Tourism Slump Takes Toll on Cruises, Tours

The downturn in the travel business since Sept. 11 has begun exacting a toll on cruise lines, with one, Renaissance Cruises, abruptly ceasing operations last week and another, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., announcing plans for cutbacks.

Citing the “severe, unexpected drop in leisure travel” after the terrorist attacks, Renaissance filed for Chapter 11 reorganization; the effects on travelers were being sorted out at the Travel section’s deadline Tuesday. Eight of the line’s 10 ships were sailing when the company ceased operating. They were being diverted to the nearest ports, and the company was arranging to fly passengers home, said spokesman Brad Ball.

The same day, Royal Caribbean announced it planned to cut costs and staff but did not provide details.

With the Mideast looming as a possible arena for U.S. action against terrorists, several lines were changing itineraries in the Mediterranean. Among them:

* Norwegian Cruise Line: The Norwegian Sun, a 1,960-passenger ship that began its maiden voyage Sept. 10 from Southampton, England, had been scheduled to make seven-to 12-day cruises in the Mediterranean from April to November 2002. Instead it will spend next summer in the western Caribbean. NCL had been planning to put more emphasis on the Caribbean before Sept. 11, but theattacks “tipped the scales” on moving another ship there, a spokeswoman said.

* Orient Lines: This company, whose two ships spend eight months of the year in the Mediterranean, has been “hit pretty hard” by the new travel skittishness, said spokesman Michael Coleman. He said the line was in the process last week of rerouting the 1,026-passenger Crown Odyssey, scheduled to start a 40-day “Grand Passage” sail Nov. 3 from Athens, traveling by way of Egypt and the eastern African coast and across to India. He said company officials worried that military activity could make it prohibitively expensive to get insurance for cruise ships traveling through the Suez Canal.

The line has also postponed until 2003 plans to add a third ship, the Ocean Voyager (now sailing as the SuperStar Aries for Star Cruises), for its first around-the-world cruise; it had been scheduled to launch from Istanbul in May 2002.

* Royal Caribbean: Rhapsody of the Seas, scheduled to sail Europe, Canada and New England next summer, will instead sail seven-night Caribbean cruises from Galveston, Texas, from April through October. Grandeur of the Seas, scheduled for the Mediterranean next summer, instead will make seven-night Mexican Riviera cruises from Los Angeles from May through September.

* Silversea Cruises: The Silver Shadow has canceled calls on Tartus, Syria (Oct. 5), and Limassol, Cyprus (Oct. 6); instead it will call on Kastellorizon and Patmos in Greece, a spokeswoman said. The Silver Wind will replace its Oct. 5 call in Tunis, Tunisia, with Cagliari, Sardinia, and its Oct. 12 Morocco call with two Spanish ports, Cartagena and Malaga.The Silver Cloud is making its turnaround today in Lisbon rather than Casablanca, Morocco.

Self-Service Airline Check-in Scaled Back

Since Sept. 11, a fast-growing airline industry trend has been reined in: self-service check-in from airport kiosks, car rental offices, hotels and other sites. The new FAA rules ban curbside check-in and checking of bags at off-airport sites; however, passengers can still get boarding passes and seat assignments off-site.

Certified Airline Passenger Services, a 3-year-old company based in Henderson, Nev., that checked bags for McCarran International Airport passengers from 13 hotels and a rental-car site in Las Vegas, suspended operations after the terrorist attacks. The company refunded all pending orders ($6 per person), said Jim Gentleman, vice president of marketing and sales, and on Sept. 18 laid off half of its 120 employees. “We remain hopeful that we’ll have a chance to start operations again” pending discussions with the FAA, he added.

Although some airlines offer remote baggage check-in, Gentleman thinks his company was the only one in the U.S. serving multiple airlines, 10 in all.

United Airlines, which had just finished installing 83 self-service kiosks at LAX in the week before the attacks, has suspended a program that aimed to put 750 of the units at more than 20 airports, including San Francisco, said spokeswoman Chris Nardella. The airline is continuing to operate the kiosks, which allow customers to check in and get boarding passes at most sites and allow self-service baggage check-in only at the airline’s ticket counters, under the eyes of agents. Similar kiosks are in Chicago and San Diego.

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, both owned by Alaska Air Group, a pioneer in self-service technology, also made adjustments in response to the FAA rules. About one-third of the two airlines’ customers use their 378 self-service kiosks at airports, hotels, parking lots and rental-car agencies--until recently, the largest number of such kiosks run by any U.S. airline company.

The company was continuing to use the kiosks to issue boarding passes and seat assignments, said spokesman Jack Walsh. Last week, it was expecting to reinstate check-in via the Internet and personal digital assistants, which was suspended after the attacks, he added.

American, TWA to Reduce Food Service

You won’t be able to complain about airline food anymore--at least not on some American Airlines and TWA flights.

Citing “the airline’s critical financial condition” and “increased measures” after the terrorist attacks, officials said American and TWA (both owned by AMR Corp.) will not serve meals in coach on most domestic flights and in first class on domestic flights two hours or shorter, starting Nov. 1. It said the change would also extend to some flights to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America. It plans to continue food service on nonstop domestic transcontinental flights and on routes to Europe and Asia and on some South American flights. Beverage service will continue on all flights.

On Sept. 14, America West said it was temporarily suspending food service to “expedite the boarding process” in light of new security measures. Food service was still suspended as of Tuesday.

White House, Dam Enforce Restrictions

Nearly three weeks after the terrorist attacks, two major closures remained in place as of press time Tuesday:

* Tours of the White House were still suspended indefinitely. For updates, call the White House’s 24-hour Visitors Office Info Line at (202) 456-7041, or check https://www.whitehouse.gov.

* In Boulder City, Nev., the Hoover Dam visitors center, which contains a theater and displays, was open, but no tours were operating. Other restrictions are still in place. Although passenger cars were allowed to cross the dam, trucks, RVs and vehicles with trailers were prohibited and required to detour through Laughlin, Nev., on U.S. Highway 95. There were also restrictions on boat traffic in the area. Visitors could park in designated lots and walk across the dam during daylight hours but not after dark. For more information, call (702) 293-8421 or check the dam’s Web site, https://www.hooverdam.usbr.gov.

Some N.Y. Sites, Tours Still Closed

For updated information on New York events, tours and attractions, visit the New York City Convention & Visitors Bureau Web site, https://www.nycvisit.com, or call (888) 805-4040. Some attractions affected as of last week:

* The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Castle Clinton in Battery Park remained closed but were being evaluated daily.

* Gray Line’s “Night on the Town Tour,” a double-decker bus tour, has been canceled. Other sightseeing tours have resumed, although the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty ferry will not be included until they reopen to the public. Telephone (212) 397-2620.

* Tours of the New York Stock Exchange, 20 Broad St., were still suspended.

* Federal Hall National Memorial, 26 Wall St., was closed indefinitely because of roof damage.

* The National Museum of the American Indian, at the George Gustav Heye Center in the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, is expected to reopen in October. Tel. (212) 287-2525, https://www.nmai.si.edu.

* The Museum of American Financial History, 28 Broadway, was closed indefinitely. Tel. (877) 983-4626, https://www.financialhistory.org.

California Events Canceled After Attacks

Several events and tours in California also have been canceled. Among them:

* San Diego: Three major events slated for Fleet Week San Diego, Oct. 12 to 21, have been canceled: the MCAS Miramar Air Show, which drew nearly 1 million spectators last year; the Chrysler Jeep Classic Speed Festival; and the Union-Tribune Fleet Week Sea-n-Air Parade. Organizers hoped to schedule a land parade on Oct. 19 in place of the Sea-n-Air Parade.

At the Travel section deadline, the music and fireworks show at Seaport Village and the Wings and Wheels event in Coronado were still scheduled to take place Oct. 19, as was the Paint the Bay chalk festival Oct. 13 and 14. Tel. (619) 858-1545, https://www.fleetweeksandiego.org.

* San Francisco: This city’s Fleet Week, Oct. 5 to 8, won’t be held. The Golden Gate Bridge continued to be closed to bike and pedestrian traffic; Vista Point and other scenic spots around the bridge were not accessible to the public. A shuttle was available to take bikers and pedestrians across the bridge for $2.50. Tel. (415) 974-6900, https://www.sfvisitor.org.

* Hesperia: The High Desert Balloon Festival, part of the Hesperia Days celebration this weekend, was canceled.

* Los Angeles: Most studios in the Los Angeles area, including NBC, Warner Bros. and Paramount Studios, had suspended public tours until further notice. Universal Studios Hollywood was continuing to offer tours.

Travel Insurer Loosens Restrictions on Claims

NEW YORK--A major travel insurance provider has announced that it will cover all claims by policyholders who canceled or delayed their travel plans out of fear of terrorist activity.

Travel Guard International said it would “cover all travel claims by any and all policyholders holding a standard retail policy purchased before Sept. 11.”

John Noel, chief executive officer of the Wisconsin-based company, said that travel insurers usually don’t recognize a “change of mind” as a valid reason to cover travel claims. But, he added, “due to recent events, Travel Guard ... has changed its policy.” Tel. (800) 826-1300.

-- Associated Press

Theme Park Shuts After Three Months

The $100-million Bonfante Gardens Theme Park in Gilroy, Calif., a mix of trees and shrubs woven around thrill rides and corn dogs, shut its gates Sept. 17, three months after opening, because of a lack of cash. It had been scheduled to be open on weekends through Dec. 31. Founder Michael Bonfante issued a statement saying he is “extremely optimistic” that the park will reopen in spring 2002.

The 75-acre park, which laid off about 120 of 150 full-time staff, reported more than 280,000 visitors during its first three months. But Lynda Trelut, Bonfante Gardens vice president of marketing, said expected financing from outside investors has been delayed. She cited the “current economic climate,” including the effects of the terror attacks, as a factor in the decision to close. She said season passes ($69.95 adults, $49.95 children 3 to 12) and advance tickets ($28.95 adults, $19.95 children 3 to 12) will be honored next spring.

New, Revised Travel Warnings Issued

The U.S. State Department has issued a flurry of new and revised travel warnings since Sept. 11, advising Americans to avoid Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Yemen, among other places. For daily updates, call (202) 647-5225 or visit https://www.travel.state.gov.

-- Compiled by Times Staff *

Editor’s note: California Corner appears on L10 this week .