Wow! Ryan McNaught is one devoted Love Boat fan and talented when it comes to building things with LEGO® bricks. The 36-year-old Melbourne, Australia, fan has crafted a creative version of Princess Cruises most famous ship, Pacific Princess, also known as the Love Boat.

This LEGO ship measures 10.5 feet long and nearly 5 feet high and is made with more than 250,000 LEGO bricks. McNaught is one of only 12 certified LEGO builders in the world and took him six months to build. This is the single largest project the professional LEGO builder has ever undertaken.

The LEGO builder is the son of a travel agent who apparently spent a lot of time on cruise vacations when growing up because it was these cruises which inspired him to replicate the Pacific Princess.

“I wanted to do something with character so I chose the original Love Boat, Pacific Princess, and studied photos and deck plans to capture her features and her beauty,” McNaught said.

In addition to the exterior of the ship, one side shows an open cutaway exposing the interior including passengers working out in the health club and chefs in the kitchen. So what about the cruising industry’s favorite cruise director? Julie, Captain Stubing and Gopher, cast of the famous Love Boat television show, have been LEGO-ized and on display on the ship.
The Love Boat model was on display at Australia’s LEGO Convention – Brickvention – in Melbourne earlier this month and will soon set sail for Brickworld in Chicago this June.  Brickworld is one of the largest LEGO conventions in the world, attracting tens of thousands of visitors and featuring 700 exhibitors.

See? Playing with LEGOs and taking kids on cruise vacations are good things.

Image Source: PRINCESS CRUISES

“Think of Canada as a foreign country,” wrote the Buffalo News on May 31, 2009, that’s because those Western New Yorkers who take weekend jaunts to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Toronto and Niagara Falls (because everyone knows the view is better on the Canadian side) now need a passport, passport card, enhanced driver’s license, trusted traveler program card or proof of being a member of a special group (i.e.: U.S. Military) to drive across the border.

It’s not just Western New Yorkers who need to think of Canada as a foreign country but it’s every American citizen looking to travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. This is thanks to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which is a result of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. The goal is to strengthen U.S. border security, expedite re-entry into the U.S.

The first phase of WHTI went into effect for air travelers in 2007. No longer is a driver’s license acceptable (unless it was issued in either Washington or New York and is used specifically for land or sea cross-border travel) nor is a birth certificate (in most cases) for those driving across borders or taking a cruise.

U.S. travelers using air travel are required to have a passport but for those traveling by car or sea, there are a myriad of options which are thoroughly explained on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Web site run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (It’s also a great site for Americans traveling abroad, too.) In brief, the following documents are acceptable when crossing a border either by land or sea:

• U.S. Passport
• U.S. Passport Card (limited-use travel document that fits nicely in a wallet)
• Enhanced Driver’s License
• Trusted Traveler Program Cards (issued to pre-approved, low-risk travelers to expedite entry into the U.S.)
• Special Groups (includes groups of children, Native Americans, U.S. Military, etc.)

The safest bet when planning a vacation to Mexico, Caribbean (including the Dominican Republic), Canada or booking a cruise or driving across the borders, just smile pretty for the camera and apply for a passport to ensure a pleasant trip.

Tripso.com has published a How To guide that we just love! “How to Take a Cheap Vacation and Not Feel Cheated” highlights the incredible value of Cruises, Vacation Rentals and All-Inclusive Resorts… three of our favorite travel options! Here is a summary, find the full article below (more…)