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.

Norwegian Cruise Lines has announced that starting May 21, 2009, it will start taking reservations for its newest and grandest ship, the Norwegian Epic, which debuts in the 2010-2011 season, based in Miami, Florida, and doing an Eastern and Western Caribbean run. If you’ve traveled with NCL before, you probably know that they’re pretty well known for some bold art on the outsides of their ships. However, no two ships look alike and the Epic art is a pretty radical departure from some of their other ships. The marketing team behind the design says that it borrows from the modern, sophisticated look of the ship’s interior and is meant to help convey the “freestyle” theme of the cruise line.

This is a big ship (4,200 passengers) and it is the line’s newest and swankiest ship. Besides the usual amenities (spa, family-friendly attractions, pools), there are some new things. Epic boasts the first “ice bar”  at sea, the only tube slide and largest bowl slide on a cruise ship, the first ever rappelling wall (for rock climbers) at sea, and lots of bowling (six lanes in two locations).

Wildlife is a big drawing card for Alaskan cruises

If you’re new to cruising, you should know that one of the premier destinations for cruise lines is Alaska. Alaska and cruise ships are a unique combination in that it brings people up close to difficult-to-access regions and allows people to observe wildlife and unbelievable natural scenery from the comfort of a cruise ship. Most cruise lines are actively working to preserve rather than negatively impact the Alaskan environment. And when it comes to Alaska, you can only cruise there in the summer months. Even at the peak of summer, it can still be a chilly destination.

Anyway, Alaskan cruising has begun. And it’s a very important time for the great state of Alaska, too. This is the 50th anniversary of Alaskan statehood.

Princess Cruises features some unique dining experiences for Alaskan cruisers including smoked salmon and Alaskan crab quiche for a “Glacier Bay Champagne Breakfast.” Since Alaskan fishing is renowned the world over, expect a lot of seafood, including crab, salmon, trout. But you can also find game on the menu, like Princess’s “Alaskan Dinner” which features seafood soup, salmon, and loin of venison. If you’re not much of a fish fan or find fish boring, wait till you get to on-deck fish barbecues and rockfish chowder cook-offs, also included on Princess cruises to Alaska.

In case you didn’t know it, Alaskans are also great fans of bear. Expect to find things like Alaskan Amber and Alaskan Summer Ale on menus.

Alaska season generally runs from May to October. It’s not too late to book! I’ve never met anyone–not one person–who cruised to Alaska and did not come home recommending the cruise to others.

Short Stuff

Book a cruise on Celebrity Cruises or Azamara Cruises in the month of May 2009, and you get price protection. That means if a lower-priced deal occurs between now and your sailing, you can get the lower price (up to 48 hours before sailng). It’s called “Azamara Assurance” or “The Celebrity Starring-You Promise.”

Carnival is debuting “Your Choice Dining,” which means three different dinner seatings. Beyond the typical “early” and “late” seatings, passengers can opt for “your time.” Your time allows a guest to pick a time between 5:45 and 9:30 p.m. and can also select the desired table size want. Most guests are seated when they arrive at the dining room, but Carnival cautions that a short wait may sometimes be required (guests are given a pager if this happens so they don’t have to stand around in the dining room). Right now, “your time” is offered on five Carnival ships but plans are to extend it to the full line by summer of next year (2010).

Royal Carribean Cruises reported better-than-expected earnings for the first quarter of 2009.

Princess Cruise Lines is adding two more ships to the Carribean starting in summer 2010, which will expand Princess Carribean options to a total of five itineraries. Princess will port these cruises out of New York and Florida.

Swine flu concerns change porting plans for Mexico

Late in the day on Apl 28, Royal Carribean Cruises and Celebrity Cruises both announced that they will temporarily suspend calling on ports in Mexico in the wake of the recent swine flu outbreak.

Royal Carribean (RC) has four ships that regularly travel to Mexico: Enchantment of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, and Mariner of the Seas. There were also plans for two other ships (Serenade of thye Seas and Radiance of the Seas) to port in Mexico, but they have been repositioned and will not land in Mexico.

Celebrity Cruises had planned on Celebrity Infinity visiting Mexico on an upcoming repositioning voyage.

These voyages will still take place, either with alternative port(s) of call or additional days at sea. Mariner of the Seas is getting a whole new itinerary, visiting Canada and the West Coast of the U.S.

This change goes into effect immediately and will be maintained until further notice.

The chief medical officer at RC, Dr. Art Diskin, said, “Authorities have not raised specific concerns regarding the ports we visit in Mexico, but we want to err on the side of caution. We’re taking proactive steps onboard our ships to help ensure the health and well-being of our guests and crew members, nd this is just one more step in that process.”

Both cruise lines have apologized for the inconvenience and disruption these changes have caused, and both hope the cruising public understands that these changes were not made lightly.

Swine flu outbreaks continue around the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta currently report that 64 U.S. citizens have confirmed cases of swine flu and more outbreaks are reported at various countries around the world, including New Zealand and Spain. The hardest hit area to date is around Mexico City, Mexico.

The  CDC currently advises U.S. citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Mexico. For the latest and most accurate information on cruises going to Mexico, please contact the cruise line directly. This kind of news can change very quickly.

Casinos on cruise ships are nothing new. Royal Caribbean cruise passengers on tours of four days or more in 2009 can participate in the Royal Poker Tour. The poker kitty includes cash prizes and a free cruise. The pool is expected to be around $100,000.

If slot machines are more your speed, passengers in 2009 can join in the Club Royale Slot Tournaments for cash awards from $6,000 to $15,000. Slot tournaments will be on selected voyages starting with the May 30, 2009 Grandeur of the Seas five-day journey to the Bahamas (sailing from Norfolk, Virginia).

Other voyages can be found on the website and include trips to the Bahamas, Canada and New England, and several Caribbean trips. The top 100 players have the option of joining the invitational 2009 Master Tournaments on August 15, 2998 (Liberty of the Seas, out of Miami, Eastern Caribbean).

If blackjack is your game, the blackjack masters tournmanets are May 9 and October 24 aboard the Liberty of the Seas (Eastern Caribbean, out of Miami).

Qualified players can get onboard comps, will receive RC’s Casino Royale newsletter with updates on the tournaments, and may get some special offers for casino-type tours. More specifics are at the company website (royalcaribbean.com), just search out Club Royale. 

This post is only for people who (a) know what Twitter is and (b) don’t find it annoying. OK, I don’t find Twitter annoying, but I just normally don’t have time for it. However, if you are into Twitter, many cruise lines are present there–you can follow Norwegian Cruise Lines, Carnival, and Princess. Azamara is present with a message that they’re coming soon and there probably are more.

If you don’t know what Twitter is, go to Twitter.com and sign up. It’s free and pretty self-explanatory. The goal is to “follow” people to see what they’re up to.

Okay, this strikes me as a bit unusual but the prestigious New York film festival, Tribeca, has an official cruise line. It’s Cunard.

The Tribeca Film Festival is slated for April 22 to May 3, 2009 in New York City. The goal of the Tribeca program is to be a venue for top films and independents to get critical and industry attention–plus they sell tickets to movie lovers who can manage to wrangle a seat here and there. This year, Tribeca intends to screen about 80 films. For film fanatics, a strong suit of the Tribeca festival has always been documentaries.

That’s how Cunard got involved with Tribeca in the first place. No, the Tribeca Film Festival isn’t taking place on a cruise ship. Cunard has joined te ranks of sponsors and is sponsoring the World Documentary Competition. The 12 best documentary films entered into the Tribeca Film Festival will be screened to find the Best Documentary Film and Best New Documentary Filmmaker, with Cunard as sponsor.

In addition to financial support to the festival and prize money, Cunard is also going to invite the best new documentary filmmaker on a cruise.

Cunard is offering a Tribeca Film Festival enrichment cruise (November 2, 2009 and again April 29, 2010). The idea is to bring together actors, directors, film makers, and some top Tribeca screenings to a special transatlantic cruise, including the 2009 best new documentary filmmaker winner.

For those interested in enrichment cruises on Cunard Lines, go to cunard.com and check out “Insights.”

Floating Vietnamese Market on Mekong River

Azamara is a relatively newcomer to the cruise industry but it has such a strong presence because of its focus. It’s a small cruise line, for one thing, and it boasts of its small ships that can visit ports where other larger ships cannot travel. It’s a high-luxury line (every stateroom includes butler service), but it’s not a formal line. It tends to be both casual and high-end.

This April, Azamara just unveiled its Asia season for 2010-11 with cruises that will call on Indian, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Singabore, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Japan, and South Korea. In Beijing and Hong Kong, passenger can extend their stay with cruise tour packages.

The first voyage in the winter of 2010-11 is a repositioning cruise from Athens to Singapore that stops in Alexandria (Egypt), Cochin (India), Phuket (Thailand), Dubai (U.A.E.), Bombay (India) and a passage through the Suez Canal. Around Christmas, the first of six Southeast Asian voyages launch running from Singapore to Hong Kong.

The line is also offering two 12-night Northeast Asian cruises (Hong Kong to Shanghai) in March 2011 which have completely different itineraries and could be purchased together for a 24-day sailing–which includes China, Japan, and South Korea in one voyage.

For more details, contact Azamaracruises.com.