Escape to exotic destinations on a luxury cruise. Credit: flickerized.

By Kim Windyka

Every once in a while, we need to treat ourselves to some much-deserved pampering. Luxury cruises can be a great way to kick back, relax and enjoy plush accommodations and five-star dining and service, all in the same place. Plus, your destination options range from classic Bermuda, Caribbean, and Mexican Riviera sailings to more exotic choices like the Mediterranean, Tahiti, and the Panama Canal. There’s no shortage of captivating locales to pick from and there are quite a few luxury lines out there, each bringing something different to the impeccably-set table.

Azamara luxury cruises

If you’re seeking a smaller ship experience with more personalized attention, try Azamara Club Cruises. The line offers authentic English butler service for suite guests, and extra touches that scream “you’re worth it”, like a daily fruit basket and flowers and complimentary wine with meals. Itineraries tend to include longer stays in port, which means more time to explore each exciting destination.

For more traditional, big-ship sophistication Crystal Cruises feature mostly balcony staterooms with restaurants managed by such celebrity chefs as Wolfgang Puck and Nobu Matsuhisa. For a cruise that caters to your culinary interests, Crystal even offers themed wine and food festival sailings.

Oceania cruise ships fall somewhere in the middle, size-wise, boasting more than 1 staff member per stateroom, gourmet fare by Jacques Pepin,  as well as a full orchestra, string quartet and concert pianist to enjoy as you sail.

Seabourn cruise line

You’ll find the ultimate in intimate cruising on a Yachts of Seabourn sailing, which includes complimentary shore excursions on most itineraries. Free massages, movies and dancing under the stars, and designer in-room bath products from Chanel and Hermes are also included. Ooh la la!

Don’t forget about river cruising – climb aboard a Uniworld or Viking ship for upscale and cozy accommodations, English-speaking staff, and meals that reflect the staples of the region you’re cruising in.

While the amenities and services on each ship vary, you can rest assured that any luxury line you choose will allow you to put your feet up and enjoy the best that cruising has to offer — even if the idea of a personal butler takes a little getting used to!

Related resources

• Cruise deals

Kim Windyka is a travel brands copywriter, bona fide Twitter addict and freelance feature writer whose work has appeared in Metro Boston, the New Hampshire Visitors Guide and the Nashua Telegraph. Despite being a Northeast native, she dreams of palm trees daily.

As of August 11, 2010:

Florida - All Florida beaches are open to the public.  Florida has issued Oil Impact Notices for all of Escambia, Okaloosa and Walton counties.

Mississippi- The beach closure extending from Nicholson Avenue to the Silver Slipper in Hancock County and Bay St. Louis has been changed to a health advisory and the beach is open.  A health advisory in Harrison County from Bay Saint Louis on the west to Azalea Avenue in Biloxi on the east.  A health advisory in Jackson County from Main Street in the Beale Fountain area west to Seashore Avenue.

Louisiana – Grand Isle has reopened four beaches along the island, all other beaches on the island remain closed to the public. A health advisory exists for all gulf waters from Martin Beach on the LA/TX state line to Fontainebleau State park near the LA/MS state line.

Gulf Islands National Seashore – Beaches open, but public health advisory is in effect park-wide.

Related resources

• www.orbitz.com/oil
• www.deepwaterhorizon.com
• www.epa.gov/beaches/

Delta Airlines is updating its seat configurations. Credit: SpecialKRB.

By Joe Brancatelli

Delta Airlines has announced what it claims is a “major enhancement” of its domestic schedule: “first-class service on flights longer than 750 miles.” But the supposed enhancement is less than business travelers could wish for. What Delta is actually doing is creating first-class cabins on the tiny regional jets (RJs) that the airline’s commuter carriers operate.

Delta isn’t alone. American Airlines announced first-class service for some of its RJs in March and both carriers are merely mimicking United Airlines, which has been flying RJs with a supposed first-class cabin for several years. But Delta’s first class will be even more restricted than United and American. The carrier’s current RJs kitted out with first offer seats with just 35 inches of legroom. That’s just an inch more than JetBlue offers in coach on its Airbus jets. Delta says there are at least 50 routes where the new cabins will be available by the fall.

Related resources

• Flights
• Business travel

Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2009 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.

After months of testing and tweaking, Orbitz has rolled out a new hotel search experience that lets you compare hotels in ways you cannot on other travel sites.

Not only can you filter search results based on price, star rating, reviewer score and amenities, you also can compare details of several hotels without ever leaving the search results page.

For example, you can view pools at Disney hotels or compare rooms at Waikiki hotels, without diving any deeper than the search results page. No other travel site gives the same capability.

And that’s not the only highlight of the new hotel search experience, there’s also:

• Expandable, interactive maps showing both hotel location and real-time rates

• Google Street View showing the hotel and surrounding neighborhood

• Saved Hotels enabling customers to create shortcuts to favorite hotels

What hasn’t changed?

Price Assurance, of course.  If another Orbitz customer books your same prepaid hotel room for less, we’ll send you a cash refund for the difference … automatically.

We’re also still the only online travel site to display Total Price upfront, so you know the nightly base rate, taxes and fees on the initial search results page – not buried deeper in the search experience like other sites.

Plus, each day we’re adding more and more unfiltered reviews from verified customers, photos, videos and virtual tours, so you know your hotel inside and out.

And you still pay no Orbitz change or cancel fees for hotels if you need to change your plans.

Know more about the benefits of booking hotels on Orbitz.

Spend your Caribbean vacation along the beautiful Bahamas coastline. Credit: bryce_edwards.

By Nina Gass

Any getaway that involves the ocean, sandy white beaches, and gently swaying palm trees (and the prospect that Johhny Depp may appear in his pirate regalia) is ideal. With so many Caribbean vacation islands to choose from, picking one is is about as hard as closing your eyes and pointing to a map.

To help plan your Caribbean vacation, here are five of the most popular island destinations with a hotel pick, each of which goes above and beyond my criteria — although Mr. Depp has yet to be spotted!

1. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Our trip felt a little less foreign since we didn’t have to bring our passports. A great spot for surfing, golfing, and shopping, San Juan also felt so cosmopolitan and old-world at the same time. Our stay at the Ritz-Carlton was beyond phenomenal: How can you beat amenities like a beachfront location, on-site day spa, 24-hour casino and five extraordinary restaurants?
2. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic: This was a magical Caribbean vacation because it felt like a real adventure and was far-removed from the tourist flavor of other islands. After exploring caves and mangroves, trying our hand at windsurfing and snorkeling, and having a sunset dinner cruise, Dreams Punta Cana was a great all-inclusive adults-only resort for unwinding.
3. Jamaica: This island is so alive with colors, flavors, and personality! My favorite activities were watching a cricket match, taking a horseback trek, and touring a plantation. While there, we stayed at the Gran Bahia Principe All Inclusive for its value, range of activities and enthusiastic service.
4. Nassau, Bahamas: It was the first place I tried snorkeling and remains my favorite Caribbean vacation memory; of the numerous places I’ve explored, Nassau still feels like it offers the most abundant ocean life. Our favorite hotel is the Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant. A unique hotel, it has an on-site cigar factory and gourmet restaurant, and feels more like a bed and breakfast than a crowded resort.
5. Aruba: A Caribbean vacation on this island can only be described as peaceful, happy, and friendly. Amongst all this peace, we still found some adrenaline-pumping activities, such as a quad racer tour to the coastline and a Harley-Davidson rental to do some solo exploring. Try the Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino as it has a kids’ club, casino, and on-site duty-free shopping.

Any one of these Caribbean vacation spots is sure to delight the senses and take you away from the daily grind. Sea air, pristine Caribbean waters, and a drink with an umbrella are some of the best attitude adjusters I’ve ever found. What are you waiting for?

Insider Tip:

• Save up to 50% on select Caribbean resorts when you book before September 5, 2010.

Nina Gass is a freelance travel and business writer who lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband and two boys. An avid traveler and dreamer, Nina makes the most of her international family connections throughout the U.S., Australia, England, and Mexico.

Step into your childhood dreams with this chance to win a stay at Cinderella's Castle. Credit: Disney®

Cinderella slept here, and so could you. Though you can’t book this storybook suite, you can enter to win an exclusive night of Disney magic. When you book a “flight + Disney hotel” package on Orbitz during August, you’ll earn a chance to win a stay at Cinderella’s Castle Suite at Disney World. And for seven other lucky winners, awesome prizes are up for grabs during Orbitz’ Disney Dreams Month.

By Nina Kokotas Hahn

Starting today, many states across the country will enjoy a sales tax holiday on qualifying items such as clothing and school supplies. For me, this isn’t just an opportunity to save on the necessary school supplies for my kids, but also a great reason to do some guilt-free shopping (sure, I’ll pick up a thing or two for the kids, too).

Even better, those vacationing in states sponsoring sales tax holidays can throw some caution to the wind to enjoy the best kind of vacation shopping: a discount on all qualified shopping items. States sponsoring sales tax holidays this month include: Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

If you’re thinking of planning an August vacation, now is a great time to travel to one of these destinations. See if you can sync up your travel dates with a given state’s tax holiday to find shopping deals worth the extra luggage.

For details on individual state sales tax holidays, see this sales tax holidays list for 2010.

Related resources

• Florida vacation
• Illinois vacation
• Cheap vacations

Nina Kokotas Hahn is a Writer-Editor at Orbitz Worldwide. Globetrotting since infancy, she’s also the daughter of a travel agent and knows a thing or two about finding great travel deals.

Fun aboard the Disney Dream.

By Kim Windyka and Whit Honea

Family vacations should be chock-full of theme parks, beaches and exciting new places, and sailing with Disney Cruise Line makes it easy for travelers of all ages to enjoy all three of these things in one truly magical place.

Disney Cruise Line offers a variety of  family-friendly trips aboard their ships the Disney Magic, Disney Wonder and the highly anticipated Disney Dream, which sets sail in 2011. Destinations include Alaska and the Pacific Coast, the Bahamas (including Disney’s private island Castaway Cay), the Caribbean, the Mexican Riviera, the Panama Canal and the grand ports of Europe.

All of the  ships bring the whimsy and enchantment of Disney to the open sea.  Plus, there’s something for the whole clan: little ones will love the  ships’ dedicated kids-only levels and the chance to interact with their favorite characters,  and parents will appreciate the spa, fine dining and bars.

The Disney Dream

In particular, the Disney Dream takes family cruising to a new level, boasting the massive AquaDuck water coaster, a spa specifically for teens, pools that cater to every age group and more. Parent-friendly features, like in-room babysitting, a “peek-a-boo” window at the onboard nursery and a “parent pager” that allows moms and dads to keep tabs on their kids, will also do wonders to put any worries to rest.

If you haven’t gotten the chance to get away with the whole gang this summer, there’s still time left to plan an August or September Disney cruise.  For a tropical vacation, take a look at the 5-Night Bahamas sailing that departs from Port Canaveral, Florida and makes stops in Key West, Florida, Nassau, Bahamas, and Castaway Cay.

If you have a few more days to spare or want to enjoy an adventurous itinerary, the 10-Night Western Mediterranean sets sail out of Barcelona, Spain and heads to Malta, Tunisia, and Corsica, as well as Italy’s Naples and Rome and the French port of Villefranche-Sur-Mer.

Want a little bit of both? The 14-Night Transatlantic Westbound leaves Barcelona and makes stops in Gibraltar and Portugal before heading to the islands of St. Maarten, Tortola, and Castaway Cay for sun, sand, and surf.

Best of all, each Disney cruise includes almost everything that your whole family could want. When you book your sailing, you’re paying for your stateroom, meals in a selection of restaurants like Animator’s Palate, Parrot Cay, and all-you-can-eat buffets, plus onboard entertainment and clubs for kids and teens.

Start planning your dream Disney vacation today and get ready to embrace the magic at sea!

Related resources

• Disney cruise line videos
• Disney Dream gets finishing touches
• Disney vacations and cruises
• Cruise deals

Kim Windyka is a travel brands copywriter, bona fide Twitter addict and freelance feature writer whose work has appeared in Metro Boston, the New Hampshire Visitors Guide and the Nashua Telegraph. Despite being a Northeast native, she dreams of palm trees daily.

Whit Honea is a travel writer living in Seattle with his wife and two children. He packs light and travels often to far-away places, exotic lands and more than a few theme parks.

Washington Monument in Washington DC. Credit Julie Lyn.

The dog days of summer are nearly here again, and what better time to bring fido along on you next vacation? Try a Washington DC vacation and enjoy a city with so much to offer its pet travelers.  Not only do the overwhelming majority of Washington DC hotels now allow pets, some properties take it a step further.

The Hotel Palomar DC and its sister branch in Arlington, VA offer high-end amenities to both human and canine guests.  The Arlington location hosts a doggie happy hour once a week, check with the hotel for additional details.  The Palomar properties are both part of the Kimpton group which has 11 hotels in the DC area, all of which offer pet amenities at no additional fee.

Hotel Palomar, Washington DC.

There are numerous places for you and your pooch to get out together in Washington.  The city has a huge variety of dog parks to explore (check out this map for locations).  Rock Creek Park cuts a green swathe through the city that gives everyone their chance to be outdoors.  The massive park stretches almost seven miles — double the size of New York City’s renowned Central Park.  The National Mall is also a great destination for pets.  The areas closer to the river are particularly attractive, but  try to avoid the major monuments and their crowds. And if your pooch needs a day off from sightseeing, there are several dog day care and pet spas in downtown to take advantage of.

Yves Pelletier has been a market Manager for Orbitz for over 3 years and has been in the travel industry for over 25 years. He has traveled extensively both professionally and for his personal passion.