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

Actor McCarthy, Afar get top Lowell Thomas honors

Afar magazine, the Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle won top honors as the best travel publications in North America in the 2010 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition.

Travel Journalist of the Year is Andrew McCarthy, actor, director and now travel writer, who won the gold for his portfolio of articles in some of North America’s best travel magazines.

The awards were announced today in Leipzig at the annual conference of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). As president of the SATW Foundation, which oversees the contest, I have the priviledge of announcing the winners.

Among other winners:

Big cruise ships offer hot new entertainment acts

From the Blue Man Group on Norwegian Epic to a Broadway production of “Chicago” scheduled for the new Allure of the Seas in December, never have there been as many entertainment choices for vacationers at sea.

As the size of new mass-marketed cruise ships continues to grow toward the gigantic resorts of Las Vegas, the scope and quality of entertainment -- like the proliferation of alternative restaurants --  have become a major part of the getaway package.

It’s all about competition for the dollars spent by vacationers. Cruise lines such as Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean are in a race against land resorts to prove that sea vacations are just as good --  and at a better price.

A couple on vacation can cruise on a ship for $200-$300 a day, visit foreign ports, eat well and be entertained, too.

Try to find that package, at cruise prices, in a land resort.

Read more about cruise ship entertainment in this article at  TheTravelMavens.com