Sailing the Blue Seas of the South Pacific

For anyone who can hum “Bali Hai” or conjure up the memory of Dorothy Lamour in a sarong or Brooke Shields in a blue lagoon, the allure of a South Pacific cruise needs no explanation.

There are flying fish and rainbows, distant jagged streaks of lightning flashing across the sky, and lush green islands set in a sea of aquamarine and cobalt blue, fragrant with tropical flowers as intense as fluorescent perfume.

This fall and winter, some two dozen ships will be cruising the balmy waters of the South Pacific. Options include everything from seven romantic days on sailing ships with computer-trimmed sails, to three-month around-the-world voyages on classic luxury liners.

Younger and more adventurous travelers will find casual cruises that put the accent on water sports and barefoot beaches, while more traditional passengers will opt for the classic vessels that still celebrate the captain’s cocktail party and offer bingo, entertainment and casinos in the evenings, going ashore on island excursions in the daytime.

Australia and New Zealand are the Pacific’s hottest cruise destinations this season. The lambent turquoise waters of the Great Barrier Reef, magnificent Sydney Harbour crowned by the soaring sails of its opera house, sedate Auckland and “Aussie-in-your-face” Brisbane are the major ports of call, but New Zealand’s lovely South Island, the North Island’s Bay of Islands, and Australia’s remote northern aboriginal homelands can also be found on the itineraries of some ships.

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Royal Cruise Line’s classic 750-passenger Royal Odyssey, for instance, visits Darwin, Cairns, the Whitsunday Islands and Brisbane, all in Australia, in January and February. Its odyssey includes other cities in both Australia and New Zealand, including Hobart, Tasmania.

The new 800-passenger Marco Polo, from Orient Lines, sails from Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand, in February, March and April, covering ports in Australia, New Caledonia, Tonga and Fiji. This ship combines classic luxury with a sense of adventure, including on-board lecture programs and local cultural performances.

The ultra-luxurious, 212-passenger Seabourn Spirit visits Darwin, the aboriginal areas of Seven Spirit Bay and Cape York, plus the Barrier Reef’s Lizard Island and Port Douglas in January on two 14-day Australia cruises.

Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea and some offbeat islands such as Huahine, with its ancient Polynesian temples and groves of vanilla plants, are on the itinerary year-round for Windstar Cruises’ 148-passenger Wind Song. This sleek and handsome four-masted ship boasts computer-operated sails and a “casual elegance” dress code: Ties and jackets are never required. Snorkeling among the reefs and swimming or windsurfing off the ship’s own launching platform make this an ideal holiday for water-sports lovers.

For ecotourists and explorers, Abercrombie & Kent’s 96-passenger Explorer also visits the islands of French Polynesia in April, 1994, and cruises to more remote regions such as the Marquesas and Cook islands and the rarely visited eastern Pacific islands of Easter, Ducie, Henderson and Pitcairn.

Princess Cruises’ two 640-passenger “love boats” will also be visiting French Polynesia this winter, as well as calling in Fiji and American Samoa. The Pacific Princess is sailing in December, the Island Princess in February.

Further west in the Coral Sea, the French-speaking islands of New Caledonia and the polyglot former New Hebrides, now the independent nation of Vanuatu, are colorful ports of call.

The new 392-passenger Club Med 2, a larger version of the Windstar ships, cruises there during the winter months of November to February. Dress is casual, water sports are the primary activity, and food is French-accented and plentiful.

Also new to these waters is the 510-passenger Cunard Crown Monarch, sailing from Sydney to ports in New Caledonia and Vanuatu on various cruises this winter and next spring and summer. Middle-aged and older couples will particularly like this mid-sized version of a traditional cruise.

Fairstar Cruises, too, sails its 1,350-passenger Fairstar into these islands from Sydney. The ship isn’t fancy, but the prices are modest enough to please nonfussy families and budgeting singles and couples.

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Bali is perhaps the only other island besides Tahiti that has contributed as much dream material to susceptible travelers. Bali is street theater raised to an exquisitely detailed level, seductive and well-orchestrated in its wiles, its vendors perhaps the most aggressive on Earth.

Bali and the other steamy islands of the Indonesian archipelago are on the agenda for the lavish, 214-passenger Song of Flower from Seven Seas Cruise Line in December and January. The fares include all tips, beverages, shore excursions and transportation in one neat package, so once booked, a passenger need only carry pocket money for shopping.

The very chic and deluxe 116-passenger Cunard Sea Goddess II is also plying these waters on occasional sailings from November to January. Famous for its generous servings of champagne and caviar whenever requested, the Sea Goddess is the closest thing to owning your own yacht; tips, beverages and all that caviar are included in the basic price.

Also cruising occasionally into Bali this winter are Special Expeditions’ 144-passenger Caledonian Star, a comfortable and likable expedition ship whose lecturers provide background on the natural history and culture of its adventuresome ports of call; Pearl Cruises’ 480-passenger Pearl, a longtime veteran in these waters with its excellent port lectures and shore excursions; Renaissance Cruises’ 114-passenger Renaissance VI, a small ship with luxurious cabins and good food, and Classical Cruises’ stylish, 80-passenger Aurora I, which mixes adventure and luxury.

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If narrowing down a choice to only one part of the Pacific is too difficult, long voyages on two very special classic ships highlight the Pacific as well as Asia this season.

Crystal Cruises’ elegant, 940-passenger Crystal Harmony sails from Los Angeles Feb. 9 on the first leg of an 88-day Pacific/Orient Grand Cruise. Ports of call on the first 20-day segment include Ensenada, Mexico; Honolulu and Lahaina, Hawaii; Bora Bora; Rarotonga, Cook Islands, and Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Subsequent segments visit Australia and Bali.

One leg of a 58-day cruise to the Orient and South Pacific aboard Holland America’s grande dame Rotterdam visits Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Hawaii; the 16-day land/ cruise program departs Nov. 6 and includes an overnight in Fiji.

In addition to all these choices, four ships making around-the-world cruises between January and April will also visit the South Pacific: Cunard’s QE2, the Royal Viking Sun, and P&O;’s Canberra and Sun Princess.

A travel agent or the following companies can provide free color brochures on South Pacific and Asia voyages this winter: Abercrombie & Kent, (800) 323-7308; Classical Cruises, (800) 252-7745; Club Med Cruises, (800) CLUB MED; Crystal Cruises, (800) 446- 6645; Cunard Sea Goddess, (800) 458-9000; Cunard Line and Cunard Crown, (800) 221-4770; Fairstar Cruises, (800) 433-8747; Holland America Line, (800) 522-3399; Orient Lines, (800) 333-7300; P&O; Cruises (Golden Bear Travel), (800) 551-1000; Pearl Cruises, (800) 556-8850; Princess Cruises, (800) LOVE BOAT; Renaissance Cruises, (800) 525-5350; Royal Cruise Line, (800) 622-0538; Royal Viking Line, (800) 422-8000; Seabourn Cruise Line, (800) 929-9595; Seven Seas Cruises, (800) 285- 1835; Special Expeditions, (800) 762-0003; Windstar Cruises, (800) 258-7245.

Cruise Views appears the first and third week of every month.