The impetus to boost bookings with bargains doesn't seem to be abating, particularly for cruises in Europe. Many lines — several luxury lines, in particular — are offering some creative promotions.
From Crystal Cruises comes an offer to sail now and save later. The line has targeted specific itineraries for a cruise savings plan it dubs "Crystal Dividends." If you book any of 10 sailings this year in any cabin category on Crystal Harmony's or Symphony's Orient, Baltic Sea and Pacific itineraries, you receive a 2-for-1 savings certificate for a cruise in 2003.
Radisson Seven Seas Cruises kicks off its Europe season with dramatically lowered business-class air fare. The offer lets you upgrade from economy class to business class at supplements that range from only $399 to $599 per person. The upgrade supplements are in addition to the line's regular economy-class airfares, which range from $1,039 to $1,509, resulting in total round-trip business class fares from $1,558 to $2,108 per person, depending on the departure date and air gateway.
The line says these are its "best-ever" round-trip business-class offers to Europe. To nab them, you have to book your cruise and make a deposit by March 15. The airfare offer is available in conjunction with 58 sailings from April to November on Seven Seas Mariner, Radisson Diamond and Song of Flower. The voyages ply seven- to 13-night itineraries in Northern and Western Europe, the British Isles and the Baltic, and include the line's first visit to the North Cape, Norway, aka "the land of the midnight sun."
All Radisson cruises feature complimentary wine with dinner, and shipboard gratuities are included in the cruise fare. If you make your deposit by credit card when you book, Radisson also will throw in a $200 per stateroom shipboard credit that can be used for things such as boutique purchases, spa treatments and shore excursions. For more information, call 1-800-477-7500.
Seabourn Cruise Line also is making air fare more enticing on its Europe and Asia itineraries. The line is offering free economy-class airfare throughout 2002 in conjunction with sailings on the yachtlike Seabourn Pride, Spirit and Legend. The offer is valid from 23 North American gateways — including Miami, Atlanta, Raleigh and Newark/New York — and can be combined with most of the line's other savings, including early booking discounts of up to 30 percent off the published fares.
With these savings, air-inclusive fares for a seven-day French Riviera cruise from Nice, France, start at $3,499 per person, double occupancy. All Seabourn's sailings include free open bar throughout the cruise, a complimentary shore excursion and other bonuses. For more information, call 1-800-929-9595.
Even the World of ResidenSea — the world's first floating residential community — offers a lure: complimentary business-class air upgrades on select inaugural-season voyages, including departures from New York to Lisbon in April and from Dublin to Boston in August.
The World, which debuts next month, is arguably the most exclusive vessel afloat. Aside from its 110 privately owned multimillion-dollar residences, it offers 88 guest suites for bookings to cruise vacationers. For more information, call 1-800-970-6601.
KD River Cruises of Europe, for instance — a small-ship line that offers more than 400 departures on two dozen itineraries in Europe from April to October — extends discounted rates to groups comprising as few as 10 passengers and one free cruise for every 20 passengers in a given group. Group rates vary by size and itinerary. For more information, call 1-800-346-6525, Ext. 19.
And Continental Waterways has deals on canal and river barge sailings through Burgundy in March. For just $9 more than the regular in-season rate for a weeklong cruise, which is $1,990, you get economy-class air transportation from most U.S. cities, including Orlando, and a two-night stay in a three-star boutique hotel in Paris. For more information, call 1-800-546-4777 or check eWater ways.com on the Internet.
Meanwhile, domestic sailings don't get short shrift in the deal department. Princess Cruises announced its "best-ever" Alaska cruise/tour fares. The special rates offer savings on 56 cruise/tour options that are up to double the line's normal early booking discounts — as much as $1,400 per couple. Fares for an 11-day Alaska land/sea package start at $1,499 per person or at $799 for a seven-day cruise-only voyage. Discounted fares apply to select dates and you must book by Jan. 31.
Princess' cruise/tours typically include ground transportation via the line's own "Ultra Dome" railcars and stays at one of Princess' five custom-built riverside lodges, including the new 84-room Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge near Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, America's largest national park. The lodge, which is Princess' fifth in the 49th state, will open in May. For more information, call 1-800-774-6237.