Royal Caribbean's China Tie-Up

Royal Caribbean International has entered into a strategic relationship with the Xiamen municipal government and China World Cruises (CWC) in China that involves chartering Legend of the Seas for a total of four months in 2012.

During the four months, Royal Caribbean will operate and market 21 three- to eight-night sailings from Xiamen, as well as Shanghai, Tianjin and Hong Kong, to ports of call in Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan and Korea.

The inaugural, five-night charter sailing will depart from Hong Kong on March 20, 2012, while the first departure of guests from Xiamen will be on March 26.

Oceania Savings on selected Far East Cruises

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Oceania Cruises has savings of up to £5,281 off selected Far East cruises in 2011, with up to 63% off original fares and prices now from just £1,172 per person, including all meals, complimentary bottled water and soft drinks and no charge for their speciality dining.

Take One: 15th January 2011, Singapore to Hong Kong

Oceania has savings of up to £2,624pp off its 15-night cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong (above) on mid-sized ship Nautica. Prices now from £1172 (was £3,124) rising to £1,875 (was £4,499) saving up to £2,624pp for a Veranda suite. Prices include port taxes, complimentary soft drinks and speciality dining; prices exclude flights.

Take Two: 15th February 2011, Far East cruise

Oceania has an amazing 63% saving off this 24-night voyage from Bangkok to Beijing, departing on February 15 on Nautica and calling in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, China and South Korea. Prices are from £1,875pp for an inside stateroom (was £5,124), including port taxes, complimentary soft drinks and speciality dining. For those booking a Penthouse Suite, the saving increases to £5,249 per person with a fare of just £3,750pp (was £8,999). Prices exclude flights.

Take Three: 26th March 2011, Hong Kong to Dubai

Try 25 nights of luxurious cruising on Nautica from just £1,953pp for an inside stateroom (was £5124), saving 62% of the original fare. The voyage embarks in Hong Kong and makes calls in China, Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar and India, before disembarkation in Dubai on 20th April. Other staterooms available in various categories, up to the Penthouse Suite for £3,906 (was £9187). Prices include port taxes, complimentary soft drinks and speciality dining. Prices exclude flights.

For more details, contact http://www.oceeaniacruises.co.uk/ or visit specialist cruise agents The Crusie Line Ltd.

So, just to clarify, does this mean we DON'T fly through the Arctic Circle?

For those curious about just what the 24-hours-of-travel-hell looks like, he's a look at what July 27th is going to be for these newlyweds.

From:	To:	Distance:
3 segment paths		8657 mi
Indianapolis	Phoenix	1488 mi
Phoenix	Los Angeles	370 mi
Los Angeles	Taipei	6799 mi

*Flight stats courtesy of The Great Circle Mapper.

No turning back!

DSCN0127, originally uploaded by Chris & Lisa Webb.

Once you get the tickets for your flight to Taiwan, I guess it's too late to back out, right?

A View of Taipei

Taipei 101 Skyscraper, originally uploaded by *Yueh-Hua 2009.

This is totally my picture. (j/k)

But seriously, here's a hot little view of Taipei, my next home town, courtesy of Flickr. Also, some neato-burrito facts:

Area
- City	271.7997 km2 (104.9 sq mi)
- Water	2.7 km2 (1.0 sq mi) 1.0%
- Urban	2,457 km2 (948.7 sq mi)
Population (March 2009)
- City	2,619,920
- Density	9,639.16/km2 (24,975/sq mi)
- Urban	6,752,826
- Metro	10,072,918
Time zone	CST (UTC+8)

"Are you excited for Thailand?"

Picture+2, originally uploaded by Chris & Lisa Webb.

Ok, let's get this out of the way: We are going to Taiwan, not Thailand. See map.