Get out the guidebooks and take the suitcases out of the attic: American Airlines is putting nearly all its international destinations on sale for travel now through mid-May.

American, a founding member of the global oneworld(R) Alliance, is offering great low fares for travel from the United States (excluding Alaska) to its vast network of international destinations, including spots throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, Latin America, Asia and Europe.

With American’s low fares and convenient flights to destinations around the globe, it’s a perfect time to take a vacation to that exotic location.

MSC Cruises is offering special savings of up to 60 percent off retail prices on eastbound transatlantic sailings of MSC Lirica and MSC Orchestra this spring.

MSC Orchestra departs Fort Lauderdale on May 2 on an 18-night sailing to Copenhagen. Its first stop, after two days at sea, will be the cruise line’s first call in New York City, overnighting from May 5 to 6. The ship will then resume its itinerary, calling at Ponta Delgada, Portugal; Lisbon, Portugal; Vigo, Spain; La Coruna, Spain; and Dover, England, with seven more days in the Atlantic and a day cruising the North Sea before arriving in Denmark.

Holland America Line is offering a new cruise-and-fly package on select 2009 Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand sailings that includes airfare between Los Angeles, Calif., and Sydney, Australia. Guests booking air-inclusive Asia and South Pacific cruises on the line’s ms Volendam and ms Amsterdam starting in September will fly on the new Air Qantas A380 Airbus, the largest commercial aircraft in the world, either to or from Sydney, depending on the itinerary. Segments of the Grand Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific voyages also are eligible for the offer.

“This package combines the best of Australia and New Zealand with the opportunity to fly on one of the newest, most-spacious and state-of-the-art aircrafts available,” said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs, for Holland America Line.

Waterfront Lifestyles International, a boutique maritime lodging company, is currently taking reservations for retirement condos on a mid-size cruise ship that will make monthly cruises to the Bahamas.

For less money than many senior independent-living facilities charge, retirees may now live on a cruise ship. Prices for individual condo cabins on the 300-foot Alegria range from $159,000 for a single room to a larger suite for $399,000 plus a nominal “Resident’s Care” monthly fee which covers all the operating expenses of the ship including crew, staff, fuel, maintenance, insurance, three meals daily, port fees, the medical center, and housekeeping. A huge difference between a senior care facility and living on Alegria is that the residents actually own the ship.