LOTS OF OPTIONS FOR A HOLIDAY CRUISE

European Christmas Market (AMAWaterways)

With the holidays fast approaching, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is spotlighting all the great choices you have to celebrate at sea. Here's a sampling from the list they've compiled:

• Discover venerable Christmas traditions on the great rivers of Europe: AMAWaterways, Avalon Waterways and the Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection all have holiday voyages on the Rhine, Main, Danube and other rivers that flow through Austria, Germany, France, Hungary, Switzerland and the Netherlands. In addition to the great churches, music and cultural traditions that have shaped much of America’s celebration of Christmas, many of the trips feature the historic Christmas markets where tourists mingle with local residents in cobblestoned village squares to shop for handcrafted ornaments and celebrate the season with mulled wine, Schnapps, gingerbread, pastries and sweets.

• Spend the holidays with Mickey and all the other Disney characters: Disney Cruise Line will have four ships celebrating the holidays in the Caribbean, making five- to eight-night voyages from such ports as Miami, Galveston and Port Canaveral.


• Go yachting in the Caribbean: SeaDream Yacht Club’s two luxurious 110-passenger yachts will offer seven-night voyages departing December 22, from St. Thomas to Puerto Rico or Puerto Rico to St. Thomas, showcasing many of the Caribbean’s smallest and most exclusive islands, including St. Barts, Jost van Dyke, Montserratt, Saba, St. John and Virgin Gorda. Windstar Cruises also offers holiday voyages in the Caribbean but on modern, elegant sailing ships, and the ultra-luxurious Yachts of Seabourn will pamper travelers with fine dining, festive activities and romantic destinations in the Caribbean as well.

• Escape to the South Seas: Paul Gauguin Cruises features Tahiti and the Society Islands in the South Pacific where guests can save as much as 50 percent, including airfare from Los Angeles, on seven-night sailings to such romantic destinations as Moorea, Bora Bora, and Papeete. For young travelers, Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ambassadors of the Environment Youth Program which explores the sea life of the region is an extra treat.

• Discover the Amazon: Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ all-balcony Seven Seas Mariner will make a 22-night cruise from Rio de Janeiro to Miami departing December 16. In addition to several Caribbean islands, the centerpiece of the voyage is the legendary Amazon River. Regent also offers a 21-night South Pacific Secrets voyage from Bali to Auckland departing December 19.

• Ring in the New Year in Sydney, Australia: Crystal Cruises will treat passengers to the world’s largest fireworks display from under the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge. The 16-day itinerary begins December 20 in Auckland, New Zealand. Crystal also offers a 14-day, port-intensive Caribbean holiday cruise departing December 21 from Miami and featuring seven islands as well as Key West.

• Sail to the bottom of the world for Christmas and New Year’s: Holland America Line’s Veendam departs December 20 from Rio de Janeiro for Antarctica, calls at Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Puerto Madryn, the Drake Passage, Cape Horn and Strait of Magellan before arriving on South America’s west coast in Puerto Montt, Chile.