Oceania's New Riviera Debuts In US

Riviera, Oceania Cruises’ newest ship in the upper-premium cruise segment, starts her winter 2012 season from her new home port of Miami on November 29 for her inaugural winter season.  

The smart new vessel will sail 11 Caribbean voyages and travellers can choose from four different itineraries over departure dates from late November to March: 

Idyllic Isles – 11-night round-trip from Miami, visiting St Maarten (a new port for Oceania),  Antigua, Barbados, Saint Lucia, St. Barts and San Juan. Departure: Nov 29. The sailing costs from £1,692.

Mayan Mystique – 10 night round-trip from Miami. Ports include George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; Santo Tomas, Guatemala; Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya, Mexico; and Key West, Florida. Departures: Dec 10, Jan 13, Feb 22, Mar 18. The  sailing costs from £1,502. 

Island Holiday – 14-night round-trip from Miami, calling at Charlestown, Nevis; St. John’s, Antigua; Kingstown, St. Vincent (another new port for Oceania); Bridgetown, Barbados; St. George’s, Grenada; Gustavia, St. Barts; Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Departure: Dec 20. The sailing costs from £2,531. On this sailing, Riviera will celebrate the Christmas period with traditional décor, festive menus and themed entertainment with special guest performers. 

Caribbean Hideaways – 10-night round-trip from Miami, with visits to British Virgin Islands, Antigua, Barbados, Saint Lucia and St. Barts. Departures: Jan 3 & 23, Feb 2 & 12, Mar 28, prices from £1,502.

All prices include all meals, complimentary bottled water and soft drinks and return UK flights for bookings by September 30. 

For bookings, follow this link to The Cruise Line Ltd, the UK's luxury cruise experts.

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Try The Azamara Style

Azamara Club Cruises’ boutique ship Azamara Journey recently received a number of top awards for small ships at Cruise Critic’s Cruiser’s Choice Awards, including awards for its culinary excellence and exotic ports of call. And now is the perfect time to experience this for yourself, with Journey featuring a seven-night Caribbean fly/cruise from just £1,634 per person this winter (based on two people sharing an inside stateroom).

The price includes return flights from London Heathrow, one-night pre-cruise hotel accommodation, transfers and a five-night cruise departing San Juan (Puerto Rico) and calling at St. John (US Virgin Islands), Gustavia (St. Barts), Marigot (Saint Martin) and Virgin Gorda (British Virgin Islands) before returning to San Juan;. It also includes all meals and room service; destination-influenced entertainment and enrichment programmes; housekeeping and dining gratuities; bottled water throughout the cruise; house wines with meals; speciality coffees and teas; and all relevant cruise taxes/fees. Price is based on a November 22 departure.

For more info, visit www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk or contact the luxury cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 008 6677.

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Christmas Under Sail

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Tall ship sailing specialist Star Clippers is offering spectacular stay-and-cruise packages this Christmas, combining a few days on the beach in a luxury hotel with a voyage on a romantic square rigger in either the Caribbean or Costa Rica.

Choose from three alternatives:

Christmas cruise & stay; Beach & Grenadines

Spend four days topping up your tan in Barbados at the newly-renovated Tamarind, one of the finest boutique hotels on the island’s ritzy Platinum Coast, before boarding the magnificent, five-masted flagship, Royal Clipper, which carries 227 guests, for an eight-night, round-trip sailing from Barbados. Ports of call include various islands in the Grenadines, among them the beautiful Tobago Cays and pretty Grenada and Bequia, as well as Martinique and Dominica. Christmas Day is spent soaking up the sun in Marigot Bay, St Lucia, in the morning, moving on to Soufriere after lunch, and returning to Barbados on Boxing Day. Departs December 14, from £2,199 per person including four nights’ hotel accommodation, eight days full board on the ship, flights, transfers and port taxes.

Christmas cruise & stay; Caribbean gems

The 170-passenger Star Clipper sails from St Maarten for her Christmas cruise on an eight-day round trip, calling at Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, St Kitts and Antigua, spending Christmas day anchored off the chic little port of Gustavia, St Barths. Spend five nights before the cruise at the four-star Grand Case Beach Club on St Maarten, on one of the island’s most beautiful beaches. Departs December 13, from £1,999 per person including five nights’ hotel accommodation, eight days full board on the ship, flights, transfers and port taxes.

Christmas cruise & stay; Central America

Star Flyer, meanwhile, will be sailing the coast of Costa Rica, offering a chance to escape completely. On a week-long voyage from Puerto Caldera, the ship will call at out-of-the-way ports and anchorages in both Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Guests will wake up on Christmas Day in the stunning National Reserve of Curu, moving on to Isla Tortugas for a beach barbecue and overnight. Spend four nights before the cruise in the four-star Hotel Parador, a stunning beach resort set in 12 acres of tropical rainforest, adjacent to the Manuel Antonio National Park. Departs December 15, from £2,299 per person including four nights’ hotel accommodation, seven nights full board on the ship, flights, transfers and port taxes.

For more details, log on to http://www.starclippers.co.uk/ or call the specialist cruise agents of the Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 008 6677.

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Azamara's Amazon

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Most people have a hankering to marvel at the mighty Amazon river and its jungle-lined banks. There is a new way to do this with Azamara Club Cruises by joining Azamara Journey for a 14-night Amazon cruise-only from £2043 per person (based on two sharing an inside cabin). The largest river in the world provides guests with the opportunity to experience one of the planet’s greatest natural wonders and the chance to catch sight of a vast array of wildlife.

This eye-catching price includes a 14-night cruise, departing from San Juan (Puerto Rico) and calling at Gustavia (St. Barts), Roseau (Dominica), Mayreau (Grenadines), Bridgetown (Barbados) and then Macapa, Alter Do Chao, Boca Da Valeria, Parintins and Manaus (all in Brazil); meals and room service; destination-influenced entertainment and enrichment programmes; housekeeping and dining gratuities; bottled water throughout the voyage; house wines with meals; specialty coffees and teas; and all relevant cruise taxes/fees.

Price is cruise-only and based on 25 October 2011 departure.

For more information, visit http://www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk/

Azamara Club Cruises will also be exhibiting at the Cruise Show in Birmingham on October 16-17 and at London's Olympia on March 26-27, 2011.

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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