News for the Traveler (5)

Royal Viking Line has announced major changes in its 1983-84 cruise program, including several new cruises for the line and significant alterations of several previously existing cruise programs. They contain fewer long cruises, a much greater number of short sailings of two weeks or less, and many more weekend departures.

Highlights of the new schedules include a totally new series of one-way 14 -day cruises between Sydney and Tahiti, two 14-day Bali cruises, a two-week trans-canal sailing between Los Angeles and San Juan, and a completely redesigned world sailing in 1985, named ''The Grand World Cruise.''

The Grand World cruise will last 99 days, Fort Lauderdale to London. Ports of call include Cartagena, the Panama Canal, Acapulco, Los Angeles, Bora-Bora, Papeete, Nuku'Alofa, Auckland, Sydney, Whitsunday Passage, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Torres Strait, Bali, Manila, Hong Kong, Pattaya (Bangkok), Singapore, Madras, Colombo, Bombay, Suez Bay, Suez Canal, Port Said, Alexandria, Haifa, Piraeus (Athens), Valletta, Tunis, Malaga, Gibraltar, Tangier, Lisbon, Southampton (London).

Most schedule changes affect cruises departing in the fall of 1983 and later. Departures scheduled before this date are largely unaffected. For a brochure describing the new cruises, contact your local travel agent or Royal Viking Line , One Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, Calif. 94111. A new cruise atlas giving complete details about Royal Viking Cruises worldwide will be available in February.