Cruising

I have spent two days analyzing hundreds of Mediterranean cruise itineraries, to find one that ideally hit Rome, Venice, Athens and Istanbul. Several of them hit two to three of the four cities. I had a chart, etc. Then we checked airfare to Europe. Cheapest ---- $1500 per person, baby! Holy cats. That's more than a 7-day Mediterranean cruise. So we're not going to do the Europe trip. :( Maybe next year.

My favorite is Princess' Venice and Rome Cruisetour. 2 nights in Venice, train trip to Rome, 2 nights in Rome, then a 12-day cruise that hits Monte Carlo and Athens, among a bunch of cool Italian and Greek ports. AWESOME.

Instead, we are most likely going on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas on a 7-night Eastern Caribbean out of Miami. Among the standard ports, it also goes to Puerto Rico, which I have yet to visit! We're hoping Troy and Jaxon and their parents are able to go with us. *fingers crossed* I can't seem to link it, but you can view it on RCCL.com. If you want to come, too, let me know! We want to bring as many friends as want to go. Get 5% cashback if you use your Discover Card. People in Florida *coughAngelcough* have zero airfare. And yes, I am the queen of the travel deal.

Liberty of the Seas is a Freedom Class ship. It's positively ginormous. I guarantee you will love it, or I'll personally deliver a pizza to your room. (Pizza is included in the fare, but it's the thought, right?) All food and drinks other than soft drinks and alcohol are included. The only extra expense is shore excursions, if you choose to do them. Ports include St. Maarten; San Juan, Puerto Rico and Labadee, Haiti.

My thoughts on Royal Caribbean going to Labadee-- They have been going there for many, many years. The beach is on the opposite side of the island from Port Au Prince. If you ask me, the whole idea of being just across the mountain from such poverty has always been weird. We've gone twice, and most passengers are aware of it while they are there. So I have very mixed feelings about it, especially now with the complete devastation. However, as with every port, being there supports the economy and many local people. If the cruise line stopped showing up, all that money would vanish. I hope the media doesn't force them out of there while rebuilding is about to begin.

Some people are calling for RCCL to empty their ships and use them to carry supplies in and people out. (They are carrying food and supplies in, although with vacationers.) Sounds great! But it would be extremely expensive and very impractical for fulfilling the needs of Haiti. Those things are vastly more efficiently done with planes, not cruise ships. If you want to learn more about what Royal Caribbean is doing for the relief effort, you can read here.