TRAVEL LOG

New cruise line to sail Europe and the Americas

Two ships once operated by Renaissance Cruises, which went out of business soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, will sail again, this time for a new line based in Miami.

The 5-year-old sister vessels R1 and R2, with a capacity of 684 passengers, are being renamed Regatta and Insignia. Starting July 5, they will offer 10- and 14-night itineraries in Europe, including the Mediterranean region, and the Americas, said Tim Rubacky, spokesman for the new Oceania Cruises line.

Although small, the line has big plans. It has hired celebrity chef Jacques Pepin to design menus and has equipped cabins with bedding from Four Seasons Resorts, Rubacky said. It will also launch what it claims is the first seagoing tapas restaurant.

Fares are expected to range from $1,499 for 10-night cruises to $5,999 for a 962-square-foot suite, with butler, for 14-night cruises.

Oceania Cruises is headed by Chief Executive Frank del Rio and Chairman Joe Watters, formerly president of luxury Crystal Cruises. Del Rio is formerly executive vice president of sales and marketing for Renaissance; he left the company about five months before it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The line is leasing the ships from the French consortium that built them, Rubacky said.

Reservations open Jan. 27. Call (305) 514-2300 or visit www.oceaniacruises.com. A toll-free number, (800) 531-5658, is expected to be in operation by Jan. 27.

On deck for 2003: a record number of ships

It’s full speed ahead for the cruise industry. Major lines plan to launch a record 14 new vessels and relaunch several more in 2003, according to Cruise Lines International Assn. Thirteen new ships were launched last year.

The cruise association expects about 8 million North Americans to sail in 2003, compared with 7.4 million last year and just 1.4 million in 1980.

In Chicago, a show that bears mentioning

Hoping to lure tourists from hibernation, the Chicago Cultural Center this weekend opened a free “Teddy Bears at Home in Chicago” show. It offers more than 100 items, including the original sheet music for “Teddy Bears’ Picnic,” videos of celebrities talking about their bears, cookie jars and other memorabilia and, of course, all sizes of stuffed bears. There are also story-

telling and film programs. Through March 23. Daily except holidays; hours vary. (312) 744-6630, www.cityofchicago.org/CulturalAffairs/TeddyBears.html.

Discounts on European rail travel

Rail Europe is offering discounts on the high-speed Thalys trains that run from Paris to Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

In one deal, up to four children can travel free when accompanied by a paying adult between Marne-La-Vallee Chessy (Disneyland Paris) or Charles de Gaulle airport and Brussels or Antwerp in Belgium.

Trips must be completed by April 3; some dates are not available.

In the other deal, travelers can save up to 60% on regular fares for Saturday and Sunday travel that is completed by Feb. 23 for various European routes. For details and reservations, call (888) 382-7245 or visit www.raileurope.com.

Traveler’s notes

New York City’s annual Winter Restaurant Week is Jan. 27 to 31 this year. Nearly 170 restaurants will offer fixed-price, three-course menus for $20.03 at lunch or $30.03 at dinner. (Not all participating restaurants offer both.) For a list of restaurants offering the menus, visit www.nycvisit.com. Reservations are required; some restaurants may be booked.... Silversea Cruises is expanding a program that lets guests take an entire cruise or choose only a segment. The “Personalized Voyages” option, first announced for the Silver Cloud, will be offered aboard all of the line’s four ships this year. Passengers who take a partial cruise pay a daily rate and arrange their own air transportation. (800) 722-9955, www.silversea.com.... The Library Hotel in New York, where rooms take their numbers from the Dewey Decimal System, is dusting off its image with a new “Erotica Package.” Besides the predictable champagne and red roses, you get strawberries and a bowl of Low-Fat Cool Whip (“because ... it is less sticky than whipped cream,” the hotel says), a massage video, the “Kama Sutra” or other erotic book and more. All for $650 per room per night. (877) 793- 7323, www.libraryhotel.com.

DEAL OF THE WEEK

$589 round trip to Hong Kong

You can fly coach round trip between either Los Angeles or San Francisco and Hong Kong for $589 under an Internet-only “Deal of the Month” from Cathay Pacific. You must book by Feb. 10 for travel between Feb. 1 and April 23. The deal is subject to availability and various restrictions. Fares are nonrefundable and subject to change fees and do not earn frequent-flier miles. For information and reservations, visit www.cathay-usa.com/dotm.

FREE FOR THE ASKING

Making your way around LAX just got easier

The “All About LAX” guide provides an airport map and facts on parking, private shuttles and taxis, public transportation, services for the disabled and more. It’s on a 9 1/2-by-23 1/4-inch sheet that folds to the size of a credit card. There’s an insert that matches airlines with terminals. It is available in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. Call (310) 646-5260 or

e-mail spalmer@lawa.org.