News

The Caribbean hurricane season started early this year, and cruise lines are reporting a corresponding surge of people switching from land to sea vacations.

As Carnival Cruises president Bob Dickinson told industry newsletter Cruise Week: "If you're sitting in the Yucatan when a hurricane hits, you're screwed. They put thousands of tourists inland [when Hurricane Emily hit the region last month]. Cruise ships, on the other hand, manoeuvre, so we're in front of it or behind it, but nowhere near it." A hurricane pulls so much moisture and wave energy into it that areas not affected can actually have calmer and brighter conditions than normal. For example, the Carnival Elation changed its scheduled western Caribbean route during Emily's passage to stop in Nassau, Freeport and Key West, all of which had good weather.

Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line have added daily tropical weather updates to their websites to alert passengers of route changes to avoid storms. The direct (and very lengthy) links: http://www.carnival.com/CMS/static_templates/weather_update.aspx and royalcaribbean.com/contentPage.do;jsessionid=0000MxNIMLQMpgLsDOCfu7fPkQM:v2krl5v8?page

name=important_updates.

Canada cruise boom

Eastern Canada is no longer just a destination for fall colour cruises. The season has expanded to start in the spring, and this year 112 cruises are visiting ports in Quebec, up from 102 last year.

Two new ships, the Mona Lisa of Germany's Holiday Kreuzfahrten, and the Saga Ruby, run by Saga Cruises, are making maiden calls in the region, with the port of Saguenay becoming a new cruise destination. For more information, visit http://www.holiday-kreuzfahrten.de or http://www.sagacruises.com.

Among notable visitors to Canada will be the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 in August and September. For more information, visit http://www.cunard.com.

Crystal Symphony is offering several cruises between Montreal and New York at fare reductions of as much as 45 per cent. For more information, visit crystalcruises.com.

Cruising on a budget

New ships are aiming at young, casual vacationers on a budget.

Coming to the Caribbean this winter is the easyCruise 1, run by the same company that runs Britain's easyJet no-frills airline. It's more a ferry than a cruise ship, with bunks in windowless cabins starting at about $50 a day (or less if you want to share with three other passengers). The ship will travel overnight between ports in Barbados, St. Vincent, Martinique, the Grenadines and St. Lucia. Meals and coffee can be purchased in a cafeteria. For information, visit http://www.easycruise.com.

Meanwhile, Ocean Village, a British division of Carnival Corp., plans to renovate the former Regal Princess into a ship that caters to active and first-time cruisers in the Caribbean in the winter and the Mediterranean in the summer. For more information, visit http://www.oceanvillageholidays.co.uk.

Musical voyages

Guido Basso and Peter Appleyard top the bill on a Canadian jazz cruise aboard a transatlantic crossing by the Costa Mediterranea. The 16-night trip starts Nov. 4 from Savona, Italy, for fares from $3,900 a person, including flights. For more information, visit http://www.ilovecruising.com or call 416-245-4411.

The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra led by Buddy Morrow will celebrate the centennial of the legendary bandleader aboard a Crystal Cruises transatlantic journey from Lisbon on Nov. 16. Cruise fares are from about $4,000 a person. For more information, visit http://www.cruiseprofessionals.com.

New boats

Celebrity Cruises has placed an order for what's touted as the world's largest luxury cruise ship, slated for delivery in 2008. The as yet unnamed ship will have balconies in 90 per cent of its cabins and will be too wide to fit though the Panama Canal. The company says it also has an option for a second sister ship.

Victoria Cruises is building the biggest ship to ever sail China's Yangtze River. The 154 cabins on the Victoria Anna, which starts service next April, will all have private balconies. Its public areas include a lecture room, Internet café and mah-jong centre. Prices will start at about $550 a person for a three-night cruise. For more information, visit http://www.victoriacruises.com.

Discounts and dealsCanadians who book this month for cruises between Septeber and next April on Carnival Cruises get reduced fares on week-long cruises that start at $708 a person, as well as a shipboard spending credit of about $120. For more information, visit carnival.carnivalcruise.ca/canadasale.asp.

Two health-themed Crystal Cruises in the Caribbean this December have been reduced with fares starting at about $2,200, a saving of about $250. For more information, visit crystalcruises.com.

Fall cruises in Canada, the Caribbean and South America on Silversea Cruises are on sale at up to 50-per-cent savings. For more information, visit cruiseprofessionals.com.

Dolphin-friendly ships

Taking a stand against the capture and use of marine mammals for the amusement of travellers, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises announced it will no longer offer dolphin-encounter programs in any of its ports of call.

The luxury cruise line has formed a partnership with Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society and will add onboard environmental programs.

The company says it will still offer expeditions to view dolphins and whales in the wild, but will monitor to make sure they don't interfere with the animals' behaviour or habitat.