New ships, deals and prices 

Here, from Orbitz, is a look at the 2011 cruise scene:

* In the next six months, cruising in the Caribbean is expected to hit all-time highs. In the latter part of the year, cruise lines will be moving ships to focus on European excursions.

* Several new ships in the Caribbean (including Celebrity Eclipse [pictured] and Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas) means 2011 will present many opportunities to score a great deal because of heavy competition.

* The Western Caribbean is expected to be this year’s most popular destination, and the average cost of a cruise will be down about 5 percent from 2010 levels.

* Miami and Port Canaveral, Fla., will be the most popular ports of departure in the U.S., with average cruise prices of $1,270 and $1,199 respectively.* Cruises departing Boston will cost about 34 percent more than they did in 2010, while those leaving Charleston, S.C. are about 40 percent cheaper when compared to last year’s rates.
* The least expensive U.S.-based cruises will be departing from Mobile, Ala.; Long Beach, Calif.; and Jacksonville, Fla.

 Search Amazon.com for Cruises

Trivial question

What is Germany's third-largest city? (Answer somewhere below.)

Unlimited golfing in Tuscany 

Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort,  in Tuscany’s picturesque Maremma region, has a new Golf Unlimited package that features unlimited greens fees and use of the driving range, along with accommodations, cuisine,  a welcome amenity, and complimentary use of the resort’s thermal pool . From April 1-July 31, the resort will have a three-night package with rates starting at €699 per person,  double occupancy (about $950) and a five-night packagewith  rates starting at  €999 per person (about $1,365).  For more information, visit www.termedisaturnia.it.

Win one of 10 free vacations to Virginia 

The Virginia Tourism Corporation has launched  the Follow Your Heart to Virginia Sweepstakes featuring nine first-prize trips and one grand prize that allows the winner to build his or her dream vacation.  Each prize trip puts centers on things you love, be it amusement parks, wineries, museums and special experiences.  The sweepstakes is open to U.S. residents 21 and older who enter at www.Virginia.org/sweeps through Aug. 25.

Fascinating fact

Reykjavik translates to Bay of Smokes.

Your car dines for free with this offer

With the price of gas expected to rise some more, the Greenbelt Marriott has a Cars Eat Free promotion that lets guests to earn up to $75 in gas cards ($25 per night for up to they nights) when they stay at the hotel, which is in Greenbelt, Md., near Washington..

 Rates for the  free gas promotion range from $119 to $169 per night, include a $25 gas card for each night of stay, and must include a Friday or Saturday night stay.  This promotion is effective from now through Memorial Day, Monday, May 30,  and does not include taxes. To book this offer, you must mention promo code TRS.  Call 800-228-9290. The website is www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-deals/wasgb-greenbelt-marriott/

Trivial answer

Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is Germany's third-largest city.

A look at just some of Europe's free attractions

Europe is overflowing with free attractions this summer. Here are a few.

AUSTRIA 

In Innsbruck through  Oct. 26, the hiking bus is free for guests with a Club Innsbruck Card staying in Innsbruck or one of the holiday villages. The hiking program is also free. 

ESTONIA

Tour the old town of Narva and its 13th-century castle of the Order of Germanic Knights that faces Russia’s opposing fortress of Ivanogrod.

FRANCE

The Fête de la Musique celebrates the June 21 summer solstice with free music and events in Paris and  throughout France. 

GERMANY 
On Berlin Museum Island, visit the Pergamon, the Old Museum, the Old National Gallery, the Bode Museum and the New Museum free every Thursday after 2 p.m.

 

That streak you see in the sky is an entrant in the Red Bull Air Race, to be held in Hungary Aug. 19-20.

(Photo by Red Bull Air Race)                                                                  

HUNGARY 

The Red Bull Air Race, Aug. 19-20, lets you witness breathtaking aerial speed and acrobatics above the Danube River as  pilots navigate an obstacle course in the sky in the fastest possible time, and fly beneath the historic Chain Bridge.

SWITZERLAND

With a giant rave, a major carnival and a a demonstration for love, freedom and tolerance, Zurich’s Street Parade has been called the world’s most colorful house and techno party. The event will be on Aug. 8.

LONDON 

The British Museum is filled with cultural treasures, including the Rosetta Stone. Also free is the National Gallery, brimming with Botticelli, Da Vinci and Monet, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, with 3,000 years of art, jewelry, photographs, sculpture and fashion. 

FLANDERS 
Antwerp’s Brewery Haacht offers a free one-hour guided tour of the sprawling facility and a taste of one low- and one high-fermentation beer. 

NORWAY 
Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream” can be seen at Oslo’s National Museum of Art. And at the bar of the Hotel Continental, several original Munch pictures hang on the walls.

IRELAND 
The mystical Ring of Kerry is a center for golf, cycling, walking, riding and fishing, and fine
beaches. It is also an outdoor museum of Ireland’s ancient heritage, with Iron Age forts, old monasteries and a landscape carved by the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago. 

The Leading Hotels of the World, of which Oslo's Hotel Continental is a member, has several specials. Click here.

Answer to Monday's trivial question

The Statue of Liberty is on Liberty Island, formerly known as Bedloe's Island. Although the name was officially changed in 1956, the isle was informally know as Liberty Island since the early 1900s. 

Orbitz wipes out those annoying booking fees

Orbitz is the latest online travel agency to permanently remove airline ticket booking fees on domestic and international flights. The move follows a promotional trial began in April.  CheapTickets, operated by Orbitz Worldwide, also has done away with those fees.

Let us hoist a glass to LaCrosse and St. John's

LaCrosse, Wis., is said to have the most bars per capita of any city in the U.S. In Canada, the honor reportedly goes to St. John's, Newfoundland.

Getting all revved up for a Rally In The Valley

Rally In The Valley is five days of mountain motorcycle adventure in New Hampshire's Mount Washington Valley, June 15-19. The  event will feature  guided and self-guided rides each day, including a Ride to the Sky up the Mount Washington Auto Road, where that day the road will be “owned” by motorcycles. There will be fashion shows, concerts and live entertainment, beach parties, motorcycle shows and prizes.  Wristbands offering many discounts  and entrance to Rally in the Valley events will be available through lodging packages or may be bought for $5 at Rally HQ or the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce. Proceeds go toward scholarships.
For more information, click here.

Sharks will be circling California's LegoLand

Children (and older people, too) love Legos, but not all of them are crazy about sharks. Nonetheless, "Sharks Revealed" is the newest exhibit at LegoLand in Carlsbad, Calif. There are live sharks and shark eggs, among other things. Come June 13-14, the park will host a Star Wars Weekend. And on June 25, LegoLand adds an adventure slide with an Egyptian Bazaar theme.

For more, visit www.legoland.com.