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Cruises:
Panama Cruises in the News
THAT'S HOT
Newyorkpost.com
By ARLINE and SAM BLEECKER
March 8, 2005 -- THERE'S never been a more satisfying time to be
a cruise junkie. Cruise lines, responding to the far-flung interests
of today's traveler, are creating itineraries that go far beyond
Europe, Alaska and the Caribbean.
Many lines have set their sights on newly opened ports such as Libya
and Burma, and are approaching familiar destinations in exciting
ways. The emphasis is on the exotic - so exotic, in fact, that even
veteran cruisers might have to haul out an atlas, not to mention
a spell-checker.
Here, some of the most promising itineraries on offer in the coming
months.
(Unless otherwise noted, all fares are per person, double occupancy.)
BRAND NEW!
NORTHEAST ARCTIC
Trip: 7 days, Arctic Explorer Cruise (Cruise North Expeditions)
When: From July 10 every week through Aug. 28
Itinerary: (RT from Montreal) The regions of Nunavut and Nunavik
in the Eastern Arctic, including Kuujjuaq, Mask Island, Cape Dorset
and Kimmirut.
The details: Thanks to this brand-new, Inuit-owned cruise line,
you can be among the first to get an insider's look at the small
city of Kuujjuaq, tucked at the northern edge of the great boreal
forest. That's because the 66-passenger, extremely basic Ushuaia
is the only ship that can anchor in this city, which happens to
be the regional center of the stunning region of Nunavik. (The land
here is owned by the local Inuit people under a land-claim agreement
with the federal and provincial governments.)
Cruise North Expeditions has more than just landscape in mind:Its
mission is also to give an up- close and personal look at the Inuit
culture that inhabits it.
You'll see mountains, fiords and glaciers, and are likely to glimpse
polar bears standing up to 11 feet tall as well as hundreds of Beluga
whales. You'll also visit numerous villages, where you'll learn
about the deeply spiritual Inuit and their harmonious relationship
to nature.
Info: From $2,490; (866) 263-3220, cruisenorthexpeditions.com
CANARY ISLANDS
Trip: 14 days, Canary Island Cruise (Royal Caribbean)
When: May 7-21
Itinerary: (RT from Southampton, England) Highlights include Lisbon,
Portugal; Cadiz, Spain; and, of course, the Canary Islands.
The details: The Canaries, an archipelago of seven islands in the
Atlantic Ocean southwest of Spain and directly opposite Morocco,
remain under the radar of many cruise lines. If you book Royal Caribbean's
approximately 2,000-passenger Legend of the Seas this spring, you'll
get to experience several of them, and more.
These islands bask in warm sunny weather year-round, offer duty-free
shopping and are home to some of the best beaches in Europe. Want
to walk on volcanic sand the color of coal and visit a grotto so
dark the resident crabs are blind? This is your trip.
Each Canary island has its own distinctive landscape. The journey
stops in the near-perfect climes of four of them - Lanzarote, Las
Palmas, Tenerife and La Palma. Some of the islands sport volcanoes,
lava plains and desert dunes; others, clouded valleys beneath snow-capped
mountains. There are soaring cliffs and long stretches of sugar-sand
beaches, and reefs teeming with fish for sensational snorkeling
or scuba diving.
Info: From $2,202; (800) 327-6700, royalcaribbean.com
RED HOT CHILE
Trip: 42 days, West Coast of South America (Freighter World Cruises
Inc.)
When: Year-round
Itinerary: (RT from New York) Once you leave U.S. waters, the trip
takes you from Cartegena, Colombia, to San Antonio, Chile, and back.
The details: If you have a lot of time, not money, this unusual
trip might get your sea-faring juices flowing. And if you've never
heard of San Antonio, a port city halfway down Chile's long, rocky
coastline, join the club. That's the beauty of this 42-day journey
- you'll stop in towns rarely found on a cruise line's itinerary.
The journey will be on the four-passenger CSAV Atlanta, a passenger-carrying
freighter that will wend its way down the east coast of North America,
through the Panama Canal and then along the west coast of South
America.
This is not a trip for sightseers, but for those interested in life
at sea. Freighters are for independent travelers who crave casualness
and the chance to travel for weeks on end for a relatively modest
price.
The vessel, which will be piled with shipping containers, offers
clean accommodations and private baths, an indoor swimming pool
and an exercise room - but none of the other amenities associated
with most cruises. There's limited deck space and a dining room
where you'll eat with the officers. Leave behind your fancy dinner
fashions and bring a stack of books. This trip's for relaxing.
Info: From $3,780/pp double or single occupancy; (800) 531-7774,
freighterworld.com.
INSIDE BURMA
Trip: 9 days, Road to Mandalay (R. Crusoe & Son)
When: Through March; October-December
Itinerary: (RT from Bangkok) The cruise portion of this trip is
three nights, from Mandalay to Bagan, both in Burma.
The details: Burma (now Myanmar), Southeast Asia's largest country,
is exotic and untouched. Traveling there, though, comes with a caveat:
This country is ruled by an authoritarian military junta, and some
groups promoting democracy there urge would-be visitors to stay
away.
Now emerging from 30 years of isolation, this geographically diverse
country has been described as pre-tourist Thailand. The tour begins
in Yangon (once Rangoon), capital of Myanmar, where you'll find
one of the most spectacular Buddhist shrines in Asia, the Shwedagon
Pagoda.This towering structure is plated with over 30 tons of glittering
gold.
Next, you'll fly to Mandalay, ancient Burma's last royal capital
city. (Here, by the way, an outsize Buddha's teeth are brushed daily
by the devout.)
From there you'll sail the deluxe, 126-passenger river cruiser Road
to Mandalay on a journey through 2,500 years of history along the
Irrawaddy, Burma's principal river. You'll explore pagodas and temples,
crafts villages and floating farms, and take a private tour in traditional
canoes for a visit with a local lakeside family.
You'll also visit Sagaing, the living center of Buddhism in Burma
and home to over 5,000 monks and nuns in 600 monasteries.
Info: From $4,390; (800) 585-8555; www.rcrusoe.com
DO-IT-YOURSELF VENICE
Trip: The Land of La Dolce Vita (Crown Blue Line)
When: April-October
Itinerary: All Venice, all the time
The details: Cruises to this sinking city, while fabulous, are a
dime a dozen. But this is a boat trip with a difference. You'll
sail in a small, private Crown Blue cabin cruiser, which allows
you and your loved ones to cruise the Venice Lagoon and the Brenta
Canal all by your lonesomes.
Navigate at your own pace and choose where you want to moor at night.
Note: The closer you get to St. Mark's Square, the more advance
planning you might have to do for dock space. (This can be arranged
with the help of Crown Blue's base managers.)
Feel free to meander along Venice's waterways to its outlying islands.
Stop at Murano, renowned for extravagant glassworks, and Burano,
with its lace-makers' shops.
Boats are outfitted with basic amenities like pots, sheets and towels.
For a fee, the line will provide food.
Info: From $2,125 per boat for seven days (a cabin cruiser that
sleeps four); (888) 355-9491, crownblueline.com
BRAND NEW!
LIBYAN HOLIDAY
Trip: 15 days, Antiquities of the Mediterranean and North Africa
(Clipper Cruises)
When: Departs April 8 and May 15
Itinerary: This takes you from Lisbon, Portugal to Valletta, Malta.
Stops include Tangier, Morocco; Tunis, Tunisia; and Al Khums, Libya.
The details: Long off the map for cruisers, Libya, on the NorthAfrican
coast of the Mediterranean Sea, officially opened to tourism in
2003 when U.N. sanctions were lifted.
Even now, the country occupies a place on the U.S. government's
State Sponsors of Terrorism List. Still, several cruise lines have
it on their itineraries.
The 122-passenger Clipper Adventurer offers a pair of 12-day sailings
this spring, each devoting three days to Libya, which was settled
by the Phoenicians nearly 3,000 years ago. Stops there include Derna,
Benghazi and Al Khums, where you'll see visit Leptis Magna, site
of the extraordinarily well-preserved ruins of a first-century B.C.
Phoenician city.
On-board experts provide informative presentations throughout the
cruise.
The itinerary also includes two days in Tunisia, where you'll visit
Carthage, home of Hannibal, the picturesque cliff-side village of
Sidi Bou Said, and Sousse, which has a medina and miles of extraordinary
catacombs.
Info: From $4,380; (800) 325-0010, clippercruise.com.
RUSSIAN RIVER CRUISE
Trip: 14 days, Journey of the Czars: Exploring the Waterways of
Russia between Moscow and St. Petersburg (INTRAV)
When: May 31-Sept. 16
Itinerary: Between St. Petersburg and Moscow.
The details: Plenty of cruise itineraries include a call at St.
Petersburg (the "Venice of the North") and some sqeeze
in a visit to Moscow, but few let you explore both cities and multiple
Russian rivers on a single sailing. (See sidebar for a similar cruise
from Go Ahead Vacations.)
The 242-passenger Novikov Priboy, the itinerary of which focuses
soley on the history, sights and culture of Mother Russia, takes
you along the Neva, Svir and Volga rivers. Explore such off-the-beaten
path towns as Uglich, Yaroslavl and Mandrogi, and explore the rolling
hills, streams and forests of Dr. Zhivago's countryside.
Info: From $1,595; (800) 456-8100, intrav.com
BRAND NEW!
WE'RE IN TIMBUKTU
Trip: 16 days, From Here to Timbuktu, including 7 nights on a river
cruiser (R. Crusoe & Sons)
When: Dec. 29, 2005, January 2006-March 2006
Itinerary: This trip takes you on a land tour of Bamako, Mali, and
other cities, and then on a river cruise to Dakar, Senegal.
The details: Timbuktu, a longtime synonym for the most mysterious
and remote of places, is inaccessible no more.
Its location?About eight miles north of the Niger River in the present-day
Republic of Mali at the southern edge of the Sahara desert. It was
once a booming terminus for camel caravans trading gold and jewels
for salt on the trans-Saharan caravan route.
The trip's weeklong waterborne adventure on the 34-passenger Callisto
sails the Gambia, Saloum and Casamance rivers, and makes stops at
numerous villages.
In Djenne, the oldest city on the trans-Saharan camel route, gawk
at the world's largest mud-and-brick building. In the village of
Fediout you'll see houses built of seashells.
During the rest of the journey, you'll stay in hotels in Bamako,
Segou and Mopti, Mali.
Info: From $9,895; (800) 585-8555, rcrusoe.com.
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