Travel Maven blog

Thy name will be Oasis of the Seas

By now, everybody knows her name.

Thanks to morning television, and twitters and blogs by the hundreds, Royal Caribbean's new giant of the seas is the talk of the vacation world -- a floating resort city, the largest cruise ship ever built, with beds for more than 6,000 passengers.

Today, she will be named officially Oasis of the Seas, as part of the traditional ceremony for the world's new ships. You know the routine: A woman, the celebratory godmother,  breaks a bottle of champagne over the bow and offers a prayer for the ship and those who will sail on her.

Who will do the honors for the Oasis? Not a single godmother.

That would ruin the story line:

This ship is so big.

How big is it?

Big enough for seven godmothers.

They are: Actresses Jane Seymour, Daisy Fuentes and Keshia Knight Pulliam; singer Gloria Estefan; and American Olympic sports  stars, ice skater Michelle Kwan, swimmer Dara Torres and gymnast Shawn Johnson.

The ceremony -- and spilling of champagne -- begins Monday afternoon, off the Florida coast, near Fort Lauderdale. Guests aboard bought their cabins for this one-night cruise by making a hefty contribution to the Make A Wish Foundation.

Driving to your cruise, ports closer to home

As airline prices, delays and travel hassles increase, cruise lines are adding new home ports so passengers can drive to their voyage instead of flying.

This winter (2009-2010), ships will be operating regularly, snow storms and all, from New York and Baltimore, on Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruise lines.

Even though this means the first winter day at sea usually is sweater weather -- at best -- the popularity of driving to the port, and letting the ship take you south, is rising swiftly.

Home ports for large cruise ships now dot the shores along the coasts of the United States, from Alaska to Massachusetts.

Depending on the season, you may cruise from Seward (Alaska), Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles/Long Beach and San Diego on the West Coast; from Galveston/Houston, New Orleans, Mobile (Ala.) and Tampa on the Gulf Coast; from Boston, New York/Bayonne (N.J.), Philadelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk (Va.), Charleston (S.C.), Jacksonville, Port Canaveral (Fla.), Ft. Lauderdale and Miami on the East Coast. 

CLICK for more on cruises from new home ports and what's available this winter, at TheTravelMavens.com

Planning a winter cruise from a northern port

Germans celebrate 20 years after the Wall

As Germans celebrate this next week and the world watches -- 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain -- here are some Internet sources for remembering, with maps, pictures and perspectives. 

You might start with my series: Remembering the Berlin Wall and Cold War, including ideas for travelers to explore Eastern Germany and Berlin, experiencing old lives, chills, and fears. 

Others I recommend:

Twenty years later, how Germany has healed the scars of the Berlin Wall.

You may comment on the Berlin Wall Twitter site.

Take a historical and geographical journey of the Berlin Wall through the memories of those whose lives were shaped by it.

Cycling the Berlin Wall, a peaceful ride where guard dogs once roamed

Museums where you can see glimpses of life under communism

The Trabi revived as an electric car

"Wind of Change" is the anthem most associated, cigarette lighters aloft, with the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago this November 9.

Vacations in Germany, planning a trip