The Luxor is getting a face lift. The pyramid-shaped building that casts a beam of light across the city will renovate its interior and most of its hotel rooms. A new show featuring magician Criss Angel and the acrobatic performing troupe Cirque du Soleil will open next summer. Other renovations will take place over the course of a couple of years.

Call it the "Laugh Boat." The first-ever "Improv School" cruise is being offered on a 7-night Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Valor, departing November 18. The National Comedy Theater, a training program for comics, will offer four 90-minute workshops for passengers. No experience will be necessary to participate. Guests also will perform in an amateur night revue and see a show put on by the pros. Book the trip via CruisesOnly, the largest U.S. cruise agency.

West Virginia is running a contest that offers a grand prize of a new Toyota Camry hybrid. Submit a one- to three-minute video of your vacation in West Virginia for a chance to win. Contests details, including video requirements and judging criteria, are listed at www.WVisCalling.com.

TripAdvisor has a new feature that allows you to plot the places you've visited on an online map and share the map with your friends. (A free membership with the hotel-review website is required.)