Well stocked buffets, spotless state rooms, flawless dinner service- these are all the things you see and expirience while aboard a cruise ship on vacation. But unbeknownst to most behind those service doors is a well oiled machine of crew members and maintanence organizing everything from laundry and room service, to keeping the ship running smoothly and of course steering it in the right direction. Celebrity Cruises was kind enough to let me take a peek behind the scenes of what most cruisers don’t get to see and share with you some things you may not know about your floating vacation.

Captains and Officers at the Bridge

This is the Bridge where the Captain spends most of his time. The bridge serves as the navigational, command and control center of the ship.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a beautiful day to celebrate Mother Earth despite all the earthquakes, volcanos and other natural disasters. The best way to celebrate Earth Day? Visit a National Park (for free!), plan a trip to a place you have never been, or simply turn off all the lights and sing Kumbaya. The choice is yours!

Arches National Park

Did you know that this weekend kicks off National Park Week? What the heck is that you ask? It’s an awesome week where the National Park Service waives fees for entrance at all 392 of their National Parks! It runs April 17- April 25 and chances are you live near one- so get out and enjoy the outdoors and the beauty of this great country! Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon- yup all free! Save yourself $25 bucks! What better way to celebrate Earth Day (April 22)?

For more information on National Park Week visit the National Park Service’s website.

These Ballistic shoes provide you with unparalleled cushioning and support, but they could use some help with their logo. Since this is a family friendly blog I’m going to stop there.

Men’s Ballistic White Shoe $129.95 through SkyMall.

CNN posted an article talking about babies flying on airplanes and how their crying affects other travelers. I would just like to utilize my own platform (you know since this is my blog) to voice my opinion on the subject. I actually feel like I am an expert on the subject because I have been on over 100 flights in the past two years and twenty flights with my newborn baby. So I have recently been on both sides of the equation.

I too have been annoyed by children on airplanes. But I see where they are coming from. Flying is not pleasant for 9 out of 10 travelers (the 10^th is flying first class) and it is a stressful situation. So of course the child starts out anxious, tired and grumpy. Most of the times the child has missed a nap, snack time, or has not had enough time to run around and play. However- parents need to be held responsible to keep children from kicking the seats in front of them, talking too loud, or throwing things at other passengers.

Read the rest of this entry »