COMING AND GOING

CoGo's advice to all potential cruise passengers:

* Pay by credit card. The credit card company can reimburse you if services aren't delivered, as Discover did for Maxine Lunn of Arlington, who said she recovered $3,600 after her family's Windjammer cruise in Panama didn't sail last week.

* Buy cruise insurance. But consider buying from an unaffiliated agency , such as Travel Guard or Access America, both of which post "will not insure" lists of sketchy companies (although as of press time, Windjammer wasn't included).

* Scour cruise message boards such as those on the independent Web site http://CruiseCritic.com. Just be sure to weed through rumors.

TRAVEL TICKER

"Access San Francisco," a free guide, lists accessible hotels, restaurants and attractions. 415-391- 2000, http://www.onlysf.sfvisitor.org.

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK

Air France has a Web sale fare of $560 round trip, including $101 in taxes, from Philadelphia to Barcelona, Spain. Sale is good for travel through Sept. 30 (some dates are sold out); tickets must be purchased no later than today at www.airfrance.us. Fare on other airlines with late August departures starts at $1,202 from Philadelphia and $1,132 from Washington. Saturday-night stay required.

Reporting: Carol Sottili, Elissa Leibowitz Poma

Help feed CoGo. Send travel news to cogo@washpost.com. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.