Caution urged in Egypt

The U.S. State Department “strongly urges” Americans to avoid Egypt’s South Sinai area after terrorist bombings in the Sharm el Sheik resort town July 23 killed more than 60 people, including foreign tourists. But it did not issue a travel warning for Egypt.

Instead, in a July 23 public announcement, the department said visitors should “generally exercise caution” in Egypt. As it did in an earlier advisory, it said they also should avoid crowded tourist destinations in Cairo, the site of several bombings in April.

Sharm el Sheik, known for its Red Sea diving, is more popular among Europeans and Egyptians than Americans. It’s not traditionally on U.S. cruise ship itineraries, many of which skip Egypt entirely, said Mike Driscoll, editor of Cruise Week, an industry newsletter published in Wilmington, N.C.

But U.S. tour operators send thousands of Americans each year to Cairo and on Nile River cruises. Some reported scattered cancellations after the bombings.

As of Tuesday, Tauck World Discovery in Norwalk, Conn., had logged four cancellations and eight new bookings for its Egypt cruise-tours, which will begin in February, said spokesman Tom Armstrong; eight clients transferred to different tours.

Anaheim-based Trafalgar, which sends several hundred people to Egypt each year, received “negligible cancellations” after the attacks, said president John Severini. It had a tour group in Egypt at the time, and all continued on.

Sharm el Sheik is not on Trafalgar’s or Tauck’s itineraries.

Most Trafalgar travelers buy insurance from the company, for $79 to $99 person, that allows clients to cancel for any reason up to 48 hours before departure, said Tom Stanley, vice president of sales and marketing. Those who didn’t buy such insurance before they booked an Egypt trip may be charged cancellation fees, he added.

Travelers who buy insurance on their own and not through a tour or cruise company may also be covered in the event of an attack. But many policies cover only the city in which the attack occurred.

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A new way to kick back on the river

Soon you won’t need a boat to sleep on the Columbia River.

A 46-room boutique hotel is to open Aug. 13 on a dock extending 600 feet into the river in Astoria, Ore., about 70 miles northwest of Portland.

Cannery Pier Hotel will celebrate the maritime culture of Astoria, a historic town near Ft. Clatsop, built by members of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The new hotel is on a rebuilt dock once occupied by an 1890s cannery, said Jake Jacob, a Portland architect

who owns the site and designed the building.

The decor will feature cannery labels, antique photos and historic displays from Astoria’s Heritage Museum. All rooms will have balconies and fireplaces. Introductory rates start at $179 per night. For information, (888) 325-4996, www.cannerypierhotel.com.

-- Jane Engle