MADAM Foong Mei Lin returned from a 14-day luxury cruise to Norway last week. Now, she and her retired businessman husband are all set for another vogage in September - their third this year - an 11-day one to the Black Sea.

In February, they were on a 10-day cruise to Mexico.

Says the bubbly 65-year-old housewife of her next trip: 'It's fun because there is always lots to do.'

The Maks are among a growing number of Singaporeans who have fallen - hook, line and sinker - for the romance of sea travel.

Luxury cruises are one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry today. Last year, the number of cruise passengers in the region was 1.07 million, and industry sources project the figure to hit 1.5 million by 2010.

In anticipation of the expected boom, a $10 million Fly-Cruise Development Fund was launched recently by the Singapore Tourism Board, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the Singapore Cruise Centre.

As part of the plan to turn Singapore into Asia's top cruise destination, it will help operators market fly-cruise packages that begin or end here.

On the homefront, luxury cruise sources say there has been a 20 per cent increase in business in the last couple of years, with about 5,000 people going on cruises last year.

And they are making a beeline for distant waters - a fact noted by Mr Dominic Chan, a manager with Pacific Arena which markets Princess Cruises' voyages among others.

He says more Singaporeans are sailing to New England, Alaska, the South Pacific and the Mexican Riviera.

Ms Helena Ow, general manager of Prime Cruise Asia, confirms that cruises to Alaska, the Baltics or Northern Europe and the Mediterranean are popular.

Her company represents Crystal and Seabourn lines and markets other major lines like Cunard and Holland America. She estimates that the luxury cruise business here is worth more than $10 million.

But Commonwealth Travel Service Corporation's senior manager Joycelyn Su reckons it is higher - between $15 million and $18 million.

In April this year, it was appointed sole agent in the Singapore and Malaysian market for Costa Cruises, one of the brand names under world cruise titan Carnival Corporation.

According to Ms Su, Costa's five-night maiden Asian cruise from Shanghai to Nagasaki and Cheju Island this month is sold out, and places for the next cruise in September are filling up fast.

CTC is investing $100,000 to $150,000 in branding and marketing Costa cruises this year, and will work with credit-card companies to promote them to gold or platinum card holders.

Local agents say the bulk of Singapore passengers are retirees though Ms Su notes that honeymooners are a growing market. So, too, are 45-and-older frequent flyers.

The cruise experience, apparently, is addictive.

Mrs Mary Syn, 67, first went on a QE2 cruise to the Mediterranean with her late husband in 1994. She remembers how the two of them, both avid dancers, were enchanted by the music and dancing every night.

'We danced all night, every night,' says the retired schoolteacher.

They had such a ball that, for the next five years, they went on one or two cruises every year until he fell ill in 1999. They have sailed on such ships as the Pacific Princess (the Love Boat in the popular TV series in the 1970s and 1980s) to destinations such as the Baltics and Europe.

In contrast to package tours, she says 'musicians welcome you as you embark, there are no frantic plane schedules to follow, no checking in and out of hotels, and music all day long'.

Mrs Amelia Chew, 36, who went on a luxury cruise to Australia with her husband a few years ago, recalls that they were so busy participating in activities, that they barely had time to even use the pool and jacuzzi.

Not cheap

BUT such on-board pampering does not come cheap. On average, prices range between $4,000 and $5,000 per person - whether adult or child.

Airfares to and from the destination where the cruise begins and ends are separate, but airport and pier transfers, six meals a day, 24-hour buffets and complimentary room service are included in the cost of the cruise.

Alcoholic drinks, shopping, and beauty and spa treatments on board, however, are chargeable.

Mrs Syn, who has booked herself on a 10-day Mediterranean cruise on the QE2 this October - the first on her own - says she paid US$2,297 for the cruise, which starts from Southampton, England. Her airfare to and from London is a separate expense.

But according to Mr Chan of Pacific Arena, special promotional offers do make luxury cruises affordable. Prices can range from US$600 per person for interior staterooms to more than US$3,000 for suite staterooms, he says.

On average, it could cost no more than US$2,000 for a couple, and US$4,000 for a family of four - including some shopping and spa-ing on board.

CTC's Ms Su agrees. Costa's September Asian cruise, for instance, is offering a promotional price of $1,788 per person for an interior cabin and $2,188 for an oceanview cabin.

The package includes return airfare, hotel accommodation in Shanghai (pre- and post-cruise), as well as airport and pier transfers.

Add the fact that a full-day itinerary of activities is available every day - production shows and musical performances, talks by celebrities, computer labs and art classes as well as a range of facilities such as a cinema, library, art gallery and casino - and you'll be spoilt for choice.

And there are also the land tours to check out the local sights at every port of call.

No wonder Madam Foong, who has paid US$5,400 for her and Mr Mak's upcoming cruise in September, says: 'It's worth it.'

All aboard for the September sailings

ACCORDING to the Singapore Cruise Centre (SCC), 33 international liners made 392 stopovers in Singapore to drop off and pick up passengers in 2004. Last year, 37 ships made 454 calls here.

Mr Cheong Teow Cheng, president of the SCC, tells Life! that as 'matured cruise playgrounds' such as the Caribbean and Alaska become more saturated, sophisticated passengers will demand for more fresh and challenging destinations.

'The Asia Pacific, with its development of more dedicated cruise terminals and a strong network of cruise ports and itineraries, will be the ideal choice of the future,' he adds.

In a poll conducted by travel company Zuji last year, 51 per cent of respondents indicated that they would like to go on a luxury cruise within the next 12 months, and 53 per cent said price was not the deciding factor - but the destination, the cruise ship, or the people you would be cruising with, was.

Here are some options:

• Seven-day cruise to the US and Canada on the Crystal Symphony beginning Sept 14. This once-a-year seasonal cruise allows passengers to experience the splendour of autumn. US$2,140 per person for a deluxe stateroom with picture window, on a twin- sharing basis.

  The cruise sails from New York to places like Halifax, Maine and Boston.

  Call Prime Cruise Asia on 6221-6580.
  
  

• 14-day cruise from Singapore to Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Halong Bay, Hanoi and Hong Kong, on the Seabourn Spirit. Promotional price of US$5,693 per person for a suite, on a twin-sharing basis. Includes a day excursion to Kokood, Thailand, for a beach barbecue, as well as watersports and beach activities.

  Call Prime Cruise Asia.

•  

• Five-night cruise on the Costa Allegra from Shanghai to Nagasaki and Cheju Island, beginning Sept 5.

  The promotional package of $1,788 per person for an inside cabin, or $2,188 per person for an oceanview cabin, on a twin-sharing basis, includes return airfare, one night pre-cruise and one night post-cruise hotel accommodation in Shanghai, airport and pier transfers, and all shipboard gratuities.

  Call CTC Travel on 6536-3995/3345.