In the cruise industry Carnival Cruise Lines are the 7-million pound monster. You can hardly go to a port of call in North America and the Caribbean without coming upon at least one Carnival cruise ship. They are everywhere.

The cruise monster has no intention of resting on its considerable laurels. Carnival Cruise Lines will begin sailing to South America in 2009. What this means to you, fair reader, is that you will have another cruising option to places like Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile. That option will inevitably include ... [read more]

As far as countries go, Costa Rica has always marched to the beat of a different drum. Instead of spending the 1980s engaged in war like many parts of Central America, it abolished its military. Instead of chopping down all of its trees and wilderness, it protected it. More than a quarter of the country’s land has been set aside for protection. Indeed, Costa Rica is the exception to the rule and that is one reason why it is an exceptional place to visit.

With one of a kind rainforests, ... [read more]

The samba, the beaches, the parties¦Brazil is one of the most funnest places to visit on this planet. Imagine the time you will have aboard a 4-night Costa cruise! The Costa Victoria is your vessel on a journey that begins and ends in Santos, a city in Sao Paulo. In addition to being the entry point for the bubonic plague in Brazil in 1899 (no sign of it today!), Santos has the biggest seaport in Latin America, a Coffee Museum that will leave you buzzing and a soccer memorial ... [read more]

For as long as I have been in the business of finding cheap cruise deals — seemingly an eternity — this one might be the one that offers the most value for the dollar. It is a 13-day cruise aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norweigan Crown. The voyage goes from Valparaiso, Chile to Miami, Florida via the Panama Canal. The cost for an inside cabin? A mere $600. That is how much you might pay for a quick cruise through the Panama Canal, not one of this length ... [read more]

Costa Rica is a unique country. It was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army. It is also one of the most progressive nations when it comes to protecting its environment. Visitors to the small Central American country will experience firsthand how Costa Ricans live up to the country motto of: “Long live work and peace.”

If you are going to visit such a unique and special place you might as well do so in unique and special style. In the cruise industry that means embarking ... [read more]

When you think about it, the Panama Canal was a remarkable concept. Human beings took a look at strip of land that is 51 miles long and decided they could turn it into a waterway. The amount of capital spent both financial and human was unprecedented in its time and to this day it remains one of the planet’s great engineering feats.

There is talk these days of expanding the Panama Canal so that it can accommodate the ever increasing number of jumbo cargo ships that themselves ... [read more]

• Caribbean Coast, Costa Rica
• Costa Rica
• Pacific Coast, Costa Rica
• Puntarenas, Costa Rica
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Salvador de Bahia, Brazil
• San Jose, Costa Rica