New 2011 Titan Brochure

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Titan HiTours has unveiled its brand new Cruise & Tour brochure for 2011. The programme encompasses an extensive selection of ocean cruises combined with imaginative, land-based touring packages that take in every possible point of the compass from Alaska to Antarctica. With highlights ranging from the splendour of a stylish cruise around the British Isles on the new Queen Elizabeth to a passage through the Panama Canal - as well as a wide choice of no-fly cruises with direct departures from UK seaports - the Cruise & Tour programme presents an unrivalled choice of exciting holidays afloat combined with the quality, high standards and value for money for which Titan HiTours is renowned.

The popular VIP Home Departure Service, which collects customers from - and returns them to - their own front door has now been extended to cover mainland Scotland, The Channel Islands and Northern Ireland and allows for every client to be picked up from their home address, transferred to their departure point and returned to their own front door at the end of their holiday at no extra cost. That means those in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands are entitled to a home pick-up and door-to-door transfer to their nearest regional airport, plus free domestic flights to the London airports to connect with any international departure (or free onward connections to the major seaports for clients taking an ex-UK cruise).

Another new addition with plenty of possible departure dates (11 in total) is the 8-day Dubrovnik & the Dalmatian Islands itinerary, which incorporates a brief stay in this fabled city (known romantically as the Pearl of the Adriatic) with a voyage along the stunningly beautiful Dalmatian coastline. The holiday costs from £995 per person, to include flights, transfers, half-board accommodation, sightseeing tours as detailed in the itinerary, port taxes and the VIP Home Departure Service.

Those looking to avoid the cost and hassle of jetting away might prefer the brochure's wide selection of no-fly cruises, which involve direct departures from the UK's major seaports. There are a total of five new no-fly cruise itineraries in the brochure, of which the closest to home is the 11-day Queen Elizabeth's maiden Around the British Isles cruise, which has to be booked by 30 November 2010 for a departure from Southampton on 2 September 2011.

For details or to book, visit the website http://www.titanhitours.co.uk/

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Oceania Savings on selected Far East Cruises

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Oceania Cruises has savings of up to £5,281 off selected Far East cruises in 2011, with up to 63% off original fares and prices now from just £1,172 per person, including all meals, complimentary bottled water and soft drinks and no charge for their speciality dining.

Take One: 15th January 2011, Singapore to Hong Kong

Oceania has savings of up to £2,624pp off its 15-night cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong (above) on mid-sized ship Nautica. Prices now from £1172 (was £3,124) rising to £1,875 (was £4,499) saving up to £2,624pp for a Veranda suite. Prices include port taxes, complimentary soft drinks and speciality dining; prices exclude flights.

Take Two: 15th February 2011, Far East cruise

Oceania has an amazing 63% saving off this 24-night voyage from Bangkok to Beijing, departing on February 15 on Nautica and calling in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, China and South Korea. Prices are from £1,875pp for an inside stateroom (was £5,124), including port taxes, complimentary soft drinks and speciality dining. For those booking a Penthouse Suite, the saving increases to £5,249 per person with a fare of just £3,750pp (was £8,999). Prices exclude flights.

Take Three: 26th March 2011, Hong Kong to Dubai

Try 25 nights of luxurious cruising on Nautica from just £1,953pp for an inside stateroom (was £5124), saving 62% of the original fare. The voyage embarks in Hong Kong and makes calls in China, Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar and India, before disembarkation in Dubai on 20th April. Other staterooms available in various categories, up to the Penthouse Suite for £3,906 (was £9187). Prices include port taxes, complimentary soft drinks and speciality dining. Prices exclude flights.

For more details, contact http://www.oceeaniacruises.co.uk/ or visit specialist cruise agents The Crusie Line Ltd.

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Light Show in the Arctic Circle

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Hurtigruten’s winter voyages along Norway’s fjord-filled west coast will now offer an impressive light show at the Finnkirka Sea Cliffs in the far north of the country. Guests onboard Hurtigruten can enjoy the light display from the ship as it enters Kjollefjord on the northbound journey. This major new winter attraction in Norway will be available until the end of March 2011.

The Finnkirka, or ‘Finnish Church’ cliffs – aptly named for their Cathedral-like appearance - were originally a place of worship for the local Sami people. Located at the entrance to the Kjollefjord in the Finnmark region of Northern Norway, it is regarded as one of the most beautiful sea cliffs in the world. To ensure this impressive bluff is ablaze with light, even during the dark winter months, light artist Kurt Hermansen has been brought in to set the glowing stage for the Finnkirka.

In the past, the Finnkirka had played host to concerts and events during the summer but remained unused during the winter months. The creation of the new attraction is a joint effort between Hurtigruten and the local population, both keen to continue to show off the splendour of the Finnkirka during the winter season.

A voyage North from Bergen in the South to Kirkenes in the North during the winter months costs from £1105 per person including return flights, six night’s half board on the ship and transfers. No single supplements apply. Valid in January and February 2011.

For more information, visit http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ or visit the Hurtigruten section of adventure cruise specialists the Cruise Line Ltd.

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Voyages of Discovery - Best Niche Cruise Line

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Voyages of Discovery was awarded Best Niche Cruise Line at the British Travel Awards this week, with an impressive 34 percent of votes. Swan Hellenic were also recognised for excellence at the awards, receiving silver in the Best River Cruise Line category.

Voyages of Discovery offers passengers a unique and specialised cruising experience. MV Discovery’s smaller size accommodates around 650 passengers, allowing it to visit ports and destinations which larger cruise liners are unable to, bringing each destination to life with renowned guest speakers.

For more information, visit Voyages of Discovery or cruise specialist agents The Cruise Line Ltd.

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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Avalon Launches Spring Discounts

By guest blogger Steve Newman

AvalonWaterways, the USA-based luxury river cruise company which launched its UK operation last year, has announced a range of discounts on its 2011 spring departures of up to £450 per person.

Operating the youngest, quietest and most spacious fleet of ships currently on Europe’s rivers, which include the Rhine, Moselle, Rhone, Main, Danube and Seine, Avalon kicks off the spring discounting by offering £450 off its April 10 sailing of the popular 11-day ‘Legendary Danube’ cruise from Prague to Budapest on the 5-star MS Tapestry, now priced from £1509 per person (reduced from £1959), to include return flights, full board with complimentary regional wine, beer or soft drinks with dinner and free door-to-home pick-up within a 75-mile radius of the chosen UK departure airport.

Still on the Danube, a discount of £450 is also offered on the 13-day ‘Blue Danube Discovery’ departing on May 6 from Budapest to Prague on Avalon Tranquility now priced at £1845 (reduced from £2295).

Discounts of £325 are also available on the 11-day ‘Burgundy & Provence’ route departing from Paris to the Cote d’Azur on Avalon Scenery and the 8-day ‘Romantic Rhine’ departing from Zurich to Amsterdam on Avalon Felicity, both on April 24.

Other itineraries available with discounts include the 13-day ‘Blue Danube to the Black Sea’, the 15-day ‘Magnificent Europe’ and the 13-day ‘European Splendour’.

For further information on the range of itineraries available, visit http://www.avaloncruises.co.uk/ or call the river-cruise specialist agents of The Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 088 6677.

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The Land of Ice and Fire

By guest blogger Steve Newman

You can now visit the Northen seas with Saga for 14 nights, departing from Dover on June 28, 2011 from just £2264 per person.

Enjoy a thrilling two-week voyage absorbing the breathtaking landscape of Iceland and returning via Norway. Discover beauty and be mesmerised by the freshness and colours of nature, taking in the puffin colonies and the spectacular Godafoss Falls.

The journey reveals the dramatic geological treasures of Iceland with its frozen coastline, bubbling geysers and beautiful fjords, as well as discovering the thriving capital of Reykjavik. You also call at the Orkney Islands, with their fascinating ancient heritage, and remote Faroe Islands.

Highlights:

• Discovering Iceland’s hot bed of geothermal activity, eerie lava formations, hot springs and glaciers
• Visiting the Laufas Farm Museum and gain an insight into early Icelandic farm life
• Visiting the amazing Godafoss Falls – Europe’s most powerful waterfalls, punctuated with dozens of rainbows.
• The Orkney Islands archaeological sites, including the Stone Age Ring of Brodgar and the Neolithic village of Skara Brae (above)
• Exploring Norway’s cultural city of Bergen, with its colourful gabled houses

Ports of call:

Dover, England – Kirkwell, Orkney Islands – Heimaey, Iceland – Reykjavik, Iceland - Grundarfjordur, Iceland – Isafjord, Iceland – Akureyri, Iceland – Seydisfjordur, Iceland – Torshavn, Faroe Islands – Bergen, Norway – Dover, England

Price Includes:

• Travel insurance
• All on-board gratuities
• Entertainment and activities
• Welcome cocktail party and Captain’s Dinner
• All meals onboard, including 24-hour room service
• All port taxes and visas
• UK mainland travel service to your departure point

For further details, look up http://www.sagacruises.co.uk/

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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!

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