Cruise ship seized in court disputeThe 910-passenger...

Cruise ship seized in court dispute

The 910-passenger Regal Empress cruise ship, which plies Caribbean and East Coast routes, remained sidelined last week after federal marshals seized it because of a dispute with a contractor.

The court-ordered lien forced the ship’s operator, Florida-based Regal Cruises, to cancel a three-day sail to Key West, Fla., on April 18, the day it was to depart, and a 10-day Panama Canal cruise that was to have left April 21.

In a suit filed in federal district court in Tampa, Motor-Services Hugo Stamp Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., claimed Regal Cruises owed it $730,000 for work on the Regal Empress through March, said David Sockol, attorney for the engine-repair company.

Motor-Services’ work included repairing damage to all four of the ship’s engines caused by contaminated fuel, which took the vessel out of service for two weeks in February, said Ron Ardis, Regal’s vice president of marketing. The seizure of the ship was “totally a surprise to us,” Ardis said last week. “We were under the impression that the invoice had been paid.”

At the Travel section’s deadline Tuesday, Regal had appealed the court ruling, and the Empress was still scheduled to depart Thursday on a four-day Mexico cruise. Ardis said the more than 1,500 passengers who booked the two canceled cruises were given the option of a refund or a credit for a future cruise.

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U.S. updates

postwar travel advisory

“Tensions remaining from the recent events in Iraq may increase the potential threat to U.S. citizens and interests abroad, including by terrorist groups,” according to the State Department’s public announcement issued last week. It urged Americans traveling overseas to remain vigilant and to avoid facilities, such as resorts and restaurants, where Americans and other foreigners gather. The statement was the department’s first update of its long-standing worldwide caution since the wind-down of the Iraq war. For other updates, visit www.travel.state.gov.

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Luxury hotel opens on island in Venice lagoon

An elegant 205-room hotel, reached by private shuttle boat from the dock at St. Mark’s Square, opened this month in a former monastery on San Clemente Island in the Venice, Italy, lagoon.

San Clemente Palace, managed by the luxury Italian chain Turin Hotels International, shares the 17-acre island with a park and the Church of San Clemente. The hotel is in renovated buildings of the Camaldolese monastery that date to the 17th century and include Renaissance frescoes.

When fully open by the end of May, it is to include four restaurants (one was open last week), a bar and a swimming pool. A spa is scheduled to open in July. Introductory rates begin at $360 per room per night, subject to availability. 011-39-041-244-5001, www.sanclemente.thi.it.

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Traveler’s note

Limited public tours of the White House resumed Tuesday after being shut down when the Iraq war began. School, youth, military and veterans’ groups can arrange tours through congressional offices.

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DEAL OF THE WEEK

Cruising Canada

at cut-rate price

It’s about 20% less expensive to take BC Ferries’ day cruises through British Columbia’s Inside Passage if you go May 18 to June 13 instead of the peak summer season.

For instance, adults pay about $55 versus $68 peak each way; cars are charged $128 versus $161 peak. (Prices vary by the exchange rate.)

The Queen of the North travels between Port Hardy, on the northern tip of Canada’s Vancouver Island, and Prince Rupert.

The trip takes 15 hours each way. (250) 386-3431, www.bcferries.com.

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FREE FOR THE ASKING

New Orleans

sights and savings

The compact “New Orleans Good Times Guide 2003” covers the usual bases in this unusual city: hotels, food, music, art, festivals and events.

But it also offers a bonus: nearly 60 discount coupons for restaurants, tours and attractions such as museums. (800) 201-4735, www.neworleansonline.com. (Click on “Plan Your Trip.”)

-- Compiled by

Jane Engle