Royal Caribbean Reveal Anthem's Southampton Voyages

By Editor Simon Veness

The big question (in every sense) about what itineraries Royal Caribbean will be offering from Southampton with their new Anthem of the Seas next year has been answered - with a bold array of different cruises from April to September.

As we have already noted here at Time Spent At Sea, Royal Caribbean will be going head-to-head next spring and summer with P&O Cruises out of Southampton, with P&O debuting their all-new Britannia at the same time as the Anthem arrives for her inaugural season.

Anthem is Royal Caribbean’s second Quantum-class ship and will offer 20 Mediterranean sailings beginning on April 22, 2015, before heading to Fort Lauderdale in the autumn, and her itineraries range from three to 16 nights, with a strong focus on ‘taster’ cruises designed to attract British holidaymakers who haven’t previously considered a cruise holiday.

Quantum and Anthem will mark another step forward for the cruise industry, introducing more unique facilities at sea, such as a skydiving experience called RipCord by iFLY and the North Star (above), an engineering marvel featuring a capsule that extends 300ft above the ocean and over the side of the ship to deliver 360-degree views for guests.

Additional cutting-edge venues include SeaPlex, the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea with bumper cars, roller-skating and more; and the cruise line’s largest and most advanced staterooms ever. These new, larger rooms enable innovation in design, storage and comfort, including the industry’s first 'virtual balconies.'

Royal Caribbean's managing director for UK and Ireland, Stuart Leven, explained: “The unveiling of the Anthem of the Seas itineraries is another major milestone in our exciting year. We have significant confidence in the strength of pent-up demand for the Royal Caribbean holiday product from UK and Ireland."

Anthem's cruise options from Southampton next year are as follows:

• Four 3-night taster cruises and one 4-night taster cruise calling at Bruges and Paris (Le Havre).
• One 7 and one 8-night 'France & Spain' cruise calling at Bilbao and Paris (Le Havre).
• One 16-night 'Mediterranean Cities of Distinction' cruise including Barcelona, Nice, Rome Seville and Lisbon.
• Three 13-nights, one 10-night and one 12-night 'Sunshine in the Canaries' cruise.
• One 7-night 'Norwegian Fjords' sailing.
• Two 14-night 'Italian Mediterranean' sailings.
• One 14-night 'Spain & Mediterranean Beaches' sailing, including an overnight in Palma de Mallorca and a call into Ibiza, not departing until 8pm in the evening.

Peak summer holiday cruises include the 14-night Italian Mediterranean cruise and the 14-night Spain & Mediterranean Beaches sailings to appeal to family travellers. In addition, the three-night taster cruise operating over August Bank Holiday weekend is expected to be popular.

A 14-night cruise from Southampton starts from £1,599 per person, based on a July 2015 departure. The taster three-night cruises start from £449 per person, based on a May 2015 departure, and the programme goes on sale on March 4. 

More info: call 0844 493 4005 or visit www.royalcaribbean.co.uk.

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MSC Will Be 'Simply Marvellous' In 2014

MSC Cruises has unveiled an array of new itineraries and destinations for 2014 – with 168 global itineraries, a second ship coming to Southampton, a Bank Holiday mini-cruise, all-year-round Caribbean cruises from Miami and a return to the UAE.

To celebrate the launch of the 2014 brochure and to encourage early bookings, MSC has introduced “Simply Marvellous,” a range of Mediterranean summer cruises starting from just £649 per person including flights, and more than 76 sailings to choose from. The line is also introducing a new and simplified price structure to make it as easy as possible for consumers to understand and choose the type of cabin they want.

"Simply Marvellous" offers also include:

Bank Holiday mini-cruise – next year will see a two-night mini-cruise departing from Southampton to Guernsey from just £179 per person, perfect as a taster for customers who have never cruised before and want to experience the product – or cruise-lovers who want to get away for a bank holiday weekend.

More ex-UK cruises - MSC is sending a second and bigger ship, MSC Magnifica, to Southampton. Magnifica will have four seven-night cruises departing from Southampton and calling in Zeebrugge (for Bruges), Amsterdam, Hamburg, and Le Havre (for Paris). Prices start from £429 per person, including free car parking or free national express coach transfer to Southampton.
 

Year-round Caribbean cruises – For the first time, MSC will have a ship based in Miami for both Summer and Winter season, MSC Divina, offering seven-night cruises in the Caribbean on different itineraries. Plus, following the successful launch on new ship MSC Preziosa, Divina will also welcome two new Eataly restaurants and, for spinning enthusiasts, innovative Aqua Cycling facilities, the latest fitness craze across the US. Prices for a seven-night Caribbean cruise start from just £419 per person, cruise-only.

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

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Star Clippers Adds New 'Taster' Cruises

In response to growing demand for short ‘taster’ cruises, tall-ship sailing specialist Star Clippers has added new short-break cruises in the Baltic for 2013, in addition to Mediterranean sailings during 2012, including a five-night mini-cruise from Athens to Malta this October for just £999 per person, including flights and transfers.

Departing Athens on October 20, the 170-passenger square rigger Star Clipper sails to the picturesque ports of Monemvasia and Pilos in Greece, both relatively untouched by tourism, followed by a day at sea in which to relax on the warm teak decks, enjoying the autumn sunshine. There’s a day in historic Syracuse, Sicily, before arriving in Malta on October 25.

The company's new shorter cruises in 2013 cost from £690 per person, cruise-only, for three nights on Star Flyer (a sister ship to the four-masted Star Clipper), including the `Sailing Parade’ tall ships festival in Hamburg, to £1,025 for a five-night sailing from Monaco to Rome on Star Clipper. Other mini-cruises depart from Venice and Rome, for three and four nights respectively, on the company’s flagship, the five-masted, 227-passenger Royal Clipper.

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