Did you read all about it? A 17-year-old British kid just returned after sailing 28,000 miles around the world. The cruise would have been very boring, but every day he did lifeboat drill, played deck shuffleboard, won at bingo, attended the stage show in the theater and lined up for midnight buffet. And all tips were included.

Israel is expected to welcome a new wave of luxury cruise ships this autumn, beginning when the 2,500-passenger Royal Caribbean ship Vision  of the Seas docks in Haifa and Ashdod during an 11-night tour.  Also, Celebrity Cruise's Celebrity Equinox will anchor in  Israel during a series of nine cruises in October. For more information, check with your hometown or online travel agency.

Sort of like stuffing yourself at a Las Vegas buffet, but instead of all you can eat, JetBlue is offering an All-You-Can-Jet Pass. You get as many helpings of JetBlue flights as you can cram into your schedule during the 30-day promotion, and they’re all for just the one cost of $599. The offer is for JetBlue flights from September 8 through October 8.

JetBlue flies to more than 50 destinations in six countries. To take advantage of the offer, you must buy the All-You-Can-Jet Pass by Aug. 21.  JetBlue instructions claim "pass holders will have access to every available seat on every flight with no blackout dates." Further: "each flight must be booked no later than 11:59pm MDT 3 days prior to the flight's scheduled departure."

Be aware that JetBlue reserves the right to discontinue selling All-You-Can-Jet Passes at any time during the promotion period. If you’re interested or more want further information, go to www.jetblue.com.

Carnival Cruise Lines is trying a new, speed-up check-in system at the Port of Miami FL. As in airports, cruise passengers will be able to board their ships by quickly swiping ID cards at an electronic kiosk that replaces the time-consuming live guard station process.

We recently returned from a cruise of the Mexican Riviera, and all facilities and services aboard the ship were easily and conveniently available. However, when boarding at the original Long Beach CA pier and at every port stop along the cruise, passengers  had to wait in hour-long lines for the guards in the terminal to go through the tedious security procedures before they allowed boarding.

Before arriving at the port of embarkation for the cruise at Carnival’s Miami pier, passengers who want to use the quick check-in kiosks are required to pre-register online and must be citizens of the U.S., Canada or other nation that issues visa waivers for US travel. The check-in requires passengers have authorized credit or passport cards to swipe at the kiosk, as is the usual procedures at airports. After passengers clear the security check-in procedure, they will be given their stateroom keys by cruise staffs as they arrive onboard.

If Carnival’s experiment proves effective, plans are in the works for the kiosk check-in procedure to be installed for other Carnival sailings. While we recognize and appreciate the need for tight security, we hope the kiosk check-in procedures will soon become universal for all cruise ships, and eliminate the frustration of long, time-consuming check-in lines.