In the American cruise market, the small ships (Regent, Seabourn, Silversea) charge whopping prices, and only the giant behemoths (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC, Norwegian, etc.) have cheap rates. But that was before Voyages of Discovery came onto the scene.

Voyages of Discovery was created in 2003 by the well-known British cruise entrepreneur, Gerry Harrod (founder of the well-known Orient Lines), but it has only recently reached out into the U.S. for American business (its American office is at 1800 S.E. 10th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale 33316; tel. 866/623-2689; www.voyagesofdiscovery.com). V.O.D.'s two ships are, first, the 600-passenger, 20,000-ton MV Discovery (a baby by today's cruiseship standards) built in 1972 but totally refitted in 2003; and second, the 10,400-ton, 500-passenger Ocean Majesty, first built in 1966 but completely refitted (with small but functional cabins) in 1994. Unlike the unwieldy, massive, 3,000 and 4,000-passenger boxes that Carnival and Royal Caribbean are foisting on us, the Discovery and Ocean Majesty are small enough to enter remote harbors. And therein lies a tale.

Mr. Harrod has apparently decided to concentrate on little-visited ports, and to carry distinguished scholars of the destinations to which his ships go. His cruises may not be as intellectually lofty as Swan Hellenic's or those operated by Martin Randall (see our earlier posts), but they come close (and charge a great deal less). And Voyages of Discovery has decided to price early-spring cruises aboard the 500-passenger Ocean Majesty at from $150 to $200-a-day per person in inside cabins -- a real breakthrough -- including round-trip airfare between London and the Mediterranean port at which the ship leaves and to which it returns.

"You will be accompanied during your voyage," the cruiseline says, "by a highly-acclaimed group of lecturers and guest speakers, including a team from BBC History Magazine on the Red Sea Discovery cruise." (Most of your fellow passengers will be British).

Four departures on the Ocean Majesty from March until May, 2008, are especial values:

March 20, 2008: The "Black Sea Explorer." From £599 ($1,200) per person sharing a double cabin, for 9 days, including airfare from London to Athens, where you will board the ship in Piraeus, the port of Athens, and then sail to Canakkale, Nesebur, Odessa, Sevastopol, Yalta, Istanbul (overnight stay) and Lavrion, from which you will be flown back to London.

April 11, 2008: The "Red Sea Discovery." From £599 ($1200) per person sharing a double cabin, for 9 days, including airfare from London to Sharm el-Sheikh, from which you will sail to Aqaba (two night stay), then Safaga, the Suez Canal (daytime transit), and Alexandria (overnight stay), flying back to London from Cairo Airport.

April 19, 2008: "North African Odyssey." From £999 ($2,000) per person sharing a double cabin, for 14 days, including airfare from London to Alexandria (overnight stay), Benghazi, Al Khums, Tripoli, Valletta, Taormina (Sicily), Civitavecchia (Rome), Livorno, Ajaccio, Barcelona, and Mahon, from which you will be flown back to London.

April 11, 2008: "Grand Voyage to the Red Sea and North Africa." From £1,399 ($2,800) per person sharing a double cabin, for 22 days, including airfare from London to the Mediterranean to commence a three-week adventure that combines the Red Sea Discovery (see above) with the "North African Odyssey" (again, see above).

While you don't have a lot of time to book these March and early April departures, the value is so great that I hope you'll consider them. I'm excited to be bringing this news to you, and suggest that you'll want to follow the offers made for future months (from May on) by this moderately priced British line.

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Labels: cruise, smart tours