Book cruise tours in advance and make sure

If you’re considering taking a Princess Cruises Caribbean or Panama Canal trip this season, you can now reserve your in-port excursions in advance, with a new pre-cruise reservation option for local shore tours.Princess says it is the first cruise line to offer this service on regular sailings to these regions.

The new program lets you choose from more than 280 shore options, including snorkeling, sailing, sightseeing or golfing, before you sail. Passengers may book all or some of their tour selections by advance reservation. If you can’t make up your mind until the last minute, shore excursions will continue to be available for booking throughout each sailing. Princess is also using the system to gauge interest in specific tours, and to request extra capacity on particularly popular excursions.

“Passengers can now pre-reserve tours in virtually every cruise destination we offer,” says Rick James, senior vice president of customer service and sales. “The option has already proven very popular with our passengers on Europe, Exotic and Alaska cruises, which all feature advance tour bookings.”

Cruise passengers will receive a reservation form with all available shore excurons about 70 days before sailing. You can then choose one or more tour options in each port, and pick your preferred time of departure. Tours are booked and a confirmation form sent with your cruise documents. Tickets for each tour will be issued onboard the ship and delivered to the your stateroom on embarkation day. All tour fees will be charged to your shipboard account, which, alas, is payable at the end of the cruise.

The 800-passenger Marco Polo is a four-star luxury liner with a classic exterior profile that characterizes a vessel in the grand ocean liner tradition. Sweeping decks allow plenty of room for penguin, seal and whale watching. The elegant Art Deco interiors offer every comfort. Facilities include 425 cabins and suites with televisions, two restaurants, four lounges; a library; casino; health club; beauty center; swimming pool and Jacuzzis.

Early booking is recommended as capacity is strictly limited during Antarctic cruises. With countdown to January 1, 2000, underway and Millennium cruises booking fast; Orient Lines’ astonishing “Millennium 2000” cruise is already attracting those who want to enter the new millennium with the spirit of adventure.