For decades, Hawaii has been a popular destination for cruisers and non-cruisers alike.  Norwegian Cruise Lines even has a ship there all year-round, the Pride of America.  What you soon won't find however are thousands of sunscreens with chemicals known to harm coral reefs.  Joining the ranks of various resorts throughout the world, many parks in Mexico (including XelHa, Xcaret, Chankanaab, and others), and part of the Cayman Islands, Hawaii is taking steps to reduce the negative impact to their ecosystem caused by some sunscreens...

Like department stores, airlines, and even gas stations, some cruise lines have their own credit cards promising perks and savings for cardholders.  We looked at a few of these offers and found there are far better deals to be had if you’re looking to save money and get benefits from using a credit card for travel.  We’ll break down the benefits, the cost, and tricks you might find helpful in using credit card perks to save money on your next cruise...

This week Oceania Cruises, a subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, announced "Wavenet", a new internet technology coming soon to the fleet, which includes free basic access for all guests.  WiFi on cruise ships was once, and in many cases still is quite expensive and slow, but it's become much better and cheaper over the past couple of years - changes certainly welcome by many guests as well as crew members...

Keeping in touch with friends or family on a cruise is easy if you're going to be purchasing an onboard WiFi package, but often guests look to handheld radios or "walkie-talkies" for a cheaper way to coordinate happenings on ever-larger ships with countless distracting events.  This can certainly be an effective option for some, but you'll want to keep reading to learn about features, options, reasonable expectations, and a few "gotchas" before relying on two-way radios on your cruise.  Warning, I'm an amateur radio operator, used to work in radio communications, and a bit of a nerd - but I'll try to keep things simple.

Bringing extras with you on any trip can mean baggage fees and other inconveniences, and we're often struggling to pack less - not more.  There are, however, some items you can bring along which could save you money.  In many cases they're even things you already have at home...