Round Britain, Princess Style

Kissing the Blarney Stone in Blarney near Cork is just one of the options on Princess Cruises' latest round-Britain and Ireland offering for summer 2014.

Or how about casting an eye over the murky waters of Loch Ness, which is another possibility on this cruise? Then you can discover the rich Viking history of the Orkney Islands and the vibrant life of Belfast before returning to Southampton after sampling the gentle rhythm of life on Guernsey. 

On Ruby Princess, guests can also enjoy a night of romance almost wherever they look on board, from a soothing couples massage or a cabana in the Sanctuary to listening to the Piazza singers' serenading melody. There is even the chance to cuddle up in Movies Under the Stars to watch a romantic comedy with complementary blankets and popcorn.

Nights are always buzzing, with live theatre, plush lounges, casinos, vibrant dance clubs and a terrific variety of speciality restaurants, and the 12-day British Isles Cruise starts from just £1,299pp, sailing on August 3.

More info: call 0845 075 0031 or visit www.princess.com.

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Holland America's Caribbean Christmas

Christmas has come early at Holland America Line, with Caribbean cruises now starting from just £249 for a 'taster' cruise and £499 for a full week’s holiday, cruise-only - the perfect antidote to the hectic festive season.

Take your pick from this delightful selection:

Four night pre-Christmas Bahamas taster cruise
Departing Fort Lauderdale on December 18, this four-night voyage on board the MS Eurodam calls at Key West, Nassau and Half Moon Cay (Holland America Line’s private island in the Bahamas). The trip is ideal for combining with a Christmas break in Florida and costs from just £249 per person cruise-only, based on two sharing an inside cabin. A verandah cabin starts from £349 per person.

Seven night Western Caribbean cruise
This week-long sailing onboard the MS Nieuw Amsterdam departs from Fort Lauderdale on January 26. The ship then calls at Half Moon Cay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Key West before returning to Fort Lauderdale. The cruise also features special performances from the professional dancers of ‘Dancing with the Stars’. The trip costs from just £499 per person, cruise only, based on two sharing an inside cabin. A verandah cabin starts from £699pp.

14 night Southern Caribbean cruise
Start the New Year in style with a two-week cruise of the southern Caribbean. Departing from Tampa, on January 5, the MS Ryndam calls at Key West, San Juan, St Thomas, St John’s, Castries, Soufriere, Willemstad, Oranjestad and Grand Cayman. This leisurely cruise to some of the Caribbean’s less well-known islands starts from just £1,109 per person cruise only, based on two sharing an inside cabin. Ocean view starts from £1,229pp.

More info: visit www.hollandamerica.co.uk or call 0843 374 2300.

 

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Cunard's Single Traveller Bonus

Single travellers – and people who like to travel together but value having their own space – have some great opportunities to sail with Cunard this Autumn and Winter, with twin stateroom accommodation available for sole use without a single supplement and Grills Suites from only a 25% supplement on some departures. Single Supplements are usually 75% for staterooms and 100% for Grills Suites.

Canaries
Single travellers aboard Queen Mary 2 will pay no single supplement at all for staterooms on the November 30 departure, sailing from Southampton to the Canaries (and only 50% for Grills Suites). Single fares start at £599 for 11 nights.

Mediterranean
Aboard Queen Elizabeth, single supplements are only 50% for both staterooms and Grills Suites on 12-night (November 21) or 10-night (December 3) fly-cruises that sail from Rome to Sicily and the Greek islands, or from Rome to the French Riviera, Barcelona, Lisbon and back to Southampton. Single fares start at £749 for 10 nights, £899 for 12 nights.

Atlantic Coast
With Queen Victoria, single travellers will also pay no single supplement for staterooms on sailings on November 17 and 29 from Southampton to destinations including Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Grills Suites have only a 25% (29 November) or 50% (17 November) single supplement. Single fares start at £499 for 12 nights. 

Scandinavia
A 10-night Baltic sailing (December 13-23) from Southampton to Norway, Sweden and Denmark also has only a 50% supplement for solo travellers in Staterooms and Grills Suites. Single fares start at £749 for 10 nights. 

More info: call 0843 374 0000 or see www.cunard.co.uk.

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!

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Silversea's New Media Boost

Luxury line Silversea Cruises are claiming a cruise industry first by adding newspapers and lifestyle magazines to its complimentary onboard digital service. 

The digital service can be accessed on any Wi-Fi-enabled laptop, smartphone, tablet or even e-book reader -- anything with a browser. The service enables the streaming of movies and live television news broadcasts to guests' mobile devices aboard Silver Cloud and the recently launched Silver Galapagos.

The additional media options can be accessed on any smartphone or tablet, giving guests access to hundreds of daily newspapers and lifestyle magazines from 100 countries and in 56 languages. Publications are refreshed every night so guests receive the most up-to-date issues while travelling at sea.

"Thanks to technology from Newspaper Direct and other strategic partners, our guests are now able to enjoy their favourite newspapers and magazines on their personal mobile devices while sailing aboard Silver Cloud and Silver Galapagos," said Jason Cohn, Silversea's director of IT infrastructure.

By the end of November, the digital service will be available on Silver Shadow, followed by Silver Wind and Silver Whisper later in the year.

More info: visit http://www.silversea.com/ for additional details on the 2015 voyage collection.

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Three Cruise Lines, Three Round-Britain Cruises!

Here's a great trio of alternatives for the increasingly popular round-Britain cruises that many lines are now offering. They obviously all come with the benefit of no flights involved, and take in some fabulous parts of the United Kingdom. Here's what they say...

Voyages of Discovery

Departing from Portsmouth, discover the history, heritage and tradition of the British Isles. Around the shores of this island nation, discover stunning landscapes that inspired celebrated artists, and those that played starring roles in stirring epics. Set foot in atmospheric castles that hosted legendary figures, and stately homes where literary heroes penned immortal words. Turn the pages on Britain’s Royal story peopled by famous monarchs, and through great abbeys and cherished cathedrals trace the power of the church.

The 14-day National Treasures of the British Isles departs May 4 and costs from £1,939 per person. 

More info: call 0844 334 8389 or visit www.voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk.

Swan Hellenic

Travel from Portsmouth to Edinburgh, Scotland’s dynamic capital, and explore this historic city. Visit Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle and Hopetoun, Scotland’s finest stately home. Sail to the Caithness port of Scrabster to stand on the most northerly point of mainland Britain at Dunnet Head overlooking the Pentland Firth. Follow Bonnie Prince Charlie as he escaped over the sea to Skye and visit Dunvegan Castle, the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland, built on a rock in an idyllic loch-side setting. Enjoy inspirational scenic cruising as Minerva cruises off the west coast of Scotland, passing islands, glens and bays – including the tiny island of Staffa – en route to Oban, and then on to Liverpool.

This 15-day Treasures of the British Isles cruise departs July 1 and costs from £2,470 per person. 

More info: call 0844 488 0716 or visit www.swanhellenic.com.

Hebridean Island Cruises

A voyage into the unknown - join Hebridean Princess on the annual ‘Surprise’ cruise where the Captain will decide the itinerary. Enjoy the magnificent scenery of Scotland’s west coast and Hebridean islands as the Captain decides on the itinerary day by day. While the itinerary is unknown, the level of comfort and service on board  is assured. The cruise departs from Oban with only 50 guests, fine food and wine with spacious, elegant well-appointed cabins

The 7-night An Island Surprise voyage departs April 1 and costs from £2,660 per person. 
More Info: call 01756 704 700 or visit www.hebridean.co.uk.

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Costa Rica Raises Cruise Profile

With the 2013-14 cruise season officially now under way, Costa Rica has announced a new strategy to strengthen and promote its growing relationship with the cruise industry. 

Minsiter of Tourism Allan Flores explained: “In addition to reaching important agreements with industry executives, we have concentrated our efforts on improving port infrastructure and the amenities available to passengers through our local entrepreneurs. These relationships and efforts will continue to strengthen our position as a cruise destination and create an even better experience for visitors.”

The arrival of Princess Cruises' Island Princess to the Port of Limón (above) marked the start of a cruise season filled with new arrivals, partnerships and improvements aimed to support the destination’s offerings and passenger services. This was the first of 64 ships expected to arrive in the port city, 12 per cent more than last year. Officials also announced plans to include the improvement of infrastructure as well as projects for the recovery of

architectural and cultural heritage in the Caribbean city.

As part of the destination’s new strategy, Costa Rica has also announced a cooperative partnership with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Through this partnership, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and New York will begin promoting travel packages that include three-night stays in Costa Rica, with a city tour, running through to December 31.

To further solidify the country’s cruise offerings, a new Mesoamerican regional agreement has also been implemented. For the first time, countries in the region have cooperatively developed a partnership with cruise lines worldwide to introduce new routes through the Pacific. The new route, named Amazing Pacific, will begin operations on January 14, with the arrival of Azamara Club Cruises, part of the Royal Caribbean company, to Costa Rica’s Puerto Caldera region. Additional major Pacific ports will include Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.

More info: visit www.VisitCostaRica.com. 

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Celebrity's Captain's Club Bonus

Michael Bayley, Celebrity Cruises' president and CEO will host a Captain’s Club members “President’s Cruise” on board the line’s Celebrity Equinox departing from Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) on July 26 next year.

And featured as part of the cruise will be an evening of open-air entertainment and a complimentary dinner rich with authentic Italian fare and robust local wines in Bolgheri, a 15th Century medieval village in Tuscany.

Ports of call on offer include Livorno (for Florence), Villefranche (for Nice) and Porto Torres (Sardinia). During the cruise, members of Celebrity's Captain’s Club loyalty programme (“Classic” level membership or higher) can enjoy a series of culinary events including:
 

A Taste of Nice: A four-course Mediterranean dinner featuring locally-caught seafood, farm-to-table vegetables, artisanal olive oils, local wine pairings and dessert, all created by Celebrity Chefs Thomas Szymanski and Thierry Houlbert, and served in the elegant Murano restaurant. The prix fixe menu is $95pp.
 

Molecular Cocktail dinner: Guests can join Celebrity's James Beard-featured chef John Suley and “The Liquid Chef” Junior Merino for a unique pairing menu combining cocktails from the Molecular Bar and dishes from the ‘uniquely unordinary’ onboard speciality restaurant, Qsine. The prix fixe menu is $95 per person.

A Taste of Spain: Captain’s Club members can enjoy traditional tapas such as Iberico ham and samples of olive oils direct from Andalusia. Celebrity's chefs Rufino Rengifo and Thierry Houlbert will host the evening with Master Sommelier Andrea Immer Robinson, pairing Spanish delicacies with fine wines including Riojas, Priorats and Sherry. The prix fixe menu is $95pp.

Guests on this sailing also can purchase new shore excursions, from the Celebrity Exclusives collection, such as a hot air balloon ride over the Tuscan countryside, a tour via Ferrari of the Côte d’Azur and a specially designed helicopter flight prior to an intimate lunch at renowned Chef Alain Ducasse’s Provencal Inn. Space is extremely limited within the collection of Celebrity Exclusives, and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
 

For more information about the President’s Cruise, Captain’s Club members can log into their member account at www.celebritycruises.com/captainsclub. Anyone over the age of 18 can join the Captain’s Club.

More info: visit www.celebritycruises.co.uk or call 0844 493 2043.

 

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.

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