Carnival's military specials end today

Through May 31, Carnival is offering special deals to military personnel -- deals that extend to friends and family as well. You can book up to two additional cabins at the same sale prices as the member of the military pays in the first cabin.

Eligible sailings through 2007 include three-, four-, five-, seven-, and eight-day cruises to the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Mexico, with prices per passenger starting as low as $199 for three- and four-day cruises to the Bahamas and Baja Mexico. Eight-day cruises to the western and southern Caribbean can be had for as low as $499 per passenger.

Call Carnival at 888-CARNIVAL or a travel agent today to take advantage of this offer.

Carnival features one-day sale May 24

Carnival Cruise Lines is holding a one-day-only sale Thursday, May 24, 2007, when you can get free upgrades on a variety of Caribbean and Mexico sailings through February 15, 2008.

Prices start at just $229 for three-day Bahamas voyages in September, and many of its three- to five-day sailings start at under $400 per passenger.

For more info, go to www.carnival.com or call 888/CARNIVAL or a travel agent. Remember, you have to book on May 24.

Act fast for Orient Lines upgrades

Orient Lines is offering free upgrades from inside to outside cabins on its itineraries worldwide when you book by Sunday, May 27, 2007. Destinations include the Mediterranean, South America, and Antarctica.

Go to www.orientlines.com for more info or call 800/333-7300 or a travel agent to take advantage of this deal.

eCruises.com offers free travel insurance

Facing fierce competition among Internet cruise sellers, eCruises.com has introduced a new lure: the website now offers free travel insurance for any cruise you book through its site. It claims to be the only cruise retailer making such an offer. The complimentary cruise insurance protects travelers against trip interruption and cancellation, emergency medical and dental expenses, emergency medical evacuation, travel delay, and baggage delays and losses, and does so for all the occupants of a stateroom -- not just the first two.


If you've ever purchased cruise insurance (and you should, unless you get it free) you know that this offer could easily save you upwards of $100 or more per passenger -- not to mention the money you might recover if you have to cancel your trip, etc. etc. Of course, before grabbing this offer, you'll want to note the money you save on insurance versus the money you might or might not save by booking through another Internet discounter or travel agent. But everything else being equal, the free insurance makes for a very nice perk.

A whale-spotting guarantee from Cruise West

Cruise West, one of the better small-ship cruise lines sailing Alaska's coastline, guarantees whale sightings on its Wilderness Inside Passage voyages or the cruise line will refund $250 of your cruise fare when you return home.

Now here's both the upside and the downside of that guarantee: during the past five years, the line says it's never had to provide any refunds at all. That means that in all likelihood you will see whales (no fair hiding in your cabin), but you won't get any money back.

But you'll still be getting your money's worth. Leaving round-trip from Juneau, Cruise West Wilderness Inside Passage itineraries include a full-day in Glacier Bay National Park, a stop in Russian-flavored Sitka, and a visit to a tiny coastal community where larger ships couldn't dare to tread.

To sign up for Cruise West's Alaska voyages, go to www.cruisewest.com or call 888-851-8509.

Costa puts Indian Ocean on sale

Here's a particularly intriguing Indian Ocean itinerary from Costa Cruises, offered as two 26-night repositioning cruises in November-December 2007 and March-April 2008, and starting at just $2,769 for inside staterooms. Fares are per person, based on double occupancy.

Embarking either in Savona, Italy, or in Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, the Costa Marina cruises make stops in such exotic and farflung ports as Alexandria, Egypt; Aqaba, Jordan; Hodeidah, Yemen; Mahe, Seychelles; Mombasa, Kenya; Nossi-Be, Madagascar; and St. Denis, Reunion. They both pass through the Suez Canal along the way.

Costa is an Italian cruise line, but this offer is good only for U.S. and Canadian residents and expires June 15, 2007. Call 800/462-6782 or go to costacruises.com and ask for discount code AF.

Save money on upcoming Elegant Cruises in Europe

My wife and I recently returned from a one-week Elegant Cruises voyage down the Croatian coast, and highly recommend it for anyone seeking a small-ship experience to an alluring destination.

The ship, called the Monet, holds just 62 passengers with an all-Croatian crew almost half that size. The result is plenty of personal attention from the staff -- and excellent chances to meet most if not all of your fellow passengers; we made some great friends along the way.

And what a way it is. Starting and ending in Venice -- perhaps the world's most beautiful city -- the Monet sails down the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea to visit such incredible ports as Dubrovnik, Split, Korcula, Zadar, and Pula. Highlights include medieval walls and churches, Roman ruins, hundreds of islands, a pristine national park to explore, and a cafe culture that rivals Paris. If you haven't been to Croatia -- one of the world's hottest destinations at the moment -- this is one of the best ways to see it. As a small ship, the Monet can usually dock quite near the center of the old cities, making it easy to walk right off and find yourself in the center of the port action within minutes.

Now, Elegant Cruises has just announced 15 percent discounts on its week-long Venice-Dalmatia cruises on these upcoming 2007 departure dates: June 20, 27, July 18, and August 29. If you're interested, book fast.

Elegant has also just announced a 25 percent savings on its two-week August 24 cruise called Mediterranean Discoveries, aboard the Monet's sister ship, the Andrea, with stops in Portugal, Spain, France, Corsica, Sardinia, and Italy -- a fascinating itinerary that gets off the beaten track. For this voyage, Elegant is also waiving its usual single supplement, so a solo passenger can sail for the same price as a double occupancy passenger, a huge incentive if you're traveling by yourself. Again, if you're interested, act fast.