Titan/Uniworld on the River Douro with savings up to £650

Titan/Uniworld are offering a 7-night all-inclusive cruise on the River Douro, Portugal on board the specially built Queen Isabel with savings of up to £650 per person on selected 2015 departures. 

Before embarking on the cruise, guests stay in Lisbon, a colourful entreé to sailing the river valley with its steeped-terraced vineyards.   Before embarking at Oporto a visit is made to the ancient university town of Coimbra.

Sailing on the river is banned at night so guests can explore the local villages as well tasting new wines from the old village vineyards at Régua and Pinhão. Excursions include the UNESCO World Heritage cities of Guimarães and Salamanca.

Begin with Titan’s VIP Home Departure Service to London Heathrow or Gatwick Airport for the scheduled Air Portugal or another leading airline flight to Lisbon. Voyage commencing 2 April 2015 11 days from £2,129 per person.  Offers end 30 November 2014.

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Adventure Cruising blog

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New Issue Out Next Week!

There's a real river cruising extravaganza in store for the second edition of World of Cruising magazine for 2014, which is due out next week. 

There is an unprecedented array of new ships, itineraries and even a brand new cruise line, Emerald Waterways, on the rivers of Europe this spring, and we are reflecting all of that in our extensive News and feature coverage, as well as something a bit further afield.

Our Cover Story is a look at the growing range and style of UK tour specialists Titan Travel in conjunction with Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, while we also look at life in the slow lane with the deluxe manner of European Waterways in Burgundy.

To complete our triumvirate of river-going opulence, Contributing Editor Gary Buchanan heads to Kerala in India to sample the sumptuous style of Oberoi Resorts aboard their five-star Oberoi Vrinda river vessel.

But that is only the start of our latest journey in the wide World of Cruising. We have some big-ship offerings, too, with the likes of Norwegian Cruise Line's new Norwegian Getaway and the forthcoming Regal Princess of Princess Cruises plus a look at the varied luxury realm of Silversea Cruises on their 20th anniversary and the tempting cuisine of Azamara Club Cruises.

For destinations, we visit Turkey, St Maarten, Costa Rica and, by way of complete contrast, the Arctic, for a preview of this summer’s Polar cruising season.

All our regular features are back, of course, with a look at Life On Board, the CLIA View, Sea Social Media and columnists like Captain Greybeard, The Cruise Guy, Cruise Radio and Silver Travel Advisor.

And there’s our essential World of Spas section, with news of a wonderful tie-up between Celebrity Cruises and the Canyon Ranch spa group, as well as our fab Beauty File.

Once again, it all adds up to a thoroughly memorable voyage, both sea-going and river-borne, so step up the gangway and prepare to set sail… 

To subscribe to World of Cruising magazine, with six issues a year plus an annual Cruise Directory in December, 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.

The Glorious Danube - Part 2

Continuing our epic Danube voyage in the company of Uniworld and Titan Travel, from Girgiu in Romania to Vienna in Austria...

Early Impressions – The Cabin

Being more familiar with ocean-going ships than river vessels, I was curious as to how our cabin would compare with the larger-scale version, even with a company as upmarket as Uniworld.

While the River Duchess is a sleek, classic riverboat, it isn’t the largest prospect in the world, hence it was hard to imagine the accommodations being especially spacious. I needn’t have worried.

The standard cabins measure a healthy 151sq ft and only the four suites are significantly different in any material way, providing all guests with a thoroughly cosseted experience.

The two single beds can be combined into a comfortable double, along with continental duvets and a choice of pillows. Individual air-conditioning ensures you can find your optimum temperature, and the compact, marbled bathroom is a mini-haven of creature comforts, with the power-shower a real blessing.

A basket of fresh fruit and bottle of Gleichenstein Spatburgunder awaited our arrival and we were able to toast our good fortune with a glass of Germany’s finest red win as we set sail.

A flatscreen TV, bottle of fresh filtered water, robes, slipper and free in-room wi-fi completed a truly elegant picture and we were instantly transported to a new realm of travelling comfort.

Double cupboards provide ample storage space for 11 days and, after unpacking, we were definitely ready for a new water-borne adventure.

Next stop, Bulgaria…

NB: Uniworld is the American-owned river-boat operator but their cruises are sold in the UK via Titan Travel, so you can look up www.uniworld.co.uk or www.titantravel.com.

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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Danube - The Beginning

Beginning  a series of blog posts 'live' from the River Duchess of Uniworld and Titan Travel on a voyage from Romania to Austria

Day One: Arrival and embarkation

After a fairly exhausting near-two days of travel (Florida-London, London-Bucharest, Bucharest-Girgiu), we have arrived on board the beautiful River Duchess at the Danube port of Girgiu, the official start of our journey.

First impressions are of a very elegant, sleek vessel - very different from any of my previous cruises, even the small-ship versions.

This is more like travelling with a group of friends, but in quite elegant style.

The riverboat holds only 130 passengers, and there are only 82 on this voyage, hence it is definitely small-scale, personal and quite laid-back.

Our 'welcome aboard' made us feel like checking in at a top-class boutique European hotel, and the general look and ambience are similar.

We are getting ready for our first dinner aboard and also setting sail this evening - for the Bulgarian port across the river!

More soon...

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Uniworld To Offer Italy In 2013

In spring of 2013, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises will add another extraordinary river cruise destination to their collection of itineraries: Italy, taking in the Po River and the Venice Lagoon. The 13-day ‘Splendours of Italy’ itinerary combines a seven-night river cruise along the Po River and the Venice Lagoon with a two-night land stay in Florence and three nights in Rome. For those who only wish to do the cruise portion, Uniworld will offer a cruise-only option for eight days, ’Venice & the Po River.’

 

Chris Fundell, Uniworld’s Marketing Manager, tells us: “We wanted to give travellers the option to do a cruise-only or a cruise and land programme offering additional time in two of the world’s best known and loved cities, Florence and Rome.”

 

The new Italy programme is designed to bring the region’s art, architecture, music, cuisine, landscapes, culture, and religious and political history together, creating an immersive and enlightening journey. While guests will get to experience the “must see” sights in the iconic cities of Rome, Florence and Venice, they will also venture off the beaten path, travelling to such places as Ravenna, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, and enchanting Verona, the home of literature’s most famous lovers Romeo and Juliet. 

Guests will also be introduced to Italy’s distinctive culinary delights, attending a pasta-making workshop in Bologna, the culinary capital of northern Italy. Throughout the journey, they will indulge in the culinary flavours of the region - from crispy Roman pizza to creamy Venetian gelato and hearty Chianti.

 

Uniworld will be moving one of their award-winning boutique cruise ships, the River Countess, to Venice and the Po River in 2013. The Countess is being completely remodelled to reflect the spirit and heart of this great destination, "with all the elegant touches and finesse of an Italian masterpiece."

 

The new 13-day ‘Splendours of Italy’ cruise includes: seven nights in a riverview stateroom aboard the luxurious River Countess; two nights in a deluxe hotel in Florence and three nights in a deluxe hotel in Rome; all meals onboard with complimentary fine wine, beer, and soft drinks with lunch and dinner; fully guided excursions with local experts; and all transfers on arrival and departure days, and throughout the programme.

For booking details be sure to check with the UK's leading river-cruise specialists The Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 008 6677.

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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One Week To The New Edition!

The Winter edition of World of Cruising magazine goes to the printers this week and should be back with us next Monday (Dec 19) for distribution to all our subscribers - just in time for a good Christmas read!

The latest issue is absolutely packed with the exotic and the desirable; long-distance cruising and closer-to-home varieties; winter ideas and festive touches. It journeys from Japan to Alaska and the Caribbean to the Med. And all in the inimitable style and high-quality design you have come to expect from Europe's leading cruise publication.

Our cover story is a unique close-up look at Alaska, through the twin perspectives of Princess Cruises and the new Alaskan Dream Cruises, with some fabulous photography and brilliant story-telling. Then we take a Viking voyage in the company of Fred. Olsen Cruises and head to the FarEast to look at the growing cruise destination of South Korea.

Need some winter sunshine? Go straight to out feature on Caribbean voyaging with SeaDream Yacht Club, a real tropical tonic. Or how about another look at the Asian Far East, this time with Orion Expedition Cruises and their first ever visit to Japan?


Back on home ground, we have a feature-length look at Swan Hellenic's Minerva from her new home base of Portsmouth (and just prior to her big winter re-fit), and then head north again for a look at the Norwegian Arctic of Hurtigruten in the region of Spitsbergen, truly one of cruising's great adventure frontiers.

For river cruising, we head to Russia and a unique journey from Moscow to St Petersburg with Uniworld, while we add a touch of pure luxury aboard Azamara Club Cruises and their unique President's Cruise. We also fofer two Passenger Perspective pieces, looking at Azamara and Cunard's Queen Victoria.

All our regular features are, of course, firmly front and centre, from the inimitable blogging style of Captain Greybeard and the inimitable Admiral, to our Aft View section, the expert Fashion pages, the essential World of Spas section, Readers Letters and the essential Cruise Planner, our annual review of ALL the ships with ALL the lines, so you can sit and plan your next voyage in perfect style.

It is all here, capped off by the best writers on the subject, from Gary Buchanan and Yvonne Horn to cruise historian Peter Newall and adventuring supremo Steve Newman.

As ever, World of Cruising is subscription-only, so, to be sure of your copy, make sure you visit our subscription page - Here!

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.