Travel is . . .

. . .Consistency

For quite a few years now, South Florida has been the site of an annual boat show . I don't mean the kind where you choose a boat you want to own.

No, these boat shows are a parade of lovely new cruise ships joining an existing fleet of vessels and offering the newest, largest, most exotic, (supply you own superlatives, they'll all fit) amenities at sea. Really, it is a competitive business and in-room amenities, variety of eating venues and entertainment offerings are a sea-going version of the can-you-top-this concept.

Earlier this year Silversea Cruises launched the elegant Silver Spirit and last summer Norwegian Cruise Lines debuted Epic, a wonderful new ship with wall-to-wall entertainment. In mid-November top-drawer Seabourn Cruises will introduce the intimate and gracious Seabourn Sojourn and a few days later Royal Caribbean shows off its new Allure of the Seas, a sister to the popular and year-old Oasis of the Seas. A few weeks ago the venerable Cunard Line introduced its third ship with the regal name and majesty of Queen Elizabeth.

More are scheduled to sail from Port Everglades and Port of Miami later this year, but it's a parade that, as a cruise writer and a cruise aficionado, warms my heart.

I strongly believe a cruise vacation is the easiest means of travel. It is a way of seeing the world without schlepping through security and customs at airports, flying long hours and dragging luggage in and out of hotels. On a cruise you unpack once, and voila! That's it.

And while the basic cruise and meals is all-inclusive, a per-person, per-day fee for tips is added to your bill at the end of the cruise. It is still an great value.

So while I wait to review this new generation of ships, let me tell you "I love a parade."