Can't beat thrill, convenience of cruises, passengers say.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Tom and Bonnie Bily, retirees from Pleasant Hill, enjoy seeing new places, and as they grow older, cruising is increasingly their preferred mode of travel.

A cruise vacation can't be beat for convenience and a high level of service, the Bilys say.

"You go to these neat ports of call, but you don't have to pack and unpack your luggage," Bonnie Bily, 65, says.

And who doesn't like to be waited on hand and foot?

"As I travel more, I tend to say, 'Do it for me,' even though it costs more," adds Tom Bily, 67.

The Bilys have been on five cruises, starting 25 years ago with a weeklong excursion along the coast of Mexico, courtesy of Tom's employer, Chevrolet. Since then, they've traversed the seas to Alaska, Europe and the Caribbean.

Their most memorable cruise was a seven-day trip with Windstar Cruise Lines to the Mediterranean in June 1999.

"I would go on that one again in a minute," Tom Bily says.

The couple set sail in Nice, and soaked in the sights of a new port each day, from Monte Carlo's casinos to the picturesque village of Grimaud, France.

Rough seas delayed their arrival at Grimaud by a day, allowing them to visit the town's Sunday outdoor market, a collection of stalls spilling forth candy, cheese, deli meats and dozens of roasted chickens spinning on rotisseries.

"We went through and sampled just about everything," Tom Bily says.

Most recently, the couple returned in November from a 10-day Princess Lines cruise to the Caribbean, with stops at Cozumel, Ocho Rios, Jamaica and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The trip cost about $2,500 per person, not including airfare, the Bilys say. They treated themselves to a "minisuite," which offered more space and privacy than a typical cabin.

They're already fantasizing about their next cruise. They'd like to return to Europe and travel on a narrow boat that could navigate rivers in cities such as Vienna.

Cruising isn't just for the retired crowd. More families are finding them an affordable way to vacation.

Steve and Kim Swenson of Eugene spent Thanksgiving with their two teenagers aboard the Pride of Aloha, a Norwegian Cruise Line America ship touring the Hawaiian islands. The seven-night cruise cost about $6,500 for the whole family, including airfare, says Kim Swenson, 42.

The Swensons' children, 13-year-old Megan and 15-year-old Jake, were in good company.

"There were a lot of teens on the ship, and while most of the adults were going to a show, the teens had karaoke in the lounge," Steve Swenson says. "They made about 20 to 30 new friends."

Over the past 15 years the Swensons have taken five cruises - in the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii - two as a couple, and three with the children.

A Eugene policeman, 49-year-old Steve Swenson says he enjoys the down time on the ship as much as exploring foreign ports.

"If you live a highly stressed life, it takes a day or two to settle in," he says. "Having time (to decompress) on the ship before you hit your first port is really nice."

Cruising eliminates a lot of the trouble of traveling in a foreign country, Swenson says. You unpack your belongings once. You return to the same room night after night, instead of hunting down new hotels, and there's no need to puzzle over menus written in a foreign tongue.

"Your dining choices are really easy," Swenson says. "Most cruise lines have really good food and usually a real variety, so you can satisfy everyone's tastes at the same table."

The best part, travelers say, is that they don't have to worry about renting cars, or booking bus, boat or train tickets.

"You go run around in town, come back to the ship, take a shower, go to sleep, and the next morning you're in a new port," Swenson says.

A trend is for families to celebrate holidays and reunions at sea.

The Swensons have spent two major holidays aboard ships. They were in Kona, Hawaii, for Thanksgiving, and in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands last New Year's Eve.

The New Year's Eve celebration was Swenson's best ever.

As a band played, people milled on three levels of the fan tail - or rear deck - of the cruise ship. They sipped champagne and threw confetti.

"You felt like you were in Times Square," he recalls. "I've never been to a big city New Year's party. You felt like you could turn, and there would be Dick Clark standing next to you. You felt like you were in a movie."

The Swensons are looking forward to their next cruise - maybe the western Caribbean with the kids, preferably on Royal Caribbean or rival Princess Cruise Lines, both lines they have enjoyed before, Swenson says.

"What really sets a good cruise apart from a bad cruise is the attention to detail, the service and the quality of the food and entertainment," he says. "Royal Caribbean was first-rate all across the board.

"I was tickled to death to hear that they were going to build a facility in Springfield to book cruises because they are a first-class operation," he says.

CAPTION(S):

Tom and Bonnie Bily, of Pleasant Hill, boarded the Windstar Windsurf for a seven-day Mediterranean cruise in June 1999. The retired couple have taken five cruises, most recently in November a 10-day Princess Lines cruise to the Caribbean.