Mexico Cruises on Hold or Diverted Due to Swine Flu

If you've got an upcoming cruise to Mexico, it may be canceled due to the Swine Flu breakout down there. If only some of the ports of call are in Mexico, you may be diverted to other ports (such as San Diego or Santa Catalina).

According to an article in the LA Times, Carnival, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Princess Cruises and Holland America--all major cruise lines--are all making this decision.

If you have a Mexico cruise scheduled for the next few weeks (or a Caribbean/Panama Canal cruise that is visiting one or more Mexican ports as part of its itinerary), you'll have to check with your specific cruise line to find out what their policy is going to be for cancellations, postponements, rerouting, etc.

More information:

• Health Officials Suggest You Skip Trips to Mexico


• NCL Travel Advisory (regarding Mexico stops)


• Princess Cruises Swine Flu Statement


• Carnival Cruises Statement Regarding Swine Influenza


• Royal Caribbean Swine Flu Itinerary Updates


• Holland America Travel Advisories

What Is a Cruise Tour?

If you search for cruises at Travelocity or other sites that let you book cruises, you may see something called a "cruise tour" advertised in addition to regular ocean-going vacation packages. So, what's the deal? What is a cruise tour?

Cruise Tours

A cruise tour is a vacation package that combines a ship-board cruise with an escorted land-based tour.

For example, you might book an Alaska cruise tour which would start on a ship in Vancouver or Seattle, sailing north past those stunning glaciers and stopping in several coastal ports. Then after perhaps 7 days, you'd leave the ship in Anchorage and travel by train or bus to inland sights such as the Denali National Park, the historic town of Dawson, and the city of Fairbanks.

Cruise tours are generally longer than plain old cruises, starting at 10 days or so (at least for the Alaska area) and being as long as two weeks.

For the land portion, many of your meals are included, but you'll be eating at restaurants and such instead of in a dining room that travels with you, and some meals will not be included. Lodgings and transportation are all included though, so it's still a pretty economical way to see the world.

Luxury Cruise in the South Pacific Visits Bora Bora

We've talked quite a bit about how affordable cruises can be, but if luxury is more your style, there are lots of great opportunities to get away from it all in an exclusive setting. If you like the idea of a tropical and warm destination, but find Hawaii and the Caribbean a little too passé, then consider a cruise in the South Pacific.

Bora Bora

Most people have heard of the Tahiti Polynesian island of Bora Bora, but few have visited. Its remoteness makes it less accessible from the U.S., but that remoteness also offers a lot of seclusion you can no longer find in spots such as Hawaii.

You'll find all your favorite relaxation and/or adventure activities here though: scuba diving, swimming, snorkeling, surfing, parasailing, and safari excursions to name a few. And of course you may just want to get a massage, settle into a lounge chair by the beach, or hit a few tennis balls too.

Luxury Bora Bora Cruises

As far as cruises go, you can find multi-week South Pacific cruises that leave from the mainland and include Bora Bora as one of a handful of stops, but if you'd prefer the yacht-sized experience of a luxury cruise line, you may want to check into Nomade yachting by Bora Bora Cruises.



Founded in 2003 by a young Polynesian woman with a love for her country's seas and lagoons, Nomade yachting sails weekly around four of the Leeward Islands: Bora Bora: The Supreme Island, Taha'a: The Orchid Island, Raiatea: The Sacred Island, and Huahine: The Island of Bards. For the small boutique vacation experience, choose from its two custom-built luxury super yachts, and be prepared for a unique South Pacific vacation.