Caribbean Cruises Rise As European Cruises Out Of Favor

Above, a cruise ship docked at Freeport, Bahamas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Europe isn't much in favor these days for cruise line travelers. This is resulting in priorities by the cruise lines to shift their bookings and schedules to the Caribbean.

I can easily see why the Caribbean is a popular area to cruise at. The weather is better and the people seem nicer.

A couple of friends are currently on a 15-day cruise that will take them to the Panama Canal.

The topic of Europe cruises being out of favor is in an article in Forbes.

They begin it with:

European cruises are now out of favor, a relief for many locals who have been grappling with the issues of overcrowding and protests across Croatia, Italy, and Greece. As Bloomberg reports, cruise operators are shifting to the Caribbean, with port calls now evenly distributed between Europe and the Caribbean, a stark contrast to the situation three years ago when there were 7,000 more dockings in a European port than in a Caribbean one.

To read more, go here.

Dollar Around ¥150 In Tokyo

Today is December 1 and it is time to take a look at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen in Tokyo trading.

It is still doing well enough that many Americans are heading to Japan to take advantage of the exchange rate's increased purchasing power for the dollar.

According to Jiji Press:

The dollar-yen exchange rate (quote) in the Tokyo foreign exchange market on the 29th fell to around 150 yen per dollar due to the strengthening of adjustment selling due to the end of the month, as well as the pressure of the decline in US long-term interest rates in after-hours trading at the end of the day. As of 5:00 p.m., it was 150.00-01 yen, a significant 1.72 yen drop in the dollar and 1.72 yen rise in the yen from the previous day (151.72-73 yen at 5:00 p.m.).

 To read more, go here.