Cruise lines rethink Med itinerariesAt least two...

Cruise lines rethink Med itineraries

At least two cruise lines last week changed itineraries in the Mediterranean, and other lines said they were evaluating cruises in the region day by day.

Radisson Seven Seas Cruises said it would keep its Radisson Diamond in the Caribbean through early August, instead of starting Mediterranean cruises in May. Seven Seas Voyager will skip Istanbul, Turkey, on its April 1 maiden cruise between Monte Carlo and Venice, Italy.

Oceania Cruises, a new two-ship line based in Miami, removed Istanbul and Kusadasi, Turkey, from the Oct. 4 inaugural sail of its Insignia. On Oct. 18, the Insignia will begin its Mediterranean sail from Barcelona, Spain, instead of Istanbul.

At the Travel Section’s press time Tuesday, Royal Caribbean, Royal Olympia, Seabourn and Windstar Cruises were sticking to their Mediterranean itineraries.

Airport security

tightened after

‘orange’ alert

U.S. airports, including LAX, last week resumed random searches of cars after the Department of Homeland Security raised the nation’s alert level to orange, denoting a high risk of terrorist attack.

The government also deployed extra border patrol officers and stepped up patrols at seaports and airports, among other measures.

-- Times Staff and Wires

Illness prompts

U.S. caution

on Asia travel

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans to avoid travel to Hong Kong, Guangdong province in China and Hanoi, Vietnam, after the World Health Organization said a mysterious disease was being spread by air passengers.

The CDC also advised people returning from affected areas to monitor their health for at least seven days and report fever accompanied by coughs or difficulty breathing to their doctor.

The illness, apparently a form of pneumonia, had killed at least nine people by the Travel section’s deadline Tuesday and had been reported in Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Some airlines denied boarding to passengers with symptoms.

For updates, visit www.cdc.gov/travel or www.who.int.

-- Times Staff and Wires

Waikiki festival

will be a real

slice of life

Here’s a festival for Hawaiian tourists to sandwich in: the Waikiki Spam Jam, April 3 to 5.

Why Waikiki? Hawaii is the top Spam-eating state, according to Austin, Minn.-based Hormel Foods, which has made the luncheon meat for more than 65 years.

The three-day festival includes the April 3 debut of a 125-foot-long musubi, a sort of Spam sushi (12:30 p.m., free); a cook-off April 4 (6 to 9 p.m., $50 per person), pairing gourmet Spam dishes with wines; and a street festival April 5 (4 to 10 p.m., free).

For information, call (808) 923-1094 or visit www.waikikispamjam.com.

DEAL OF THE WEEK

Free fuel for

houseboats

Seven Crown Resorts, which rents houseboats on four Western waterways, is offering free gas to renters. The offer is good at Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border; Lake Mohave near Laughlin, Nev.; Lake Shasta near Redding, Calif.; and the California Delta of the Sacramento River.

You must book by March 31. The deal applies to rentals June 16 to Sept. 1, excluding holidays; other restrictions apply. Renters can get 100 or 200 gallons of free fuel, depending on the size of the houseboat, said Karen Lippe, marketing director.

She said Seven Crown also would waive its $50 fee for changes and cancellations, if made at least 45 days before boarding. (800) 752-9669, www.sevencrown.com.

FREE FOR THE ASKING

Guide to British

Heritage Pass

A brochure about the “Great British Heritage Pass,” which allows unlimited entry to hundreds of castles, estates and gardens, is available from the British Tourist Authority, (877) 899-8391, e-mail travel

info@bta.org.uk.

A new four-day pass is $35. Other versions range from $54 for one week to $102 for one month.

-- Compiled by

Jane Engle