CRUISE NEWS: Value, great itineraries await cruisers

A few weeks ago, I highlighted some repositioning cruises across the Atlantic. Some ended in southern Florida, New York, San Juan and South America. While those seem to get the most of the attention, there are many more such cruises that take you to exotic spots like Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific and Asia.

Most offer attractive prices, and many include quite a few sea days. The best news for the consumer is that many are less than $100 a day.

What follows represents value and some intriguing itineraries. The prices shown were at time of writing -- a week ahead of publication -- and I will update the prices on our Blog at portsandbows.com this weekend.

Prices are in Canadian dollars unless noted, per-person based on two to a room, and do not include taxes and other fees.

When the Alaska season shuts down, there is a large flotilla of ships heading from Vancouver and Seattle back through the Panama Canal to Southern Florida. Here are a couple:

-- The Norwegian Pearl and the Star leave Vancouver for Miami on Sept. 19 and Oct. 2, respectively. Many stops are the same on these cruises, with prices reasonably starting at $1,559 (Pearl) and $1,359 (Star). Visit ncl.com for more information.

-- From the other side of North America, you get to see the canal on the way to South America. This one is from Celebrity, aboard its Infinity, from Miami to Valparaiso, Chile. Ports include: Cartagena, through the Panama Canal, Manta (Ecuador), Lima (Peru), Arica and Le Serena (Chile) then Valparaiso. That's a Dec. 5 departure, a 14-day trip starting at $1,109.

-- Celebrity (Mercury), leaves Vancouver on Sept. 19 with a starting price of $819 for a 12-night trip that takes you north to five Alaskan ports and then down the coast with a stop in San Francisco before reaching the destination, San Diego. Visit celebritycruises.com for more information.

-- Disney makes its first cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver on April 27 with the Disney Wonder. It offers you an opportunity to visit, naturally, Disneyland before getting on the ship. Only one stop on this six-night trip -- an overnight in San Francisco. Prices start at $1,009.

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SEVERAL ships are making their way to the growing markets of Australia and New Zealand for the summer season there after finishing Alaska's summer.

-- On Sept. 22, Holland America's Volendam leaves Vancouver for Auckland via Seattle, many of the Hawaiian Islands, Pago Pago, Dravuni and Suva Fiji, Luganville and Port Vila Vanuatu, Ile des Pins and Noumea Caledonia, then several spots in New Zealand before arriving at the finish in Auckland. That takes 29 days, for $2,710. Visit hollandamerica.com.

-- Princess Cruises has a 22-day cruise from Vancouver to Beijing aboard the Diamond Princess embarking on Sept. 11. Starting price is $1,799 US and at one point you have six sea days. After leaving Vancouver, there are several days in Alaska before you cross the International Dateline. Ports that follow are Vladivostok, Pusan, Quingdao, Dalian and then Beijing Visit xingang-princess.com.

Here is an opportunity to put two cruises together and see a lot of South America.

Mariner of the Seas is leaving L.A. for good on Jan. 16 and will sail into several Mexican ports, followed by Costa Rica, Lima, Arica and then into Santiago (Valparaiso). The total is 16 nights for $1,029. Or you can then stay on the ship, leaving Feb. 1 to go down the coast of Chili, around Cape Horn, and up the coast of Argentina with an overnight in Montevideo then on to Sao Paulo, Brazil. That leg takes 14 nights and the cost is $1,209.

Put it together and for $2,219, you get 30 days of cruising. Visit royalcaribbean.com.

Just for fun, I went looking for the shortest repositioning cruise I could find -- from Seattle to Vancouver, on the Sapphire Princess Sept. 19. One day, for $49 (a mini suite is $99 US).

-- Postmedia News

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 preimercanwest.com.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 31, 2010 e2