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Excerpted with permission from Small Ship Cruises

THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT SEABOURN - Norwegian investor Atle Brynestad, original founder of Seabourn Cruise Line, repurchased Sea Goddess I and II, which will be known now as SeaDream I and SeaDream II. Larry Pimentel, former CEO of Cunard Line, has become co-owner, chairman and CEO of the new company and says they will operate the twin yachts on their existing published schedules through the end of April 2002 at highly favorable rates. In May the yachts will be refurbished.. One vessel will operate solely on charters while the other will split the year between the Caribbean and Mediterranean.

GREAT LAKES CRUISE COMPANY -- They have discounts for all remaining 2001 cruises. If you book now, you can save up to $850 per couple.

NEW SHIP AT CRUISE WEST - The new ship Spirit of Oceanus will sail in the South Pacific beginning in November, departing from Tahiti or Fiji to French Polynesia and the Cook Islands. There will be 75% off for second person on certain cruises

NEW SHIP AT AMERICAN CRUISE LINES - The American Glory will carry 49 passengers like her sister ship American Eagle, but more staterooms will have private balconies. The inaugural cruise will be seven nights on Chesapeake Bay in July from Baltimore. Save $800 per stateroom on the American Eagle Nov. 24 and Dec. 1 on historic south and Florida Rivers cruises and 50 percent off companion fare on a seven-night Hudson River fall foliage cruise Oct. 20.

FREIGHTER DISCOUNTS ON ROUND-THE-WORLD TRIPS - Rates have been lowered on several passenger freighters. A typical rate now is a 90-day itinerary from New York to Norfolk, Savannah, Kingston, transit Panama Canal, to Papeete, Auckland, Noumea, Brisbane, Melbourne, Jakarta, Singapore, Colombo, transit the Suez Canal, Port Said, La Spezia, Marseille, Tilbury, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Dunkerque, Le Havre and back to U.S., all for $7,360 for the owners suite, or $6,500 for a single cabin plus $230 for port fees. Age limit is 75.

AMERICAN SAFARI CRUISES -- In December the Safari Quest and the Safari Spirit will meet in La Paz to kick off their inaugural season in the Sea of Cortez for 17 weeks. Negotiations are underway for a third yacht to operate in the outislands of the Bahamas.

DELTA QUEEN COASTAL VOYAGES -- Cape Cod Light, their second vessel, will enter service in April, 2002, almost a year behind the ship's originally scheduled premiere. The schedule will have three-, four- and seven-night voyages from Chicago, seven-night voyages from Buffalo, Windsor, and Duluth, and seven-night cruises on the eastern Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

DELTA QUEEN STEAMBOAT COMPANY -- Delta Queen has up to 50 percent off brochure fares on most cruises from now through December, starting as low as $355 per person double occupancy for three nights, plus port charges and taxes.

SPECIALS ON THE CLIPPER ODYSSEY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA -- There is $2,000 off their Japan Scenic Inland Sea & China Cruise, 14 days, in September, starting at $5,370 per person double occupancy. A 15-day cruise from Bali to Bangkok starts at $4,310 per person double occupancy.

COSTA RICA & DARIEN JUNGLE -- The Yorktown Clipper goes from Costa Rica through the Panama Canal to Panama City in November and December with $1,000 off per cabin. The cruise is nine days, starts at $2,020 per person double occupancy.

FAMILY HOLIDAYS -- Abercrombie & Kent has family departures on the Explorer with 50 percent savings for children ages 7-18 on a cruise of Antarctica and the Falkland Islands departing Dec. 21.

SPRING IN THE FALKLAND ISLANDS AND ANTARCTICA - There is a 40% discount on Professor Molchanov from Ushuaia, Argentina for 19 days in November with rates starting at $3,714. This voyage incorporates both Antarctica and the wildlife sanctuaries of South Georgia. December rates for Antarctica Peninsula and South Shetland Islands start from $2,750. Nesting activities are high at this time.

LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS PURCHASES NEW SHIP - They bought the Temptress Voyager which will enter service as the Sea Voyager in December, operating year-round in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. One itinerary will be designed for families in Costa Rica. Rates are $1,980 to $2,490 per person, children 17 and under are $750 off. The Sea Bird & Sea Lion have 25 percent off on their nine-day whale-watching cruise roundtrip from La Paz, Mexico, in January, starting from $2,242.

HOLIDAYS ON THE RIVER -- The Queen of the West cruises the Columbia, Snake, and Willamette rivers with its best discounts of the year during the holiday season, some cabins as much as 50 percent off peak prices. There is an additional $400 off per person double occupancy for first-class category staterooms and above on seven-night sailings Nov. 10; Dec.1, 8, 15,22; Feb. 16, 23; March 16. Seven-night cruise rates start at $1,155. Four-night cruises begin at $713 for Feb. 12 and March 2, 7 and 12.

NEW SHIP AT PETER DEILMANN -- The Frederic Chopin, the 10th river ship for the Peter Deilmann fleet, will have a 14-night river cruise between Amsterdam and Prague and 7-night cruises to nature reserves and birding sites in Germany and Poland in 2002. The 79-passenger vessel is scheduled to launch in March. Rates for seven-night cruises will start at $1,555. Their ocean liner Deutschland is offering free or discounted air to its Mediterranean, North and Baltic Sea cruises with fares starting at $2,395 per person for an outside twin cabin.

LILI MARLEEN GOES TO THE GALAPAGOS -- Quasar Nautica, operator of upscale yachts in the Galapagos Islands, has added the Lili Marleen to its fleet, in conjunction with Peter Deilmann. It will have seven-night cruises starting in December. This is a three masted barquentine motor/sail yacht with 25 outside cabins. The Nortada and Rachel will be repositioned to Belize.

RADISSON SEVEN SEAS - Two-for-one fares coming up: In October on the Radisson Diamond from Rome on a 19-night voyage to San Juan via Italy, France, Spain, Morocco and Portugal; and in November on the Seven Seas Navigator a 16-night transatlantic crossing from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale via Spain, Morocco, the Canary Islands, and Bermuda. The Seven Seas Mariner has a 54-night South American cruise from Ft. Lauderdale Dec. 27 with savings of up to 50% for the second passenger. Pay when you book and save $400 to $1,000 more. It also has an 18-night cruise Oct. 12 from San Francisco through the Panama Canal to Ft. Lauderdale with a two-for-one from $3,998 per person, and a Nov. 25 seven-night Caribbean cruise from Ft. Lauderdale for $1,798 per person double occupancy.

STAR CLIPPER -- They have a two-for-one fare on sailings out of Rome to the French and Italian Rivieras departing Oct. 6. Fares start at $1,675 including port charges and land activities. An 11-day Far East package with seven nights aboard Star Flyer goes along the southern coast of Thailand and Malaysia and includes four free hotel nights in Bangkok. Fares start at $1,475 for departures Nov. 10, Jan. 19, Feb. 16, and March 16. You must book by Sept. 30.

WINDSTAR -- On Oct. 20 the Wind Song will sail from Athens to Bombay on an 18-day cruise through the Suez Canal, starting at $1,903 per person double occupancy. In spring the Wind Surf will sail from Fort Lauderdale roundtrip to the Bahamas and Florida Keys, with port calls at Salt Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Half Moon Cay, Bimini, and Key West. An early booking discount gives up to 45% off, with prices for seven days starting at $2,357 per person double occupancy, including port charges. In December cruises from Barbados start at $1,695 for seven days. The Wind Star has 45% off sailings between Barcelona and Nice Oct. 14. You can save 50 percent on the Wind Song on a 14-day cruise in December from Cairns to Auckland. Two back-to-back itineraries can be combined for a 14-day cruise with an additional 10% discount off the second sailing.

-- Fares quoted come from the cruise companies and usually are only for certain dates and only last a short time. For other information on small ships, go to www.smallshipcruises.com .

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These charming 6-night/7-day cruises in Burgundy and Beaujolais on either of three of Continental Waterways' most popular luxury barges are now available for half the published price -- two for the price of one -- from $1990 - $2490 -- plus a bonus of American Airlines Frequent Flyer mileage.

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Editor's Note: Here are some questions to consider before taking a small ship cruise.

How Knowledgeable are your guides? Ours had only been in Alaska for three months. Even the Forest service guide in Glacier Bay was from Yellowstone Park.

Bathing accomodations: Every room on our boat had a five gallon hot water tank under the sink, So one of us took a shower in the evening and the other in the morning.

How close do you really think you will be allowed to get to the sites, animals? (not to bother or disturb them, just to look), On our cruise we got no closer than the full size cruise ships.

How long will we be in each port? Being in Sitka for four hours is not long enough.

Regarding the weather: this year has been pretty typical in Southeast Alaska. There have been some beautiful, sunny days in the 70's. But more often, there have been beautiful, cloudy, misty or sprinkly days in the high 50's and 60's. I've spent a LOT of time in Southeast Alaska, and here's my advice about the weather:

Don't let a rainy day fool you--the very next day could be sunny, clear and 77 degrees. Don't let a sunny day fool you--the next day could be wet and 55 degrees. Most of all--don't let a rainy day get you down! You will experience the magnificent beauty of the rain forest a complex and precious ecosystem that cannot exist without wet weather. On a gray day you may experience the magic of clouds hugging the steep cliff walls. Clouds enhance the appearance of the glaciers' blue-ness And, animals are just as likely to make themselves seen on a cloudy day as a sunny one. Finally, if you do have a day of bright sunshine, the gray-er days will make it seem all the more fantastic.

Because you are visiting a rain forest and because the wet weather is still wonderful weather, I highly recommend dressing in layers and dressing for comfort and warmth. There may be times when the deck gets truly cold (because of the wind off of the glaciers, etc.) and yet you will want to stay outside. On my recent cruise, I was glad to have a hat, gloves and even long underwear. (Just so you know, I also got a couple of chances to wear my shorts and short sleeved shirts!) Even if you never end up wearing some of the items you brought, it's good to be prepared.