If you have a Discover credit card, you’re already familiar with the cashback bonus program. Basically, you rack up bucks as you use the card. Periodically, Discover sends out offers on how to spend these dollars–which the company will also redeem as credit against your bill.

Yesterday I got a mailing offering to increase the cashback bonus if it was spent on a gift certificate. For instance, $40 on a restaurant gift certificate might get you a $50 gift certificate.

Cruise lines were on the list. I did not go over the list thoroughly but the reward was substantial. A $40 cashback bonus on a cruise line got you an $80 gift certificate. I am not sure all that this applies to or how it can be used…but it’s one of the best deals Discover is offering on its cashbacks into gift certificates program.

The recent case of a cruise ship being denied access to certain ports because some passengers on the ship had swine flu brings up a frequently asked question. How healthy are cruise ships?

If you’re a cruise denizen, you probably know about noroviruses. This is a type of virus, sort of like the flu, that sometimes breaks out on a cruise ship. It causes flu-like symptoms.

One reason you may hear more about cruise ship outbreaks of illness than other types is that the law in the U.S. requires cruise ships to report such things, and the media generally picks up on them. If the same such illness broke out at a resort or in a casino or a health spa, it would not have to be reported in the same way.

While it’s good that the government keeps tabs on the health of cruise passengers, it can create the mistaken impression that some illnesses are unique to cruise ships. They’re not. Most of these viruses (the swine flu virus, noroviruses, even regular flu viruses) don’t really care where they are. They do the same thing on a cruise ship as in a casino. The only difference is that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, and what happens ohn a cruise ship is on the 6 o’clock news.

Any time you are in close quarters with lots of other people, there is a risk of catching an infectious illness. Most of us are around people a good bit of the time: at work (particularly if you work at a big company), shopping, at school. When we travel, our time on airplanes, buses, taxis, and in hotels exposes us to germs left by other people. A cruise ship is like any of these crowded environments.

So what can you do? The first thing is not to get “cruise stupid.” Cruise stupidity occurs when you’re so glad to be in the somewhat “unreal” atmosphere of a cruise ship (away at sea among people who pamper you and wait on you hand and foot) that you forget common sense. I’ve seen people do things on cruise ships they would never do on land–like leave a purse unattended in a crowded club (for hours), get drunk with strangers in a remote location, and so on.

But there’s another “cruise stupid” thing you can do: stop washing your hands. Here are some tips that apply to you everywhere but especially if you are on a cruise (or in any crowded atmosphere):

• Use an alcohol-based handrub (the waterless hand sanitizers) whenever you come in contact with surfaces that could be germy–think of TV remote controls, countertops, railings, elevator buttons, doorknobs, and so on. Believe it or not, this stuff works better at killing germs than washing the hands–and it’s easier on the hands, too, if you use the kind with emollients.
• Wash your hands after using the bathroom and before you eat. I know, I know. If you’re on a cruise ship, you eat every hour or so … but do wash your hands. This removes soil, dirt, debris, and germs. If you wash your hands, don’t use the alcohol-based rub–it gets diluted and doesn’t work well at all.
• As much as possible, keep your hands out of your mouth and away from your nose and eyes. Most germs prefer to “hitch-hike” rather than travel by air so they would much rather go from surface to hand to mouth than to be airborne. By the way, a germ on your hand can also attack you if it gets in the tender tissue areas around your eyes and nose.
• Don’t think germs have short lifespans. Some types of pathogens (that medicalese for “bug that causes sickness”) can live on the most inhospitable surfaces for up to six months … or longer! That’s right! That means a guy with germy hands who used a phone back around Christmas may have left germs on that phone you picked up today–germs that can still make you sick.
• Chlorine in swimming pools is effective against germs, to a degree, but it’s not 100% perfect. However, most of the time, you don’t have to worry about swimming pools or even hot tubs on  cruise ship.
• You’re more likely to get a handful of germs from railings, doors, counters, and so on. That doesn’t mean you can’t use them–just don’t touch your mouth, nose, or eyes afterward and get to some hand sanitizer as soon as you can.
• By the way, if you’re a nail-biter, give it up for your cruise. The germiest part of your hands is under the nails. If you bite your nails, you’re chowing down on a germ-burger.
• Last but not least: when you use hand sanitizer on your hands–be sure to get some under your nails, between your fingers, and on the thumbs. Those are the most frequently missed areas.

Although I don’t have any statistics, cruise ships are probably one of the safer places to be in terms of viruses but it’s not germ-free, either. Cruise ships are a good environment in that most cruise lines have crew members on constant clean-up. Cleaning products used on cruise lines are designed to help disinfect high-traffic areas. Many cruise ships offer hand sanitizer dispensers at high-traffic points, making it ultra-easy to reduce your contribution to the germ pool. Germs can live a long time on certain surfaces, but cleaning (particularly with certain products) will get rid of them.  Thus, cruise travel is really not bad.

But remember, every new voyage brings a group of new passenger together and some of them may be sick, introducing new germs into the vessel.  Use reasonable precautions, and you should be fine. And remember that cruise ships are scrutinized by the government and media when it comes to outbreaks of illness, but other places where sickness can and does occur (schools, hotels, etc.) are not.

Want to go on a cruise? Like to save a buck? Then you are going to have to hustle.

Norwegian Cruise Lines launches a three-day NOW sale, and I guess it’s pretty well named. You have to act now–June 16-19. The cool part about this summer sale is that it covers a whole range of destinations: Alaska, Bermuda, Bahamas, Caribbean, Canada, Mexican Riveria, and even South America.

The sale includes reduced cruise fares, onboard spending credits (up to $250), 50% off cruise deposits, and the ability to add third to eighth guests for $99 per person.

Adding guests is a phenomenon in which you agree to add people to your cabin. If you can book a double stateroom and sleep three, that third person can travel for $99. And if you ever wanted a suite, it might make sense if you can get enough guests in the suite … remember guests 3 to 8 ride for $99.

By the way, Norwegian also offers a 10% savings on cruises to U.S. military personnel … and that’s in addition to NOW sales deal.

In case you’re not a cruise junkie, Norwegian offers 11 Freestyle cruise ships and the sale applies to nine of them. If you want to check out the specifics deals, call Norwegian (866-234-7350), visit the website, or contact a travel agency.

But hurry … it’s over on Friday!!

Want to watch a cruise ship get renovated? Princess has a cool video blog on its website chronicling the event. Check it out here at:

http://www.princess.com/dawndrydock/index.html

Can you believe it’s 40 years that Princess Cruises has been sailing out of the port of San Francisco? The cruise line just celebrated its 40th anniversary on June 3, 2009.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom declared it Princess Cruises Day and bigwigs fro the cruise line met with Rodney Fong, president of the San Francisco Port Commission.

The ship that first set sail from Princess Cruise Lines out of the City by the Bay was the Princess Italia. She was bound for Alaska, still a top destination for Princess today. The image is a successor ship–this is the Sapphire Princess that travels to Alaska right now.

According to people who keep track of this kind of thing, Princess has called on the port of San Francisco about 1000 times and taken over one million passengers from that scenic city to a Pacific cruise.

If you’ve been wanting to try a river cruise in Europe, you won’t find a better deal this summer than the 2-for-1 offers by Viking Cruises (VikingRiverCruises.com). The offer expires on June 15, so you need to book right away.

River cruises work the network of European waterways on smaller ships that allow passengers to see cities and sights not available to the mega-cruisers. Since these ships travel by river, the pace is more leisurely and it is not unusual for their to be daily port visits.

Smaller ships have their own unique ambience. While it’s true you may forego some big-ship attractions like casinos, multiple swimming pools, and revue-type extravaganza shows, you are more likely to get to know your fellow passengers and enjoy a higher level of personalized service.

Plus you can get some itineraries that just aren’t available anywhere else. Some Viking Cruises now being advertised include trips from Paris to Le Havre, from Basel to Antwerp, from Nuremberg to Vienna, and from Moscow to St. Petersburg.

Okay, there is no Lobster-Town, except maybe in my own imagination. To me, the whole of the New England Coast even stretching northward up into Canada makes me think of fall foliage, rustic scenery, and, well, lobster.

Princess Cruises just announced in 2010 Canada and New England schedule. Princess has two ships that work this coast: the Caribbean Princess and the Crown Princess.  These two vessels will have three itineraries available for 15 different departure dates. According to Jan Swartz, VP of Princess, these two ships are the largest and “most amenity-filled” vessels at Princess.

You can go round-trip (NY to NY) on the Caribbean Princess on a 7-day cruise, or you can go on the Crown Princess NY to Quebec City for 10 days. The third itinerary is on the Crown Princess (13 days).

The Roundtrip (Caribbean Princess) will offer ports of Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor (which is gateway to Acadia National Park), Saint John (Bay of Fundy) and Halifax.

The Classic calls on Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor, Saint John, Halifax, Sydney (Nova Scotia) and Ville Saguenay with an overnight stay in Quebec City. You’ll travel on Crown Princess.

The third itinerary is called Canada & Colonial America and it’s by far the most extensive (13 days). It starts in Quebec City (overnight stay) and goes to Ville Saguenay, Halifax, Bar Harbor, Boston, Newport, Brooklyn, Norfolk, and Charleston before delivering you to Fort Lauderdale.

Tell me you couldn’t find some lobster on those routes.

In 2008, 906,000 Germans took a cruise vacation. That’s nearly a million cruisers. And even with the economic downturn, analysts are predicted an 11% upsurge in 2009. Accommodating this burgeoning new market is the TUI Cruise Fleet, which just partnered with Royal Caribbean to launch its first ship. It’s called Mein Schiff which, even if your German is rusty, you should still be able to deciper (”My Ship”). By the way, the ship got its name in a naming contest.

After the inaugural cruise, Mein Schiff will sail the Baltic in the summer of 2009 and then reposition to the Caribbean for the winter, with a home port in the Dominican Republic.

In 2010-2011, Mein Schiff will offer Nordic Seas itiniaries (including Iceland) as well as Eastern and Western Mediterranean including the Rock of Gibralter, Canary Islands, and Morocco.

Mein Schiff accommodates 1,914 passengers and was formerly the Celebrity Galaxy of the Celebrity Cruise line. The ship got a complete makeover and is completely tailored to meet the tastes and expectations of a mainly German clientele.

What’s one of the hottest new cruise markets on earth? Brazil. In 2001, Brazil had about 70,000 cruisers, but in 2008, they logged 500,000–a spectacular growth rate that has caused the cruise industry to sit up and take notice.

“Today, Brazil is one of the largest cruise markets in the world, with more than 15 dedicated ships from leading global cruise brands based in the region for the peak winter months,” stated Michael Bayley of Royal Caribbean. RC is particularly tuned into the Brazilian growth in that Ricardo Amaral, the managing director for RC in Brazil, has just been named president of Abremar. Abremar is the Brazilian associatio of cruise lines.

So what does that mean for the average global cruise passenger? Brazil is working on developing more cruise ports so it may show up more as a destination. In addition, Brazilian cruise lines are going to take on increasing prominence.  Abremar currently represents 15 companies, including Costa Cruises, RC, and a variety of travel agencies.

RC has Brazilian ports on the docket for this season (2009-2010) for Vision of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas.

Princess Cruise lines has just announced that Golden Princess is ready for her close-up. Actually, the ship has been in drydock for the past three weeks for a renovation and update. This is a pretty normal thing for cruise ships every now and then, but Golden Princess did this “in public.” You could see shots of the facelift every day on Princess.com and get the full story at http://www.princess.com/goldendrydock.

Passengers might be interested at the updates: a new atrium, a new Sanctuary (an updated, adults-only lounge area), a poolside movie theater (called “Movies under the Stars”), and a new steak and seafood grill restaurant. But hardcore cruise fans might have liked to see the ship’s hull with propellers out of the water and silicone underwater painting. And neat-freaks might like to know that in those three weeks, hundreds of pieces of furniture were reupholstered.

The Golden Princess will be back in service on September 12 to Alaska.