Nevertheless on the cruises I have been on I found there are certain things I like to do and I make sure I get them done. Maybe you are the same when you go on vacation, and if you aren't take a look at these three suggestions the next time you go on a cruise to enhance your vacation fun and experience.

Bingo

Sure when you hear the word bingo you probably think of a weekly function for local older folks in your town that head to the church recreation hall to win some cash. However on a cruise ship, bingo is a ton of fun. At the beginning of the week the crowds are small but by the last day as long as the jackpot still stands the bingo hall is absolutely filled. Why? Because the jackpot grows into the thousands of dollars. On one cruise vacation I was on a woman won over $7,000. It was enough to pay for the entire cruise and them some. It is a bit pricey, so if you are going to play and only have the budget to play once, do it on the last day to go for the jackpot.

Wine Tasting

I am not much of a wine person but my wife is and on a cruise ship they offer wine classes. So normally I tag along with her and I can tell you I have learned quite a bit. It still doesn't make me a connoisseur of wine but I do know more now then I ever had. Some cruise ships charge a nominal fee of $5 for the class while others offer it free and then try to sell you wine at the end of the demonstration. Either way it is fun and you never feel pressured into buying anything.

Art Auction

Every ship I have been on has an art auction. I never realized how popular the activity was until I started seeing the rooms filled with people bidding on art from vendors I personally never heard of. Although I have never bought any art myself I have sat in on a couple of auctions (mostly for the free wine & cheese) and can say that if you are an art person, one of these auctions is definitely for you. The people there were excited when they won, and the energy in the room is incredible. Even if you are not an art person, sit in on one and you are sure to enjoy yourself.

These are just three of the endless things you can do on a cruise ship. I chose these three because they are different then what you could get on other vacations. The next time you go on a cruise give them a try. You never know you might win the jackpot, become a wine expert or learn a thing or two about art or auctions.

Take for instance my recent cruise to the Southern Caribbean. We started out by flying from Philadelphia to San Juan, Puerto Rico. I was pleasantly surprised about San Juan. We were there a day and half before we sailed out, but San Juan is definitely a place I would go back to for an extended period of time. The weather was ninety degrees in January and the people at our hotel were great.

So we set sail on a Royal Caribbean cruise and our first stop was Aruba. On Aruba we took an off road Jeep excursion. It was pretty cool, but a bit pricey I thought, but what the heck I am on vacation right? Unfortunately for me the natural bridge had collapsed the previous year so I all I got to see was a pile of rubble. Although I liked Aruba I don't think it would be a place I could spend a week at. My friends however absolutely loved it there, in fact that is where they honeymooned.

Our next stop was Curacao. We spent time at a marine aquatic preservation zoo type of thing. I forget the name of it off the top of my head; however it was a pretty awesome experience. You got to snorkel with all kinds of different marine life and with bucket of squid in hand you got to feed them as well.

If you were a little more adventurous you could feed the sharks and sea turtles that were fenced in on either side of you. It was a neat experience, definitely one I would recommend, but since our stay in Curacao was limited it is hard to say whether I would go back for a week or not.

Our final stop was on the island St. Thomas. There we took an overpriced taxi ride to Meaghan's Bay where we paid $3.00 to sit on one of top ten ranked beaches in the world. Yes I can say it was extremely beautiful, but top ten? I'd have to see many other beaches around the world before I make my claim of top ten.

We were in St. Thomas for the entire day, but with the constant badgering by the locals to buy their crap it felt like we were there for a month. You would have to pay me a lot, and I mean a lot of money to go back for a week there. It's just not worth the hassle. I do hear, however, that St. John's is incredible, which is accessible from St. Thomas. So if I have to go back to St. Thomas I would probably head over to St. Johns instead.

Cruising gives you the ability to try out different locations before settling or taking a risk on one where you might be stuck having a bad time for seven days. If you haven't gone on a cruise, I would highly recommend it.

We chose the Royal Caribbean cruise line as our means for vacation for this particular trip. We chose Royal Caribbean because they offered a cruise to Bermuda from a local port within an hour drive from our house.

On most cruise vacations that my wife and I take we try to treat ourselves to something special. It could a massage, or an exciting excursion, but you can always count on us doing something as an added piece of excitement for our vacation.

This time we wanted to try something new on the cruise ship. On this particular Royal Caribbean ship they had a specialty restaurant called Portofino's. I understand that they have added this same restaurant to all of their new ships, and after having one dinner there I can understand why.

We considered this a treat because there is an added expense of $25 per person to dine at Portofino's. Some people asked us why we would pay to dine on a cruise ship when the food is included at sit down dinners and of course at the buffet. Prior to us dining there we thought the same thing, but then also thought to give it a try and experience it just once.

Dining in the specialty restaurant is far different than what you will experience elsewhere on the ship. When you walk into Portofino's it is similar to walking into a five star establishment. The waiters and waitresses are dressed to the utmost professional attire. That is not to say that the waiters and waitresses in other dining areas do not look professional, but Royal Caribbean makes the specialty restaurant help go a step further.

When dining you are given a menu of many choices of appetizers, salads, soups and main courses to choose from. Many differ from what you would find at your normal sit down meal, however there are also some familiar choices as well. As with your sit down dinner or buffet, it is still all you can eat, so if you wanted to try a couple different appetizers or entrees they will accommodate your request. The best part is they will scale down your order for the amount of food you eat (if you so wish).

In other words if you order two appetizers, lets say escargot and duck, instead of getting two full appetizer portions they will gladly split each down to a half serving size. I like this option as it makes me feel like I am not wasting food.

The restaurant also has floor to ceiling windows so you can enjoy the view of Bermuda (or wherever your ship is going/docked). Light sounds of classical music plays in the background and because space is limited the conversational noise from surrounding tables is very low.

Overall I would rate our experience at Royal Caribbean's Portofino specialty restaurant, on a scale of one to five where five is the best, a five. We received great food, excellent service and the ambiance was outstanding. Add all of this up and it far outweighs the nominal $25 cost.

We liked it so much that we recommended it to our friends. On their next cruise they tried it and absolutely loved it as well. Give it a shot I am sure you will not be disappointed.

It is present between Richmond and Kew in southwest London. It is the largest botanical research and educational institution with large income. It is the oldest historical garden in the UK. The size of the gardens increased over the years. The Temperate house present in it is the largest Victorian glasshouse in existence.

In 1987 Princess Diana opened the third major conservatory of Kew Gardens called the Princess of Wales conservatory. In the same it lost hundreds of trees in a hurricane. UNESCO had put the Kew Gardens on the list of World Heritage Sites in July 2003.

It has one of the most important seedbanks, and comprehensive collection of plants. It has largest botanical collections in the world with books, botanical illustrations, pictures etc.

An attractive structure in the Kew Gardens is the Great Pagoda, built in the time of William Chambers, in the year 1762. William Chambers was the director of Kew Gardens at that time. This Pagoda is design imitation of the Chinese Taa. It has Ten stories, each is an octagonal storey finished with a projecting roof.

Royal Botanical Gardens or Kew Gardens (usually referred to as) is a great attraction for visitors with many different sites and structures with pleasing plants in providing a green environment.