The 'Independence of the Seas' is on the Canary Islands leg of its maiden voyage after a first-stopover in Funchal (Madeira). Built at the Aker Finnyards drydock in Turku (Finland), it is the 'sister' ship of two other 'Freedom' class cruise-liners, the 'Freedom of the Seas' and 'Liberty of the Seas'.

At 158,000 gross tonnes, the 'Independence of the Seas' becomes the world's biggest of its type, and is 10,000 tonnes heavier than the 'Queen Mary II'. It was launched from its Southampton base at the end of April since when successful sea-trials have been conducted on sailings between Oslo, Norway, and the German port of Hamburg.

After stopovers in Santa Cruz (photo), Las Palmas and Arrecife, it will head to the mainland to visit Lisbon and Vigo before returning to Southampton.

With a maximum capacity for 4,370 passengers, it is carrying 3,600 (from 20 countries) on this trip, who are being attended to by a total crew of 1,200 (from 75).

It has 14 floors and features a vast array of amenities, including an interactive water park, a dedicated sports pool (for volleyball and basketball), and whirlpools which extend from the ship's sides.

It also features a coffee shop and bookstore, a pizzeria, and an ice cream parlour, a rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, Wi-Fi capabilities throughout the ship, flat screen televisions in all staterooms, and cell phone connectivity.

And, it is also the first Royal Caribbean ship to feature heated, freshwater pools.

Boasting rights are not set to last long, however, as rumour has it that the first of the new 'Genesis' class cruisers, that are expected to enter service next year, will be even bigger.

Whenever someone talks about Las Vegas attractions, the first thing that comes to mind is casinos and we all know that casinos and tipples go hand in hand. Casinos and myriad other forms of fun have made Las Vegas the entertainment capital of the world. Tourists from all over the world flock to the city to enjoy Las Vegas sightseeing as there are plenty of places to see. If you take the Las Vegas sightseeing tour, the places that you must cover are some famous casinos and they include Golden Nugget, Four Queens and Las Vegas Club. The city was once referred to as the Sin City also because among Las Vegas attractions, one of the most popular is adult entertainment.

Among other Las Vegas attractions are some famous parks such as Las Vegas Springs Reserve and Floyd Lamb State Park. You should also include the visit to ‘Arts District’ in your Las Vegas sightseeing tour as it gives you the glimpse of the rich culture of the area. Las Vegas has rich musical history too and a number of popular music bands have their origins in the city. The bands are The Killer, Slaughter, Escape the Fate and many others.

It is a popular belief that once you are in Las Vegas, you will forget everything else and will indulge yourself in complete fun. If you are planning a trip to Vegas, then enjoy and good luck.

Regional hospitality brand, Shaza Hotels, today announced that it has signed major land purchase agreements across the region to develop signature hotel properties which it will own and manage.

According to senior executives, the group has purchased prime properties in Cairo, Bahrain, and Marrakech and will act as both investor and operator of Eastern-inspired hotels in each of these key gateway cities.

Speaking at a press conference at Arabian Travel Market, Chairman Mohamad Hammour said that these new developments are just the first of a series of projects the hotel group has in the pipeline.

“Shaza Hotels’ investment in key gateway cities of Cairo, Bahrain, and Marrakech demonstrate the company’s commitment to the region and our belief in the on-going strength of the region’s expanding tourism sector,” said Hammour.

“We are successfully forging ahead with our ambitious development plans and will continue to extend our regional footprint, with aspirations to eventually spread the Shaza brand world-wide,” he added.

Ideally situated in the heart of Cairo, the exclusive Shaza Nile Douma Hotel will be set on approximately 7,500 square meter plot directly on the Corniche El Nil, within walking distance of the Nile City Complex and Arcadia Mall.

The 5-star mixed-use tower development combines a 350-room hotel with 70-90 high-end residential serviced apartments and, with unobstructed views, is one of the last available plots of land in Cairo overlooking the Nile.

Part of the large-scale waterfront reclamation project in Bahrain, the Shaza Manama Hotel in Bahrain Bay will be built on approximately 43, 000 square meters of land and comprise a 285 room hotel, along with 20-25 high-end serviced apartments.

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Message boards are abuzz with the news that the Freewinds, the church's massive cruise ship and floating top secret training compound, has been sealed by Caribbean authorities. Its captain allegedly hid the presence of cancer-causing blue asbestos in the ventilation system, even as workers at a dry dock company refurbished the 40-year-old vessel.

The St. Martin newspaper the Daily Herald has allegedly printed the story, and a photo of the article, showing a date of April 28, 2008, is making the rounds on the Internet. Messages left at the editorial offices of the paper were not immediately returned. Reached via phone, a worker at the Curacao Drydock Company tells Radar that the ship has been docked and sealed and that a story about asbestos did run in the newspaper.

The boat is Scientology's main, if not only training center for those seeking rise to the high position of OT VIII. Equipped with a gym, a hospital, a cinema, and a disco, it's the party boat featured in the recently unearthed video featuring a boogieing Tom Cruise (video, via Gawker EXCLUSIVE below). There's no telling how many aspiring Scientologist grandmasters and Acapulco shirt-sporting, thetan-shedding vacations were exposed to the toxic asbestos dust.

An e-mail sent to a Scientology representative asking what will become of the Freewinds and seeking comment about the alleged cover-up of and exposure to the blue asbestos was not immediately answered. 

Salt Lake City is often the central point for visitors to Utah. For this reason, many people spend at least a few days in the Salt Lake City hotels. Given the city’s close proximity to the airport, people often choose to stay in one of the many hotels in Salt Lake City itself, as opposed to a Salt Lake City airport hotel.

 A number of the Salt Lake City hotels have free shuttles to the ski areas. At times, these hotels may also have rates that are considerably lower than the lodging options at the resort. Choosing one of the hotels in Salt Lake City is also a good choice if you are traveling with people who do not ski or snowboard. There will be plenty of attractions in the city to keep them busy!

Fortunately, there are Salt Lake City hotels that are suitable for a variety of tastes and budgets. However, some of the hotels are so interesting; they can almost be considered Salt Lake City attractions. For example, take a look at the Anniversary Inn. Located at 460 South 1000 East, this is perhaps one of the most interesting hotels in Salt Lake City. The Anniversary Inn was built inside the old Salt City Jail, near the University of Utah.

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In June, the sun won’t set for more than two hours in St. Petersburg - it is the month of the White Nights, when at 2am you can see people reading in parks, in the dusky light and couples dancing frantically on the banks of Neva. During this period there are several events: the Olympus International Music Festival (with concerts of the St Petersburg Philharmonic), the St. Petersburg International Film Festival and “The Stars of White Nights” Festival with opera and ballet performances of the Bolshoi Theatre. The high season begins on 27 May, the day of the city.What else to visit in St. Petersburg

It depends what you are interested in: Nabokov or Dostoevsky’s house, the submarines or artillery museums (with staffed kamikaze dogs) or perhaps, Kunstkamera where Peter the Great has displayed his collection of children with a single eye and Siamese preserved in formalin. Save for the last the museum of the national drink, where you will get caviar and seven kinds of vodka. Around St. Petersburg there are: Pavlovsk, the residence of Emperor Pavel I, son of Catherine the Great, and the place of the same Catherine, with its famous Amber Hall, from Tsarskoye Selo.

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Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan registers rapid development of tourist business in the country.

Tourism Department Chief (Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan) Aydin Ismiyev said that if in 2002 number of acting hotels was 94, then now the number reaches 320.

“Number of travel agencies acting in Azerbaijan has also grown from 20 up to 30. Besides, this year the Ministry participated in ten international exhibitions held in different countries of the world. Also infotours are organized in Azerbaijan periodically for business representatives of foreign countries,” A.Ismiyev said.

Star Cruises' SuperStar Gemini has returned to Singapore to commence a brand new 7-night cruise itinerary departing weekly from Singapore. The new itineraries will see SuperStar Gemini call at 16 destinations across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong from this month until the end of 2006.

The itineraries are a combination of 7 and 21-night cruises to destinations such as Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur), Langkawi, Penang, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching in Malaysia, Krabi, Phuket, Koh Samui and Bangkok in Thailand, Sihanoukville in Cambodia, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Halong Bay and Danang in Vietnam.

The new itineraries will include a number of maiden calls by SuperStar Gemini to Bangkok and Koh Samui in Thailand, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu in East Malaysia as well as Nha Trang, Danang and Halong Bay in Vietnam. It will also be the first time that a Star Cruises ship will call at Sihanoukville in Cambodia. The overnight call to Halong Bay will allow passengers to visit exotic Hanoi in Vietnam’s north. Together with Phuket, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, this brings to 4 destinations in Indochina where SuperStar Gemini has overnight stops.

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Florida vacation spots are here and waiting for you!    Find all sorts of new, wonderful and exotic Florida vacation ideas to tickle your fancy, outside of the usual attractions.

So where are these great Florida places...and what are they?

Want to discover them? 

Sure you do!

Hi everyone, my name is Gail and I've lived in Florida since the early 1960's, so I know about all kinds of Florida fun.  From attractions to beaches, from north to south, I've been all around Florida checking things out..   here's more to Florida vacations than you might expect.  How about:

What's Florida without the beach?  Find out about the best beaches in Florida before you decide where you want to go.  From the boardwalk at Daytona Beach, to the quiet and beautiful Captiva, you're bound to find the best Florida beaches for you.

Here's an exotic Florida vacation spot for you the Florida Keys.  Do you like snorkeling, swimming, boating, diving and more?  What about finding places to stay and attractions to see?  I've recently added all kinds of new information about the Florida Keys and Key West check it out!

Florida State and National Parks - the Florida Everglades is a must-see.  And some of our state parks are beaches!  There are 2 parks that are mostly underwater  how's that for interesting?  Oh, and don't forget our "wonder down under" Florida Caverns State Park!

Walt Disney World vacations visit with the world's most famous mouse.  And as you will see, there is more to Disney than meets the eye!

All kinds of other, smaller Florida attractions that never seem to make it into the guide books.

Florida cruises all kinds, from the mega-ships to intimate vessels await you!  Maybe sunset cruises in the Florida Keys?

Hey, want to walk on the wild side?  Florida camping is out of this world!

Want to find some additional new and exotic Florida vacation spots?  How about checking out the regions of Florida and see what you can find.  From parts of the state through various cities, you'll find something to intrigue.

Hey, have you considered where you'll stay here in Florida?  How about renting a timeshare and vacation in luxury!

Check out my updated Florida vacation blog what's new on this site, and what's news around the state.

Just so you know, I won't be covering Florida vacation spots like places to party hearty (except by making a general reference).  Well, I do include Key West, but that's a special exception.  

I'll be focusing on the smaller attractions, exotic vacation spots like the Keys, as well as places of beauty and wonder around this great state of Florida (although any Florida vacation site isn't complete without Disney). 

It's the Florida you knew had to be here somewhere!  And there are plenty of great Florida vacation spots to explore, from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

I wander around the state periodically, visiting places both old and new.  I am continually amazed at what Florida has to offer, especially the "natural attractions" like parks and beaches.  And some of the smaller attractions sure are fun!

Come on with me and let's go exploring some great Florida vacation spots!

Bahrain has a group of 33 islands, with an area of 707 square kilometres and is situated in the Arabian Gulf which is off the east coast of Saudi Arabia. The local time is GMT + 3 hours.

The state takes its name from the largest island Bahrain, which is 586.5 square kilometres. It is linked by causeways to Muharraq (international airport) and Sitra (industrial area and tank-farm).

There are numerous other tiny islands, but they are mainly uninhabited and are best known for the variety of migrating birds.

Arabic is the official language, although English is widely understood and it's used by most businesses.