The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996              TAG: 9610180061
SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E5   EDITION: FINAL 
COLUMN: TRAVEL-WISE
SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN
                                            LENGTH:  112 lines

IT'S A GREAT TIME TO BOOK A CUT-RATE CRUISE

HAVE THEY ever got a deal for you! Why, the cruise ships, of course. I got an offer in the mail at home the other day. ``2 For the Price of 1'' it shouted in red ink. ``Now's the time. . . .

Well, actually, it IS the time if you're thinking of cruising somewhere. . lower, this fall and winter travelers should find they can get even more for less.

Two-for-one pricing, extra-person savings, automatic upgrades, early-purchase specials, last-minute specials, back-to-back discounts, reduced airfare, free airfare . . . those are just some of the lures the cruise lines dangle to get you aboard.

Nobody pays retail.

Besides, like everyone in the hospitality industry, they want you to like them, to think that you have made a brilliant choice in selecting one of their ships. A happy customer tends to return.

Berths are going begging with increasing frequency as the industry continues to build more and bigger ships. As far as the cruise lines are concerned, any money is better than no money.

According to a study by the Arthur Andersen consulting group, the industry will add between 10,000 and 15,000 berths annually from this year through 1999, bringing worldwide capacity to more than three times what it was just 15 years ago.

Call a travel agent who is well-schooled in the cruise industry. Any good agent can find you a cut-rate deal on a cruise at almost any time of the year. SHIP AHOY

The Godspeed, a full-scale replica of one of the three ships that brought America's first permanent English colonists to Virginia in 1607, will visit Mathews and Middlesex counties on the Peninsula Oct. 27-Nov. 2, where it will be open for public tours and serve as a floating classroom for some 200 students.

The Godspeed, the middle-sized (but actually quite tiny) of the three-ship fleet, will dock at Narrows Marina on Gwynn's Island Oct. 27 and will be open to the public from 2-5 p.m. and all day Oct. 28. The ship will be in Deltaville Oct. 29-30 and at the Urbanna Oyster Festival Nov. 1-2. HORSING AROUND

There's no prettier sight at which to tailgate and watch the horsies run and jump than at Montpelier in the rolling Piedmont hills near Orange on Nov. 2. It's the only sporting event held at the home of a U.S. president. There will be seven races, five steeplechase and two flat, plus the usual tailgate competition and Jack Russell terrier races. Gates open at 10 a.m., racing begins at 12:30.

The mansion where James and Dolly Madison lived was dramatically enlarged early in this century by William and Anna Rogers duPont and made famous as a thoroughbred breeding site by their daughter, Marion duPont Scott, who started the race in 1927. The estate is today a museum property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Montpelier is about 30 miles northeast of Charlottesville. From South Hampton Roads, take I-64 west to exit 136, then U.S. 15 north to Orange. The estate is four miles west on Va. 20. General admission is $10 per person (12 and under free), in advance, $12 on race day; general parking is $5 per car in advance, $10 race day. Info: (540) 672-2728. ANTIQUE 'TIL YOU DROP

The American Heritage Antique Jubilee, billed as the largest antique extravaganza in Virginia, will be held Oct. 25-27 at the State Fairgrounds in suburban Richmond. Thousands of dealers from 35 states will set up shop in seven exhibit buildings. General admission is $5 a day. ISLAND STOP CLOSING

The Sea Gull Pier Restaurant and fishing pier on the southernmost of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel's four manmade islands will be closed from Oct. 29 until the spring of 1997 due to construction of the new parallel crossing. SKIING? ALREADY?

The leaves have yet to fall, but the first ski alert has dropped into out laps from Wintergreen Resort, Virginia's biggest ski area. Skiers and snowboaders can save not only on lift tickets and equipment rentals for the 1996-97 season, but also can take advantage of discounts on Wintergreen golf, tennis and overnight lodging from Dec. 1 through Nov. 30 of next year.

The retail price of the Wintergreen Frequent Skier/Rider card is $40. For a limited time the card is offered for $25. For details, call (804) 325-8165. YOU GOTTA EAT

Historically, dining in Las Vegas has taken a back seat to gambling. And maybe floor shows. Now the city has become a multifaceted destination, and in the process some of its restaurants are worth knowing about.

Which is why the first-ever Zagat Las Vegas Restaurant Survey is hot off the presses. More than 600 local diners rate and critique 300 area restaurants. Best of all, Las Vegas dining continues to offer exceptional value.

The average cost per meal is $20.80, comfortably below the averages of $29.31 in New York and $23.90 in Los Angeles. At the 20 most expensive restaurants, the average Vegas tab was $44.90, compared to $65.86 in New York, $49.65 in Chicago.

The Zagat Survey is on sale in most bookstores for $9.95; if unavailable, call Zagat for info: (800) 333-3421. NEW NUMBER, PLEASE

Starting Nov. 15, travelers seeking information on the Netherlands should call the tourism board's new toll-free number: (888) GO-HOLLAND. SURFING FOR PASSPORTS

Now there another way to get a passport: on the Internet.

Passport applications are now available from the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs' web site. (http://travel.state.gov). MEMO: Travel-wise is compiled from wire-service reports, news releases,

trade journals, books, magazines and the deepest recesses of the

writer's mind. Send comments and questions to Travel-wise, The

Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va. 23501-0449; phone (757) 446-2904. by CNB