They Used To Save Miles For Hawaii. Not Anymore.

Above, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. Photo by Armand Vaquer..

Airline mileage award programs used to be relatively easy. People accrued airline mileage over a year or more and redeemed them for economic travel.

One of the places they used to redeem their mileages was Hawaii. It appears to be no longer the case.

According to Beat of Hawaii:

For decades, Hawaii was the crown jewel of airline award travel within the US. It was where you redeemed miles after stockpiling them all year or longer. But increasingly, travelers are saying it is no longer worth it.

What used to be a relatively easy redemption is now a struggle. Availability is tight, prices are up, upgrades are scarce, and the experience has changed. The individuals making these claims are not new to loyalty programs. Many are longtime members who used to book Hawaii year after year. Now, they are shifting their miles elsewhere. 

Miles don’t stretch as far, and upgrades are harder to get.

Redemption levels have climbed across all programs. An economy ticket that once cost 35,000 miles round-trip now often requires 60,000 or more. Premium cabins regularly hit six figures, with little consistency or transparency. Dynamic pricing has made redemptions unpredictable and frustrating.

To read more, go here. 

World Cruise Awards Winners Named

Above, the Norwegian Sky docked at Freeport, Bahamas last August. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The World Cruise Awards Gala was held recently in Madeira, Portugal. The fourth annual event was attended by representatives from cruise lines.

As we are near the end of the year, the awards recognize "the best of" different cruise lines during the past year.

Yahoo! Life reported:

Many major cruise brands attended the fourth annual World Cruise Awards Gala Ceremony, hosted in Funchal, the capital city of Madeira in Portugal.

The results follow a year-long search for the world’s leading cruise brands. Votes were cast by cruise-industry professionals and the public, with the nominee receiving the most votes in a category named as the winner.

That's a unusual way to hand out awards: The weight of an industry member was five times that of a random cruiser.

The awards "had the privilege of recognizing cruise brands that are stellar examples of excellence in their field," World Cruise Awards Director Chris Frost said in a statement.

World Cruise Awards is the sister event of the World Travel Awards, which was launched in 1994 to celebrate excellence in global travel and tourism.

Norwegian Cruise Line was named "Best Cruise Line".

To see the other winners, go here. 

Best Cruise Lines For Families and Budget Travelers

Now that we're almost at the end of the year, this appears to be the time when the cruise industry hands out awards for the "Best this" and "Best that".

Yahoo Life has posted the winners.

They begin with:

The holiday season is upon us, and you ponder how to maintain this seasonal cheer throughout the year. Suddenly, a light bulb sparks to life inside your mind. Yes, a cruise!

Visions of a cruise ship sailing toward a sunny island with pristine beaches confirm that this is indeed a brilliant idea. Now, which is the best cruise for you?

U.S. News & World Report recently released its 2025 Best Cruise Lines rankings. The timing is perfect, almost like a Christmas gift to you. It's okay to open this present early. After all, you have a cruise to plan.

While U.S. News ranks cruises across several categories, I want to focus on the top cruises for families and from a value perspective.

To read more, go here. 

Rush Limbaugh Inducted Into Florida Broadcasters Hall of Fame

Last Thursday, Rush Limbaugh's brother David accepted the award for Rush’s induction into The Florida Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Above, David Limbaugh accepting the award for Rush’s induction into The Florida
 Broadcasters Hall of Fame this past Thursday. David Limbaugh X photo..

Campspot Awards Celebrate Top Campgrounds

Campspot is a name that really isn't all too familiar to me, but I probably have used them for campsite reservations at one time or another.

According to RV Life, they have inaugurated their Campspot Awards for top campgrounds in the U.S. I have spotted one that I have been to.

RV Life reports:

Campspot, whose roots are in the reservation and booking software that campground owners use, has announced the winners of their inaugural 2022 Campspot Awards. The awards seek to recognize excellence among the campground locations that utilize Campspot’s premier reservation software. 

The Campspot Awards will annually recognize top campgrounds in categories such as Top Campgrounds in the USA, Most Popular Campgrounds in the USA, Top Campgrounds for Families, Top Campgrounds with a View, Top Campgrounds for First-Timers, Top Camping Sites, and Top Campground Design. 

We’ve summarized just a few of our favorites in some of the main categories below. For the complete rundown of the 2022 Campspot Awards, visit the link at the end of this article.

To read more, go here.