Royal Caribbean Fuel Supplement Suspended
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd has announced that they are to suspend the fuel supplement for Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises. This suspension applies to all sailings that depart from the 1st January 2009 to anywhere in the world.
This suspension in the fuel supplement is due to the lower prices of fuel that are currently in place.
Guests who now book a cruise that departs from 1st January 2008 will not be charged the fuel supplement and those who have already booked for sailings after this date will receive a refund.
For the full press release see The Cruise News.
St Lucia - a jewel in the Caribbean
St Lucia is one of the Windward Islands in the middle of the Eastern Caribbean, south of Martinique and northwest of Barbados.
The capital is Castries in the north west of St Lucia, which is 27 miles long and 14 miles wide with a central mountain range the whole length of the island with peaks as high as 3000feet plus. It is the combination of mountains, forests, low lying land, small coastal fishing villages, and beaches that makes a lot of people choose a St Lucia Vacation.
The mountains are forested and the lush lower slopes have splashes of colour thanks to the jasmine, scarlet chenille, and wild orchids. Probably the most famous landmarks in St Lucia are the two towering volcano cones on the south west coast called the Twin Pitons which are the most incredible sight especially at dusk.
St Lucia’s climate is obviously tropical with temperatures varying between 70 degrees to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, with rain from June to November and fairly dry between December in May. St Lucia has a lot of accommodation choices to suit most pockets and tastes. There is everything from all-inclusive resorts, and large deluxe hotels to luxury villas.
You will also be able to find lovely small hotels, traditional inns, and apartments and guesthouses. You will find accommodation on the beach or inland, in the north which is completely different in characteristics to the south.
A St Lucia Vacation is for pleasure seeking people, for people who like unspoiled undiscovered places. It is for people who want to celebrate their wedding on a Caribbean Island and for honeymooners who are looking for a tropical island paradise, because St Lucia is all of these things.
St Lucia is a great place for a family vacation which can include any number of land and water sports, including but not restricted to golf, tennis, cricket, table tennis, biking, horse riding, and deep sea fishing, windsurfing, sailing, para sailing, and waterskiing. Water sports are definitely a large part of any St Lucia Vacation, especially when you think about the white sand beaches, and beautiful inviting turquoise blue sea.
In addition to all of that there are places to visit like the beautiful Marigot Bay, Maria Islands Nature reserve, Whale and turtle watching, to name a few. Dining out in St Lucia is a treat because St Lucians enjoy their food, so this logically means there are a large number of restaurants on the island. The cuisine is best described as a combination of International and Creole, where fresh local produce plays a huge part.
Now you can sea what a great place St Lucia is for a vacation, the only question left to answer is how to get there. You can reach St Lucia by air or by sea. You can arrive at airports in the north or the south with many popular airlines, and you can travel on to your final destination by helicopter or ferry. You can fly into a neighbouring island like Martinique and then catch a ferry to St Lucia. You may also arrive on a cruise ship or a yacht.
It really doesn’t matter which way you choose to arrive in St Lucia, because you will find a Caribbean Island paradise unlike any other and you won’t want to leave.
Labels: StLucia
Why choose Antigua?
Choosing a Caribbean Island vacation is difficult because to the outsider the Caribbean is just the Caribbean, with each island being much like the other.
The insider will however tell you that each island has its own identity, none more so than Antigua. The island of Antigua is always associated with Barbuda, but this article isn’t about Antigua and Barbuda, but about what it is that should make you want to choose Antigua for your Caribbean Island Vacation.
Antigua is the largest of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, north of Montserrat and Guadeloupe, and to the south and east of Nevis, St Kitts, St Barts, and St Martin. It is some fourteen miles long and eleven miles wide, totalling 108 square miles.
This means with its 365 beaches, one for every day of the year, there is plenty Antigua to explore, and furthermore there is lots to see thanks to the close links with Britain and the British Navy in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Visitors who have chosen Antigua for their Caribbean Island Vacation, also inevitably visit English Harbour which is Antigua’s evocative historical district, around Nelson’s Dockyard National Park.
The whole harbour area was the headquarters of the fleet in Nelson’s time. There are historical buildings and fortifications to be seen around the park.
Antigua’s beaches are of course a huge reason for taking a Caribbean Island Vacation here. The majority of the beaches are on the west coast , which is the more sheltered calm and protected part. All of the beaches are open to the public and each has different characteristics, so the main difficulty you will have is finding the perfect Antigua beach for you.
One piece of advice is to never go to isolated beaches on your own, and another is to make sure you get good directions before you go. On the northwest coast you will find Dickenson Bay and Runaway Bay, both highly developed and great resort beaches. Closest to St Johns are Fort James, and Deep Bay. In the winter surfers go to Galley Bay and the four beaches at Hawksbill are impressive, just beware that one is a nudist beach.
On the southwest and south coast of Antigua are where you will find the less visited and developed beaches because the area is quite hilly. A road winds along the coast here and you will find beaches like Fryes Bay, Darkwood Beach, and the beaches around Johnsons Point. Rendezvous Bay, and Doigs Beach are especially very quiet beaches but not easy to get to.
If you are looking for an Antigua Beach to relax on after visiting English Harbour then try Pigeon Point. On the east coast, the south east corner is Half Moon Bay, is a national park, and if you want a family beach, then this and Long Bay which is as far to the east as you can go are both outstanding. The beaches facing east are quite rough but great for beachcombing. Whether it is history and sightseeing or beaches, Antigua has something for everyone as a Caribbean Island Vacation
Labels: Antigua
