More Voluntourism Chances With Crystal

Crystal Cruises’ guests and crew will have twice as many more opportunities to give back locally during the line's 2014 World Cruise, with an expanded You Care, We Care programme during Crystal Serenity’s 89-night, Los Angeles to Southampton global journey (departing January 18).

The new-look voluntourism offers can help underprivileged children, the eco-system or a local memorial in places like Hawaii, Asia and Africa, with Crystal handling all costs and logistics. Crystal offers one complimentary voluntour per cruise, always aiding a small, local organisation. However, the five segments on next year’s World Cruise boast seven unique excursions in seven ports. Assistance opportunities include:

• Gardening and weeding Honolulu’s Makapu’u Beach to help preserve dwindling native plant life.
• Helping build structures and clean playgrounds at Father’s Home Care Ministries’ home for disadvantaged children in Takoradi, Ghana.
• Reading to underprivileged children to improve literacy as part of Singapore’s LIFE programme (offered on two World Cruise segments).
• Teaching, singing, gardening and playing with orphans in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.
• Preparing meals, babysitting or reading to the abandoned, abused, neglected or orphaned children of Baphumelele Children’s Home near Cape Town.
• Crafting the commemorative candles to be lit at Nagasaki’s annual Peace Ceremony, in remembrance of the lives lost to WWII’s atomic bomb.
• Engaging in the day-to-day programmes (knitting, gardening, schoolwork etc) of the orphaned children raised and cared for by families in Durban’s SOS Children’s Village.

More info: call Crystal Cruises on 020 7399 7601 or visit www.crystalcruises.co.uk.

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Costa's Big Investment In Ship Refurbishment

Costa Cruises is investing more than €10million in major refurbishments of three of the fleet’s ships, which are scheduled to arrive in Genoa this month for planned maintenance work.

The work will be performed at San Giorgio del Porto shipyard, one of the international leaders for ship repairs and refitting. 

 
The boutique-style 24,400-ton Costa Voyager will be serviced first for about two weeks from 7 November, while Costa neoRiviera (above; 48,200 tons) will also be in the shipyard from 7-12 November and Costa Classica (53,000 tons) will receive maintenance works from 12 November to 21 December.

Operations will include the hull and engine section for Costa Voyager, while work on Costa Classica is routine maintenance, performed on average every 36 months, involving both the hull and engine section and the hotel section. 

 

For Costa neoRiviera, previously operated as the Grand Mistral for Iberocruceros, the Spanish brand owned by the Costa Crociere S.p.A. Group, operations scheduled in addition to hull and engine work include renovations to open-air decks and inside guest areas to add to the charming atmosphere reminiscent of the Italian and French Rivieras.

More info: call 0800 389 0622 or visit www.costacruises.co.uk. 

 

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Take A Voyage of Discovery To India & South-East Asia

Boutique cruise line Voyages of Discovery are inviting bookings for their Autumn Sale, offering big savings on two major cruises to India and south-east Asia. 

The 16-day "Treasures of Asia" tour departs February 17 and showcases the highlights of Asia, from the frenetic capital of the Philippines to the beautiful temples of Cambodia. Other highlights on this itinerary include the opportunity to take in the world’s largest orang-utan sanctuary in Borneo, the stunning beaches in Cebu and The Temple of Dawn in Bangkok. As part of the Autumn Sale offer, prices for this cruise start now from £1,899 per person for an inside cabin. 

On the 20-day "Colours of the Indian Ocean" voyage departing March 4, guests will experience the magnificent temples and palaces of Bangkok and the colonial charm of Singapore before exploring the beauty of Malaysia and India. Highlights of this stunning itinerary include the opportunity to explore the breath-taking beauty of Kerala’s world-renowned backwaters, the tranquillity of the idyllic Andaman Islands and the bustling metropolis of Mumbai. Prices start from £2,118 per person for an inside cabin.

Prices for all cruises include return flights to/from the UK, gratuities onboard and ashore, all relevant overseas transfers, meals, a comprehensive series of Guest Speaker talks and selected shore excursions.

More info: visit  www.voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk or call 0844 488 0893.

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P&O'S Family Appeal

P&O Cruises has announced three new cruises on family-friendly Azura in October 2014, including a six-night cruise break during the half-term school holidays. All cruises depart from and return to Southampton and will be applicable for P&O's new Select Price fare.

The options are:
 

• A two-night short break cruise departing October 13, with prices starting from £199 per person.
• A 10-night Atlantic Coast/Iberia cruise sailing on October 15, with prices from £949 per person.
• A six-night cruise break departing October 25, from £599 per person.

The cruises replace Azura’s planned dry dock for 2014, which has been moved to 2015. The two-night cruise departing October 13, replaces a two-night cruise departing October 29 and customers who are currently booked on the latter are being notified of the change of date and offered the sailing on the 13th, an alternative two-night cruise or cancellation free of charge.

P&O's Select Price fares launched on November 4 and are the new headline fares offering premium value with flexible booking conditions. Customers will be able to specify their cabin number and have the highest priority choice of dining time and table size, as well as cabin upgrades subject to availability. The fare is also inclusive of shuttle buses (where available in ports of call) and a choice of one of the following: onboard credit, car parking or coach transfers to the port of Southampton.

Azura’s facilities include four pools, Oasis Spa with thermal suite, The Retreat open-air spa terrace, large gym, sports court, golf nets, age-specific children’s clubs, outdoor cinema and a variety of restaurants and bars, including Sindhu fine dining restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar and The Glass House grill and bar, with wines selected by TV expert Olly Smith.

More info: visit www.pocruises.com or call 0843 373 0111.

 

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Chimu's Antarctic Adventures

Specialist Antarctica and Latin America tour operator Chimu Adventures have released their new dedicated Antarctica brochure, including sailings from Ushuaia, Hobart and Bluff, as well as fly-cruise departures from Punta Arenas. These wonderful voyages take in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, the South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula, mainland Antarctica and East Antarctica.

The brochure contains numerous trips from South America including Classic Antarctica,Quest for the Antarctic Circle, Falklands and South Georgia and the Weddell Sea Quest, along with Mawson’s Antarctica and Southern Ocean Safari from New Zealand.  

To add to the experience of the white continent, there are numerous excursions available. Clients can take excursions ashore, sea kayak, ski, dive, mountaineer and even camp. Additionally, there are a host of alternative adventure options available, including discovering the South Pole on a ski craft, exploring an Emperor Penguin rookery and expeditions from the remote Union Glacier Camp.

A 9-night Classic Antarctica cruise with Chimu Adventures costs from £2,800 per person.

More info: visit http://www.chimuadventures.com/country/antarctica

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The Andes & Caribbean With Swan Hellenic

               

Destination specialists Swan Hellenic are offering a fabulous chance to explore the Caribbean AND the Andean mountains in one extended voyage in the New Year.

Swan's "Discover the Wonders of the Andes & Atacama" 25-day cruise departs on January 5, taking passengers through the Caribbean and along the Panama Canal to explore the highlights of Ecuador, Peru and Chile. 

Along the way, guests will get to admire the best Pre Columbian and Incan gold and pottery artefacts in Lima’s fine museums; discover the Santa Catalina Convent in the Peruvian ‘White City’ of Arequipa; and savour the fine wines of Chile’s Casablanca Valley. New Saver Fares start from £3,685 per person for an inside cabin and £4,735 for an outside cabin. With limited availability, early booker can now take advantage of fantastic savings of up to £1,015 per person.

Alternatively, the "Caribbean to the Canaries" journey is a 17-day cruise departing on March 29. Passengers will be able to step back in time to explore an historic Plantation House in Barbados; admire the natural beauty of the towering Pitons on the lush, volcanic island of St Lucia; and explore the undiscovered Iles des Saintes. The final port of call on this fascinating itinerary is the volcanic island of Tenerife, where the lava fields of Mount Teide await discovery. As part of an Autumn Sale, prices for this cruise start from £1,734 per person for an inside cabin and £2,256 for an outside cabin if booked by November 11.

Prices for both cruises include return flights to/from the UK, gratuities onboard and ashore, all relevant overseas transfers, meals, a comprehensive series of Guest Speaker talks and selected shore excursions. 

 

More info: visit www.swanhellenic.com or call 0844 488 1048.

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The Joys Of 'Sampler' Cruises

Our Managing Director has just returned from his very first cruise (he IS new to the business, after all) and is raving about the experience - as we expected!

His voyage was a 4-day short-break cruise with P&O Cruises to Gent (and Bruges), and helped to showcase the many attractions of cruising as well as the great value of this 'sampler' type cruise, when people can invest in just a few days to see if it really is for them.

Sailing from Southampton, P&O are a perfect option for this type of voyaging as they can pack a lot into the relatively short time involved and really showcase their highlights, notably with the many entertainment options.

And, with that in mind, here are a couple of similar short-break cruises you can still try with P&O in the coming months...

Singer Katherine Jenkins is performing on the Oriana's four-night November 27 sailing, departing from Southampton and calling at Bruges (from Zeebrugge) and overnight in Amsterdam. Prices start from just £349 per person for a Getaway Fare, to include a free upgrade to an outside cabin, full-board meals, daily afternoon tea and entertainment.

Exclusively for adults, Oriana’s facilities include three pools, the Oasis Spa, gym, theatre, cinema, sports court and traditional deck games, plus numerous restaurants and bars, including the Ocean Grill by celebrity chef Marco Pierre White.

To see more about this cruise, follow this link: http://www.pocruises.com/X326

Alternatively, there is a two-night short cruise break to Bruges (from Zeebrugge) on Oriana departing April 18, starting from just £229 per person. The price includes an inside cabin, full-board meals, daily afternoon tea and entertainment.

Link: http://www.pocruises.com/X408.

Have you subscribed to World of Cruising magazine yet? We have a fabulous offer for all new subscribers this year - 50 per cent OFF the regular rate AND the chance to win a cruise in our free prize draw offer. 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.