TRAVEL LOG

Company cancels 2 cruises

Two cruises were canceled, and hundreds of passengers were detained in the U.S. Virgin Islands for more than a week after two subsidiaries of Greece-based Royal Olympic Cruise Lines Inc. filed for Chapter 11 reorganization. Both ships are operated by Royal Olympia Cruises, another subsidiary.

As of the Travel section’s deadline Tuesday, the Olympia Explorer remained in port in Los Angeles after cancellation of its Dec. 22 cruise to Hawaii. The Olympia Voyager was on its way to Port Everglades, Fla., after making a court-ordered stop at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. In a statement on www.royalolympiccruises.com, Royal Olympic said the Voyager would return to Florida on Jan. 2. Its cruise to South America, scheduled to begin that day, was also canceled.

Calls to company representatives were not returned.

Sandra Kusumoto, director of the Bureau of Consumer Complaints and Licensing at the Federal Maritime Commission in Washington, D.C., said it was working with Royal Olympic on refund procedures for customers on the cruises. She said the firm’s escrow account appeared to have enough funds for refunds. Refund information was to be posted at www.fmc.gov.

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New look for

Los Cabos

landmark

The oldest major hotel in Los Cabos, Mexico, dating to when visitors drove in on dirt roads, has a name change and an $80-million makeover to compete against a bevy of newer luxury resorts.

The Palmilla resort, built in 1956, has been renamed One & Only Palmilla, part of a hotel brand run by Kerzner International, which bought Palmilla in 2002 and closed it in April for renovations. It was to have reopened Friday.

The resort, which a spokesman said has been largely gutted and rebuilt, has added 57 rooms, bringing that number to 172; a second swimming pool; and a children’s swimming and activity area. A spa, with 13 treatment villas, is to open in February; until then, it will offer a fitness room and in-room or beach massages.

Also opening in February will be a restaurant by Chicago chef Charlie Trotter. Introductory room rates in January start at $275; regular published rates start at $475. Multiple-night packages that include breakfast and a massage or a round of golf are available. (800) 637-2226, www.oneandonlyresorts.com.

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Casino funds

flow to open

a river park

A $26-million museum and ecological park has opened in Mississippi about 20 miles south of Memphis, Tenn.

Tunica RiverPark on the banks of the Mississippi River has a 37,000-square-foot museum with artifacts that date to the days of 16th century explorer Hernando De Soto, four aquariums of river life and interactive exhibits where visitors can pilot their own riverboats.

It’s the latest in a line of entertainment developments, built largely with taxes from nine casinos, that Tunica County, Miss., officials hope will encourage families to visit.

The museum sits on 130 acres of wilderness. Nearby, tourists can traverse the river on an old-fashioned paddleboat, passing cotton fields and casinos in what was once one of the poorest regions in the nation. The river park is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $5 for adults. (662) 357-0050. For information on the paddleboat, call (866) 805-3535.

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Airline again

on Expedia

US Airways has returned to selling its tickets at Expedia.com after taking them off the Internet site last month when the site began charging $8.99 per booking instead of the $5 charged for other airlines, the result of a contract dispute. Both parties declined to disclose terms of the agreement.

-- Compiled by

Jane Engle