A small chink was made in the tension between China and Taiwan on Monday when the ban on Chinese entering the country via sea was lifted for 700 Chinese cruisers aboard the Rhapsody of the Seas.

 Previously, Chinese tourists could enter Taiwan only by plane, and at a limit of 1,000 maximum at any given time.

Could this small concession for Chinese pleasure-seekers be the beginning of a better relationship between China and Taiwan? 

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Here’s a story worth your attention - when a teenage girl’s appendix burst aboard a Princess cruise last week, relief was sent within an hour of the ship sending out its distress call. 

In a show of fairly incredible circumstance (from lowering the medic onto the ship in a basket to getting her onto a medical facility on a nuclear tanker), the 14-year-old girl got the attention she needed in time.

A comfort to those of us who feel paranoid about getting ill onboard a ship, and a great story for the teenager, Laura Montero, to tell for years to come.

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Imagine gathering your favorite eleven people together, and taking a private tour of the Amazon, the Caribbean, or the Arctic in a 5-star expedition yacht. Now, you can do just that with the German-made Hanse Explorer.

Though pricey (the lowest quoted price is £1,999 per person sharing a twin cabin for 9 nights - around $4,000), the private voyages promise to be the height of exploration experience.

The cabins are state-of-the art, and come equipped with lots of electronic goodies, from flat screen televisions and satellite phones to rain shower systems for the luxury of the inhabitant.

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Stock up on vitamins before going on your next cruise - apparently the stomach flu that attacked 220 passengers on a recent Hawaiian cruise is one of the most common illnesses to attack cruisers.

Janice Okubo, the spokeswoman for the Hawaii Department of Health is reported to have said that, “Most of the time, people recover.” We assume she means that they recover onboard. We hope so, anyway.

Passengers aboard this particular ill-fated voyage were asked to remain in their rooms for 24 hours while the ship was sanitized, and were given $200 worth of on-ship credit for their inconvenience.

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I suppose this could be included with that classic debate about American tourism and adhering to foreign laws.  

 Apparently, in Grenada, an island sustained in large part by its tourist draw, it is illegal for same sex couples to display affection toward one another.  A law apparently never crossed until a recent gaggle of tourists offended local sensibilities by being gay and on vacation.

  I’d imagine there was some serious hand holding going on in the streets of Grenada.  Perhaps a kiss or two over a golden sunset, because hey, that’s what happens in the Caribbean.  And that’s fine, as long as you’re a heterosexual couple. 

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Coca Cola and Carnival Cruise Lines have teamed up to create an environment especially for teens aboard their “Fun Ships,” with Club 02 (think member’s club, not night club).

Club 02 focuses on cruisers between 15 and 17, and provides them with age appropriate onboard events (like a karaoke lounge and reality show-esque challenges), and off board excursions under a teen group leader where they can experience the ports of the trip with their own age group.

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Cruises often have at least three dining options: the multi star restaurant on the top deck, the common area restaurant that most patrons frequent, and the International buffet usually full of high schoolers and older folks who want an easy meal.

I’m here to tell you the international buffet should not be ignored, avoided, or even treated as a last-stop. Here is part of your cruising experience. A chance make your mom try sushi for the first time, or have baklava on the same plate as your pizza. It can be part of your storytelling experience to tell your friends you tried kangaroo.

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Sure, the holiday season is supposed to be all about crackling fires and cuddly family gatherings around homecooked meals. We all aim for this ideal, gathering ornaments to hang and chestnuts to roast, but despite our best efforts, the result is often a few points short of that glowing classical standard.

Hollywood has made a bundle playing off of the typical chaos that generally reigns in the household under the stress of preparing mountains of food and the perfect environment for family gathering. The fall/winter holiday season has almost become synonymous with high-tension squabbles and weeks upon weeks of preparation for a day or two of payoff.

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