Shirley Linde's Cruise Letter
Cruise News

Well-known travel journalist Shirley Linde writes
 of unique voyages and special offers of ships all over the world. 

You can see cruise information every day at www.SmallShipCruises.com

2-FOR-1 ON AMERICAN QUEEN --This special offer is for a traditional Mississippi River cruise during the holidays.

DIVEBOAT DISCOUNT -- Save 50% on your second week aboard Caribbean Explorer I or Caribbean Explorer II on select weeks in December, or bring a buddy and receive 20% off for each guest you bring.

CRUISE THE NORTHEAST PASSAGE -- Next June Quark Expeditions will have a 25-day 4000-mile voyage through the rarely explored Northeast Passage. You start in Anchorage, join an icebreaker ship in Anadyr, Russia, then travel along the Chukotka Peninsula to Wrangel Island, New Siberian Islands, the most northerly islands of Eurasia, and Franz Josef Land, and disembark in Murmansk.

SILVERSEA BUYS WORLD DISCOVERER -- The ship will undergo refurbishment, then begins service in spring 2008 with voyages to Antarctica. It will accommodate 140 guests (reduced from 175) in ocean-view staterooms.

MOVIE ABOUT NESSIE -- The story of the Loch Ness Monster is featured in The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, due for release December 25th. Loch Ness is part of the Great Glen, also known as Glen Albyn or Glen More, 750-820 feet deep in places. There are small ship cruises that go there.

MERGER OF THE SELF-DRIVES -- Crown Blue Line, Connoisseur and Emerald Star are branding themselves together under the name Le Boat to offer self-drive European boating vacations from more than 40 departure bases in Europe. Le Boat's self-drive vessels are easy to maneuver, no license is required and you can use them to explore canals in France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Italy and Holland.

SEABOURN 40 AND 50% OFF -- In December there are two cruises with special offers: from Caldera to Fort Lauderdale (14 days, from $3,998) and from Bridgetown to Fort Lauderdale ( 7 days from $2,298). In March the Legend is half-off on 7 days roundtrip from St. Thomas.

BOOK ALASKA NOW -- On many cruises you can get 10 to 25% discount for next summer if you book now. If you prefer a big ship, you can cruise Glacier Bay National Park from $599 on the Zuiderdam or Zaandam and also see Sawyer Glaciers, the fjords of Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. Add 4 or 5 more days of cruising the Pacific Coast and end in Los Angeles or San Diego, starting at $799.

SMALL SHIPS ARE FRIENDLY TO THE ENVIRONMENT -- Typical example is International Expeditions, dedicated to preserving the natural habitats of destinations and improving the welfare of the area people and communities. In the Galapagos, IE donates to the Galapagos Conservancy, supporting the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos National Park, and matches all contributions made by guests with a credit toward a future IE journey. July 4 and 18 are family departures with environmental and wildlife education programs for children.

SHARPEN YOUR PHOTO SKILLS ON A CRUISE -- Cruise West and Pentax have partnered to bring Pentax photography experts onboard six Cruise West itineraries in 2008.Guests will receive hands-on instruction on equipment use, digital image management and composition. The cruises offering this program are in the Sea of Cort?s Jan. 19; Alaska May 23 and July 4 from Juneau; the Pacific Northwest Coastal itinerary from Seattle April 27; and Panama Canal and Costa Rica March 26.  There is a photo contest for a free cruise at pentaxphotogallery.com until Jan. 31. 

DIVE PHOTOS -- Photographer Rod Klein will be aboard the Archipelago Adventurer II for an 11-night cruise in February. The voyage will encompass the most popular dive sites in the Raja Ampat region and other less-known sites.

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