The island of St. Martin is known for its beautiful beaches but one of its lesser known beaches is a great choice if you're looking for a very calm ocean experience that is perfect for young children. On our recent cruise to the Eastern Caribbean, we tried Le Galion beach on the French side of St. Martin.

A Royal Caribbean sponsored excursion in St Martin ended in an accident when thirty-six passengers were on a bus that crashed into a ditch last Thursday.  No major injuries although a few were taken to a local hospital.

The accident occurred when the bus was trying to avoid a taxi heading up a steep hill.  The bus hit the taxi, causing it to overturn.

A Royal Caribbean passenger traveling aboard Rhapsody of the Seas died while kayaking on Mendenhall Lake in Juneau, Alaska.

With Royal Caribbean now making regular stops on its Western Caribbean itineraries in Falmouth, Jamaica, many cruisers are looking for good excursion ideas for this port.  On our recent cruise aboard Freedom of the Seas, we tried out the Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa Day Pass.

Barefoot Beach Club at Labadee is a private beach enclave for those staying in a suite or those who pay their way in. Barefoot Beach is available to guests staying in a suite onboard their Royal Caribbean cruise. Once inside the walled off area, suite guests may use chairs and water toys included with the beach.

Barefoot Beach also features private cabanas you can rent for the day that include a number of amenities such as

The Telegraph listed the top 50 cruise excursions that "you would struggle to do alone or which could be difficult or expensive to organize".  Three from the list are offered by Royal Caribbean.

If you're going on a cruise aboard the Brilliance of the Seas, which visits Dubai, there's a new excursion option to check out.  Royal Caribbean has reached an agreement with Dubailand to allow guests to visit  The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence and key attractions at Dubailand.

The deal marks the second cruise season that Royal Caribbean and Dubai Properties Group (DPG) have woked together to make this an option for cruisers.