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Royal Caribbean has long been known for innovation. It was the first line to blow out the top decks of its vessels with attractions like rock climbing walls, surfing simulators and zip lines. It pioneered the idea of soaring interior promenades full of shops, restaurants and lounges. It built the first ice-skating rinks at sea and the first bars with robot bartenders.How to Book a Cruise Using Points and MilesBut until this month’s unveiling of its revamped private island in the Bahamas, now called Perfect Day at CocoCay, it wasn’t known for the same sort of can-you-top-this dazzle at the private destinations where it sends its ships....

New York’s LaGuardia Airport has become, lately, even more synonymous with “traffic jam.” Due to ongoing construction, LGA has recently been in the news for a lot of wrong reasons: snaking lines for taxis, confusing Uber and Lyft pickup spots, congestion that makes leaving the airport often as painful as getting there.Consistently ranked among the worst airports in America, LaGuardia is in dire need of those renovations. With 31 million passengers a year using the airport, you might very well be among those having to navigate what amounts to a giant building site that also features airplanes....

Ready to cash in your points and miles for a last-minute flight to Italy?Starting Thursday, April 25, some of the most incredible historic palazzos, monasteries, parks and off-limits sites in and around Rome will be free and open to the public. It’s actually a follow up to the first “Giornata delle Dimore Storiche del Lazio,” which happened last October. The goal is to showcase the hidden treasures of Lazio, the region that encompasses Rome....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Since opening its doors in November 2017, the SLS has billed itself as a sexy, luxurious Baha Mar property for couples in need of space from the kid-filled pools at the adjacent Grand Hyatt. I spent two nights there on the heels of a two-night stay at the Grand Hyatt and an evening at the Rosewood Baha Mar — an admittedly tough act to follow....

Most flyers are aware that airlines can use, mislead and downright abuse their passengers. But a surprisingly low number of Americans know that they do, in fact, have some rights of their own when it comes to air travel.Earlier this year, AirHelp — a company that assists travelers trying to recoup compensation from airlines — surveyed thousands of Americans and found that less than 10% understand their rights. And according to new data, it’s only getting worse....

Most airlines and hotel loyalty programs have strict rules against selling, bartering or exchanging points or miles. The only exceptions are approved channels, such as Points.com. Usually we don’t hear about what happens when a member is caught doing this, as the caught member usually doesn’t want to broadcast being caught.However, an American Airlines AAdvantage member took to FlyerTalk over the weekend to share his experience and punishment for getting caught....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.No one plans on sleeping overnight in an airport. But, delays/cancellations happen, plans change and connecting flights often mean travelers have at least a few hours to kill. Especially if you’re a budget traveler, you might not be willing to shell out the high cost for an airport hotel room for such a short stay.And, I’m talking from personal experience here....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Away luggage fans, listen up. Remember that mini polycarbonate clutch that’s essentially a scaled down version of the full-sized suitcase that sold out back in December 2017?It’s back.Yes, it’s true. You can now hold your toiletries, tech essentials, or whatever tiny goodies you can think of in style while out traveling the world....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency such as Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency, such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend that you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency, such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency, such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking....

Although Dubai International Airport (DXB) is on track to welcome a record-breaking 100 million passengers by 2020, flight operations are about to be severely affected. Why? Well, one of hub’s two runways will be shut down.According to Live From A Lounge, the South Runway will undergo a full refurbishment from April 16 to May 30, 2019, reducing flight operations by 32%. Consequently, the North runway will see a traffic increase of 96% meaning things are about to get a whole lot more hectic....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.EasyJet announced this week ambitious plans to operate a fleet of electric planes by 2030.As of today, no such aircraft exists. However, for the task, the Britain-based budget airline has partnered with start-up electric firm Wright Electric – the same firm that presented designs for a 150-seat commercial aircraft that operates on electric power at the Tech Crunch Y Combinator Demo Day in March of 2017....

One of the most popular cruise directors in the history of Carnival Cruise Line will be taking reader questions here at The Points Guy this week.London-based Matt Mitcham, who announced on Aug. 26 in a Facebook post he was retiring from the line, is taking part in TPG’s Ask the Expert series on Instagram.We’ll be posting an initial Instagram story with Mitcham later today on Monday, Sept. 7 on our Instagram account, and cruise fans who have a question about cruising for him will be able to leave it there....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.It’s not very often you get to try out a brand new airline. I mean brand new. Like, first flight ever new. So, earlier this year, when we found out IAG — the company that owns British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia, among others — was launching a new low-cost carrier called LEVEL, I booked a one-way trip on the inaugural flight from Barcelona (BCN) to Los Angeles (LAX)....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.An entire flight recently rallied to support a small passenger who felt overwhelmed on a plane.Four-year-old Braysen usually loves flying. But on a recent flight, the young boy struggled to stay in his seat during takeoff on United Airlines Flight 2210, headed from San Diego to Houston....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Joining airline dining programs is another easy way to earn miles without having to fly anywhere. Right now, several programs are offering new member sign-up bonuses that can earn you up to 3,000 extra miles for each of the programs.We’re seeing varying sign-up bonuses through Delta’s SkyMiles Dining, United Mileage Plus Dining, Alaska Mileage Plan Dining, and AAdvantage Dining — all of which end at some point in January 2019....

In the past, if you wanted to become a NASA astronaut, you had less than a 1 percent change of getting the gig. Now, all you need is a stack of money, connections and a little bit of training because private companies can now access the International Space Station (ISS) for commercial use, NASA officials announced Friday at the Nasdaq Stock Exchange.The US space agency has plans to allow up to two private astronaut missions per year, with each mission lasting no longer than 30 days....

I’m going to reveal one of my travel secrets: I cry during anything that’s aired on an airline’s inflight entertainment system. No matter the movie, TV show or commercial, I always manage to shed a few tears.I am a HUGE fan of “This American Life,” hosted by Baltimore native Ira Glass, produced at WBEZ in Chicago and airing on your local NPR station. I have the show downloaded to my iPod (yes, I still use an iPod), so I can listen at my leisure....