Just when it seemed that the entire world of cruising was coming under the control of two mammoth companies – Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean – along comes the newly expanded fleet of Norwegian Cruise Line to add an attractive third option – 12 mainly new, big and modern ships with up to 10 restaurants each (“freestyle dining whenever you like”) and balcony cabins.
Three ships will sail in Alaska throughout the summer, two ships will sail in the Hawaiian Islands throughout the year, and one ship sails year- round from New York. Like the other lines, Norwegian offers the best rates on its own website (ncl.com) and won’t let online agencies or cruise brokers undercut its prices. You would be smart to check out NCL in addition to Carnival and Royal Caribbean whenever you plan a cruise.
Most summer and early-fall cruises of Europe’s Mediterranean and North Sea are sold out, but not necessarily aboard Oceania Cruises (small ships, the Regatta and Insignia, limited to 684 passengers each).
Because Oceania is a relatively new line with a smaller sales force and a weaker booking pattern, some passengers can take advantage of two-for-one rates and free airfare on its attractive 10-night cruises of Europe’s most colorful areas. Visit oceaniacruises.com; you might get a nice surprise.
Try an “extended stay”
“Extended stay hotels,” meant for stays of a week or longer (rooms with a dining table, desk, sink, microwave and refrigerator), are among the fastest-growing segments of the hotel industry, at prices well below $100 a night. (Public areas downstairs are much smaller than usual, enabling such bargain rates.)
The next time you need a long stay, check out the availability of Accor Hotel’s Studio 6 chain, Marriott’s Residence Inns, U.S. Franchise System’s Hawthorne Suites, or InterContinental’s Staybridge Suites.
Occidental’s all-inclusive Allegro Resorts in the Dominican Republic and Mexico are not only cheap to begin with (as little as $75 a person for room and three meals daily), they also offer free accommodations for children under 12 until Dec. 23. That makes them one of the great summer-fall family bargains, at seaside properties with multimillion-dollar improvements. See occidentalhotels.com.
Get that passport
We’ve warned you before, and it bears repeating, that despite frantic travel-industry efforts to roll back the new policy, it now appears that the U.S. State Department will succeed in requiring that Americans possess passports, as of Dec. 31, to travel to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda and Central and South America. And a year thereafter, passports will be needed to travel to and from our neighbors in Mexico and Canada. If you don’t have a passport and want to keep traveling, obtain one before a crush of applications creates big problems.
The other wine country
When people used to talk about vacationing in California wine country, they were generally referring to Sonoma and Napa counties, just north of San Francisco; today, as often as not, they mean the wine country of Santa Barbara County, two hours north of Los Angeles. The reason: the hit movie “Sideways,” which captured America’s imagination through the adventures of Jack and Miles through Santa Barbara’s wine-tasting rooms, wine-featuring restaurants and expansive vineyards.
For most visitors to Southern California, it’s easier to reach Santa Barbara than San Francisco and beyond.
Arthur Frommer, who first published “Europe on $5 A Day” in 1956, is a recognized authority on budget travel.
