Luxe Cruises

By Jen Karetnick

Fellow Miamians, chances are you’ve been on cruises, from party-boat jaunts to “nowhere” to rapid-fire Caribbean tours. Or at least read about them — especially about the dangers of going on one, which seem to range from attacks from misguided pirates to gastrointestinal bacteria.

Now, take all that you’ve seen and heard and flush it down the nearest body of water. Because if you haven’t sailed on the Regent Seven Seas ship Paul Gauguin, touring Tahiti, Bora Bora and the Tuamotu Islands, you haven’t cruised in properly relaxed French Polynesian style. We’re talking spot-on six-star service, private balconies, spacious staterooms, a watersports marina, a gorgeous spa and three different dining venues.

Or, if you’re a gastronomic adventurer, you can get your feet wet on the Holland America Line. After partnering with Food & Wine magazine, each ship now features a Culinary Arts Center with state-of-the-art show kitchens, plasma video screens and cooking display counters. Guests can learn interactively about the traditional dishes of their ports-of-call, as well as take seminars from renowned chefs, cookbook authors and wine experts on each sailing.

Booze cruises? Thieves? Stomach ailments? You really can leave them all behind.

For help booking a luxe cruise, consult:
Sharon Socherman
Cruise Planners/American Express Travel
305-255-1552; 1-800-822-5430
www.travelwithsharon.com