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In the United States, cruise ships are growing in popularity. Each year, a large number of travelers trade in their traditional vacation for one aboard a cruise ship. Vacation cruises are nice; however, there are other ways to take a cruise. On the beautiful island of St. Thomas, you can spend the day exploring the ocean along the shores of St. Thomas. This exploration is often done with a daylong boat cruise.

Day cruises are popular in many areas of the world, including St. Thomas. They are similar to traditional cruises, but many are not as glamorous and overnight accommodations typically do no exist. Relaxation on the water and sightseeing are just a few of the many reasons why daylong boat cruises are popular.

St. Thomas is located in the Virgin Islands. This Caribbean getaway has amazing beaches and beautiful shorelines. If you are interested in taking a daylong boat cruise, it is likely that you will be able to see everything that St. Thomas has to offer. In addition to seeing the shoreline, the clear waters often make it possible for you to get a clear view of the sea life which can be found underwater.

In addition to its wonderful scenery, St. Thomas is a great location to go on a daylong boat tour because of its amazing weather. The Caribbean is known for its tropical weather and St. Thomas is no exception. The tropical weather often creates a calm, cool, and relaxing environment. This environment is perfect for a daylong boat cruise.

Now that you know why daylong boat cruises are popular in St. Thomas, do you want to plan one? If a daylong boat cruise along the St. Thomas Island is how you would like to spend one of your vacation days then you have a number of different choices. Those choices are apparent when you search for a daylong cruise line. As with extended vacation cruises, you will find an unlimited number of different cruise ship styles.

A large number of daylong cruise ships have onboard dining facilities. These facilities often serve a number of meals throughout the day, as well as food and snacks. Many times, the cost of your food and drinks will be incorporated into the cost of your daylong cruise. These types of cruise ship packages are ideal for those who are looking to save money.

While onboard dinning is found on most St Thomas daylong cruises, you will see that there are a number of cruise ships without these onboard facilities. Instead of dinning on the boat, you will find that these daylong cruises will often dock in a port and then you can enjoy dinner at one the many restaurants found on the St. Thomas Island. Onboard dining is convenient, but many vacationers enjoy being able to explore all parts of the island.

In addition to onboard dinning, it is possible that you may find fun onboard activities. These activities most often come in the form of dancing. A large number of daylong cruises are also referred to as dance cruises. Individuals of all ages enjoy dancing aboard a cruise ship. Almost all daylong cruise ship dances are geared towards individuals of all ages. This means that whether you are vacationing with your partner or your children, everyone can enjoy themselves on a daylong dancing cruise.

If you are interested in scheduling a daylong boat cruise, you may want to examine your cruise choices. This is because, with some daylong boat cruises, you have to register ahead of time. If you are interested in taking a cruise on one of the most popular daylong cruises in St. Thomas, you may want to consider making your reservations ahead of time. With reservations, you will be guaranteed a spot on the boat.

Whether you are interested in sightseeing, dancing, or just relaxing on the water, a daylong boat cruise around St. Thomas may be just what you need. In addition to day long cruises, you may also find weekend cruises and so much more. As you may soon see, in St. Thomas just about anything is possible.

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Are you excited about the upside potential of China but can’t pull the trigger because of the significant downside risk? Here is a way to invest in China growth and still sleep at night.

China has been the largest economy in the world for eighteen of the past twenty centuries and it is clearly determined to regain its role as the hegemonic power in Asia and then challenge U.S. global leadership. Will it be able to sustain its 10% economic growth rate, quell rural discontent, build a sound market-based financial system, privatize dominant state-owned enterprises and move towards openness and democracy? This is a tall order and you can put me in the skeptic column.

Nevertheless, China’s raw industrial power, momentum and the palpable ambition of the Chinese people could realistically yield a huge return. I advise my clients to go ahead and invest in China but emphasize that this is a speculative investment. It is smart to protect against the considerable downside risk.

Here is a simple plan you might want to execute to capture the upside while cutting your losses if the Chinese economy hits a speed bump.

First, you could take a broad stake in China through investing in the China iShare exchange-traded fund (FXI) that is comprised of 25 of the largest and most liquid China names. All of the 25 stocks included in the China iShare are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Some of them are incorporated in mainland China (H shares) and some of them are incorporated in Hong Kong (red chips). The China iShare has been picking up steam in the last few months and is up just over 12% so far this year.

The China iShare provides good exposure to three key sectors of China: energy (20%), telcom (19%) and industrial (18%). This concentration can be viewed as a plus or a minus depending on your perspective. For example, some smart investors are placing a bigger bet on China’s consumer markets. The top five companies represent 40% of the index. The annual operating expenses of the China iShare are only 0.74% compared to 2% plus for other alternatives out there including actively managed China and greater China regional funds. Keep in mind that most of these companies are still largely controlled and owned by the Chinese government.

Next, you could take out some insurance to protect this position by purchasing a put option on the China iShare (FXI). It sounds complicated but is actually very straightforward. An option is a right to buy (call) or sell (put) 100 shares of a security on a fixed expiration date at a set price (strike price). For this right an investor pays a fee or premium.

While you may grumble about paying the premium with cold hard cash when you might not need it, you probably have home insurance just in case disaster strikes and no doubt you have some life insurance as well. Why not protect your portfolio as well? It is especially important to consider hedging against more risky emerging markets such as China. While countries like China offer tremendous upside potential, the downside risk can be daunting and immobilize even the bravest investor.

Let’s look at a couple of examples. Say you buy 100 shares of the China iShare (FXI) which is trading at $62 per share. Your total exposure is $6,200. Then purchase a put option (right to sell the China iShare) that gives you the right to sell FXI at a price of $60 on the third Friday in January 2008. I think we all can agree that a lot could happen to China, good and bad, from now until January, 2008. If the price of the China iShare moves down toward the strike price, the value of the option will increase.

This will cost you a premium of a little over $500 but limits your potential loss to $2 per share plus the premium. Or buy a put option at a strike price of $50 and your premium drops to about $200 with a worst case scenario of a loss of $12 per share plus the premium.

Here is another example. You know Latin American markets are hot and believe the bull market will continue but are wary that there is the potential for a sharp pullback. You could buy 100 shares of the Latin America 40 iShare (ILF) giving you exposure to Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Chile at a price of $113 for a total exposure of $11,300. Then buy a put option giving you the right to sell 100 shares at a strike price of $100 in March 2006 for a premium of around $300. Your worst case scenario would then be a loss of 15% with unlimited upside.

Keep a cool head when investing in emerging market countries like China. They should represent only be a small portion of your portfolio and, whenever possible, take out some insurance.

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