Cruise

7 days, 6 nights, May 28-June 3, July 8-14, & Sept. 17-23, 2015. Starts, ends in Paris, FRANCE. Highlights: Embark hotel barge in Meaux. In Paris, Notre-Dame, Les Invalides, Musée de l’Armée/Marne battlefields/Museum of the Great War in Meaux/Château-Thierry/Champagne Tourist Route. Cabin, $2,781 per person, double occupancy (ppdo). Single supplement, $1,316. CroisiEurope (12 rue de la Division Leclerc, F-67000, Strasbourg, France; in US, 800/768-7232, www.croisieuroperivercruises.com).

10-day/8-night cruise-tour. Highlights: In Cairo, King Tut at the Egyptian Museum; Old Town/Pyramid of Giza/ Sphinx/Sakkara Step Pyramid/fly to Luxor/Valley of the Kings/Temple of Queen Hatshepsut/Colossi of Memnon/sail MS Nile Dolphin to Edfu for Temple of Horus/Kom Ombo/Aswan High Dam/sail a felucca to botanical gardens on Bustan island/return to Cairo. Land and cruise only, from $1,099. From New York, from $2,299. Single supplement, add 50% of land/cruise price. Value World Tours (Fountain Valley, CA; 800/795-1633, www.valuecruises.net).

The 125-foot motor yacht Parranda carries up to 16 passengers plus a naturalist guide and crew of seven on 8-day cruises in the Galápagos Islands. Walk on volcanic islands, snorkel with sea lions or paddle a kayak through mangrove lagoons. The ship is fitted with stabilizers, and cabins have private facilities with freshwater showers.

In 2009, cruises Feb. 19-28, March 19-28 and June 18-27 cost $5,295 per person, double occupancy (international airfare not included). Add round-trip Ecuador-Galápagos airfare of $410.

You can drive or ride in a Ferrari on an overnight shore excursion in Italy with Crystal Cruises (888/722-0021, www.crystalcruises.com or see a travel agent).

After a driving lesson, a convoy of Ferraris follows a lead car from Lazio to Tuscany along the Mille Miglia route. The trip includes stops in Pienza, Florence and Pisa; an overnight at Fonteverde Natural Spa Resort, and limo return to the ship.

Hapag-Lloyd is offering bilingual cruises in 2009 on which travel documents, daily programs, entertainment, shore excursions, announcements, safety drills and menus will be in English as well as German. The crew also will speak English.

The Europa will offer seven bilingual cruises, and the two expedition ships Hanseatic and Bremen will offer a total of 15. Itineraries are available for Arctic, Antarctic, South America, South Seas, Asia and Europe cruises.

Marking the 250th anniversary of the death of composer Georg Friedrich Händel, a 13-night “Baroque Music Festival” cruise is being offered by Peter Deilmann Cruises (Alexandria, VA; 800/348-8287, www.deilmann-cruises.com/theme), May 21-June 3, 2009.

Enjoying on-board concerts, MS Deutschland passengers will sail from/to Hamburg and visit London, Aberdeen, Ullapool, Dublin, Cobh and Brugge.

Visit www.cruiselinehistory.com or www.cruisingthepast.com to examine the history of cruise lines, cruise ships and steamships.

Articles, pictures and video clips provide anecdotes of some of the great liners and include “Celebrities at Sea” and “Ships in the Movies.” There also are reviews of current cruise lines and new ships, with candid recommendations by the website editors.

Norwegian Cruise Line (866/234-7350, www.ncl.com) now has a hotline for their guests to call if they are aware of a flight delay before arriving at the airport en route to their cruise.

If the guests are already at the airport, they should rebook through the airline, specifying they are meeting a cruise ship, then call the hotline to alert NCL of the changed itinerary. 

The hotline is 800/456-7179 (toll-free) within the U.S. and Canada or 305/468-2029 internationally. The hotline can assist in rebooking hotel packages.

Until March 31, 2009, Blue Lagoon Cruises (2222 Foothill Blvd., Ste. E–175, La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011; 877/252 3454, www.bluelagooncruises.com) is offering family rates on Fiji cruises.

Excluding airfare and beverages but including meals and activities, two adults and up to three children under 15 can book two cabins for F$2,170-$3,470 (US$1,450-$2,320) for a 3-day/2-night cruise or for F$6,635-$7,935 (US$4,434-$5,304) for a 7-day/6-night cruise.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ 16-day “From Travemuende to Tromsoe” cruise, aboard the 164-passenger MS Bremen, June 29-July 15, 2009, sails up the Norwegian coast and circumnavigates Spitsbergen, home to polar bears.

Shore excursions (for an extra charge) include a water-plane ride in Bergen over fjords and a glacier, a cog railway train trip into the mountains to Flöyfjellet and a kayak trip in Geirangerfjord.

Prices run $6,930-$14,700 per person, double occupancy. Contact Hapag-Lloyd Cruises (Commack, NY; 877/445-7447, www.hl-cruises.com).