples to say their "I dos" and those already wed to renew their vows while on vacation. The ship's captain officiates the ceremony and the registration for the marriage will be based in the Bahamas, the registry of the fleet of ships.

more ›

Airport Lounges / Bahamas Travel / Nassau Travel / Airline Lounges / Airport News / Airports / NAS / → All Tags

Where to Smoke, Drink and WiFi When Flying Out of Nassau

Work on the new international arrivals hall at Nassau's Lynden Pindling International Airport is still underway—but the departures areas are looking pretty nice and, as far as we could tell when flying out on Monday, functioning faster than they did in the past.

One improvement you may be interested in if you like a cigar or a stiff drink before waving goodbye to the Bahamas is the Graycliff Divan Airport Lounge.

This spinoff of the Graycliff hotel, restaurant and cigar company opened its double lounge—one smoking, one non-smoking—last spring opposte Gate C41 in the US departures terminal.

You may not realize it's an airport lounge at first because it looks like a tschotske-filled boutique—and in fact it is. To register for access to your lounge of choice, you must enter through the gift shop.

more ›

Bahamas Travel / Travel Deals / Tax Refund Vacations / → All Tags

Where to Go with Your Tax Refund: the Bahamas

Tax day is coming, and you are excited not because you look forward to sifting through receipts and credit card statements, but because you're getting a fat refund...probably. The economy may be on its way back up, but you should try to stretch that tax refund as far as you can.

To get the most out of your refund, head to the Bahamas.

The 700-island Bahamas are a good bet for an affordable, spontaneous and quick getaway, since they are only 50 miles off the coast of Florida and there are always plenty all-in-one vacation packages. We recommend watching the deals on sites like Travelzoo and Kayak Deals.

more ›

Celeb Travel / Drug Travel / Sex Travel / Bahamas Travel / Private Jets / Charlie Sheen / → All Tags

Charlie Sheen Vows to Fly Around the World Instead of Hitting Rehab

So. Charlie Sheen owns a private jet. We'd of had no idea he did, except for today the big news is that he went and flew on it down to a "private tropical island near the Bahamas" to do his "rehab" with two porn stars and his soon-to-be ex-wife Brooke Mueller. Well, Brooke has already given up on Sheen and was spotted back at Miami Airport, while Sheen has talked his way into getting his whole show—Two and a Half Men—cancelled for the rest of the season. Oh, and he also managed to have a little private jet photoshoot before setting off.

Here's hoping customs & immigration makes a full sweep of that jet whenever he returns from his tropical departure, because they don't allow you to go on private island rehab if you're in jail.

more ›

Celeb Travel / Katy Perry / Bahamas Travel / Resort Travel / → All Tags

Katy Perry Snorkels in Atlantis While Fiance Russell Brand is Stuck in New York

While her soon-to-be husband, Russell Brand, was hard at work in New York City on his next movie, a remake of the 1981 classic Arthur, Katy Perry enjoyed some fun in the sun with her entourage earlier this week.

Katy, who performed at Nassau's Atlantis Resort Grand Ballroom on Saturday night, decided to spend a few extra days at the Bahamas resort, along with her brother David Hudson, her assistant Suzanne Sansone and stylist Logan Horne.

more ›

Celeb Travel / Twitter / Kim Kardashian / Bahamas Travel / Justin Bieber / → All Tags

Why is Justin Bieber in the Bahamas with Kim Kardashian?

How dare Kim Kardashian touch, and then mess up, the holy grail of teenage popstardom? We of course are talking about Justin Bieber's hair, which took a short trip down to Nassau, Bahamas over the weekend for a "photoshoot."

What kind of photoshoot would involve the most buxom Kardashian and a 16-year-old frolicking on the beaches around the Atlantis Resort? We're guessing one for Rolling Stone or something, but we're just hoping that Atlantis Resort kept the screaming teens at bay and the googley-eyed guys too.

On the return trip, Kim tweeted that not only was the turbulence bad, but that the airline lost her bags (what, no private plane?) and she got locked out of her place. This is the curse that comes with messing up Bieber's hair in the Bahamas. Consider yourself warned.

Related Stories:
· Kim Kardashian Tweets Travel Woes [dbTechno]
· Kim Kardashian Outs an Air Marshall Via Twitter Using In-Flight WiFi [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: TwitPic]

Travel Deals / Bahamas Travel / Travelzoo / → All Tags

Avoid Holiday Travel And Score Deals Like The Bahamas For Under $250

Before you settle in for a long winter's nap, it's time for a warm-weather getaway. Travelzoo's offering a dirt-cheap package to the Bahamas where you'll get airfare and five nights at a hotel for $229.

You'll stay at Our Lucaya Reef Village in Grand Bahama Island. The hotel has a Vegas-style casino where you can blow the money you would have spent on full-price airfare and hotel, as well as two golf courses and four pools. But the most important amenity is that this resort sits right on the beach.

The deal's good for travel through December 19 and from January 3 to 31. We recommend that you avoid visiting during November, as it's still hurricane season in the Bahamas. Travelzoo warns that it'll take forever if you book this over the phone. A lot of people are taking advantage of this package and are jamming up the lines. So go the easy route by booking it online using promo code 500GBI and make sure you do it before November 25.

Related Stories:
· Caribbean Beach Overrun by Family of Cute Pigs [Jaunted]
· Save The Planet and Work on Your Tan At The Same Time [Jaunted]

[Photo: joshDubya]

Travel Deals / Cruises / Cruise Travel / Bahamas Travel / → All Tags

Tis The Season To Start Booking Bahamas Cruises for $99

If you're looking for a cheap, quickie getaway, do it up right and go tropical. Set sail on a two-night cruise to the Bahamas for only $99. To make it a weekend-long trip, you can sail away on a three-night cruise for $149. Travelzoo is offering the two cruise deals through Dec. 22 for all you snowbirds and those who just plain hate raking up autumn leaves.

Nassau is the island destination for both round-trip cruises, and rest assured there will be a number of Nassau shore excursions to take advantage of those crazy-clear blue waters, including the Atlantis water park, snorkeling with tropical fish above the coral reefs and taking glass-bottom boat tours. When you board the MS Bahamas Celebration, run by Celebration Cruise Line—oh yea this is totally a party cruise—all meals and entertainment are included. This new cruise line features four restaurants, a two-deck nightclub, a casino, a full-service spa and two pools.

The two-night trips depart from Fort Lauderdale on Mondays and Wednesdays, while the three-nighters leave on Fridays. To snag this deal, you have to book it by calling (800) 314-5527 and mentioning Travelzoo.

Related Stories:
· Lower-Upper-Middle-Class Cruisers Aghast at Influx of Unwashed Masses [Jaunted]
· Pink Floyd Cruise Wishes You Were Here [Jaunted]

[Photo: bryce_edwards]

Animal Travel / Animals / Pigs / Beaches / Beach Travel / Caribbean Travel / → All Tags

Caribbean Beach Overrun by Family of Cute Pigs

I like animals as much as the next guy, but I'm not sure I'd be thrilled about swimming with pigs. It would be impossible not to think about that scene from Y tu mamá también where the porcine invaders befoul a tent that the protagonists had pitched on a remote beach, rendering it uninhabitable. But if you've never seen the film and you're not particularly bothered by pig shit, then make a beeline for Big Major Spot Island in the Bahamas. There, on aptly-named Pig Beach, a family of cute piggies frolics and swims with tourists, hamming it up (sorry) for the cameras and generally proving that they're just as smart as dogs and twice as funny. The brown and pink boars and piglets are known as the famous Swimming Pigs of the Exumas, and they've been an island fixture for generations, rooting around in the underbrush and living off scraps fed to them by passing boaters. You won't see me there, though, as I'm skeeved enough by the water quality of non-pig beaches.

[Photo: worldmaxtravel.com]

Related Stories
· Never Mind Swine Flu, These Pigs are Swimming in the Bahamas [worldmaxtravel.com]
· Animal Travel [Jaunted]

Volunteer Travel / Laid-Off Travel / Earthwatch / Bahamas Travel / → All Tags

Save The Planet and Work on Your Tan At The Same Time

Volunteer vacations promise to be one of 2009’s biggest travel trends as more people are looking for opportunities to give back. They can also provide the nearly 2.6 million recently unemployed a way to learn new skills and build up that resume.

The Earthwatch Institute is just one organization supporting scientific field research by bringing together scientists, teachers, students, and everyday citizens to create research teams around the world. These teams actively contribute to protecting the environment by gathering much needed data about our ever-changing world.

more ›

Cruising with Celebs / Cruises / Music Cruises / Pink Floyd / → All Tags

Pink Floyd Cruise Wishes You Were Here

Is John Mayer's Mayercraft cruise not your type of scene on the high seas? Then you might be interested in the Pink Floyd Themed Cruise: Great Gig in the Sea traveling to the Bahamas featuring a Pink Floyd tribute band of course.

This one-of-a-kind voyage will feature the music of Think Floyd USA: The American Pink Floyd Show, and will celebrate material from Pink Floyd’s earliest days through the present. Think Floyd USA will take listeners on a musical and visual flight through the Pink Floyd galaxy performing all of Pink Floyd’s classic hits from legendary albums such as Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and the all time classic, The Wall.

The cruise sets sails on May 1 from the Port of Miami and lasts for three hazy days, disembarking in Nassau, Bahamas.

Pink Floyd fans will be sailing on Carnival Cruise's Imagination, which features a 24-hour pizzeria (for late night munchies), a late-night bistro, a full gambling casino, spa, nine-hole mini-golf course, water-spray park, pools and an adults-only retreat.

An inside cabin starts at $389; that includes all meals and non-alcoholic drinks. Go here for more pricing info and to make your reservations. Or hit up this dude who wants a roommate for the cruise. Don't forget to bring your copy of The Wizard of Oz.

Related Stories:
· Pink Floyd Themed Cruise [Great Gig in the Sea]
· Cruising With John Mayer, Only On EBay [Jaunted]

Andros Field Trip / Islands / Diving / Sharks / → All Tags

Cage-Free Swimming With Sharks

Lost Girl Jennifer Baggett continues her Andros Field Trip...

I was standing on the edge of a pontoon boat as a dozen Caribbean reef sharks circled below, watching, waiting, ready to feast. I popped my regulator into my mouth, adjusted my mask and lept fin first into the killer fish-infested waters.

more ›