Carnival Debuts Ski-Style Chair Lift to Roatan Beach

A new elevated chair lift – which will offer an exhilarating round-trip transfer between the new Mahogany Bay Cruise Center in Roatan and beautiful Mahogany Beach – will debut in conjunction with the cruise facility’s grand opening next month. 

This is really cool ... read the whole story at this link to Carnival's Blogroll! 

NH Riviera Cancun Resort Review

One of my valued guests, Kelli Marks, has just returned from a stay at the luxury resort, NH Riviera Cancun, so I'm welcoming her as my guest blogger today to offer you a review of her visit to Puerto Morelos, Cancun, and her stay at NH Riviera Cancun.  To read more about her trip, see more pictures, or just get to know Kelli more, please visit her blog, Marks the Spot.  And, you can find her daily on Twitter, @KelliMarks. 

Church Service on Your Cruise?

From time to time, a guest will ask if there will be a religious service aboard the ship, and my answer varies from season to season and from one cruise line to the next.  Almost all the cruise lines have a clergy person to conduct services for cruises sailing during religious holidays.  And, almost all will make a room available if there's a clergy aboard who would like to conduct services for a group.  Only Celebrity and Holland America seem to meet

Travel Tuesday on Twitter

Many of you already follow my tweets on Twitter, but, for the few who aren't, you can find me sharing short tips and deals there, as well as retweeting some great posts, blogs, and pictures from others with my Twitter name, @judybest.

Blog for Books: My Favorite Children's Books

I'm taking a break from our usual travel and cruise information to share my favorite children's books as part of Blog for Books. Blog for Books is a special day to raise awareness about childhood illiteracy and support Little Rock Twestival 2009.

Our local tweetup group, LRTweetup, is hosting a fundraiser for Reach Out and Read Arkansas next Thursday and we are blogging as a community to show our support.

Have you got Cruisitude?

CruisitudeSM defined. cruisitude [krooz-i-tood, -tyood] –noun 1. manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a cruising and cruise vacations; tendency, orientation or state, esp. of the mind: a positive cruisitude; group cruisitudes.  That’s our interpretation. What does cruisitude mean to you?  Feel free to add your comments below! 

More about Cunard's new Queen Elizabeth

Today a ceremony to mark the keel laying of Cunard Line’s new Queen Elizabeth was held at the Monfalcone shipyard of Fincantieri near Trieste, Italy. The second largest Cunarder ever built, Queen Elizabeth’s keel is the third Cunard has lain in the sp

Top Tips for Stretching Vacation Dollars on a Cruise Vacation

Here are some tips for planning a value-added cruise vacation!

Royal Caribbean Sale Next Week

News Release   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUDY BEST Of Cruise Planners Offers Exclusive Royal Caribbean Mega Sale Discounts and added-value perks available from June 22 – 29, 2009   (Cabot, Arkansas). – June 17, 2009 – Judy Best of Cruise Planners, is hosting an exclusive sale June 22 – 29, 2009 on all Royal Caribbean International bookings for itineraries sailing July 1 - December 31, 2009.   Cruise Planners will cover the gratuities and offer a reduced deposit by 50 percent. In addition, Cruise Planners exclusive promotion is combinable durin...

NCL Spirit Review, Boston to Bermuda

We just returned from our first NCL cruise, and it was great. We loved the great specialty restaurants, and NCL has the best parties at sea we've ever experienced. If you don't live for formal nights, this may be the cruise line for you! Read o

Princess Flash Promotion Guidelines

Effective Thursday June 11th, 2009 Princess Cruises and Cunard Line will be offering a revised Flash product with modified terms and conditions. While more restrictive, we believe the Flash product remains appealing to your price-conscious customers who

Blue Man Group To Headlines Norwegian Epic's Entertainment Offerings

Company continues legacy of innovation by revolutionizing cruise ship entertainment with world-class brands and acts in specially designed venues only on Norwegian Epic

Swine Flu

One by one, the cruise lines are announcing that they will not be sailing to Mexico as long as the CDC warns against doing so. New itineraries will be announced starting today for the cruise sailing this weekend. Since the CDC warning could be lifted at

Your Cruise Answer Place

Over the years, I've blogged about the questions I'm asked the most, so I thought perhaps it was time to review all the great info available in this blog, with links to each specific answer. Enjoy!

Letter from Adam Goldstein to Crown & Anchor Diamond Member

As you may know, we recently announced a number of changes to our Crown & Anchor Loyalty Program. Many of our Diamond Members have expressed considerable unhappiness about the change in eligibility for access to our Concierge Lounges. While we knew the re

What About Travel Insurance? Just say, Yes!

Here's Peter Greenberg's list, "Top 10 Reasons for Travel Insurance", with my added comments in italics.

10 Reasons Cruises Are Not All Created Equal

One of the biggest reasons not to just find a cruise itinerary and price that you like, then click and buy, is every cruise line is different. The value of a travel agent is we are knowledgeable about all the different cruise lines, so we can help you fi

Cruise Discounts for Firemen & Policemen

Royal Caribbean International has announced new promotional rates that focus on Fireman and Policeman. These rates, offered on selected sailings, can be offered to ACTIVE members and requires proof of employment with a specific city force to be applicable. These new rates are now open for sale. These rates are good for groups as well. These rates are available in addition to our Resident Rates, Senior Rates. Please forward this new opportunity to active members in your community, and invite them to contact Judy Best at Best Cruise Planners, (877)274-4825!.

Dining in Specialty Restaurants on Your Cruise

You don’t HAVE to pay for dining on any ship as each cruise line offers included dining in the main dining rooms, buffets and snack venues. On the other hand, optional restaurants have limited seating, upgraded menus and more interesting venues.

Hits or Myths!

What do the “Abominable Snowman”, the “Loch Ness Monster” and “Booking Cruises Directly with the Cruise Line is Cheaper” all have in common? Answer: They are all myths. While we may not be experts on the first two subjects, at Cruise Planner

Humorous Questions from Cruise Passengers

Here are a few humorous questions from passenger to onboard staff collected by Cruise Directors over the years (the answers are probably the ones in their heads and not on their lips). But the questions are real!

Family Cruising

If you’ve vacationed with your children you know the look - a couple of bleary-eyed, bedraggled parents returning back to the hotel at 6 p.m.. In tow, are 2 hyper-active offspring wearing mouse hats or whale t-shirts sporting cotton candy hair extensio

20th Anniversary of the Birth of the Internet

This week marks the unofficial 20th anniversary of the birth of the internet. Wow, 20 years? It seems like only yesterday that “the web” was this strange and scary place.

Princess Gets You To The Ship

Princess is offering you motorcoach transportation to your cruise leaving from a New York port from four different areas: Washington, DC/Baltimore, Eastern Pennyslvania, Massachusetts, and Connecticut/Rhode Island. And, there is wheelchair accessibility

Crystal 2009 Wine & Food Cruises

Crystal mixes it up with cocktails, classes, & competitions on 2009 Wine & Food cruises. More than two dozen of the world's most intriguing and topical names on the culinary, wine, and cocktail scens will be aboard to offer insights and instruction.

New Ships in Port Canaveral

Port Canaveral is such a popular port, with it's close proximity to Orlando them parks, Kennedy Space Center, and Central Florida's beautiful beachs, and now they add some great new ships that you can experience when you sail from this fabulous po

Finding the Best Cruise Price

As I review cruise prices on mail, email, and the Internet, I will be the first to admit, all prices are not equal. So, here's some basics you need to know as you look for the perfect cruise at the right price!

Finding the Cheapest Airfare

My guests frequently ask me how to find the cheapest airfare for their cruise vacations. Here's the tips I frequently share with them:

NCL announces it's new F3 Ship ... Norwegian Epic

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) today announced that it has selected the name for its new F3 ship: Norwegian Epic. Just as the name implies, the ship will be the largest and most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship to date.

Seasick? Here's some remedies ...

Guests often ask me about whether they'll get seasick on a cruise or not. I ask them if they get motion sickness in cars or airplanes. If not, probably not. If so, you will likely feel the same on a cruise, but you can still cruise. Here's som

CARNIVAL UNVEILS NEW EARLY BOOKING SAVINGS PROGRAM

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES UNVEILS UNPRECEDENTED NEW EARLY BOOKING SAVINGS PROGRAM OFFERING A RATE PROTECTION ASSURANCE Read more ...