Shake those January Blues with a cruise… from only £699pp

10 night Canary Island & Morocco Cruise on Norwegian Spirit from £699pp

Virgin Holidays Cruises offers 10 nights on ‘Norwegian Spirit’ from Barcelona calling at Casablanca, Funchal, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Arrecife and Granada. Prices are per person based on two adults travelling and sharing an inside cabin on a full-board basis and includes flights from London Gatwick and resort transfers. Offer is subject to availability and includes all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. Based on departures 15 Jan 2015.

12 night Orlando Stay and Bahamas Cruise on Caribbean Princess from £1,099pp

Virgin Holidays Cruises offers seven nights at Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando on a room only basis, before joining ‘Caribbean Princess’ for five nights from Fort Lauderdale calling at Princess Cays (Bahamas). Price is per person based on two adults travelling and sharing an inside cabin on a full-board basis and includes Virgin Atlantic flights from London Gatwick and car hire. Offer is subject to availability and includes all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. Based on departure date 19 Jan 2015.

Seven night Dubai and The Emirates Stay and Cruise on MSC Orchestra from £1,299pp

Virgin Holidays Cruises offers two nights at Atlantis, The Palm on a half board basis, before joining ‘MSC Orchestra’ for seven nights from Dubai calling at Abu Dhabi, Khor Al Fakkan, Muscat and Khasab. Price is per person based on two adults travelling, sharing an inside cabin on a full-board basis and includes Virgin Atlantic flights from London Heathrow and transfers. Offer is subject to availability and includes all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. Based on departures 07 Jan 2015.

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Adventure Cruising blog

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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Virgin Holiday Cruises winter late deals from £699

10 night Canary Island & Morocco Cruise on Norwegian Spirit from £699pp

Virgin Holidays Cruises offers 10 nights on Norwegian Spirit from Barcelona, Casablanca, Funchal, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Arrecife and Granada (Málaga). Prices are per person based on two adults travelling and sharing an inside cabin on a full-board basis and includes flights from London Gatwick and resort transfers. Offer is subject to availability and includes all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. Based on departures 15 Jan 2015.

Seven night Orlando Stay and Bahamas Cruise on Carnival Sensation from £799pp

Virgin Holidays Cruises offers three nights at Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando on a room only basis, before joining Carnival Sensation for four nights from Port Canaveral, calling at Freeport and Nassau. Price is per person based on two adults travelling and sharing an inside cabin on a full-board basis and includes Virgin Atlantic flights from London Gatwick. Offer is subject to availability and includes all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. Based on departure date 27 November.

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Adventure Cruising blog

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.

Virgin Cruises New Year break from just £569pp

10-night Canary Island & Morocco Cruise on Norwegian Spirit from £569pp

Virgin Holidays Cruises offers 10 nights on Norwegian Spirit from Barcelona, Casablanca, Funchal, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Arrecife and Granada (Málaga). Prices are per person based on two adults travelling and sharing an inside cabin on a full-board basis and includes flights from London Gatwick and resort transfers.  Based on 25 Jan 2015 departure.

16-night San Francisco Stay & Hawaii Cruise on Star Princess from £1,6499pp

One-night room only at the 4V Holiday inn Fisherman’s Wharf before joining Star Princess for 15 nights from San Francisco, calling at Maui, Honolulu, Kauai (Hawaii) and Ensenada (Mexico). Price is per person based on two adults travelling, sharing an outside cabin on a full-board basis with Virgin Atlantic flights from London Heathrow.  Based on 26 November departure.

14-night Orlando Stay and Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Disney Fantasy from £1,799pp 

Seven nights at the 3V+ Disney’s Caribbean Beach resort on a room only basis, before joining Disney Fantasy for seven nights from Port Canaveral calling at St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Castaway Cay (Bahamas). Price is per person based on two adults travelling and sharing an inside cabin on a full-board basis and includes Virgin Atlantic flights from London Gatwick, and car hire. Based on 22 November departure.

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Adventure Cruising blog

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.

Virgin Holidays Cruises' luxury holidays

Virgin Holidays Cruises customers can now start their dream cruise in style with FREE chauffer driven transfers to the airport.  The deal is available during October on cruises with Carnival Cruise Line. The service can be taken any time from 1 October 2014 to 31 December 2015.

Top Carnival offers…

11 nights Orlando Stay and Caribbean Cruise from £949pp

Three nights at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista on a room only basis, before joining Carnival Liberty for eight nights from Port Canaveral, Nassau, St Maarten, Puerto Rico, Grand Turk and Port Canaveral. Price is per person based on two adults travelling and sharing an inside cabin on a full-board basis and includes Virgin Atlantic flights from Gatwick.  Based on 12 November departure.

10 nights New Orleans Stay and Caribbean Cruise from £1,399pp

Three nights at the Hotel Monteleone on a room only basis, before joining Carnival Dream for seven nights from New Orleans, Mahogany Bay (Isla Roatan, Belize, Cozumel and New Orleans. Price is per person based on two adults travelling and sharing an inside cabin on a full-board basis and includes Virgin Atlantic flights from Heathrow and transfers.  Based on 19 February 2015 departure.

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Adventure Cruising blog

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.

Virgin Cruises winter late deals from just £699

Seven night Eastern Mediterranean Cruise on Norwegian Jade from £699pp

Virgin Holidays Cruises offers seven night Eastern Mediterranean Cruise onboard ‘Norwegian Jade’ from Venice, Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos, Olympia and Venice. Price is per person based on two adults travelling, sharing an inside cabin on a full-board basis with flights from London Gatwick and transfers. Offer is subject to availability and includes all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. Based on departures 18 October.

Seven night Orlando Stay and Bahamas Cruise on Carnival Sensation from £699pp

Virgin Holidays Cruises offers three nights at Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando on a room only basis, before joining ‘Carnival Sensation’ for four nights from port Canaveral, calling at Freeport and Nassau. Price is per person based on two adults travelling and sharing an inside cabin on a full-board basis and includes Virgin Atlantic flights from London Gatwick. Offer is subject to availability and includes all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. Based on departure date 27 November.

14 night Orlando Stay and Caribbean Cruise on Freedom of the Seas from £1,199pp – FREE All inclusive upgrade

Virgin Holidays Cruises offers seven nights at Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando on a room only basis, before joining ‘Freedom of the Seas’ for seven nights from Port Canaveral calling at Labadee (Haiti), Falmouth (Jamaica), George Town (Grand Cayman) and Cozumel. Price is per person based on two adults travelling and sharing an inside cabin on a full-board basis and includes Virgin Atlantic flights from London Gatwick and car hire. Offer is subject to availability and includes all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. Based on departure date 27 November.

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Adventure Cruising blog

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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More Disney Magic – Part One

A short preview cruise to look at the “newly re-imagined” Disney Magic…
 
First impressions of the completely refurbished Disney Magic – the biggest makeover since she was launched 15 years ago – are strong and extremely positive.

This is still the same essential vessel that wowed the cruise industry in 1998, but the improvements and enhancements that we outlined in our preview blog are startling.

At first glance they are definitely impressive; at second glance, they are a triumph of the latest technology and state-of-the art design.

We arrived at mid-day and were conducted straight on to the ship at Miami’s Terminal F. This allowed the chance to grab lunch at the new-look Cabanas buffet restaurant, which is now MUCH bigger and more user-friendly in its passenger flow.

Lunch was followed by a full tour of the Magic, with a chance to appreciate fully all the new

spaces and additions which, while not changing the essence of the ship, distinctly raise the bar for the company’s ability to appeal to both the family and the adult-only audience.

We will provide more details of the new components in the next two instalments, but suffice it so say, after Cabanas, there is a LOT more to see and enjoy.

Past passengers will be amazed at how ‘their’ ship has been refreshed and improved; new passengers will simply be bowled over by the Disney style and imagination.

Just to start with, the 3-storey Atrium (right) – the central repository of the ship’s Art Deco style – has a new look from taking away one of the staircases and moving the Captain Mickey statue to one side. It gives a much greater sense of space and ‘arrival’.

Chihuly fans may not be thrilled that the main glass chandelier has been replaced by a new lighting arrangement (with the main display now provided by a huge three-piece Swarovski

crystal chandelier series spreading out like the rays of the sun), with the Chihuly piece being returned to the main museum in California.

But that is a relatively minor quibble in the overall scheme of things, as the general smartening up of the Atrium, and the addition of new carpeting and a spruce up for the Mickey statue all provide for much more eye drama.

When it comes to big, of course, the most obvious additions are up on the top decks, where the 40ft drop of the spectacular AquaDunk flume ride is truly startling. With a capsule entrance on the side of the forward funnel that then drops riders onto the slide below, it is a true thrill-ride as it zips out over the side of the ship and then into a dramatic splash-down

on Deck 10 amidships.

Continuing aft brings you to the kids' pool area, where the old Mickey Pool has been completely rebuilt and enhanced as the AquaLab for children 3 and older. 

As well as a fabulous array of pop-jets, bubblers and geysers in a totally fun setting with those scamps Huey, Dewey and Louie, there is also a new water slide, Twist 'n Spout (right), that takes riders down through three large loops over more than 250ft of vivid yellow flume. There is also more shaded cover for the little 'uns and a look in keeping with the company's two newest ships, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy (launched in 2011 and '12).

More tomorrow....

More info: Look up Disney Cruise line at http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ or, in the UK, see Virgin Holidays Cruises on 0844 417 4723 or http://www.virginholidayscruises.co.uk/.

Have you subscribed to World of Cruising magazine yet? We have a fabulous offer for all new subscribers this year - 50 per cent OFF the regular rate AND the chance to win a cruise in our free prize draw offer. See this link!

 

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.