MSC Cruises and LEGO build the fun at sea

                               

MSC Cruises and the LEGO Group have joined forces to create the first-ever LEGO-themed playrooms at sea. The new play areas will debut aboard MSC Armonia, which is currently being lengthened and refitted as part of the cruise line’s £160 million Renaissance Programme.

Further – and larger – LEGO play areas will be included in two vessels (different classes) now being built for MSC Cruises by Fincantieri and STX France, both scheduled for delivery in 2017.  All three ships featured in the LEGO tie-up will have two kids’ clubs – the Mini Club (3-6 years) and Junior Club (7-11 years) - fitted out in the much-loved building brick style.

Guests will get their first chance to see the LEGO play areas when MSC Armonia returns to service on November 19 with an inaugural cruise from Genoa  to the Canary Islands. This winter the ship will operate two alternating seven-night itineraries from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria (Canaries and Madeira & Canaries and Morocco).

Full details of all LEGO-related activity on board MSC Armonia will be included in the event programme delivered to guests each day.

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Iglu Cruise offers with P&O 15-day Flash Sale

                        

This week Iglu Cruise has some very good deals with P&O Cruises 15 day Flash Sale which ends on 15 September. There are savings on Mediterranean, Canaries and Caribbean cruises, and prices start at £499pp for 11 nights.

Examples include: 

Monaco, France & Spain Fly Cruise

Onboard P&O Ventura,  15 October 2014. (7 nights) Flight from the UK, Genoa,  Monte Carlo, Toulon, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Flight to the UK included. From £499 pp (Inside cabin).

Atlantic Coast Iberia

Onboard  P&O Arcadia 9 December 2014   (11 nights)  Ports of Call: Southampton, Vigo Oporto, Cadiz, Malaga, Gibraltar, Lisbon (Above), Southampton. From £499 pp (Inside cabin).

Canary Islands & Madeira from Southampton

On board P&O Arcadia 27  November 2014   (12 nights) Ports of Call: Southampton, Funchal Madeira, La Palma, Gran Canaria, Arrecife, Lanzarote.  From £649pp  (Cruise only.)

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Celebrity's Early Summer Sun

It's perfectly normal at this time of year, after our long, wet, miserable winter, to be thinking of some early summer sun. And the cruise lines are well aware of our desire to 'get away from it all' as soon as possible.

That means they are continuing to put out some tempting offers for early-summer cruises, notably to the Mediterranean, which can still pretty much guarantee the necessary sun and warmth in April and May.

The latest offer to hit our Inbox is a particularly good one from Celebrity Cruises, so we thought we'd make its heady excitement the subject of today's blog:

Head to the Med and explore ancient cities, tuck in to local cuisine and soak up the sun on European sands onboard the Celebrity Eclipse on a 14-night Mediterranean cruise, sailing round-trip from the UK from only £949 per person (based on two people sharing an inside stateroom).

It's terrific value, too, as the price includes the full fortnight's voyage, all meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees. It departs from Southampton on May 10 and calls at Malaga, Cannes, Civitavecchia (for Rome), Livorno (for Florence or Pisa), Genoa, Gibraltar and Lisbon (above), before returning to Southampton.
 

More info: call 0845 456 0523 or visit www.celebritycruises.co.uk.

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Costa Reveals Debut Season For Diadema

Costa Cruises has unveiled its inaugural cruises for the new Costa Diadema, the fleet’s future flagship that will be delivered by the Italian shipyard Fincantieri on October 30.

The first cruise sailing November 1 will be the classic preview voyage, with three new culturally rich and architecturally beautiful cities included in the itinerary: Trieste, Dubrovnik and Genoa.

The voyage will depart from Trieste with a one-and-a-half-day stopover, while the final port of destination is Genoa, Costa's home city. The ship will also make calls at Dubrovnik, Corfu, Malta and Naples before reaching its new home port.

Costa Diadema will then undertake three 7-day inaugural cruises in the western Mediterranean, with longer stopovers at Marseille, Barcelona and Savona. The cruises will offer the chance to visit both Florence and Naples, two of Italy’s most popular cities, in a single cruise. The itinerary includes calls at Genoa (only for the first cruise), Marseille, Barcelona, ​​Palma de Mallorca, Naples, La Spezia and Savona.

For the rest of the 2014/15 winter season, the new flagship will leave from Savona on seven-day cruises in the western Med, calling at Marseille, Barcelona, ​​Palma de Mallorca, Naples and La Spezia.

The 132,500-ton Diadema - with 1,862 staterooms - promises to be Costa's most glamorous ship to date, with top quality food, wine and entertainment. The interiors will be even cosier, more spacious and more modern in terms of facilities and layout, with the benefit of large, split-level rooms directly overlooking the sea and conveniently interconnected, thus evoking the atmosphere of a buzzing seaside resort.

Among the many innovations on board are new food and wine tasting treats in the shape of the Vinoteca (wine house), Birreria (beer house), Japanese Teppanyaki, Pizzeria and Gelateria. There will also be new forms of fun and entertainment on board with the Country Rock Club and the Star Laser room, featuring different styles of interactive laser games, including the Laser Maze.

Shopaholics will love the Portobello Market Piazza, the heart of a 1,100sq metre area of designer stores and retail outlets, while the purpose-built Samsara Spa located on the upper decks will offer the chance to enjoy the regenerating experience of a wellness cruise. For those wanting to enjoy the sun, sea and spectacular ocean vistas, the open-air promenade with cabanas is ideal and extends more than 500m. 

More info: call 0800 389 0622 or visit www.costacruises.co.uk.

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Grab An MSC Med Bargain Break

Those looking to banish the January blues might well be tempted by the latest offer to hit the World of Cruising inbox, which offers an immediate cure for our miserable winter.

MSC Cruises are featuring a holiday on board their splendid MSC Splendida, cruising the Mediterranean from only £399 per person, with a free upgrade from an inside to a balcony cabin.

This offer is available on selected Med winter sailings, departing from Genoa, from now until February 15.

On board, guests will be treated to the stylish surrounds synonymous with the MSC fleet. The ship boasts a variety of restaurants, sports facilities (including a fully fitted gym and squash courts) and the award-winning Aurea spa, as well as an exclusive solarium to soak up some winter sun.

MSC Splendida also hosts the luxurious MSC Yacht Club. A ship within a ship, the Yacht Club offers luxury and privacy, with exclusive services including 24-hour Butler service, a Sun Deck Complex only for Yacht Club guests and luxurious designer suites.

Ports of call on the cruise include Marseille, Barcelona, La Goulette, Palermo and Civitavecchia (for Rome), with a variety of interesting excursions on offer. From the bustling Provencal markets of Marseille to the vibrant sights and sounds of Barcelona, there is something to suit every taste.

Book a cruise now to enjoy this exclusive late availability offer.

More info: call 0844 561 1955 or visit www.msccruises.co.uk.

Have you subscribed to World of Cruising magazine yet? We have a special, limited-time offer to save 50% off a year's subscription, which includes six issues PLUS our new year-end Cruise Directory. That means a year's worth of Europe's leading cruise publication will be only £15. Check out the special rate on this link!

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Perfect Present for Christmas from MSC

As the festive period fast approaches, we here at World of Cruising know the rush to get a present for the people who matter most is in full swing. Well, you may not be thinking of a cruise to put under the tree, but MSC Cruises is offering a great idea to avoid a last-minute crisis.

 

Take advantage of their ‘Pick Your Gift’ Christmas and New Year promotion to surprise someone special with an unforgettable present: a cruise to a dream destination on board one of MSC's modern ships.

For example, MSC is offering an 11-night cruise on board MSC Fantasia with last-minute prices from only £899 per person, departing December 17 and including flights from London, Plus, guests get to pick one 'gift', from a free Allegrismo drink package and tips, free £200 on board credit per person, free flights from London or a free upgrade to a balcony cabin.

 

The voyage starts from Genoa and calls at Katakolon, Heraklon, Haifa, Piraeus (for Athens), and Civitavecchia (for Rome) before returning to Genoa, and providing a memorable Christmas at sea.

There are more offers in the 'Pick One Free' selection, too, so be sure to look up more on their website or via your travel agent.

More Info: 0844 561 195 or visit www.msccruises.co.uk.

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Costa's Big Investment In Ship Refurbishment

Costa Cruises is investing more than €10million in major refurbishments of three of the fleet’s ships, which are scheduled to arrive in Genoa this month for planned maintenance work.

The work will be performed at San Giorgio del Porto shipyard, one of the international leaders for ship repairs and refitting. 

 
The boutique-style 24,400-ton Costa Voyager will be serviced first for about two weeks from 7 November, while Costa neoRiviera (above; 48,200 tons) will also be in the shipyard from 7-12 November and Costa Classica (53,000 tons) will receive maintenance works from 12 November to 21 December.

Operations will include the hull and engine section for Costa Voyager, while work on Costa Classica is routine maintenance, performed on average every 36 months, involving both the hull and engine section and the hotel section. 

 

For Costa neoRiviera, previously operated as the Grand Mistral for Iberocruceros, the Spanish brand owned by the Costa Crociere S.p.A. Group, operations scheduled in addition to hull and engine work include renovations to open-air decks and inside guest areas to add to the charming atmosphere reminiscent of the Italian and French Rivieras.

More info: call 0800 389 0622 or visit www.costacruises.co.uk. 

 

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Christmas Comes Early With MSC

Until October 31, MSC Cruises is offering an amazing early Christmas gift for young and old alike, with free return flights, onboard credits and upgrades ALL on offer for Mediterranean cruises this Christmas.

Why not treat your loved ones to the ultimate Christmas getaway and book a Mediterranean Cruise on board MSC Splendida or MSC Fantasia this December?

Guests can choose one of these early Christmas treats:

Free return flights from London and transfers to and from the port for the first two passengers in the cabin.
£200 free onboard credit per person for the first two passengers in the cabin.
Free ‘Allegrissimo’ drinks package plus tips for the first two adults in the cabin.
Free upgrade to a balcony cabin. 

 

      The ‘Pick Your Gift’ offer applies to bookings made on board Splendida (7-night Mediterranean cruise departing 21 December) or Fantasia (11-night Mediterranean cruise departing 17 December).

MSC Splendida’s itinerary will take in the Mediterranean ports of Genoa, Marseille, Barcelona, La Goulette, Palermo and Civitavecchia (for Rome), returning to Genoa. Cruise-only prices start from just £719 per person with return flights available on request at an additional £290 per person.

Meanwhile, MSC Fantasia will visit the ports of Genoa, Katakolon, Heraklon, Haifa, Piraeus and Civitavecchia (for Rome), returning to Genoa. Cruise-only prices start from just £899 per person with return flights once again available upon request at an additional £290 per person.

On board both ships, guests will be treated to all the festive trimmings, from lavishly-decorated trees and Yuletide presents to carol singing and traditional Christmas masses. Meanwhile, MSC’s experienced chefs will be busy in the kitchen conjuring up a dazzling array of traditional seasonal favourites.

More info: visit www.msccruises.co.uk or call 0844 561 1955.

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!

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Now You Can Save With MSC

It's definitely cruise bargain time at the moment, and here's a good one from MSC Cruises, especially for fans of their onboard Yacht Club style...

MSC Cruises is offering complimentary flights to MSC Yacht Club guests, with savings of up to £460 per couple on ALL summer sailings of MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia, if booked before 18 June 2013.

From just £1,639 per person (based on double occupancy), MSC Yacht Club guests can enjoy a week’s cruise in surroundings comparable to sailing on a luxury yacht. Guests are treated to 24-hour butler service, complimentary drinks, exclusive private restaurant and dedicated pool and can also enjoy exclusive access to the Top Sail Lounge and The One Pool Area (which includes swimming pool, spa bath and solarium).  At the same time, Yacht Club guests enjoy full access to the fantastic facilities that only a large ship can offer.

MSC Splendida offers seven-night cruises from now to November calling at Genoa, Marseille, Barcelona, Valencia, Palermo, Civitavecchia (for Rome) and back to Genoa, while MSC Fantasia also offers one-week voyages, round-trip from Venice to Bari, Katakolon, Santorini, Piraeus (for Athens) and Kotor.

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

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Mediterranean Marvels From MSC

Soak up the sun or sail through history – from just £599pp

MSC Cruises are highlighting another one of their Mediterranean summer series this week, with a great chance to sample both sun and history. Here are the details: 

From May to November, MSC Sinfonia will be setting off from Genoa on a series of 7-night cruises around the western Mediterranean, calling in St Tropez in France, Palma de Mallorca and Menorca in Spain, and Olbia and Salerno on Italy’s beautiful Emerald and Amalfi coasts. 

After glorious sandy beaches, endless cafes, bars and shops, and celeb spotting in yacht-filled marinas in St Tropez on the spectacular Cote D’Azur, next stop is the charming Palma de Mallorca, the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands, where travellers can bask on beautiful beaches as well as enjoying the party island’s mythical day-to-night transformation during an overnight stay and full day in port. 

A visit to the island of Menorca, dotted with picturesque villages and an array of historical and cultural sights, would not be complete without a trip to one of the island’s more than 50 stunning beaches and the crystal clear waters which make it easy to adapt to the rhythm of Mediterranean life. From Spain to Italy’s unspoilt Emerald Coast, one of the most beautiful stretches of the Mediterranean coastline with its breath-taking mountainous, rocky landscapes and white sandy beaches with turquoise waters. 

Last stop Salerno in the Campania region is renowned for its vibrant and bustling Centro Storico and its lovely medieval churches, as well as its proximity to the famously picturesque Amalfi Coast, popular not only for its stunning scenery and beaches but also for its fantastic cuisine, where delicious fish and pasta dishes taste all the better with the backdrop of a breathtaking sea view. 

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

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Royal Caribean Extend Free Flights Offer

Royal Caribbean has extended its incredible free flights offer on selected cruise bookings – after holidaymakers snapped up the original 10,000 seats in just four weeks.

An additional 5,000 free European flights, available from airports around the UK, are now up for grabs as part of the cruise line’s early-booking programme on a range of itineraries throughout 2012. But customers have to move quickly – the offer is strictly limited until March 15. Cruises featured in the extended free flights campaign include:

· Five-night Western Mediterranean fly/cruise on Liberty of the Seas from £449 per person, including free flights. Cruise departs Barcelona and calls at destinations such as Cannes, Livorno (for Florence) and Civitavecchia (for Rome). Departures available in April, with free flights from Heathrow.

· Seven-night Greek Isles fly/cruise on newly refurbished Splendour of the Seas from £787 per person, including free flights to join the ship in Venice and a cruise calling at destinations such as Bari, Corfu, Mykonos and Dubrovnik. Departures available in May from Edinburgh, Manchester and Heathrow.

· Seven-night Western Mediterranean fly/cruise on Mariner of the Seas from £669 per person, including free flights. Cruise departs Rome and calls at Genoa, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Valenica. Departures available in June, with free flights available from Heathrow and Gatwick. 

Plus, Royal Caribbean is not forgetting cruisers who prefer to sail from the UK either. For those departing from Southampton, the cruise line is offering either free parking or free coach transfers to make the journey as easy as possible as part of the extended offer. To receive these free extras, customers must book by March 15.

For booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Free Balcony Upgrades With Celebrity

Head to the geysers in Iceland, learn how to dance like a Russian or just soak up the sun in the Med, and do it all in the ultimate luxury of a private balcony with a new offer from Celebrity Cruises. Book a holiday on Celebrity Eclipse in 2012 by October 31 and receive a FREE upgrade to a veranda stateroom.

A typical 14-night Mediterranean cruise in September costs from just £1,699 per person and qualifies for the free upgrade offer (based on two people sharing). Departing from Southampton, the voyage calls as Malaga, Nice (Villefranche), Rome (Civitavecchia), Florence (Livorno), Genoa, Gibraltar and Lisbon before returning to Southampton and includes meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees. The offer is available on 22 sailings on Celebrity Eclipse from May to October 2012.

In addition, Celebrity Cruises is also offering guests $100 onboard credit per stateroom on any cruise over six nights in 2012 (except Alaska and Galapagos).

For more information, visit www.celebritycruises.co.uk or the UK's leading cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Louis Cruises in 2011 From Under £42 per night

Louis Cruises’ full 2011 brochure, featuring cruises costing less than £42 per person per night, has gone on-sale.

A three-night Greek Islands cruise out of Piraeus (Athens) on the Aquamarine or Orient Queen starts from £179 in 2011, while a 12-night cruise out of Genoa or Marseille on the Louis Majesty leads in at £499 per person – just £41.58 per person, per night.

“Such outstanding value for a full-board cruise offers agents tremendous sales opportunities for 2011,” says UK General Manager Peter Adamou. “And now that Louis Cruises are available on Amadeus, it’s easy for agents to select our cruise-only offering, then bolt on flights and hotels, using the same GDS, to create a complete package.”

Louis Cruises has just been made available on the browser-based Amadeus Cruise desktop sales solution for travel professionals, and the Cruise Application Programming Interface (API) for online sales.

The new brochure, titled ‘Sea of Memories’, showcases the five Louis Cruises ships available to the UK market: Louis Majesty, Louis Cristal, Coral, Aquamarine and Orient Queen.

All ships sail in what Louis Cruises describe as ‘our home waters’, i.e. the Mediterranean, and the line prides itself on offering itineraries that offer the maximum opportunity for shore visits.

“Our intimate ships – the largest is the Majesty with a capacity of 1,790 – enable us to visit smaller, as well as large ports, with quicker disembarkation times and easy access to the sights,” adds Adamou.

The new brochure features 16 different itineraries, from the three-night ‘Aegean Legends’ cruise around the Greek islands on Aquamarine or Orient Queen to the Majesty’s 12-night ‘Eastern Mediterranean Highlights’ itinerary.

Sample shore excursions are listed for each ship, and the Greek line’s hospitality, or ‘filoxenia’, is also highlighted.

All prices include full board, on-board entertainment, port taxes and charges. Travel to/from embarkation points, shore excursions, drinks and gratuities are not included.

For more info, call 0800 018 3883 or visit http://www.louiscruises.com/.

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MSC Lirica to be based in Abu Dhabi

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Abu Dhabi's ambition to become an international cruise hub has received a significant boost following the signing of a landmark co-operation agreement between Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and MSC Cruises that will see the company deploy one of its top vessels to the UAE capital on a home-port basis from October 2011. Abu Dhabi's Mina Zayed Port will serve as the primary embarkation and disembarkation point for MSC Lirica.

Surrounding Lirica's 19 regional forays will be repositioning cruises from and to Genoa in Italy. On October 14, 2011, the vessel will depart Genoa for a 17-day/16-night maiden voyage to Abu Dhabi, where she will begin her maiden regional season.

A southland course will take Lirica through the Mediterranean, calling at Naples and Port Said (Egypt), before going through the Suez Canal and reaching Aqaba (Jordan). The vessel stops in Salalah and Muscat in Oman, then Dubai, before reaching her home port in Abu Dhabi. The luxury ship then leaves the UAE for Genoa on March 9, 2012.

With regional tours departing Abu Dhabi every Sunday from October 28, 2011, Lirica will travel round the Arabian Gulf peninsula to Muscat, before turning round en route for the UAE's eastern emirate of Fujairah on the Indian Ocean. It will continue heading north to Bahrain, then sail southwards to Dubai, before completing its journey in Abu Dhabi.

For further information log on to http://www.msccruises.co.uk/ or visit specialist agents The Cruise Line Ltd.

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MSC add Middle East Cruises

By guest blogger Steve Newman

The elegant MSC Lirica (above) will be based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for the first time for her busy 2011-2012 winter season. The itinerary of the MSC Cruises vessel includes a full schedule of nineteen 8-day/7-night voyages from Abu Dhabi, with departures every Sunday from October 30, 2011, to March 4, 2012, and from Dubai, with departures every Friday.

The 59,000-ton Lirica, which has capacity for a total of 2,069 guests in 780 cabins, will call at the port of Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman, Al Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, the island Kingdom of Bahrain and include two unforgettable nights in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE.

On October 14, 2011, the ship will depart from Genoa for a 17-day maiden cruise to Abu Dhabi, to start her first ever season in the region. Her southbound course will take her to Naples and Port Said, through the Suez Canal to Aqaba in Jordan, then Salalah and Muscat in Oman and finally to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Arabia will say farewell to Lirica five months later when she starts her northbound return cruise with scheduled stops in Al Fujairah, Muscat, Salalah, Safaga, Aqaba, Port Sokhna (Egypt), Port Said and finally Naples and Genoa.

For more information, got to www.MSCcruises.co.uk

Have you checked out what's happening at The Cruise Show held in Birmingham in October and London in March?

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Cruise the Med for less than £40 a day!

Mediterranean specialist Louis Cruises has cut the cost of four of its late-season cruises on chic flagship Louis Majesty.

For sailings from Marseille, cruises now start at just £319 per person – for a nine-day/eight night ‘Iberian Coasts’ itinerary departing November 30.

That’s a full-scale Med cruise for less than £40 per person per night and includes full board on the ship, on-board entertainment, all port taxes and charges. All passengers have to do is get themselves to Marseille.

The ship calls at Barcelona, Alicante, Malaga, Almeria and Genoa as well as Gibraltar and the North African cities of Tangier and Casablanca.

Other, similarly discounted Louis Majesty cruises out of Marseille are:

· 31 October, nine-day ‘Tunis, Malta & Italy’ itinerary: now from £379, or just over £47 per person per night

· 20 November, 11 day ‘Moorish Coasts’ itinerary: now from £389, that’s less than £40 per person per night

· 8 December, 13 day ‘Canary Islands, Morocco & Spain’: now from £449, also less than £40 per person per night

And once on board, cruisers can save 50 per cent when it comes to drinks, paying just £12.50 per day for an all-inclusive drinks package, with unlimited glasses of beer, wine, cocktails and spirits in the ships’ bars and at meals.

All prices are per person for twin share of a Standard Inside Stateroom: other cabin types are available. Travel to/from Marseille and shore excursions are not included in the price. Marseille is served by both low cost airlines and high-speed TGV trains.

For more information, call 0800 018 3883 or look up www.louiscruises.com.

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Louis Cruises let the train take the strain

With a dozen different cruise itineraries sailing from Marseille this year Louis Cruises reports that more of their passengers are choosing the train to reach their embarkation point.

“A London to Marseille journey by Eurostar and TGV can take less than seven hours, making rail a genuine alternative to flying – and a great deal more civilised,” says the cruise line’s Peter Adamou.

Louis Cruises are always sold on a ‘cruise only’ basis allowing travellers to tailor-make their own journey to Marseille, Genoa and Athens – the embarkation points for the line’s variety of Mediterranean cruises.

For example, a seven-day/six-night ‘Mediterranean Highlights’ cruise on the Louis Majesty sails from Marseille on 29 August, 29 September and 10 October (with the option to depart a day earlier in each case from Genoa). The ship visits the islands of Menorca, Malta and Sicily as well as Tunisia during the cruise.

Prices for this cruise start at just £319 per person based on two sharing a Standard Inside Stateroom. This includes full board accommodation, on-board entertainment and all port taxes and charges but not drinks or shore excursions.

Other sailings from Marseille include an eight-day ‘Spanish Odyssey & Tangier’ itinerary on the Louis Majesty (from £349 per person) and an 11-day ‘Adriatic Coast, Italy and Ionian’ cruise on the Orient Queen from £519 per person.

NB: Eurostar.com is currently advertising return travel to Marseille from £119 return.

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