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NEWS, DEALS & DISCOUNTS IN SMALL SHIPS
By Shirley Linde
AMERICAN QUEEN -- After 15 months out of service, it is now back on the river, with current trips departing from New Orleans. Other departures later this year will go from Memphis, St. Louis, St. Paul, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh.
FAMILY ADVENTURE CRUISES -- Expedition Trips has 10% off and free air from Dallas, Houston, or Miami on the Pacific Explorer in COSTA RICA: 50% off for those under 12, and 25% off for teenagers. You must book by Feb. 28 for discount. A 5-day GALAPAGOS cruise on the Santa Cruz has discounted rates of $852-$1,725, half price for children sharing room with parents. Kids, and you too, will love coming face to face with sea lions. In BAJA on Sea Bird or Sea Lion you can watch great whales or snorkel with sea lions. A 9-day trip with 25% off cruise, fares starting at $2,243 for adults and 25% off for under age 21.
NEW NO-RISK PROGRAM AT SEA DREAM -- In unsettling times such as the world is now experiencing, travelers can change or postpone their SeaDream travel plans for any reason up to the date of departure and receive 100 percent travel credit for the fare. The money is applied toward a future sailing on either SeaDream I or II within two years of the original booking. If the re-booking costs less than the original booking the balance is applied for the remainder of a two year period. If the re-booking costs more than the original booking the guest pays the difference.
FLOATING HOTELS FOR SUPER BOWL IN JACKSONVILLE -- Jacksonville will house some of its visitors on cruise ships. An estimated 8,000 of the nearly 100,000 fans who usually attend Super Bowl city will be placed on ships. Chartering ships as floating hotels is a new innovative approach being looked at by many corporations and other groups for attending major events in the world.
YANGTZE RIVER UPDATE -- Latest reports are that the Three Gorges Dam project as it raises water levels hundreds of feet will submerge 39 historic objects, but most will be relocated, and the higher water levels will enable exploration of previously inaccessible tributaries.
ST. PETERSBURG TRICENTENNIAL -- Silver Whisper will have Faberge eggs (featuring a miniature model of Silver Whisper) available on a cruise hosted by Theo Faberg, grandson of Carl Faberg. The cruise is July 7 to 14, from Stockholm to Copenhagen with a three-day stopover in St. Petersburg and calls in Tallinn and Helsinki. This year is the 300th anniversary of St.Petersburg, founded by Peter the Great in 1703. Highlighting the program is a tour of the Peterhof Grand Palace, the Theo Faberg Ball, a ballet concert and fireworks. Silversea cruises also have the St. Petersburg itinerary on other dates in June and July, starting at $5,595 per guest double occupancy. Many cruise lines will be in St. Petersburg this summer, including Value World Tours, which we will be on August 8 from Moscow. Come and join us and celebrate the tricentennial!
LAST VOYAGES -- The 300 passenger Minerva is going to be replaced in April by one of the former Renaissance ships at Swan Hellenic Cruises. Abercrombie & Kent is retiring its 96-passenger expedition ship Explorer at the end of the season and will replace it with Minerva
BIRDING CRUISES -- The Wilderness Discoverer has departures for bird enthusiasts on June 1 and June 22 in Alaska. Prices for the 7-night cruises start at $2,810 per person. On board June 1 is Roger Lederer, Professor of Biological Studies at the California State University, Chico and author of two field guides of birds. June 22 features John Kricher, Professor of Biology at Wheaton College and noted lecturer on birding and ornithology. The June 22 departure is a Family Cruise Program with children under 18 at 50% discount. There will also be land extensions to birding locations in Kenai Fjords National Park or above the Arctic Circle.
2-FOR-1 CARIBBEAN CRUISES -- Radisson Seven Seas cruises in March and April have 2-for-1 prices on Caribbean cruises. Radisson Diamond offers four-night roundtrip San Juan cruises to St. Barts, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, and Virgin Gorda. Seven Seas Navigator will sail from Ft. Lauderdale and from San Juan. Four-day cruises start from $998, including gratuities. The Navigator will go to Bermuda in April, sailing from Ft. Lauderdale with calls at Nassau and Charleston and two overnights in Hamilton. Prices start at $1,695 per person, including $1,000 per person savings and gratuities.
EUROPEAN RIVER CRUISE -- Five-star Casanova sailing from Venice on the Po River has March and April savings of $300 and $400. It cruises roundtrip from Venice to Cremona with excursions to Bologna, Ferrara, Mantua, Verona and Padua from nearby river ports and to the islands of Burano, Torcello and Murano across the Venetian Lagoon. The seven-night cruises, which overnight in Venice, are $1,555 to $1,980 per person. Similar spring value rates are available on other boats that sail on the Rhine, Rhone, Danube, Elbe, Po and other rivers, including fares on the Danube from Passau starting at $1,455.
ARANUI GOES TO WINDJAMMER -- With Aranui III coming on board in the South Pacific the 77-passenger Aranui II has been sold to Windjammer Barefoot Cruises who will rename her Carib Trader to help provision the fleet. Amazing Grace will stay in the fleet.
CRUISES TO THE ARCTIC -- In Spitsbergen, an island in the Svalbard archipelago midway between Norway and the North Pole, a choice of two vessels and itineraries is being introduced by Norwegian Coastal Voyages: a nine-day package with a four-day sailing from Longyearbyen ($3,785 to $4,890) and an 11-day voyage with a seven-day cruise on Polar Star, a 94-berth ice breaker that sails farther north ($5,940 to $7,225). A Greenland expedition from Reykjavik, Iceland, a 12-day trip ($3,375 to $7,080) features an eight-day cruise from Kangerlussuaq Fjord on Brand Polaris. On August 10 and August 24 departures ($5,250 to $11,210), a 19-day itinerary adds another week aboard ship to explore northern Greenland.
BAHAMAS -- Blackbeard's Bahamas dive trips in February are just $689 per person for seven days. Cruises include three to four dives per day and depart from Miami every Saturday.
SAN JUAN ISLANDS -- Glacier Bay Cruiseline has a new itinerary to Washington State's San Juan Islands beginning May 1. The five-night voyages are from Bellingham on the 32-passenger Wilderness Explorer, with a fleet of sea kayaks for exploration of Cypress, Stuart and Sucia Islands. Prices including hotel, port taxes, and kayak lessons begin at $1,095 per person.
HOLLAND TULIPS -- Viking River Cruises has a cruise along the canals of Amsterdam for tulip time. A 7-night cruise is from $1,748 including air, shore excursions. U.S. departures: Apr.4,5,11,12.
AMERICAN WEST STEAMBOAT COMPANY -- Empress of the North will debut in June. The paddlewheeler will have 11-night cruises between Seattle and Juneau, starting at $4,699, including shore excursions.
ROMANCE IN THE WATER -- Here is the most unique romance story we have seen for a February Valentine celebration: The Aquarium in Baltimore is offering adult sleepovers for couples to view romance beneath the sea. During a guided tour through the aquarium, you see what the marine animals do after dark -- the unique ways they meet, mate and duplicate. Beer, wine, snacks and breakfast are provided. The sleepover begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7. Advanced reservations are required -- must be 21 or older.
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