Holland america caribbean cruises

Correspondents have recently queried about coast-to-coast trans-Panama Canal cruises which involve arrival and departure from U.S. ports only, and one mentioned that "home by Christmas" was essential. For consideration, here is a selection of such cruises from three of the premium-quality lines.

Longest and most port-intensive

The ms Volendam of Holland America will set sail from Los Angeles on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2002, for an 18-day eastbound adventure that is very intriguing for its many ports, with much emphasis on Central America. It's loaded with opportunities for newly developed ports and land-tour opportunities to Aztec and Mixtec archaeological sites. The routing incorporates six full days at sea, interspersed to allow you to rest from the many interesting optional shore tours.

Calls are scheduled for Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco and Santa Cruz Huatulco, Mexico; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, and Puntarenas, Costa Rica, before the day of transiting the Panama Canal. Following arrival on the Caribbean side, visits will be made to the San Blas Islands of Panama; Oranjestad, Aruba; St. Thomas (a shopper's paradise), USVI, and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas, before arrival at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2002.

Volendam, built in 1999, is a handsome vessel of 63,000 gross registered tons (GRT). Registered in the Netherlands, she carries a multilingual crew of 647 and has a regular passenger capacity of 1,266. The 10 passenger decks are served by 12 elevators. There are 16 outside and five inside cabins with wheelchair access and other provisions for the handicapped.

For further information, check with your local travel agent, or you can call Holland America at 890/426-0327. They also maintain a very informative website at www.hollandamerica.com.

A shorter journey, east to west

For those with less time to commit, or who would prefer to sail from Florida to California, Celebrity Cruises offers a cruise aboard their Infinity with fewer landside days. It departs Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2002.

With seven days at sea mixed in for resting, this journey includes shore-side days at Oranjestad, Aruba, before the canal transit. Stops are made on the Pacific side at Puntarenas, Costa Rica, and the two Mexican ports of Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas before voyage termination at the port of San Diego, California, on Sunday, Nov. 18.

Infinity is a very modern vessel, having been launched in 2001 and incorporating all the latest cruise ship innovations. Scaling out at 91,000 GRT, she, is registered in Liberia, features a multilingual crew of 999 and has a passenger capacity of 1,950. The 11 passenger decks are served by 10 elevators. There are four outside cabins specially designed for handicapped passengers.

As a personal note, I sailed on Infinity to Alaska in September of 2001 and consider her among the finest ships in my experience.

For more details, you can call Celebrity Cruises at 800/437-3111. Your travel agent should have full details, or you can visit their-helpful website at www.celebritycruises.com

14 days west to east

Princess Cruises offers a trans-canal voyage from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale encompassing the dates Nov. 14-29 aboard their Royal Princess. This is the only one of the three adventures listed here which actually makes a call at a port on the continent of South America. The Royal Princess is also the smallest of the three ships.

Port calls are made at Acapulco, Mexico, and Puntarenas, Costa Rica, before the canal transit, with stops on the Caribbean side listed for Cartagena, Colombia, and the island of Aruba before termination at Fort Lauderdale.

Royal Princess was built in 1984 and very extensively refurbished in 1995. Her gross registered tonnage is 45,000, and she has a passenger capacity of 1,200. Registry is in England, and her staff and crew of 520 are all English speaking. There are six elevators to serve her nine passenger decks, and an assortment of both inside and outside cabins are offered with facilities for the handicapped.

This is one of those smaller and more intimate ships which often are referred by many cruise devotees.

Further information awaits you at your local travel agency, or you can call Princess Cruises at 800/421-0522. They also have a fine website at www.princess.com.

Seek and ye shall find

Many more lines and ships offer, trans-Panama cruises' at other times of the year, but these are samplings of a few during the near-Thanksgiving season. Each of the many times I have made this transit it was an awe-inspiring experience. It is an adventure not to be missed:

Whatever cruise line or ship you may consider for such a voyage, I always urge you to obtain the brochure covering that cruise and read it fully from cover to cover (especially the small print in the back), giving due consideration to the various types of travel insurance offered by your wise and experienced travel agent.