Tauck has unveiled its line-up of small ship ocean cruises for 2010 and the company’s offerings for the coming year are highlighted by a new 8-day voyage in Iceland aboard the all-new Le Boreal, a sleek 264-person yacht slated to launch next May.

The new Iceland cruise, “Iceland: Land Of Fire And Ice” (from $5,790 per person, plus air), serves a destination that Tauck’s customers have expressed strong interest in visiting, said company CEO Dan Mahar. “Our guests have been asking us for years to offer a program in Iceland, but until now we couldn’t do it – the country’s hotel infrastructure wouldn’t allow us to provide the level of quality, comfort and amenities that people have come to expect from Tauck,” said Mahar. “However, with the upcoming launch of Le Boreal, we’ll be able to bring the necessary infrastructure along with us.”

“And although this is a new ship and a new destination, our Iceland cruise will still reflect Tauck’s signature style of cruising,” added Mahar, who explained that the most distinguishing characteristic of Tauck cruising is the company’s all-inclusive pricing policy. Included in the price of the new Iceland cruise, for example, are all shore excursions (a $1,355 value, per person), all meals, all gratuities, wine with dinners, nightly cocktail hours, taxes, port charges and much more.

The Silver Whisper is pure luxury. Carrying just 388 passengers it provides an intimate atmosphere and boasts the line’s exceptional service and amenities. This is an all-suite vessel, and all accommodations boast ocean views. Suites feature larger walk-in closets and larger bathrooms with double vanity areas and separate showers. There’s an expanded spa and fitness area, a computer center and conference center. A poolside grill offers a casual alternative for daytime dining. Le Champagne is a wine bar, while The Humidor, by Davidoff, is a cozy gathering place with deep sofas, brandy and a selection of fine cigars.

Like other Silversea ships, the Silver Whisper has a bistro-style Terrace Cafe that offers breakfast and lunch buffets as well as evening meals that accent gourmet Italian, French and Asian cuisine. The main restaurant, which has an open-seating dining policy, features award-winning fare inspired by the line’s partnership with Relais & Châteaux and luxurious table settings of Christofle silverware and Frette linens. A selection of complimentary wines, spirits and champagnes is served throughout the ship.

Read ExpertCruiser’s Silver Whisper review.

Adventurous senior citizens Fred and Willa Kubasta were excited when they booked their South American dream cruise on Holland America Line’s Amsterdam. The 38-day voyage leaving in March would sail from Buenos Aires to Seattle and visit numerous exotic ports of call along the way.

But a few days after booking their vacation, the couple was surprised by their travel agent showing them a letter from Holland America saying the couple must receive yellow fever immunizations in order to be able to board the ship. Holland America’s letter insisted immunizations were required because the vessel visited Ecuador.

Willa Kubasta was perplexed.

“We cruised from Ecuador to Costa Rica last May on Princess Cruises and didn’t run into this problem,” she said. Kubasta was also angry with her travel agent for not advising the couple regarding the additional expenses of Brazilian visas and yellow fever immunizations – both items would tack an additional $400 to the cost of the trip.

“By not pointing out these requirements I was not given the option of whether or not I wanted to book under those conditions. I am now faced with having to eat my cruise deposit,” said Kubasta.

(A cruise deposit is required to secure space on a sailing. Holland America has a no-penalty cancellation period from 75 days before departure, but the Kubasta’s were past that point and faced losing their entire deposit that was well over $1,000.)

The couple was obligated to get the Brazilian visas, but the yellow fever shot was another story

Yellow Fever

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yellow fever is a viral disease that is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Illness ranges in severity from an influenza-like syndrome to severe hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever. The CDC has a list of countries where travelers are advised to get a yellow fever vaccine prior to visiting.

Still, the yellow fever vaccine carries risks that Willa Kubasta is all too familiar with. Her late husband nearly died from a grand mal seizure brought on by a reaction to the vaccine and she has had issues in the past with immunizations. Kubasta did a little digging and discovered that the CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) have guidelines on who should not take the vaccine. Both organizations do not recommend yellow fever shots for those over 60 years of age, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and infants under 9 months.

Since she’s 75 and her husband is 76 she wonders why Holland America isn’t going by CDC and WHO guidelines?

It’s a good question, so I contacted Holland America on the couple’s behalf.

Holland America responds

I spoke with Sarah Scoltock, a Holland America representative. Scoltock says the cruise line is not contradicting WHO or CDC guidelines and that the company advises all of its guests of general vaccination requirements of the countries visited on their itineraries. “We cannot issue individual vaccination requirements based on each guest’s specific age, medical condition or other factors. It is up to the guest to discuss the risks vs. benefits of required vaccinations with his/her health provider,” she said.

Holland America’s policy states that if a physician concludes that a yellow fever vaccine should not be administered for medical reasons only, the traveler needs to get an exemption letter and bring it with them on the ship. The exemption letter must be signed and dated on the physician’s letterhead stationery and it should bear the stamp used by health department and official immunization centers to validate the ICVP (International Certificate of Vaccine or Prophylaxis).

Reasons other than medical contraindications are not acceptable for exemption from vaccination. The traveler should be advised that issuance of a waiver does not guarantee that the destination country will accept it; on arrival at the destination the traveler may be faced with quarantine, refusal of entry or vaccination on site.

This is one case where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The Kubasta’s research and dogged pursuit in finding out the real facts went a long way toward keeping their health and their dream cruise hassle-free.

The pirate attack on Oceania’s Nautica has the cruise industry re-thinking it’s Middle Eastern cruise schedule.

German cruise operator Hapag-Lloyd is so concerned about a pirate attack on one of its ships that it is unloading passengers in Hodeidah, Yemen. Instead of sailing onboard the MS Columbus passengers will now spend three days in Yemen and then fly to Salalah, Oman to reconnect with the MS. Columbus and finish their journey into Dubai. The report comes from the son of a passenger onboard the MS Columbus who posted the account on iReport.com.

MS Columbus was on a scheduled 19-day voyage from Genoa, Italy to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In the past week the vessel had transited the Suez Canal and stopped a various ports of call along the Red Sea. The 15,000-ton MS Columbus carries 420 passengers and 190 crew. The vessel is now transiting the Gulf of Aden with 50 crew. Good luck to them!

Stay tuned for more info.