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Based in Miami, FL, Carnival Cruise Lines has recently begun testing six embarkation kiosks to improve the check-in process for guests.

Cruise guests who are from the USA, Canada, or are part of the Visa Waiver program are eligible to process their own check-in by swiping their passport plus they can also set up their Sail & Sign card by swiping a valid credit card.

And it’s that easy.  Carnival plans to expand to other ports including Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Houston.

For more information, visit: CarnivalCruiseLines

JD Power & Associates has just released their 2009 North America Airline Satisfaction Survey measuring overall customer satisfaction of both vacationers and business travelers.
The survey found that overall customer satisfaction with the airlines has declined for the third year in a row while the rate of on-time arrivals has increased, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

Ratings were based on overall satisfaction and the experience during the reservation process, check-in, boarding, de-planing, baggage, aircraft, flight crew, in-flight services, and cost/fees.

Low Cost Airlines:
JetBlue Airways was ranked as the number one low cost airline providing the highest overall customer satisfaction followed closely by Southwest Airlines as number two.  Westjet came in as number one for the ‘check-in experience’ as well as the ‘boarding, de-planing, and baggage experience’ while Southwest was number one for the ‘reservation experience.’

Traditional Network Airlines:
Alaska Airlines was ranked as the number one traditional network carrier with the highest overall customer satisfaction rate followed by Continental Airlines as a close second.  Continental Airlines was the number one airline for ‘cost & fees’ as well as for ‘in-flight services.’

Happy 4th of July!  

Here’s a quick look at Fourth of July Celebrations across the USA.  Fireworks at are the top of the list, followed by food, fun, and music.  What more could anyone want?

Spokane, WA
2-day festival at downtown Riverfront Park with food, live entertainment and fireworks at 10:00 p.m.

Chicago, IL
Millennium Park has all day activities and music with fireworks over Lake Michigan at 10:15 p.m.

Sunbury, OH
Independence Day Flea Market from 7:00 .a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; plus a parade at 10:00 a.m. and fireworks at 10:00 p.m. at Big Walnut High School

Prescott, AZ
All-day carnival plus a performance by the United States Military Band; fireworks at 9:00 p.m. at Pioneer Park.

Fort Lauderdale, FL
Watch the city’s annual fireworks extravaganza at Fort Lauderdale Beach

Keystone, SD
2-day event at Mount Rushmore ending with fireworks on July 4th

Gatlinburg, TN
Attend the 34th annual Midnight Independence Day Parade featuring a special tribute to the U.S. military along with a recreation of President Roosevelt’s motorcade in 1940

In the idyllic setting at the base of Whitefish Mountain Resort, on the shores of Whitefish Lake, and only miles away from Glacier National Park, lies the town of Whitefish, Montana.

For five days each summer, this small town of just over 5,000 residents, comes alive the music of Mozart during the Festival Amadeus running July 27 to August 1, 2009.  Presented by Glacier Symphony and Chorale, the event gives participants the opportunity to meet & greet with the musicians, enjoy food and fun, while younger enthusiast can attend a Mozart music camp for children.

Other summer musical events in Flathead Valley include the Thursday night concert series in Columbia Falls; the Sunday night Riverbend Concert Series in Bigfork featuring all genres of music including jazz, piano, and classical; plus the Picnic in the Park concert series in Kalispell – all running from June through August.

For more information or to order your FREE Flathead Valley Montana 2009 travel guide , visit: Montana’s Flathead Valley .

Everyone who goes on vacation wants to take great photographs.  Unfortunately, many of us do not think like a photographer – we all take that one great shot that we hope turns out.  A true photographer takes a hundred photos knowing only one will turn out.

David Huffman’s Travel Photo Tips: Know Before You Go book is a great read for the budding photographer or for anyone wanting to learn a bit more about their camera other than point, shoot, and pray.

Published in 2008, this great travel-sized paperback helps you first choose a digital camera for purchase and then shows you how to use it in an easy to follow format.  There are sections covering camera features, controls, settings, and handling, plus others on weather and basic editing techniques.

And you’ll get a 20-page bonus book covering advanced photo editing, enhancement, and correction techniques.  This detailed section also gives great advice on utilizing your own photo editing software and includes tips for purchasing advanced software.

David Huffman has worked in the photography industry for over thirty years, twenty of them with Eastman Kodak.  For more information, visit: David Huffman’s Travel Photo Tips: Know Before You Go or to learn more about David Huffman’s work, visit: David Huffman.

Boeing issued a press release yesterday announcing the postponement of the first scheduled flight of their Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft “due to a need to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft.” 

The need was identified during regular scheduled testing of Boeing’s ‘full-scale static test plane.’  Paying customers and paying airlines will have to wait until the new schedule for the first flight and first delivery of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is made available in the next several weeks.  Boeing has 865 orders from 55 airlines for the Dreamliner aircraft.

The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner features innovative lighting, 30% larger overhead luggage bins, tall 19” windows, improved air quality within the cabin, along with cutting edge technology.  The Dreamliner is capable of flying up to 300 passengers depending on the exact configuration of the aircraft.

For more information, visit: NewAirplane

For the second year in a row, Marriott Golf, is offering ‘a yearlong series of one day events’ to promote family togetherness in golf.

The Marriott International Family Golf Festival invites families to Marriott Golf properties for a fun afternoon of FREE instruction, golf clinics, activities, interactive games, plus a chance to win family vacation prizes!

Plus, after 3 p.m. on the Golf Festival day, children and families can golf for FREE.  An estimated 10,000 children and parents participated in the Marriott program in 2008.

Marriott offers more than 60 golf courses at 44 locations in 13 countries – with more than 1,000 holes of championship golf.  Visit Marriott.com to see a complete list of 2009 Golf Festival Dates .

Early yesterday morning, Continental flight 61, enroute from Brussels, Belgium, landed safely at Newark Liberty International airport in New Jersey even though the pilot died during the flight.

The Boeing 777 landed safely with the two first officers onboard flying the aircraft as required by FAA rules for international flights.  Upon landing, the aircraft was met by emergency crews and Continental customer service staff who escorted the passengers from the plane.

With this very unusual situation, officials state that even though the cut off age for working pilots was recently increased from age 60 to 65, every pilot is required to pass a rigorous physical every six months.

With over 25 years in the travel business, Singles Travel International provides worry free travel for single travelers.

Join them on their Taste of Italy Cuisine Tour featuring pasta, wine, cheese, olive oils, and so much more along with the unique history and endless photography opportunities only Italy can provide.

Tour highlights include visiting St. Peter’s Square, Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Michelangelo’s David, with cooking lessons, wine tasting, and a Venice canal ride.

Departing August 15, 2009, the Taste of Italy Cuisine Tour includes 7 nights accommodation, 11 meals including a welcome dinner, pizza party & farewell dinner, starting at only $1999 USD per person.

For more information, visit: SinglesTravelInternational