SUSAN R. POLLACK

Special to The Jewish News

U

ll ntil three years ago, the
closest Dr. Gene Snider
came to cruising was on a
small boat on the Detroit
River. Not even persistent urging over
the years by his trusted travel agent
and patient, Maxine Weinberg, could
get him to vacation aboard the big,
ocean-going ships.
Now, the retired West Bloomfield
physician counts himself proudly
among the ranks of hardcore cruise-
aholics.
Veterans of 10 cruises and booked
on their 11th in August (although
they'll probably sail away sooner on a
spontaneous winter cruise), Snider
and his wife, Kit, a photographer, are
on a first-name basis with the captain
of their favorite ship, Crystal
Harmony, one of the poshest vessels
afloat.
For the Sniders, cruising represents
a relaxing way to sample many fasci-
nating destinations, shmooze with fel-
low discriminating travelers, enjoy
upscale amenities, soak up onboard
lectures — and unpack only once.
"It's a lot easier at sea — you get to
see a lot more," says Snider, an avid
bird watcher whose sea-going adven-
tures have included stops in India, the
Middle East, Europe, South America
and Africa. "You also meet a lot of
nice, sophisticated people. Everyone
[on Crystal's two 940-passenger ships]
is either a professional or a CEO."
Weinberg, owner of TravelMax in
Farmington Hills and a veteran of 70
cruises herself, says, "You don't have
to worry about where you eat, or
wonder if what you're eating today
was fetching the newspaper yesterday.
Cruises are a safe haven, especially in
Third World countries."
These days, many of Weinberg's
clients, like the Sniders and Sandy
and Jay Stark of Bloomfield Hills,
have graduated to 12-day or longer
cruises. After couples get their feet
wet, so to speak, on shorter 4- and 7-
day cruises around the Caribbean,
they increasingly choose to cruise the
Mediterranean, Scandinavia and other
faraway locales. Besides Crystal, luxu-
ry-class cruise lines that appeal to
Jewish travelers include Silversea,

Seabourn, Radisson Seven Seas and
Windstar's computerized sailing ships,
according to Weinberg and several
other local travel agents. Other popu-
lar lines include Princess, Royal
Caribbean International and
Celebrity, as well as the kid-friendly
Disney and Carnival lines.
The Mediterranean and Alaska are
shaping up as the hottest destinations
for summer 1999, the travel agents
say, and it's not too soon to make
reservations for ringing-in-the-
Millennium cruises. Some, such as
the ultra-luxurious Seabourn Pride
and Seabourn Legend, sold out long
ago.
If you've never taken a cruise or it's
been awhile since you last shipped
out, you'll find that many of today's
floating resorts offer more suites with
private balconies, dining options
beyond the traditional first- and sec-
ond-seatings and personalized butler
service, even on some of the larger
vessels.
Superliners — as in the 2,600-pas-
senger Grand Princess, the world's
largest and most expensive cruise ship
(picture 18 decks and 710 private bal-
conies!) — are making a big splash
these days. Launched last May for
seasonal Mediterranean and
Caribbean sailings, the Grand
Princess boasts a boatload of trend-
setting firsts: a wedding chapel, a vir-
tual-reality arcade, a swim-against-
the-current lap pool, a digital photo
studio and a Southwestern cuisine
restaurant. The $450-
million ship, too big
to negotiate the
Panama Canal, also
introduced a telemedi-
cine program linked to
Cedars-Sinai Medical
Center in Los Angeles
and duplicate opera-
tional/technical sys-
tems that ensure con-
tinued operation even
in emergencies.
If this sounds just
too grandiose, fans of
the "Love Boat" line
may opt for several
smaller siblings,
including the new 14-
story Sea Princess, car-
rying 1,950 passengers

On previous page:
Shown is Carnival Cruise
Line's Destiny, a sister ship to
the Carnival's Triumph,
which enters service in mid-
July with room for 2,758
passengers. At left is a view of
the Destiny's water slide and
just below are two of the
ships pools.

Far below, the Crystal
Harmony ship presents
Broadway-sle musicals fea-
turing lavish costumes and
impeccable staging.

12/2

1995

Detroit Jewish News L9