Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas will return to South America with nine voyages ranging from 11- to 15-night itineraries  in 2009/10.

For the 2009-10 winter season, vacationers can choose among six cruises which ‘round the horn’ of South America and journey through the Straits of Magellan. These 12- to 14-night itineraries alternate departures from Valparaiso, Chile, and Buenos Aires, featuring a cruise through the glacier-filled Chilean fjordlands, and a call at Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world. On three particular sailings, guests enjoy an in-port overnight stay aboard Radiance in Buenos Aires at the beginning or end of the cruise.

Sailing round-trip from Buenos Aires, Radiance of the Seas will spend three days in Rio during the city’s Carnival festivities.  The  11-night itinerary departs February 10, 2010

Cruisers also can select from among two Pacific equatorial crossings aboard Radiance, sailing from San Diego to Valparaiso on November 21, 2009, and returning on March 7, 2010. 
 

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There are bargains galore this week in nearly all the world’s cruising regions.  If you stumble upon an enticing deal, be sure to pounce quickly: the best go first.

*** 14-night repositioning cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Civitavecchia (Rome) on Carnival Cruise Line’s Freedom, departing April 25, 2009, starts at $519 (inside); $799 (outside) and $1049 (balcony), per person, double occupancy.  Ports of call are St. Maarten, Madeira, Malaga and Livorno (port of Florence).  Port charges, fuel surcharges and government taxes are $404.50 per person, additional.  Visit White Travel’s web site for additional information.

*** 12-day Grand Princess British Isles cruise departing June 7, 2008 sailing round-trip from London starts at $1,222 (inside), $1521 (oceanview), $1921 (balcony) and $2,523 (suite) per person, double occupancy.  Ports of call are Guernsey, Cork, Dublin, Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow, Invergordon, Edinburgh and Le Harve (port of Paris).  For additional information visit Vacations to Go.

*** 12-day South America voyage from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires aboard Oceania Cruises’ Insignia departing Nov. 30, 2008. Per person, double occupancy fares start at $2,499 including round-trip airfare.  Ports of call are: two overnight stays in Rio, Buzios, Iiha Grande, Santos (overnight), Iguacu Falls (overnight); Punta del Este, Montevideo and an overnight stay in Buenos Aires.  For information and reservations visit Premium Cruises’ web site.

*** Four-night Pacific Northwest cruise aboard Celebrity’s Century sailing round-trip from Seattle starts at $269 per person, double occupancy.  Departing September, 22, 2008, the ship visits Nanaimo and Victoria.  For reservations and additional information visit Cruises Inc’s web site.

*** An eight-day Viking River Cruise in France sailing from Paris to Le Havre on July 27, 2008 starts at $1,115 per person, double occupancy, including shore excursions.  Ports of call are an overnight stay in Paris, Conflans, Vernon, Giverny, Les Andelys, Rouen, Caudebec, Honfleur and an overnight stay in Le Havre.  Visit Cruise Compete’s web site for additional information.

*** One week Alaska cruise aboard Holland America’s Oosterdam starts at $699 per person, double occupancy on the June 21 and 28, Aug. 23, Sept. 6 departures.  Sailing round-trip Seattle, the ship visits Juneau, cruises Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria.  For additional information visit Cruise411.   

*** One-week Bermuda cruises from New York aboard NCL’s Norwegian Dawn starts at $729 (inside), $779 (outside), $999 (balcony) and $1168 (suite) per person, double occupancy on the Oct. 19, 2008 departure.  For additional information, visit the Cruise Brothers *** Queen Mary 2 transatlantic crossing from New York to Southampton Aug. 7, 2008 begins at $960 (inside) $1081 (outside) $1175 (balcony) and $3246 (suite). For additional information visit Cruise.com.

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Seasickness does exist and is probably the primary reason people avoid cruises.   The best definition of what mal de mer is comes from the U.S. Coast Guard:  “Motion sickness occurs when the brain receives conflicting signals from the areas of the body that detect motion. This conflict typically results in motion sickness.” 

It’s important to keep in mind that you’re less likely to get sick in some areas of the world than others.  The Caribbean is frequently calm as a lake because the islands act as a barrier to the Atlantic Ocean.  Rivers and canals guarantee smooth sailing.  If you’re prone to motion sickness, I recommend avoiding the oceans of the world, especially the Atlantic.

Here are some steps you can take to decrease – or eliminate – seasickness. 

1) The position of your cabin.  One of the big ironies of shipbuilding is that the higher the cabin, the higher the price will be.  However, the higher you are on a ship the more acutely you’ll feel the rocking and rolling of the ship.  Cabins with the least motion will be found mid-ship on the lowest passenger deck.  On his honeymoon cruise in Europe, my brother asked for access to crew quarters so he and his wife could wait out a major storm.  They sat on the floor mid-ship and weren’t seasick in the least.

 2) Prescription Medication.    The Transderm Scopolamine Patch is the primary prescription  medication.  The patch is placed behind your ear before boarding the ship.  The common side effects are blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness and dry mouth.  Be sure to consult your physician before trying this drug.

3) Over the Counter Medication.   Most people have excellent results with Bonine, which is found in pharmacies.   The medication only works if you take it prior to rocky seas and some people start taking the medication the day before the cruise departs.

4) Ginger.  I used to think this was an old wives remedy but it isn’t:  even the U.S. Coast Guard recommends ginger as a motion sickness remedy.  You can buy it in the supermarket or in tablet form.  Many cruisers take a bag of candied ginger.  

3) Sea-Band is a non-medicated wristbands which relieve motion sickness by acting on acupressure points.  Tested by the Australian Yacht Club, many cruisers swear by these bands.  They are available in pharmacies and aboard most ships.            

4) The ship’s doctor.  If all else fails, you can head for the ship’s doctor who will administer a very expensive but highly effective antihistamine injection.  You’ll probably sleep for a day or so but it sure beats seasickness. 

 5) Aboard ship. An officer gave me invaluable advice when I felt queasy aboard ship.  Eat crackers and apples (to absorb the acid in your stomach), avoid fluids and do not lie down.  Go outside on deck and stare at the horizon (not the waves!) and avoid enclosed areas such as elevators.

Have you been seasick?  Which remedies worked best for you? 

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During the 2009/10 cruise season, Princess Cruises will offer enticing reasons to vacation in the Caribbean, Mexico and Panama Canal with innovative itineraries aboard its newest vessels.

Caribbean 

In the Caribbean, Princess will sail six ships on 13 itineraries including Ruby Princess, which takes over the line’s 10-day Eastern and Southern Caribbean itineraries.  Emerald Princess sails the Eastern Caribbean and Crown Princess cruises the Western Caribbean on a new itinerary which features Roatan, Honduras.  Caribbean Princess resumes alternating seven-day Southern Caribbean voyages from San Juan.  Grand Princess returns with a 14-day Caribbean Collection route and Sea Princess will again sail on 14-day voyages from Barbados.

Mexico

On the Pacific side, two Princess ships will visit Mexico: Sapphire Princess sailing on seven-day Mexican Riviera voyages from Los Angles and Star Princess cruising on 10-day itineraries round-trip from San Francisco.

Panama Canal

In 2009/10, Princess will add a new Panama Canal experience: two-day stops in a canal port with time for local sightseeing.  On select full transits, the ship will anchor at Fuente Amador, on the Canal’s Pacific site.  Shore excursions include the Panama Canal Railway, Panama City, Soberania National Park Rainforest or a visit to a local Indian village.

Coral and Island Princess will feature the two-day Panama experience on 15-day Los Angeles/Fort Lauderdale itineraries.  In addition, Island and Sea Princess sailings between Ft. Lauderdale and San Francisco plus Royal Princess 20-day voyage from Ft. Lauderdale to Seattle will include an extra night in the Canal. 

Additional full Canal transits include the Island Princess’ ten-day cruises between Ft. Lauderdale and Acapulco with stops in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala.

Popular round-trip transits from Ft. Lauderdale are scheduled on Island Princess on 13 departures between Oct. 1, 1009 and April 19, 2010.

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In 2009, Holland America’s Eurodam and Westerdam will sail on 13-, 14- and 15-day voyages to Canada and New England, stopping in three new Quebec ports: Gaspe, Baie-Comeau and/or Sept-iles.  In addition to cruises from New York, passengers may also sail from Boston, Montreal, Quebec City and Fort Lauderdale.

Maasdam Cruises From Ft. Lauderdale, Montreal & Boston

The Maasdam kicks off the 2009 season May 8 with a 15-day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Montréal. The 1,258-guest ship calls at Charleston, S.C; Newport, R.I; Bar Harbor, Maine; Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia; and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island before spending a day each at new ports Gaspé and Sept-îles. The Maasdam then cruises the scenic Saguenay Fjord, calls at Port Saguenay and visits Québec City for two full days before reaching Montréal.
 
In the fall, the Maadam departs Oct. 10 on a similar 13-day cruise from Montréal to Ft. Lauderdale that features Gaspé and Baie-Comeau. Most ports of call are the same with the addition of Saint John (Bay of Fundy), New Brunswick and several days at sea from Bar Harbor to Ft. Lauderdale.

From May 23 to Oct. 3, the Maasdam sails 14 seven-day cruises between Montréal and Boston, featuring scenic cruising of the St. Lawrence River and calling at Québec City, Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax and Bar Harbor.  Guests can opt for excursions such as touring Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor by bike, exploring the Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse Route near Halifax and joining the popular Anne of Green Gables tour in Charlottetown.
 
The ship also offers a seven-day, roundtrip cruise from Boston Aug. 29 that calls at Portland, Maine, Saint John, Halifax, Sydney and Bar Harbor.

Eurodam Cruises From New York

Eurodam features three 10-day cruises between New York and Québec City departing Aug. 27, Sept. 6 and 16. The 2,104-guest ship calls at Newport, Rhode Island, Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax, Sydney, Charlottetown and Québec City for a full day and overnight stay.   
 

On Sept. 26, the Eurodam sails a special 14-day cruise from Québec City to Ft. Lauderdale that features the new port of Gaspé during the peak of fall color. The ship continues to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, cruises the scenic Bay of Islands and calls at Charlottetown, Saint John, Portland, Boston, Newport and New York before sailing for Ft. Lauderdale.   
 
 

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