Bargains Still Afloat in Cruise World

The weeklong cruise selling for $299 is gone. It appeared soon after Sept. 11 and lasted a few weeks.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t find bargains and incentives. Here are some examples:

* Panama for pennies: One of Cunard Lines’ most elegant ships is marked down on its Panama Canal sailings this spring. “And don’t be fooled by the price,” says Rick White, owner of White Travel Service in West Hartford, Conn., (800) 547-4790. “This is an ultra-deluxe ship.” He’s referring to the Caronia (formerly the Vistafjord), a 700-passenger beauty for which White Travel has slashed rates to $66 per day. In all, a 12-night Panama Canal cruise, departing March 24 or April 18 from Acapulco, will cost $799 per person (double occupancy) for the best available inside room, plus about $189 in port charges and taxes. The Caronia is known for its fine cuisine, comfortably sized staterooms and Jeeves-quality service (for which there’s a 2-to-1 passenger-to-crew ratio).

The Caronia will be sailing from Acapulco to Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, and Puntarenas, Costa Rica, before making a full transit of the Panama Canal. It will then visit the San Blas Islands, San Andres Island, Montego Bay and Great Bahama Bank before ending in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. On March 11 and April 5, the reverse itinerary (requiring an extra night) is available for $100 more, and the ship will also visit Zihuatanejo or Ixtapa in Mexico. White Travel is again the source for these prices.

* Pleasures on Princess: Princess Cruise Lines will introduce the 2,500-berth Star Princess to the Los Angeles area later this spring. To make room for it, the smaller Sea Princess has been bumped from its seven-night schedule to a 10-night sailing rotation. GalaxSea Cruises and Tours, (800) 662-5450 or www.cruisestar.com, is there to fill the gap. It is offering the new 11-night Mexico itineraries (which go round trip from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan) for $709, plus port charges and taxes of $120.

* Intelligent Alaska: For passengers who want to learn all they can about Alaska, World Explorer Cruises is a superb choice. Several noted experts--college professors, biologists, authors and the like--are aboard each of its sailings to give shipboard lectures and lead shore excursions. These programs are combined with hands-on workshops led by Alaskan artisans, evenings of cabaret and classical music and daily meals that focus on Alaskan ingredients.

World Explorer will also please vacationers with its prices this year. For early- and late-season cruising (May 5 and 14 and Aug. 6), it will offer half off companion fares. Thus, the first passenger will pay between $1,525 and $1,995 for a nine- or 14-night cruise, the second person half that. That results in rates between $106 and $127 per person, per day, including those annoying port charges and taxes (as well as free parking in Vancouver for those who decide to drive to the dock).

In another offer not often found in the cruise world, World Explorer Cruises will waive single-room supplements for a limited number of category D, E, F and G cabins for all of its sailings. These are all double-berthed cabins, which essentially will be going for the price of one bed. This means that singles will pay less on World Explorer, even at the height of the season, than they will on other cruise lines (where the single supplement can often increase the cost of cruising by nearly half). To learn more, call World Explorer at (800) 854-3835 or www.wecruise.com.

* The brave at sea: The men and women who risk their lives fighting fires, aiding the sick and keeping the peace have been showered with praise and a number of freebies ever since that dreadful day in September. The latest “thank you” comes from White Travel Service and MSC Italian Cruises in the form of free cruises to police officers, firefighters and EMTs, both current and retired, for sailings through mid-March. Officers must be accompanied by one paying adult and show a copy of a badge or an ID card.

The company’s flagship, the Melody, will sail to the Caribbean and the Panama Canal on several 11-night itineraries. There are still cabins available for the Feb. 26, March 9 and March 20 cruises. Rates for the paying passenger start at $699 for the full 11-night vacation (plus port charges of $179; these are waived for the “hero”). To learn more, call White Travel Service at (800) 547-4790.

* An evergreen: How could one conduct a cruise roundup without mentioning the Norway, that perennial price slasher? This older ship elicits praise from readers for its likable crew, nice itineraries and absence of rock-climbing walls, giant atriums and Las Vegas-style revues. The price will start at $449 per person ($599 in an outside cabin) for seven nights, for those who book through My Travel Co., (800) 732-7283, www.mytravelco.com, among other discounters. That’s the rate for the April 14 sailing, and it includes port charges (although not taxes). The itinerary? From Miami to St. Maarten, St. John and St. Thomas, stopping for one day and night at a private island called Great Stirrup Cay. Passengers debark in Miami.