If you are a veteran cruiser or just curious about cruising, the year 2006 will be introducing many new cruise ships for you to consider when planning a cruise vacation. Call your travel agent and ask about the cruise lines and their new cruise ships and then book a cruise vacation. Here is a cruise review of the new cruise line additions.

Holland America is introducing the Noordam. This new cruise ship was launched on February 22 and has been getting very good cruise reviews. It will be the last cruise ship of Holland America’s Vista-class series.

However, it is the first to be designed for the cruise line’s “Signature of Excellence program.”

The Noordam can accommodate 1,848 passengers. For this new cruise ship, there have been some design changes to enhance the cruise vacation. The new designs were focused mainly on the public areas and staterooms, the meeting point of many cruise travelers.

They have made additions to the very popular Explorations Cafe. As veteran cruise travelers are well aware, it is a coffee bar/Internet cafe, game room, and library.

NCL America’s Pride of Hawaii is the newest cruise ship for 2006 by NCL America. It is the sister vessel of the Norwegian Jewel and offers an excellent cruise vacation.

For the cruise line, Pride of Hawaii marks the first new build from the hull up.

It launched was in June. This cruise ship will accommodate 2,224 passengers. It will be another cruise ship in NCL America’s “Freestyle Cruising” concept being offered for your cruise vacation.

The Pride of Hawaii’s interior decor will be, of course, Hawaiian.

This cruise ship will be departing weekly on Mondays for your cruise vacation and travel the islands, calling Honolulu home.

In December the Norwegian Pearl is set to sail in the Caribbean in the winter months and Alaska in the summer months for your cruise vacations. One of their innovations is the Bar Central concept. It features a martini bar, a champagne bar, wine bar, and a beer and whiskey pub all connected.

The Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas was launched in May in time for summer cruise vacations. Cruise reviews call it the most innovative cruise ship for RCCL so far.

This 158,000-ton cruise ship has a capacity of 3,600 passengers. It will actually be 10,000 tons larger than Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. It will be the largest cruise ship to be built so far.

The Freedom of the Seas has an added feature that other cruise ships do not. It actually has a place to surf on the top cruise deck. This is a new and unique amenity for RCCL’s Freedom of the Seas cruise ship. Other cruise lines have virtual golf or movies under the stars but no one has a surf park. The cruise line has built the largest rock climbing wall ever.

Following its launching, the Freedom of the Seas will sail seven-day cruise vacations to the Caribbean from Miami.

The Crown Princess, Princess Cruises christened in June. The Crown Princess is expected to accommodate 3,110 cruise travel passengers with 1200 crew.
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When you decide on Bahamas Yacht Charters you have over 500 miles of tropical waters to explore. The Bahamas is an archipelago that contains over 700 islands, so unless you have loads of cash you won’t get to see them all in one charter vacation. Choose from crewed yacht charters or a bareboat charter, but whichever one you choose, you can decide where you want to go. Bahamas Yacht Charters can help you plan your vacation so that it fulfills your every need.

The difference in crewed yacht charters and bareboat charters is in the amenities that the yacht offers. You don’t have to know how to sail the yacht if you want the cheaper bareboat, but you do have to supply your own food and supplies. In addition, you have to bring along your own lounge chairs and watersports equipment or choose to rent them from Bahamas Yacht Charters. With crewed yacht charters, you don’t have to do any work aboard the yacht and everything is supplied for you. If you have lots of money to spend, you can choose one of the luxury yacht charters. Bahamas lends itself to dreaming of luxury, so for that once in a lifetime vacation, why not splurge?

As a rule, Bahamas Yacht Charters begin with a chart briefing at 9 A.M. Then you can sail at 10 and you have to have the yacht back by 10 at the end of the charter period. If you would prefer to have an afternoon sailing time, you have to request this when you book your yacht charters. The Bahamas is suitable for any time sailing and with the short distance from Florida to the Bahamas, it doesn’t make any difference what time you leave. You do have to be careful of the weather if you book the yacht charter during hurricane season.
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Several months ago, in a related article, I made mention of two start up air carriers for the US market. Since then, both EOS Airlines and Maxjet Airways have taken flight and are successfully serving their passengers and making plans for future expansion. Beyond these two carriers, additional carriers are waiting to take their first flights. Let’s take a look at some leading contenders.

Fly First Class — This Florida based air carrier is planning to use Wilmington, NC as its base. With flights to Bermuda and London planned, the airline — true to its name — will offer only one level of service, first class. Expected first flight is sometime during the second quarter of 2006.

Primaris Airlines — Already FAA approved and the owner of a single Boeing 757 aircraft which they currently are leasing to another carrier, Primaris placed an order in January 2005 for Boeing’s new Dreamliner aircraft, also known as the 787. Before the first of these particular aircraft arrive in 2008, Primaris reportedly will be leasing three additional 757 aircraft and begin scheduled service between New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco by the middle of 2006.
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The term “recreational vehicle” or RV usually calls to mind a motorhome, perhaps a Winnebago brand specifically. It’s a large vehicle in which the living space and the driver’s seat are all part of the same structure, rather than having the “car” part towing the “living” part.

But recreational vehicles come in many other shapes and sizes, too, and are still properly called RVs. Which one you buy depends on your needs.

The motorhome (commonly called a Winnebago even when it’s actually a different brand) is convenient because it offers reasonable living quarters, including a place to sleep, prepare food and use the bathroom. The driver is not disconnected from his passengers; they’re in the “back seat,” as the living quarters are right behind him. Many people, especially retirees, live in motorhomes full-time, touring the country and enjoying their mobile lifestyle. RV parks have sprouted up all over the country, offering traveling recreational vehicle enthusiasts a place to stop and rest, hook up to electrical posts, and even use the Internet.
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