Brave the hurricanes for cheap cruises this month!

by Grant Martin on

If you’re willing to risk choppy water, September is actually a decent time to snag some great prices on cruises in the Caribbean. Demand drops off pretty steeply in the fall because many people are concerned about the weather — and as a result many cruise companies drop their prices.

One of the more outstanding prices that I’ve seen lately comes from Royal Caribbean for one of their four-night Bahamas cruises. For under $150 per person, you can depart from Port Canaveral, Florida for a brief stay in the island nation then jet back to East Florida in time for the weekend in Orlando.

Check out Royal Caribbean’s promo website to get in on some of the specials going on.

Incidentally (or maybe for the same reason), plane tickets into Florida have been remarkably competitive lately. So if you’re considering taking one of these cruises from one of the other 49 states you might be able to get a deal on airfare too.

In case you’re worried about hurricanes, you have little to fear about running into a storm. Ships are often rerouted in the case of inclement weather and can easily get around any inbound trouble. Granted, you might get wet and it might be choppy — but you did pay $150 per person for a four night cruise, right?

Cheap air travel options if the tropics suit you

by Jamie Rhein on

What I really want is a cheap airfare to New York City from Columbus, Ohio. Since that’s not on my horizon, I’m taking an Amtrak train from Cleveland and a Greyhound bus back. For adults traveling with children, both offer a discount that can’t be beat.

If I were to head to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, or Bermuda, I might find different options that would put a cheaper airplane ticket in my hand. According to a recent “Practical Traveler“ in the New York Times,’ there are tickets for a bargain to these tropical locations.

Check out American Airlines, JetBlue. and Air France for the deals. Perhaps, you’ll be lucky and an airport near where you live will have one of those bargain flights to a place you’d like to go. Going to Cancún out of JFK airport in New York City is only a few dollars more than a trip to Denver, for example. Denver’s nice, but I wouldn’t exactly call it a destination for a holiday.

Yes, I did go to Denver myself two years ago and considered it part of a summer vacation, but there weren’t any hours relaxing by a pool.

One day, I might be looking to head to the tropics, but for now, it sure would be great to find a deal to New York. My son who is six years-old thinks Greyhound will be swell.

Also, an airline to keep an eye on for a travel deal, according to the article, is Southwest. As the article points out, Southwest has not offered a travel deal for awhile.

Smells that evoke travel memories

by Jamie Rhein on

“Every time I hear a certain song, or smell a certain smell it reminds me of the cruise,” said one of the 10th graders who I give a ride home from high school three times a week. She was settled into the back seat of my car with another girl as they shared a set of earphones listening to music while carrying on a conversation.

My radar went off. Post potential. “Oh, really?” I was inquisitive. I looked in the rear view mirror to show my interest. “What song? Anything specific? What smell?”

They weren’t too sure about what kind of smell. I offered suggestions determined to find out what a cruise smells like to adolescents.

“A fresh smell. Like the ocean?”

That wasn’t it. The smell was more like a cafeteria smell, but they assured me this was a good thing. Frankly, I thought of green beans cooked until they’re soggy, but if they insist. They couldn’t remember a specific song either, but from the way they dreamily talked, their cruise experience to the Bahamas and Mexico last spring break was simply divine. They took it with one of the girl’s mother. For both of these girls it’s the only cruise they have been on, but I bet, no matter how many they go on in the future, this one will be the best one ever.

That first experience of any kind of adventure is certainly one worth having. Listening them reminisce about their grand time, reminded me about how much travel to new places is so important and powerful. The memories from those trips are enough to carry us through those days when the sky is endlessly grey and the next spring break seems so very far away. It also reminded me about how powerful the sense of smell is to connect us to the memories of the places we’ve been. Hopefully, the good smells out weigh the bad.

Photo of the Day (12/04/2007)

by Martha Edwards on


Right now, it’s -24°C (-11°F) where I live. Lovely, huh? So I couldn’t help staring at this photo of the Bahamas from Patrick Powers with all-consuming envy. When you live in a place where winter seems to take up the majority of the year, it’s sometimes hard to remember what warmth feels like, so I love looking at photos of places where parkas aren’t necessary.

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Bahamas tour that doesn’t include Anna Nicole Smith

by Jamie Rhein on

When I saw the New York Times article “36 Hours in the Nassau, the Bahamas,” I wondered if anything having to do with Anna Nicole Smith would be included. [see previous post] Right after Anna Nicole died, taxi drivers would take folks who wanted to see the pertinent places of her life and death on unofficial tours.

The New York Times article didn’t mention Anna at all. Not a peep. Instead of dabbling in low brow culture, go high brow. In 36 hours you can take in the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, swim with sharks, watch a cricket game, meander through the botanical gardens and more.

When my dad and daughter went to the Bahamas on a quick cruise, my dad wasn’t too impressed with Nassau. If he’d had the itinerary outlined in the article, he probably would have come away with a totally different idea. Still, there’s a lot about going to the Bahamas that sounds like lounging and the beach. He’s not a lounger–and he doesn’t smoke cigars as suggested, but the Poop Deck Restaurant would have been perfect.