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Tags: Cruises / Oasis of the Seas / Cruising / Dangerous Travel / Royal Caribbean / Seasickness / Motion Sickness / → All Tags

New Oasis of the Seas Hits Monster Waves in First Transatlantic Crossing

The brand new, unbelievably huge Oasis of the Seas cruise ship has been rocked by some serious waves on its first voyage. As USA Today points out, the 5,400-passenger vessel encountered hurricane-strength winds and waves over 60 feet high in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. Fortunately for the cruise line, there aren't any passengers on board, as Royal Caribbean is merely transporting it from the shipyard in Turku, Finland to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for its inaugural cruise. But while many passengers would have likely gotten seasick, they wouldn't have been in any serious peril, as the ship has weathered the waves quite smartly. For maximum stability, Captain William Wright has slowed the world's largest cruise ship down and steered it head-on into the waves. He probably wouldn't admit it, but I bet he's having fun.

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Tags: Food Travel / Top Chef / Cruise Travel / Cruises / → All Tags

Jump (Onto A) Ship With Real-Life Top Chefs

Sail away with Jacques Pepin

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Top Chef restaurant profile with food news of a different sort. Today, instead of highlighting an aspiring top chef, we're calling attention to a few names who earned their stripes after years in the industry and a consistent record of putting out great food. Nothing against the current crop of Vegas hopefuls, but there is something to be said for gaining cred in the days preceding reality television.

Some of these real-life top chefs, like Nancy Oakes of San Francisco's Boulevard and Jacques Pepin, will be joining 2010's Food & Wine Trails cruise roster, allowing fans to follow them to the ends of the Earth, in a manner of speaking.

As you can guess, deck volleyball isn't a high priority on-board. Travelers are there for tastings and pairings alongside some of the country's most famous wine makers, with stops at European cities and wineries—not one of those oh-so-perky family resorts you see advertised on television.

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Tags: Crime / Cruises / Cruise Travel / Antigua Travel / Guatemala Travel / → All Tags

Carnival Cruises Drops Antigua Thanks To Drunken Brawlers

Are you anxious for winter to hit so that you can embark on a Carnival Cruise to Antigua, get drunk, and get your brawl on? Too bad, since six Brooklynites already went and spoiled your fun by doing exactly that and getting arrested. Not only were they arrested for getting into a fight with a cabbie and then assaulting the plain-clothes cops who tried to break it up, but their legal issues have turned Carnival off of the island for the time being.

Carnival's ships that sail the Caribbean—the group in question was onboard the Carnival Victory—will no longer stop at Antigua for the reason that they have "a desire to incorporate a new port of call." Right, we're sure that's the only reason, and that the detainment and guilty pleas of their brawling passengers had nothing to do with it. Carnival can try to keep up appearances, but the fact is that they are embarrassed; no cruise line wants to be pegged as the one that sails with shiploads of rowdy Brooklynites looking for a fight. Possible punishments for those under arrest include 2 years in jail or a $4,000 fine each.

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Tags: Cruises / Ships / Royal Caribbean / Tacky Travel / → All Tags

Why I Secretly Want to Cruise on the New Oasis of the Seas

Some travelers endeavor to make every trip an educational and spiritually uplifting experience, seeking out museums, parks, and cultural sites and making a point to get to know the local people and understand their unique way of life. Other travelers simply want to relax and have fun in a warm, beautiful place, the more delicious food and fancy drinks the better. I've always been the former kind of traveler, but there's a part of me that seeks the comfort, luxury, and sheer simplicity of the latter. So while I might speak disdainfully of those who book vacations at all-inclusive resorts and never leave the property, I secretly wouldn't mind changing places with them every once in a while, spending a week learning nothing at all about my destination and returning home just a little bit dumber than I left.

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Tags: Cougar Travel / Cruise Travel / Cruises / → All Tags

World's First Cougar Cruise Will Swab Your Decks And Shiver Your Timbers Alright

First there was the Samantha character on Sex and the City, then an entire generation of hot, over-35 single women started identifying themselves as cougars, and then there was the Cougar Convention. But now that Courtney Cox has gone an made the term quite official with her new show "Cougar Town," cougar parties are sprouting up all over, including on the high seas.

That's right; the "World's First International Cougar Cruise" is open for reservation, and the 3-night getaway cruise is basically just an excuse to drink copious whiskey sours and use an entire box of condoms in one long weekend. The boat ships out on December 3 from San Diego and returns on December 7 after making a port stop at Ensenada, Mexico and a "fun day at sea."

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Tags: 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]

Tags: Cruises / Class Discrimination / Drunk Travel / Chavs / Mooks / → All Tags

Lower-Upper-Middle-Class Cruisers Aghast at Influx of Unwashed Masses

The economic downturn is shaking up the weird class system that has long existed on cruise ships. Forced to lower ticket prices, the major cruise lines have seen an influx of bargain-hunting first-time cruisers, leaving some veteran cruisers steamed that they have to share the Lido Deck with uncouth yokels who just don't know how to act at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Rather than put up with their shenanigans, the lower-upper-middle-class cruisers are trading up to pricier ships to avoid the neophytes. But, as USA Today Cruise Yoda Gene Sloan sagely points out in his Cruise Log blog, everyone's a yokel to somebody else. It seems the monocled classes on the fancy ships now have to contend with their own interlopers.

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San Diego's Harbor Cruises Cater to Couples and Sea Lion Lovers

Hitting the beach isn't the only way to enjoy San Diego's waters. Take a harbor cruise around San Diego Bay to get a different perspective of the city's seas. We tried out two different options through Hornblower Cruises, the romantic dinner cruise and the kid-friendly harbor cruise, to see if they floated our boat.

Dinner Cruise
The Lord Hornblower, a replica of a turn-of-the-century steamship, is usually the vessel that handles the dinner cruises. Unfortunately, it's the most worn-looking member of Hornblower's fleet, with paint chipping in places and dated decor. About 150 people—mostly couples—boarded our cruise, which leisurely circled the North and South Bays. It's best for lovebirds, as the best thing to do is to cuddle out on deck with your sweetie pie to keep warm.

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Amazon River Pirates Return For Second Raid In Two Weeks

This has not been the best summer for cruising, both on the ocean and in rivers as swine flu and pirates proliferate. It's been especially cruel to Aqua Expeditions, whose luxury riverboat M/V Aqua has fallen victim to Amazon River pirates twice in two weeks.

Around dawn this morning, the 20-some passengers onboard the Aqua were awoken by nine masked bandits wielded guns and hand grenades, who then bound passengers by their hands and feet and made off with their valuables when police arrived. Apparently the theives used bad weather and poor visibility to their advantage for the raid, overtaking two police officers who were stationed on the boat after the last ambush.

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A Whole New Type of Safari: Komodo Dragons In Indonesia

Chilling in an Aman Resort in some exotic location is already pretty enticing, but we've just heard that this hotel group has got a luxury cruiser happening too, based out of their Amanwana resort on Moyo Island, Indonesia. And we want to get on it.

The 105-foot cruiser, called Amanikan, looks a bit like a romantic old trading vessel, but is full of all the necessary luxury inside in its three cabins. They are running a trip called the Komodo Expedition which includes five nights of cruising (with days full of diving) and two final nights at the island resort. While you're on the boat you get to visit Komodo dragons and stop by the Komodo and Rinca Islands to see wild horses, deer and monkeys as well, not to mention all the sea life you'll discover while diving and snorkeling.

Exotic luxury doesn't come cheap, of course. It'll cost you upwards of $22,000 for you and a mate for the week, including everything except alcoholic drinks. But getting up close and personal with a dragon and then retreating to exotic luxury might just be worth it.

Related Stories:
· All the Pretty Seahorses [Jaunted]
· Where to Find Komodo Dragons in Their Natural Habitat [Jaunted]
· Indonesia Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: Amre Ghiba]

Tags: Swine Flu / Cruises / France Travel / Royal Caribbean / → All Tags

60 Sick On Swine Flu Cruise Off The French Riviera

Just when you thought it was safe to resume traveling to Mexico and taking cruises comes a story about another outbreak of the summer's biggest vacation-ruiner: Swine Flu.

Right now, off the coast of the French Riviera, the Voyager of the Seas from Royal Caribbean is experiencing an explosion of the sickness among 60 of their crew members, with another 70 showing symptoms of swine flu. The first 60 have been confined to their cabins—although it's common knowledge that cruise crew share cabins—while the ship's 3,600 passengers head ashore to party in Nice and Monaco.

Although it's not known if the passengers are aware of the news of their sick ship, the loss of so many crew members from their posts is no doubt hurting the ship's service. We just hope that the virus doesn't use the rest of its vacation at sea to infect the rest of the crew and spread its way onto passengers. Apparently the crew began showing signs of swine flu after the cruise depart Barcelona earlier in the week; so now it's the Mexican/Spanish Swine Flu?

Related Stories:
· 60 crew have swine flu on cruise ship off France [USA Today]
· Will Flu-Free Guarantees Lure Travelers Back to Mexico? [Jaunted]
· Cruise Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Eric Gaillard, Reuters]

Tags: Sex Travel / Island Travel / Cruises / Sex / Cyprus Travel / → All Tags

Party Cruises From Cyprus Developing Reputation For Orgies

Looking for some whipped cream and strawberry contests to liven up your vacation? Apparently they're happening on overnight cruises off the coast of the Cyprus resort of Ayia Napa.

By day, Ayia Napa is a beautiful beach resort and it's at least partly marketed as a family paradise. But locals are furious about the night cruises which attract young party-going tourists that have led to orgy photos being published in Norway.

The Cypriot police check the boats every day once they're back at the port, and have found no evidence of anything illegal going on, so the cruises are continuing. Sounds like Cyprus doesn't want to encourage this but hey, isn't diversifying your tourism industry important these days?

Related Stories:
· Cypriots Angry Over Claims of Wild Sex Orgies By Tourists [Telegraph]
· Cyprus Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: Niro]