Princess Cruises

Thirty minutes into my morning jog on a high-tech treadmill overlooking an indigo Caribbean 12 decks below, the ship's intercom boomed the commencement of a vegetable-carving demonstration to be followed by the daily Jackpot Bingo game. The muscular guy sweating blissfully on the stair-climber next to me shot me a they-must-be-kidding smirk and I returned a smug snicker. We were "now" cruisers - youngish, active, doers not spectators. Cucumber bunnies and bingo seemed so old-fashioned for a spiffy new ship like the Sun Princess, where the programmable treadmills took your pulse from the warmth of your hand and a "virtual" golf center let you "play" some of the world's best courses via 12-foot video screens.

Large-Ship Cruise Lines As voted by Travel + Leisure readers for the magazine's 15th annual World's Best Awards (previous year's ranking in parentheses): 1. Crystal Cruises (1) 2. Regent Seven Seas (2) 3. Oceania Cruises (3) 4. Disney Cruise Line (4) 5. Azamara Cruises (5) 6. Cunard (8) 7. Celebrity Cruises (6) 8. Holland America Line (7) 9. Royal Caribbean International (10) 10. Princess Cruises (9)

Question: I am hoping you can help me get a refund for a cruise that my husband and I booked last June with Princess Cruises. Jim, my husband, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the spring. At the time we booked the cruise, his doctors at the hospital were very optimistic about his prognosis. He visited the hospital on a monthly basis for checkups. He had finished his chemo treatment at that time and was being monitored. He was given five years or more to live, and we were ecstatic.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Princess Cruises said Monday that it is surprised and disappointed that the Falkland Islands government turned away its Star Princess ship because a small number of people on board have stomach flu. The decision came as Argentina and Britain engage in a diplomatic row over the islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas. Brazil, Chile and Uruguay have agreed to support Argentina by turning away any ship flying the Falklands flag. Hundreds of citizens of these countries are among the 3,562 passengers and crew on board.

From one-day cruises to Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, for $59, to an 11- day cruise of Hawaii, Asia and the Pacific for $29,160, the fall-winter cruising season offers something for almost everyone, with new ships, new itineraries and new destinations. There are theme cruises ranging from on-board bridge instruction and tournaments to island-hopping golfing tours. And, you can choose from vessels that are nearly as small as many private yachts or as large as, well, an ocean liner.

Do you know of any cruise ships that go to Hawaii round-trip? My wife won't fly. P.T., Philadelphia Getting to Hawaii by sea is a problem because of the Jones Act, an old law designed to protect the business of American-flag ships, of which there are now very few. The law prohibits passengers who embark at a U.S. port from disembarking at another U.S. port when they are traveling on a foreign-flag ship. Cunard's Sagafjord sailed from Los Angeles this month, with Hawaii being one of its first stops.

Various Catskills resorts are doing things up brown for Thanksgiving and that goes for more than the countless turkeys destined to star on hotel menus. Brown's Resort Hotel at Loch Sheldrake, for example, has Thanksgiving and soap opera festival weekend specials Nov. 24-26 revolving around comedians Sal Richards (Nov. 24) and Freddie Roman (Nov. 26). Soap stars from "Guiding Light," "All My Children" and "Another World" will also be on hand Nov. 26. Special Thanksgiving deals include the first child or teen free when staying with two adults who pay full rate.

Following is a listing of fall/winter cruises to Hawaii, Asia and the Pacific Rim, Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, India and Africa. Last Sunday's travel section contained an extensive guide to most cruises during the coming season to domestic destinations and ports in Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Central and South America, as well as transatlantic crossings. Note: Although the listing includes scheduled cruises to and through the Middle East, conditions in the region may cause cancellations of some itineraries.

Prices for Caribbean cruises are lower than ever. Thanks to the Persian Gulf War, you can save 25 percent to 50 percent on many cruises to the Caribbean and Bermuda. A typical deal is 2-for-1, which means 50 percent off the price of two tickets. Another is 50 percent off a second ticket, which means 25 percent off the price of two tickets. A couple could spend seven days cruising the eastern Caribbean aboard the S.S. Norway for half price: $1,440, instead of $2,880, excluding air fare to Miami, taxes and gratuities.

Chemist charged in faking tests BOSTON - A Massachusetts chemist accused of deliberately faking test results on drug samples in criminal cases was indicted Monday on 27 charges, state Attorney General Martha Coakley said. Annie Dookhan, 35, of Franklin, was indicted by a grand jury on 17 counts of obstruction of justice, eight counts of tampering with evidence, perjury, and pretending to hold a college degree. "We allege that Annie Dookhan tampered with drug evidence and fabricated test results on multiple occasions," state Attorney General Martha Coakley said.

Question: I am hoping you can help me get a refund for a cruise that my husband and I booked last June with Princess Cruises. Jim, my husband, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the spring. At the time we booked the cruise, his doctors at the hospital were very optimistic about his prognosis. He visited the hospital on a monthly basis for checkups. He had finished his chemo treatment at that time and was being monitored. He was given five years or more to live, and we were ecstatic.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Princess Cruises said Monday that it is surprised and disappointed that the Falkland Islands government turned away its Star Princess ship because a small number of people on board have stomach flu. The decision came as Argentina and Britain engage in a diplomatic row over the islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas. Brazil, Chile and Uruguay have agreed to support Argentina by turning away any ship flying the Falklands flag. Hundreds of citizens of these countries are among the 3,562 passengers and crew on board.

Cruises are among the most popular holiday choices in the world. They are unequaled in the value-for-money category, since food and lodging are included. They also go to some of the most popular destinations. Here are the top 10 cruise lines in the world, according to top-10-list.org. 1. Holland America Lines 2. Cunard Lines 3. Crystal Cruises 4. Disney Cruise Lines 5. Regent Seven Seas 6. Oceania Cruises 7. Royal Caribbean Cruises 8. Princess Cruises 9. Celebrity Cruises 10. Silversea Cruises

Amtrak has teamed up with Carnival Cruise Lines and Holland America Line to offer 25 percent discounts on rail travel to vacationers going to and from cruises. The discount program runs through Dec. 31 and is good from any city served by Amtrak to more than a dozen port cities from which Carnival and Holland America ships sail. The "Rail & Cruise" discount applies to the basic rail fare as well as to additional charges if sleeping accommodations are booked on the train. The discount can be combined with Amtrak's existing discounts for children and AAA members, according to Amtrak.

Cruise passengers accustomed to tipping crew members on the final night of the voyage are facing a shift in tradition: tips automatically billed to their cruise account. While luxury cruises have long included tips in the price of the cruise, most mainstream-cruise passengers are used to handing cash-filled envelopes on the final night to stewards, waiters and others who served them regularly. If you weren't sure how much to tip, the ship's purser was always happy to recommend an amount.

With so many new berths being added to a cruise market some suggest is already oversupplied, cruise lines are aggressively discounting to fill their ships. New ships usually book up more readily because of the novelty factor, but a lot of those bookings come at the expense of ships already in service. Early-booking discounts, repeat traveler bonuses, upgrades, air credits, 2-for-1 deals, and the like are becoming common. As with hotel room rates, few cruise passengers pay the full brochure price.

When it comes to romance, what's a thousand or so bloated corpses? Apparently not much. So what if the wildly popular film "Titanic" retells the tragic story of the ship's fatal encounter with an iceberg? The movie still is helping to sell cruise-ship vacations. Cruise companies have reported a record year in sales. The surge began in January, the forecasting month for the year's cruise bookings, which began just weeks after the film's release. Princess Cruises has estimated a 40 percent increase in calls.

The Caribbean is the cruise destination of choice for most people during the fall and winter high season. Hurricane devastation of several traditional ports of call in recent years has forced the cruise lines to add new islands to their itineraries. Of course, some lines also have shifted ports simply to provide more interest for repeat customers who have "been there, done that," as far as the usual Caribbean routes are concerned. Ships also are calling at more Central and South American ports, and an increasing number are making Panama Canal transits or visits.