Cruises less taken can offer luxury or deals

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phil reimer / postmedia news Liberty of the Seas: Take a cruise across the Atlantic.

IT'S always interesting to talk with people who are cruising outside the "triple crown" of destinations: the Caribbean, Mexico and Alaska.

When you're on a one-off or re-positioning cruise, you find a lot of passengers who have been on many seven-day cruises in those markets and who are now searching for longer, more exotic cruises. Most are looking for unique ports, a great price and great cities to visit.

Travel agencies specializing in cruising are reporting an increase in advance bookings of some cruises for 2012.

It's always a gamble whether to book now or wait for a possible sale later. I spent some time recently looking for out-of-the-norm cruises and cruises offering outstanding value.

If you have a high interest in cruising around the United Kingdom, here is one that may fit the bill. It's from Azamara Club Cruises, which has ships that carry fewer than 800 passengers and fits the deluxe category.

The ship, Azamara Journey, is sailing from Southampton to Amsterdam, departing May 29, 2012. This port-intensive cruise offers overnights in Dublin and Edinburgh (Leith), and stops at five other ports in the UK. It's a 12-night cruise with a starting price of $3,399.

China, Vietnam and Thailand always have something unique to offer and cruise lines are quickly discovering the growing demand for Asian cruises. Hong Kong and Singapore are the two divergent cities that start and end a cruise next March aboard Holland America's Zaandam. Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and China are in between on this 14-day cruise.

In Vietnam, you're porting at Halong Bay with its 2,000-plus limestone islands, the beaches of Nha Trang and Phu My (Ho Chi Minh City). In China, there's Sanya (Hainan) and in Thailand, Laem Chabang (Bangkok) and Koh Samui, among others, before arrival in Singapore. Starting price: $1,759.

If you want to test your outer limits of cruise length, here's one that should do the job: Holland America's Volendam departs from Auckland on March 27, arriving in Vancouver 37 days later. The cruise covers a lot of cities in Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia, as well as ports in Samoa and Hawaii.

It's heavy on New Zealand, with familiar stops like Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin, plus less-familiar stops like Rotorua, Gisborne and Picton. The ship sails through Fiordland National Park, Queen Charlotte Sound, before leaving for Burnie, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia.

Three ports in New Caledonia precede those in Fiji and Samoa, with Honolulu and Hilo completing the pre-Vancouver itinerary. Once in Canada, the Volendam will start its summer season to Alaska.

With only 1,400 passengers on board, you should be able to make many new friends before sailing into Vancouver's English Bay. Starting price: $3,958.

Finally, there are cruises that take you to other parts of the world at prices that are surprisingly low.

Take Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas, which departs Dubai on April 19 and finishes its 15-night cruise in Rome for only $699. Along the way, you will traverse the Suez Canal and visit ports in Oman and Egypt.

There is also a cruise across the Atlantic April 14, 2012, from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona on Royal's Liberty of the Seas, with only four ports. This 14-night cruise has a price tag of $609 -- that's less than $50 a night.

You can find more details on all these cruises at royalcaribbean.com, hollandamerica.com and azamaraclubcruises.com -- or from your favourite cruise agent.

Visit portsandbows.com for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Phil can be contacted directly at portsandbows

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 15, 2011 D2