Travels With Jane

More cruise deals

Seems like nearly every day I'm writing about more cruise deals. That's not because cruise lines are the only travel companies offering deals; just about every hotel on earth seems to have one now, and amazingly, we're also seeing some air sales.

But the cruise deals seem to be unusually strong, as many experts have reported. Here are a few new ones:

• Pay just $699 and up for 15-day repositioning cruises on Costa. The first leaves Savona, Italy on Dec. 6 for a 15-day cruise to Fort Lauderdale. The second leaves Fort Lauderdale on March 17 for a 17-day sailing to Savona.
• MSC Cruises is offering special rates for Baby Boomers and Seniors on all its 2008/2009 Caribbean sailings; kids sail free in cabins where at least one person is 50 years or older. Prices start at $449 per person, double, plus government fees and surcharges, for a 7-day sailing.
• Throughout October, Carnival Cruise Line will be offering upgrades and discounts on its 2009 cruises via its website and travel agents. www.Carnival.com/recharge.

Last chance for this great deal

Set your clocks: At 8 a.m. Miami time tomorrow, Oct. 1, the Leading Hotels of the World will put rooms on sale for $19.28. It's a limited window: The 6,000 rooms available at many of the group's worldwide hotels can be booked only for 80 minutes. The rate is valid for stays between Nov. 1 and Dec. 15 at participating hotels, and there's a limit of 2 nights per person.

In order to purchase tomorrow, you have to register. You can do so at www.lhw.com/1928.

So why the deal? It's Leading Hotels' 80th birthday (you guessed it, the group was founded in 1928.)

The list of participating hotels includes many of the world's finest lodgings: Villa d'Este in northern Italy; Table Bay in Capetown, South Africa; the Adlon Kempenski in Berlin; the Hay-Adams in Washington, D.C.,  the Alex Hotel in New York City; and right here at home, the Biltmore.

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Photo: Biltmore Hotel, Miami Herald Staff

Where do you want to go?

Let's get real: On a Monday. mostly where you may want to go is anyplace but work (though these days, heaven knows, most of us are just happy to have a job!)

If you could be anywhere in the world today, where would you be? Paris? The Rockies? Tanzania?

Share your travel fantasy; we could all use a mental break!

England for $33 a day

Don't gasp, but yes, you can get a hotel room in Britain for a mere $33 per day (and yes, it comes with a private bath and running water!)

This 18 pound (about $33) deal comes from Britannia Hotels for stays through Oct. 17 in its hotels in  London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Blackpool. You must book online by Oct. 1. 

Win a cruise for your whole gang

MSC, which is bringing it's new ship, Orchestra, to South Florida this winter, is giving away a cruise for a crowd. The winner will get four staterooms -- for a total group of 16 people -- on a seven-day cruise during the 2008-2009 season.

To enter, you must submit an essay of 150 words or less  by Oct. 31. Essays will be judged on these criteria, says the company:

• Demonstration of knowledge of MSC Orchestra’s features, area names, Caribbean destinations
• Creativity
• Enthusiasm
• Fit with the theme of “The Orchestra is Coming to Town.”

More details here.

Take a date to London -- for free

Book a roundtrip ticket to London on American Airlines and fly between now and Dec. 31, and AA will give you a free companion ticket from the U.S. to either the Caribbean or the U.K. for travel between Jan. 15 and Dec. 15, 2009. There are some conditions, of course; not every Economy Class ticket applies and you still have to pay various fees and taxes. To register and get more details, go to http://www.aa.com/offers and use promotion code UKCMP.

Not quite what you had in mind? Check out British Airways' deal. Book by Oct. 2 and fly to London on British Airways for $678 roundtrip from Miamiand receive a free stay for up to two nights at selected three and four star hotels across the UK. The deal is based on double occupancy; single occupants receive one free night. Valid for travel Oct. 23, 2008 – Dec. 17, 2008 and Dec. 24, 2008 – Mar. 22, 2009.  Those whopping fees and taxes -- up to $260 per person -- cost extra. See details.

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Photo: Associated Press

Hot spots where the $ still goes far

We're all always looking for the next hot, smart destination...but we can't always afford it. Travel + Leisure magazine may have help. In it's October issue, the magazine spotlights 25 emerging destinations where you can still get real value for your dollar.

The only catch: You might have to cash in some frequent flier miles to get to them; some are on the other side of the globe. (The good news: Some are pretty close to South Florida.)

Here's the list. Don't worry if you haven't heard of most of them; that's the idea!

Mazatlán, Mexico
Pranburi, Thailand
Marquesas, South Pacific
Andaman Islands, India
Boracay, Philippines
Borneo, Indonesia
Con Dao, Vietnam
Sumbawa Island, Indonesia
Porta Vila, Vanuatu
Port Willunga, South Australia
Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Paphos + Limassol, Cyprus
Alaçati, Turkey
Gozo, Malta
Sozopol, Bulgaria
Lamu, Kenya
Larache, Morocco
Musandam Peninsula, Oman
São Miguel Dos Milagres, Brazil
Big Corn Island, Nicaragua
Campeche, Mexico
Caye Caulkes, Belize
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Isabela Island, Galápagos
Zapallar, Chile

Go cheap (or free!) in Orlando

  Heading up to the parks? Get there before the end of the month and you can take advantage of Orlando's own Restaurant Month, with three-course pre-fixe dinners for $19 or $29. Among the 50 restaurants participating are Emeril's Tchoup Chop, Roy's Hawaiian Fusion, Oceanaire, Bice, Graze Orlando and Flemings Prime Steakhouse.

Spending a long weekend? Stay two nights, get the third free as part of Orlando's Endless Summer Promotion, good through Nov. 15. See a list of participating hotels.

If you can wait until 2009, you can get into Disney parks in Florida or California on your birthday for free. (Don't pass out.) Visitors will have to show valid identification and proof of birth date to qualify. See the details;  and register your birthday visit in advance.

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AP Photo

Coming soon: New Miami hotel

The last time a new MIami hotel project opened early was just about...never. Yet in December, the Epic will open five months early.

The reason, said execs on a morning hard-hat tour of the downtown tower: As construction in South Florida has slowed, labor has become more readily available. So instead of opening to guests in  May 2009, the hotel will open Dec. 15 and begin taking guests Jan. 1. Starting rate: $399.

If you remember the old Dupont hotel downtown, you know the location: on the Miami River, near the mouth, on the "downtown'' side of the Brickell Bridge. That riverfront location gives it something no other hotel in town offers: 800 feet of marina suitable for water-tour pick-ups, speed boats and your 100-foot-yacht. (It's not designed for permanent tie-ups but for guests.)

On this morning's tour, we were able to see a standard guest room: 425 square feet plus balcony, muted earth tones in sophisticated styling, and a spa-style bathroom with separate water closet, rainshower head in the spacious shower, separate tub and a "window'' into the bedroom. (Execs swear the window shade is a blackout so you won't bother your partner; if you stay there, let us know how it works.)

Though it's not the cheeriest time in the economy to be opening up a hotel, Kimpton COO Niki Leondakis said they're expecting marketing efforts in Europe and South America and the chain's specialty in small-group meetings will pay off.

The 411-room Epic is Kimpton's first property in Miami. (The company briefly managed the Mayfair in the Grove.) If you don't know Kimpton, you'll want to check them out. Based in the Northwest, Kimpton opened the country's first boutique hotels 27 years ago; though many are still out west, three are in New York. Along with hip styling, distinctive personality and (generally) smaller size hotels, Kimpton offers friendly touches like a nightly wine hour, pet-friendly service (they'll deliver a goldfish to your room if you're feeling lonely), and free or at-cost access to those basics you often forget, like tweezers, contact solution and nail polish remover -- exactly the items I nearly always forget.

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Photo courtesy of Kimpton.

AA frequent fliers move to front of the line

Want to zip through security in that priority line that first and biz-class passengers use? If you're an American Airlines elite flier, you can do so beginning Sept. 30. AirPass and full-fare economy fliers -- known as a Y fare -- and oneworld Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby passengers also get the special treatment.

The  Priority AAccess program was announced in a press release today. It's not quite as big a deal as the release makes out; Gold, Platinum and Executive Platinum fliers and oneworld elites already check in at the Business or First Class counter. As of Sept. 30, Y fares can as well. The same goes for plane boarding lines; elite fliers have long used the Biz/First boarding line, but Ys are now included.

The Priority security line will be offered at Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago O'Hare, MIA, Los Angeles, New York JFK, New York LaGuardia, San Francisco, Boston and San Juan.