Sail to Honolulu With Hapag-Lloyd

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' MS Europa (above; rated at 5 stars-plus) has a Magnificent Landscapes voyage, from Acapulco to Honolulu, on special offer this winter.

The cruise takes in Zihuatanejo, Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas/Baja California/Mexico, Kailua/Hawaii, Lahaina/Maui and Nawiliwili/Kauai before reaching Honolulu, from January 4-18.

Special Cabin Upgrade Offer: Pay the guarantee suite category 0 at £3,600 per person (cruise only, double occupancy) and your cabin will be upgraded to a veranda suite category 4 (a saving of £1,930pp).

Highlights during the cruise include: Activity programme and health consultation on board; Opera Ball; Michelin-starred guest chefs from Germany: optional activities and shore excursions to Volcanoes National Park, Helicopter flight over Waimea Canyon, and Golf in Hawaii.

For more info, contact www.hl-cruises.com or the UK's adventure-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 008 6677.

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Crystal's New California Shore Excursion Programme

Ultra-luxury cruise specialist Crystal Cruises is introducing 18 brand new shore-side excursions on its two unusual seven-night Crystal Symphony sailings round-trip from Los Angeles up the California and northern Baja coasts this autumn. Crystal Adventures will showcase the unique outdoor opportunities, culinary arts and varied scenery local to the remarkable Golden State region during cruises departing November 20 and December 4.

In Santa Barbara alone, adventure-seekers will have their choice of hiking, biking, horse-riding, paragliding, Segway-ing or kayaking through the area, learning about everything from California’s Chumash Indians to native sea life. Additional outdoor explorations range from kayaking past the Baja coast’s 100 foot-high blowhole to a jeep safari through Mexican countryside, with a winery as final destination.

California’s fine wines will be on full display via tasting trips to Santa Ynez and Napa Valley, the latter including a gourmet lunch at the famed Culinary Institute of America. Foodies can expand their epicurean acumen via tequila tasting/education, a Mexican cooking lesson outside Enseñada or a custom wine-blending competition in Santa Barbara. Guests can also explore the quaint Danish town of Solvang and hidden alleys of San Francisco’s Chinatown.

The two seven-night round-trip voyages visit Santa Barbara, San Francisco (overnight), Enseñada and San Diego, with prices from £2,524 per person, including return scheduled flights, transfers, seven nights in a deluxe stateroom with picture window with all meals and soft drinks, port taxes and a $500 per person onboard credit.

For more info, visit www.crystalcruises.co.uk or contact the luxury cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Sea of Cortes Boost from American Safari Cruises

An off-the-beaten path destination, Baja Mexico’s Sea of Cortés is a secluded and protected UNESCO World Heritage biosphere reserve and a favourite yachting destination for American Safari Cruises. As an enticement, the company is offering a $200 per person travel credit for new bookings made by September 30, 2011.

The 22-guest upscale yacht Safari Quest sails week-long adventure cruises from La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, from November to April. On 13 select departures, each guest will receive a $200 travel credit. The travel credit may be used on an individual stateroom or a private charter for a family or group getaway to the welcoming warmth and remote wilderness of the Sea of Cortés.

Families interested in a holiday cruise may also take advantage of a $400 travel credit for teens aged 12 to 19 on the December 24 and December 31 departures.

Sailing round-trip from the picturesque town of La Paz, the yacht explores amidst the hundreds of islands and islets in this place author John Steinbeck found “ferocious with life” and described by Jacques Cousteau as “the aquarium of the world.” A flexible and unhurried cruising philosophy promises time to seek out wildlife, including many different species of whales, dolphins and sea lions - all prevalent in the wildlife-rich waters.

The inclusive cruise itinerary includes exploration of Isla Partida, Isla San Jose, Isla San Francisco and Isla Espíritu Santo. A visit to Bahia Agua Verde includes a mule ride into the arroyos of the peninsula guided by a local ranchero. At Isla Coyote, guests meet the Cuevas fishing family and tour the village and whale bone yard. Snorkelling with playful sea lions at Los Islotes is often a highlight of the trip.

Anchoring in quiet coves, the crew brings water toys out to play. The yacht transforms into a waterborne adventure platform for kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, sailing, skiff rides, snorkelling, swimming, swinging off the rope swing and tubing. Expert naturalists lead kayaking and hiking excursions to explore the beauty of the sea, the coastline and into the desert landscape to see giant Cardón cacti, red rock cliffs and white sand dunes.

The 13 select departures available with the $200 per person travel credit include: November 26; December 24, 31; January 14, 28; February 4, 11, 18; March 3, 17, 24, 31; and April 7.

Cruise fares start at $3,995 per person based on double occupancy. The inclusive cruise includes all from-the-yacht activities and equipment; transfers; exquisite meals; fine wine, premium spirits and microbrews; and all port charges, taxes and fees. The 22-guest Safari Quest features a hot tub, Tempur-pedic mattresses, heated tile floors in all bathrooms and upper category balconies. An all-American crew has a guest-crew ratio of 2 to 1. Yachts can be booked as a private charter or by individual stateroom.

For more info, visit www.americansafaricruises.com or contact the adventure-cruise experts of The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Time To Repeal The Jones Act

World of Cruising editor Simon Veness writes:

A story on loss of business at the port of Los Angeles today started me thinking - if this huge sea-going destination on the US West Coast is struggling to stay busy, isn't it time to look at the root cause why?

Because it seems increasingly clear that the archaic Jones Act of 1920 is now a serious millstone around the necks of the US cruise industry, and something urgently needs to be done about, for the sake of the cruise lines AND their passengers.

The Jones Act was originally designed to prevent unfair foreign-flagged competition for ships carrying the stars and stripes by insisting that only US-flagged vessels can operate solely in US waters (i.e. without having to visit a foreign port).

This was vital for the 1920s and 30s when American vessels were commonplace, and even has relevance today in the sections of the Act that relate to accident and disability benefits for America seamen.

But what it is also doing is squeezing business away from US ports; making it hard for cruise lines to put together some really meaningful itineraries; and making passengers pay more in various places. It is so anti-competitive to the cruise business it beggars belief.

And, at a time when the cruise liens are shying away from Mexican ports over safety concerns, it means places like Los Angeles will find themselves increasingly out in the cold.

Put simply, the Jones Act forbids foreign-flagged cruise lines (i.e. all of them these days!) from having itineraries that visit just US ports, hence it stops round-Hawaii cruises (requiring ships make a long haul to add Mexico or a South Pacific port to their route), West Coast voyaging, and trips that take in purely the eastern seaboard.

These are areas all rich in cruise possibility, yet they are denied to the cruise lines and their passengers by an Act that could never possibly foresee a situation where American lines (i.e. nearly all of them!) have foreign-flagged ships that are prevented from offering all-American cruises.

It is so patently daft in this day and age - and so dangerous for US interests and jobs, as evidenced by Los Angeles - that you have to wonder why something isn't being done about it. Does the industry not have an effective polotical lobby? Are there other interests working against them (hard to imagine, but possible)? Are people asleep at the wheel over the possibilities?

It is an issue that demands attention in the cruise world of today - and I'll be very keen to see if anyone picks up the cry on cruising's behalf. Because there are great possibilities going begging here.

I'd love to see a cruise that takes in purely the Carolinas and Florida; New England; California; or Hawaii (apart from the one exception of NCL's lone American-flagged ship).

And it's about time others did, too.

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Whale Watching with Lindblad

Perhaps nowhere else on earth can you observe grey whales and dolphins as closely as in Baja California on Lindblad Expeditions Sea of Cortez cruise. But this expedition cruise is far from your ordinary whale-watching Baja cruise. With 30 years exploring Baja California, the company have the most experience revealing the remarkable magic of “Mexico’s Galapagos.”

For nearly 50 years, they've been revealing the world's wonders to guests through expedition-style travel. They send guests on nimble expedition ships, accompanied by expert naturalists and other specialists, including National Geographic photographers, for life-changing encounters with beauty, wildness and the seldom-seen.

From their comfortable and intimate 62-guest expedition Baja cruise ship, you’ll explore further in Zodiacs and by kayaking the azure waters. Join an expert Expedition Team of naturalists and an undersea specialist. Their leadership will ensure you have the best possible adventure travel experience in Baja California, and beyond.

Join them where the desert meets the sea. And where, every winter, they help turn curious vacation-goers into lifelong explorers.

For more information, contact the UK's leading adventure cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd or visit Lindblad at www.expeditions.com

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