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Show tow! The Daily Herald c Sunday, October 30, 1994 Polar cruises: a new breed of adventure Avoiding crime while on the road By ARLINE BLEECKER By JACK SEVERSON Knight-Ridde- r Associated Press Writer Newspapers Remember when travel was just. well, fun? You know jump in the cur. hop on a plane or train, and go somewhere, almost ;iny where, and have a good tunc; get away from the cares of everyday life, see new pi kes, and leave worries behind. It's not that those days are gone, there is still a lot of fun, a lot of pleasure in travel. It's just that, in many it's nowhere near as care-fre- e as it once was. A review of news reports over the last several months bears that out. Travelers (news reports always call them tourists) have been the target of crime and violence around the world in Egypt, Algeria, Jamaica, Russia, Brazil and many other countries. Here at home, travelers particu'arly foreign visitors have been robbed, beaten and killed in some of this nation's most popular tourism destinations, including, of course, Florida and California. Cities, states and nations have beefed up police and taken other steps to increase traveler safety in tourist areas. Most crimes visited upon travelers, however, are of the nonviolent type, usually in- volving pickpocketing 10 and theft. But. with a little planning and vigilance, most people can travel safely and avoid being crime victims, both at home and abroad. First, let's look at what you do beand should can fore setting off on a trip. You probably already know the basics: Suspend newspaper deliveries; ask the post office to hold your mail; ask a neighbor to remove circulars and other advertising pieces from your steps; put a few lights on timers that allow for varying the on and off times each day. If it's winter and you live where it may snow, arrange to have your and driveway, if sidewalk shoveled. you have one Next, make a couple of co- pies of your travel documents, including: every page of your airline tickets; the first two pages of your passport (if headed abioad); and any vouchers for hotel rooms, rental cars, meals, event tickets, or anything else for which you have paid in advance. Plan to keep these copies sep- from the originals throughout your trip, stashing arate one set in your suitcase and maybe one in your carry-o- n bag. Should the originals be lost or stolen, the copies will help eliminate problems and speed replacement. Carrying .two extra passport-siz- e photos will also expedite replacement of your passport should it be stolen or lost. Also, record the account numbers of your credit cards as well as the toll-fre- e numbers to call to report lost and keep or stolen cards that record apart from the cards themselves. And while we're on the subject of credit cards, carry only the cards you'll need. Cards for local stores or restaurants and gasoline credit cards (if you're going abroad) aren't going to do you any good, so why take them and risk their loss? Leave them home. unAlso to be left home less you're going to be attendare ing some royal function your valuable jewelry, expensive watches, and any other valuables that would make you a target for a mugging or robbery or the burglary of your room. Now, look at your luggage. Do you have luggage tags? Are your name, address and phone number on them? ever Shame on you! Never and address home put your phone number on a luggage tag, including those paper if' AP Photo Morning sun casts a warm glow over Mt. McKinley in Alaska. The mountain is also known as Denali. Denali National Park offers visitors a beautiful view of wildlife and color. Alaska is a popular destination for many polar cruise ships. Overnights: Antidote to By ARLINE BLEECKER Orlando Sentinel One of the principal frustrations of cruising is how little time is spent in port. Not everyone may agree but, frankly, I've been to feature films that last longer than some port stops I've made. A port stop at the island Myko-no- s in the Aegean Sea, for examg ple, was so brief that some had time passengers only for coffee in a cafe ashore before tendering back for the ship's deslow-movin- parture. I've shared this observation with many a ship's captain, one of whom admitted jokingly (I think) that if cruise lines' marketing mav-en- s had their way, ships would be spending even less time in each and they would be making port two or more stops a day! He said ports and more ports are what most passengers want, collecting destination visits like so many notches on a gun handle. It's a scary thought. Actually, I think passengers preferences are divided. There are those who would happily flit through as many ports as possible, but there also are those who prefer seeing as much of a port as possi- ble. Part of the reason ships depart i.orts early, according to candid hotel manager, Vis-tafjor- is to get passengers back onto a ship with enough time to spend more money aboard it. That's the reason why on most cruises you'll hardly ever have time to enjoy nightlife ashore. Then, of course, there's this limitation: Cruise ships visit only port cities. For passengers, this means they never get to penetrate a country much beyond its borders. I've often imagined that someone traveling the globe exclusively by ship might envision a map of the world as resembling nothing more than shoreline. Even extended land excursions are mostly vicarious, with bus tours carrying passengers hither and yon offering barely enough time to pause for pictures, much less to absorb local culture. Recently, though, some cruise lines are trying to give passengers deeper immersion of sorts. Princess Cruises' excursions, for example, transport passengers overland from Hamburg to Berlin, or from Le Havre, France, all the way to Paris. Royal Cruise Lines buses them from coastal Caldera through Costa Rica's mountains into San Jose. Holland America's western Mediterranean cruise to Naples gives passengers a chance to poke around at Pompeii; and Mexico cruises routinely delight passengers with inland visits to the ruins of Tulum or Chichen Itza. Some such trips, however, can require up to seven hours on a bus just for a mere peek at a city. To allow more time for immersion at a port, more ships are introducing midcruise "overnights" to let passengers linger. Seabourn ll-Jk- ,,,,, five-minu- te ow Vis-tafjo- rd itineraries to Vietnam include The Horizon, Meridian and weekly trips to tiny Bermuda, where they stay two nights in Hamilton. Passengers can come and go freely from the ship much as they would a hotel. But, for what it's worth, here are examples of films that might help to enlighten you as to the area you'll be visiting on your cruise: "The Vikings," starring Kirk Douglas, has great Norway footage. Seeing "Becket" before visiting Canterbury Cathedral will greatly enhance your appreciation of it. If you're visiting Karen Blix-en- 's house near Copenhagen, consider watching "Out of Africa" Shook the AP Photo Thousands of tourists travel each year by cruise ships such as this one. In spite of being luxurious ship. CUtCONOXARK MrCKTAJtX CKaJSTMAS v NOII. MM It is bright or VrouRsl vtraveL Deluxe Motorcoach Touts FROM Dec. 28 DAYS 4 Gnu rnlfeiiiiurniD $559 Air from SIC $460 A cdl Our 20 27-2- 1995 SLC0n.t 20 RaUptr person douocowrcy. Sun Left! Las Vegas & Laughlin 1995 February 5 Short & Days WildDec. 3 Left! Depart! from SIC. Featuring National Date Festival 1995 February 20-2- $353 374-948- 0 (See AVOID, Page C12) . . . m and much more. 7 Dec. I 12-1- 3 n. Swiit 3 n. 38-Ja- DO YOUF Fly Pkc. Days Dec. 31 -- Jan. now to secure air space) Brochures Now Huailable 1 xy V .5 i.--n Francisco rns. :rrc:i Jan, 21 -- Tm. 2, 1 Me p.p. 99 City Tow, fttaiwr China Town, Hatfeor ., Ptmm famtam Feb. HAWAII 1 3-2- B, 1 1 ROSE PARADE Feb. 8-- B, 1 4, 1995 ROSE PARADE DEC in SPECTACULAR 4, 1995 OF THE OPERA AND ROSE PARADE TOUR DEC 2. 1995 PHANTOM I. i COME FLY WITH US ROSE PARADE DEC 3, 1995 (Denver) PHANTOM OP THE OPERA JAN 1995 LAUGHUNLAS VEGAS GETAWAY JAN 1995 995 day option) JUL'!-- 1 AHD SAN DIEGO EXTRAVAGANZA DEC Yellowstone Getaway Feb. 'It, CHRISTMAS SHOPPING EARLY 2 Round Trip Airfare, Accommodations: Rnehiem Hilton, Oisneyland OR Uniuersal Studios, Reserued Grand Stand Rose Parade Seats, PostHeuleui of Floats. Feb. 2 k:38 " 994 Stage Coach Inn, Heated Snoivcoach, Profettlonal Guides, Prime Rib Olnner 17-1- 9 SAIOON April 3 A May 2 cfTQ BROADWAY Theater Pkg (NYC) April 1- CA1UL CSUiS3 Feb t April 26 Sun ? RiverCruise, Bills, Disneyland OR Mesquite, Uniuersal Studios, Reserued Grand Stand Rose Parade Seats, Las Degas. $209 Call For Free Brochure - I Y1LLOWITOHE IN THE WINTER Feb. 3 $1899 ' 27-Ja- Owahu, Hawaii, (Kauai $224 Hawaii DAYS DaysDec. Ms. 1 First Class Accommodations, 7 Meals, Captain's Dinner Cruise, Sea World, Wild Bills, Knottsberry Farm, Uniuersal Studios, Disney land, San Diego Zoo OR Tijuana, Reserued Grand Stand Rose Parade Seats, Uirgin Riuer Casino. CrviM 0, Am from JL Book by Nov. 15 Phantom 11 r. $695 Fly In Option JANUARY BEST parade seats Lawrence Welk dinnershow Catalina OR Disneyland & more Feb. a Rose Parade Tour Lawrence Welk Resort & Show Crystal Cathedral Pageant December 28 January 4, 1995 More Than $1 739 Feb. 22 Am from SLC I T (Call ' DAYS y ROSE PARADES! Deluxe 1st Class 8 (g CHRISTMAS Osmond Family, Andy Williams, Shoji Tabuchi, Glen Campbell, Stars of Lawrence Welk, 1 retro-reflecti- costumes. Cmi8, KMMMn'i Jantam, 7 OZARK MOUNTAIN IMr Ooflr City, MMe 4 Continental i Lontk. O 5 otnmir. safest to wear $1,149 DAVS C. 5 Days S899 p.p. 1-- 8 SB-DE- lop cnHtism tttaw, SMJ) TstttcM, a4tf mmwBt, luretc luetic, MM TUMc, Dollywood, Nashville, Opryland Dranson witn Andy Williams Osmonds, & Shoji Tabuchi December 1994 $949 and relaxing, many tourists would like to have more port stops. t J World." "The Diary of Anne Frank" depicts Amsterdam's humanity; for Stockholm, there's "The Prize"; and for Devil's Island, try "Papil-lon- " ' and "Passage to Marseille. ' If you're stopping at Skagway, Alaska, see "Never Cry Wolf," which was filmed in a wilderness just a stone's throw from Skagway over the Canadian border. You even can drive there on your own from Skagway and be back in plenty of time to catch your departing vy ... for its revealing biography. "Reds" and "Dr. Zhivago" have great scenes of St. Petersburg's Winter Palace and Senate Square. An even better film of historic St. Petersburg, though, is the narrated documentary "Ten Days That 7 3 1 Song of America all make regular 3 n " overnights in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Haiphong. great Christmas shows (Shoji, Grand Palace & Morel) Resort hotel plus 10 meals Dinner cruise & light displays 28-Ja- 'mzww mt& Copenhagen, giving passengers 10 Dec. J&Mff the opportunity to thrill to sights such as Tivoli's midnight fireworks. And the Pearl's Far East RCL Carbbean Cruise Dec. WW Wm visits that city for one overnight stay, and also overnights in Hotorcoach Tour Only 4 Seats Lot! 9 "" w- Pride, for example, spends two nights docked on the Neva River in St. Petersburg, Russia, a walk from the Hermitage. since 8Sf 14-1- (See POLAR, Page C12) port stops too-sho- rt Rose Parade VvlEBB m Breaking the ice the conventional way can be challenging enough on any cruise. The adventuresome, on a however, can do it literally real When it's winter in North America, it's summer in Antarctica, and polar cruising is an ideal way to witness the stark beauty of the frozen continent. In its inhospitable season, Antarctica has been described as the coldest, driest, windiest place on Earth. December, however, is the when height of Austral summer the sea surrounding the Antarctic peninsula relinquish- - . 3'. I EUROPE Royd Prtnces 18-2- S PrInoeM CrubMt HAWAIIAN CRUISE January 26 - Feb. 4 $2,598 p.p. IDS Temple Tour Oct. 1 CrtorWrtta 1995 Frankfurt, Germar.y, Freiburg Germany, Ueme Switzerland, london (ngland 17-2- 8, 2122 WMtt 5400 louth 8LC, Utah 84118 - Mm ti MIU49a9 |