Hit The Dance Floor On A Saga Voyage

Stop, Look, Listen – to Motown music as you sail away on the Portugal, Madeira and the Azores cruise with Saga Cruises this winter. 

Sandy beaches, lush landscapes, wine-tasting and dolphin-spotting will fill the day and, in the evening, gusts can dance to the best sounds from Berry Gordy’s Motown music machine. Better still, this cruise is all-inclusive. Priced from £1,899 for the full 15 nights, it departs from Southampton on November 8.

Saga Pearl II

There will be a Venetian masked ball on the "Adriatic Homecoming" all-inclusive classic cruise. Saga Pearl II (above) sails from Southampton and, on this melodic voyage, there will be plenty of star names, including soprano Hayley Westenra, The Operababes, The Three Tenors tribute act and The Gondolier Trio. The cruise itself visits the ancient ruins of Cartagena, Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, mythical Corfu, historic Split and, of course, the beautiful city of Venice. There is also the option to take an 11-night outward journey or 13-night return.

Prices start from £1,679 for 11 nights (Nov 22-Dec 3), £1,999 for 13 nights (Dec 3-16) or £2,749 for 24 nights. There is an optional three-night stay in Venice from £399, including breakfast.

Saga Pearl II also celebrates the magic of Motown with a cruise through the Norwegian Fjords next year. Guests can hit the dance floor when they hear tracks by Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five and the Temptations, plus celebrate Berry Gordy’s record label in style when a Supremes tribute band brings those memories flooding back. Priced from £909 for 7 nights, it sets sail from Dover on May 1, calling at Bergen, Geiranger, Skojolden and Haugesund.

Saga Sapphire

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Dance ‘til you drop to the sounds of the 60s on the four-night "A Taste of the Continent" cruise to Guernsey, Belgium and Holland. Tribute band the Mersey Beatles will be topping the bill on what promises to be groovy long weekend. Priced from £519, it departs from Southampton on May 2.

Or smooch to the laid-back sounds of The Rat Pack while on the "Fjordland Gems" cruise on the chic Saga Sapphire. Visit Olden, Flam and Stavanger by day and in the evenings sing along and dance to the Kings of Cool. Priced from £876 for seven nights, it departs from Dover, on May 6 and July 1.

All holidays include UK door-to-door travel service, all meals, entertainment, gratuities, room service and travel insurance and cancellation cover. All-inclusive cruises also include house branded alcohol and cocktails and soft drinks.

To book, call free on 0800 056 8986 or visit saga.co.uk/cruises.

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OperaBabes Return To Fred. Olsen

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines have a real treat in store for fans of classical music this summer as Boudicca’s 14-night ‘Scandinavia and St. Petersburg’ cruise combines stunning Baltic ports with a theme of Classical Music, through its award-winning onboard enrichment programme, Vistas. The highlight of this cultural cruise will be live performances by The OperaBabes, making their third appearance with Fred. Olsen, who are set to electrify audiences with Puccini’s aria ‘O mio babbino caro’, made famous by Maria Callas, amongst their repertoire. 

As part of the Music theme, guests can enjoy fascinating talks, as well as star quality live entertainment. Hosting the theme is music expert Peter Hudson, who will be speaking about the great Maria Callas, renowned as the finest opera singer of the 20^th Century. Peter is a passionate opera-lover, who has been giving talks and lectures about Maria  and her fascinating, tragic life story for more than 20 years.

The OperaBabes – Rebecca Knight, soprano, and Karen England, mezzo soprano – will join this cruise in Copenhagen on August 11. Boudicca departs from Liverpool on July 31, calling first at Kristiansand in Norway. Founded by King Christian IV in the 17th Century, it boasts some of Norway’s finest beaches. Next is Visby in Gotland (Sweden), the setting for hundreds of historical sites, including burial mounds, medieval churches and fortresses, with many treasures from the Viking era. Moving further east, the ship then calls into Tallinn, the lovely capital of Estonia, with its domed churches and cobbled streets, one of the most popular ports in the region and always a delight to visit.

A major highlight of the cruise is the magnificent city of St. Petersburg, Russia’s most European city and a treasure trove of fine art and architecture. There is an overnight stay here and guests can choose an optional tour to visit the ballet or enjoy a classical music performance. The next port is Finland’s attractive and cosmopolitan capital, Helsinki, created by the czars as a ‘miniature’ St. Petersburg. On the return voyage, the final port of call is another capital – Copenhagen in Denmark – which has so much to offer; from the delightful Tivoli Gardens to the charming Little Mermaid statue and the colourful buildings of the former sailors' district, Nyhavn, there really is something for everyone. Two relaxing days at sea bring Boudicca back to Liverpool.

Prices for this cruise start from £1,599 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside, twin cabin, and include all meals and entertainment on board, and port taxes. The OperaBabes will perform live during the cruise, and there is no extra charge for enjoying the Vistas ‘Classical Music’ themed activity and entertainment.

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

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OperaBabes Set Sail With Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

As part of the popular ‘Music and Laughter’ programme of cruises, with high quality, live entertainment, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is delighted to welcome back, for a second season, The OperaBabes.

Rebecca Knight, soprano, and Karen England, mezzo soprano, were discovered by a talent scout in 2001 when they were busking in Covent Garden. Their first big break came when they were booked to perform at the FA Cup Final, giving them a worldwide audience of 500 million people, and they have never looked back.

Their first album was launched to great critical and popular acclaim and reached Number 1 in the UK Classical Charts, selling over a million copies, and also reaching Number 4 in the USA chart.

They entertained guests aboard a Fred. Olsen cruise last October, to enormous acclaim, and will now be cruising once more and delighting guests with their special style of opera and glamour.

The cruise featuring this high class headline act is Braemar M1123, to Iberia, an 11-night voyage departing from Dover on October 28. The OperaBabes will join the cruise to entertain guests from November 3-8. The ports of call visited are Motril (Spain), Ibiza (Spain), Cartagena (Spain) and Lisbon (Portugal) before returning to Dover.

Prices start from £948 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside twin cabin, Grade ‘I’, and include accommodation, all food and entertainment on board, and port taxes.

Find out more at www.fredolsencruises.com or contact specialist cruise agents The Cruise Line Ltd.

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