Spend New Year’s Eve in Amsterdam FREE with AmaWaterways

For bookings made during National Cruise Week (18-25 September), AmaWaterways is offering a free additional two-night stay on board the luxury five-star river cruiser AmaLegro for all clients booking a week-long Christmas cruise from Nuremberg to Amsterdam, departing on December 23.

The seven-night cruise costs from £1,195 per person and includes two additional free nights on board, all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, with complimentary house wine), free wi-fi, free use of on board bicycles and daily tours, hosted by knowledgeable guides, or £1,425 with return UK flights and overseas transfers.

Guests booking the festive cruise during National Cruise Week next week will be entitled to stay on for two extra nights in Amsterdam, on December 30 and 31, inclusive of all meals.

For more information, visit www.amawaterways.co.uk or the river-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

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St Helena's Cruise Boost

More cruise and yacht visitors are being attracted to the remote South Atlantic shores of St Helena, according to the latest figures released by St Helena Tourism.

The total number of visitors arriving by sea reached 3,132 in 2010. Cruise ship numbers held up well, but the most impressive growth was demonstrated by yacht visitors, up 15% to 545 in 2010 against 475 in 2009. Significant growth is already being seen in 2011, with yacht visitors in the first quarter already at 507, almost the same level as the whole of 2010. This is no doubt in partly attributable to recently improved yachting facilities on the island.

The average number of visitors per cruise ship increased by 75% in 2010 against 2009, from 426 to 748; and cruise visitor numbers are already up for 2011 and 2012. Satisfaction levels among cruise visitors remained extremely high with 96% of visitors rating their visit good or better. For most people, it was their first visit to St Helena, and 96% said they would recommend the island to friends. Descriptions of the island included “once in a lifetime experience” and “a paradise.”

According to Janet Shankland, Sales and Marketing Executive for St Helena Tourism: “The upward trend signifies a positive future for sea-borne tourism to St Helena, with more cruise and tour operators attracted by its unique position and remarkable history and nature, best known as the place of Napoleon’s exile.

“Plans to build a new breakwater at Jamestown Wharf with enhanced landing facilities for cruise ships are also under way. This comes as part of a wider investment in infrastructure and the tourism offering under our ‘extraordinary’ branding."

Presently, the only means of getting to St Helena - located 1,500 miles from Cape Town - is by sea. The island is regularly served by one of the last Royal Mail ships, the RMS St Helena, a 128-berth passenger/cargo vessel. Other cruise lines servicing St Helena include Seabourn, P&O Cruises and Silversea. The new breakwater is expected to be completed three years after the contract, currently up for tender, has been awarded.

For more info, see www.sthelenatourism.com or the adventure-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Paul Gauguin's exceptional culinary programme.

Paul Gauguin Cruises, operator of the highest-rated and longest continually sailing luxury cruise ship in the South Pacific, the Paul Gauguin, has welcomed Chef Jean-Pierre Vigato onboard for an exceptional new culinary programme. Vigato is owner and Chef Propriétaire of one of the finest restaurants in Paris, the two Michelin-starred Restaurant Apicius (http://www.restaurant-apicius.com/).

Paul Gauguin Cruises has enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Chef Vigato over the years, working together to enhance the onboard experience. Available on all 2011 sailings, Vigato’s signature menu is now featured in the ship’s La Veranda restaurant while select dishes will also be featured at L’Etoile.

In addition, Vigato will join Paul Gauguin’s July 30 sailing as a special guest, personally preparing gourmet dishes for guests as well as offering cooking demonstrations of his renowned culinary techniques.

Sample menu items include Fine Tart of Mushrooms and Snails with Mascarpone and White Truffle Oil; Grilled Wahoo with Thai Vegetables and Herb Salad; and Local Pineapple Jelly Served with Rum-Infused Mascarpone and Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream.

This 11-night Cook Islands & Society Islands cruise starts and ends in Papeete and visits Huahine, Aitutaki, Rarotonga, Bora Bora, Taha’a and Moorea. Prices are from £4,390 per person, including return scheduled flights, transfers, 14 nights in an ocean-view stateroom with all meals, soft drinks, select alcoholic beverages and gratuities.

Full 2011 prices start from just £2,677 per person, cruise-only, based on a seven-night Society Islands sailing with departures on February 19, 26 and December 3. For further information or reservations, call 020 7434 0089 or visit http://www.pgcruises.com/ or check with the UK's leading adventure and luxury cruise specfialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Go Solo In Europe's Cultural Heart On A 5-Star River Cruise

According to award-winning river cruise operator, AMAWaterways, you're never alone on a European river cruise. The company maintain it's one of the easiest ways for a solo traveller to discover Europe's cultural highlights without lugging luggage, checking in and out of airports and hotels single handedly, or sitting conspicuously alone in a hotel restaurant. Daily guided excursions on-shore along the route and free seating at meal times ensure a sociable cruise atmosphere (without the sea sickness) and allow solo travellers to mingle as much or as little as they like.

AMAWaterways' river cruises along the Rhine and Danube take in Central Europe's riverside cities, vineyards and countryside, including some of the most picturesque surroundings. Departing in April 2011, there is a 7-night cruise through Holland and Belgium, passing carpets of colourful flowers and lush green countryside dotted with windmills and tours of historic towns and cities that include Antwerp and Ghent. Prices from £1439pp, saving £676 (cruise only).

Choose from these dates:

1st April, solo travellers £1439pp, saving £676
8th April, solo travellers £1499, saving £706
25th April, solo travellers £1629, saving £771

Cruise/Flight inclusive

1st April, solo travellers £1639pp, saving £676
8th April, solo travellers £1699, saving £706
25th April, solo travellers £1829, Saving £771

Cruise/Rail inclusive

1st April, solo travellers £1739pp, saving £676
8th April, solo travellers £1799, saving £706
25th April, solo travellers £1929, saving £771

Contact AMAWaterways on www.amawaterways.co.uk/ or contact one of the river-cruise specialists at UK cruise agents The Cruise Line Ltd (http://www.cruiseline.co.uk/, 0800 008 6677).

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Cruise From Edinburgh to Tromso

You can now take a cruise aboard the MS Expedition with Noble Caledonia from Edinburgh to Tromso from May 8-19.

The voyage begins on the east coast of Scotland in the port of Leith. From there, the journey continues to the remote Shetland Islands and then the Norwegian fjords, among the most spectacular scenery in the world.

With just over 100 fellow passengers, you can enjoy the beauty of this region in small groups and from aboard a small, friendly ship. With the ideally suited vessel, you will navigate narrow fjords and get close to immense glaciers (above), avoiding the route of big cruise ships wherever possible. Many of the ports of call are tranquil hamlets or small communities and they make for fascinating alternatives with their unique lifestyles.

Amongst the places visited are Lerwick, Rosendal, Sognefjorden and Naeroyfjorden (above).

At Flam, you embark on one of the most dramatic train rides in Europe. The Flâm Railway is only 20 kilometres long but a masterpiece of engineering. The train climbs up from sea-level to 867 metres during these 20km, crossing back and forth across rivers and through 20 tunnels.

Crossing the Arctic Circle, you arrive in the Lofoten Archipelago, an enchanting area of picturesque villages with jagged granite mountain peaks forming a dramatic backdrop. A spot of whale-watching is thrown in before reaching Tromso.

Prices, per person based on double occupancy, start from £2995 and include 11 nights on MS Expedition on full board, transfers as stated in itinerary, expedition team, port taxes, shore excursions, scheduled flight from Tromso to London and airport tax.

Also available from May 19-30 is the reverse itinerary heading south from Tromso to Edinburgh.

For more details, visit www.noble-caledonia.co.uk or the adventure cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

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New Luxury Ship, New Luxury Spa

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Oceania Cruises and Canyon Ranch have announced signature spa offerings on board their new, 1,250-guest luxury ship Marina, which is scheduled to debut in January 2011.

Highlights of the 10,000sq ft Canyon Ranch SpaClub® include more than 50 innovative and harmonious spa treatments and therapies, a thalassotherapy pool, thermal suite and fitness centre, and Spa Cuisine menu choices in the Grand Dining Room and Terrace Café that are both nutritious and created with the highest gourmet standards.

Signature services include:

When guests are not training on their own, they can utilise Canyon Ranch fitness experts who will lead daily group and private fitness sessions and provide assessment for basic fitness and nutrition counselling. Specialised wellness services include Yamuna® Foot Fitness class offering simple techniques that improve the alignment and flexibility of hard-working feet. The SpaClub's Performance Orthotics Assessment is a computerised assessment of the way a person walks, followed by a fitting of custom-designed orthotics.

Canyon Ranch chefs also worked with Oceania's award-winning culinary team to create Spa Cuisine selections for the Grand Dining Room and Terrace Café that fit with the theme of wellness, but also with Oceania's trademark high cuisine standards.

At 66,000 tons - twice as large as her three sisters - and carrying 1,250 guests, Marina also features an array of stylish bars and lounges and 10 dining venues - six of which are open-seating, gourmet restaurants, including Jacques, the first restaurant at sea for Chef Jacques Pépin. Other highlights include a Bon Appétit Culinary Centre, Owner's Suites furnished exclusively in Ralph Lauren Home, and a grand stairway custom-crafted by renowned French glass master, Lalique.

To find out more, visit OceaniaCruises.co.uk or call the specialist luxury cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 008 6677.

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Going Exotic with Princess

There are plenty of options for voyages that get away from the main cruise areas and offer that 'something different' factor these days. The choice for wonderful, exotic itineraries has literally never been greater.

But few lines offer as wide a variety under one roof, so to speak as Princess Cruises. Their 18-ship fleet now covers just about every corner of the globe, and their latest range of 'Exotic Cruises' is quite mind-boggling.

It features 12 of their fleet on 50 different itineraries, from a grand 108-night World Cruise (on Pacific Princess) to a 12-night Panama Canal transit on Coral Princess (which reminds me to give another plug to the forthcoming Autumn issue of World of Cruising magazine, as it features a major destination overview of the Canal).

Once again, it serves to highlight the absolutely amazing variety and quality of cruise experience on offer in the mainstream cruise world these days, something which was usually only in the preserve of a handful 10 or 15 years ago.

They have already highlighted their array of voyages around the South Pacific and Hawaii in 2010-11. So, let me put the Princess story in full, with their full 'exotic' press release:

1 September – Princess Cruises has today launched its new Exotic Cruises Worldwide programme for 2010 with new itineraries, enhanced sailings andnew ports of call.

With an impressive selection of 12 ships ranging in size from 670 to 3,110 passengers, the cruise line will offer 150 cruises across 50 itineraries. Passengers can enjoy holidays from 12 nights up to the full 108-night World Cruise, across all seven continents, proving Princess is the leader in destination cruising with itineraries designed to please first-time cruisers and experienced travellers alike.

The ships deployed on the itineraries will be equally impressive, with nine that offer ‘Movies under the Stars’, the line's trademark enormous poolside movie screen, and the adult-only oasis of ‘The Sanctuary.' All ships offer a choice of dining venues, such as Sabatini’s Trattoria, the Sterling Steakhouse and Crown Grill.

Princess Cruises also has the highest percentage of balcony cabins compared to any other cruise line sailing the far-flung corners of the globe, providing the ultimate view from which to experience these worldwide destinations.

Highlights of the new Exotic Cruises Worldwide programme are as follows:

Pacific Princess will offer a 108-night world cruise with shorter World Sectors ranging from 22-84 nights in duration and Dawn Princess will feature 12-56 night World Escapes between Sydney and Southampton. Fares start from £12,299 per person on Pacific Princess while a 51-night World Escape cruise on Dawn starts from £4,699 per person.

Increased capacity in the Far East – Ocean Princess and Diamond Princess return to sail these magical destinations, with holidays ranging from 14-26 nights between Singapore and Bangkok, Bangkok and Shanghai and Shanghai to Osaka, with the opportunity to extend the holiday by combining cruises. Fares start from £2,699 per person. Diamond Princess will also sail a NEW 26-night itinerary from Sydney to Beijing, with fares starting from £3,349 per person.

NEW! Panama Marvel – Sea Princess sails a new 25-night holiday from San Francisco to Barbados with fares from £2,149 per person. There’s also the option to enjoy further time in San Francisco with a 2 or 3-night pre-cruise hotel stay from just £99 per person.

Panama Passion – leading the way in Panama, Coral Princess, Island Princess and Sea Princess will offer five exceptional itineraries taking in 18 ports of call and nine different countries as well as a 2-day Panama Canal Experience on cruises of 15-nights or longer. Fares start from £1,829 per person for a full-transit 12-nights on Coral Princess.

South American Sizzle – Star Princess returns for another series of cruises around South America, the Andes and Cape Horn, ranging from 16-22 nights. Fares for a 16-night Cape Horn route to Rio start from £2,299 per person.

‘Fall’ in love with Canada – Crown Princess sails the 11-night Classic Canada and New England itinerary and the 14-night Canada and Colonial America itinerary from Quebec to Fort Lauderdale, with the option to extend the holiday with a 5-day Maple Explorer deluxe pre or post-cruise land tour. Fares for an 11-night fly-cruise start from £1,399 per person.

My good friend Pieter van der Schee, head of Brand Marketing for Princess, puts the case for their Exotic programme, insisting: “Princess Cruises offer many incredible ways to escape the winter months and enjoy the warmth and relaxation of a tropical getaway. These exotic itineraries offer romance, insight into diverse cultures, active pursuits, stunning beaches and even the opportunity to witness a historic marvel ofengineering.”

Oh, and don't forget you can get some pretty good deals on all Princess cruises from The Cruise Line!

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