Travel Maven Blog ...... David Molyneaux posts from TheTravelMavens.com

Norwegian's newest Gem

Norwegian Cruise Line likes to think of its big vacation ships as fish swimming outside traditional streams. Free spirits in a sea of sameness.

Whatever you think is a traditional cruise, that's not what we are, says NCL. We are not old, we are not regimented, we are not sedentary, we are not boring. Say the TV commercials: "You are free to … whatever."

The company line is that cruisers create their own vacations, free-style. That means that passengers may do what they want, free of structure and schedules, especially at meal time, which can be just about any time you want.

I find that free spirit -- hip, loose, innovative and casual -- flowing through all NCL ships, though it's an evolving theme of freestyleness that works best on the newer vessels. It has been fine tuned on the newest ship, the Norwegian Gem, which began cruising out of New York City for the holidays  (Dec. 22 and Dec. 29).

For the winter and spring, the 2,400-passenger Norwegian Gem will be based in New York, doing trips of 7 days, 10 days  and 11 days, heading south to the Caribbean from January to mid-February, then to Florida and the Bahamas through mid-April. Prices start at about $100 per day per person for two people, for an inside cabin, and rise into the thousands for a top suite at 4,390 square feet, bigger than most houses.

On a two-day inaugural voyage to nowhere in mid-December, I found the Norwegian Gem a winner, clearly NCL's best and brightest ship.

What's new:

Gambling outside the casino, on the pool deck.

The amazing Nintendo Wii games on a two-deck jumbo screen in the ship's lobby, right, where passengers may play baseball or other virtual games of skill -- with an audience.

An indoor color scheme bolder than Gem's sisters -- Norwegian's Star, Dawn, Jewel, Jade and Pearl.

What's the same or similar to last year's new Pearl:

The layout, including 10 restaurants and dining rooms, 11 bars and lounges, and the striking bowling alley/bar known as the Bliss Ultra Lounge. Read about Bliss and the Norwegian Pearl.

And like the Pearl, which is cruising out of Miami this winter, the Gem has transformed the traditional top-deck, aft-end buffet café into a gleaming casual restaurant where chefs cook the food to order at action stations, and even the scrambled eggs are placed in a serving dish. As part of a new Freestyle 2.0, NCL recently announced that  action stations soon will be added to its other ships.

Molyneaux is editor of TheTravelMavens.com with articles on cruising, Florida, Europe and adventure.

Inspecting England's scummy teapots

In most of England's hotels and inns, the "teapot" in each room is a plastic electric water heater. On my recent trip through northern England, the water reservoir in these pots seldom had been cleaned properly when I checked into my room, and some pots still contained water from the previous guest.

Maybe the folks who clean hotel rooms in England have scummy "teapots" at home, though the Internet is full of suggestions on how to clean off the scum and other residue of tea times past.

After inspecting the pot in your room, you may want to run water through the system once before preparing for tea, even though the water won't be hot enough to clean the tank. One night, after taking a look at the darkly caked coils in the pot's water tank in my room, I skipped evening tea.

BTW, in the free tea service set up daily in your room in England's modest hotels and inns, the packaged sweets -- often shortbread cookies with a buttery taste -- are better than the tea, at least in the less expensive accommodations. Think generic Tetley.

If you are a serious tea drinker, you may want to stop at a shop and pick up a few teabags for the road. If you are driving around England, and have an extra nook in the luggage area, you may want to carry your own pot, too. 

Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net. For articles on cruising, Florida, Europe and adventure, CLICK

Hailing a new Queen Victoria

A new queen, a new queen in England. No, not Camilla Parker Bowles. The new queen is a ship, christened by Bowles, Her Royal Highness The  Duchess of Cornwall, on Monday, December 10.  Her husband, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, also attended the huge party in Southampton, England, for the official naming of Queen Victoria.

Victoria, which promises to be the best of the new cruise ships of 2007, is the third of the active Cunard (pronounced q-nard) queens, following Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2. The QM2, which debuted in 2004, is the largest ocean liner ever built, though it lost its distinction as the largest cruise ship when Royal Caribbean introduced Freedom of the Seas in 2006. The QE2 will tie up as a floating hotel in Dubai in 2009, leaving Mary and Victoria as Cunard's only active queens.

Bowles (waving in picture to the right) becomes "godmother" of the Queen Victoria.

According to the British press, this was the first time that one of Cunard's Queen liners was not be christened by a real Queen. In 1934, Queen Mary launched the original Queen Mary liner and in 1938, Queen Elizabeth -- the Queen Mother -- named the original Queen Elizabeth. The current Queen launched the QE2 in 1967 and the Queen Mary 2 in 2004.

The 16-deck Queen Victoria, at 90,000 tons, is not as large as Queen Mary 2, at 150,000. But she carries fewer passengers, 2,000 to Mary's 2,600. Victoria is at least as posh, adding private boxes to the lavish Royal Court Theater and a two-story library.

Queen Victoria also continues Cunard's British tradition of class differentiation in the dining rooms. Among the three main dining rooms, yours will be determined by the price of your cabin. You may not eat in either of the other two. Once you have bought your cruise ticket, your status has been set: Top suites get the Queens Grill. The next group of top cabins gets the Princess Grill. The Grills are accessible only by private elevator with key card. The rest of the passengers get the Britannia Restaurant. Not to worry says Cunard: All passengers will eat well.

The new Queen departs Southampton on Tuesday, December 11, on her maiden voyage. She begins her first world cruise on January 6, 2008, in Southampton, leaving New York City January 13 and Los Angeles Jan. 30.

Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net. For articles on cruising, Florida, Europe and adventure, CLICK

Where breakfast and Internet are included

The nation's roadside motel business is a grab bag. When you pull off the Interstate, you never know exactly what you're going to find, how much you're going to pay and whether you'll get your money's worth. Most chain names don't hold a promise of consistency.

Sometimes, the cheaper the place, the better the deal. But no matter what the price, you want to take a close look at what's included.

As my son says -- he being a world traveling financier and frequent user of first-class lodgings -- the irony of accommodations is that the more you pay for your room, the more the hotel charges you for extras.

Which is why my son Miles, in his $300-$400 a night room, is paying $10-$15 a day for use of the Internet and $20 for breakfast, plus annoying hidden hotel charges that sneak onto the bill.

On the road, in my budget motel room, I expect such services for free.

As I seldom reserve ahead because I don't know when I'll be ready to stop driving for the night, my great hunt for accommodations usually begins with roadside billboards. I avoid bargain basement bedrooms, for fear of thin mattresses, perfunctory cleaning and air conditioners that shudder all night.

That puts me in the $45-$85 range.

Roadside motel rates are up this year. But these days, desk clerks have the power to reduce room rates by early evening if enough vacancies remain. Give bargaining a try. On slow nights, you know that your chosen motel, or the next one, will lower the rate for tonight. When the parking lot outside is empty, that ought to be worth at least another $10.

On recent trips, I stayed at a Comfort Inn where the $79 lowest rate (with AAA or AARP discount) went to $59 when I said $79 was beyond my budget, and I splurged at a spiffy Holiday Inn Express where the quoted lowest rate of $109 (with discounts) suddenly became $87, just by asking.

At both, a Continental buffet breakfast, as well as an evening and an early morning peek at the Internet, were included.

Comfort Inn may seem like an oxymoron, but we are old friends. While the rooms can be a little worn, the blankets faded from washing and the maintenance incomplete (two of four light bulbs were burned out in my room in Charlotte, N.C.), Comfort meets my basic expectations:  Rooms are clean. Clerks are friendly. My breakfast and wireless Internet connections are free. (And burned out light bulbs are replaced).

Breakfast in Charlotte included cereal, banana, muffins, orange juice, milk and coffee. That's $5-$10 even in a cheap restaurant. On another trip, breakfast at the Comfort Inn in St. George, S.C. ($54 for the night) also included waffles. My bed in St. George, by the way, sported a new, thick mattress, and the woman who operated the breakfast buffet had enough smiles for three mornings.

For the price, my Comfort stays were, well, comfortable. With no hidden charges.

David Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net

Kayaks, canoes at Fort Myers, Sanibel

Whether you paddle a kayak or a canoe, Southwest Florida's Great Calusa Blueway is a wonderful opportunity to get close to nature for a few hours or a few days.

With your boat, or a rental from local outfitters, you can follow more than 100 miles of marked water trails through Estero Bay from Bonita Springs north to Fort Myers, through Matlacha Pass between Cape Coral and Pine Island and around Pine Island Sound to the barrier islands of Sanibel, Captiva, North Captiva and Cayo Costa.

Now, the trail is expanding, adding 90 miles up the Caloosahatchee River and tributaries. The Caloosahatchee, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico at Fort Myers, adds a lush, green, Old Florida feel to the Blueway, which had been primarily a coastal saltwater experience. For a longer adventure, paddlers can follow the river to Lake Okeechobee.

For more on the Blueway, see Florida kayaking in Fort Myers, Sanibel at TravelMavens.net.

For Planning a trip to Southwest Florida.

For Exploring Florida's Pine Island.

For maps, outfitters, a tidal chart and current trail conditions on the Great Calusa Blueway.

Mark your calendar for the 2008 Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival, set for Oct. 25 to Nov. 2.