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What Is A Repositioning Cruise?

What is a repositioning cruise, and why would you want to go on one? Well, you might not want to, but there are many reasons why you would or would not want to embark on such a journey. A repositioning cruise is a little bit different from a normal cruise for a couple of reasons. Below is outlined some of the ways that it is different from a regular cruise and how this works for and against you and your travel needs.

(1) A repositioning cruise leaves one port and arrives in another. That is, a repositioning cruise does not return to the port from which it departed. This is because of the changing climates of the water. So, like birds, cruise ships relocate north or south depending on the season. This often takes a number of days and a lot of resources, so instead of relocating the ships sans passengers, the cruise lines offer "repositioning" cruises at a deeply discounted price.

(2) That brings us to pro number one. The cost is much less than your average cruise. However, since you have to pay your own air fare to and from the ports of call, it could end up being about the same in the long run, since your plane tickets to two different locations will likely be more than a standard round trip ticket.

(3) These trips are often longer than normal cruises, lasting an average of nine to eighteen days. This is great for longer vacations, and tend to be very relaxing for those who are able to take advantage of such an xtended journey. However, many people can not afford to take so much time off of work, so this really is a niche market.

(4) Repositioning cruises tend to make much less stops at ports of call, since their main purpose is to relocate the ship to a final destination. This is good if you would like to spend a lot of time at sea, but if you want to see a lot of different places, than it is unlikely that you will find what you are looking for on a repositioning cruise.

So where can you find a repositioning cruise? Well, you could watch the birds and see which way they are flying. If that is not working for you, however, you could check out some of these resources:

* The Carnival Spirit winters on the Mexican Riviera and repositions to Alaska via Hawaii in the fall.

* The Carnival Liberty goes from the Mediterranean in the summer to the Atlantic in the fall

* The Celebrity Constellation and the Celebrity Millennium relocate from the Caribbean to Europe in the spring and then head back for the Americas in the fall

* The Costa Atlantica and Costa Mediterranean cross the Atlantic to reposition from the Caribbean to Europe in the spring.

There are many other opportunities to cash in on this great cruise discount. The best place to check is cruises repositioning from Alaska for the winter. Give your travel agent a call and check it out.

by Kirsten Hawkins

Are you up for a little eco-luxury? Tiamo, an earth-friendly resort made up of a row of wooden cottages that are chic and simple at the same time, provides the ultimate in Caribbean luxury travel. Scattered along a quite strand of white powder on Andros island in the Bahamas, this Caribbean luxury travel resort is surrounded by orchids and giant lizards and offers nothing but relaxed comfort and ecological correctness. This Caribbean luxury travel resort offers the perfect antidote to the Caribbean's more familiarly hedonistic piña colada and party resorts. At Tiamo, the Caribbean is reduced to barefoot luxury - polished and refined yet set in an environment that can only be described as natural.

Out of all the Bahamian islands in the Caribbean region, Andros is one of the less well-known. And yet, its subdued allure is what makes it even more appealing as a Caribbean luxury travel destination. With an area of 2,300 square miles and home to only 8,000 people, it is one of the least explored places in the western hemisphere.
However, don't even for a second think that Andros is just one of those dime-a-dozen island destinations which the Caribbean is full of. Andros is the largest island in the country so you have plenty of grounds to have fun and enjoy the warm Caribbean sun. And because the island is yet undeveloped, there are few phones, few bus lines, and other facilities that could distract you from your relaxing vacation.

In truth, the island is not just one island but a group of islands tightly meshed into one archipelago. With its rocky shores and a web of creeks, this Caribbean luxury travel destination has never offered the kind of obvious harbor found on other Bahamian islands so, apart from the odd fishing lodge and Caribbean luxury travel retreats, development has largely bypassed it. However, what has made the island unsuitable for urban evolution makes it perfect for eco-tourism.

The Caribbean luxury travel resort of Tiamo is remote, even by Andros' standards. Set three, road-less miles from the nearest village and surrounded by palm trees, banana plants, orchids, herons, tiny tree frogs, and some vicious mosquitoes, Tiamo is only accessible to guests by boat. Relying on its solar power system and solar-heated rainwater showers, the resort stays true to its ecological philosophy but at the same time offers you with an idyllic retreat is incomparable anywhere else.

Tiamo's wooden cottages come with massive beds, hand-painted "do not disturb" signs, brightly tiled mirrors and showers lean towards safari-chic, especially when taken in with their painted, corrugated-iron walls. And in a clever twist on recycling, even the wood left over from building the cottages were used to build this Caribbean luxury travel resort's funky outdoor furniture.

But while the interiors are outstanding, the main features of all the cottages though are their open porches. They have fans rather than air conditioning, but you don't need to worry about the heat. The open sides of the cottages are designed to help keep temperatures down. Climate control aside, the real beauty of these porches is that they offer you panoramic views of the forest and the beach.

by By Magne Bjorklund

When it comes to opportunities to enjoy good food, Paradise Island of the Bahamas is aptly named. On this small island, the cuisines of the world are represented. There are a wide range of cuisine choices and dining settings.

Anthony's Caribbean Grill, located at the Paradise Island Shopping Mall, serves Caribbean and American foods. While the Caribbean is - to be truthful - rather Americanized, the quality of the ingredients is high, and the food, whichever culinary genre it may properly or officially belong to, tastes good and is satisfying. Among the eatery's offerings are pizzas with a plethora of available toppings, barbecued chicken and ribs, fried chicken, ribs with Caribbean-style barbecue sauce and a host of large sized salads that serve as meals. A broad range of mixed drinks is available. The hours are from 7:30am to 11pm, and it is open daily.

At The Water's Edge, a nightly seafood buffet is served. The culinary influence is decidedly Mediterranean, and in addition to an abundance of seafood, there are many pasta dishes, including penne a l'arrabbiata. Pizzas of various types and styles are also a part of the buffet. The dining area itself is beautiful and works to set the tone of the meal. There are immense chandeliers and an artificially created miniature lagoon with three waterfalls adds an interesting touch. Reservations are strongly suggested for this establishment, found at the Atlantis. It is open daily, from 6pm to 10pm.

Mama Loo's specializes in Asian cuisine, though there are a few dishes with a Caribbean touch. The décor of the restaurant, with its ceiling fans and potted palms, does add a sort of Far East mystique that is enjoyable. Szechwan, Cantonese, and Polynesian cuisines make up most of the menu, though there are a few Caribbean dishes as well. The specialties of the house are the stir-fried lobster, beef, and broccoli with ginger, the shrimp in spicy chili sauce with a peanut sauce, and the deep-fried chicken filets with honey-flavored garlic sauce. Reservations are strongly suggested for this restaurant, located in the Coral Tower of the Atlantis. Mama Loo's is open Tuesday through Sunday from 6pm to 10pm.

The Cave, located at the Atlantis, offers simple fare that is delicious. Burgers, sandwiches, salads and ice cream draw a casual crowd, many right off the beach which is close by, and many families with children. The prices are reasonable and the hours are from 10am to 6pm every day.

Villa D'Este serves what many consider to be the best Italian food on the Island. Located in the Coral Tower of the Atlantis, this restaurant serves a variety of traditional favorites that take their influence from the Tuscany region of Italy. Some of the more interesting dishes are whole roasted rack of lamb coated with red wine sauce and rosemary potatoes and pan-fried chicken breast with artichokes and mushrooms in a lemony white wine sauce. Reservations are essential and the hours are 6pm to 10pm, Thursday through Tuesday.

Paradise Island is indeed a heavenly experience for those with an adventurous and discerning type of culinary taste. There's a lot to choose from, and certainly nobody will have to leave the island hungry.

by Simon Harris

There comes a time when you want to take time off of work and put aside the stress and just go on vacation. Somewhere where no one can reach you and you just can sit back and relax. If this sounds like you, you should go on a cruise.

If you go on a cruise there is nothing to bother you at all, you will be surrounded by the ocean and sunlight. So you can get plenty of relaxation, and spend time with your family like you want to. Cruise trips, to me are the best way to get away from your everyday life. And there are plenty of cruises to choose from, so you can pick the right one for you. I am going to tell you about a couple of them so you can get an idea on what kind of cruise you would like to take.

Let's start with Royal Caribbean Cruises... The Caribbean is no longer the haunt of pirates; it now retains a seafaring romance that can be claimed by few other destinations. If you were to take a cruise trip here you and your spouse would be able to fall in love all over again. Read the rest of this entry »

Celebrating under the attentive care of Bahamas honeymoon resorts, there might be no better way to commence a marriage. Consisting of over 700 mostly-uninhabited islands, Bahamas has a lot of territory to encounter during your trip. Bahamas honeymoon packages can put you in touch with several different tropical paradises during any given vacation. You will never be without something new to experience. Even your second or third Bahamas honeymoon will be as fresh and unique as the first.

Every travel agency has its own selection of Bahamas honeymoon packages, so it is worthwhile to shop around and find the one that reaches your highest expectations. Whether it's snorkeling in the sea or sunning on the silvery sand, the memories forged by a Bahamas honeymoon will remain with you for a lifetime.

The balmy, tropical atmosphere invites you to relax and enjoy life. At just about any given time you will be surrounded by the clear, blue sea on one side, with another sea of flourishing green vegetation on the other. Nature trails and guided tours immerse you into our truly genuine habitat: the great outdoors. Read the rest of this entry »

From the page: "You can take care of the nails on your feet by giving yourself a royal treatment at home! You can collect tools for manicure and pedicure and even maintain a set that you can use professionally. At home pedicure, procedures are not much complicated as the one done in the spas and it can be accomplished with the basic equipments.

Before starting on the procedures it is necessary to visit a beauty supply store or a drug store in order to get the materials required for the treatment. A large folded towel is placed on the floor in front of which the footbath filled with water and a few drops of liquid soap, nail scrub, oils or salts are kept.

The next step at home pedicure involves removing the old nail polish completely using cotton bands dipped in acetone remover since the usage of cotton balls could leave behind traces of cotton strands on the nails. If this does not remove the polish completely then the cotton has to be soaked on the nails for some time until it comes off completely.

When you are going for an at home pedicure, high quality clippers are much preferred for cutting the toenails as they give us much better results and the nails have to be cut leaving about 1/8th of an inch length so that the nails donâ€t extend over the tip of the toes. For acquiring a soft square shaped nail, its best to file from around the corners and edges in one direction using Emory boards and not metal files as they could rip the nails.

In Emory boards, the smooth surface is for softening the nail edges whereas the coarse surface is for shaping them. Soaking the feet in a bath of salt and aroma oils or Epsom salts will do you good. Calloused feet require being soaked for longer hours and adding milk to the warm water will help loosen the dead skin. Cuticle remover is applied to the nail bases and using orangewood stick the skin is pushed back to where it meets the nail.

Trimming of loose skin is done using cuticle nippers and care should be taken to see that the toe flesh is not cut. Exfoliators, foot scrubs, or if possible wet pumice stone is used to remove the dead cells in the balls and heels of the feet. Scrubbing too hard may cause the foot to turn red, in case of which the scrubbing should be stopped.

At home pedicure requires a nourishing foot cream that is applied on the feet including the area between the toes and rubbed, and the cuticle is re-hydrated by using cuticle oil. A thin base coat of three strokes, with one down the middle and the other one on each side is applied followed by a thin topcoat. The cuticles should not be painted. An orangewood stick with cotton wrapped around it is dipped in nail polish remover to remove excess of polish. The nails are to be dried before wearing shoes. Pedicure socks are available which can be worn without covering the toenails."