Sailing Into Spring--With Discounts

Smaller cruise lines can’t always spread the word about discounts they’re offering as widely as they’d like, so we’ve gathered a collection of some of the savings available for spring and summer sailings.

Early- and late-season bookings aboard the smooth-sailing vessels of KD River Cruises of Europe snag a 20% discount in April and a 10% discount in May and October on cruises along the Rhine, Moselle, Main, Elbe and Danube. Honeymooners and couples celebrating a 25th, 40th, 50th or 60th anniversary also can knock off 20% every month except April, and children under 14 sharing a cabin with an adult in July and August sail free. For details, see a travel agent or call (800) 858-8587.

EuroCruises’ Finnish-flag, 200-passenger Kristina Regina spends the Fourth of July above the Arctic Circle on a 14-day adventure that departs New York June 29 and flies via Finnair to Ivalo, Finland, then goes to Bergen, with an overnight in Helsinki, before returning to New York. Fares, including air, begin at $3,598 per person, double occupancy. Call a travel agent or (800) 661-1119.

Aboard the small ships of the Bergen Line, which cruise the 1,250-mile west coast of Norway year-round, seniors 67 and older receive a reduction of $150 each on most sailings that add a two-day Lofoten Islands extension to the nine-day sailings between May and August. A 13-day Iceland add-on also provides discounts for seniors on most departures between April and October. For details, see a travel agent or call (800) 323-7436.

If you’re intrigued by freighter travel, take a look at Ivaran’s luxury 88-passenger Americana, a combination cruise ship and cargo carrier with more passenger facilities than the average freighter. Niceties include a swimming pool, whirlpool, sauna, gym, sun deck and an open-seating restaurant and lounge with bar. The Americana celebrates its 10th anniversary with rates reduced by almost 20% on most cabins for round-trip sailings from New Orleans April 1 and 23. A 258-square-foot outside double cabin is priced from $3,979 per person, double occupancy, while one of the two owner’s suites costs $5,196 per person, double. The 21-to-22-day sailings visit Latin America and the southern Caribbean. Ask a travel agent or call (800) 451-1639 for information.

A couple can take $500 off April departures of five hotel barges from French Country Waterways Ltd., paying $2,645 to $3,745 per person, double, for weeklong sailings in Burgundy, the Upper Loire and Champagne, including all meals aboard plus a dinner in a Michelin two- or three-star restaurant. Call an agent or (800) 222-1236.

If you want to do it yourself, rent a barge from France’s Crown Blue Line. Prices for two start at $1,320 for a week; there are discounts for longer sailings. Call a travel agent or (800) 355-9394.