What’s better than a wonderful cruise vacation?  A wonderful cruise vacation that’s FREE, of course!

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and USA Today newspaper have launched the Reporter at Sea contest, looking for a talented citizen journalist (blogger?) to cover the pre-inaugural voyage of the Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's Oasis of the Sea

Oasis of the Sea has 16 decks and can carry 5,400 guests in 2,700 staterooms.  It’s themed around a neighborhood concept, with specific themed areas:  Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa & Fitness Center, and Entertainment Place.

Starting today, and running through October 9, 2009 at 11:50 pm (Eastern Time) you can submit a creative video that is no long than 45-seconds that showcase your reporting skills, and giving RCCL a reason to choose you to be their reporter at sea for this preview sailing on the Oasis of the Sea.  One winner will be chosen from the United States, and additional winners from Canada, Germany, Mexico, and the United Kingdom will also be chosen.

After the entry deadline, the judges will select 10 finalists from each of the above countries, based on creativity and quality, as well as the entrant’s ability to entertain, effectively bring to life and clearly explain travel or cruising concepts, and articulate why he/she should be chosen to represent their country.

Following the judges narrowing the field, the selection process moves online.  Voters will have the opportunity to choose their favorite video between October 20-25th, with the winner from each country announced on November 4th.

What’s the prize?

The winner and a guest will be flown to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on November 18th, 2009, where they will have overnight accommodations in a local hotel and a $200 allowance for food.  The next day, they’ll board the ship for a 3-night cruise with balcony cabin stateroom.  During the cruise, the winner will experience the sailing right along with Gene Sloan, USA TODAY’s cruise editor, and receive behind-the-scenes information and access to write blogs posts and video clips.

Sounds like a lot of fun, huh?  Who’s going to enter?

Photo credit:  Courtesy of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

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I’m trying to come up with a warm weather vacation spot for this fall.  Since it’s been awhile since I’ve been to the Caribbean, I thought this might be a good time to plan a return trip.  Barbados, an island that I’ve not yet visited, is looming at the top of a pretty short list.

Here are 10 reasons why I think visiting Barbados may be a good choice for me:

1. I haven’t been there before, and visiting a new country takes me a step closer to the Century Club.
2. It’s a small island, only about 14 by 21 miles, with over 70 miles of powdery, white sand beaches.  Plenty of great spots to pull up a lounge chair and spend some quality time.
3. Sun year round.  Over 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, in fact.  And that means year round warm temperatures of about 80-85 degrees.  What’s not to like about that?!
4. Tax free shopping in chic boutiques, modern department stores, and trendy shops making it a great spot for buying something wonderfully decadent.
5. Warm water.  Perfect temperatures for enjoying water activities like swimming with the turtles, snorkeling, or a boat ride.
6. Great food and drink.  Those who know me well were probably wondering when I’d get around to this topic.  With strong influence from around the world, Barbados gives a special twist to Caribbean cuisine.  And then there’s the Mount Gay rum!
7. Favorable exchange rate.  The practical side of me always looks for good value, and $1 US equals $1.98 BDS.  More bang for the buck.
8. Internet is available.  A girl’s got to blog, you know.
9. English is the primary language.  After navigating Italian and Croatian this summer, it would be nice not to have to worry about communication on my next trip.
10. History and culture.  Continuously under British rule until its independence in 1966, Barbados still has a strong British flavor about it.  Besides, this is the only place outside of the US that George Washington ever visited.    If it’s good enough for George, it’s good enough for me!

Have you been to Barbados?  Would you recommend it?

Photo credit:  SXC

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Saint Maarten on the Dutch Side and Sint Martin on the French side, is a small two nation island in the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean.  The south half of the island is Dutch, the most populated nation on the island, and the north half is French.

Tourism is the main business of the island, with over a millions tourist flocking to the sunny beaches, nightlife, and true duty free shopping that the island offers.

I’m trying to figure out a way to be one of those one millions tourists in the not too distant future.

Anyone visited recently?  Would love any information and feedback.

Photo credit:  flickr

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