Eli Manning, New York Giants quarterback and MVP of the Super Bowl, may be going to Disney World, but the losing New England Patriots have a shot at some fun in the sun, as well.

The Aruba Tourism Authority invited the Patriots to visit the Dutch island nation and is luring them with an all-expenses-paid trip.

The invite includes airfare, hotel rooms and island tours, and is open to all players, coaches and their families.

No word yet if the Patriots are taking the freebie offer, but all in all, not a bad consolation prize.

— Gay Nagle Myers

In an effort to boost tourism to their respective cities as their football teams duke it out in Indianapolis on Sunday, the mayors of Boston and New York announced that the traditional Super Bowl bet will award one family from the winning city a free trip to the losing city.

In a joint release, mayors Thomas Menino of Boston and Michael Bloomberg of New York said that one family (up to four members) will be treated to a “Super Tour” that will include a hotel stay, dinners, show tickets and performances.

The winning family will be chosen from an online drawing after the game. Participants can enter the drawing by filling out an entry form on the winning city’s website.

The contest is open only to Boston and New York City residents.

If the Patriots win, New York will provide a Delta shuttle flight to New York; a two-night stay at the Grand Hyatt New York; four tickets to the "Phantom of the Opera," which celebrates its 10,000th performance right after the Super Bowl; dinner for four at the Russian Tea Room; tickets to a Knicks or Rangers game (schedule permitting); a ride with the captain on a cruise to Ellis Island and Liberty Island; a tour of the new American wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and a visit to the Brooklyn Brewery.

If the Giants win, the winning family receives a JetBlue flight to Boston; two nights in a suite at the Ritz-Carlton; dinners at Legal Sea Foods Harborside and the Top of the Hub; box seats to a Bruins or a Celtics game; a tour of the newly expanded Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum; and a tour of the Samuel Adams Brewery.

— Gay Nagle Myers

 CNN.com is extolling the benefits of using a travel agent.

"In an age where travelers of all ages turn to the Internet to book flight and hotel reservations, modern travel agents are offering expert advice on cruises and tour packages to far-flung locales, advice on the best a particular city has to offer, exclusive perks, hidden discount prices and the security of an adviser in case of inconvenience or disaster," the article says.

The article kicks off with the story of Arthur and Alex Beach, the clients of Albuquerque agency All World Travel who were onboard the Costa Concordia when the ship hit a rock and capsized. "By the time … Beach got to Rome, he knew how he would get home," the CNN report says.

Additional topics touched on in the CNN story: Young travelers, ("travel companies are hiring young people to market to their own generation") fees ("some even charge an annual retainer for customers who want an agent at their disposal") and specialization ("For many agents, specialization is the name of the game.")

Article name-dropping? Matthew Upchurch of Virtuoso, Douglas Quinby of PhoCusWright, Tony Gonchar of ASTA and, of course, Jackie Berube, the agent of Arthur and Alex Beach.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Adam Goldstein has become the first non-Carnival Corp. cruise executive to publicly address the Jan. 13 Costa Concordia disaster.

Writing on his blog, Goldstein called the grounding of the Concordia “a defining moment in the history of the modern cruise industry."

“We will need the results of the authorities’ investigations to truly understand and respond to all of the implications," Goldstein said. "But we do not need to wait for anyone or anything to underscore the pre-eminent role of safety in the daily life of every cruise ship and of the industry as a whole.”

“There are many aspects of safety,” he added. “Although we are proud of our people, processes and technology in all areas of safety, we must review them all again, especially recruiting, training, guest mustering and evacuation.

We have considered and prepared for very many scenarios. Now we need to broaden the range of scenarios even further.”

Royal Caribbean's parent company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which also owns the Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises brands, last week said it has directed all of its ships to hold muster drills on the day of departure. Typically the ships’ officers already do that, but on some occasions the drills have been held the next day.

Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch was featured on NBC's "Today Show" on Thursday, speaking with host Ann Curry about the value of using a travel agent. Below is the clip. 

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