With the 2008 Summer Olympics slated for the Middle Kingdom, travelers drawn to the treasures of the Chinese capital might consider booking one of the "Pre-Olympic Vacation Packages" available at the four Shangri-La hotels in Beijing. Each themed package offers four nights' executive-floor lodging, most meals and three days of touring with a private guide, plus airport transfers, tax and service charges. Each package also includes the Bird's Nest and Water Cube Olympic sites. Prices range from $2,575 to $3,549, depending on the hotel selected, for two persons. Airfare is additional. Packages are available until June 30. (866-565-5050; shangri-la.com/beijing/preolympicvacation/en)

Planetary wonders near and far take center stage at New York's American Museum of Natural History and Hayden Planetarium, where the space show Cosmic Collisions examines the explosive encounters that shape our solar system. Buckingham Hotel's "Passport to Earth and Space Package" includes admission to the museum and planetarium for two adults and two children, plus suite accommodations for two nights. Rates start at $598 plus tax, valid until June 30. (888-511-1900; buckinghamhotel.com)

Each year thousands of gray whales make the long journey from the Bering Sea to their calving grounds in Baja's warm waters. Along the way, they attract marine biologists and whale watchers to Dana Point, a promontory south of Los Angeles. Located near Dana Point, the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel has assembled a "Whale Watching Package" with one night's accommodations, continental breakfast and a "Whale and Dolphin Safari" on a high-tech sailing catamaran, for rates starting at $515 for two, including resort fee and parking. Tax is extra. The package expires after April 30. (800-241-3333; ritzcarlton.com)

Cruise West's seven-night "Pacific Northwest Coastal Escape" is a sampler of the area's premier cities, scenic towns and pristine cruising waters. Sailing round-trip from Seattle, the 102-passenger Spirit of Endeavour makes its way through Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia to pause in Vancouver, Canada, before surveying the nooks and crannies of British Columbia's Sunshine Coast and Desolation Sound. Departing April 20, April 27 and May 4, the cruise is priced at $2,599 and up. (888-851-8133; cruisewest.com)