Crystal's New England Golf Bonanza

For the first time in three years, Crystal Cruises’ popular Golf-themed cruise is revisiting New England/Canada, with a new itinerary and new courses along the way. From Boston to Montréal, golf enthusiasts can relish the New England Indian Summer while playing at premier clubs and gleaning tips from golf legend Billy Casper and PGA coach John Clark.

The 10-night cruise aboard Crystal Symphony departs September 16 and features maiden visits to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and Baie-Comeau, Québec, plus overnight stays in Boston and Montréal. 

Guests can practice their swing at:

• NEW: The Algonquin at St. Andrews-by-the-Sea (New Brunswick) – A historic course with a back nine waterfront sequence that has been challenging golfers of every skill level for more than 100 years.
• NEW: Le Blainevillier (Montréal) – Set in dense forest, with each of the 36 challenging holes isolated from each other.
• NEW: Chester (Lunenburg, Nova Scotia) – A classic New England par 70, where golfers tee off right on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
• Granite Links (Boston) – One of Golf Digest’s “50 Best,” with rolling fairways and greens elevated to nearly 300ft above sea level, providing impressive views.
• La Tempête (Québec City) – Québec City’s first metropolitan world-class course, spanning 200 picturesque acres.
• Kebo Valley (Bar Harbor) – A haven for precise golfers, with small greens and long terrains, right by Acadia’s Cadillac Mountain.

The full scope of Crystal’s theme programme is available for guests purchasing three or more rounds of golf and includes a VIP Golfers welcome cocktail reception; welcome kits with course info and gifts; complimentary storage and cleaning of clubs and shoes; and private group clinics with the golf pro. 

Golfing excursions include round-trip transportation to each course accompanied by a Crystal escort or pro; 45-minute warm-up; golf carts or caddies (where available); and pre-/post-round refreshments and cocktails. Casper also plays with all guests, speaks about his life and career and hosts a final awards party. Practice putting greens, driving ranges, golf clinics and private lessons are available on every Crystal cruise.   

All-inclusive fly/cruise fares for the New England cruise visiting Boston, Bar Harbor, Saint John, Lunenburg, Baie-Comeau, Saguenay, Québec City and Montréal, start at £3,492 per person if booked by June 28. Fares for the golf club Crystal Adventures start at $291 per person (cruise price includes £545 saving per person if booked by June 28).

For bookings, follow this link to The Cruise Line, the UK's luxury cruising specialists.

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Regent's Summer 2014 Collection

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has unveiled its new Summer/Autumn 2014 Collection featuring more than 60 itineraries in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Alaska, New England, Canada and the Caribbean. The luxury line’s three all-suite ships will visit 17 new ports of call, overnight in 19 popular destinations and sail 23 Extended Voyages from 19 to 44-nights. 

Sailings on all European voyages include free business class upgrades for guests booking a Penthouse suite or higher. All Regent sailings also include flights and transfers, all-suite accommodations, gourmet cuisine, premium spirits and fine wines, free shore excursions, gratuities and for those in a Concierge Suite or higher, a pre-cruise luxury hotel stay, at no additional cost. 

SUMMER 2014 COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS 

Seven Seas Voyager begins the season in Northern Europe with stops in several new ports including Kristiansand, Norway; Murmansk, Russia and Helsingborg, Sweden; overnight stays in Oslo and Honningsvaag, Norway with a return to the North Cape; Dublin, Ireland; Bordeaux, France; and two-night stays in St. Petersburg, Russia. Additionally the line will operate new embarkations in Olso and Amsterdam providing 10 departure points in Europe, the most in company history. Voyager ends the season in the Mediterranean with a 21-night voyage to Bangkok, Thailand. Extended Voyages from 21-40 nights combine the best of Northern Europe, the British Isles, Western Europe and the Med. 

Seven Seas Mariner spends April-November traversing the coastline of the Med, capping the season with a 44-night Extended Voyage from Rome to Miami. Guests will have the opportunity to explore several new ports, including Antibes, France; Argostoli and Syros, Greece; Santa Cruz de la Palma, Canary Islands; and Dakar, Senegal. Extended Voyages from 19-44 nights include overnight stays in Florence, Italy; Lisbon, Portugal; and Alexandria, Egypt, plus two-night stays in Istanbul and Jerusalem. 

Seven Seas Navigator will spend May to August in Alaska with 13 seven-night voyages between Anchorage and Vancouver and a 12-night positioning cruise between Vancouver and San Francisco. In the autumn, she returns to New England and Canada for three 10-night cruises between New York and Montreal and a 15-night cruise from Montréal to Miami, ending the season in the Caribbean and the Amazon. Three Extended Voyages from 31-43 days offer coast-to-coast exploration. 

An example of lead-in fares is as follows:

• Seven Seas Mariner, 7-nights, 12 May 2014, Istanbul to Athens: £2,899 per person (H grade).
• Seven Seas Voyager, 16-nights, 10 July 2014, Oslo to Copenhagen: £7,449 per person (H grade); 10-nights, 26 July 2014, Copenhagen to Stockholm: £4,949 per person (H grade).
• Seven Seas Navigator, 7-nights, 21 May 2014, Vancouver to Vancouver: £2,999 per person (H grade); 10-nights, 12 October 2014, New York to Montreal: £4,179 per person (H grade).

The line’s all-suite, all-balcony Seven Seas Mariner and Voyager were refurbished in 2011 and Navigator in 2012.

For bookings, follow this link to The Cruise Line, the UK's luxury cruising 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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Crystal's Autumn New England Style

Crystal Cruises’ autumn voyages through America and Canada’s East Coast offer dozens of new boutique adventures ashore, including a brand new, exotic Québécois itinerary with three off-the-beaten-path maiden calls. 

Beginning September 19 on Crystal Symphony – freshly redesigned during a $15million makeover – the series of autumn voyages feature five cruises from 7 to 11 nights sailing between Boston, Manhattan and Montréal. The season’s centre-piece, Crystal’s first-ever round-trip from Montréal, is a seven-night intimate exploration of European-flavoured French Canada, including a maiden call to France itself.

The 29 new Crystal Adventures ashore also offer novel ways for foodies, adventurers and culture-hounds to experience the historic region’s most iconic and less-expected areas, such as:

• Bar Harbor: Glide over Acadia National Park’s treetops in an open-cockpit biplane.
• Magdalen Islands (maiden call): Learn about the distinct Acadian culture and taste local specialties like porto-style fortified wine, Pied-de-Vent cheese and bagosse “island beer”.
• Montréal: Jet boat away from the Old Port down the Lachine Rapids. 
• Sept-Îles (maiden call): Train-ride to a marshland Innu camp for immersion into traditional First Nations life, from chanting and smoked salmon secrets to moccasin and medicine-making.
• St John: Heli-fish in the footsteps of Prince Charles on the Miramichi River or have “Tea with Eleanor” Roosevelt at her and Franklin’s former summer residence. 
• Boston: See what some call New England’s most well-preserved (and picturesque) Colonial town during a half-day in Marblehead and witch trial-famed Salem. 

Until August 31, all-inclusive “Book Now” fares start from £2,744 per person, including return scheduled flights, overseas transfers and onboard accommodation with all meals and soft drinks, selected alcoholic beverages, entertainment, port taxes and gratuities. 

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

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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Crystal Cruises + Canada/New England = Cruise Perfection

We are just back from a truly sublime 12-day voyage with Crystal Cruises from Montreal (above) to New York, taking in large parts of the late Fall Foliage scene through Canada and New England.

This was a brand new area for us, cruise-wise, and came as quite a revelation. In company with Crystal's peerless style, it makes for an absolute stunner of a cruise, with plenty of captivating ports of call, superb onboard ambience and an almost non-stop backdrop of eye-catching scenery.

The ports were the Canadian quartet of Montreal, Quebec, Halifax and St John, followed by Portland (Maine), Boston and Newport (Rhode Island). Each one offered a level of interest and diversity that can usually only be found in the most port-intensive of Mediterranean or Northern Europe itineraries, and there was much that came as a real surprise in terms of the activities, sight-seeing, history and, most importantly, the food en route.

We'll try to provide a few more details here on Time Spent At Sea in the coming weeks, but look for a BIG feature focus on this cruise, and the region as a whole, throughout 2011 in World of Cruising.

It is almost 15 years since we did a full cruise with Crystal and it certainly served to underline that nobody does it better in terms of big-ship deluxe voyaging, with the food and service quite superb. The onboard entertainment was first class and the relaxation factor was also noticeable in the comfort of one of their Penthouse deck staterooms (well worth paying the extra for, in our opinion) and we left with that rare feeling of real regret at the end of the 12 days!

Crystal Symphony may be 15 years old these days but her classic styling still make her seem new, she has been wonderfully well maintained and her 2009 refurbishment added a real touch of class to many staterooms and the Lido Deck.

We'd also have to say that this is a real thinking person's cruise. It is not an all-action, non-stop barrage of sunshine, beaches and activity, but it IS an absolutely fascinating look at a part of the world that is not too busy at this time of year (late September and October) and offers a lot to enchant and beguile in a subtle, sophisticated manner.

Standout ports were the UNESCO world heritage city of Quebec, the two-day visit to brilliant Boston, and the small-scale charm (and opulence!) of Newport, but every single stop included something new, vibrant and attractive, and that is a rare commodity these days.

The real test of any cruise is usually the question - would we want to go back? If it was the exact same voyage, and with Crystal - indisputably!

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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