Great question! Electronic items smaller than the standard sized laptop should not need to be removed from your bag or their cases. It’s that simple.

So unless your electronics are bigger than a regular laptop, keep them in the bag and get through security faster.

The reason they ask you to put all that stuff away is because it can become a dangerous projectile in the event of turbulence or some other jarring force. While it’s unlikely that will ever happen, the probability that you hit turbulence goes way up as you descend (or ascend), so it’s much safer to have those small heavy projectiles tucked safely away.

If you think the best part about a cruise is life on the ship, a cruise to nowhere may be exactly what the doctor ordered. Cruises to nowhere let you enjoy life on the ship without the extra hassle of entering into any ports. With the size cruise ships are today, you could easily fill your days with activities on the ship and many cruise lines are catering to this type of customer.

Cruises to Nowhere are often cheaper because you don’t have to pay any docking or port fees, which can get quite expensive if your ship docks in numerous ports. They’re also cheaper because they’re shorter, no more than two or three days, so you don’t get sick of being on the ship even though that’s exactly what you signed up for!

I’ve never gone on a cruise to nowhere and I’m not entirely convinced I’d enjoy them, as I get bored quickly with things, but sometimes you need a getaway and you can’t really beat the deals you get on these types of cruises. I recently found a “Cruise to Nowhere” on Norwegian Cruise Line on the Norwegian Pearl starting at $149 for a quick two night cruise to Great Stirrup Cay. On that particular cruise you do go “somewhere” but with only a day in Bermuda it’s more cruise than land.

What makes these deals even better is that they count as sailings towards your cruise loyalty rewards program. Need a few more sailings before you get to the next tier in the Carnival Past Guest loyalty program? Hit up a cruise to nowhere.

Not a bad deal if you want a quick getaway on the cheap and have the cruise bug!

(Photo: mascardo1)

From October 1st through November 14th, 2010, Epcot is having their International Food & Wine Festival. It’s the fifteenth time they’ll be doing it and every year it seems to get a huge turnout. The best part is that there is no extra charge, you get in with your regular Epcot admission. The event consists of various marketplaces feating all manner of food and drink spread out around the World Showcase. Here’s how 2009 was described:

This year’s International Food and Wine Festival will play host to seminars, tasting events and sumptuous dinners overseen by top Disney Chefs as well as renowned guest Chefs. Over the course of the Festival, there will be 1200 beer and wine seminars scheduled with complimentary samples. Chefs scheduled to appear are Warren Brown, Cat Cora, Todd English, Gale Gand, Robert Irvine, Art Smith, Andrew Zimmern and more.

There is also plenty of live music during the festival with their “Eat to the Beat” concert series. The 2010 lineup is already up and features a whole litany of bands from Kool & The Gang to Sugar Ray to Air Supply to Jon Secada. Performances will be at the America Gardens theater.

Also special for 2010, the debut of two new countries to the festival – Belgium and South Korea. Belgium will feature Steamed Mussels with Roasted Garlic Cream and a Baguette while South Korea will have “Bo Ssam” Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and kimchee slaw. This adds to the already huge list of marketplaces which include twenty-seven announced marketplaces (some are cities and others are themed). Menu items range from $3 – $7 each.

For more information, check out the Disney Food Blog’s writeup of the 2010 Epcot Festival details. A big thank you to them because if I hadn’t read about the 2009 festival on their blog, I would’ve never known about it!

This post is part of the Disney Blog Carnival. Head over there to see more great posts like this.

She’s the little girl in the pink, Alex is in the stroller over Smee’s shoulder. He was from Montreal, she was from Long Island in New York. The would later meet while working at the same hotel in Boca Raton, FL.

How cool is that!?

The post is part of the Fifth DisMarks.com Disney Blog Carnival; click on the link for more great Disney articles.

I changed the search to “First class” and was amazed that JetBlue had a first class ticket for only $195. Then I thought to myself… I don’t think JetBlue had a first class cabin. They only have economy seats and nice ones at that, with extra leg room and a DirecTV. JetBlue also has free Wi-Fi, which makes them a pretty good choice if you want a lot of first class perks while flying economy.

Here’s a sample result from my search:

Notice it says “first class” up top but “Economy cabin” in light gray once you expand the results? There’s a little “econ” next to the duration but it’s not emphasized. It’s a little sneaky because once you find out the price, airline, takeoff/landing times, and the duration… how many think to check the seat class after they’ve already set the filter?

Finally, if JetBlue doesn’t call it first class, I don’t think Bing should put it in the first class results.

If I was one of the legacy carriers with an actual first class cabin, I’d be annoyed. If I wasn’t as careful and booked a first class result, only to discover it was a really nice coach seat, I’d be angry (but not too angry, they aren’t charging you first class prices).

I wonder how many people have fallen victim to this.

Hopefully you enjoy these (or are at least entertained and educated) as well!

• Most airport food is your standard mix of McDonalds, TGI Fridays, Panda Express, or some version of those types of places. Jaunted lists their top five airports for food but the list is peppered with chain places like Chick-fil-A and Five Guys.
• Do you know what the state fish of Hawaii is? humuhumunukunukuapua’a. Congratulations, now say it!
• It’s always important to incorporate a little bit of exercise in your travels, even if you end up hiking a ton!
• I love to volunteer and volunteering abroad is something I’ve contemplated in the past. If you thought about it too, check out this quick post by Lisa at Volunteering Vagabond on why volunteering is a great way to discover a new country. She’s currently in Thailand volunteering through the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project.

Have a great weekend!

• Martha has been looking at some DSLR cameras so she can get back into photography and this post by Gray of SoloFriendly.com shares her travel camera setup. Like her, my general apprehension about DSLRs is that they’re so heavy – like a bowling ball around your neck (that and you’re a target for thieves). In the end it’s a tradeoff.
• Martha and I have been to Kilauea Point on Kauai before but if you haven’t, and find yourself nearby, here’s a good post on why you should go.
• The Finger Lakes Trail looks deceptively simple yet only 20 people thru-hike it each year and fewer than 300 have done it ever. If you have six to seven weeks, why not give it a try?
• Need a place to hide money while you’re traveling? Check out these slick ways to stash cash from Twenty-Something Travel.

Have a great weekend!

(Photo: flydime)

How much is it? Plans start at $120 and get up to $200, depending on how much fun you send them on. It kind of reminds me of this Kia commercial from the Super Bowl: