Cruise Close to Home for Spring Break

It goes without saying that a tropical cruise will always be nearby if you live in Florida, but what if you don't live in Florida? We've already shown some west coast alternatives, but that's just the beginning.

Galveston, Texas, hosts a few Carnival ships year round, but in the spring, you can also ice skate and rock climb on your way to the Caribbean aboard the magnificent Voyager of the Seas. Whether you choose an Exotic Western Caribbean or traditional Western Caribbean, you won't be disappointed. When the season ends on April 18, you can set sail from Galveston to exciting Barcelona on a 14-night Transatlantic crossing with some great, diverse stops en route.

"Travel & Leisure" magazine recently named Charleston, South Carolina, #4 on the list of best destinations in the United States, so even people who don't live within driving distance might want to check out some terrific longer cruises to the Caribbean aboard Celebrity Mercury from Charleston. If you enjoy gourmet dining and cherish outstanding service, you'll love Celebrity. You don't need to pay two or three times as much for a premium cruise line if a spa cruise is on your mind. Celebrity has that base covered too. Choose the 11 night Eastern caribbean or 10 night Western Caribbean. At the end of the season on April 19, you can take this wonderful ship through the Panama Canal.

The king of close to home cruising is still Carnival. They sail, for example, year round from Galveston, New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. For Spring Break from Mobile, you can take one of three cruises on Carnival Fantasy, which visits Cozumel on all three sailings, adding either Progresso or Calica for the five nighters. In the summer, Carnival Elation will take over duties from Mobile.

Stay tuned for even more close to home cruises.

Dolphinaris: December, 2007

Dolphinaris opened in Cozumel two months ago, and in my book it is now the number one attraction in the area.

A short taxi ride from the cruise terminal you'll find an intimate environment where you can get up close and personal with dolphins.

The cove setting on the Caribbean Sea is gorgeous, and they intelligently built the park in harmony with nature.


There are modern bathrooms and lockers, but mostly there are palapas and sea water pools.

Just watching from the shade of the palapas is spectacular enough, and someone less inclined to get in the water can sip a Margarita and watch the dolphins frolic.

Taking nothing away from the much larger Sea World in San Diego, visitors to Dolphinaris will undoubtedly appreciate the uncrowded ambiance here.

Because it is still brand new, there are literally almost as many dolphin trainers as customers.

We didn't come to simply enjoy watching the dolphins from the sidelines, however.

We got in the water with the dolphins.


Each guest gets a very personal encounter, getting a "kiss" on the cheek, shaking hands and petting the dolphins.

The highlight is a belly ride, where the tourist strikes a pose not unlike a hula dancer while the dolphin approaches from the rear.



The well-trained dolphin brings his fins into position where the guest can gently take hold of one and then another fin.

Then the dolphin scoots across the surface for a short but exhilerating ride.

There's more to Dolphinaris than just the dolphin encounter, although that is certainly more than enough by itself.

A snorkel area has been fenced off from the ocean and is the best place I have snorkeled in Cozumel.

There are at least four stingrays that make this area a home along with a lot of other fish.

After snorkeling, we became more passive tourists in the uncrowded palapa bar overlooking the pools where dolphins continued to swim and leap.

There's also a large palapa restaurant with terrific views, so you can definitely make a day of it at Dolphinaris.