Fort Lauderdale´s Port Everglades reopened to daytime vessel traffic late last week, but the Port of Miami remained closed following the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. Carnival Cruise Lines altered the Aug. 28 departure of the Carnival Miracle, pulling the ship from Tampa to avoid running into Hurricane Katrina.

A new passenger ferry service linking Barbados and several other eastern Caribbean islands will be launched next month, a local official said earlier this week. The Star Ferries inter-island service will be based between Barbados and the French territory of Guadeloupe and will make stops in St. Lucia, Dominica and Martinique, said Reynold McClean, CEO of Remac Tours, a Barbadian company that will operate the service.

Travelers who can grab vacation time on short notice can cruise to Mexico for as little as $99 on a Carnival ship transferred temporarily to Galveston after Hurricane Katrina closed the Port of New Orleans. Carnival´s 2,052-passenger Sensation, based in New Orleans, will depart Galveston Thursday on a four-day voyage to Cozumel. The Sensation will again depart Galveston on Monday for a five-day cruise to Calica/Playa del Carmen and Cozumel. Interior staterooms on the four-day itinerary are priced at $99 per person, based on double occupancy.

Discovery World Cruises is offering a two-passengers-for-the-price-of-one cruise deal on an extraordinary 22-night itinerary from Lisbon to Barbados called Classic Caribbean, departing on November 26. Fares start at $5,395 for the first passenger, double occupancy, with free air transportation for both guests from Discovery´s east coast gateway cities. Passengers can enjoy the laid-back French ambiance of Martinique, birthplace of Napoleon´s Josephine; tour the country roads of Barbados, where elegant plantation houses bear reminders of a bygone era; and delight in the kaleidoscope of wooden houses and fishing boats of every color in St. Lucia.

A cruise ship line will make 11 daytime stops in St. Croix starting in October, bringing a desperately needed surge of visitors to the poorest island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the government announced Thursday. The Norwegian Dawn, with a crew and passenger capacity of more than 5,500, will make its first stop October 15, the government said. No dates for the other stops were announced.

Two new Amazon itineraries and an overland adventure to Machu Picchu distinguish a new South America season for luxury cruise specialist Crystal Cruises in 2006. From the wilds of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego to the cosmopolitan beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, Crystal reveals the passion of South America on six eco-rich itineraries. From January through April, Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity offer a diverse collection of South America cruises ranging from 11 to 16 days, departing from Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; Manaus, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Valparaíso, Chile. Maiden calls to the Brazilian ports of Alter do Chão and Boca de Valeria spotlight Crystal Symphony´s two Amazon cruises, a region regarded as the most diverse ecosystem on the planet.