Save On Luxury River Voyages With AmaWaterways

It's always great to start the week with some major cruise savings - and these are especially noteworthy from AmaWaterways, for their grand Mekong River voyages in Vietnam and Cambodia, the wine regions of France and the Danube:

19^th March: Mekong cruise, £1,295pp, saving £328pp

From exotic floating markets to bustling cities, AmaWaterways’ cruise from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City meanders along Asia’s magnificent Mekong, taking in life along its banks with daily included excursions to temples, markets, cities and riverside villages. A week's stay on board the majestic La Marguerite, the most luxurious ship on the river, now costs £1,295pp on March 19, a saving of £328pp. The price includes all meals on board, complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks with dinner, daily excursions and nightly entertainment on board.

29th March: Wine-themed cruise with £389pp saving
 
Take a wine-filled voyage from Arles to Lyon through some of France’s most renowned wine regions, inclusive of complimentary wine-themed shore excursions and winery visits; onboard lectures, wine tastings and wine pairings at meals. Highlights are the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Arles and Avignon; the beautiful villages of Viviers, Tournon, Vienne and Trévoux and excursions to the Beaujolais wine region. The week-long cruise now costs from £1,265pp (a saving of £389pp), including all meals, wine, beer and soft drinks with dinner, complimentary daily tours, free wi-fi and complimentary use of onboard bicycles.

 
13^th April: Black Sea cruise, £1175, saving £479pp

Cruise from Budapest along the Danube through Romania, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria to the Bulgarian port of Rousse, including passing through the 'Iron Gates’, the narrow divide between the Balkans and Carpathian mountains, to conclude the cruise with an excursion to Bucharest. The week-long luxury voyage costs from £1,175 per person (was £1654pp), with all meals, free wi-fi, free use of onboard bicycles, daily tours and excursions and all port taxes.

For booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury river-cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Last-Minute Spring Fling With Hebridean Island Cruises

Here' a great idea to start the cruise year - join Hebridean Island Cruises’  luxury small cruise ship Hebridean Princess for a spring voyage around the west coast of Scotland.

Guests can also save up to 30 per cent on brochure fares on the North from Kintyre seven-night cruise, which now costs from £1,575 per person (based on two people sharing an inside double/twin cabin). Highlights include Auchindrain open air museum – the last farming township in Scotland – and the beautiful National Trust Arduaine Garden.

Departing from Greenock, Hebridean Princess visits Crarae, Rothesay, Loch Long, Loch Goil, Arran, Campbeltown, Jura, Crinan, Craobh Haven and Kerrera with the final port of Oban. Price is based on a March 20 departure.

There is limited availability on this all-inclusive cruise and prices include all meals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, shore excursions and gratuities and all relevant cruise taxes/fees.

For booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

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A Golfing SeaDream

The Caribbean has some of the world's most beautiful and challenging golf courses and SeaDream Yacht Club has designed a December itinerary with the golf enthusiast in mind, sailing for 7 nights aboard SeaDream I, from December 2-9.

This voyage departs St John’s, Antigua, on December 2 and golfers may wish to arrive on the island early to play 18 holes at Cedar Valley, a course that offers panoramic coastline views. The yacht will be at anchor off Charlestown, Nevis, on December 4 and golfers will certainly want to play the Four Seasons Pinney’s Beach. This 18-hole course is designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and winds around the slopes of the dormant Mount Nevis volcano. 

On December 6, SeaDream I will be in Anguilla, where  18 holes at The Course at Cuisinart Resort is a must. This $50million Greg Norman signature-designed championship course offers breathtaking views of the island and the sea. The voyage ends in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on December 9. Golfers may wish to extend their stay ashore to play any of the nearly 30 courses on the island. A favourite is Arthur Hills Golf Course at El Conquistador Resort. This par-72 course is as challenging as it is lovely.

Other ports of call included during this voyage are Montserrat, St Barts, Virgin Gorda and Jost van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. Guests can keep their game at its best, by making use of the complimentary Golf Simulator onboard featuring 30 different courses. Sore muscles can be eased after an arduous game by visiting the SeaDream Spa, with its eight Thai-certified, massage therapists.

 

Voyage-only fares lead in at $2,999 per person, excluding golf fees, and $392 in government, port and handling fees. The holiday can be extended with SeaDream’s pre and post-voyage land packages, which include hotel, greens fees, meals and transfers. The concierge is on hand to book the tee-times and guests can either bring their own clubs or hire at the respective golf clubs en route.

 

For booking details, be sure to check this link with the UK's leading luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Free Flights From Hurtigruten

Spring along Norway’s coast is a magical time as the days get warmer and colour gently returns to the landscape. Hurtigruten has now made it easier to experience this beautiful season with the offer of free flights on selected departures in April. 

Available on the 12-day Classic Round Voyage from Bergen in the south to Kirkenes in the north and back, the ship calls at more than 30 ports, many of which are never visited by larger ships.

Customers travelling at this time will also be able to enjoy their journey under the new ‘Arctic Awakening’ theme, which includes a wide range of shore excursions and onboard activities. As part of this, guests will have the opportunity to learn new skills, such as how to shell prawns and fillet fish, all under the guidance of local fishermen who come on board especially for this purpose. In addition, from mid-April, the ships sail into the famous Geirangerfjord (above), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a big draw for many travellers.

Classic Round Voyage: Take the 12-day Classic Round Voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes and back. Starting at £1,587pp, the price includes full board on the ship and free flights with BMI from London Heathrow on selected dates in April. Based on two sharing.

For booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Swan Hellenic's French Accent

Join Swan Hellenic’s newly refurbished MV Minerva for one of three superb summer cruises this year, starting with a great 15-day French Accent cruise from just £2,330 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin).

The voyage departs from Portsmouth on July 5 and calls at Amsterdam, Ostend, St Malo (above), Bordeaux (overnight), La Rochelle, Belle Ile, Brest, St Peter Port (Guernsey) and Honfleur before returning to Portsmouth.

Or discover some of the finest landscapes, castles and scenery that France and the British Isles has to offer with a 14-day Gardens of the Celtic Fringe cruise from £2,165 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin).

This voyage departs from Portsmouth on July 19 and calls at Dublin, Portrush, Killybegs, Glengarriff, Cork, Isles of Scilly, Falmouth, St Peter Port and Rouen (overnight) before returning to Portsmouth.

Or there is the South to the Mediterranean voyage on August 1, from just £1,995 per person. Again sailing from Portsmouth, this cruise visits St Peter Port, La Coruna, Oporto, Cadiz, Malaga, Cartagena, Palma, Cagliari, Trapani and Valletta (overnight). 

Prices for all cruises includes a tailor-made programme of shore excursions, talks by eminent Guest Speakers, meals and entertainment on board, all gratuities and all relevant cruise taxes/fees.

For booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Fred. Olsen's "Pre-Launch Offers!"

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has produced a special brochure of ‘Pre-Launch Offers’ to give early bookers the opportunity to take advantage of some very competitive prices on a selection of 57 worldwide cruises in 2013/14, from eight convenient, regional UK departure ports, ahead of the main brochure launch later in the year.

There are cruises to suit all tastes, from just £84 per person, per night, and prices are guaranteed to be lower than they will be in the ‘Worldwide 2013/14’ brochure. The ‘Pre-Launch Offers’ brochure is on general sale from March 8, with special launch prices available until April 26. 

It includes ex-UK cruises from no fewer than eight UK ports, departures from Harwich and Belfast for the first time and the welcome return of cruises from Liverpool. The other UK ports featured are Southampton, Dover, Newcastle, Greenock (Glasgow) and Rosyth (Edinburgh).

For booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's leading cruise agent specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Crystal Add More Port Over-Nights

As Crystal Cruises prepares to go “All-Inclusive” next month, the ultra-luxury line has decided to focus on significantly more local shipboard overnights at the beginning of cruises. 

For the upcoming European season, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony have doubled the number of voyages that begin with days (and nights) in port. The move eases the worry of late flight arrivals, lost luggage, relocating to/from hotels, finding quality restaurants and settling in prior to sight-seeing. This move also enhances recreational choices due to more extensive options being available onboard Crystal’s ships than can be found at hotels on land.

Overnights at the disembarkation ports of Venice, Barcelona or Istanbul, for example, allow guests to see significantly more of the final destination without having to move to a hotel or rush to the airport. Crystal has also added overnights to the middle and/or end of the majority of cruises this year. 

Some 26 large cultural capitals and smaller destinations renowned for their charm are featured in North America, the Pacific and Europe from March through December, with 69 overnights planned in Europe alone. A sample includes: 

• MEDITERRANEAN, including the BLACK SEA and MIDDLE EAST (43 overnights/10 ports): Venice, Ashdod, Istanbul, Odessa, Barcelona, Lisbon and Monte Carlo.
• BALTIC and NORTHERN EUROPE: (21 overnights/4 ports): Stockholm, Copenhagen and St Petersburg, with five cruises featuring two nights (“double overnight”) in the latter.
• WESTERN EUROPE and UK (5 overnights/4 ports): Edinburgh, Bordeaux and Reykjavik.
• NORTH AMERICA: (9 overnights/4 ports): New York, Quebec City, San Francisco and Montreal
• SOUTH PACIFIC, AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND: (6 overnights/4 ports): Papeete, Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney, with a huge complimentary VIP New Year’s Eve celebration during a double overnight in the latter.

 For booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury cruise specialists, 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.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.