CLIPPER CRUISE LINE  Travel writer reports
Alaska, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Scandinavia, British Isles, Arctic, Antarctic, Greenland, Iceland, US and Canada Rivers and Coast, Amazon, Laatin America.
Clipper is one of the few cruise lines employing a predominantly American staff and crew, mostly young men and women just out of college. These ships are for travelers who like to be relaxed and who like to learn. The lifestyle aboard the ships is casual and unregimented. Excellent literature is sent in advance, with suggested reading lists, and follow-up trip logs are sent to passengers.
NANTUCKET CLIPPER
 Passenger Capacity: 102
 Built: 1984 in the US
 Length: 207 ft.
 Beam: 37 ft.
 Draft: 8 ft.
 Decks: 4
 Elevator: None
 Officers: American
 Staff and Crew: 32; American
 Wheelchair Access: No
    Itinerary: There are eight-day cruises in the Virgin Islands and along the US Intracoastal Waterway; six, eight, 11 and 13-day cruises of Chesapeake Bay and New England islands; 15-day cruises of the St. Lawrence and Thousand Islands; 11 and 12-day cruises of the Great Lakes; a 15-day cruise of Canada’s Bay of Fundy and coastal Maine; and an eight-day autumn cruise of the Hudson River.
     Cabins: 51. All cabins are outside and are air-conditioned. Cabins have two lower beds and private bath with shower. Some cabins have Pullmans and can accommodate a third person. Each cabin has a large window. Cabins have radio for music and announcments, but no TV or phone.
     Dining: There is an open-seating dining room with one seating. American cuisine is served with regional specialties. Special diets are accommodated. Juice and iced tea are available all day and evening in the lounge. And there are the chocolate chip cookies. Thereis no smoking in the dining room.
     Dress: Casual during the day. Resort wear, jackets for men on some nights, dressier on captain’s night, but no sequins or tuxes.
 Facilities and Activities: The lounge is lined with windows and is the location for lectures by naturalists. The Promenade Deck has an unobstructed circuit of the ship (18 laps equal a mile). Evenings are mostly lectures and slide shows by naturalists or other lecturers relevant to the destinations. There is no entertainment. The library has current and classic titles and books about the regions visited. Movies are offered at night in the dining room. There is no smoking in the ship’s interior, only on outer decks. Passengers can snorkel or swim directly from the side of the ship. The ships cruise mostly during the day, stopping for passengers to tour an island or enjoy a beach. Many shore excursions are included in the price of the cruise. Nights are sometimes spent in ports to enjoy the local entertainment. There are motorized landing craft for adventure cruises, or the ship ties up right at the dock at town or in small harbors and marinas.  Snorkeling and diving are featured on warm water itineraries. Golf cruises up the Intracoastal Waterway provide instruction videos about golf, with play at port courses along the itinerary (greens fees and cart rentals included). PGA golf pros accompany the cruise, discussing technique, giving swing demonstrations and giving individual analysis and pointers, and the ship’s master caddy cleans clubs, has them waiting at the next port ready for play, and arranges tee times, pairings and transfers so that passengers arrive at each cruise finding their bags on the cart, ready to go.
     Typical Rates and Special Deals: Rates for the golf cruise range from $2,440 to $3,490, including greens fees.  A seven-night voyage longthe Intracoastal between South Carolina and Florida cosots $1,950 to $3,330. If you book at least six months in advance you can get an early bird discount. Fares include port charges. There are sometimes air/sea packages. Repeat cruisers -- there are many on this line -- receive gifts and discounts.

RADISSON SEVEN SEAS CRUISES                         Travel Report
United States, Bahamas, Mediterranean, Greece, Caribbean, South Pacific, South America, Africa, Seychelles, Amazon, Antarctica, Canary Islands, Arctic, Iceland, Greenland, United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Alaska, Russia, Asia, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand
RADISSON DIAMOND
Passenger Capacity: 350
Built: 1992
Length: 420 ft.
Beam: 104 ft.
Draft: 26 ft.
Decks: 6
Elevators: 3
Officers: European, American
Staff and Crew: 191; International
Wheelchair Access: Yes

• Itinerary: Typically from May to October there are seven-night cruises in the Mediterranean, Baltic and Aegean Seas to Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Monaco, Greece, Turkey, and Scandinavia. In the winter in the Caribbean there are three to seven-night cruises that include San Juan, Barbados, Bequia, Grenada, Martinique, St. Kitts, St. Barts, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Iles de Saintes, Antigua, Virgin Gorda, and St. Lucia, sometimes with stops in the Bahamas. A transpanama 10-night cruise calls at Ft. Lauderdale, Key West, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, San Andres Island, and Puerto Caldera. Transatlantic cruises between Lisbon and San Juan and between Las Palmas and Barbados run 9, 11 and 14 nights. Longest cruise is 19 nights from Rome to San Juan. One week segments can be combined into two or three-week voyages.
• Cabins: 177. All cabins are outside, with either a veranda or a sitting room. All cabins have queen-size beds that can be converted to twin size and a TV/VCR (featuring CNN), mini-bar, a bathroom with shower and very small tub, direct-dial ship to shore phone, safe and individual temperature control. Two owner suites feature a king-size bed, whirlpool tub, separate shower, balcony and large bay window. CD players are available to passengers to use. Most cabin stewards are European women. There are two wheelchair-designed staterooms. Elevator doors are 39.97 inches wide. Outside decks can be reached without assistance. Handicapped persons must be accompanied by a non-handicapped adult.
• Dining: There is a dining room with a sweeping view across the stern of the ship (jacket and tie required in the evening) with open dining -- eat when you want, where you want, and with choices of various size tables. The menu features European dishes, homemade breads, homemade ice cream, and freshly ground coffee. House wine is complimentary. Servers are waitresses, rare in cruise ships. The grill, seating 50, has buffet breakfast and lunch and at dinner features northern Italian specialty dishes and table-side dessert flambeaus, with violin and accordion music while you dine. Any dining room meal can be served in your stateroom during dining room hours, and there is also a 24-hour room-service menu. Afternoon tea is served in the lounge. Special diets can be arranged.
• Dress: Casual during the day. Evening resort wear for women and jackets for men most nights. One formal evening per week with most men wearing tuxedos and women wearing cocktail dresses.
• Facilities and Activities: The ship is built on the submerged twin-hull principle called SWATH (small waterplane area twin hull). Engines are in the hulls beneath the waterline so engine noise and vibration are minimized, and stabilizer fins on the front and back of each submerged hull reduce motion. This is a luxury ship with a five-story garden atrium, an outdoor pool, a lounge at the bow for daily lectures and for evening dancing and cabaret shows, a stage on the pool deck for outdoor entertainment, a casino with blackjack, poker, roulette and slot machines, a fitness room where you can work out while looking out at the sea, and an outdoor jogging track. A spa has steam rooms, sauna, whirlpool, massage, herbal wraps and a hairdresser. There is a laundry, dry cleaning, a book and video library, and an art gallery. Tying it all together is a circular brass staircase and glass elevators. A retractable marina between the hulls creates shelter for swimming, snorkeling, sailing, and windsurfing when the ship is anchored. The ship is frequently used by corporate and group charters, and a business center has audiovisual equipment, publishing facilities, fax and satellite communications services, and personal computer hook-ups. There are medical facilities with a doctor and a nurse on board. A grand piano is in the club room and a band for dancing in the lounge. Film can be developed on board. There is an open bridge policy. In June and July the ship has music festival cruises that go from Rome to Cannes, Edinburgh to Copenhagen, or Copenhagen to Stockholm with passengers able to attend the Royal Mediterranean Music Festival, the Royal Scandinavian Music Festival, the Royal Baltic Music Festival, and other concerts in ports along the way. There is a golf driving range with nets and a putting green. In May there are golf cruises with a golf pro on board who conducts golf clinics and passengers play courses in ports. A nice touch: bottled water and umbrellas available at the gangway to ensure your comfort ashore.
• Typical Rates and Special Deals: Back-to-back cruises can be combined with a 50 percent discount on the second week. No tipping. Pre and post cruise packages are available. Discounts for past passengers of $200 to $1,300 per person discount for early bookings at least 120 days ahead. Some Caribbean cruises and Panama Canal-Costa Rica cruises offer two-for-one specials.

• Itinerary: These three sister ships cruise in the Mediterranean, the Baltic, in Europe, Scandinavia, the Americas, southeast Asia, the Orient, India, the South Pacific, Africa and the Seychelles on voyages ranging from 6 to 23 days. The Seabourn Pride and the Seabourn Legend in the Caribbean often sail the same itinerary together. Ports of call on various cruises include many unique destinations throught the world. These ships are truely worldwide cruises.
• Cabins: 100. All cabins are outside, with air-conditioning, walk-in closets, and a private bath with shower, or tub and shower. Most staterooms are 277 sq. ft. with separate sleeping and sitting areas. By 2001 there will be 36 with French Balconies. (Pride has these now), and the rest will retain a picture window. Among the amenities of the suite is a bar stocked with spirits or wine as requested by the guests. Cabins also have a safe, TV/VCR, cd, radio, direct dial phone, chronometer, and barometer. Beds are twin or queen. Suites range from 400 to 575 sq. ft. and have a private verandah; some also have a dining area that converts to a second bedroom, and some have two baths. One owner’s suite has curved sofa and a forward-facing verandah. Youth beds and rollaways are available. There are four wheelchair-accessible cabins (handicapped person should be accompanied by a non-handicapped adult). Financial news is printed daily and delivered to your cabin. Other cabin amenities include hand-cut crystal, fresh fruit and flowers, bon voyage champagne, personalized stationary, terry robes, and blackout shades.
• Dining: There is open seating, and passengers can dine at any time during the meal hours. The dining room has portholes, not windows. The cuisine is international. The service is as polished as the silver. There is a cafe for informal breakfast, lunch and some dinners. Occasional barbecues are served on a beach, with china and crystal. Room service is available, including the full restaurant dinner menu during dinner hours. Complimentary house wines are available in the dining room with lunch and dinner. Caviar is always available on request. Special diets are accommodated.
• Dress: Casual during the day. There are two formal evenings each week, with tuxedo or dark suit for men and evening gown or other formal attire for women. Gentlemen are expected to wear a jacket and tie on other nights.
• Facilities and Activities: These are three sister ships that are for travelers comfortable with luxury service and upscale environment. There is a main show lounge with cabaret programs as well as a club with music and dancing. A pianist plays at cocktail hour and later in the evening. Speakers include well-known personalities and experts on wine, cuisine, world affairs, and the arts. There is a pool, two whirlpools, and a spa with massage, sauna, steam room, herbal body wrap, hairdresser, and gym. A casino has blackjack, slot machines, and roulette. There is a business center and a self-service launderette. A water sports platform is lowered at the stern for swimming and water sports, including windsurfing, water skiing, and two zodiacs. There is a library with videos for en suite viewing. Music and dance performers are brought on board at local ports. Some cruises calling on the eastern US, Ireland, Sweden, Estonia, Finland and Norway have a golf pro on board who conducts golf clinics and passengers play courses in ports. There are medical facilities. Portions of public rooms are non-smoking. Two tenders are available for shore excursions.
• Typical Rates and Special Deals: Cruise-only fares for a six-day cruise in the Caribbean range from $2,790 to $6,560. A 14-day cruise ranges from $7,590 to $26,050. A 23-day Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles cruise runs from $10,990 to $21,590. A special program allows you to purchase 45 days of cruising for $26,775 and take those segments at any time you wish in three years. Air/sea packages are available as well as pre and post-cruise land tours, including options of flying the Concorde or a private chartered jet. If that makes you somewhat budget-conscious, you can save on the cruise with a discount for being a previous guest, or by combining two or more cruises. For 2001 there will be savings of 30 percent for early bookings. This savings does not have a particular expiration date, but it will be reduced or withdrawn as cruises fill. It is combinable with the 10% past guest savings. Most shore excursions are not included in the fare, but on a few itineraries, particularly in Asia, complimentary excursions are included.  There are also discount fares for off-season and repositioning cruises. If you sail a total of 140 cruising days you are entitled to a free cruise of up to 14 days on any Seabourn ship. Singles can save from paying twice the per person double occupancy rate by being flexible and allowing the ship to assign an available cabin. A third person in a cabin cruises for 25 percent of the fare. There is no tipping allowed. Fares for Seabourn Spirit for 10 and 11-day cruises in Alaska start at $6,659, with early booking discounts bringing that to $3,500.

• Itinerary: These ships circle the globe, offering cruises to destinations off Africa, in the Seychelles, the Indian Ocean, the Baltic, the Mediterranean, and Red Sea, the coast of the U.S., Canada, South America, and in the South Pacific and Southeast Asia. Voyages are from seven nights to 18 nights.  Grand cruises run from 24 to 44 days.
• Cabins: 148. All cabins are outside with floor-to-ceiling windows, and 110 have balconies. All are air-conditioned, have twin beds that can be converted to queen, and have walk-in closets, VCR, mini-bar, direct-dial phone, safe,  desk, and a bathroom with shower and tub. Cabins range from 240 to 1,300 sq. ft. There are two wheelchair accessible cabins on Silver Wind. Five suites have two bedrooms and CD players.
• Dining: There is an open-seating dining room with one seating. You can arrive anytime between 7:30 and 9:30.  Cuisine is French, Italian and American plus local specialties. Special diets are accommodated. There is room service 24 hours a day, including full meals served course by course. Stewardesses deliver canapés to the suites before dinner. Selected wines are complimentary for lunch and dinner, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks throughout the ship. There are buffets in the Terrace Cafe for breakfast and lunch and theme dinners. A  lunch features homeland dishes from each chef.
• Dress: Casual during the day. Dressy at night, with one to three formal nights in which most men wear tuxedos and women wear gowns or cocktail dresses.
• Facilities and Activities: These are two sister ships that are identical. All cabins are located forward and public rooms aft. There is a side platform for watersports with kayaks, zodiacs, sailfish, windsurfers, and waterski boats. There is a piano bar, heated pool, two whirlpools, a fitness room, sauna and steam rooms, massage, self-service laundry, hairdresser, movie theater, show lounge, forward observation lounge, library, small casino, and a meeting room with computers. There are dance hosts on board for longer cruises. A wraparound track offers sunning, walking and jogging. There is a medical facility with a doctor and a nurse. Some cruises can be combined with African safaris; golf packages allow guests to visit golf courses at the ports of call. Other activities include occasional guest lecturers, language courses, deck games, bridge instruction and tournaments, dancing, cabaret shows, and folkloric performances. There is an open bridge policy.  One cruise offers instruction in culinary arts by Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute. A financial service gives guests a daily personalized stock market report on their stocks. National Geographic writers and photographers are onboard for certain cruises. This is not a ship for children.
• Typical Rates and Special Deals: The cruises are all-inclusive: beverages are complimentary throughout the ship; tipping is not allowed; air travel and precruise hotels are generally included with the cruise fare, as well as port taxes, travel insurance and one shore excursion. Eight-day cruises with air start at $5,695..All trips are considerably cheaper on a cruise-only basis if you can get air cheaper on your own. If you book at least six months in advance you can get a 10 percent early bird discount, and you can save $1,000 to $2,000 more if you combine two back-to-back cruises. Past passengers and their companions are offered a discount on some voyages as well as unique events on shore. When you spend 300 days on cruises, you get a seven-night cruise free. Smoking is restricted to designated areas.

• Itinerary: Voyages are in the Mediterranean Sea, along the east coast of the U.S., in the Caribbean, and along both coasts of South America.
• Cabins:  About 80 percent of the staterooms have verandas. High-category suites have a second sitting room or second bedroom.
• Dining: There is a single open seating. Meals are served in the dining room, at the less formal indoor/outdoor café, and at the poolside grill.
• Facilities and Activities: There is a pool, spa, fitness center, observation lounge, show lounge, computer center, conference center and a self-service laundry.
• Typical Rates and Special Deals: Seven-day cruises start at $5,095; 18-day fares at $13,095 per person double occupancy. Fares include air, one hotel night, port charges, and gratuities on most cruises. There is a 15 percenet discount for booking and paying six months in advance, 10 percent if you book four months ageand and 5 percent if you book three months ahead. Past guests save 5 percent on certain sailings.

WINDSTAR CRUISES    Click here to visit their website
Mediterranean, Greece, Turkey, Caribbean, Latin America
WIND SONG; WIND SPIRIT; WIND STAR
Passenger Capacity: 148
Built: 1986; 1987; 1988
Length: 440 ft. including bowsprit
Beam: 64 ft.
Draft: 14 ft.
Decks: 4
Elevator: None
Officers: Norwegian and British
Staff and Crew: 91; European, American, Indonesian, Filipino
Wheelchair Access: No
Itinerary: In the summer all three ships are in the Mediterranean, with many different departures there from April to November. A typical cruise goes from Italy's Amalfi coast from Rome on seven-day sailings with shore excursions exploring Florence and Pisa. Another goes along the Cote d'Azur with port calls at Portofino, Corsica, Elba, Florence, St. Tropez and Cannes. There are also Greek and Turkey itineraries between Athens and Istanbul. Caribbean seven-day cruises go from Barbados with such ports as Tobago, Bequia, Martinique, St. Lucia, Nevis, St. Martin and Los Roques; and seven-day cruises in the Virgin Islands go from St. Thomas roundtrip to St. John, St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, Tortola, Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda. There are also Panama Canal cruises and cruises from Costa Rica to Isla de Cano, Bahia Drake, Quepos, Curu, Tortuga Island, Playa Flamingo and Isla Coiba. A repositioning cruise goes between Barbados or St. Thomas and Lisbon
Cabins: 74. All cabins (185 sq. ft.) are outside and have twin beds that can be converted to queen size and have sitting area, as well as TV/VCR, CD player, radio, a mini-bar/refrigerator, international direct-dial phone, safe, and private bathroom with shower and robe and hairdryer. Storage space is excellent. Each cabin has large portholes and air-conditioning. Ten cabins offer a third berth. Some cabins have adjoining doors. There are no verandahs.
Dining: There is an open-seating dining room with large windows with one seating. Breakfast and lunch buffets are available on deck, and sometimes there is a casual dinner on deck. There is 24-hour room service. Low calorie menus are available and special diets are accommodated with advance notice. Bread is fresh-baked.
Dress: Casual during the day, jackets for men at night are not required, but many wear them; ties definitely are not seen. Ambience is low-key, but luxurious.
Facilities and Activities: These are three identical sister motorized sailing ships -- sleek, white, four-masted schooners. They combine the mystique of the old tall ships, but with sleek looks, luxury accommodations and modern technology. There are 21,000 square feet of sail, but no one needs to climb any yardarms -- there are computer controls at the bridge that furl or unfurl the sails in two minutes. There is no set schedule of activities. There is a lounge featuring live entertainment nightly (often from the local region), evening dance music and a disco. A library has books, CDs and videos. There is a watersports platform at the stern of the ship, a piano bar, laundry, small casino, small pool and hot tub, sauna, massage, hairdresser and fitness center. There is a doctor on board. There are no youth activities or special facilities for children, and the cruise line discourages passengers from bringing children. There are a number of theme cruises on such things as gourmet cooking and wine. There is an open bridge policy. Smoking is permitted throughout the ship, but no pipes or cigars are permitted in the dining room. Officers are friendly and mix with passengers. There is an unobstructed circuit of the ship for jogging (12.5 laps equals one mile). In the Caribbean naturalists accompany all cruises and shore excursions. Tour options include visits to park preserves, a float trip on the Corobici River and sea kayaking the estuary of the Isla De Dama. In the Mediterranaean on Bastille Day, passengers are nestled in the Nice harbor with hundreds of private yachts to view extravagant fireworks. The stern sports platform offers water skis, scuba and snorkeling gear, sailboats, sailboards, sea kayaks and banana boats. Scuba is $50 per dive.
Typical Rates and Special Deals: The fare for seven-day cruises is $3,880 to $4,790 plus port charges. You can save up to $1,300 with early booking. Rates for the owner's suite are higher. Single supplement is 150 percent. Shore excursions are extra. Half-price fares are sometimes offered at the end of the year on Caribbean cruises. There are special discounts for past passengers. Two-night hotel packages are available in Istanbul, Athens, Nice and Rome before or after a cruise for $95 per person on any of the ships when in the Mediterranean.
WIND SURF
Passenger Capacity: 312
Built: 1990 by Club Med, refurbished 1998 by Windstar
Former Names: Club Med I
Length: 617 ft.
Beam: 59 ft.
Draft: 16 ft.
Decks: 4
Elevator: 1
Officers: Norwegian
Staff and Crew: 163
Wheelchair Access: No
Itinerary: The ship sails roundtrip from Nice on seven-day cruises with stops in Portofino, Portoferraio, Portovenere, Monte Carlo, Bonifacio, Cannes and St. Tropez, and between Nice and Rome and Venice and Rome. Then after a 15-day October cruise from Nice to Lisbon, she cruises 14 days at sea to Barbados. In Barbados she sails seven-day roundtrip cruises from Bridgetown to such ports as Tobago, Grenada, Martinique, St. Lucia, Nevis, St. Martin, Barthelemy, Iles des Saintes and Bequia.
Cabins: All cabins are outside and have twin beds that can be converted to queen size and have a VCR, CD player, a mini-bar/refrigerator, ship-to-shore telephone and bath with shower. Each cabin has a large window with an ocean view. There are 30 suites (376 square feet each) that have a living/dining area and some have two bathrooms. Some cabins will accommodate a third passenger.
Dining: There is an open-seating dining room with one seating plus a bistro. Low calorie menus are available and special diets are accommodated. There is no smoking in the dining room.
Dress: Casual during the day. Resort wear or jackets for men at night.
Facilities and Activities: There is a spa and fitness program with massage, aromatherapy, herbal wraps and a hairdresser. The library has current and classic titles, books about the regions visited and videos. Weather permitting, a watersports platform can be lowered for water-skiing, wind-surfing, kayaking, sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving (only if certified).You can visit the bridge at any time, including evening hours. A small casino off the lounge is available. A conference center has facilities for 165 people. Passengers visit historic sites in the Mediterranean; do snorkeling, beaching and exploring islands in the Caribbean.
Typical Rates and Special Deals: Rates for seven-day cruises in the Caribbean range from $3,880 for  cabins to $5,728 for suites. The Mediterranean prices range from $4,790 to $7,088. If you book in advance you can get an early bird discount, saving up to $1,500 on cabins and $2,200 on suites. Port charges are extra.

YANKEE SCHOONER CRUISES
ROSEWAY (Temporarily out of service)
Maine, Virgin Islands
Passenger Capacity: 30
Built: 1925, in Massachusetts
Length: 112 ft.
Wheelchair access: No
Itinerary: The Roseway sails the Maine coast from June to October and the Virgin Islands from December to April.
Cabins: 14. There are 11 doubles in an over/under configuration, 3 quads (2 over/2 under). Heads are located on deck with two showers, one on deck and one down below. Cabins have reading lights and fans over each berth and a sink with running water. Pillows, blankets, sheets and towels are provided.
Dining: Local fare of New England and fresh baked breads and pastries. Every trip has a lobster bake with lobster steamed in seaweed over a driftwood fire on the beach.
Dress: Strictly casual.
Facilities and Activities: This sailboat was constructed of oak by the shipwrights of the JF James Shipyard in Massachusetts in 1925 as a private fishing yacht. In 1940 she became a pilot vessel off Boston Harbor. Roseway was the last active pilot schooner in the US. The vessel stops in fishing villages or in isolaed coves and you can row ashore in the evening to explore. Relaxing is the most important part of these trips. You can help with the sails if you choose or try rowing the longboat. Prices include use of the small boats, windsurfers and snorkeling gear. Many people choose to chat or watch for wildlife or recline in the sun to read a book. Minimum age is 14 except for special family cruises, in which families can learn ropework and sail the ship. In September the ship joins other tall ships for the Tall Ship Sail-in in Penobscot Bay.
Typical Rates and Special Deals: Most trips are 3-4 days, but longer trips can be arranged. Maine trips range from $399 to $549. Virgin Island trips are 6-7 days and are $1,099.