New ports of call for Thomson Cruises and a return to Cuba

From winter 2015, Thomson Dream will showcase Cuba with its new Cuban Revolution itinerary. Cuban Revolution has  two new ports, Santiago de Cuba and Holguin. Beginning its journey in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Thomson Dream will go on to explore the two new Cuban destinations and continue its journey to spend the night in the country’s capital, Havana, before going onto Grand Cayman, and finally making its return journey back to Montego Bay.

For winter 2015 Thomson Celebration will be adding Bequia in St Vincent and the Grenadines as a port of call for its Caribbean Cocktail and Oceans Eleven itineraries. 

Customers on Thomson Dream will for the first time experience the delights of Mindelo in Cape Verde, known for its colourful and animated carnival celebrations as it joins the Beyond the Sunset itinerary. Travelling back towards Palma in April, two new destinations will be included in the Atlantic Adventure itinerary, also on Thomson Dream, with stops in Santiago de Cuba, and an overnight stay in King’s Wharf, Bermuda, a town rich in naval history.

Sailing the shimmering blue seas of the Canary Islands in winter, Thomson Majesty is introducing two new destinations on its Island Explorer itinerary. The itinerary will now stop at Valle Gran Rey in La Gomera and Puerto de la Estaca in El Hierro. 

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Adventure Cruising blog

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Variety Cruises Offer "Kids Cruise Free" Deals

Deluxe small-ship company Variety Cruises are not renowned for their family style, but here's a new offer that may make people think again - special "Kids Cruise Free" cruise deals throughout 2014. 

By the terms of this rare and very alluring offer:

• Single parents traveling with 1-2 children in one cabin pay an adult cruise fare, plus single supplement; 1-2 children cruise for free.

• Couples with 1 child sharing the same cabin pay two adult cruise fares. The child cruises for free.

• Couples with 1-2 children in two separate cabins pay two adult cruise fares, plus two single supplements; 1-2 children cruise for free.

• Children receive a 25% reduction on all shore excursions.

Families can take advantage of the offer by calling (in the US) 1800 319 7776 and mentioning "Kids Cruise Free" at the time of booking. The offer is valid for all Variety Cruises programmess and applies for children aged 7-12. Children 12-16 pay the child fare. The offer is available for a limited number of cabins on each sailing and on a first come, first served basis. Port charges must be paid for all participants, including children. Variety's small ships are not recommended to children under 7 years of age.

For those unfamiliar with Variety Cruises, they are the world's largest small-ship cruise company, who have been offering a total yachting experience since 1949. Their fleet of 11 fully-owned vessels varies in size from 4 to 36 cabins while their yachts and staff provide an intimate and relaxed environment.

They feature a comfort-filled starting point for discerning travellers as they visit well known and unique ports of call, notably around Greece and the Greek islands, southern Italy and Malta, the Seychelles, and Costa Rica and Panama. Fine locally-flavored cuisine, exciting itineraries and personalised service are also key features.         

More info: visit www.varietycruises.com. 

The next edition of World of Cruising will be out on March 17, and you can see the current version online on our home page at www.worldofcruising.co.uk. To subscribe at our special offer rate for 2014, see this link.

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A Cape Verde Invitation!

Here's an offer to literally warm the cockles of your heart - a chance to visit the beautiful Cape Verde islands with Noble Caledonia...

Escape the British winter this November or December and enjoy the warmth and beauty of the Cape Verde archipelago aboard the wonderfully comfortable MS Island Sky with Noble Caledonia as she undertakes exactly the type of itinerary that suits her best. 

Like the Azores but even more remote, the Cape Verde Islands are an intriguing archipelago located off the coast of Senegal. They are an amazingly varied group of islands that have been used as a staging post by mariners through the ages and there is truly no better way to explore the region, with its dramatic beauty and cultural vibrancy than by small ship and, with Island Sky as the base, guests can island hop with great ease.

Take your pick from these three idyllic 10-day cruises:

• Voyage 1: November 15-25
• Voyage 2: November 25-December 5
• Voyage 3: December 5-15

Special offer prices start from just £2,995 per person, including flights, full board accommodation, house wine, beer or soft drinks with meals, lecture programme and all excursions and gratuities.

For bookings follow this link to The Cruise Line, the UK's adventure-cruise specialists.

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Cape Verde - Final Day

World of Cruising's blogger-in-chief Steve Newman finally reaches the end of his latest trip, an adventurous cruise to the Cape Verde Islands with Noble Caledonia...

Our last day in Cape Verde and another fabulous day exploring Mindelo, the capital of San Vincente island and one of the most attractive of all the Cape Verde towns.

There is a strong British influence here in the architecture, and the fish market was a real eye opener. However, the ladies who run the stalls are very proud and don’t like having their picture taken when they don’t look clean, so we had to ask first. Most of them were happy to have the fish taken but not them!

The vegetable market (above) is great, with a balcony running all the way around it so you can look down on all the stalls. We also went to a traditional bar/cafe for a coffee and a type of lemon/coconut treacle cake. It wasn’t a tourist place at all as the locals were watching football and shouting at each other in Creole/Portugese. Fantastic!

Lastly, we visited the workshop of a family who have been making and repairing guitars for 300 years. It was great to see the two brothers and one of their children steaming the wood and making the fret boards entirely by hand and with no imported materials. Then they played a couple of songs for us, which once again got our guides up and dancing along.

After lunch we had a choice. Walk into the town and explore or go for a swim on the white sand beach just some 300 yards from the ship. A fabulous cruise. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

For more information about Noble Caledonia’s Cape Verde cruise or other voyages, follow this link to The Cruise Line Ltd, the UK’s luxury and adventure-cruise specialists.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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Cape Verde Part 7

World of Cruising blogger-in-chief Steve Newman continues his latest trip, an adventurous cruise to the Cape Verde Islands with Noble Caledonia...

Another amazing day in these fantastic islands. Today we visited the island of Santo Antao and once again this island seemed better than all the others. 

It is the greenest of the islands and we looked down into a giant volcanic crater with crops growing in the bottom, lush valleys and saw terraces that reminded me of China and Peru, growing bananas and sugar cane.

Huge mountains and roads that were simply unbelievable with precipitous drops either side were the stuff of the morning. 

We followed the road from the fishing village of Ponta del Sol, where locals cleaned the fish they had caught in the sea and sold it on the sands, to the village of Fountainibas (pictured, above) which has to be seen to believed. 

I have never seen a road like this that was only as wide as our bus and gripped the mountain side with corkscrew turns and had drops of hundreds of feet just inches away.

A visit to a “Grouge” (the islands’ traditional rum drink) distillery in the back yard of a large house was fascinating. To see it being made in the traditional manner without an aluminium pipe or a health and safety hat anywhere in sight was really great! 

To top it all, we had a fabulous barbecue on the stern deck overlooking the island as the sun went gently down. A truly fabulous, unforgettable day.

For more information about Noble Caledonia’s Cape Verde cruise or other voyages, follow this link to The Cruise Line Ltd, the UK’s luxury and adventure-cruise specialists.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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Cape Verde Part Six

World of Cruising blogger-in-chief Steve Newman continues his latest trip, an adventurous cruise to the Cape Verde Islands with Noble Caledonia...

An interesting start to the day as the captain had to reverse the ship onto the small jetty here at Tarrrafal on the island of St Nicolau (above).

Then I walked around the port to the market, watching the locals bartering and buying fish on the pier as the boats came in, followed by a tiny cargo boat that must have been a Tardis inside judging by the amount of cargo that came off of it!

Shop owners from the surrounding villages came down to collect their orders in their battered 4 x 4 trucks.

The mountain scenery on the island is very impressive and we drove through some spectacular landscapes to get to the capital Ribiera Brave. 

This place is just like Ciutadella and old Palma with very narrow streets and Victorian style lanterns. 

Later on, we watched some traditional dances called Mazurka. I’m not a great one for this but the music and the dancing was really very good and had my feet tapping!

For more information about Noble Caledonia’s Cape Verde cruise or other voyages, follow this link to The Cruise Line Ltd, the UK’s luxury and adventure-cruise specialists.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.

Cape Verde Fogo Volcano

World of Cruising's arch-blogger Steve Newman continues his latest trip, an adventurous cruise into the Atlantic with Noble Caledonia...

Well what a day that was. Landed on Fogo via the zodiacs and explored the fascinating city of Sao Filipe with its incredible indoor market. 

Loads of ladies selling every conceivable type of fruit and vegetable and others cutting up fish to sell. Upstairs were the fabrics and clothes, with local music playing out - loud!

Then up to the crater of the huge volcano some 3,000ft high with another volcanic cone inside it.  Amazing sights.

I tried the local wines, which are grown inside the crater, and they were very good! It is incredible how people can make a living seemingly out of nothing. Lunch was amazing under the shadow of  the volcano.

For more information about Noble Caledonia’s Cape Verde cruise or other voyages, follow this link to The Cruise Line Ltd, the UK’s luxury and adventure-cruise specialists.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.

Cape Verde Part 5

World of Cruising's arch-blogger Steve Newman continues his latest trip, an adventurous cruise into the Atlantic with Noble Caledonia...

About 60 Atlantic spotted dolphins came to play on the bow wave this morning. The sea was boiling with them as they swam towards us.

Plenty of Gull-billed terns, shearwaters, red-billed tropic birds and a brown booby also put in an appearance but we have still seen no whales yet.

We also passed two local fishermen in a tiny boat fishing with a single line to catch deep-water species on our way to the island of Brava. It was our first zodiac landing and it was fun (see above)!

The island has mist-shrouded peaks and plunging valleys with hairpin roads that hang on to the mountain-side by their fingernails. 

 

The capital Nova Sintra is high in the mountains and has a cool climate with hibiscus, bougainvillea, dahlias and bananas and a host of other tropical plants growing in the gardens.

For more information about Noble Caledonia’s Cape Verde cruise or other voyages, follow this link to The Cruise Line Ltd, the UK’s luxury and adventure-cruise specialists.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.

Cape Verde Part 4

World of Cruising's arch-blogger Steve Newman continues his latest trip, an adventurous cruise into the Atlantic with Noble Caledonia...

Up at 6am as we left port to sail the 18 miles to the island of Maio.  This is unique as we are the first cruise ship to visit the island by tying up to the jetty, so the Mayoral party came to greet us. 

Fantastic watching the sun come up as we scanned the ocean for the Cape Verde humpbacks and dolphins. 

The expedition team helping us with identification of the birds are itching to see whales. We had a really good lecture this afternoon on whales and dolphins so we are all ready tomorrow to identify them from the bow.

Maio has quiet dunes and secret beaches but the little town is fascinating to explore with its pastel houses. The birders walked over to the salt flats and back along the white sand beach while the shoppers headed to the town and then the beaches for a swim.   

None of us had seen water so clear and so inviting. The people are even more laid back here than on Santiago! 4pm saw an ice cream social event in the bar - a great relief to those of us coming back to the ship!

For more information on Noble Caledonia cruises, follow this link to The Cruise Line the UK’s luxury adventure cruise specialist. 

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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Cape Verde Part 3

Arch World of Cruising blogger Steve Newman continues his latest trip, an adventurous cruise into the Atlantic with Noble Caledonia...

Another fabulous day in the Cape Verde Islands! Here we are at Tarrafal on the north of the main island.  

It has been a day of mountains, beaches and incredible Jacaranda trees with their vivid blue. 

Tomorrow, we start island-hopping. Can't wait!

For more information, click on this link to the UK's luxury cruise specialist The Cruise Line. 

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.

Cape Verde Islands, Part 2

Arch World of Cruising blogger Steve Newman continues his latest trip, an adventurous cruise into the Atlantic with Noble Caledonia...

Well that was a good day! We explored Praia on Santiago, the largest island, then we went off to an old 16th century port and one of the earliest colonial towns in the world. The temperature is a balmy 26C with the water being 23C.
 

Tomorrow, we are off to discover the rest of the island with its deep gorges and forests. The waiters and cleaning are really very efficient and the whole cruise is looking very good!

For more information, click on this link to the UK's luxury cruise specialist The Cruise Line.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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Cape Verde Islands with Noble Caledonia

Arch World of Cruising blogger Steve Newman starts his latest trip, an adventurous cruise into the Atlantic with Noble Caledonia...

Well here we are in Praia, Santiago, the largest and most populous of the Cape Verde Islands. We have another 10 days to go in the company of Noble Caledonia, cruising the archipelago and I have to say I am very impressed with MS Expedition. 

This is a lovely little  ship, catering for only 125 passengers in total, and with loads of Zodiacs - the inflatable rubber landing boats - for making shore visits where other ships can't go.

Talk to you again soon about our opening experiences, which included these Creole dancers on the stern. Brilliant!

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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Late deals from Silversea

Tackle this late deal with Silversea Cruises - from just £4,663 per person on an all-inclusive basis, join an 18-day voyage onboard Silver Wind departing March 12 from Cape Town (South Africa) and calling at Walvis Bay (Namibia) for an overnight stay onboard, São Tomé (São Tomé and Principe), Dakar (Senegal), Porto Praia (Cape Verde Islands), Porto Grande (Cape Verde Islands) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) before arriving at Las Palmas (Canary Islands).

Silversea Cruises is offering a complimentary shore excursion in Namibia, where guests will be taken to the Namib Desert to enjoy a special, buffet-style dinner against the dramatic backdrop of golden-coloured dunes. To heighten the overall ambiance, there will also be special entertainment, including fire-spinning performances, camel rides, colourfully clad Herero ladies and a trio of musicians.

All prices are per person, based on two people sharing a Vista Suite and include return flights, transfers, port charges, government fees and taxes.

For more information, visit http://www.silversea.com/ or contact the UK's luxury cruise specialists at The Cruise Line Ltd.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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