Hear accounts of bloody betrayal, catastrophic shipwrecks, gruesome executions, and of course, terrifying encounters with ghosts and specters, as you sail the dark waters of Boston Harbor on Boston's Ghost Cruise. Sail to the actual sites and listen to tales told by a professional troupe --18th century privateers and sailors, fishwives and doxies who bring the legends and folklore of Boston to life. Cruise leaves and returns to Long Wharf. The five remaining cruises run on Oct. 30 and 31. Adults pay $32 and children 12 and younger pay $25 in advance. Call 781-784-7469.

Photo courtesy Boston Ghost Cruise

America's marketing kings appear to believe that we just can't get enough of cougars. Television, for instance, is chock full. Saturday Night Live has a regularly running bit called "The Cougar Den'' about a fictional talk show, hosted by a group middle-aged women on the prowl; last spring TV Land brought us the reality show "The Cougar''; and this season we get ABC's "Cougar Town,'' and CBS's "Accidentally on Purpose.''

Now, Carnival Cruises, Singles Travel Company, and Society of Single Professionals bring you the first International Cougar Cruise on Dec. 4-7, departing from San Diego and headed to Ensenada, Mexico. The voyage will take place aboard Carnival’s Fun Ship Elation, and rates begin at $125 per person, double-occupancy, plus port charges and government fees.

Besides all the regular shipboard amenities, passengers who sign up through the Single Travel Company will get invitations to a series of shipboard parties. And the guest of honor will be Miss Cougar America, Gloria Navarro, 42, of Redwood City, Calif.
Here's to you, coo, coo, ca-choo.

Amid a general travel industry slump, Vacationoutlet.com is springing a one-day sale on a five-night cruise departing Oct. 22 from Boston to Bermuda aboard Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas.

What kinds of discounts? Interior rooms, formerly priced at $599, will be sold for $549; oceanviews will go for $649, down from $699; balcony accommodations for $799, instead of $879.

Actually, this deal gets even a bit better, as the travel website was already offering discounts of as much as $100, depending on the price level of the room. And, according to David Crooks, a company spokesman, those reductions can be used with the sale prices -- which means, say, in the case of a oceanview room, an additional $50 off the $649 sale price, bringing the fare down $599.

This sale started at midnight and will continue till midnight tonight. Crooks says there are also free upgrades available.

While the discounts are pretty good, this cruise represents an especially good deal for travelers in the area as they can board from here, avoiding airfares to your point of departure.

I've said it before but it remains true: If you can afford to travel this year there are some pretty good opportunities around.

You? A pop star? Of course you can do it. It's all in the equipment, right? Do you really think Britney can sing?

Costa Cruises knows you want to try so it has outfitted its newest ship, the Costa Pacifica, with what it is calling the industry’s first onboard recording studio for passengers.

For about $50 an hour, passengers can sift through a library of 400 songs, then hit the sound booth and record up to three tunes. At the end of the cruise, you get a CD of your efforts.

Sounds like it'll just be recorded karaoke? Costa says that the studio comes with high-tech equipment and a sound engineer, which promises to give you every advantage enjoyed by those pop stars you love to trash. You know. The ones who, unlike you, can't sing.

Starting June 1, the federal government is tightening ID rules for US citizens re-entering the country from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
Till now, if you were coming back into the country from those places by land or sea you only needed to show proof of identity and US citizenship so a driver's license and birth certificate would do it. If you were flying in you basically needed a passport.
After June 1, all will need a passport, passport card, or other approved ID (here's where you can find a list).
Right now, the government says it takes about four to six weeks to process a full passport application or two to three weeks if you're willing to pay for expedited service. Applications for passport cards, which are cheaper but can only be used for land or sea travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean region, and Bermuda but not for international air travel (If you're interested, I wrote about the difference last year), take about four to six weeks.
If you still have a little time before your trip and are a Patriots fan, the team is sponsoring a special night on June 4 from 4-8 p.m. at which travelers can apply for a passport at Gillette Stadium’s Fidelity Investments Clubhouse. The event is free. The team is sponsoring the event to promote its Oct. 25 exhibition game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium in London. If fact, everyone who shows up to apply for a passport will become eligible to win two free tickets to the game.

AP file photo

As I've been saying for a while, if you can afford to go on vacation this year there are great deals out there on flights and hotels . And that goes for cruises, too.

For months press releases flogging cruise deals have been drifting in over the transom and as we got deeper into spring the deals have been getting better and better. Johanna Jainchill, who covers cruising for Travel Weekly and is writing USA Today's Cruise Log this week, quotes Norwegian Cruise Lines CEO Kevin Sheehan, say prices are “ridiculously low”. Some examples:

CruiseOne is offering a seven-night Holland American Line cruise from Seward, Alaska starting at $349.

America's Vacation Center (AVC) is advertising seven-night Alaska cruises starting at $399 on both Holland and Princess Cruises, and a seven-night Celebrity cruise out of Seward on June 5 that starts at $449 - with a free coupon book for onboard spending.

Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean’s senior vice president of sales, said Royal’s seven-night Alaska cruise on the Radiance of the Seas, starting at $499 in July, would cost “more than double” a year ago.

I'm not a big cruise guy but if you are and can still get your hands on a little scratch start shopping.

It sounds like I’m on a rocketship blasting off for the stars. But the XS1 is a water-bound sleek, 75-foot long, 18-foot wide, $1-million houseboat that chugs along at a top speed of eight mph. That’s fine, because when you’re on the extraordinarily picturesque waters of Lake Mead, you want to go slow and easy.
I’d come late last summer to check out houseboating – my first-ever such experience – and in particular Forever Resorts million-dollar baby, which comes spread over three floors and includes six private staterooms, two and a half baths, a seven-person hot tub and all the scenic splendor you can handle on this gigantic lake formed by Hoover Dam.
Forever Resorts is all over the west, including here at Callville Bay Resort and Marina, a clean and serene Lake Mead port that’s about a 40-minute drive from the cacophony of Las Vegas. The company’s new daily rate pricing is in effect at its 12 marinas in Arizona, Nevada, California, Texas and Missouri, ranging from $436 to $2,114 for its fleet of 250 boats, even the high end not that daunting when you load up a boat and divvy up the cost accordingly.
The beauty of houseboating is that you can put in anywhere on the lake’s shore, and with Lake Mead’s 550 miles of shoreline, it’s not hard to find a spot. You beach the craft, drive a few stakes start barbecuing steaks; the boats come with gas-grills and fully equipped kitchens. From here, available water sports include water skiing, bombing across the lake in high-flying and quad-burning personal watercrafts, or just chilling by fishing.

Harvey Robbins’s 17th annual Doo-Wop and Rock ’n’ Roll Boston-to-Bermuda cruise will be May 22-29, aboard the Norwegian Spirit, sailing from Boston to Bermuda. There will be three concerts during the week, and performers will include singers from the Jive Five, the Midnighters, the Tune Weavers, and the Interludes. Private parties and meet-and-greet sessions with the singers are included. Rates start at $836 per person.
For bookings that include the shows, call 978-256-6472 or 800-772-0847.
Posted by Richard P. Carpenter, Globe correspondent
.

With Norwegian Cruise Line’s Freestyle Resolution promotion, families who book a cruise through March 15 on many NCL sailings can take their children along at rates beginning at $99 each. (Among summer departures is the seven-day Boston-Bermuda cruise aboard the Norwegian Spirit, starting at $599.) Families will also get up to a $250 credit for shore excursions, specialty dinners, spa treatments, casino play, and other activities.
Posted by Richard P. Carpenter, Globe correspondent

An April 14 six-night sailing of the Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southampton, England, begins at $815 for an inside cabin (or even less for those who acted after receiving a mailing from Cunard). Remember that a cruise fare includes meals and entertainment, along with a host of amenities — not that there won’t be ample opportunity to spend more once onboard. For more information check the line's website or call 800-728-6273.
Posted by Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Correspondent

CruiseCompete seeks to find the best deal at no cost to the traveler. After creating an account, you can anonymously request quotes on sailings you are interested in. Independent travel agents will respond with their best offers, and the website e-mails you when each new quote is available. You then pick which agent or agents to phone or e-mail for more information or to book.
By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe correspondent

It’s been nearly a month since the official 50th birthday for Alaska, which became a state on Jan. 3, 1959. But opportunities to visit will be ever more appealing in the warmer seasons. Cruise West, one of the world’s leading providers of small-ship specialty cruises and the largest American-owned cruise line, is celebrating Alaska’s golden anniversary with 89 cruises offering 10 itineraries. Cruise West ships top out at 138 guests, allowing what it calls more up-close, casual, and personal cruising than larger ships can offer. There must be something to their claim, since it was named the top small-ship cruise line for the fourth straight year in Recommend magazine’s Reader’s Choice Awards. Some of the itineraries will feature guests such as Vic Fischer and Jack Coghill, signers of the statehood document; Tony Knowles, a former governor; Iditarod sled-dog race champion Dick Mackey, and a selection of Alaskan entertainers. The food options will draw on the bounty of Alaska, with breakfasts featuring birch tree syrup (who knew?), preserves made from local berries, and locally roasted coffees, and dinners offering salmon, black cod, halibut and crab. The 10 itineraries run from four to 25 days and offer options to emphasize time at sea, land exploration, or learning about indigenous cultures. Early booking discounts are available through Feb. 27, and anyone celebrating their own 50th birthday or wedding anniversary is eligible for an additional credit of $50. Go here or call 800-296-8307 for more information.

Want to take a cruise without leaving a big carbon footprint in your wake? Try a small-ship cruise in southeastern Alaska with Fantasy Cruises.
The Island Spirit, which carries up to 32 passengers in 17 unfussy staterooms, shuts down its engines at night and runs on batteries that have been charged during the day.
Sleeping, anchored quietly in a Alaskan bay or at a cozy harbor town, could be pretty dreamy. There's no rush here. Other advantages of small ships: They can cruise into bays and inlets that larger ships can't. There are dinners and cocktail hours but no need to get dressed up for them. Passengers can get off the boat to kayak, stroll on beaches, and explore towns. The captain can change the itinerary at a moment's notice to take advantage of marine life, the weather, or special events.
While the itinerary is flexible, every all-inclusive tour visits Wrangell, Petersburg, Juneau, and Sitka. (Other destinations are possible.) Departure dates are available in May, June, and July and start at $4,495 per person based on double occupancy.

Economic gloom reigns throughout the land. But apparently not on the high seas.
The luxe Silversea cruise line has just announced a 91-day inaugural voyage of its Silver Spirit with prices starting at $39,187 per person, based on double occupancy.
By my reckoning that's more than $13,000 a month.
The Grand Inaugural Voyage will launch on Jan. 21, 2010 and will sail from Fort Lauderdale to LA and back to New York, wending its way to Rio for Carnival, around Cape Horn, by the Mexican Riviera, and through the Panama Canal.
Can't wait? Silversea will begin accepting reservations on Jan. 12. Better start checking under the couch cushions for change.

So you’ve always wanted to party with John Mayer? I’m sure it’s big fun. Ask Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Simpson or Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Turns out that making your dream come true will cost at least $25,000. That’s the starting bid on eBay for a seven-day, six-night vacation, which includes a four-day voyage aboard the Mayercraft Carrier 2 (which looks suspiciously like the Carnival Splendor) for you and three friends, roundtrip airfare to LA, and accommodations at the Casa Del Mar on the Sea of Cortez, both on the night before your voyage and upon your return.
The ship will depart March 27 from San Pedro, Calif., and while on board you’ll get to hang with Mayer (no, not for the whole time; face it, you're not that fun), admission to all concerts on the ship, admission to the One Splendid Evening charity event, and you’ll get John Mayer's signed guitar, along with a complete collection of his CDs and DVDs.
And it’s all for charity. Auction proceeds will go to Musicians on Call, a New York charity, that brings live and recorded music to patients in healthcare facilities.
So you're having second thoughts about John Mayer? You can also bid on vacations that involve Yo Yo Ma, Tony Bennett, Celine Dion, Lang Lang or the Nickelodeon show "iCarly.''
All of the auctions end Thursday at 8:05 p.m.

Amid the slumping economy, another travel deal.
OAT, which specializes in adventure itineraries for the over-50 traveler, is halting single supplement fees for all land tours and some small ship cruises for 2009. To get this deal travel must be booked by Jan. 31 and is limited by availability.
Still for single travelers, this is a big deal as it can amount to savings of hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on the trip.
According to USA Today's Cruise blog, this is part of a larger plan to market to a key audience segment: single women.
An executive of the Boston tour operator that said that single women account for 70 percent of the firm's business, up from 50 percent a few years ago, and that this year OAT expects about 47,000 women customers.
In fact, the company says that it plans to launch a women's only line of vacations soon. So stay tuned.

The Queen Elizabeth 2, arrived in Dubai to start its new life as a floating hotel.
Manfred Ursprunger, CEO of Nakheel's QE2 Enterprises, told the Associated Press it will take two to three years to transform the luxury liner into a hotel.
Plans call for the new hotel to feature several restaurants, a theater, and a spa. Some of the cruiser's famous quarters, like The Queen's Room, The Captain's Quarters and The Bridge will be preserved in its original form.
Nakheel, a Dubai developer and part of Dubai World, plans to dock QE2 along Dubai's artificial, palm-shaped island.

The luxe Regent Seven Seas cruise lines is offering free air fare on Seven Seas Mariner's 2009 Alaska sailings, and Kids (17 and younger) Sail Free voyages from June 24 through Aug. 5. Fares start at $3,198.
The catch?
You have to book by Dec. 31. Here are the details.
One caveat.
This is a good deal and if it seems to be just what you want, grab it.
But be aware that it's not the only deal you will see for this winter travel season. Those of us who write travel stuff are seeing increasing numbers of these deals coming across our desks because of the recent economic downturn.
For many it might be worth sitting tight and keeping your eyes open.

The price of oil has fallen more than 45 percent since the peak in early July. But do the airlines care how this looks? They do not.
Cruise guys, though, apparently do.
Norwegian Cruise Line, following the lead of Royal Caribbean and Carnival, say it will phase out its fuel surcharge.
NCL's fuel-fee-free pledge will apply for bookings made after Nov. 9 for sailings that depart after Dec. 31, 2009.
Now for those sailing next year or those already booked for 2010, the company says it will offer a reimbursement of the fee in the form of an on-board credit if the price of West Texas Intermediate falls below $65 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange two weeks before the start of calendar quarter in which you are sailing (specific dates for each quarter are listed here.)
OK, skeptic that you are, you're probably sitting there thinking that this is all well and good but that NCL and the other lines could simply reinstitute the surcharge anytime they want should the price of oil soar again (and the cruise companies have largely reserved the right to do just that).
They could also simply raise the basic ticket price to offset any rising costs. (Call it the Carnival model. When it announced it was phasing out fuel fees, Carnival also said it would be increasing fares, basically giving with one hand while taking with the other.)
But at least we're seeing an acknowledgment on the part of these companies that keeping these fees amid falling oil prices looks bad. Airline folks, are you taking notes?

Carnival has launched a promotion through November that that lets active and retired military personnel book as many as three Fun Ship staterooms at discounted rates for themselves, friends, and family.
The offer, made in honor of Veteran’s Day, takes place in conjunction with a range of three- to 12-day departures through the end of 2009, including voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii.
Rates start at $159 per person for three-day cruises from Miami and Port Canaveral, Fla., and five-day cruises from New Orleans and Jacksonville, Fla.; from $189 for four-day cruises from Mobile, Ala., and Jacksonville; from $309 per person for seven-day cruises from Miami, Galveston, Texas, and Port Canaveral; and from $359 per person for six-day voyages from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
To qualify you must use code CPM1 and provide proof of service. There are some other restrictions. For additional information and reservations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-227-6482 or visit carnival.com.

Always wanted to cruise Norway? Hurtigruten is now offering a deal to let you do it at a pretty good discount. This from the folks at The New York Times:

Hurtigruten is running a two-for-one sale on its 12-day sailings between now and Dec. 14 for bookings made through Nov. 30. Featuring stops at the university town of Trondheim, the Lofoten archipelago, and Alesund, a city known for its Art Nouveau architecture, the cruise usually has starting rates of $2,299 per person, but that price will instead be applied to two people (who must stay in the same room). The same discount is good for the six- and seven-day itineraries, which have starting rates of $1,299 (per couple). All cruises leave from Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city.

Mickey's headed to Russia. Disney Cruise Line is sending the Disney Magic to St. Petersburg by way of Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. The 12-night Northern European Capitals cruise will depart from Dover, England, in June and July 2010. Rates start at $3,649 per person. If the balmy Mediterranean is more your thing, the Disney Magic will depart from Barcelona for 10- and 11-night cruises in April, May, August, and September 2010 with stops in Malta, Tunis, Corsica, France and Italy. Rates start at $2,529 per person. Looking for something shorter? The Disney Wonder, departing from Port Canaveral, Fla., will take you on 4- and 5-night cruises to the Bahamas, Key West, and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. Rates start at $849-$899 per person. Bon voyage.

Amid declining oil prices, Carnival, a leader in adopting fuel surcharges, plans to halt those levies on new bookings of 2010 cruises starting at the end of the month. Instead it will raise base prices, according to The Miami Herald.
The fees were unpopular with consumers, who complained that the levies made it difficult to determine the actual cost of a cruise (maybe the airlines should start taking notes here).
Carnival also says passengers sailing on 2008 and 2009 voyages -- as well as those already booked for 2010 -- will eligible for reimbursement in the form of an on-board credit if oil closes at $70 or less per barrel for 25 straight days five days before a traveler's departure.
The latest move will apply to the company's Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and The Yachts of Seabourn
Carnival did not say how much it would raise prices after the fee is dropped.

Wine cruises may be a way to save as well as savor. ‘‘Given skyrocketing airline costs and the devaluation of the dollar to the euro, a wine cruise by far offers the wine lover the best value,’’ says Larry Martin, president of Food & Wine Trails, which offers the trips. A typical one-week wine tour of France in 2009 could cost $6,000-$7,000 per person including airfare, but not all meals, entertainment, or gratuities. A Food & Wine Trails wine cruise costs about half that, the company says. For a list of sailings go the company's website or call 800-367-5348.
Posted by Richard C. Carpenter, Globe Correspondent

There will be shore excursions aplenty when Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria depart in January 2010 on their world cruises. Queen Mary 2’s Royal Route of Exploration will chart a new eastbound-westbound route for 101 days featuring 19 maiden ports of call, and three overnight stays (Hong Kong, Sydney, and Cape Town). Queen Victoria’s 99-day Voyage of Discovery includes 11 maiden visits ports of call and three overnights (Sydney, Hong Kong, and Dubai). Fares begin at $21,666 for the 101-day cruise and $21,276 for the 99-day sailing. Those who book by Feb. 28 get a 10 percent early booking discount. It is also possible to book just a segment of either cruise. Optional excursions vary in price.