Holiday Cruise Ship Vacation

Something strange happened this week in Amazon.com's apparel section.

For a day or two, a black T-shirt featuring an image of three wolves baying at a full moon claimed the top slot at the online store's clothing bestseller list,, beating out the usual, unremarkable mix of Levi's 505 regular-fit jeans, Crocs clogs and Adidas running shoes.

Three Wolf Moon T-Shirt, Available in Various Sizes

And really, why wouldn't you buy the shirt, which is priced from $7.65 to $17.93, depending on your size? Just read the long and growing list of customer testimonials promising earth-shattering experiences or psychedelic vision quests upon purchase.

"I bought this shirt and instantly old girlfriends started calling me again," wrote one reviewer."My doctor says the cancer has gone into remission," wrote another. "

Thanks for changing my life!"The shirt's page at Amazon.com had quietly existed for years without much comment, but after a snarky link from CollegeHumor.com, the "Three Wolf Moon" shirt suddenly sprouted hundreds of five-star ratings.

Reviewers have dreamed up epics about its powers, weaving fantasies involving everything from the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland to the pop group Duran Duran.

As the joke caught on and got passed around the Web, Photoshopped spoofs of the shirt started appearing online -- featuring corgi puppies, spiders or haddock instead of the now-famous wolves.

CollegeHumor.com, a comedy site started in 1999 by a couple of high school friends who grew up together in Timonium, Md., also claimed victory this week for rigging an online poll run by the state of Nebraska to select a new license-plate design.

The site urged its readers to vote for what it deemed the most boring design available to Nebraska drivers. That gray-and-white plate won.Officials in Nebraska said they monitored Web traffic to screen out visitors coming directly from the humor site, but CollegeHumor.com was still, credibly, claiming the joke a success this week.

"Together we pranked the entire automobile-owning population of Nebraska," wrote a CollegeHumor.com editor, in a Wednesday posting. "Congratulations."

This type of online rabble-rousing appears to be catching on more than ever over the past year, said Tim Hwang, the organizer of ROFLCon, a convention dedicated to celebrating Internet memes.

After all, another Web-based prank crossed over into the real world just last month when a 21-year-old college student, known by the online moniker "m00t," sailed to the top of Time's "most influential person" list in an online poll, beating out the likes of President Obama and Oprah Winfrey.

Gathering nearly 17 million votes, the world's "most influential" person is the founder of another jokey Web culture site, 4chan.org, whose proprietor is known offline by the name Christopher Poole. If you don't get why the shirt, and its reviews, are so funny, don't worry.

CollegeHumor.com co-founder Josh Abramson said it's a case where the shirt is so uncool that it's cool."A lot of things that become popular on the Web are based around just being ironic and being an inside joke," Abramson said.

"This resonates with a geeky, hip crowd that is very Web-savvy. When something resonates with that circle, crazy things can happen."Abramson said his team had considered licensing the wolf shirt for sale.

CollegeHumor.com, which had 7 million unique Web visitors last month, also has an online store that sells T-shirts with ironic catchphrases and designs, called BustedTees.com. But it appears that the site may have been a bit slow to catch on to its own meme.

"We're kicking ourselves that we didn't," he said.The New Hampshire company that makes the "Three Wolf Moon" shirt said that it doesn't generally mind being the butt of this joke."You have to be able to laugh at yourself," said Michael McGloin, a partner and art director at the Mountain, who added that he finds some of the reviews to be "freaking hilarious."

The company certainly doesn't mind the shirt's recent uptick in sales: "Three Wolf Moon" is sold out, and the Mountain has started printing up a fresh batch.

It seems that the wolf theme was growing in popularity even before the Internet hipsters descended, McGloin said."Wolf shirts are super hot right now," he said. "It's the year of the wolf, I guess."

Click now to Three Wolf Moon T-Shirt, Available in Various Sizes

By Mike Musgrove, Washington Post Staff Writer

Labels: ironic tshirt, the mountain, three wolf moon, tshirt, wolf moon, wolf shirt, wolf t-shirt

It's been a tough season for spring break destinations. With students and parents tightening their belts in the face of a major recession, the annual tradition of letting off steam - ideally on an exotic beach, with access to plenty of cheap beer - is suffering.

This spring break season - typically, March 16 to April 5 - flights from the U.S. to the Caribbean have dropped as much as 20%, according to data compiled for TIME by the online travel agency Expedia.

Meanwhile, safety concerns over Mexico's increasingly violent drug cartels may be helping keep students away from its beaches in droves; travel to the spring-break Mecca of Cancun is down 22% over last year.

But that doesn't mean spring break is canceled. When it comes to scaling back expenses, that's where many college students are drawing a line in the sand. Sun-drenched revelers are spending less, and service-oriented spring breakers are reaching out to communities closer to home.

"For college students, spring break is really a once in a lifetime experience," says Matt Scriven, founder of spring break tour operator ParadiseParties.com. "So they're finding a way to do it."

For many, that means forgoing a far-flung trip - which can cost upwards of $1,000 - and soaking up some less exotic rays. According to Expedia, spring break flights to Orlando, Los Angeles and New York all jumped more than 25% this year.

At ParadiseParties.com, the uptick in sales of cheaper, domestic options - including a $400 party cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and a $300 trip to Panama City, Fla., where MTV films one of its spring break specials - kept the overall number of bookings from dipping substantially, despite a drop in international sales. "We definitely sold a whole lot more of the affordable stuff," says Scriven.

Affordability may also help explain why service-oriented spring break trips, which can cost as little as $300, are more popular than ever this year. At St. Michael's College in Burlington, Vermont, applications doubled for trips to serve in soup kitchens or build homes around the country and abroad. Harvard's alternative spring break program recorded a 90% increase in applications.

And Break Away, an organization that helps coordinate service-oriented break trips for over 150 college campuses nationwide, has tracked a 10-15% increase in participation for the sixth year in a row. "Most alternative break programs are very student-led and small-donor based, very grassroots," says Jill Piacitelli, executive director of Break Away. "Students are still willing and able to raise the $300 to go on the trip."

Some students, however, are less able than they used to be. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, for example, sent some spring-break volunteers to Kentucky last year to help rebuild an elderly woman's home after it burned down. This year, they're offering a staycation instead: 30 students are living on campus and working at local nonprofits.

The per-student tab for the week comes to $75, compared to $350 a pop for one of last year's trips. "Students were not as interested in paying that much," says Jordanna Spencer, graduate coordinator for service and volunteerism. (Read more about volunteer vacations.)

Other alternative break trips are being refocused to help people especially affected by the recession. About two dozen schools, for instance, have retooled their Habitat for Humanity-style affordable housing trips to focus on rehabilitating foreclosured homes instead, says Piacitelli.

"The idea with alternative breaks is to address pressing social needs," she says. "When there's a demonstrated, clear one, the students are on to that, and plan trips around it."

There are other students, of course, who are simply staying home. Melissa Bubb, 20, a junior marketing major at Temple University, took a bus home to Brooklyn, New York, where she spent spring break visiting her grandmother and catching up with high school friends.

"Honestly, I couldn't afford to go on vacation," she says. "The way the circumstances are now with the economy, you have to pick and choose."

For her senior year, though, Bubb has already made her decision. "It will be my last year and my last semester," she says. "I'll probably just treat myself to a trip."

By LAURA FITZPATRICK

Labels: 2009, spring break

If you and your family are interested in scheduling a cruise ship vacation, but you feel that you may be unable to, you are urged not to assume. This assumption could prevent you from enjoying the vacation that you want and deserve. To make a cruise ship vacation possible for you and your family, all you will have to do is a little bit of budgeting.

For many individuals, developing a family budget is a small sacrifice, but for others it may be larger. The more money you need to save for a cruise, the harder it may be to save. The first step in saving money for your cruise ship getaway is to determine where all of your money is going. This can easily be accomplished by documenting your spending habits. Everything from the mortgage payment, rent, car insurance, even that cup of coffee you purchased should be recorded.

After documenting your spending habits for a week or a month, you will have to examine your findings. Many individuals are surprised to learn how much money they are wasting on unnecessary purchases. These purchases often include, but are not limited to single serve beverages, cigarettes, alcohol, and out-of-home dining. To save money for your cruise ship vacation, you will need to cut all unnecessary purchases.

Cutting unnecessary purchases may sound easy, but the reality is that it often isn't. There are some individuals who cannot do without their cigarettes or their morning cup of coffee.

Proceed now Cruise Ship Vacations on a Budget

If you are interested in determining whether or not a celebrity cruise is worth the money, there are a number of factors that you should first consider.

One of the most important factors is the purpose of the cruise.

A number of well-known musicians, television stars, and movie stars are compensated for their appearance.

While this may not have a direct impact your reservation, it may be in your best interest to know.

Read more Cruising With a Celebrity: Are Celebrity Cruises Worth the Money? at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/cruising_with_celebrity_cruises.htm

- Do you have scars, problems with acne, excess fat and skin, or is your face starting to show the early signs of aging?

- Do you feel that your teeth are having a negative impact on your otherwise glowing smile?

Whether you are looking to get a tummy tuck, a facelift, or a breast reduction, you may be curious as to what all of your options are.

Despite the fact that you do have a number of different treatment options, many men and women in your shoes opt for cosmetic surgery.

So, is cosmetic surgery right for you?

It is a big step. Before you move forward, it is important that you examine the pros and cons.

Read more Cosmetic Face Lift Surgery at http://mysearch.ph/cosmetic-face-lift-surgery/signs-need-cosmetic-surgery-face-lift.htm

Are you interested in chartering a private jet? When it comes to air travel, many travelers automatically think of commercial airlines, but did you know that you also have another option? That option is private jet charter services.

You may want to seriously give the chartering of a private jet services some thought. After a close examination, you will likely see that there are a number of benefits to doing so, especially for business, honeymoon, and romance.

If you have engaged a private jet charter services before, have you decided which private jet chartering company you would like to do business with?

There are some instances, where it may be more of a hassle than anything else. While there are still a large number of jets to go around, you will want to make sure that you make your reservations early.

That is why you are urged to examine the advantages and disadvantages of choosing your own private jet to charter.

If you have yet to do so, you will want to do so with caution. In today's society, scams are at an all time high.

Click now to all the tips and guide about private jet charter services at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/private-jet-charters/private-jet-chartering-scams-aware.htm

It is also advised that you considered any membership clubs that you belong to.

Triple A is a well-known travel agency.

In addition to providing roadside vehicle assistance, they also offer valuable discounts on a wide range of vacations.

Read more Discount Cruise Ship Vacations - Do They Exist? at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/discount_cruise_ship_vacations.htm

The first step in estimating the cost of travel is to select a particular cruise line and cruise ship.

The cruise ship you select is vital to estimating your vacation costs. This is because a number of cruise ships offer all-inclusive vacation packages.

All-inclusive cruise ship packages may seem high priced, but you often do not have to worry about carrying along excessive amounts of money.

In addition to the type of cruise ship package you select, you will also need to consider where your cruise ship will depart from and what its destination is.

if you are unable to book a vacation aboard a cruise ship with a departure port located near your home, you will have to include the cost of reaching your the port into your cruise

Read more Estimating the Cost of Your Cruise Ship Vacation athttp://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/estimating_cost_of_cruise_ship_vacation.htm

Cruise ships with dancing themes are popular among individuals of all ages. Despite their wide range of popularity, dancing cruises are often most enjoyed by senior citizens.

Dancing cruises tend to offer a number of different dancing halls. Each of these halls may incorporate a different style of music.

Read more Everything You Need To Know About Themed Cruise Ships at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/everything_about_themed_cruise_ship.htm

Praise Realty Marketing Corp. and Aredconsult, Inc. have joined forces this February 23-25 by launching The Global Filipino Conference that will unite different Pinoy organizations, local and abroad.

The date cannot be lost to majority of Filipinos because it is the date of the EDSA Revolution.
The PinoyConference.com homepage shall be launched on February 26.

The Global Filipinos Conference initiative shall create a big directory of organizations, associations, and movements that the members can join later.

It will initially offer online learning modules for individual subscribers such as self-improvement, online entrepreneurship, work-at-home, investing, personal finance, blogs, forums, and chats.

In the immediate future, Instructor-Led Training (ILD) will be held.

Praise Realty Marketing Corporation owns PraiseRealty.com.ph, one of the Top Ten real estate marketing websites in the Philippines based on Alexa.com.

Aredconsult.com specializes on business marketing and one of the pioneers of internet marketing in the Philippines since 1999.

We are now accepting free membership at http://mysearch.ph/pinoy-network/

Cruise ships have been successfully operating for a number of years now. Many families enjoy summer vacations aboard a cruise ship, but even more don't consider it as a possibility.

If you are looking for a different way to spend quality time with your family, you are urged to at least considering taking a family cruise.

Read more Family Fun Aboard a Cruise Ship at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/family_fun_aboard_cruise_ship.htm

A cruise ship vacation benefit that many individuals do not consider is the quality time spent together. While it is true that this quality time together can be spent anywhere, it is often more memorable on a cruise ship.

Many travelers view the close corridors as a disadvantage, but in a way it may benefit your family. This benefit is most often seen with teenagers.

Read more Family Vacations Aboard a Cruise Ship at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/family_vacations_aboard_cruise_ship.htm

Increasingly more "social tourists"are saying "no" to cocktails by the pool in the Caribbean, the exclusive cruise ships of the Balearic Islands, or five-star hotels in major U.S. destinations.

And "yes" to learning first-hand about the realities of the developing South or Eastern Europe, and sharing the lifestyles and the problems of local communities.

Read more Unique Experiences on Social Tourism at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/travel-philippine-resorts/2008/01/unique-experiences-on-social-tourism.html

Honeymoons are often thought of as vacations. In a way, the only difference between a family vacation and a honeymoon is romance and the lack of children.

Honeymoons are supposed to a fun, exciting, memorable, but private time. Instead of vacationing with the whole family, a honeymoon often only involves the bride and groom.

Read more Honeymooning on a Cruise Ship at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/honeymooning_on_cruise_ship.htm

A port of call is a termed that is used by many cruise lines. It is used to describe stops that a cruise ship will make along the way.

If you are interested in booking a vacation aboard a ship that makes multiple port stops, you will want to consider the ports available.

Vacationing on a cruise ship is enough to make any vacation perfect, but selecting the right ports of calls will make your vacation even more enjoyable.

Read more Popular Cruise Ship Destinations and Ports of Call at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/popular_cruise_ship_destinations.htm

Traveling to your cruise ship's departure location by bus or train are other acceptable travel options. Each is likely to take some time, but they are both inexpensive ways to travel.

Many individuals can easily afford a bus ticket or a train ticket. Aside from excessive stops, it is possible that you may not have access to either.

Bus stations and train stations are only available in limited locations. You may find it difficult or impossible to find a station that offers service to the location of your choice.

Read more Popular Cruise Ship Travel Options at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/popular_cruise_ship_travel_options.htm

Here are the problems a foreign tourist usually encounters when traveling to any overseas country:

Nobody meets you at the airport and provides you with the transportation out of that place.

This is just the beginning of your problems until you go back to your own country.

But you're supposed to be on vacation.

When traveling to the Philippines, simply contact your Travel Buddy...

- who can run errands for you and provides you with useful information.

- finds you a place to stay that suits your budget

- accompanies you to your various appointments

- arranges your transportation for you to go around the place

- arranges your travel plans and documents

- guides you around the Philippines

- checks on your safety and security


Contact now Travel Buddy at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/travelbuddy

Before your cruise ship is scheduled to set sail, you are urged to schedule a visit with your family physician.

Be sure to inform him or her that you are planning a vacation aboard a cruise ship. Your physician will likely check your health to make sure you are fit for travel.

In addition to examining your general health, it is possible that your physician may require a number of immunizations.

Read more Protecting Your Health While Aboard a Cruise Ship at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/protecting_health_while_aboard_cruise_ship.htm

Club Travellers Mall is an online home shopping mall of travel solutions that includes USA, Canada, and International products and services.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year.

Click now to Club Travellers Mall at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/travel-mall.htm

Founded as a mining camp in the Colorado Silver Boom and named because of the abundance of aspen trees in the area, the city is now a ski resort and cultural center.

Finding things to do in Aspen, Colorado during the day isn't difficult - get out on the slopes and ski or enjoy one of the other winter sports that you love.

At night, however, Aspen really comes to life with Aspen nightlife! No matter how old or young you are, there is something to do in Aspen twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Read more Aspen Nightlife and Vacation at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/aspen-vacation/main.htm

When searching for the perfect cruise ship, you have numerous options. Many travelers automatically start searching for the cruise ship of their dreams. Searching for a cruise ship is, in a way, different than searching for a cruise line.

If you do not have a preference as to which cruise ship line you'd like to travel with, it may be easier to search for cruises based on themes, destinations, or onboard activities.

Read more Researching Your Cruise Ship Options at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/researching_cruise_ship_options.htm

If you are interested in vacationing aboard a cruise ship, there are a number of decisions that you will have to make. One of those decisions includes finding a cruise line to vacation on.

There are a large number of cruise lines currently operating vacation cruises. These cruise lines often operate all around the world.

To find the perfect cruise line to vacation with, you are encouraged to research and fully examine all of your choices. This includes examining well-known and lesser known cruise lines.

Read more Selecting a Cruise Line at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/selecting_cruise_line_to_consider.htm

When you finally board your cruise ship, there are a number of steps that you should take to ensure your safety. These steps include familiarizing yourself with the cruise ship.

Today's most popular cruise ships are large in size. It may take some time to examine the ship, but you are still encouraged to do so. In addition to physically seeing the ship, it is advised that you request a map.

This map should be carried with you at all times; it may come in handy if you lose your way.

Read more Staying Safe Aboard a Cruise Ship at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/staying_safe_aboard_cruise_ship.htm

The main advantage of vacationing on an overseas cruise ship is that, in a way, you will be having two vacations at the same time.

A cruise, itself, can be considered a vacation. Traveling to a foreign country can also be considered a vacation. Combined all into one, you have the vacation that most individuals only dream of.

Read more Vacationing Aboard an Overseas Cruise Ship at http://www.philippine-resorts.com/cruise-ship/vacationing_aboard_overseas_cruise_ship.htm