Travel Maven blog

Romance on Oasis of the Seas cruise

Midnight at the Oasis, send your camel to bed. Shadows painting our faces, traces of romance in our heads. Heaven's holding a half moon, shining just for us. Let's slip off to a sand dune, real soon, kick up a little dust.

Or so I was singing (thank you writer David Nichtern), long about midnight, on the amazing new Oasis of the Seas.

Camels? Sand dunes? Dust?

No. But romance was in the salt sea air.

We were sailing off the coast of Florida. Most passengers had returned to their pillows, and the largest cruise ship ever --  a bustling, floating mall of bars, shops, restaurants, and sporty diversions such as a zipline -- grew quieter in the early morning, moonlit shadows, like a big city at rest for a few hours before the tumult of a new day.

Now, finally, the big ship was mine. And I went for a long walk.

CLICK for the rest of the story and pictures from Oasis of the Seas on TheTravelMavens.com

Oasis of the Seas, a Floating Island, says TIME

The $1.4 billion megaship--the largest passenger ship ever made, with room for 6,296 guests--is nearly half again as big as the last biggest cruise ship, RCL's Freedom of the Seas. She's as big as a supertanker or a container ship. Flatten the deck and you could launch F-18s off it. If you were sitting on the 20th floor of a high-rise next to the ship, you'd be able to talk to the sunbathers beside one of the pools.

via www.time.com

This is the best reporting on the cruise business I've read. If you wonder why the cruise industry keeps building huge new ships, such as Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, read on.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1945368-1,00.html#

Extremes in Beijing at China's luxurious Opposite House

With a name like Opposite House, you wouldn't expect the ordinary.

The 98-room hotel, which opened in Beijing last year in the Sanlitun neighborhood, fits the image of a hip urban inn fancied by young adults and by monied travelers who are looking for contemporary design and style.  Service is casual, yet quick and thorough.

From the outdoors to your room, The Opposite House challenges expectation.

A cheeseburger in China, shopping for cloisonne

If you must eat a cheeseburger in the country of Mao Zedong, I highly recommend a sandwich at the School House, near the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, north of Beijing.

The restaurant, which serves western-style food on a sunny patio, makes a burger that is big and juicy, accompanied not only by French fries, but also a great view of the Great Wall. It's a fine place to unwind after a wall walk. My lunch was about $12.

Then, for a detour from modern munchies to the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644), make a short stop at the cloisonne factory nearby. It is on the road back to Beijing from Mutianyu.

The wonders of Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, S.C., is one of America's favorite cities for travelers.

It's a city you can walk with wonder at the historic architecture of its houses and storefronts, listen to the clip-clop of horses pulling carriages full of happy tourists, sit for a spell in shady waterfront parks, stroll the neighborhoods for an understanding of the southern marvel -- a city that lives well, eats well and draws admiring visitors.

I wish my home city of Cleveland, Ohio, offered its residents and visitors such parks on the southern shore of Lake Erie.

On a recent visit to Charleston, I met one of the heroes of the city's success saga, Joseph P. Riley Jr., mayor since 1975. He is pro-people and anti-illegal guns.

Dining in High Cotton in Charleston

My table was in High Cotton.

That's a southern phrase that means the best of times, which these are not. But on a vacation night in Charleston, South Carolina, High Cotton, the restaurant, was standing tall.

Charleston has become a foody city, a vacation destination for folks who like to eat.

At High cotton, my meal was lettuce wedge (my first iceberg in a while) and blue cheese; broiled grouper on a bed of sauteed spinich; and key lime tort. Entrees start at about $20 for hearty, southern style meals in an atmosphere of brick walls, wood floors, a stack of wine glasses on the table -- and a sign that says: Livin' Large and Steppin' High.

Nice image.