October 31, 2004 in Travel

Caribbean trip might fit in February

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All you fine people who like to plan well in advance: This one’s for you. February doesn’t qualify as the most pleasant month around these parts, and if you tend to tire of muddy shoes and dreary weather, perhaps you should schedule yourself a little getaway.

Cycling and cruising around the Caribbean might be just the thing to lift your spirits.

Bike and Cruise Tours, a Gresham, Ore., outfit, has a new tour embarking from Miami on Feb. 4 and returning there Feb. 13. You’ll spend your days bicycling on Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, Antigua and Tortola, and your nights on Norwegian Cruise Line’s The Norwegian Spirit. The ship comes complete with all the expected indulgences: pools, hot tubs, spa, restaurants, lounges, etc.

You may be glad for the hot tubs, in particular, as this is the most challenging of Bike and Cruise Tours’ programs. You’ll ride 25 to 30 miles a day, sometimes off-road, and the terrain includes flat stretches, rolling hills and steep climbs. You’ll be the happier traveler if your fitness level is a bit more Lance Armstrong than Louis.

In most ports, you’ll ride out from the pier – on your own bike or one Bike and Cruise Tours provides for you – with your lunch, snacks and water blazing the trail in the support vehicle.

You’ll have a two-hour lunch and snorkeling break on the beach, then head on back to the boat.

Norwegian Cruise Line offers what it calls “freestyle” cruising, which does away with some of the onboard tyranny. Wear “formal evening” or “resort casual” attire, whatever that means, and eat when you want, where you want, with whomever you want, and, presumably, as much as you want. It’s all included in the price of the cruise, as are the tour guides, transportation, port taxes and evening entertainment.

Prices start at $1,155 per person and you need to book your trip by Nov. 15. Do that by calling (503) 252-3699 or visiting www.bikeandcruise.com.

Cold catch

Keep that 2005 calendar out and consider cruising to chillier climes.

Cruise West will guarantee its lowest rate if you book and pay for an Alaska trip by Dec. 10 for departure before June 15. Savings could total as much as $3,600 per couple, and some discounts will also be available through Feb. 25.

With its small ships – ranging in capacity from 70 to 114 passengers – Cruise West can navigate more remote waterways as narrow as just a few hundred feet. The ship captains take a leisurely approach, so when nature puts on a particularly good show, you can hang around to enjoy it.

Be forewarned, though. While you may see whales, bald eagles, glaciers and tiny fishing villages, you’ll have to forego the spa, casino and sequin-laden entertainment of larger cruises.

Seems like a reasonable tradeoff to me.

An exploration leader presents lectures on any number of topics – regional history, cultures, wildlife, and geology – and outings on inflatable “excursion crafts” get you closer to the action.

You can choose from among 12 different Alaska itineraries, lasting from four to 25 days. “Alaska’s Inside Passage,” for instance, travels north from Ketchikan to Juneau for nine days, stopping at Metlakatla, Petersburg, Sitka, Skagway and Haines. You’ll explore Glacier Bay National Park and watch for whales in Frederick Sound, starting at $3,799 per person.

“Voyage to the Bering Sea” sails round trip from Anchorage. Over the course of 14 days, you’ll check out Kodiak and Dutch Harbor, look for whales, sea lions, fur seals, puffins and the avian residents of area national wildlife refuges, and, if conditions permit, cross the Arctic Circle. That’ll run you around $7,799 per person. A shorter tour, “Glacier Wonderland” with its two dozen or so glaciers, takes five days and costs $1,349 per person.

Find out more at (800) 888-9378 or www.cruisewest.com.

Garden party

Here’s one more thing to lure you out of town in February.

The Inland Empire Gardeners are taking their annual trip to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle from Feb. 9 to 11, and you’re invited to tag along.

This is North America’s third largest spring flower show, and it’s replete with eight acres’ worth of display gardens, seminars, demonstrations and hundreds of commercial exhibits.

“It’s really a fabulous event,” says Chris Sheppard, Inland Empire Gardeners’ club secretary. “You see the cutting edge of what’s going on in gardening.”

The $345 per person price tag includes round trip airfare on Alaska Airlines, two nights of double occupancy at the Paramount Deluxe Hotel and two tickets to the flower show.

If you’re dragging along an unwilling companion, don’t worry. The garden people have thought of that.

“There’s a beer garden,” Sheppard says. “That’s the only way I can get my husband to go.”

Learn more about the show at www.gardenshow.com. To sign up for the trip, call 535-8434. A $175 deposit holds your spot.

Regional events

• Cut Bank Winter Festival, Nov. 20, Cut Bank, Mont. Crafts, food, 10,000 lights and a parade down Main Street. (406-873-4041/ www.cutbankchamber.com)

• Moments to Remember: A Celebration of Lights, Nov. 26 and 27, Ellensburg. Parades, pictures with Santa, lighting ceremony and more holiday fun. (888-925-2204/ www.ellensburg.ws)

• Christmas Bazaar II, Dec. 4, Twisp, Wash. Locally crafted holiday gifts on display at the Methow Valley Community Center. (509-996-2926/ www.methow.com)

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